Chapter 113
Clad in red fur, Xie Chengze strode into the hall, raised a hand to brush off the snow on his clothes, and fixed his gaze on the Son of Heaven upon the dragon throne. “Why must Father make things difficult for these ministers? Am I not the best person to send to Liaozhou?”
“Nonsense!” Emperor Jian frowned and rebuked him. “Do you know how vicious mountain bandits are?”
Those were desperate outlaws who lived by the blade. Going to Liaozhou to handle documents and cases would be one thing. Going to wipe out bandits would simply be throwing his life away!
“With Wuhen and Wuji protecting me, this son will certainly be safe,” Xie Chengze said firmly. “Do these ministers have experts like Wuhen and Wuji to protect them?”
The officials hastily nodded.
Exactly, exactly. They were just a bunch of old, weak, sickly, infirm civil officials. Going to Liaozhou to handle some business would be fine, but suppressing bandits would mean overestimating themselves!
Besides, some of them did not even want Shen Yuan alive!
“No!” Emperor Jian still refused to relent. “What use are martial skills in deep mountains and heavy snow? Liaozhou is not Yizhou. In such a remote, bitterly cold place, if something happens to you, nothing can save you! I will never permit you to take such a risk!”
“Father! This son’s mind is made up!”
Xie Chengze stepped forward and said earnestly, “Didn’t you ask this son time and again whether I was willing to go to Liaozhou? I am answering you now: I am willing!”
“That is different!” Emperor Jian slammed a hand on the imperial desk and began coughing in his anger. “Cough, cough, cough! If Shen Yuan had not disappeared, I would naturally have been reassured while you remained in Liaozhou! But now he is missing, the heavy snow has arrived, and at such a moment you still want to go into the mountains to suppress bandits. How can I feel at ease?”
Eunuch Zhao hurried forward to rub Emperor Jian’s back and ease his breathing, then pleaded with Xie Chengze. “Your Highness! Don’t act on impulse! How could His Majesty bear to let you go?!”
“Then should these ministers go instead?” Xie Chengze was angry too, his tone full of righteous indignation. “You may not feel sorry for these ministers, but this son does!”
Emperor Jian: ?
The ministers: ?
The ministers: Second Prince, you’re surprisingly kind, aren’t you?
“Nonsense!” Emperor Jian was both angry and amused. “How can these ministers’ lives compare with yours?”
“In this son’s eyes, their lives are more important than mine!” Xie Chengze wailed at the top of his lungs. Unafraid of the Son of Heaven’s authority, he lifted his head and said stubbornly, “The death of even one minister would pain this son beyond measure!”
“Minister Yang’s death already broke this son’s heart. How could I now stand by and watch you force these good ministers onto this road to certain death in Liaozhou?!” Growing more grief-stricken, Xie Chengze clutched his chest and cried, “Alas, alas! Minister Yang! If your spirit is watching from Heaven, persuade Father!”
Every word Xie Chengze spoke came from the heart; Heaven and Earth could bear witness to his feelings. Listening, the ministers could not help growing teary-eyed. At that moment, His Highness seemed bathed in golden light, like a merciful bodhisattva descended to earth.
The Second Prince had always liked grabbing work to do. Though he had done it only passably, at least when something needed doing, he really did it!
Moreover, if the Second Prince took over Liaozhou, even a failure would not bring punishment from His Majesty. He also had expert bodyguards. Truly, he was the best possible person to send there!
“Your Highness is benevolent. How fortunate the people of Liaozhou are to have your care!”
“Your Highness! This official misjudged you before. Your noble bearing today truly puts us to shame!”
“I never imagined Your Highness cared so deeply for us officials. This official is moved beyond words, his robe soaked with tears!”
“Not at all, not at all. It is only right, only right.” Xie Chengze waved, nodding and smiling in acknowledgment like a leader reviewing troops.
“You!” Emperor Jian helplessly rubbed the space between his brows and sighed. “Very well. Since you wish to go so much, go! But the forces available to the court are limited now. I can give you at most a hundred cavalrymen, and have General Dingyuan accompany you to Liaozhou. You are not skilled in military affairs. With the general there, you should have some assistance.”
General Dingyuan stepped forward and bowed slightly. “This official will certainly assist His Highness in wiping out the mountain bandits and recovering Vice Minister Shen!”
“So few men…” Xie Chengze seemed a little disdainful, but quickly changed his tone and said with a smile, “No great problem. Before the Crown Prince and Lord Shen left, they told this son that certain ministers have privately maintained household troops in the capital. Those troops would face death anyway if caught. Why not let this son take them to Liaozhou and give them a chance to atone through service?”
He took out a sheet of yellow paper and began calling names, like the King of Hell taking attendance.
The ministers whose names were called: ???
The ministers whose names were called: !!!
Wait, what? This was too sudden, too sudden!
A hollow, absurd sense that their final hour had arrived in the blink of an eye left these ministers frozen in place. Only after a long while did they react, falling to their knees and prostrating themselves, trembling all over. “Your Majesty! We are wronged! How would this official dare maintain household troops?!”
“His Highness is framing us! There is no such thing!”
“Your Highness! What did we do to offend you, that you would charge us with such a capital crime?!”
Xie Chengze hastily waved his little hands, shifting the blame. “The Crown Prince and Shen Yuan told me. What does it have to do with me? I may indeed be a little eager for quick success, but don’t lash out at just anyone! They’re using me as their weapon too!”
Those ministers: ?
Wait, what?
You know you’re being used as a weapon, and you fucking say it anyway? What the hell is wrong with you???
The ministers glared angrily, cursing Xie Chengze a hundred times in their hearts. They cursed the Crown Prince and Shen Yuan even more. Who knew when those two had uncovered their secrets and learned of their household troops?!
“There is such a thing?!” Hearing Xie Chengze’s words, Emperor Jian feigned furious imperial wrath and slapped the desk as he rose. “Li Ren, lead the Imperial Guards in a thorough investigation at once. If these people truly maintain household troops, throw them straight into prison!”
“This official obeys!” Prime Minister Li hastily bowed, wondering inwardly whether this too had been arranged between His Majesty and the Second Prince.
His Majesty had long suspected people were maintaining household troops, but had lacked evidence. Unexpectedly, the Second Prince had suddenly exposed them today, allowing His Majesty to seize the opportunity and resolve a great source of concern…
In fact, Emperor Jian had not expected Xie Chengze to know of it either. In a cheerful mood, he said to him, “Ze’er, since you wish to go, go. But you must be careful. If you truly cannot find Shen Yuan…”
He sighed. “Then that too is fate.”
“Yes, Father.” Xie Chengze hastily bowed, hurriedly tucking the yellow sheet from which he had called names into his sleeve.
That yellow sheet was actually just discarded paper that had wrapped pastries. There was no writing on it at all.
While spouting nonsense just now, he had habitually felt around in his sleeve and happened to pull it out. Hearing the emperor say the available forces were limited, he had borrowed the Crown Prince’s and Shen Yuan’s names and exposed the ministers harboring malicious intentions while he was at it.
He really was a genius.
Oh, no – a genius with something seriously wrong with him. Heeheehee~
Xie Zimiao, standing nearby, glanced at Xie Chengze’s lowered head and secret delight, then at Emperor Jian, who wanted to laugh but was restraining himself. He spoke up. “Father, this son would like to go to Liaozhou too…”
“Go, go.” Emperor Jian waved his hand, agreeing so quickly that it was as though Xie Zimiao were merely a free extra.
Xie Zimiao immediately beamed with joy and ran happily to Xie Chengze. “Second Brother! I’ll go with you, so we can look after each other!”
Xie Chengze: …
Wait, what? Why was it again so difficult for him to go to another prefecture, while Xie Zimiao received a casual word of permission?!
You bastard emperor! Aren’t you being far too biased?!