Chapter 107 I Am Not A Kingmaker

As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like accompanying a tiger.

For emperors, their habits and quirks must be understood by those below, otherwise, the nation's policies cannot continue smoothly, and subordinates will find it difficult to be highly efficient when handling matters for them.

But at the same time, emperors must never be fully understood because an emperor is just a person, a lonely figure facing the entire court. Simply following the rules means they are not far from being sidelined.

However,

no one expected,

that at this point in the family banquet,

the Yan Emperor would suddenly raise such a question.

Directing the crown prince to state his own offenses.

One must know,

the crown prince is the foundation of the nation, and the foundation of the nation needs to be protected.

Making him confess his sins in front of all his brothers, was this meant to destroy the prince's foundation?

What would the other princes think?

Zheng Boye sat upright, aware that he had no right to speak here at this moment because he was an outside official and a military general.

Regardless of whether others say you are a "Sixth Prince Party" member, you must never express it clearly in front of the Emperor.

Didn't you see that even the Prime Minister remained unmoved, not stepping forward to intercede for the crown prince?

The advantage of a family banquet was evident here. If the entire court of civil and military officials were present, a group of ministers would surely stand up to plead for the crown prince, begging the Emperor to calm his anger, when the Emperor questioned the prince in this way.

Because maintaining the foundation of the nation is the instinct of ministers, and it is also the cornerstone of maintaining the relationship between ruler and subject. At that time, Zhao Jiulang, as the head of the officials, would have to step forward.

Now,

he silently brought the remaining half-cup of wine to his lips, then used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, putting it into his mouth to suppress the alcohol. Afterward, he put down his chopsticks, clasped his hands, and narrowed his eyes, as if transcending the world with the help of the wine.

Zheng Boye silently imitated the action,

clenching his hands slightly,

placing them in front of his abdomen,

eyes glazed over,

spirit wandering beyond the heavens.

The two of them sat together, starting to exude an ethereal aura almost at the same time.

Those who didn't know might have thought that the Prime Minister and the youngest meritorious marquis of the Great Yan were both from the ranks of Qi refiners.

Meanwhile, the crown prince, located at the center of the storm,

did not seem to be too flustered.

He simply kowtowed again silently,

slowly straightening his body.

There's a saying, if the ruler wants a subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die.

And between a prince and an emperor, in addition to the relationship between ruler and subject, there is also the father-son relationship. Under the dual principles of conduct, as a prince, you have no reason to resist.

"Your son is guilty, with three offenses."

The crown prince began to state his crimes.

Behind him, the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Princes were still kneeling there, all with their foreheads touching the ground. At this time, it was best to avoid getting burned;

Even Little Seven, who usually liked to act cute in front of his father, didn't dare to raise his head foolishly to show his adorable smile at this moment.

"My first offense is having no achievements in national affairs. Although my Great Yan has swallowed Jin, the national treasury is empty, and we are living beyond our means. This is my sin."

Upon hearing this offense,

the kneeling Fourth and Fifth Princes both turned their heads slightly to look at the Sixth Prince, who was also kneeling.

Little Seven didn't know why his brothers were looking at Sixth Brother, but he also turned to look at Sixth Brother.

Everyone knew that the Ministry of Revenue was now Ji Lao Liu's territory.

The crown prince's remarks about the national treasury made it hard not to feel that he was implying something.

But Ji Chengjue remained unmoved because he didn't need to explain to others. Explaining the specific situation of the national treasury to others would be useless because most people in this world are fools.

He only needed his father to know the difference between the national treasury with Ji Lao Liu and without Ji Lao Liu.

Previously,

when Great Yan devoured the Three Jins, if they had adopted a plundering strategy like the wild men or the Chu people, there would have been no burden at all. The army's needs could be met by scraping the land on the spot, and even blood could be drawn from Jin to be sent to Yan.

But his father wanted long-term stability in Jin, wanting to permanently incorporate Jin into Great Yan's territory. What seemed like just a change in strategy was actually a change from net income to net expenditure.

Not only did it change from being able to extract blood to having to transfuse blood, but it also had to bear the military needs of the various garrisons in Jin.

Furthermore,

starting with the southward attack on Qian, the original business environment deteriorated rapidly. Previously, Great Yan occupied a position at the intersection of East and West, and could make money by simply transferring goods. Now, it wasn't so easy.

At the same time, his own father's trampling on the aristocratic families would surely be a magnificent stroke in history, but everything was done too hastily. After trampling on the aristocratic families, the great war was immediately launched. Great Yan was essentially stabbing itself twice, using the pain to fight desperately with others.

The battle was won, but the aristocratic families were an important part of Great Yan's economy, politics, and culture. Regardless of whether they were beneficial or detrimental to the country, they occupied at least sixty percent of the share.

This radical way of reforming with knives directly discounted the original economic production and operation within Great Yan.

In short,

the deterioration of the trade environment led to a sharp decline in Great Yan's original trade income, and the vast Jin became a huge burden, coupled with its own deficits and chaos.

If his father hadn't known that Great Yan would face financial collapse if this continued, how could he have re-promoted his former Nan'an County constable to manage the national treasury?

With such a mess, he used just over a year to make the lives of Great Yan's people somewhat more difficult than before, but still relatively stable. Although the national treasury was living beyond its means, the court could still squeeze out some funds to invest when Mao Mingcai submitted a memorial to repair the Wangjiang River project.

Ji Chengjue felt he had done very well. No one else could have covered for his father's "grand ambitions."

"My second offense is failing to diligently serve my mother, causing her to pass away prematurely. As a son, I am unfilial. I am guilty."

Hearing this "second offense,"

the row of princes kneeling behind, except for Little Seven, all looked up in surprise at the crown prince kneeling in the front.

Including Ji Chengjue.

Ji Lao Liu hadn't thought earlier that the crown prince was targeting him by mentioning the national treasury because he was taking the blame for his father in this matter. Criticizing this was akin to slapping the father's face.

Now it seemed,

that was indeed the case,

the crown prince was not targeting him,

but was targeting the Emperor!

The sudden death of the Empress, publicly announced as a death from illness, but what was the cause?

It was the self-destruction of the Jingnan Marquis's entire family!

Everyone present would not believe that the Yan Emperor didn't know what the Jingnan Marquis was going to do at the Tian family that night.

But even so,

the Yan Emperor still allowed the Empress to return home to visit her relatives!

After that day, the Empress became ill with fright, sometimes lucid and sometimes insane. As the mother of the nation, she had fallen to such a state. Perhaps, for her, living was more of a torment.

"My third offense is that I cannot gain my father's favor, nor am I supported by the officials, nor trusted by my brothers. I am ashamed of the position of crown prince.

I am guilty,

for the sake of the eternal prosperity of my Great Yan,

I beg to resign from the position of crown prince!"

After saying this,

the crown prince removed the golden-edged flying dragon hat symbolizing the heir apparent from his head, placed it in front of him, and bowed deeply.

At this moment,

Zheng Boye was somewhat unable to restrain himself,

he really hadn't expected

that the Yan Emperor's sudden questioning would be like a huge boulder thrown in, but who knew the crown prince would come up with something even more ruthless.

This position of crown prince,

he wouldn't sit in it anymore!

Zheng Boye instinctively wanted to see Ji Lao Liu's reaction. Ji Lao Liu was trembling at this moment.

Yes,

trembling,

not trembling with excitement,

but clenching his teeth,

he,

was in fear.

Although everyone knew that the current Yanjing was a struggle between Ji Lao Liu's "Sixth Prince Party" and the crown prince for the position of heir apparent, logically speaking, if the crown prince was expelled from the Eastern Palace, Lao Liu's ascension would be almost a certainty.

The eldest prince married a barbarian princess, and being able to continue to get the opportunity to lead troops was already a stroke of good luck.

The Third Prince was useless.

The Fourth Prince, after losing the support of the Deng family, was also extremely depressed, and still unable to regain hope of revival.

The Fifth Prince was the most ordinary, and had always been quiet.

Little Seven was too young, unless the Yan Emperor could live long enough to support him, otherwise, the phrase "young ruler, unstable nation" would doom him.

Zheng Boye slowly turned his gaze to the Prime Minister sitting beside him,

and found that Zhao Jiulang was still "cultivating immortality."

Zheng Boye really wanted to remind him:

Hey, you're the Prime Minister, the crown prince is resigning, and you're acting like you don't hear it?

But Zhao Jiulang was indeed acting like he didn't hear it.

If Zhao Jiulang didn't speak, naturally Zheng Boye had no right to speak. After a while, Zheng Boye adjusted his breathing and continued to meditate;

When you don't know how to cross the swamp ahead,

it doesn't matter,

follow the predecessors, and you can't go wrong.

The Yan Emperor's gaze fell on the crown prince, silent for a long time.

Actually,

the crown prince's three major offenses,

were, rather than the crown prince's, his own, the Emperor's.

The deficit in the national treasury was due to his own ambition and constant warfare.

The Empress's death was because he himself did not cherish his wife.

Even there were rumors among the people that the Empress's death was too sudden and suspicious. Some even speculated that it was the Emperor paving the way for the Sixth Prince. Otherwise, how could one explain the coincidence of the Empress's death immediately after the Sixth Prince's wedding?

As for the third point,

the crown prince's inability to gain his father's favor, the support of the ministers, and the friendship of his brothers was because the crown prince sat in the position of the Eastern Palace, which was just a sign.

And this sign was erected by the Emperor.

The position of the Eastern Palace was great glory, but also a huge constraint.

I was established by you. After you established me, you pulled up another younger brother to fight me. Is this my fault?

Throughout history,

how many powerful crown princes have there been?

Admittedly, the crown prince's words, at first glance, seemed somewhat forced, but the fact was indeed so.

If his current crown princess was a princess, the Tian family was still there, and his mother was still alive.

Externally, there were the Northern and Southern Marquises echoing each other.

Internally, he had the support of the status of the eldest son.

He would be in an invincible position. Even if Ji Lao Liu could cause trouble, it would never threaten his position.

And these were actually personally cut off by his father.

Pulling me up,

then cutting off my branches and leaves,

then asking me what my sins are,

why!

Why didn't you directly make Lao Liu the crown prince?

After trampling on the aristocratic families, you only needed to say that you were establishing the virtuous and not the eldest, and who among the court officials would dare to object?

No one could have predicted that the long-depressed crown prince would erupt at this time.

The Yan Emperor's gaze slowly sank,

coughing twice.

Wei Zhonghe immediately offered tea.

A hint of fatigue appeared on the Yan Emperor's face.

But the tiger was not dead. Even if he showed fatigue, no one dared to touch his whiskers.

Moreover, the old tiger was even more terrifying.

"Crown Prince, do you know what your greatest sin is?"

"Please enlighten me, Father."

"A ruler should have the will to never give up, and the independent spirit when heaven and earth collapse.

Because your ministers, your brothers, your people are all watching you. You cannot be cowardly, nor do you deserve to be cowardly.

In other words,

ministers can surrender, and the people can surrender,

but to whom should a ruler bow his head?

This is the Dragon Throne. Once you sit on it, you are a tyrant. Apart from dying on this chair, any other way of getting off this chair is a dead end!

My crown prince,

the heir apparent of Great Yan,

how can he be so fragile,

how dare he be so cowardly!"

Zheng Boye felt that His Majesty was truly inhumane. This kind of Gu-raising education method was truly devastating to children.

But in this world, no one dared to teach His Majesty about raising children.

"Are you all dead? Put your Second Brother's hat back on him."

The Yan Emperor was angry.

Because the meaning of the Yan Emperor's words was for the princes to help the crown prince put on the hat, Wei Zhonghe did not step forward.

Naturally, it was not the business of the ethereal duo next to him.

However,

the Fourth Prince continued to kneel on the ground, not moving.

The Fifth Prince continued to kneel on the ground, not moving.

Little Seven stood up obediently. His mother often told him to listen to his father, and he had to do whatever his father asked him to do.

So, he ran to the front and picked up the hat next to the crown prince.

As he prepared to put it on his crown prince brother,

he deliberately turned to look at his father,

hoping to see praise in his father's eyes.

His brothers were disobedient; wasn't Little Seven obedient?

However,

he saw deep anger in his father's eyes.

Little Seven suddenly felt it difficult to breathe and immediately dropped the hat and knelt down.

As a son of the imperial family, even at a young age, he had an innate instinct.

Little Seven now understood why the other brothers were kneeling and not moving.

The scene,

suddenly became awkward.

Finally,

Ji Chengjue stood up.

He didn't know if this was a self-destructive outburst from the crown prince or a tactic of advancing by retreating;

In short,

Ji Chengjue was now very flustered.

Yes,

he was very useful now,

and could usually use some of his usefulness to bargain with his father, a tacit transaction between father and son.

But the father was, after all, the father, and he also knew clearly how proud his father was at heart.

The father would not yield to anyone.

Once it touched on major issues of right and wrong, he must never use his usefulness to provoke the dignity of an emperor.

This was the tyrant.

After having a son,

Ji Lao Liu felt that he was much more afraid of death.

Being afraid of death,

was nothing to be ashamed of.

For example, the one sitting next to him with the surname Zheng,

had always openly put his fear of death on his lips.

Even when entering the capital, he brought the Sword Saint with him, even to the palace gate. If Wei Zhonghe hadn't stopped the Sword Saint and made other arrangements, he might have even brought the Sword Saint to the Chunfang Hall!

The other brothers didn't move

because they knew

who their father wanted to help the crown prince put on this hat.

The crown prince took off his own hat, which was equivalent to vacating the position of the Eastern Palace.

Whoever was most likely to enter the Eastern Palace would pick it up.

Picking it up was not to put it on his own head but to put it back on the crown prince's head.

This was clearly telling you

that the crown prince

was established by him, the Emperor of Great Yan.

Without his permission,

you want to stop being the crown prince? Impossible!

You want to be the crown prince? Also impossible!

Ji Chengjue walked to the crown prince's side and knelt down.

Picking up the hat that had fallen on the ground,

he reached out

to dust off the dust on it,

and then, very solemnly,

placed this hat on the crown prince's head.

The two's eyes met.

In the crown prince's eyes, there was no joy, no triumph, only calm.

Ji Chengjue realized that every time he saw the crown prince after the Empress's death, he seemed to have this expression.

Ji Lao Liu had no pity,

they were both fish in the pond, biting on the hooks deliberately thrown down by their father. Who needed to pity whom?

Finally,

Ji Chengjue faced the Yan Emperor,

and knelt down.

Zheng Boye watched the scene unfolding before him. This was the most primitive ecosystem of the imperial family. To use a postmodernist phrase to describe it, the desire for power had distorted the family's kinship ethics.

If possible,

Zheng Boye really wanted to take out his drawing board and oil paints at this time to create a painting.

To paint the Yan Emperor's expression, the crown prince's expression, Ji Chengjue's expression, and the expressions of the other princes below;

Of course,

himself and the Prime Minister, who were accompanying the banquet, should also be painted in, as outsiders, they could provide a second perspective for those who appreciated the painting in the future.

Such as,

those two accompanying, pay attention to their gazes and expressions, what can you see from them?

Europe actually has a similar painting.

But Zheng Boye felt that that painting was too simple and too straightforward, so straightforward that it could only elicit a knowing smile, which was inferior.

Zheng Boye breathed out slightly,

and glanced at his "Daoist" next to him again,

finding that Zhao Jiulang was also making the same action.

Honestly,

Zheng Boye couldn't glean any meaning from Zhao Jiulang's eyes.

At the same time, Zheng Boye believed that Zhao Jiulang also couldn't capture any meaning from his eyes

because he simply had no meaning.

At this moment,

the Yan Emperor spoke:

"Draft an edict."

Wei Zhonghe immediately prepared pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, then personally delivered them to Zhao Jiulang's desk, removing the wine and dishes from the desk and spreading the imperial edict and pen and ink on it.

With the Prime Minister present, he would naturally write the edict himself.

"I, the Emperor, am not in good health and fear delaying national affairs. Therefore, from today onward, I order the Crown Prince to oversee the country, lead the Inner Cabinet, and handle court affairs. This is by imperial decree."

Zhao Jiulang wrote furiously.

Zheng Boye noticed that the words Zhao Jiulang wrote were far more than the words the Yan Emperor had spoken.

This was basic skill. The Emperor could speak concisely, but when you wrote an imperial edict, you had to add some official clichés and beautiful words to fill it in. If there were too few words, how could the officials below comprehend and learn from it?

Zhao Jiulang finished writing, put down his pen, picked up the edict, blew on it lightly, checked it, and then put it down.

Wei Zhonghe immediately took out the great seal, walked over, and stamped it.

Generally speaking, the Emperor's edict had to go through the court meeting, but this generation of Yan Emperor was too strong. His edict was the will of Heaven in Great Yan.

From then on, the crown prince formally took the position of overseeing the country, taking overall charge of political affairs.

In the next moment,

the urge to pick up his old profession and paint, which made Zheng Boye even more eager, appeared even more intensely.

Ji Lao Liu was moving his knees towards the crown prince;

The Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Princes also moved their knees towards the crown prince,

and all the princes knelt down together,

with smiles on their faces,

they said in unison:

"Congratulations to His Highness the Crown Prince for overseeing the country."

And at this moment,

Zheng Boye saw

that the Yan Emperor sitting in the first seat

also showed a kind fatherly smile.

This scene,

was breathtakingly beautiful.

...

The banquet ended.

Zheng Boye was personally escorted out of the palace gate by Wei Zhonghe.

At parting, Wei Zhonghe said:

"Marquis Pingye, the Princess will stay at Consort Qin's place today, you can rest assured."

Today was the conferment of the princess, and the princess naturally needed to stay in the palace for one night to show the Xiong family that the Ji family had not mistreated their daughter, and the etiquette was considerate.

After all, Marquis Pingye did not have a residence in the capital;

In fact, the implication was that before Zheng Boye left the capital, the princess would basically have to stay in the palace. Fortunately, Zheng Boye's time in the capital would not be too long, probably only three or four days, after all, he still needed to preside over the Xuehai Pass.

Zheng Boye knew that even if he was not at Xuehai Pass, it would not be a big problem, after all, Liang Cheng was there, but outsiders didn't know.

"Where does Marquis plan to stay tonight?"

Before Zheng Boye could answer, Wei Zhonghe said again:

"Previously, the Ministry of Works had submitted a memorial suggesting the construction of a Pingye Marquis's residence in the capital, but it was rejected by His Majesty. His Majesty said at the time that the Sixth Highness's house was very large anyway, and Marquis, you are not staying for a long time, it would be too extravagant to build a marquis's residence temporarily."

"Thank you, Eunuch, I understand."

Zheng Boye originally planned to stay at the Sixth Prince's place,

how to say it,

given the relationship between him and Ji Chengjue,

there was really no need to hide it. Even if he hid it, no one would believe it.

Wei Zhonghe left,

after a while,

Ji Chengjue also came out, Eunuch Zhang accompanying him.

Little Seven was still raised in the palace, and the Fourth and Fifth Princes returned to their princely residences, not leaving through this gate.

Seeing Zheng Fan, Ji Chengjue bit his lip, took a deep breath, and smiled:

"Let's go, take a look at my new home."

Zheng Boye got into the carriage,

and Eunuch Zhang drove the carriage.

As soon as he entered the carriage,

Ji Chengjue first showed a ferocious expression, then an angry expression, and then a wronged expression.

Zheng Boye said directly:

"You making these faces is not only uncomfortable for yourself, but also makes me uncomfortable to watch."

Ji Chengjue raised his hand,

and said:

"No, it's just that before you weren't by my side, I wanted to be natural, no need to pretend, and no one to show it to. Now you're sitting in front of me, and I want to be natural and show my true emotions a little, but I find it a little unaccustomed."

"That's because you've worn the mask for too long and can't take it off."

"Here you go again, that damn apt metaphor."

"Heh heh."

"How was it, did you enjoy watching this good show?"

"Tiring."

"Tiring?"

"More tiring than fighting outside."

"No choice, we've had to live like this since we were little."

Zheng Boye said: "The crown prince is overseeing the country."

"Mm."

"Was he doing it on purpose?"

"Do you mean to say that the crown prince was advancing by retreating?" Ji Chengjue asked.

Zheng Boye nodded.

Ji Chengjue waved his hand and said: "That doesn't matter. It's the Father Emperor who is pushing him along. Whether he wants to stand or lie down is the same result."

"That's true."

"Overseeing the country is fine. I guess the Father Emperor felt that my momentum had been too strong in the past six months and that I was suppressing the Eastern Palace too much, so he personally stepped in to balance things out.

It's difficult. It's normal for us brothers to fight, but the most fearful thing is that the father can't treat everyone equally."

"Why do I feel like you are just making a lot of noise in this capital, but with little effect?"

"So, I will never be reborn as a prince in my next life. No matter what position I reach, I have to be cautious. You are free."

"My freedom has nothing to do with you. My soldiers can't help you much. At most, one day you feel like you can't go on, you can take your wife and children and go to me for refuge.

If the crown prince's offer isn't sincere enough, I won't hand you over."

"Thank you, I'm really too touched."

"Heh heh."

"By the way, you didn't eat enough just now, right?"

"Mm." Zheng Boye nodded, "I was just preoccupied with cultivating immortality with Zhao Jiulang."

"I didn't eat enough either. I'll have Sisi personally cook a few dishes later, and we'll have a good drink."

"Okay."

The carriage quickly drove into the Sixth Prince's residence.

After getting out of the carriage and walking into the back house, He Sisi came out to greet him personally, and gave Zheng Boye a blessing,

saying:

"Greetings, Marquis Pingye."

"Greetings, Sister-in-law."

Ji Chengjue glared at Zheng Fan, and said:

"Where's your face?"

"I'm older than you anyway."

"I'm a prince."

"A hat-picking prince?"

"..." Ji Chengjue.

He Sisi covered her mouth and smiled, saying:

"Knowing that Marquis Pingye would be coming today, I had the soup stewed earlier. I'll go cook a few dishes now."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law."

The servants came up and set up a small table.

The place to eat was in a place that looked like a house and a pavilion, with running water surrounding three sides and green bamboo planted next to it, very fresh and elegant.

Ji Chengjue said with some pride:

"How is it, this place is nice, right?"

Zheng Boye nodded and said:

"It's easy to attract mosquitoes."

Ji Chengjue picked up his teacup and said: "I thought the Father Emperor would ask you about the Jin battle situation at the banquet."

"Where is there a battle in Jin?"

"Whether to attack Qian first or Chu first. The Father Emperor's intention is to attack Qian at the latest in two years."

"It doesn't matter which one is attacked, I don't care anyway." Zheng Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said in surprise: "Da Ze Fragrant Tongue?" (a type of tea)

Ji Chengjue looked up at Zheng Fan,

cursing:

"What kind of extravagant life are you living at Xuehai Pass?"

You must know that he only had a little of this tea himself and usually couldn't bear to drink it. He only ordered it to be brewed and sent up when Zheng Fan came.

"Drinking it as herbal tea."

Zheng Boye smiled and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.

"Speaking seriously, this year's income from the court has to be made up from your Xuehai Pass. Those goods you make can really sell for money."

"No problem, the workshops should all be built, and there will be output soon."

"Well, whatever you lack or need there, I will try my best to satisfy. Anyway, my relationship with you is here, and I don't care what others say.

In addition, you married the princess this time, and you have enough prestige, and no one will be embarrassed to say anything. In the end, you are still good at doing business."

"Look at what you're saying, the princess and I are truly in love, and we are of one heart."

"..." Ji Chengjue.

"By the way, do I have to see the crown prince tomorrow? He became the overseer of the country today. I'm afraid that if I go to the Eastern Palace tomorrow, outsiders will think that I'm changing my allegiance and that it will be bad for you. I'm afraid that they'll short you."

"Short me? Is that to demoralize me?"

"Yes, to demoralize your Sixth Prince Party."

"If the crown prince doesn't send someone to find you, then you don't have to go. No one can comfort him better than the Father Emperor can."

"That's the truth. Then I'll meet the Third Prince at the Lakeside Pavilion tomorrow. His Majesty gave me that token to enter and exit the Lakeside Pavilion a long time ago. I've never used it."

"It's rare that you still have this heart. How could you be so cruel back then?"

Saying this,

Ji Chengjue picked up his chopsticks,

and stabbed downwards,

saying:

"Pa!"

Zheng Boye shook his head,

also picked up his chopsticks,

and stabbed downwards twice in a row,

saying:

"It should be... 'Pa', 'Pa'."

"Alas, Third Brother has been admiring the snow at the Lakeside Pavilion for three years."

"He should have written a lot of good poems."

"No matter how he writes them, they won't be as good as your 'laughing and talking, drinking the blood of Yan slaves'."

"It's clearly barbarian slave blood, or wild slave blood. What, does His Majesty know about this poem too?"

"The Father Emperor likes it very much."

"His Majesty still has a good eye."

"I'll take you to see my son after we eat. You can't get away from being his godfather."

"I won't help you take care of the child."

"What, you're willing to help Jingnan Marquis take care of the child but not me?"

"It's different."

"What's different? Just raise him like Jingnan Marquis's child."

"Heh heh."

Zheng Boye laughed.

Other children didn't have such a hard life.

"Besides, that's the last resort. You just called Sisi 'Sister-in-law', you've taken advantage of it, you can't not show some appreciation."

"Alas."

"If there really is such a day, I don't trust anyone else to entrust him to."

"It's rare that we've gathered once, don't say such unlucky words. I hope that the next time I enter the capital, it will be to help you finalize the battle for the throne, not to collect your corpse."

"You'll come to help me collect my corpse?"

"Of course, that can show the world that I, Marquis Pingye, am loyal and righteous. It's not too late to pay respects to the new emperor after collecting the corpse."

"Beast."

"Mm."

"Okay, then I'll learn from Dorgon."

"Who is Dorgon?"

"The name of a king in the West, who also became a regent."

"And then?"

"He was whipped after his death."

"That's inevitable."

At this time,

He Sisi personally carried the dishes in and placed them on the coffee table.

Dorgon Zheng subconsciously took a few more glances at He Sisi.

Then,

he immediately turned his head away, only regretting that he was too deeply involved in the act.

"Drinking?"

Ji Chengjue nodded and said, "Bring up all my hidden good wines. Today, I want to drink with him until we're drunk. Tomorrow, I'll deliberately skip court, so that they all understand the relationship between me and Marquis Pingye."

"Okay."

He Sisi went down to get the wine.

Ji Chengjue handed the chopsticks to Zheng Fan and said, "Try it, my wife's signature braised pork."

Zheng Boye picked up a piece and said, "Delicious."

"Right? Can your women cook?"

"They can cook better than this. Let's not compare women. Yours are far worse."

"Is the princess so powerful?"

Zheng Boye shook his head and said, "Not the princess."

"Heh, you're good, hiding one at home, and still snatching a princess."

"She helped me snatch her, and she entered Chu with me."

When it came to showing off his wife, no man would take a step back and never admit defeat.

Moreover,

in Zheng Fan's heart, Si Niang was perfect.

Ji Chengjue frowned,

saying:

"I'm jealous."

"Mm, you should be jealous."

"But I have a son! My son will be able to walk soon!"

"Generally, faster arrows are easier to hit the target."

"You're jealous."

"Sorry, I can't really be jealous of this. You can continue to be proud."

"Seriously, Lao Zheng, I'll tell you what I really think. Listen to me."

"So everything you said before was bullshit?"

"Listen carefully. You married the princess of Great Chu, right? How about this, in the future, let my son make you the King of Chu?"

Zheng Boye listened and immediately shook his head, saying:

"Not good."

"How can you be so greedy!"

"How about this, I'll also tell you what I really think. You listen too."

"Okay, you say."

"In the future, I'll make your son the King of Yan."