Chapter 1 The Imperial Study

Inside the Imperial Study,

the Emperor Yan's usual seat remained empty.

Another desk and chair had been placed below it. The Crown Prince sat there, because, with the old man still alive, he couldn't possibly take that position.

Whether organizing morning court sessions or today's small meeting, the Crown Prince conducted his business from the newly established second seat of honor.

As a son and a subject, if he didn't understand or observe this basic propriety, he would be greatly underestimating the terrifying prestige Emperor Yan had accumulated over the years.

Below the Crown Prince sat a group of ministers, all of whom had the authority to speak and resolve matters.

Ji Chengjue sat in the first seat on the left, toying with a snuff bottle.

The latest round of confrontation had just ended, and the result was still that no one could truly overpower the other.

The selection of a new governor for Nanwang City had become a deadlock between the two brothers.

The Crown Prince was accustomed to gentle persuasion. Since he had been supervising the country, those above and below had generally given him face, and he would reciprocate. Even his sixth brother had mostly maintained the same pace as him in previous matters. So, when the sixth suddenly displayed an extremely tough stance on this issue, the Crown Prince's side was temporarily caught off guard.

After all, the Crown Prince who oversaw the country appeared glorious, but in reality, he was walking on thin ice, constantly cautious. Most importantly, the role of this younger brother he faced was being constantly strengthened under the increasingly severe financial circumstances of Great Yan.

Of course, he could use his authority as supervisor to act with thunderous force, whether it was to cut down, strike, or suppress. It was impossible to fail unless the Emperor Yan in the rear garden suddenly spoke out, or unless his sixth brother suddenly "jumped over the wall in desperation."

Under the rules of the game, the Crown Prince was almost invincible.

After all, this was no longer a contest between two princes, but a contest of strength between a prince and an entity cloaked in imperial power. Unless the former adopted extreme measures, the latter was almost guaranteed to win.

But for the latter, this cloak of imperial power also made him very hesitant to act. He could no longer aim to defeat the other party as he had when he was a prince. At this time, he had to consider the overall situation.

After all, if he forced his sixth brother into a dead end, who else could take over the matters, especially those of the Ministry of Revenue, at this time?

Everyone knew that the current financial situation was a mess, and no one else had the ability or the courage to take it on except for his sixth brother to continue maintaining it.

In fact, each of the ministers present had their own views. These views, regardless of their stance, were, in fact, the most sensitive at this time, even though they seemed important.

Because if anything changed, the Emperor in the rear garden might take action against his two sons, which would be too serious. Therefore, taking action against a few ministers to express his attitude would be the best solution.

Therefore, at this time, everyone could only abandon their factions and support, and try to proceed from a public-minded perspective. Some supported the Crown Prince, while others supported the Sixth Prince.

The two sides were deadlocked.

Fortunately, at this moment,

Grand Councilor Zhao Jiulang finally arrived.

The Crown Prince stood up to show his respect.

The other ministers also stood up. The Grand Councilor was the head of all officials, and this kind of respect had to be given.

Ji Laoliu was the last to stand up. After standing up, he left his seat, bowed to the Crown Prince, and then bowed to Zhao Jiulang:

"Everyone, the Grand Councilor's opinion is my opinion. The position of Governor of Nanwang City should be decided as soon as possible in order to stabilize the hearts of the people there."

Whether it was a mule or a horse, he had to start grinding first.

But this was actually strange to say. If that was the case, why didn't you just soften your stance earlier?

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Grand Councilor, please forgive me. My Ministry of Revenue has a lot of headaches to deal with. Please continue your discussions."

"Sixth Brother," the Crown Prince said, "It won't take that long."

Ji Laoliu ignored him, as if he hadn't heard at all, and walked directly out of the Imperial Study.

The Crown Prince, sitting in the main seat, darkened his expression.

Zhao Jiulang, sitting in the seat of honor on the right that had been specially left empty for him, took the tea that Li Yinglian offered,

took a sip,

and slowly said:

"This official agrees with the Sixth Prince's proposal."

...

The situation in the imperial court was treacherous and unpredictable, and those involved were often confused, not to mention those who were watching from the sidelines.

But fortunately,

the storytellers and gossips in the teahouses of Yanjing City had their own set of logical substitutions that could explain things that everyone was confused about.

Anyway, most things, in the end, after so much game-playing and weighing, were nothing more than one or the other. This meant that a small half of the gossipy idlers could guess correctly and be crowned with the title of inside-story experts, and be sought after.

As for those who guessed wrong, don't worry, there's always next time.

The Qian people always said that the Yan people were barbarians, and even described Emperor Yan as a typical tyrant, especially after the incident of trampling on the noble families, he was portrayed as a Jiezhou-like figure who could kill and seize at will. But in fact, in Great Yan, there were far fewer cases of being punished for one's words than in the Qian Kingdom.

The people of Yanjing City, living under the feet of the imperial city, couldn't change their habit of talking about amusing things. The imperial court was, in most cases, actually indulgent.

He Chu liked to go to the teahouse after closing his stall to listen to storytellers or listen to people talk about the topics that were causing controversy and struggle in the court. Every time, he listened with great interest.

After listening, he would go back and tell his father, so that his father wouldn't hit him with his shoe sole and scold him for wasting tea money and spending his time casually.

Although the He family had a grandson named "Ji Chuanye," the lives of the He family father and son were still the same as before, and no real changes had taken place.

Oh,

He Chu had proposed marriage a few months ago.

The two sides had been brought together by a matchmaker,

and the parents of both sides had taken a liking to each other and nodded in agreement.

Just as they were about to go through the process, the woman suddenly fell ill and died.

On the day of the funeral,

Old He ordered He Chu to send two pigs over, and also had He Chu help with the arrangements for the woman's family's funeral.

Then, Old He took He Chu to a mountain outside Yanjing City for fortune-telling.

The monks in the temples and Taoist priests charged too much for fortune-telling. In name, they only charged a few coins to interpret a fortune stick as a token, but immediately after that, they would take out a red paper booklet and tell you that donations for incense oil were entirely up to you.

And when you glanced at it, you would find that the smallest donation behind the names on it was enough to make you feel the pain for a long time.

Fortunately, there were countless people who set up fortune-telling stalls at the entrance of the mountain. There were especially many during temple fairs.

Old He took his son and chose the fortune-telling stall in the most inconspicuous corner with the least number of people, because it was easier to bargain there.

After bargaining to a suitable psychological price, and the other party guaranteed that there were no additional conditions, no dangling carrots, no guessing games, no revealing secrets that they wouldn't tell you without additional money for health supplements and all sorts of things that you understood, I understood, and everyone understood,

the fortune

was told.

The fortune-teller, who was so hungry that he was just skin and bones, stared at He Chu for a long time with his eyes that seemed to be glowing from hunger,

and finally smiled:

"No good fortune for these two years."

He Chu sat up straight, and Old He directly asked, "Why?"

The fortune-teller said:

"Because someone else in the family needs it."

He Chu opened his mouth wide,

amazing!

Old He slammed the fortune-telling table,

and shouted;

"Bullshit!"

Then, he cut another 30% off the already very low price, take it or leave it!

After that,

Old He took He Chu back home.

After returning home, Old He didn't even cook. He Chu cooked the meal himself, brought it up, but Old He didn't eat it. He just sat there, in the yard, until it got dark.

He Chu called out countless times, "Dad, eat your meal!" "Dad, go back to your room and rest!"

Old He didn't respond.

Finally, there was no other way,

He Chu could only put a blanket on his father, and he also leaned against his father, wrapped in a quilt, and made do for the night.

When the next morning came,

Old He suddenly burst into tears,

and kicked He Chu, who was still snoring and thought he didn't have to set up his stall today,

and cursed:

"You grandson!"

"Yes!"

He Chu, who had been demoted by a generation, still had to respond.

"You'll suffer for two years, right? Your sister is pregnant again, your brother-in-law, will have to..."

He Chu quickly said:

"Okay, Dad!"

Old He nodded, patted his head. The old man, who hadn't slept all night, still took his son out to set up his stall.

He Chu was always very happy. He didn't think that suffering for another two years was anything. It was nothing more than not being able to marry a wife for two years, so what?

Even, this brother-in-law was quite happy, happy that he seemed to be really helping his brother-in-law a little.

Today,

returning home,

his father was sharpening the pig-slaughtering knife,

He Chu told his father the story and rumors he had heard today,

while saying it, he stared at the knife in his father's hand.

"Oh?"

After listening, Old He didn't take the knife to his son, but was a little surprised:

"Didn't they say that our son-in-law has a good relationship with the Crown Prince?"

Having a good relationship was the latest rumor, saying that after Emperor Yan entered the rear garden to retire, the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince were cooperating sincerely, working together for the sake of Great Yan.

"Between brothers, it's normal to argue, right?" He Chu guessed.

Hearing this, Old He felt that it made sense and nodded.

The knife was sharpened, and Old He began to chop the meat. He was going to fry meat balls later to send to the Prince's mansion.

His daughter liked this, and even the concubine from the Lu family liked it.

The concubine of the Lu family was also pregnant.

Old He had inquired. According to the customs of wealthy families, the child born to a concubine had to call his daughter "mother," and could only call his biological mother "aunt."

So,

the child born to that concubine was also his grandson?

Therefore,

every time he sent in food, Old He would prepare a separate portion for that concubine as well.

Most importantly, his grandson, Ji Chuanye, also liked the food he made, such as fried meat balls, sausages, crispy pork belly, etc. The little guy loved to eat them, as if his maternal grandfather was the only one who really understood his tastes.

Last time, he ate too much and didn't digest it well, causing him to be unwell for a few days.

After learning about this, Old He didn't think there was anything wrong. Children, being gluttonous and having a stomach ache, was a common thing. But that must be because he loved to eat it so much that he ate until he was full.

He Chu went to wash the rice, preparing to cook.

It was said that the people in many places in Great Yan were having a hard time, but the Old He family was, after all, a butcher in the capital. As long as there were no one collecting protection fees and no government officials coming to manipulate and extort you, as long as you could make a living, your life wouldn't be too bad.

Not to mention having dry food for every meal, you would never lack grease and oil in your own house.

In other words, if even the butchers of Great Yan were having a hard time, then Great Yan was probably really going to be in trouble.

"Chop chop chop chop chop!"

Old He's hands rose and fell, chopping the minced meat on the chopping board into a "carnage."

At this time,

the courtyard door was pushed open from the outside.

The courtyard door was never closed. Under the feet of the emperor, and on the street, closing the door was not grand and not refined.

The person who came was wearing a black robe, a windbreaker, a hat, and his face was pale and obviously thin.

The person who came

was the owner of this courtyard, whom they had met before and had eaten with.

Old He showed a smile, preparing to tell his son to prepare tea,

then lowered his head,

and found that his hands were still chopping meat filling,

and actually:

"Ah!"

He screamed in fright,

the knife that he had used so skillfully for a lifetime actually flew out,

spinning a few times in the air,

and stuck into the ground.

Thankfully, it wasn't heading towards the owner.

Old He "thumped"

and fell to his knees.

Pretending to be confused when you understood was something that everyone could do, but not everyone could do it well.

Obviously,

the old butcher didn't have that ability, so he knelt down.

He Chu came out, and when he saw his father kneeling there, he also obediently knelt down, although he didn't know who he was kneeling to.

The person who came walked slowly, and only then did he realize that behind him was a red-clothed servant.

The red-clothed servant walked over, moved the chair that Old He had been sitting on to chop filling, and placed it behind the man. The man sat down.

"Have you guessed who I am?"

Old He nodded vigorously, not daring to look up at the person.

His son-in-law was the current Sixth Prince,

and Old He was no longer the timid butcher who had just entered the capital back then. His vision and knowledge had also grown a lot. Most importantly, the tea money that his son gave to the teahouse was indeed not for nothing.

There was no need for any line of reasoning or analysis, just a feeling, and that feeling was to kneel!

Emperor Yan didn't take it to heart,

and said:

"Get up."

"I dare not!"

The red-clothed servant stepped forward, reached out, and helped Old He up. Old He didn't want to get up. He felt that kneeling was more comfortable, but the young boy was so strong that he forcibly pulled him up.

After standing up, Old He actually forgot how to speak to people, and his knees began to tremble again.

The red-clothed servant brought another stool for Old He,

and gently pushed it.

Old He sat down,

his legs straight, bent, his hands on his chest, and other postures were not, and in the end, he could only sit there limply like a paraplegic, with a dull expression.

Emperor Yan's gaze was no longer on Old He, but on He Chu, who was kneeling on the side.

The servant, who was originally a red-clothed eunuch in the palace, stepped forward and carefully observed He Chu's face and felt his bones.

Seeing his father so cowardly, He Chu didn't dare to move, letting him "behave indecently."

Afterwards,

the red-clothed servant retreated, all the way to behind Emperor Yan,

and said:

"Deeply blessed, with the face of a king and general, belonging to great wealth and nobility."

Emperor Yan nodded.

He looked at Old He again, Old He shuddered, opened his mouth:

"Ah... this... that... you... not..."

He muttered for a long time, but didn't know what to say.

Emperor Yan showed a smile,

and said:

"What do you eat for dinner?"

"Fish, meat, vegetables, and also, rice, cooked rice!" Old He immediately replied, "Go, go buy it!"

Emperor Yan shook his head,

and said:

"I can't eat these now, I can't digest them."

Once,

Emperor Yan and the Marquis of Zhenbei had fought over a chicken leg. Back then, in the imperial garden, the Marquis of Zhenbei had roasted a large leg of lamb, and Emperor Yan would always have Wei Zhonghe go in advance to bring back a large piece of roasted meat for him.

But now,

these greasy things,

he couldn't eat them.

At this time,

hearing the question about what to eat,

He Chu raised his head,

and said;

"If your stomach is not good, you can eat jiangshui noodles. Every time my stomach doesn't digest, my dad makes this for me to whet my appetite."

He Chu equated Emperor Yan's situation with his own as a foodie.

Emperor Yan hesitated for a moment,

and nodded.

But the red-clothed servant standing on the side stepped forward, and said;

"It's already inappropriate for you to come out, you can't eat these things anymore."

He knew Emperor Yan's body, and couldn't withstand any accidents and abuse. Going out today was also with the energy and spirit that he had forced up by taking pills.

Emperor Yan continued to look at Old He,

and said:

"In-law, get me a bowl of noodles."