Chapter 113
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Consort Xi didn’t give her son and the little reader-in-waiting another chance to evade. With an expectant expression, she turned around, ran to the gate of Nansan Hall, and hid behind the wall, poking her head out. “Is this alright?”
Now, the rebellious brat, lacking any real skills, was about to embarrass himself in front of Mother Consort.
Xue Yao sneakily glanced at Lu Qian’s expression, finding that Lu Qian’s gaze was also fixed on him.
Xue Yao took this gaze as proof that Lu Qian still cherished him. When they were children, His Highness would look at Xue Yao with the same helplessness when mischief didn’t go his way.
Xue Yao had to do something for this long-lost affection. Though he couldn’t show Consort Xi the superb swordsmanship on behalf of the chubby cub, he still pivoted on his toes and, following the chubby cub’s needy eyes, walked over.
Lu Qian didn’t adopt the defensive posture of rejection as he did a couple of days ago. When Xue Yao eagerly approached, Lu Qian reached out and grabbed Xue Yao’s outstretched hand, whispering in his ear, “Use the hidden weapon. Strike wherever your grandpa aims.”
It turned out he wanted him to use the hidden weapon in coordination to deceive Consort Xi.
Xue Yao nodded and tightened his grip on the delicate small bronze tube. He walked toward the direction where Consort Xi was avoiding.
Halfway, he glanced back at Lu Qian, only to find Lu Qian turning his toes in the same direction, watching him recede with a helpless expression.
Xue Yao felt summoned by Lu Qian’s helpless gaze, so he turned around, walked back, and patted the chubby cub’s head. “Don’t worry. Your Highness’ swordsmanship was good in the past. Her Highness won’t notice anything.”
When Lu Qian saw him walking back, he leaned in again to remind the little reader-in-waiting by his ear, “If you stand too far, you won’t hit the target. Just stand behind your grandpa.”
Xue Yao: “……”
That was a valid point. He should have thought about the distance carefully. His disorientation was caused by the rebellious brat’s cold shoulder a couple of days ago, followed by this sudden warmth today.
So, Xue Yao stepped back against the wall, positioning himself about a dozen steps away from Lu Qian.
“Is standing this far enough? Won’t you accidentally get hurt?” Old Sixth asked.
Xue Yao nodded. “His Highness said he would restrain the sword energy.”
“Then let’s stand here and watch.” Old Fifth turned around to deliver the good news about Old Seventh restraining his power to Consort Xi.
Consort Xi quickly walked back, guarded by the three boys.
Lu Qian grasped the hilt of the long sword handed to him by the attendant, lazily drawing the sword from its sheath.
“Good! Good!” Old Fifth enthusiastically applauded.
“Beautiful!” Old Sixth might not have noticed anything special about Seventh Brother drawing a sword, but Fifth Brother must be right.
“? ? ?” Consort Xi, looking utterly bewildered, joined the clapping of these two brothers.
Lu Qian lazily performed a sword dance. “Watch carefully, Mother Consort.” He raised his hand, pointing to a relief on the opposite palace wall, directly in front of him.
“I see it! I see it!” Consort Xi was very eager.
Lu Qian executed a series of sword moves, and as soon as he perceived that Mother Consort’s attention was fully captivated by him, he immediately gave a sharp look to the little reader-in-waiting.
Xue Yao alertly nodded, discreetly aiming the bronze tube’s muzzle towards the relief designated by His Highness, preparing to create the illusion of sword energy shattering the relief.
At the moment Lu Qian’s sword pointed at the relief, Xue Yao launched the stone pellet with remarkable coordination.
The relief indicated by His Highness remained untouched, but another relief three inches away from the designated one was shattered by the “sword energy.”
Xue Yao went off course!
The scene plunged into an awkward situation with no easy explanation.
Lu Qian, still holding the sword pointing to the sky, hesitated briefly, then suddenly spun around, sheathing the sword. He turned to Consort Xi with a gaze that was profound and mysterious. “This sword technique is called ‘Threatening the East to Strike to the West.'”
Xue Yao, who had gone off course, immediately stepped forward to remedy the mistake, boasting to Consort Xi, “This move is impressive! The opponent thinks we’re attacking someone else, completely defenseless, but the sword energy has already hit the opponent’s vital points!”
“Clever!” Old Sixth didn’t hesitate to applaud Xue Yao’s clever justification!
“Indeed, one should reassess after three days of separation.” Old Fifth was probably genuinely fooled.
“I thought you went off course,” Consort Xi mumbled honestly, “Why didn’t you let me see the relief you were supposed to hit?”
“That wouldn’t let Your Highness appreciate the astonishing aspect of this move!” Xue Yao approached Lu Qian, embracing him. He addressed Consort Xi, “His Highness wanted you to see clearly, so he could only choose a move with less killing power. Without some astonishment, how would Your Highness recognize His Highness’ remarkable progress over the past year?”
Consort Xi looked at her son with a mix of belief and doubt.
Lu Qian immediately smirked mysteriously, nodding in agreement with the little reader-in-waiting’s words.
“Alright,” Consort Xi said, “Next time, find a different place. I’ll be sitting on the city tower, watching you display your true skills.”
Lu Qian avoided eye contact, bowing his head and casually saying, “Hmm… next time, next time.”
Xue Yao chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Next time, next time…”
Everyone tacitly understood that the next time might never come.
With Consort Xi overseeing, Lu Qian didn’t dare to openly request some alone time.
Xue Yao also seized this opportunity to linger at Nansan Hall. Every moment by Lu Qian’s side was precious to him.
Of course, Consort Xi noticed that her son had become much more withdrawn, as if he had gone back to the early childhood days, before Xue Yao appeared.
As a mother without a foundation in modern psychology, Consort Xi didn’t delicately unravel her son’s emotional knots. Instead, she straightforwardly demanded an explanation for why he was avoiding everyone lately.
Lu Qian claimed he wasn’t avoiding anyone.
Consort Xi pointed out that even his eldest brother came to ask her to intervene. Why did her son not want to see even his once-closest little reader-in-waiting and eldest brother?
In reality, part of the reason was Lu Jinan mentioning the matter of ascending to the throne according to the imperial decree.
The two brothers had different opinions on this matter.
Lu Qian believed that the temporary heir mentioned in the decree was only valid in the absence of his eldest brother. Now that his eldest brother was safely in the palace, there was no reason for him to assume the imperial throne.
Lu Jinan, citing Father Emperor’s dying advice, argued that the Seventh Prince was the talented ruler favored by Father Emperor. Moreover, the mistakes he made allowed the Tong family to take advantage, and it was ultimately the Seventh Prince who quelled the turmoil, earning praises from all sides. Naturally, the people would be most satisfied with the Seventh Prince ascending to the throne.
Lu Qian, who had been busy outside for over a year, never expected that after pacifying the internal turmoil, his eldest brother would want to shift blame onto him.
Hearing Lu Qian reveal these matters, Consort Xi and Old Sixth were both surprised. No one had expected that even after the Tong family’s downfall, the Crown Prince refused to ascend to the throne.
Forcing Old Seventh to take over, in Consort Xi and Old Sixth’s view, was simply absurd. What kind of situation would it be if Lu Qian became the emperor? Holding a pot of milk during court sessions, casually sipping while listening to ministers report?
Moreover, this Old Seventh was averse to trouble. Unable to handle the memorial scrolls, he might start playing dead. In less than half a year, the accumulated pending state affairs would encircle the imperial palace tenfold!
Xue Yao wasn’t as pessimistic. After all, having witnessed the efficient governance of Prince Ning in the novel, the current chubby cub unexpectedly acquired some of Prince Ning’s qualities. Even if he did become the emperor, it shouldn’t lead to the ruin of the country.
Despite saying this, Xue Yao didn’t actually wish for the chubby cub to become an emperor.
Being a good emperor was inevitably laborious.
If the Crown Prince couldn’t retain the position, they might have to reluctantly push the chubby cub into it. Now that the Crown Prince was lively and healthy, why force his chubby cub to endure hardships?
In any case, the entire chubby cub’s family, including the old father Xue Yao, seemed to disdain the throne. It was probably an unprecedented sentiment.
Therefore, after finishing their meal, Xue Yao bid farewell to his own chubby cub and went off with determination to confront Lu Jinan.
The throne couldn’t be handed over to his chubby cub! As the eldest brother, he should embody the qualities of an elder brother and willingly shoulder responsibilities!
In the past few days, even Lu Jinan had begun to question life.
For over a year, he had been vying for power and gains behind the scenes with his third brother.
Now, the faction of his third brother had finally collapsed.
He wanted Seventh Brother to inherit the throne according to Father Emperor’s wishes, but Seventh Brother arrogantly refused to see him.
That wasn’t the end of it. Now, Second Brother, sitting on the imperial throne, lacked a sense of crisis. Every day, he pressured him, the elder brother, to take over the throne, claiming he wanted to return to his secluded retreat for enlightenment, as it had been delayed for too long…
What kind of situation was this?
Was the prosperity of Great Qi’s territory so repulsive to his brothers?
Since childhood, Lu Jinan had considered the prosperity and stability of the nation as his duty. Several cabinet ministers were his mentors, and his advisors were patriotic individuals with lofty ambitions.
Often dispatched on imperial missions, he had traveled far and wide, witnessed the suffering of the common people, and identified the flaws in governance. Therefore, the position of the emperor carried all his ideals and aspirations.
As recorded in “History of the Song Dynasty: Food and Goods Chronicle,” it was stated, “In times of peace, the population steadily increases. The military registers expand, and the number of officials grows…”
This reflected the current situation in Great Qi.
Now that Great Qi had enjoyed stability for over three hundred years, the population had quadrupled since the founding emperor’s reign. The military and the court supported a group of idle individuals living off public resources. While the country seemed prosperous, signs of bloating and stagnation were emerging. The Crown Prince believed that reform was imperative.
However, Father Emperor’s dying advice left him puzzled. If he ascended the throne, gained absolute power, he wouldn’t be able to control the actions driven by his ambitions. Therefore, he wanted to adopt the detached attitude of Seventh Brother, hoping it would help him stay calm and let his brother wield real power to restrain his impulses.
Unexpectedly, even Xue Yao came today to request him not to force Seventh Brother to ascend the throne, citing the reason that Seventh Brother was too young and inexperienced.
Too young and inexperienced? Then, how could he have convinced the five major feudal princes to come to the capital for support? Then how could he secretly unite with the ministers to feign defection?
Two days ago, Lu Jinan had a conversation with Lu Qian. He deliberately presented his reform manuscript, seeking his brother’s opinion.
At that time, Lu Qian was still unaware that his brother intended to pass the throne to him. So, he carefully read through the manuscript and honestly told his eldest brother, “This method is not feasible.”
Fortunately, Lu Jinan had long been accustomed to his brother’s straightforward speaking style, so he wasn’t upset. Instead, he patiently inquired why it was deemed impractical.
Unexpectedly, his brother said a phrase similar to Father Emperor’s dying advice — never intervene in civilian transactions with authority.
Lu Jinan argued that the common people were being exploited by wealthy households at exorbitant interest rates. In the event of natural disasters, they had to mortgage their land, losing their means of livelihood.
Lu Qian countered, disregarding whether it was fair or not, it was a free transaction. Competition existed even among wealthy households, and farmers calculated the gains and losses before borrowing. Both parties had equal legal protection during transactions. In contrast, when officials competed with merchants or officials transacted with the people, they fundamentally lost the right to equality.
Natural disasters were unforeseen events. If they want to alleviate the losses they brought to farmers, the new reform could specify policies related to specific disasters. In these occasional situations, legislation could protect farmers’ fields, but it shouldn’t replace wealthy households lending to farmers.
Lu Jinan: “Are you concerned that the supervision of the new law might not be sufficient, and officials could use their power to suppress wealthy households? I’ve already considered this. The granary department operates independently of all other departments and is directly overseen by me. There’s no need for communication through various levels from local to higher levels.”
If supervision was ineffective, Lu Qian believed that with the emperor being far away and the mountain high, falsifying accounts was too easy. Even if a few officials could be supervised, could the common people be supervised?
During his year of wandering among the people, Lu Qian discovered that corruption and fraud were not limited to the imperial court but also prevalent among the common folk.
Most of Great Qi’s citizens were accustomed to finding loopholes and using connections. In private schools, whether poor or rich, people competed to discreetly slip money to teachers, hoping to gain some advantage.
Most people inherently desired inequality. Who would supervise? Was supervision effective?
Lu Jinan frowned, suggesting that corruption and fraud would never be eradicated.
Lu Qian argued that while it couldn’t be eliminated, it could be reduced. With sufficient grain reserves, people would know etiquette when their basic needs were met. If national strength could be enhanced and wealth distributed among the people, allowing the law to protect rather than oppress law-abiding citizens, the people’s education and awareness of fairness and justice would naturally improve.
The conversation that day didn’t yield a mutually agreed conclusion, but it made Lu Jinan view his youngest brother with new respect.
He believed that Lu Qian wasn’t as naive as he seemed on the surface. At least, he had a keen sense of the overall direction and could indeed act as a check on him. Therefore, he eventually proposed the idea of Lu Qian ascending to the throne.
Then the youngest brother swiftly used lightness skill to escape back to Nansan Hall, with shoes flying off in the process.
“Seventh Brother has this capability. You are being deceived by his appearance,” Lu Jinan countered Xue Yao’s objections.
Urgently, Xue Yao said, “Even if His Highness has this ability, his character is not suitable for a monarch. Your Highness know him well. If the affairs of the state become…”
“Ordinary state affairs can be shared by the cabinet on his behalf.” Lu Jinan decisively looked at Xue Yao. “Besides, this is Father Emperor’s wish.”
Returning empty-handed, Xue Yao unconsciously found himself once again at Nansan Hall. Ignoring the eunuch’s obstruction, he entered to find the chubby cub.
Reason told him to maintain a sense of awe for the current Lu Qian, but instinctively, thoughts of the chubby cub turned his mind into a blank slate. He only wanted to pinch the chubby cheeks to alleviate anxiety.
Bursting into the side hall recklessly, Xue Yao found no one.
Stepping into the inner room, he saw on the Eight Immortals table a pile of luggage, including a half-packed one with items spilling out, all consisting of canned honey and sweet pastries.
In an instant, Xue Yao guessed the chubby cub’s conspiracy.
This fellow was definitely planning to “elope with honey,” refusing to be the emperor. No wonder he didn’t want anyone to come in!
“Caught in the act?” Lu Qian’s voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, came from behind.
Startled, Xue Yao turned around and saw Lu Qian squinting at him.
In the quiet side hall, only the sound of Xue Yao’s heartbeat remained.
After just a moment of hesitation, Xue Yao pretended to be calm, turned around, walked to the Eight Immortals table, neatly packed the unfinished package of the chubby cub, tied an exquisite knot, and calmly asked Lu Qian, “Where are we going now?”
Xue Yao had been involuntarily drawn into Lu Qian’s plot, forced to choose between exposing or joining. As a little reader-in-waiting, he decided to proactively join.
With this favorable attitude of surrender, Lu Qian should appreciate it, accepting the term “we,” taking him along to escape the palace and avoid the turmoil of ascension. Ideally, they would then visit the Sword Saint to seek forgiveness for the rebellious phase.
This was the clever implication behind Xue Yao’s question about where they were going.
Lu Qian also seized this point, tilting his head in puzzlement as he asked, “We?”
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