Chapter 0155: Stingy Emperor Jian and the Storybook-Poisoned Man
“Your Majesty.” Cao Qingran leaned forward, her upper body hovering over Emperor Jian’s head. Her dark eyes fixed intently on him, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Sleeping so soundly, you didn’t even notice my arrival.”
Emperor Jian: …
None of your business.
Emperor Jian pushed her aside, got out of bed, and stretched his arms openly. “Help me change.”
This time, Cao Qingran didn’t refuse. As she helped Emperor Jian into his dragon robe, she said calmly, “I plan to attend that Ice Sculpture Festival.”
“Excellent, excellent.” Emperor Jian had expected she would go. He nodded. “I’ll have someone prepare new clothes for you. There should be plenty of fabric left in the treasure vault of Cheng Huan Palace. Take your pick of whatever you like.”
Cao Qingran’s hands paused while adjusting his belt. She looked up at Emperor Jian in surprise. “Cheng Huan Palace?”
Had he lost his mind?
Wasn’t he always against others using anything from Cheng Huan Palace? Why this sudden change?
Could it be that he too had been—
“Indeed.” Emperor Jian admired his dashing reflection in the bronze mirror, striking a few handsome poses before continuing in an annoyed tone. “Didn’t that boy complain I’m not good enough to you all? This year’s Jian’an has seen too many disasters. My private treasury lacks decent gifts for you. Since he’s so filial, let this gesture come from Cheng Huan Palace!”
Then he added stingily, “Just go take what you need quietly by yourself. Don’t let the other palaces know.”
Cao Qingran: …
Speechless!
——
Meanwhile, the previous night.
In a room furnished with luxurious redwood, candle flames flickered slightly. A young man dressed in lavish purple robes sat with sharp, striking features that carried an undeniable arrogance, making him appear utterly devoid of humility. However, given his youth and his position as a top-ranking court official, such pride seemed almost justified.
At this moment, he was staring at the thick stack of letters bound into a book with string, falling into a subtle silence.
The trusted subordinate who had delivered the book remarked curiously, “Sir, I never expected Hu Lai to be so diligent, recording this much of the Second Prince’s activities. It must contain every detail, surely helping you determine whether the Second Prince is worth collaborating with!”
“Hmm…” The purple-robed man placed his hand over the book, thinking to himself: But isn’t this a bit too much?
A strange feeling lingered in his heart. When he turned to the first page, his suspended heart finally sank.
What kind of nonsense is this!
Seeing the verbose filler throughout the text, the purple-robed man let out a cold, amused laugh. His lips curved into a thin, disdainful line as he tapped the table slowly with his index finger, the deliberate rhythm betraying his displeasure.
The subordinate glanced over, sensing something amiss, and cautiously asked, “Sir, is there a problem?”
“Heh.” The purple-robed man snorted coldly, his gaze dropping slightly as he continued reading. “No problem at all. Just an excess of useless words.”
The purple-robed man skimmed through the pages rapidly. Although the record was filled with lengthy nonsense, it also contained crucial information that matched the reports from his own men.
It seemed Hu Lai could remain by the Second Prince’s side for now.
The purple-robed man waved his hand and continued flipping through the book. “You may leave.”
“Yes.” The subordinate bowed and backed out of the room.
The next morning, his trusted aide returned with important news. Seeing the candlelight still burning in the room, he looked slightly surprised and quickly knocked on the door. “My lord? Are you still there?”
With his lord’s exceptional martial arts skills, nothing should have happened, right?
“Come in.” The voice of the purple-robed man came from inside. The aide promptly pushed the door open and saw his lord sitting on a wooden chair, holding the “Records of the Second Prince.” Judging by the thickness of the pages, he had only read two-thirds of it.
“My lord, have you been up all night?” Seeing the dark circles under his lord’s eyes, the aide couldn’t hide his astonishment.
“…” The purple-robed man rubbed his tired eyes. Having never been exposed to the allure of storybooks before—raised on dry strategic texts and single-mindedly ambitious—he had unexpectedly become engrossed.
How terrifying.
It was like a new form of addiction; stopping left him with withdrawal symptoms.
The purple-robed man set down “Records of the Second Prince” and said, “Tell that Hu Lai he’s not allowed to write like this again.”
“Yes,” the aide replied, though inwardly puzzled. What exactly did “not allowed to write like this” mean?
“Speak. Why have you come to see me at this hour?” The purple-robed man turned his gaze to his aide.
“I’ve heard that His Majesty will be traveling to Liaozhou for the New Year Festival, accompanied by his consorts, to attend the Ice Sculpture banquet hosted by the Second Prince,” the aide reported, sharing the intelligence he had just gathered. “His Majesty is currently drafting the list of officials to accompany him. My lord, when that happens, the imperial guards defending Jingcheng will be reduced by half. This might be our perfect opportunity to seize the capital.”
The aide stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Should we make arrangements in advance…”
The purple-robed man tapped the table thoughtfully, furrowing his brow after a long pause. “No.”
Thanks to the Crown Prince and Shen Yuan’s “efforts,” the private soldiers he had secretly cultivated among officials had been largely eradicated. Even if he took action personally and gained an advantage over half the imperial guards, if the Emperor returned to the capital with the remaining guards and the Eldest Prince’s army returned from the border, the throne would be impossible to secure.
Moreover, the royal family controlled the devastating explosive powder.
Although Emperor Jian had not explicitly stated why the Xiongnu surrendered, he had not deliberately concealed the existence of the explosive powder either. With some effort, this information could be uncovered by sending spies to the military camps.
To achieve his grand ambitions, he needed to obtain the formula for the explosive powder from the Second Prince and also win over the Eldest Prince, gaining control of the military forces.
The Eldest Prince had always been aloof, showing only slight closeness to the Second Prince. To win him over, cooperation with the Second Prince was urgent.
The purple-robed man continued to ponder. In truth, he had long wanted to collaborate with Xie Chengze. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince kept a close watch, and he feared that forming ties with the Second Prince would draw the Crown Prince’s suspicion, risking the ruin of eight years of meticulous planning.
Now, however, with Xie Chengze in Liaozhou and the Crown Prince in Yingzhou, this might be the ideal opportunity to establish a private relationship with the Second Prince.
It seemed he must make the journey to Liaozhou himself.
…
In the imperial court, when Emperor Jian announced his intention to spend the New Year Festival in Liaozhou, the ministers were in an uproar, all urging him to reconsider. But the Emperor’s mind was made up, and he ordered Eunuch Zhao to issue the decree listing which court officials would accompany him.
Hearing his own name, the purple-robed man smiled faintly.
Excellent. This saved him the trouble of scheming further.
“Your Majesty, if you leave, who will oversee the state affairs?” an elderly minister anxiously asked.
A nation cannot be without its ruler for even a day—how could Your Majesty act so willfully!
“Isn’t Prime Minister Li still here?” Emperor Jian smiled at Li Ren standing below the throne, his expression both kindly and mischievous. “Prime Minister Li, you must diligently oversee the state affairs and remember to handle the memorials on my behalf.”
Li Ren: …
I! Want! To! Go! To! Liaozhou!
I! Don’t! Want! To! Work!
“Your Majesty, the heavy snow continues in the north, making the roads inevitably slippery and difficult to traverse. Could we temporarily simplify the cumbersome application process for salt transportation to help various regions quickly spread salt and clear the roads? Additionally, granting extra salt certificates to merchants would help compensate for the losses incurred from using crude salt to clear the roads.”
At this moment, an official from the Salt and Iron Commission stepped forward and spoke earnestly, “This would also expedite the journey and shorten the time Your Majesty spends away from the capital.”
Upon hearing this, the ministers nodded in agreement, “That makes sense.”
“We were just about to address this matter,” Emperor Jian replied with an almost imperceptible curl of his lips before raising his hand to grant approval. “Proceed as you suggested—issue the salt certificates, simplify the procedures, and clear the roads as quickly as possible.”