Chapter 0002: The Furious Second Prince and Xie Chengze’s Audacious Words
Xie Jinyu stared at Xie Chengze in astonishment.
Let him answer?
Hadn’t he sent a spy to the Eastern Palace last night to eavesdrop on the solution he had devised during his late-night discussion with his advisors? And wasn’t the purpose of sending that spy precisely to excel in court and win their father’s and the ministers’ approval?
So why was he suddenly handing over this opportunity to shine?
This didn’t seem like Xie Chengze’s usual style.
It was highly suspicious.
Today’s Xie Chengze was suspicious in every way, making it impossible to discern his true intentions.
Xie Jinyu’s brow furrowed slightly. Although the method he had devised with his advisors wasn’t a perfect solution, it was decent enough—scoring seventy or eighty out of a hundred—and sufficient to address their father’s concerns.
Could it be that Xie Chengze had identified some critical flaw and was waiting for him to speak first, only to eagerly jump in and correct him?
It must be so. Otherwise, Xie Chengze would never pass up a chance to impress in court.
Composing himself, Xie Jinyu took a step forward and replied clearly, “Yi Province has long suffered from floods. Because of this, the Jiangdu Plain, which could have been a fertile agricultural region, has consistently underperformed in grain production year after year. Controlling the floods is indeed an urgent matter. However, as the Minister of Works stated, successive dynasties have tried various methods to build dams, but they are all washed away within three years. Finding a permanent solution is truly difficult.”
Xie Chengze nodded inwardly.
In “The Power Minister,” Yi Province was located in the Jiangdu Plain—a vast, fertile land highly suitable for farming. Unfortunately, it lay downstream of the Min River. Every summer, melting snow from the mountains and continuous heavy rains would trigger torrential floods, sweeping away an entire year’s worth of crops from the Jiangdu Plain and leaving the people in misery.
Many farmers could only leave their homes in despair, causing more and more farmland to lie fallow—a heartbreaking sight.
Throughout history, many had attempted flood control in Yi Province, constructing riverbanks and dams of all kinds, yet none had succeeded. Every time a flood occurred, these structures would be completely destroyed, forcing the court to repeatedly provide disaster relief and rebuild.
The book didn’t offer a so-called permanent solution either. Instead, it revolved around corruption in disaster relief, depicting Shen Yuan’s rise to power as a influential minister.
Beside him, Xie Jinyu continued, “I believe our immediate priority should be to repair the dams and provide disaster relief to stabilize the people. Then, during next year’s Spring Examination, we could potentially include this issue as an exam topic.”
“Preposterous! The Spring Examination is held once every three years to select the most talented individuals. How can we leak the questions in advance?” an elderly official immediately stepped forward and sternly objected.
Xie Chengze’s interest was piqued. Oh? Let me see who this is~
Anyone who dared to contradict the Crown Prince at such a moment was likely a supporter of the Second Prince. Xie Chengze needed to memorize this face carefully to avoid mistaking an ally for an enemy later.
Xie Chengze peeked out like a curious kitten, scanning the ministers. When the elderly official noticed Xie Chengze looking, he subtly winked, as if to say: Don’t worry, Second Highness, we will surely make the Crown Prince lose face!
Xie Chengze was instantly moved.
Sir! You’re a good person! But no thanks—I just want to lay low right now!
Xie Chengze then withdrew like a timid kitten, obediently returning to his original position.
“For the sake of the people’s livelihood, why not?” Xie Jinyu stepped forward, bowing slightly to Emperor Jian with sincere words. “We could add an Open-book Examination question as an extra credit assignment, with points awarded based on the response. The question would be distributed in advance to all provinces and counties, pooling collective wisdom to discuss flood control methods for Yi Province. What does Father think?”
“Hmm…” Emperor Jian pondered briefly upon hearing this. “That is an excellent method.”
The Ministry of Works happened to be short-staffed currently. If they could genuinely discover talent in civil engineering and water management, it would indeed warrant exceptional recruitment.
The Minister of Rites promptly voiced agreement. “Using this as an examination question would essentially mean the court is testing scholars’ knowledge of rivers and geography, rather than seeking flood control methods from commoners. This approach gathers broad insights from across the land while preserving the reputation of court officials—truly the optimal strategy! Your Highness is most wise!”
Other ministers joined in agreement, and for a moment, various flattering remarks came pouring forth.
Xie Jinyu glanced at Xie Chengze. Last night, knowing Xie Chengze’s informant was outside the door, he had only revealed seventy percent of his plan. Now he had laid everything out completely. With nothing left to add, Xie Chengze must be fuming with rage, right?
Yet when he turned his gaze, the usually competitive young man was looking down, playing with his pale fingertips, his unfocused eyes clearly indicating his mind had wandered elsewhere.
Xie Jinyu: ?
From the dragon throne, Emperor Jian’s sharp and authoritative gaze fell upon Xie Chengze, his expression softening slightly with tenderness. “What does Chengze think?”
Xie Chengze, called upon again, snapped back to attention: Huh?
Why ask me again?
Raising his head to meet the emperor’s seemingly encouraging yet doting gaze, Xie Chengze reluctantly stepped forward, sighing inwardly. How old are you now? Can’t you make your own decisions? Why bother asking me about such matters?
Though mentally complaining, Xie Chengze obediently replied, “Your son believes the Crown Prince is entirely correct. Why not entrust this matter to the Crown Prince for implementation? He will certainly live up to Your Majesty’s great trust and select outstanding talents for Father during next year’s Spring Examination!”
Xie Jinyu’s eyes darkened, his gaze toward Xie Chengze growing increasingly profound.
In the past, Xie Chengze would have eagerly stepped forward to claim the assignment. Why would he so easily yield the opportunity today?
Could it be that he believed finding a flood control method was impossible, thus deciding to stand by and watch him fail?
Or was he planning to cause trouble during the Spring Examination, getting him convicted of poor management and incompetence?
As he pondered, Xie Chengze’s soft, cat-like voice sounded again. “Father, your son feels unwell. May I request several days’ leave from court attendance?”
Xie Jinyu’s heart sank, a trace of anxiety surfacing. That feeling of losing control over the other party began to irritate him, making him restless and uneasy.
Feeling unwell… Was he ill?
Was he so listless today and unwilling to compete with him because he was sick?
No, in the past, Xie Chengze had been ill before, but even then he would still attend court to fight tooth and nail with him, striving for praise and admiration before the emperor. How could he suddenly request leave, and for several days at that?
Could it be… that he had contracted some incurable disease?
Remembering the tear stains at Xie Chengze’s eyes earlier, Xie Jinyu rubbed the lingering sensation on his fingertips, his thoughts in disarray.
Was he giving up on their rivalry because his terminal illness was untreatable?
At this thought, the restlessness in Xie Jinyu’s eyes grew more pronounced. Just as he was about to discreetly nudge Xie Zimiao with his elbow, the latter spoke up directly, gazing at Xie Chengze with concern, “Second Brother, what illness have you contracted?”
Recalling how Xie Chengze had just taken his pulse, Xie Zimiao secretly reproached himself. His second brother was clearly unwell himself, yet he cared more about whether Xie Zimiao was ill—and he hadn’t even noticed his brother’s condition!
“It’s just a chill. I should avoid drafts, but I wanted to see Father one more time before requesting leave,” Xie Chengze fabricated.
Emperor Jian was visibly pleased by these words. Waving his hand, he laughed heartily, “Very well, very well. I grant it.”
Seeing the emperor’s approval, Xie Chengze promptly bowed in gratitude and dutifully returned to his position.
Emperor Jian withdrew his gaze and said calmly, “As for the Spring Examination’s Open-book Examination, the Ministry of Rites will continue overseeing it for now. Disaster relief in Yi Province cannot be delayed. Allocate 300,000 taels of silver for river embankment repairs and aiding the people, with Yi Province’s governor Liang Wan Da personally supervising.”
“Your Majesty! Isn’t 300,000 taels rather excessive? The autumn hunt approaches, which already requires substantial funds. Last year’s harvest was poor, and the Directorate of Celestial Observation warned of numerous disasters this year. Who knows how many calamities await? The Ministry of Revenue’s treasury cannot sustain this!” The Minister of Revenue’s voice trembled.
Xie Chengze nodded inwardly. With ancient populations smaller and technology underdeveloped, natural disasters were inherently difficult to resolve. Compounded by the novel’s plot devices, civilian crises multiplied easily—many more provinces and counties would indeed require relief funds later.
It was precisely this empty national treasury that prompted Shen Yuan to accept the mandate to purge corrupt officials and reorganize the court.
On the dragon throne, Emperor Jian frowned slightly. “Disaster relief allocations have consistently been this amount in past years.”
“Your Majesty!” The Minister of Revenue fell to his knees, wailing, “With this year’s repeated disasters, we are truly impoverished!”
Emperor Jian’s gaze drifted meaningfully toward Xie Chengze.
Xie Chengze immediately felt besieged. Resolving to deter further questions through audacity, he declared, “Father, since funds are insufficient, why not confiscate someone’s property? One seizure would suffice!”
Silence gripped the court officials.
Xie Jinyu shot Xie Chengze a horrified look.
How could he say such things unabashedly!
Seeing Xie Chengze’s feigned innocence and the emperor genuinely contemplating the suggestion, Xie Jinyu hurriedly stepped forward. “Father, when the people suffer, officials should lead by example. I believe all civil and military officials would willingly donate silver to help the afflicted citizens through this crisis.”
Ministers hastily concurred, kneeling to avoid property confiscation. “We pledge donations for Yi Province’s people!”
Donations were mandatory! Given Emperor Jian’s indulgence toward the second prince, confiscations might truly be considered. While seizing rivals’ assets would be celebratory, what if one’s own household were targeted—
That wouldn’t just mean lamentation—it would mean execution!
Observing the officials’ unanimous commitment, Emperor Jian nodded in satisfaction. “In that case, my ministers shall settle this at the Ministry of Revenue after court. Chengze, you will oversee this. Identify the lowest donor and report directly to me. I shall deduct six months of their salary as both punishment and additional relief funds!”
Upon hearing this, officials who had considered modest donations inwardly lamented their misfortune.
“Yes, Father,” Xie Chengze accepted the assignment with visible reluctance.
This damned emperor father—assigning him to oversee this matter? Isn’t this just making him offend all the officials?
Why should he take the fall for the Crown Prince’s idea? Originally, he only needed to offend one official to settle things, but now he’s managed to offend them all!
Ah, life is hard. Xie Chengze sighed inwardly.
After the court session ended, Xie Chengze acted as if his backside were on fire. Pretending not to see the pleading and questioning looks in Xie Zimiao and Xie Jinyu’s eyes, he slipped away like greased lightning.
Xie Zimiao watched Xie Chengze’s retreating figure with regret. “Second Brother was truly impressive today. With just a simple sentence, he made these stingy civil and military officials voluntarily contribute silver for the emergency.”
“But what illness has Second Brother contracted? He actually requested leave for so many days.” Xie Zimiao worried.
Xie Jinyu stared at Xie Chengze’s retreating back, fingertips rubbing the spot stained with tear marks. After a moment, he said indifferently, “Who knows? Perhaps he’s nearing his end.”
Xie Zimiao nearly burst into tears upon hearing this.
He also felt that since Xie Chengze had stopped contending with the Crown Prince, his days were likely numbered.