The Censorate supervised all officials and was naturally responsible for recording the words and deeds of the civil and military officials waiting for His Majesty Dan before the court session every day. Therefore, Su Huaijing always arrived earlier than others.
After fooling around all morning, the sunset glow began to fade when I went out. By the time the carriage stopped and I walked to the Taihe Gate, the Chief Eunuch was about to call for the court to enter.
Su Huaijing quickly walked to the position where he should stand. The current Chief Censor Zhou Gang glanced at him and said with a smile: "Did you sleep in today?"
Su Huaijing lowered his head, showing the respect that a junior should have: "It was cold and I was lazy, so I slept a little longer. Lord Zhongcheng, please forgive me."
"Why shouldn't I forgive you?" Zhou Gang said with a smile, "After the birthday party, I will retire and return home before the end of the year. When the position of Zhongcheng is vacant, I will need you to take it."
Su Huaijing paused for a moment, then bowed his hands in a serious tone, "Thank you very much for your cultivation, sir."
Zhou Gang: "Don't say anything empty. The skills I cultivated in you are not even one tenth of what you brought in yourself."
The old man looked at the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony with a heavy look in his eyes and said nothing more.
The palace gate opened, and the eunuch summoned the court. Su Huaijing stood in the line and listened to the court meeting for an hour. When the court was dismissed, he slowed down his pace without making a sound. Seeing this, the second prince, who was surrounded by several people, naturally walked over and greeted him generously: "Good morning, Lord Su."
Su Huaijing smiled slightly: "Good morning, Second Prince."
Sheng Chengming: "Are you going to the Censorate?"
Su Huaijing nodded, and Sheng Chengming greeted the people around him and quietly distanced himself from them.
When the crowd dispersed, Sheng Chengming's face changed, a little impatient, and a little earnest: "Sir—"
Su Huaijing interrupted him and asked casually, "Your Highness is nineteen years old this year?"
Sheng Chengming was stunned. His eagerness was interrupted by Su Huaijing, and he replied, "Yes."
"Have you ever thought about asking His Majesty for a throne?"
Once autumn arrives in the capital, it starts to become cold and dry. Su Huaijing's voice was so soft that it almost made people think he didn't say anything when it was carried in the autumn wind.
Sheng Chengming froze in place, not even taking a step forward for a moment.
Su Huaijing had no choice but to stop, turn around and look at him, and remind him: "Your Highness?"
After the court session, all officials had to go back to their respective offices. Although the crowd had dispersed, some people were still looking at him, watching him intentionally or unintentionally. Sheng Chengming came to his senses, picked up his pace again, walked to Su Huaijing, calmed himself down, and said, "Sir, can we meet tonight?"
Su Huaijing's expression did not change: "Golden Tower."
"Thank you, sir." Sheng Chengming nodded, turned and left in another direction.
Su Huaijing suddenly felt a little bored. Sheng Chengming was not smart enough after all. If any one of Rong Tang, Ke Hongxue, and Mu Jingxu was standing in that position just now, they would understand what he meant when he said that. Why would they have to make another appointment to discuss it in detail
But when Su Huaijing thought of Rong Tang, he raised his lip unconsciously and his mood improved.
The autumn weather was bright and the day was long, but he wanted to go back home and take a nap with Tangtang in his arms, which was a rare occasion.
Lord Su, who had to go to work, sighed softly. As he walked out of the palace, he glanced casually and met someone in the distance who was about to enter the Imperial Academy to teach.
Ke Hongxue yawned, saw him, stood there waiting for him to come closer, smiled and raised his hand: "Morning, Master Su."
Su Huaijing smiled, finally finding someone to show off to: "How did you know that Tangtang rewarded me this morning?"
Ke Hongxue: “?”
Mr. Ke's raised hand slowly froze in the air. At a certain moment, he really wanted to touch the face of the man named Su.
You really deserve a beating.
-
Rong Tang always felt sleepy during the change of seasons. When he woke up from his sleepiness and sat on the bed to calm himself down, a picture flashed through his mind. In an instant, he froze on the bed, and his ears turned red belatedly.
Young Master Rong was silent for a century. He lowered his head to look at his hands and subconsciously wanted to cover his face. But at the critical moment, he remembered where these hands had been held in the morning. After holding it in for a long time, he finally spoke slowly: "...Fuck."
[Are you awake?] The system popped up, with a kind of relief that seemed to have seen through the world and was as calm as a chrysanthemum: [Do you remember what you did for your wife this morning?]
It finally discovered that its host was a cabbage that could grow legs and run. Instead of watching him nervously and getting bullied all day long, it would be better to watch the show quietly and mock him at the same time.
After putting it in the right position, the system kid became happy immediately.
It said in a cold voice: [You are really promising. It’s fine if you go to the doctor and the doctor can’t cure you, but the NPC villain hasn’t said a word yet, and you took the initiative to reach out? ]
[If you are not a legal couple, this would be considered sexual harassment.] The system said.
“…” Rong Tang: “Just shut up.”
[Heh, you knew you were mean to me.] The system scolded him.
Rong Tang chose to remain silent. After getting up and washing up, he went to the study and copied two volumes of Buddhist scriptures to suppress the inappropriate images for children that would pop up in his mind from time to time.
Until the sun was setting, Shuangshou came back and reported that Su Huaijing had an appointment tonight and would not be able to return home for a while. Rong Tang was sitting in the yard watching the stars when someone knocked on the Moon Gate with a smile.
He looked back lazily. Ke Hongxue was wearing a flirtatious pink dress, waving a folding fan in her hand. Her smile was both beautiful and ostentatious, revealing some ill intentions. She asked him, "My Lord, do you want to go out and play?"
Rong Tang was startled. He felt that this scene had appeared many times in his previous lives. He hesitated for a second and asked, "Where are we going?"
Master Ke raised his peach blossom eyes and said slowly, "Fengyue Tower."
-
Elegant room on the third floor of Gilded Building.
Su Huaijing sat by the window waiting for someone, feeling somewhat bored and tired.
After he entered the court, he seldom met Sheng Chengming here again. This time he came here again, he felt as if he was in a different world.
He waited for a while, and the door was finally opened. Sheng Chengming said, "Sorry for the delay, Lord Su, please don't blame me."
When Su Huaijing heard the changed address in his words, he raised his eyes with an ambiguous expression, stood up and saluted: "Long live Your Highness."
The door was closed and there were guards guarding outside. Sheng Chengming stared at Su Huaijing deeply for a few moments before sitting down.
Su Huaijing poured him a glass of wine and placed it in front of him, saying in a gentle voice: "Your Highness is angry."
"I didn't." Sheng Chengming denied subconsciously, but soon lowered his head in frustration and asked, "I just don't understand why you advised me to ask for the throne?"
In the absence of a crown prince, prematurely making him a king may seem like a favor, but in fact it is also indirectly withdrawing from the competition for the crown prince. Throughout history, no prince of Dayu would ask for an imperial decree to make him a king and move away from the power center of the capital before the age of 20.
A position that millions of people in the world dare not even dream of, but they are just one step away from it, and no one is willing to give it a try.
Su Huaijing placed the wine glass in front of Sheng Chengming and poured himself another glass. He did not drink from it but asked calmly, "How are you these days, Your Highness?"
Sheng Chengming was puzzled, but in front of Su Huaijing, he always habitually endured it even if he was unhappy.
"I should have been very happy when my mother gave birth to my eighth brother, but..."
Sheng Chengming paused, and Su Huaijing continued: "But the elder always shirks responsibility and repeatedly delays your request. If he gets pushed to the limit, will he even mention the former Jiangnan Governor Lu to you?"
Sheng Chengming: "Young Master is always perceptive."
Su Huaijing chuckled: "It's not that I'm insightful, it's just that Your Highness has never been on guard against me."
He said, "Your Majesty is in his prime, and the situation in the capital is unstable. The Third Prince has not done nothing in the past six months since he came to the court." Su Huaijing paused for a moment, "At least Marshal Xia is here, so you won't have to suppress the Third Prince's party all the time."
Sheng Chengming's eyes darkened, touched by his blunt words.
Su Huaijing: "Marshal Xia holds the military power and his family is the only one in power. He seems to be more powerful than his master. Concubine Hui has always been domineering in the harem. Even the queen has to give her some face, not to mention that she has two princes, the Third Prince and the Sixth Prince."
"The Xia family covets the throne, and everyone in the court knows it, but it's just that they are secretly stirring up trouble. Just because His Majesty doesn't say it openly doesn't mean he doesn't mind such behavior."
Su Huaijing poured wine for Sheng Chengming, speaking in a clear and gentle tone, analyzing the situation for him point by point: "The Third Prince is often overshadowed by you in the court, and the Xia family is unhappy about this, but fortunately the Sixth Prince is entrusted with the destiny, and they still have someone to rely on. Now that Concubine Yi has given birth to the Eighth Prince, His Majesty dotes on him and loves him even more. There is no guarantee that Marshal Xia and Concubine Hui will not do something behind his back."
Sheng Chengming was slightly startled and became impatient: "If that's the case, how can I leave the capital at this time?"
Su Huaijing shook his head: "It's not that you have to leave immediately. The Emperor's birthday is approaching, and the prince is born. His Majesty is in a good mood right now. If you ask His Majesty for permission at this time, and make it clear that you have no intention of coveting the throne, and only want to go to your fiefdom to do something practical for the local people, I think His Majesty will also appreciate your kindness and agree after some consideration."
In other words, if Sheng Chengming asked for the throne at this time, Su Huaijing was 70% sure that he could make it happen.
But he didn't say it clearly. Sheng Chengming pondered for a moment and asked, "Why? Why does the young master want me to leave the capital?"
Su Huaijing: "It's not about leaving the capital, but about keeping a low profile."
Outside the building, the moonlight was hazy and the wind was whistling. The cosmetics in Fengyue Building across the street had changed their scent, attracting the hearts of the young men and nobles passing by.
Su Huaijing looked directly at Sheng Chengming and said softly, "Your Highness can clearly see it. Do you really need me to explain it to you?"
Zhang Ge Lao's heart was not sincere in assisting Sheng Chengming, and Concubine Yi favored the youngest son. The Second Prince had grown to this age, had made great contributions in relieving the flood in Jiangnan, and had gained a long period of experience in the capital. In the eyes of the people, he had become a candidate for the crown prince who loved the people like his own children.
But Emperor Renshou is now in his forties. He has sat on the throne for ten years and wants to stay on for the next ten or twenty years. It is absolutely impossible for him to have the idea of giving up power.
Factions were fighting and the court was in turmoil, but for the emperor sitting on the dragon throne, it was a good opportunity to consolidate his power.
He could have just watched Zhang Ge Lao and Xia Jingyi fight to the death, and finally take back the power in their hands.
Sheng Chengming and Sheng Chengxing will become the direct victims of this struggle.
What's more, Wu Kangbo had evil intentions. According to the information obtained by Su Huaijing, the uprising would start this autumn.
With so many eyes on him, he will not be able to succeed. Sheng Chengming, who is on good terms with him and is framed by Qin Pengxuan, will become a discarded pawn in this accident.
Although everything seems calm now, for Sheng Chengming, it is a critical moment of life and death.
Even if he couldn't see through it, it was impossible for him not to see the attitudes of his grandfather and mother.
Su Huaijing said: "As a mother, it is inevitable that she will be partial to her child. It is natural for Your Highness to feel unfair, but if you ruin your future because of this unfairness, it is not the way for a wise ruler to act."
Sheng Chengming stayed where he was, and after a long while he gave a bitter smile: "If I leave the capital, I won't have any future, and how can I be a wise ruler?"
Su Huaijing: "Your Majesty was the first prince back then."
He stopped there and didn't say any more. Sheng Chengming opened his mouth and a look of horror flashed across his face.
Su Huaijing was still calm, with a calm demeanor like the breeze and the bright moon, but with a hint of pressure: "Your Highness, have you forgotten the two months you spent in Jiangnan without sleep or food, or have you forgotten the heavy rain?"
"You said yourself that you would protect the people. Have you changed your mind now?"
If Sheng Chengming had not been sincere at the time and Rong Tang had not shown some sympathy, Su Huaijing would not have had to point him in this direction.
When the matter of Wu Kangbo was settled and all the facts were uncovered, he would find a way for him to survive, which would be considered as repaying the calculating benefactor's kindness.
This was the first time Su Huaijing showed his fierceness in front of Sheng Chengming. Sheng Chengming was stunned and stood there for a long time before he stood up and bowed: "Thank you, Mr. Sheng, I am too narrow-minded."
It's not that we can't fight, but both sides will suffer losses.
He said: "In two days I will go to the palace to visit my mother, express my feelings to her, and then ask my father for permission to leave the capital."
Su Huaijing felt that he was at least not hopeless, so he returned the greeting and pointed out: "Jiangnan is rich, but Your Majesty is from the south, so you may have some reservations. You can consider Longxi and Bashu... Although they are a little remote, they are vast and there is a lot to be done there."
The dishes on the table were almost untouched. After the two chatted for a while, Su Huaijing said goodbye. Sheng Chengming suddenly called him, with a look of confusion and bewilderment between his brows, as if he was undecided even to ask a question.
But in the end, he still opened his mouth, with a sharpness that he had not shown many times in the past ten years: "Is the capital going to change?"
Su Huaijing smiled faintly: "Your Highness, you worry too much. Your Majesty will be prosperous for thousands of years, and Dayu will surely enjoy continuous blessings."
Sheng Chengming was in a daze. He didn't eat a single bite of food. After drinking a few glasses of wine, he sat there thinking about the conversation.
Su Huaijing bowed again and went out, went downstairs and ran straight to the carriage at the corner, eager to go home.
But in the blink of an eye, he saw another identical carriage parked next to the hitching post. Shuangfu and Shuangshou were huddled together talking, and for some reason they didn't dare to look up at anyone, like two little turtles.
Su Huaijing was slightly surprised, and then delighted. The gloomy mood after chatting with Sheng Chengming for a long time disappeared. He thought that Tangtang had come to take him home again, and he was so happy that he didn't know what to do.
He walked over quickly, his tone inexplicably filled with pride, showing off and caring: "Why are you waiting here? Isn't Tangtang bored in the car alone?"
Shuangfu raised his head and looked away: "My dear..."
Su Huaijing was stunned for a moment, slowed down his pace, his eyes dimmed, and he lifted the curtain of the car, revealing that there was no one inside.
Shuiling Street is still bustling and lively, with fine wine and delicacies in the Liujin Building and Shudao Pavilion, twinkling lanterns in the Jinfen River, and makeup and charming smiles in the Fengyue Building...
The sounds of stringed instruments and orchestras float out from time to time, making it seem like a paradise on earth.
Su Huaijing lowered his eyes and looked at the two servants who were gathered together and dared not look at him. His tone was gentle but extremely dangerous: "Where is Tangtang?"
(End of this chapter)