lcionline Chapter 717 New Year's Banquet Gift 2
Chapter 717 New Year's Banquet Gift 2
After hearing the Empress's words, the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince realized that their goal could not be achieved, and they looked embarrassed.
"Yes, we two were not careful enough. We should follow Your Majesty's advice and respect the order of seniority."
"Yes, yes, we were young and naive, and we oversimplified the problem."
“You are indeed young, but the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince, who are even younger, haven’t come to the Crown Prince to say these things.”
The empress simply smiled, but the two men felt extremely uncomfortable.
I used to think that the Empress was the kindest person, but now she seems rather serious and scary.
"Well then, we won't disturb Your Highness any longer. The mansion isn't ready for the New Year yet, so we need to go back and keep an eye on things. We'll take our leave now."
The two only stayed for less than a quarter of an hour, and exchanged only a few words with the Crown Prince. They were so oblivious that they didn't realize that the Crown Prince was different now.
All I can say is that the sixth and seventh princes are incredibly slow-witted.
No wonder the Fifth Prince never considered these two when setting up hypothetical enemies. Not only did they not have the intention, but even if they did, they would probably only have a fleeting thought and would have to suppress it instantly.
"These two brothers are really something, all over such a trivial matter?"
"Not necessarily, he could very well be someone's pawn?"
"Well, these two have never been ambitious and don't have any powerful family support. Even if they stick together for warmth, they won't pose a threat."
They are indeed a pair of pawns who could be used, but who sent them? The Fifth Prince?
"These two used to be close to the Fifth Prince, but now they don't seem to be so close anymore."
"Does Mother mean that these two have changed their allegiance to someone else? Is it the fourth prince? Or the ninth or tenth prince?"
"Anything is possible. After all, apart from the sixth, seventh, and eighth brothers, the remaining ones do have some strength."
On the contrary, the fifth brother, whom we were most wary of at the beginning, is now a tiger with its teeth pulled and can no longer be fierce.
Moreover, a tiger without claws and teeth, and struggling to find enough to eat, is even easier to deal with.
The Crown Prince thought of his teacher's letter and marveled at his teacher's extraordinary abilities, but also at the Fifth Prince's arrogance.
Do you really have no idea how much silver you have in your pocket?
Is it possible to support an army of 10,000 people just like that?
"Sigh~ Fifth brother is actually quite smart, but his limited experience from childhood has restricted his potential."
The Confucian scholars in the palace were indeed learned, but they taught them only rigid doctrines, unlike their teacher, who could not only cite classical texts but also apply them to real-world situations.
Take, for example, the new method of mathematics that the teacher taught Chen Lin. It was truly ingenious. I doubt that anyone in the entire court, except for the teacher's grandfather who worked in the Ministry of Revenue, could use it so skillfully.
But after the teacher only instructed Chen Lin a few times, Chen Lin became a master of mathematics and accounting.
The Empress wholeheartedly agreed. Ever since she learned that Jiang Xiaoqi had given all the profits from Liuxiang Pavilion to her son's shipbuilding team, she knew that he was not only a capable person, but also a person with a grand vision.
That's millions of dollars. For the average person, let alone being willing to spend it, they simply couldn't afford it.
Talented and wealthy, capable and loyal, the Empress truly felt that her son was lucky.
"Ah~"
Why did Mother sigh?
"What a pity, all six of Jiang Shaoqing's older sisters are already taken. Our previous plans have fallen through."
"Hahaha, so Mother still cares about this matter? Sigh~ Actually, even if the Jiang family still has unmarried and unengaged young ladies, the Master might not agree to the marriage."
I know the gentleman quite well. He is especially protective of the women in his family. Even if we bring it up, he probably won't be willing to let any of his sisters go to the palace.
After all, some people see the palace as a honey pot, while others see it as a cage.
"Sigh~ Alright, since you're so open-minded, we won't force you. There are plenty of good families with daughters."
Besides, your relationship with Jiang Shaoqing doesn't need to be maintained by nepotism, does it?
The Crown Prince laughed and said, “What Mother says is true. After all, the Master has spent time, energy and money on me. That’s what you mean, oh right, sunk cost.”
"Sir, the sunk costs he's incurred are too high. He won't easily abandon me, after all, I'm practically his money-devouring beast!"
"A gold-devouring beast? Haha, your description is a bit self-destructive, but it's... somewhat apt."
Isn't he a money-devouring beast? In just over a year, Jiang Shaoqing has already taken out more than a million taels of real gold and silver.
This doesn't even include the fact that Jiang Shaoqing secretly paid people to destroy the Fifth Prince's private army camp. That private army camp must have had tens of thousands of soldiers, and Jiang Shaoqing must have spent a lot of money on it.
The description of her son as a "money-devouring beast" was funny, but it was also quite accurate.
"Alright, Mother, it's getting late. You still have many things to do for the New Year's banquet. I can't help you, so I won't take up any more of your time."
By the way, let Chen Lin assist you. He may not be good at other things, but he's definitely got no problem with accounting and inventory management.
There are so many small details to prepare for the New Year's banquet, and he can also act as a second pair of eyes behind the scenes to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from taking advantage of the situation.
The Empress naturally knew that someone would be eyeing the year-end banquet. After all, once the banquet was over, all the officials would begin their leave and not return until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month to continue performing their duties.
"Alas, some things cannot be prevented. Your father's intention is actually to tell me not to be too meticulous."
The Crown Prince was somewhat surprised. Did his father want to do something during the New Year?
"Then we'll listen to Father. In short, even if we have to let the water out, we must ensure the safety of Father and Mother. We must not risk harming ourselves by luring the enemy out."
"Alright, your mother isn't stupid. Of course, she won't let herself and your father get into danger. Letting villains bully us is not in our nature."
"By the way, it would be best if the New Year's gifts that Mother Consort prepared for Father Emperor were guarded by a special person."
The Empress was puzzled. The things she had prepared were not of high value, so who would want to take them?
"You mean?"
"Well, it's not a matter of value. I'm just worried that the people in the harem won't give up. My people are already in the tightly guarded Eastern Palace, so it's hard to make a move. But Mother, you're still in the palace."
Theft is unlikely; I'm not worried about anything being missing from the New Year's gifts, but rather about something being too much.
At this time, we must be extremely careful. Mother, don't forget, the mothers of the ninth and tenth princes both wield considerable power in the harem.
Consort Liu and the others?
The Empress did indeed take the Crown Prince's words to heart, which was naturally what Jiang Xiaoqi had instructed the Crown Prince to do beforehand, but the Crown Prince did not tell the Empress everything.
At this point, it might be more likely that his mother would take the matter seriously if he, as the son, spoke up.