Chapter 499: Just that wilful
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Having been fighting with the Crown Prince for this long, King Duan had a good grasp on the affairs of the court. He knew what Chi Hou was saying.
The Crown Prince had the upper hand in the courts.
It was impossible to snatch the position of the Minister of Law from the Crown Prince in court. The only way was for the Emperor to appoint one himself.
In order to influence the Emperor, Chi Hou wasn’t suggesting that they planted names in his mind. He was suggesting that they choose someone the Emperor trusted.
In that case…
There were no more than three people in the capital who the Emperor trusted. To be exact, there were two and a half.
The first one was Xing Yuanguo of the Stabilization Constabulary. As the leader of the 13 Constabularies and the pillar of the empire, the Emperor’s trust in Xing Yuanguo was unequivocal.
However, Xing Yuanguo had never meddled in these affairs. The main reason was because Xing Yuanguo didn’t need to.
Regardless of who was on that throne, they would value the Stabilization Constabulary equally. Furthermore, Xing Yuanguo was someone loyal only to the throne.
However, that also meant that it was near impossible to get Xing Yuanguo’s support for their bid for the throne.
As for the remaining one and a half…
The half was impossible to get as well. That half was Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. As the leader of the officials, he knew what the Emperor was thinking and the Emperor trusted his advise.
However, due to Yu Yiping’s experience in the courts and politics, the Emperor only trusted half of what he said.
As for the last one…
“Do you think that I will be in time if I move now?” King Duan asked as he thought about it.
Having fought with the Crown Prince for so many years, King Duan knew his elder brother well. His brother would probably recommend someone for the position the next morning. His recommendation would also be supported by the majority of officials.
“I don’t know, but some movement is better than no movement.” Chi Hou shook his head and sipped his tea.
“I understand. I will make the necessary arrangements.” King Duan looked at Mr. Hua and Old Wen. He made his decision quickly when he saw them nod.
“Wise choice.” Chi Hou continued to sip his tea, almost as though he didn’t notice King Duan’s actions.
…
Early the next morning…
The Crown Prince wore his official robes and arrived at the courts early. Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the other officials had arrived early as well.
They were having their own little discussions.
King Duan and Chi Hou arrived one after the other. They saw this and understood what was happening immediately. However, their expressions didn’t change.
The officials immediately stopped their discussions and walked over to greet Chi Hou. Then, they extended various invites to him.
Some invited him for a meal, others for a hunt, or a race, or tea…
Time flew by…
The court session was about to commence. Just as they stopped their discussions and waited for the session to start, Eunuch Wei entered the room.
“The Emperor is not feeling well. The session has been canceled!” Eunuch Wei announced to the dismay of the officials.
“Eunuch Wei, the Emperor was fine yesterday. What happened?” One of the officials stepped forward and whispered when he saw the cue from Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.
Eunuch Wei glanced at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and hesitated. “People can fall sick at any time. Isn’t that right, Official Li?” was the reply.
“Yes yes yes, Eunuch Wei is correct. However, we have something important to discuss with the Emperor. What is his condition like?”
“The doctor estimates that he would be out for two to three days at least, five to six at most.”
“Oh, that’s good to hear. Could we know where the Emperor is resting? If it is convenient, could you please help us pass…”
“The Emperor is in the residence of Imperial Concubine Huafei. If you want to pass him anything, you can kneel and wait for him at the entrance.” Eunuch Wei waved Official Li off.
“Ahem, since the Emperor is there, we will not bother him. We will wait till he has made a full recovery.”
“The Emperor is still waiting for me to take care of him. I will take my leave now!”
“Take care!”
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping frowned as he watched Eunuch Wei leave. He began to think to himself, “Huafei…”
…
Since the session had been canceled, the appointment of a new Minister of Law would have to wait. Even Wan Chong’s case was delayed as a result.
Wan Chong was a Minister of Law. Despite the overwhelming evidence, he could not be sentenced without the Emperor’s approval.
The city seemed strangely calm but everyone knew that there were plenty of undercurrents beneath the surface.
The officials connected to Wan Chong’s case grew increasingly anxious with each passing day. They were in danger until a Minister of Law was appointed from their camp.
Countless carriages passed through the streets of the capital. Every now and then, there would be minor accidents and spats.
“Move away! How dare you block the carriage of the Li Family! You must be tired of living!”
“Li Family? Who are they? Why don’t you open your eyes and see who is in this carriage? If you don’t move aside, I will rip the wheels off your carriage!”
“Oh wow, that’s some big talk. Why don’t you come and try me?!”
“Okay, I will let you understand how powerful the Zhang Family is! What are you all waiting for? Rip the wheels off his carriage!”
“You’re arrogant for a small family! Charge!”
“…”
Countless carriages barged their way through the streets. However, there was one gate with a wide road but no one stopped in front of it for extended periods of time. No one fought at the gate either.
There were three words engraved on a gold sign at the gate.
Ping Yang Residence!
The residence was just adjacent to the palace and was situated in the middle of the city. However, most officials were more than happy to take a detour around it.
At that very moment, a medium sized carriage arrived from afar and stopped in front of this residence.
Then, a youth hopped off the carriage, looked around, then smiled.
“Hi brother, could you please announce my arrival? I am here to see Official Fang!” The youth walked over to the gate and asked one of the guards there.
Then, the youth produced a few fingernail-sized silver ingots.
“Official Fang, which Official Fang?” The golden armored guard ignored the silver in the youth’s hands.
“Of course it’s Fang Zhengzhi, Official Fang!” The youth replied.
“I understand.” The golden armored guard nodded and shot a look at another guard inside the residence. Then, there was a dull thud.
Almost like an open dam, more than 20 armored soldiers came rushing out. The soldiers in golden armor pressed this youth to the ground without hesitation.
This youth was stunned.
However, when the punches started raining down, he reacted instantly, his eyes glowing brightly.
“I was wrong, I am here to see Fang Zhengzheng! I am Wen Dabao!”
“Oh, you are here to see Young Master Fang? You should have said so earlier!” The soldiers stopped when they heard this.
Wen Dabao was extremely bitter but there was nothing he could do about it. He wiped away his tears and stood up.
“Can you please announce my arrival?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment, Young Master Wen.” The soldier nodded and picked up the silvers on the ground, placing them in his pocket.
“…” Wen Dabao’s expression became increasingly bitter.
The only consolation he had was that the soldier didn’t stand around after picking up his silvers. He immediately rushed into the residence to announce Wen Dabao’s arrival.
…
In a beautiful garden inside Ping Yang’s Residence…
Fang Zhengzhi, dressed in his trademark blue long-sleeved shirt, laid down on a chair covered with a layer of luxury leather. He squinted as he looked into the sky.
Ping Yang was sitting next to Fang Zhengzhi. She wore a red dress and supported her head with both hands, watching Fang Zhengzhi silently.
As for Yan Xiu, he was seated behind a table nearby. He had a pen in his hand as he continued to scribble away on the paper in front of him.
It was a very peaceful and calming time.
At that moment, a golden-armored soldier appeared at the entrance to the garden. When the soldier saw this, he stopped outside.
“Your Highness, Young Master Fang, Young Master Yan, Wen Dabao is here.”
“…”
Silence.
Ping Yang, Fang Zhengzhi, and Yan Xiu remained silent, almost as if they didn’t hear what the soldier said.
They continued doing exactly what they were doing moments ago.
The soldier waited patiently for 15 minutes…
However, he was still ignored.
“Ahem, your highness, Young Master Fang, Young Master Yan, Wen Dabao is here.” The soldier reminded, his voice slightly louder this time.
“…”
Silence.
The soldier looked at the three figures in the garden. He realized that they were still doing the same things they were moments ago. There was absolutely no change…
The soldier began to show traces of confusion.
But it was nothing more than confusion.
He didn’t speak again.
The soldier simply waited at the entrance like a statue.
After 15 minutes, another guard in golden armor appeared at the gates. He said the same thing as the guard before him.
However, Fang Zhengzhi, Ping Yang, and Yan Xiu seemed to be in a world of their own. They ignored the soldier in the golden armor, almost as if they didn’t hear what he said.
The second guard also stood at the gate like a statue.
Time flew by.
An hour passed, then two…
The number of ‘statues’ at the gate grew in number. There were guards in golden armor, then servants and slaves. Finally, even Ping Yang Residence’s manager became a ‘statue’.
The sun was almost at its peak and it was getting hotter.
Ping Yang, Fang Zhengzhi, and Yan Xiu didn’t move. As such, none of them dared to move. They continued to wait at the gates.
Finally, Ping Yang turned around and looked at one of the servants at the gate.
She didn’t speak, but she blinked. Then, she looked up at the hot sun.
The servant saw the look and understood it immediately. Before long, she returned with a hot cup of tea.
Ping Yang’s eyes brightened when she saw this. She snatched the cup out of the hands of the servant and gulped the tea down.
“You’ve lost.” Fang Zhengzhi opened his eyes lazily and looked at Ping Yang.
“I’ve lost? Why did I lose? I didn’t open my mouth at all!” Ping Yang was visibly unhappy about this.
“You didn’t?”
“Of course not, did you hear me speak?”
“I said that the first one who opened their mouth would lose, not the first one to speak. How did you drink if you didn’t open your mouth.” Fang Zhengzhi replied scornfully.
“That counts?” Ping Yang couldn’t believe her ears.
“What do you think?” Fang Zhengzhi replied.
“Okay then, you win this time because you cheated. You can ask your question.” Ping Yang pouted but conceded defeat grudgingly.
“My question can wait. Wen Dabao must have been waiting outside for more than four hours.” Fang Zhengzhi waved her off.
“Yes, Wen Dabao has been outside for nearly four hours.” The golden armored soldier replied respectfully.
However…
They were all extremely bitter.
They knew that Princess Ping Yang was a willful person. They had prepared themselves for that. However, they never expected that they would have to serve two willful people one day.
Furthermore, even the cultured and polite son of the Yan Family, Yan Xiu, was playing along!