dognovel Chapter 139 Ambition
Chapter 139 Ambition
The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites almost laughed in anger.
The Brown Kingdom is wealthy, so why is the Great Yong Kingdom poor?
Okay, a little, but they're not what they used to be!
Do you really think he's a coward for speaking so sarcastically to his face?
He feigned exaggerated surprise: "Huh? When did Princess Xinyue arrive? Oh dear, if only the princess had been here sooner, she could have stopped your prince..."
Beside him, a minor official leaned close to the Right Vice Minister of Rites and whispered in his ear, "Princess Xinyue has been here the whole time..."
This so-called "whisper" was just him leaning over, but he spoke clearly and his voice was not lowered at all. Everyone present, as well as Zheng Xun and the others in front of the screen, heard his words clearly.
"How could that be? Princess Xinyue is such a kind person. If she had been here all along, how could she have allowed Prince Chou to act so recklessly..."
new moon:……
She lowered her head slightly, tears welling in her eyes: "I'm just scared..."
Her crying wasn't contrived; it only made people feel more sorry for her.
Even though you know she has ulterior motives, you can't help but feel sorry for her when she cries.
Seeing the minor official beside him unconsciously showing a pained expression, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue gave him a hard pinch on the ear.
The clerk kept groaning and complaining, while the Right Vice Minister snorted coldly and looked at Princess Xinyue with a smile: "I understand, I understand. It's probably normal that the princess is not as strong and capable as the daughters of my Great Yong."
Hey, doesn't she love mocking Da Yong for being poor? Who doesn't know how to be sarcastic?
Princess Xinyue didn't speak, but gave a forced smile, like a resilient and upright branch that had weathered storms.
Seeing that Prince Chou was not going to cause any more trouble, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites informed the Emperor that he had allowed Xinyue to enter the palace: "Princess Yuanjia knows that Princess Xinyue is delicate, so she specially gave up Mingzhu Pavilion. The princess may come to the palace with me."
Xinyue said apologetically, "Xinyue doesn't want to cause trouble for Dayong because of herself. Princess Yuanjia doesn't need to be modest. Just make room for Xinyue in a side hall so that Xinyue has a place to stay."
The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, recalling Zheng Xun's plan, naturally could not agree to this request, but Xinyue insisted.
He offered a few words of advice, and she simply started to feel guilty and shed tears.
After a long stalemate, the Right Vice Minister had no choice but to take Xinyue into the palace.
Only after the new moon entered the palace did Zheng Xun close the sky curtain.
The emperor certainly wouldn't receive her in the imperial study, because that would be too embarrassing, so it was even less likely that he would specially host a banquet for her.
Finally, the new moon was sent to the Phoenix Palace.
The Emperor and the Crown Prince did not appear, but the Empress was quite interested in Xinyue. She came out to meet her before sending her to Mingzhu Pavilion.
After Zheng Xun finished her official business, she left the Imperial Study. The Crown Prince caught up with her, unable to contain his curiosity any longer: "Yuanjia, are you going back to Mingzhu Pavilion?"
"Hmm, I've decided to go and meet her."
Knowing her tendency to kill at the drop of a hat, the Crown Prince asked warily, "You won't act impulsively, will you?"
Zheng Xun stopped and blinked innocently, "What? I'm just a little girl, even if I acted impulsively, I wouldn't do anything dangerous!"
Crown Prince: I believed your lies.
If he hadn't anticipated Zheng Xun's destructive power, he would have almost been fooled by her.
He added anxiously, "Please be polite..."
Zheng Xun interrupted him, asking suspiciously, "Big brother, have you taken a liking to her? You've only met her once, yet you're already protecting her like this?"
The crown prince took a step back in alarm, as if he had heard something terrifying: "I didn't! I'm not! Don't talk nonsense!"
Zheng Xun was still not quite convinced and suspiciously opened the system.
Crown Prince: ...
Does he seem like the kind of person who's obsessed with lust?
[Huh? Big brother really has a crush on Xinyue? That's why he came to warn me?]
[Ugh, I'm so annoyed, I misjudged him!]
Crown Prince: ?!
Is that what the system says?
For a moment, he doubted himself. The system had said so, could it be that he really had feelings for Xinyue?
According to Yuan Jia, is he a love-obsessed person?
[Oops, wrong translation, this is Third Brother's original future]
The crown prince almost burst into tears of joy: That's wonderful! It wasn't my fault!
Wait a minute!
Third brother? Third brother and Xinyue?
He was startled again, and his gaze instinctively drifted towards the flower bed.
My younger brother needs to be disciplined with a beating to learn to behave. Where is his stick?
However, my older brother actually said I was fierce behind my back?
The prince turned and walked away. Don't call him, he's gone to find a stick!
Zheng Xun closed the system interface, and just as he was about to question him, he saw him crawl into the flower bed.
A look of obvious doubt appeared on her face, but after a moment, she suddenly didn't want to ask anymore.
Forget it, why bother arguing with an idiot?
She rubbed her face, her expression returning to normal: "Come back!"
The prince peeked out from a clump of low bushes, and seeing that she wasn't angry, he replied with a soft "Oh, oh."
In such a short time, I don't know where he got a thin, straight stick from, the stick was about one and a half times his length, and it didn't have a single fork.
Zheng Xun: ?
Why did you steal someone's fishing rod?
Crown Prince: "Huh? What fishing rod?"
He looked down and noticed that a barely noticeable fishing line was tied to one end of the stick.
Not far away, a small eunuch suddenly cried out in a low voice, "Oh no! Your Highness, the Consort Shu! Our fishing rod is gone!"
Zheng Xun looked at the Crown Prince and chuckled softly.
Crown Prince: ...
He was really unlucky. The concubines were all in the inner palace, which was extremely far from the imperial study. The chances of them appearing here were as small as an ant killing an eagle.
Only Zheng Xun knew the reason after looking at the system.
Consort Shu couldn't sleep tonight, so Consort De remembered that there were some particularly fat fish in the pond, so she brought Consort Shu here to have some fun.
The crown prince, embarrassed and cold, ordered the maid to return the fishing rod, while he pulled Zheng Xun away from the scene.
After they had walked a distance, Zheng Xun pulled her hand away from his: "Alright, they won't chase after us."
The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief.
Zheng Xun glanced back. He had just dragged her around aimlessly, and now she was getting further and further away from Mingzhu Pavilion.
She asked helplessly, "Does your brother have anything else to say?"
The crown prince then remembered the purpose of his visit.
He hesitated for a moment, then said tactfully, "Yuanjia... I heard that you sent a lowly soldier from the Taiping Guard to learn from the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites today?"
Yes, Zheng Xun made the decision and quickly put things into action; it was an astonishing speed.
After he finished speaking, he kept stealing glances at Zheng Xun's face, as if he was afraid she would be angry.
Zheng Xun remained calm: "Does my brother think I'm overstepping my bounds?"
“No,” the Crown Prince quickly denied, explaining in a gentler tone, “I just feel that this is unfair to the other down-to-earth scholars, Yuanjia… do you understand?”
Zheng Xun glanced at the palace wall in the distance. She turned her head, and half of her face disappeared into the shadow of the artificial hill. The palace servants carrying lanterns were far away from them, and the Crown Prince could not see her expression. His heart began to pound wildly for no reason.
“I understand,” she said, her tone unreadable, “but so what?”
"That's not right!"
"Of course, but don't worry, brother. I'm willing to promote Gao Dapeng because he's capable. If he starts doing evil after climbing to a high position, I will deal with him personally and without hesitation."
“Yuanjia! That’s not what I meant. What you’re doing will only make things more difficult for Xu Zhen and Gao Dapeng…”
“Brother, I know!” Zheng Xun interrupted him, “but this has nothing to do with you.”
"I am the Crown Prince!"
"so what?"
Zheng Xun's face was somewhat gloomy.
Fairness? When has this world ever been fair?
Is it fair that those who enjoy wealth and honor because of their ancestors' achievements can still commit evil deeds? Is it fair that farmers toil in the fields all their lives, barely making ends meet after paying taxes? Is it fair that he, as the crown prince, is born second only to the emperor?
Is imperial power truly fair?
Fairness is not something she should be thinking about right now!
Now that the imperial examination has not yet been held, those in the court who have received the emperor's favor are ultimately the emperor's people. How many of them can she really command?
She is a woman who has gained her current glory by using her ability to "know the past and predict the future," but are they really willing to listen to her?
Is all she wants simply wealth that others give her and can take back at any time?
The emperor is very good to her now, but will the next emperor, and the emperor after that, be able to treat her the same way?
People's hearts are fickle; can they really trust her forever?
Zheng Xun didn't believe it; she couldn't afford to gamble and didn't want to.
She only feels secure when power is in her own hands.
She once stood at the top of the world in the end times, but now that she has come to this era where women are restricted in everything, is she destined to be subservient to others?
How could she be willing!
She wanted more, so she needed to have her own power and informants.
Whether it's Tao Heng, Xu Zhen, Gao Dapeng, or even Wang Ergou who is currently recuperating, and Zhao Xiulan whom she plans to push into the public eye, they are all her people!
She elevates them high, brands them with her mark, and they must be loyal to her for life!
Being ostracized is good, being isolated and helpless is even better, then they can only rely on her.
Having gone through thick and thin together, they will see her abilities and build an unbreakable trust in her.
Therefore, whether for the sake of Dayong or for her own sake, she had to bring them to the forefront.
However, she did not intend to say these words to the Crown Prince, nor could she say them to anyone at the moment.
They are siblings and both want the best for each other, but that doesn't mean she needs his approval.
Since he is kind-hearted, he should just be a wealthy and idle man. As long as he doesn't interfere with her, she will ensure his lifelong wealth and honor.
And she will shoulder the future of Dayong.
She lowered her eyes, her gaze hardening, but her tone was filled with deep grievance: "So this is what you think of me, big brother."
Her voice was choked with emotion, as if she were extremely disappointed and saddened.
The crown prince still had anger on his face, but when Zheng Xun softened his attitude, he became at a loss.
“Yuanjia… that’s not what I meant, and I didn’t mean to blame you…”
“I know my elder brother is good to me,” Zheng Xun interrupted him again. She took a step forward and forced a smile. “Elder brother, the Brown Kingdom is eyeing us covetously. The Great Yong needs talent. They don’t have time to climb up step by step, and the Great Yong can’t afford to wait either.”
She sighed deeply: "There must be many people who think like my brother."