Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Listen...

Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Listen...

Hearing Zhao Qing and Zhao Lan from next door unanimously accusing Zhao Rou of exaggerating and saying that she was only trying to trick them into backing down out of selfish motives, it seemed like they were about to start arguing again.

Xiao Yan straightened up again: "After hearing what this Miss Zhao said, I realized that our prince is so popular. His Majesty has selected four families, and currently at least five young ladies from those four families are quite interested in the position of Princess Consort."

"He's really popular!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark. Then she remembered that Qin Ji had gone to the palace to meet the emperor today. Judging from the time, he should already be in front of the emperor. She wondered what the situation was like.

......

The emperor looked at the person kneeling upright below him, whose appearance was completely different from the vague image in his memory, somewhere between a child and a teenager; he had grown into a young man.

Compared to his vague memories of that child, the sixth prince now evoked a greater sense of familiarity in the emperor. He saw his own youthful self reflected in this son—both possessed a refined and elegant appearance, handsome enough to captivate any woman.

A nostalgic smile flashed across his face.

But soon his gaze fell on his hands. They were meticulously maintained hands, each nail trimmed smooth and rounded. There used to be calluses on his palms from holding a sword, but now those calluses had all faded, leaving only the calluses on his fingers from holding a pen.

No matter how carefully you take care of them, you can't hide how these hands gradually turn from fair to pale, from slender as bamboo to swollen at the fingertips, and the spots that appeared out of nowhere.

He knew that it wasn't just his hands that had changed.

His mood suddenly soured, and he looked down at the person kneeling below. He discovered that although the Sixth Prince was kneeling, he was not bowing his head respectfully like the others. He was looking at him with a mixture of longing and affection, the look of a child looking at his father.

However, when their eyes met, he subconsciously lowered them, concealing the expression in his eyes.

After so many years, the emperor noticed that his son was gentle, refined, and elegant, no longer the impetuous, passionate, and naive boy he once was. But the look in his eyes made the emperor realize that he hadn't changed at all.

This child has simply grown up and learned to pretend compared to when he was younger, but when facing his own father, he still can't keep up the act.

Realizing this, the emperor's mood improved considerably, but he couldn't help but wonder how much of his sharpness and domineering spirit this gentle and refined appearance lacked compared to his younger self.

But then she thought again, "He's the kind of person who can lead troops to quell rebellions in Yunzhou. Is he really the kind and innocent person he is now portraying?"

Yunzhou... The thought of the Yunzhou emperor's gaze towards the sixth prince brought a hint of scrutiny to his eyes. Even now, the emperor remained suspicious of the sixth prince's coincidental appearance in Yunzhou and the coincidental assassination of the Yun State Duke's heir by the locals. He had sent people to investigate, but the investigation revealed that everything was indeed a coincidence.

"Ruhui, you handled the affairs of Yunzhou very well. If you hadn't happened to be in Yunzhou at the time, who knows what kind of chaos would have ensued after the assassination of the Duke of Yun's heir." The emperor looked at him with apparent satisfaction and praised, "You've grown up and can now share your father's burdens."

Ru Hui! Being called this title suddenly gave Qin Ji a sense of disorientation, as if it wasn't him being addressed. The last time he used the name Ru Hui was at least six years ago, when he briefly used the alias "Young Master Ru Hui" to roam the martial arts world for a period of time.

The opposite of the character "Ru Hui" is the given name "Li Hui". If the old man hadn't suddenly called him "Ru Hui" with feigned tenderness today, he would have almost forgotten that his proper name as the sixth prince was Li Hui.

No matter how tender the old man appeared, he knew that beneath that thin layer of warmth lay only suspicion. Just like himself, he had no genuine feelings for this nominal father, yet he could act out the most genuine emotions.

"Father." The sixth prince looked up at the emperor again, his eyes filled with excitement, and even his eyes were a little moist and red: "To receive this word from Father, I would die a hundred times for it."

"It's a pity..." As he spoke, a genuine sense of regret and resentment appeared on his face: "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. In pacifying Yunzhou, I merely acted as a mascot for the pacification of the sea, relying on my status as a prince. The real work was done by the garrison commander of Yunzhou and the strategists sent by the Duke of Yun's mansion."

Hearing the sixth prince say this, the emperor's face showed even more satisfaction: "You don't need to be so modest. Your merits are clear to both your father and the officials in the court. Merit should be rewarded, which is why you were allowed to return from Jiangzuo to receive your title."

"Thank you, Father Emperor." Qin Ji kowtowed heavily, behaving like a child who had been long overlooked but had suddenly been noticed by his father.

"Get up." The emperor raised his hand and finally told him to get up. It wasn't that he was deliberately making things difficult for him, but that he had really overlooked the fact that the sixth prince had been kneeling ever since he entered the hall to pay his respects.

We haven't spent much time together, unlike the others I see often, so I know he doesn't usually wake me up.

“There’s no need for such strict rules between father and son. Unlike you, who’s always kneeling. From now on, just get up after you pay your respects.” As he spoke, the emperor pointed to a spot closer to him: “Come over here. It’s been so many years. Let’s have a chat.”

Seeing his demeanor, Qin Ji felt a chill run down his spine and thought to himself, "The real deal is coming."

"I've heard that you've rarely appeared in public as Prince Cheng in recent years?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I enjoy doing business and mostly use the alias Qin Ji. Although it's nothing special, I've achieved some small success over the years, and I have to thank Father for indulging this little hobby of mine. It's just a pity that I was stranded in Yunzhou last year, which delayed my business."

A hint of regret appeared on his face as he spoke, seemingly quite annoyed that last year's time had been wasted, but he quickly moved on to this year's plans: "This year I originally intended to continue expanding trade routes southward, but now that we've come to the capital, I've thought that expanding business in Jiangzuo and the capital would be excellent. I've researched a more efficient salt-refining method, and if everything goes smoothly, the silver sent to the Imperial Treasury next year should at least double..."

"Ahem..." Seeing that the Sixth Prince was in high spirits and was about to launch into a long-winded explanation of his business empire, the Emperor quickly coughed twice to interrupt his inappropriate remarks.

However, when he heard that the silver sent to the Imperial Treasury next year would double, he was tempted for a moment. Then, thinking of the impeachment memorials against the Sixth Prince for salt smuggling these days, his dissatisfaction with those ministers who did nothing but grumble and complained instead of doing their jobs rose from five points to seven.

"Regarding the matter of salt, I know you have put a lot of effort into it, but after all, it is the salt industry. The officials in the court believe that it should be returned to the national treasury," the emperor said slowly, looking at the sixth prince.

Then, anger immediately appeared on Lao Liu's face.

"Father, hasn't the salt industry always been controlled by the national treasury? The method of refining snowflake salt is complicated and cumbersome, and the annual output is only so much. This is just a filial offering from your son to Father. Why would those powerful families want to rob us for such a small amount of silver?"

After saying that, he seemed to realize that he had been too blunt and directly exposed that it was not the national treasury that wanted it, but the officials and powerful families. So he tried to smooth things over: "If Father Emperor thinks it is appropriate, your son is not unwilling to offer the secret formula for refining it. All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and everything is up to Father Emperor to decide."

He presented himself as a devoted and filial son. On one side was his son, who was sending him money like crazy; on the other side were his ministers, who were cutting off his own private treasury's income and trying every means to extract money from the national treasury. The emperor's feelings were crystal clear.

"What you say makes some sense. The production of snowflake salt is small and has little impact on the livelihood of the people. Let me think about it some more. However, you are a prince after all. It is not the right path for you to be obsessed with such a trivial business."

The emperor, speaking earnestly, appeared as a loving father: "As the saying goes, 'to settle down and establish a career,' you are about to be granted the title of Prince, so you should seriously consider your marriage. In fact, your princess should have been chosen by your mother, but she... I suppose she is not very energetic. I have prepared a few virtuous ladies for you to take a look at."

The sixth prince bowed and said, "Father is often busy and may have forgotten, but I am already married and have a princess in my Prince's residence. Moreover, my mother has met my princess and is very satisfied with her."

Although he was bowing respectfully, his expression and words were completely different from his previous soft demeanor. It made the emperor, in a daze, seem to see again the sixth prince of yesteryear, who, even facing the emperor himself, remained resolute, kneeling and kowtowing until his head bled, determined to bring his mother back to Jiangzuo.

Being suddenly rebuked by someone who had been so respectful and devoted was naturally extremely displeasing to him, both as a father and as an emperor.

But perhaps even the emperor himself didn't realize that after being contradicted, his wariness towards the sixth prince actually lessened considerably.

But this did not prevent the emperor's face from immediately darkening: "I may have pretended not to see you causing trouble outside. But now that you are back in the capital, you cannot be allowed to act recklessly."

With a snap, the emperor threw a booklet in front of the sixth prince: "Minister Xie, Grand Tutor Kong, the Marquis of Xuanwu's family, and the Marquis of Anyang's family—each of these four families has a daughter who is a rare and virtuous lady, carefully selected. Don't blame me for not giving you time. Take this back and take a look, then choose one."