inspire-indiana Chapter 247 What does it mean to be unafraid of being schemed against?
Chapter 247 What does it mean to be unafraid of being schemed against?
Li Quan handed the oil tea noodles and the letter to the emperor. After the emperor gave no further instructions, he turned and left without a moment's hesitation, his figure quickly disappearing into the magnificent palace.
The following morning, as the city gates of the capital slowly opened, Li Quan had already mounted a fine horse and galloped off like an arrow. He raced along the wide official road, his destination the imperial mausoleum. The crisp, resounding sound of his hooves seemed to perfectly reflect his eagerness.
At this moment, the Emperor, who had just finished the morning court session, stood on the palace steps, gazing into the distance. Li Desheng, standing beside him, softly reported, "Your Majesty, Li Quan has already left the city." The Emperor nodded slightly, indicating he understood, and then thoughtfully said, "In that case, we should also set off." Li Desheng quickly and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. This humble subject will immediately arrange everything. Please wait a moment."
Just as Li Desheng turned around, the Emperor suddenly remembered something important and turned to Li Desheng to ask, "By the way, what is my Crown Prince busy with right now?"
Li Desheng quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince originally planned to visit Consort Zhuang, but due to unforeseen circumstances and other matters that needed to be dealt with, he was delayed. At this moment, the Crown Prince should still be focused on dealing with those urgent matters."
The Emperor frowned slightly and pressed, "Is it related to the case of the Shi family?" Li Desheng nodded and replied, "That is indeed it, Your Majesty. As far as I know, this case will be nearing its end today." The Emperor pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Issue my decree, ordering the Crown Prince to entrust the remaining cleanup work entirely to the Ministry of Justice. As the heir apparent, his status is noble; he does not need to personally handle everything and should instead focus his energy on the important matters of governing the country."
"I'm supporting so many people, not so they can just laze around all day, eating and waiting to die!" The Emperor glared at them and rebuked them sternly.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will immediately send someone to inform His Highness the Crown Prince. Your Majesty, time waits for no one, we should indeed set off. Her Majesty the Empress and her entourage have been waiting at the palace gate for quite some time." Li Desheng responded, not forgetting to urge the Emperor.
"In that case, let's set off immediately!" Upon hearing that the Empress was already waiting outside the palace gates with her entourage, the Emperor immediately urged without further hesitation.
"Let's go!" came Li Desheng's hoarse voice.
After leaving the Imperial Study, Li Desheng dared not delay for a moment. He quickly summoned Xiao Yuanzi and whispered, "Go and inform His Highness the Crown Prince to transfer the remaining matters of the case to the Ministry of Justice as soon as possible, and then hurry over to meet with the Emperor and the Empress."
Just as the Emperor's entourage had left the capital, a magnificent steed galloped towards them like a whirlwind. The rider was none other than Crown Prince Canglan Jingyun, handsome and dashing. Upon reaching the Emperor's carriage, Canglan Jingyun, still on horseback, respectfully bowed and greeted, "Father."
The Emperor slightly lifted the curtain, his gaze falling on the Crown Prince, and asked in a deep voice, "Is everything arranged properly?"
"Your Majesty, I have handled all matters properly in accordance with your instructions," Canglan Jingyun replied with his head bowed, his attitude humble yet full of confidence.
"That's good. Remember, never try to do everything yourself in the future. The officials of our dynasty are not people who are kept idle. You only need to control the overall situation, and you can delegate everything else to your subordinates. If they do it right, reward them; if they do it wrong, punish them." The emperor looked intently at Cang Lan Jingyun, who was riding on horseback, and solemnly instructed him.
Upon hearing this, Canglan Jingyun immediately cupped his hands in a respectful bow and replied, "Your subject will humbly obey your teachings."
After a brief pause, Canglan Jingyun cautiously raised his head and looked at the emperor sitting on the dragon carriage. He asked softly, "Father, may I change my route to visit Consort Zhuang?" His words revealed a hint of anticipation and trepidation.
Upon hearing this, the emperor's lips curled into a slight smile, and he teased the crown prince with amusement: "Oh? What's wrong? Perhaps you're missing her?"
Canglan Jingyun blushed slightly and hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I truly miss Consort Zhuang. To me, Consort Zhuang is not just my stepmother, but also my mentor in my studies."
"The foreign languages and slang I have learned were all taught by Consort Zhuang with great care. Without Consort Zhuang's patient guidance, I fear I would not have been able to master these languages." As he said this, Canglan Jingyun's eyes revealed deep gratitude towards Consort Zhuang.
Upon seeing this, the emperor couldn't help but laugh and continued to ask, "Was your trip there merely because you missed Consort Zhuang?" With that, he smiled and stared intently at Cang Lan Jingyun, as if trying to glean some clue from the changes in her expression.
"Yes. Your subject wishes to learn military strategy and troop deployment from Consort Zhuang. Although your subject does not know the extent of Consort Zhuang's expertise in these areas, your subject believes that starting from the basics should not be a problem," Canglan Jingyun replied respectfully and truthfully.
At this moment, the Emperor sat on his dragon carriage, gazing into the distance. He sighed thoughtfully and said slowly, "Your Consort Zhuang is truly a person who keeps a low profile and doesn't show off her talents. In the three years she has been in the palace, I never realized that she had such outstanding talents."
Upon hearing this, Canglan Jingyun couldn't help but mutter to himself, "There are many women in the harem, and intrigue and backstabbing are commonplace. How could Consort Zhuang not know the dangers? She certainly wouldn't easily show her talent, otherwise she might be plotted against by others if she's not careful."
Although Consort Zhuang might not be afraid of these open and covert struggles given her abilities, her temperament would certainly favor acting in a way that avoids unnecessary trouble.
If Su Nuannuan knew that the Crown Prince held such a view of her, she would definitely stand up without hesitation to argue her point and retort angrily: "What are you saying? Who said I'm not afraid of being schemed against? I'm the one who's most afraid of being schemed against! Otherwise, why would I choose to rely on the Empress? It's because only in this way can I find protection and prevent those with ulterior motives from easily harming me."
Moreover, I have remained obediently within the Cuiwei Palace, not daring to step outside its gates even a moment ago. Is this merely because I am naturally quiet? Of course not! It is simply a form of self-protection. Furthermore, I occasionally accompany the late Empress Dowager to her temporary palace for rest. On the surface, it seems like merely fulfilling my filial duty, but in reality, it also reveals a desire to avoid the intrigues and power struggles of the harem, to stay away from the scheming and plotting. All of this, in the final analysis, is to escape the tragic fate of being manipulated by others.”