After hearing my inner thoughts, the ancestors in the Dream of the Red Chamber went berserk.

Chapter 263 Preparations for the Fengchan Ceremony

"Those intellectuals always like to do things that are impractical."

Jia Daihua couldn't hold back any longer and blurted it out.

“They said that building a proper plank road was disrespectful to the heavens and not solemn enough, and insisted that walking on it with one’s own two feet was the only way to show respect.”

"But many of the ministers who came this time are quite old, and the young imperial grandson should also go up. Are they all going up? What did the emperor say? He can't agree to this."

Jia Hu didn't understand either. What did respect have to do with going up there? That was Mount Tai.

"Of course the Emperor will not agree."

Jia Daishan laughed and said, "Thinking about it, this won't work."

"Fortunately, the Emperor did not agree. He was truly wise."

Jia Zhen felt fortunate that the Emperor had not agreed.

"Haha, you're worrying about this now. I reckon you'll be down the mountain by then."

Jia Daihua found it amusing to see his grandsons looking relieved. "These little brats," he thought, "they're not even going up there, why are you worrying so much?"

Jia Zhen:

“Grandfather, we can still worry even if we don’t go up, otherwise we’ll be so bored.”

“My brother is right. Grandfather, we can’t get up there. It’s too hard for us to keep walking up.”

“Even if we can ride in a carriage, we won’t ride all the time. For your safety, your great-uncle needs to stay by the Emperor’s side at all times.”

“It’s so hard!”

Jia Hu and Jia Zhen said in unison.

Jia Hu had never been to Mount Tai, but he knew it was very high. Moreover, the construction in ancient times was incomparable to that in modern times. The construction on the mountain was very complete now, and he didn't think that the roads in ancient times could have been built better or smoother than they are now.

"Don't worry, you're underestimating your grandfather. I'm a martial arts practitioner. Climbing a mountain won't tire me out."

Jia Daihua felt it necessary to show his grandsons his skills and let them experience his martial prowess.

Jia Daishan also added:

"It's not that your great-uncle is to come along the way, but among the people who came, only your great-uncle's status allows him to stay by the Emperor's side the whole time. You instructed me to make other arrangements."

My elder brother disembarked halfway up the mountain and walked alongside the Emperor, accompanied by many other military officers and ministers.

"Since the emperor didn't agree to this, did those masters not make any other requests?"

Jia Hu thought that if this was the only problem, they probably wouldn't have been arguing for so long, and nothing would have been decided yet.

Jia Daishan laughed and said:

"Of course, that's not all. After the Emperor refused to walk up the mountain, they suggested wrapping the wheels with cattails to avoid damaging the spirit of the flowers, plants, and trees of Mount Tai and angering the heavens."

"Ah, so they did this to avoid damaging the plants and animals of Mount Tai, without thinking about the pain of the cattails being crushed on the wheels? What a double standard."

Jia Hu couldn't help but complain, "Why are there so many tricks? No wonder they're so noisy, and there's no plan at all."

They have to discuss and plan every single thing they do. By the time they've finished discussing everything, it will be ages before they even reach Mount Tai, and they won't have to perform the Fengshan ceremony.

"Haha, hey, what Hu'er said makes a lot of sense. How come I didn't think of such a thing when those people were rambling on today?"

Jia Daihua clapped his hands and laughed, finding it very ingenious. He only regretted that he hadn't thought of it today, otherwise he would have definitely given it a good talking to.

"That's right, Grandfather, Uncle, if things continue like this, are we going to have to stay here for a long time?"

"While you're busy, can we go out and have some fun? We won't go by ourselves; we'll bring a lot of guards."

Jia Zhen's eyes lit up. His grandfathers were all busy and didn't have time to take them out, but he and his elder brother could go out on their own. They would be fine if they brought more guards with them.

Jia Daihua looked at the excited Jia Zhen,

"I want to go out and have fun."

"Yes, Grandfather, Zhen'er wants to go out and play."

"I think you want to get slapped. You've become much bolder now, actually wanting to go out and play by yourself."

"This place is not like the capital. Even in the capital, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you and your elder brother go out, let alone here in this unfamiliar place."

Seeing his grandfather's dramatic change in expression, Jia Zhen immediately puffed up his cheeks in grievance, came over and pulled Jia Hu down with his head down, but remained silent, looking aggrieved.

“Big brother, Zhen’er and the others are still young, it’s normal for them to want to go out. Think about when we were young, didn’t we also look forward to going out to play all the time?”

After speaking, Jia Daishan turned to Jia Hu and Jia Zhen and smiled:

"Wait a few more days, until things are more or less settled, then we'll assign someone to take you out."

It's not that I want to confine you, it's just that things here are really different from in the capital, and we don't know much about the situation.

If you're really bored, you can go find your new friends, or go play with the little prince.

"I will do whatever my grandfather says."

Jia Hu understood his grandfathers' thoughts very well. Things were different now than at home, and not everyone outside was a good person. Of course, his grandfathers were concerned about their safety.

Moreover, Jia Hu still remembers that feeling that made his hair stand on end. Although he doesn't know who it was, he is sure that the person was in the southern tour's procession.

Jia Hu knew that he had become too famous and attracted too much attention, and that his situation was not very safe, which was why his grandfathers were so careful in everything they did.

Time passed by like this, and more than half a month went by in a blur.

The two grandfathers of the Jia family never found an opportunity to take their grandchildren out to play, and Jia Zhen understood this after Jia Hu explained it to him.

It wasn't that he was being unreasonable; he was just excited about the new place and wanted to go out. Now, he and his friends have reconnected, and with their elders busy at home, they play together every day.

With his friends by his side, playing wildly together every day, Jia Zhen no longer mentioned wanting to go out.

The still-angry Seventh Prince also received a reply from his older brother, the Sixth Prince.

The Seventh Prince was naturally overjoyed. He had traveled from Jinan Prefecture to this wretched place almost a month ago, and now he had finally received a reply from his brother.

But after reading just a few lines, the Seventh Prince's face immediately darkened. He genuinely wanted to help his brother, not just to vent his anger.

The eunuchs standing to the side didn't dare to breathe. What had His Highness the Sixth Prince said?

Could it be that I've taught my master a lesson? This won't do. Lately, my master hasn't been eating or sleeping well.

She had been eagerly awaiting a reply from the Sixth Prince, hoping it would bring her master some joy, but it seems that's not the case now.

The seventh prince clenched his fist and slammed it heavily on the table. If it weren't for his brother's letter, he would have torn it up and refused to read it any further.

What should you do to make yourself obedient? If there's anything, go and discuss it with Zhou Dajia. Don't act rashly or impulsively. Be good.

You're still disobedient and naughty!

The eunuch standing nearby was so frightened that he knelt down and helped the prince up.

"Master, Master, even if you're still angry, you can hit this servant a few times, but please don't hurt yourself."

After saying that, he shouted to the workers who had also knelt down beside him:

"Hurry and fetch the imperial physician!"

The eunuch was terrified. He hoped that nothing bad would happen to the Seventh Prince's hand. If something happened to the Seventh Prince and he returned to the capital, the Empress would skin him alive.

"It's nothing, don't go to the imperial physician, why are you making such a fuss?"

The seventh prince shook his hand, which was swollen and sore.

"But my lord, this is a stone table. Are you sure your hand is alright? We should go and fetch the imperial physician to take a closer look."

"If I said it's nothing, then it's nothing. What are you babbling about? Get out of here and get out of my way."

The Seventh Prince was very impatient. If it weren't for the fact that this eunuch had followed him since childhood and was loyal to him, he would have liked to kick him a few times.

The eunuch had no choice but to kneel and move back a few steps before standing up and walking a little further away. He kept a close eye on the Seventh Prince and was to immediately summon the imperial physician if anything seemed amiss.

Despite being disturbed like this, the Seventh Prince patiently continued reading.

Seeing that the Seventh Prince finally smiled a little, he knew that his brother cared about him and was only stopping him from doing it because he was afraid that he would get hurt.

But since he and his brother are blood brothers, if he doesn't help his brother, how can others give their all?

The seventh prince made up his mind: since that's the case, he would wait until it was ready and give his brother a surprise.

In that case, we can't use the secret guards; we can only rely on the people around us.

The Seventh Prince smiled as he considered his future plans. This time, he was determined to strike decisively and eliminate any future threat.