dkrc Chapter 450 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne 8
Chapter 450 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne 8
Shen Shixi walked a few steps on the remaining path, but in the end, Li Yuanke carried her up on his back.
It was also on the mountaintop that they encountered Pei Yanli, who was still a young boy, crying very sadly. When they got closer, Pei Yanli was so frightened that he stopped crying and was at a loss for what to do.
Shen Shixi said, "Big brother, why are you crying? What in the world is worth crying like this about?"
The three sat down and talked for a while. Shen Shixi asked questions, Pei Yanli spoke, and Li Yuanke listened.
The little peach blossom spirit managed to coax Pei Yanli out of his words in just a few words: "Big brother, it doesn't matter who gave birth to you, or whether anyone likes you or not. What matters is what kind of person you want to become."
The Pei family is currently at its zenith and may become even more prosperous in the future. However, no one can predict what will happen in this world. There is a saying that prosperity inevitably leads to decline and things will eventually reverse.
I think you should think carefully: do you want to be a tool in your father's and brothers' hands, discarded when the blade is worn out, or do you want to have your own ambitions, even if you end up hitting a wall and bleeding profusely, ultimately for yourself, and never regret it even if you die nine times over?
Pei Yanli was extremely shocked. He suddenly felt very inferior. This little girl understood this principle, but he didn't!
Yes, so what if he's bullied? So what if he's ignored? What matters is how he lives a valuable and meaningful life, and how he doesn't become a vassal!
Li Yuanke, however, was well aware that the little peach blossom spirit was seizing every opportunity to shatter the enemy's alliance.
Knowing that Pei Yanli was an illegitimate son of the Pei family, she sowed discord and prevented Pei Yanli from being used by the Pei family.
That day, Shen Shixi returned empty-handed. The dilapidated Taoist temple on the mountain had nothing but a two-hundred-year-old ginkgo tree covered with red ribbons for those seeking children.
She was quite disappointed.
Li Yuanke asked her what she had heard that made her insist on coming to see.
Shen Shixi said, "I heard there's a fox spirit in this Taoist temple. She's quite beautiful, so I thought I might persuade her to become Yuan Ke's princess. But it turns out it was all a lie."
For some reason, Li Yuanke felt uneasy. "You want me to get married?"
"Of course you should get married. Not only should you get married, you should also have children as soon as possible. Li Yuanzhi already has a legitimate son. In this respect, he has a greater advantage than you. The ministers will take this into consideration. After all, having an heir is a hard requirement."
"Brother Yuan Ke, how is Consort Du, the concubine in your household, doing?"
"Not good at all!" Li Yuanke said. He had never even seen her before, and he had absolutely no interest in getting married and having children.
He was initially very annoyed, but when he saw the little girl who was much shorter than him, he realized that being annoyed was pointless.
After walking for a while, Shen Shixi couldn't walk anymore. The road down the mountain was very steep, and Li Yuanke dared not carry her, so he had to rest. He would rest for a while, then walk for a while, and when the slope became gentler, Li Yuanke would carry her again. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was already dark.
Shen Shixi was also exhausted and fell asleep like a pig in Li Yuanke's arms.
On the way back to the city, Li Yuanke also dozed off.
On the way, Li Gui called out "Your Highness" several times, but Li Yuanke did not wake up. He had no choice but to send the carriage back to the Prince's Mansion and send someone to the Shen family to inform them.
The moon was high in the sky, and the city was under curfew. Li Yuanke carried Shen Shixi down from the carriage and took her to the main courtyard, where he instructed the two maids, Yuan and Guo, to take good care of her and massage her legs.
He himself slept in his study.
Concubine Du was astonished to see lights on in the main courtyard. She ordered people to inquire, but they only heard that the prince was staying in the main courtyard and could not find out anything else.
Shen Shixi woke up the next morning. Her legs were still sore, but she was still very happy to have beautiful clothes to wear and a lot of jewelry to choose from.
The Yuan and Guo families treated her very well, and she called them "Sister Yuan" and "Sister Guo," which made them like her even more. They combed her hair beautifully and did her pretty needlework, so that she could wear new clothes every time she came over. They also made a lot of purses and tassels.
The Jiangnan region has suffered a disaster, and the Ministry of Revenue has prepared funds and provisions. In order to demonstrate the Emperor's boundless benevolence to the people, His Majesty intends to send a prince as an imperial envoy to provide disaster relief. All government offices and prefectures are required to cooperate fully.
This is clearly a move to build momentum for the future crown prince. With the support of the Pei family and the emperor's favor, Li Yuanzhi has undoubtedly become the prince in charge of disaster relief. As long as he returns, the position of crown prince will be his.
Li Yuanke's side suddenly became the cold spot, and Emperor Zhenyou had no choice. He had also thought about making Li Yuanke the emperor, but Prime Minister Pei did not agree. Their relationship as brothers-in-law was very good, and Emperor Zhenyou could not help but worry that even if Li Yuanke ascended the throne, he would not be able to hold onto the dragon throne.
Grandpa Shen wanted to confront Emperor Zhenyou, but Shen Shixi stopped him, saying, "Grandpa, the time isn't right!"
He wanted to show Emperor Zhenyou how utterly incapable Li Yuanzhi was before he would give up.
While Li Yuanzhi was providing disaster relief in Jiangnan, at the Prince of Jin's residence, on the occasion of the Princess of Jin's birthday, three carriages came from Jiangnan. The carriages were filled with dazzling jade, silk, gold and silver, but they were robbed on the way.
The funny thing is, the robbers stole the car, but then returned it, only this time to the capital city.
There was also a visiting card inside.
Upon seeing this, the Prefect of Jingzhao dared not neglect it and presented it to Emperor Zhenyou's desk. These three cartloads of goods, worth tens of thousands, actually came from Jiangnan Circuit. In addition to Binzhou, Hengzhou and Shaozhou were also sending gifts.
These three prefectures were the most severely affected by the disaster in the entire Jiangnan Circuit.
Emperor Zhenyou was fortunate not to be so angry that he immediately dispatched the Bad People to investigate.
It would have been better not to investigate; the investigation only made me angrier.
Li Yuanzhi fell ill as soon as he arrived in Jiangnan Province and recuperated in a private villa. He did not stop working; he organized meetings and listened to reports every day. The key point was that he believed whatever others said.
This was even more disheartening for Emperor Zhenyou than not working at all.
He might as well not do it at all. This is blatant stupidity. He can't even control a few local officials. Does he really have to rely on Prime Minister Pei to stabilize the court in the future?
Emperor Zhenyou was so distraught that he kept Old Master Shen behind after the court session.
Grandpa Shen was also filled with emotion, because last night, his granddaughter had given him pre-exam tutoring, saying that Emperor Zhenyou might have a heart-to-heart talk with him in the next couple of days and teach him how to respond to the emperor.
He's spent most of his life in the imperial court, and now his little granddaughter has to teach him this?
Old Master Shen was still unconvinced. Only after Emperor Zhenyou showed him the secret report from the unscrupulous man did he have to admit that his granddaughter was far superior to him in understanding the emperor's mind.
Emperor Zhenyou was on the verge of depression; he was somewhat disappointed with the three legitimate sons left behind by the Empress.
Old Master Shen comforted him, "The dragon has nine sons, and each one is different. Your Majesty need not take it to heart. Prince Jin is benevolent, just like the Empress. Everyone knows that. It can only be said that the officials in Jiangnan need to be reformed, but now is not a good time."
Emperor Zhenyou coughed a few times, and an old eunuch came over to massage his back, but he waved his hand and told him to leave. Only the emperor and his minister remained in the hall, along with some hidden guards.
"Minister Shen has taught me and has also been a tutor to my sons. Several of the princes are people you know well. Tell me, which of my princes is worthy of inheriting the throne?"
Old Master Shen said, "This empire belongs to the Li family, and it will remain so for thousands of generations to come. In my opinion, it is not important which prince will inherit the empire; what is important is which prince will be able to preserve it."
Emperor Zhenyou asked, "Does my subject mean that the Prince of Jin cannot protect this empire?"
Old Master Shen said, "The Emperor and Prime Minister Pei complement each other perfectly, and their relationship will surely become a legendary tale. Some time ago, I heard that Prime Minister Pei went to the outskirts to play polo and won two out of three games."
Emperor Zhenyou's mind suddenly cleared. Prime Minister Pei could still play three games of polo, while he didn't even have the energy to favor his concubine.