Chapter 13 Dreams

From the moment Hong Yan was born, he had always been his father’s precious little darling, but today, that was no longer the case.  

The Crown Prince had spent the entire morning investigating the moths in the Department of Extensive Storage and the afternoon summoning officials to verify the account books. Despite being busy all day, he hadn’t forgotten his original purpose upon leaving the study.  

With a cold sneer, he glanced at the obedient Hong Yan and ordered, “Bring me the feather duster.”  

He Zhuer pretended not to understand. “Your Highness, this—”  

“What? Am I no longer able to command you?” The Crown Prince was determined to teach the brat a lesson—otherwise, the little rascal would think he could get away with anything. Acting first and reporting later? Smooth as ever. And now, even daring to provoke the Emperor’s concubines to the brink of death? Hah! Aside from his studies, how many more surprises did he have up his sleeve?  

Hong Yan never imagined that the greatest crisis of his two lifetimes wouldn’t be survival—but saving his own backside. After a long pause, he blinked tearfully at the Crown Prince, but the man’s heart remained cold and unmoved. Reluctantly, he turned around slowly.  

Counting silently in his mind—three, two, one—  

Before the feather duster, dug out from some forgotten corner, could land, the Crown Princess hurried to the rescue. “What are you doing, Your Highness?” she asked disapprovingly.  

The Crown Prince shot He Zhuer a fierce glare, silently vowing to sell him off sooner or later, then replied without batting an eye, “This is a newly discovered toy. I was just playing with Yuanbao.”  

Hong Yan: “…” His father was shameless.  

The Crown Princess fell silent for a moment before saying, “Then shall this consort join you in playing?”  

“No need.” The Crown Prince coughed. “You’re with child—you shouldn’t exert yourself.”  

And so, the Crown Princess successfully rescued her son, braving the Crown Prince’s piercing gaze to have Hong Yan escorted back to his room. Then, in a gentle voice, she asked, “Are you aware of what happened in the palace today?”  

As someone who had personally witnessed the events and followed the instigator, how could the Crown Prince not know? At the mention of it, his spirits lifted immediately.  

As they walked along the path to the main courtyard, the couple whispered to each other.  

“The Emperor punished Consort De and promoted Imperial Concubine Zhangjia in rank… That child, the Thirteenth Prince, resembles the Fourth Brother somewhat. I have high hopes for him.”  

The Crown Princess had an impression of the Thirteenth Prince—not just for his kindness, but also for his sincerity, much like the Fourth Prince. “Min” was a good title—Consort Min had finally risen above hardship. If nothing else, with her birth mother now holding a higher position, the two princesses would have more confidence when they married.  

Unbidden, the Crown Princess thought of Li Jia in the rear courtyard, who had been quiet for years but had suddenly become active again. She asked casually, “Li Jia Princess has been quite different lately. Would Your Highness like to visit her?”  

“You manage the affairs of the rear courtyard. I have no such leisure,” the Crown Prince replied dismissively.  

The Crown Princess smiled and nodded.  

Then, the Crown Prince let out a long sigh. “You wouldn’t believe it, my dear, but Yuanbao is far too audacious.”  

“He left early in the morning,” the Crown Princess listened, torn between laughter and exasperation, and feigned anger. “How on earth did he become fast friends with the Fourth Brother? And without a care for disrupting official duties! I’ll have a word with him later.”  

Now the Crown Prince disagreed. Taking advantage of Hong Yan’s absence, he said with a hint of pride, “Our Yuanbao is blessed by heaven—he’s no burden. Who knows? He might even be the incarnation of a xiezhi. With just one glance, corrupt officials have nowhere to hide.”  

The Crown Princess was momentarily stunned, her heart swelling with pride—but after the pride came a wave of unease.  

“You can shield him for a time, but not forever. Might His Majesty grow suspicious?” she asked softly.

The Crown Prince shook his head with certainty, smiling warmly at her as he watched the Crown Princess slowly widen her eyes, yet refused to say another word.

No one knew that in the year the Crown Prince turned eighteen, the Emperor had a vague dream.  

Upon waking, he felt an inexplicable sense of loss, unable to recall the details, yet an urgent desire for his beloved son to marry took hold. Thus, he personally summoned the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department, who had been dragging their feet for years, and decreed that the Crown Prince must wed within three months.  

The Crown Prince’s marriage was the first of its kind in the dynasty, with no precedent for its scale or protocols. The Emperor’s sudden order left the officials of the Ministry of Rites reeling, while the Imperial Household Department worked themselves to exhaustion before finally presenting a flawless procedure.  

The Emperor was satisfied. From the moment the Crown Princess entered the palace, he eagerly awaited the birth of a legitimate heir, someone to inherit the empire.  

Two years later, on the rainy night Hong Yan was born, spring thunder roared, and the Emperor dreamed of the future once more—this time, crystal clear.  

He witnessed the Nine Sons Seizing the Throne, the scourge of factional strife, the deposed Crown Prince imprisoned in Xian’an Palace, then relocated to Zheng Family Estate. The lifeless gaze of resignation in his son’s eyes shocked the Emperor, sending cold sweat down his spine!  

Struggling to wake, the next moment, a golden dragon soared into the heavens, its mighty roar dispelling the nightmare—  

The Emperor’s eyes snapped open just as Li Dequan hurried in: “This servant congratulates Your Majesty! Just a quarter-hour ago, the Crown Princess gave birth to a young prince, both mother and child are safe! Look—the rain outside has even stopped!”  

From then on, the Emperor was convinced that Hong Yan was different—a blessed star bestowed upon him by heaven.  

Later, he summoned Crown Prince Yinreng and probed subtly, receiving the answer, “Your son dreamed of a sky ablaze with red clouds.” Nodding in satisfaction, the Emperor then cast a peculiar glance at the Crown Prince and dismissed him.  

That glance brimmed with triumphant pride, unaware that the Crown Prince had fabricated the dream entirely.  

Given the chance to embellish his precious son’s legend, who wouldn’t seize it? What Yinreng truly wanted to say was that he’d dreamed of a five-clawed golden dragon—but would the Emperor strike him down for coveting the throne?  

A golden dragon was too risky; red clouds were far more discreet!  

With the Emperor leading the superstitious charge, over time, the Crown Prince successfully brainwashed himself into believing Hong Yan was extraordinary from birth. The boy’s resemblance to Empress Renxiao only deepened his gratitude to the heavens, convinced his late mother was watching over him from above.  

—Snapping back to the present, the Crown Prince felt both sweetness and frustration. Yuanbao was only five this year—how had he suddenly become so rebellious?  

The next morning at court, jaws dropped everywhere.  

Before the censors could launch into lengthy debates about the feasibility of the imperial eldest grandson handling official duties, the Crown Prince stepped forward, with the Fourth Prince adding details, presenting a thorough report on the reorganization of the Department of Extensive Storage. The Emperor praised them lavishly.  

He even singled out Prince Hong Yan, crediting him with “significant contributions.” The proud smile on the Emperor’s face made the courtiers exchange glances before falling into unanimous silence.  

Fine. If the Emperor doted on his eldest grandson and wished to praise him extravagantly, so be it. They knew better than to oppose him openly—unless they wanted trouble.  

The real shock came later. Recalling Consort De’s demotion the previous day and the sweeping confiscation of properties, they gasped, their breaths trembling.  

Rumors said Fourth Prince himself had led the raid on Wuya Desheng’s residence…  

Rumors said the Crown Prince had combed through the ledgers, uprooting corruption and exposing all involved—60% of whom were clansmen of the Uya family, eight of whom served in the Palace of Eternal Harmony…  

The Prudence Punishment Department was overflowing!

Suo’etu smiled subtly, his back straight as a rod, while the Tong Jia clan, led by Tong Guowei, wore expressions of icy severity.  

The Uya clan’s implicated members were executed, Desheng and his family exiled to Lingnan—yet even with their power greatly diminished, it was far from enough. The Emperor had shown leniency for the sake of the Ninth Princess and the two princes. But as long as Uya remained in the Imperial Household Department, the Tong Jia clan would not let them off lightly. There would come a day when they were uprooted entirely.  

As for the Crown Prince and the Grandson, they remembered this favor. Even if unintentional, Consort De had lost her authority to assist in palace affairs, while the Noble Consort had finally gained the Emperor’s approval—fulfilling a long-held wish.  

Tong Guowei glanced mildly at the Fourth Prince, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes before they turned cold and sharp as he silently mouthed the name “Uya Shi.”  

Da Age yanked out a short beard, his face alternating between green and red. Even though he had heard whispers yesterday, he still couldn’t believe it.  

How was this possible??  

Yesterday, he had laughed at the Crown Prince’s misfortune—today, he had become the joke. In just one day, all the tangled accounts had been sorted out. Had Yinreng fabricated the ledgers himself?!  

While he was still drowning in the case files, the other side had already packed up the corrupt officials’ ill-gotten gains and sent them straight to the palace. Wasn’t the Department of Extensive Storage supposed to be the most bloated and complicated institution in the Imperial Household Department? Da Age nearly spat out in fury—to hell with complicated.  

Now, even a five-year-old had accomplished more than he had!  

Mingzhu’s face darkened completely, his brow furrowed, his heart echoing the same question—how was this possible?  

San Age stared blankly at his second brother, then dazedly at his fourth brother, feeling a pang of regret. Wu Age and Qi Age gaped slightly, their minds filled with nothing but admiration.  

Eighth Prince, exceptionally permitted to attend court today, wore a complex expression of admiration and determination on his youthful, handsome face.  

If his second and fourth brothers could achieve this, he would not fall short.  

The Crown Prince and Fourth Prince’s “unparalleled dominance” had left the court in profound shock. Some rejoiced, but more were restless—Mingzhu and Da Age most of all.  

After the court session ended, Da Age strode out in silence. Mingzhu sighed and hurried after him.  

There it was again—the familiar golden sedan, the familiar round-faced child. Da Age halted, eyeing Hong Yan’s tiny frame and somehow detecting mockery in it.  

“Truly, the younger generation surpasses the old,” he forced out with a strained smile, addressing the Crown Prince, who held Hong Yan’s hand. “I am far inferior to my nephew.”  

Mingzhu, usually composed, was also holding back frustration. He clasped his hands and smoothed things over for Yin Zhi: “To inform His Highness the Crown Prince, our Lord Prince’s heir is still young and cannot contribute much—unlike the Grandson, whose natural brilliance has achieved so much…”  

Less smoothing things over, more veiled sarcasm.  

Hong Yan understood perfectly—in Mingzhu’s eyes, he was just riding on coattails, reaping rewards without effort. He couldn’t be bothered to explain, having already promised the Emperor to speak less and observe more.  

But as he scrutinized Mingzhu, he couldn’t help but muse—in his previous life, without him, his father had endured so much humiliation.  

“Nalan, you flatter me,” Hong Yan tugged at the Crown Prince’s sleeve, his youthful yet cool features tinged with faint melancholy. “But that year, when the pear blossoms were like snow—”  

The Crown Prince stiffened. Mingzhu listened with a respectful smile, though inwardly dismissive.

When it comes to poetry and literary talent, who in this dynasty could surpass his eldest son Rongruo? For the imperial grandson to flaunt his literary skills at such a young age was truly like showing off one’s meager skills before an expert—hardly promising for great achievements.

“—The silver reserves in Nalan’s private treasury. After deducting salaries, rewards, and legitimate official earnings, the total amounts to six hundred four thousand five hundred seventy-two taels, approximately sixty percent of which consists of dubious tribute from unclear sources.” Hong Yan raised his head and spoke up loudly, voicing his grievances.  

Mingzhu’s lips still held traces of an unretracted smile when he unexpectedly locked eyes with Hong Yan: “…”  

The figure was precise to the last digit. Frozen in place, he glanced furtively at Suo’etu on his left, then at Tong Guowei on his right, before sweeping his gaze past the crowd of officials eavesdropping intently. Concealing the storm of shock within, his long beard trembled visibly.  

Mingzhu forced a stiff smile: “Your Highness the imperial grandson, young master, surely you’re… jesting with this humble servant?”