Chapter 6: Oh! The Prince Consort Can’t Answer the Emperor’s Questions!

The old emperor ground his teeth secretly.

This little brat dares to say anything, thinking it’s just his inner thoughts.

The other ministers: “…”

They looked down, pretending they heard nothing.

Prime Minister Dou quickly glanced at Princess Wanshou, and saw that although she was silent, her thoughtful expression indicated that she had taken Xu Yanmiao’s words to heart.

“…”

Is this why His Majesty wants to appoint Princess Wanshou to an official position?

To have Xu Yanmiao wake her up?

Prime Minister Dou thought about it and…

Actually, yes! Exactly! Xu Yanmiao’s unrestrained thoughts could say what others dared not say, even if they understood the truth. Only Xu Yanmiao…

[Besides, the princess is too naive. The Duke of Song is a founding duke, the emperor’s right-hand man. The emperor would be crazy to force the duke’s son to give up a great future just because of the princess’s marriage! Is this forming an alliance or making an enemy?]

[If the prince consort truly didn’t want it, the emperor would have just given him something to appease him and the Duke of Song, making it clear this marriage wouldn’t affect their relationship.]

[Only if he agreed would the emperor bestow the marriage!]

The old emperor’s mood immediately brightened, and a smile appeared on his face.

Exactly. He had specifically asked the Duke of Song, who did not refuse the marriage nor mention any prior attachments, before issuing the decree. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk alienating a loyal minister for a princess’s marriage!

Princess Wanshou was stunned, turning to look at her father. Her trust in her father made her accept Xu Yanmiao’s words without hesitation.

When her father was conquering the kingdom, there was a period when he had only one son under his knee, the current crown prince. When the young crown prince led the army and acted recklessly, causing three generals to die or get injured saving him, her father almost beat the crown prince to death—though not literally, one of his legs was crippled and he still limps today.

So…

Princess Wanshou suddenly understood.

What could she force the Duke of Song’s son into? She couldn’t even compare to the crown prince’s position.

Memories of what she had always thought was her forcing the prince consort resurfaced in her mind.

Eight years ago, in Duobao Pavilion, beside an antique shelf, she was sixteen, disguised as a man sneaking out of the palace, cornering the Duke of Song’s son, who was not yet married.

The porcelain vase reflected the girl’s radiant face.

“Would you… be willing to marry me?”

They had met a few times and talked, and the princess thought he had feelings for her. She didn’t see the disgust in his eyes and only heard his cold reply: “Of course, I am willing.” Delighted, she asked her father to bestow the marriage.

After marriage, the prince consort was always cold to her. The princess, feeling hurt, reflected—was it her approach and attitude that made him think she was using her power to force him?

But… what if it wasn’t?

With mixed emotions, Princess Wanshou looked at Xu Yanmiao.

Could this person give her an answer?

Xu Yanmiao had just finished watching the backstory.

Unable to resist, he commented:

[Wow, this guy’s the master of not taking initiative, not refusing, and not taking responsibility. The prince consort plays these three tricks so well, it’s impressive.]

[I thought the princess had directly asked the emperor for the marriage decree. Turns out she asked the prince consort first. I hate people who say “whatever, no problem” while they have objections, making others think they’re happy, then deliberately causing trouble, making the other person think it’s their fault…]

[What’s wrong with him!]

Prime Minister Dou listened with interest, his gaze wandering to the prince consort, thinking: Say more! Say more!

Although Xu Yanmiao couldn’t hear others’ thoughts, Prime Minister Dou pretended to cheer him on openly.

The prince consort’s actions particularly reminded him of the crown prince’s troubles, making him feel even more upset.

Princess Wanshou found it hard to breathe, feeling that everything she had thought in the past eight years was being overturned.

So it wasn’t her fault?

Princess Wanshou remained silent, but her dazed look made the prince consort feel a chilling unease.

Although no one had said anything against him, a cold intuition penetrated his heart, causing fear, making him feel as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

Something seemed to have changed.

The prince consort no longer looked confident. He couldn’t help but softly call out: “Princess…” but had nothing more to say, standing stubbornly, as straight as a pine.

Long ago, Princess Wanshou had fallen in love with his demeanor. Now, her heartstrings were gently plucked again. She pursed her lips, and then—

“Father.” The princess spoke softly, “Regardless, if he had not become the prince consort, he would have achieved great things in the court. It is my fault…”

“You still want to plead for this unfilial beast?!”

“Yes…”

The old emperor, furious, looked at Xu Yanmiao.

Continue talking!

Xu Yanmiao felt inexplicably puzzled. Lacking political experience, he could only guess wildly.

[The old emperor wants to save face and doesn’t want this to spread. But he can’t just kill a group of second-rank officials, so he plans to kill me, a small official, to make an example and deter other informed parties?]

Second-rank officials: “…”

How does killing a minor official have any deterrent effect?

The old emperor nearly fainted from anger. He wanted to poke Xu Yanmiao’s forehead and tell him: Stop thinking about political stuff; with your cunning, you wouldn’t survive three days in the court!

The old emperor, after venting his anger, quickly turned his head to the other side, pretending to look around casually.

[Eh? He’s looking at the Prime Minister again? Maybe he was just looking around randomly before.]

The old emperor’s expression relaxed, but he still felt uneasy.

He had been the supreme emperor for so long, yet a mere minor official was affecting his mood.

But…

He couldn’t bring himself to really kill Xu Yanmiao.

Xu Yanmiao could die, but what if, after his death, the artifact “System” that recognized him as its master sought revenge and brought disaster upon the Great Xia? What if Xu Yanmiao didn’t die and managed to escape, using the “System” to spread royal secrets, making the royal family a laughingstock? What if there were other intolerable consequences?

It was better to maintain the current balance—although Xu Yanmiao might embarrass them socially, his inner thoughts had also brought them many benefits!

The old emperor secretly convinced himself and decided to be a magnanimous emperor who didn’t hold grudges against the younger generation.

He sighed, troubled: Sigh, I wonder if Xu Yanmiao is still targeting the prince consort. His daughter’s muddled head relied on Xu Yanmiao to clear it up.

Xu Yanmiao indeed found the prince consort interesting.

[Great potential?]

The rising tone made Princess Wanshou’s heart tremble, never having been so afraid of someone before.

She almost wanted to raise her voice to question him: What clever words are you going to use now?

The old emperor tried to keep himself from looking too pleased, but he couldn’t suppress his smile.

Xu Yanmiao’s tone was very puzzled—

[Good at calligraphy, painting, and poetry… How is that necessarily related to doing well in the officialdom?]

[Moreover, being a prince consort just means he can’t hold official positions, not that he can’t write policy suggestions or discuss national policies. If he really had governance talents, wouldn’t being the prince consort give him an even better opportunity to convey his policies to the emperor?]

[That’s strange. All these years… he hasn’t proposed a single useful policy. Why does he think he would have definitely succeeded if he weren’t the prince consort?]

“Pfft—”

The old emperor swore he didn’t do it on purpose, but he couldn’t help laughing.

That Xu boy’s mouth…

Princess Wanshou’s red lips tightened further.

She racked her brains to find a rebuttal, but the more she tried, the more anxious she became.

There was no way—absolutely no way to refute! Over the years, the prince consort had indeed not proposed a single policy.

He always went off on leisure trips with friends. Others praised his calligraphy, poetry, and painting skills, and even his height, appearance, and character, but there was no mention of his policy-making abilities!

“That person?” The old emperor looked sideways at the prince consort, maliciously: “Wanshou says you are a talented but unrecognized man? Today, I’ll give you a chance. If you can answer my question, I might break the rule of the prince consort not holding real positions.”

The prince consort smiled confidently: “Your Majesty, please ask.”

Princess Wanshou’s eyes sparkled, looking at her beloved with admiration.

The old emperor pondered: “I won’t make it difficult for you. Just tell me, if you were appointed as a local governor, when should mulberries, dates, persimmons, and cotton be planted?”

The prince consort froze.

The prince consort thought.

Sweat started to bead on his forehead.

The princess, initially full of anticipation, became puzzled and doubtful. She bit her lip and couldn’t help but say: “Prince consort?”

The old emperor said coolly: “What, can’t answer such a simple question, yet you claim that being the prince consort hindered you?”

The prince consort’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he forced a rebuttal: “Your Majesty is asking a scholar about a farmer’s matter. Naturally, you won’t get an answer!”

“Is that so?” The old emperor didn’t even turn his head, casually pointing towards the group of officials: “Someone, come explain why I asked this.”

“Oh…”

The old emperor heard a very familiar voice. He turned his head and saw: “Xu…” Then he looked at his own finger, wishing he could chop it off.

With a random point, how did he point to this troublemaker?

If he couldn’t answer, it wouldn’t just be a loss of face, but a blow to the momentum he had painstakingly built!