nucmednet Chapter 124 The Fool
Chapter 124 The Fool
If the crown prince hadn't been appointed yet, taking sides wouldn't be a problem. The problem is, the crown prince has already been appointed, so taking sides at this point is simply courting death.
No matter how much the Emperor favors him, he can't be as close as the Crown Prince. After all, the Crown Prince is the Emperor's own flesh and blood, his only legitimate son. The Empress is no pushover either. After the restoration of order, the Emperor has given many members of the Empress's family important positions. It can be said that the Empress's family has now risen in power and is no longer so easily bullied!
At this time, the Emperor was in poor mental condition and was momentarily misled by Consort Shu, hastily bestowing a marriage upon Prince Duan. It's believed that it won't be long before the Emperor realizes his mistake and regrets it.
If Prince Duan readily accepts Miss Song, the Emperor, regretting his decision, will certainly hold a grudge against him and will no longer trust him as before. An emperor's wrath can lead to rivers of blood—that's no joke. In that case, Prince Duan might end up with his property confiscated and exiled.
Consort Qin was a complete fool. Her son was already the Prince of Duan; why would she need to curry favor with Consort Shu? If Prince Duan simply behaved well as a prince, remaining loyal to the Emperor no matter the time or place, he could live a peaceful, joyful, and wealthy life. Choosing sides is an extremely dangerous matter; one wrong move and you could end up with a tragic death without a proper burial.
It was precisely for this reason that Prince Duan left without saying goodbye.
At this moment, Prince Duan was traveling through remote mountain forests, heading northwest. He was taking small paths, mountain trails, and pathsless forests, which made his journey much faster than Jiang Chun's journey along the official road. By the time Jiang Chun reached the northwest, Prince Duan had already settled in Xiaoxi Village!
Without the emperor's decree, he could not go to the military camp to serve the country.
Xiaoxi Village was where Zisu had lived, and he felt a strange fondness and attachment to the place. He spent money to buy Zisu's house from a retired veteran.
This retired veteran, Zhao San, used to be a captain under Shangguan Mufeng. At that time, Prince Duan was a marshal, so the captain could be considered his subordinate. Therefore, when he offered to buy the house, the veteran immediately agreed.
Prince Duan handed the veteran three thousand taels of silver: "This is the money to buy a house. Use this money to build another house! Until the house is finished, your family should not move out and should stay here!"
“Your Highness, you don’t need so much money, one hundred taels will be enough!” The old soldier quickly declined, adding, “I have a large family, old and young, and they’re noisy and disruptive. I don’t want to trouble Your Highness. I can build a thatched hut for a while. Anyway, the bricks are readily available, and it will only take about half a month to build a house!”
Today, the brick kiln in Xiaoxi Village has been moved to a much more distant place, far from populated areas, in a deserted area thirty miles away. That brick kiln has become the collective property of the Shitoubao military camp, with someone specifically in charge of firing it, producing a considerable number of bricks every day. Generally, anyone who wants to build a house has readily available bricks; if they pay, they can have as many as they want.
Prince Duan waved his hand and said very sincerely, "Build a thatched hut? How can that be? You know, there are wolves in this area. Anyway, you yourself said it's only for half a month. You and your family should stay here in peace, otherwise, wouldn't you be putting me in an unjust position?"
Zhao San said gratefully, "Since Your Highness says so, then I will respectfully comply. Thank you, Your Highness! However, the master bedroom must be vacated for Your Highness. My younger brothers and sisters will stay at Li Cai's house next door."
Li Cai's family is small; his parents passed away long ago, leaving only his two younger siblings, who are around ten years old. Zhao San's younger siblings can share a room with Li Cai's younger siblings.
The two families had a very good relationship. When Zhao San went to Li Cai's house and explained his purpose, Li Cai immediately agreed: "Oh, the prince wants to buy your house? How about this, why don't you all move in? I can free up two rooms."
Zhao San waved his hand: "Thank you, Brother Li, but the Prince insists that we stay until the new house is finished before we move out!"
Li Cai: "How about this, let Hongye bring Xiaocao and Xiaolu here to live as well, so the children won't be naughty and disturb the Prince. I guess the reason the Prince is staying here must be because he has encountered some unresolved issues. The Prince probably needs a quieter environment, and with the children making noise, he will probably feel very annoyed!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao San immediately agreed: "Thank you! It's good that Xiaocao and Xiaolu come to stay at your house! Xiaolu is a very mischievous child, and I was worried that he would disturb the prince's peace. Brother Li, thank you so much!"
Li Cai glared at him: "What are you saying? How formal! What kind of relationship do we have? We're brothers who've been through thick and thin together on the battlefield, closer than blood brothers. Is this little thing really worth you thanking me like this?!"
Zhao San couldn't help but grin: "Brother Li, then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll have Hongye and Fengye bring over the bedding and clothes later."
Li Cai: "That's right. I'll go and clear out a room myself. That way, Hongye can share a room with Xiaocao and Xiaolu. Fengye can live with my Xiaojiang, and Lanye can live with Xiaoju."
Zhao San happily went home.
Hongye and Lanye were both a little afraid of the prince. When they heard that they could stay at Xiaoju's house next door, they were overjoyed. They quickly and efficiently packed their own, Xiaolu and Xiaocao's daily necessities, clothes and bedding into a clean large basket, and the two sisters carried it together to the Li family next door.
The grass and the path followed closely behind.
Compared to their two aunts, Xiaocao and Xiaolu were more afraid of Prince Duan. The prince was such a noble person; in his presence, the brother and sister, like their aunts, didn't even know where to put their hands and feet.
The two little ones went to the Li family next door and refused to go home, even staying there for meals. Zhao San had no choice but to weigh out thirty catties of wheat flour, ten catties of rice, and a small jar of lard, and take them to the Li family.
He discussed with Li Cai, "Brother Li, the children refuse to go home for meals. I had no choice but to swallow my pride and let them eat at your house. This food is definitely not enough. I'll go to the city in a few days, buy some grain, and bring some more over!"
Li Cai waved his hand with a smile, "That's enough, it's only half a month, that's enough, more than enough!" Actually, it definitely wasn't enough; they say a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. The Zhao family had five children, three of whom were older and at the prime age for eating and drinking. However, as a good brother, Li Cai didn't want to fuss over such trivial matters.
Zhao San said, "This is definitely not enough, so don't refuse!" Then he said to his younger siblings, "Since you're staying at Uncle Li's house, you need to help with chores and collect firewood. With five of you, Uncle Li's house will need a lot more firewood!"
Hongye quickly replied, "Big brother, I understand. I will do the same things as at home: housework, gathering firewood, digging for wild vegetables, washing clothes. I will help my younger siblings with all these chores!"
Zhao San nodded in satisfaction, then said to her two children, "Xiao Cao, Xiao Lu, you must listen to your aunt and not be naughty!"
"Yes, we know, Daddy, we'll be very good!" the two little ones said in unison, nodding vigorously.
When it was time for dinner, Prince Duan noticed that Zhao San's younger siblings and children hadn't returned, and he was very puzzled: "Zhao San, where are your children? There are wolves on this grassland, go out and look for them quickly!" He then instructed his guards: "You all help search!"
Zhao San quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. They are currently staying and eating at Li Cai's house next door. They are a little intimidated by Your Highness's authority and dare not come back, hehe."
Zhao San had known Prince Duan for a long time and they were old acquaintances, which is why he dared to speak like that. Moreover, in his eyes, Prince Duan was a very approachable marshal.
Prince Duan said apologetically, "Oh dear, it's all because of me that your children are too scared to come back. I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!"
Zhao San: "This isn't Your Highness's fault. It's all because my children are timid. It seems I've failed in their upbringing. In the future, I will definitely strengthen their education and make them braver." He then couldn't help but sigh, "With such little courage, how can they go to the battlefield!"
Prince Duan: "Yes, you need to hurry. This is the grassland, a place where wolves roam. Besides, it's not actually that far from the border. If you ride a fast horse, you can get there in a day and a half. Whether you're farming or serving in the army, you need to be brave."
Zhao San: "That's right, Your Highness is absolutely right."
Prince Duan said, "If you're willing, let the children learn martial arts from my guards! Settling down here and having martial arts skills will give them peace of mind. In the future, if they want to join the army, knowing martial arts will help them achieve military merits sooner. Perhaps, your Zhao family can even produce a general!"
"Oh, yes, yes, I couldn't be happier!" Zhao San was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly gave Prince Duan a military salute. "Thank you, Your Highness, I am very grateful!"
Prince Duan then said, "In the future, when I live here, may I ask your wife to cook, do laundry, and clean the house for me? I will give her five taels of silver a month."
Zhao San waved his hand: "What do you need money for? We all come from the Northwest Army camp, and you are my marshal. You are being too polite!"
Just twelve more monthly tickets and I can add an extra chapter tonight. Looking forward to your support and encouragement, thank you!