Chapter 19 – Ownership

Empress Ji’s idea of “making her son take Wei Zhao as his master” was a decision made after careful consideration and weighing of various factors.

Firstly, Emperor Changping was deeply wary of the princes forming factions within the court. If she, as the Empress, blatantly tried to win over Wei Zhao, it would definitely displease Emperor Changping.

But taking a master was different. Apprenticeship was more of a personal relationship. As long as both parties were willing, even the Emperor couldn’t say anything. Moreover, her son had a natural advantage—his frail health. A frail prince who couldn’t practice martial arts wanted to take the mighty and invincible Marquis of Dingbei as his master to learn military strategy and martial arts, to make up for his shortcomings and better serve the country in the future. As a father, Emperor Changping had no reason to refuse.

Secondly, the gold-threaded soft armor that Empress Ji asked Mu Jue to find was not an ordinary piece of armor. It was the relic of Wei Zhao’s deceased mother. Years ago, when Emperor Wen sent the then-Second Prince, the current Emperor Changping, to the Southwest to suppress bandits, the Marquis of Dingbei, Wei Zhizhang, and his wife, who were close friends of the Second Prince, also volunteered to go along. Unexpectedly, they were ambushed by fierce bandits during the march. Wei Zhizhang and his wife died protecting the Second Prince, and Wei Zhao’s mother was wearing that gold-threaded soft armor at the time.

In the urgency of the situation, to save the lives of more soldiers, the Second Prince could only watch helplessly as the bandits took away the bodies of Wei Zhizhang and his wife. The gold-threaded soft armor also changed hands and ended up in the Kingdom of Gaochang. Empress Ji had spent a lot of effort to find it.

As someone who knew the events of the past, it could be said that Empress Ji was quite confident that the apprenticeship gift she had prepared would move Wei Zhao.

Now that Wei Zhao had officially returned to the court to oversee military and political affairs, various forces were trying their best to win over this young Marquis who had climbed to the pinnacle of power. Even Noble Consort Hui, who was still pregnant, had quietly brought a beautiful cousin to the palace to stay, her intentions obvious. Not wanting to let the opportunity slip away, after dinner, Empress Ji sent her son away and hurried to Chengqing Hall.

No matter how sufficient her reasons were, she had to inform Emperor Changping in advance about this matter.

However, Emperor Changping’s reaction fully demonstrated the difference in thinking between men and women.

“Have Yurun take the Marquis of Dingbei as his master?”

The Emperor, sitting behind the imperial desk, frowned deeply and looked at his Empress with a look that said, “Are you out of your mind?” He said, “Yurun is weak. Isn’t it good for him to spend his time reading and studying with the Grand Secretaries? Now you want him to practice martial arts with the Marquis of Dingbei. This is forcing a square peg into a round hole.”

Although the analogy was a bit crude, Emperor Changping felt that this was his most instinctive and genuine reaction to hearing this news.

Empress Ji: “…..”

With palace servants present, as an Empress who valued her dignity, Empress Ji’s elegant and beautiful face couldn’t help but falter. “Your Majesty has truly misunderstood this concubine. Taking the Marquis of Dingbei as his master was not this concubine’s idea, but Yurun’s own.”

“Alright, you don’t have to say it, I know.”

Emperor Changping waved his hand and interrupted Empress Ji. “If you hadn’t put so much pressure on him, would this child have come up with such an extreme and risky idea? Empress, I’ve said it before, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Although Yurun can’t practice martial arts, his ability to read and study well is also a skill. Serving the country doesn’t necessarily require wielding weapons. Forcing him to do something he’s not good at will not only yield no good results but will also damage his self-esteem and self-confidence.”

“Empress, although I really don’t want to say this, I still have to say it.”

“As a mother, you should really reflect on your behavior.”

“To think that Yurun should practice martial arts, what a terrible idea.”

To emphasize his displeasure, Emperor Changping let out a heavy “hmph.”

Empress Ji was completely stunned.

According to the original plan, she was just going through the motions, symbolically informing Emperor Changping. Because based on past experience, Emperor Changping almost always granted his eldest son’s few requests, without even asking for a reason.

But tonight, Emperor Changping, whether because he was in a bad mood or for some other reason, was very aggressive from the start and directly attributed the idea of apprenticeship to her fault, reprimanding her for improper behavior in front of all the palace servants.

“Improper behavior” might not be a big deal for ordinary people, but for the Empress, who was supposed to be a model for the entire nation, it was a serious matter.

Empress Ji knew that if she lost this round, she would not only lose the opportunity to win over Wei Zhao forever but would also become the laughingstock of the entire palace.

Taking a deep breath, Empress Ji quickly composed herself. With a solemn expression, she walked to the center of the hall and knelt down, her demeanor carrying a sorrowful determination. “This concubine admits that she has been a little too demanding of Yurun. But in all honesty, when has this concubine ever wished for this? Who doesn’t want their child to be happy and carefree? But this is not something this concubine can achieve through wishful thinking alone.”

“Over the years, because he can’t practice martial arts like the other princes, Yurun has always felt guilty and inadequate. He always feels that he is useless and has failed His Majesty’s nurturing and expectations. He has always admired the Marquis of Dingbei’s achievements and demeanor, hoping that one day he can also gallop on the battlefield and serve the country like the Marquis of Dingbei. Therefore, when the Marquis of Dingbei returned to the capital this time, Yurun was particularly happy and kept pestering this concubine to ask His Majesty about the apprenticeship.”

“Yurun said that he wants to take the Marquis of Dingbei as his master not only to learn martial arts but also to learn the art of war. Even if in the future he is truly limited by his physical condition and cannot go to the battlefield, if he can come up with one or two strategies to defeat the enemy and contribute in some small way, he will have fulfilled his long-cherished wish.”

Emperor Changping was indeed in a bad mood tonight.

Because just now, after the Crown Prince received the deed, he just perfunctorily thanked him, without even giving him a grateful or admiring look, and happily left the palace with Wang Fulai, clutching his precious deed.

Emperor Changping couldn’t understand. As the Emperor, how could his heartfelt concern be less important than a land deed?

Why couldn’t that child’s heart be warmed?

He had just sent away one troublesome child, and now another even more troublesome one had arrived. How could Emperor Changping not be upset?

After hearing Empress Ji’s explanation, Emperor Changping naturally felt a pang of sympathy for his sensitive and affectionate eldest son. Because he understood his eldest son’s personality, over the years, he had also tried various ways to build up his self-confidence and not let him feel too burdened. But he never expected that beneath his gentle and jade-like exterior, his eldest son was hiding such deep-seated concerns.

But despite his sympathy, as a wise and intelligent Emperor, he wasn’t so muddled as to confuse personal matters with state affairs because of his own feelings.

“I know Yurun has it hard, but taking a master is not as simple as he thinks. Not to mention that Wei Zhao is now in charge of military and political affairs in the court and holds a special position. There’s also the fact that everyone knows about the old grudge between the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Dingbei. If I let Yurun take Wei Zhao as his master at this time, what will the ministers think? What will the old clan elders think? Will they mistakenly believe that I am signaling them to depose the Crown Prince?”

“Let’s put this matter on hold for now. You should also try to persuade Yurun on my behalf. If he wants to learn military strategy, there are plenty of teachers in the Hanlin Academy who can teach him. I’ll find him one.”

“Yes… this concubine understands.”

Empress Ji’s fingernails dug deep into her palms. Emperor Changping had made his point so clearly, which she had not anticipated. She knew that if she persisted, the Emperor would really start to doubt her intentions.

The Crown Prince, it was always because of the Crown Prince.

Empress Ji suddenly had a rather crazy thought. Was the Emperor’s concern for the Crown Prince’s feelings truly because he was worried about the old clan elders, or was there another hidden reason?

Now that the arrow was nocked on the bow, she would never give up Wei Zhao, her lifeline. Since the Emperor wouldn’t agree, she would have to make the apprenticeship a “done deal.” Then the Emperor would have to agree whether he wanted to or not.

…

“You said… the First Prince wants to take the Marquis of Dingbei as his master?”

In the Crown Prince’s residence study pavilion, the youth sat on the couch with his knees drawn up, his eyes terrifyingly cold.

“Yes, it’s absolutely true. Her Majesty, the Empress, even went to Chengqing Hall to speak to His Majesty about it.”

The thin, short figure standing outside the pavilion sounded excited. “It’s been three years. Your Highness has finally contacted this subordinate. This subordinate thought…”

Judging from the voice, it sounded like a eunuch.

The youth obviously had no intention of reminiscing with him. He asked fiercely, “What about the Marquis of Dingbei? Did he agree?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” The person outside obviously hadn’t noticed the change in his tone yet, and continued to speak in a sing-song voice. “I heard that for this apprenticeship, Empress Ji spent a lot of money and had people find the relic of the Marquis of Dingbei’s deceased mother, a suit of gold-threaded soft armor, from the Kingdom of Gaochang. Marquis Wei lost his parents at a young age. Presumably, for the sake of his mother’s relic, he wouldn’t refuse. Moreover, Grand Secretary Wei is the First Prince’s teacher and has always been close to the Empress’s faction. With him acting as a go-between, the Marquis of Dingbei is even less likely to refuse.”

“Your Highness, don’t forget that if it weren’t for Emperor Wu’s dying decree, the First Prince would be the rightful heir to the throne. If the Marquis of Dingbei sides with the First Prince, how long can Your Highness’s position as Crown Prince be maintained? Your Highness should start planning for your own future.”

There was a long silence.

The youth’s hand, resting on his knee, trembled slightly. He forcefully suppressed the blood that surged in his eyes before he could calmly say, “It’s nothing. You may go.”

His voice was ultimately a little hoarse.

The person obviously wanted to reminisce some more, but remembering the various rumors about this Highness in the palace in recent years, he ultimately didn’t dare to push him too hard. He responded with a “yes” and tactfully retreated.

That night, His Highness the Crown Prince, was in a very, very bad mood.

The result of His Highness the Crown Prince’s bad mood was that he didn’t sleep all night and spent more than two hours leaning on the window sill, looking at the stars.

The consequence of His Highness the Crown Prince, looking at the stars was… that he wanted to make someone else feel bad.

So, on the second day of the kneeling punishment, the First Prince, Mu Jue, was surprised to find that a bright yellow cushion had been placed where he had been kneeling yesterday.

Although Emperor Changping had not explicitly assigned places for the sons to kneel during this punishment, it was an unwritten rule that they should kneel in the same place on the second day as they did on the first.

The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Princes were still kneeling in their original positions in the back row.

During Mu Jue’s moment of hesitation, a figure dressed in bright yellow gracefully arrived.

The youth coldly raised his eyelids, announcing his ownership, “Today, this Prince will kneel here. Eldest Brother, please find another spot.”