Building a Harmonious Song Dynasty

Chapter 9

Zhao Gou said, "It's my own fault for not being skilled enough; how can I blame the eunuch who tends the horses?"

“Alas,” Zhao Huan sighed, “Ninth Brother, you are too naive. The matter of you falling from your horse is not that simple. There was a burn on the horse’s back at first, but no one noticed because the saddle covered it. But as soon as you sat on it, how could the horse bear the pain? Naturally, it had to push you off. Fortunately, you only injured your foot and your life was not in danger!”

Zhao Gou said gratefully to Zhao Huan, "I am truly grateful for your thoughtfulness in my affairs, Your Majesty."

"Don't talk nonsense. If it weren't for how close I am to you, that person wouldn't have harmed you time and time again." Zhao Huan said, his eyes dimming slightly.

"Brother, is something bothering you?"

Zhao Huan concealed the worry on his face and said, "It's nothing. I also have something to tell you today. My third brother will turn sixteen next month. Someone from the Ministry of Personnel has already submitted a petition to allow adult princes to move out of the palace. So my third brother will probably leave the palace soon."

"Really? I'm so envious of Third Brother. He was granted the title of Prince Jia a few years ago. Now that he's out of the palace, he has his own Prince Jia Mansion. No one will control him. He's so free!" Zhao Gou said, his eyes full of longing.

Zhao Huan smiled wryly and said, "Yes, it's so free. You can do whatever you want."

The two brothers talked briefly, and then Zhao Huan left. Zhao Gou lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, and didn't even hear Qin Zhen calling him several times.

After a long while, Zhao Gou suddenly said to Qin Zhen, "Do you think Father Emperor will depose my elder brother, the Crown Prince?"

Qin Zhen was taken aback, not expecting Zhao Gou to suddenly say something so sensitive.

"Don't talk nonsense, His Highness the Crown Prince will be fine."

Zhao Gou assumed that Qin Zhen was unaware of the situation in the palace and said, "Father has always favored Third Brother. He doesn't like Eldest Brother, but because of seniority and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate heirs, he had to make him Crown Prince. However, rumors are circulating outside that Father will change the Crown Prince. I saw how upset Eldest Brother was just now, and I know it must be because of this. Unfortunately, I can't help him at all."

Qin Zhen knelt by Zhao Gou's bedside, propped his head up against the bed, thought for a moment, and said, "Perhaps I can help you."

"You?" Zhao Gou's face was full of disbelief.

Qin Zhen nodded earnestly, her eyes full of sincerity. Zhao Gou realized he didn't really know Qin Zhen well; she seemed to have quite a few strange backgrounds. So he asked, "Then tell me, how are you going to help?"

"You see, the biggest threat to His Highness the Crown Prince is the Third Prince. Now that he has moved out of the palace, he will naturally get closer to the ministers who support him, and he will probably create some things to shake the Crown Prince's position. There are only two ways to achieve this goal: one is to elevate himself and make the Emperor like him more, and the other is to belittle the Crown Prince and widen the gap between the Emperor and the Crown Prince."

Zhao Gou nodded, listening attentively to what method she would use, but then she asked, "Tell me first, I heard that when the Crown Prince first moved into the Eastern Palace last year, Grand Tutor Cai sent a large number of congratulatory gifts to show his closeness, but His Highness the Crown Prince smashed them all?"

"Yes, my brother hates treacherous and powerful ministers like him the most, so naturally he won't accept his hints."

"Alas, how foolish! Although Cai Jing is not a good person, keeping bad people under your control is the best way to prevent them from doing evil. But you insisted on pushing him to the Third Prince's side," Qin Zhen sighed.

Zhao Gou said in confusion, "I haven't heard that he has any dealings with my third brother."

"But I've heard that Tong Guan, who holds military power and is known as the 'Eunuch Prime Minister,' has met with the Third Prince countless times. Tong Guan and Cai Jing, one a civil official and the other a military commander, control the court. They've been colluding for so many years. Don't you know what that means?"

Zhao Gou asked in surprise, "Are you telling the truth? How did you know?"

"You don't need to know how I know, just believe it."

Zhao Gou was full of worries. Although he had long been aware that the position of the crown prince was not stable, he did not expect that the two prime ministers in the court had already sided with Zhao Kai.

Seeing his gloomy face, Qin Zhen comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, this is just the beginning. They may not be getting along very well yet. I have my own way. However, you should talk to the Crown Prince more. Although he hates these treacherous villains, they are deeply entrenched. Before we can get rid of them, we should make use of them first. Otherwise, if we let them run rampant, they might do something that will bring disaster to the country and the people."

Before he knew it, Qin Zhen had talked to Zhao Gou for a long time. Zhao Gou stared at Qin Zhen in a daze, suddenly finding her unbelievable. He had always thought himself to be quite shrewd, and no one knew how much his nine-year-old mind held. But at this moment, he felt deeply that Qin Zhen was far more profound than him, almost unattainable. Was she really only eight years old?

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Today is a special day that only happens once every four years, February 29th.

Volume One: Fate Determined 016 The Crown Prince's Courteous Treatment of Cai Jing

It had been several months since Qin Zhen entered the palace, and Qin Hui had not had a chance to see her. Fortunately, Zhao Gou's foot injury had improved during this time, and he often brought Qin Zhen to the East Palace to talk to the Crown Prince, which gave the father and daughter a chance to meet.

After taking Zhao Huan and Zhao Gou to the study, Qin Zhen rushed into Qin Hui's arms and asked, "Father, how have you been these past few months?"

"Okay, has Zhen'er been bullied in the palace?"

She really wanted to say that Zhao Gou had bitten her, but then she thought better of it and didn't.

"I'm fine, who can bully me?"

Qin Hui took his daughter off his lap and said earnestly, "You still need to be careful in the palace. Even being by His Highness's side isn't necessarily safe. You know, some things between men are very dangerous. This time His Highness only hurt his foot, but who knows what might happen next time. You also need to be more careful."

Qin Zhen said, "Father, you don't need to worry, I understand. Father, you must be careful in court, it must be very tiring for you now?"

Qin Hui patted his daughter's head, so tenderly. How could Qin Hui not be busy now? He had sent his daughter to Zhao Gou's side, and he himself was assisting the crown prince. The newly appointed third-place scholar was a member of the crown prince's faction, which was already common knowledge throughout the court.

Leaving aside the fact that the Crown Prince was outnumbered and outmatched, even if those important court officials didn't collude with the Prince of Yun, Emperor Huizong's favor had already begun to shift. Sometimes Qin Hui wondered if he had made the wrong choice, but it seemed that he hadn't had much of a choice along the way, and could only do his best.

"Father, don't worry. It's all up to us. There's no conclusion yet."

Qin Hui looked at his daughter and nodded. Qin Zhen leaned on Qin Hui's shoulder and whispered a few words. Qin Hui's eyes widened as he said, "Is this really okay? But the Crown Prince..."

"Father, don't worry. The Ninth Prince is inside discussing this matter with the Crown Prince. He will definitely persuade the Crown Prince."

After Zhao Gou left, Zhao Huan sat alone in his study, his heart filled with bitterness, wondering: Had he really made a mistake? What was wrong with being close to virtuous ministers and keeping away from sycophants? But... how could he possibly shake those powerful figures on his own? Should he really change his principles and make other plans, as his ninth brother suggested?

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish..." Zhao Huan murmured, then said to Qin Hui, who was waiting at the door, "Qin Aiqing, what do you think I should do?"

Qin Hui stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, in ancient times, Goujian endured hardship and humiliation for decades, just to conserve his strength. A true man can bend and stretch, so why care about a momentary impulse? Moreover, according to Your Highness’s plan, turning the strength of others into something useful will benefit the country and the people.”

"Even you think so...it seems I've been too stubborn and old-fashioned..."

Zhao Huan sighed again and said, "Then let's settle on this."

By the end of March, the splint on Zhao Gou's foot had been removed, and the imperial physician had allowed him to get out of bed and exercise. He walked around happily with a limp, fully enjoying the feeling of his feet on the ground.

"You've been in bed for almost two months, you've turned into a steamed bun!" Qin Zhen suddenly said.

Zhao Gou's expression froze, feeling extremely embarrassed. He couldn't move at all every day, yet he was taking large bowls of tonics; how could he not gain weight? He hadn't seen the sun for months; how could he not become pale? But… surely he shouldn't look like a steamed bun!

Qin Zhen sensed his embarrassment and said with a smile, "Why is it that I can't even envy that?"

Zhao Gou's expression relaxed, and he said, "You eat so little every day, how can you get fat? People who don't know better will think I'm mistreating my servants. From now on, I won't drink that ginseng soup anymore, you can drink it all."

"I don't want to."

The two chatted as they walked outside, because the Crown Prince had said he would take them out to play today, and it would be too late if they didn't go soon.

The carriage emerged from the imperial city and proceeded slowly until it stopped in front of the Fanlou gate. Zhao Huan, Zhao Gou, Qin Hui, and Qin Zhen alighted from the carriage in turn, preparing to go to their reserved superior rooms inside.

Qin Zhen and Zhao Gou walked in with relaxed expressions, while Zhao Huan hesitated until Qin Hui whispered something in his ear before he finally made up his mind to go in.

The room they had reserved was the second-best private room, located on the second floor of the central building on the fifth floor of Fanlou, a place frequented by the truly powerful and wealthy. As their group ascended the ornate staircase leading to the second floor, they happened to encounter Cai Jing and his son Cai Xiao, who were coming down from upstairs.

The timing was perfect.

Cai Jing was a minister of two dynasties and the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty. Although he was cursed by the people and many loyal ministers, his position as a powerful minister remained unshakable. At this time, he was old and was helped downstairs by his youngest son, Cai Xiao, and servants. His trembling steps revealed a hint of anger.

When Cai Xiao saw the Crown Prince approaching, he immediately grabbed his father and wrote a few words in his palm. Cai Jing, though old and blind, was not slow-witted; he immediately suppressed his anger and stepped aside, bowing his head in resignation.

Zhao Huan saw the Cai family father and son stop and was about to speak when he heard Cai Jing say, "This old minister pays his respects to the Crown Prince. I never expected to meet the Crown Prince here. What a coincidence!"

Zhao Huan straightened his sleeves and adjusted his expression, saying as naturally as possible, "So it's the Grand Tutor. Things are different outside than in the palace, so there's no need for such formalities. Is the Grand Tutor here for a meal?"

Cai Jing was taken aback by Zhao Huan's friendly question, not knowing what it meant.

It's no wonder Cai Jing is so suspicious. Zhao Huan has always been cold to him and despises the actions of him and his cronies. He usually just nods and walks away when he sees them in the palace, and they disagree on various political matters. And today…

"Your Highness, my son and I originally came here for a meal, but some things came up and we were just about to leave."

Zhao Huan seemed quite troubled and said, "Grand Tutor, why are you leaving without eating? Why don't you sit with me and have some food? What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Cai Jing expressed his gratitude with utmost humility, saying, "Your Highness treats this old minister with such courtesy; how can this old minister dare to accept such treatment?"

"Grand Tutor, there's no need to refuse. Yuezhi (Cai Xiao's courtesy name) should quickly help your father upstairs."

Cai Xiao was also taken aback. The Crown Prince's intimate address to him was truly bewildering.

As Zhao Huan led everyone into the second private room of the Heavenly Class, Qin Zhen whispered to Qin Hui from behind, "Father, you guys talk business, Zhao Gou and I will go play somewhere else."

Qin Hui frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"

"We'll find something to eat in this Fanlou restaurant. We won't wander off. We'll wait for you in the carriage after we've eaten."

Qin Hui knew that his daughter was no ordinary person and could not be treated as a child, so he gave them a few instructions and let them go.

Zhao Gou, unaware of Qin Zhen's intentions, asked, "Where are we going? Why aren't we with them?"

"There's no need to look at things that already have a known outcome; it's too boring. I'll take you to eat something delicious."

Zhao Gou was pulled by Qin Zhen and ran into the top-tier private room across the street. Inside the room, Master Fan was waving his fan and smiling at them.

Volume 1: Destiny's Fate 017 - Qin Zhen's Eldest Brother

"Senior Brother!"

Qin Zhen ran to Master Fan's side and stood still, shouting happily.

Master Fan put away his fan, patted Qin Zhen's head and said, "Seventh Junior Sister has grown so much." Then, he stood up and said to Zhao Gou, who was staring intently at him, "This humble subject greets Your Highness the Ninth Prince."

When Qin Zhen called him "Senior Brother," Zhao Gou already knew why she had brought him here. A few days ago, Qin Zhen secretly told Zhao Gou that she had encountered a calamity at birth, and was not only saved by her master, but also had six powerful senior brothers, all of whom were outstanding individuals. She said she would introduce them to him when the opportunity arose, and it seemed that this was one of them.

"You're too kind, Mr. Fan."

It was quite amusing to see the two people, one big and one small, bowing to each other. Qin Zhen chuckled and said, "Don't be so formal. We'll see each other many times in the future, so we can't always be so polite."

Master Fan smiled gently, and the three of them sat down around the small table. There were already dishes and wine on the table, but the dishes were untouched, while the wine cups seemed to have been used by someone.

After clearing the several wine glasses, each half-filled with wine, off the table, Qin Zhen picked up her chopsticks and started gnawing on a chicken wing. She finally mumbled, "What did you just say to that old fox? I saw him shaking with anger!"