Chapter 927: Chapter 925: Summon Prince Yu
The Emperor said nothing and merely listened in silence as the Crown Prince prattled on, shifting all responsibility onto others, onto the ministers who worked for him and supported him.
...This minister encouraged him in this way, that minister encouraged him in that way. As for himself, his intentions were good; he was just too kind-hearted and too easily trusting of others, which led to the current situation, and caused such a massive financial loss in the Ministry of Revenue.
It wasn’t until the Crown Prince himself found it pointless and paused that the Emperor finally spoke indifferently: "A ruler of a nation has many ministers under his governance. As a king, if you can’t even distinguish right from wrong, how can you manage the great affairs of the world?"
The Crown Prince was startled. Yes, he was so focused on absolving himself, how could he forget this lesson?
The Crown Prince hurriedly sought to make amends: "Father’s admonition is right. From now on, I will certainly be more vigilant and not trust others so easily."
The Emperor rubbed his temples and ordered Zhang Cunhai: "Go call the Imperial Physician, and tell them the Crown Prince has had a sudden heart ailment in the Imperial Study Room, ask them to come quickly for diagnosis and treatment. Also call for Lih Mian."
Heart ailment? Lih Mian? The Crown Prince not only widened his eyes but also opened and closed his mouth in disbelief.
Lao Qi privately withheld iron mines, yet the Emperor allowed Lao Qi to claim illness in a self-submitted memorial. But he, on the other hand, didn’t even have the opportunity to claim illness in a memorial; he was just accused of having a heart condition, directly stripping him of his right to participate in state affairs.
The Crown Prince was stunned for quite a while before coming back to his senses, and he didn’t even have time to stop Zhang Cunhai from going out to find people.
He grew pale and asked, "Does Father want me to withdraw from the Imperial Court and not allow me to participate in state affairs anymore? Father, I am the Crown Prince, the heir apparent."
The Emperor’s tone was cold, "What else do you want to participate in? When I handed the Ministry of Revenue to you, the State Treasury was full, and the nation’s power was strong. And now? Look for yourself, is there any place in the world that can withstand your squandering like the Ministry of Revenue once did?"
"Father! Father! Please give me a chance, I will change."
The Crown Prince moved forward on his knees, attempting to move the Emperor, "Father, I realize my mistake. Think about it, I am your legitimate eldest son. If I am forced to withdraw from the Imperial Court, only Prince Yu will remain involved in government, what will the ministers think?"
The Emperor gloomily stared at the Crown Prince, "If Jinrong were to err, I would show no leniency either. Without a prince involved in the Imperial Court, the world might be more stable."
"But the ministers won’t think so. Most people tend to side with the powerful, they will have ulterior motives. Father, you are the Emperor, you cannot handle matters solely based on right or wrong, especially royal matters. Father!"
This scoundrel! How dare he say such things, his actions have left no room for maneuver because it was too simplistic a matter of right and wrong.
The Emperor was so angry that he laughed, "Is that your reason for being so wanton?"
The Imperial Physicians and Lih Mian arrived quickly, but the treatment for the heart ailment took some time. More than a shichen passed before the Crown Prince, who had suffered the sudden heart ailment, was carried back to the Crown Prince’s Mansion.
Returning with him were several of Lih Mian’s men and two trembling Imperial Physicians.
The Imperial Physicians had reason to be frightened; with good intentions, they prepared a dose of sleeping pills for the Crown Prince. If the father and son reconcile later, how will they handle themselves?
Watching the Crown Prince being carried out, the Emperor’s face grew even more somber. His son made a mistake, and he found himself helpless, one after another, they could only fall ill.
The Emperor looked at the sky, this scoundrel had caused him to miss lunch.
The Emperor waved away the little eunuch holding a food box, took some tea and ate two pieces of pastry, and ordered the things to be taken away, then instructed the eunuch by his side, "Go call Prince Yu."
Jinrong already knew that the Crown Prince had suffered a heart ailment. Unlike others, he was aware of the bookkeeping issue. He also knew that with the Crown Prince’s ailment, who knows how long he would be ill?
Among the three princes involved in state affairs, two had consecutive problems, leaving only him standing on the Imperial Court, which was indeed a bit abrupt. Moreover, although Hao Ruhai was dead, why would he voluntarily hand over the hidden records for verification by officials when everything was fine? It made no sense.
Therefore, Jinrong did not plan to feign ignorance and deny; if the Emperor truly questioned him at the critical point, he would speak the truth. The Emperor is shrewd, unlike others who lie and stall, displeasing the Emperor. It’s better to speak the truth and see if it would displease him.
Jinrong entered the room, first performing a grand courtesy to pay respects to the Emperor.
The Emperor raised his hand, sending the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the Imperial Study Room out, then instructed Zhang Cunhai, "Go stand guard at the door."
Zhang Cunhai bowed in agreement and stepped out to close the door. He was somewhat surprised in his heart. What was the Emperor planning to say that he even sent him out?
The palace maids and eunuchs serving outside the Imperial Study Room, watching Zhang Cunhai standing two meters away from the door, all showed expressions of surprise. But with one look from Zhang Cunhai, they all composed themselves.
Even though Zhang Cunhai was puzzled, he didn’t mind the Emperor sending him out. With a single glance, he warned these young ones to perform their duties well. In this royal inner court, adhering to rules and not poking around ensures long-term peace; knowing too much is not a good thing.
Inside the Imperial Study Room, the Emperor said to Jinrong, "You may rise, no need for excessive courtesy." With that, he pointed to a chair nearby, "Sit down, let’s talk."
If Zhang Cunhai were here, he would be even more puzzled. Of everyone who entered the Imperial Study Room today, His Highness Prince Yu was the only one allowed to sit down and talk, which was quite unusual.
"Earlier, Treasurer Hao Ruhai was ordered by the supervisory officials to take the recent treasury records. But among them were two different records, detailing the embezzlement by the Ministry of Revenue over the past two years."
The Emperor’s tone was calm, his pace unhurried, as if discussing something trivial and insignificant.
Jinrong couldn’t discern the Emperor’s exact intention, so he sat with lowered eyes, waiting for the Emperor to continue.
The Emperor went on, "Hao Ruhai was a confidant of the Crown Prince, and to ensure safety and to prevent detection, he had a low-ranking official conceal these records. What I don’t understand is why, given the secrecy of these records, Hao Ruhai would willingly hand them over to Qin Hao? And as soon as he did, why did he desperately try to retrieve them, even losing his life in the process?"
Jinrong still didn’t respond but couldn’t be seen as ignoring the Emperor. He raised his eyes to meet the Emperor’s gaze, "Son does not understand Father’s meaning." Then he lowered his gaze again.
The Emperor squinted his eyes slightly and said, "Eight years ago, Jiang Yifan was in his early twenties when he achieved the rank of Top Scholar. He was then appointed to the censorate. In three years, he worked diligently, with adeptness and restraint. Afterward, he was demoted to the impoverished and complex Qingyuan County in Yuyuan Prefecture, where he achieved outstanding governance for three years."
Jinrong raised his head, his eyes clear and bright as he looked at the Emperor, agreeing, "Jiang Yifan is a close friend of mine; I consider him a capable official." The Emperor was indeed getting to the main point; he was truly sharp, immediately associating this with Jiang Yifan.
The Emperor was quite satisfied with Jinrong’s response, nodding as he continued, "Two years ago, you secretly exerted influence, and Duke An did not obstruct, leading to Jiang Yifan’s return to the capital. I also regarded him as a capable official, so I placed him in the Ministry of Revenue, hoping he could intervene in its operations, hoping that even a little moderation would be possible. Yet, with his skills and cunning, after two years in the Ministry of Revenue, there has been no progress at all."