Chapter 1434 - 345_3

Chapter 1434: Chapter 345_3

The Crown Prince bit his lip tightly, which to others seemed like an uncontrollable emotion, but in reality, he was restraining himself, controlling his urge to laugh.

As the sons of the Yan Emperor, they had long learned how to conceal their emotions, even blending truth and falsehood together in their expressions.

"Father is not old, Father is in the prime of life, Father will live forever and ever!"

Ji Chengsu’s voice rang out.

In such a setting, in such an atmosphere, perhaps only "innocent words" were permissible.

Ji Chengsu rose and walked toward the Yan Emperor, speaking as he went:

"Father is the Son of Heaven of our Yan. Father will have endless blessings and longevity, always be my father, my father will never grow old."

Children of the Royal Family could speak from an early age, growing up in the palace, it was impossible for them not to know how to speak.

The words Ji Chengsu uttered now were likely taught by his mother.

But it didn’t matter because he finally pierced the oppressive atmosphere.

The Crown Prince sincerely said, "Where is Father old? Our Yan still needs Father at the helm; it cannot do without Father, and now Father only seems to have minor discomforts due to recent overwork with state affairs, just forgetting to rest. A few days of peace would surely bring recovery.

Your son begs Father to bless the dragon’s body!"

The Sixth Prince and the Fourth Prince followed the Crown Prince and knelt, saying:

"Your sons beg Father to bless the dragon’s body."

Ji Chengsu was halfway there, about to hug Father’s leg, when he suddenly saw his brothers kneeling behind him, so he immediately knelt down as well:

"Father, please bless the dragon’s body."

Ji Runhao’s eyes swept over these sons of his.

A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Wei Zhonghe was kneeling beside him, catching sight of this curve at the Yan Emperor’s mouth’s corner from the corner of his eye.

He was an intimate attendant of the Emperor, accompanying him day and night, so he naturally understood the Emperor’s smile was not due to reassurance from his sons’ comfort.

Indeed,

it was true.

In the eyes of others, this seemed a true display of fatherly love and filial piety.

But in the Yan Emperor’s eyes, he knew that except for Ji Chengsu, the rest of these adult sons, though expressing wishes for his eternal life, were actually hoping for his sudden demise!

Good,

good,

very good,

these are the fine sons Ji Runhao has raised.

This feeling of mutual understanding yet continuous deception between father and sons was like the perfunctory rituals at the Grand Temple during festivals.

"I... truly am tired."

Ji Runhao coughed lightly,

and said:

"As princes, as descendants of the surname Ji, it is only right to share the nation’s burdens.

Crown Prince."

"Your son is here."

"From tomorrow, I will go to the rear garden to rest; you have been regulating the state for some time now, keep doing it well; Wei Zhonghe..."

"I am here."

"You will accompany me and reside in the rear garden."

Wei Zhonghe laughed and said, "Your Majesty, your servant must attend to you by your side, your servant cannot leave Your Majesty."

"Issue my edict, have Yang Mingguang transferred to the Supreme Court Junior Minister; have Dou Yingde transferred to Junior Minister of the Palace Secretariat; have Ma Hongkui transferred to Commander of the West Gate Capital Garrison; and..."

The Yan Emperor transferred eight officials at once.

These officials, without exception, were all from the Crown Prince’s mansion, serving there in nominal positions, also known as the... Crown Prince’s faction.

Although the newly appointed official positions were not high nor ascending instantly, they were still deputies or even main officials in powerful government offices under the Six Ministries.

As these eight rose up, the influence of the Crown Prince’s mansion would expand rapidly.

Because this represents a change in direction, a change indicating... the transfer of imperial power!

Other emperors might hesitate to appoint so many officials at once, but the Yan Emperor could, for there was no longer a voice on the court daring to oppose him, he was the true Son of Heaven.

"What is the name of the attendant beside the Crown Prince?" the Yan Emperor asked.

"Replying to Your Majesty, his name is Li Yinglian," Wei Zhonghe answered.

"Let him temporarily act as Head of the Ministry of Rites."

"Yes, Your Majesty, your servant will make the handover later."

The head eunuch of the Ministry of Rites was known as the hidden chancellor of the inner palace because he held the power to review the petitions submitted by the Prime Minister for the Emperor.

The Yan did not have a cabinet, but the process for edicts was indeed according to certain regulations, requiring the Prime Minister’s seal as well as the Ministry of Rites’ approval to truly be legally effective.

Of course, Zhao Jiulang strictly followed the Emperor, and since the Yan Emperor was authoritative on court affairs, often the Emperor’s edicts were truly edicts, bypassing this process, or simply following one.

Li Yinglian was merely a senior official of the Crown Prince’s mansion, yet now temporarily acting as Head of the Ministry of Rites, and the Crown Prince already regulates the state, implying all court matters and edict powers are entrusted to the Crown Prince.

Moreover...

Behind the Yan’s Ministry of Rites, it is further intertwined with the Spy Bureau!

The Yan Emperor’s delegation of power this time was truly substantial.

This was not merely a political signal anymore; it almost plastered his intention onto the faces of those ministers still hesitating!

He,

is the Crown Prince,

is Yan,

The future Emperor!

Of course, no one would naively think that the Yan Emperor has really gone to the back garden to become a Retired Emperor. After all, the Yan Emperor has not abdicated, and the Crown Prince has not ascended the throne.

The sky of the Yan is still within the grasp of the Yan Emperor.

But this arrangement is already very direct and clear.

The Yan Emperor’s gaze slowly fell on Ji Chengjue.

"Chengjue."

"I am here, Father."

"Support your Second Brother well, handle the affairs of the state properly, and additionally, ensure the supply for the campaign against Chu without fail. This is a national war."

"I obey the Imperial Edict."

Ji Chengjue bowed and accepted the order.

"Dismissed."

"I take my leave."

"I take my leave."

......

Outside the palace gates.

Ji Chengjue prepared to get into his carriage, and who would have thought the Fourth Prince also followed.

"Still riding?" Ji Chengjue asked.

"Your carriage is cooler."

The two sat in the carriage,

Master Zhang drove the carriage and started moving.

Ji Chengjue said, "You can ask the Crown Prince for a task, he can issue a direct edict, Zhao Jiulang won’t block you, and I won’t be troubled either."

"No, have you just accepted it like that?"

"Father’s attitude is already very clear. Tomorrow, no, starting tonight, the wind of the court will change. My Chengjue faction is also about to collapse."

Among the princes, there can be competition.

But unfortunately,

the arbitrator came down to show favoritism.

"I don’t believe you’ve resigned to fate, Chengjue, you’re not that kind of person."

"I’m a father now."

"Ah, indeed..."

The Fourth Prince’s voice lowered,

"Chengjue, do you think I should still go for that position?"

"Why not try?"

"Now, I suddenly feel that living in the prince’s residence is quite good."

"Alright, you stay. After the Chu campaign, we still have to fight Qian State, maybe another assassin from Qian State will come."

"......" Fourth Prince.

"Fourth Brother."

"Hmm."

"You and I are brothers, although I’ve often looked down on you, I even thought sometimes Fifth Brother understands life better than you."

"You......"

"But, unless it comes to that moment, I will not turn against family, you can be assured of that."

"Then I, tomorrow, no, in a few days, will go see the Second Brother."

Ji Chengjue nodded, "I, as the sparring partner, still need to accompany till the end, no matter what, the campaign against Chu cannot fail."

"Of course, after all, we share the surname Ji."

The carriage took a detour, first arriving at the prince’s residence, and the Fourth Prince got out first.

Then, the carriage continued onward.

Ji Chengjue’s expression,

turned grim,

began to talk to himself:

"Do you think you can still live long enough? Or do you think the war against Chu will end quickly? So you think you have enough time?"

"You’ve grown old, when you start admitting you’re old, when you tell others you’re old, you’re no longer who you used to be."

"Are you afraid? Are you angry? I know you’re afraid, and I understand your anger."

"Finally, I’ve waited for the day you’ve grown old, finally... waited."

Ji Chengjue lowered his head,

biting the back of his hand, a distinct mark of teeth.

Then,

he laughed:

"I’m a father now."

————

We’ve reached tenth place in the monthly votes!

"Majestic Arrival" has been published for exactly a year, and for the first time, we’ve entered the top ten of the monthly votes. When I started writing this book, it was really just about satisfying myself, and I was prepared for it to do just averagely.

I can only say, after all, this is Qidian, there’s still a lot of discerning readers, haha, big hugs!