Chapter 42

Ji Weiqiu looked at Xiao Zhuo's gaze and realized his etiquette just now was not quite right. With Ji Su's temperament, he was afraid he'd be dealt with, but unexpectedly, Ji Su said nothing.

Ji Weiqiu breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Hmm, Ji Su was actually quite nice sometimes. However, to be safe, he said to Ji Su, "Imperial Elder Brother, this younger brother was discourteous just now."

Ji Su was admiring the scenery in the Imperial Garden and said to him, "It's nothing."

Ji Weiqiu gave himself a thumbs-up in his heart. He understood Ji Su relatively well. As long as the matter was brought out into the open, Ji Su wouldn't secretly hold a grudge. If he were to make an issue of it, he would have punished him already. His saying 'It's nothing' meant it was truly nothing.

Ji Su followed him back to Qingning Hall. It seemed there was no session in the Imperial Study today. The child blinked, thinking, 'Doesn't that mean I have to go work at the Wenyuan Pavilion?' Then he had another thought, 'No, I shouldn't bring it up. If I don't mention it, I might not have to go. If I do, I'll definitely be thrown over there!'

After washing up, Ji Weiqiu ate a bowl of noodles and had just rested for half an hour when he was respectfully invited to report for duty at the Wenyuan Pavilion. Ji Weiqiu's resentment was greater than a ghost's. Before leaving, he glanced at Ji Su and found him resting on an arhat bed. His resentment soared even higher, wishing he could drag Ji Su to work at the Wenyuan Pavilion too.

The Wenyuan Pavilion was another scene entirely. Ji Weiqiu immediately understood why there was no meeting in the Imperial Study today—with memorials piled up like mountains, if they dallied in the Imperial Study for another two hours, the entire Wenyuan Pavilion would have to work overtime all night.

When Prime Minister Gu saw him arrive, he unexpectedly revealed a look of great relief, holding a teacup with both hands and smiling gently. He instructed an attendant scholar to move several stacks of memorials to Ji Weiqiu's desk: "We'll have to trouble Your Highness with these."

Seeing this, Ji Weiqiu knew there was no escape. His own few followers gathered around. Ji Weiqiu casually pulled out a memorial and opened it. It was filled with words of flattery. He finished reading it with a frown, but couldn't find a single piece of useful information in the memorial.

Prime Minister Gu had instructed before what kind of seal to use for what kind of memorial. For greeting memorials like this with no real substance, they just needed to be stamped and left for the subordinates to sort and stack.

Ji Weiqiu read four or five in a row, all of them greeting memorials. He grew irritated reading them, yet was afraid of missing some information, so he could only read word by word. By the tenth one, his patience ran out. He glanced sideways and saw an archivist, a secretary, and an attendant scholar—three learned men—grinding ink and pouring tea for him, not doing any real work. Anger welled up inside him.

'Isn't this like making someone with a manager's salary sweep the floors and take out the trash for the company?! You do the work that matches your pay grade!' He commanded, "Ye..."

The first word had just left his mouth when the archivist, Wei Jinyan, had already approached Ji Weiqiu's side, bowing to ask, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

Ji Weiqiu glanced at him. He had originally intended to call the attendant scholar, Ye Enguang. This fellow surnamed Wei was quite eager, but he didn't care, as none of them would escape anyway. He said, "You all, take these three stacks down and pick out the ones that are 'making conversation for conversation's sake' first."

How could he be expected to sort them all by himself?

The moment the words 'making conversation for conversation's sake' were spoken, many in the Wenyuan Pavilion looked over. Ji Weiqiu paid them no mind, feeling completely justified. 'What are you looking at? That's what I said! Go ahead and report me if you dare!'

It wasn't that he was boasting, but this was the palace. If anyone dared to report him for such a trivial matter, he'd have them stuffed in a sack halfway and thrown out of the palace, never to find the door to Qingning Hall! Besides, would they dare to barge into Qingning Hall for such a small thing? It wasn't him bragging, but even if he didn't stop them, Ji Su would surely strip them of something upon hearing it—maybe their official rank, maybe their title, depending on the situation.

The three men answered in unison, each taking a stack of things to work on. Only then did Ji Weiqiu feel a bit better. Ji Weiqiu couldn't be bothered to sit up straight either. He had a palace attendant bring him a backrest, leaned back comfortably, and began to flip through the memorials. As he read, he couldn't help but look at Prime Minister Gu suspiciously—there really wasn't a single serious one.

Could it be that Prime Minister Gu had already sorted them once and deliberately sent them here for a second sorting?

Ji Weiqiu thought about it and decided to ignore it, continuing to read obediently. Prime Minister Gu was the Grand Secretary and Ji Su's trusted confidant. If he was asked to sort them, and Ji Su asked about it later, he could just throw the blame onto Prime Minister Gu and let the sovereign and minister discuss it themselves. However, he was still very curious about when exactly Prime Minister Gu had sent the memorials to Ji Su. He and Ji Su had been together almost the entire day yesterday. Were they really sent in the middle of the night?

But he was living in the side hall. With all the commotion Ji Su made when he got up, how could he not know? ...Oh, right. He was drunk yesterday, so it was possible he didn't hear anything.

Speaking of which, that wine from yesterday was really good. He slept soundly after drinking it. Tonight, he would ask Eunuch Qingxi to send another small pot over. Drinking a little to help him sleep wouldn't be bad—this problem had indeed been troubling him for a long time.

Outside the palace, relying on his youth and strength, he slept whenever he wanted. One day he'd find a good storybook and stay up all night reading it, the next he'd find something fun to play and drag it out until dawn. It was even more so when he went to Jiangnan. It was only when he returned halfway and was poisoned that he was weak for a period and slept whenever he had the chance. Now that he had more or less recovered, he was starting to have trouble sleeping again. Coupled with the afternoon nap, he had to toss and turn for a while every night before falling asleep.

A jade seal spun between his fingers. Ji Weiqiu was lost in thought and lost his grip, and the jade seal fell. He instinctively tried to catch it but missed. Looking closely, there was now a red line on the memorial, but it was not a big deal.

Ji Weiqiu casually smudged it, so that anyone who saw it would know it was an accidental mark, not an intentional hint. Suddenly, his gaze paused. The line of text next to the red mark read, 'An auspicious sign from heaven, a white tiger emerges from the mountains,' and it went on to say it was to be presented to the capital.

If it were up to him, what was the point of presenting it to the capital? It wasn't as if there were no white tigers in the Beast Garden. Why waste the effort? Just needless trouble. But on second thought, although it was highly probable this was just a local official trying to curry favor with Ji Su, what if there was some other meaning to it?

The white tiger represents the god of war. What if Ji Su used this as a sign from heaven to raise an army and do something big?

Previously, Ji Su had told him that the great families, under the name of the False King, wished to rule the world together with a sovereign. This sovereign was originally meant to be Ji Su, but they couldn't gain any advantage with him, so they planned to change the sovereign. This sovereign could be that False King in the northwest, or it could be the Tujue. Since the Tujue had this intention, did Ji Su have it as well?

Ji Weiqiu firmly believed Ji Su definitely did. After all, this sort of thing was etched into one's genes. There was once a figure who only wished to be content with ruling a small corner, and ended up being cursed for several thousand years as the "rat of Jiangdong". Although Ji Su wouldn't go that far, if he could annihilate the Tujue... who would refuse an extra piece of land with lush water and grass for their own?

If they really took down the Tujue, and if future generations were competent, they could raise so many cattle and sheep on that land... Truly turning imports into domestic sales.

Thinking of this, Ji Weiqiu couldn't stop laughing. He switched to a different jade seal and stamped it, then tossed the memorial onto the desk. The memorial slid a short distance across the desk and came to a neat stop beside the other stacks, as if starting a new pile.

Prime Minister Gu saw this and asked with a smile, "What has Your Highness seen that makes you so happy?"

Ji Weiqiu also said openly, "An auspicious omen has appeared in Changchuan Prefecture and is to be presented to the capital... It must be that the world is at peace and the seas are clear and rivers calm, for such an auspicious omen to appear."

Prime Minister Gu paused, then said with a smile, "Indeed."

Everyone in the Wenyuan Pavilion, whether they meant it or not, chimed in with agreement. Are you kidding? If you say it's not, does that mean you don't agree that the world is at peace and the seas are clear and rivers calm? By extension, you don't approve of the current emperor's ability to govern?

Even someone as aloof and arrogant as Prime Minister Wang echoed, 'Indeed.'

Ji Weiqiu glanced at him in surprise, which made Prime Minister Wang's face turn ashen. Ji Weiqiu looked at the gentle and refined Prime Minister Gu, then at the warm and pleasant Prime Minister Liu, and then back at Prime Minister Wang... Tsk, no, was Prime Minister Wang intentionally acting, or was he just naturally like this, disdainful of putting on an act with them?

Forget it, forget it. Better be good.

Ji Weiqiu buried his head and continued to work, the whole morning wasted just like that. Seeing that it was about time, Prime Minister Gu stood up and said to Ji Weiqiu, "Your Highness, if there are no urgent matters, you may go for your afternoon rest."

Ji Weiqiu also stood up, stretching his limbs. He said cheerfully, "Prime Minister Gu has worked hard."

Prime Minister Liu and Prime Minister Wang also rose. Ji Weiqiu greeted them all equally, and then they left the Wenyuan Pavilion together to return to their respective side halls to rest. The main reason was that if the four of them didn't leave, it would be difficult for the other officials to go out for their meals on their own.

They could be busy, but it hadn't reached the point where they couldn't even eat. Detaining people and not letting them eat would truly earn you curses behind your back.

As the four of them stepped out, they saw Eunuch Qingxi waiting outside. Eunuch Qingxi came forward, bowed slightly, and said, "This old slave greets Your Highness, Prime Minister Gu, Prime Minister Wang, and Prime Minister Liu."

"Eunuch Qingxi," Prime Minister Liu greeted him with a smile. "Why has the Eunuch come? Does the Emperor have an urgent matter?"

"Not at all," Eunuch Qingxi said amicably. "The Empress Dowager only said that the three Prime Ministers are all pillars of the imperial court, and that the affairs of the court still require the great care of you Prime Ministers. Her Ladyship is but a woman and does not understand other things, so she can only bestow some imperial dishes to commend the Grand Secretariat."

Everyone understood the meaning of this. The Empress Dowager only mentioned 'three', so the Prince of Rui was naturally not included. She also said they needed to take good care of the court's affairs, which, besides major court matters, also included the Prince of Rui. The underlying meaning was a warning to them to take good care of the Prince of Rui. Otherwise, if her own young son was wronged, could they really expect the 'ignorant' 'mere woman' Empress Dowager to reason with them?

The three men naturally had to thank the Empress Dowager for her grace. Eunuch Qingxi watched them with a smile and stepped aside. The three then took their leave. Ji Weiqiu stepped forward and said, "Eunuch, only the three Prime Ministers get something, and not me?"

Eunuch Qingxi's face beamed with a smile. "How could that be? Her Ladyship had someone prepare His Little Highness's portion separately. This old slave also had the small kitchen make a few extra desserts. Whichever ones Your Highness finds tasty, we can have them regularly prepared in Yinghua Hall in the future."

The three Grand Secretaries had not walked far and naturally heard everything clearly. Without stopping, Prime Minister Liu shook his head and smiled, "The imperial bloodline is different from us, after all."

Prime Minister Gu nodded. "That's only natural."

It was only because His Highness the Prince of Rui was polite to them, greeting them as equals. If he were not so polite, what kind of courtesy would he show to Grand Secretaries? He should rightly receive their salutes without reservation.

Prime Minister Wang said nothing, as there was nothing worth saying about it.

The three of them went to their own respective side halls.

Eunuch Qingxi, on the other hand, accompanied Ji Weiqiu to Yinghua Hall. While serving him food, he said, "This old slave took the liberty of bestowing imperial dishes upon everyone in the Wenyuan Pavilion in Your Highness's name."

"Oh, I forgot about that," Ji Weiqiu said, his face breaking into a smile. "Wasn't that my order? Thank you for making the trip for me, Eunuch."

With one sentence, he cleanly absolved Eunuch Qingxi. He then asked, "Is Imperial Elder Brother in a hurry for you to return?"

"The Emperor has instructed that there is no need to hurry back to report," Eunuch Qingxi replied.

Ji Weiqiu nodded upon hearing this. "Then you should go rest as well, Eunuch. Xiao Zhuo, please take your master to the tea room to rest. Have some refreshments before you go back."

Eunuch Qingxi did not refuse and immediately bowed. "Then this old slave will bask in Your Highness's good fortune!"

"Alright, you should go now!" Ji Weiqiu urged. "Xiao Zhuo, accompany your master and have some food. See him off before you come back."

Eunuch Xiao Zhuo quickly bowed as well. "This servant thanks Your Highness for your grace."

Ji Weiqiu didn't ask Eunuch Qingxi to sit at the same table with him because he knew that even if he did, Eunuch Qingxi wouldn't agree and it would only bring trouble upon him. He didn't think anything that happened in the palace could escape Ji Su's eyes. The last time he snuck into the palace, he had taken advantage of the time when Ji Su was holding court, and it was only because Ji Su hadn't paid attention to that detail. If Eunuch Qingxi had sat down today, Ji Su wouldn't hold Ji Weiqiu accountable for 'inviting' him to sit, but he would hold Eunuch Qingxi accountable for not knowing his place and disregarding the hierarchy.

Ji Weiqiu was very proactive when it came to eating. 'If you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your thinking.' Plus, it was noon, and there was still a pile of memorials to read in the afternoon. He ate until he was ninety percent full, then added a plate of desserts to reach one hundred percent. Finding a few of them quite good, he ordered someone to inform the small kitchen at Qingning Hall and send a portion to his old mother as well.

Oh, his old brother also had to be sent a portion, lest he get jealous of their old mother.

Ji Weiqiu was truly afraid of Ji Su's suspicious nature. Sending an extra portion of dessert was just a matter of saying the word. If he didn't send it and some trouble arose, he really couldn't handle it.

As they say, once is acceptable, but not twice. Having one frank and open talk was enough. If it happened a second time, even if Ji Su could tolerate it, he himself wouldn't be able to get over it. It would hurt their relationship too much.

After all, he was a living person in this world. He wasn't cultivating some Ruthless Dao; how could he truly sever all emotions and love?

However, he felt that Ji Su probably was cultivating it. Seriously. He always felt that if Ji Su were to stop being the emperor one day, he could definitely make a name for himself as a Daoist priest with a title like 'True Lord' or 'Dao Lord', and would have no problem tricking an emperor into kowtowing to him and honoring him as a State Preceptor or something.

Ji Weiqiu drank another cup of fruit nectar, took a walk in the small garden, and fed the koi in the pond before returning for his afternoon nap. About an hour later, he was woken up to continue his duties at the Wenyuan Pavilion.

As soon as he started his afternoon shift, Ji Weiqiu felt that the attitude of those in the Wenyuan Pavilion towards him had subtly improved. This feeling was very nuanced because not everyone could interact with him, but he could glimpse it in their eyes. He couldn't say it was everyone, because Prime Minister Wang still wore that same cold expression. Ji Weiqiu felt that he might have misunderstood Prime Minister Wang; it wasn't that he was intentionally giving him a sour look, but that he gave everyone a sour look without discrimination.

Including Ji Su.

Ji Weiqiu couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Prime Minister Wang's performance in court.

Ye Enguang and the other two had also finished sorting the morning's memorials. Ji Weiqiu looked at the neatly separated stacks, tapped them randomly, and then pulled out a few to check. Seeing that those categorized under the 'making conversation for conversation's sake' series were indeed as such, he paid them no more mind.

It wasn't as if these were only seen by the three of them and that was the end of it. After Ji Weiqiu sent these memorials down, they would still go through two more reviews. If it was discovered that someone had deliberately suppressed a memorial with important information, they would track down the person responsible according to the records. If there were no records, everyone from top to bottom would face the consequences—a caning in the court at best, beheading at worst. Therefore, Ji Weiqiu was not afraid.

After all, no matter what, the blame would never fall on Ji Weiqiu's head. As Ji Su had said, he was an imperial prince. He could do no wrong. If there was a mistake, it must have been because the people around him had instigated it. The people around him were the primary scapegoats. If Ye Enguang, Wei Jinyan, and the others were not careful, their heads would be the first to roll.

Ji Weiqiu thought today would also pass peacefully. When it was almost time to get off duty in the afternoon, Prime Minister Liu suddenly said, "Your Highness, may we trouble you to present today's memorials to the Emperor?"

This was a simple matter of convenience—not even convenience, but simply on the way. The memorials were sent to Qingning Hall in batches. The Grand Secretariat would sort out the important ones and have someone deliver them to be presented before the Emperor. This was the last batch, and since Ji Weiqiu was returning to Qingning Hall anyway, it just meant having someone walk with him.

Ji Weiqiu readily agreed.

The Wenyuan Pavilion was exceptionally efficient. By the time Ji Weiqiu finished his duties, the Grand Scholar responsible for presenting the documents was already packed and waiting for him to depart. Ji Weiqiu had been sitting all day, so he didn't plan to take a sedan chair. He walked along with a few people. The memorials were sealed with confidential paper, placed in a large box affixed with seals, and covered with bright yellow cloth. All along the way, palace attendants moved aside. If this had been over a decade ago, Ji Weiqiu would have inevitably felt majestic, but now it felt ordinary.

After all, even if he walked alone in the palace, the attendants would still have to move aside for him.

Ji Weiqiu, operating on the principle of 'workers shouldn't make things difficult for other workers,' exchanged a few words with the Grand Scholar and then fell silent. Together, they all went to Qingning Hall with solemn faces. Ji Weiqiu had someone announce him, and upon receiving a response, he entered the main hall and saluted, "This younger brother pays his respects to Imperial Elder Brother."

"Dispense with the ceremony." Ji Su was buried in his work at the desk and didn't even raise his head. "Take a seat."

Ji Weiqiu obediently took a seat to the side and waved his hand for the Grand Scholar to bring in the memorials. There was nothing to ask. After the Grand Scholar took his leave, Ji Weiqiu saw that Ji Su was still completely focused and said, "Imperial Elder Brother, it's getting dark. You should rest your eyes..."

Ji Su had just finished marking the memorial in his hand, so he relaxed his wrist and put down his brush. Eunuch Qingxi and others brought lamps and candles closer. Ji Weiqiu rested his chin on one hand and teased Ji Su, "Imperial Elder Brother, did you feel that there were fewer pointless memorials today?"

Ji Su looked at Ji Weiqiu and threw out two words: "I did not."

Ji Weiqiu: "...Huh?"

'What? I filtered out so many bullshit memorials! Did Ji Su not notice at all?' Ji Weiqiu wouldn't give up. "...Really not?"

Ji Su picked up a teacup with one hand and drank, nodding as he said, "Indeed."

Ji Weiqiu's face fell. "I even specifically suppressed many of the flattering memorials..."

The so-called suppression didn't mean they were sent back to their origin. After being screened by the Grand Secretariat, these memorials would be sent to a special location for archiving, and Ji Su could retrieve them for review at any time.

Ji Su did not respond. Ji Weiqiu keenly sensed that Ji Su's mood today seemed not to be very good...

'Why? How is he unhappy again?'

Could it be that the sheer number of memorials had tired Ji Su out?

Ji Weiqiu thought this idea was very reasonable. After all, Ji Su was also human. Just because he was used to working didn't mean he wouldn't get tired. Didn't he see how everyone's spirit seemed to be drained when they got off duty at the Wenyuan Pavilion?

Of course, he couldn't just directly ask, 'Are you in a bad mood?' He said, "Imperial Elder Brother, Xiao Zhuo has learned some new massage techniques that are quite good. Shall I have him help you relax?"

Ji Su gave him a meaningful look. Ji Weiqiu knew he had said the wrong thing, but he didn't know what was wrong. In a flash of inspiration, he tried a different angle: "If you don't mind my poor skills, shall I massage you, Imperial Elder Brother?"

Ji Su glanced at him and said, "There's no need."

'Is the palace lacking servants, that a prince should perform such menial tasks?'

Ji Weiqiu sighed in his heart, thinking to himself that his imperial elder brother was truly difficult to serve. This wasn't right, that wasn't right, so troublesome.

Ji Su finished the tea in his cup and then asked, "Did you read today's memorials?"

Ji Weiqiu had long expected this question and honestly passed the buck to Prime Minister Gu. "I read a portion. Prime Minister Gu had someone separate a few stacks for me. I saw they were mostly greeting memorials. I left a portion for Imperial Elder Brother's amusement and suppressed the rest."

"Mm," Ji Su responded lightly. With a slight raise of his hand, the memorials that had just been delivered were brought to his desk in order of priority. Ji Weiqiu wondered if he should take his leave. He was just sitting here idly; he couldn't exactly go up and read the memorials with Ji Su, could he?

Suddenly, Ji Weiqiu heard Ji Su let out a cold laugh. He looked up and saw that Ji Su was also looking at him, his expression clearly showing genuine anger.

'What? Why is he looking at me? Could it be that the memorial is about impeaching me?'

Ji Weiqiu's expression was genuinely bewildered. Ji Su slowly said to him, "The Tujue have submitted a petition to discuss peace."

"Discuss peace?" Ji Weiqiu knew something was wrong. The last time they discussed peace was when the Late Emperor was still alive. It had been over twenty years. According to the customs of Nanzhu, peace talks were usually followed by annual tributes and rewards, meaning the other side would send gifts to show friendship, and Nanzhu would send gifts back in return, and that's how things would be.

However, since Ji Su ascended the throne, the Tujue's annual tributes had stopped, and they periodically harassed the border. Although these were just minor skirmishes, their wolfish ambitions were plain to see... In Ji Weiqiu's words, they were just shameless. If asked, they would claim it was the work of some nomadic tribes that they couldn't control, but if left uncontrolled, they would constantly come to burn, kill, and plunder, which was very annoying.

"Does Imperial Elder Brother intend to discuss peace?" Ji Weiqiu asked.

"Naturally," Ji Su replied.

'Naturally not, or naturally yes?' Ji Weiqiu waited for an answer—but there was no need to ask. A single look told him it was 'naturally not'. Were peace talks so easy to conduct? In this day and age, one needed a just cause for military action. After a peace agreement, whoever made the first move would bear the crime of treachery. The Tujue were constantly harassing the border right now; if they suddenly proposed peace talks, could one naively believe that the border harassment would stop after an agreement?

In their dreams!

Ji Su said coldly, "Get out."

Ji Weiqiu was halfway through his thoughts and hadn't yet heard the truth when he was inexplicably kicked out.

It was only when Ji Weiqiu walked outside the main hall that he realized—Prime Minister Liu was a truly terrible person!

Logically, this kind of memorial should have been delivered by one of the Grand Secretaries. Prime Minister Liu knew that Ji Su would definitely get angry upon seeing such a memorial, and that no decision would be made today; it would inevitably be discussed again tomorrow. So he had him bring it back on his way! He made him take the first wave of that anger!

Tsk!