Chapter 312: Chapter 313: The Emperor’s Heart
Hua Manman couldn’t help but mock herself inwardly.
’Could it be that Prince Zhao has a Mind Reading Technique?’
’Otherwise, how could he possibly know what I’m thinking?’
Hua Manman suppressed her wild thoughts and asked cautiously.
"Why would Your Highness think that? How could I possibly run off with our daughter? Besides, having children is still a long way off. Your Highness is thinking too far ahead."
Li Ji stared at her, almost blurting out that he had a Mind Reading Technique.
Reason prevailed, and he forced the thought down.
’If Manman knew I have a Mind Reading Technique, she’d surely feel uneasy. She might even grow distant out of fear.’
He couldn’t rashly tell her the truth.
He had to let her slowly discover the truth on her own.
Li Ji said with deep meaning,
"I hope everything you said is the truth."
Even after Prince Zhao had walked far away, Hua Manman was still pondering his words.
Especially the look in his eyes as he left, which gave off an "all-seeing" feeling.
It gave Hua Manman the creeps.
Hua Manman called out to the system in her mind.
"Don’t you think Prince Zhao is acting strange? Does he already know my secrets?"
The system retorted, "What secrets could you possibly have?"
Hua Manman: "I have tons of secrets! Like how I transmigrated here, how this world is actually a book, or how there’s a piece of shit system in my body trying to force me to my death."
System: "..."
’We’re just talking. Why the personal attack on this system?’
’And why can’t the four words "piece of shit system" be censored?’
’I’m filing a complaint!’
On the night of the Lantern Festival, a dragon and lion dance competition was held in Shangjing City. Almost the entire city turned out to watch, creating a spectacular scene.
However, Hua Manman was holed up in the Prince Zhao Mansion and didn’t go out.
She had a premonition that if she went out tonight, she would likely run into people she didn’t want to see.
Fourth Prince Li Ying, for example.
When she was a child, she and Li Ying had gotten lost during the Lantern Festival. It was because they got lost that time that they became entangled.
According to the novel’s melodramatic logic, the probability of Hua Manman running into him if she went out tonight was as high as 99.999%.
As long as she didn’t leave the house, the melodrama couldn’t touch her!
Hua Manman threw the playing cards in her hand forward.
"Rocket! Haha, I won!"
To her left sat Feihua Zhenren, and to her right sat Prince Zhao.
The three of them were playing Dou Dizhu.
If you were to ask what Chinese people love to do most during festivals and holidays?
The answer would naturally be playing cards!
Hua Manman felt that playing cards, just like watching dragon and lion dances, was an indispensable holiday activity.
She couldn’t see the dragon and lion dances, but her small wish to play cards could still be fulfilled.
Hua Manman had specially commissioned the playing cards, and she had drawn the designs on them herself. At first, Feihua Zhenren and Prince Zhao didn’t know how to play, but after some instruction from Hua Manman, they both learned quickly.
In this round, Hua Manman and Prince Zhao were the "farmers."
Outnumbered and outmatched, Feihua Zhenren was defeated by this "farmer couple."
Hua Manman held out her small hand. "Pay up, pay up."
Feihua Zhenren reluctantly took out five copper coins.
Suddenly, the sound of exploding fireworks came from outside.
Hua Manman immediately dropped her cards and scampered out the door.
She looked up and saw fireworks blooming one after another against the dark night sky.
"Wow!"
Li Ji and Feihua Zhenren also came out.
They stood under the covered walkway, gazing up at the night sky.
It wasn’t just them. The servants and guards in the Prince Mansion had also stopped what they were doing to look up at the sky and enjoy the magnificent, colorful feast of fireworks.
The next day, at the grand court assembly, the civil and military officials, dressed in their formal attire, proceeded to Zhengyang Hall.
This was the first formal court assembly of the year.
Logically, with the new year should come a fresh start, and everyone ought to be in high spirits.
But because of the successive earthquake and collapse of the Imperial Ancestral Temple on the first day of the new year, everyone had a very bad feeling about the year to come. As a result, the atmosphere during the court session was exceptionally tense.
The Emperor announced two things at the assembly.
The first was about the truth behind the collapse of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The reason the Imperial Ancestral Temple had suddenly collapsed was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one.
It was because the Fifth Prince, Li Yan, was incompetent and used inferior wood for the support beams, which led to the temple’s collapse.
Hearing this, the civil and military officials all had varying expressions.
They had already been somewhat suspicious. How could such a minor earthquake topple the Imperial Ancestral Temple? Could there be something else fishy going on?
Now, it seemed their previous suspicions were correct.
Then again, they preferred a man-made disaster to a natural one.
Because a man-made disaster could be resolved.
As punishment for his incompetence, the Fifth Prince, Li Yan, must rebuild the Imperial Ancestral Temple with his own two hands. During this process, he would be temporarily demoted to a commoner and could only have his status as a prince restored after the temple was rebuilt.
For a pampered prince, accustomed to being high and mighty, to be sent to a construction site to haul bricks was nothing short of dual physical and mental torture.
The officials present all turned to look at Liu Ze, who stood at the front of the ranks.
The Emperor also looked at Liu Ze and asked.
"Beloved Minister, what do you think of this punishment?"
Liu Ze’s expression showed no hint of anything unusual as he answered respectfully.
"Your Majesty is wise and mighty. The punishment is appropriate. This humble servant is deeply impressed."
Inside, however, he was cursing his rotten luck.
’The Emperor knows I have a good relationship with the Fifth Prince and that we often associate with each other. Now that the Fifth Prince has made such a grave mistake, the Emperor will likely suspect that I was the one who led him astray.’
’Parents are all like that. They all think their own child is good, and that even if he makes a mistake, it’s because the people around him were a bad influence.’
Liu Ze knew he was still somewhat useful to the Emperor, who likely wouldn’t move against him for the time being. But the future was uncertain.
To protect his current position, he had to come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible.
Next, the Emperor announced the second matter.
"The Second Prince and the Fourth Prince are no longer young. It’s time they were granted their own mansions."
Everyone was a little surprised.
They hadn’t expected the Emperor to bring this up so suddenly.
But on second thought, it made sense. The Second Prince was now nineteen, and the Fourth Prince was already seventeen. It was indeed inappropriate for princes of their age to continue living in the palace.
The Emperor had already chosen the locations.
He ordered the Ministry of Industry to build the residences and had the Observatory select an auspicious date for them to move.
And so, the day’s grand court assembly concluded.
When Consort Liu learned that her precious son had been sentenced to hard labor, she wept bitterly once again.
This time, she did not go to the Emperor to plead for mercy.
The last time, she had knelt in the snow for an entire afternoon without even getting to see the Emperor.
From that moment on, she understood that the Emperor would not change his mind.
No matter how gentle he acted in her presence on a normal day, he was, in essence, still an emperor.
An emperor’s heart was colder and harder than any blade.
