Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 261 Standing on the other side of the scale are the common people!

In the princess's mansion, Zhao Qi'an bathed and changed his clothes into a crimson round-necked robe.

It seemed like it was a celebration like this, and he was the prince consort, so he had to dress very elegantly. It was not enough for the ugly slave to help him change his clothes, and he needed three or five maids to help him change his clothes.

"Master, it's ready."

The ugly slave tied a gold and jade belt around his neck and brought him a bronze mirror.

Zhao Qian'an looked at the dragon pattern on his robe, then raised his eyes to look at himself in the mirror.

Just as he was looking at his clothes in the mirror, Luan Nu hurried in from outside and bowed in front of Zhao Qi'an: "Master, there is a visitor."

"who?"

"It's His Highness the Second Highness."

Zhao Qian'an paused slightly and turned his head to look at Luan Nu who came to report the news.

No wonder Luan Nu came here in person, it turned out that a "distinguished guest" had come to the mansion.

He had planned to go to the palace to see Ji Haoyu after getting his things back, but he didn't expect that the second prince was so impatient and took the initiative to come to the mansion to find him.

Zhao Qi'an asked, "Has Mr. Gou returned from the business?"

Luan Nu lowered her head and replied, "Not yet."

Zhao Qi'an calculated the time with his fingers and said, "It's almost time for him to arrive. Send someone to urge him."

"I will send someone there right away, but as for the Second Prince..."

"Please go to the reception room to serve tea. I'll be there later."

Zhao Qi'an didn't seem anxious at all. Instead, he turned around and faced the bronze mirror, spread his arms, and said to the maid behind him: "This jade belt is tied too wide. Adjust it again."

"Yes, master."

……

In the reception room, Ji Haoyu drank cup of tea after cup.

He was so anxious that he kept looking outside and asked the maid beside him from time to time: "Has Haiqing not come yet?"

The maid refilled Ji Haoyu's tea slowly, then bowed and replied, "The master is still changing clothes, Your Highness, please wait a moment."

Ji Haoyu's face was filled with worry, but he could only wait.

Zhao Qi'an finally arrived when his stomach was almost filled with tea.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for keeping you waiting. The servants are clumsy and cannot fix this robe properly. Please do not blame me, Your Highness."

As soon as Zhao Qi'an arrived, he bowed to Ji Haoyu.

Ji Haoyu was asking for help this time, so he stood up and helped Zhao Qian up: "No, I came here uninvited, so I'll just wait."

Seeing that he was hesitant and unwilling to talk about business, Zhao Qi'an naturally pretended to be confused. He glanced at the tea table and said, "Your Highness is here in person, why are you only offering tea? Your Highness, wait a moment. The mansion bought cakes from Bazhenzhai a few days ago. I will have someone get them right away."

"Haiqing, we are like brothers, there's no need to beat around the bush, just get straight to the point."

Ji Haoyu grabbed Zhao Qian'an's hand and said anxiously, "I need your help this time."

Are we finally getting to the point?

Zhao Qi'an pretended to be confused and asked, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Ji Haoyu gritted his teeth and said, "The third brother has found a real dragon auspicious sign and wants to present it to father at the birthday banquet. Haiqing, what should I do?"

Zhao Qi'an was not very enthusiastic when he heard this, and said indifferently: "Your Highness, have you come to the wrong place? How can I help Your Highness in this matter?"

"Now that things have come to this, I will not beat around the bush with you. If you are willing to help me this time, I will not pursue the previous matters. If you want to fight for power with the Duke of Donghai, I will definitely help you with all my strength!"

Ji Haoyu acted as if he was determined to give it his all, and every word he spoke sounded sonorous and powerful.

Zhao Qi'an did not comment, but asked, "What does Your Highness want?"

Ji Haoyu looked at Zhao Qian'an and finally told him the purpose of his trip: "Give me the finale gift that your Zhao family has prepared this time!" And this request was exactly what Zhao Qian'an had expected!
But he just sighed softly: "I can make the decision and agree to it..."

Ji Haoyu immediately showed a look of joy.

But the next moment, Zhao Qi'an suddenly changed the subject: "But Your Highness, do you think that the birthday gift prepared by my Zhao family can compare to the auspicious sign of a real dragon?"

Ji Haoyu's expression suddenly froze.

Zhao Qi'an said in a deep voice: "Your Highness should not come to me, you should go to Prime Minister Wu."

"Even the Zhao family of the East Sea can't come up with a birthday gift comparable to that of a real dragon, so my grandfather..."

"Your Highness is confused. When a real dragon appears in the world, what birthday gift could be more precious than this?"

Ji Haoyu was still puzzled: "If that's the case, what's the point of looking for my grandfather?"

Zhao Qi'an shook his head upon seeing this.

He has already reminded the Second Prince to this point, doesn't the Second Prince understand?
So, he directly pointed out the problem: "What if that is not a real dragon?"

Ji Haoyu was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand something, and his expression gradually became dull.

Zhao Qi'an continued, "Even for me, it would not be difficult to forge a 'real dragon'. Your Highness, don't you know that a strong man in the second-grade creation realm has the ability to 'create things'?"

"But, but..." Ji Haoyu stuttered for a long time, and finally managed to utter a complete sentence, "But what if it is really true?"

Zhao Qi'an looked calm and asked calmly, "Is it important?"

Ji Haoyu looked confused for a moment.

Yeah, is it important?

In this world, lies can become true, but the truth... can also become false.

Ji Haoyu immediately prepared to get up and return to the palace: "Then I will go back and look for my grandfather now."

"Your Highness, please be patient."

Zhao Qi'an put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Are you sure that Prime Minister Wu will help you?"

Ji Haoyu was stunned when he heard this, and then he said loudly: "What are you talking about? My grandfather and I will naturally prosper together and suffer together. If he doesn't help me, will he help the third brother?"

Zhao Qi'an shook his head and said, "Your Highness, at this point, why do you still feel that this is a contest between you and the Third Prince?"

"how do I say this?"

"Your Highness, are you unaware that the great Daqian Dynasty is now in danger?"

Zhao Qi'an said in a resounding voice: "Natural disasters over the years have left the national treasury extremely empty. Even though Kyoto is still thriving, Kyushu outside is already in ruins!"

"Most local bureaucrats have not received their salaries for several years, and in the end they can only exploit the people. The people have suffered not only natural disasters, but also man-made disasters such as extortion and plunder. Countless people have been displaced and have no clothes to wear or food to eat. Your Highness, right now, inside and outside Daqian, there is resentment everywhere. Over the years, uprisings and rebellions have been common."

"Now that the bloody incident in Jingzhou has occurred and the border is in crisis... Even if the people do not rebel, they will still live in fear."

"Your Highness, Daqian's accumulated problems cannot be solved in one day. But what is needed now is to appease the hearts of tens of thousands of Daqian people.

"At this moment, is there anything more exciting than 'Auspicious signs appear in the country, and a true dragon appears in the world'?"

Zhao Qi'an paused, his eyes fell on Ji Haoyu again: "Your Highness, on one side of the scale in Wu Xiang's heart is you, but on the other side is no longer the Third Prince, but the stability of Daqian Jiuzhou."

"What do you think he will choose?"

Ji Haoyu was speechless for a moment, his mind was a little confused.

He really wanted to tell Zhao Qi'an that the Left Prime Minister was not such a great and virtuous minister. Even if that was his own grandfather, he did not think Wu Yong was a person with such a broad mind.

Would such a person give up the opportunity to support his own grandson to ascend the throne for the sake of the common people?
But the next moment, Zhao Qi'an leaned over and whispered in his ear: "The most important thing is, does Prime Minister Wu have a choice this time?"

Ji Haoyu immediately broke out in sweat on his forehead.

He figured out one thing: no matter how powerful his grandfather was, he had never been the one in charge of the Daqian Dynasty!
This time... it's right under the nose of my father!
(End of this chapter)