Too high to reach

Chapter 227 Pieces and Pieces
On the seventh day of the month, there are several important matters to attend to at court.

One of the measures was to announce that the Crown Prince would be in charge of organizing the grand martial arts competition.

Another thing: Li Chang officially took office as commander of the Western Suburbs Camp, leading 30,000 elite troops.

Another matter: a series of reforms to the salt industry spearheaded by Grand Secretary Liu, including: the approval of salt licenses, mining, storage, transportation, monopoly, taxation, and the sharing of profits between the imperial court and local governments, and so on.

Of course, there were several other important matters, but the Crown Prince, standing before the officials and below the Emperor, paid them no heed.

He was momentarily stunned; most of his year-end smugness vanished in an instant.

Because two of these three major matters did not suit his wishes.

Let Li Chang take charge of the western suburban camp?

He hasn't done anything, so how can he control things?
I'm afraid this is just a puppet. The Western Suburbs Camp has finally fallen into the hands of that bastard Li Jing…

The grand competition was also held in the western suburbs. A large portion of the allocated funds was to be used for expenses such as barracks, food, and competition venues.

How can we connect them?

It's not even convenient for me to steal a hand anymore.

A surge of anger welled up inside him! He thought bitterly: What is this guy up there trying to do?
In other words, he's particularly good at putting on an act, and his control over his expressions is ingrained in his very being. So now, even if he's feeling gloomy inside, no one can tell from his face.

He was experienced and reacted very quickly. Although this matter was not in his best interest, it was already a done deal, and there was no point in thinking about it anymore. He would deal with it later.

However, his men failed to obtain the salt, and it was ultimately handed over to Grand Secretary Liu...

Fortunately, Grand Secretary Liu was not one of Li Jing's men...

What's next? His mind raced.

Grand Secretary Liu is only in charge; this matter involves many aspects and requires the formation of several teams, and the members of those teams...

Li Jing paid no attention to the Crown Prince; he didn't need to guess what the Crown Prince was thinking. But what exactly did the Emperor mean?

The Western Suburbs Camp was something I fought for for Li Chang, but anyone with eyes can see that it ended up in my hands.

If the emperor was unwilling, there were other places where Li Chang could be sent. In the end, he asked for it, and although the emperor was angry, he still gave it to him. Is it possible that the emperor was willing to give it to him?

So that I can be "evenly matched" with the Crown Prince?

interesting……

After court, the Crown Prince went to the Empress's palace. In front of her, he paced back and forth angrily and anxiously, muttering curses under his breath.

The Empress, however, sipped her tea leisurely, and after he had vented for a while, she said, "What are you angry about? Can't you see this is a method of checks and balances?"

"Mother, I know this. But why? He could have easily prevented me from leading the martial arts competition, or allowed Li Chang to gain experience in the Six Ministries first. Why did he do this? Isn't this clearly forcing me to confront the Seventh Prince head-on..."

His eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed, "Is that what he means?"

The Empress sneered, "Hmph. It's just a matter of taking advantage of the situation. His health has deteriorated in the past two years, but he's unwilling to rely on anyone. Walking on one leg makes him vulnerable and prone to falling! Now, he has two legs. The two of you put on a show and compete with each other, which makes him more stable and allows him to move faster... reaping the benefits without lifting a finger."

The crown prince dared not curse the emperor, but he harbored hatred for him countless times in his heart.

At this moment, the Emperor is in his study, talking to the Fifteenth Prince.

"Father, it's the Lantern Festival, and the Prince of Yong'an is holding a lantern festival in his garden. Would you like to take your son there?" He hasn't established his own residence yet, so leaving the palace isn't easy.

The Emperor was very patient, smiling gently: "Why bring this up again? It's the Lantern Festival, how lively it is outside! Father is going on a trip, with a huge entourage, and the streets will be cleared this afternoon. It's a huge undertaking, a waste of resources and manpower. How can that give us a good reputation?"

"We can go secretly! Incognito..." The pretty little fifteenth had eyes as black as grapes.

"Stop reading such nonsense. It's not that easy for the emperor to leave the palace. Everything is governed by rules. Even someone as noble as Father is subject to them. Think about it: the lantern festival is more fun with lots of people! If Father goes, will people clear the area? If they do, it's no fun. If they don't, people will see Father sneaking out, and the next day, impeachment petitions will pile up on the table!"

"But Father... I really want to go!" Little Fifteen pleaded.

The Emperor looked at it and truly liked it from the bottom of his heart...

"Just put some lamps in the palace and look at them."

"How can that be the same? My son has already inquired. This year, the palace is just taking out the old lanterns from previous years and displaying them, with only a few new ones added. They're also setting off small fireworks; it's extremely boring!"

Indeed...

This year, the Emperor felt increasingly unwell and lost his appetite.

The Empress, being considerate of him, did not hold a grand celebration.

……

As for the Prince of Yong'an's lantern festival... even before the New Year, the Prince of Yong'an had already started telling the Emperor that he would be organizing a grand celebration this year.

"At that time, please invite the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and all the ladies of the palace to attend."

Not far from the palace, there is a garden called "Jingyuan," with a large lake. There are not many houses inside, only a large courtyard with a pavilion built by the water. That pavilion is four stories high, and you can even see the top of the palace.

It belongs to the Prince of Yong'an.

He had a large business empire, a very famous dance troupe, and several excellent cooks.

Jingyuan is only a place I stay occasionally, but I often entertain friends here.

Those who have been here all say that everything is wonderful.

In fact, Jingyuan is quite large, but he didn't build any more houses there; large areas were just planted with flowers and plants.

Such a great location, such a beautiful garden, yet it's empty for most of the year!

Their financial resources are evident from this.

Prince Yong'an boasted to the Emperor that this year he would "set up lanterns along the lake, probably several hundred in total. He also made many lake lanterns, and there are writing brushes and inkstones nearby so people can write down their wishes and release them into the lake."

Finally, there will be fireworks by the lake...

Those fireworks are from Jiangnan Thunderbolt Hall! They bought a huge batch; it'll probably last for half an hour. They even hired a professional to set them off; they're shooting incredibly high, visible even from the palace!

Upon hearing this, the Emperor shook his head, "Even if you have money, you can't spend it like this!" Then he thought: That's true, this guy is all alone, without even an heir, what's the use of keeping so much money?

"This is a gift to you! It's just that it's placed in my garden."

The Emperor sighed, "You're just making trouble! You're all alone, yet you're still so playful. How can this go on? You should find a reliable girl and settle down. You're young now, you can still run around, but what will you do when you get old?"

"With you, my royal uncle, and so many cousins, how could I possibly go hungry? How could I possibly fall ill and have no one to care for me? Right now, I'm just trying to maintain good relations with all my aunts, brothers, and nephews... so that someone will take care of me when I get old!"

The emperor glared at him and then ignored him.

But in his heart he thought: He has no son, so no matter how much property he owns, it won't benefit outsiders...

Thinking about it from here... the Emperor was quite happy.

"Uncle, please come! A banquet, a dance, a boat trip on the lake to watch the lanterns, and finally fireworks... I'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly for you! Others come, but there's no food!"

"It sounds wonderful, but how much trouble would it be for me to leave the palace? That day is a day of universal celebration. If we impose martial law everywhere, wouldn't that just cause trouble for the people?"

"Your Majesty's grace is boundless! Uncle, I cannot possibly reach your level of respect!"

.........

Having heard all that he had said, Xiao Shiwu was naturally eager to try, and had already pleaded with the Emperor several times.

Here it is, now.

"Father, look, this is what Uncle Yong'an prepared..."

Prince Yong'an wrote down a detailed plan for all arrangements regarding the lantern festival, especially the security arrangements, and had his son, the Fifteenth Prince, present it to the Emperor.

The emperor examined it for a long time and found it to be perfectly sealed without any flaws.

Looking at his youngest son, whom he now dotes on the most, he nodded and reluctantly agreed.

The fifteenth prince was raised to be very innocent; whenever he was happy, he would rush over and hug the emperor's arm, cheering.

This feeling stirred the Emperor's heart.

I had just promised Xiao Shiwu when Consort Dong arrived; she wanted to go too. She had several reasons: she was worried about her son, she wanted to go to the lantern festival, and so on.

With remarkable resilience, the emperor, worn down by the experience, finally gave in.

Prince Yong'an was overseeing the lantern festival arrangements at Jingyuan Garden. Upon hearing this news, a slight smile appeared on his lips as he gazed towards the imperial palace.

It cost tens of thousands of taels of silver and several months of preparation.

Every single thing, every single one of them, was for you and Fifteen...

But in his heart he thought: He has no son, so no matter how much property he owns, it won't benefit outsiders...

This is also a social phenomenon nowadays. There are quite a few women nowadays who are unmarried and childless but have money and property.

Beware of those who have designs on you...