The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

He was well aware of the power of pillow talk, not to mention that he himself was not trusted by the emperor.

"go out!"

Prince Zhongshun waved his hand, dismissing the palace maids and eunuchs around him. He looked at Jia Huan with a cold gaze and said, "Boy, you've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid I'll just kill you?"

"If Your Highness dares to act in this way, you will truly become nothing more than a lazy and idle prince!"

Jia Huan said with a smile, "Oh no, his title of Prince of the County might be stripped, and he'll only be a Duke of the State. From now on, when he sees his brothers, he'll have to bow and greet them first!"

Following Jia Huan's words, Prince Zhongshun imagined that scene and felt like dying.

If one were to actually reach that level, just as Jia Huan said, one would essentially become a leisurely member of the imperial clan.

He might be able to intimidate people outside, but he's nothing in the capital. He can't stand living like that.

"Boy, don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

Having composed himself, Prince Zhongshun smiled and said, "I've heard that you're quite resourceful, and the main reason that blockhead Jia Zheng has managed to get to where he is now. So tell me, what's my current situation?"

"Keep your tail between your legs!"

Jia Huan replied rudely, but then realized to himself, "Damn, this guy was waiting for me here."

Indeed, it is absolutely true that only the enemy truly understands the Rong family's situation.

Even the Second Master Zheng himself didn't take Jia Huan's opinions and ideas too seriously, nor did he really acknowledge Jia Huan's achievements, but Prince Zhongshun did.

Otherwise, there's no need to risk the Prince's Mansion losing face by asking Jia Huan for advice!

Indeed, there are no enemies who are irreconcilable; only interests are eternal.

He could understand Prince Zhongshun's thoughts; in times of peace, a reliable strategist was extremely rare.

Clearly, he didn't have such a person under his command, otherwise he wouldn't be living such an exciting life, and the entire Prince Zhongshun's mansion would almost become a hub of entertainment in the capital.

Do you really think that using this self-degrading method feels good?

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Chapter 242 A Word to Awaken the Dreamer (Please Subscribe)

Keep a low profile!

This is not Jia Huan cursing, but a true reflection of Prince Zhongshun.

Didn't you see? The fat prince's face turned ashen with anger, yet he didn't explode. His thoughts had been exposed.

Despite his various antics outside, to the truly powerful and influential, it's all child's play.

Upon careful examination of Prince Zhongshun's actions, there was not a single instance of him truly bullying men and women. No matter how elaborate his activities were, they were all very purposeful, taking place either in top-tier brothels or at venues where opera troupes held performances.

Anyone with a discerning eye will understand that this guy's actions are either self-degrading or an attempt to assert his presence.

Otherwise, why was he the only one among the Emperor Emeritus's many sons who was able to establish his own power base in the court?

The current emperor is the seventh son of the retired emperor, who has had more than twenty sons in total.

Excluding those who died young and those who were disabled, he had eight adult sons, more than the Calabash Brothers.

There were also five or six underage princes, which is quite a large number. No wonder the retired emperor didn't care about deposing the crown prince. Even if he were deposed again, his son would take over.

Of all his sons, only Prince Zhongshun lived the most comfortable life!

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, that's the logic. Unfortunately, the other princes and dukes couldn't bring themselves to do it, so they could only remain as invisible figures in the royal family.

Why is Prince Zhongshun causing all this trouble? Isn't his ultimate goal to seize power?

Unfortunately, no matter how muddle-headed the current emperor is, he will never allow him to wield significant power.

At most, it was a temporary imperial envoy-like authority, specifically for doing things that the emperor couldn't do personally, and which were also particularly easy to offend people.

Even so, Prince Chungshun still had to be grateful for the emperor's favor.

It seems that this kind of life had a significant impact on Prince Zhongshun's mind, otherwise he wouldn't have caused such a big scandal. It's likely that there was also a sense of relaxation involved.

Now that we've stumbled upon Jia Huan, the strategist of the Rong Mansion, we naturally have to question him thoroughly.

Master Zheng might not care about Jia Huan, after all, they are father and son. But if something really happens, Jia Huan can't possibly remain indifferent, and this incident is the best proof of that.

It was clearly his elder brother Jia Baoyu who caused this trouble, yet he was the first to jump in and take responsibility!

The purpose was very clear: to nip the problem in the bud.

If the initiative falls into the hands of the Prince's Mansion, Prince Zhongshun knows he will definitely cause some trouble.

Putting everything else aside, it's certain that they'll humiliate the second master of the Rong family, who's in charge of household affairs. After all, the two families are at odds, and Jia Huan probably won't be able to escape then.

Prince Zhongshun knew the true level of Master Zheng's abilities, but he was quite wary of the bad ideas Jia Huan had given him.

When he pressed for the repayment of the national treasury's debts, he only wanted to humiliate the Second Master Zheng. However, Jia Huan seized the opportunity to make a big fuss, and in the end, he couldn't even keep his title of Prince.

If Jia Huan comes up with another wicked scheme this time, just like he said before, and asks Consort Yuan in the palace to file a complaint, even Prince Zhongshun himself will be in trouble.

That's why it's said that Prince Zhongshun is somewhat envious of Lord Zheng.

Jia Huan is clearly a remarkable strategist, which is quite rare in such peaceful times.

Fortunately, things didn't develop to that point, otherwise Prince Zhongshun would have been completely at a loss. That would have been a truly difficult situation, caught in a limbo.

Of course, if things really come to that point, Prince Zhongshun will definitely spare no effort to kill everyone in the Rong family, otherwise how can he live a peaceful life in the future?

"Kid, watch your mouth!"

Prince Zhongshun, unable to contain his temper, angrily retorted, "Why say such harsh things?"

"Didn't Your Highness want me to talk about your situation? I'll just tell you directly!"

Jia Huan looked innocent and asked in confusion, "Could it be that Your Highness can only hear good things and can't stand bad things?"

"Okay, then tell me how we can get out of this awkward situation?"

Prince Zhongshun gritted his teeth and said, "If you can't give me a reason, you'd better stay in the Prince's mansion for ten days or half a month. You'll scare your father to death!"

That's a really vicious trick!

Jia Huan was surprised that Prince Zhongshun had grasped the key point so quickly, and couldn't help but admire the man's abilities.

If such a thing were to happen, one can imagine that Master Zheng would be extremely anxious.

What would ultimately happen was something even Jia Huan himself couldn't predict. After all, the old lady and Lady Wang were in the household; who knew what they might do?

There's a saying in modern times that goes something like this: never test someone's humanity, or you'll only end up getting hurt. Jia Huan wouldn't use this matter to test the conscience of the core members of the Rong Mansion.

"It's very simple for Your Highness to resolve this awkward situation!"

Jia Huan collected his thoughts and calmly said, "Don't follow the current rules; just find another path to develop!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Prince Zhongshun looked on in astonishment. Damn it, did it have to be so easy? It made him look like an idiot.

"The meaning is very simple!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "Within the Great Qian territory, where would Your Highness find the opportunity to wield power?"

"But if we could break free from the confines of the Great Qian Dynasty and establish our own kingdom anywhere, wouldn't it be incredibly awesome to be the boss?"

It was as if thunder was rolling in Prince Zhongshun's ears, and he was so shocked that he couldn't recover for a long time.

"You...you mean, find an opportunity to become emperor outside of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

As he spoke, his tongue was trembling and his mouth was shaking violently, but his eyes were shining brightly.

"To become emperor? Your Highness, you're dreaming."

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "If you didn't have a quarter of the Great Qian's territory and tens of millions of people as your foundation, would you dare call yourself emperor?"

These words made Prince Zhongshun so agitated that he turned red in the face and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Jia Huan was a little worried that the fat man might suddenly have a blood vessel burst and become paralyzed. If that happened, he would have no choice but to flee for his life. He could still run away if he wanted to, as long as the guards of the Prince's Mansion weren't too strong.

Fortunately, such a blunder did not occur. Prince Zhongshun eventually recovered and said irritably, "What use would I be to this barbaric land beyond the reach of civilization?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, it's one thing to fool the common people who don't know the inside story with these words, but how could Your Highness believe them yourself? Isn't that just being stupid?"

Jia Huan was genuinely surprised and asked curiously, "If it were simply a barbarian land outside the realm of civilization, what could those barbarians from that land have to compare with the two most powerful empires during the Han and Tang dynasties' golden age?"

"Given the vast territory of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial library should have recorded it!"

He continued, "If the several khanates that the Golden Family dispersed into were all in remote, uncivilized areas, how could those khanate kings possibly agree to that?"

A series of questions left Prince Zhongshun completely bewildered.

"Tsk tsk, Your Highness, I think you should read more books!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "You don't understand anything. Even if I explained it to you clearly, you still wouldn't understand!"

These words once again greatly agitated Prince Zhongshun, leaving him speechless.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say!"

Before the fellow could react, Jia Huan said directly, "Your Highness, you mustn't break your promise regarding Jiang Yuhan's matter. Please, Chief Secretary, bring Jiang Yuhan's indenture as soon as possible!"

Prince Zhongshun was full of thoughts. He actually had many questions he wanted to ask, but he was afraid of showing his ignorance in front of Jia Huan.

As a member of the royal family, he still has his pride. He can't really break his promise. Otherwise, he'll be at a loss when he needs Jia Huan's advice later.