PFC Chapter 29: The prince is here to help?
Chapter 29: The prince is here to help?
Another month passed, and Gu Jingzhi's life was uneventful.
As for Qu Feiyan, she said she came to help him during the past month, but she was often nowhere to be seen, leaving early and returning late every day.
This is not about helping him, it's just about living in his yard for free.
That day, Gu Jingzhi was at work when suddenly an imperial edict was issued.
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees: The Imperial Academy is to compile and edit the documents. Secretary Gu Jingzhi will serve as deputy envoy for the reception of the Beili and Liyue delegations, assisting the Crown Prince in managing the two delegations' stay in the capital..."
Barabara...
After a while, the imperial edict was read out.
The eunuch who announced the imperial edict placed it in Gu Jingzhi's hand and said, "Little Master Gu, His Majesty has summoned you. Please follow us!"
"Please wait a moment, sir!"
Gu Jingzhi received the imperial edict and followed the eunuch to the imperial study amid the astonished gazes of his colleagues.
As soon as he arrived at the Imperial Study, he saw the Crown Prince standing beside him. After Gu Jingzhi paid his respects to Emperor Xia and the Crown Prince, Emperor Xia spoke:
"The envoys from the Beili Dynasty and Liyue Kingdom are expected to arrive in the capital tomorrow. I have ordered the Crown Prince to be fully responsible for receiving the envoys. Gu Qing, please cooperate..."
"The minister obeys the order!"
Gu Jingzhi didn't ask any more questions.
There are two countries in the north, one is the prime minister and the other is the eldest prince!
According to reception etiquette, Da Xia must at least send a prince or prime minister, but Emperor Xia and Gu Jingzhi have reached a consensus, and Song Pu has different ideas from them.
The prince...
It seemed that he had the same idea as Song Pu, so after thinking about it, he decided to let the prince handle the matter.
Although the crown prince of a country is responsible for the reception of the delegation, there is nothing wrong with raising the standards by half a level. It can only be said that Daxia attaches importance to the envoys from the two countries.
"Prince..."
Emperor Xia suddenly shouted.
When the prince heard this, he immediately said respectfully, "Father, I am here!"
"Although you are the chief envoy and the Crown Prince for this delegation's reception... the specific content and arrangements for the negotiations with the two countries will be handled by Mr. Gu. Do you understand?"
Ga?
The prince was shocked.
It turns out that his title of envoy was only due to his high status, and he did not have the final say on the specific content and arrangements of the negotiations!
what is this?
The prince glanced at Gu Jingzhi unwillingly, then said to the emperor, "Father, I think this is inappropriate!"
"Oh? What's wrong with that?"
"Your Majesty, I also think it is inappropriate!"
Gu Jingzhi quickly jumped out and said, "The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne of Great Xia and holds a noble status. If this arrangement were to become known to the court and the people, it would only damage the reputation of the royal family!"
The Crown Prince followed suit and said, "Father, Master Gu's intention is exactly what I want! It's not that I'm disobeying your will, but it concerns the reputation of our royal family. This..."
"..."
Emperor Xia looked at the two of them and saw that Gu Jingzhi was not looking away and had a respectful expression. He immediately understood what he was thinking and said, "It's okay..."
Emperor Xia suddenly picked up a gold medal from the imperial desk: "Gu Qing..."
"His Majesty……"
When Gu Jingzhi saw the gold medal, his face suddenly changed. He glanced at the prince and saw that he was also surprised!
Emperor Xia handed the gold medal to Gu Jingzhi, but turned his head to the Crown Prince and said, "As the Crown Prince, you should know the principle of specialization. I have already asked you to plan this matter for a long time. Although it may seem embarrassing for you to let you preside over the negotiations..."
"However, as the crown prince, you should be dignified! If you are dignified enough, why would you worry about your ministers stealing your limelight?"
The Crown Prince's face changed. He didn't understand what Emperor Xia meant for a moment, but since the words had been spoken, he naturally could not refute them anymore. Instead, he said respectfully, "Your son obeys the order!"
"Well!"
Emperor Xia nodded, then looked at Gu Jingzhi: "Mr. Gu, are you still not going to accept the order?"
"My lord, thank you for your kindness!"
Gu Jingzhi took the token with both hands. Emperor Xia said, "During the negotiation, you can enter and leave the palace at will with my token, and you can also call upon the Inner Guard at any time! I..."
“Just the results!”
Gu Jingzhi was startled when he heard this and immediately said, "Your Majesty, I will definitely not let you down!"
The prince stood aside and watched this scene. Even if he was stupid, he could understand what the two people were talking about.
It seemed that his father and Gu Jingzhi had already reached a conclusion about the matter of the two countries' delegations. It was just that Gu Jingzhi was afraid that he did not express all his thoughts on the previous occasion.
Although he is the crown prince, he appears in front of his father less often than Gu Jingzhi. It is normal that he does not know what they are discussing!
However, he really couldn't understand what Emperor Xia had just said.
The prince left the imperial study in a daze and went straight back to the East Palace. When Princess Qiao Shuwan saw him, she immediately stood up and said, "It's just right that your highness has returned. Jiu'er is visiting us!"
"Ajiu?"
The Crown Prince's expression suddenly dawned on him. He looked at the woman behind the Crown Princess, who was about twenty years old but extremely noble. He smiled and said, "Ajiu, how come you have time to come to my house today?"
"I haven't come to see Sister Qiao for a while, but today I thought about it and came over!"
Ah Jiu smiled and bowed to the Crown Prince: "Le Huang greets the Crown Prince!"
"Hey……"
The prince gave her a false support and said, "You have been raised by our mother since you were little. We were like siblings. Even though our mother is gone now, our brotherly love has never changed. There is no need to be so formal in my house!"
As he spoke, he said with a stern face: "As for you, since you went to the Princess's Mansion, we haven't been in touch much in these years..."
Ah Jiu smiled gently, "Brother Crown Prince has entered the court to participate in government affairs. He is usually very busy with official duties. How can I disturb him?"
"You, you, you!"
The prince shook his head helplessly.
Seeing Ajiu, he couldn't help but think of his mother, Empress Wende.
Ah Jiu's full name is Jin Le Huang, also known as Princess Le Huang! She claims to be the adopted daughter of Empress Wende, but in reality, she is the last princess of the Yun Kingdom royal family.
When the Yun Kingdom was destroyed in the early years, Emperor Xia was grateful for the Yun Kingdom's contribution to his country's surrender. Ajiuyou was still in his infancy, and he could not bear to see the last bloodline of the Yun Kingdom fall into the hands of the people, so he adopted him and raised him under the care of Empress Wende.
This is also the reason why Ajiu has a good relationship with the prince.
Thinking of his biological mother, Empress Wende, the prince sighed softly in his heart.
If his mother had not passed away, how could he, the crown prince, be in such a difficult situation now?
The second son has the support of aristocratic families. His biological mother is the current Queen Wu. With the support of the Wu family, in just a few years, the second son's influence in the court is no less than that of the crown prince.
Of course he understood that Wu's ascension to the throne was a means for his father to appease the aristocratic families.
But this made it difficult for him to be the crown prince.
If Emperor Xia had not still remembered his old relationship with Empress Wende, he would have been deposed as the crown prince long ago.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh.
Seeing this, the Crown Princess couldn't help but worry and asked, "Your Highness is so worried, but what happened?"