The Dragon’s Loyal Subject (Part Three)
With the creation of the cabinet, both the eldest prince and the second prince wanted to have a say in its formation.
Unfortunately, Emperor Ning was very guarded and secretive of his selections, and none of the officials chosen were ordinary subjects. They were left with no way to interfere.
It was only then that the two understood that Emperor Ning moving away from a prime minister in favor of establishing a cabinet was not just a result of his loss of faith in Yin Shuo. More importantly, he was defending himself against his two sons.
The two met outside the prime minister’s manor, and it was as if they had come across their bitter rival.
“Oh, why has eldest brother also come?”
The second prince acted as if he was part of the family, “What a coincidence, have you also come to see DanYang?”
The eldest prince glanced at him and faintly smiled, “I came to see our imperial sister and our brother-in-law. What does second brother intend to say?”
He was reminding the second prince that Princess DanYang was also his younger sister, and Yin Shuo was also his brother-in-law.
The second prince smiled, “Naturally, I don’t. But I will be going to see DanYang first. She is a newlywed and has just arrived at the prime minister’s manor. There are many things that are inconvenient for her. As siblings born from the same mother, it’s natural that there would be things that she can only tell me.”
The eldest prince sneered, “Then you go and visit DanYang. I’ll go and have a chat with Prime Minister Yin.”
After saying this, he walked off. The second prince was left behind, unable to understand what was going through his head.
He initially thought that Ning YiZhao had come to visit DanYang for the sake of keeping up appearances and displaying his bearing as the elder brother. Who knew that mentioning that they had been born from the same mother would be enough for him to leave on his own.
Could it be… That he really had been planning to see Yin Shuo?
With these questions in mind, the second prince followed a servant inside and headed to the Eastern Courtyard.
Along the way, he saw that the prime minister’s manor was vast. He also found that the vegetation was tended to more properly, as they approached the Eastern Courtyard. Even the buildings had a unique air to them.
The Eastern Courtyard that Princess DanYang lived in was even more exquisite. Although it was not as magnificent as the imperial palace, it was still quite refined.
The second prince could not help but praise it, “This place is far better than my second prince’s manor. The Yin family truly has been here for many generations, as everything in the manor seems to have some history. DanYang, what could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
Princess DanYang ordered for the palace maids to bring out the tea and snacks then had everyone dismissed to stand guard outside.
“Second brother, I asked you to come to discuss an official matter. It’s not to complain about some trifles!”
The second prince said: “Don’t be in such a rush. I need to ask you something first. Did you also invite Ning YiZhao to the manor?”
Princess DanYang was stunned, “Of course not, what would I invite him for? He and second brother are bitter rivals, while second brother and I are siblings born from the same mother. How could I possibly care about him? Being polite to him is just a matter of keeping up appearances.”
The second prince nodded, “I ran into him when I arrived, and he said that he had come to see you and Yin Shuo, while I would be coming here to see you. He then headed off to see Yin Shuo. If you have something to say, say it quickly. After you’ve finished, I’ll go and see what’s happening with Yin Shuo’s side and see what Ning YiZhao is planning!”
Princess DanYang cautiously looked around to verify that the windows and doors were tightly closed then lowered her voice, “Yin Shuo has a younger sister called Yin JiYao. Yesterday, she told me something…”
The eldest prince stood in the outer study and looked around.
Other families’ studies tended to be large and bright, while the prime minister’s manor’s study was particularly different. It was dim and gloomy.
Behind the desk was a large window that was partially opened. A bit of light shone in through the window, giving the study a look as if there was a secret that must not be known hidden within.
This sort of atmosphere made him feel very uncomfortable.
Yin Shuo walked in and ordered the servants to bring out the tea and some snacks, “Eldest prince, please sit.”
Seeing that he had a strange expression, he smiled and said: “My place is very simple, and there are usually very few guests. That’s why I had it arranged according to my preferences. Does Your Highness feel uncomfortable?”
The eldest prince smiled without revealing anything, “It’s fine. Prime minister must be joking. Regardless of whether it’s your esteemed father or you, as civil officials of Eastern Ling’s court, how could your manor’s study not have many guests?”
Yin Shuo sat down across from him, “The prime minister’s manor is indeed a place that has many guests, but regardless of whether it’s me or my father, we would not allow them into the outer study so freely. Not to mention outsiders, but not even Princess DanYang has been allowed enter after marrying into the manor.”
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince became pensive. He raised his head and carefully observed Yin Shuo.
Yin Shuo boldly allowed him to carry out his observations. It seemed as though he did not know what he was thinking, and this continued until the eldest prince averted his gaze.
He looked at the eldest prince, and the latter reservedly said: “Then would the second prince have permission to enter this study?”
Their eyes met. The two were people who stood at the top of the court system, and they were currently feeling each other out.
After a long while, Yin Shuo said: “He would not.”
A faint look of joy appeared in the eldest prince’s eyes, but it quickly vanished, “DanYang and the second prince are born of the same mother. Has prime minister made a mistake with regards to who is related to whom?”
Yin Shuo knew what he was wondering, “That’s a matter of DanYang’s blood relations. How is that related to me? Eldest prince wouldn’t think that I would possibly consider helping the elder brother of a woman who looks down on me and has humiliated me countless times, right?”
The eldest prince’s eye twitched. He did not expect him to be so direct, “Because DanYang humiliated you, you want to get revenge against her. That’s why you don’t want to help the second prince and would rather help this prince?”
Yin Shuo smiled and slightly nodded, “That is indeed the case.”
The eldest prince was direct, “How can I trust that you are being earnest and that this isn’t some plot that you and the second prince came up with? When I arrived, I happened to run into the second prince. For the prime minister’s manor to invite the both of us at the same time, what is the meaning of this?”
Yin Shuo did not know that this had happened. After thinking for a bit, he knew that Princess DanYang had invited the second prince.
His attitude yesterday had annoyed her, and she wanted to get back at him but did not dare to tell Emperor Ning about it. She had no choice but to call the second prince to discuss it.
His judgment had been correct. Even if Princess DanYang had a hold of something that could be used against him, she would not dare to carelessly make use of it.
Yin Shuo said: “I don’t know anything about the second prince’s matters, but I have a way to make eldest prince trust that I am being earnest and not plotting something.”
“What is that way?”
“Based on the fact that I know the truth behind His Majesty’s severe illness yet did not expose it, eldest prince should be able to trust my earnestness, right?”
The eldest prince lowered his gaze and just stared at the cup of tea in his hands.
After hearing what the person from the prime minister’s manor had said the previous day, he had trouble sleeping at night. He imagined all sorts of situations where Yin Shuo knew about the truth of the situation and used it to reach some sort of goal.
He thought all night about how to deal with the situation. Now that he was sitting in front of Yin Shuo, he was unable to control the uncertainty filling his heart.
Through his stiff facial expression, Yin Shuo could see the dread in his heart.
Killing emperor and father, as a prince, was the most serious accusation possible. Once the truth was revealed, the eldest prince’s life would be completely ruined.
After a moment of silence, Yin Shuo slowly said: “There’s no need for eldest prince to be nervous. Since I have invited you here to discuss this matter, I have no intention of exposing you. If I was to expose you, who would help me vent?”
The eldest prince kept his head down for a long time before he slowly looked up at Yin Shuo.
The corners of his mouth twitched, “Prime minister does not seem like the type of person to do this sort of thing. You would rather choose me over the second prince, someone who is closer to you by marriage, for the sake of getting back at some girl? Who could possibly believe such a thing?”
His argument had some logic behind it.
“If prime minister is such a rash person, should you not have refused the engagement when father Emperor offered it?”
That he did not refuse it back then made it clear that there was a problem.
Yin Shuo said: “Of course, it’s not just to get back at some girl; however, there is also no need to consider the relations obtained through marrying her, thus there is no need for me to choose to support the second prince. I, Yin Shuo, am a talented and intelligent person, and I am clearly one of His Majesty’s loyal subjects, so why would I have to rely on the girl who insists on trampling me underfoot?”
His Majesty’s loyal subject!
The eldest prince’s entire body trembled and was only able to respond after a long pause, “Good, good… Prime minister has grand ambitions. This prince admires it.”
“What this subject wants is not your admiration but your acceptance. As long as Your Highness the eldest prince is willing to accept me, I have plenty of ways to help you ascend the throne!”
The eldest prince said: “You’re helping me, so what benefits do you hope to gain?”
Yin Shuo straightened up his back and earnestly said: “With the covenant established today, you and I will have a ruler-subject relationship. Your Highness is fair in rewarding subjects and punishing them, and you are more casual than the second prince, who flaunts his status as the child born of the empress. I trust that after Your Highness ascends, you definitely will not forget about the subjects who have helped you along the way.”
The eldest prince thought for a moment, “Very well, once it has happened, I will tear down the cabinet that father Emperor has established and return the rights to the prime minister. Are you satisfied with this promise?”
There have been plenty of cases where a previous system has been discarded when a new emperor ascends the throne. It would not be considered rare.
Yin Shuo smiled with satisfaction, “Aside from this, I have another condition. As long as Your Highness agrees, you will quickly be able to obtain what you desire.”
The Dragon’s Loyal Subject (Part Three)
With the creation of the cabinet, both the eldest prince and the second prince wanted to have a say in its formation.
Unfortunately, Emperor Ning was very guarded and secretive of his selections, and none of the officials chosen were ordinary subjects. They were left with no way to interfere.
It was only then that the two understood that Emperor Ning moving away from a prime minister in favor of establishing a cabinet was not just a result of his loss of faith in Yin Shuo. More importantly, he was defending himself against his two sons.
The two met outside the prime minister’s manor, and it was as if they had come across their bitter rival.
“Oh, why has eldest brother also come?”
The second prince acted as if he was part of the family, “What a coincidence, have you also come to see DanYang?”
The eldest prince glanced at him and faintly smiled, “I came to see our imperial sister and our brother-in-law. What does second brother intend to say?”
He was reminding the second prince that Princess DanYang was also his younger sister, and Yin Shuo was also his brother-in-law.
The second prince smiled, “Naturally, I don’t. But I will be going to see DanYang first. She is a newlywed and has just arrived at the prime minister’s manor. There are many things that are inconvenient for her. As siblings born from the same mother, it’s natural that there would be things that she can only tell me.”
The eldest prince sneered, “Then you go and visit DanYang. I’ll go and have a chat with Prime Minister Yin.”
After saying this, he walked off. The second prince was left behind, unable to understand what was going through his head.
He initially thought that Ning YiZhao had come to visit DanYang for the sake of keeping up appearances and displaying his bearing as the elder brother. Who knew that mentioning that they had been born from the same mother would be enough for him to leave on his own.
Could it be… That he really had been planning to see Yin Shuo?
With these questions in mind, the second prince followed a servant inside and headed to the Eastern Courtyard.
Along the way, he saw that the prime minister’s manor was vast. He also found that the vegetation was tended to more properly, as they approached the Eastern Courtyard. Even the buildings had a unique air to them.
The Eastern Courtyard that Princess DanYang lived in was even more exquisite. Although it was not as magnificent as the imperial palace, it was still quite refined.
The second prince could not help but praise it, “This place is far better than my second prince’s manor. The Yin family truly has been here for many generations, as everything in the manor seems to have some history. DanYang, what could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
Princess DanYang ordered for the palace maids to bring out the tea and snacks then had everyone dismissed to stand guard outside.
“Second brother, I asked you to come to discuss an official matter. It’s not to complain about some trifles!”
The second prince said: “Don’t be in such a rush. I need to ask you something first. Did you also invite Ning YiZhao to the manor?”
Princess DanYang was stunned, “Of course not, what would I invite him for? He and second brother are bitter rivals, while second brother and I are siblings born from the same mother. How could I possibly care about him? Being polite to him is just a matter of keeping up appearances.”
The second prince nodded, “I ran into him when I arrived, and he said that he had come to see you and Yin Shuo, while I would be coming here to see you. He then headed off to see Yin Shuo. If you have something to say, say it quickly. After you’ve finished, I’ll go and see what’s happening with Yin Shuo’s side and see what Ning YiZhao is planning!”
Princess DanYang cautiously looked around to verify that the windows and doors were tightly closed then lowered her voice, “Yin Shuo has a younger sister called Yin JiYao. Yesterday, she told me something…”
The eldest prince stood in the outer study and looked around.
Other families’ studies tended to be large and bright, while the prime minister’s manor’s study was particularly different. It was dim and gloomy.
Behind the desk was a large window that was partially opened. A bit of light shone in through the window, giving the study a look as if there was a secret that must not be known hidden within.
This sort of atmosphere made him feel very uncomfortable.
Yin Shuo walked in and ordered the servants to bring out the tea and some snacks, “Eldest prince, please sit.”
Seeing that he had a strange expression, he smiled and said: “My place is very simple, and there are usually very few guests. That’s why I had it arranged according to my preferences. Does Your Highness feel uncomfortable?”
The eldest prince smiled without revealing anything, “It’s fine. Prime minister must be joking. Regardless of whether it’s your esteemed father or you, as civil officials of Eastern Ling’s court, how could your manor’s study not have many guests?”
Yin Shuo sat down across from him, “The prime minister’s manor is indeed a place that has many guests, but regardless of whether it’s me or my father, we would not allow them into the outer study so freely. Not to mention outsiders, but not even Princess DanYang has been allowed enter after marrying into the manor.”
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince became pensive. He raised his head and carefully observed Yin Shuo.
Yin Shuo boldly allowed him to carry out his observations. It seemed as though he did not know what he was thinking, and this continued until the eldest prince averted his gaze.
He looked at the eldest prince, and the latter reservedly said: “Then would the second prince have permission to enter this study?”
Their eyes met. The two were people who stood at the top of the court system, and they were currently feeling each other out.
After a long while, Yin Shuo said: “He would not.”
A faint look of joy appeared in the eldest prince’s eyes, but it quickly vanished, “DanYang and the second prince are born of the same mother. Has prime minister made a mistake with regards to who is related to whom?”
Yin Shuo knew what he was wondering, “That’s a matter of DanYang’s blood relations. How is that related to me? Eldest prince wouldn’t think that I would possibly consider helping the elder brother of a woman who looks down on me and has humiliated me countless times, right?”
The eldest prince’s eye twitched. He did not expect him to be so direct, “Because DanYang humiliated you, you want to get revenge against her. That’s why you don’t want to help the second prince and would rather help this prince?”
Yin Shuo smiled and slightly nodded, “That is indeed the case.”
The eldest prince was direct, “How can I trust that you are being earnest and that this isn’t some plot that you and the second prince came up with? When I arrived, I happened to run into the second prince. For the prime minister’s manor to invite the both of us at the same time, what is the meaning of this?”
Yin Shuo did not know that this had happened. After thinking for a bit, he knew that Princess DanYang had invited the second prince.
His attitude yesterday had annoyed her, and she wanted to get back at him but did not dare to tell Emperor Ning about it. She had no choice but to call the second prince to discuss it.
His judgment had been correct. Even if Princess DanYang had a hold of something that could be used against him, she would not dare to carelessly make use of it.
Yin Shuo said: “I don’t know anything about the second prince’s matters, but I have a way to make eldest prince trust that I am being earnest and not plotting something.”
“What is that way?”
“Based on the fact that I know the truth behind His Majesty’s severe illness yet did not expose it, eldest prince should be able to trust my earnestness, right?”
The eldest prince lowered his gaze and just stared at the cup of tea in his hands.
After hearing what the person from the prime minister’s manor had said the previous day, he had trouble sleeping at night. He imagined all sorts of situations where Yin Shuo knew about the truth of the situation and used it to reach some sort of goal.
He thought all night about how to deal with the situation. Now that he was sitting in front of Yin Shuo, he was unable to control the uncertainty filling his heart.
Through his stiff facial expression, Yin Shuo could see the dread in his heart.
Killing emperor and father, as a prince, was the most serious accusation possible. Once the truth was revealed, the eldest prince’s life would be completely ruined.
After a moment of silence, Yin Shuo slowly said: “There’s no need for eldest prince to be nervous. Since I have invited you here to discuss this matter, I have no intention of exposing you. If I was to expose you, who would help me vent?”
The eldest prince kept his head down for a long time before he slowly looked up at Yin Shuo.
The corners of his mouth twitched, “Prime minister does not seem like the type of person to do this sort of thing. You would rather choose me over the second prince, someone who is closer to you by marriage, for the sake of getting back at some girl? Who could possibly believe such a thing?”
His argument had some logic behind it.
“If prime minister is such a rash person, should you not have refused the engagement when father Emperor offered it?”
That he did not refuse it back then made it clear that there was a problem.
Yin Shuo said: “Of course, it’s not just to get back at some girl; however, there is also no need to consider the relations obtained through marrying her, thus there is no need for me to choose to support the second prince. I, Yin Shuo, am a talented and intelligent person, and I am clearly one of His Majesty’s loyal subjects, so why would I have to rely on the girl who insists on trampling me underfoot?”
His Majesty’s loyal subject!
The eldest prince’s entire body trembled and was only able to respond after a long pause, “Good, good… Prime minister has grand ambitions. This prince admires it.”
“What this subject wants is not your admiration but your acceptance. As long as Your Highness the eldest prince is willing to accept me, I have plenty of ways to help you ascend the throne!”
The eldest prince said: “You’re helping me, so what benefits do you hope to gain?”
Yin Shuo straightened up his back and earnestly said: “With the covenant established today, you and I will have a ruler-subject relationship. Your Highness is fair in rewarding subjects and punishing them, and you are more casual than the second prince, who flaunts his status as the child born of the empress. I trust that after Your Highness ascends, you definitely will not forget about the subjects who have helped you along the way.”
The eldest prince thought for a moment, “Very well, once it has happened, I will tear down the cabinet that father Emperor has established and return the rights to the prime minister. Are you satisfied with this promise?”
There have been plenty of cases where a previous system has been discarded when a new emperor ascends the throne. It would not be considered rare.
Yin Shuo smiled with satisfaction, “Aside from this, I have another condition. As long as Your Highness agrees, you will quickly be able to obtain what you desire.”
