If Duke Zhen were a fool and unable to endure, the Duke Zhen Country Mansion would be finished.
"After testing the Emperor and Empress, Duke Zhen and the Crown Prince will behave for a while."
"What about your fourth brother?"
"The Crown Prince and Duke Zhen won’t pay attention to my fourth brother for now because, in their eyes, he is just a pawn to balance between them and Prince Dai," Zhao Yao said. "Even if they move against him, it won’t be now, as the Emperor intends to elevate him." This is a good thing for him.
"However, once he is granted a principality and has fiefdoms, it would be different if he stays in the capital like our third brother." Alas, he hopes his fourth brother will go to his fiefdom immediately after being titled, keeping away from the capital’s intrigues. Yet, he also hopes his fourth brother remains in the capital, as he can’t bear the thought of him leaving.
"Will your father keep the fourth prince in the capital?"
"I’m not sure." The Emperor now promotes him to counterbalance the Crown Prince and Prince Dai; he may not let him go to his fiefdom. But, he always wanted to go to his own fiefdom to fulfill his ambitions and benefit the common people. "If I were him, I would leave the capital the day after being titled a prince."
"Your time to leave the capital is still far off."
Mentioning this matter, Zhao Yao’s shoulders fell, and his young face was filled with displeasure.
"Sigh, those who want to leave can’t, and those who don’t want to leave are forced to go; fate truly mocks us."
He Lianfang found this amusing and threw an apple core at Zhao Yao.
"What nonsense for something so trivial?"
Zhao Yao caught the apple core with a smile, "I was just lamenting."
Seeing it was getting late, he rose to take his leave of He Lianfang. "Second Uncle, it’s getting dark. I should return."
He Lianfang nodded slightly. "Be safe on your way."
After leaving He Lianfang’s residence, Zhao Yao did not hurry back to Liang Run’s place but first strolled around the West Market. Follow current novᴇls on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥
In these two years, more and more people from the Western Regions came to the capital to do business. In the West Market, one could often see Westerners with exotic clothes and sharp features.
Zhao Yao loved the lively and bustling atmosphere of the West Market. He wandered around with Tong Xi, buying things to eat.
Suddenly, Tong Xi spotted someone. "Your Highness, isn’t that Yu Hai over there?"
Zhao Yao followed Tong Xi’s direction and indeed saw Yu Hai, along with someone familiar. He couldn’t immediately recall who the familiar person was, but they looked recognizable.
"Your Highness, isn’t that the son of Kong Taichang?" Tong Xi’s memory proved reliable.
Hearing Tong Xi’s words, Zhao Yao remembered.
"Your Highness, why would Yu Hai be with the son of Kong Taichang?" Tong Xi asked again. "Should we follow them?"
"What’s the point of following them?" Zhao Yao, though curious about why Yu Hai was with Kong Yuan, decided not to follow. If Yu Hai noticed he was being trailed, it would be hard to explain. "Let’s leave quickly before Yu Hai sees us."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Zhao Yao led Tong Xi through the crowd. Just as they turned to leave, Yu Hai glanced over.
Yu Hai felt someone watching him, so he looked back warily. Fortunately, Zhao Yao and his group left in time, or they would have been spotted.
Without hanging around the street, they returned to Liang Run’s residence.
Now an Imperial Merchant, Liang Run’s living situation in a small courtyard in an alley was inappropriate. Last year, he spent some money to buy a large house in the West Market. Of course, compared to the mansions of East Market officials, it was still quite small.
In the study, Zhao Yao thought about the scene he had just witnessed.
"Sigh, Eighth Brother is really getting more and more adept." He hadn’t expected him to have any dealings with Kong Yuan.
"Your Highness, what’s with the Eighth Prince and Kong Taichang’s son?" Tong Xi suddenly seemed shocked. "The Eighth Prince having a relationship with him, that’s impressive!"
Liang Run was amused by Tong Xi’s words. "It’s probably not just a simple relationship."
"Thinking about it , the proposal to worship Kong Kangda must have come from Eighth Brother." Eighth Brother’s objective was probably more than testing the Emperor’s attitude, similar to Duke Zhen.
No, Eighth Brother’s intent must be more profound.
Looking long-term, Eighth Brother intends to use the Kong Family to contend against the Li Family.
"How could Kong Taichang’s son pledge allegiance to the Eighth Prince?" On the surface, the Eighth Prince had no power or influence, so why would Kong Yuan, as the heir of the Kong Family, seek allegiance with an underprivileged prince?