Song Zhiyuan arrived at Yangxin Hall to meet the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Song is here," Eunuch Zhou reminded.
As Song Zhiyuan walked into the great hall, Emperor Chu just put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand and greeted him, "You’ve come at a perfect time, take a look at how this character is written."
Song Zhiyuan approached, and a character "Loyalty" written in clerical script presented itself on the paper, the brush strokes powerful enough to nearly penetrate the paper, solemn and meticulous.
"Magnificent and grand, Your Majesty’s calligraphy is, as always, a rare treasure."
Emperor Chu raised an eyebrow and said, "Shall I bestow this piece upon you?"
The brow of Eunuch Zhou behind them twitched as he looked at Song Zhiyuan.
To bestow the character "Loyalty", what underlying meaning could this have?
Song Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised too, then cupped his hands and said, "I thank Your Majesty for the bestowal."
Emperor Chu gave a light hum, "Have it mounted properly, and then it will be granted. You came at a good time; we were just talking about your grand old lady."
"Hmm?" Talking about his mother?
"The Dowager invited Commandery Princess Dongyang to your estate as a guest, did you not know?" Emperor Chu looked at him.
Song Zhiyuan was somewhat astonished, "My mother? How could she know Commandery Princess Dongyang?"
Emperor Chu kept observing his facial expression and seeing his genuine surprise, he laughed, "They say they met on the way to Songshan Temple when Dongyang had just entered the capital that day, wasn’t she the one who saved your little brother?"
Song Zhiyuan frowned, "What does that have to do with my mother?"
"Fate works in mysterious ways, Commandery Princess Dongyang and the Dowager just felt an instant kinship, and she accepted the invitation to stay at your estate for a day. You knew nothing of this?"
Song Zhiyuan shook his head, "I heard Master Jinghui was giving a lecture, so my mother took a few children to an estate near Songshan Temple to escape the summer heat and listen to the lecture, but I didn’t know there was this matter."
In his heart, however, there was a chill; could it be that the character "Loyalty" was given for this reason?
Yet Emperor Chu did not dwell on this matter; he shifted the topic and asked his purpose of coming.
Song Zhiyuan gathered his thoughts and said, "For Your Majesty’s Longevity Festival, the Ministry of Rites drafted a list for receiving the delegations from Korea and the Mongolian Tribe."
He took out a folded memorial from his sleeve and handed it up with both hands.
Emperor Chu took it and glanced at it, half-squinting his eyes, "Drafted by Li Jin?"
Song Zhiyuan did not answer, the names on that list, and who decided them, were quite clear.
"Old Third’s future father-in-law seems to be planning quite well for his future son-in-law," Emperor Chu said with a laugh.
Though he was laughing, both Song Zhiyuan and Eunuch Zhou felt a chill in the great hall.
Song Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, and there was the Third Prince’s name on the list—this hosting duty, if done well, would also earn him a good reputation among the officials.
"What do you think?" Emperor Chu asked.
Song Zhiyuan replied, "The Princes are all grown, and soon to be married; it’s time for them to take on duties. Furthermore, the Eldest Prince’s marriage has been nearly two years, yet his residence is still the Eldest Imperial Prince Mansion."
His words implied that the Princes should be conferred kingship, especially the Eldest Prince, who has been married for two years and yet to be made a king, the greatest grievance lies with him.
"Who suggested this to you?"
"No one, it is my own suggestion, Your Majesty, the children have grown." Song Zhiyuan faced the scrutinizing eyes of Emperor Chu without flinching, accepting it calmly.
Emperor Chu gave a cold hum.
Great, now a little tantrum was ensuing.
Song Zhiyuan said, "Children from ordinary families long started earning a living outside, Your Majesty, you can’t let them enjoy the privileges of the Royal Family for a lifetime without allowing them to work! Spoiling children is akin to harming them, it’s the same for the Imperial Family."
The other point is, without evaluating the abilities of several princes early on, how will you determine who shall succeed the throne in the future?