The Rebirth Of The General Who Always Sees Himself As A Replacement

Chapter 72: I’m The Crown Prince Of The Eastern Palace.

“But when you’re hesitating, what are you thinking about, or who are you thinking about?”

The bright moon stood undisturbed over the suddenly quiet and profound courtyard. Mu Zhiming, at that moment, stood frozen in place. He seemed to be earnestly thinking about something, as he rested his gaze on the bamboo forest in front of him with a lost look in his eyes.

Wen Heyin carefully called out to Mu Zhiming, so as not to upset him: “Young Master?”

Mu Zhiming abruptly came to his senses. However, for some reason, he appeared dazed and his eyes exposed his nervousness: “What? What’s wrong?”

Wen Heyin pointed to the mahogany food box on the stone table and said: “Young Master, eat some pastries. Hunger can affect you.”

“Pas—pastries? Ah…. yeah, all right….” Mu Zhiming took a couple of deep breaths, looked at Wen Heyin and said, “A’Yin, let’s go back to the wing room.”

“Yes, it’s pretty windy here. I’m worried you’ll get sick from the cold weather.” Wen Heyin was delighted to take his Young Master to a cozy place. “By the way, Young Master, have you already understood that thing you couldn’t figure out?”

Mu Zhiming didn’t reply. Instead, he replied simply: “Let’s hurry back. I’m a little hungry.”

Wen Heyin, worried, was quick to comment: “Good, good! Let’s hurry back.”

—

The next day, Mu Zhiming attended the Imperial Court as per usual, and discussed the deliberations on the south side of the Xuande Hall. At first, Mu Zhiming thought that the Minister of Rites would mention the marriage that the Emperor had bestowed upon General Yulin. After all, the marriage of an Imperial Princess was an event of utmost importance to the Imperial Family, so the wedding ceremony would be handled by the Ministry of Rites.

However, even after waiting all morning, the Minister of Rites never mentioned a single word about it.

After the Morning Court, Mu Zhiming was unable to restrain himself so he went ahead to ask about it on his own.

Upon hearing his question, the Minister of Rites was utterly confused: “What marriage given by the Emperor? I haven’t heard about such a thing. Mu Zhiming, you cannot speak such nonsense in such a careless way.”

Mu Zhiming reacted almost immediately and hastened to apologize for his foolishness.

After having said goodbye to the Minister of Rites, Mu Zhiming felt even more confused than he already was. After all, the Noble Consort would never joke with him about matters of this sort. She herself said that the Emperor wanted to make Gu Heyan his son-in-law by marrying him to the Princess. However, if that was the case, then why wasn’t the Minister of Rites made aware of it…..?

‘Could it be…..’

‘That Gu Heyan had refused the marriage?’

—

At that time, at the Xuande Hall, Crown Prince Fu Qi requested to see the Emperor. When he entered the hall, he saw the Emperor sitting at the gold table decorated with Dragon carvings, reviewing the memorials.

“Greetings, Imperial Father.” Fu Qi bowed his head and made a grand curtsy.

“Qi’er, you’re just in time. Help me review the official documents.” The Emperor pointed to the pile of memorials around him.

“Yes.” Fu Qi stepped forward and knelt respectfully at his side. After picking up a memorial, Fu Qi opened it and then said: “Er’Chen1 heard yesterday that Imperial Father wanted to offer General Gu a marriage, but General Gu refused.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor slightly raised his eyes to look at Fu Qi, then hummed a laugh: “You find out about the harem affairs rather quickly.”

At this point, Fu Qi dared not say another word.

The Emperor put down the memorial in his hand onto the table, unfolded it again, and carefully asked: “What, do you have anything else to say?”

Fu Qi bowed his head and said: “Er’Chen doesn’t dare to talk nonsense. It’s just that Er’Chen doesn’t understand why Gu Heyan would be unwilling to marry into the Imperial Family. Is it because he believes that Sister Qinghe is not worthy of the power he holds with the 100,000 elite soldiers of the Rong Yan Army?”

As soon as he heard these words, the Emperor’s eyes became fierce and terrifying. However, his words didn’t reveal his true intentions at all. The Emperor simply shook his head and smiled helplessly: “Qi’er, you have always been sensitive and paranoid since childhood. Even now that you’ve grown up as a full grown adult, you’re still the same as you were as a child.”

“Imperial Father has taught me a lesson.” Fu Qi hung his head, only to then insist yet again: “But Imperial Father, this is a double-edged sword. Even if it kills the enemy, it can also hurt you. This sword shows no care, so Er’Chen fears that the person holding the sword may harbor wicked intentions. The only way to feel more at ease, is to hold the sword in your own hands.”

The Emperor asked: “It is indeed quite comforting to be at ease. But do you know how to use the sharp blade of this sword to kill the enemy?”

Fu Qi: “….Imperial Father….This…. Er’Chen……”

“Qi’er, it is correct to be careful and keep the sword under surveillance. But between Ruler and Subject, there should be no suspicion.” The Emperor advised in all seriousness: “The Gu Family has remained loyal and virtuous to the Great Jin Dynasty for generations since its founding. Their dedication to the Country has even been recorded in the history books. Even the previous Emperor has made a White Horse Oath2 with the Gu Family, do you understand?”

Fu Qi, however, hastily insisted once again: “Imperial Father, Er’Chen simply believes that Gu—”

“Alright, stop at once.” The Emperor interrupted Fu Qi’s words with a frown. “I can tell you don’t want to review the memorials. Retreat.”

Fu Qi lowered his eyes, bowed, and said: “Yes….”

As he stepped back, Fu Qi heard the Emperor ask the eunuch beside him: “What is Ji’an doing these days? I miss him very much. Ah, I’ll stop reading the memorials for the time being and go to Fengyi Palace, I miss Noble Consort Niangniang.”

Crown Prince Fu Qi bowed his head and walked out of the Xuande Hall. Once outside, he raised his head and headed towards the East Palace. However, with every step he took, more resentment grew within his heart.

‘What ‘generations of loyalty and virtuosity’ are you talking about? Those are just excuses!’

‘You are just unwilling to do something!’

‘I will never allow the title of Crown Prince to be taken away from me, let alone allow you to give it to your beloved King Xian, Fu Ji’an!’

‘You already knew that the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Rong Yan Army would one day be Gu Heyan’s, so you deliberately let Gu Heyan teach Fu Ji’an martial arts when he was young! You allowed an unbreakable relationship to form between King Xian and General Yulin, so that later Fu Ji’an couldn’t be oppressed under the aid of Gu Heyan’s mighty power!’

‘I am obviously your first-born son!’

‘I am the Master of the Eastern Palace. I am the Crown Prince of Great Jin!’

‘Me! Only me!’

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Footnotes

儿臣 ér chén; A first-person pronoun used by Princes when speaking with their Emperor Father and/or Empress Mother.白马之盟 bái mǎ zhī méng; A pact made by Liu Bang, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, with vassal Kings and Heroes by killing white horses during his reign, then using the horses’ blood as an oath. The first objective of the White Horse Oath was to safeguard the Military Service Groups, while the other objective was to preserve the Emperor’s Imperial Power. Thus, the balance of interests between the Emperor and the Military Groups is resolved.