Chapter 12: Yikes! The Emperors Question was too much for the Prince Consort to answer! (2 / 2)

Go ahead, keep talking!

Xu Yanmiao was confused by the stare. He didn’t have much political experience, so he could only guess.

[The old emperor wants to save face and doesn’t want today’s events to spread. But a group of second-rank officials can’t just kill someone, so they might plan to kill a small official like me as a warning to others?]

The second-rank officials: “…”

Killing a ninth-rank official, does that even have any deterrent effect?

The old emperor was so angry he almost tilted backwards. He just wanted to poke Xu Yanmiao on the forehead and tell him: Stop overthinking political matters. With your scheming, you won’t survive three days in the court!

After getting angry, he immediately turned his head to the other side, pretending to casually look around.

[Eh? Looking at the Prime Minister again? Maybe he was just casually glancing earlier.]

The old emperor relaxed his expression but still felt uncomfortable.

Having been the supreme emperor for so long, he was now mentally unsettled by a mere small official.

But…

He still couldn’t bring himself to really kill Xu Yanmiao.

Xu Yanmiao could die, but if the artifact “system” that recognized him as its master sought revenge for him, could it bring about a disaster for the Great Xia?

Would Xu Yanmiao survive, manage to escape, and use the artifact to spread royal secrets, making the royal family a laughingstock?

Would there be other consequences that he couldn’t bear to see?

It might be better to maintain the current balance—though Xu Yanmiao might ruin their social reputation, his thoughts also brought them a fair amount of benefit!

The old emperor secretly persuaded himself, muttering a low “hmph” as he decided to be a broad-minded emperor and not argue with the younger generation.

He then sighed, thinking: “I wonder if Xu Yanmiao is still targeting the Prince Consort. My daughter’s naive brain really needed him to shake some sense into her.”

And Xu Yanmiao was indeed interested in the Prince Consort.

[Great potential?]

The rising tone made Princess Wanshou’s heart tremble. She had never been so afraid of one person before.

She almost wanted to raise her voice and question: “What are you trying to say with all this smooth talk?”

The old emperor tried not to appear too gleeful, but the corners of his lips just wouldn’t stay down.

Xu Yanmiao’s tone was puzzled—

[Is being good at writing, painting, and poetry really linked to achieving success in the political world?]

[And, becoming the Prince Consort prevents him from entering officialdom, but it doesn’t stop him from writing essays or discussing national policies. If he truly had political talent, wouldn’t his position as Prince Consort allow him closer access to the emperor and give him a chance to pass on his ideas?]

[Then it’s strange, isn’t it? After all these years, he hasn’t presented a single useful national policy. Why does he think that not being a Prince Consort would automatically lead to success?]

“Ha—”

The old emperor swore he wasn’t trying to laugh, but he just couldn’t hold it in.

That kid from the Xu family…

Princess Wanshou pressed her red lips together even tighter.

She searched desperately for something to rebut, but the more she searched, the more uneasy she felt.

There was no way—she couldn’t refute it! The Prince Consort hadn’t proposed a single policy in all these years.

He always spent his time with friends sightseeing and traveling. Others praised his calligraphy as exquisite, his poetry as free and open, his paintings as realistic… they even praised his height, looks, and character. But there was never any mention of his views on national governance!

“That guy?” The old emperor turned to look at the Prince Consort, giving a light hum. “Wanshou says you’re a talented person with no opportunity? I’m giving you a chance today. If you can answer my question, I’ll even consider lifting the rule that Prince Consorts can’t hold official positions.”

The Prince Consort smiled, full of confidence. “Your Majesty, please ask your question.”

Princess Wanshou’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her beloved.

The old emperor pondered, “I won’t ask you anything too difficult. Tell me, if I appointed you as the governor of a region, when should the mulberry, jujube, persimmon, and cotton be planted?”

The Prince Consort froze.@@novelbin@@

He thought.

Sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Princess Wanshou, once full of hope, now grew confused and suspicious. She bit her lip and couldn’t hold back, asking softly, “Prince Consort?”

The old emperor coldly remarked, “What’s this? You can’t even answer such a simple question, and you still dare to say becoming a Prince Consort has held you back?”

The Prince Consort’s throat moved, and he tried to argue, “Your Majesty, asking a scholar about farming… naturally, you won’t get an answer!”

“Is that so?” The old emperor didn’t even turn around, casually pointing toward the group of officials. “Come, tell him why I asked this question.”

“Oh…”

The old emperor heard a voice he couldn’t ignore and turned his head: “Xu…” He glanced at his finger and wished he could chop it off.

How did he end up pointing at this unfortunate soul? If he couldn’t answer, not only would he lose face, but all the hard-earned momentum would be lost!