Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 17

After receiving a plan from He Lang, Jiang Qiubai began to take action.

The next day, he went to the Yue residence with lavish gifts, using his eloquence to deceive Yue Gaoyang by pretending to partner with him in a corruption scheme.

Jiang Qiubai acted sincerely, his eyes full of respect for his elder as he bowed, saying, “Brother Wu, when the ten thousand taels of silver are in your hands, you can manage them as you see fit. When I return, we’ll split it fifty-fifty.”

Yue Gaoyang had always considered Jiang Qiubai to be an upstart without much background, never having seen him demonstrate any real capability. He had low defenses against him. Now, seeing him appear so eager to rely on him, Yue Gaoyang became tempted, his mind racing as he hesitated and began calculating.

If he agreed, he could later manipulate Jiang Qiubai, giving him only a small portion. If Jiang didn’t agree, he could deny him even that small amount. Jiang Qiubai wouldn’t dare to send people to search his residence. After all, they were both in the same boat—if one sank, they both would.

The two clinked their cups, exchanging smiles, having reached a tacit understanding.

Jiang Qiubai raised his cup high and slowly drained it, concealing the glint in his eyes.

To be honest, he had never expected to succeed so easily in convincing Yue Gaoyang. Before coming, he had even worried that his intentions would be seen through, leading to heightened vigilance. It seemed he had underestimated Yue Gaoyang’s arrogance and self-assurance.

When the disaster relief funds were released, Jiang Qiubai forged a false report showing the disaster relief was complete. The lower-level officials were coerced into writing the necessary documents, and only then did Yue Gaoyang feel at ease, secretly transferring a large sum of silver into his own residence.

When He Lang and Zhen Puyang went to court together, He Lang asked Zhen Puyang for his opinion on the disaster relief situation. Seeing that the timing was right, He Lang revealed the plan he and Jiang Qiubai had devised.

Surprisingly, Zhen Puyang remained unfazed by the gravity of the situation. After learning about it, he completely washed his hands of it, only holding a grudge against Jiang Qiubai.

He Lang speculated, “Do you not trust Minister Jiang?”

Zhen Puyang shook his head as he nonchalantly walked into the main hall. “I don’t trust anyone. I only trust you, Teacher.” This was why he completely left the matter in He Lang’s hands. Anything He Lang did was the right thing.

After the usual reports on the nation’s livelihood and military affairs, the Emperor noticed Zhen Puyang and asked him about the progress of the disaster relief.

Everyone’s attention turned to the young prince, while He Lang glanced at him slightly from the side.

Zhen Puyang subtly tugged at the corner of his mouth, stepped forward, and with a rare serious expression, feigned difficulty as he reported, “Your Majesty, although the officials have all reported that the disaster relief is complete, this is my first time handling governmental affairs, so I couldn’t set my mind at ease. I took some time to visit Jin Nan, and after many inquiries, I found that many commoners did not receive any relief.”

“There’s actually such a thing?” The Emperor frowned, considering various possibilities. During his reign, there had been instances of officials embezzling relief funds, distributing only a fraction to the people, while the rest was siphoned off layer by layer. Lower-level officials, under pressure and fearing for their careers, would collude and falsify documents to report back.

The Emperor had indeed heard of the prince leaving the capital. He had assumed it was for leisure and had turned a blind eye, not realizing that the prince had gone to inspect the situation. The Emperor’s expression softened slightly, a mixture of heavy-heartedness and a touch of relief.

The people in the court reacted differently, some worried, others pleased.

Zhen Puyang didn’t say any more and returned to his place, standing next to He Lang without a second thought. Seeing He Lang’s impartial and cold demeanor, he mischievously scratched the palm of He Lang’s hand.

He had spent every day clinging to his teacher, so how could he have found time to go to the disaster area? Fortunately, it seemed his father believed him.

The ten thousand taels of silver were safely hidden in Yue’s residence, and the official disaster relief documents showed no discrepancies, but those in the know could detect something amiss.

“Minister of Revenue, if I’m not mistaken, the allocated funds for this disaster relief amounted to ten thousand taels of silver, correct? Why are the commoners saying they haven’t received any aid? Explain this to me,” the Emperor said, narrowing his eyes.

Yue Gaoyang was startled but forced himself to stay calm, “Your Majesty, there were many affected by the disaster, and ten thousand taels may not have been enough to provide aid for everyone. That’s why His Highness may have encountered some who didn’t receive any relief.”

Zhen Puyang immediately snorted, “How hypocritical.”

The Emperor cast him a glance, unsure whether to believe him or not, and then deliberately slapped his chair, shouting, “I think it’s because you didn’t embezzle enough!”

“Your Majesty! This, this…!” 

The Emperor’s wrath struck fear into Yue Gaoyang, who began to stammer incoherently.

His guilty conscience made him seem even more suspicious, further enraging the Emperor.

Cold sweat dripped from Yue Gaoyang’s forehead as he looked desperately at Jiang Qiubai, hoping that someone on the same sinking ship would help him for their mutual benefit.

But Jiang Qiubai showed no signs of panic, remaining calm as if the situation had nothing to do with him. Even those who usually had a good relationship with Yue Gaoyang looked away, unwilling to step forward and get caught up in the mess.

Yue Gaoyang finally panicked, realizing that relying on others was futile.

“Your Majesty, have mercy!”

The Emperor, irritated by his pleas, immediately sent men to search his residence, and as expected, they found the embezzled funds. With the evidence in hand, there was no need for further judgment. The Emperor furiously hurled the documents from his desk, causing a loud crash, and shouted, “The ten thousand taels of silver were found in your house. Without your permission, how could such a large sum have entered your residence?”

“Jiang Qiubai… Jiang Qiubai! He’s the mastermind behind all of this!” Yue Gaoyang’s eyes widened as he confessed everything, determined to drag Jiang Qiubai down with him, even in death.

The expressions of those around him grew more complex, and Jiang Qiubai frowned slightly.

“Utter nonsense! Caught red-handed and still trying to slander others!” Zhen Puyang stepped forward, reluctantly urged by He Lang, and cursed in frustration.

He Lang quickly followed up, “When Minister Jiang learned of this, he was at his wit’s end. In the end, he used his own gold and silver to aid the people.”

Jiang Qiubai bowed at the right moment, his face full of guilt. “I am incompetent. The task entrusted to me by Your Majesty has not been completed. I dared not make a fuss, fearing that each additional day of delay would lead to more suffering among the people. I had no choice but to make amends myself.”

The Emperor, with a stern expression, nodded and executed Yue Gaoyang. He praised Jiang Qiubai and assigned the follow-up disaster relief work to Zhen Puyang.

With Yue Gaoyang out of office, the officials he had supported lost their backing and naturally became more cautious, avoiding any alignment with the Crown Prince to prevent being targeted by other princes’ factions.

As soon as court was adjourned, Zhen Puyang was summoned by Consort Lin. He awkwardly left a note saying he would return early and hurried to the palace.

He Lang, observing the Prince’s significantly taller figure, suddenly realized that His Highness had turned sixteen and was now a mature and capable young man.

Upon entering his mother’s palace, Zhen Puyang heard the gentle laughter of maidservants and discussions about other young ladies, which his mother did not stop.

He frowned, sensing something was amiss.

Sure enough, after some pleasantries, Consort Lin directly asked, “Do you have a lady you are interested in?”

“Mother, please don’t talk to me about this. You know I’m not fond of interacting with bothersome women.” Zhen Puyang showed his displeasure.

“Look at you, how can you speak like that? I am a woman too, do you find me bothersome?” Consort Lin frowned and patted his shoulder gently, speaking softly, “My dear, you will understand in time. Having someone who understands you and takes care of you is a wonderful thing.”

“Hmm—” Zhen Puyang absently toyed with the exquisitely patterned teacup on the table, responding vaguely.

He turned his thoughts to how he might deflect his mother’s inquiries and worried about whether his teacher might leave before he returned.

“Don’t be so aloof. What kind of girl do you like? Mother will help you find one.” Consort Lin smiled, clearly invested in the matter, holding a stack of profiles with pictures of various young ladies, ranging from beautiful to innocent.

Under his mother’s insistence, Zhen Puyang changed his previous attitude and began listing his preferences, “She should be gentle, well-educated, able to cook, and make me comfortable—”

Consort Lin maintained a smiling face while considering which young ladies met his criteria. However, when he mentioned the latter points, she began to sense something was off.

“Why do you say it like that? I’m sure you must have someone you care about,” Consort Lin said with certainty.

A significant other? Zhen Puyang fell silent, his heart warming as he remembered his earlier careless words, and he quickly denied it.

Seeing his reluctance to continue the topic, Consort Lin smiled and ended the conversation. “Alright, alright, our Yang’er is still young, no need to discuss these things.”

She assumed he was simply shy or not yet mature enough to settle down and be bound.

She had always spoiled her son and would let him be, but she still wouldn’t leave him as a lonely bachelor. She already had candidates in mind and was prepared to find a concubine for him.

Consort Lin sipped her tea lightly, maintaining her maternal demeanor. She also instructed someone to find out if her son had interacted with any young ladies. If his interest was in someone of high status, that would be ideal.

If the lady was of lower status, a concubine would be acceptable as long as her son liked her.

—

He Lang waited for quite some time, considering returning to rest but worried about making the prince angry the next day. He decided to patiently wait under the tree in the prince’s palace.

While breaking a flower branch and placing it in a porcelain vase, he wondered about Consort Lin’s purpose in summoning the prince.

He had heard that Consort Lin had been meeting with various young ladies recently, seemingly looking for a suitable candidate. It suddenly dawned on him that the prince was sixteen, an age appropriate for marriage.

The usually unruly prince would unlikely comply easily, and since he rarely interacted with women, it was unclear what kind of girl would catch his eye.

Holding the porcelain vase, He Lang hoped that the young prince would find a good companion. Despite the palace’s apparent splendor, it was lonely, and having a warm presence would be beneficial.

If he couldn’t find someone suitable, then selecting a gentle, virtuous woman of high status would be beneficial for his path to becoming an emperor.

Just as he finished arranging the plum blossoms, Zhen Puyang returned.

“Why didn’t you spend more time talking with Consort Lin?”

Zhen Puyang tossed the flower branch aside. “It was so boring, constantly talking about those women’s matters…”

His words confirmed He Lang’s earlier guess.

He Lang said, “You’ve grown up. These are things you will encounter.”

“What’s the use of growing up?” Can it make the Tutor belong to him alone? Can it drive away the annoying Puren?

“There are many things you can do… like managing state affairs, becoming the most esteemed person, and wielding power over the world.”

“But I don’t want any of that.”

“Then, what does His Highness want?”

Zhen Puyang was silent, pulling him to dine together and quietly added in his heart, “I only want you, that’s all.”