Chapter 150: The Book-loving Xiao Zhengrong
by 宇宙第一红**Chapter 150: The Studious Prince Xiao Zhengrong**
As daybreak neared,
The twelve-year-old crown prince was reviewing official documents.
Though merely twelve, the prince already had the demeanor of a wise ruler—impartial, composed, and upright in conduct. He never acted on personal whims but guided himself by reason and discipline.
Simply put, he was his mother’s son—not his father’s.
He shared Emperor Xingyuan’s noble birth but had never suffered the hardships the emperor endured in his youth. No one oppressed him or subjected him to humiliation. He grew up smoothly, raised under Liu Yandai’s meticulous care and further shaped by a stern grand tutor who instilled in him an unyielding sense of righteousness—though perhaps too much so. At just twelve, always scowling like a stern scholar, he diligently pursued his goal: striving to become the nation’s ideal ruler.
By the time he rose at dawn, his father was still asleep. Occasionally, he even adopted his tutor’s tone to criticize Emperor Xingyuan’s indulgence in pleasure, irking the emperor so much he wished he could send the boy back a decade to be Emperor Yongchang’s son—just to see if he’d dare speak so boldly then.
Lately, the prince had become engrossed in old legal cases, often spending entire mornings poring over them.
When he finally emerged from the hall, he saw his mischievous younger sister, Bao Zhu, flirting with a crowd of dashing youths—wasting her youth, shamelessly! Such behavior was absurd. How could she ever share the burdens of state with him in the future?
Frowning, he walked away and went to seek his father’s counsel on state affairs, only to find the emperor and Liu Yandai swinging together in the garden. This further irritated the prince. His father? Too busy chasing amusement! How could he ever lead the unification of the six kingdoms?
When would the dream of uniting the realm under Great Chen be realized?
The prince turned away and returned to his books.
He’d study to lift Great Chen to glory!
If no one else would step up—he would!
——
By the time Xiao Zhengrong turned eighteen, he had already begun involving himself in court affairs.
After all, Emperor Xingyuan had only this one heir—the succession was secure, so it was good to let him gain experience early.
Yet once the prince entered court, instead of learning statecraft, he fell prey to the ministers’ schemes.
Court politics were complex, and Emperor Xingyuan ruled with an iron fist. The ministers never dared oppose him openly, but the prince, by comparison, seemed naive and endearing. A whisper of injustice, and he’d charge in like a knight. The ministers used him as their mouthpiece, sending him to argue with Emperor Xingyuan, driving the emperor up the wall.
Then disaster hit—Great Chen’s northern rivers overflowed.
Floods plagued the northern rivers annually, but in recent years they had grown fiercer. The capital had to dispatch officials to oversee relief efforts. In the past, the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Personnel handled it, but this time, Emperor Xingyuan dumped the prince into the mess to toughen him up.
The prince marched out, bursting with vigor.
A young man’s first time beyond the palace walls—unafraid of towering mountains or distant roads. Everything he had read in books was finally about to unfold before his eyes.
Great Chen—he’d face it head-on!
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Minhas palavras sinceras: o início é bem escrito e bem cativante mas ao longo da história vai se perdendo completamente! Essa autora ou autor tem problemas mentais! Nenhum desses relacionamentos são saudáveis. 1° a protagonista é uma velha de quase 40 anos com fogo de uma novinha de 15 e isso não é de longe nem o pior problema mas sim a hipocrisia descarada dela. 2- detestei a forma como ela resolveu tudo com a família dela, ela simplesmente não teve nenhum plano bom, ela só ignorou todos. 3- ela não gosta quando os outros usam ela e depois descartam mas ela pode fazer tudo isso sem problemas pois é a PROTAGONISTA 🙄 4- a relação detestável da nora dela com o príncipe herdeiro, fiquei tão incomodada que nem consegui ler 5- o amor do irmão dela por ela é simplesmente doentio! 6- esses sonhos ridículos que eles tiveram, terrível. Ela que tanto falou mal da Bai fez a mesma coisa nos sonhos 🙄 Da pra ver que a hipocrisia é até mesmo inconsciente, dito isso nota 2/10.