Chapter 90

Chapter 90

In recent days, the capital had experienced a snowfall. Coinciding with his day off, Meng Shuping was nestled lazily in his room, enjoying the warmth of a fire, feeling utterly content.

Suddenly, a servant arrived to report that Jiang Cihe was waiting for him at the gate. Meng Shuping was puzzled—what could Jiang Cihe want at this hour?

After tidying himself, he stepped out and saw Jiang Cihe’s carriage parked not far ahead. At the same time, Jiang Cihe’s face appeared at the window. "Get in!"

Meng Shuping could only climb into the carriage. "What do you need me for?"

Jiang Cihe smiled and said, "I heard there’s a new restaurant with pretty good food. Care to join me?"

Meng Shuping hesitated. "Huh? Right now? But it’s so cold outside today!"

Jiang Cihe casually took a heavy cloak from beside him and draped it over Meng Shuping, then pressed a hand warmer he had been holding into Meng Shuping’s hands. "Not cold anymore, right?"

Meng Shuping glanced at Jiang Cihe, then at the hand warmer in his hands. *“He must have anticipated this, blocking all my escape routes? Fine, let’s go then. A warm meal on a cold day sounds pretty good after all!”*

So Meng Shuping stopped objecting. The two of them took the carriage and headed out of the city.

After a long while, Meng Shuping pulled aside the carriage curtain and realized they had already left the city. He exclaimed in surprise, "We have to go this far?"

Jiang Cihe explained, "Yes, the restaurant is next to a plum grove. Since the plum blossoms are blooming right now, we can have a stroll through the grove before eating. It’s not too late."

Meng Shuping lowered the curtain. "Oh."

*“Going to see plum blossoms in such cold weather—doesn’t he mind the chill? Good thing I have an extra layer on, or I wouldn’t accompany him. Going through all this for a free meal is such a hassle!”*

Jiang Cihe: "..."

Well, he had assumed most people would enjoy beautiful scenery, but he forgot that "Little Bold" wasn’t like most people.

Before long, they arrived at the grove Jiang Cihe had mentioned. As soon as Meng Shuping stepped out of the carriage, he heard a surprised voice call out, "Vice Director Meng?"

He turned around and was shocked to see Emperor Qianyou, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Revenue standing there.

Meng Shuping stiffened and quickly gave a respectful bow to Emperor Qianyou. "Your Majesty."

*“Hiss...”*

*“Why are they here too? Could they all be here to see the plum blossoms? But if the prince and I are here for a meal and a casual stroll, that’s understandable. A group of older gentlemen gathering to admire plum blossoms—doesn’t that seem a bit odd?”*

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

What, is it only acceptable for you and Seventh to enjoy the view together, but not us? Besides, when we appreciate plum blossoms, we seek the poetry of it. This kid has no appreciation for it—what would he understand?

The Minister of Works’ face fell. Ever since his failed attempt to plead for mercy for Jiang Ciyi and Jiang Cian, he had been waiting for an opportunity to speak with Emperor Qianyou privately when Meng Shuping wasn’t around. He never expected that, just as he finally managed to go out with Emperor Qianyou, Meng Shuping would show up again. Would he fail today as well?

He didn’t want to be targeted by the two princes again.

Jiang Cihe was also surprised to bump into Emperor Qianyou and the others. He approached and asked, "Why are Father and the esteemed ministers here?"

Emperor Qianyou coughed lightly. "We were feeling stifled in the palace and came out for some fresh air. But since we’re outside, use different forms of address."

Jiang Cihe quickly replied, "Understood."

Meng Shuping suddenly understood. *“So they came out to relax. Are the other ministers here to accompany him then?”*

*“Tsk, tsk, those ministers have a hard time of it too. On such a cold day, they still have to come out and keep their boss company. It seems being too favored by the emperor isn’t all it's cracked up to be!”*

*“Good thing my relationship with the emperor isn’t that close. Otherwise, wouldn’t I have to work for free on my day off like them?”*

Emperor Qianyou sputtered. What’s wrong with accompanying him on a day off? Many would jump at the chance if they could! He snorted angrily, "Since we’ve run into each other here, why don’t you two join us?"

Meng Shuping widened his eyes. *“Huh? You've got to be kidding! Who wants to be forced into stilted conversation with their superior while trying to have fun? It totally ruins the mood!”*

*“If I make an excuse to refuse, it shouldn’t count as defying an imperial decree, right?”*

Just as Meng Shuping was about to speak, Emperor Qianyou looked at him. "What? You don’t want to join?"

Meng Shuping jumped and immediately replied expressionlessly, "I do, very much."

*“Damn it! He was definitely threatening me just now, right? If I don’t make him happy today, is he going to dump more work on me?”*

The Minister of Revenue and the others: "..."

Is this kid afraid or not? If he’s not afraid, why doesn’t he dare refuse? If he is afraid, could he at least pretend a little more convincingly? We might barely believe it then.

Emperor Qianyou let out a frustrated laugh. "Then let’s go."

Hmph, he loved seeing Meng Shuping want to refuse but unable to. How annoying! Was it really so hard for this brat to accompany his elder? Couldn’t he show a little respect for the old and care for the young?

So Meng Shuping had no choice but to reluctantly trail along with them as they walked ahead. Jiang Cihe stayed with him at the back, tugging on his sleeve and whispering, "Later, when they’re not paying attention, we can slip away."

Meng Shuping immediately nodded happily. "Yeah, yeah!"

Emperor Qianyou, walking ahead, his ear twitched. He could hear them!

With a plan in mind, Meng Shuping’s mood instantly brightened. As he casually looked around, he noticed an elderly charcoal vendor, with a child huddled next to him—likely the old man’s grandson.

He couldn’t help but feel sympathy. *“That's so sad. On such a cold day, while we’re out enjoying ourselves, he still has to sell charcoal.”*

The Minister of Works’ eyes lit up, and he quickly saw his chance. "Your Majesty, look. On such a cold day, this elderly man still has to sell charcoal. Why don’t we buy all his charcoal so he can return home early?"

Emperor Qianyou nodded. "Agreed."

So the Minister of Works went to negotiate with the old man. Upon learning that this prosperous-looking gentleman intended to buy all his charcoal, the old man was both delighted and incredulous. "You really want to buy all of it?"

The Minister of Works said proudly, "Of course!"

The old man was thrilled. After selling the charcoal to the Minister of Works, he excitedly said to the child beside him, "Let’s go, let’s go home! Want some snacks? Grandpa will buy you some!"

The child cheered, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Watching them leave, the Minister of Works pretended to be moved, wiping his eyes. "What a touching picture of family happiness! Ah, though this grandfather and grandson live in hardship, being together as a family is what truly matters!"

Surely the emperor would now recall his own sons, remember past moments, feel moved, and release the two princes?

Emperor Qianyou nodded slightly. Indeed, though their lives were poor, being together as a family was a form of happiness in itself.

Thinking this, he recalled his two sons in prison. It had been so long—how were they faring? Would they resent him?

Just as he sank into thought, Meng Shuping’s voice chimed in, *“Uh... am I the only one who thinks this is just making the best of a bad situation? If given a choice, who would want to sell charcoal on a freezing day? I’m miserable from the cold just being out for fun!”*

*“Pah! These common folks already have it hard enough, and then some nobles act recklessly and cause harm—how despicable!”*

The Minister of Works: "..."

I knew this kid would ruin my plan. Look at him, going against me on purpose, isn’t he?

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

Serves them right! Locking them up serves them right! He shouldn't have been soft on those two useless things!

After strolling through the plum blossom grove, the group arrived at the restaurant Jiang Cihe had mentioned. Throughout the journey, Meng Shuping had tried several times to slip away but failed, leaving him full of resentment. *“I swear, does the Emperor have eyes on the back of his head? How does he always catch me!”*

Emperor Qianyou smiled smugly. He had been guarding against this very move—did the kid really think he could succeed? But why did bullying this kid bring him so much joy?

After settling into the private room with the best view, Emperor Qianyou unexpectedly felt inspired to write poetry. He ordered someone to bring paper and brush, and with a flourish of his sleeve, he wrote a poem.

Seeing the Emperor write poetry, the Minister of Works and the others crowded around. "What a fine poem, Your Majesty! Your Majesty hasn't written in so long, yet your skill hasn't diminished at all!"

"Compared to Your Majesty, I'm nowhere near as skilled. It's been too long since I last wrote—I'm quite out of practice!"

"I do have some inspiration, but it still doesn't measure up to Your Majesty's work."

Meng Shuping couldn't help but marvel, *“Wow, each of them is so sincere with their flattery! I knew it wouldn’t be easy going out with the Emperor. Look, even during a meal, you have to read his mood and keep the boss happy. So demeaning!”*

Emperor Qianyou's smiling face stiffened. Flattery? Was his poem not good? He turned to Meng Shuping. "Beloved Minister Meng, what does Your Majesty think of this poem?"

Meng Shuping replied instinctively, "Good! This poem is very good!"

*“Heaven knows what the heck he wrote! Is this cursive script?”*

Emperor Qianyou looked at Meng Shuping, at a loss for words. After a long silence, he finally grumbled, "Then tell me, what's good about it?"

Meng Shuping froze. "It's good because... it's good because... I can't write it."

"Pfft!" Jiang Cihe tried hard to hold back, but he couldn't control himself upon hearing this. His father was really something—knowing full well Little Bold couldn't understand, he still insisted on making things difficult. Now he'd shot himself in the foot, hadn't he?

Emperor Qianyou took a deep breath. If he didn't know Meng Shuping truly couldn't write, he would have thought the brat was mocking him for writing poorly!

Meng Shuping cautiously looked up at Emperor Qianyou. *“Sigh, I knew there were risks accompanying the boss. My flattery missed the mark—total backfire! Will the Emperor hold a grudge against me?”*

Jiang Cihe, finally managing to suppress his laughter, hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Father, please don't make it hard for him. Although he knows some characters, he can't write poetry, let alone appreciate it."

Emperor Qianyou hadn’t planned to make an issue of it anyway and took the opportunity to step down. "Fine then, Beloved Minister Meng, you should find someone to properly teach you in the future."