Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Offending the Crown Prince was no small matter. To make sure Shen's father wasn't caught off guard, the next day, Han Zhang brought Shen Qinglan back to the Shen residence to inform him of the matter.

Shen's father was thunderstruck: decades of hard work climbing the official ladder had all been for nothing!

Shen's mother, however, couldn't care less about that. Clutching her son's hand, she was both heartbroken and furious, bursting into tears on the spot.

"My poor Lan Ge'er, how could such a thing happen to you... They say the Crown Prince is wise and the Empress virtuous, but how can they be so overbearing and unreasonable now?"

"Chang Gongjun Jiayou has set his sights on my boy's husband, committing such a shameless act of stealing another man's husband. Not only did they fail to stop him, they even went along with it and helped him, pushing my son around like this—truly shameless!"

After getting over the initial shock, Shen's father felt both resentment toward Han Zhang and his husband for causing him trouble, and bitterness toward the royal family.

But hearing his wife's complaints, he quickly interrupted: "Enough! Madam, since ancient times, everything the sovereign does—whether harsh or kind—is his grace. If the emperor orders a subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. We can't go around bad-mouthing the Crown Prince and Empress!"

Though he cared more about his own advancement than anything else and would sacrifice his children's marriages for a higher rank, his son was still his own flesh and blood. How could he not resent the royal family for forcing his son like this?

But when it came to the royal family, no matter how resentful they were, they couldn't show it, or it would look like they were defying the emperor.

Shen's mother understood the stakes too, but she just couldn't stand seeing her son suffer.

Her boy had already had such a rough time with marriage, and had finally found a true soulmate in Little Han. Now this had to happen—her poor boy was just doomed!

"Yes, they're the rulers and we're the subjects. How could the royal family ever do any wrong? The only fault is that my Lan Ge'er married Little Han, and that Little Han was blessed with such fine looks, catching Chang Gongjun's eye for no fault of his own, boo-hoo..."

Shen's mother went back and forth between bitter complaints and sobbing, clutching her son as she cried.

Shen Qinglan got caught up in it and couldn't help wiping his tears again, sobbing out between tears: "Mother..."

Both mother and son were the type to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

But this was exactly what Han Zhang loved about Shen Qinglan. Seeing him cry so hard made his heart ache.

He pulled him into his arms and comforted him again, patiently: "Husband, stop crying. Your eyes are still swollen. If you keep crying, they'll truly be ruined. Then what if you can't see my face clearly anymore?"

That wouldn't do at all—he loved looking at his husband more than anything.

Shen Qinglan immediately choked back his tears, sniffling and mumbling sulkily: "Then, then I'll cry a little less..."

Han Zhang's heart melted at his husband's obedient, pitiful look, his eyes so soft they could drown a person in tenderness.

He reached out and gently wiped the tear tracks from Shen Qinglan's cheeks, his movements as careful as if he were handling a rare treasure, and nodded softly:

"Alright, cry a little less then. But don't hold it all in either—bottling it all up isn't good for you."

"Mm, I'll do what my husband says."

Shen Qinglan felt shy being affectionate with his husband in front of his parents, but he still nodded obediently, holding Han Zhang's hand and refusing to let go, looking totally dependent and cherished.

Shen's mother was deeply relieved and immediately stopped crying, happy just to see her son's marriage going well.

Shen's father's feelings, however, were a lot more complicated.

On one hand, he felt Han Zhang's defiance of the Crown Prince and Empress for his husband's sake was far too impulsive and emotional;

On the other, he couldn't help but feel relieved—after all, that emotional devotion was directed at his own son!

With a sigh, Shen's father asked: "Since things have come to this, Little Zhang, what do you plan to do now?"

"I'll just hold steady and see how things play out. The Emperor's princes have all grown up, and the court is in turmoil. I never wanted to get involved anyway. This whole situation... isn't entirely a bad thing."

"No point rushing things. I'm still young, and there's plenty of time ahead. Life has its ups and downs. Don't worry about me, Father-in-law—though I do feel bad for dragging you into this."

Han Zhang's words were vague, but Shen's father could read the meaning in his eyes well enough.

Emperor Taixuan was still in decent health, with several grown princes eyeing the throne hungrily. The Crown Prince wouldn't have an easy time taking the throne.

Han Zhang was barely twenty—he could easily wait until a new emperor took the throne to make his move.

Shen's father, who had never imagined his son-in-law had such ambition, came to this conclusion and smiled with relief, nodding:

"It's good that you think this way. The ups and downs of a career in government are normal; only by staying calm can you go far. As for me... though the Eastern Palace holds great power and His Majesty dotes on Chang Gongjun, I have my own connections after all these years in office."

"At the end of the day, we're in the right here. At worst, His Majesty will just push me aside like he's doing to you, but he won't go so far as to destroy us. And I'm getting old anyway—it's time to rest and enjoy my grandchildren."

Shen's father spoke lightly, but he was bleeding inside.

His greatest wish in life was to reach the third rank before retirement, to bring glory to his family and give his descendants a few more years of his support.

But now, he'd probably never get past the fifth rank!

They say more children bring more blessings—look at what he'd produced. All his kids were nothing but troublemakers.

And the sons-in-law he'd acquired were no easy characters either—either young punks who didn't respect him, or troublemaking pretty boys who brought disaster.

Hadn't he only committed a few petty misdeeds? It wasn't like he was utterly wicked—why did he have to deal with this bunch of troublemakers!

Shen's father forced a smile on his face while cursing his luck inside.

To avoid further provoking his father-in-law, Han Zhang said a few more pleasantries before quickly slipping away with his husband, despite the reluctant look in Shen's mother's eyes.

Meanwhile, back at the palace.

Upon hearing the news, Emperor Taixuan was silent for a long while before saying: "Enough. What's too stiff snaps easily. Let him be tempered a bit... it's for the best."

As always, people's hearts are biased, and everything is judged by how close you are to someone.

Even if your own child is in the wrong, parents will still protect them.

At the Fifth Prince's manor.

Upon learning of the rift between Han Zhang and the Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince poured himself a few drinks in celebration and clapped his hands, laughing:

"No need to stir things up with Chang Gongjun anymore. Push a rabbit too far and it'll bite—with Jiayou's temperament, he'll give me a nice surprise on his own."

He had a troublesome cousin, and didn't the Crown Prince have a willful little brother too?

There's plenty of time ahead, dear brother. Let's see how this plays out.

...

Chang Gongjun was deeply loved by the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince.

Having offended him, it came as no surprise that Han Zhang was given the cold shoulder when he showed up for work at the Hanlin Academy.

Han Zhang took it well.

He already had other plans; being put on the bench was fine with him, as he had no desire for promotion at the moment.

What he needed to worry about now was retaliation and suppression from the noble families and aristocratic clans.

Earlier, to show loyalty to the emperor and the crown prince, he had thoroughly offended the two major interest groups—the noble families and the aristocracy—over the petition drum at the palace gate and the land tax equalization reform.

Even with the crown prince's protection, these people had been eager to destroy him.

Now that the crown prince's protection was gone, his life was truly in danger!

The crown prince appeared magnanimous, sparing him for his past contributions, but in truth, withdrawing protection was a subtle, fatal blow—a classic case of killing without shedding blood.

Han Zhang was not incapable of handling the retaliation and suppression from the noble families.

But what he wanted wasn't just to fend them off, nor to keep exchanging his contributions for imperial protection. He wanted to make the noble families stop targeting him, and even turn them into tools for his own benefit, buying him enough time to build up his strength.

He had to plan this carefully, without a single misstep.

So, in the days that followed.

Facing all kinds of cold shoulders and exclusion in the Hanlin Academy, Han Zhang no longer appeared as effortlessly capable as before. Instead, he seemed strained, his face visibly growing gaunt.

But in private, through the plants sold at his family's flower shop, he learned about the situations of various officials in the capital, analyzed the political situation at court, and studied all the princes under Emperor Taixuan's rule... all in preparation for overthrowing the dynasty.

Yes, he was going to rebel!

Why settle for being a powerful minister when you could be emperor and do whatever you wanted?

If he didn't have the ability, that would be one thing, but since he had it, why not go for it?

He didn't want his husband to ever suffer such humiliation from the powerful again—if anyone was going to be bullied, it should be others being bullied by his husband.

So what if the Zhao State's foundation was stable?

As long as you dig hard enough, no wall can't be toppled.

Since he had offended the imperial family, the only real way out was to overturn the table.

He had been living too comfortably and had a momentary lapse of judgment.

Why be a minister? Rebellion was the path for him—after all, that was a trade he knew well!

No one would have imagined that Han Zhang—a lone commander with no family background, no manpower—could harbor such ambition.

Seeing him foolishly throw away his career for his husband and suffer such exclusion, some admired him, but most thought he was a fool.

"In ancient times, it was normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. Though Chang Gongjun's temper and reputation were both poor, he was willing to marry down as a co-husband, showing true sincerity... Sigh, why is Editor Han so stubborn? What's the use?"

Those who knew the inside story, speaking without sympathy, shook their heads with fake sighs.

But if this situation really happened to them, they'd probably run even faster than Han Zhang!

After all, in the Zhao State, princes and princesses held high status, and the cushy life of a consort wasn't so easy to enjoy.

Han Zhang looked haggard in public, but at home, he went back to normal.

But Shen Qinglan wasn't without friends—he soon heard about it from An Ge'er and his other close friends about Han Zhang's exclusion and suppression in the Hanlin Academy.

Learning how much Han Zhang was suffering outside, Shen Qinglan felt heartbroken and blamed himself, growing increasingly gloomy.

He couldn't bear to let his husband go, yet ached for his suffering—caught in a web of conflicting emotions, no matter how Han Zhang tried to comfort him, he just couldn't cheer up.

It drove Han Zhang to the point of wanting to tell his husband about his rebellion plan just to comfort him!

But this matter was too big; without proper preparation, he absolutely couldn't let even a hint slip.

Just as Han Zhang was worrying himself sick.

Chang Gongjun Jiayou came to visit again, offering him an opportunity to leave the capital.