After parting with Prince Kang, Prince Qing returned to the Ministry of Rites on his own.
The Ministry of Rites had recently been preparing for the eldest princess’s wedding in the fifth month. The officials worked diligently for their salaries and performance evaluations. Prince Qing had no need for these, so he didn’t want to waste energy on wedding matters. He preferred to sit at his desk, pretending to review documents while actually daydreaming and letting his mind wander.
Heir apparent, heir apparent—from prince to crown prince was only one step away.
Although the opportunity seemed remote, until the final moment Prince Qing still couldn’t completely give up hope. Perhaps this inspection tour of Lingshan would be the chance for Father Emperor to see him anew?
At dusk when duty ended, Prince Qing stayed late, ignoring the surprised looks from the Minister of Rites and the two vice ministers as he continued examining a gift list.
At three quarters past the hour of the rooster, the close attendant he’d sent out to gather information returned and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, the Second Prince just left the Ministry of Works.”
Prince Qing nodded. Last month in Jinzhou, an inexplicable case had occurred—a Daoist temple suddenly had a room explode, killing on the spot a Daoist surnamed Yu and two acolytes, subsequently causing a fire in the temple. The local county magistrate investigated thoroughly and learned that Daoist Yu was obsessed with alchemy and had previously often mixed formulas incorrectly, causing explosions. Thus he deduced that night Daoist Yu had again mixed the wrong formula, except this time the explosion was exceptionally severe, killing people and destroying the building.
Just such an incident had nothing to do with the Ministry of Works, but the Chief Justice mentioned it at court. Not many days later, Father Emperor praised Second Brother again at court, saying Second Brother believed that although the formula that killed Daoist Yu was unsuitable for alchemy, it could serve as heavy explosives specifically for blasting. Such heavy explosives would have marvelous uses in mining excavation, opening mountain roads, and even on battlefields.
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials were filled with enthusiasm, and Father Emperor directly assigned this matter to Second Brother to handle.
Prince Qing was both envious and jealous. Why hadn’t he thought of this angle?
However, a formula that could kill people—who would dare try it lightly, and could they truly find the formula Daoist Yu used to kill himself? It was said that with alchemical formulas, even mixing the same ingredients together could produce vastly different products due to variations in the amounts of each material.
If Second Brother labored in vain and couldn’t test out this formula, all the praise he received that day would turn into cold mockery and ridicule.
Just like with bandit suppression—important as it was, whether it could be accomplished and how great the losses would be would both influence Father Emperor’s rewards and punishments.
Having learned from bitter experience, Prince Qing now actually preferred assignments like inspecting canals and surveying medicinal fields—easy, simple, and conducive to earning merit.
Prince Qing pondered and waited like this. Estimating that Second Brother’s wheelchair should have been pushed to outside the Ministry of Rites, Prince Qing stepped out of his office.
Soon, Prince Qing appeared in Prince Hui’s field of vision.
When Prince Qing stopped and assumed a posture of waiting to accompany him, Zhao Sui looked away.
Any matter could reveal one or two favorable aspects, just like Prince Hui who had no choice but to sit in a wheelchair. Although when he wanted to see the princess he still had to look up or turn his head, when facing people he didn’t want to look at much, as long as the distance was close enough, he could avoid their faces by simply maintaining a level gaze, and few would convict him of impropriety for looking straight ahead.
“Why is Second Brother so late?” Prince Qing asked with a smile.
Zhao Sui: “Today was rather busy.”
Qing Ai quietly watched Prince Qing’s boots. Only when Prince Qing walked to a position parallel with the wheelchair did Qing Ai relax, because he had no desire whatsoever to hand the wheelchair over to this Third Prince.
Prince Qing chatted about the children in both families, thereby opening the conversation: “Ah, ever since Sanlang was born, I haven’t been given any external assignment. Today Father Emperor had me go to Lingshan County to inspect the eight hundred mu of polygonatum medicinal fields. Naturally I’m willing to share Father Emperor’s worries, but thinking that I’ll be unable to see Sanlang for quite a long stretch makes me anxious.”
He deliberately didn’t stay close to the wheelchair, making it convenient to observe Second Brother’s expression to judge whether Second Brother had any connection to those polygonatum medicinal fields.
Zhao Sui was somewhat surprised that Father Emperor had actually assigned Prince Qing to do this, but he didn’t show it on his face. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Two years ago when I went there to escape the summer heat, I saw the nearby mountains. The mountain paths are rugged—pay attention to your footing when inspecting.”
Prince Qing nodded, then asked with a laugh, “The county magistrate there thought of land reclamation just after Second Brother went to escape the heat—could it also be Second Brother’s recommendation?”
He had to investigate clearly. If it truly was Second Brother’s recommendation, then the final credit would definitely fall on Second Brother’s head. If that were really the case, Prince Qing couldn’t be bothered to put effort into this assignment—let Big Brother play the fool himself.
Qing Ai, silently pushing the wheelchair, looked at Prince Qing in puzzlement, as if not understanding why Prince Qing would think this way.
Zhao Sui also glanced at Prince Qing and asked, “Why would I recommend him?”
Prince Qing: “…”
That’s right—if it really was Second Brother’s idea, Second Brother could directly claim credit before Father Emperor. Why go through another detour?
With Di Xian’s canal construction, Second Brother’s roundabout entrustment of Yan Lun to recommend him was because he feared if Di Xian built it poorly, Father Emperor would blame him afterward. After all, it was a major project costing hundreds of thousands of taels. But Lingshan’s land reclamation relied entirely on local people’s labor. The court only needed to provide some silver to buy cheap raw polygonatum. Success would be great merit, but failure would bring little loss.
However, Prince Qing still pressed: “Second Brother, just tell me whether it was your idea or not.”
This Second Brother of his was not skilled at lying.
Zhao Sui looked straight ahead: “If you think it is, then it is.”
Prince Qing: “…”
Qing Ai smiled and shook his head but didn’t say much.
But Prince Qing understood Qing Ai’s smile—it mocked him for overthinking, attributing every achievement to Second Brother. Second Brother’s cool tone was because he’d been angered by his suspicions and was deliberately admitting it to brush him off.
Now Prince Qing felt relieved!
Having found an opportunity to recover Father Emperor’s favor, Prince Qing’s eyes held more vitality when he returned to his manor. Holding Sanlang, he told Zheng Yuanzhen about this matter, only omitting his suspicions and testing of Second Brother.
Zheng Yuanzhen had been preoccupied with worrying about Liangzhou matters lately and hadn’t thought that far ahead. She only felt that Emperor Yongchang indeed wanted to give Prince Qing a chance, but fearing he would bungle it again, arranged for Prince Kang to accompany him so Prince Qing could properly learn from Prince Kang’s diligence and steadiness.
She instinctively reminded Prince Qing about things like eating and traveling together with Prince Kang when they reached Lingshan, and carefully examining the polygonatum’s growth when they reached the mountains.
Prince Qing was in good spirits and listened with a smile no matter what she said.
Early the next morning, Prince Qing brought one close attendant and four guards and rode his horse to outside the south city gate, discovering that Prince Kang was already waiting there.
Over one hundred sixty li—Prince Kang’s intention was for their party to ride quickly and enter Lingshan County seat before dark.
Prince Qing followed his lead.
Upon reaching the county seat, the two brothers lodged in the official guesthouse the county used to receive traveling officials. Xu Dongyang, learning the two princes had arrived, hurried over to pay his respects.
Prince Kang was single-mindedly inquiring about the eight hundred mu of polygonatum.
Prince Qing found an opportunity to ask: “Two years ago when Prince Hui came to Lingshan to escape the heat, did Magistrate Xu meet him?”
Xu Dongyang carefully remembered Prince Hui’s instructions from back then and said in surprise, “There was such a thing? Does the Third Prince know which inn the Second Prince stayed at then?”
Prince Kang shot Third Brother a subtle glare. It was one thing to talk nonsense with him, but in front of local officials he was still testing and sowing discord—wasn’t he afraid Xu Dongyang would guess at the open and covert struggles between imperial brothers and bring shame to the imperial family?
Prince Qing had already obtained his answer from Xu Dongyang’s reaction and smiled. “Never mind, I was just asking casually.”
Xu Dongyang thought to himself, one prince wants me to conceal and one wants to discover the truth—naturally I’ll be loyal to Prince Hui who has shown kindness to me and kindness to the people of this county.
It was already late. Xu Dongyang had to take his leave.
Prince Kang: “Lingshan town is far away. Eat breakfast early tomorrow morning—we’ll depart at the second quarter of the mao hour.”
Under Prince Qing’s disbelieving gaze, Xu Dongyang received the command.
Prince Kang glared at Prince Qing again: “Didn’t you resolve to go to the battlefield in the future to kill enemies and earn merit? Getting up early is too difficult for you?”
Prince Qing: “…This isn’t a battlefield.”
Prince Kang said solemnly, “The sooner we finish inspecting the mountains, the sooner Father Emperor will approve Xu Dongyang’s memorial. Xu Dongyang can persuade the people to clear land sooner. There are still five thousand mu of wild forest waiting to be reclaimed and planted. The common people are racing against the seasons—that’s also a kind of battlefield.”
Prince Qing secretly memorized these words to polish and present when reporting back to Father Emperor!
From that day on, Prince Qing began days of arduous struggle climbing mountains everywhere with Prince Kang.
At least on the battlefield one could ride a horse. In Lingshan, he could only ride his horse to the foot of the mountain, then after dismounting it was constant mountain climbing. After climbing for five consecutive days and finally inspecting the complete eight hundred mu of medicinal fields planted with polygonatum, Prince Qing returned to the guesthouse exhausted and wanting to sleep deeply, only to be stopped by Prince Kang, who told him to get up early again tomorrow—the two of them would accompany Xu Dongyang to inspect the five thousand mu of mountain forest awaiting reclamation.
Prince Qing: “Can we rest for one day at least?”
Prince Kang: “Xu Dongyang is a civil official and hasn’t complained. You’ve practiced martial arts for over ten years and can’t match him?”
Prince Qing gritted his teeth and turned to leave.
Prince Kang: “Remember to soak your feet!”
He didn’t want Third Brother to develop blisters on both feet from climbing and then use that as an excuse to slack off.
The tenth day of the fourth month, the middle of the third watch, only a crescent moon hung in the sky.
While the two princes who had climbed mountains all day lay in bed snoring like thunder, over two thousand li away under another night sky, Jiang Qiang and Jiang Sheng—sent by Princess Imperial Fucheng’s command to destroy the canal—set out dressed in black clothes with black cloth face coverings, carrying iron spades and pickaxes.
The canal embankment they had selected was over five chi thick. Water from the Yellow River that had just been released during the day now flowed through the canal. They only needed to dig holes the size of two water vat openings, and by tomorrow’s daylight, the breached Yellow River water would flood a large area of surrounding fields.
The wheat seedlings that had already grown over one chi tall needed irrigation, but if continuously submerged by river water for even two or three days, even if these wheat seedlings survived they would have poor harvests.
However, whether the wheat seedlings lived or died had nothing to do with them. Once the canal was destroyed, their assignment would be complete!
Every village had arranged canal patrol personnel, both day and night. Jiang Qiang and Jiang Sheng avoided the canal patrollers from other villages and came to their selected canal section. They hid behind an earthen mound, and when the village’s canal patroller approached carrying a lantern and yawning, Jiang Qiang and Jiang Sheng suddenly appeared. One tightly grabbed the person’s arms so he couldn’t move, while the other took out a cloth sprinkled with knockout drug and pressed it firmly over the person’s mouth and nose.
After a moment, the canal patroller collapsed to the ground.
Jiang Qiang took out rope to bind the person and stuffed cloth in his mouth just in case. After they finished breaching the canal, they would drown this person in the water, making it look like he had unfortunately been knocked down and drowned by the breached Yellow River water.
Then the two men raised their pickaxes and began destroying the canal.
They had just dug out a shallow pit when suddenly an angry roar came from the distance: “Heaven-cursed beasts, stop right now!”
Jiang Qiang and Jiang Sheng both shuddered simultaneously, then turned their heads at the same time.
At the far end of the fields shrouded in darkness, silhouettes had appeared at some unknown time. Some figures were clutching clubs and running wildly in this direction, while some with slower footsteps fell behind. Amid the chaos, the two heard a shocked and angry woman’s voice: “I came to bring Zhuzi some flatbread. From afar I saw them knock Zhuzi down. Knowing I couldn’t beat them and afraid of scaring them off, I hurried back to call the village head…”
Jiang Qiang and Jiang Sheng exchanged glances, dropped their tools, and fled.
However, the village head had prepared early, separately sending strong young men to outflank them from different directions, ultimately catching them like turtles in a jar.
A real turtle could at least climb up the canal embankment and jump into the river water to swim away, but the village head was beating a gong and had awakened the villagers on the opposite side as well. The canal network extended in all directions but had dead ends in both directions. As long as the villagers chased along the canal’s two directions, they would catch the two men sooner or later—unless they swam upstream and jumped directly into the Yellow River…
“Caught them!”
After a chase, someone shouted in relief.
“Let me beat you to death!”
The common people were counting on these canals for a good harvest. Whoever came to destroy the canal was equivalent to destroying their fields and grain, equivalent to plotting to take their lives.
Jiang Qiang and Jiang Sheng were knocked to the ground by villagers whose faces couldn’t be seen clearly. Clubs and fists and feet rained down on them continuously.
The village head stopped them in time: “Stop hitting them! Send them to the officials and see which village sent these beasts!”
The village head of the poor small village still thought this unconscionable deed was done by sworn enemies with a vendetta against his village.