The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 129: Are You Defying the Imperial Edict?
Two days later, the Emperor suddenly received an urgent, secret letter from Shangjing.
After reading its contents, he was so enraged that he immediately smashed the teacup beside him.
"How outrageous! This is utter rebellion!"
The servants in the room were so frightened their faces turned deathly pale. They all dropped to their knees in unison, their hearts filled with terror. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
After a good while, the Emperor calmed down slightly.
He ordered someone to clean up the fragments on the floor and said in a deep voice,
"Go and summon Prince Zhao."
A moment later, Li Ji appeared before the Emperor in his wheelchair.
As soon as Li Ji entered, he sensed that the atmosphere in the room was off.
Everyone in the room had their heads bowed, looking as if they didn’t dare to breathe.
The Emperor, meanwhile, was sitting on a low couch, his brows tightly furrowed and his expression grim.
When he saw Prince Zhao arrive, the look on his face softened slightly.
After paying his respects, Li Ji asked,
"Your Majesty summoned me so suddenly. Do you have any orders?"
The Emperor was in no mood for small talk and got straight to the point.
"I just received a secret dispatch and learned of a complication with the floods in the south.
The funds and grain the court sent to aid the disaster victims have been stolen by a band of mountain bandits, and the two Imperial Censors responsible for overseeing the relief efforts were unfortunately killed by them.
An express dispatch has now arrived from the south. Due to the severity of the floods, many victims have already been displaced.
If we don’t distribute relief funds and grain soon, I fear there will be trouble."
The Emperor stressed the last four words, his tone carrying a hint of murderous intent.
He was clearly contemplating murder.
The servants in the room trembled in fear, terrified that the Emperor would implicate others in his anger.
Throughout history, popular uprisings have often been led by displaced people.
Because these people have neither land nor proper household registration, they cannot support themselves through normal means. They suffer from hunger and hardship every day, their hearts naturally filled with resentment, making them easily incited by those with ulterior motives.
The "trouble" the Emperor spoke of was precisely this.
Once the displaced people were incited to stir up trouble, the entire south would descend into chaos.
Li Ji naturally knew this as well.
He asked calmly, "What does Your Majesty wish for me to do?"
The Emperor said in a heavy voice,
"I have already sent a message back to Shangjing, telling the Crown Prince to find a way to raise the funds. He will then personally escort the funds and grain to the south for disaster relief."
Li Ji was quite surprised.
He hadn’t expected the Emperor to be willing to let the Crown Prince go to the south to suffer such hardship.
The Crown Prince, after all, had been doted on since birth. He was like the moon surrounded by stars, always living in luxury and never having suffered the slightest bit of hardship.
The Emperor saw what he was thinking and gave a wry smile.
"Of course I’m reluctant to let him toil and travel, but this disaster relief effort was his responsibility from the start.
Now that such a huge blunder has occurred,
if he continues to hide in the Imperial Palace and not show his face, won’t he leave the impression of being incompetent and cowardly in the eyes of the court and the common people?
I am also doing this for his own good.
Only by letting him go out and experience some hardship can he mature more quickly."
Although he didn’t expect the Crown Prince to achieve great things, he at least shouldn’t have an incompetent and cowardly nature.
Li Ji remained noncommittal.
’From what I know of the Crown Prince, he probably won’t appreciate the Emperor’s good intentions and might even grow resentful. But none of that has anything to do with me, so I won’t say anything.’
The Emperor looked at him and said, "The Crown Prince has never traveled far from home and knows nothing of the outside world. I hope you can accompany him to the south for the disaster relief."
Li Ji didn’t speak, merely lowering his gaze to his own legs.
Seeing this, the Emperor sighed softly.
"I know your legs are afflicted right now, making it inconvenient for you to travel far.
I have no other choice. I truly cannot find anyone else more suitable, so I can only ask you for this favor."
Li Ji said, "The court is full of talented people. Why must Your Majesty insist on sending a cripple like me to handle this matter?"
The Emperor knew he couldn’t hide it from him and spoke frankly.
"Because I suspect there is a mole in the court, someone colluding with the bandits to steal the relief funds and grain.
I don’t know who the mole is. If the person I choose happens to be connected to them, won’t the second shipment of relief funds and grain be stolen as well?
The Crown Prince’s safety might even be compromised.
Right now, I can’t trust anyone. I can only trust you.
You won’t let me down, will you?"
The Emperor looked at Li Ji with eyes full of expectation.
The court was rife with factions, and the relationships between them were intricate and complex.
Only Prince Zhao, Li Ji, had just returned from the border and was not involved in any factional struggles.
Moreover, he had an eccentric temperament and not a single friend in Shangjing City. Everyone kept a respectful distance from him, wishing they could take a detour whenever they saw him.
He was solitary and clean, which naturally made him the best candidate for the job.
But Li Ji said, "I’m afraid I cannot take on this important task."
The Emperor frowned, seemingly displeased.
"Are you defying a royal decree?"
Li Ji said, "The Crown Prince is the future Emperor, the heir Your Majesty personally appointed. I am but a cripple, truly without the ability to ensure his safety."
The Emperor replied, "You need not worry about that. I will give you command of the Tiger Roar Camp.
You may freely deploy soldiers from the Tiger Roar Camp.
With them protecting you along the way, I’m sure nothing will happen."
The Tiger Roar Camp was one of the three major military garrisons in Shangjing City. It was originally managed by the Secretariat and was specifically responsible for policing officials, a very important duty.
Li Ji asked again, "What should I do if a mole appears among the Crown Prince’s retinue?"
The Emperor replied without a second thought, "Kill them without mercy, of course!"
Li Ji asked, "But what if the Crown Prince is unwilling?"
The Emperor wanted to say, ’How could the Crown Prince be unwilling?’ But on second thought, what if the Crown Prince was manipulated?
Given the Crown Prince’s temperament, that wasn’t an impossibility.
So, the Emperor pondered for a moment and ordered someone to bring him a treasure sword.
"This is a treasure sword the late Emperor bestowed upon me, named Hong Jun.
’In the age of Hong Jun, the world is at peace.’ That was the late Emperor’s hope, and it is my hope as well.
When you hold this sword, it is as if I myself am present. If anyone dares to obstruct you, you may kill them!"
Wu Wang, standing in attendance nearby, was secretly alarmed by what he heard.
The Emperor had not only given Prince Zhao command of the Tiger Roar Camp, but he had also given him the Hongjun Sword and granted him the authority to execute first and report later.
This level of trust was beyond the normal scope.
Originally, Wu Wang had been skeptical of the rumors circulating outside. But now, it seemed the rumors might be true—Prince Zhao could really be the Emperor’s illegitimate son.
’Otherwise, how could the Emperor possibly trust him so much?’
Li Ji accepted the Hongjun Sword with both hands.
"Since Your Majesty places such importance on me, I will naturally give my all and serve you until death."
Seeing him finally agree to take on the assignment, the Emperor relaxed and said gently,
"There’s no need for ’serving until death.’ I want you and the Crown Prince to both return safely."
Li Ji returned to his residence and casually tossed the Hongjun Sword onto the table.
He said to Hua Manman,
"Go and pack. You will return to the Capital City with me at once."
Hua Manman was startled. "Now?"
Before she could react, Li Ji asked another question.
"I’m going south with the Crown Prince to handle some matters. Will you stay in the Prince Mansion and wait for me to return, or will you accompany me to the south?"
’Does he even need to ask? Of course I’ll stay in the Prince Mansion and be a happy, lazy salted fish!’
However, before she could say a word, Prince Zhao cut her off.
"You admire me so much that you can’t bear to be away from me for even a moment. You must want to follow me to the south. Mmm, I permit it."
Hua Manman: ???
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