harleyscars Chapter 133 Speculation
Chapter 133 Speculation
Chapter 133 Speculation
"Tang's Gold and Silver Shop has a new hairpin that's really beautiful—"
"I'll have someone buy it for you later," Wang You interrupted her before she could finish speaking.
"Thank you, Second Brother."
Mu Jie'er said happily, "We'll set off after breakfast tomorrow."
"Make sure this doesn't get out," Wang You cautioned.
Wang Min and Madam Feng had a deep grudge against him because of what happened last time.
Meanwhile, the old lady quickly realized that something was wrong.
Fortunately, the old lady didn't say anything to him, but she wouldn't let Wang You into the courtyard when she went to pay her respects in the morning and evening.
"I know, I'm very tight-lipped," Mu Jie'er said, patting her chest.
The next morning, Wang You went to pay his respects to the old lady, but unsurprisingly, he was turned away at the door.
After having breakfast, I went out with Sister Mu.
------
Arriving at the Zhouqiao Wharf by carriage, Mu Jie'er instructed her maid to handle the boat rental arrangements while she stood on the wharf, gazing around.
"Miss, Second Young Master, that's the boat."
A moment later, the maid ran back and pointed to a boat.
"Second brother, there are quite a few people visiting today. You should get on the boat first, otherwise it won't be good if someone you know sees you. I'll wait here for sister Minglan," said Mu Jie'er.
Although there's nothing shameful about it, when Minglan arrives and acquaintances see Wang You there, there will inevitably be some gossip.
"Okay, I'll get on the boat now."
Wang You nodded and boarded the boat with the stone.
Mu Jie'er rented a two-story painted boat, with a cabin and a room on each of the two levels.
The cabins are for sightseeing and gatherings, while the rooms are for rest and offer more privacy.
Some snacks are also provided on board, but you can bring your own if you prefer.
The food box that Shi Tou carried contained tea sets, tea leaves, and snacks.
Upon entering the cabin, Wang You looked around, while Shi Tou put down the food box and was about to open it when his ears twitched, and he walked toward Wang You with a serious expression.
"Young master, there are people upstairs," Stone whispered.
"Is anyone on the second floor?"
Wang You was taken aback when he heard this. The painted boats rented at Zhouqiao Bridge were provided with maids to accompany and serve the passengers.
Some young masters from out of town only bring one attendant with them when they travel. They always need to be served tea and water when they go sightseeing.
But Wang You and the others brought servants with them, and Mu Jie'er and Minglan also had maids following them, so they wouldn't need the servants provided by the painted boat.
Moreover, even if there were servants, they would greet you outside the cabin and would not stay on the second floor.
Therefore, Wang You's first reaction was that there was an assassin.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. He hadn't offended anyone, and even if he had unintentionally offended someone, it wouldn't be enough to allow that person to assassinate him in Bianjing.
The assassination of an official under the emperor's nose would inevitably cause a huge uproar, and it was certain that the news would reach the emperor's ears.
What kind of deep-seated hatred would drive someone to do this?
But apart from an assassin, he couldn't think of any other possibility.
Wang You hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Be careful. Go up and check. If there's any danger, come down immediately."
"Yes."
Stone responded and tiptoed up the stairs to the second floor.
Wang You carefully observed the movements above, ready to escape at any moment.
It wasn't that he didn't care about Shi Tou's life or death. Shi Tou was very skilled in martial arts, and although he had also learned boxing from Shi Tou for several years, it was only for physical fitness, and he had never actually fought anyone.
If there is any danger, he will run away first, so that Stone can act freely.
Not long after Shi Tou went up to the second floor, he heard the sounds of fighting coming from upstairs.
Wang You was about to escape when the fighting stopped, and then he could faintly hear voices coming from above.
The sound was too soft; he couldn't hear it at all.
Wang You stopped in his tracks, unsure whether to flee or stay.
Just then, footsteps came from the stairs, making Wang You tense up instantly.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the stone come down.
"What happened to the stone?" Wang You asked quickly when he saw that the stone was intact.
"Young master, it is the Crown Prince of Yan upstairs."
Shi Tou whispered, "His Highness said that he wants you to go upstairs; he has something to discuss with you."
Wang You frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "You stay here and keep watch until Mu Jie'er and the others arrive, then go up and inform me."
"Yes," Stone replied.
When Wang You went upstairs, he saw Zhao Sheng standing at the door of the room on the second floor with a smile on his face.
"Ziqian," Zhao Sheng said with a smile, "long time no see."
"Your Highness, what are you up to?" Wang You asked with a wry smile.
"I have something I want to talk to you about, but I have no other choice but to do this."
Zhao Sheng said apologetically, "But don't worry, I've arranged everything, no one will find out."
"My sister and the others haven't boarded the ship yet. If Your Highness isn't in a hurry, I'll go down and make arrangements first, otherwise I'm afraid there might be problems," Wang You said.
"Okay, I'll wait for you here," Zhao Sheng said.
Wang You bowed and turned to go downstairs, but his mind was preoccupied with the purpose of Zhao Sheng's urgent search for him.
Although he and Zhao Sheng had not had any private contact over the years due to family reasons, they had actually been secretly corresponding.
Zhao Sheng would tell him some things, or confide in him when he was feeling down.
Wang You would offer him advice or comfort him.
Even if Zhao Sheng had something to say, he could have done it through a letter; there was no need to resort to this method to see him.
Could it be related to the fact that the Emperor left Prince Yong and the King behind yesterday?
Wang You was at a loss for what to do. When he went downstairs, he saw that Shi Tou was still waiting at the cabin door.
"Young Master!" Shi Tou bowed quickly when he saw Wang You get off the carriage and said, "Sixth Miss Sheng has just gotten off the carriage. Miss and Sixth Miss Sheng are talking upstairs."
Wang You nodded, stepped out of the cabin, and saw Mu Jie'er and Minglan walking down the steps hand in hand, chatting and laughing.
When Minglan saw Wang You, a hint of joy appeared in her eyes, then her cheeks flushed slightly, and her gaze became somewhat evasive.
"Look how anxious my second brother is, he can't wait even a moment longer," Mu Jie'er whispered in Minglan's ear.
"I told you not to talk nonsense."
Minglan pinched Mu Jie'er in embarrassment and annoyance, but Mu Jie'er didn't care at all because she was dressed thickly in such cold weather.
"Sister, Sixth Sister, it's cold outside, let's go into the cabin first," Wang You said.
"Um."
Minglan responded softly and pulled Mu Jie'er into the cabin.
"Let's go up to the second floor. Pearl, go and tell the boatman to set sail," Mu Jie'er instructed.
"younger sister."
Wang You stepped forward and whispered, "You and Sixth Sister can play downstairs now. I have some things to take care of upstairs."
"What's wrong, Second Brother? Why do you need to occupy the second floor?" Mu Jie'er asked, puzzled.
Seeing that Wang You's expression was a bit off, Minglan pulled Mu Jie'er aside and said, "Cousin, you can go upstairs. I'll play with my cousin downstairs."
"Um."
Wang You nodded and went upstairs.
Although Minglan was also puzzled, she was very understanding and didn't ask any further questions.
"Sister Minglan, what is Second Brother doing up there all by himself?" Mu Jie'er asked in confusion.
"My cousin will tell me when he's done with his work. Let's just wait patiently," Minglan said softly.
"Your Highness, what is it that requires you to go to such lengths to see me?" Wang You asked, puzzled.
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"Does Ziqian know Wang Anshi?" Zhao Sheng asked.
"I know him. Wang Anshi is highly regarded by Vice Envoy Ouyang. I met him once at my teacher's place," Wang You said.
Zhao Sheng took out a document from his sleeve and handed it to Wang You, saying, "Yesterday, the Emperor left my father and Uncle Prince Yan with this document, instructing them to study it carefully and then discuss their interpretation of its contents. This document was submitted by Wang Anshi. Ziqian, take a look at this document."
Wang You took the document and unfolded it to read it.
After a long while, Wang You put down the token and looked thoughtful.
After he gave Wang Anshi advice, Wang Anshi went to take up a local post.
Two years ago, Wang Anshi refused a promotion and is still serving in a local position.
This memorial was Wang Anshi's memorial outlining the advantages and disadvantages of local policies and requesting reforms.
It elaborates on various local problems and argues that if the Song Dynasty does not implement reforms, it will be in danger of national extinction.
He then explained the new law he had formulated to address the problem and earnestly requested the emperor's permission to test the new law in local areas.
"What is the meaning of Your Highness showing me this?" Wang You asked after a long silence.
"At the morning court session yesterday, the Emperor promised that he would confirm the heir apparent next year."
After the court session ended, he left behind his father and uncle, the Prince of Yan, and gave them this memorial, instructing them to study it and to come to the palace after the New Year to discuss their views.
After his father returned, he summoned his trusted confidants to discuss the matter.
The officials all said that this was the Emperor's assessment of them, and that it would determine the Emperor's final decision.
Zhao Sheng paused for a moment, then continued, "After some discussion, those people all concluded that the Emperor should support the reforms, and wanted to see the attitudes of my father and my uncle, the Prince of Yan, towards the reforms."
They all urged their father to support the reforms in order to win over the prince's uncle.
But I always felt things weren't that simple.
"Aren't most of the officials who support His Highness Prince Yong conservatives?"
Wang You asked in bewilderment, "They actually advised His Highness Prince Yong to advocate for reforms?"
"It's not about advocating reform, but about gaining the emperor's approval," Zhao Sheng said.
Wang You suddenly realized that, simply put, it was all about deceiving the emperor first in order to seize the position of crown prince.
Anyway, the emperor's health isn't very good, so it's impossible for him to implement reforms while he's in power.
As for whether or not reforms will be implemented in the future, the emperor is already dead and has no say in it.
Compared to reforms, it is definitely more important to put Prince Yong on the throne first.
Otherwise, if Chong Wang wins, none of them will have a good ending.
What impact would it have if the law were changed or not?
Their speculation stemmed from the fact that the emperor had new policies formulated back then.
At this juncture, the emperor brings up the topic of reform and asks the two candidates for crown prince to discuss their views. It seems to him that he has unfulfilled ambitions and is unwilling to accept defeat.
But after listening, Wang You, like Zhao Sheng, also felt that something was wrong.
When the emperor recalled reformist officials such as Fu Xiangong to the capital, rumors spread like wildfire about the emperor's intention to implement reforms.
Later, in an effort to quell the rumors, the emperor transferred Fan Da Xiang Gong to Yingzhou, which ultimately led to Fan Da Xiang Gong's death from illness on the way.
At that time, the emperor was still young and vigorous, and his health was not in any bad shape.
If the Emperor still has a strong desire for reform, why not go with the flow and transfer Prime Minister Fan back to Bianjing?
However, it would be unreasonable to say that the emperor did not want to implement reforms and was afraid that the future successor to the throne would cause trouble, so he set such a question to test the two.
First of all, neither the Prince of Yan nor the Prince of Yong had shown any intention to implement reforms or support them.
After all, most officials in the court opposed the reforms. Although supporting the reforms might gain the support of the reformists, it would also alienate them from the conservatives.
It's impossible for the two people vying for the throne to do such a thing.
It's clearly abnormal that the Emperor would use this to test the two of them when neither of them showed any intention of reforming.
Secondly, the success of the reforms depended on the attitude of the court officials.
If even the Emperor can't do it, then no matter which of the Prince of Yong or the Prince of Chong succeeds to the throne, they will face the same difficulties. There's nothing to worry about.
Seeing that Wang You remained silent, Zhao Sheng said, "I feel something is wrong, but I can't figure out what it is. I'd like to hear your opinion, but correspondence is too slow, so this is the only way."
"Your Highness, I have thought about this for a long time and I feel that whether the Emperor wants to reform the laws or is worried that the new Emperor will reform the laws in the future, it is somewhat untenable," Wang You said.
"That's what I think too, but if the Emperor's intention is neither to reform nor not to reform, then what is his purpose?" Zhao Sheng asked, troubled.
"Since neither of these possibilities is correct, there is only one explanation."
Wang You said, "This is just a pretext put out by the government; the real purpose is to buy time."
"To buy time?"
Zhao Sheng was taken aback and said, "That's unlikely, isn't it? Your Majesty—what's the point of continuing to delay?"
He originally wanted to say that the Emperor's health was deteriorating and that it was impossible for him to have children under such circumstances, but such words were somewhat disrespectful.
But Wang You understood his meaning and pondered, "Perhaps a noblewoman in the palace is pregnant with the emperor's child, but the emperor has kept the news a secret, or perhaps the emperor is still unwilling to give up. I don't know the specifics."
But I really can't think of any other possibility besides this.
"Assuming your guess is true, how do you think Father should respond to His Majesty?" Zhao Sheng asked.
Wang You shook his head and said, "Actually, Your Highness doesn't need to consider these things. Prince Chong has few heirs, and his son has no children yet, so the Emperor is unlikely to choose him."
All we need to do is wait. However, Your Highness should remind Prince Yong that the last leg of a journey is the hardest; before everything is settled, one must not assume the situation is already resolved and make any surprising moves.
I understand what you're saying.
Zhao Sheng smiled wryly and said, "But what if the Crown Prince of Chong has a son before the battle is over? Just that alone won't be enough to persuade Father."
"Then there's no need to persuade them. If the Emperor is stalling for time, it won't have any impact no matter what choice the Prince of Yong and the King make," Wang You said.
In any case, no matter how the Prince of Yong performs, even if the Emperor is not satisfied, he would never choose someone like Prince Chong, who has few heirs, as the Crown Prince.
"Hearing you say that makes me feel a little more at ease."
Zhao Sheng smiled and said, "Ziqian, I think the pilot program method written in Wang Anshi's memorial is excellent."
The reason why the new law failed back then was because it was promoted nationwide without adequate preparation, which led to various problems and was ultimately defeated due to the obstruction of the conservatives.
After the pilot program proves feasible, it can be rolled out nationwide. Then the officials will have no reason to oppose it.
"To be honest, Your Highness, it was I who told Wang Anshi about this method," Wang You said.
"Did you propose this method?"
Zhao Sheng asked in surprise, "So, you also think that the new laws proposed by Wang Anshi are feasible?"