Thief Emperor

Chapter 1081 The Crown Prince Returns West
Luoyang City, the Yue King's Palace.

Li Feng and Li Zheng arrived at the mansion one after the other. As soon as they reached the gate, Zhuo Zhong, dressed in the official robes of a fourth-rank official, carefully came out to greet them. He bowed respectfully to the two princes and said, "This humble official, Zhuo Zhong, greets Prince Chu and Prince Jin."

Prince Li Feng of Chu has been a prince for three years, but he still hasn't gotten used to his new status. He was about to nod in return when he heard this, but Prince Jin stopped him. Prince Jin patted Zhuo Zhong on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Minister Zhuo, what are you doing here?"

Zhuo Zhong bowed slightly and said, "The Yue Prince's Mansion is nearing completion. I'll keep an eye on things here to prevent any mistakes."

Prince Jin was speechless and said, "Although you work in the Ministry of Works, this job of repairing houses and building residences has nothing to do with you as the Grand Vice Minister."

Although the Ministry of Works is called the Ministry of Works, it is not just a place for craftsmen. Its main job is to build large-scale projects such as water conservancy and roads throughout the country.

While matters like the residence of a prince are also the responsibility of the Ministry of Works, at most, it would be the lower-ranking officials or those of lower rank who would be in charge. It is far from the case that a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Works would be in charge of overseeing such matters.

Vice Minister Zhuo bowed slightly and said, "His Highness Prince Yue's wedding is imminent, and I have come here to inspect the area to prevent any mistakes."

Prince Jin laughed and said, "Then you, Vice Minister, are really living a leisurely life. Recently, several rooms in my Prince Jin's mansion have been leaking. Perhaps Vice Minister Zhuo could come and take a look sometime?"

Prince Jin has always been a playful person, especially in recent years. After gradually consolidating his position as the Prefect of the Capital, he has become even more adept at dealing with people.

Zhuo, the Vice Minister, could only smile and say, "I'll go to the Prince's residence in a little while and see if it's alright. If not, I'll bring a ladder and personally repair your roof."

Upon hearing this, the King of Chu frowned first, then said, "Third Prince, stop teasing Minister Zhuo. We have serious business to attend to."

Prince Jin said with a smile, "What important matter? I just came to see if the Yue Prince's residence is ready, so that our nephew won't embarrass himself at his wedding. With Minister Zhuo here, there's no reason why it shouldn't be ready."

Although the Ministry of Works was insignificant among the Six Ministries, the Six Ministries were still the Six Ministries. Zhuo Zhong, the Vice Minister of Works, was promoted because of his father's influence, but his position in the court was not low.

He personally came here to supervise the construction; there's no reason why the Yue Prince's Mansion shouldn't be repaired.
Prince Jin looked around, then turned to Zhuo Zhong and asked with a smile, "How is the other task His Majesty assigned to Vice Minister Zhuo progressing?"

Another task, naturally, was to repair the official roads of Gyeonggi Province and Henan Province.

This matter was originally the responsibility of the Ministry of Works. It should have been assigned by the Ministry of Works to the local government, which would then collect corvée labor and gather laborers to complete it.

However, His Majesty the Emperor insisted on setting a precedent for hiring officials, so this matter became the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, and the specific task fell to Vice Minister Zhuo.

Vice Minister Zhuo bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness, the official roads of Jingzhao Prefecture have been surveyed, while the official roads of Henan Province are still being surveyed. In addition, His Majesty plans to widen the official roads and repair additional roads, and these all need to be sorted out."

He smiled wryly and said, "I'm afraid it won't be until the middle of next year that the measurements and estimates will be completed. Only then will the Ministry of Revenue allocate funds, and things can begin."

Prince Jin said with a smile, "His Majesty values ​​this matter very much, so you must do a good job."

"This was accomplished, setting a precedent."

Prince Jin said with a smile, "From now on, your Ministry of Works will no longer be an unpopular department. It might even become a highly sought-after institution."

Upon hearing this, Vice Minister Zhuo remained silent for a moment, then sighed: "To be honest, Your Highness, I've become a hot commodity. Before, when I was working in the Ministry of Works, few people asked me for favors. But since I took this job recently, I don't know how many people have wanted to invite me to dinner."

"Among them are many prominent and wealthy families."

Prince Jin said with a smile, "If this matter is handled well, your Ministry of Works will immediately become a lucrative position. At that time, I might have to go to Vice Minister Zhuo's residence to ask you for a favor."

Vice Minister Zhuo quickly lowered his head and said he dared not.

In terms of official rank, the difference between the Vice Minister of the Six Ministries and the Prefect of the Capital is not significant; they can even be considered equal, since the Prefect of the Capital's status is actually below that of the Minister of the Six Ministries.

However, given Prince Jin's status and position, no one in Luoyang dared to put on airs in front of him.

After chatting for a while, Prince Jin asked, "How has Lord Zhuo been feeling lately?"

Zhuo Zhong bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My father is in good health."

Hearing this, the Prince of Chu could no longer contain himself. He shook his head slightly and said, "You two finish your conversation. I'll go in and take a look around."

Upon hearing this, Prince Jin patted Zhuo Zhong on the back, caught up with Prince Chu in a few steps, and said with a smile, "With the Vice Minister of Works here, how dare these craftsmen slack off? Brother, don't bother looking."

Li Feng stubbornly shook his head: "This is a major life event. Since we elders have taken on this task, we should at least see it with our own eyes."

Having said that, he strode into the Yue King's residence.

Prince Jin stood there, shaking his head helplessly. He turned back to Minister Zhuo, who had followed him, and shrugged, "See? Stubborn." Minister Zhuo took a deep breath and said, "It's only right that Prince Chu is meticulous in his work."

Li Zheng laughed and said, "Does that mean I'm not serious about my work?"

Zhuo Zhong waved his hands repeatedly: "I didn't mean that, I didn't mean that."

Prince Jin put his arm around Zhuo Zhong's shoulder and said with a smile, "You'll most likely be in a lucrative position in the Ministry of Works. We're old acquaintances, so we should keep in touch."

Vice Minister Zhuo bowed his head and said, "This humble official is deeply honored."

Prince Jin laughed heartily: "Let's go, let's go, let's take a look at what my nephew's future residence will be like."

After saying that, he pulled Zhuo Zhong along and they entered the Yue Prince's Mansion.

…………

The wedding date of His Highness the Prince of Yue was set for the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. In the blink of an eye, it was the twelfth lunar month of the tenth year of Zhangwu. When the twelfth lunar month arrived, His Highness the Prince of Yue's wedding did not take place. His Highness the Crown Prince, who had been on an eastern tour for nearly a year, had already returned to the capital.

After His Highness the Crown Prince's entourage arrived at the capital, all the civil and military officials, led by Chancellor Du Qian, came out of the city to greet him. The commotion lasted from morning until afternoon before His Highness's carriage finally entered Luoyang. After entering Luoyang, they traveled to the north of the city. His Highness frowned, alighted from the carriage, waved to the Prince of Yue who had come to greet him, and asked, "Second Prince, why does this city smell of blood?"

His Highness the Prince of Yue sniffed, but couldn't smell anything. However, he quickly remembered something, looked around, pulled the Crown Prince aside, and lowered his voice: "Brother, don't talk nonsense. If someone with ulterior motives hears, it won't be good!"

The Crown Prince frowned: "What nonsense did I say?"

The King of Yue smiled bitterly and said, "In early October, the Secretariat, together with the three judicial departments, began to try the major case of the assassination attempt on the Emperor last year on his birthday. It has been two months now, and the case is still not fully completed. But as soon as one batch is tried, another batch is executed."

“Previously, there were executions and beheadings every day in West Market Street, and people would gather together to cheer.”

His Highness the King of Yue said in a low voice, "The people in the city are used to it and can hardly smell it anymore. Perhaps my elder brother just came back from outside and that's why he could smell it."

"But those were all acts of treason against Father, deserving of death. If my elder brother's unintentional remark were to reach Father's ears..."

His Highness the Crown Prince's expression changed drastically. He looked deeply at the Prince of Yue, still somewhat fearful: "If it weren't for Erlang's reminder, I would have almost said the wrong thing."

After the two brothers talked for a while, His Highness the Crown Prince did not get into the carriage. He walked almost side by side with the Prince of Yue and asked as they walked, "Is Erlang getting married soon?"

"It won't be long."

Prince Yue laughed and said, "It's just in time that my elder brother has returned. Otherwise, I, as his son, would really be missing something."

"I rushed back because I knew you were getting married."

His Highness the Crown Prince said with a smile, "These past few days of traveling have really worn your sister-in-law out; she keeps complaining about me."

Prince Yue then looked at the carriage and asked, "My sister-in-law?"

The Crown Prince naturally knew what he was asking, and shook his head slightly: "No, otherwise I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble to bring her back."

He took the King of Yue's hand and said, "I've been away from Luoyang for a year, and I don't know much about what's going on in the city. On the way to the capital, Erlang, please tell me about it, especially about the treason case."

Prince Yue nodded hurriedly. The two brothers traveled together, and he briefly recounted the major events that had occurred in Luoyang during this period. His Highness the Crown Prince listened and nodded repeatedly.

Later in the conversation, the Crown Prince looked at the Third Prince Li Cang in the crowd and asked, "Has the Third Prince also left the palace to establish his own residence? What is he doing?"

"not yet."

Prince Yue glanced at his third brother, who wasn't very close to them, shook his head, and said, "But he's living outside the palace now, I wonder what he's busy with every day."

"I imagine that after the New Year, the third prince will also be leaving the palace to establish his own residence."

His Highness the Crown Prince nodded, glanced back at Li Cang, then at Prince Yue, Li Zheng, with a touch of emotion.

"unconsciously."

"My younger brothers are all growing up."

(End of this chapter)