Chapter 2

"Unthinkable! Unthinkable!"

In the Wende Hall, as everyone was frightened to the point of kneeling on the ground, Emperor Zhao Yuansi of the Great Wei angrily grabbed the armrests of the dragon throne, refusing to let go.

He naturally understood what the Eighth Prince Hongrun was trying to convey through that strange poem: I, Hongrun, never thought of becoming the crown prince, so you all can play your games, and I will go back to sleep.

Although due to his age, Zhao Yuansi had not included the Eighth Prince Hongrun in the list of candidates for the crown prince. Moreover, the Eighth Prince Hongrun's voluntary hint to withdraw from the throne competition was beneficial for the stability of the royal family, greatly reducing the intensity of future throne disputes, which was a good thing for the clan and the country.

However, the problem was that Hongrun's casual hint to withdraw from the throne competition made Zhao Yuansi feel it was hard to accept.

That was the imperial throne, the throne of the Great Wei Emperor. Why should you, Zhao Hongrun, casually abandon it as if it were a pair of worn-out shoes?

What Zhao Yuansi found hardest to let go of was the "haha" in that strange poem, which sounded to the Great Wei Emperor like a great mockery!

It seemed as if the true meaning of that line was: Haha, I, Zhao Hongrun, disdain the imperial throne, so you all can fight over it, and I will go back to sleep.

Yes, disdain!

The Great Wei Emperor Zhao Yuansi felt the disdain in that "haha," which was what he could not tolerate!

After all, the Great Wei imperial throne was the legacy left by the Ji and Zhao ancestors. Every emperor and clan member had worked hard for the ancestors' legacy. Why, in your eyes, Zhao Hongrun, is the imperial throne so insignificant? Does this mean that the ancestors' legacy is not worth mentioning in your eyes?

"Arrogant! Arrogant!" Zhao Yuansi slapped the edge of the dragon throne and angrily scolded, "Tear up that rebel son's strange poem!"

The eunuch who recited the poem was about to tear the paper with the strange poem written by Hongrun when he suddenly heard someone in the hall urgently call out, "Don't tear it!"

The eunuch was stunned and looked up to see that it was the Sixth Prince, the famous "Qilin Child" of the capital, Hongzhao.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuansi was also puzzled and looked at his favorite Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, with confusion.

Hongzhao bowed and said, "Father, may I have that poem?"

Before Zhao Yuansi could speak, Hongxuan, who was close to Hongrun, could not bear it and said in a low, angry voice, "What does the Sixth Elder Brother mean? Do you want to make my Eighth Brother look even more foolish?"

Zhao Hongzhao smiled slightly and replied to Hongxuan, "What does it mean to look foolish? The poem by the Eighth Prince, though strange in form, is full of flavor. In my opinion, it is written very well. What does it mean to look foolish? What does it mean to continue looking foolish? ... The freedom and the high realm in the poem are not something the young Ninth Brother can understand."

Seeing that Zhao Hongzhao was not trying to add insult to injury, Hongxuan felt relieved, but he was not entirely satisfied with his Sixth Brother's words, muttering to himself: What are you pretending? You, Zhao Hongzhao, are only five years older than me!

Zhao Hongzhao's words made the scholars in the hall stunned, and even the Great Wei Emperor Zhao Yuansi was surprised.

Zhao Yuansi waved his hand and ordered everyone to rise, then asked, "Hongzhao, you say your Eighth Brother's strange poem is well-written?"

"Not just well, but extremely well!" Zhao Hongzhao commented, nodding his head. "Father, you must be angry at the last line, but in my opinion, that last line is the finishing touch of the whole poem! Whether it's the line 'Everyone says being a prince is good, but being a prince is also hard,' or 'Commoners rise when I rise, commoners sleep when I sleep,' none of them can match the last line 'Haha, let it be!' Especially the 'haha,' which is a stroke of genius, profound and thought-provoking, and no matter how many words are used, they cannot fully express the meaning of these two words."

Seeing Zhao Hongzhao's intoxicated and reflective expression, the scholars in the hall were speechless, and even the Great Wei Emperor Zhao Yuansi, who had been furious at the poem, began to savor it carefully.

After all, Zhao Hongzhao was a born "Qilin Child." Though young, his talent was not inferior to those of the scholars. His poems and verses were highly praised by scholars, and even the late scholar and former Grand Historian of the Hanlin Academy, Wang Linzong, exclaimed: "Is there really someone who knows things by nature?"

Regardless of whether this rumor was exaggerated, it was undeniable that the Sixth Prince Zhao Hongzhao was considered the most outstanding talent in the capital, Daliang, and his reputation among scholars far exceeded that of the other princes. Even the scholars of the Hanlin Academy did not dare to claim they had the qualifications to be his teacher.

And the Great Wei Emperor Zhao Yuansi loved this son particularly because of his talent. Otherwise, at the age of eighteen, Zhao Hongzhao could have already left the palace to establish his own household. The reason the Great Wei Emperor kept this son in the palace was simply that he could not bear to let him leave.

Indeed, after Zhao Hongzhao's analysis, Zhao Yuansi tasted the poem again and truly felt a sense of freedom and depth. As Hongzhao said, the "haha" two words, apart from the hint of mockery, had a profound and indescribable meaning.

Originally, Zhao Yuansi thought the line "Commoners rise when I rise, commoners sleep when I sleep" was the most outstanding, but now, he felt that this line was not as impressive as the "haha" two words.

Of course, not everyone agreed with the Sixth Prince's interpretation. Many, like the scholars, did not find the poem particularly outstanding. The poem's form was strange, the lines did not rhyme well, and the number of characters in each line was inconsistent, making it a mess and incomprehensible.

But they did not say much, thinking that Zhao Hongzhao was just trying to smooth things over. After all, the strange poem by Zhao Hongrun had already angered the Emperor, and who would be foolish enough to argue about it?

Zhao Hongzhao could only shake his head. He could only say that these people's realms were not high enough to appreciate the profound meaning in his Eighth Brother's poem.

Carefully folding the paper and putting it in his sleeve, Zhao Hongzhao thought about when he should visit his Eighth Brother. Regardless of what others thought, he was genuinely interested in this novel poetic form.

The turmoil caused by the "Wende Hall Chaos Poem" was thus smoothed over by Zhao Hongzhao, and everyone in the hall pretended it never happened.

But because of this incident, Zhao Yuansi gradually became interested in his Eighth Son, Zhao Hongrun.

He suddenly wanted to read Zhao Hongrun's "Treatise on National Wealth" to see if the Eighth Prince was as outstanding as his favorite son, Zhao Hongzhao, had said.

However, he did not dare to have anyone read it again, to avoid any further mishaps.

Thus, the Great Wei Emperor, under the pretext of reviewing the academic achievements of his sons, slowly walked to the Eighth Prince Hongrun's examination desk and casually picked up another piece of paper on it.

But with just a glance, the Great Wei Emperor frowned.

This time, it was not about whether it was well-written or not. The reason was that the "Treatise on National Wealth" by the Eighth Prince Hongrun was too simple, with only four characters: "People Rich, Nation Strong."

It was a perfunctory work.

"What nonsense!" Zhao Yuansi muttered angrily, thinking to himself that his favorite son, Zhao Hongzhao, must have been mistaken. How could the Eighth Prince Hongrun be a talented person? He was clearly a fool!

But just as Zhao Yuansi was about to angrily put the Eighth Prince Hongrun out of his mind and review the other princes' exam papers, he suddenly seemed to realize something and picked up the paper again to examine it carefully.

"People Rich, Nation Strong?"

After reading it several times, the Great Wei Emperor was stunned.

After all, the common saying was "Nation Rich, People Strong," but the Eighth Prince Hongrun had written "People Rich, Nation Strong." Although it seemed like just a change in the order of two characters, the meaning was completely different.

But he did not delve deeper, muttering "nonsense" to mislead the others, and quietly put the paper in his sleeve.

Those four characters were too significant!

Most people in the hall laughed inwardly at the Emperor's "nonsense" comment, thinking that the Eighth Prince Hongrun had written another embarrassing piece, but few noticed that Zhao Yuansi had put the paper in his sleeve, such as the Second Prince "Yong Wang" Hongyu, the Third Prince "Xiang Wang" Hongjing, and the Sixth Prince "Qilin Child" Hongzhao.

After reading the "People Rich, Nation Strong" by Hongrun, the "Treatise on National Wealth" by the other princes seemed rather dull to the Great Wei Emperor. Whether it was the orthodox Confucian doctrines, the more aggressive "strengthening the nation through military might," or the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of court policies, no matter how well-written, they all seemed to scratch the surface.

Even the Sixth Prince Hongzhao, who was the most favored by Zhao Yuansi, had written a brilliant "Treatise on Strengthening the Nation," sharply criticizing the advantages and disadvantages of court policies. But even so, it could not match the four-character essay by the Eighth Prince Hongrun.

Of course, despite this, the Great Wei Emperor still praised the Sixth Prince Hongzhao's essay as the best and had the princes and scholars pass it around.

After all, the four-character "Treatise on Strengthening the Nation" by the Eighth Prince Hongrun, Zhao Yuansi felt, was not suitable to be brought up.

But one thing the Great Wei Emperor had confirmed was that his Eighth Son, Hongrun, was indeed talented, as the Sixth Prince Hongzhao had said.

After the imperial examination, the Great Wei Emperor rewarded the princes whose essays were outstanding and also rewarded the scholars who taught them. Then, he dismissed them.

Sitting on the dragon throne in the Wende Hall, with only the chief eunuch Tong Xian by his side, Zhao Yuansi could not help but take out the paper and focus on the four characters "People Rich, Nation Strong."

After a long time, the chief eunuch Tong Xian reminded him softly, "Your Majesty, it's time to move to the Chui Gong Hall."

"Hmm." The Great Wei Emperor nodded.

The Chui Gong Hall was where the Great Wei Emperor handled state affairs and reviewed memorials, named after the idea of "governing by doing nothing." The first emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty hoped that his descendants could do nothing and still have a peaceful Great Wei, so he named the hall where the Great Wei Emperor handled state affairs the Chui Gong Hall.

In reality, however, every wise and enlightened emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty was almost exhausted in the Chui Gong Hall, making the name quite ironic.

When the Great Wei Emperor Zhao Yuansi moved to the Chui Gong Hall, there were already three ministers in the hall helping to review memorials. These three ministers were the sixty-year-old Chancellor He Xiangxu, the middle-aged Left Chancellor Lin Yuyang, and the Right Chancellor Yu Ziqi.

These three were officials of the Zhongshu Province who assisted the Great Wei Emperor in reviewing memorials and were not part of the court ministers. They could be considered the private advisors of the Great Wei Emperor. Although their power was not as great as that of the ministers and generals, their status was high, as they were officials of the Zhongshu Province, the "inner court ministers" of the Great Wei Emperor. Many key policies that required deep thought were mostly discussed with these "inner court ministers."

Of course, for matters involving the six ministries, the Great Wei Emperor would also convene the six ministers to participate in the inner court.

As for the daily morning court, it was actually a routine for the ministers to report their work to the Great Wei Emperor and their colleagues, or a political show. The real meetings that decided the policies of the Great Wei were held in the "inner court" of the Chui Gong Hall.

Because of the high status of the inner court, the memorials and petitions submitted here were mostly about major issues concerning the entire Great Wei, such as border guards being harassed by enemy countries, wanting to retaliate, which would trigger a war between the two countries, and which the Ministry of War could not decide on its own.

The petition from the border guard would be submitted to the Zhongshu Province, the Chui Gong Hall, for the Great Wei Emperor to decide. If the Emperor said to fight, they would fight; if the Emperor said not to fight, the guard would have to endure.

As for matters like disaster relief and food distribution, which were urgent, they would not be submitted to the Chui Gong Hall. The Ministry of Revenue would handle these matters on its own, issuing orders to mobilize food supplies upon receiving urgent reports from local officials. Otherwise, if such matters had to go through the morning court or the inner court, the disaster victims would have starved to death.

Therefore, the matters handled in the Chui Gong Hall were mostly not urgent but crucial for the long-term prosperity and decline of the Great Wei, such as digging canals, building imperial tombs, adjusting taxes, or establishing diplomatic relations and alliances with other countries.

In addition, the Zhongshu Province also assisted the Great Wei Emperor in supervising the work of the six ministries, reviewing the recent actions of the ministries, and returning them for immediate correction if there were any omissions or deficiencies. In short, it was about correcting mistakes and praising good work.

Although it seemed like just a final review, the workload was enormous. Even with the assistance of the Zhongshu Province, the Great Wei Emperors were almost exhausted, as if they spent their days reviewing various memorials and petitions and inspecting the work of the ministries.

The work of the six ministries involved the entire Great Wei, and almost every day, hundreds of memorials and petitions were submitted to the Zhongshu Province. It was no wonder that the Great Wei Emperor Zhao Yuansi, at the age of forty-two, already had gray hair.

"Your Majesty."

Seeing the Great Wei Emperor Zhao Yuansi enter the Chui Gong Hall, the Chancellor He Xiangxu, the Left Chancellor Lin Yuyang, and the Right Chancellor Yu Ziqi, who were reviewing memorials, quickly stood up and bowed.

"Rise." Zhao Yuansi waved his hand and walked to his dragon desk.

At this moment, the three ministers of the Zhongshu Province had already placed some sensitive memorials and petitions on the dragon desk, stacked high, with dozens of them.

This was not the end, as the six ministries of the Shangshu Province continued to send the latest memorials and petitions to the Chui Gong Hall, and the three ministers of the Zhongshu Province, after an initial review, selected the more sensitive ones and presented them to the Great Wei Emperor's dragon desk.

This was a continuous cycle, and even a wise emperor like Zhao Yuansi would never finish all the memorials and petitions on the dragon desk. If one day the dragon desk was empty, it would mean the Great Wei was about to fall.

After two or three hours, the stack of memorials and petitions on Zhao Yuansi's dragon desk had not decreased.

Looking at the stacks of memorials and petitions on the dragon desk, the Great Wei Emperor sighed, "Everyone says being an emperor is good, but who knows the difficulties of being an emperor..."

The three ministers of the Zhongshu Province stopped their work and looked at Zhao Yuansi, praising him.

"Good line!"

"Good line, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Yuansi stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and recited, "Ministers rise after I rise, ministers sleep after I sleep. Not as good as the wealthy old man in Longyou, who still wears his coat at noon."

The three ministers of the Zhongshu Province were moved, as Zhao Yuansi's poem could not be measured by good or bad.

They all left their seats and bowed, shouting, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler. With Your Majesty, our Great Wei has a bright future! The fortune of the Great Wei, the fortune of the state, the fortune of the people!"

"What are you doing? Get up, get up. I was just venting my frustration."

Zhao Yuansi waved his hand to have the three ministers of the Zhongshu Province rise. In fact, he was happy, as he had just slightly modified the poem by the Eighth Prince Hongrun and added two lines, expressing the frustration of the past ten years.

"Your Majesty seems to be in a good mood for poetry today." The Chancellor He Xiangxu stroked his white beard and smiled. Although he felt the poem's form was not from the Book of Songs, he did not say anything more, seeing the Emperor was happy.

"Not really, I was just..." Zhao Yuansi was about to say he was inspired by the strange poem of the Eighth Prince Hongrun, but suddenly he had a thought, took out the paper with "People Rich, Nation Strong" from his sleeve, and called the three ministers of the Zhongshu Province to his side, asking, "What do you think of this sentence, my ministers?"

The three ministers of the Zhongshu Province curiously walked to the dragon desk and looked at the paper.

"People Rich... Nation Strong?"

Immediately, the three ministers of the Zhongshu Province exchanged glances, their faces slightly changing.

They looked at each other, none daring to speak.

Just four characters, but they had such power, making the three ministers of the Zhongshu Province hesitant