Chapter 1633: Resentment Between Mother and Son

Prince Ning stood under the eaves, his expression somewhat dazed.

He looked up at the sky; it was overcast, much like his current mood.

Prince Shuncheng stood beside him, looking aggrieved and unconvinced.

"Do not have any further contact with Chen Guanfu."

"Understood."

Prince Shuncheng felt stifled. He was a dignified prince, yet Chen Guanfu would only offer him superficial courtesy. He was not base; he would not continue to press his hot face against a cold backside.

Prince Ning sighed. "The Hou Fu has its own stance; do not expect the Hou Fu to help us. You also need not worry about being ground to death one day; the Third Brother is insane, but the Secretariat is not just for show."

Prince Shuncheng snorted. "You know he's insane, yet you urge me to submit. Have you lost your mind?"

"Presumptuous! The Third Brother is not the late Emperor, let alone the Grand Emperor. He does not have that capability! The late Emperor ascended the throne less than two years before he struck down Uncle Prince Jin. Do you truly believe you won't live for two more years?"

"Impossible!" Prince Shuncheng said angrily. "I'll bet my life on it; he absolutely has no ability to kill us within two years."

"Since you know he lacks this ability, why are you so irritable? You are only lowering yourself and giving others a handle against you."

"I just can't stand being treated like this."

In the end, Prince Shuncheng was simply unconvinced, unwilling, and trying to resist. Even if the outcome of resisting was miserable, he refused to back down. If he didn't resist, he would rather die!

Prince Ning lowered his head in silence, his thoughts churning. "Stay quiet for this period; I am heading back first. Find time to pay your respects to Mother."

"I will go with you; it is a good time to pay my respects to Mother."

The mansions of the two brothers were not far apart, located on the same street.

In a short while, Prince Shuncheng arrived at Prince Ning's mansion and headed straight for the backyard to see Consort Dowager Xiao.

Consort Dowager Xiao was hiding in the shade of a tree, her expression stern.

Upon seeing Prince Shuncheng, she immediately scolded him: "You reckless thing, I told you to behave, but you wouldn't listen. Now that you've been demoted to a Commandery Prince, are you satisfied? Not to mention anything else, your annual stipend alone has decreased by tens of thousands of taels. Don't come crying to me when you're broke."

Prince Shuncheng was already feeling aggrieved, and being scolded the moment they met made him feel even worse.

"Greetings, Mother! Are you disgusted with your son?"

"If I had known you were so disappointing, I should have dealt with you myself instead of letting that little brat do it." Consort Dowager Xiao's attitude was one of utter disdain.

Prince Shuncheng let out an "oh," sat to the side, and remained silent, nursing his anger alone.

Prince Ning did not want to see a rift between mother and son, lest others take advantage of it.

He urged, "Mother, please calm your anger. He already knows he was wrong. He will behave himself from now on."

Consort Dowager Xiao hummed twice. "He is my son; I know his temperament better than anyone. Expecting him to behave is like expecting the sun to rise in the west."

Anger rose in Prince Shuncheng's heart, and he immediately stood up and ran outside. He couldn't stay for even a second longer.

Prince Ning hurriedly grabbed him. "Mother was just saying a few words; why are you taking it to heart? Sit down quickly!"

Prince Shuncheng turned his head to look at Consort Dowager Xiao, remaining silent with the attitude of a stubborn person: Say whatever you want, if I change, I'll take your surname.

Consort Dowager Xiao gritted her teeth. "Look at him, look at him, what an attitude! Get out! Get far away! He will be killed by that little brat sooner or later! When he dies, don't drag me into it."

"Mother, could you please say a little less?"

"Even if I die, I won't come begging you!" Prince Shuncheng roared, rushing out regardless of anything else.

This time, Prince Ning failed to pull him back and felt very frustrated.

He couldn't help but complain: "Mother, why must you be like this? Wouldn't it be enough to say a few kind words to comfort him? Why must you rub salt in his wounds? He is already feeling terrible; how could you kick him while he's down?"

Consort Dowager Xiao sneered. "You know what his temper is like. Besides, why should I comfort him? He is the one who did wrong; he deserves what he got today. That I didn't pick up a sword and kill him is already an act of extreme tolerance for the sake of our mother-son bond. He is the one who doesn't know what's good for him! Stay away from him and don't get involved in his affairs, lest he bring disaster upon you."

Consort Dowager Xiao looked down on Prince Shuncheng from the bottom of her heart, despising this son for having a brain like a cudgel and being useless except for his brute strength.

However, seizing imperial power didn't rely on brute strength; it relied on brains.

This plague-ridden Prince Shuncheng only knew how to hold them back.

Not killing him was already the mark of a compassionate mother.

"For Mother to say such things is truly disheartening. He is also your own flesh and blood."

"Five fingers have different lengths; I cannot treat everyone equally, so stop pestering me." Consort Dowager Xiao admitted frankly that she was biased.

Prince Ning sighed, unable to urge her further.

He was the beneficiary; pestering her in front of Mother made him seem ungrateful.

Consort Dowager Xiao reminded him: "If he goes crazy with poverty and asks to borrow money from you, remember, you are not allowed to lend it to him. He is poor, and he deserves it! A perfectly good Prince title, and after he tossed it around, it became a Commandery Prince title. He keeps a group of women in his backyard and has a pile of children. It would be against heaven's law if he weren't poor. If you dare to lend him money, I will deal with you."

Consort Dowager Xiao now valued money very highly.

Everything required money.

Winning over court officials required money, rewarding servants required money, developing strength required money...

She could squander her own wealth, but she absolutely would not allow her own son to squander it.

Prince Ning was extremely distressed. "I am the eldest brother; if he has difficulties and comes to me, yet I stand by and watch, how will the world view me, and how will the court officials view me? Mother, please do not make things difficult for me."

Consort Dowager Xiao was very dissatisfied.

Knowing that what Prince Ning said was reasonable, superficial appearances had to be maintained. She could only think of ways to solve the problem at the source.

She advised: "Then tell him to clean up his backyard and stop dragging women in, stuffing every fragrant or foul thing into his backyard. Keeping women costs money; the monthly allowance for food, clothing, and housing for just one woman requires a lot of expenditure. With at least seven or eight, or even a dozen servants waiting on them, their food, clothing, and housing are another expense. Add in all sorts of rewards on ordinary days. By the end of the year, keeping one woman costs no less than several thousand taels.

Spending so much silver, yet he is still tireless; does he really think he has a mountain of gold and silver? He should look at his current situation. By the way, remember to take people from the Ministry of Works to his mansion and change the regulations of the mansion. Since he has been demoted to a Commandery Prince, he only deserves the regulations of a Commandery Prince; do not violate the regulations and give others a handle."

Prince Ning nodded in agreement. "Tomorrow I will take people to his mansion and supervise the work myself, ensuring that all violations are corrected."

"The marriage your father arranged for him is simply absurd! I am such a capable person, yet my daughter-in-law is a spineless coward who cannot control the concubines in the backyard. Tell your wife to go over and give them a warning. Tell those people that if they don't behave, I will personally step in to deal with them. Once I step in, it won't end without a few people dying."

Consort Dowager Xiao was utterly disgusted with Prince Shuncheng and his wife, loathing them from the bottom of her heart.

She hated Emperor Jian Shi again, blaming him for randomly playing matchmaker and failing to find a formidable wife for Prince Shuncheng.

It was infuriating!

One wrong step leads to every step being wrong; nothing was going smoothly!

She decided to go to the temple tomorrow to pray. ===== CHAPTER 1634 =====