Chapter 336

Boom!

The old emperor slammed his fist onto the table.

"I'm furious! That dog Jiang Tu wrote absolute nonsense. Where is he? Go fetch Jiang Tu— I'll beat him to death myself."

The eunuchs serving in Taiji Palace were all terrified.

Especially the eunuch who had taken money to run errands for Jiang Tu—he turned as pale as death, looking like he was about to drop dead.

Jiang Tu had submitted his memorial; inwardly, he was deeply uneasy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated for half a month before taking this step.

He expected to wait several days for a response. Yet, no sooner had he returned home and sat down with a cup of tea than messengers arrived from the palace, ordering him to hurry to court for an audience with the Emperor.

"The Emperor will see me?"

Jiang Tu was overjoyed—he never imagined the dog-headed strategist's plan would work so well.

"My lord, hurry along—don't keep His Majesty waiting."

"How is His Majesty's mood?"

"His Majesty is as usual," replied the eunuch delivering the imperial order, refusing to say more.

Jiang Tu didn't overthink it—he rushed to Taiji Palace. After being announced, he entered the grand hall and knelt faster than anyone else, showing none of the dignity or composure expected of a high-ranking court official. Proper ministers didn't kneel; a respectful bow with clasped hands was enough.

Only Jiang Tu, that sycophant, would drop to his knees the moment he saw the Emperor.

"Your servant begs His Majesty's blessing—may His Majesty live ten thousand years!"

"You dog!" The old emperor roared, kicking out with a foot that sent Jiang Tu sprawling. Then came a torrent of furious curses.

Jiang Tu was stunned, momentarily unable to process it. But as he listened to the Emperor's furious tirade, he suddenly felt exhilarated.

He had won the bet!

He had won!

When it came to reading the old Emperor's mind, Jiang Tu wouldn't claim first place—but he was certainly second or third. Earlier, when he tried to ease the Emperor's burdens, he had misjudged the situation.

Just before, Li Li Liangcheng had scolded the Emperor, waking him up. The Emperor then changed his strategy, deciding to compensate Prince Zhong materially. Jiang Tu, unaware, had the bad timing to step forward offering to ease the Emperor's burdens—thus confirming the Emperor's secret intention to kill his own son, and validating Li Li Liangcheng's accusations.

The Emperor, his hidden thoughts exposed, naturally hated Jiang Tu with a vengeance. He refused to summon him for a long time.

This time, Jiang Tu had won. In his memorial, he had begged the Emperor to appoint the Crown Prince—to name Prince Zhong as Crown Prince.

The request to appoint a Crown Prince enraged the Emperor. He had endured immense hardship, braved the world's condemnation, and finally deposed the Crown Prince to seize absolute power. Now Jiang Tu was urging him to appoint another Crown Prince—wasn't that saying all his past efforts were wasted, and that he must now share part of his imperial authority with a newly appointed heir? This was absolutely unacceptable.

His power belonged to him alone. No one—not even his own sons—could take even the tiniest fraction of it from him.

Jiang Tu had proposed a stupid idea. Fortunately, the memorial hadn't passed through Zhengshitang, so it hadn't become common knowledge throughout the court.

But…

Everything fears the word "but."

Jiang Tu's plea to enfeoff Prince Zhong as Crown Prince was pure, unadulterated loyalty!

It seemed he had misunderstood Jiang Tu all along—he had wrongly suspected Jiang Tu harbored ill intent toward Prince Zhong.

This pleased the Emperor greatly.

His favorite minister shared his heart—he, too, wanted to compensate the deposed Crown Prince, Prince Zhong. Excellent! But Jiang Tu's method of compensation was terribly inappropriate. How could a recently deposed Crown Prince be reinstated?

Given his unwavering loyalty, a stern scolding and some minor punishment would suffice.

Jiang Tu didn't know the Emperor's thoughts had twisted eighteen times. He only knew: the more the Emperor scolded and beat him, the safer he felt. Silence, by contrast, was truly terrifying.

"Your servant erred! Your servant is guilty—I cannot ease Your Majesty's burdens. Please punish me!"

Jiang Tu clung to the Emperor's leg, weeping as if his heart would break. Not being able to ease His Majesty's burdens was the greatest sorrow in the world—there was no other, only this one.

"Your servant deserves to die! Your servant is uneducated and foolish, but possesses only a single, loyal heart. Your servant is not clever like others, nor does he have many ideas. Your servant… your servant only wants to ease Your Majesty's burdens, to make Your Majesty happy. Your Majesty's happiness is the best thing in the world."

The flattery was blunt, yet still skillfully delivered.

Who, upon hearing someone weep with heartfelt sincerity, "Your happiness is the best thing in the world," especially when that someone is one you find agreeable… well, the feeling…

One could only say: Jiang Tu understood perfectly how to please the old Emperor. As long as he didn't cross the line or touch the dragon's scales, the Emperor tolerated him—even if he acted a little brazen, like clinging to the Emperor's leg, it was still acceptable.

"Impudent!" the Emperor snapped.

Jiang Tu reluctantly released his grip, looked up, his eyes filled with reverence and adoration—utterly devoted, ready to leap into fire or water.

Jiang Tu was mediocre in every way—except his acting skills, which were unquestionably top-tier.

The Emperor snorted. His face looked stern, but his anger had already largely dissipated.

"These days I haven't seen Your Majesty—you've grown thinner!" Jiang Tu said, genuinely pained.

The Emperor kicked him away. "You dog—since your mind is dull and you refuse to study, stop speaking nonsense. How dare you write such things?"

The Emperor pointed at the memorial, his anger blazing.

"Never speak such things again. Do your duty well—finish repairing the gardens and palaces quickly."

"Your servant obeys! Your servant… your servant only saw that Your Majesty hasn't been happy these days, and your servant's heart grew anxious. Daringly, your servant tried to ease Your Majesty's burdens. But your servant is foolish—these were the only ideas he could think of."

The Emperor grunted and tossed the memorial straight into the censer.

"Don't entertain thoughts you shouldn't. Don't meddle in matters that don't concern you. This concerns the foundation of the state—it is not your place to worry about."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Tu bowed his head in assent, but inwardly seethed. The Emperor simply despised him for being uneducated, lacking scholarship, and not as sharp as other court ministers. He hadn't even been consulted in the matter of deposing the Crown Prince. In the end, the Emperor still saw him only as a slightly capable, money-grubbing favorite—not a Court's Pillar Is Heavy.

He had always believed his weight in the Emperor's eyes was considerable. So many officials had accused him year after year, yet each time the Emperor personally smoothed things over. The worst punishment was always thunder without rain—arresting a few of his lackeys, locking them up to appease the court's anger, never touching him directly.

Yet, in such a monumental matter as deposing the Crown Prince, he was completely excluded. Only after everything was settled did he learn the full truth.

He was heartbroken!

Even officials who normally smiled and bowed to him had been allowed to participate—yet he was shut out.

What was he, then?

A cat? A dog?

After the Crown Prince's deposition, his attempt to ease the Emperor's burdens was nothing more than a bid for favor—a chance to invest and increase his own leverage.

If the old Emperor had accepted his suggestion and truly let him share the burden of governance, then the other Imperial Princes would surely have come to curry favor with him. When that time came, he would have liked to see who still dared to call him a favored minister.

But who would have thought — he crashed and burned!

The old Emperor did not want him to share the burden; for a time he was cold-shouldered and suppressed. He was so anxious his hair fell out in clumps. Fortunately, this time his gamble paid off, and he once again won the old Emperor's favor and trust.

Only now, at this moment, he had set his sights higher. He did not want to remain merely a favored minister — he wanted to be the chief among all officials, he wanted to be the Right Chancellor, he wanted to stand on equal footing with Li Li Liangcheng.