Chapter 1533: Future Lord and Vassal

The Emperor's unquestionable attitude made the Crown Prince understand that this was an order he must obey. He fell silent for a moment, then finally made up his mind. "In that case, your son will not fail the trust you have placed in me!"

"Good! That's the kind of courage you should show!" The Emperor released his grip, clearly very pleased. "You are to inherit this realm, so experience more of this feeling of deciding matters with a single word. This kingdom of Goryeo is given to you for practice. I hope you will practice well."

After a moment of hesitation and reluctance, the Crown Prince ultimately accepted the new task his father had proposed. His father had spoken so lightly, as if he had already handed the entire nation of Goryeo to him as a toy, to be arranged at his whim — but the Crown Prince could not regard it so lightly.

His primary task was to oversee the rear for the expeditionary army against Japan, ensuring their campaign proceeded smoothly. The stability of the Goryeo kingdom was absolutely critical to his task and could not be treated carelessly in the slightest. He was also restricted to relying on himself to adjudicate the dispute between the envoy delegation and the Goryeo court, while maintaining Goryeo's stability. This was truly a formidable mission.

However, he believed that as long as he had his father's unreserved trust, he would be able to accomplish it.

Seeing the Crown Prince's solemn yet confident expression, the Emperor was inexplicably reminded of his own appearance in years past. Back then, at this same age, he had gone out to conquer the world. He had maneuvered through the tides of the moment in Xuzhou, accumulating his wealth and power bit by bit, and ultimately seized the realm.

Twenty years had passed. Now he had become the sovereign of all under heaven, and his son had grown up, ready to go out and carve out his own domain. He felt reluctance and worry, but more than that, he felt invigoration.

"My son, may you succeed upon arrival and return soon!" Carried by this irrepressible emotion, he cast aside the solemnity of an emperor for an instant and spoke to his son purely in the tone of a father.

The parting words between father and son concluded with this single sentence, so full of expectation. The Crown Prince knelt to express gratitude to his father and bid farewell, then turned around with heroic resolve and, with the attendants and envoys the court had assigned to him, embarked upon his journey.

"We respectfully see off the Crown Prince! May His Highness the Crown Prince succeed upon arrival!" As the Crown Prince set off, the assembled ministers bowed in salute one after another, bidding him farewell on this journey.

As the Crown Prince's convoy departed, the Emperor still stood there for a long time, watching them shrink bit by bit from his sight until they finally vanished.

"Your Majesty need not worry. The Crown Prince is wise and perceptive and will surely be able to share the state's burdens." Seeing that the Emperor was still lost in thought, the Chancellor Wang Zhaojing drew near to his side and offered quiet reassurance.

His status was the highest among all civil and military officials, so his doing so was beyond reproach. "Moreover, the Crown Prince is benevolent and has an eye for talent. With him handling the matter, Goryeo will by no means bear a grudge against the court."

He was aware of the inside story of the dispute between the Goryeo court and the envoy delegation, and he agreed with the Emperor's decision to have the Crown Prince personally handle Goryeo. In his view, the first-generation military meritocracy of the new dynasty was simply too powerful. If the Crown Prince, as the nation's heir apparent, rashly involved himself in state affairs without preparation, he would very likely be constrained at every turn, which might then breed resentment against the military meritocracy — detrimental to the new dynasty's future.

Through methods such as overseeing Goryeo, the Crown Prince could slowly cultivate a brain trust and advisory group he was personally familiar with, promote a new batch of military merit officers, and use this to familiarize himself with military and administrative affairs, laying a solid foundation for his formal participation in state governance.

"Don't always speak such pleasant words." The Emperor shook his head. "Is there anyone in this world born with innate knowledge? Everything is trained bit by bit. On this trip, I don't expect him to do anything brilliantly — merely passing will suffice. If he can't even manage a merely passing performance, that would be too disappointing... Chancellor, put some effort into this over the next while and draft a memorandum of strategy for me. Write up the cabinet's opinion on handling the Goryeo dispute. If the Crown Prince truly fails to handle things well over there, I will still have to trouble you all to clean up the mess."

"In all matters, being prepared averts peril — that is the correct principle. This minister understands." The Chancellor also gave a slight bow, indicating he accepted the order. "However, this minister still has confidence in the Crown Prince and believes these memoranda will not be needed."

"If only that were so."

The Crown Prince's convoy had already become a blurry black dot beneath the distant skyline. The Emperor slowly raised his head and looked at the emerald-blue sky illuminated by the morning sun.

"In this realm, how many things still await him to learn!"

The lament exchanged between lord and vassal could not reach the Crown Prince's heart, yet it was as if he sensed something. Ever since boarding the carriage, he had sat upright in his seat within the compartment, utterly silent.

However, the person sitting beside him was not like that at all.

This youth, even younger than the Crown Prince by a few years, had not, since boarding the carriage, been overwhelmed with tearful gratitude and flattered trepidation at the extraordinary honor of riding in the same carriage as the Crown Prince. Instead, he had been looking around curiously the whole time — sometimes leaning out the carriage window to gaze at the distant rural scenery, sometimes fidgeting about on the cushion, as if he had boundless energy to burn.

He was Zheng Sen. After that private conversation between the two of them, the Crown Prince had indeed kept his promise. When selecting the attendants to accompany him, he had placed Zheng Sen on the list. Aside from Zheng Sen, he had chosen only two other young attendants from his side.

Some young attendants were envious of the extraordinary honor they enjoyed and secretly wished they could accompany the Crown Prince on his tour, to show off in grand style. Others secretly rejoiced that the Crown Prince had not selected them, sparing themselves the hardships of travel.

Zheng Sen was very grateful that the Crown Prince had done this. Once he received the Crown Prince's designation, he immediately prepared his luggage, then wrote an earnest letter home to his parents, telling them he had not failed their expectations, that he had already grown very close with the Crown Prince, and that he had received the Crown Prince's important trust.

However, because of the Crown Prince's earlier instructions, he did not reveal a single word to his parents about the true purpose of this journey.

He had embarked on the journey cheering and leaping with joy, but after the carriage had traveled for a long while, his initial excitement gradually faded, and he began to feel somewhat bored.

It was then that he noticed His Highness the Crown Prince was still sitting blankly on the cushion, still deep in thought, as if in a daze.

There he goes again...

He had been attending upon the Crown Prince for several years now and often saw the Crown Prince sink into such deep contemplation. It seemed that in all these years, he had rarely seen the Crown Prince laugh heartily even a few times.

Being the Crown Prince is really no fun at all, he thought to himself.

Among young attendants like him, everyone regarded the Crown Prince as the future sovereign, a person whose will could not be defied. Yet perhaps because he was still young, or because he was simply too bold, Zheng Sen saw him as a normal, ordinary person — and one who, despite possessing an extremely exalted status, lived unhappily under heavy pressure.

After the Crown Prince had confided those heartfelt words to him in earnest, this view of his had only grown stronger. The Crown Prince feared he could not shoulder the great responsibility, feared he would fail his father's expectations. He did not fully understand why the Crown Prince thought this way, but he wanted to make the Crown Prince a little happier.

With this thought in mind, he gently reached out his hand, then poked the Crown Prince in the armpit and gave it a firm squeeze. It was only within the enclosed space of the carriage, in an environment where they were alone together, that he dared to make such a childishly playful gesture toward the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was startled awake by the sudden assault. The ticklish, numbing sensation from his armpit did not amuse him; instead, it made him both startled and angry. He abruptly stiffened his face and glared at Zheng Sen. "What are you doing!"

After all, he was the Crown Prince, a person surrounded by adulation from birth. No one around him had ever dared defy his commands. Thus, nurtured over many years, although his nature was gentle, he naturally possessed a dignity that inspired awe without anger. This single glare alone nearly made Zheng Sen tremble all over.

But Zheng Sen truly was young and bold. He quickly recovered and looked at the Crown Prince with a cheeky grin.

"Your Highness, why so worried? Are you regretting this already, just after setting out?!"

"I am not worried, nor am I regretting. I simply have too many matters on my mind." The Crown Prince quickly reined in his anger as well, looking at this youth who dared to offend him. "There will be plenty to vex me along this journey."

The Crown Prince also somewhat regretted losing his temper like that, so he tried his best to speak to Zheng Sen with a gentle expression.

"Your Highness, when soldiers come, send a general; when water comes, raise an earthen dam. If problems arise, there will naturally be ways to deal with them when the time comes. Why worry yourself sick in advance?" Zheng Sen voiced his own view, comforting the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, please set your mind at ease. Our great nation's power is at its zenith, our lords and ministers are dedicated and striving, our officers and soldiers give their all in battle, and you have people like us assisting you. In all the realm, what matter cannot be accomplished?"

He puffed out his chest and raised his head, but because he was so short, it looked rather comical. Coupled with these bookish words, even the Crown Prince was amused into laughter. "Pfft, you... where did you learn to speak like that? Enough, we've finally managed to get out for once — don't talk like those pedants. You're still very young."

"The teachers all speak this way, and I never saw Your Highness say you disliked it..." Zheng Sen defended himself, even as he started laughing too.

The two of them laughed together, and at once the atmosphere inside the carriage relaxed considerably. The heavy stone in the Crown Prince's heart also slowly settled.

It seems bringing him along this time was truly the right decision. No one else would dare speak to me like this. With him here, at least I'll be considerably happier along this journey, the Crown Prince thought to himself.

His various teachers, whatever other differences of opinion they might have, all shared a common view on one matter: he was the Crown Prince of a nation, bearing the weighty expectations of all under heaven. Countless eyes would be upon him at every moment, so he had to keep his composure and not reveal his emotions, lest he cause turmoil in the outside world.

He also deeply felt that his teachers' words were correct, and so he had always held himself to their teachings, rarely revealing his personal emotions — to the point of not even easily expressing like or dislike for a matter. Over time, this had left an impression in the minds of the young attendants and teachers around him that "the Crown Prince is mature beyond his years, resolute and steady in character."