Chapter 443: Chapter 251: Absurd Decree of Marriage Granting
On the day before the Longevity Festival, the Fourth Prince and Minister Li led the ministers, foreign envoys, and students from the Imperial College to worship Confucius and Mencius.
During the ceremony, the Fourth Prince showcased his maturity, steadiness, and propriety to the ministers, foreign envoys, and students, but more importantly, he displayed his sharp wit and talent to the ministers.
The elegy for worshiping Confucius and Mencius was written by the Fourth Prince himself, and it was so well-written that everyone present was moved. The ministers and students from the Imperial College felt proud and honored.
The Fourth Prince successfully led the worship of Confucius and Mencius, deeply impressing the foreign envoys with the culture of the Central Plains.
The Emperor was very pleased with the Fourth Prince’s performance during the ceremony, not only praising him publicly but also rewarding him with many gifts, which made the Third Prince and others jealous.
Seeing the ministers and foreign envoys lavish praise on the Fourth Prince, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai also felt a surge of jealousy, though they did not consider the Fourth Prince a threat.
Although the Fourth Prince received acclaim for leading the worship of Confucius and Mencius from scholars and students nationwide, he is not yet of age and lacks the support of military officers, posing no threat to the Crown Prince and Prince Dai.
Nonetheless, this event allowed the ministers and scholars nationwide to witness the Fourth Prince’s exceptional wisdom.
The Fourth Prince was originally very talented and held some repute among scholars and students, but this event significantly elevated his public reputation.
"Your Highness, the Fourth Prince’s reputation is growing ever higher, which is unfavorable for us." Yu Hai, who disliked the Fourth Prince, naturally did not want to see him thrive. "Should we stop the Fourth Prince?"
The Eighth Prince raised his gaze to glance at Yu Hai and then asked expressionlessly, "Why stop him?"
"Your Highness, the status of the Fourth Prince is rising in the hearts of scholars and students nationwide, which is detrimental to our future ambitions." Yu Hai always believed the Fourth Prince was a habitual pretender. On the surface, the Fourth Prince mingles with no ministers, but secretly he recruits ministers and scholars nationwide.
"You are mistaken; the more Zhao Yun stands out, the more it benefits us." Zhao Yun is the Fourth Prince’s name. "If he stands out too prominently, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai will deal with him without our intervention."
"That makes sense; the Crown Prince and Prince Dai will certainly not spare the Fourth Prince first." Yu Hai felt relieved at this, "Let the Fourth Prince jump around then." The higher the Fourth Prince jumps, the faster he’ll fall.
The Eighth Prince chuckled lightly, "Zhao Yun is not a fool; he won’t jump around." If the Fourth Prince starts becoming complacent because of this, he is unworthy to be the Eighth Prince’s rival.
Yu Hai thought about it and agreed, nodding in approval, "The Fourth Prince is adept at pretending; otherwise, he wouldn’t have coaxed the Tenth Prince so close to him." Yu Hai felt dissatisfied with Zhao Yao’s closeness to the Fourth Prince.
"Zhao Yun is indeed adept at pretending, but he genuinely cares for the tenth brother." Despite disliking the Fourth Prince, the Eighth Prince never distanced Zhao Yao from him, primarily because the Fourth Prince treated Zhao Yao well.
Yu Hai dismissed it, "I believe the Fourth Prince is deliberately getting close to the Tenth Prince." The Fourth Prince surely harbors ill intentions.
"Zhao Yun is sincere with the tenth brother." The Eighth Prince could see this clearly.
"Your Highness, why are you speaking up for the Fourth Prince?" Yu Hai said with some dissatisfaction.
"I’m not speaking favorably of Zhao Yun; I’m stating the facts." Otherwise, why would I allow the tenth brother to get close to Zhao Yun. "How is the matter I asked you to handle going?"
Yu Hai knew what the Eighth Prince referred to. He replied respectfully, "In response to Your Highness, the matter is progressing very smoothly; it will be successful tonight."
The Eighth Prince nodded lightly, "That’s good."
"Your Highness, the first prince of Annan Country has proposed a marriage alliance with a noblewoman; are we not going to respond?" Yu Hai cautiously asked.
"Father will not agree," the Eighth Prince said confidently.
"Why? Annan Country is a vassal state of our Great Zhou. If we intermarry with Annan Country, it could strengthen our familial ties?" Yu Hai asked, puzzled, "Does the Emperor not want Annan Country to be closely tied with us?"
"It’s simple; the proposal is for a noblewoman, not a princess." The Eighth Prince lifted his teacup, sipped slowly, and said leisurely, "Father will never allow the aristocratic families to extend their reach into Annan Country."