Chapter 269 Severe Test
Chapter 269 Severe Test
As soon as Xiao Xia returned to Chang'an, his father Yang Guang asked him to meet him at the Prince of Jin's Mansion.
In the official room of the Prince of Jin's Mansion, Yang Guang handed the three letters to Xiao Xia and said to him slowly: "Your royal grandfather knows that you have this evidence. He asked me to return the evidence to you, and you give it to him yourself."
Xiao Xia nodded, "Perhaps Grandfather Huang already knew about the problem of King Han."
Yang Guang sighed and said, "Looking back now, your royal grandfather was indeed clear-minded. The King of Han wanted to make money, and your royal grandfather acquiesced to his doing so, but he knew when to stop. However, the King of Han did not know how to restrain himself and went too far. That's why your royal grandfather decided to take action and let you eradicate the Maitreya Sect."
"Can the King of Han still get the 350,000 strings of cash that I brought back?" Xiao Xia asked a little worriedly.
Yang Guang smiled and said, "It's impossible to leave the account open. It has already been entered into the Ministry of Revenue."
"But the Ministry of Revenue is now controlled by the King of Han!"
Yang Guang shook his head. "You don't understand. The King of Han only exercises the power of the emperor in the Ministry of Revenue. He approves major expenditures and the various annual plans of the Ministry of Revenue. He has no control over the money. He can't even enter the treasury. Once the money is in the treasury, it is up to the prime minister to decide who to allocate it to. He can only agree or disagree with the expenditure."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "I'm afraid the King of Han doesn't want such power."
“It’s boring and dull, but I want it!”
Xiao Xia nodded, "I have a hunch that Grandfather will definitely give this power to Father!"
Yang Guang smiled slightly and handed him the letter, "Go see the Emperor's grandfather! Give him the letter."
Xiao Xia immediately went to ask for an audience with the emperor. Half an hour later, he was led into the harem. Emperor Yang Jian was sitting in the cool pavilion to enjoy the cool air. There was no one else in the pavilion except the two of them, the grandfather and grandson.
Xiao Xia knelt on one knee and saluted, "Grandson pays homage to the Royal Grandfather. I wish the Royal Grandfather a long life!"
Emperor Yang Jian looked at his grandson from afar and said slowly, "You should go to Lingyan Pavilion first to report!"
"Reporting to Grandfather Emperor, Yang Gongren is on a business trip and will not be back until the day after tomorrow."
"I see. Well, this time you have completed your mission perfectly. I am very satisfied. I will reward you later. Please give me the letter from the King of Han first."
Xiao Xia took out three letters and presented them to the emperor. Yang Jian looked at the letters and threw them on the small table. He sighed and said, "It's very difficult! Xiao Qilang, give me some advice! How should we deal with the King of Han?"
Xiao Xia said in a deep voice: "Grandfather, do you want to hear the truth?"
"Of course I want to hear the truth!"
"My grandson suggests that Grandfather throw these three letters into the incense burner and burn them, and pretend that nothing happened."
Yang Jian was stunned, "Why do you do this?"
"Because family disgrace should not be made public, if Grandfather wants to punish the King of Han, he must use another excuse. The matter of the Maitreya Sect in Luoyang has ended, and I think there is no need to make trouble for it."
Yang Jian smiled and said, "Your father will definitely be unhappy if you say that, and neither will the Crown Prince. This is a great opportunity to deal with the King of Han."
"Grandson is just telling the truth. As a prince, it is very stupid to develop Maitreya in the territory he controls to make money. He could have monopolized several important industries related to food, clothing, housing and transportation, opened a few more shops and restaurants, and the legal money he earned every year would far exceed the money made by Maitreya. But he chose the most stupid approach. In the end, he lost his territory, his money, and his reputation. It was totally not worth it."
Yang Jian smiled and said, "We should let the King of Han come and listen to what you have to say."
“In fact, the Maitreya religion’s money-making is just a small matter. The people donate money out of their own will. To be honest, I don’t sympathize with those believers who come from hundreds of miles away. No one forced them. They brought this upon themselves.
But I must maintain the ruling order and severely punish the Maitreya Sect that endangers the rule of the Sui Dynasty.
Grandfather, the matter is over. It is like a small cut on the skin. It will slowly heal and fade over time. Grandfather, you don't have to worry about it anymore. "Yang Jian nodded, "Well said, Xiao Qilang, accompany me for a walk in the garden!"
"My grandson obeys!"
Xiao Xia followed his grandfather and walked slowly along the stone path.
"I heard that you and your father had an argument and were in a cold war for more than a month. I actually know the reason, but I want to know why you and your father quarreled?"
"My father wanted me to report everything to him in advance and let him make the decision, but I refused to accept that. I make my own decisions and don't need to ask anyone, not even my father, for permission."
"It seems like there's a big gap between you and your father! Your elder brother is the opposite of you. He always asks father for instructions on everything!"
Xiao Xia was silent for a moment and said, "This day has been destined since I was born. Everything is a matter of cause and effect. How can I expect a melon to grow on the bean vines when I plant beans?"
Yang Jian praised: "You are right and sharp. You are the most sober person among all my descendants. Xiao Qilang, if I give you the throne and make you the crown prince, are you willing?"
Xiao Xia was startled, and shook his head decisively, "Reporting to Grandfather, I don't want to!"
Yang Jian was stunned. "Why would you refuse such a good thing?"
"Who is appointed as the crown prince is not something that the royal grandfather has the final say on. Although the crown prince is mediocre, he has not done anything wrong. Yet you want to depose him and appoint a grandson named Xiao as the crown prince. No one will agree."
Yang Jian's face darkened, and he stared at Xiao Xia with dissatisfaction and said, "The world is my world, and everyone in the world is just my chess piece. Everything is decided by me. Who dares to object to who I choose to inherit the throne?"
Xiao Xia faced his grandfather's gaze without fear and said, "Perhaps everyone in the world is your pawn, but at least I am not. My destiny is in my own hands. No one can force me to do anything I don't want to do, including you!"
Yang Jian sneered and said, "But what did you swear in Lingyan Pavilion? You swore to be loyal to me and never betray me. Have you forgotten it now?"
Xiao Xia nodded, "I did swear allegiance to you, not because you are my royal grandfather, but because you have compassion on the people of the world, because you govern the dynasty and make it prosperous, because you unify the world and end hundreds of years of war, because you integrate the north and the south and eliminate hatred. This is also the way in my heart, so I swear allegiance to you and will never betray you in this life, but my loyalty to you does not mean that I want to sell my soul to you."
"I don't quite understand the difference between your allegiance and your ego?"
"There is a huge difference. If you cannot distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and tolerate those demons who harm the people."
"So what?" Yang Jian interrupted him rudely.
Xiao Xia shook her head, "I won't betray you either, but I will choose to leave."
Yang Jian said coldly: "If you want to get off my ship after boarding it, you will die. Think about it carefully!"
Xiao Xia straightened his neck and said, "There's nothing to think about. I definitely don't want to betray you. Even if you remove my title, remove my official position, and destroy my body, I will not choose to betray you. But no matter what, I am not your chess piece, and I am not anyone else's chess piece."
Yang Jian stared at Xiao Xia for a moment and said, "You mean you don't want to be my crown prince?"
Xiao Xia still shook his head, "Grandfather Huang still doesn't understand what his grandson means. If I want to do it, even if you don't give it to me, I will be tenacious and do my best to get it!"
Yang Jian said calmly: "I understand what you mean. You want to be a chess player, not a chess piece!"
Xiao Xia nodded gently, and Yang Jian suddenly laughed, with a hint of brilliance in his eyes. This child really follows his own temperament.
He actually had a grandson who wanted to be the best chess player in the world. Yang Jian looked up and sighed deeply. He didn't know whether he should be happy or angry.
After a long while, Yang Jian looked at Xiao Xia again and said slowly: "Only you and I know about today's conversation!"
(End of this chapter)