Chapter 537 Really Useless
The breeze blew gently, ruffling the pearl curtains of Zhaoyi Palace, making waves of clear and melodious sounds.
As soon as Ning Hanwang left, Mu Yan became impatient and ordered Xianglu.
"It is inconvenient for me to come in person, so please go to Mengxuan Palace and pass the message to Fengzhe."
"Just say that I have spared no effort to resolve the issue of favoring a concubine over his wife. This is all because I love him and care about his feelings. There is no doubt about our kinship. I am his family."
"If you ask him to come back, I will give him other gifts so that he can buy all his favorite things."
Xianglu left in response, and soon returned to the palace.
"Reporting to the queen, I have learned that the eldest son did not go to the Xuan Palace, but has already left the palace and returned home."
Mu Yan was full of surprise.
"Is this true?"
Xianglu affirmed respectfully.
"I dare not deceive your majesty."
Mu Yan was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.
"It will take a while to figure it out."
"I knew it, that child is the most sensible."
Between the fragrant smile, there is also a hint of tears.
"The eldest son has always been filial. Perhaps he just wanted to tease Madam Xiu Yuan and vent his anger on behalf of his aunt. How could he really leave?"
Mu Yan calmed her anxiety and cried with joy.
"I was ignorant and misunderstood him."
"Just go home, just go home."
Looking at the gifts prepared for her nephew on the table, she immediately gave the order.
"Send these rewards to the Northern Hall of Ningguo Mansion. Do not make him sad because of my stupidity."
Xianglu pursed her lips and smiled.
"The slaves obey."
The imperial concubine rewarded him generously and went to the Ningguo Duke's mansion with great ceremony.
Ning Fengzhe gladly accepted it, stored it in the warehouse, and used it for Xier's food and clothing.
It happened that Xier was hungry, so he went to feed her and play with her.
Calculating the time, Ning Hanwang should be returning home soon. Ning Fengzhe temporarily handed Xier over to Wen Jia, and then waited at the road that must be passed to Yanxiju, thinking about advancing the next plan.
Unexpectedly, Ning Fengzhe was secretly shocked when he saw Ning Hanwang's frustrated and depressed look.
Could it be that his attempt to surrender was unsuccessful and he was rejected by the eldest prince?
No way.
He can't even do a small thing?
With doubts, Ning Fengzhe walked into Yanxiju.
"Please be blessed, father."
He quickly thought of an excuse.
"I have some questions about my studies. I would like to ask my father to help me solve them."
Ning Hanwang looked at the sad face and sighed.
"Ugh--"
"Go ask your mother."
After he finished speaking, fearing that his beloved son might be quick-witted and overthinking things, he added something.
"I am exhausted, and I have no intention of neglecting you. Please don't think too much about it."
Ning Fengzhe smiled gently, knelt in front of his father, and looked up into his eyes.
"Father, please be at ease. I know very well that a father's love is like a mountain. You can know the source of the water by sipping it."
Ning Hanwang couldn't help but smile and reached out to help.
"Thank you for your filial piety. Having you here makes your father feel much more relieved."
Ning Fengzhe took the opportunity to sit next to him.
"May I ask, father, what troubles have you encountered?"
"Although I am not talented, I wish to share your worries. I pray that you will grant my wish."
Ning Hanwang pondered for a moment, a little hesitant.
"Can I...tell you something?"
Ning Fengzhe's eyes were warm, giving people a sense of understanding and reassurance.
"Father, please speak. I am all ears."
Ning Hanwang gradually relaxed his guard.
“Don’t tell anyone.”
Ning Fengzhe agreed obediently.
"Yes, I will keep my mouth shut."
Ning Hanwang put aside his pride, burst into tears, and described the situation half-truthfully.
"I went to surrender to Concubine Xian and her son not out of selfishness, but to give you and Feng'er another option."
"Do you understand how much your father has been working for you?"
Ning Fengzhe sneered in his heart at the hypocritical words he heard.
"The child will understand."
"Did father go to surrender just now?"
Ning Hanwang nodded, looking dejected.
"Yes, I met with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Ning Fengzhe poured a cup of tea for his father and gently stroked his back to calm him down.
"Your Highness, how do you respond?"
Ning Hanwang was overwhelmed with grief when he recounted the eldest prince's words, which added some truth to his words. He cried and sobbed.
"He said, what help can a ruined noble family give me?"
"And he said..."
He recited all the words in one breath, word for word, remembering them clearly. He was filled with emotion and felt extremely inferior.
"Fengzhe, is your father serious? Is he so useless?"
"Why does everyone look down on me?"
"As a duke, how could you be so destitute that even common people dare to spread gossip about me?"
"..."
Such a simple matter could end in failure. Ning Fengzhe was filled with disgust, but on the surface he was polite and tried to comfort others in a low voice.
"Father probably didn't understand the meaning of what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said."
Ning Hanwang didn't understand what was going on and was completely bewildered.
"What does he mean?"
Ning Fengzhe remained confident and gave the answer.
"Your Highness hopes that if your father visits him again the next day, he will be willing to accept you."
Ning Hanwang was full of confusion and retorted with a question.
"What kind of insults does he have?"
As he listened to his incessant talk, Ning Fengzhe had already thought of his response.
"Recently, I heard these two famous sayings coming from Emperor Jin's Palace."
"First, a scholar must be broad-minded and resolute, for the responsibility is heavy and the road ahead is long."
"Second, when Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a man, it will first make him suffer and improve his abilities."
"That's what your Highness the Crown Prince meant."
"As long as my father is honest and simple, calm and indifferent, and not happy with things or sad with himself, he will pass the test of His Highness."
Ning Hanwang was stunned, and his sadness turned into joy.
"Does he really mean that?"
"I have never heard of these two famous quotes. I wonder who wrote them?"
The difficulty was no longer there, and he thought about it and fell into deep thought.
"The Fang clan was exterminated, and everyone in Beizhaotai angrily abandoned it. How could such lofty words still be heard from Emperor Jin's palace?"
"So, besides the power of the Fang clan, there are other hidden dragons and crouching tigers around King Di Jin?"
Ning Fengzhe reported the results of the investigation in a concise and clear manner.
"They said this was the high opinion of Emperor Jin."
Thinking he was joking, Ning Hanwang smiled.
"This is ridiculous. The prince is only two years old. I guess he can't even speak clearly."
Ning Fengzhe smiled along.
"The child couldn't believe it either."
Ning Hanwang stroked his short beard lightly, and his expression suddenly became serious.
"What a pity, he is still too young. Otherwise, it would be the right path to turn your heart towards him."
"You probably don't understand what the right path is."
"In the natural world, towering mountains and steep cliffs are righteous, and luxuriant forests and bamboos are righteous; in the vicissitudes of life, having many supporters is righteous, and sacrificing one's life for justice is righteous. The Yan and Lin tribes sacrificed their lives for righteousness, so if you are determined to follow Emperor Jin, you are on the right path, otherwise you are a black sheep."
"I am now following the eldest prince and am a private family. When the prince grows up, I will switch sides. Just as the emperor said, I will always be a minister of Yan and my loyalty will never change."
Seeing that he was pretending to be righteous and sounded like he had no intention of being disloyal, Ning Fengzhe quietly rolled his eyes.
With his image established, Ning Hanwang was in a good mood. He quickly remembered his son's doubts and became enthusiastic and proactive in showing concern.
"What is there that you don't understand about your studies? Your father will explain it to you right away."
Recalling what happened in class yesterday, Ning Fengzhe picked a question and started talking about it.
"The gentleman said..."
After the matter was settled, Ning Fengzhe left Yanxiju and went to the palace in secret to ask for an audience with the eldest prince.