The imperial office was a little messy. The large dragon table, once filled with documents, was now half-empty, with a few plates of delicate pastries and a teapot emitting a sweet fragrance.

Behind the dragon table, sitting casually, holding a pastry in one hand, was Prince Jing.

Seeing Huo Yujian arrive, he did not stand up but simply gave him a slight smile and said, "Why hasn't anyone come yet? Go fetch a chair for His Highness."

However, he didn’t forget to take another bite of the pastry.

"Unexpectedly, here is Prince Jing..." Huo Yuyan greeted with a smile.

But before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Suizhou interrupted him. "The imperial chef who prepared these dim sum today is truly capable." Jiang Suizhou put the rest of the pastry in his mouth, even lazily licking his fingers, and gave instructions to Meng Qianshan, who was standing next to him. "Make a note of his name and give him a generous reward."

Meng Qianshan, knowing this was all part of the act, eagerly complied. He nodded, bowed, and responded in a flattering tone, "Of course! Don't worry, Your Highness, I will find the chef and offer him a generous reward."

Jiang Suizhou laughed twice and then rolled his eyes as he looked at Huo Yuyan. "Why is Your Royal Highness here?" he asked.

Huo Yuyan paused and explained with a faint smile, "I am here today on serious business. After all, the imperial study room is an important place, so let’s avoid disturbing Prince Jing. Please, don’t ask..."

But before he could finish, a eunuch beside Jiang Suizhou interrupted him. "The chair has arrived, Your Highness, please sit!"

This time, it was a eunuch behind Jiang Suizhou, full of flattery, who spoke. Even though Huo Yujian had a good temperament, he couldn’t bear being interrupted several times in a row. He took a deep breath, followed the eunuch’s gesture, and sat in the chair that had been brought to him.

He heard Jiang Suizhou speaking in a casual tone.

"What’s so serious that I can’t listen?" he asked, eyes closed.

Huo Yuyan furrowed his brows, showing a hint of disgust on his face, but still replied warmly, "Naturally, it's an important matter at Court."

Jiang Suizhou snickered twice.

"What serious matter could there be?" He wore a look of disdain. "Isn't it just the officials from Nanjing asking you to come for a bit of blood renewal? You don’t need to avoid me; feel free to stay as you are."

However, Huo Yujian did not back down. "But, Prince Jing, even if I call you ‘Your Highness’ now, you must know that Nanjing has already fallen," he remarked. "Wuji has been generous, sparing your life, and I won’t say anything about that. But if you continue to exaggerate, Prince Jing, no matter the outcome, you will be the one responsible."

Jiang Suizhou seemed to hear a joke, his bright eyes staring at Huo Yujian. "What outcome?" he asked. "Your Highness, are you threatening me?"

However, Huo Yujian responded, "I’m saying all this for your own good."

But Jiang Suizhou raised an eyebrow. "No need," he said. "Why not simply ask those in this imperial office? Ask anyone here. Ask them if Huo Wuji’s entrance into this imperial office is subject to my will? Are the affairs of the court also subject to my whims? Let’s not even talk about the minor matters of the court, even the major military affairs of Huo Wuji—when have I ever ignored them?"

Huo Yujian’s face gradually darkened. "You’re going too far," he said.

Jiang Suizhou smiled. "Too far? Then let me ask you, shouldn’t the current affairs of Nanjing be handled by Huo Wuji? What does that have to do with you?"

Huo Yujian bit his lip. It was true. His father had always been superficial in his thinking and not very meticulous. The last time the imperial edict was written, he had simply entrusted all of Nanjing’s affairs to Huo Wuji.

When he discovered this, the edict had already been sent out, and it was too late to act differently, so he had to volunteer, wanting to use his status as the crown prince to control Huo Wuji.

Huo Yujian paused and said, "That’s true. But Wuji isn’t good at this kind of thing. I’ve come to help, and Wuji has also accepted it."

Jiang Suizhou smiled as he rose from the throne, slowly descending toward Huo Yujian. "Then, isn’t it obvious? This is still Huo Wuji’s territory, so you don’t have the power to chase me away."

Saying this, he walked in front of Huo Yuyan; although his face was smiling, his eyes were full of arrogance and malice.
He wrapped himself in his large coat, bowed lazily, smiling, and fixed his gaze on Huo Yuyan, who was seated on the chair.
He lowered his voice. "And even if I am the orphan of a subjugated country? Huo Wujiu is the one speaking here now. He listens to this Prince, so the one who speaks is the king. Both Beiliang and Nanjing have been overthrown by Huo Wujiu. If you want to chase me away, you might as well kill Huo Wujiu first."
With that, he straightened up and looked at Huo Yuyan.
"But do you have that ability?"

 

 

Translator : DarNan