Chapter 33 : Uncle and Nephew

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After Li Jianheng was done flinging stuff around, he covered his face and sobbed.

Xiao Chiye avoided the shattered fragments and kneeled. When Li Jianheng's mood calmed a little after a while, he said. "Get up! There's no need for you to kneel like this. You and I are buddies. Doing this will only make us feel estranged."

Xiao Chiye rose to his feet and said, "The Secretariat Elder is merely upright and frank by nature."

Li Jianheng was in low spirits as he covered his face for a long time. He said, "... They come here every two or three days to settle accounts, all of which I've permitted. Even when money flows out like water, I've never said a word. I've been on tenterhooks all day long these days to the point I've lost appetite. It hasn't been a good time for me. Can't I even ask for a few days to take a breather now that Hua Siqian is dead and Ji Lei is about to be executed? Ce'an, you have no idea how dissatisfied they are with me sitting here. As long as there's another choice in this world, they would never want me."

At this point, he felt sad again.

"But when have I ever thought of being the Emperor? They were the ones who pushed me into becoming one. And now they are also the ones to admonish me! The Censor of the Chief Surveillance Bureau keeps watching me every day. Even when I venture outdoors to appreciate flowers, they still had to submit memorials to reproach me in those erudite ways of theirs! Never mind if he killed a mere eunuch, but why can't he, Hai Renshi, show me due respect and give me some face? At the very least, I'm also the Emperor of Dazhou!"

The more Li Jianheng spoke, the angrier he became. But there was nothing else on the table that he could smash, thus he pounded his own thigh in indignation.

"He made Mu Ru out to be a contemptible person, but it's not like they are noble and virtuous themselves! In the past when we were drinking in Donglong Street, which of them did not look dignified only for them to turn out to be scoundrels when they took off their pants?! Mu Ru was originally picked out by me from a clan with a clean background. If it weren't for that dog Xiaofuzi who got in the way, would she have fallen into that traitor Pan's hands? My heart aches so much it's going to break!"

Xiao Chiye merely listened and said nothing as Li Jianheng gave vent to all his grievances. By the time Li Jianheng stopped his tirade, his anger had already mostly subsided.

"If they truly treat me as the Emperor and respect me, then I'd be willing to be diligent in my study. My Imperial Elder Brother entrusted this vast empire to me. I want to be a sovereign of a flourishing era too." Li Jianheng said with aggrievement. "... Hai Renshi just doesn't think much of me."

It was only then Xiao Chiye said, "On the contrary. It was precisely because the Secretariat Elder has high hopes for Your Majesty that he dared to admonish Your Majesty so severely. Your Majesty must not bear a grudge against him. Your Majesty has to know that Secretariat Elder Hai is equally stern and exacting with that 'Unpolished Jade Yuanzhuo', Yao Wenyu."

Skeptical, Li Jianheng asked, "Really?"

Xiao Chiye said, "If this wasn't the case, then why would the Secretariat Elder kill Shuanglu today?"

Li Jianheng pondered it over for a moment, then said, "... True that."

If Hai Liangyi did not think much of him, why would he keep asking his opinions on every matter?

Li Jianheng recalled back to the day when he had just ascended to the throne. After Hai Liangyi learned that the Empress Dowager had sent him snacks, he had specifically instructed him in private to change all his spoons and chopsticks into silver.

Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿) Where stories live. Discover now