Chapter 80: Hard To Meet
Yaoguang Hall was deathly silent.
As soon as Huangfu Xuan returned to the palace, he gathered his reading companion, lecturer, guest… over a dozen people, and threw the Emperor’s three questions at them.
These guys who were usually full of hot air were all dumbfounded.
Huangfu Xuan sat at the head, patiently waiting for a good while, but still saw these guys keeping silent, and couldn’t help getting annoyed. “Speak up! Are you all mute?”
“This…” The crowd looked at each other. A white-bearded lecturer gave a bitter smile. “Your Highness, how many cases are judged in a year must be asked of the Ministry of Justice. How much money and grain flows in and out in a year must be asked of the Ministry of Revenue. How many registered officials Great Xuan has must be asked of the Ministry of Personnel. Moreover, even people from the Ministry of Personnel probably couldn’t answer immediately; they’d have to go back and carefully check and calculate.”
“Yes, Your Highness, we’re not from the Ministry of Personnel. Even if we rack our brains, we have no answer.” The crowd chimed in agreement.
“Then go ask!” Huangfu Xuan’s anger surged.
“Uh…” The crowd gave another bitter smile. That white-bearded lecturer said, “Even if we ask, the Ministry of Personnel won’t tell us.” He glanced at Huangfu Xuan and quietly suggested, “How about Your Highness asks the Wei Clan for help?”
“Good idea…” The others deeply agreed. Huangfu Xuan’s mother came from the Wei Clan, and the current Minister of Justice Wei Kang was his maternal grandfather. If Wei Kang helped, the Ministry of Personnel couldn’t refuse to give face.
“No!” Huangfu Xuan shook his head firmly and said in a deep voice, “I won’t ask them for help!”
“Your Highness, this isn’t the time to be stubborn…” The crowd knew that because of his mother’s matter, Huangfu Xuan and the Wei Clan had long been estranged, but now besides seeking help from the Wei Clan, they couldn’t think of any other way.
“Sigh!” Huangfu Xuan irritably exhaled a breath of stale air. How could he tell these people that even if he went to beg the Wei Clan, Wei Kang couldn’t find the answers to those three questions overnight.
These three questions seemed harmless, but to get answers, the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, and Ministry of Justice would have to check and calculate overnight. The only ones who could drive the three ministries to work sleeplessly were the Chancellor or the Minister of Personnel; even the two Ministers of Personnel couldn’t do it.
Because of that incident sixteen years ago, the Wei Clan became the unrelenting target of the Xiahou Clan. In today’s world where the Xiahou Clan firmly controls the Chancellery and the Ministry of Personnel, seeking help from Wei Kang would only add awkwardness to everyone without any meaning.
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No matter how the crowd tried to persuade him, Huangfu Xuan refused to seek aid from the Wei Clan. That white-haired lecturer said helplessly, “If not seeking aid from the Wei Clan, what then should be done?”
“Tomorrow I’ll tell Father Emperor the truth: I don’t know, I just don’t know.” Huangfu Xuan said almost sulkily, “What, can he eat me or something?”
“But the Second Prince and them have the Xiahou Clan helping, they will certainly get the answers,” the crowd said worriedly. “At that time, won’t Your Highness be outdone?”
These words struck Huangfu Xuan’s sore spot. His handsome face immediately turned frighteningly dark, and he said expressionlessly, “No choice then; who let them have a good grandfather!”
With that, he no longer wanted to face these useless guys. He stood up and strode out of Yaoguang Hall.
Seeing His Highness come out, the attendants hurriedly helped him put on his shoes while asking, “Your Highness, where are you going? We’ll quickly have the sedan prepared.”
“I’m going out for some air; no one follow!” Huangfu Xuan put on his shoes, then dismissed his attendants. Just like yesterday, he brought not a single attendant and left Yaoguang Hall alone.
The attendants watched His Highness leave with concern. Although in this Summer Palace, there was no need to worry about His Highness’s safety, seeing the good mood he had finally mustered vanish in an instant still made the palace servants very heartbroken… They had thought they could enjoy a couple of relaxing days without anxiety!
After leaving Yaoguang Hall, Huangfu Xuan walked along the flower-shaded corridor. It was near noon, the sun vicious; even under the corridor it wasn’t cool. The more he walked, the more stifled with heat and irritation he felt. He wanted to throw his head back and howl at the sky, but mindful of the eyes and ears everywhere in the palace, he could only stifle it and continue striding forward quickly!
On the Flower Viewing Platform, Lu Yun spotted him as soon as Huangfu Xuan came out. He had thought that today he should at least be in a good mood, but from afar, Huangfu Xuan’s movements and pace clearly showed he was even more irritated than yesterday.
Seeing Huangfu Xuan heading straight for Setting Sun Tower, Lu Yun didn’t rush ahead to the tower to wait like yesterday. Instead, he sat steadily like a mountain under the flowers’ shade on the Flower Viewing Platform, only occasionally glancing at the nearby Setting Sun Tower.
Sure enough, Huangfu Xuan went up Setting Sun Tower. He looked around the tower but didn’t find Lu Yun’s figure.
The First Prince couldn’t help feeling even more disappointed. Although he didn’t really believe Lu Yun could help him this time either, even just chatting idly would greatly relieve the irritation in his chest… Though yesterday was their first meeting and they hadn’t spoken much, Huangfu Xuan had felt an unprecedented pleasure in his life, as if the two had a tacit understanding and got along exceptionally well.
Little did he know, it was all deliberate on Lu Yun’s part. At their first meeting yesterday, Lu Yun wanted to leave a deep impression on the First Prince, so he used every trick, naturally making Huangfu Xuan feel perfectly at ease everywhere. But Huangfu Xuan left hastily without even leaving his name, making Lu Yun realize this Your Highness was an extremely tricky guy, so today he didn’t plan to show up right away; he intended to let Huangfu Xuan cool off first.
No helping it; people never cherish what comes too easily.
Huangfu Xuan waited a long time on Setting Sun Tower without Lu Yun appearing. The sun grew more vicious, making him sweat profusely and his mouth parched. Only then did Huangfu Xuan helplessly go downstairs and return to his Yaoguang Hall.
Once Huangfu Xuan had left disconsolately, Lu Yun stood up from his hiding spot, patted the dirt off his buttocks, and sauntered back to his residence.
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When Huangfu Xuan returned to Yaoguang Hall, he saw that white-haired lecturer and several reading companions kneeling in front of the hall.
“Why are you kneeling?” Huangfu Xuan asked puzzled.
“Without Your Highness’s permission, we presumptuously sent someone to seek aid from the Wei Clan,” that white-haired lecturer said. “Please punish us, Your Highness!”
“What?!” Huangfu Xuan flew into a rage upon hearing this. He grabbed the white-haired lecturer’s collar and glared furiously through gritted teeth. “Outrageous!”
“We are loyal to Your Highness; even death brings no regret!” The white-haired lecturer stared straight at the First Prince.
“Then go die!” Huangfu Xuan violently shoved the lecturer away in fury and stormed into the main hall.
The entire afternoon, Huangfu Xuan was unbearably irritable. He beat several palace servants with the plank, making all the attendants keep deathly quiet, feeling today’s time exceptionally hard to endure.
Sitting despondently in the main hall, Huangfu Xuan felt bleak and heartbroken. Unbearable memories from the past flooded in, making it hard for him to breathe… He felt this grand and ornate hall was like a prison, tightly confining him within. Though he had many attendants and reading companions around, he still felt doubly lonely.
He was like a prisoner locked away alone, desperately wanting someone to confide in. But in this palace, where could he find someone he could trust to pour out his heart to?
Huangfu Xuan thought of Lu Yun again, thinking, perhaps only that youth who doesn’t know my identity…
With that thought, he stood up again and left Yaoguang Hall, only to see those few still kneeling there, clearly not having gone to die.
“Get lost, all of you get far away!” Huangfu Xuan didn’t even want to look at them. Still without a single attendant, he headed toward Setting Sun Tower.
Those few had nearly knelt till they fainted. Once His Highness left, they felt as if granted a general amnesty, supporting themselves with their hands to arduously climb to their feet. That white-haired lecturer couldn’t even climb up; others had to help him up with much ado.
“Old Lord, His Highness is really angry…” Someone said uneasily.
“No harm; His Highness knows right from wrong.” The white-haired lecturer said weakly, “Otherwise he would have ordered them recalled long ago.”
“True…” The crowd deeply agreed.
“Sigh, nothing else matters; using this chance to reconnect with the Wei Clan is the proper thing.” The white-haired lecturer glanced at the direction where the First Prince disappeared and murmured, “If not relying on maternal uncle, who else…”
“Yes.”
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By now the sun was slanting westward, no longer so stiflingly hot. Huangfu Xuan climbed Setting Sun Tower but still didn’t see Lu Yun’s figure. He couldn’t help feeling disappointed again and sat alone on the tower, sighing long and short.
Unwittingly, dusk was approaching. Huangfu Xuan completely lost patience and was about to stand to leave when he heard footsteps coming up the tower.
Huangfu Xuan whipped his head around and saw that familiar figure. Ecstasy instantly surged in his heart, but he quickly schooled his face to sternness.
