Part 2
Tang was even more terrified: "No, from now on I won't even dare to gaze from afar!"
Su Jingzhi: "..."
Tang: "I swear!!!"
"Come in and talk."
After this back-and-forth conversation, Tang trembled as he brought the white fox fur into the room. The air still had the lingering sweet scent of the young emperor. On the desk were teacups and an empty pastry plate.
Ever since being appointed Regent Prince three years ago, Su Jingzhi's temperament had greatly changed, becoming more tyrannical and cold-blooded. Those sweets, fruits, and pastries that represented the luxurious lifestyle of the Chang'an aristocracy, Tang had never seen the Regent Prince enjoy them.
The young emperor was clearly different!
"What did His Majesty say to you before entering the study?" Su Jingzhi asked.
Tang paused, truthfully answering: "Nothing else, just said he felt guilty that you caught a chill last night, and wanted to visit and bring some good things."
"Only that?"
"Yes."
"Was there anything else unusual?"
"Not really." Tang carefully recalled, "His Majesty was eager to see you, and stumbled at the doorway. But I think that was just an accident, not really unusual."
Su Jingzhi said: "Think harder."
Tang did not dare to be careless, after pondering for a bit, he said: "Perhaps there was one thing."
"What?"
Tang chuckled: "This servant wanted to see what His Majesty had in the food box, but His Majesty was unusually nervous, saying it was something he personally made for Your Highness to try, and stubbornly hugged the box without letting me see."
Su Jingzhi's tense demeanor, without him realizing, gradually relaxed, and the corners of his lips even lifted slightly.
—It's something I personally had the Imperial Kitchen make, and it's so delicious!
...This silly thing.
Even when lying to curry favor, he still blurted out the truth.
Tang was a crude man, but after following the Regent Prince for so long, he naturally could sense when the old master seemed to be in a good mood. Tang scratched his head.
Su Jingzhi said: "Sleeping during the day, dereliction of duty, you should be punished with thirty strokes of the military cane."
Tang instinctively covered his behind.
Then the Regent Prince said: "But since this is your first offense and it's within the mansion, the punishment is waived."
Hurray~
"It will be deducted from your salary for three months instead."
Tang's face fell completely: "Old Master, I'd rather choose the military cane, can this humble servant just take a good beating instead?"
***
In the ancestral shrine.
The fragrant incense had burned out in front of Su Jingzhi, and the various scenes of the young emperor in the study that afternoon surfaced in his mind:
—This is the pastry I made myself, how does it taste?
—Regent Prince, you've worked so hard for state affairs, let me massage your shoulders, do you find it useful?
—This pastry, let me try it again for the saltiness and sweetness. I can't tell, let me have another bite.
—Regent Prince...
—Regent Prince...
Su Jingzhi's lips tightened.
In the dim candlelight of the ancestral shrine, the memorial tablets were those of the six generations of generals who had protected the state since the founding of the Great Wei.
The fragrant smoke curled, the flame of the white candles flickering, Su Jingzhi stared at the glowing embers, his thoughts wandering through the many past events.
"Yan'er."
"Ah Yan, you brat."
In the candlelight, he dimly saw the figures of his father and mother.
"You brat, you don't read military strategy treatises, and you're not even good at poetry and lyrics, even Xiang Yu aspired to be a 'Conqueror of a Thousand' back then, you just keep fooling around with swords and blades, hanging out with a bunch of reckless young men in Chang'an, are you planning to just be a common soldier on the frontlines with your old man?"
"My dear, your words are mistaken, I've seen Yan'er actually leading those reckless young men, bringing them to the General's mansion to rehearse formations, he has quite a commanding presence, it's as if he wants to transform those unruly youths into his own subordinates..."
Below is the translation from Chinese to English, retaining the Chinese names, places, and proper nouns in their English equivalent form, while maintaining uniformity with the names, tenses, and proper grammar. Proper punctuations, especially periods to end sentences, have been used to avoid overly long sentences and paragraphs.
General Su Zhenwei sneered: "Being a roaming knight and being a soldier are completely different paths. You're just a doting mother spoiling her child, look how you've indulged him, I bet he thinks his parents are praising him, wanting him to bring the good news to his ancestors - kneel down!"
With a pat on the back of his head, the young Su Jingzhi straightened his posture, but still smiled. His eyes were extremely bright, his brows and eyes handsome, his bearing bold and unyielding, like an unsheathed sharp sword.
Madam Su Rong gently smiled: "My son, don't blame your father's strictness, our Su family has served the state for generations through military service, your father fears you straying down the wrong path, learning the decadent ways of a profligate, tarnishing the reputation of our ancestors, my son must remember your father's good intentions, as for those jianghu friends of yours, if they are truly righteous, occasional interactions are not forbidden, if they have talent, they can even join our army..."
As Madam Rong spoke softly, General Su frowned and reluctantly denied: "No. I didn't say it's allowed. I just hope this brat won't disgrace the Su family, that's all I want."
"Husband, be at ease, our Yan'er will carry on the glory of the Su family, he won't bring disgrace to the Su family."
Kneeling before the ancestral tablets, the young Su Jingzhi looked up with a grin: "Father hopes I will shoulder the Su family, what does Mother hope I will do?"
"Nothing in particular." Madam Rong answered without hesitation, her voice slightly lowered, "Mother knows you have an innately ambitious and driven nature, but fears that if people see your diligence and excellence, the care you show for others, only hope that in the future you can find a confidant, to let you lower your guard and truly be yourself."
This little fellow, just yesterday was poisoned because of me, soaked in icy water all night, yet he came to the Regent Prince's mansion, all because he felt guilty for dragging me into the water.
Su Jingzhi took a deep breath.
The candlelight flickered, the night wind rose, the silhouettes of his father and mother dissipated. Gazing at the two imperial plaques side by side on the many memorial tablets, they were bestowed by Wei Taizu Wei Yan:
Devoted to the state, skilled in martial arts.
Su Jingzhi's brows furrowed, his gaze falling on the glaring character "loyalty" granted by the founding emperor, an aversion flashing in his eyes, Su Jingzhi inwardly questioned: "My Su family has not betrayed the state, yet why have successive sovereigns plotted against the Su’s?"
The entire Wei clan is muddleheaded, the descendants of Wei are incompetent.
Wei Wanlan... cannot become my beloved, nor is he worthy to be the master of this court!
Haha I think you forgot to remove the ai response when you pasted it!
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