NCCnovel Chapter 225 Something's Wrong with the King of Xiang's Jade Pendant?
Chapter 225 Something's Wrong with the King of Xiang's Jade Pendant?
Emperor Wenjing had not yet appointed an heir apparent, and his several sons who had come of age remained in Shengjing, all eyeing the supreme position with covetousness.
In the Great Zhao Dynasty, princes over the age of sixteen could participate in government affairs. This served two purposes: firstly, to train the princes' abilities, and secondly, because the princes couldn't just sit around doing nothing.
Although Emperor Wenjing himself loved to enjoy himself, he was very harsh on his sons.
Of his dozen or so sons, nine have already been granted the title of prince and have participated in government affairs.
Empress Su's eldest son, Prince Rui, and second son, Prince Qin, both died in a calamity three years ago, leaving only seven princes alive today.
Apart from Prince Chen, who served in the Dali Temple, the other six princes who had been granted the title of prince all took up positions in the Six Ministries.
Their official positions were separate from the Six Ministries, and Emperor Wenjing even specially established a department for them called the Inspection and Supervision Office.
The Inspectorate was responsible for assisting the Six Ministries in their daily work and supervising the conduct of officials in the name of the imperial family. It could be considered as Emperor Wenjing's eyes and ears among the officials of the Six Ministries.
The six princes were the inspectors of the Inspectorate.
The third prince, Prince Qi, the fourth prince, Prince Xiang, and the fifth prince, Prince Xuan, respectively served in the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites.
The sixth prince, Prince Jin, was in the Ministry of Justice's Inspection Department; the eighth prince, Prince Su, was in the Ministry of Revenue; and the ninth prince, Prince Yong, was in the Ministry of Works.
After Prince Xuan was imprisoned, the position of Inspector of the Ministry of Rites became vacant. Emperor Wenjing issued an edict yesterday appointing the fourth prince, Prince Xiang, to concurrently serve as Inspector of the Ministry of Rites.
Today, King Xiang has come to take up his post at the Ministry of Rites' Inspection Office.
The Prince of Xiang is coming to the Ministry of Rites. The Ministry of Rites only received the news yesterday. It is said that a new official makes a big splash when he takes office. The officials of the Ministry of Rites are afraid that the Prince of Xiang's fire will spread to them. They cleaned up the remaining mess in the office overnight.
Yun Shang had not been at the Ministry of Rites for long, and he had done an excellent job in everything he handled, leaving nothing to criticize. As a result, Wang Ling put him forward to be in charge of welcoming the Prince of Xiang.
The Ministry of Rites was in a flurry of activity to welcome the newly appointed Inspector General of Rites, Prince Xiang.
At 3:45 AM, a minor official guarding outside the yamen came to report that the carriage of King Xiang had arrived!
Yun Shang stood outside the Ministry of Rites, his posture upright and his expression calm, as he led a group of officials from the Ministry of Rites out to greet them.
To him, it made no difference who the Inspector of the Ministry of Rites was.
Before long, the Prince of Xiang's carriage stopped outside the Ministry of Rites.
Under the tense yet expectant gazes of the officials from the Ministry of Rites, Prince Xiang lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage.
The King of Xiang was dressed in a dark blue brocade robe with python patterns, with a matching ribbon tied around his waist. The jade pendant inlaid on the ribbon was warm and translucent, swaying gently with his steps.
His face was stern, with sword-like eyebrows that slanted upwards into his temples, and deep, bright eyes that exuded an innate nobility and majesty.
His steps were steady, each step seemingly carrying immense power, making the surrounding air appear to freeze.
Wang Ling pushed aside the wine cup, stepped forward first, bowed and said, "Your subject, Wang Ling, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, along with all the officials of the Ministry of Rites, respectfully welcomes Your Highness Prince Xiang. May Your Highness be blessed with boundless fortune and eternal grace."
The officials from the Ministry of Rites behind him followed suit, shouting in unison, "Welcome, Your Highness Prince Xiang!"
King Xiang slightly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Yun Shang. He gently raised his hand, signaling everyone to rise.
His every move exuded a bold and unpretentious air. "Alright, no need for formalities, please get up."
"Although my father has appointed me to concurrently serve as the Inspector of the Ministry of Rites, I am not as familiar with the Ministry of Rites as you all are. I hope you will give me some guidance in the future when we work together."
None of the officials in the Ministry of Rites dared to accept this.
They all lowered their heads.
The Prince of Xiang was only saying this casually. He stepped into the yamen and said, "Since I'm here today, I might as well take this opportunity to check on the affairs of the Ministry of Rites and see if they can be prepared in advance?"
Wang Ling had previously entrusted Yun Shang with all the tedious preparations, but now he was desperately trying to suppress Yun Shang and make a good impression on King Xiang.
He was much shorter than King Xiang, and had to walk quickly to keep up with him.
"Your Highness, upon learning yesterday that Your Highness would be visiting the Ministry of Rites today, I prepared all the documents overnight, just waiting for Your Highness to review them."
He walked quickly, his breathing was unsteady, and he spoke with a panting sound.
The Prince of Xiang turned his head and glanced at him, his brows furrowing slightly. "You are Wang Ling, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"
Wang Ling's face was full of smiles as he nodded hurriedly, "This humble official is indeed Wang Ling."
Upon hearing this, King Xiang looked away and turned his head as if searching for something in the crowd.
"Where is Yun Shang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"
Yun Shang didn't want to stand out, but since the Prince of Xiang had directly called on him, he couldn't ignore it. He stepped out from the crowd, bowed, and said, "This humble official is Yun Shang. What are your orders, Your Highness?"
As he bowed, he slightly raised his eyes, and from that angle, he could just see the jade pendant hanging from the waist of the King of Xiang opposite him.
The moment Yun Shang saw the jade pendant, his dark eyes narrowed.
This jade pendant...
King Xiang stared at Yun Shang and raised his hand to him, "Why are you standing so far away? Do you think I'm going to eat you?"
Yun Shang also wanted to see the style of the jade pendant at the waist of the King of Xiang, so upon hearing this, he walked closer and was only an arm's length away from the King of Xiang.
Seeing this, Wang Ling was consumed by jealousy, his molars aching from clenching them.
This Yun Shang is stealing his thunder again!
At this distance, Yun Shang could clearly see the jade pendant at the King of Xiang's waist.
The pattern was almost identical to the one Wan Yuru had obtained, but Yun Shang possessed a photographic memory, and he had long remembered the design of that dragon-patterned jade pendant clearly, so he could distinguish it now.
Although the jade pendant of the King of Xiang is very similar to the one in Wan Yuru's hand, there are still subtle differences.
He had also checked with the Ministry of Rites in the past few days. The dragon-patterned jade pendant was a symbol of the royal family, and each person only had one. However, the Ministry of Rites did not keep the specific pattern.
The King of Xiang's was still hanging properly on his waist, so the piece that Wan Yuru pulled off must not have been his.
The Prince of Xiang was completely unaware that Yun Shang had already examined his jade pendant. He looked at Yun Shang with a half-smile and said, "Lord Yun, you probably didn't expect that I would become the Inspector of the Ministry of Rites when you refused me last time, did you?"
Wang Ling, who had been resentful of Yun Shang, suddenly brightened up upon hearing this.
Could it be that Yun Shang offended him before because of what King Xiang said?
There's something good to watch now!
Wang Ling was gloating, eagerly anticipating seeing Yun Shang get into trouble with King Xiang.
Unexpectedly, after saying this, King Xiang turned and entered the government office without waiting for Yun Shang's reply.
Wang Ling stood there dumbfounded for a long time before he came to his senses.
King Xiang just let Yun Shang go like that?!
He felt a tightness in his chest, turned and glared fiercely at Yun Shang, then quickly changed his expression and chased after the Prince of Xiang.
Yun Shang then leisurely strolled after him.
He didn't intend to show off in front of Prince Xiang, but most of the other officials in the Ministry of Rites, like Wang Ling, wanted to seize this opportunity to make Prince Xiang remember them, so they all quickly followed.
Yun Shang then walked with several senior officials from the Ministry of Rites.
As he pondered the matter of the jade pendant, he heard an old minister from the Ministry of Rites beside him say, "Lord Xu, don't you think there's something strange about the prince's jade pendant on His Highness Prince Xiang's waist today?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Shang's eyes darkened slightly.
The man addressed as "Lord Xu" was also an old official from the Ministry of Rites. He stroked his beard and recalled for a moment, then nodded and said, "There is indeed something wrong. I feel that the jade pendant His Highness Prince Xiang is wearing today looks rather rough."