flstandardbreds Chapter 113 taught me the art of strategic retreat.
Chapter 113 taught me the art of strategic retreat.
Situ Yi shook his head, somewhat awkwardly, and explained:
"It's not that I dislike him, it's just that I'm too surprised."
Jia Hu seems to be abnormal, but he can't quite put his finger on it.
Upon hearing this, Situ Minghe said happily:
"If I don't dislike it, then I like it. I also really like my little brother Hu'er. He's my godbrother now, so we'll be even closer in the future. My godbrother is amazing. He's invented so many things. I didn't know that besides skateboards, he's invented so many other things. He said he'll send me one of them all in the future."
Situ Yi glanced at him and said:
"You're so useless. You're supposed to be a prince, yet you're swindled away by someone with just a little something."
Situ Minghe was unwilling and clung to him, saying:
“That was a gift from my godson, and my brother Hu’er said that there’s no other place like it now; it’s one of a kind.”
The Crown Prince watched the two of them bickering and remembered how the smallpox vaccination was being arranged. After thinking it over, he decided that he would not do it and would tell his father, the Emperor, about it directly. Hu'er's words gave him inspiration.
He can't do that now; he has to ask his imperial father for help. If he secretly succeeds in the smallpox experiment and then tells his imperial father, the meaning will be different. In any case, his imperial father would never give the credit to someone else.
Upon arriving at the palace, the Crown Prince went alone to find the Emperor. The Emperor said that he was taking a break from writing during the New Year, but sometimes there were still matters that needed to be dealt with.
The Emperor was also in the Imperial Study at this time. He was somewhat surprised to see the Crown Prince arrive, as he knew the Crown Prince had left the palace that day to visit the Grand Tutor. He put down his pen and smiled, saying:
"He's back from outside."
The Crown Prince smiled and bowed in greeting.
After the Emperor had the Crown Prince sit down, he smiled and asked, "Did you come to see me for something?"
The Crown Prince laughed and said:
"My son got something today and wants Father Emperor to help him with it."
The Emperor raised an eyebrow in surprise. If he remembered correctly, his son had never asked for his help since he was ten years old. No matter what happened, he always found a way to solve it himself.
Thinking of this, the Emperor still smiled and said:
"What is it? Tell me."
Crown Prince:
"My son knows how to prevent smallpox."
The Emperor, shocked, abruptly stood up and said:
"Junze, is what you're saying true? How did you obtain this method?"
The crown prince quickly stood up and respectfully replied:
“My son went out today and obtained it from a reclusive master. The master said that this method is safer and more effective than smallpox.”
The Emperor asked eagerly, "What method?"
The prince replied, "Smallpox."
The emperor was taken aback, then slowly sat down and pondered, "It's actually cowpox!"
The Emperor composed himself and asked, "Tell me, who was the great person you met today? Was it someone the Grand Tutor introduced you to?"
The Crown Prince solemnly replied, "It wasn't the Grand Tutor who introduced me. I met him by chance today, and he told me about the smallpox outbreak. I wasn't sure about the matter, so I came to tell Father Emperor and ask him how to proceed."
The Emperor glanced at the Crown Prince, who usually addressed himself respectfully as "your subject," and said:
"With your abilities, you can easily conduct the experiments yourself. Why do you need to ask me for help?"
The Crown Prince, remembering Jia Hu's words, gritted his teeth and said:
"Although I am the Crown Prince, I am also the Emperor's son. If a son is in trouble, is it not permissible for him to seek the Emperor's help?"
The Crown Prince's blunt words stunned the Emperor, who looked at his son in surprise. What was wrong with him going out of the palace? Why would the Crown Prince suddenly act like this? This was not in line with the Crown Prince's usual behavior.
But the Crown Prince's words reminded him of when the Crown Prince was young. Thinking of the Crown Prince's childhood appearance, a hint of nostalgia unconsciously appeared in the Emperor's eyes. He smiled and gestured towards the Crown Prince, saying:
"How old is your son now? You've become more and more mischievous."
Seeing that his father's tone had softened, the Crown Prince knew he had done the right thing, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled:
“No matter how old my son is, he is still my father’s son. If he has any problems, he should come to my father. But I dare not make a decision on such an important matter as smallpox vaccination alone.”
The emperor smiled and said:
"Alright then, tell me where you were and what powerful person you encountered. I'll hear whether you're worthy of my trust."
Crown Prince:
"I met the great master at the Grand Tutor's house today. He explained the method and then left."
The Emperor smiled as he looked at his son. He was worried about the Crown Prince leaving the palace today, so he arranged for secret guards to accompany him.
The role of the secret guards was only to protect, not to monitor the prince. I wouldn't stoop so low as to send secret guards to monitor the crown prince.
The guards returned and reported who had come to the mansion that day, but they didn't hear what the guards were saying.
Seeing his father looking at him like that, the Crown Prince knew he had made the right move. He immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness:
“I knew I couldn’t hide it from Father Emperor. I lied to Father Emperor.”
When he first returned, he thought a lot in the carriage about how to tell his father about the origin of smallpox. At first, he also thought that Jia Hu was too young and that he should keep Jia Hu's story out of the picture.
But he also knew that this matter could not be kept secret. He knew that his father, the Emperor, would definitely send someone to accompany him when he left the palace for his own safety, and would not monitor their conversation.
But he can't lie to his father now, because once he lies, he'll have to lie countless times to cover it up, and if he's discovered, no relationship can be repaired.
So he decided to take a bold step and retreat in order to advance, which proved to be the right decision.
The Emperor's interest deepened, and he smiled:
"What lies are you spouting?"
The Crown Prince, sensing that his father wasn't particularly angry, feigned a complaint and said:
"I knew it. Father must have discovered it. It wasn't some great power, but something Jia Hu said."
The emperor was also somewhat shocked. He had considered that it might have come from someone else or the Grand Tutor, but he never imagined that it was Jia Hu who said it.
Considering Jia Hu, it's not surprising that he could provide recipes for glass and mirrors.
emperor:
"Since it was Jia Hu who said it, why did you hide it just now?"
The crown prince kowtowed several times and said:
“My son didn’t do it on purpose. It’s just that little Jia Hu didn’t want to take credit for it, saying it was all his master’s arrangement.”
The Crown Prince then recounted in detail how Jia Hu obtained the position, how he recognized the reclusive master as his teacher, and how the master had Jia Hu test him.
Then, somewhat nervously, she looked at the emperor, who was sitting there stroking his beard, deep in thought.
This reclusive master accepted Jia Hu as his disciple because of a single meal.
Jia Hu, that kid is making me more and more curious. What kind of charm does he have that makes a reclusive master send him prescriptions and smallpox vaccination methods? Or is it that the reclusive master is just trying to get close to the Crown Prince?