The prince is more stable

Chapter 1041 Ancestral Treasure
Objectively speaking, treacherous officials are often smarter, more cunning, and better at assessing situations than loyal officials.

Without such cunning skills, one really couldn't do the job of a treacherous official.

Do the treacherous officials in movies and TV dramas really think they can do whatever they want by acting perversely, harming loyal and virtuous people, flattering their superiors and bullying their subordinates?

If someone doesn't have some special skills to rely on, making the emperor indispensable to them, they would have been skinned alive long ago. Who would give them the time and opportunity to harm loyal and virtuous officials?
The same goes for Cai Jing.

He is certainly not a treacherous official now. At least for now, apart from being extremely obsequious to the emperor, he has no other faults. Although he is slick, he is diligent and down-to-earth. He never objects to the tasks assigned to him by Zhao Xiaoqian, nor does he make any exceptions.

Today, Cai Jing is considered to be in charge of the court, but he still appears at the construction site in the northern suburbs outside the city, earnestly and conscientiously implementing the emperor's instructions and personally supervising the construction of the military academy.

Several Ministry of Works officials followed him attentively, explaining the project's process and progress to Cai Jing from time to time.

Cai Jing looked at the bustling construction site and nodded in satisfaction. Although the emperor's decision to set up the military academy had drawn a lot of opposition from the court, at least the Ministry of Works was still very disciplined. They dared not disobey the emperor's orders, let alone outwardly comply with but inwardly defy the prime minister who was currently riding high.

The project was carried out very solidly, with no shortage of labor or materials, and the progress was very fast. From site selection to today, the foundation has been compacted in just a few days.

Cai Jing would personally inspect the construction site every other day, worried that he might mess things up and disappoint the emperor. So he kept a close eye on everything, big or small. With Cai Jing's high level of supervision, the officials and craftsmen of the Ministry of Works were walking on thin ice, and dared not slack off in the slightest during the project.

The project itself is fine; the problem now is student enrollment.

Accompanying Cai Jing were not only officials from the Ministry of Works, but also an official from the Ministry of Rites.

As Cai Jing walked around the construction site, he turned his head to give instructions to the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

"The Imperial Academy's military academy is nominal in name only. The Ministry of Rites should issue a document to abolish it and transfer it to the Military Academy. I will speak to the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of the Imperial Academy on their behalf," Cai Jing said calmly.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites bowed in response.

"The other candidates will be selected from the generals of the Palace Guard and the border troops in Bianjing. After our Great Song Dynasty has pacified Western Xia and the soldiers have returned to the capital, this matter will be handled again."

"Which military officer should be admitted to the Military Academy and which should be excluded must be decided by the Emperor. We, as his subjects, must not overstep our bounds, or we will surely bring trouble upon ourselves."

The Ministry of Rites officials were terrified and agreed.

The Military Academy was the Song Dynasty's version of a military academy. The generals and commanders trained by the academy were absolutely the emperor's trusted inner circle, and their loyalty had to withstand the test.

Regarding the selection of military officers to study at the Military Academy, no minister could interfere; it was too taboo. The selection could only be decided by the Emperor.

After taking one last deep look at the bustling construction site, Cai Jing smiled with satisfaction, then turned to leave.

Just as he was taking a step, a servant from the Cai household rushed over and said hurriedly, "Reporting to Master, the young master requests that you return to the manor immediately, as he has important matters to discuss."

Cai Jing remained calm and composed. Although he had not been prime minister for long and had not yet officially taken office, he had already cultivated the demeanor of a prime minister.

"What's the matter with such a panic? Has the sky fallen?" Cai Jing sneered.

The officials behind him tactfully stepped back a few paces. Cai Jing nodded to them and then boarded the carriage to return to the city.

Upon returning to the Cai residence, Cai Jing entered the main hall and saw his son, Cai You, pacing back and forth anxiously, clearly troubled.

Upon seeing Cai Jing return, Cai You stepped forward, bowed, and greeted his father.

Cai Jing walked to the head seat in the hall and sat down, saying indifferently, "Why did you have to call me back so urgently?"

Cai You hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I have done something wrong, Father."

Cai Jing snorted: "What have you done now?"

Cai You's voice grew weaker and weaker: "Your son... beat someone up at the brothel today."

Cai Jing grew increasingly dissatisfied: "You spend your days frequenting brothels and causing trouble. The Emperor has bestowed upon you honors and an official position, yet you show no improvement whatsoever. You continue to act recklessly as before, betraying the Emperor's kindness in remembering your past favors. For this alone, you unfilial son deserve to die!"

Cai You opened his mouth, but before he could even say anything specific, he was immediately berated. If he were to reveal what he had done today, his own father would hang him on a tree branch in the southeast to atone for his sins.

Seeing Cai You hanging his head and remaining silent, looking fearful, Cai Jing finally had his fill of scolding. He continued to put on airs as the prime minister and father, and picked up the teacup on the table to take a sip.

"Tell me, what exactly did you do wrong, and who did you beat up?" Cai Jing said calmly.

Cai You glanced cautiously at his father's expression and whispered, "My son and some friends beat up two Japanese men."

Upon hearing that he was Japanese, Cai Jing immediately showed a dismissive expression.

The Song Dynasty was a great and powerful empire, and Cai Jing, as the soon-to-be-appointed prime minister, was naturally very arrogant. In particular, the frequent military victories of the Song Dynasty in recent years further fueled Cai Jing's arrogance.

Japan is just a small island nation. I heard that the feudal lords on that island have been fighting for years, creating a chaotic and turbulent atmosphere. Moreover, this country is particularly subservient to the Song Dynasty, and for many years it has considered itself a vassal state, behaving very humbly.

There were also many Japanese merchants who came to the Central Plains to do business, but their status was predictably extremely low. The son had only beaten up two Japanese men in a brothel; what was there to say? So what? These lowly islanders dared to rebel? They weren't even qualified to approach the gates of the Song Dynasty's prime minister.

Feeling a slight reproach in his heart for his son's overreaction, Cai Jing stroked his beard with displeasure and said, "I am busy with state affairs, and you have to call me back in such a hurry for such a trivial matter?"

Cai You remained silent, only offering an awkward smile.

Seeing his son's guilty smile, Cai Jing, being extremely intelligent, was immediately alarmed and sensed something was wrong. So he asked an important question that he had just overlooked.

"The Japanese you beat up...who is he?" Cai Jing finally became a little uneasy.

Cai You felt extremely guilty, but still managed a forced smile and dared not utter a sound.

But Cai Jing was incredibly clever; his mind raced, and some recent anecdotes from the Bianjing palace and court came to mind.

"I've heard that the fathers of His Majesty's two Japanese concubines recently came to Bianjing to pay homage with General Zhang Rong, and His Majesty even hosted a banquet in their honor," Cai Jing's expression began to turn sour.

"You said you beat up two Japanese, you didn't mean you beat up..." Cai Jing's voice trembled, his hand stroking his beard trembled slightly, and his eyes stared at his son with an almost pleading look, begging for a negative answer from his son.

However, Cai Jing was ultimately disappointed.

My son smiled shyly and lowered his head, saying, "That's right."

Cai Jing shuddered. A long-lost feeling of terror and despair surged through his heart. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his hands and feet were icy cold, and his eyes were filled with a lifeless, ashen look.

"The...the two fathers-in-law of the official...you actually...beat them up?"

Cai Jing trembled violently, muttering to himself in a daze, "Just as I was about to officially assume the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, you beat up the Emperor's father-in-law..."

“Oh, heavens, how cruel you are to me…” Tears streamed down Cai Jing’s face as he looked up at the sky in despair and sighed.

Seeing his usually shrewd, calm, and wise father lost in thought and talking to himself as if he were about to go crazy, Cai You hurriedly said, "Father, calm down! The Emperor has personally intervened. He said that this matter is not my fault or that of my friends. The fault lies with the Emperor's two fathers-in-law."

Cai Jing gave a silent, bitter laugh.

You did such a thing, and the officials say they won't blame you? Did you really believe them?

The storm that will follow targeting the Cai family is a whirlwind of twenty years' worth of experience; I ask you, can you withstand it?

Seeing that Cai Jing's expression showed no sign of turning from anger to joy, Cai You immediately became anxious.

He felt he was going to die today.

“Father, that’s not the point I wanted to make. His Majesty also told me something else, about going to Japan…”

Before he could finish speaking, Cai Jing didn't intend to give his rebellious son a chance to speak.

Raising his hand to stop Cai You from speaking, Cai Jing suddenly became amiable, forcing a smile as he said, "My son, please wait a moment. I would like to show you a family heirloom passed down through my Cai family..."

Cai You, interrupted and utterly bewildered, asked curiously, "What kind of treasure is so magical? Why have I never heard of it before?"

Cai Jing chuckled kindly and gently: "You stay here and don't move. I'll be right back. Just wait here, okay? Be good!"

As he spoke, Cai Jing got up and went into the backyard. About an incense stick's time later, when Cai Jing appeared in the front hall, he was holding a thick rattan stick with an old color and a full patina. It looked like a magic staff that you could only get by recharging in a game, and it looked very high-end.

Seeing Cai Jing stride out with a rattan staff in hand, exuding murderous intent, even the slow-witted Cai You finally realized that something terrible was about to happen.

“Father, this, this is…” Cai You asked, his face pale and his voice stammering.

Cai Jing stood before his son, his face calm. He stroked the rattan cane with one hand, as if a swordsman in the martial arts world were tenderly caressing a peerless sword, or as if he were caressing the delicate hand of a lover.

"This stick is the heirloom of my Cai family, it is called the 'Righteousness to Sacrifice One's Family Stick'." Cai Jing gazed at the rattan stick in his hand with deep affection, as if recalling his first love.

"Father, please let me explain! Beating up those two Japanese is no big deal. The Emperor has already said so to my face. He doesn't blame me..." Cai You said anxiously, backing away as he explained.

Cai Jing was shocked to hear the devastating news today. He seems to have been affected mentally by such a severe blow and has become somewhat deranged.

He suddenly covered his ears with both hands and recited with poetic passion: "Ah! I won't listen, I won't listen..."

Immediately afterwards, Cai Jing's expression suddenly turned ferocious and terrifying. He twirled the rattan staff in his hand into a flower shape, then raised the staff high and mercilessly smashed it down on Cai You's head, shouting violently.

"You wicked beast, quickly reveal your true form and come back to Heaven with me!"

(End of this chapter)