Mysterious mirror hanging high

The fourth prince, Zhao Mingcheng, who had been standing with his hands hanging down, suddenly raised his head and stared at the old face of Emperor Zhao in shock. Then he lowered his head deeply, and the knuckles of his clenched fists turned slightly white.

"I don't want to." Jing Yu answered very straightforwardly.

"Why?" Emperor Zhao's face was expressionless. "This is something your other brothers and sisters risked their lives to fight for, yet you remain indifferent?"

"If the emperor were to be as diligent as my father, the memorials he would review every day would pile up into a small mountain. How can that compare to being a free and easy prince?"

"If you don't want to review memorials, you can just sit back and do the ruling. The cabinet scholars will take care of the affairs of state. You just need to steer the direction."

The Emperor of Zhao spoke slowly, as if speaking was already a difficult task for him. "Our Zhao State is now well-established. After you ascend the throne, you only need to consider the opinions of the pillars of the court and follow the ancestral system in everything. It won't take much effort."

"If you enjoy practicing martial arts, that won't be a problem. Our founding emperor of the Zhao Kingdom was a master of innate skills, yet he still managed to build such a great foundation. If you were to become emperor, every martial arts manual and elixir in the world would be readily available to you. It would actually be much more beneficial to your martial arts practice."

"When I was still a prince, I often felt that being an emperor might not be that satisfying. When I fought for the throne, I was forced to take it partly because of the situation. But now that I have sat on this position and my time is almost up, I feel a little reluctant to give it up."

Jing Yu said quietly, "Father, being the ruler of a country must be quite enjoyable. I wonder how it compares to being an immortal."

Emperor Zhao's originally loose body suddenly tensed up, and then collapsed at an even faster speed. He waved his hand somewhat listlessly: "Everyone, go down, let me think about it."

Jing Yu and Zhao Mingcheng had no choice but to leave.

The two of them left the palace together. Fourth brother, who had always had a very good relationship with him, was unusually silent today and did not speak to him at all along the way.

Just before parting, Jing Yu called out to Zhao Mingcheng, "Fourth Brother."

"Sixth brother..." Zhao Mingcheng forced a smile.

"Fourth brother, do you want to be emperor?" Jing Yu asked softly.

Zhao Mingcheng was silent for a long time, and finally nodded imperceptibly.

Jing Yu said seriously, "Fourth brother, I really don't want to be the emperor. I haven't thought about it for even a moment."

"Fourth brother believes you."

"Fourth brother, this isn't a question of belief or not." Jing Yu stared at Zhao Mingcheng with a burning gaze. "You'll understand later. Before that, I hope you and I won't hurt our brotherly relationship."

----

Jing Yu and Zhao Mingcheng eventually parted ways, each returning to their respective palaces. However, before Jing Yu could even sit down, a palace guard announced, "Your Highness, the Prime Minister, Lord Xu, has arrived."

"Who?" Jing Yu rubbed his ears to make sure he heard correctly: "Xu Shoufu?"

"The current queen's biological brother, fifth brother Zhao Minglou's biological uncle, and the cabinet's chief minister, Xu Fang?"

"Why did he come to Prince Ping's Mansion?" Jing Yu didn't remember any connection between him and this Prime Minister.

"Invite him in."

----

"Your humble servant pays respects to King Ping." An old man in a purple robe, who looked to be in his fifties, bowed down when he saw Jing Yu.

Jing Yu did not dare to be arrogant and quickly supported the old man: "Master Xu is a pillar of the court. How dare I, a leisurely prince, accept such a great gift?"

"I, an old minister, am not here to pay my respects to King Ping for myself," Xu Fang said earnestly, "but for the people of Zhao!"

"Master Xu, what are you talking about?" The more Jing Yu listened, the more he felt something was wrong.

"Your Highness, are you really not considering ascending the throne?" Xu Fang said in a deep voice.

"what?"

Jing Yu truly felt the absurdity of the world. As the Queen's brother and the uncle of the fifth prince Zhao Minglou, is it appropriate for you, Xu Fang, to tell me this?

"Master Xu, stop testing me."

Xu Fang looked helpless: "Your Majesty, this is really not a test."

"Today, the prince came to the palace to see the emperor. Didn't His Majesty discuss this matter with you? To be honest, it was the cabinet that proposed your succession."

"what?"

Jing Yu felt that the shock he received today was no less than the one he had experienced when he met those two Foundation Establishment cultivators five years ago. "Does Lord Xu think so too?"

"This matter was made possible by this old minister." Xu Fang smiled slightly.

Jing Yu hadn't expected the Zhao civil service to be so optimistic about him, and he couldn't help but feel a little surprised: "Sir, this makes me even more confused."

"In terms of ability to govern a country, even if I flatter you, I can't compare to my third sister Zhao Mingyu."

"In terms of intelligence and talent, my seventh brother Zhao Mingfu is far superior to me."

"In terms of power within the court, my second sister, Zhao Mingyue, is the strongest among the royal heirs. That goes without saying."

"In terms of background, your nephew Zhao Minglou is far superior to me, Lord Xu."

"Even when it comes to maturity, prudence, and following the rules, Fourth Brother Zhao Mingcheng is the best."

"This throne, it's not my turn anyway, is it?"

Jing Yu laughed at this. "Lord Xu, is it possible that your cabinet ranks people according to their martial arts skills? You can't say that just because our Zhao State's founding emperor was a master of the Xiantian Sect, that means I'm the most like him, right?"

"That's too far-fetched."

Xu Fang's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was respectful: "Your Highness, do you know what is the most important thing for a ruler?"

Jing Yu tilted his head and thought for a moment: "Legitimate?"

Xu Fang smiled and said, "Now that His Majesty is still alive, it is most legitimate for His Majesty to designate the crown prince. In fact, this will not be a problem for any of the heirs."

"Great talent and strategy?"

Xu Fang shook his head. "No matter how wise a ruler is, he's still just one man. How can he compare to the talents of a nation? You have some truth in saying that we should know how to use people wisely."

"That's the mind of the emperor and the checks and balances in the court."

"Haha, if the political situation is peaceful and the ministers are united, there would be no need for imperial tactics or checks and balances in the court."

Jing Yu jokingly said, "It seems that the ministers in the cabinet believe that the time has come for our Zhao State to have a peaceful political situation."

Xu Fang twitched the corners of his mouth when he heard that, and a smile said it all.

"It can't be that you love the people like your own children, right?"

Xu Fang laughed heartily: "Haha, of course not."

Jing Yu, already intrigued by the cabinet's chief minister, scratched his head and said, "Master Xu, tell me, what is the most important thing for a ruler?"

"Three words." Xu Fang raised three fingers and waved them in front of Jing Yu.

"No trouble."

Jing Yu was stunned.

Xu Fang's eyes were sincere as he bowed once more. "Your Highness, I have been in the imperial court for over thirty years, and have watched several of the royal heirs grow up under my watch. Over these past thirty years, I have clearly seen that among all the royal heirs of the Zhao State, you are the least troublesome."

"Nowadays, our State of Zhao may seem to be at peace and prosperous, with the air of a great and well-governed country. But in reality, it is just a flourishing splendour, a simmering fire. In recent years, we have seen signs of decline..."

"I really can't stand it anymore!"