MTLNOVEL Chapter 533
Luo Jingfeng continued to refute, "That's impossible!"
"Why?" Jin Cheng looked up, puzzled. "Uncle, I don't understand. Why do you trust Eldest Uncle so much? What kind of person is he really?"
"He's..." Luo Jingfeng frowned, struggling to find the right words. "Tomorrow, I'll write him a private letter to ask about the fiefdom matter. Once he replies, you can read it yourself."
Hearing that he no longer insisted on helping the Prince of Southern Pacification secure the fiefdom but instead opted for proper communication, Jin Cheng felt his uncle's reformation plan was a resounding success!
Overjoyed, he threw himself into Luo Jingfeng's arms and exclaimed, "Uncle, I love you so much!"
The corners of Luo Jingfeng's mouth twitched upward, but he still grumbled, "It's not even the depths of winter yet, and you're burning up. Get off me."
Jin Cheng only snuggled closer. "No way! I love sleeping while hugging Uncle!"
Luo Jingfeng scoffed lightly, "Little fool..."
The next morning, Luo Jingfeng finished writing the letter in the imperial study and sent it to the Prince of Southern Pacification. Then, he accompanied his nephew to court.
The Duke of State Protection's sudden appearance at court after a 44-day absence sent shockwaves through the officials. Gazes filled with speculation, awe, and even disdain turned toward him.
The Luo family had produced a rebel, and this was only the beginning. As long as military power remained out of the emperor's hands, the court would never know peace.
But the young emperor was still a child, and Luo Jingfeng, who had held military authority for years, would never hand it over to a mere boy.
The young emperor's voice rang out from above: "This rebellion was solely instigated by the traitor Zhao Feng. By law, his entire clan shall be executed. The Ministry of Justice will oversee this matter."
The Minister of Justice responded, "As Your Majesty commands."
The emperor continued, "The Duke of State Protection has rendered great service in quelling the rebellion, but his merits in pacifying You Country remain unrewarded... Uncle, you've already been granted every possible honor. I'm truly at a loss."
Luo Jingfeng replied respectfully, "To serve the nation is my duty. I seek no reward! I only ask that, should war arise again, Your Majesty will entrust me with the army and send me to fight for the dynasty!"
The moment these words left his mouth, the entire court was stunned.
"Entrust me with the army"?
Did that mean... the Duke of State Protection, who had held military power for over a decade, had actually returned it to the young emperor?!
How was that possible?
How could Luo Jingfeng be willing?
The emperor was only twelve!
The court erupted into chaos, murmurs spreading uncontrollably.
Even the young emperor hadn't expected his uncle to announce this so soon—without any concern for his own pride.
Deeply moved, Jin Cheng said earnestly, "Of course. The Duke of State Protection is the one I trust most."
He then signaled to Eunuch Huang, who stepped forward and proclaimed, "His Majesty bestows upon the Duke of State Protection a golden pardon token."
This declaration silenced the court.
All conspiracy theories and suspicions were rendered meaningless.
The Duke of State Protection had willingly relinquished his military power.
The young emperor genuinely held no fear toward this battle-hardened general.
Uncle and nephew were now of one mind.
The little devil emperor beamed at Luo Jingfeng, confident in their future harmony.
Every wish he'd made this year had come true.
The Prince of Southern Pacification's reply arrived in mid-December.
Without even opening the envelope, Luo Jingfeng took it straight to the palace and handed it to Jin Cheng. "Read it yourself."
The little devil emperor eyed him suspiciously. "Uncle, now I'm really curious. Why do you trust Eldest Uncle so much that you won't even read his letter before letting me see it?"
Luo Jingfeng snorted. "Just a pile of nonsense. Nothing worth reading."
Jin Cheng frowned at the description—"a pile of nonsense"—and unfolded the Prince of Southern Pacification's reply.
He had watched Luo Jingfeng write the original letter, which was concise, but the Prince's response spanned several pages, crammed with messy handwriting.
Jin Cheng squinted at the crooked script. "Did Eldest Uncle really write this?"
Luo Jingfeng glanced at it and sneered. "Who else could produce such hideous penmanship?"
Suddenly offended, Jin Cheng: "..."
Well... um...
He had once gone through a phase of terrible handwriting too. Apparently, it ran in the family.
Sheepish, Jin Cheng buried his nose in the letter—only to grow more bewildered with each line, his brows knitting so tightly they could crush a mosquito.
When he finished, Luo Jingfeng's mocking voice sounded above him: "What, does he want to expand his fiefdom all the way to the Capital City?"
"..." Jin Cheng was speechless.
In the letter, the Prince of Southern Pacification argued:
- Growing mushrooms might not solve hunger, but it saved food—so technically, it counted.
- The counties he wanted were indeed impoverished, so the court wouldn't lose much by granting them.
But the truth was:
Backwater regions bred troublemakers. The Prince's mushroom farms were constantly raided by bandits from those counties. Stationing troops did nothing—they couldn't kill the thieves, and the skirmishes never ended.
Furious, the Prince confronted the local magistrates, demanding they control their people. But the officials spouted Confucian platitudes, telling him to stay out of court affairs since those counties weren't under his jurisdiction.
This enraged the Prince:
My brother is the Duke of State Protection, a decorated general! My nephew is the emperor! And yet, a bunch of worthless magistrates and bandits dare mess with me?!
Too proud to admit he couldn't win the fights, the Prince resorted to petitioning the emperor for the counties—so he could legally deal with them.
One failed request led to another, but he'd never confess the truth. Losing face in front of his little nephew was unthinkable.
At the end, the Prince added:
Second Brother, help me persuade Cheng again. Just don't tell him the real reason—I want to keep my majestic image intact!
Jin Cheng: ".................."
After all his vigilance against the "ambitious Prince of Southern Pacification," it turned out he was just the "Mushroom King of Yunnan" who couldn't win a fight?!
Jin Cheng was dumbfounded. Jin Cheng looked to the heavens.
Jin Cheng even felt the urge to apologize to his uncle.
Luo Jingfeng didn't need to read the letter—Jin Cheng's expression said it all. He scoffed, "Hmph!"
The little devil forced a smile and played the blame game first: "This is all a misunderstanding! Eldest Uncle is just too proud. If he'd told the truth earlier, I'd have helped him right away!"
Luo Jingfeng: "Hmph!"
"Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong! I'll make it up to you—I'll send people to assist the Prince and clean up those magistrates and bandits!"
"Hmph!"
"..."
As the new year dawned, everything flourished.
With the Duke of State Protection's military power surrendered, the young emperor began to shine. At thirteen, he commanded multiple factions with wisdom and composure, ruling steadily from the throne.
Atop the lofty steps stood the new emperor, revered by all.
Jin Cheng suddenly recalled himself from five years ago—how he had risen from being the most notorious of the Capital City's four young prodigals to passing the exams for Childhood Scholar, then Second Place, and finally topping the imperial examinations, ascending the throne and seizing military power.
His ears echoed with the words Xu Wan had once said to him: "So you must strive hard. Never let this world fall into the hands of those you despise. The higher you climb, the more power you hold to veto injustice. You can protect those you wish to shield and force all unfairness to yield before you."
The young emperor confidently gazed beyond the court hall, as if reaching across the river of time to reply to Xu Wan: "Mother, look—I've claimed the highest seat. I will be a good emperor. I will make all injustice… yield before me."
[Main Story End]
Dozens of side-story chapters are planned. A request thread is open in the book's forum—readers are welcome to leave suggestions for what they'd like to see!
Now, care to guess whose side story will be written first?