Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 1134: Chapter 147: Prince Chu Deeply Disappoints the Emperor (2)

The Emperor asked emotionlessly, "Do you think by letting the tenth prince marry a woman of farmer origin as a princess, I am humiliating him?"

Prince Chu remained silent.

The Emperor continued, "If I let the tenth prince marry a woman from an aristocratic or official family, would that not be insulting him?"

Prince Chu still said nothing.

Silence was tantamount to acquiescence.

The Emperor was amused by Prince Chu’s attitude, "Old Four, I, the late Emperor, and the late Empress Dowager were all farmers, does that mean I, as your father, am also insulting you?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Chu’s expression changed dramatically, and he immediately knelt down, "Your son dares not, your son has no such intention."

The Emperor stood up, looking icily at Prince Chu who was kneeling on the ground, his tone cold and harsh, "The Zhao family has been farmers for generations, if you look down on farmers, how could I have a son like you..." The Emperor knew Prince Chu was speaking out for Zhao Yao, so he restrained himself from speaking harshly to him.

Prince Chu’s face turned pale, and he hurriedly pleaded, "Father, your son did not mean that, your son just felt..."

"Get out!" The Emperor had no patience for further conversation with Prince Chu and directly ordered him to leave.

Prince Chu wanted to say something more but was interrupted by Sun Kui.

Sun Kui politely escorted him out, "Your Highness Prince Chu, please leave for now."

"Father, please calm down, your son takes his leave."

Sun Kui escorted Prince Chu out of the Imperial Study, "Your Highness, forgive this servant for speaking out of turn, I know you feel wronged on behalf of His Highness Prince Han, but marrying a woman of farmer origin as a princess is not meant to humiliate Prince Han. You know that both the late Emperor and the current Emperor were once farmers, and during his lifetime, the late Emperor consistently emphasized that the Zhao family originated from farmers and must never forget their roots."

He continued, "By having His Highness Prince Han marry a farmer princess, the Emperor is precisely showing his favor towards Prince Han. The Emperor has not overlooked or forgotten the contributions His Highness has made to Great Zhou and its people over the years. Among all the princes, only His Highness Prince Han is the most suitable to marry a farmer princess."

Prince Chu, after hearing these words from Sun Kui, showed a remorseful expression.

"Your Highness, the words you just said negated the background of both the late Emperor and the current Emperor, which is why the Emperor was so enraged." Sun Kui understood Prince Chu’s sense of injustice for Prince Han, but the words Prince Chu spoke, sigh... "Your Highness, the Emperor holds you in high regard, anyone else could say those things, but not you."

"I..." Prince Chu was left speechless by Sun Kui’s words.

"Your Highness, please return first and come back tomorrow to seek forgiveness from the Emperor."

"Thank you, Mr. Sun." Prince Chu expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Sun Kui.

Sun Kui dared not accept the Prince’s gratitude, stepping aside he said, "Your Highness, you are too kind."

"Tomorrow, I will return to seek father’s forgiveness."

"Take care, Your Highness Prince Chu."

After seeing Prince Chu off, Sun Kui returned to the Imperial Study. He sneaked a peek at the Emperor, and seeing that the Emperor no longer wore the anger and gloom from before, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, this servant believes that Prince Chu had no other intentions; he was merely feeling wronged for His Highness Prince Han."

"The tenth prince himself does not feel wronged, yet he goes out of his way to feel wronged for him."

"Prince Chu does not understand your good intentions," Sun Kui said, "His Highness Prince Han understands your painstaking effort."

"Sigh..." The Emperor suddenly let out a deep sigh, his face displaying disappointment, "Not just Old Four, everyone thinks that by bestowing a farmer woman in marriage to the tenth prince, I am insulting him."

If Sun Kui didn’t know the Emperor’s intention, he would think the same as everyone else.

"Your Majesty, everyone believes that as a prince, His Highness Prince Han holds noble status, whereas a farmer woman’s status is humble, unworthy of His Highness Prince Han."

"It’s not that the farmer woman’s status is humble, but that the identity of being a farmer is considered lowly." The Emperor sneered, "Everyone in this world looks down upon farmers, thinking lowly of them, even the farmers themselves think so."

"Your Majesty, this is the prejudice of the world."

"Old Four really disappoints me." The Emperor could understand Prince Chu’s sense of injustice for Zhao Yao, but he could not accept Prince Chu looking down on farmers, "Old Four, like others, despises farmers, and that’s the fundamental difference between him and the tenth prince. In the tenth prince’s heart, farmers are not lowly; on the contrary, they are very important. Since a young age, he has created many farming tools to help farmers cultivate better, ensuring they can have enough to eat, while Old Four and the others have never paid farmers any attention."

"His Highness Prince Han is different from the other princes." In the eyes of His Highness Prince Han, everyone is the same, whether they are farmers, or servants like them. There’s no differentiation in status. Prince Han regards everyone as human beings, while others do not consider their eunuchs and farmers as people. "His Highness Prince Han has always held the common people in his heart."

"Yes, although that brat is not willing to be Emperor, he always holds the land and people of Great Zhou in his heart." The Emperor said proudly.

"In this regard, His Highness Prince Han is very much like you." Sun Kui lightly flattered, "Truly like father, like son."

"Compared to me, that brat still has a long way to go. However, compared to the others, he is indeed quite outstanding." The Emperor spoke and then recalled Prince Chu’s earlier words, his face showing disappointment again, "From Old Four’s words, it’s evident that those literati, those from scholarly families are essentially like the aristocrats, looking down on farmers. They all think they are born to be superior, with an air of condescension."

"What Your Majesty said is true."

"They think this world belongs to the aristocrats, to the literati." At this point, the Emperor’s face displayed a mocking expression, "But in my view, this world belongs to the common people, without them, they are nothing."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Not choosing Old Four was the right decision." The Emperor always appreciated Prince Chu and held him in high regard, but those words from Prince Chu left him utterly disappointed, "If I entrusted the land of Great Zhou to Old Four, in future it would belong to the literati. Back then, the late Emperor finally agreed to become the emperor for the countless farmers, not for the aristocrats, nor the literati."