Translator: Vivi from dummytranslations
Editor: Mimishijie ☺
The Emperor is an incapable ruler(8): Zhen wants to talk with Minister Zhao through the night
Character list: here
---

After Luo Bai left, Xiang Han did not have the mood to think about his food or tea. He constantly felt that his meals were no longer delicious and could not be compared to those Luo Bai made.

Big A had just finished a pack of nutrients and could not help but spit at him, “Those living in bliss do not know of their own blessings.”

Zhao Ze was also very unhappy. He simply could not understand how the Little Emperor’s feelings for Luo Bai had grown so deep.

During the afternoon's class, he subtly taught a lesson on how a monarch should put the country before themselves and they should not brood over personal matters. Even more so, they cannot merely love a single person, they had to share the rain and dew…

Ah, why did he say that? Zhao Ze abruptly put his book down and wanted to knock his own head.

Xiang Han had a face of surprise and turned to stare at him strangely, “Minister Zhao, truth is Zhen also wants to share the rain and dew, but the harem is empty, ah.”

Zhao Ze froze. His first thought was that the Little Emperor wanted to find an Empress candidate. This was not a bad thing, but...

His heart inexplicably felt gloomy and he asked, “Your Majesty, which noble has caught your attention?”

Xiang Han was stunned for a moment and quickly waved his hands, “Minister Zhao has misunderstood. Zhen is only making a passing remark.”

Zhao Ze breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time, he felt uncomfortable. From the Little Emperor’s attitude, he had probably not gotten over Luo Bai.

Why was it that when it came to him, the Little Emperor was so blunt and careless. Yet, when it came to Luo Bai, he could not forget the latter?

Zhao Ze was extremely depressed and frustrated. When the Little Emperor liked him, he couldn’t wait to run away. Now that the Little Emperor was pining for someone else, he seemed to feel…extremely unbearable.

This time, Zhao Ze couldn’t hold himself back and knocked his own head. After he was done, he realised that the Little Emperor was slouched over the table with a worried expression.

In order to help the Little Emperor forget Luo Bai, Zhao Ze suggested to organise a hunt. Firstly, it would help distract him from his troubles and secondly, it was time for the Little Emperor to show what he had learnt from this half a year of archery training

Xiang Han had never taken part in such an event before and was excited. He wasted no time in approving it.

Arriving at the hunting field, Xiang Han swept a glance and discovered a few of the nobles who had been bad-mouthing him before at the restaurant. He hadn’t forgotten about these people even after so long.

Looking at their eager and excited appearances, Xiang Han sneered. He secretly commanded his personal guards, “Look after those few lads. Later on, don’t give them a chance to hunt even a single rabbit.”

At this time, Zhao Ze dressed in a hunting attire walked over with a long sword hanging by his side. Noticing the Little Emperor’s gaze fixed on the group of youths, a dark light flashed through his eyes and he went forward to stand in his line of sight. He bowed, “Your Majesty, the preparations are complete. We can begin.”

Xiang Han saw him and his eyes could not help but light up. Zhao Ze in his hunting attire was really dashing. With a dark armour, it highlighted his five features even more, defining the deep contours of his face. At this moment, the elegance of his thin lips and dark eyes were replaced with hidden strength and pride.

Xiang Han could not help but be awed.

Zhao Ze saw his dazzled expression and his heart inexplicably soared. The corners of his lips turned up as he asked, “Your Majesty?”

Xiang Han quickly regained his senses and gave out orders.

Prince Liang’s house arrest has been lifted a few days ago, so he was here to accompany them. But with the excuse of bodily discomfort, he forfeited the hunt and chose to spectate instead.

At the moment, he was standing in front of the camp. A wave of jealousy burned in his heart as he watched the formerly thin and weak Little Emperor valiantly mount his horse with an expression full of confidence.

Once upon a time, he had only been a step away from this honorable position. When he was the crown prince, Song Han had merely been an unfavoured prince. What rights did he have to snatch away all that belonged to him?

Until now, Prince Liang was still unable to believe the truth of his birth. He stubbornly believed it was the three ministers who fabricated the Emperor’s will. For the sake of power, the three of them had forced him to abdicate.

He should have been the true Emperor.

Xiang Han sat atop his horse and received the bow a guard handed to him. He abruptly felt a chill down his back and looked back.

Unexpectedly, Prince Liang did not shy away and instead, met his gaze straight on. His expression flickered, but quickly returned to a courteous one.

Xiang Han froze for a moment before turning his horse and walking towards Prince Liang to show his concern. He warmly expressed, “Since Imperial Brother isn’t feeling well, later on, whatever that Zhen caught, Imperial Brother may choose something to bring back. There is no need to be polite.”

The surrounding ministers were full of admiration, praising the Emperor for his deep feelings and respect for Prince Liang.

On the outside, Prince Liang was extremely grateful and thanked him for his kindness. However, he was deathly furious on the inside, wanting nothing more than to tear apart the Little Emperor’s smiling face.

After disgusting Prince Liang, Xiang Han happily rode his horse back to the hunting field. Waiting for the rest of the people to scatter, he approached Zhao Ze and spoke in a low voice, “Minister Zhao, earlier on, Prince Liang was staring at Zhen’s back so much that Zhen could feel his skin crawling. He couldn’t be intending to make use of this event to cause trouble, right?”

Zhao Ze turned to the side and replied, “Replying Your Majesty, Prince Liang hasn’t made a move recently. It is true that he had planned something previously, however, he seemed to have given up afterwards. Perhaps it’s because the Autumn hunt’s guard is too tight and it would be too easy to slip up. Prince Liang is a careful person, he will definitely not expose himself.”

“How do you know he hasn’t made a move recently?” Xiang Han frowned unhappily and said, “Recently, Zhen heard many people in Chang’ An discussing the matter of Zhen sending Minister Luo out for merit and said it was a waste of resources.”

Zhao Ze also frowned. He had already arrested those people who were spreading rumours and interrogated them, so how did the Little Emperor know of this?

“His house arrest has just been withdrawn and Zhen is already being scolded by civilians. Looks like it’s better for him to continue staying in his mansion for the time being,” Xiang Han concluded.

Zhao Ze muttered to himself, “Is Your Majesty thinking of…”

“Even if he doesn’t make a move during the Autumn hunt, we can help him,” Xiang Han said evilly.

The word “we” pleased Zhao Ze greatly. If it were another time, he would definitely not have agreed. But looking at the Little Emperor’s face of excitement, he barely gave it any thought before raising his eyebrows and saying, “Okay.”

Originally, the Autumn Hunt should have lasted for as long as half a month. But after playing for a few days, Xiang Han rebuked a couple of scholars who had not hunted anything for their poor archery skills and then prepared to return.

Therefore, it didn’t take long before Xiang Han encountered an assassin. Zhao Ze immediately picked him up in a princess hold and rushed back to the palace.

By the time the trembling doctor entered the palace and left with faked worry, Xiang Han had already opened his eyes and frowned at Zhao Ze whose face was pale with genuine worry.

They had agreed to put on an act, and according to the original plan, it should have been a guard who brought him back. So why did Zhao Ze suddenly become so terrified, insisting on bringing him back personally?

“Minister Zhao, Zhen feels that your condition earlier was not quite right. Did something happen?” He could not help but ask.

Zhao Ze froze briefly before he shook his head, “Nothing.”

Although he knew that it was merely an act, the moment he saw the Little Emperor being “shot”, he could not help his heart going into a frenzy. In the end, he even carried the other person back before he even realised it.

“Ah.” Xiang Han instantly let out a breath. He had thought that the play had suddenly become real.

After the Little Emperor was shot, the Autumn Hunt came to an end and the Imperial Chariot returned to the palace that night. Prince Liang turned towards the Emperor behind the curtain and felt a sense of uneasiness.

After returning to the palace, the Little Emperor abruptly “fell into a coma”.

When the Imperial Guards stormed his manor, Prince Liang was not surprised. He had originally planned to take action during the Autumn Hunt but after careful consideration, he felt that the time was not ripe and chose to wait. Afterall, he had yet to completely grasp the power of the Northwest Army in his hands and there was the fact that Zhao Bing Zhang was still alive.

However, he had been too careless when retreating and it was tough not to leave evidence behind. The Little Emperor must have noticed something and thus, was able to beat him at his own game.

Prince Liang was unwilling to accept this, but he quickly calmed down. He had retreated in a timely manner and so, even if he was found out, there wouldn’t be any incriminating evidence. Thus, apart from requesting to see Xiang Han, he refused to say anything.

The Imperial Guards could only surround his manor, not allowing a single person through.

Others could not deal with Prince Liang, but Zhao Ze was different. He was clear that Prince Liang wasn’t truly a candidate for the throne due to his bloodline and after knowing that the other person dared to harm the Emperor, he immediately issued an order for him to be thrown into the Royal Tomb. He was the Emperor’s most trusted minister, when the need arises, he could issue a decree in his place

Meanwhile, Xiang Han was squatting in the palace and snacking on some chicken feet. After hearing of this matter, he tossed the chicken feet in his hand aside and lay limply  on the dragon bed with wide-opened eyes.

When Teacher Zhao came and saw his pale complexion, his tears started falling. He knelt by the dragon bed and sobbed, “This old minister has failed the late Emperor, ah…”

Xiang Han feebly lifted his claws and seeing there was still oil left over, he could not care about his mysophobia and curled up in his bed. Gasping, he said, “T-Teacher, Zhen heard that… cough, cough, heard that Imperial Brother…”

Teacher Zhao quickly went forward to comfort him, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Prince Liang is uncouth and evil, scheming against Your Majesty. But with this old minister here, tough days will soon be over.”

Xiang Han shook his head with much effort and said tiredly, “Teacher, I-Imperial Brother and Zhen… we are brothers after all. It’s too tough to keep watch at the Royal Tomb. J-Just restrict Prince Liang’s manor.”

The Royal Tomb was atop a tall mountain and rather far. If they threw Prince Liang in there, no one would know when he escaped. It was better to keep him nearby, where they could see him.

Teacher Zhao saw the Little Emperor’s damp eyes filled with disappointment for his brother and could not help but sigh in his heart. The Emperor was simply too kind.

Watching Xiang Han foolishly looking out for Prince Liang, he really wished he could tell the other person that Prince Liang was not his biological brother. But remembering the Late Emperor’s edict, he still chose to give up.

Restricting Prince Liang once more, Zhao Ze can finally be considered to have completely gone over to the Little Emperor’s side. Afterall, the matter of framing someone else was completely his doing and even when the Little Emperor pretended to be in a coma, he had been the one to help cover up.

Watching his father leave, Zhao Ze sighed deeply. If this was a year before, he would never have done something like framing someone else no matter what. If Teacher Zhao knew that he had done something like this, he would definitely say that all the holy scriptures Zhao Ze had read had gone into a dog’s stomach.

After Xiang Han ‘woke up’, it did not take long for him to regain his liveliness and jump around. Without the obstruction of Prince Liang, he could finally settle the mess in the Northwest Army. To be fair, he did not need to do much since it was mostly Zhao Ze’s job.

In the end, his mission was to help Zhao Ze become a prominent minister. Thus, he should not overstep his boundaries and interfere too much.

Zhao Ze used the title of a military inspector to join the Northwest army and half a year later, the leader of the Northwest army died of an illness. Xiang Han did not give any new orders, directly allowing Zhao Ze to temporarily take over the duties as a commander.

Zhao Ze was proficient in both arts and combat. In the original story line, after joining Prince Liang’s side, he took over the position as the Northwest Army commander and became one of Prince Liang’s greatest strength. The Northwest Army of today had Wang Jun and thus, Xiang Han could only kick him to the Southwest.