Chapter 317: Seeing Things Through to the End
Various festivals took place at the end of the year.
Government office work had essentially come to a standstill.
Only the duty staff remained.
No one was in the mood to work.
Everyone was just waiting for the New Year.
However, Vice Minister Jiang remained as diligent as ever, continuing to work conscientiously.
He showed no signs of change, even after discovering that his biological mother was a princess.
On this day, Vice Minister Jiang entered the palace.
To report on his work.
In reality, since taking office, he had only done one thing: organizing the officials to memorize the detailed regulations and rules.
Although there had been a minor hiccup along the way—Prime Minister Lu had suddenly retired due to illness.
But work must be seen through to the end.
He entered the palace again.
The Emperor actually had very complicated feelings towards Jiang the Second.
It was fine before he knew the truth; he had simply found Jiang the Second to be pleasant and strikingly handsome.
He had even joked with Wen Xin that Kaner Village truly had good feng shui and was adept at producing beauties.
Wen Xin’s appearance was also exceptional.
But Jiang the Second’s looks were even more outstanding.
Little did he expect that Jiang the Second was actually his own nephew.
The Emperor knew that Heir Han was not Princess Huiyun’s biological son; at that time, after giving birth, Princess Huiyun had fallen seriously ill, frequently losing her mind, misidentifying people, and suffering from memory confusion.
For the sake of Princess Huiyun’s condition, her husband had adopted a child.
The Emperor had been aware of this.
Moreover, he had always felt a sense of guilt towards Princess Huiyun.
It was a twist of fate.
That led to such consequences.
If he hadn’t hated Master Jingjue and fallen out with Princess Huiyun back then, he wouldn’t have given others the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Therefore, the Emperor also bore some responsibility for the tragic life of Jiang the Second.
The Emperor felt a bit guilty.
Some people, when feeling guilty for a minor mistake, might not think of how to make amends, but rather how to cover it up with a bigger mistake; if the person they felt guilty towards died, then they wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore.
The Emperor’s heart was also filled with guilt towards Jiang the Second at this moment.
But there was also an indescribable feeling.
When Jiang Changtian arrived at the palace again, his demeanor remained unchanged.
He was just as he had been before.
This made the Emperor feel more at ease, yet also somewhat puzzled.
“I heard that after you met with the Zhou woman, she committed suicide.”
Some people commit many wrongs, but once they die, it is as if the debts are wiped clean, making the living seem heartless; the Emperor felt this way now, wondering if Jiang the Second was too cold-blooded—no matter how wrong the Zhou woman had been, she had still raised him.
Jiang Changtian listened to the Emperor’s question.
He was silent for a moment before replying: “Mother!~~ The Zhou woman was very remorseful when she last saw me. She said she regretted her actions, but she felt that if she didn’t die, she would implicate the Seventh Princes Consort, so she chose to end her own life.”
The Emperor patted his nephew’s shoulder.
He saw Jiang the Second look up again, tears in his eyes: “Mother said she was wrong, so in truth, I have already forgiven her.”
After this display of emotion between monarch and subject, Jiang the Second returned to his usual self and reported on his work achievements.
The work of inspecting the recitation of the detailed regulations and rules had been implemented in every department.
Every department had a list of three people to reward and three to punish, and he handed these lists to the Emperor, looking quite serious.
To be honest, the Emperor had already forgotten about such a trivial matter.
He had not expected that Jiang the Second would actually remember, and even after discovering his identity as the son of a princess.
The Emperor couldn’t help but sigh; regardless of anything else, his own nephew was extremely diligent in his work.
He couldn’t help but offer a word of praise; although the task he had assigned was actually useless, this attitude was commendable.
He took every word the Emperor said to heart, treating even a casual remark about a small matter as a major undertaking, seeing things through to the end.
Jiang Changtian answered earnestly: “This subject has had few opportunities since childhood, so I cherish every single one. It has fostered a somewhat impatient nature; although I know it is bad, I cannot change it, for I fear that if I miss any opportunity, I will never have another.”
The Emperor: Guilt +1, Moral Sense +1, Heartache +1…
“However, Your Majesty need not worry about this subject. I have always known that carrying yesterday to chase after tomorrow will exhaust one to death in the present. Therefore, the affairs of yesterday are already yesterday; they have passed, and I will no longer dwell on them. The affairs of tomorrow belong only to tomorrow and have not yet happened, so I do not think of them either. I only care about the present: doing the work at hand, cherishing the people before me, and living my current days well.”
The Emperor had originally been a bit unhappy and displeased due to the downfall of his old companion, Prime Minister Lu; after all, no matter what, Prime Minister Lu was still an obedient old dog.
Those people rushing up to tear at Prime Minister Lu looked too unsightly; it was like beating an old dog he had raised, which showed him no respect, and he was very unhappy about it.
Fortunately, Old He was relatively measured and fair in his actions and did not kick a man while he was down, which made the Emperor feel a bit more at ease.
And now, Jiang the Second’s words finally allowed the Emperor to let it go.
What is past is past; there is no need to be unhappy.
One should focus on the present.
Thus, in the afternoon, the Emperor took Wen Xin and Jiang the Second to watch a play together.
Being able to sit on the stage with the Emperor to watch a play signified a special honor of closeness.
Because at this time, the Emperor was at his least defensive and in a fairly good mood, which meant one might have entered his inner circle.
On the stage, the martial role performed vigorously, and the old female role sang earnestly; one scene after another, rising and falling.
In the viewing area, the Emperor watched attentively, occasionally tapping his fingers on the table.
Eunuch Yan watched attentively, occasionally handing the Emperor a cup of water.
Jiang the Second watched attentively—truly, very attentively and with great absorption. He rarely had the time to watch plays; he was usually the one putting on the show, the one going on stage. So this was what the people on stage were like. Jiang the Second watched with great focus; it was less like watching a play and more like observing and learning. Every movement, angle, and line of speech—life is like a play, and it all depends on acting. Today was another day of progress.
Thank you for reading + listening 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
