She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 713 - 711 Blind Confidence

Chapter 713: Chapter 711 Blind Confidence

Tan Weixian didn’t want to say these vague and unbelievable words either, but he had to first calm the Crown Prince down before discussing anything else.

No matter what, Tan Weixian’s persuasion did have some effect. The Crown Prince’s rage didn’t subside, but he also didn’t burst out again, only snorted coldly and angrily sat down on the chair at the head of the table.

Tan Weixian poured another cup of hot tea for the Crown Prince, placed it beside him, and took a seat at the lower end of the table, saying to the Crown Prince, "The court just opened today, and His Majesty hasn’t assigned any tasks yet, has he? According to what was said at the end of last year, His Highness Prince Yu will be in charge of laying the wooden rail tracks, and the Ministry of Works will supply all the necessary tracks, railroad ties, and components. I believe that Prince Fu will never let Prince Yu successfully carry out the project without interference. He will certainly cause trouble in many ways. Regardless of what Prince Fu and Prince Yu are thinking, they are nothing to be afraid of."

The Crown Prince impatiently said, "What I’m talking about now is Lao Liu’s marriage. The Imperial Father suddenly chose three women for him, each from a not insignificant family. Even if Lao Liu has no intention of seeking the position of Crown Prince, I’m afraid others might instigate him, leading him to harbor ulterior motives."

Tan Weixian smiled and advised, "Now that Prince Fu is eyeing the position of Crown Prince, having one more competitor to vie with him isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You are the Crown Prince, but they are only princes. If they wish to advance further, they can only do their utmost to perform their duties and cultivate their support. You, however, need not do so.

As the saying goes, the more one does, the more mistakes one makes; the less one does, the fewer mistakes. If you do nothing, you make no mistakes. You are the Crown Prince, you don’t need to prove yourself with political achievements like they do. Even if Your Highness does nothing and keeps from making mistakes, the future of the realm will still be yours. Let them fight and strive to do their duties; Your Highness just needs to calm down, look for their faults, and seize the opportunity to bring down their ambition."

The Crown Prince glanced at Tan Weixian, with a trace of approval in his expression. These last few words were rather fitting, he sounded like a real registrar of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, not the kind who can only fool a three-year-old child.

Seeing that the Crown Prince had taken his words to heart, Tan Weixian took the opportunity to continue persuading, "Compared to Prince Fu and Prince Yu, the tasks of the Crown Prince are quite stable and less prone to error. The Ministry of Revenue has established routines for all matters, and we just have to follow past precedents in our daily work. If there’s anything uncertain, we can directly refer to the Cabinet and discuss it with the senior officials.

Many influential veterans in the court support the legitimate ministers. As long as Your Highness acts with a bit more restraint and avoids major mistakes, it doesn’t matter if it’s just two princes causing trouble—none of your brothers can shake your position as Crown Prince."

To tell the truth, serving as the Crown Prince’s Mansion Registrar, Tan Weixian was truly worn out. He normally wouldn’t have the chance to say these things, and even if he did, he wouldn’t dare to speak them.

Those subordinates of the Crown Prince and the court officials who supported him had given up expecting the Crown Prince to accomplish anything earth-shattering and had abandoned the hope of assisting a wise monarch. They only hoped that the Crown Prince would be a bit more content, live a less extravagant life, and show some restraint in embezzling from the State Treasury.

But even such simple expectations were beyond what the Crown Prince could meet.

Over the years as Crown Prince, he had lost the prudence he ought to have. Not only was he indulgent and obstinate, but he also rarely heeded advice.

Take the Ministry of Revenue, for example. The Crown Prince had been in charge of it for many years, becoming ever bolder and more ruthless. Sometimes, Tan Weixian even felt that the Crown Prince was seeking his own demise, as if conscious that his days were numbered, living each day as if it were his last.

The Crown Prince was able to maintain his position largely thanks to the tight control over the Ministry of Revenue by Deputy to the Cabinet Minister Liu Chengzhi, Minister of Revenue Yu Shiqing, and others who handled various matters, preventing his corrupt practices from leaking out.

What’s worse, last year when the court implemented the railway transportation project, which already required substantial funding, the burden on the court increased significantly. The Crown Prince, as the heir, not only failed to alleviate the court’s worries but also saw the large inflow and outflow of silver as a grand opportunity for embezzlement and indeed skimmed a massive amount of silver for himself.

Tan Weixian privately considered that the emperor’s decision to place Jiang Yifan, who was close to Prince Yu, in the Ministry of Revenue was likely a warning to the Crown Prince. Just by observing Jiang Yifan’s half-year tenure at the Ministry with no extra moves, it was evident that the emperor still wanted to protect the Crown Prince and urge him to restrain himself. In other words, the Crown Prince’s position remained secure.

Nevertheless, the Crown Prince did not take Jiang Yifan seriously, nor did he perceive any protective intentions from His Majesty towards him.

After saying so much, Tan Weixian was actually trying to tell the Crown Prince that he didn’t need to do anything to securely hold his position as heir. The condition was that he must not continue down this path, distancing himself actively from his position as Crown Prince.

Yet the Crown Prince didn’t see it that way; upon hearing Tan Weixian’s reassuring words, all the worries and anger in his heart instantly vanished. Knowing that his position as Crown Prince was still firmly his, the Crown Prince found Tan Weixian’s subsequent admonitions increasingly disagreeable to listen to.

"Enough, enough, I understand Mr. Tan’s meaning. Mr. Tan just said that, after all, this world will eventually be mine. What does it matter if I spend my own silver from my own family’s wealth?"

A bitter taste immediately rose in Tan Weixian’s heart, thinking he had misspoken! It turned out that the comforting words he had spent so long saying were being used by the Crown Prince in this way.

"However, Your Highness," Tan Weixian tried to remedy, "as you are still the heir apparent, it is important that you maintain a reputation for virtue in the eyes of His Majesty and the court officials."

The Crown Prince sneered with disdain, "Mr. Tan only knows how to fool me with these alarming and exaggerated words. I don’t believe that Mr. Tan is unaware of how the sons of the gentry and the rich live their lives. Aren’t those so-called prodigal sons spending their ancestors’ money with both hands? Do they have to wait until their old fathers and grandfathers die before they can enjoy their lives freely?"

Glancing at the distressed Tan Weixian, the Crown Prince said somewhat proudly, "It is only right for a son to spend his father’s fortune, and if a father does not allow his children to spend the money he earns, then what is the purpose of working for that wealth? The royal family’s business is the entire world, and I, as heir to the throne, am the successor to this world. What does it matter if I spend my own family’s silver?"

Tan Weixian was pain-stricken and helpless after the Crown Prince’s words, originally wanting to say more, to recover some of the blind confidence he had caused in the Crown Prince. But the Crown Prince had already stood up, shook the front of his robe, and said, "Alright, I’ll be going back now. I stayed up too late watching the fireworks at Qushui last night and didn’t sleep well afterwards. I’m going to rest in my room."

Tan Leixian remembered something and followed the Crown Prince’s steps, saying, "The officials who were sent out before to handle the tax affairs have not had a chance to meet with Your Highness because of the new year. Now that the office is open again, would Your Highness like to meet with them and inquire about the situation?"

As the Crown Prince walked out, he waved his hand backward and said, "I won’t have the time these next few days, you and Lord Yu go meet with them. If anything is amiss, make adjustments yourselves, and just report back to me afterwards."

Speaking thus, the Crown Prince exited the door with extremely light steps.