Chapter 1260: Protective (1)

After Mu Yangling published the article, she saw that the effect was not bad. At least the citizens were no longer as agitated as before, and the Imperial Court did not have to constantly worry that the citizens would cause trouble because of their agitation.

She felt that she had fulfilled her promise to Qi Haoran, so she happily packed her things and brought the children to the farm to avoid the heat and the limelight.

While they were away having fun for three days, the ministers in the court had been arguing for three days. The Emperor and the Crown Prince watched them argue from high above, occasionally taking in some useful opinions.

They were feeling leisurely, but Little Bear was suffering.

Considering no one in the court was younger than him, it was indeed an honor for him to get involved in the political affairs with the Crown Prince.

In addition, he was the heir of King Rong and his rank was not low, so he stood at the front.

Looking at the face that resembled King Rong’s, no one could ignore him. Thinking that this matter was caused by his mother, the ministers inevitably viewed him with some hostility when discussing matters. Every time they made suggestions or refuted the other party’s arguments, they would ask Little Bear in the end, “What do you think, Prince Rong?”

Little Bear was at a loss. ‘How could you expect a teenage boy like me to understand a question that you adults can’t answer?’

Nonetheless, he had learned ‘The Analects’ before. His mother, too, had repeatedly emphasized that it was wise to hold what you know and admit what you don’t know. Thus, Little Bear honestly shook his head and replied, “I don’t know!”

When the courtiers saw that he answered every question with this answer, they immediately felt that this person was messing with them. Although they didn’t ask him those questions with good intentions, they felt that at his age, he ought to have basic respect for them since they were still his elders after all.

Moreover, he said the words “I don’t know” so self-righteously. Wasn’t his skin too thick?

As expected of King Rong’s son, he indeed had the bearing of his father.

Because Qi Xiuyuan was sitting above, everyone only dared to think about this in their hearts. However, although they didn’t say it out loud, the others started to bombard Little Bear with even more questions, involving him in every discussion. In the end, even Qi Xiuyuan, who was sitting above, couldn’t stand it anymore and frowned slightly.

The Crown Prince had long stood up for his brother. Every time Little Bear couldn’t answer a question, he would interrupt before throwing a question back, causing Qi Xiuyuan to glare at him.

After the meeting, Little Bear walked out dejectedly with his head bowed.

Rong Xuan couldn’t stand it when he saw this. He went forward and patted his shoulder with a smile. “Wenjin, do you want to rest for two days? Didn’t your mother bring your younger siblings to the farm to avoid the heat? Why don’t you join them?”

Little Bear shook his head. “The summer heat has already passed. My mother went there to avoid trouble and not the heat. At this time, the farmstead is harvesting rice and there’s nothing fun to do. I’m not going.”

Seeing that his expression was calm and not as angry as he had expected, Rong Xuan stared at his expression carefully and asked, “Then why are you still coming to court tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Little Bear said matter-of-factly. “I promised Royal Uncle that I would learn how to handle government affairs with Brother Crown Prince.”

After being silent for a moment, Rong Xuan looked at Little Bear and asked hesitantly, “Don’t you know that they were deliberately making things difficult for you today?”

“I know. I’m not a fool. How could I not tell when it’s so obvious?”

Rong Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Little Bear wouldn’t be able to tell. “Then why are you still coming tomorrow?”

“Why not?” Little Bear said matter-of-factly. “I’ve already promised Royal Uncle that I’ll learn alongside Brother Crown Prince. Naturally, I have to attend court like an ordinary official.”

“But don’t you feel aggrieved by the bullying?” Rong Xuan asked with interest.

“How can an official not suffer grievances when doing things?” Little Bear was very open-minded. “Even the Emperor has to suffer grievances sometimes, let alone me.”

“How can I refuse to attend the morning court assembly after suffering a little grievance? After suffering grievances, will the Emperor also cancel the court assembly? Will the other ministers stop going to work in the government office? Will the vendors not open for business? Will the farmers not go to the fields? If everyone is so willful, won’t the world be in chaos?”

From the corner of his eye, Rong Xuan saw that the courtiers had stopped in their tracks. A smile flashed across his eyes as he asked with a smile, “Nothing can be done without rules. Your explanation is interesting.”

Little Bear opened his mouth wide and scratched his head. “Weren’t we talking about grievances? What has it got to do with rules?”

“…” The smile on Rong Xuan’s lips stiffened slightly. When he met his dark eyes, he couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. “You’re right. On the other hand, I’m the one who’s losing sight of the main point. Although you’re willing to suffer, your parents dote on you and might not be willing to see you being bullied by others. Even if it’s for them, you should avoid the situation for the time being, lest your parents’ hearts ache when they come back.”

After saying that, he glanced at the courtiers who were eavesdropping. Seeing their faces stiffen, he knew that they had understood and was immediately satisfied.

Little Bear didn’t know that Rong Xuan had used this opportunity to teach the courtiers a lesson. He still explained to him solemnly, “Uncle Rong, don’t worry. My parents can’t bear to see me suffer. My father said that I’m too mischievous and that someone should suppress me. My mother also told us that we learn from our mistakes, and that we learn most deeply from our suffering. Therefore, they can’t wait for me to be bullied.”

As if!

Whether it was Rong Xuan or the people beside him who heard this, they rolled their eyes in their hearts.

They knew very well how protective King Rong was of his children. Would he let his son suffer?

Besides, Queen Consort Rong was not a good person either. She doted on her children too much. Would she stand by and watch her child suffer?

Forget it.

No one believed it.

The others didn’t believe it, but they took note and became vigilant in their hearts. They felt that it was better not to pick on Little Bear tomorrow to avoid getting into trouble. After all, not everyone could withstand the wrath of King Rong and his wife.

On the other hand, Rong Xuan rolled his eyes and decided to use the truth to refute Little Bear. Hence, Mu Yangling, who was in the farm that day, received Rong Xuan’s letter. In the letter, he recounted the matter of the court officials bullying Little Bear and added, “When my nephew left the court, he walked out with his head lowered, seemingly quite depressed. It pained my heart to see him like that.”

Since even Rong Xuan’s heart ached, Mu Yangling’s heart ached even more. She slammed the letter down and said with flames in her eyes, “Let’s go back to the capital!”

Tiger Head and Little Lion rubbed their fists and shouted, “Mother, let’s go back and help Big Brother!”

Little An also said, “We’ll crush them all the way back.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Mu Yangling said calmly, “They’re older than us. We have to treat them gently.”

The three children shivered unanimously while the boy-girl twins clapped and cheered. “I want to come along! I want to come along!”

Little Fu held them back and said in a low voice, “Do you even know where they’re going? We won’t tag along this time!”

Little An and the twins also felt that Mu Yangling’s expression was a little strange and were hesitating if they should step forward.