CHAPTER 88: WISDOM AND GOLD

The emperor tone carried a touch of sternness, it was clear that he displeased with Yue Mingxuan’s answer.

It’s over. Why did he say the truth out loud?

Yue Mingxuan screamed silently in his heart.

Sometimes his mouth worked too fast and peaking exactly what his brain thought with no filter at all.

After thinking for a moment, Yue Mingxuan chose his words carefully and answered, "This hairpin is beautiful, but it can only benefit me alone. Gold and silver may be vulgar, but they can help many poor people in the world."

After he finished, he heard nothing from the emperor.

The entire place fell silent because of the emperor’s earlier stern tone.

All Yue Mingxuan could hear was his own heart pounding loudly in his chest.

No one knew how long the silence lasted before the emperor finally spoke again.

This time, his voice no longer carried strictness, instead it sounded like he was asking a real question.

"Then tell me, what do you think is the way of ruling as a king?"

Seriously? After testing him on dancing, now the emperor wanted to test him on politics?

Yue Mingxuan complained in his mind, but since the emperor had asked, he had no choice but to answer.

He spun his mind quickly and said slowly, word by word, "I believe the people are most important, the nation comes second, and the ruler is last. The people are water, the ruler is a boat. Water can carry the boat, and it can also overturn the boat."

"Bold!"

Before the emperor could speak, the palace servant beside him shouted loudly.

Yue Mingxuan kept quiet.

The main person involved had not spoken, so why was the servant panicking?

It’s truly a case of the eunuch worrying more than the emperor.

The emperor still didn’t speak.

He just tapped his finger in the armrest in a steady rhythm, looking deep in thought.

From a ruler’s point of view, Yue Mingxuan’s words were indeed rebellious.

But from the perspective of his many years on the throne, the words made perfect sense.

If he punished Yue Mingxuan in front of the people today for "disrespecting the ruler," he would lose the hearts of the crowd.

Thinking of this gave him a headache.

Ever since this Fifth Prince entered Beirong, there had never been a peaceful day.

He seemed born with a natural ability to attract trouble.

Even several of his royal concubine held grudges against him.

After a moment of thinking, the emperor finally spoke and even changed the way he addressed him.

"Mingxuan, you have the talent of a prime minister. Reward him."

When Yue Mingxuan heard that, his eyes lit up with excitement.

Soon, a palace servant walked up holding a tray full of gold.

The moment Yue Mingxuan saw the gold, his eyes bent like crescent moons.

If he had known talking a little about ruling the country could earn him such a reward,

he would have memorized ancient political classics back in the modern world.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Yue Mingxuan said while bowing his head again, this time he truly feel grateful.

Xie Lianhua watched Yue Mingxuan on the stage with jealousy and hatred flashing sharply in her eyes.

Now that Yue Mingxuan had gained the emperor’s favor, he would become famous across all four kingdoms as a talented prince not just for his looks.

She had underestimated him.

If she didn’t eliminate him soon, he would become a huge problem for her in the future.

What angered her most was that the man she admired always seemed to look at Yue Mingxuan with a strange and unclear expression.

She glanced toward Rong Tieshan and indeed, she saw him smiling while watching Yue Mingxuan’s back.

Xie Lianhua bit her teeth hard, her nails digging deep into her palm.

She must get rid of him.

When Yue Mingxuan returned to his seat while carrying the tray of gold, joy filled his face so completely that he could not hide it at all.

Beside him, Shang Qinghua watched with a trace of disdain that Yue Mingxuan didn’t even notice.

That such a person existed in the world, Shang Qinghua felt not only disdain but also a strange sense of surprise.

If someone said Yue Mingxuan love money the most, he clearly preferred the benefit of common people more.

If someone said Yue Mingxuan was a fool, his answer to the emperor had been flawless.

It’s logical, smooth, perfect.

Just that one sentence alone was worthy of a prime minister.

How could these two completely opposite traits exist in the same person?

Shang Qinghua rubbed his forehead and suddenly remembered that he had tricked Yue Mingxuan out of three thousand taels of gold using a fake test.

With Yue Mingxuan’s love for money personality, he must have taken a big hit from that loss.

Thinking of this, a small smile appeared on Shang Qinghua’s face, one that even he did not notice it.

Since their prince returned with full reward, Sui He naturally had to praise him. "Prince, you were truly amazing. When you spoke about those ideas, it came out so smooth. Even the Emperor said you have the talent of a prime minister."

Yue Mingxuan was very pleased after being praised twice. He handed the gold to Sui He. "Put it away well. My future meat all depends on this."

Thinking of how her prince loved meat more than anything, Sui He could not stop a laugh. "Yes, as you command."

The night had already fallen.

In his courtyard, Yue Mingxuan was groaning "aiyo, aiyo," while Sui He massaged his shoulders.

The Emperor’s actions were a clear sign to everyone.

When Yue Mingxuan returned from the competition grounds to his room, he had to force himself to face wave after wave of people coming to congratulate him.

Because he had to sit for so long, his shoulders were strained and the pain was so strong that he could not even lift his arms.