I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty

Chapter 69: Conversation

Qin Ji followed the servant of the prince’s mansion all the way to the deepest part of the mansion, which was the residence of Prince Rongsheng.

Unlike the splendor and elegance outside, Prince Rongsheng’s residence was not particularly luxurious. Instead, it was filled with a strong sense of everyday life, which surprised Qin Ji a little.

After all, according to the rumors outside, this prince was very good at spending money. And this was not just hearsay; Qin Ji had seen it with his own eyes. He could clearly see the accounts of the money spent by this guy.

But now, his home was filled with a simple and elegant atmosphere. If one only looked at this room, it would even make people think it was the room of an ordinary scholar.

The servant stepped forward to announce his arrival, but Qin Ji refused his help. He walked up the steps, then stepped into the room and said in a moderate voice:

“Your servant, Qin Ji, pays respects to Prince Rongsheng.”

“You’ve come?”

A gentle voice came, and Qin Ji recognized it. He was on the couch to his right, and from the sound of the pages turning, he could tell that the prince was reading.

“Yes.”

“Are all the people outside yours? Within the mansion, you can let your people search as they please, but tell your men to be a bit more courteous in my wife’s room and not to scare them.”

Prince Rongsheng sounded very calm, so much so that Qin Ji doubted his ears. The prince did not sound angry or fearful at all; instead, he seemed a bit lazy.

Qin Ji looked around. His intuition had always been accurate, but now, he felt no danger within the mansion.

What’s going on? Prince Rongsheng had many private soldiers, which was confirmed. Why was there no movement now? When their master was in danger, shouldn’t they come out to support him?

“Stop looking, Duke Anguo.”

The fifth prince smiled, then put down the book in his hand. He looked at Qin Ji, the unexpected guest, and nodded: “Hmm, I still prefer this version of Duke Anguo. That scholarly appearance never suited you.”

This made Qin Ji touch his face unconfidently. Although he was not particularly handsome, his features were decent. Did he really look so “martial”?

“I’ve already dismissed those people. When His Majesty transferred my uncle away, I understood that my sister probably couldn’t tolerate me anymore. After all, what I did was indeed excessive.”

“Is Your Highness admitting it?”

“Why not admit it? If I don’t, will you let me go?” The fifth prince sat comfortably in his seat. “Hmm, how should I put it, you could say I made the wrong move in the end. I was too young, I admit.”

“So I sent those people away first. As the Grand Marshal, you must have brought soldiers when you came. And my subordinates, they are all stubborn. If they saw you coming with people to find me, they might really start a fight.”

At this point, he sighed and stroked the tea pet in front of him: “What a good mansion. I don’t want it to become a haunted house stained with countless lives.”

Qin Ji had nothing to say to this. He just nodded: “It’s my fortune that Your Highness is so understanding.”

This indeed saved trouble. The biggest concern for Qin Ji bringing soldiers was that Prince Rongsheng would resist arrest by arming his men. In that case, Qin Ji might not be able to successfully capture him.

A prince’s mansion, if it didn’t have a few experts, he wouldn’t believe it.

“Have some tea? I’ll have the servants brew some fresh.”

The fifth prince raised an eyebrow and pointed to the tea tray in front of him, where there was still some leftover tea.

“Thank you.”

Qin Ji did not refuse. The fifth prince was willing to drink tea with him, which meant he had something to say. Anyway, His Majesty did not specify when to bring the person over, and he was thirsty, so he might as well drink some tea here.

However…

He glanced playfully at the fifth prince.

“Why, afraid I’ll poison you?” Xia Yun laughed silently, shaking his head. “There’s no need for that, Duke An, or… Qin Ji. Anyway, I can’t escape death, it’s just a matter of how I die. As for you… I don’t think I need to drag you down with me.”

“Your Highness is merciful.”

After Qin Ji finished speaking, a servant nearby came over, efficiently replacing the leftover tea and brewing a new pot for the two of them. The tea had a very peculiar taste, with a floral honey fragrance.

Qin Ji was taken aback.

It was rare for black tea to reach this level. Although Da Xia had black tea production areas, the quantity was never large. It was said that the main tea production areas were not in Da Xia’s direct jurisdiction, and the black teas from other regions each had their own flavors, rarely having this kind of taste.

“Never tasted it before?” To this, the Fifth Prince actually showed a bit of pride. “This is tea from the southern region—oh, it’s called the southern region now, but we used to call that place the southern barbarians.”

Qin Ji suddenly understood.

The southern region indeed produced a lot of black tea, but due to the long distance and the Da Xia royal family’s preference for elegance, this kind of tea with a honey-like fragrance never became popular.

However, upon tasting it, it was quite flavorful. Although it smelled floral and honeyed, when it actually entered the mouth, there was a unique bitterness amidst the sweetness.

“Your Highness’s achievement in bringing the southern region into submission is indeed a great merit.”

Qin Ji couldn’t deny the prince’s achievements. Even though he was now a true “traitor,” back then, before Qin Ji took over the position of Duke An, this prince was already accomplished at a young age.

He had masterfully handled the conflicts among the various tribes in the southern region, using their mutual consumption to break up the originally somewhat united southern region. Then, through coercion or inducement, he eventually succeeded in bringing the once fragmented southern region under Da Xia’s control, solving the problem left by their ancestors.

In fact, none of the late emperor’s children were useless. Even the most useless one had gone abroad to do business. Although he didn’t have a prominent status, he at least made a lot of money and was quite wealthy.

It was precisely because none of the late emperor’s children were particularly bad that the ministers had many complaints about Xia Yuxiao’s ascension to the throne.

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“Great merit? These words mean nothing to me now. At most, it will just add a bit more to my epitaph—maybe future students of Da Xia will read about me? That depends on my sister’s magnanimity.”

He still harbored resentment towards his sister.

“You don’t seem to care about the privileges His Majesty has given you.” Since the other party already knew his impending fate, Qin Ji didn’t hold back. At this point, there was no need for pretense.

“Qin Ji, do you really think I hate my sister?”

The Prince of Rongsheng smiled bitterly, then picked up the teacup in front of him and drank it all in one go.