Rebirth

46. Caution

As the sun began to set, the sky turned from orange to pink then purple. The rooms facing the west side all seemed to have been painted orange as the sky turned colors. A young man sat behind the wooden table with three other young men surrounding him.

"Brother Li, what do you think about the situation now?" The youth sitting in the chair asked. Zong Li tapped his chin as if deep in thought before responding. "It's a chance, Brother Chen." A small smile appeared on Zong Chen's face.

Yes, this is a chance.

The chance for him to become the crown prince. For years, he's been yearning for that title and he knows that he will get it. It's only reasonable, he has enough military achievements to prove that he has the experience as a leader to rule. Unlike that third brother of his, he has much more experience to back him up. As the first born, that title should of been his but who knew that his father would change his mind.

The throne can only be his!

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Viscount Wei returned home exhausted. He exited the horse carriage then peered at the stack inside of the courtyard.

"Master, Welcome back." His personal eunuch bowed and motioned for the maid to bring over a cup of tea.

"How was court?" The eunuch asked.

Viscount Wei gently shook his head and let out a tired sigh. "The flood incident has the entire court bustling and scrambling. This could take years to recover from."

"A flood? Have you thought out a plan?"

"Not yet." Master Wei gently tapped her head and closed his eyes.

"Father." Viscount Wei opened his eyes to see the blurring figure of his daughter.

"Mingxia." He got up and gently embraced his daughter. "How was your day?" He led her to one of the seats and sat down next to her.

"Just as normal, Father you look much more tired than usual is it because of the flood?"

"It's not just me, the other advisors are also tired. The emperor would like for all advisors to bring in a plan to fix this problem." Mingxia poured out a cup of tea as her father listed out his worries.

"A dam would be the best option but then there are the drought problems. Father do you remember the drought from 40 years ago?"

Viscount Wei brought the cup to his lips and considered for a moment. "Ahh. That one. That drought was quite severe and the repair costs almost bankrupted the economy." Mingxia nodded her head.

"Do you remember how the country recover?"

Viscount Wei nodded his head. "The post emperor decided to bring ice from the high mountains to the drought regions then he imported food from abroad. The ice was first melted and the water was then sent through an aqueduct and brought to..." He stopped and grew silent, beside him Mingxia could be seen drinking tea peacefully with a small smile on her face.

"I got it." A small smile appeared on his face and Mingxia stood up.

"I should be getting back now. Have a good day father." She curtsied and made her way to the door but suddenly stopped.

"Oh. Father." She turned around and Viscount Wei lifted his head. "Remember to make sure that no one plays any tricks, be aware of everyone around you." She then turned around and left.

On the other hand, Mingxia's words reminded Viscount Wei of the state the court is currently in. Most of the advisor are split into two factions, each side siding with different princes. He is one of the remaining advisors who chose to remain neutral but this does not mean that no one will go against him.

He walked towards the window and stared up at the sky. He had been in the imperial court for almost all his life, he had seen what is was like when the court is split into factions and knows just how dangerous it could be.

"To think that I would need advice from my child, I've grown old." After a soft chuckle and stroked his beard.

"A-Jing." His eunuch appeared by his side. "Yes, Master."

"Send a letter to the Prime Minister Zhou, say that I would like to invite him over to taste the newest batch of tea leaves I just bought."

"Yes Master, I will go right now." His eunuch exited the room and Viscount Wei calmly sat back to sip his tea.