Scumbag Chapter 145 The Reformed White-Eyed Wolf General (11)

After bidding farewell to Emperor Chang, Mingting headed to the Kunde Palace where the Empress resided. Having been informed in advance, Emp

After bidding farewell to Emperor Chang, Mingting headed to the Kunde Palace where the Empress resided.

Having been informed in advance, Empress Zhou was already waiting for him.

Knowing that Mingting would soon depart for Yaozhou, Empress Zhou gave him many instructions, urging him to stay safe, and gifted him a trove of medicinal herbs to take along.

In front of Empress Zhou, Mingting was much more at ease.

"Your Majesty… truthfully, I still feel more comfortable calling you 'Auntie.' It feels like family."

Empress Zhou was already aware that Mingting had refused the recruitment of several princes and even reported them to Emperor Chang.

Seeing him deliberately extend goodwill, she was delighted.

"I’ve always thought of you as a nephew, and you’ve called me 'Auntie' all these years. Suddenly hearing 'Your Majesty' feels strange! From now on, let’s keep it this way… no need for formality!"

Empress Zhou had only given birth to the Crown Prince, who is the Emperor’s legitimate and eldest son.

Over the years, the Crown Prince had trained under Emperor Chang’s guidance, weathered storms, and proven himself quite capable.

The only flaw was that the crown prince was overly sentimental and is too lenient toward his siblings, which had only fueled the ambitions of the other princes.

When she learned of this, Empress Zhou had nearly been furious.

While the princes had failed to recruit Mingting, other ministers might not be so resolute.

Moreover, though the Crown Prince had long been married, he had only a single daughter, while other princes had already sired sons.

Even though Empress Zhou was the master of the harem, she was a little worried now.

Thus, someone like Mingting, who bluntly refused the princes’ solicitation, was a rare find.

Even if his loyalty lay solely with the Emperor, Empress Zhou considered that a good thing.

A loyal subject who served the current Emperor would, in time, serve the next one. That was reassuring!

"Auntie, you’re as kind as ever, just like before!"

Mingting smiled and took out a small box.

"Since Auntie treat me as family, I’ll speak frankly. His Highness lacks strong siblings, and his own lineage is thin… This is a 'Longevity Pill' I developed from a folk recipe. It beautifies the complexion, nourishes the body, and is especially beneficial for women."

"Auntie, you can have the imperial physicians examine it. You can take this medicine, and the Crown Princess can also take it…"

Some things didn’t need to be spelled out, and smart people will know it as soon as they hear it.

"You’ve always been so thoughtful!"

Empress Zhou was deeply moved.

The fact that the Crown Prince has no son made her worry so much that her hair almost turned white.

Others only know to stuff more women into the Crown Prince, but Empress Zhou and the Crown Princess, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, had endured hardship together, so naturally, Empress Zhou hope that the child will be born from the Crown Princess's belly.

Recalling how many officials had spent recent months taking new wives and concubines, while Mingting remained devoted to his spouse, Empress Zhou’s opinion of him rose even higher.

‘Men who gained wealth and status often filled their homes with seductive women, heedless of their wives’ sorrow.’

As the Emperor's original consort, Empress Zhou naturally doesn't like it.

Someone like Mingting, who respected his wife without wandering eyes, earned her wholehearted approval.

She even increased the gifts she’d prepared for Huiniang by a tenth.

Mingting also shared many precautions and told Empress Zhou that if the medicine ran out,, she could send someone to Yaozhou for more.

His support for the Crown Prince through Empress Zhou was also self-serving.

In the original timeline, the prince had died in an assassination when he was on a secret visit. Emperor Chang had been enraged at the time, and Empress Zhou’s hair also turned white overnight.

The Crown Prince did not leave a son, so the throne was finally snatched by someone else.

The original owner had interacted more with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince also went to the battlefield back then, and he was more upright and capable.

Instead of making a living under someone else in the future, Mingting felt it is better to lend the Crown Prince a hand now.

Moreover, the Emperor who will ascend the throne in the future has a grudge against the original owner. His name is Yang Qide, the son of Prince of Chen.

Prince of Chen was not liked by Emperor Chang, and the consort he married lacked influential family ties. Moreover, his fief was the remote Jiaowan.

Yang Qide was the legitimate son of Prince of Chen, but his biological mother fell out of favor early and was even imprisoned by Prince of Chen.

Because Prince of Chen's concubine liked to watch the sea, Prince of Chen took his entire family to the coast, but he was unlucky and encountered the Eastern Sea pirates. The whole household was wiped out, leaving only this boy floating on a wooden plank, washed far ashore where the original owner rescued him.

At that time, Wei Mingting thought that Yang Qide was a pitiful orphan, so he took him to Jin Yuping’s home, asking her to raise him.

Although it was Jin Yuping who took care of him, all the food, clothing, and expenses were actually covered by the original owner.

Because Wei Mingting had lost his parents in his childhood, he felt extra sympathy for Yang Qide. He often took him and Shi Jing’s son hunting and arranged for them to study together.

But, in the end, Yang Qide only remembered Jin Yuping’s kindness.

Later, when several princes fought to the death over the throne, plunging the country into years of turmoil, the princes were either dead or maimed, leaving Empress Zhou to choose an heir from the younger generation.

Yang Qide revealed to Jin Yuping that he was Prince of Chen’s son, and the Female Lead secretly escorted him to Jiaowan to reunite with Prince of Chen’s consort.

Among the many candidates, Prince Chen’s consort was the most docile, and Yang Qide was the smoothest talker. With no backing of their own, Empress Zhou selected him.

As a result, Empress Zhou made a mistake. The new Emperor showed little filial piety toward the Empress Dowager, and there were rumors that Empress Zhou was starved to death.

After Yang Qide ascended the throne, the Female Lead sued the Count of Dingyuan for stealing her son, and Yang Qide awarded the Count’s Mansion to Jin Yuping’s child.

At that time, the cannon fodder had already died at sea.

But no matter what, this one is also a little ingrate.

The best way to deal with such white-eyed wolf is to ensure the Crown Prince secured his position smoothly, ascending the throne safely and healthily.

After leaving the palace, Mingting set off for Yaozhou with his entourage the next day.

Along the journey, thanks to Mingting’s attentive care and the fresh fruits he occasionally procured, Huiniang never felt uncomfortable.

After reuniting with her husband and getting along with him, Huiniang realized how little she had truly known her husband before.

Perhaps because they had been separated so often, with Mingting being reserved by nature, his care and affection hadn’t been obvious.

But living together now, Huiniang saw just how deeply considerate he was.

All her previous worries and insecurities melted away under his tangible acts of devotion.

Though the journey was monotonous and her pregnancy made movement difficult, Mingting kept her company, sharing stories from his military days.

He called it ‘prenatal education’, saying it was early enlightenment for their child.

Huiniang had never heard of such a concept, but if her husband said it, she believed it!

Seeing their daughter and son-in-law so harmonious, Liu Yongshan and his wife were also overjoyed.

Their son-in-law had risen to prominence yet remained devoted to their daughter, without bringing in any flirtatious women… such thing put Liu Yongshan’s mind at ease.

Even Liu Cheng often teased that his sister and brother-in-law were too lovey-dovey, making it hard to watch.

Yaozhou lay in the southeastern part of Zheng State. Because it is far from the political center, it has long been neglected.

Since the mid-period of the previous dynasty, Yaozhou had suffered from pirate raids.

For hundreds of years, the people of Yaozhou have suffered from Eastern Sea pirates. Many people left their hometowns and went to the inland to make a living.

Those who stayed here were poor people with no way out.

When the Count of Dingyuan volunteered to go to Yaozhou, many people called him an idiot behind his back.

With the new dynasty just established, this was the perfect time to gain the Emperor’s favor. However, Mingting chose to exile himself to a desolate backwater, which is far from power. What kind of idiocy was that?

Mingting paid no mind to such talk.

After all, this was the original owner's choice. What passionate man wouldn’t want to defend his homeland?

Moreover, the original Mingting came from a military family. He liked to fight on the battlefield and make achievements, so this is normal.

Having lost his family at seven, the original owner had little formal education and could barely read.

So what Mingting has to do now is to take the book and learn to read again, so that everyone knows that Count of Dingyuan is not a simple reckless man, and he is also constantly learning and improving himself.

Once Mingting had ‘studied’ enough, he could start submitting memorials and personal letters to the Emperor.

No matter what, the relationship between the ruler and his subjects still requires regular communication!