The Challenge of a Farmhouse Son-in-Law

Given his status, he surely couldn’t be outdone by King Jin, could he?

So if he didn’t let King Jin outshine him, did that mean he had to outshine King Jin?

Logically speaking, the legitimate eldest brother should indeed outshine his younger brothers, but after the list of gifts was prepared, who would send it to the Empress for her review?

No one dared to.

"Mr. Ji, it has been several days, have you completed the list of gifts?"

Mr. Ji, his hair having turned white from worry, said, "It’s done, I even made two copies. Mr. Xu, could you take a look and see which one should be sent to the Empress for approval?"

Mr. Xu hesitated for a moment, but seeing the bitter and deep-seated expression of his colleague, who had worked with him for many years, some pity arose within him.

With no other choice, Mr. Xu took the two lists of gifts; a simple glance was enough to understand the situation, and he bitterly smiled, "I really can’t help you with this. Whether you stick your neck out or not, it’s a loss either way; you’d better make a decision quickly."

"This... How has it come to this? Why didn’t the Crown Prince return to court earlier? I heard he has always known about his own identity, so why choose now to return?"

"Hehe!" Mr. Xu stacked the two lists neatly on the table, saying, "The Dao Family and the imperial court appear unrelated, yet in reality, they are inseparable. These intricacies, we from the Ministry of Rites are better off not meddling too much anyway; no matter how it ends up, it has nothing to do with us."

Mr. Ji nodded, responding, "That’s true. Speaking of which, acting as the State Preceptor seems no different from being the emperor; the Crown Prince has been in the Dao Family for many years, with a solid foundation, and really didn’t need to wade into these muddy court waters."