Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 644: Chapter 318: Going Down to Jiangnan

In the Prince Chu Mansion, Prince Chu held Zhao Yao’s hand, repeatedly instructing him to be cautious and pay attention to safety while outside.

Seeing Prince Chu so worried about him, Zhao Yao felt naturally moved. However, he always felt as if his fourth brother treated him like a three-year-old child.

"Fourth Brother, I’m going to visit Mr. Meng, not going to fight in Jiangnan. You don’t have to worry so much about me." The way his fourth brother acted was as if he were heading to the battlefield. "Also, Fourth Brother, I’m twelve years old, not a three-year-old child, I understand things, you don’t have to be so anxious about me." He felt that when his fourth brother went to fight in Shu, he wasn’t even this nervous and worried.

"You’ve never been on a long journey before; this is your first time traveling far. I’m not at ease with you going." If it were possible, Prince Chu would have accompanied Zhao Yao to Jiangnan to visit Mr. Meng.

"Even though it’s my first time traveling far, haven’t you all arranged everything for me, Fourth Brother? What are you still worried about?" Zhao Yao deliberately spoke in a peculiar tone, "Fourth Brother, I’m an adult now, not a child anymore, you can rest assured."

Prince Chu was amused by Zhao Yao’s strange tone, reaching out to rub his head: "In Fourth Brother’s eyes, you are just a child." Despite Zhao Yao being twelve this year, in Prince Chu’s heart, he was no different from his few-year-old son.

Zhao Yao was afraid that Prince Chu would give more instructions, so he quickly changed the topic: "Fourth Brother, do you have a letter for Mr. Meng? I can help you take it."

Prince Chu, successfully distracted, said, "Yes, I’ll get it for you now." Prince Chu took out a letter from the drawer of his desk and handed it to Zhao Yao, "Help me deliver this letter to Mr. Meng."

Zhao Yao took the letter, placing it into his chest without even looking at it. Then, he patted his chest and assured Prince Chu: "Fourth Brother, rest assured, in addition to this letter, I will also help deliver the medicinal herbs you are sending to Mr. Meng." Zhao Yao’s main purpose for going to Jiangnan this time was to visit Mr. Meng on behalf of the emperor. Naturally, the ministers and princes in the court wanted to send some medicinal herbs or supplements to Mr. Meng as a token of their regards.

Without exaggeration, there was an entire official ship filled with things being sent to Mr. Meng. Of course, most of it was medicinal herbs and supplements.

Knowing that Zhao Yao still needed to bid farewell to Prince Wei, Prince Chu didn’t say much more, only reminding Zhao Yao not to forget to write him letters.

After bidding farewell to Prince Chu, Zhao Yao went to the Prince Wei Mansion. The Prince Wei Mansion was not far from Prince Chu Mansion, and after walking for a short while, he arrived.

Yu Hai had been waiting for Zhao Yao at the gate of the Prince Wei Mansion early on. Seeing Zhao Yao finally arriving, he hurried forward to greet him and led him into the mansion.

Prince Wei had been waiting for a long time and was somewhat displeased to see Zhao Yao arriving so late.

"What did you say to Fourth Brother that took you so long?"

Hearing this jealous tone, Zhao Yao laughed heartily in his heart, though he dared not show it on his face. He said earnestly: "Fourth Brother treats me like a three-year-old child, chattering on about many things."

Prince Wei unceremoniously mocked: "He’s just a nag."

"Eighth Brother, you definitely wouldn’t nag like Fourth Brother."

About to launch into a long speech, Prince Wei was silenced by Zhao Yao’s words. He paused for a moment, then raised his hand to tap Zhao Yao’s head, saying grumpily, "I haven’t even said anything yet, and you’re saying I’m nagging."

"Not at all, Eighth Brother, you definitely wouldn’t be bothersome." Zhao Yao’s expression looked innocent and charmingly obedient.

Prince Wei knew Zhao Yao’s little scheme all too well; he smiled helplessly and then took something out of his pocket and handed it to Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao reached out to take it and discovered it was an iron token. The token was entirely black, with a "Nine" character carved on the front, and the edges intricately and beautifully engraved with patterns. The patterns resembled some kind of flower, though he wasn’t sure what kind since he didn’t know much about flowers.

"Eighth Brother, what token is this?"

"This is a custom token from our eldest brother. With this token, you can seek help from some large pharmacies, fabric shops, inns, or banks and pawnshops in Jiangnan. The people in these places will assist you upon seeing the token in your hand."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise, his mouth hanging open: "This... is the token really that powerful?!" He suspected this token wasn’t given by Crown Prince Brother to Eighth Brother, but Eighth Brother’s own. The pharmacies and fabric shops Eighth Brother mentioned were probably Southern Wei people’s businesses. Zhao Yao hadn’t expected the Southern Wei to have so many enterprises in Jiangnan. It seemed the Southern Wei had already thoroughly infiltrated Jiangnan. Indeed, the Southern Wei should not be underestimated!