EMHTC -Chapter 97 Touching a Tiger!

The Crown Prince, unlike his father, still had a conscience. However, there wasn’t much he could do to rectify the situation. Instead, he offered compensation from a different angle.

“Xu Yanmiao, are you interested in tigers?”

Xu Yanmiao: “Tigers?”

Crown Prince: “My father has a tiger enclosure with several large tigers. Would you like to see them?”

【Large tigers! Yes, yes, I want to go!】

【They’re raised in captivity. I wonder if I can pet them!】

Xu Yanmiao bowed politely. “Thank you for your kind offer, Your Highness, but as an external official, it would be inappropriate for me to enter the royal gardens.”

【Please persuade me! Please persuade me!】

Seeing the hope in Xu Yanmiao’s eyes, the Crown Prince smiled and said, “Minister Xu is indeed correct. I was thoughtless.”

【…】

The Crown Prince watched as Xu Yanmiao’s eyes widened in shock. He seemed to want to speak but held back, and then tried again before ultimately suppressing his disappointment.

“Your subject bids farewell to Your Highness,” Xu Yanmiao said.

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but laugh.

“But I still need someone to hand me the meat. Xu Shizhong, come along.”

Xu Yanmiao: “!!!”

【Crown Prince!!! What a kind-hearted person!!!】

The Crown Prince laughed loudly.

“Let’s go! If we hurry, we might even get a chance to feed the tigers ourselves.”

Xu Yanmiao: “At once!!!”

The two arrived at the tiger enclosure, both in high spirits. The eunuch responsible for taking care of the Emperor’s pets hurried over to greet them. When he learned that the Crown Prince intended to get close to the tigers, hesitation flashed across his face.

If something happened to the Crown Prince, even nine lives wouldn’t be enough to compensate.

The Crown Prince gave him a glance but didn’t make things difficult.

“Never mind. I’ll just watch from a high vantage point. Go and fetch two buckets of fresh meat. Have the tigers been fed yet?”

The eunuch sighed in relief and quickly replied, “Not yet. The tigers are usually fed half an hour after mealtime, just in case His Majesty decides to visit and finds the tigers full.”

The Crown Prince nodded slightly.

“Then prepare the meat.”

After issuing the instructions, he pulled Xu Yanmiao to a raised platform where they could see the tigers clearly.

Soon, a eunuch suspended food into the enclosure, which drew the tigers out.

Xu Yanmiao’s eyes lit up.

“How magnificent!”

Three to five large tigers strolled out slowly, their long tails dragging behind them. Their shoulders and hips moved fluidly, and their spines rose and fell with each step.

Two buckets of meat were quickly delivered. The Crown Prince grabbed a large chunk of fatty meat and tossed it down, casually showing off his knowledge about tiger care.

These tigers must never be fed live prey, as it would awaken their ferocity. You should also avoid feeding them whole carcasses, or they’ll maintain their instinct for tearing flesh, which we aim to suppress.”

The chunk of meat landed, and the tigers moved toward it leisurely, unhurried and uncompetitive. Clearly, they were accustomed to having food “fall from the sky” daily.

Xu Yanmiao tried tossing some meat himself, and the tigers ate it without caring who had thrown it, as long as there was food.

The Crown Prince abruptly said, “My third brother is fourteen years younger than me. Back in the palace, I used to bring him snacks whenever I visited the harem. I wasn’t mindful, and he loved sweet soups. After indulging him a few times, he got a toothache. It flared up in the middle of the night, and he cried so much that no one in the palace could sleep.”

He laughed lightly but with some melancholy.

“I was the Crown Prince, so his mother didn’t dare blame me. But she didn’t believe I truly felt guilty. Later, when I visited, she often said that my brother wasn’t in the palace and had gone out to play. Over time, the bond between us faded.”

Xu Yanmiao, sensing that the Crown Prince needed a listener, stayed silent and attentive.

“He… he wasn’t like this when he was young.”

The Crown Prince paused, struggling to articulate his thoughts before sighing.

“One time, when my legs were still weak, I was afraid of slipping on muddy ground. He put my hand on his head and said, ‘Brother, I’ll be your cane!’”

“I know that being kind to one’s family doesn’t guarantee kindness to others. But when I heard about him cruelly breaking a woman’s toes, I still found it hard to believe.”

Xu Yanmiao thought for a moment, then pushed the bucket of meat toward him.

“I don’t know what to say… How about feeding the tigers some more, Your Highness?”

The Crown Prince smiled faintly.

“These tigers should really thank you.”

Xu Yanmiao nodded “seriously.” “They should indeed. If one of them could roll over and show me its belly, that would be even better.”

The Crown Prince replied with equal “seriousness.” “If they’re ungrateful, I’ll have someone flip them over for you so you can pet them to your heart’s content.”

Xu Yanmiao couldn’t hold back a chuckle, which made the Crown Prince laugh as well. Instead of reaching for more meat, the Crown Prince pulled a memorial from his sleeve and gestured for Xu Yanmiao to read it.

As Xu took it, the Crown Prince explained, “When he arrives in the capital, he’ll inevitably come to seek my help. I don’t know how to face him and don’t want to soften my stance, so I plan to leave the city. In the meantime, here’s a proposal from Cui Yi, an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue, regarding the development of money houses. Take a look.”

Xu Yanmiao read it carefully. The gist of the proposal was as follows:

Your Majesty,

This humble servant has noticed that only a few major cities have money houses, and only the ones in the capital offer deposit and loan services. The rest merely handle the exchange of gold, silver, copper coins, iron coins, and paper currency.

This is highly inconvenient for the common people.

Nowadays, travelers either carry their wealth in wagons or travel lightly with limited funds. This servant proposes establishing money houses in every county, offering the same services as those in the capital. This way, travelers can carry only money house vouchers, withdrawing funds as needed in other towns.

Additionally, the current deposit system is overly rigid. To store money in a money house, one must first pay a deposit fee, which discourages use. Many prefer to bury their savings in the ground instead.

This servant believes that if the court were to manage money houses, two changes should be made: First, abolish the deposit fee. Second, instead of charging the people, the court should offer interest based on the amount deposited.

Xu Yanmiao: “…”

【While this sounds like a good idea, why do I feel like Cui Yi is only proposing this because he wants his hidden savings to earn interest?】

The Crown Prince coughed lightly.

He thought the same, to be honest.

“This idea has potential. What do you think, Xu Lang?”

Xu Yanmiao thought it over seriously before responding, “Your subject is not well-versed in commerce and dares not speak rashly. Perhaps it would be better to consult Madam Cen?”

Madam Cen was the wife of the Minister of Works and currently served as an official in the Commercial Bureau. She managed issues related to paper currency for the Emperor and acted as an economic advisor.

The Crown Prince considered this and agreed.

“Specialization matters. For matters involving money, it’s best to consult an expert. Let’s go!”

Xu Yanmiao blinked at him.

The Crown Prince winked back. “After a tiger has eaten, it loses its ferocity. If you want to touch one, now’s your chance.”

Xu Yanmiao: “!!!”

For the first time in both his lives, Xu Yanmiao touched the striped fur of a tiger. That night, he dreamed of a big cat cuddling up to him playfully.

As for his grievances about being forced to work overtime? Long forgotten.

After consulting Madam Cen on the money house proposal, the Crown Prince rewrote a memorial on how money houses could stimulate economic circulation and presented it during the Grand Court Assembly for the Emperor’s consideration.

The Crown Prince’s rare enthusiasm to take on responsibilities delighted the old Emperor, who readily approved the proposal. Not only did the Emperor heap praise upon Cui Yi, who had suggested the money house policy, but he also assigned several officials from the Treasury Bureau to accompany the Crown Prince. Among them was Madam Cen.

The Minister of Works: “…”

When my wife was engaged in commerce, I often slept alone. Now that she doesn’t need to engage in commerce anymore, I still end up sleeping alone.

Forget it. I’ll look into how I can support her—maybe designing a money house voucher that’s difficult to counterfeit would be a good start.

The Crown Prince and his entourage quickly set out for a few populous cities, intending to conduct pilot programs for the money house policy. If the results were promising, the plan would then be implemented nationwide.

Meanwhile, when Prince Fu, dragging his two crippled legs, arrived in the capital, he was stunned.

“What did you say? The Crown Prince isn’t in the capital?” he blurted out. “Where could a cripple like him possibly go?”

The informant: “…”

The old Emperor, who received a secret report from the Jinyiwei in the palace: “…”

“No need for a trial. Strip him of his title and send him to guard the imperial tomb.”

A criminal only has the chance to clear their name or curry favor during a trial, appealing to the sympathies of those in power. Denying a trial altogether was the ultimate abandonment.

When Prince Fu received the decree, he was incredulous.

“How can this be? Father, do you have no regard for the bonds of father and son? Father —Father —”

The Jinyiwei Commander stuffed a cloth ball into Prince Fu’s mouth and said coldly, “Quiet, your whining is irritating.”

He personally escorted Prince Fu to the imperial tombs and dismissed all his subordinates.

Though called an imperial tomb, the founding Emperor wasn’t even dead yet. The area was remote and desolate, with no passing merchants. Saying it was a duty to guard the tomb was merely a pretext; it was effectively a soft imprisonment.

Prince Fu: “Mmm—mmm—mmm—mmm—”

“Mm—”

His eyes widened in shock as the Jinyiwei Commander deliberately kicked the leg that still had feeling.

You bastard! This is outrageous! This is—ah!

Then, as if that wasn’t enough, the Commander stepped on his dried blood-stained toenail and ground it underfoot.

The pain made Prince Fu tremble all over, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The Jinyiwei Commander’s face remained impassive.

This scum deserved to be thrown into boiling water to have his skin scalded off! When the Commander had rescued those enslaved dancing girls with bound feet, he’d found his own kidnapped sister among them, drugged and abducted.

Every time he thought of his sister’s broken foot bones, frail frame, and trembling demeanor, his face would grow hot with tears.

He clenched his teeth and vowed: If this man ever has a single peaceful day in the imperial tombs, he would personally resign from his post!