"Third Prince has not yet presented his gift."
Just as Zhou Wuji took a sip of water, intending to continue eating, the steward beside him subtly transmitted a message, reminding him.
"Nearly forgot about this matter."
Zhou Wuji's eyes narrowed, then he turned his head with a hearty laugh and asked, "Third Brother, everyone has presented their gifts, yet you've remained silent. You must be waiting for the grand finale, I presume."
"Come, let your elder brother see what good things you've prepared for me after six years!"
Zhou Yuan had been waiting for this moment. He stood up and smiled at Zhou Wuji, saying,
"Eldest Brother will likely be disappointed."
"The stipend I've received these past years has all been used to subsidize the imperial court. I haven't saved much money, so compared to the gifts from the ministers, my offering would seem rather cheap."
Zhou Wuji chuckled softly and said,
"It matters not. The world knows you as a benevolent prince who cares for his people. Today is not a grand occasion; it is merely a reunion between us brothers. The value of a gift is secondary to the sentiment behind it."
"Come, Third Brother, to express my longing for you, I, your elder brother, shall present you with a gift first!"
As Zhou Wuji spoke, he also stood up and clapped his hands. A steward then came forward with a wooden box, kneeling to present it before them.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Yuan frowned slightly.
"What is this?"
Zhou Wuji let out a hearty laugh and reached out to lift the lid of the wooden box. What lay inside startled everyone present, including Zhou Yuan, whose pupils contracted slightly.
"A head?!"
Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the severed head with a ghastly appearance in the box. He asked with some surprise,
"I wonder what is the meaning behind Eldest Brother presenting me with this head? Are you trying to tell me to watch my own life?"
Zhou Wuji roared with laughter three times, then put an arm around Zhou Yuan's shoulders, pointing at the head. "Third Brother truly jokes with your elder brother. What this head signifies, others may not know, but surely you do!"
Zhou Yuan frowned; he genuinely did not know.
"It seems you've truly forgotten," Zhou Wuji's eyes narrowed as he smiled. "Three years ago, Third Brother, you were ordered to the Huai River region to manage the flood disaster. In less than a month and a half, you had everything in order, and you even dug canals and built dams, resolving the chronic flooding issues of the Huai River region at their root."
"This feat, Third Brother, made your image in the eyes of the populace so noble and admirable, and even Father Emperor praised you greatly. Yet, this person, he insisted on spreading rumors about you!"
Zhou Wuji pointed at the head in the box, his expression grave and pained. "This man repeatedly accused the local county magistrate, claiming that when you were building the dams, you requisitioned his house, cement, bricks, and even the wood for his roof."
"The flood was eventually controlled, but his eighty-year-old mother, unable to wait for the resettlement housing to be built by the court, lived in a small, dilapidated military tent and died of a cold. Thus, he wanted to sue you through the magistrate!"
Zhou Yuan listened earnestly and said,
"But I recall that when the houses were requisitioned, every villager voluntarily pressed their handprint. If he was unwilling, how could I have demolished his house?"
Zhou Wuji chuckled and said,
"Indeed, the county magistrate asked him the same thing. He asked why he pressed his handprint if he was unwilling. Guess how he answered."
Zhou Wuji pointed at the head and said with a smile, "He said that the policies you set, while appearing voluntary on the surface, were actually such that everyone in the village donated their houses and moved elsewhere. He was forced to follow suit. He also claimed that soldiers guarded them while they signed, and if he refused, he would be thrown into the great river!"
Zhou Yuan frowned again, shaking his head and denying, "I never did such a thing."
Zhou Wuji nodded and smiled, "Yes! That's why I said he was spreading rumors!"
"This man was imprisoned by the local county magistrate for two years. After his release, he continued to slander your reputation. My men apprehended him, interrogated him, and discovered that he was indeed a spy from an enemy nation sent to defame you."
"So, I had his head cut off and presented it to you as a gift. What do you say, Third Brother, do you like it? Hahahaha!"
In the hall, Zhou Wuji laughed unrestrainedly, but everyone else dared not even smile.
Zhou Yuan stared at the head for a long time, then also gave a slight smile.
He understood. Zhou Wuji was trying to disgust him, to smear his reputation. Regardless of whether he had done that thing or not, the man was dead, and he could no longer clear his name.
Zhou Wuji had merely found a scapegoat to cast a shadow on the greatest achievement he had made over the years.
"Eldest Brother's methods are indeed brilliant."
Zhou Yuan smiled faintly.
In fact, this was for the best, as he had prepared two gifts and two different explanations, all dependent on Zhou Wuji's attitude towards him.
Since the latter had pushed him this far, he could not be blamed for retaliating in kind. Those ministers would not accuse him of being deliberately provocative!
Zhou Yuan took out a patched rag garment from his spatial pouch and, smiling, handed it to Zhou Wuji with both hands.
"Here, Eldest Brother."
Zhou Wuji's eyes narrowed. Looking at the ragged garment before him, which looked even poorer than what a beggar would wear, he couldn't help but laugh. He asked incredulously,
"What is this?"
"Third Brother is short of funds, so this is what you've brought? A garment that even a beggar wouldn't wear!"
Zhou Wuji asked with a smile, his eyes full of mockery.
If Zhou Yuan had truly presented him with such a garment, he would have been delighted. Because compared to his own scheme to disgust, Zhou Yuan's action was too clumsy, and it would be mocked by the populace if it were to spread. A prince, presenting a beggar's attire, would be a complete laughingstock!
Facing the astonished gazes of everyone, Zhou Yuan remained unperturbed.
He admired the garment in his hands from all sides, speaking with a voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
"This is no ordinary garment, of course."
"This is a hundred-patch robe, sewn from pieces of cloth voluntarily cut from their bodies by the local people after I succeeded in managing the flood in the Huai River region."
"'Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it.' Father Emperor often says that a ruler must win the hearts of the people. He who has the people's hearts shall rule the world. I believe this hundred-patch robe is the best proof of the people's hearts."
Zhou Yuan said, folded the hundred-patch robe in his hands, and then handed it to Zhou Wuji.
The latter's expression turned grim. He looked at Zhou Yuan and asked,
"Since this was a gift from the people in gratitude to you, why are you giving it to me, Third Brother?"
"Because you are the Crown Prince," Zhou Yuan glanced at Zhou Wuji, then at the hundred-patch robe in his hands, and said with a half-smile. "I am neither the Crown Prince nor the Son of Heaven, so how could I possess the people's hearts?"
"Please accept it, Eldest Brother."
"Your younger brother here has yielded the people's hearts to you."
Zhou Yuan looked at Zhou Wuji and said with a smile!
...