Yang Yuanzhi was carried to the couch, and rested for a long time before he recovered. He looked at the disappointing student in front of him with dim eyes and said weakly: "To protect the world, even a humble man has the responsibility. Your Highness is a prince, and you must take the world as your responsibility. You must not indulge in wine and sex, and you must not lose heart. Otherwise, how can I live up to the trust of the late emperor..." As Yang Yuanzhi spoke, tears streamed down his face.
Zheng Chang also knew that he had said something wrong, but he was usually the most stubborn and self-willed, and refused to admit his mistakes. He said: "Teachers also understand the world nowadays. It is the villains who are in power and the gentlemen who avoid them. Although I, a student, want to kill the enemy, I am powerless to change the situation!"
Yang Yuanzhi frowned and panted as he said, "This is what I want to say. Last month, a big incident happened in the court. Does Your Highness know about it?"
"Is there ever no major event in the court? I wonder which one the teacher is talking about?" Zheng Chang asked with a pout.
"I am talking about the court officials who attacked and impeached Prince Youyan without any reason. This matter has caused a great deal of uproar, and even I have heard about it. I wonder what your Highness thinks about it?"
Zheng Chang thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, what you said is indeed a big deal. I know that these officials are just barking like mad dogs, but my dynasty has a law that does not punish people for speaking, so I can only restrain officials I know from blindly agreeing with them."
Yang Yuanzhi heard this and realized that she had brought up the topic, so she said to the servants in the room, "You all should leave first. I have something to say to His Highness."
Most of the eunuchs and maids in the room did not know the old prime minister who had retired a few years ago. After hearing his orders so carelessly, they all stood there in confusion, staring at each other. However, their master Zheng Chang knew that the teacher had something very important to say, so he waved his hand to signal them to leave.
The dozen or so servants in the study obeyed the order and immediately left the study quietly. Only Zheng Chang, Yang Yuanzhi and Qiu Yizi were left in the huge room.
Seeing this, Yang Yuanzhi spoke up, "Prince Youyan is a relative of the emperor and a pillar of the country. Those officials made groundless accusations, which was not only disrespectful, but also a crime of false accusation. Your Highness is in charge of both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice, so why can't you investigate who is behind this? What is the conspiracy? What countermeasures should be taken?"
Zheng Chang was obese and it was very strenuous for him to stand for a while, so he found a chair and sat down, saying, "Do we need to investigate this? Those officials are either Zheng Yao's party or some low-class villains who rely on eunuchs. The teacher also knows the current situation in the capital. Wang Zhonghai colluded with Zheng Yao and set up some kind of persuasion office, which made people in Luoyang panic. This is a treasonous act that violates the ancestral system, but the emperor actually let it go. Why? Isn't it obvious that he wants to make Zheng Yao the crown prince, but he is afraid that the officials inside and outside the palace will talk too much, so he uses the eunuchs to suppress the speech!"
Zheng Chang chattered non-stop while lowering his head to play with the bright yellow belt on his waist, untying it and tying it into a knot, looking restless. Qiu Yizi then stole a glance at the extremely noble prince in front of him—he was extremely fat, the five-clawed golden dragon embroidered robe he wore was stretched tightly to his body by his belly, his face was also chubby and full of flesh, and when he spoke, the two pieces of fat on his cheeks swayed as if they were about to fall off his face.
Zheng Chang took a breath and continued, "Teacher just said that the uncle of the King of Youyan is the pillar of the country. For so many years, from the previous emperor to my father, there have always been rewards, no punishments. For someone like the uncle, who is highly respected and has military power, he will also be attacked by villains out of thin air. For someone like me, who only has the title of the eldest son of the emperor, I have to be cautious every day. I also want to learn from the third uncle of the King of Heluo, keep a low profile, and be a peaceful prince."
Yang Yuanzhi looked at this unimproving student with disappointment, and patiently said, "I have just said that Your Highness should consider the country more. There is a saying that if it is beneficial to the country, one should not avoid it because of misfortune or fortune. How can you escape from the world like those country folks just because of a small setback? What's more, if the government is really controlled by treacherous officials and eunuchs, Your Highness will not be able to live a life of seclusion even if you really want to."
Zheng Chang was still playing with the annoying belt: "Teacher, of course I understand what you said. But Zheng Yao is in charge of the imperial guards and the imperial army, and Wang Zhonghai is trusted by my father. If I make a mistake and they find a reason, they will immediately send troops to arrest me and accuse me of treason. I will have no way to defend myself."
"Alas! Your Highness finally hits the point. If you want to maintain peace and stability in the country, you must have military power!" Yang Yuanzhi sighed and pointed at Qiu Yizhi who had been standing aside for a long time and said, "Your Highness, do you know who this person is?"
Zheng Chang looked at Qiu Yizi with sidelong eyes. She was wearing neat but not luxurious clothes, and her face was quite pretty, but there was not the slightest bit of the common flattery or fear on her face. Instead, there was a hint of unpleasant arrogance.
Zheng Chang was upset when he saw this. He was also reprimanded by his teacher this morning and had no place to vent his anger, so he took it out on Qiu Yizi and said, "I was just about to ask. Where did this rude guy come from? He doesn't know any rules. He can't even stop a knife when he comes to my mansion. If it weren't for the teacher's face, I wouldn't need to say anything. My servants would have kicked him out long ago."
Qiu Yizhi was also a proud person. If Zheng Chang's words had come from someone else, he would have retorted. But today, he was not afraid of Zheng Chang's noble status, but he had the important task entrusted by his adoptive father, and he had to stand aside in silence with his head down, suppressing his anger.
Yang Yuanzhi was also furious after hearing what Zheng Chang said, but she no longer had the energy to get angry. She just lay on the couch and said, "Your Highness should not speak like that. You should be more respectful to others. This is the adopted son of Prince Youyan, named Qiu Yizi. He has a handwritten letter from the prince to bring to Your Highness."
After hearing what the old prime minister said, Qiu Yizi took out a letter from his sleeve, and without raising his head or saying a word, he handed it to Zheng Chang with both hands.
Seeing that Qiu Yizi was still so rude, Zheng Chang became angrier, and the fat on his face seemed to solidify into a ball. He snorted and said, "What adopted son? He's just a messenger who delivers letters?" After saying that, he took the letter from Qiu Yizi's hand as if he had snatched it away.
He took the envelope, and instead of using a paper cutter to cut it open, he tore it open with his chubby hands, took out the letter and slowly read it. As he read, the fat on his face that had just solidified slowly dissolved, and a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth. In the end, his two eyes, which were not very big to begin with, narrowed into a line and deeply buried in his eye sockets. It was unknown whether he could still see the handwriting of Youyan King Zheng Rong on the rice paper.
After reading to the end, Zheng Chang finally breathed a sigh of relief, and with a smile on his face, he picked up the important paragraphs in the letter and read them again several times. He then put the letter down, looked at Qiu Yizi with a smile on his face and asked, "Is what is written in the letter what the emperor's uncle intended?"
Seeing Zheng Chang's mood swings, Qiu Yizi teased him deliberately and asked, "I am just an errand boy. I dare not open the prince's letter to read it. How do I know what is written in it?"
So Zheng Chang picked up the letter again and repeated over and over again Zheng Rong's greetings to him, his fear when he was impeached, his worries about the political situation, and most importantly, his strong support for his bid for the title of crown prince.
Qiu Yizi certainly understood all of this, and not only did he know his adoptive father's final attitude, but he also knew the decision-making process clearly. However, he pretended to be enlightened and said, "My adoptive father always keeps his word and never breaks his promise. Moreover, the letter mentions such a major event, how can it be treated as a joke? Your Highness, don't worry!"
Zheng Chang listened and nodded slightly. His eyes narrowed into a straight line again. He raised his mouth and said, "Since I have the support of the emperor's uncle, I feel more confident. Oh..." He seemed to remember something and said, "This young man is the emperor's uncle's adopted son. In this case, he can be called my brother. It is really inappropriate for you to stand here. Please sit down and talk."
Qiu Yizhi saw that Zheng Changkong had the status of the eldest son of the emperor, but he was not as cunning as the eldest son of Youyan, Zheng Xin, nor as brave and straightforward as the second son, Zheng Sen, nor as martial arts as Yuchi Lianghong. Compared with his best brother Zheng Sen, he was not comparable in any way. He really didn't want to be brothers with him. He thought so in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud, so he said: "I am just a commoner, how can I sit in front of His Highness?"
Zheng Chang's vanity was greatly satisfied when he heard Qiu Yizhi's words. He changed his face and said, "Young Master has been following the Emperor's uncle to fight and herd horses since he was young. Some time ago, he seemed to have led troops to the south to quell the rebellion and made many military achievements. This palace has also heard about it. However, due to the court system, he has no honor and status. When the big things are settled in the future, this palace will definitely promote him as an exception!"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi quickly bowed to express his gratitude. But he thought to himself: My adoptive father and master always say that I am not steady enough, but the eldest prince has not even started to become the emperor, and they are already planning to reward him according to his merits. Their words are more than ten times more frivolous than mine. If I were born in the Youyan Palace, wouldn't I be scolded by my adoptive father and master every day
Yang Yuanzhi, who was half lying on the side, had recovered some of his strength. Seeing Zheng Chang talking so frivolously and wantonly, he put on a very serious face and said, "The current emperor is in his prime, so please be careful with your words and actions!"
Zheng Chang was so shocked by the lecture that he shrank back and stopped talking. Then he heard the teacher ask, "We can discuss this matter in the long run, but I wonder how Your Highness will deal with the impeachment of the prince by the court?"
Zheng Chang's hand subconsciously rubbed his belt again, and said, "This... There are many officials in the court and the public who speak up for the emperor's uncle. The emperor's uncle also personally submitted a memorial to the emperor a few days ago. And a few small officials I placed in the Ministry of War also said that the Turks are ready to make a move recently, and the front line is a bit tight. Zheng Yao and Wang Zhonghai are not fools. They know that now is not the time to embarrass the emperor's uncle. Isn't there a lot less voice in the court impeaching the emperor's uncle?"
"That's not enough!" Yang Yuanzhi said, "Although trying to stop the boiling water by adding more fuel to the fire is not as good as removing the firewood from under the cauldron, it is not superfluous. Your Highness is still in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. Let the Ministry of Examination record the officials who submitted the impeachment as a crime of false accusation and slander, and fine them a year or two of their salary as a punishment!"
Zheng Chang said softly, "These minor officials of the sixth and seventh ranks only receive less than two hundred taels of silver per year. Fining them this little is just scratching the surface, right? It would be better to demote them by one or half a rank."
Yang Yuanzhi said, "These censors are not afraid of being demoted. For example, even if they are demoted today, they can get their rank back tomorrow if they write an article that satisfies the emperor. But they are not like local officials. They don't have that much extra income and rely on a little imperial grain to support their families. Your Highness has fined their salaries, which is a real blow!"
Zheng Chang immediately smiled and slapped his thigh, saying, "Teacher is really old..." He swallowed the words "old and cunning" and said, "Old... Cheng Conspiracy for the State! I will summon Liang Xunde and let him act according to your plan. It will also let Zheng Yao, Wang Zhonghai, and those petty officials know what I, Zheng Chang, am capable of!" (To be continued)