Gu Erniang didn't want to hear even a word of what Qiu Yizhi and Wang Zhonghai said, so she went out to watch the wind on the pretext that the room was too stuffy.
Qiu Yizhi sat down on the narrow Kang, which was only three feet wide, and He'er sat closely next to him.
Qiu Yizhi looked around the small eunuch's room again and said, "I have admired you for a long time, my father-in-law. They say that my father-in-law is a well-known figure in the palace, but I didn't expect that his daily life would be so simple."
Wang Zhonghai laughed a few times: "My family died when I was six years old, and I entered the palace without food. I didn't know anything at that time, and I dared to bully me as a human being. This room was originally a toilet, and the eunuch in charge You bastard, let me live here for more than ten years. Later, thanks to the blessings of several emperors, the Za family was finally promoted and their power became more and more powerful. However, they didn't care that this place was clean and no one disturbed them, so they let people take care of them. The toilet was demolished and turned into a dormitory, which makes living there much more comfortable. "
"This room is quite clean. But since it has been rebuilt, why not make it more decent? There are plenty of porcelain, jade, calligraphy and painting in the palace. My father-in-law said a word and they all came. The decorations in the room also add some elegance. "Isn't it good?" Qiu Yizhi asked.
Wang Zhonghai said with a smile: "These items can't be eaten when hungry or worn when cold. They are of no use at all. What's the use of the Zajia family? They just ruined the reputation..."
"Since my father-in-law doesn't care about external things like money and jewelry, and he can't enjoy enough food and clothing in this life, why do he want to monopolize power and make trouble?" Qiu Yizhi asked puzzledly.
"Hehehehe. The young master is indeed a heroic young man. You are the first to ask this question of the Zajia family." Wang Zhonghai replied, "I remember that when we entered the palace, the master of the Zajia family - the eunuch who asked the Zajia family to live in the hut - said : Once you become a eunuch, you can no longer be a human being. You can only be a dog. You will bite anyone your master tells you to, and you will never ask why.”
"Since my father-in-law said this, can I understand it this way? It turns out that instigating hundreds of officials to attack and impeach Prince Youyan for no reason, setting up a good-willing department to monitor Luoyang, the capital, and so on, are all the intentions of the current emperor?" Qiu Yizhi asked.
Wang Zhonghai asked, "I wonder if the young master has ever raised a dog?"
Qiu Yizhi happened to have a white dog named "Lulu" that had been with him since childhood and was now staying in Guangyang City, so he nodded and answered with two words: "I have raised it."
"That dog does whatever its owner tells it to do? Can it be called a good dog?"
The temperament of "Lulu" is very much like that of its owner. He is the most unruly and can listen to some instructions when he is in a good mood. When he is in a bad mood, he may not even pay attention to you even if he shouts at the top of his voice.
Qiu Yizhi didn't know why Wang Zhonghai suddenly talked about raising dogs, but he followed his topic and replied: "If there are orders, do them and stop them. There are not many living people who can do it." Of course he is a good dog."
"No." Wang Zhonghai said, "This kind of dog is not the best dog. The best dog knows what it should do with just one glance from its owner. When the owner is happy, it will wag its tail; when the owner is irritable, it will know what it should do. , it will run far away; if the owner wants to teach someone, it will rush to bite, and once it bites, it cannot let go! "
"What? According to the prince, there is no official edict from the Holy One to impeach Prince Youyan, nor is there any edict to encourage good people to do good in the Yamen?"
"Young Master is such a smart person, why can't you understand what the Zajia say? Do you still need the Emperor to talk about this?" Wang Zhonghai was a little anxious.
Qiu Yizhi was about to induce him to talk, so he asked: "I just don't understand, so I came to ask Eunuch Wang for advice! What does Eunuch Wang mean by this?"
"It has been two or three years since the Emperor fell in love with His Highness, the Second Son, and always wanted to make him the Crown Prince. However, most of the ministers outside are ignorant. They talk about ancestral laws all day long and deliberately prevent the Emperor from fulfilling his wish. Young Master, don’t you think you should punish someone who is so ignorant?” Wang Zhonghai became more and more angry as he spoke, “There are also some ignorant commoners who see a few officials being arrested and just treat them as loyal ministers. Good general, if you start scolding the Zaijia, you should also scold the Emperor. Shouldn't you give him a lesson?"
After listening to this, Qiu Yizhi pondered for a long time and asked: "What about sending people to impeach Prince Youyan? I remember that the emperor's brotherly love for the prince is well-known far and wide! How could he rebuke him so much?"
"The prince was also raised by the Za family... If the prince had been willing to support His Royal Highness the second son when he came to Beijing a few years ago, even if he just stood in the middle, how could the Za family embarrass the prince!" Wang Zhonghai sighed and said, "The Za family remembers It is clear that after the prince returned that day, the emperor was depressed for a long time. To put it bluntly, the young master was just a dog raised by the prince. When something happened to the prince, the young master risked his life to come to the palace. The Za family showed little loyalty to the emperor. No worse than the Young Master, so I asked some officials to talk to me. I think the Young Master can understand, right?"
Although these words are unpleasant to hear, Qiu Yizhi often said in front of Zheng Rong that he was willing to do "the hard work of dogs and horses". He couldn't fault it at all, so he could only listen quietly to Wang Zhonghai's continued talk: "In the eyes of the Za family, There is only the emperor. If the emperor is unhappy, the Zajia family will have to find ways to please the master. It doesn’t matter how others scold the Zaijia behind his back! "
When Qiu Yizhi heard this, he realized that the impeachment of his adoptive father, King Zheng Rong of Youyan, was neither the emperor's idea nor Wang Zhonghai's treacherous plan. He was as smart as Zhongli Kuang and as experienced as Yang Yuanzhi, but he could not guess what the eunuch was thinking. .
So he asked himself and said to Wang Zhonghai: "Have you ever thought about this, my father-in-law? The establishment of the Good Counseling Department and the Thirteenth Department Yamen of the previous dynasty were prohibited by an explicit edict of Emperor Taizu. And instructing hundreds of officials to impeach Prince Youyan is not a good reputation. Later historians will not record this account on the father-in-law. They will only say that the current emperor listened to slander, violated the ancestral precepts, and framed Zhongliang. He is... a foolish king. …”
The more Qiu Yizhi spoke, the more embarrassed the expression on Wang Zhonghai's face became. At the end of the sentence, his old face was filled with grief: "Why didn't the Zajia family think of this? Why didn't the Zajia think of this?" She was already in tears.
The purpose of Qiu Yizhi's trip has been achieved, and he no longer wants to stay in this land of tigers and wolves for a long time, so he said: "My father-in-law has already taught me what I want to ask. I am also aware of my father-in-law's loyalty to the current saint. In this case, I will I won’t disturb the prince anymore, so I’ll take my leave now!”
After hearing this, Wang Zhonghai hurriedly wiped away his tears with his sleeves and said, "After listening to the young master, the Za family is really enlightened. There are many second-ranked Jinshi and Hanlin bachelors who have joined the Za family. Why don't they have the knowledge of the young master?"
Qiu Yizhi stood up and replied: "The people around my father-in-law are either afraid of you or want something from you. How can we expect them to tell the truth?"
When Wang Zhonghai saw Qiu Yizhi standing up, he also stood up hurriedly, grabbed Qiu Yizhi and said, "Why do you want to leave, Master? Just after hearing the Master say a few words, the Za family felt that they had lived half their lives in vain. . Why are you leaving so early? Why not stay and talk to the Za family more? "
Qiu Yizhi's heart tightened after hearing this. Although Wang Zhonghai said this politely, he really didn't want to let her leave in peace and was about to argue with him.
At this time, He'er on the side said: "Master Qiu has just said a few words, but you feel that half of your life has been in vain. If you want to talk again, then you are not allowed to be reincarnated?"
Qiu Yizhi glared at this little girl who didn't know her priorities. Before she could say the words "no rudeness", she heard Wang Zhonghai say to He'er:
"Hey, you little girl, you have such a sharp mouth! You just don't know when to speak and when not to speak. If I were Master Qiu, I would cut off your tongue when I get back!" After saying that, a look appeared on his face. An extremely vicious expression.
Qiu Yizhi thought that Wang Zhonghai would not embarrass herself just because of He'er's words, but He'er's habit of speaking freely must be corrected. However, the most important thing at the moment is to get away as soon as possible, so he said: "My father-in-law taught me the right thing, I will peel her skin off when I get back next time to apologize to my father-in-law." After that, Qiu Yizhi winked at He'er, Turn around and go out.
Unexpectedly, Wang Zhonghai held Qiu Yizhi tightly with one hand and said with a smile: "Hey, hey, hey. Young Master, you can come when you want and leave when you want. Do you regard this palace as your backyard?"
When Qiu Yizhi heard what Wang Zhonghai said, she was filled with murderous intent. She finally thought of the promise made by Mother Gu to let her leave the palace unscathed, so she asked in a tone that was almost asking for help: "Is Mother Gu still there?" Outside the door?"
Gu Erniang seemed to have gone very far. Qiu Yizhi shouted several times before she heard her reply: "Here we come!" Then he pushed the door in from the outside and asked, "What? Master, do you want to go home?" Seeing Qiu Yizhi nodding, she said to He'er again, "Miss He'er, please go out for a while. The slave's methods are a bit unsightly!"
He'er wanted to go out as soon as possible. After hearing what she said, he quickly left the room without saying a word.
Seeing that only Wang Zhonghai, Qiu Yizhi and herself were left in the room, Gu Erniang walked up to Wang Zhonghai and said with a smile: "Eunuch Wang, now it is my turn to serve my father-in-law!"
Wang Zhonghai saw her getting closer and closer, with an expression of disgust on his face: "Where did you come from? Why don't you get out of the way of the Za family!"
"Oh! Both the father-in-law and the slave family are low-ranking people. Don't dislike anyone!" Gu Erniang said, quickly pinching the back of Wang Zhonghai's head with her right hand, and using some effort, she made Wang Zhonghai open his mouth. With his left hand, he took out a soybean-sized pill from his tube top and stuffed it into Wang Zhonghai's mouth.
Qiu Yizhi knew that Gu Erniang was a master of poisoning. She was afraid that if Wang Zhonghai was poisoned to death on the spot, the matter would be out of control. She quickly stopped her and said, "Mother Gu, be careful. Don't hurt his life!"
After hearing this, Gu Erniang placed Wang Zhonghai, who had taken some unknown medicine and was unconscious, on the kang. Then she turned to Qiu Yizhi and whispered to Qiu Yizhi: "Don't worry, young master, the slave family will not do such stupid things. Just But this is the ability of the slave family to look after the family and save their lives. Even Tianzun... not even anyone in the Holy Religion knows about it. "
These words of Gu Erniang aroused Qiu Yizhi's curiosity again, and asked: "What kind of good skill is this? I want to see it first!"
"Don't you just want to keep the young master here so that he can take a look and feel at ease?" As she said that, Gu Erniang put a hand on Qiu Yizhi's shoulder, "I just hope that the young master will see you. If others find out about this secretive skill of the slave family, it will not work! "
After saying that, Gu Erniang turned around, bent down, and slapped the unconscious Wang Zhonghai hard on the face... (To be continued)