Shangjing Restaurant
When Xie Chengdong went up, the boss greeted him hurriedly: "It's really cold today, man, please heat up the wine. Are you going upstairs to dine?"
Xie Chengdong came upstairs without saying a word. Among the three elegant seats, separated by screens, there was a table of six people who were having a drink, and everyone was a little drunk.
Xie Chengdong sat at a table near the window and ordered a few dishes at random, but there was a Taoist priest wearing Taoist robes and a bun, who was giving people fortunes.
A scholar smiled and said: "I am a disciple of a saint and I don't believe in this."
The man said carefully: "You have been smart since you were a child, but your mother died when you were seven years old. Your stepmother instigated your father not to allow you to study, so you fled to your uncle's house."
"Your uncle gave you money to study. In the first year of the founding of this dynasty, you won the imperial examination at the age of seventeen and made a living by teaching. However, it was only last year that you won the imperial examination, so you came to Beijing to take the examination. What I said is terrible. Is there a mistake in one word?"
"Are you convinced? You are not blessed, and there are still hardships to come. It will be difficult for you to become a Jinshi in your life. If you are willing to join my sect, I will get rid of the trouble for you."
The scholar sneered: "I am a scholar. Even if I fail to win the imperial examination, I will have no worries about food and clothing. If I am willing to serve as an official, I will have to be a ninth-grade academic officer. How can you confuse me?"
The Taoist sighed: "Fate is so changeable, it will be too late to regret it."
As he walked over, he arrived in front of Xie Chengdong and looked towards Prince Lu's Mansion.
"How?" Xie Chengdong whispered.
"Prince Lu was cut off and turned into a county king. The original Qi was cut off by several percent, but the black Qi dissipated. This calamity has passed. Although there is still some, it does not matter at all."
"The prince's power is stable and he has opinions about us. It is difficult to turn around. Moreover, we heard news from Daolu Division's informants that the prince has already wanted to investigate us."
"If we don't make a plan, our foundation in the capital will be uprooted."
"Thank you, senior brother, you are a person sent by the mountain sect. Please think of a way." At this time, the Taoist priest did not have the same expression as when he was telling fortunes just now, and he broke out in cold sweat.
"Don't be afraid, I have a clever plan. You contact King Lu and I want to meet him." Xie Chengdong said calmly.
Prince Lu's Mansion
When Butler Qing looked at it, several people were checking accounts in the hall with their account books. Some people were uneasy. They sneered and took out a piece of paper and gave it to someone: "Look at this."
When the man took it and looked at it, there were densely written names written on it.
"These are all famous Qingke in the house." The man took a breath and asked, "Do they all want to leave?"
Butler Qing sneered: "You're right, he is such an ungrateful master. He is usually very attentive, but when he encounters a bit of wind and frost, he is immediately scared to death. According to my thoughts, how can it be so easy to leave?"
"We also need to keep a close eye on them to prevent them from sneaking out of the house—especially the warehouse."
"Yes!" The man responded loudly.
Butler Qing glanced at him for a few times before leaving bitterly. When he saw him walking away, a Qing guest raised his head and wanted to drink tea. He found that the tea was empty and no one was there, so he couldn't help but sigh.
The sun rose today, and the hearts of people in Prince Kelu's Mansion became cold.
The maids who sell themselves and the eunuchs assigned in the palace cannot live without this palace. They are all worried. Those who buy are entrusted with purchasing, and those who send money home send money.
The prince has become the king of the county. Who is not worried? The Qingke counselors are also distracted. On the day of the incident, there were several people outside. At this moment, they have fled and have not returned to the house. Some Qingqing are packing their things and preparing to immediately Just quit and go out.
Only half of them are still working, but they are ready to quit when they are done.
Seeing no one around, a Qing guest complained: "Originally we were still laughing at Ren Wei, but we didn't expect that he had the foresight and left early. It is said that he is now Mr. Pei Jieyuan of Yingzhou. He is in charge of the accounts. I don't know how beneficial he is. The first time we met, we even invited him to a restaurant and ate three taels of silver, which is really enviable."
"Prince Lu has been kind to us. Let's just leave. Don't talk anymore. It's already unkind and unjust. How can we say bad things about our boss anymore." A Qing guest advised.
"Okay, okay, I won't say it anymore, I won't say it anymore." Qingke's face also looked a little gloomy.
In the past, when Prince Lu's Mansion overpowered the Crown Prince's Mansion, it was naturally glorious. Prince Lu had become a county prince, so why did he talk about the position of Prince? It was still a matter of peace of mind, but nothing could change the world. Thinking of this, a helpless expression appeared on his face.
study
This study is very unique. You can see an artificial lake not far away. The underground fire dragon is passing through the incense cage. At this time, a fire is lit. The incense cage slowly dissipates heat through the floor. It is as warm as spring. It cost four thousand taels of silver. Not only the palace, but also the palaces and gardens are rare.
At this time, King Lu looked pale and was practicing calligraphy in the study, with some seriousness in his eyes. It would be a lie to say that he was not angry, but now he could only use calligraphy practice to vent the anger in his heart.
"Peace the world"
The whole article is full of handwriting like this, which is a little shaky, a little strong, and some of the words are scattered.
Steward Qing came over in a hurry: "Your Majesty, it's not good, there are several Qingqing guests in the mansion making trouble to leave, and several of them have already sneaked away secretly."
King Lu clicked on the word and scrawled a word. She held it in her heart for a while, her face turned red, she simply put down the pen, walked a few steps, hesitated for a while, and then sneered: "Let's go, let's go, let's go." Okay, sincerity and deception are all clear."
Saying this with a bit of loneliness, is it really possible for me to make a comeback
At this time, Eunuch Liao asked to see him. King Lu was annoyed and said, "Come in."
After speaking, he took a sip of tea from the tea cup on the table. Eunuch Liao came in, stepped forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, the situation has come out."
"Say it, I'm listening." King Lu became calm at this time. He leaned on the tiger leather chair and looked out. He looked very young, with no wrinkles on his face. He regained the majesty of an imperial nobleman in every gesture.
"A letter came from the inner court. Ge Yun wrote, saying that since the prince is already the king of the county, there are thirteen places where Zhuangzi has gone too far. Please cut down on Zhuangzi."
Ge Yun was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Wenhua Palace. He was usually very polite, but he didn't want to turn against him at this time. King Lu couldn't help but blushing, and his blood was running all over his body. He stood up and walked a few steps, staring at the artificial intelligence. Hu finally calmed down and said, "What did the emperor say? What did the prince say?"
"The emperor was unwilling to do anything, but the prince said - this responsibility does not lie with my brother, just a little brush from my father. How can he really take away my brother's village and deprive my brother and my nephew of their food and clothing? This is It can’t be cut off.”
After hearing this, King Lu was displeased and became angry. His eyes turned red and he cursed: "When did the prince become so cunning? What did the father say?"
"The emperor said that there are still rules, so let's reduce it by two."
King Lu asked with a ferocious smile: "If that's the case, which two will be subtracted?"
"Heifeng Village and Shunyi Village."
These two Zhuangzi were both big ones, worth 150,000 taels of silver, and could produce 10,000 taels per year. They were gone all of a sudden. King Lu immediately asked: "What else is there?"
"Also, Chen Hu has been killed, and Li Anjun and Lu Sheng have been killed. This was done yesterday."
After hearing the news, King Lu had not been too moved just now. At this time, he couldn't help but fainted. These three generals were all his core wings, and now they are all dead.
King Lu stood up slowly and said, "What else?"
"The emperor has made adjustments to the generals of the capital's camps - the list is here."
King Lu took it and looked at it, then turned his face for a long time, his eyes glowing green, but his tone was calm: "You are getting closer and closer - what else?"
"The ministers have also submitted letters, and many have impeached the prince. Here is the list."
King Lu took it and looked at it, glanced at it, and threw it on the table, saying: "These lonely people have already predicted it. They are adapting to the wind - is there anything else?"
"No - oh no, the court received a military report. The cavalry on the grassland attacked the camp and was repulsed. We haven't seen the details, but it is said that more than 200 people died, and the camp was short of food and grass. , requesting reinforcements of food.”
This was a trivial matter, but King Lu listened with rapt attention. After a while, he asked: "Is there anything else?"
"Your Majesty, apart from Xie Chengdong asking to see you, there is nothing else to do."
"Xie Chengdong wants to see you?" King Lu was surprised: "Qi Xuanmen and Xie Chengdong still haven't left?"
"I remember you reported that on the night of the accident, Xie Chengdong made an excuse to go out - I don't believe it was a coincidence, these Taoists!"
After a moment of silence, he said to Eunuch Liao: "Xuan came in through the secret passage. I want to see what his intentions were when he came to see the orphan."
"Yes!" Eunuch Liao responded.
However, despite the interview, he still had to wait for several days before Eunuch Liao found an opportunity to meet with Xie Chengdong, and it was only after dark that he led him to Yifu.
This mansion is an ordinary courtyard, located in the northwest outside the palace. It is a century-old courtyard with few visitors. It is located in a remote place and looks inconspicuous.
The group of people entered the backyard and arrived at a side room. This was a study room, but the shelves were a bit old and there were not many books. There were inkstones, pens and ink on the table. I didn't go down yet, I waited for the turbid air to be released, and then I lit a candle and went inside.
"When the prince built his mansion, he ordered it built!"
"The soldiers stationed outside have not been evacuated. Although entry and exit are not difficult or prohibited, there are records of keeping track of them. You are a Taoist, and your actions must be secretive and cannot be known to His Majesty. Otherwise, you may cause trouble. I ask you to be aggrieved now. Click, follow the secret passage in." Eunuch Liao only said this. Xie Chengdong knew that he actually had a knot in his mind when he went out that night, so he smiled immediately: "Your Majesty is really foresighted."
As he said this, he was silent. The tunnel was actually not long. He just crossed a street and came out at a rockery in a blink of an eye. He was led in again.
Winter is a bit cold and desolate, but Prince Lu's Mansion is particularly cold. Eunuch Liao waved his hand and said: "Please!"
Xie Chengdong also nodded and followed. A gust of cold wind blew in and the trees in the empty garden swayed. Xie Chengdong shuddered and rushed to a door.
A eunuch came up to greet him, saluted and smiled, leading the way along the corridor to the study. Several eunuchs were standing under the lamp.
At this time, King Lu was looking in the mirror and realized that she had not taken care of herself for several days. She couldn't help but sighed and ordered: "Come here, change your clothes."
The two maids outside the door came in after listening to King Lu's words. They first curtsied and then washed and changed clothes for King Lu and shaved off their beards.
In fact, haircuts were not completely banned in ancient times. Among other things, there was a "Grate Room" in the palace, with more than ten attendants who were responsible for requesting, growing, keeping, and having plastic surgery for the prince's children.
At this time, King Lu changed her clothes and tidied her beard. She looked very energetic and sat upright in the study. At this moment, a voice called out: "Your Majesty, Xie Chengdong wants to see you."
"Come in!" King Lu said calmly.
(End of chapter)