After the Duke of Wei arrived, the Marquis of Linhuai had someone bring a pot with a small charcoal stove underneath, and had someone serve some hot pot and vegetables, and warmed up a jar of Shaoxing girl's red wine, and the three of them sat around the pot.
"My dear nephew, I didn't expect that you and Eunuch Chen already have a good relationship. Haha, I really underestimated you. Not bad, not bad. Speaking of which, now there is an opportunity to take your relationship with Eunuch Chen to a higher level."
Duke Wei took a piece of mutton hotpot with chopsticks and said to Zhu Ping'an with a look that revealed the inside story.
"I..." Zhu Ping'an was just about to tell them the truth about his relationship with Chen Hong. What kind of friendship was that? It was clearly an enmity. However, Zhu Ping'an had just said the word "I" and before he could finish the rest of his words, Linhuai Hou on the side couldn't wait to speak and interrupted Zhu Ping'an.
"Old Xu, do you know something about the inside story? Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us quickly." Linhuai Hou urged impatiently, not giving Duke Wei any chance to keep him in suspense.
"Hehe, it was also by chance. I overheard Eunuch Chen and Eunuch Wang chatting and got an insider information. Didn't Eunuch Chen come to Jiangnan to buy pearls last month? He was praised by the emperor after returning. However, Eunuch Chen said that there is still a big gap in the pearls in the palace. He said that the treasures accumulated by the ancestors, including pearls, etc., were all spent by Emperor Hongzhi and Emperor Zhengde. The emperor has no mother to support, so the expenses have been saved by 70%. The ministers in the court only know how to persuade the emperor not to care about jewelry and curios. Do they want the emperor to abolish all expenses?! So, Eunuch Chen wants to bring some more pearls back this time to present to the emperor."
At the urging of Marquis Linhuai, Duke Wei spoke with a proud look on his face and told the news he had heard.
"He's trying to take credit." Linhuai Hou touched his chin.
"That's right. So, if we give Eunuch Chen some pearls now, wouldn't that be a way to please him? When he returns to the capital, he will surely say a few good words for us, and it will be an additional way for us in the future."
Duke Wei nodded vigorously and excitedly expressed his plan.
Linhuai Hou nodded, agreeing with Duke Wei's plan. "Well, Old Xu, this is a good idea. If you give him gold, silver and other valuables, he may not accept them, but if you give him pearls, he will definitely not refuse."
"Uncle, in my opinion, he is trying to make money under the pretext of presenting tribute to the emperor." Zhu Ping'an shrugged and said bluntly.
The whole thing about bringing the pearls to present to His Majesty was all a cover. If he took the pearls back, they would only go into his own pocket and he would definitely not present them to His Majesty.
"My dear nephew, this is a bit arbitrary." Duke Wei said after a moment's surprise.
"I'm not being arbitrary, but this is the fact. Uncle, think about it, if Eunuch Chen collected a lot of pearls, under what pretext would he present them to His Majesty?" Zhu Ping'an shook his head slightly and asked the two of them.
"Does he need a reason to present it to His Majesty? This is a manifestation of his loyalty." Linhuai Hou said in confusion.
"How could he, a eunuch in the imperial palace, get so much money to buy pearls?" Zhu Ping'an curled his lips slightly, "Did he rob them? Or was it a gift from his subordinates? He couldn't have picked them up."
"Well, that's a problem." Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai thought for a moment and nodded.
It is definitely not okay to take it by force or by force; it is also not okay to have the subordinates give it as a gift; if it is said that the subordinates presented it to the emperor, then the same problem will arise: where did the subordinates get the money to buy so many pearls
If it was a small amount of pearls, you could say that you bought them with your salary, but would you be embarrassed to present a small amount of pearls to His Majesty? Even if you were embarrassed to present them to His Majesty, He would not take it seriously.
Therefore, even if Chen Hong accepted the pearls, it would be difficult for him to present them to the emperor. There was a high probability that he would just keep them in his own pocket.
It seems that it is just as my nephew said. Chen Hong used the name of presenting to the emperor to seek credit, but in fact he was making money.
But it doesn't matter. Our goal is to make friends with Chen Hong. Whether he presents himself to the emperor or not has no impact on us.
"My dear nephew, whether he presents it to His Majesty or collects money, what does it matter? As long as he receives it, it is enough."
Duke Wei said indifferently.
"That's right. It's even better if he makes money. Knowing that he likes to make money, we can cater to his interests."
Linhuai Hou had the same attitude.
"My dear nephew, since you are friends with Chen Hong, it will be easier for us to act. Tomorrow, Lao Li and I will pool some money to buy some pearls. Then you can find a chance to give the pearls to Chen Hong in the name of the three of us. Hehe, then your personal relationship with Chen Hong will be further improved. He will definitely say a few good words for us when he returns to Beijing."
Duke Wei ate a large portion of shabu-shabu mutton, drank a glass of wine, and said to Zhu Ping'an with a chuckle.
"This is good." Linhuai Hou agreed.
"Ahem, uncle..." Zhu Ping'an coughed, looked at the two of them with an embarrassed expression, and prepared to tell the truth.
"My dear nephew, this is not the time to be aloof." The Duke of Wei thought that Zhu Ping'an, a scholar, was becoming aloof. He was saying things like "I will not bow down for a few pieces of silver" and "How can I bow my head and serve the powerful and wealthy and make myself unhappy?"
"That's right, nephew. You have to learn to adapt. You must know that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish; if a person is too cautious, there will be no followers."
Linhuai Hou also followed suit.
"Uncle, that's not the case." Zhu Ping'an said with a wry smile.
"Why is that?" Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai asked anxiously.
"Uncles, my relationship with Chen Hong is not what you think, nor what Chen Hong said."
Zhu Ping'an spread out his hands.
"Didn't you do him a big favor by catching a thief who pretended to be his adopted son and was cheating people?!"
Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai looked at each other, both had a bad premonition in their hearts, and looked at Zhu Pingan nervously and asked.
"Uncle, the one I caught wasn't a thief pretending to be his adopted son?" Zhu Ping'an shook his head.
"Who is the impostor?" Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai asked hurriedly.
"I'm not pretending. The person I caught is his adopted son." Zhu Ping'an said to the two of them frankly.
"What? You captured his adopted son?" Upon hearing this, Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai turned pale and their mouths twitched. "In other words, you also beat up his adopted son?!"
Zhu Pingan nodded, and then added, "More than that..."
"What else did you do?!" Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai could no longer sit still and asked tremblingly.
"I confiscated all the nearly 10,000 taels of silver, antiques, calligraphy and paintings that his adopted son had taken as bribes..."
Zhu Pingan said slowly.
"Ah?!" Upon hearing this, Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai jumped up from their chairs.
It was as if I was struck by lightning.
"Uncle, don't worry. The pearls purchased by his adopted son, as well as the official silver from Taicang and other official matters, were all handed over to Chen Hong when I had his adopted son escorted." Zhu Ping'an hurriedly comforted them when he saw how excited the two were.
"My dear nephew, you, you, what can we say about you? His adopted son's money is his money."
"You confiscated his ten thousand taels of silver... These incomplete eunuchs, without their lifeblood, have no ambitions in that area, and they all regard silver as their lifeblood. You have castrated them again..."
The Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai sighed repeatedly and paced around the room like ants on a hot pan.