After hearing Cheng Chi's words, no one spoke for a long time.
Even for an ordinary wealthy family, the death of four sons at once would be a serious blow.
On the way to send Cheng Chi out, Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but whisper to him: "Could it really be the Fourth Prince who did it?"
"We don't know yet." Cheng Chi pondered, "At least there is evidence that the aphrodisiac incense was lit by the Fifth Prince's men during the chaos... From my point of view, everyone may be eyeing the Crown Prince! Once the Crown Prince got into trouble, everyone took advantage of him and finally caused this situation."
Zhou Shaojin sighed.
The next day, not only did the emperor receive the order to confer the title upon Abao, but he also appointed his eldest grandson as the crown prince.
This coincides with the previous life.
What will happen next is completely out of control and she has no idea.
After Xie officially entered the house, the two of them came to congratulate her. Three days later, Cheng Shao's illness was cured. On a day off, Zhou Shaojin hosted a banquet at home to entertain Xie.
Cheng Shao and others have arrived.
Aunt Chang was serving on the side.
The men's table was in the flower hall, and the women's table was in the side room. Several sons-in-law of the Cheng family were also present, and the atmosphere was very good.
After the meal, the wine was put aside and tea was served. The men talked about anecdotes in the court and the country, the women talked about family matters, the children ran around and laughed in the yard, Yun Ge'er clapped his hands in the arms of his wet nurse, and the house was noisy and even more lively.
Mrs. Guo listened to the noise of the children outside and said with a smile, "On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, let's go to Zhetan Temple to burn incense together."
Zhetan Temple is located in the suburbs, and it takes a whole day to go there and back. If you go there to burn incense, you will have to stay overnight.
When Mrs. Guo said this, it seemed that she was not really interested in drinking.
As it was a rare opportunity for everyone to go out and have fun, they all responded and sent someone to tell Aunt Chang who was serving Cheng Shao in the flower hall.
Aunt Chang was a little surprised, then she smiled and agreed.
The men in Li Cheng's family in Huating also knew about it.
Cheng Jing smiled and said, "Why don't we go with them? It's a good opportunity to burn some incense for Second Uncle."
The affairs of the Fifth Prince might be a secret to others, but not to cabinet leaders like Yu Chengjing.
Cheng Jing felt that Cheng Shao fell ill at the right time. As for the condition... the emperor had admitted it, so he naturally shouldn't doubt it.
However, Cheng Chi took this opportunity to leave a deep impression on the emperor. The emperor not only thought that Cheng Chi had a good character, but also was knowledgeable and well-versed in the six arts. The emperor once laughed at Cheng Chi in private: "If you focus on reading the Four Books and Five Classics, you may be able to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi." He also told Cheng Shao that Cheng Chi should be sent to the Hanlin Academy as a lecturer to teach the princes to read.
Cheng Shao even expressed his gratitude on behalf of Cheng Chi at that time, saying that it would be great if Cheng Chi could work as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy.
Unfortunately, the emperor never heard of this matter after he said it. It was said that when he saw the third and fourth princes paying their respects to him on the second day of the Chinese New Year, he thought of the deceased crown prince and sighed deeply. He issued an edict that all the officials of the Eastern Palace, including the former Chancellor and Junior Chancellor of the Chancellery, who had been left aside and ignored, would be sent to serve as officials in other places.
Gu Xu was not spared either.
He was appointed prefect of Taiyuan.
Cheng Zheng wanted to follow Gu Xu to his new post, and the elders of the Gu family agreed. However, Gu Xu was afraid that Cheng Zheng would not be accustomed to the climate in Taiyuan, so he refused. However, Cheng Zheng had made up her mind, and had decided to take Gu Ning and Gu Zhong to Taiyuan together. For this matter, Gu Xu had asked Yuan to persuade her a few days ago.
After Yuan’s attempts to persuade her failed, she turned to Madam Guo for help.
As a result, Gu Xu failed to persuade Madam Guo to let Cheng Zheng and the children stay in the capital. Instead, he was persuaded by Madam Guo and she agreed to take Cheng Zheng and the children with him to Taiyuan.
They must arrive in Taiyuan before March 2nd.
This might be the last meal Cheng Zheng and Gu Xu had at the Cheng family in these years.
Thinking of this, Cheng Jing felt a little reluctant.
As for the other two children, Cheng Xiao married in Tongxiang and only came to the capital in the past two years. Cheng Xu simply grew up in Jinling and only came to the capital to live with him for a few years in the past few years in order to take part in the provincial examination. Only Cheng Zheng has been in the capital since she got married. She has spent the longest time with him and is the most caring.
Cheng Jing could not help but remind Gu Xu: "You are more than capable of governing Taiyuan Prefecture. If you have time, you might as well spend more time with A Zheng and her son. They will go to Taiyuan with you. They don't know anyone and can only rely on you. Taiyuan is also the land of Yan and Zhao, and there are many heroes. It is important for men to study, but they should not relax in the six arts. It is just right to ask someone to teach Ning Ge'er and Zhong Ge'er some boxing and kicking skills to strengthen their bodies. As for studying, it doesn't matter if they study later.
“The Emperor has now appointed the Crown Prince as the heir apparent. You once served his father. As long as you stay in Taiyuan honestly and keep your composure, and don’t cause any trouble, it will only be a matter of time before the Crown Prince ascends the throne and you return to the capital.
"When you go to Taiyuan, remember to keep a low profile and don't cause any trouble."
Cheng Chi disagreed.
It was hard to say whether the crown prince was grateful or resentful of his father's subordinates. The former Shao Zhanshi of the Zhanshi Mansion went to Taiyuan but was cowardly and did nothing, which at least indirectly proved Gu Xu's incompetence. What was the point of promoting him? Moreover, according to Zhou Shaojin, the crown prince might not live longer than the emperor.
But who to support to ascend the throne is really a headache.
Cheng Chi thought about it, turned around and took the letter to Gu Xu, saying: "This is a name card of Wang Zhi, a famous scholar in Taiyuan. Yang Shoushan and he are close friends regardless of age. When you go to Taiyuan, you might as well visit him first and let him tell you about Taiyuan. A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. With the support of the local gentry, you can do your job as prefect safely."
Everyone present was stunned.
Cheng Jing went straight to the point and asked, "Are you still in contact with Yang Shoushan?"
"Yes!" Cheng Chi said nonchalantly, "I sent two hundred taels of silver to their family a few days ago—Yang Shoushan's mother is ill."
Yang Shoushan was eventually demoted to a commoner and returned to his hometown in Hebi.
He was born in a poor family and had never been corrupt in office. After returning home, he lived on a few acres of thin land and was in financial difficulty. Cheng Chi regularly helped him.
Cheng Jing didn't quite agree and wanted to say something, but seeing Cheng Chi's indifferent look, and thinking about the presence of several sons-in-law, he choked back the scolding that was on the tip of his tongue.
Yuan Ming was full of admiration, and whispered to Cheng Xu: "Look at Fourth Uncle Chi, he is a man of life and a real man!"
Cheng Xu said nothing and lowered his head to drink.
Cheng Jing couldn't say anything about Cheng Chi, let alone his own son-in-law!
"What nonsense are you talking about?" He scolded Yuan Ming, "You think about these messy things all day long. If you have this spirit, you might as well study hard and pass the imperial examination, so that you can win a phoenix crown and bridal robe for Ah Xiao to wear."
Cheng Jingyuan was not very satisfied with this son-in-law, but his wife agreed and his daughter also liked him. He thought that even if the Yuan family sank the ship, they would still have three catties of Ding, so he agreed. Now it seems that he was not serious about studying and was not prepared to pursue a career in officialdom.
Yuan Ming was embarrassed and anxious. Peng Zao hurriedly said, "Jiashan, the imperial examination will be held in a few days. The chief examiner is Wang Chun, the Minister of Rites. My father and he were classmates. Lord Wang passed the imperial examination one year earlier than my father, but he still kept in touch with my father. I still have a few of his works written at that time at home. I wanted to bring them to you, but I was afraid of any trouble. You should go home with me later. My father just wants to talk to you."
This is where the guidance of Cheng Xu Shiwen comes from.
Peng Zao's father, Peng Xiang, was well-known for his knowledge even in the Hanlin Academy.
Cheng Jing was overjoyed and thanked Peng Zao in person.
Cheng Chi called Yuan Ming and said, "When we first moved in, your aunt buried a few pounds of wine under the osmanthus tree in the garden. Dalun is leaving soon. Come with me to get the wine out. It's considered a welcome gift for Dalun."
Gu Xulian called it a "waste of money".
Cheng Chi took Yuan Ming to the garden.
Yuan Ming thought Cheng Chi would comfort him, but Cheng Chi didn't say anything to him along the way and asked him to go with the servants to get the wine.
After a few shovelfuls, his mood improved.
He couldn't help but look at Cheng Chi with gratitude.
A servant came running over and said, "Fourth Master, Uncle Huaishan is back."
Cheng Chi said to Yuan Ming, "Take the wine back to the hall first. I'll go take a look and come back."
Yuan Ming nodded.
Wondering who this Huaishan is
Cheng Chi and Huaishan met in the study in the outer courtyard.
Huaishan looked solemn and said, "The news from the palace said that during the Crown Prince's funeral, a young eunuch in the Qianqing Palace fell ill and died soon after being moved out. His body was thrown into a mass grave. A few days ago, a young eunuch went to burn incense for him. Later it was confirmed that this young eunuch was also from the Qianqing Palace and was the godson of Chen Li, the chief eunuch of the Qianqing Palace. After the Crown Prince's funeral, this young eunuch was transferred to the Wine and Vinegar Bureau. Do you want to say hello to the Li family's uncle's family and try to get in touch with this young eunuch?"
"Don't alert the enemy for now." Cheng Chi pondered, "In addition to this little eunuch, check if there are any palace maids missing during those days. Whether it's delivering a letter to the Second Prince or leading the Second Prince to see the palace maid surnamed Dai, no matter what errand they received, they will definitely die after the mission is completed. As long as we follow this vine, we will always find the source."
Huaishan replied respectfully, "It's just that the personnel in the palace are complicated and time is too short. The people we can bribe are just small fry, which is not very useful."
Cheng Chi laughed and said, "We can't bribe the maids and eunuchs around the Queen Mother and the Empress! Instead of dealing with those half-baked guys, it's better to deal with these little bastards. Don't underestimate them, they know a lot!" Then he ordered him, "Check Cheng Lu, he has Chen Li as his backer now, it's impossible for him to be so honest!"
Huaishan left immediately.
Cheng Chi sat in the study for a while before slowly walking towards the inner courtyard.
In the flower hall, everyone was drinking happily.
However, Cheng Chi saw Cheng Xu standing alone under the veranda.
He stood in the shadows with his head down, looking lonely.
Cheng Chi thought about it, walked forward, and asked, "Do you have any thoughts?"
This was the first time Cheng Chi took the initiative to talk to Cheng Xu after Zhou Shaojin married Cheng Chi.
Cheng Xu was delighted and called out "Fourth Uncle".
Cheng Chi said: "Don't think about anything else, just take part in the examination! When you become a Jinshi, you will find that you can do a lot of things."
Cheng Xu looked at Cheng Chi in surprise.
Cheng Chi smiled and turned to enter the flower hall.
Cheng Xu looked at his background, thoughtfully.
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Hey guys, today's update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)