Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 612: You Take This Seat
In the Xinglong Teahouse, Liu Feng, who was serving the emperor, saw the emperor and the empress dowager chatting and laughing, tasting the cooking of famous chefs one by one. The Third Prince also behaved very well most of the time under the occasional questioning of the supreme emperor and empress. As for Concubine Yu and the concubines and several princesses and county ladies, at least on the surface they seemed to be having a good time. He could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying, the trouble-making pair, were to leave together, the world would truly be at peace!
However, when he wasn't paying attention, the emperor yawned somewhat listlessly.
No matter how delicious the dishes are, even if they are dragon liver and phoenix marrow, if you eat too much, it will be just like that. Moreover, he has been eating non-stop from just now until now, and his taste buds are almost numb to the point that he can no longer taste the good flavors. When the emperor inadvertently glanced at the third prince and saw that he was in a daze, he knew that his son was also bored.
If I had known, I would not have let Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying go! Zhang Shou, that kid, always causes trouble, and he is also very good at making witty remarks and making excuses, while Zhu Ying is also quick-witted and never cares who her opponent is. With this pair of wonderful people around, he can eat a few more bites of food, unlike now when he is so stable and doesn't even have anyone to talk to in a funny way... Alas, the Third Prince cannot compare to the Fourth Prince in this respect!
Thinking of this, the emperor put down his chopsticks and ordered unhappily: "Send someone to the Jiangdu Palace to inquire. It's fine if the young couple didn't come back, but why is Si Lang nowhere to be seen? Does it take so long to watch the fun?"
The third prince came to his senses with a start, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the emperor seemed to know what he was going to say. He quickly picked up a Cantonese salt-baked chicken leg from the plate and stuffed it directly into his son's mouth, blocking the words that were about to come out of his mouth. Then he clapped his hands leisurely.
"This dish tastes good. Since the Han Dynasty, the salt and iron monopoly has always been the best way for the court to make profits. Therefore, the price of salt is often so high that ordinary people can't afford it, and private salt dealers are even more rampant. However, Emperor Taizu was born in response to the will of heaven. He valued agriculture and industry and commerce. He did not make profits from salt, and even greatly improved the method of boiling salt. Now this dish, although the cost is high, it is not expensive."
The third prince's face turned red from choking on the chicken leg, but after hearing his father's words, he finally took the chicken leg out of his mouth and suddenly realized what was going on. He then nodded with reverence on his face.
When the Queen Mother saw this scene, she was both angry and amused. He had been the emperor for 27 years and had many children, but he was still so willful! He was just teasing his son, but he still spoke seriously about the truth. Only an honest child like the Third Prince would take it seriously. Such an innocent child is good, but he still needs to learn more about tact...
Concubine Yu couldn't help laughing when she saw the emperor teasing the third prince. Concubine He, who was standing by, was quiet and serene. The two of them chatted casually, but they didn't find it boring. However, she looked at the group of princesses. The three of them, Princess Deyang, who was already married, were obviously easy to get along with, but they still had to take care of the unhappy Princess Yongping from time to time. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
On the contrary, the Lady Dowager and Jiu Niang sat as calm as a rock. They even had the leisure to discuss how to arrange the marriage of Zhu Tingfang and Zhu Ying... As for the previous confrontation between Princess Yongping and Zhu Ying, they seemed to not take it to heart at all.
Only Wu Ge Lao and Grand Secretary Zhang Yu had no idea what they were doing today, so they could only focus all their energy on the word "eat". They were more diligent and responsible than anyone else when commenting. Seeing that it was almost over, the two of them were thinking about the emperor and empress's reaction just now, and were discussing in a low voice how many people would be selected later, when they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
Knowing that Sanlang Lu was calling a group of civilian judges on the second floor, and that outsiders would definitely not be allowed up at this time, Wu Ge Lao and Zhang Yu looked at each other and thought that this must be the return of the Fourth Prince. Sure enough, the next moment, the two heard a loud voice.
"Father, I am back!"
Following the voice, an agile figure rushed up and ran straight to the emperor. Seeing that the Third Prince was holding a big chicken drumstick in his hand and looking at him at a loss, the Fourth Prince smiled and said, "Don't worry, Third Brother, although I'm hungry, I won't steal your food..."
While he was talking about these irrelevant things, the fourth prince's eyes were rolling around. He first went to the Empress Dowager and Concubine Yu and Concubine He to pay his respects, then quickly returned to the Emperor and whispered pitifully in his ear, "Father, I've gotten into trouble!"
The veins on the emperor's forehead jumped, but then he remained calm and said lightly: "Oh, tell me about it?" Anyway, he was either caught by Prince Jiangdu for eavesdropping, or he sneaked into his cousin's workshop in Prince Jiangdu's palace and broke something... Anyway, this naughty child has the nature of making trouble!
However, the emperor's calm face soon froze, because the fourth prince quickly confessed the strange drowning case and everything he said in front of County Magistrate Shen and the three scholars.
If it were the Fourth Prince's character, he would certainly not be so honest. However, Zhang Shou, who was also present, knew how much trouble the Fourth Prince had caused today by his "childish words". The most terrible thing was that there were quite a lot of people present at the time!
Therefore, when Magistrate Shen said the word "impeachment", he immediately dragged the Fourth Prince over and sternly demanded that he return to Xinglong Tea House immediately to report the matter to the Emperor without hiding anything.
However, the Fourth Prince said that he had caused trouble, but he did not feel that he had caused any trouble in his heart. The Emperor was shocked and angry, and in the end he could not help but hold the handrail tightly with one hand, otherwise he doubted whether he would grab Liu Feng beside him and kick this talkative Qianqing Palace manager down the stairs!
Last time this guy leaked the news to the Fourth Prince, he was severely punished, and this time he did it again!
Not only did he commit the crime again, but he also leaked the secrets of the Imperial Household Department! You have to know how the eunuchs in the palace came from and how they were trained. This is a secret known to only a few people. The elders may know a little, but ordinary court officials and scholars definitely don't know!
Is Liu Feng tired of living?
Liu Feng, who was standing beside the emperor, suddenly felt cold all over, but he quickly glanced around and didn't notice anything unusual. He could only attribute it to his own sensitivity. He didn't notice that the emperor, who was playing with a knife that had just been used to cut the leg of lamb, had his lips tightly pursed and his eyes deep, and he was extremely angry.
After finally suppressing the urge to explode, the emperor glanced at the fourth prince, who was as obedient as a quail, and asked unhappily, "You are the only one who came back, where are the others?"
Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying just hid away from such a big incident? Even if they could escape the first day, they couldn't escape the fifteenth day!
Although the Fourth Prince was a naughty child, he was the best at observing people's words and expressions. Seeing his father like this, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, thinking to himself that the teacher had guessed right, his father was actually angry!
Although he didn't know what he had done wrong, he still stepped forward and leaned on his father's shoulder, whispering into his ear: "The teacher has spoken to County Magistrate Shen and Lin Lao Hu, and has taken the three scholars back to Zhang Garden."
The emperor's eyelids jumped, thinking that Zhang Shou finally knew how to control the three scholars who were likely to talk nonsense, and even instructed Magistrate Shen and the two constables. The former was estimated to be in Zhang Garden and the latter was probably useless. There were too many people in the county government and it would be difficult to stop them. But when the fourth prince said the next sentence, he felt like his head exploded.
"County Magistrate Shen said he wanted to impeach Liu Feng... Father, is it just a small matter?"
“Little shit!” The emperor finally couldn’t help cursing. Seeing the empress dowager and others looking at him in surprise, he forced a smile and explained, “Silang is a bad boy. He gets into trouble whenever he goes out. Jiuzhang and Yingying couldn’t keep an eye on him, and I had to clean up the mess for him! Who should be chosen to enter the imperial kitchen next? Let the queen mother make the decision!”
At this point, the emperor stood up, glanced at the bewildered Third Prince, and said with finality: "Sanlang, you are going to be the Crown Prince. This time, you will help your grandmother to discuss and decide. You should know best what I like and dislike just now! While I am away, you will take this seat!"
The last seven words carried a clear meaning, and for a moment, Lord Wu and Zhang Yu both stood up.
The Queen Mother was slightly startled, and immediately realized that the so-called Fourth Prince's trouble was definitely not as simple as what he did in the Jiangdu Palace. Seeing that Concubine Yu and the Lady Dowager and others also stood up, she thought about it, and simply stood up and nodded to the Emperor.
"Emperor, if you have something to do, go ahead. Just leave Sanlang here. I can't stand your impulsive personality. It would be safer for Sanlang to stay here than for you, his father."
"Well then." The emperor forced a smile at the queen mother, then reached out and pulled the third prince over, pushing him to the middle chair. Seeing the man sitting down in shock, and then jumping up as if his butt was burned, he smiled and touched the man's head, and forced him to sit on the chair again, "Sanlang, do this well, just treat it as a test from me!"
The Third Prince nodded dully - even though he was confused at the moment and really wanted to refuse. Even if he was asked to help the Queen Mother select the imperial chef, he didn't have to sit in this position, right? However, seeing the Emperor dragging the Fourth Prince away in a hurry, and Liu Feng hurriedly following behind, he couldn't help but have an idea in his mind.
Seeing the emperor's impetuous attitude, could it be that his fourth brother really got into some terrible trouble? If he didn't go, and his father got angry at his fourth brother, would there be no one to persuade him? Why didn't the teacher and sister Yingying come? Why did they let the fourth brother come back alone to report? What was going on? Could someone explain it to him?
The emperor was no longer concerned about the Third Prince's mood. He only knew that with the Queen Mother's support, the Third Prince would act prudently and would not make any mistakes. When they left Xinglong Tea House, many guards came up to him. He got on his horse and saw that Liu Feng had caught up with him. He could not help but snort coldly.
"Father, where are we going now?" Even though the Fourth Prince was very stubborn, he knew that the situation seemed to be more serious than he expected, so he asked cautiously. Seeing that the Emperor had a dark face and didn't say anything, he could only bite the bullet and ask, "Are we going to the Wanping County Government Office, or to the teacher?"
"Return to the palace!" The emperor blurted out these two words, and then rode away without hesitation. Faced with this situation, the Fourth Prince was shocked and frightened, and hurriedly rode to catch up. As a large number of well-trained soldiers from the Sharp Cavalry Battalion cleared the way and followed, Liu Feng, who was at the end, couldn't help but smile with a gloating look.
Today, Chu Kuan was humiliated in front of Madam Tai and Jiu Niang, and the ignorant Fourth Prince also clearly angered the emperor. This was really a relief! One of them never took him seriously, and the other caused him to be punished by the emperor, which was embarrassing and almost cost him his position... It would be best if the emperor could punish these two guys in anger!
The emperor drove all the way at lightning speed, and when he entered Donghua Gate from Dong'an Gate and drove straight into the Qianqing Palace, he immediately ordered all the eunuchs and palace servants to leave, leaving only the Fourth Prince and Liu Feng. Seeing Liu Feng's eyes and nose, and his nose and heart, with a calm face, he became more and more angry, and finally couldn't help but slap the armrest heavily.
"You bastard, how dare you gossip in front of Shi Lang? Who gave you the guts?"
When Liu Feng first heard the word "bastard", he didn't realize that he was being scolded. It was only when he heard the rest of the words that he realized something was wrong. He had no idea what was going on. He knelt down with a plop and immediately started crying and complaining: "Your Majesty, I didn't do anything..."
"You didn't do anything? Oh, you didn't do anything. How could Silang know how the Imperial Household Department recruited people? How could he know that they were all orphans adopted by charity organizations? How could he know that they had to sever their family and hometown ties? How could he know that they had to go through layers of screening?"
After a barrage of questions, the emperor saw Liu Feng's face gradually turn pale, so he sneered: "It seems that you remember what you said to Si Lang?"
When the Fourth Prince saw Liu Feng peeking at him, he glared at him angrily, and then simply told him everything that Liu Feng had told him and that he had said in front of everyone, and then he said sullenly at the end, "He swore that this was all true, and even took me to the inner study hall to see it... That's why I couldn't help but tell him today!"
If he felt extremely wronged before, then at this moment, when Liu Feng saw the emperor's increasingly cold face, he knew that he was doomed this time. He had bad intentions in telling the Fourth Prince about the things in the Imperial Household Department, but he hoped that the Fourth Prince would tell the emperor. Who knew that the Fourth Prince would be so big-mouthed and talk nonsense outside, and even added four words.
What do you mean Liu Feng said that! He made up his mind, burst into tears and kowtowed repeatedly, but he said with tears in his voice: "Your Majesty, spare me, I was just showing off because the Fourth Prince was curious and asked, I really didn't expect him to tell others... I just saw that the Imperial Household Department was independent and the emperors of all generations didn't know the tricks of selecting people, so I..."
