Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 738: Too Hardworking, Needs to Be Punished
The brothers Kong Daxueshi and Kong Jiu had their own troubles, but Zhu Tingfang had long forgotten about them. The next morning, when he went to the South City Military Department as usual, he got the news from the deputy military envoy who came to report - the fake messenger who committed suicide yesterday was examined by two of the best coroners in the capital, and the cause of death was found at dawn.
"Has he already swallowed the poison pill?"
Although Zhu Tingfang was smart and eager to learn, he could not claim to be very familiar with this kind of tricks. When he summoned two coroners, he asked a question with a frown. After getting a positive answer, he could not help but become even more confused, so he did not hesitate to ask questions.
"But when he was caught, he didn't show any signs of pain, and he died very quickly, as if he could decide when to die. What kind of poison pill could have such an effect?"
"Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to question you. Everyone has their own expertise. After all, you are more experienced in this area. I just want to take more precautions in the future. Therefore, you need to explain it more clearly. After all, I have already written a letter to apologize. If the emperor asks me in the future, I can't just say that someone swallowed a poison pill and committed suicide under my nose."
It was the first time for the two coroners to meet Zhu Tingfang, a man of noble birth and prominent official position. Seeing his friendly attitude when he asked them questions, they finally felt a little more at ease.
The oldest one among them smiled apologetically and said, "Sir, this man said he swallowed a poison pill, but the poison pill was probably not swallowed secretly by him when you interrogated him, nor was it buried in his teeth long ago. Instead, it was wrapped in food and swallowed into his stomach long ago. And then he probably didn't eat or drink, so the outer layer of the poison pill was not digested in his stomach. And before that..."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "When we tortured this man with a baton, we shouldn't have given him food. Of course, he later attempted suicide, and we blocked his mouth, so it was impossible and we didn't dare to let him eat. So, according to the residue in his stomach that we checked, there was only a little bit of food, and we also found poison residue..."
Although Zhu Tingfang was not an expert in pharmacology, he understood after hearing this. No matter who sent this fake messenger, it goes without saying that the person behind the scenes was scheming. It is also difficult to determine whether this fake messenger knew about it beforehand.
Because if someone knew in advance that there was and was determined to die, he would just need to calculate the time to make trouble at the city gate, and then take advantage of the situation to kill himself with the poison. That would definitely cause an uproar in the whole city.
However, the person died of poison after the interrogation when he revealed that the other party might not be the fake messenger sent by the eldest prince. It seemed that the timing of his death was good, but compared with the extent of making a big fuss, it was much smaller than the former. As for saying that this way, all the responsibility can be put on him, it does make sense, but the problem is... the emperor is afraid that at most he will reprimand him.
"I see. You two have worked hard all night. Come, get ten strings of cash as a reward for them!"
Hearing that their hard work was not in vain, the two coroners were naturally delighted and kowtowed in thanks. After seeing Zhu Tingfang read the document signed and sealed by them, they both left. After they left, Zhu Tingfang told the deputy envoy of the army who was sitting beside him: "Close the case directly and say that someone pretended to be a messenger and spread the news of the death of the eldest prince with evil intentions."
"The mastermind is currently unidentified, and the identity of the accomplice, the deceased, is unknown. We have already asked a skilled painter to draw a picture of this person, right? We'll post it and try to see if anyone can recognize him. As for the dead man, wrap him in a reed mat and bury him directly."
The Deputy Envoy of the Army naturally wanted such a simple and clear way of handling the matter, and he agreed to it without hesitation.
But before he left, he suddenly thought of another thing and said, "I have already passed on what you told me yesterday. Everyone is very grateful and said that they will come to kowtow and congratulate you after you return from your wedding leave."
He never mentioned that he had spread the news that Zhu Tingfang would not accept gifts. Although he received a lot of doubts, there were also a lot of other people who were grateful to him. However, Zhu Tingfang's answer was completely beyond his expectations: "Wedding leave? What wedding leave? I will come to the government office as usual after offering sacrifices to the ancestral temple the day after tomorrow. The return visit in three days will only be a half-day off."
Seeing the deputy envoy in front of him dumbfounded, Zhu Tingfang said calmly: "Now is a troubled winter. Since the emperor has entrusted the Five Cities Military Department to me, how can I only care about my own family and ignore everyone else? As for kowtow and congratulations, there is no need. As long as the capital is safe and peaceful and everyone is working together, that is enough."
When the news spread through the mouth of the deputy military envoy, countless officials and soldiers in the entire South City Military Department were in disbelief. In this day and age, even a soldier could get a three-day wedding leave, not to mention officials in the court. Those in the capital could get at least five or six days of wedding leave, and if they returned to their hometown to get married, their superiors would even approve a month or so of leave.
Of course, the prerequisite for returning home to get married and getting a long vacation is that you have to be of a high enough rank and have been an official for a long time. For an official who is a Jinshi, at that age, he would either be chosen to marry someone else or get married while studying. As for getting married in a grand ceremony after becoming an official... unless your wife dies and you remarry, it is impossible.
But even if it was lively at that time, it would be a second marriage... Do you have the nerve to take ten days off?
But Zhu Tingfang's rank is high enough, his official position is high enough, and more importantly, he is a legitimate royal relative, a noble and legitimate descendant. Now that he is getting married for the first time, does he need to be so diligent and work so hard? In comparison, how can others live?
Zhang Shou didn't care how his elder brother-in-law's hard work would make others look dull, as it was none of his business. However, his elder brother-in-law didn't even want wedding leave - even for those many students, he would have no choice but to shorten his wedding leave in the future . When he heard last night that Zhu Tingfang planned to take half a day off the day after the wedding, and another half a day off on the day of returning home, he was shocked.
So, when he finished teaching in Ciqing Palace this morning, the Third Prince asked him about the wedding in Zhaoguogong Mansion tomorrow, so he just promoted it for his brother-in-law. Now, everyone from the Third Prince to his companions found it incredible. Lu Sanlang couldn't help but yelled, "I took a few days off for my wedding. Isn't Boss Zhu too hard?"
"Do you want me to talk to Father?"
The Third Prince asked uncertainly. Seeing Zhang Shou shaking his head, he thought about his impression of Zhu Tingfang and felt that he was not a man who would listen to advice. He couldn't help but sigh and said, "Yes, Master Zhu has always been a square and old-fashioned person. This is not surprising. Last time Senior Brother Lu got married, it was Fourth Brother who went. This time..."
The third prince actually wanted to join in the fun, but the news of the eldest prince's death was delivered to the palace yesterday. Although his father was not as furious as he was when he heard the news of the second prince's shipwreck, he could still see that his father was in a bad mood, so he did not think it was a good idea for him to go to such a festive occasion at this time.
After all, brothers should also observe mourning. Even if the eldest and second princes were both expelled from the clan when they were expelled from the capital, that could not erase their blood relationship.
He paused, and finally said softly: "Teacher, please persuade my fourth brother not to go to Zhaoguogong Mansion to join in the fun at this time. He is impulsive and reckless, and it is easy for people to point to this point and accuse him of something wrong."
Zhang Shou knew what the Third Prince was worried about, so he laughed and said, "Don't worry. The Fourth Prince has more important things to do now than to secretly attend the wedding and make trouble in the bridal chamber. He has no time to worry about anything else. Even if he is asked not to attend Yingying and I's wedding, he will be unhappy, but he will probably agree."
Not to mention that the Third Prince didn't quite believe it, no one else believed that the naughty boy would be so honest. However, when Zhang Shou and the Third Prince were alone together, Zhang Shou talked about the bet between the Fourth Prince and Zhang Chen, and people couldn't help but believe it. However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince couldn't look favorably on his younger brother, because he knew too well that the Fourth Prince was short-lived when doing things.
For example, the Fourth Prince is now much less interested in mathematics than before.
The third prince is no longer the shy little prince who keeps things to himself. He confessed his worries to Zhang Shou very frankly. Seeing Zhang Shou just smiling but saying nothing, he couldn't help but said, "Teacher, I'm afraid that my fourth brother will do it with full confidence, but when he encounters setbacks, he will hang his head and lose his spirit. After all, he and I are too far away from the common people."
Seeing that the trace of relaxed and playful expression on Zhang Shou's face disappeared, the third prince said solemnly: "Although my fourth brother and I have followed the teacher to the farm in the countryside of Haidian, and have also worked in the fields and watched farmers harvest wheat, and have also been to the market, and even attended classes with students from Jiuzhang Hall, after all, we only watched and interacted with each other, and it can't be said that we have truly experienced it firsthand."
"Even if Fourth Brother eats and lives with Peanut Xiao Cheng in the public school, it won't be that hard. I'm worried... I'm worried that when his patience reaches its limit and he starts to act like a prince, he won't be able to keep the two friends he just made."
Having said that, the third prince lowered his head slightly, feeling very delicate.
The short period of time he spent studying at Jiuzhang Hall was the happiest time of his life. He studied hard, did his homework, and tried his best to keep up with Zhang Shou's lectures. He got along with a lot of classmates from different backgrounds, and they went from being cautious to becoming familiar with each other... He once thought that he could make a few friends besides Lu Sanlang.
Anyway, he is an insignificant little prince. Whether he becomes a wise king or an idle king in the future, that is the best outcome.
However, his father had chosen him to inherit the world! From the moment he agreed to his father's request, he could no longer go in and out of Jiuzhang Hall, his teacher's house, or even travel around the market and visit the people. Of course, he could no longer make friends as he had originally imagined, because no one dared to make friends with the current prince and future emperor.
Therefore, although his fourth brother was ordered by his father to reflect outside the palace, and although he could not see his brother, he knew that his brother's life was fulfilling and meaningful, and it seemed that he had made friends of the same age. The third prince was very happy for him, but he also did not want him to be looked down upon by his friends in case he failed or gave up halfway.
Zhang Shou looked at the Third Prince's anxious attitude and naturally felt the Crown Prince's empathy and shook his head, "Your Highness, you underestimate your brother. Every failure is a learning experience. Even though the Fourth Prince seems to be always getting into trouble, he has also grown a lot."
"Although I can tell you that even if he loses the bet with Zhang Chen this time, it doesn't matter. Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng won't blame him for it. However, I still have to tell you the truth. I will definitely let him win this bet and make Zhang Chen lose with a clear conscience. This is also what I promised Duke Qin."
Seeing the Third Prince's bewildered and confused face, Zhang Shou whispered to him what Duke Qin Zhang Chuan had entrusted to Zhu Ying. Sure enough, the Third Prince immediately became at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Duke Qin is really throwing away the burden... But if the teacher intends to use Fourth Brother to attack Zhang Chen, isn't that unfair?"
"No, at most I will just take a look at the situation and then go with the flow. I won't really take sides from the beginning. We have to let them fight each other first. I plan to set the place for their gambling fight in Tongzhou, and by the way, let Miss Ye, who Yingying is very optimistic about, contact Zhang Chen again. Of course, this is not for matchmaking, but to let Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince suffer a blow."
"From what I know, Miss Ye is strong and independent, and she is well-educated and well-mannered. If we ask her to make a private judgment, she should be fair. Anyway, the enrollment of the girls' school is still ongoing, so she is not needed. This gambling fight will only last for a month, so she should have plenty of time. Of course, when we go to see her, we cannot use the gambling fight as an excuse, but must use the talent selection as an excuse."
At this point, Zhang Shou looked at the thoughtful Third Prince with a smile and asked, "Can I invite you in the name of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
"Me?" The Third Prince was obviously caught off guard. He was not worried about meeting a woman from the Ye family, whether people would suspect him of being lustful or something like that, after all, he was still too young. Instead, he was worried about another problem. "But I have never seen her before. What excuse can I use to go to her?"
"It's very simple. Yingying will take her to the palace to meet the Queen Mother and Princess Yongping. After all, the Queen Mother is the biggest sponsor of the girls' school. When the time comes, you can go too. Then, tell her about the bet between Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince that I told you about. I think, with the Queen Mother's personality, she should agree."
The Third Prince was a little confused. He felt that Zhang Shou's arrangement was very meticulous, but he also felt that there was more to it. Therefore, when Zhang Shou left early that day on the grounds that he needed to go back to Duke Zhao's Mansion to help prepare for Zhu Tingfang's wedding, he could not help but be a little absent-minded in his afternoon class.
When the third prince returned to the Qianqing Palace in the evening, he saw that his father was still unhappy, so he couldn't help but tell him about this ridiculous bet. Knowing that the public school was going to undergo such a change, although he knew that Zhang Shou had no good intentions, the emperor, who was upset by the death of the eldest prince, was unknowingly diverted.
"Just try to follow Zhang Shou's advice. Don't worry about your fourth brother, let alone Zhang Chen. These two guys just deserve to be punished! If Zhang Shou really wants a fair gambling environment, I will quietly make a move and let them suffer a little more!"
