bullyxtreme Chapter 156 The Third Prince and the Left Prime Minister
Chapter 156 The Third Prince and the Left Prime Minister
There had never been a precedent in the Great Jin Dynasty for an emperor or prince to bestow a calligraphy work upon a commoner.
This calligraphy fundraising effort brought the Xuzhou flood disaster to the attention of all the wealthy merchants in the entire Jin Dynasty.
Before Xiao Yuan even set off, news from various channels had spread throughout the Great Jin Dynasty via the merchant guild's land and sea carrier pigeons.
Whether they were gem merchants traveling to the Western Regions or horse traders traveling to the northern deserts.
Those with solid assets flocked to Jiangnan, bringing the entire Jiangnan economy to a new level.
All the major chambers of commerce mobilized, with Zhejiang merchants, Fujian merchants, Shanxi merchants, and Anhui merchants all eager to participate. If they couldn't handle it on their own, they would raise funds through the chamber of commerce.
They were determined to obtain a piece of the emperor's calligraphy to display in the business association and make a name for themselves.
Regardless of whether Xiao Yuan's trip to Xuzhou for disaster relief is safe or not, he is certainly safe in the Jiangnan region until these paintings and calligraphy are sold.
If there is even the slightest mishap, those wealthy merchants waiting to receive the imperial edict will immediately panic.
Jiang Xinyu had anticipated this situation, which is why she was able to remain calm.
She knew that the real battle would begin when those calligraphy works were transformed into food and transported to the disaster area.
The Left Prime Minister's Residence in the Capital.
The Third Prince Jin Zexuan and the Left Chancellor Zhang Zhongyi chatted while playing chess, their black and white pieces clashing and displaying their formidable strength on the chessboard.
A servant brought in a message by carrier pigeon. After reading it, the Left Prime Minister handed it to the Third Prince with a slight smile.
"As expected, none of the princes and grandsons of the emperor are ordinary. Even the Prince An, who has not shown his face for a long time, is a man of great talent who will make a name for himself when he does."
I heard that the idea of raising funds through calligraphy and painting was his, and the Emperor praised him highly.
Jin Zexuan smiled slightly and placed a piece on the board. "So what? From the moment he was enfeoffed as the Prince of An, he had nothing to do with the throne."
Unless all of us brothers die without leaving any grandchildren, Father Emperor would not be so foolish as to defy ancestral rules and pass the throne to him.
Since he wants to feign disability to save his life, I, as his elder brother, don't necessarily have to kill him. As long as he doesn't get in my way, that's fine.
I heard that he fell ill again yesterday. The imperial physician said that his body was weak and needed tonics, so the emperor bestowed upon him a lot of ginseng and deer antler.
Whether it's true or not, since the status of the fourth mistress is already set and she has no children, we don't need to worry about it.
We should pay more attention to the Crown Prince's side, though.
Although my elder brother is disliked by the Emperor, his two nephews have been frequently summoned to the capital recently.
"Don't let the Crown Prince, if not deposed, produce another virtuous grandson."
Zhang Zhongyi stroked his beard, smiled faintly, and shook his head. "It's just the way of balance."
The Second Prince is currently enjoying great influence and has a good reputation, while Prince An is useless and the Fifth Prince is truly incapable of being helped.
The remaining princes are not of much use. If His Majesty does not promote the Crown Prince's lineage, he will not be able to sleep at night.
Your Highness need not worry.
In the hundreds of years since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, there has been no precedent of the throne being passed to a grandson of the emperor. Rather than focusing on them, we should concentrate our efforts on eliminating the eunuchs.
The thought that there's always a pair of eyes watching me from who-knows-where keeps me awake at night.
Jin Zexuan nodded with a smile, "Teacher is absolutely right. The dog that Father Emperor keeps is too alert."
Since they won't eat the food we give them, it's better to keep things simple and avoid them biting us at any time.
That castrated dog is truly cunning; does the teacher have any good ideas?
"I wouldn't call it a good solution, but I did discover some interesting things."
The Left Prime Minister's eyes gleamed with a shrewd glint as he smiled inscrutablely.
"The Jiang family girl who was originally engaged to Zhao Chengye seemed to be very popular with Xiao Yuan, but Xiao Yuan's little wolf cub is biased towards a palace maid."
We can't find out what's going on inside that mansion.
However, after Consort Jin passed away, the palace maid moved into the Governor's Mansion with Ye Xiao. Subsequently, Ye Xiao was injured and took leave, and did not go to the Eastern Depot to perform his duties.
I suspect he probably had a conflict with that Jiang family girl and was taught a lesson by Xiao Yuan.
Jin Zexuan was somewhat puzzled, "A eunuch's harem is quite interesting, but what's the point?"
Zhang Zhongyi narrowed his eyes slightly, "A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole, especially when there are cracks inside a house, they are easier to overcome."
If we can't infiltrate that mansion, we can use Jiang Huai's name to lure out that Jiang family girl. Then we'll need to borrow Young Master Yan's help."
Jin Zexuan suddenly frowned, "Does the teacher want Yan Fei to seduce Xiao Yuan's wife and then have that woman poison Xiao Yuan?"
Isn't this too roundabout?
This flood in Xuzhou is a perfect opportunity to get rid of that damned eunuch. Must we wait for him to return to the capital?
Zhang Zhongyi never expected that his prized student would have such a thought process, and suddenly felt powerless in the face of his son-in-law, the Second Prince.
The old emperor's genes were indeed not very good; he picked the best of a bad bunch, and this is about the best he could manage.
If it weren't for his eldest daughter's misfortune in being unable to give birth to the prince, he would have loved to wipe out the entire Jin family and install his grandson on the throne.
Jin Zexuan was much smarter than his older brothers.
Seeing the Prime Minister's embarrassed expression, he knew he had guessed wrong, and immediately cupped his hands in a guilty and apprehensive manner, seeking guidance.
Zhang Zhongyi stroked his beard and coughed lightly, saying, "If there are too many variables if Xiao Yuan returns to the capital, it is best to let him die in Xuzhou."
My idea is to have the Thousand-Faced Young Master Yan Fei disguise himself as a Jiang family woman and head to Xuzhou to find an opportunity to get close to Xiao Yuan and then strike.
Xiao Yuan is inherently suspicious and would never hand over the mansion to the Jiang family woman, bypassing Ye Xiao, the son he has raised for over ten years.
As long as Young Master Yan plays the role of Jiang's daughter crying and complaining that Ye Xiao couldn't tolerate her after Xiao Yuan left the mansion, even if there are letters from the mansion reporting that everything is safe, Xiao Yuan will only think that Ye Xiao deliberately concealed his adoptive mother's disappearance.
It's not easy for outsiders to get close to Xiao Yuan, but if it were a panicked wife who had traveled thousands of miles to find her husband, Xiao Yuan probably wouldn't let anyone search her body first.
The disaster area is lacking in medical supplies and medicine; if Young Master Yan succeeds in his attack, the situation will be secure.
"Teacher is very talented. I will have Yanfei come over to serve you. I will need to trouble you to take care of the specific details."
Zhang Zhongjin was pleased with the Third Prince's flattery and continued to play chess with him casually until his youngest daughter, Niao Niaotingting, came to bring him some snacks. Only then did he excuse himself, saying he was tired, and hand over the game to the young man.
Zhang Si Guniang's chess skills weren't great, but her fingers were truly beautiful. Against the backdrop of bright red nail polish, her fingers looked as white and lustrous as jade carvings.
Gently picking up a black stone and slowly lowering it, Jin Zexuan almost shouted "Knight's move!" at the Go board.
One player was poor at chess, and the other was completely absorbed in the beautiful woman's hands; the game ended in a complete mess.
Even when they had surrounded each other's pieces, they forgot to collect their own; a silent ambiguity flowed between them.
Zhang Zhongyi, watching this scene from afar, flashed contempt in his eyes and called over a trusted servant to deliver a letter to Zhao Chengye.
Zhao Chengye has had a really tough time these past six months.
He injured his body and was forced to live a life of abstinence, feeling anxious and restless every day.
My sister has offended many of her girlfriends, and she's getting fewer and fewer invitations. Even her fiancé's family, who were originally engaged to her, have some reservations about her and are hinting at breaking off the engagement.
The mother complained all day about the family's difficult circumstances, criticizing Li Mingyue for being unhelpful, stupid, dull, and petty.
Li Mingyue knew she was guilty and initially tolerated it, but as time went on, she was also driven too far by her mother's torment and eventually started making a scene.
Now that the inner quarters of the Ningguo Duke's mansion are in complete disarray, Zhao Chengye can't help but think of the Jiang family's goodness.
Although Jiang Xinyu had a bad temper, she really liked him. For him, she was willing to tolerate her mother and sister and was even more willing to spend a lot of money.
I heard that the glass products and mahjong sets that have become popular recently are all owned by Jiang Xinyu's uncle's family. Her aunt is very generous, giving tens of thousands of taels of silver as dowry.
If he had married her, the household wouldn't be in such dire straits and shabby now.
Even if I can't marry Jiang Xinyu, it would be fine if I married Wanqiu instead.
With Wanqiu's gentle and virtuous nature, she would surely be able to keep the household in an orderly, warm, and harmonious manner, which is much better than dealing with Li Mingyue, a useless troublemaker.