Brother Donggong

but……

In this world, the person who is least likely to save Cui Bicheng is the crown prince.

Because, Cui Bicheng once killed the person he cared about most.

Guo Jia, the former governor of Zhejiang Province who used to study in Yuzheng Palace, is a confidant of the prince, a powerful city in the country, a high-ranking official in frontiers, and arrogance in the south of the Yangtze River.

With him around, the provinces in the south of the Yangtze River are firmly in the hands of the crown prince, and no one else can separate them.

It's just that this Guo Jia's health is not very good, and he has a little bit of personal moral flaws.He likes his classmate and good friend Prince Regent's son Hyun-tong.They have had skin relatives, but each has its own future.Marry a wife and have children, and have no further contact.

Originally, this was an old secret that no one knew, but for some reason, Cui Bicheng's dog nose smelled it out.

He has no right to instigate the imperial envoy to impeach Guo Jia.Old Cui was even worse. He found a literati and wrote out the love affairs of Guo Jiaxuantong at that time vividly.The words are extremely romantic and charming, and the majestic governor of Zhejiang Province is worse than the flower girl who leans on the door and sells her laughter.

If this matter is left on me, I will at most lose sight of it.

But he, Guo Jia, is a scholar, a narrow-minded scholar who accepts death, and he is still guilty and thin-skinned, and he wants to save face, so he has to suffer.

He had bad lungs, and after going back and forth with Cui Bicheng, he was finally scolded to death by Cui Bicheng's Longyang Erotic Storybook.

The prince lost Guo Jia, it was like a broken arm.The provinces in the south of the Yangtze River are almost surrendered just like that.There can be an important taxation area for the imperial court, and there is countless gold. Just throwing it away like this is tantamount to plucking flesh from the palm of the prince, and the prince almost gritted his teeth.

Fortunately, Guo Jia's careful management there in the past few years still has a foundation.Now the governor of Zhezhi is not a member of the prince, but the governors below, the chief envoy, etc., are still the prince's henchmen.

Things are not so out of hand.

The prince and my father have the same temper.

They give up a foot, and others have to pay back with a foot.

Cui Bicheng has caused so much damage to the prince, it's not like saying a word or two softly, apologizing, and just having a good laugh can make it through.

Now the prince wants what Cui Bicheng holds, and he says he can save him.

Wen Zhan can tolerate Cui Bicheng.

Endure for one year, endure for two years, endure for five years, endure for ten years.

What's next?

Isn't there a saying in the folk that it's not too late for a gentleman to take revenge in ten years?

But, again, without the prince, maybe Lao Cui would not survive the Dragon Boat Festival.When will you say anything, the boat will naturally go straight when it reaches the bridge, and when it arrives, you may not know what will happen.

Wen Zhan and I went to Qingfeng on Green Island.

There is no elaborate decoration here, not even refreshments, only warm tea and a stove.

Qingfeng Green Island is facing the water surface of Taiye Pool. At night, the moonlight is scattered on the water surface as if broken. There is a small bay here, and several small boats are tied to the wooden stakes in front of you.After a month, at the end of spring, water shield can still be caught here. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop on them.

Wen Zhan drank a cup of tea by himself, and said, "I'm just here, walking around casually, whoever thinks of it will bump into them.

In fact, what they said didn't matter to me.

I know what they say, and I know what they don't say.

Du Yuanze, Cui Bicheng and the others are not very familiar with this place. They thought they would be safe by hiding on the other side of the rockery. In fact, he didn't know that it was not safe at all. They didn't even see me sitting on a branch, let alone I touched you from the lake. "

Me, "I came from the lake."

Wen Zhan raised his eyebrows, "It's all the same. Anyway, there is no light there, and your eyesight is not good. Walking around at night is like a blind man groping around."

I,"……"

I don't argue with him either.

He said his, and I listened to it.

I didn't sit with Wen Zhan, I was alone leaning on the living path, drinking a pot of tea with green jade bucket in both hands, and dug out a box of lotus flower cake and candied fruit from the secret compartment under Duobaoge over there. Just eat it with tea, the prince finished speaking.

To be honest, I was quite surprised.

I always thought that Cui Bicheng was an iron rooster, but I didn't expect that he could make an iron rooster so close to death without regret.

He and the Du family are now in such a tense and disintegrating situation. In the final analysis, it is because of the uneven distribution of spoils.

According to the crown prince's informant, Du Yuanze has money from Cui Bicheng, and Cui Bicheng is also ruthless, and the money distributed to the Du family is around 2 taels of silver every year.

What is this concept?

Let me put it this way, Du Yuanze has already calculated a personal price for Cui Bicheng because of the teacher-student friendship between Cui Bicheng and Du Yan. He wants 20 taels a year.He asks someone else to calculate his share, and if it is less than 50 taels, there is no need to talk about it. This debt to Lao Cui is already a face, but in this way, Cui Bicheng only gives him [-] taels a year.

In the first year, Cui Bicheng's reason for refusing him was that he had just arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, his business was just getting started, and he needed money.

In the second year, the reason was that they wanted to buy off the salt patrol envoy and deduct more salt tax.

In the third year, there was a disaster in the south of the Yangtze River and there was no money.

In the fourth year, there was a disaster and I needed to buy land, but I had no money.

……

This year, buying fields, planting mulberries, buying raw silk, building new silk workshops, and building ships to go to sea all need money.Moreover, the year is not going well today, and now the prince has found out the bottom line. It needs to be cleared, and it will cost money. In May, their newly built silver mine exploded, and people died. Cui Bicheng worked hard for a year, but he didn't make any money. He lost more than 3000 taels of silver. He was unlucky, so he had no money this year.

He, Cui Bicheng, opened his mouth to talk nonsense, others will not be fooled so easily like me.

The prince can even dig up his detailed accounts. Although Mr. Du Xiaoge is a little bit worse than the prince, he can't find out all the details, but he still has the ability to dig out one, two, three.

Among other things, Cui Bicheng cried poor every year, but his money was never tight.

Last year, he spent a full 15 taels of silver going south to buy an opera troupe. On the tenth day after arriving in Yongjing, he listened to the entire version of the fragrant "Peony Pavilion", and asked Xiao Opera to sing for him without clothes. After that, He gave it to Pei Tan as soon as he changed hands.

Does he act like everyone else is a fool?

Du Yuanze quit at that time.

In fact, it can't be blamed on his lack of concentration, he is generous enough, if this matter is left to me, I have already cut off Lao Cui's ear, made it as a side dish, and then used him as money.

Du Yuanze and Cui Bicheng had a falling out, and they wanted to kill him. Compared with the massacre in Jiangsu, Cui Bicheng could be involved, and he could not get away from the Du family.Du Yuanze is very meticulous in his work, but who would have thought that the old Cui with his eyes and eyes would get a black book from the Du family. Du Xiaoge was afraid that Lao Cui would give this black book to the prince as a stepping stone to surrender to the prince, but the strange thing is, Not only did Lao Cui not beg for mercy from the prince, he even repeatedly denied that he used the Du family's black account, which made everyone very puzzled.

This black account is a good thing.

Those who belong to the prince's party can use this black book to turn their backs. The grass door above the wall can use the black book to blackmail the Du family.This thing is simply the Tang monk meat in "Journey to the West". If you eat it, even if you can't ascend to the immortal base forever, you can prolong your life.

Everyone wants it.

No, first of all, the prince can't wait any longer. "

He opened his mouth.

"Chengyi."

Wen Zhan came over from there, put his arms around me, and pulled me up from the ground.

I have been squatting here to eat candied fruit before.

"How much do you listen to what I say?"

With preserved apricots stuffed in my mouth, I was fed a sip of tea by him, and said vaguely, "I heard it all, I heard it all. I'll go back to Lao Cui right away. If he really has such a black account in his hand, I will immediately Let him bring it to you."

I was dragged back by Wen Zhan before I went out.

Wen Zhan said, "What's the rush? There is a palace banquet at the Shuijingtai. There are so many people and it's cold. No matter how good the food prepared in the imperial dining room is, it will turn into lumps of ice after being placed in the wind for a quarter of an hour. People eat it." It must be a stomachache. Concubine Cui and Cui Bicheng are already there, so don’t go.”

After finishing speaking, I pulled my sleeves and walked towards the East Palace.

"Follow me back to the East Palace for dinner."

I was surprised, "Hey, then you don't want Cui Bicheng's stuff?"

Wen Zhan didn't care, "That thing doesn't have legs, and Cui Bicheng doesn't have wings, so he can't even fly to Yongjing."

Me, "Then you are afraid that Du Xiaoge will come first and take Lao Cui's things?"

Wen Zhan, "If you want to get it early, you won't be able to wait until now. I told you those words so that you can tell Cui Bicheng that it's better to figure it out sooner rather than later. You can sell it for a price, but if It wears out everyone's patience, and in the end he is the only one who is unlucky."

I,"……"

Then I said, "Wen Zhan, can you make up with Cui Bicheng as well. He is not a bad person. He made trouble with you and didn't target you. He treats everyone like that. He's just such a dog. Besides, in the future you If you are enthroned, the world is yours, and there are so many unpleasant things in the world, you can bear it, you can't bear it, and you have to bear it. If that is the case, why can't you tolerate a Cui Bicheng. "

Wen Zhan grabbed my sleeve tighter and tighter, and then said in a low voice, "It's because of his thoughts on you, I have endured him until now, and he can go to burn incense."

I'm second again.

What does Old Cui think of me?

Pulling my big flag outside to make a tiger skin, using my prince's big hat to bluff and deceive, and always playing crooked ideas about my priceless antiques,...

None of this matters.

Which family doesn't have a few relatives who are greedy for small things?

We are cousins, although we don't share the same surname, we are closer than brothers.

My third younger brother Yulan and fourth younger brother Qingsu are not greedy for petty gains from me.

However, one of them wanted to strangle me, and the other had already been strangled because he wanted to strangle me.

And the sixth younger brother, Prince Wen Zhan...

Hey, there is no need to think about the grievances and hatred between us.

Thinking about it, he must have vomited blood.

But just like this, the two of us went to eat hand in hand.

What is Cui Bicheng's little thought?

Wen Zhan is really domineering.

oppressive rule.

When they arrived at the East Palace, they happened to see Liu Congrong limping back, holding a black dragon robe of the prince in his hand.He said that the emperor sent someone to pass the decree, so that the prince would not have to kneel, and it was not a mistake to make mistakes on this day of great joy. He asked the prince to go back to the East Palace for dinner.

After hearing this, Wen Zhan was neither particularly happy nor unhappy.

He just looked at Liu Congrong up and down, and asked him, "Didn't I ask you to put a thick silk pad under your knees, how can you still kneel like a cripple?"

Liu Congrong said hastily, "I'm used to kneeling on my knees. Since I'm being punished for His Highness, I can't just do it half-heartedly. In that case, Tianlei will kill my servant."

I interrupted, "It's not possible. It's only March, where did the thunder come from? Liu Ya, don't talk nonsense."

The prince looked at him, and then said gently, "Go down. From today on, you will not be on duty. You just lie on the bed and take good care of it. If there is any problem with your leg, I will not agree. Did you hear clearly?"

Liu Congrong quickly lowered his head and agreed, and then went down.

I was so delusional, I asked Wen Zhan, "Which song is this song from?"

Wen Zhan said, "Isn't it true that Du Xiaoge doesn't approve of it? I went wrong when I checked and merged land in the south. My people were demoted and fined. Even Liu Congrong knelt for a whole day. Now Taking advantage of Concubine Cui's happy event, his father invited the Du family and his father to watch the play in the palace. They had given enough face, and his father meant that the whole thing should end here and not involve others. But they Whether you want to save face or not is another matter."

The prince is in conflict with the Du family, and I can't persuade you about this matter.

Sooner or later, the two factions will fight to the death.

Wen Zhan asked someone to serve the food, and then he said, "This matter has nothing to do with you, and I don't want you to know too much, and it's too deeply involved. It's just that Cui Bicheng is from your uncle's family after all, and something happened to him , you must be involved. As for the rest, the less you know, the better."

"I'm busy today, you haven't eaten anything yet. Today's dinner is all cooked in the small kitchen of the East Palace. It's home-cooked food to warm your stomach. Eat a few bites here, or go to the mirror table, or you don't want to go."

I smiled, "I don't want to go either. I'm dizzy from the noise over there. Also, if you didn't see it, some bastard dressed my mother up like a candied fruit mix. It's so ugly."

The crown prince sat there and was served tea. He held the tea bowl and said with a smile, "In the end, Concubine Cui is a blessed person. Father respects her character, not because of her appearance. People are rare. By the way, I heard that your grandfather and uncle did not come to Beijing, what's going on?"

I said, "It's okay if I don't say it. I also feel baffled when I say it. My grandfather broke his leg yesterday morning to grab a bag of licorice candy from the boar. My uncle and aunt had to take care of him, so they had to stay in the Ran Zhuang, you won’t be able to become Yongjing anymore.”

As I said, I scratched my hair, always feeling that this matter is actually quite impossible.

Wen Zhan also laughed when he heard it, "I was wondering why you were born in this inner courtyard of the palace. From this point of view, it can be regarded as a family tradition."

Me, "What! I'm so much better than them!!"

Wen Zhan smiled, "That's natural. In my heart, ten, one hundred, thousands of them can't compare to one of you."

I,"……"

What he said was full of laughter, but so natural, as if he was talking about the most common thing.

I looked up at him, but he looked down at the tea bowl in his hand, the corner of his mouth was full of warmth.

Unknowingly, I also felt warmed up.

Wen Zhan said, "Cui Yan (my uncle's name) is a good official, and the assessment by the Ministry of Officials is excellent every year. The people under his rule live and work in peace and contentment. Last year, the Shuntian Mansion reported that he was promoted to Datong Tongzhi. But he didn't want to go. He said that if he went to Datong, he would be far away from home, and he couldn't go home to eat often, and your aunt would not agree. This matter will be delayed."

Me, "My uncle is Xinghuo's future, and there is no revenge. The grain in our hometown is enough for them to eat, and the money Cui Bicheng earns from doing business is enough for them to spend, so they have no other ideas. The common people He said, being an official for thousands of miles is for food and clothing. Without this idea, it is actually much easier to be an official. You don’t need to give gifts, you don’t need to go to the office, you don’t need to care about the gains and losses of the officialdom. As for the trivial matters of government affairs, my uncle can handle them.”

Wen Zhan said, "Chengyi, you are wrong."

"Ah?? How did I go wrong??"

"It's not your hometown. Ranzhuang is the hometown of the Cui family. Your home is here."

I rolled my eyes and rubbed my nose, "This is not the Imperial Academy, why are you so eloquent?"

Wen Zhan didn't answer.

We just had tea in peace.

After a while, Wen Zhan made a teacup and said, "I suddenly remembered that the old man of the Cui family, that is, your grandfather, seems to have never been to Yongjing after Empress Cui entered the palace."

"Oh." I nodded, "My grandma died early, and grandpa was a person who valued love and affection. Young couples are very kind, so his health has not been very good since then, and his mind is not clear. The place in Yongjing is very evil. If you can’t come, don’t come.”

"Really. I don't think so, but..."

Wen Zhan's voice was very calm.

"You and the Cui family are pretty similar in this respect."

At this time, the food was served.

It is home-cooked food, some vegetarian, but there are a few small buns made of bean noodles, chestnuts, corn, and milk that look very sweet. I ate a few more. Wen Zhan doesn’t eat whole grains. I also ate all the small buns on the side.

I originally thought that if I had enough food and drink here, I would send someone to visit my mother. If she had nothing serious to do besides drinking and singing, I would go back to my Yuxi Palace. Go to sleep.

But at this time, a little eunuch came in from outside, and stayed at the door for a long time, not daring to come over. Wen Zhan still had sharp eyes, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

The little eunuch quickly came over and knelt down, touched his head to the ground, and said in a low voice, "Return to Your Highness, Foreign Minister Du Yuchan, and..." He paused, and then said, "...Cui Bicheng is outside, they I want to see the princess."

Wen Zhan's face sank, "The concubine Chu is not feeling well, she has already fallen asleep, and there are no outsiders."

"That's how the servant replied. However, the two of them said that they followed the emperor's oral order, and the servant did not know the truth, so they came to ask for His Highness's order."

Wen Zhan smiled coldly, "I'm in the East Palace, you come to ask for an order, if I'm really imprisoned in Wenyuan Pavilion, where do you go to ask for an order?"

The little eunuch kowtowed heavily, and then said, "In that case, the servants will never let them see the concubine Chu no matter what."

Wen Zhan laughed, "They followed the emperor's orders to see the concubine Chu, do you dare to resist the order?"

"Your Highness, the concubine Chu is not allowed to see foreign ministers. It is about the concubine Chu's reputation. Even if the servants die, they cannot obey the order."

I wondered, "What kind of rare things do you have in the East Palace? How dare a servant say that he will never obey the order?"

The prince said, "They are afraid that someone will correct the imperial edict. If they delay here, they will find someone to ask the father and emperor. If they understand it, they will be summoned. If someone falsely preaches the imperial edict..." Speaking of this, his His eyes were narrowed, but his voice was cold and frightening. He said, "If it wasn't for the will, then of course I wouldn't be called. Just arrest people and send them back wherever they came from."

After all, he said to the little eunuch kneeling on the ground, "Let them meet the concubine Chu in the side hall. Du Yuchan is my brother-in-law, and Cui Bicheng is Chengyi's cousin. Logically, I should accompany you, but I just want to come They have something to say to the concubine Chu, if you serve me with good tea, I won't go there."

"Yes, according to His Highness's will."

After the little eunuch finished speaking, he got up from the ground and backed out.

In fact, no matter what the princess wanted to do or what she did, the prince treated her like this, beat her closest people to death in front of her, scared her into madness, these things were indeed too much.The concubine is a girl raised in a deep boudoir. She has seen the world and what she knows. It is her fault that she gave aphrodisiacs to harm the prince after listening to someone else's words, but her heart may not be that poisonous, or it may just be ignorance That's all.

... "I heard that Du Yuchan and the concubine Du Minghe have a very good relationship, just like Yuezheng and I."

what?

I was thinking wildly, when I heard Wen Zhan speak suddenly, but didn't listen to him clearly, I looked at him.

He looked outside the hall, but his eyes were very soft.

"They grew up together and read together. This is different from me and Yuezheng. Yuezheng is much younger than me, and I taught him to read. However, I think Du Yuchan's heart for the concubine Chu should be the same as that of Yuezheng. I treat Yuezheng the same way. Thinking about it this way, no matter whether they have the emperor's will or not, I will let Du Yuchan see the concubine Chu."

"However, it's just one side."

"Chengyi, you like me doing this kind of thing very much, don't you. When I see your eyes, they are warm."

I looked at him fixedly, and nodded slowly.

I know that Wen Zhan did this, but how many connections he has made.

Concubine Chu is crazy, not crazy yet, to what extent she is crazy, whether she can say a word or two, whether she can plot something with Du Yuchan, or spread a message, I don't know.

Once there is a mistake, the prince's already delicate situation will become more complicated.

I don't want Wen Zhan to be in danger.

only……

I will indeed be happy.

I want to say, in fact, you don't have to think about my thoughts, the things between you have always been intrigues, life-and-death struggles, there can be no mistakes, if the benevolence of a woman like me is mixed in, it will only delay things.

But when I saw Wen Zhan's smiling eyes, I couldn't speak out these messy nonsense.

I was obsequious for a long time, and finally said, "That,..., thank you."

Wen Zhan smiled softly, "Thank you for what I did. However, it's rare for you to say something nice, so I'll accept it."

Wen Zhan has always been contemptuous of Du Yuchan and Cui Bicheng, so naturally he would not go to see them.I've been thinking about Cui Bicheng's matter in my heart, no matter what, I can't let him see Lord Yama for no reason.

I walked out of the vertical flower gate and saw the door of the side hall opened, Du Yuchan was inside, the concubine Chu was sitting in front of him, but no one spoke.

Cui Bicheng was leaning against a peach blossom tree over there, with a familiar expression on his face, humming a little tune in his mouth: —— Bianshui flow, Sishui flow, flow to Guazhou ancient ferry, my sister, Give me a kiss, and my brother will feed you a cup of wine...

He didn't finish singing, and suddenly shut up.

He looked at me with his eyes up and down, and curled his lips, "I thought you were sleeping in the Shouchun Palace."

I paced around, "No. I went to the main entrance to digest my food while the lights were on. At that time, Mr. Du Ge and Mr. Du Xiaoge were entering the palace. The third child went out to meet him, and I came back."

Old Cui snorted coldly, "It wouldn't be that delicate prince who relied on himself to kneel in the Wenhua Palace for a while, and then acted like a baby and tricked you, a fool."

I hastily stepped forward, grabbed Cui Bicheng, and dragged him away, "Keep your voice down, I have something to ask you."

Cui Bicheng grinned, "Oh, little ancestor, please be gentle. Your claws haven't been manicured for a few days, and they are almost like ghost claws."

I dragged him out, and seeing no one was around, I leaned over and asked him in a low voice, "Do you have Du Yuanze's black account in your hand?"

Cui Bicheng was taken aback, but did not speak.

He looked at me like sinking water.

Finally, he put on a smiling face, and said, "How did you know...he told you?"

Cui Bicheng's 'he' is naturally the prince.

I, "Then don't ask, that thing is not safe in your hands. This is the same as beating a drum to pass a flower. You must throw it out before the drum stops, otherwise, you will wait for God to take you." .”

Cui Bicheng turned his face slightly, and aimed his eyes in the direction of the East Palace, "Did he say that? Did the crown prince want the account book? He must have promised some benefits, saying that he could protect me or something, haha, Chengyi, this is really interesting. He is now a mud bodhisattva crossing the river. He can't protect himself. Does he still want to protect others? If the crown prince gets the account, seizes this clue, and kills the Du family, his crown prince may return. He can do it for a few more years, otherwise, he will pack his bags this year and leave the East Palace in disgrace!"

I hissed, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Cui Bicheng, "I'm not talking nonsense. Chengzi..."

Old Cui tugged at my ear, leaned over and said, "Do you know what stupid things the crown prince did? He handed over the provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, where [-]% of the tax revenue in Dazheng was heavily taxed, to King Jia!"