The return of the son-in-law

On the second day, Li Shaojin took the imperial doctor given to him by Li Chonghao, and sat in the carriage of the second-rank Prince Huguo, set off from the palace, and went all the way into the Liu Mansion openly and aboveboard.

In the Liu Mansion, Liu Wenhua had already received the message, and after waiting in the hall for a long time, when he heard that King Ying's carriage was coming, he rushed to the gate to greet him.

"Greetings to King Ying." Everyone in the Liu residence bowed down in unison.

Li Shaojin put on a show again, and everyone welcomed Li Shaojin into Liu's mansion.

The reason he left the palace this time was to visit his seriously ill grandfather, so the imperial physician he brought with him naturally couldn't be ignored.And because of Liu Wenheng's advanced age, coupled with the repeated blows in the past year, his body and mind are not as good as before, and he is indeed bedridden.

The imperial physician took Liu Yuanheng's pulse carefully, and knew that the former Prime Minister was not seriously ill, but he just caught a cold a few days ago, which made him feel uncomfortable.However, he has been in the imperial hospital for more than ten years, so he naturally understands the way of survival of imperial physicians. He made Liu Yuanheng's condition more serious, and prescribed some medicines that are neither harmful nor beneficial to the body, so he took the medicine Tong Xian went back to Tai Hospital.

After the imperial physician left, Liu Yuanheng, who had been lying on the bed, got up and got dressed under the service of the maids, and then led Li Shaojin and Liu Wenhua to the study.

Liu Wenhua took out the secret letter from his pocket, put it on the table, and said, "His Royal Highness, Father, that kid from the Chai family came over early in the morning, and I asked him to leave the secret letter and send him away."

Liu Yuanheng stroked his beard and said: "You are right, this man is not tight-lipped, just reward him with something later, absolutely don't let him get involved in this matter."

Li Shaojin has received a lot of respect from Chai Zhicong during this time, so he couldn't help but say a few good words to him at this time: "Grandfather Xu didn't know, although Chai Zhicong can't control his mouth, but I can handle everything I tell him. , but one that can be used.”

Liu Yuanheng was noncommittal: "You can figure it out yourself, but there are some things that you can't let him know, so as not to leak the news and make it easier for the Third Prince."

Li Shaojin respected his grandfather quite a lot, so although Liu Yuanheng's words had a sense of teaching, Li Shaojin, who is the king of England, didn't take it to heart, but complied.

The attention of the three returned to the secret letter on the table, Liu Yuanheng looked at it for a while, and asked Liu Wenhua: "The boy from the Chai family can explain clearly how he got this thing?"

Liu Wenhua said: "The boy said that this letter was sent to Guo Zhan'an's residence by the leader of Tatar, and he wanted Guo Zhan'an to pass it on to His Majesty, saying that the leader of Tatar intended to be a minister to His Majesty, and this letter is a letter of honor. When the steward delivered the secret letter to the Xuzhou government office, he happened to be beside him, so he snatched the letter."

Liu Yuanheng picked up the letter and found that there was a sealant in good condition. He couldn't help being a little disappointed: "What is written in it?"

Liu Wenhua said anxiously: "Father, now is not the time to talk about this. Let's find a way to send this letter to the emperor as soon as possible, and then find a way to let the King of England get the credit. Don't let Li Shaojun take advantage of it!"

Liu Yuanheng obviously thought more: "Don't worry, if the Tatar leader really wants to surrender to His Majesty, it is indeed a good thing. However, there are many tribes in this Tatar, whether the tribe is big or small, how many people there are, these We don’t know how many soldiers there are capable of fighting, and which grassland they occupy.”

Liu Wenhua has experienced a lot in the past few months, and thought he has the qualifications to challenge his father, he said dissatisfiedly: "No matter what, this credit can't be snatched by Li Shaojun!"

Li Shaojin was also a little anxious. Although Chai Zhicong snatched the secret letter, Guo Zhanan was also an insider, so he might have sent someone to the capital to report the letter to Li Shaojun!

"Grandfather, you are right to be worried, but time is running out now. If we don't take action, Li Shaojun will seize the opportunity. In my opinion, it's better to give this secret letter to the emperor first, and talk about the rest later."

Liu Yuanheng sighed in his heart, he has been an official for many years, although he started his career by relying on his daughter's favor, but those who can sit in the position of prime minister are much smarter than ordinary people.

In his eyes, this secret letter is a double-edged sword. Although it can bring more fame and credit to his grandson, if it is not handled properly, the consequences will not be small.

Li Shaojin has already been named the second-rank prince, while his opponent Li Shaojun is still a bald prince. According to Liu Yuanheng, Li Shaojin has no need to rush to make more contributions.

If the meritorious service is not successful, it will arouse the emperor's suspicion, which is not beautiful.

But Liu Yuanheng's prudence, in Liu Wenhua's view, is as timid as a mouse!

"Father, you haven't been a prime minister for a year, and now you don't even have the title of the last great scholar. Naturally, you don't understand the situation in the court. Don't look at the king of England who is now a prince, but there are still some people who don't have eyes." To flatter Li Shaojun. If we don't work harder and let Li Shaojun take the opportunity to make meritorious service, won't the distance between King Ying and Li Shaojun be shortened again?"

"Presumptuous!" Liu Yuanheng scolded, "Is there a son like you who talks to his father?"

Liu Wenhua looked displeased. He grew up surrounded by Liu Yuanheng's beating and scolding. Now that he is in his 30s, Liu Yuanheng still scolded him as if he were a three-year-old child. He couldn't help feeling that he had lost face.

Knowing a son is like a father, let alone someone like Liu Wenhua who puts everything on his face.Liu Yuanheng knew what Liu Wenhua was thinking right now with just one glance.

He couldn't help but feel a burst of sadness. After so many years of hard work in the court, he finally became the prime minister, but lost his official position because his son sent someone to assassinate Guo Zhan'an. Tired.

In the final analysis, it was his father who did not raise his son well!

However, now that he is at home, he cannot personally help Li Shaojin in the court, so he can only rely on Liu Wenhua.He dared to speak wild words in front of himself today, Liu Yuanheng didn't need to think too much, he knew how arrogant and domineering Liu Wenhua was in front of other officials.

However, what should be beaten must be beaten, so as not to bring more hidden dangers.

"Don't put on a mournful face. Think about what you said. If someone else finds out about your words, and you are accused of being unfilial, you won't even be able to escape!"

Liu Wenhua could only bear with it: "Father, I was wrong, and I dare not do it again."

He was in his 30s, and Liu Yuanheng didn't want to let him lose face anymore, so he accepted it when he saw it, and said, "Jin'er, tell me honestly, was it really so smooth when you went to the Northwest years ago? Why did one of your staff Didn't come back with you?"

Li Shaojin's face froze, obviously not wanting to tell the truth.

Li Shaojin also has his own selfishness.

He lied to Li Chonghao in order to get a big credit for himself.Instead of talking to Liu Yuanheng, he wanted to let Liu Yuanheng know that even if his grandson didn't rely on him, he could make a great career.

But how did I know that my grandfather was so smart, with poisonous eyes, that he had already seen through it, but he didn't say it.

Li Shaojin felt ashamed, but he couldn't help but say: "Grandfather is really powerful. I did encounter some small twists and turns when I went to the Northwest."

"What twists and turns?"

Li Shaojin thought for a while, and said carefully: "There are two merchants who sold defective products to Tatar. People from the Tatar tribe found out after they went back, so they came to ask me for an explanation. I don't think it's a big deal. Let one of my aides stay and repurchase the goods to compensate those Tatars. As for my early return, I am worried that the road will be blocked by heavy snow and I will not be able to return to the capital for the New Year.”

Liu Yuanheng stared at Li Shaojin, and asked cautiously: "Really?"

Li Shaojin was so stared at that he felt guilty, but he still replied stiffly: "Really."

It was impossible for him to say that he fled back overnight because he heard about those Tatar cavalrymen wandering outside the border city, fearing that these cavalrymen would come in and fight all the way to Xuzhou to capture him and kill him. An aide was acting as his scapegoat in Xuzhou.

Although Li Shaojin respected Liu Yuanheng, he valued his own face more.Besides, this incident is nothing more than a businessman's shoddy, this kind of thing is a common occurrence even at the feet of the emperor, and only those uncivilized barbarians are so stupid and fooled by such a simple trick .And this matter has been resolved, the truth is not important, they just need to know that it was him, Li Shaojin, who planned the strategy and successfully resolved a crisis.

Liu Yuanheng believed: "Then the leader who wrote the letter is the leader of the Tatar tribe who was deceived before?"

Li Shaojin had never been to the market, so how could he know?

He was already getting annoyed by Liu Yuanheng's cautiousness, so he said, "It's not the same one."

Liu Yuanheng felt bitter in his heart, how could he not feel the change in Li Shaojin's attitude?But as Liu Wenhua said, he was already idle at home, and many of the people who had been cultivated and promoted over the years were demoted or even sentenced to prison because of the roster that Guo Zhanan had handed in at the beginning.The remaining ones are either not high in official rank, or they are wise and safe.

Now, he can't persuade or control Li Shaojin, a restless dragon!

"In that case, please submit this letter to Your Majesty." Liu Yuanheng finally made a decision, "Tell Your Majesty that it was Guo Zhan'an who received the letter from the Tatar leader and entrusted Chai Zhicong to bring it back to the capital. Chai Zhicong felt humble and was not qualified to meet See Your Majesty, this will be handed over to you, let you hand it over to His Majesty."

Liu Wenhua quickly reminded Liu Yuanheng from the side: "Dad, you made a mistake, why did you bring Guo Zhan'an into this? Isn't that clearly giving Guo Zhan'an some benefits!"

Liu Yuanheng had his own ideas: "We don't know what is written in this letter. We can't even guarantee whether this letter was written by the leader of Tatar. If something goes wrong, we will put all the responsibility on the Regarding Guo Zhan'an, we were only deceived by Guo Zhan'an, and the original intention was for His Majesty and the people in the northwest."

Liu Wenhua was speechless, he never thought it would be so far-reaching.

Li Shaojin was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, grandfather!"

Liu Yuanheng coughed twice, took a deep breath, and said, "Jin'er, you are here to visit my condition, so don't stay longer, go back to the palace now. Oh, by the way, and why did Chai Zhicong hand over the letter to you?" , You have to think about your words."

Li Shaojin nodded and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, I just said that Chai Zhicong rushed back day and night, and moved the date of returning to the capital by two days. After returning to the capital, Chai Zhicong inquired about me day and night, and finally heard that I was coming to Liu's house today." To visit my grandfather's condition, hurry up and send the letter to the Liu residence."

"No, His Majesty only agreed with you to leave the palace yesterday, and he got the news today. If Your Majesty thinks too much, it is a death penalty for spying on the emperor!" Liu Yuanheng pondered for a moment, and said, "In this way, you can set the date for him to return to Beijing." Move forward, and say that he knows the importance of this secret letter, and dare not tell others. He has been coming to the Willow Mansion to give gifts for the past few days, and happened to meet Lord Ying Wang who came to the Willow Mansion to visit the sick today. Wenhua, you will wait Send someone to talk to Chai Zhicong, lest his rhetoric be inconsistent with ours."

Liu Wenhua hesitated: "Father, doesn't this confirm that we have accepted bribes?"

Liu Yuanheng shook his head, and said: "Who in this world doesn't know the principle of giving gifts to clear up relationships? Your Majesty doesn't say anything, but he knows it in his heart, but he just turned a blind eye. Besides, Chai Zhicong's character is empty-handed." Liu Manor, will others believe you if you tell me? Your Majesty will only believe what I say."

Li Shaojin thought for a while, and agreed with Liu Yuanheng's statement: "Grandfather is right, so I will tell my father what my grandfather said. Uncle, please send someone more secure to inform Chai Zhicong, lest he slip up."

How could Liu Wenhua say no when King Ying spoke?Immediately agreed: "Don't worry, King Ying, this matter is no small matter, I will go and talk to Chai Zhicong in person."

Li Shaojin didn't dare to procrastinate, so he left in a hurry with the secret letter.

Just as Liu Yuanheng expected, Emperor Li Chonghao believed this rhetoric, and even praised Li Shaojin for his understanding of the principles of loyalty and patriotism.

Li Shaojin presented the secret letter, and after listening to Li Chonghao's praise, he stood aside complacently, waiting for Li Chonghao to do some work on his own after reading the letter, and take this good job onto himself.

But who would have expected that after Li Chonghao read the letter, he would be furious, pointing at Li Shaojin's nose and cursing: "What are you doing in the Northwest! King Ying, hehe, I was really blind to seal the letter." You are the King of England!"

Li Shaojin was confused and nervous, and quickly put on an innocent look and asked, "Why is the father so angry? What is written in this letter? Could it be, could it be that Guo Zhanan did it?"

After hearing the last sentence, Li Chonghao calmed down a little, looked at the letter again, and called his servant: "Go, bring up the trade treaty that Tatar signed with us back then, and then go to the Imperial Academy to invite two people who are good at distinguishing handwriting." of."

The servant took the orders and left Li Shaojin standing in the study, sweating like a year.

The trade treaty was sent over quickly, and after a while, three academicians from the Imperial Academy rushed over.

Li Chonghao handed the trade treaty and the letter to the three scholars, and said, "Take a look, whether the signature on the treaty and the handwriting on the letter are from the same person."

The scholars didn't dare to be careless, they looked carefully for a long time, and discussed for a while, one of them came out and said: "Your Majesty, the handwriting is indeed from the same person."

Li Shaojin lowered his head, not daring to look at Li Chonghao's expression at this time, but he was quickly calculating why Li Chonghao was angry and how he could escape.

"Oh, King of England, my good King of England! You don't let those who are used to doing business with Tatar participate in the trade fair, and you choose other merchants, and let those merchants take advantage of the loopholes and sell defective products to Tatar. .Tata's iron cavalry are all under the city gate! You didn't come forward to deal with it, but left a gentleman who taught you to deal with it, and you hurriedly came to me to claim credit."

Li Shaojin thumped in his heart, and quickly knelt down to defend himself: "Royal Father, I just came back after hearing that my mother and concubine had contracted a cold! Moreover, before I came back, I explained to my gentleman how to deal with it. Royal Father, I know that I was young and ignorant, and I don't know how to do business, so I was deceived by those businessmen. But I have already made up for my mistakes, and please don't be angry, my father, so as not to be angry!"

"Hehe, what did you confess? The result of your confession is that Guo Zhan'an came forward! I just found out that the trade treaty brought back was drafted by Guo Zhan'an! That gentleman of yours? In the face of your fourth prince, that gentleman refused at first." Admit that this is what we sold to Tatar! Yes, merchants do sell second-best goods, but this is a trade between us and Tatar, and the merchant represents our entire country! You made a mistake and don’t admit it to yourself It’s okay to reflect on yourself, but you dare to lick your face and come to me to ask for credit, what a king of England!”

Li Shaojin didn't dare to speak anymore, but in his heart he wished to kill that staff member immediately.

He never expected that while he was deceiving Li Chonghao, the people under him also deceived him!

He thought that as the staff member said, this plan was discussed one by one by the staff and the Tatar leader, so he had the courage to take all the credit for himself.

If he knew that Guo Zhan'an did all these things, he wouldn't have done it!

Yes, Guo Zhanan!

All of this might have been designed by that Guo Zhanan!

But now, he can't say anything, can't do anything, let alone put all the responsibility on Guo Zhan'an, lest Li Chonghao think that he doesn't know how to repent and add fuel to the fire.

"Come here, pass the decree, the British king Li Shaojin disrespected his elders, and today he will be resigned as the second-rank prince protecting the country, and continue to contemplate his mistakes behind closed doors in the palace. Then pass the decree, according to the plea of ​​the leader of Tatar, Ning Guhan, and send one of the princes The third prince Li Shaojun is the special envoy, and he will go to the northwest to discuss various matters with Ning Guhan."

Boom!

Li Shaojin only felt that a thunderbolt struck, and the prince who protected the country was gone in two months.

He lowered his head and said bitterly, "Thank you Lord Ron."