Chapter 1 The Residence of Wen Sutong

Wen Sutong's mansion wasn't large, but it was decorated with a distinct Jiangnan flavor. After all, he came from an official family in the Qian Kingdom, and his taste and style were truly remarkable.

Zheng Bóye and the blind man visited, and Wen Sutong opened the main gate, personally greeting them with his cane.

After that,

Zheng Bóye went to the study alone for a nap;

Firstly, because the audience in the imperial study in the morning had taken too much out of him, and secondly, he wanted to leave the opportunity to talk to his father-in-law and son-in-law, and he would only show his face at the end to say a few polite words.

Perhaps because he was wearing armor, his body naturally switched into some of the functions it had during battles, making it easier to fall asleep.

Zheng Bóye really fell asleep.

While Zheng Bóye was sleeping,

A red-robed grand eunuch arrived at the Lakeside Pavilion with an imperial decree, opening the iron gate.

"Commoner Ji Chengyue receives the decree."

The Third Prince, dressed in white, looked at the scene in front of him in astonishment. Having resigned himself to never leaving this place in his life, he never expected the imperial decree to arrive at this moment.

"Your subject… commoner kowtows to His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years."

The red-robed eunuch smiled slightly and read the decree:

"By imperial decree of the Emperor, blessed by Heaven and Earth, Ji Chengyue, a commoner…"

The decree roughly conveyed two meanings.

One was to admonish him for the mistakes he had made in the past. Of course, the imperial decree could not explicitly state what Ji Chengyue had done, but it was nothing more than negligence and disobedience;

The second meaning was that His Majesty felt that his attitude of reflecting on his mistakes in the Lakeside Pavilion over the past few years was good, and he could leave this place. His status as a prince could not be restored, but he was allowed to enter the Imperial Clan Court.

That is, to restore his identity as a member of the imperial family, but without granting him any privileges.

But after all, he was a prince. Once this was announced, and if there was an amnesty in the future, he could at least inherit a noble title. In short, the most difficult hurdle had passed.

"Your subject thanks the Emperor for his great kindness."

Ji Chengyue knelt on the ground, holding up his hands.

The red-robed grand eunuch placed the imperial decree in his hands and helped him up. The Third Prince was already in tears.

"Your Highness, this humble servant will help you back. His Majesty's intention is for you to continue to live in the prince's residence, and the imperial physicians have already been prepared to diagnose your health."

"Thank you, Eunuch, thank you… Father."

Being confined in the Lakeside Pavilion for several years had clearly taken a toll on his body, and it would be easy to develop illnesses. After going out, he would naturally need to follow the imperial physician's instructions for good recuperation.

The red-robed grand eunuch looked at the Third Prince in front of him and felt a sense of kinship.

After all, this Third Prince was now one of his own.

Once a man loses that root, over time, he will naturally develop a feminine air;

Moreover, the Third Prince had always enjoyed reading poetry, and his temperament was already inclined towards being refined.

The red-robed grand eunuch immediately dispelled these miscellaneous thoughts from his mind. What was he thinking?

Inside the carriage,

The red-robed grand eunuch personally offered a cup of tea to Ji Chengyue.

Ji Chengyue took the tea with both hands and pleaded:

"Eunuch, I left some books and paintings there. I was in a hurry earlier and didn't have time to take them. Please, Eunuch…"

"Your Highness, look what you're saying. Just give the order, and this old servant can't bear to hear Your Highness's 'please.' This old servant will send someone to fetch them later."

"Thank you, Eunuch."

"Your Highness is too kind."

The carriage traveled through the streets.

Ji Chengyue smelled the aroma of sesame cakes, and his nose instinctively twitched.

The red-robed grand eunuch had been serving people since he was young. Although he had now climbed to a high position in the palace, he had never abandoned his skills. He immediately ordered a small eunuch outside to buy two sesame cakes.

Ji Chengyue held the freshly baked sesame cakes in his hands and devoured them.

"Your Highness, please eat slowly, eat slowly, be careful not to choke."

In fact, the food in the Lakeside Pavilion, although mainly simple meals, was not bad compared to the lives of ordinary people. However, the food needed to be inspected before being delivered, and by the time it reached Ji Chengyue, it was basically cold;

Summer was fine, but in winter, he could only heat the food with the small stove he used for boiling tea.

He wasn't craving the sesame cakes,

But craving the warm, lively atmosphere.

In other words,

He was craving the taste of freedom.

After eating two sesame cakes, Ji Chengyue exhaled a long breath, picked up the tea that had already cooled down, drank it all in one gulp, and continued to chew on the tea leaves that remained in his mouth.

This was a habit he had developed in the Lakeside Pavilion over the past few years.

Then,

Ji Chengyue looked at the red-robed eunuch and said:

"Eunuch, when can I go to thank my father?"

"This, His Majesty did not instruct."

"I understand."

Ji Chengyue had nothing to be dissatisfied with.

………

"I say, Fifth, you're about to leave, what are you still busy with here?"

The Fourth Prince sat at the table next to him, watching the Fifth Prince drawing diagrams.

"Fourth Brother, can't you see? Your younger brother is drawing diagrams, some water conservancy methods recorded in ancient books and some that your younger brother has collected himself. I don't expect them to be of any use, I just want to be able to verify them with each other."

"Heh, I know you're drawing diagrams, but your river work probably won't be completed."

"Oh? Fourth Brother has news?"

"I'm not talented, but I still have some acquaintances in the Ministry of War."

The Fourth Prince's maternal family was the Deng family of Three Stones. Although the Deng family had declined in the first Battle of Wangjiang, there were still some remnants left. Moreover, he was a prince himself, so it wasn't difficult to inquire about some news.

"What is it?"

"In the imperial study today, it seems that military matters were discussed."

"What's so special about that?"

"The Ministry of War's tone is that there seems to be a storm brewing in tomorrow's court meeting."

"A storm brewing?"

"Perhaps, there will be a war."

"Now, a war?"

"Yes, a war that can be discussed in the court meeting is not the kind of small fight that the First Imperial Brother is having with that Qian Kingdom kid in Nanwang City."

"How to fight? You know the situation of our Great Yan's national treasury, otherwise, we wouldn't still be living here."

According to precedent, the national treasury and the imperial household department would allocate a "settling-in allowance" for the princes to buy residences. At the same time, the princes' monthly allowance would also be greatly increased to provide for household expenses.

When living in the prince's residence, in theory, there would be a communal kitchen, providing meals, as well as several eunuchs and maids to serve them. Their monthly allowance was even lower than that of the lowliest servants in the palace.

In fact, not only that, but in the past two years, when the elders of the families passed away, the memorials submitted by the descendants waiting to inherit their titles were also shelved.

If you inherit your title a year later, the court can save a year's worth of money and grain, telling you that it is going through procedures to determine your identity, judge your character, and see if you are qualified to inherit the title, and whether the title needs to be reduced by several ranks when you inherit it.

You dare to make trouble?

You can.

In serious cases, they will judge you as unqualified in character and directly strip your family of their title. In mild cases, they will also reduce your title by two ranks to give you a lesson.

The princes of Great Yan, taking the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince as examples, currently enjoy the political treatment of princes. After they establish their own residences, they will be entitled to the living standards of princes.

This treatment will continue until one of their brothers ascends the throne, and their relationship with the sovereign changes from prince to imperial brother. Then, according to tradition, they will voluntarily request a reduction in their titles.

Apart from the small amount of salary they receive for their duties in the court, which is actually only two hundred taels of silver a year, as princes, they can receive ten thousand taels of silver and ten thousand stones of grain a year. This does not include the imperial rewards for the four seasonal festivals and the respect money for ice and charcoal.

The annual money and grain for other titles are certainly not as much as for princes, but the number of nobles in Great Yan is also quite large. Therefore, when all this is added up, the scale becomes very large.

Zheng Bóye's current title of earl entitles him to two thousand taels of silver and two thousand stones of grain a year. This amount will be specifically itemized when the court transports money and grain to Xuehai Pass.

In short,

Just by having the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince living in the prince's residence, the court can save twenty thousand taels of silver and twenty thousand stones of grain expenditure each year.

Ji Lao Liu's reputation among the imperial clan and nobles has been very poor in the past two years, because the court's finances are difficult, and he has unhesitatingly taken action against the imperial clan and nobles.

Not only is he creating obstacles in the fixed amount of money and grain, but he is also using silver notes from merchants to exchange for their money and grain, asking them to use these notes to collect goods of equal value from the merchants.

The business of bill shops had actually existed for a long time, and it had long been prevalent in Jiangnan in the Qian Kingdom, but it was basically used for convenient docking during business transactions, and its circulation among the people was not high. Ji Lao Liu did not dare to use this on a large scale, but only used it to issue subsidies to the imperial clan and nobles. The same notes, if collected on the streets, would be discounted by 20%. This was clearly exploiting the nobles and the imperial clan!

It's a pity,

The Yan Emperor's authority is now too strong, and the aftermath of suppressing the aristocratic families still exists. If it were any other emperor, the imperial clan and nobles would probably have taken their elders and children to cry at the palace gates.

They dare not face this one;

This can also be seen from the side that Great Yan's finances are tight, because as long as conditions permit, the imperial clan and nobles should be well-maintained, even if some of them have become parasites. After all, their ancestors fought for Great Yan and your Ji family, and shed their blood to earn this blessing for their descendants.

If this aspect is not handled well, who will be willing to continue to risk their lives for your Ji family in the future?

What everyone is seeking is a hereditary title for generations to come, right?

The Fourth Prince smiled,

And said:

"I reckon, there may really be a war."

"Without money and grain, how to fight?"

"Can living people be suffocated by urine? If there really is a war, there will always be a way to start it, so your river work probably doesn't need to be repaired."

There will be a war,

Where can there be extra money, grain, and labor to send to the river work.

The Fifth Prince shook his head and said, "Before Father Emperor issues an edict, what I should do, I still have to do."

"Okay, you're obedient."

At this time,

There was a sound from outside.

The Fifth Prince's attendant eunuch ran over to report:

"Master, Fourth Master, the Third Highness is back."

The Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince immediately exchanged glances, and both saw shock in each other's eyes.

Honestly,

They had long prepared themselves for the fact that they would never see the Third Brother again in this life, because no matter how you look at it, it was unlikely that the Third Brother would come out of the Lakeside Pavilion.

The Fourth Prince muttered, "I heard that yesterday, Zheng Fan went to the Lakeside Pavilion to see the Third Brother, so is this considered a gesture of reconciliation?"

The Fifth Prince shook his head and said, "I don't think Third Brother will really reconcile."

"Heh, you haven't been locked up there before."

"If being locked up there can provide me with wood, I really wouldn't mind."

"You're crazy."

The Fourth Prince jumped down from the table and straightened his clothes.

The Fifth Prince took off the clothes he wore for carpentry and changed into a new set.

In any case, Third Brother is back, and they, as younger brothers, naturally have to pay their respects.

Just as he was about to go out, the Fourth Prince suddenly remembered something and said, "If I remember correctly, the next ten days should be Consort Ming's birthday, right?"

Consort Ming has always had a reputation for being virtuous, with a calm nature, knowledgeable and reasonable.

The Third Prince's early love of poetry and books was also influenced by his mother.

Hearing this, the Fifth Prince said; "Are you saying that Father Emperor stayed at Consort Ming's place last night?"

The Fourth Prince immediately kicked the Fifth Prince,

And scolded:

"Is that something I can know!"

If I could receive a report every day on where Father Emperor stayed last night, then what exactly would I want to do?

The Fifth Prince shrugged and said, "I thought you knew."

"Don't harm me."

"Hey, I was just asking casually, but I think that if Consort Ming knew that Zheng Fan had gone to see the Third Brother, she should take the opportunity to plead with Father Emperor, and Father Emperor might agree to let the Third Brother out, given that Consort Ming's birthday is approaching."

"Alas, our Father Emperor's heart is still soft." The Fourth Prince lamented.

"Fourth Brother, are you running a fever and talking nonsense?"

The Fourth Prince glanced at the Fifth Prince and said:

"You're the one who started burning first."

……

The Third Prince had just moved into the prince's residence when the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince came to visit.

"Younger brother pays respects to older brother."

"Younger brother pays respects to older brother."

"Younger brothers, please rise, please rise."

What followed was a display of brotherly harmony as everyone sat together and exchanged pleasantries.

However, because the imperial physician arrived, the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince took their leave.

After coming out, the Fourth Prince stretched and said, "Third Brother used to always hold himself up as a scholar and didn't look at us directly, but now it seems that being locked up for two years has made him much more down-to-earth."

"That's right." The Fifth Prince echoed.

"It's a pity, I don't think Third Brother will have a chance to take revenge."

"Do you think Third Brother still wants to take revenge?"

"Hehe." The Fourth Prince laughed twice, "I don't believe he doesn't hate it, because he will hate it every night. But Zheng Fan is already the Count of Pingye, a prince holds his horse, and the crown prince welcomes him, alas, how can you compare?"

"I'm going to the Sixth Brother's mansion later to send some toys I made myself to his children."

"You're so attentive, are you going to see Zheng Fan?"

"Maybe, after all, Zheng Fan has to leave Beijing the day after tomorrow. If Father Emperor doesn't issue a new edict, I still have to go to Jin with him."

"Aren't you afraid that others will also consider you to be a member of the Sixth Prince's faction?"

The Fifth Prince smiled "hehe",

And said:

"Fourth Brother."

"Hmm?"

"Third Brother has already come out."

"So what?"

"Could it be worse than Third Brother?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Then let me put it another way, someone like Zheng Fan, who abolished a prince, can still be granted a title. What is it based on? It's ability.

No matter if the one above is our Father Emperor, or Second Brother or Sixth Brother,

As long as they sit in that position,

What bloodline, brothers, offspring,

Are not as important as someone who can do things.

So, even if there is no manpower or material support this time, your younger brother, Wangjiang, must and will definitely go to exert his own strength, and not really be regarded as a waste.

Do you understand what this means, Fourth Brother?"

"Understood."

"That's good."

"You're calling me a waste."

"……" Fifth Prince.

…

After waking up from his afternoon nap, Zheng Bóye went to the Wen family's living room.

Then,

Zheng Bóye realized that not bringing the blind man to see the Jin Empress Dowager earlier was a huge mistake.

At this time,

The blind man and Wen Sutong were sitting face to face, both holding cups of tea.

"You look really well."

"You've lost weight, it must be because you have too many things to do and are too busy, you must pay attention."

The two were chatting about family matters,

But the speed of their speech was very slow,

Often taking a long time to say the next sentence.

Zheng Bóye knew that the blind man was using a "spiritual link" to communicate with Wen Sutong.

There are spies from the Secret Service in the Jin Prince's Mansion, which is normal;

There will definitely be no fewer people from the Secret Service in Wen Sutong's home.

Zheng Bóye cannot find a secret room to say some private words to the Jin Empress Dowager, because as long as he does so, the Yan Emperor's anger will immediately descend.

The Yan Emperor's ambition is to unify Zhuxia, how could he sit idly by and watch his own generals under his command violate the empress dowager of a country?

This also made Zheng Bóye's trip to the Jin Prince's Mansion too bland, and the gap between it and what he had expected was too large.

Alas,

If the blind man was there,

It would be much more convenient, and he could also say some private words.

In the end,

Zheng Bóye sat down again and drank half a cup of tea, chatting with Wen Sutong about the climate of Xuehai Pass and Yanjing City. As soon as the tea cooled, he got up and took his leave.

Returning to the Sixth Prince's mansion, everyone ate dinner.

Gou Moli asked Zheng Fan if he could take him to the Secret Service prison, and Zheng Bóye hesitated.

Everyone outside knew that

The Barbarian King was defeated and captured, and sent to Yanjing City.

There were rumors that the Barbarian King had been beheaded, and there were also rumors that he was still being held in the Secret Service prison.

Zheng Bóye of course knew that the real Barbarian King was in front of him, and that the one being held in Yanjing City at this time was a fake.

The fake's name was Alai, a man who looked very much like the Barbarian King and was willing to become the Barbarian King's shadow.

If Gou Moli asked him to take him to the back garden to see the Princess,

Then Zheng Bóye would definitely kick him over,

But he was asking him for this,

Zheng Bóye was a little embarrassed,

And could only say;

"I'll ask Ji Lao Liu's people to help me send a message to Wei Zhonghe, saying that in order to clearly respond to the Snow Plains situation, I want to see that Barbarian King.

As for whether I can see him,

It depends on what Wei Zhonghe says."

Gou Moli knelt down and kowtowed heavily to Zheng Fan.

Tonight,

Ji Lao Liu didn't come back until late at night. After coming back, he didn't come to find Zheng Fan, but went back to his room to rest.

The next morning,

Zheng Bóye had just woken up, and after washing up, he walked to the small courtyard, preparing to have a morning cigarette;

But he saw Ji Lao Liu sitting on the long chair in the courtyard,

Holding a water pipe in his hand.

Nowadays, people in the Qian Kingdom like Five Stone Powder, which is much stronger than tobacco.

And tobacco is mostly used as medicine. There are people who smoke tobacco, but it has not become a trend.

And how should I put it, in this world, the older and the unhealthier people are, the more they smoke, because they believe that the smoke from tobacco can remove diseases.

The water pipe in Ji Lao Liu's hand was beautifully shaped, simply a work of art. He also had a jade Buddha's hand snuff bottle hanging from his waist, which was also an extremely valuable item.

Great Yan's national treasury is tight, but not so tight that it affects Ji Lao Liu's life. As long as the political conditions permit, he, like Zheng Bóye, still likes to enjoy himself.

Most importantly, he is not relying on the silver of the court's national treasury to enjoy himself. In fact, according to Ji Lao Liu, among the business families in Great Yan, his Ji Lao Liu's merchants are the most meticulous and rigorous when it comes to paying taxes.

Zheng Bóye walked to Ji Lao Liu's side and took the water pipe from his hand, saying:

"Don't touch this thing, it's not good for your body."

Saying that,

Zheng Bóye lit his own cigarette with a fire starter and took a puff.

"What about yourself?" Ji Lao Liu rolled his eyes at Zheng Bóye.

"I'm a sixth-rank martial artist, I'm in good health."

"So, you Zheng Fan practice martial arts just to make up for this loss?"

"Hehe, aren't you going to court today?"

"I took a leave of absence, I asked Father Emperor for a leave of absence. You're leaving Beijing tomorrow, I'll take you around."

"So grand?"

"It's a must, who knows when I'll see you next time."

"Okay."

"The carriage is already waiting, I'll take you to Kuanmin Alley for breakfast, the one there is the most authentic."

"Okay."

It was still Zhang Gonggong driving the carriage.

Kuanmin Alley is an old street in Yanjing City, not big, but very popular.

For breakfast, they ate small wontons.

Ji Lao Liu ate two bowls, Zheng Bóye ate three bowls, and Zhang Gonggong ate four bowls.

Afterwards, the two of them didn't take the carriage again, but started to stroll around.

They went to Yinlang Ancestral Hall. Like Silver Wave County, it was first famous for that Great Yan prime minister, but the ancestral hall in the capital had become a market for calligraphy, paintings, antiques, and curios.

Ji Lao Liu introduced the antique market to Zheng Fan while walking side by side with him.

"In the capital, many people like to come to Yinlang Ancestral Hall to stroll around, always thinking about picking up a bargain, but how should I put it, the buyers are always not as good as the sellers, it's difficult to pick up a bargain here.

Gold, silver, jade, and porcelain cannot be placed here, only fools sell that.

And like these ancient books, paintings, inkstones, and porcelain kilns, firstly, most of them are fake, and secondly, even if they are real, if you like them yourself, it's fine to buy them for collection and don't think about reselling them. If you want to pick up a bargain and resell them, you have to see if there are people who are as knowledgeable as you, and that knowledgeable person is also wealthy.

And this thing, when the time really comes, you can't exchange it for any food in a rice shop. The clerks in the rice shop can't appreciate this."

Even though he said that, Ji Lao Liu still bought Zheng Fan an inkstone, a painting, and a piece of variegated jade.

"The inkstone is real, the material is good, it's worth it. The painting is fake, but the person who copied it is also from a certain era. Buying it for one or two taels of silver, you can't sell it for a hundred taels, but throwing out ten taels of silver is easy. This jade pendant hasn't been properly nurtured yet, it's actually a top-grade Huairou jade. Wear it on your body and nurture it for three generations. By the time your grandson comes of age, the texture will become extremely translucent and smooth, and it will be valuable.

If the price of rice is about the same as it is now, it can be worth about five hundred taels of silver."

Zheng Bóye took a cloth bag and put the things in it. Zhang Gonggong smiled and took it to help him keep it safe.

"You really can't starve to death. If you don't have money to eat, just come here to stroll around and mess around a bit, and you'll have everything."

As the saying goes, in a famine year, artisans don't starve to death, that's the reason.

Ji Lao Liu shook his head and said, "These are just small tricks. To be honest, these things are very common in my eyes."

Born into the royal family, with the Min family as his maternal family, the precious antiques and valuable pieces in the eyes of ordinary people are no different from the chopping board in his kitchen in Ji Lao Liu's eyes.

"Then how were you so poor that you didn't have money to eat in the first place?"

Ji Lao Liu casually took out a piece of silver and threw it into the gong of a monkey showman in front of the ancestral hall street.

The monkey immediately happily stood up, kowtowing and saluting to Ji Lao Liu, and then did a somersault.

"Look, just like this monkey, it doesn't necessarily like to do somersaults and kowtow, but it has to do it because people like to see it do these things."

"Hehe."

"This Yanjing City, including this time, you've only come twice. You've only met Father Emperor twice. In your eyes, what kind of person is Father Emperor?"

"I don't know how to say it."

"You should be afraid of Father Emperor."

"I don't like the word fear."

"Okay, then change it to… wary?"

"I don't like this topic."

"Do you think it's dangerous to talk about this on the streets of the capital?"

"Maybe."

"Father Emperor is very good to you."

"Hmm."

"But you still went to Litian City."

"Yes."

"The Emperor is like this, making you grateful and making you afraid."

"Inappropriate."

"I know it's inappropriate, it applies to others, but it doesn't apply to you. You are more willing to give up than all of us. The thing I admire most about you is that you seem to regard your own life, this lifetime of yours, as a community opera that will be performed in Yinlang Ancestral Hall during festivals."

"This is more appropriate."

"I can't be as free and easy as you."

"You still need to improve."

"You won't be so free and easy after you have children."

"Are we back to the issue of having children?"

"What do you want to eat for lunch?"

"I haven't digested breakfast yet."

"Then let's go drink tea, the teahouses in the capital are also famous."

"No fun."

"The teahouses have been telling your stories lately."

"I'm thirsty."

They drank tea in the teahouse,

Until noon.

When they were hungry and the melon seeds and peanuts couldn't suppress their hunger, Zheng Bóye and Ji Lao Liu came out.

"How was it?" Ji Lao Liu asked.

"After listening to my own story, I feel like I'm full of power."

In the storyteller's story, Zheng Bóye is a third-rank martial artist, fighting against the Eighteen Taibao of the Chu Kingdom!

No one knows if there are Eighteen Taibao in the Chu Kingdom, and it is estimated that even the Princess herself doesn't know;

Of course,

Zheng Bóye didn't know that he was already a third-rank peak martial artist.

Coming out of the teahouse,

Zheng Bóye felt his steps were a little unsteady,

He had been drinking too much chicken soup, and it was about to overflow.

"What do you want to eat for lunch, besides roast duck?"

"I still want to eat roast duck."

"The roast duck at Quande House isn't good anymore."

"I never thought it was delicious."

"Okay."

They had lunch at Quande House.

Ji Lao Liu ordered a roast duck and a pot of wine.

He and Zheng Fan shared the wine, and Zhang Gonggong ate the roast duck alone.

They also bought a few dishes from the vendors in front of the Quande House.

"In Yanjing City, there is a rule that if a store can make a signature dish, they can only make that signature dish. At the same time, it is not forbidden for other vendors in the same industry to set up stalls outside. If you want to add a dish, just ask them to send it in directly, and the store owner is not allowed to drive them away.

After all, even the store owners started out as stall vendors who saved up capital to buy the store. Who knows, when their sons and grandsons take over, the eagles will turn back into chicks, and they will have to go back to set up stalls. This is called being convenient for others and convenient for yourself, and if you can eat seven points full, you have to leave some food for others to drink the soup."

"Why are you telling me this, educating me that my eating habits are too ugly?" Zheng Bóye asked.

"I am a businessman, I have told you this many times. Since I am a businessman, it is inevitable that I like to make money peacefully. Sometimes, I think some of your practices are too much."

Zheng Bóye shook his head and said, "I only seek to make myself happy."

"Only seeking to make yourself happy is actually a kind of selfishness."

"Is selfishness bad?"

"Well, it's pretty good."

"Isn't it? People live this life, just seeking a good time, that's enough."

"Hehe, the way you say that is as if you have lived a lifetime and have many insights."

"Maybe."

"Sometimes, I am also very helpless. In fact, I am much more generous than Second Brother. I also don't like to do things to the extreme, while Second Brother is actually really narrow-minded.

The reason why Big Brother stood on my side was also because he valued this point of mine.

But the problem is,

Now outsiders, especially the imperial clan, nobles, the Ministry of Revenue, and some small local families, think that I, Ji Lao Liu, am a cruel official, and that the Crown Prince is a benevolent ruler."

"The crow doesn't know it's black."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Different positions, different methods. If you were in the Crown Prince's position, you would also become benevolent. In fact, I have always felt that people are all the same;

If they can live a comfortable life, who would want to face the loess and turn their backs to the sky for a lifetime?

If they can have a group of wives and concubines, why not be carefree?

It's just that the positions are different, and they can't choose freely.

People are still the same people."

"That's true."

"So, you're being pretentious."

"After all, you've been wandering around in front of me these past few days, and I've been influenced by you."

"Let's have one."

"Cheers."

After a cup of wine,

Ji Chengyue poured wine while saying:

"My Third Brother came out of the Lakeside Pavilion."

"Don't tell me the arrangement for the afternoon is to visit your Third Brother?"

"I'm not going to pour salt on his wounds, it's too cruel."

"What are you talking about? I helped him get out."

"Then I'll have him come to your door tonight with gifts to thank you?"

"I'm a charitable person, I don't like to leave my name."

"What are we going to do in the afternoon?"

"You're the guide."

"The guide? That word is appropriate. The scenery in the back garden is excellent, and it's all in the style of the gardens in Jiangnan in the Qian Kingdom."

"No matter how good the scenery is, if you keep a tiger, you won't have the mood to appreciate it."

"I heard that Father Emperor punished her to copy the Heart Sutra at home."

"His Majesty is wise, I think the Four Books and Five Classics and various ancient classics can all be copied several times. It's very beneficial for cultivating temperament."

"Let's go horseback riding outside the city? I've been practicing horsemanship a lot in the past two years."

"You can't outrun me."

"Not necessarily."

"I'm riding a Pixiu."

"……" Ji Lao Liu.

In the afternoon,

They didn't go horseback riding, nor did they go to the back garden. Instead, they went to a Welcome Spring Tower and spent the afternoon drinking flower wine.

Ji Lao Liu ordered nine girls,

Two for himself and Zheng Fan, three dancing, and two singing songs.

But they were all playing it straight, at most getting a little frisky, but no one actually went into the inner room to use the fragrant couch.

At dusk,

The two of them came out a little tipsy.

Ji Lao Liu reached out and patted Zheng Bóye on the shoulder, asking:

"How was it?"

"Don't come to this kind of place next time, it's bad for our reputation if word gets out."

"A burden of fame? If they knew you were the famous Count of Pingye, they would definitely recommend themselves to your bed."

"If they knew you were a prince, they would go even more crazy."

"I'm going to see my Third Brother, look at the sky, it's so late, I'm afraid it'll be too late if I don't go."

"You go, I won't go."

At this time,

Next to Zhang Gonggong's carriage, stood a man dressed in black.

"Greetings, Bóye."

The man showed his Secret Service waist card.

Ji Chengyue rubbed his eyes and said:

"What's up?"

"I asked Duke Wei to let me see the Barbarian King."

"Oh, good, it seems Duke Wei is willing to do this favor. Then you go, I'll take the carriage to the Prince's Mansion."

"I'm the guest, the carriage is definitely for me."

"This is my carriage."

"I'm the guest."

In the end,

Under duress,

The two people who were extremely concerned about security and extremely afraid of death took the carriage back to the Sixth Prince's Mansion together first.

Zheng Bóye got out of the car,

The Sixth Prince took his own carriage to the Prince's Mansion, while Zheng Bóye took the blind man, Gou Moli, and the Sword Saint, and got into the carriage driven by Little Zhang Gonggong, and went to the Secret Service's capital prison.

The "Barbarian King