The fourth prince first taught Zhao Yao the Li family characters for an hour, and then helped him review what he had learned in Wende Hall this morning.
By the time Zhao Yao left Xingde Palace, it was already four o'clock in the morning.
"Your Highness, you study so late every day, you might as well live directly in His Highness the Fourth Prince's room." Tong Xi walked in front of Zhao Yao holding a lantern, "I still feel that it is not safe to walk at night."
"I think you are afraid." Zhao Yao bluntly revealed Tong Xi's little thoughts, "You are afraid of ghosts!"
As soon as he heard the word "ghost", Tongxi's heart suddenly became numb, and he felt that the wind blowing was filled with gloomy energy.
"Your Highness, please stop talking..." He was really afraid of ghosts.
Zhao Yao looked at Tong Xi who was already scared with disdain, and mocked: "I told you, there are no ghosts in this world."
"Your Highness, I think there are ghosts in the world." Tongxi looked around with his eyes, a look of horror on his beardless white face. He always felt like there was a cold feeling behind him, as if there was a ghost standing behind him. Also, too many people died in vain in the palace, and these people will definitely turn into ghosts after their death.
"Even if there are ghosts, no one is afraid of ghosts." Zhao Yao raised his foot and kicked Tong Xi's butt, "Look at how timid and scared you look."
"Your Highness, I would rather face people than ghosts." No matter how scary people are, they are real. However, ghosts are different. No, he couldn't stop thinking about ghosts, he had to say something else. "Your Highness, do you think His Highness the Fourth and His Highness the Eighth Prince will secretly win over Zheng Zhengshi?"
"No." Zhao Yao said with certainty, "Fourth brother and eighth brother don't want to expose themselves for the time being."
"It's normal for His Highness the Eighth Prince not to be exposed, but His Highness the Fourth Highness must have been exposed a long time ago. There are many ministers in the court who support His Highness the Fourth Highness." The Eighth Prince has been hiding behind His Highness the Crown Prince, and no one has discovered the Eighth Prince's ambition at all. I will only feel that the Eighth Prince is a pitiful little person who relies on His Highness the Crown Prince. He used to think so too.
If His Highness hadn't said that His Highness the Eighth Prince had ambitions to compete for the throne, he wouldn't have discovered it at all. In this world, I am afraid that only His Highness has seen through the true face of His Highness the Eighth.
"But the fourth brother didn't pay attention, did he?" Zhao Yao kicked the stones as he walked. "The fourth brother is only close to his two cousins and has no contact with other ministers."
"Even if the fourth prince is not close to those ministers, those ministers still continue to support him." The fourth prince's reputation in the court is very good, and ministers will praise him when they mention him.
"Fourth brother has the ambition to compete for that position, but he won't expose it now." Zhao Yao picked up the stones with the toe of his boots, and the stones fell on the back of the boots obediently. Then he stood up on tiptoe and let the stones on the back of the boots fall. The stone jumped into the air, and then he stretched out his feet to catch it. "Until the time is ripe, Fourth Brother will keep a low profile and not interact with ministers other than the Li family."
"Even though His Highness the Fourth Highness does not interact with ministers other than the Li family, everyone knows that he is going to compete for that position." Tongxi muttered in his heart that His Highness the Fourth Highness was deceiving himself or others by doing this, or he was trying to deceive others.
"The fourth brother wants to fight for that position, but the time has not come yet, unless the prince brother loses to the king." Zhao Yao changed his feet to catch the stone, "If the prince brother does not lose to the king, the fourth brother will have nothing." If you don’t know how to do it, this is the tip that Fourth Brother gives to everyone.”
"Is the Fourth Highness really going to be like this?" As long as the prince is here, will the Fourth Highness really not do anything?
Zhao Yao nodded slightly and said: "Well, as long as the prince brother is still here, the fourth brother will never do anything, because this is the duty of a minister and a younger brother."
"Your Highness, if His Highness the Crown Prince wins the title of Acting King and secures his position as Crown Prince, will His Royal Highness really not be able to do anything in the future?"
Zhao Yao suddenly raised his foot and kicked the pebbles into the pool aside. After a thud, the stones completely sank into the pool.
"If the crown prince wins in the end, then the fourth brother will obediently become a vassal king."
"Why is this?" Tong Xi didn't quite believe what Zhao Yao said, "Don't the fourth brother also want to grab that seat?"
"When did you see Fourth Brother grab that seat?" Zhao Yao squinted at Tongxi, "Which eye did you see?"
Tongxi was stunned by Zhao Yao's two questions and didn't know how to answer them for a while. After a while, he said: "Your Highness, didn't you say that the Fourth and Eighth Princes are secretly cultivating their own power?"
"That's what I said, but it doesn't mean that the fourth brother is doing it to compete for that position." Zhao Yao said with his arms crossed, "The fourth brother is cultivating power for him to go to the fiefdom in two years, isn't that okay? "
Tong Xi listened to Zhao Yao's words and was silent for a while: "Your Highness, isn't that what you said before?"
"What do you know? This is just in case."
"Just in case?" Tongxi didn't understand and asked with a confused face, "Your Highness, I don't understand what you mean."
Zhao Yao first raised his index finger and said: "First, the fourth brother secretly cultivates his own power, so that when he becomes an adult and goes to the fiefdom, he will be fully prepared."
"Oh, that's right." Tongxi asked, "What about the second one?"
Zhao Yao raised two fingers and continued: "The second is just in case. If the crown prince brother is defeated by the acting king at that time, then the fourth brother will formally compete for that position. By then, the fourth brother will have If you have a certain level of strength, you will have the confidence to steal it from Dai Wang and Third Brother."
After hearing this, Tongxi finally understood and said with a sudden look on his face: "So that's it."
Zhao Yao raised a third finger: "The third one is for self-protection. I have no intention of competing for that position. I am also secretly cultivating my own power."
"It seems so." Tongxi didn't expect this.
"Whether you want to compete for that position or not, you must have the ability to protect yourself, otherwise you may be implicated or killed directly." Zhao Yao crossed his hands behind his head and said nonchalantly, " Being a prince is a high-risk profession, and you will die if you are not careful! If you don't have the ability to protect yourself, you don't know how you will die."
"Your Highness is right." Tong Xi said, still not quite understanding the previous question, "Your Highness, why doesn't the Fourth Highness grab that seat while His Highness the Crown Prince is still there? The Third Prince and the others don't care about this."
"It's very simple. Fourth brother is not a legitimate son, but a concubine."
"However, the Dai Wang and the Third Prince are also concubines, and they have been competing for that position." Tong Xi complained sharply, "The competition for that position does not matter whether they are legitimate sons or concubines."
"Others don't care, but Fourth Brother will care, because the education he received since he was a child is orthodox Confucian education. Confucianism emphasizes the distinction between concubines and concubines." Zhao Yao said with a serious face, "The Li family is a serious scholar. Regarding family status, they have always believed in Confucianism. They are the same as the Confucian family, do you understand?"
Tongxi nodded and said: "I understand, but I still can't understand the thoughts of His Highness the Fourth Highness."
"Everyone has his own principles, and this is the fourth brother's principle." Zhao Yao said, "Actually, the prince brother is very good, gentle, well-read poetry, and the most important thing is that he has a kind heart. If he In the end, after winning the title of acting king and firmly establishing himself as the crown prince, the fourth brother will put away his ambitions, be a good minister and younger brother honestly, and manage his own fiefdom well."
"But, didn't you say before that His Highness the Crown Prince's temperament is too gentle? There's nothing..." Tong Xi thought about it and said, "Yes, he doesn't have his own opinions. There is another most important reason, that is, His Highness the Crown Prince is too gentle." I rely on the Duke of Zhenguo."
"Yes, I said that, so the prince brother will not succeed in the end." Zhao Yao scratched his head and said, "Even if the prince brother wins the king, he will lose to the eighth brother in the end."
"Your Highness, are you so sure that His Highness the Crown Prince will lose to His Highness the Eighth Prince?" Tong Xi said, "The Duke of Zhen Guo is a smart man. He has not noticed the Eighth Prince's actions now, but he will definitely find out in the future."
"Zhenguo Gong is smart and scheming, but he is not as good as Bage." Zhao Yao pointed to his head, "Bago is a very smart person. The most important thing is that Bage can endure things that ordinary people cannot tolerate. . There is another reason, the prince brother believes in the Eighth Brother, don’t forget that the Eighth Brother almost died trying to save the Prince Brother before."
"The most important reason is that the prince brother is soft-hearted. Even if he later knows the true identity of Bage, he will not kill Bage. As long as Bage doesn't die, he can make a comeback at any time." Zhao Yao continued, "Wen is soft-hearted. This is the biggest shortcoming of the crown prince brother. If the prince brother really takes that seat in the future, it will not be a good thing for Dazhou and the people."
Tongxi said: "This slave knows that kindness does not command troops."
Zhao Yao chuckled and said: "That's pretty much what it means, but the king of a country is more decisive than the commander of an army."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a good person." His Highness the Crown Prince would never beat or scold them eunuchs and maids at will. He remembered that one time he went to find His Highness and accidentally bumped into His Highness. His Royal Highness was not only not angry, but also asked him with concern what happened.
"He is a good man, but he is not a king." Zhao Yao curled his lips and said reluctantly, "A person like the smelly father is a good emperor who is responsible for the country and the people."
Seeing Zhao Yao's awkward look, Tongxi held back his laughter and said, "Your Highness, do you think His Highness the Fourth will be like the Emperor? My servant doesn't look at Your Highness the way he is who is decisive in killing."
"Then you are underestimating the fourth brother. The fourth brother's city and methods are very impressive, but all of this is hidden under his expressionless face." Zhao Yao pinched his chin and said, "Like the fourth brother People like this who cannot guess what they are thinking will make the ministers afraid."
"The cold look of His Highness the Fourth is indeed scary, making people afraid to approach him." Tongxi asked again, "What about His Highness the Eighth?"
"Ba Ge is more ruthless than anyone else. In the future, Ba Ge will kill many people in order to ascend to the throne." Zhao Yao said, his face became heavy. "If the crown prince wins in the end, Ba Ge will definitely be forced to death in the future. The prince brother will then kill the third brother and the others, leaving no one alive."
Tong Xi was shocked by Zhao Yao's words. He asked with a look of fear on his face: "Your Highness, will His Highness the Eighth Prince kill you too?"
"Bago shouldn't kill me, but except for me, everyone else will die." Zhao Yao sighed softly and said, "As expected, in the end it will be the fourth brother and the eighth brother who compete for that position."
"Your Highness, if the third prince and others are not good enough, there is still the seventh prince." Tongxi said, "If His Highness the Crown Prince loses, there is still the seventh prince. He is also the legitimate son. The Zhenguo Palace will definitely support the seventh prince."
"When it's Brother Seven's turn, do you think Duke Zhen Guo is still alive?" Zhao Yao asked again, "Do you think Duke Zhen Guo's mansion is still the same as before?"
If the prince is defeated by the king in the end, then there will be no good end for him, whether he is the Duke of Zhen Guo or the Duke of Zhen Guo.
"Maybe something happened to the seventh brother before something happened to the prince's brother."
"Why?"
"Because Seventh Brother is restless." To be honest, among all the Emperors, what he hates the most is not the Nine Emperors who often bullied him before, but the arrogant Seventh Brother. "As you said, Seventh Brother is also the legitimate son, so he is unwilling to accept it. Can't you see that Seventh Brother doesn't take all of us seriously? In his eyes, he is the most noble, and we are all of low status. He looks down upon even the crown prince’s brother.”
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the eldest son, why should the Seventh Prince look down on His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"It's very simple, because the late Queen is a concubine of the Zhenguo Palace, not a legitimate daughter." Seventh Brother always felt that he hid it very well. In fact, his eyes had already exposed his true thoughts. Otherwise, why would Ninth Brother Always targeting him. "And Seventh Brother is too self-righteous. He always thinks that he is the smartest among us, but in fact he is the stupidest among us. He is not even as good as Ninth Brother."
Tong Xi agreed very much with Zhao Yao's words and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, the seventh prince always looks like he is looking at people through his nostrils."
"It would be fine if Brother Qi has always been so arrogant, but he still pretends to be..." Zhao Yao couldn't find the right words to describe it for a while, "He looks gentle and approachable, as if this is his charity. Same."
"Your Highness, what you said is so right." That's right, that's what he hates the Seventh Highness the most.
"In terms of reading, seventh brother is not as good as fourth brother. In terms of riding and shooting, seventh brother is the worst. In terms of city planning, he thinks he is very good, but in fact he is also the worst." Zhao Yao said very sharply, "Seventh brother Except for the identity of the legitimate son, there is nothing that can be obtained."
"Although the empress is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, she is the successor after all, so the seventh brother's status as the legitimate son is really inferior to that of the prince brother. Why do you think he is so proud?" In fact, in the palace, people are stupid. It doesn't matter, but thinking you are smart is more terrible than being stupid.
"Who knows."
"Just wait and see, among our group of brothers, the one who gets into trouble first is not the crown prince brother, nor the acting king, but the seventh brother." Zhao Yao said very firmly, "And the seventh brother tried to kill himself." Brother Qi is like this and still wants to fish in troubled waters and reap the benefits. It is really wishful thinking.
At this time, in Xingdeok Palace, the fourth prince's room.
The fourth prince had finished bathing and was sitting at the table reading a book.
Wei Mian brought a new lamp, which was much brighter.
"Your Highness, I asked you to have dinner. I must have something to tell you. Isn't it bad that you didn't go?"
The fourth prince looked at the book and said without raising his head: "The mother-in-law came to me just because of Zheng Rang's affairs."
"Your Majesty should have asked you to win over Zheng Zhengshi secretly."
The fourth prince turned over a page of the book and said in a calm tone: "I will not win over Zheng Rang, nor will I let the Li family get close to Zheng Rang."
"Your Highness, Zheng Zhengshi is behind Lieutenant Zheng. If Zheng Zhengshi can be used by you, then..."
The fourth prince interrupted Wei Mian: "I will not conquer him."
"Your Highness, why is this? You know Zheng Zhengshi's role?" The prince, the king, and the third prince will definitely try their best to bribe Zheng Zhengshi.
"It's because I know he's important that I won't get close to him." The fourth prince said indifferently, "At least it's not appropriate now." It will be hard to say in the future.
“If it’s not suitable now, then when will it be suitable?”
The fourth prince did not answer.
When Wei Mian saw that the fourth prince did not speak any more, he did not dare to disturb him from reading any more and quietly retreated.
When is the right time?
It depends on God's will.
The fourth prince had already greeted his two cousins during the day, asking the Li family not to have any ideas about Taiwei Zheng's three sons, let alone approach or win over Taiwei Zheng's three sons without making any arbitrary decisions. son.
The three Zheng Rang brothers, who were much remembered by everyone, were chatting in the study at this time.
Today, Zheng Qian did not go to the palace like his two elder brothers, but went to Taixue to take the examination. It took him half a day to complete the originally one-day assessment and pass it perfectly.
Starting tomorrow, he will go to Taixue to study. However, he didn't want to go because he felt like there was no one smarter than him in Taixue.
Zheng Rang and Zheng Cheng asked him where he learned about it, and he said that he learned it through the examination of Taixue.
The examination of Taixue was too simple for him. Did he really doubt that someone would fail such a simple test?
If all students who enter Taixue pass such a simple test, then none of the students in Taixue will be smart. Also, the teachers from Taixue don’t have much ability.
"Little brother, don't judge all students based on the Imperial College examination." Zheng Rang said, "There must be many smart people in the Imperial College."
Zheng Qian glanced at his two elder brothers: "Eldest brother, second brother, you said yesterday that I couldn't pass the imperial examination."
Zheng Rang and Zheng Cheng smiled awkwardly: "We deliberately provoked you."
"My eldest brother and I both believe that you can pass the exam." It's not surprising that the younger brother is admitted to the Imperial College. It would be strange if the younger brother fails to pass the exam.
"Whether the students of Taixue are smart or not, little brother, you have to go in and see for yourself." Zheng Rang was really afraid that Zheng Qian would willfully not go to Taixue to study, so he tried his best to persuade Zheng Qian, "Since you have passed the examination of Taixue, you can be upright. Bright, and justifiably challenge all the students in Taixue."
"When you have finished challenging the students of Taixue and you feel that the students of Taixue are not good enough, then you can challenge the teachers." Zheng Cheng said, "I heard that there are many knowledgeable and respected gentlemen in Taixue."
"If the students from Taixue are not good, then the teachers from Taixue are definitely not good either." Zheng Qian said expressionlessly, "Smart teachers will not teach stupid students." He had no hope for the teachers from Taixue.
"Then you have to go and see for yourself." Zheng Rang said firmly, "You will go to Taixue to study tomorrow."
Although Zheng Qian was reluctant, he still obeyed his elder brother's words.
"By the way, you will go to Taixue tomorrow to study. You must conceal your identity and don't tell others that you are Zheng Taiwei's youngest son. Otherwise, many people will fawn over you and will annoy you to death." Zheng Rang knew My little brother doesn't like to be pestered and annoyed. If you bore him too much, he might do something bad.
"Don't worry, brother, I will never admit that I am Zheng Xilin's youngest son." When he came to the capital, he had no intention of relying on his father's reputation. Besides, his father is not as smart as him, so there is no need for him to rely on his father.
Zheng Cheng joked: "Even if the younger brother said that he was Taiwei Zheng's son, no one would believe it." Their father was humble, at least in front of outsiders. He acted in a low-key manner and was indifferent to fame and fortune. And their younger brother is too arrogant and arrogant in his actions, which is completely opposite to his father.
Zheng Rang agreed: "Yes."
Zheng Qian felt that his two brothers were ridiculing him, and there was evidence. However, he didn't care.
"I'm not like my father!" He didn't think there was anything to be proud of in being like his father.
The three brothers chatted for a while, and then they went back to their own courtyards to rest.
The next day, the three brothers got up early and had breakfast together at home.
Zheng Cheng saw Zheng Rang bringing a food box with some food from their hometown.
"Brother, you really take care of me."
"His Highness Ten has repeatedly told me not to forget to bring it. If I don't bring it, His Highness will definitely be disappointed." Zheng Rang didn't want to see the disappointed look on His Highness's face. Although he only spoke a few words to His Highness the Tenth Prince yesterday, he liked the smile on His Highness's face very much.
"I would like to meet His Highness Tenth and ask him how he made stirrups, but unfortunately I didn't see him yesterday." Zheng Cheng's tone was full of regret.
Zheng Qian interjected at this time: "The tenth prince is a smart man."
Zheng Rang heard Zheng Qian praise others for being smart for the first time. You must know that even their father is not a smart person in the eyes of his younger brother.
"Brother, what did you say?" Zheng Rang asked in disbelief, "You actually said that His Highness is a smart man?"
"Brother, this is the first time I heard you say that someone else is smart." Zheng Cheng also looked in disbelief, "You have never met His Highness, how do you know that His Highness is smart?"
"How can a person who can turn two iron rings into stirrups be a fool?" Even he did not expect that the iron rings could have this effect. "Don't you know the function of stirrups?"
Zheng Cheng smiled and said, "Just because I know, I want to ask His Highness the Tenth Prince."
Zheng Rang said with a smile: "Then you come to Lanyuan Pavilion to have lunch with me at noon, and then you can meet His Highness the Tenth Prince."
"Okay, I'll come and have lunch with you at noon."
Although Zheng Qian just said that the tenth prince was a smart man, he was not interested in the tenth prince. Besides, he didn't think the tenth prince was smarter than him.
There will be another update in the evening.
I've been updating more than 9,000 times a day these days. I can't help.
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(End of chapter)
