East Palace, main entrance.
A rather fat middle-aged man was pacing back and forth. Even though night has fallen, the middle-aged man still hasn't left.
The middle-aged man is Taoshang, a businessman in Xianyang City of the Qin Dynasty.
He was once just an ordinary businessman. His sister was a maid in the East Palace. Unexpectedly, she suddenly won the favor of the prince and gave birth to a son to Ying Qi.
Just like this, the pottery merchant's status was elevated and he quickly expanded his business with the help of the prince's name. In a short period of time, the business scale was expanded, and the medicinal materials business was booming.
The pottery merchant did have some skills, and he made a lot of money with the help of Donggong's reputation. What makes the pottery merchant so discerning is that the money he earns is not kept exclusively to himself, but part of it is dedicated to the Prince of the East Palace.
As the prince, Ying Qi had his own salary, etc., but the East Palace had many places to spend money. Not to mention the daily expenses of Yingqi's own East Palace, just for Yingqi to win over court officials and win over his confidants, it is a huge expense.
Therefore, Yingqi relied heavily on pottery merchants.
As long as it is profitable, Yingqi also agrees with pottery merchants to merge and make money. The pottery merchant arranged for Xu Banxia to go to Huichun Hall to cause trouble during the day, so he wanted to put pressure on Huichun Hall.
His original intention was to use Xu Banxia to mess up the reputation of Huichun Hall, and then personally come forward to use the name of the prince to suppress Huichun Hall, forcing Bai Yuyao to transfer Huichun Hall to him, and then he would run it.
After all, if you can master the many prescriptions of Huichun Hall, you can continue to make money. It's a pity that Xu Banxia is a waste, but he was scolded so badly that he knelt down and begged for mercy.
So shameful.
The potter also knew how powerful Lin Feng was.
People like Lin Feng are also involved with the Wang family. Even if he came forward in person to confront Lin Feng, it would be impossible.
The only solution is to move out of the East Palace.
Therefore, the pottery merchant came to the East Palace in person. But he didn't expect that he had been waiting outside the East Palace for almost half an hour, but Ying Qi hadn't summoned him yet, so the pottery merchant was a little anxious.
While the pottery merchant was waiting, suddenly there was the sound of hurried footsteps, and a servant came and said: "Potter, the prince has summoned me."
The potter's spirits perked up.
He immediately followed and followed the attendants to the main hall where Ying Qi handled government affairs.
The pottery merchant hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Potter, please pay homage to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Ying Qi said: "What's the matter?"
The potter said sternly: "Reporting to your highness, I have found another place where I can earn a lot of money every day. Originally, I thought I would just take over this property and then donate it to the prince, but I didn't expect it to fail."
Ying Qi stroked the beard under his chin, and his well-maintained face showed a hint of expectation, and asked: "Where is the industry?"
The pottery merchant said: "I am reporting back to the prince. It belongs to the Lin family in Xianyang and is the property of Lin Feng. The Huichun Hall of the Lin family is a medicinal material shop from Yongning County. It has many prescriptions and pills. These medicines can cure diseases and are very effective." It’s effective.”
"If such an industry can be brought under the prince's command, it will surely make a fortune every day and earn countless amounts of money. By then, I am afraid that the prince's plight of lack of money will no longer be there."
Ying Qi was a little doubtful and asked: "Is the news true?"
"true!"
The potter raised his hand, pointed at the sky and swore: "Prince, if this villain is a liar, thunder will strike from heaven!"
Ying Qi said: "I know Lin Feng, and he is quite talented. Even my father values him very highly. I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to win over the Lin family's Huichun Hall."
Tao Shang chuckled and said: "Your Highness, it is actually not difficult to win the Lin family's Huichun Hall. I have already thought about it here. As long as the prince agrees, we will definitely win."
Ying Qi said: "What strategy?"
Tao Shang said sternly: "We directly adopted the strategy of removing the firepower from under the cauldron and arranged for the Jingzhao Yin Mansion to take Lin Feng and put him in jail. Although this Lin Feng is famous, it doesn't stop there."
"Once he is imprisoned, his wife Bai Yuyao will definitely panic. Then he will send someone to contact Bai Yuyao and hint that as long as Bai Yuyao hands over the Huichun Hall, Lin Feng will be released."
"In this way, the prince will have another source of wealth. This is our opportunity."
The potter's face was filled with a smile and he was quite pleased with himself. He thought this strategy was excellent.
Ying Qi's face darkened.
He grabbed the pen holder in front of him and smashed it out. With a bang, it landed on the pottery merchant's body.
Tao Shang was confused and asked: "Prince, why is this?"
Ying Qi said: "My father relies so much on Lin Feng that I even let my son study with Lin Feng. Although it is just a formality, it shows how much my father values him."
"If you ask the Jingzhao Yin Mansion to arrest someone, things will definitely get into trouble. The relationship between the Wang family and Lin Feng is very good. The Wang family has direct access to Heaven. How will I explain this to my father when he finds out?"
"What's more, this method of putting Lin Feng in jail and then threatening Bai Yuyao to hand over the Huichun Hall directly shows that I am abusing my private power."
"You know, King Yong has always been eyeing me. Once he knows that I am dealing with Lin Feng like this, he will definitely take action. You loser, the strategy you came up with is nonsense."
thump!
The pottery merchant knelt on the ground and said, "This villain is stupid, please forgive me."
"Get up."
Ying Qi waved his hand angrily.
The pottery merchant is still useful. With the pottery merchant, he has a stable financial source, which can relieve his financial pressure.
Ying Qi said: "Is there any other strategy?"
The potter's eyes rolled, and after a moment, he said, "Maybe there is another way."
Ying Qi leaned forward slightly and asked, "What can I do?"
Tao Shang said sternly: "Arranged for Bai Yuyao to be kidnapped and asked Lin Feng to hand over the Huichun Hall to redeem the person. Anyway, we have gang power secretly, which is enough to succeed. The most important thing is that the prince cannot be found in this situation. Come on."
Ying Qi frowned and was a little angry. The Tao Shang's idea was really difficult.
Bai Yuyao was tied up.
He didn't think this was a good strategy to further escalate the matter.
"Prince, Your Majesty is summoning you urgently."
An attendant hurriedly entered, bowed and saluted, and said: "Your Highness, Your Majesty has sent a decree to summon you to enter the palace immediately."
"knew."
Ying Qi waved his hand.
He stood up and ordered: "Tao Shang, the kidnapping strategy you mentioned is not the best strategy. You should think about it first and then think about it. We will discuss this matter after I see my father."
"Here!"
The potter stood up after responding.
Ying Qi left in a hurry and soon came to the palace and entered the deep hall. The main hall at night, even though there were lights burning to dispel the darkness, seemed even more depressing and deep.
After Yingqi stood still, he bowed and said, "My son, I would like to pay my respects to my father."
Ying Jiuxiao said in a deep voice: "I heard that among the many women in your house, there is a woman whose brother is named Tao Shang. This man is your profitable general and can help you make money."
brush!
Ying Qi's complexion changed slightly.
Why did the emperor ask so directly?
The tone is wrong.
Ying Qi felt a little worried in his heart. He had been the prince for many years, but over the years, King Yong Ying Zhen had been pressing harder and harder, and the emperor's preference for Ying Zhen made Ying Qi's situation even more unfavorable.
Therefore, Yingqi is more cautious.
Ying Qi took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and said: "Report to my father, the pottery merchant is indeed from the East Palace. This man is in the medicinal material business. He is quite talented in business. Especially the medicinal material business run by the pottery merchant. He mainly communicates with Xia and Jin and earns a lot of money from Xia and Jin people."
Ying Jiuxiao narrowed his eyes, looked at Ying Qi, and asked: "I, why did you hear that it's not the case?"
boom! !
Ying Qi's mind exploded.
Things are not going well!
The emperor's question clearly indicated that he wanted to call an army to hold him accountable.
Ying Qi quickly bowed and said, "I don't know why, please tell me."
Ying Jiuxiao's eyes were sharp, and his rough old face was filled with a look of hatred for iron. He flicked his sleeves and said, "Is there something you don't understand? Are you afraid to admit what you have done? Go back to the East Palace and shut yourself up for half a month."
Ying Qi trembled.
What's going on?
I just spent half a month thinking about it behind closed doors.
It will definitely have a huge impact on the East Palace. Even the ministers in the court, seeing that the Prince of the East Palace was under house arrest, would consider what dissatisfaction the emperor had with the Prince of the East Palace?
Eventually, it will evolve into a court battle.
Ying Qi said: "Father, I am wronged. I have done nothing..."
"Shut up!"
Ying Jiuxiao scolded: "Go back and think about your mistakes behind closed doors. Otherwise, I will never forgive you lightly."
Ying Qi's heart trembled when he heard this. He could feel Ying Jiuxiao's anger, so at that moment, he still walked out honestly.
Ying Jiuxiao didn't even look at Ying Qi, and ordered: "Ying San, put the pottery merchant in jail, have the Tao family ransacked, and exile him to the Western Regions."
"As you command!"
Ying San's voice came.
As soon as Ying Qi walked to the door of the hall, he heard Ying Jiuxiao's voice. He trembled and finally understood at this moment.
Potter!
The reason lies with the potters!
Otherwise, how could the emperor arrest the potter?
It must be Lin Feng!
It is impossible for the emperor to arrest a small pottery merchant without any reason. The only reason for the emperor to take action was Lin Feng. But now, the incident at Huichun Hall had just happened, and the emperor took action with lightning, which was too quick.
Ying Qi secretly scolded the pottery merchant for being a fool for implicating him. But now there is no choice but to go back first. After all, the emperor is in a rage, and it is useless to defend now.
Ying Qi left the palace and hurried back to the East Palace. But as soon as he arrived at the East Palace, he saw a middle-aged man rushing to greet him.
A middle-aged man named Wei Huaiying.
He is Ying Qi's counselor and serves as the prince's horse wash in the East Palace.
Wei Huaiying looked quite anxious and said: "Prince, the people from Heibingtai came just now and took away the pottery merchant in the East Palace. I asked before, but was stopped by the people from Heibingtai. These people were fierce and hurried after them. left."
Ying Qi said: "My father arranged it."
The two returned to the hall and sat down.
Wei Huaiying asked: "What happened?"
Ying Qi's face suddenly became ferocious and he said: "What else can happen? It was naturally caused by that idiot pottery merchant. During the day, he arranged for Xu Banxia to go to Huichun Hall to cause trouble. Unexpectedly, Xu Banxia provoked Lin Feng and was Lin Feng scolded him to the extreme, and he was completely defeated."
"Then, the pottery merchant came tonight and suggested that I further deal with Lin Feng. We are still discussing countermeasures and preparing to use the power of gangs to deal with Huichun Hall. Who knew that my father would summon me directly."
"As soon as I entered the palace, I was scolded so badly that I couldn't even defend myself. I was ordered to shut up for half a month. Mr. Wei, the situation is very unfavorable to me."
brush!
Wei Huaiying's expression changed drastically.
Being scolded is normal.
How could a prince not be scolded? However, being ordered to shut up and think about his mistakes would send a signal to the East Palace that the emperor was not happy with the East Palace.
There will definitely be a storm in the DPRK.
Wei Huaiying said in a deep voice: "Originally, the prince was very constrained in the court. King Yong was even more aggressive and forced him everywhere, which made the prince's situation quite bad. Now that he is ordered to shut up and think about his mistakes again, King Yong may take the opportunity to attack. Further suppress the power belonging to the prince.”
Ying Qi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth and said: "Everyone says that my father is wise and powerful, but I don't see how he is so wise and powerful. He has strict requirements for me, the prince, and even supports Ying Zhen to target him. Me, check and balance me. I don’t have the authority of the prince, it’s really abominable.”
Wei Huaiying said quickly: "Prince, be careful what you say."
"Be careful what you say?"
Ying Qi's eyes were sharp and he said angrily: "How can I be cautious about what I say? Sometimes, I really wish I could just rebel. Anyway, I, the Great Qin Dynasty, are not without rebels."
"Prince, be careful what you say!"
Wei Huaiying's eyes were sharp, and he scolded in a deep voice: "The prince is in the current situation, and it is meaningless to talk about other things. Under the current situation, we must first consider the response strategy. Lin Feng cannot be provoked anymore, otherwise, he will definitely face his majesty's thunderous wrath. . Lin Feng is a high-ranking disciple of the Xia Kingdom, and His Majesty must put him in a high position and must win over him."
Ying Qi said: "It is absolutely impossible to win him over. If I ascend the throne, I will kill Lin Feng first, killing him to vent the anger of the whole family."
Wei Huaiying frowned.
Ying Qi was acting like this, but he lost his sense of proportion and lost his position.
After Ying Qi vented for a while, his emotions slowly recovered. He said in a deep voice: "Sir, what do you think we should do now? Although we think about our mistakes behind closed doors, we must also consider strategies to deal with it."
Wei Huaiying breathed a sigh of relief. At least Ying Qi still had some sense.
Wei Huaiying said: "Prince, the best way for your Majesty to resolve his anger is to improve the relationship with Lin Feng and ease the conflict. Once your Majesty knows that the relationship between the Crown Prince and Lin Feng has improved, he will still praise the Crown Prince. Regardless of the Crown Prince's heart, he is full of How much anger, how much unwillingness, and now I can only win over Lin Feng."
Ying Qi clenched his fists and then released them. He said in a deep voice: "Mr. Wei, how do you think we should win over him?"
Wei Huaiying said: "Although His Majesty ordered the Crown Prince to shut up and think about his mistakes, he did not say that the Crown Prince would not be allowed to see guests. I will personally visit the Lin family tomorrow morning and invite Lin Feng to come to the East Palace."
"On the one hand, the prince held a banquet to thank Lin Feng for defeating Yan Changge; on the other hand, he actively recruited him and invited him to serve in the East Palace."
Ying Qi nodded and said, "Okay, I'll just listen to you, sir. Thank you for your hard work, sir."
Wei Huaiying said: "I resigned from my humble position."
"Go ahead."
Ying Qi nodded.
Wei Huaiying bowed and bowed before turning around and leaving.
The expression on Ying Qi's face was still full of endless anger. He was very angry because Lin Feng, a mere Lin Feng, had made him such a mess. It was really abominable.
But for now, he still needs to be forbearing and pretend to win over Lin Feng first, so as to show the emperor that he is not going to deal with Lin Feng, but to reuse Lin Feng.
…
Yongwang Mansion is not far from the East Palace. This is the residence of Yongwang Yingzhen.
Now, in the hall of Prince Yong's Mansion, there is singing and dancing, a group of singers are dancing, and a group of literati are drinking and chatting on both sides, creating an extravagant scene.
Ying Zhen's fat face actually showed a proud look. Because for Ying Zhen, what he needs to win over are these scribes so that they can be used by him.
While Yingzhen and a group of scribes were passing cups and cups, a rush of footsteps came from outside the hall.
An old man in his early fifties entered.
As soon as the old man entered, the singers backed away and the sounds in the hall stopped. He flicked his sleeves, looked stern, and scolded: "It's so late at night, any banquet is going to be broken up."
A group of literati and elegant people dispersed like birds and beasts one after another.
In the hall, only the old man and Ying Zhen were left.
When Ying Zhen saw the old man, he was a little scared and sighed: "Teacher, why are you doing this? I finally managed to get in touch with these scholars, but you broke them up again."
The old man's name was Zhou Jian'an, the chief historian of Prince Yong's palace, and Ying Zhen's teacher.
Be loyal to Yingzhen.
Prince Yong's Mansion can achieve its current status only because of Zhou Jian'an's suggestions. Just like this, even if Zhou Jianan acted unscrupulously, Yingzhen still had a lot of tolerance towards Zhou Jianan.
Zhou Jian'an said sternly: "Your Highness, you can win over the scholars, but it is a waste of time to drink and talk with these scholars all day long."
Yingzhen didn't care at all. He felt good talking to these scholars.
He likes such parties.
Ying Zhen changed the subject and said, "Teacher, I'm here today, but what's the matter?"
Ying Zhen said: "I just received the news from the palace. Your Majesty summoned the prince overnight and directly reprimanded the prince. Furthermore, he ordered the prince to shut up and think about it for half a month."
"ah!"
Ying Zhen exclaimed when he heard this.
His face was filled with disbelief and he looked a little shocked. His people, King Yong, have been criticizing the East Palace, and this was allowed by the emperor. However, it is controlled within a certain range, and it is almost impossible to overthrow the prince.
Prince Yong's Mansion has never achieved substantial results. Unexpectedly, the emperor took the initiative to reprimand the prince, and even made the prince shut up and think about his mistakes.
This is shocking.
It’s even more incredible.
Ying Zhen asked: "What is going on?"
Zhou Jian'an replied: "For the specific situation, the veteran asked someone to inquire about it. He was a pottery merchant under the prince's command. He was jealous of Lin Feng's Huichun Hall and made countless money every day. He arranged for Xu Banxia to cause trouble. His final intention , to capture the Huichun Hall."
"How did you know that the potter was frustrated in this matter, his plan failed, and the East Palace has not received any benefits. In the blink of an eye, before the East Palace took any further action, His Majesty took action directly and summoned the prince to the palace to reprimand him."
"Today, the pottery merchant has been imprisoned, and the Tao family has been confiscated and exiled to the Western Regions. The prince has also been punished."
hiss!
Ying Zhen couldn't help but take a breath.
Too cruel!
This method can be called a thunderous method.
After Ying Zhen was shocked, a look of joy appeared on his fat face again, and he said with a smile: "Teacher, the prince has been ordered to shut up and think about his mistakes. This is a good thing. Let's take the opportunity to seize some of the power from the prince's hands."
Zhou Jianan said seriously: "Your Highness, it is indeed a good thing that the prince was ordered to shut up and think about his mistakes. In fact, it is far from enough for us. The key lies not with the prince, but with Lin Feng."
"From this incident, we can see that Lin Feng has a great influence in His Majesty's heart. Therefore, the old minister's idea is to win over Lin Feng and drag this person into Prince Yong's Mansion. This is the key."
Zhou Jian'an said: "Your Highness, please think twice."
Ying Zhen shook his head and said: "Teacher, Lin Feng is indeed good, but when he arrived in Xianyang, he never came to pay a visit to me. The scholars of Da Qin, who don't know that I am a corporal of courtesy and virtue, have come to visit and pay homage to me."
"But Lin Feng is arrogant and arrogant."
"Especially people like Lin Feng, who were labeled as traitors during the Xia Kingdom and had a deep hatred for the Xia Kingdom. People like him, even if they are talented, are selfish and can easily use public tools for personal use."
"The most important thing is that the scholars of the Xia Kingdom have always been arrogant and looked down on us, the scholars of the Qin Dynasty. I have always disliked it. Therefore, I think that if people like Lin Feng are brought into the Yongwang Mansion, I am afraid that it will be detrimental to our Yongwang Mansion. Scholars will have an impact."
"It's inappropriate to win over someone."
Ying Zhen flicked his sleeves and said: "Although Lin Feng has some talents, he is only in his early twenties. Such a person is too young. I think it is just rhetoric."
When Zhou Jianan heard this, he was stunned.
What's the reason?
Zhou Jianan looked at Ying Zhen carefully, and he understood immediately.
Ying Zhen was known as a talented person in Da Qin and was praised by both the government and the public. However, now that Lin Feng has come to Xianyang, the praise from the government and the public has been transferred to Lin Feng, so Yingzhen is jealous.
Zhou Jianan understands Yingzhen.
This must be the case.
Zhou Jian'an sighed and advised: "Your Highness, please don't act out of anger."
Ying Zhen said: "This is not motivated by emotion, it is the result of my careful consideration. When Lin Feng arrived in Daqin, he still put on airs and looked aloof. I didn't like it. Teacher, there is no need to discuss this matter anymore. Just wait and see what happens."
"well……"
After Zhou Jianan heard this, he sighed in his heart.
Yingzhen is good at everything?
Too conceited.
Too narrow-minded.
Zhou Jianan wanted to persuade him again, but Ying Zhen interrupted: "Teacher, the top priority right now is not Lin Feng, but how to seize more power while the prince is ordered to shut up and think about his past. This is the most important thing. of."
"Old minister, I understand."
Zhou Jianan agreed and stepped back respectfully.
Ying Zhen sat alone in the hall, but he was ecstatic in his heart, and his fat face was full of anticipation.
Prince, I can't bear it anymore.
This time, it was to further attack the prince's power.
