"Godfather, didn't you say you should stay away from the one in the harem?"
Xiao Yinzi looked confused. As the most favored godson at the moment, he could guess what his godfather was thinking.
Benefits can be obtained, but nothing can be done.
"You have to distinguish clearly, who is that, and the prince is the prince!"
Zhou Yi was not optimistic about the Queen's success, but he knew that His Majesty's child would definitely ascend the throne. He suddenly asked: "How did this mere cloth merchant from the Su family in Jiangning manage to become the eldest prince?"
The famous post is unusual, and must have a close relationship, rather than being a businessman who makes money for the eldest prince.
"Godfather, our family has asked people to investigate this matter. It sounds quite legendary."
Xiao Yinzi described it vividly: "The Wu family was wiped out the year before last, leaving a lot of cloth tribute shares. Several families in Jiangning were competing fiercely. The Su family was at the bottom, and it was already impossible."
"I never thought that the Su family's humble son-in-law would be good friends with the eldest prince. He took the name card to Inspector Jiang Ning and Liu, and the share naturally fell into the hands of the Su family!"
"Sister-in-law?"
Zhou Yi was amazed: "There is such an interesting thing, please tell me carefully!"
"Our family also heard from Supervisor Liu. It is said that the son-in-law is an excellent poet and can write excellent articles. His talent has spread to the ears of the eldest prince."
Xiao Yinzi said: "The two of them exchanged letters and met several times later. Some people say that the eldest prince praised the son-in-law for his great talents, but I don't know whether it is true or not.
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and then ordered: "Tell Eunuch Liu to send someone to keep an eye on the son-in-law. The eldest prince's vision is not low!"
"As commanded."
Xiao Yinzi said: "Godfather, if you are interested in your son-in-law, our family will just send someone to invite him. Why go to such trouble? They are just local wealthy businessmen. They are just ants. Our family can easily crush them to death!"
"What you do is so arrogant, it will cause trouble sooner or later."
Zhou Yi taught him a lesson: "When our family was not prosperous, we could not afford three meals a day. How do you know whether today's unknown son-in-law will be famous all over the world in the future?"
"Rather than just arresting someone without knowing the truth, it's better to send someone to investigate carefully."
"If you really have a great ability, you can easily help him when his status is low, and you can put him to good use with a little favor!"
When Xiao Yinzi heard the scolding, instead of being frightened, he burst into tears of gratitude.
Kneel on the ground and kowtow.
"My godfather gave me advice and taught our family the principles of life and work. He is more kind than his parents, and my godson has nothing to repay. I will leave this life to my godfather!"
Zhou Yi looked touched, patted Xiao Yinzi's shoulder gently, and said kindly.
"In the entire Dongchang, our family believes in you the most!"
...
late at night.
Pingxi Palace.
There was a knock on the door.
The concierge followed the crack and saw a drunkard, leaning on the door leaf and vomiting, calling the name of the oiran of Man Yue Tower.
"Hey! Your Majesty is here. We thought you would stay the night, so we didn't leave the door open."
There was unconcealed contempt in his voice. Normally he would not dare to say this. At this time, the prince Feng Ze was so drunk that he did not react even if he kicked his feet several times and spit.
The door was half opened, and Feng Ze staggered in. His body was covered in filth and exuded a sour smell.
The porter covered his nose and helped Feng Ze to the middle courtyard. A servant had already heard the noise and came to take care of him.
After a while.
The porter looked around and saw that the palace was quiet again. He took out a piece of paper from the crack in the wall and wrote four words with charcoal.
——Still trash!
Fold the note and stuff it at the feet of the stone lion outside the door. Someone will pick it up early tomorrow morning.
"Bah! This loser is so lucky, why don't we have this fate?"
The concierge spit hard and returned to the house to continue vigil.
The backyard of the palace.
study.
The lights are bright.
King Pingxi was reading history books. After proclaiming himself king, he burned all the military books into ashes.
Read four books
Read the Five Classics, history books and biographies, but never touch military books or art of war.
The servant opened the door carefully and led Feng Ze in.
"Wine, wine, wine..."
Feng Ze's consciousness was chaotic and he didn't know where he was. He grabbed the slave's hand and wanted to drink.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has brought you."
The slave got rid of Feng Ze's entanglement and quickly exited while still on the ground, fearing that the prince's anger would be affected.
King Pingxi looked solemn and read page after page of history books, leaving his son drunk on the ground.
After a long time, I finished reading the entire book.
"Get up and stop pretending!"
Feng Ze stood up staggeringly, his energy was circulating, and he woke up from his drunkenness in an instant. He slumped on the chair casually: "Father, if you keep pretending like this, I will really become a waste."
"That would be great. Maybe the Feng family can leave a legacy."
King Pingxi said: "It's a pity that you are not a waste. You always want to do something big. As a father, you have no other choice!"
"You don't have to rebel to do great things."
Feng Ze said: "For example, leading troops in battle, or writing poetry and writing, I can do things that ordinary people can do better!"
"You also know that he is an ordinary person."
King Pingxi sighed: "My father is the only king with a different surname in the country. The one in the north has already obeyed the instructions but not the announcement. If the court cannot take him down, it will definitely attack the Feng family!"
Feng Ze certainly understands the truth, otherwise he would not agree to hide Zhuo.
The Feng family seems to be prosperous, but in fact it is in great danger.
Civil servants already despised warriors, not to mention King Pingxi's war to destroy the country, which gave His Majesty the confidence to expand his land and carry out reforms. He had long wanted to confiscate the Feng family and exterminate them.
The military attache did not dare to rely on the King of the West for fear of making His Majesty suspect of treason.
The only one who supports King Pingxi is the Zhengtong Emperor. Not to mention whether the trust will last forever, nor to mention that the safety of the nine clans depends on one person. Just because His Majesty is fifty years old is not a good entrustment.
"Why didn't you support the prince and choose the gelding instead?"
"If I dare to get close to any prince, I will definitely lose His Majesty's trust, and the Feng family will not survive the day of the uprising."
King Pingxi said: "On the contrary, although the castrated dog in Dongchang has a bad reputation, he does not follow the rules and uses unscrupulous means, but his situation is very similar to that of a father. He is the emperor of the whole dynasty, and more importantly, he is capable."
"The Feng family is outside, and Dongchang is inside. Maybe we can find a chance for the Feng family!"
"What a glimmer of hope is just an excuse for power."
Feng Ze said: "My father really wants the family to be safe, so he can write a letter to apologize for his illness, resign from all official positions, and return to his hometown in the northwest to retire. The Feng family will definitely be rich for several generations!"
There was a thorn in the words, but King Pingxi was not annoyed and asked instead.
"Are you willing to go back to your hometown in the northwest?"
"Of course not!"
Feng Ze stood up quickly, with his head held high and a hint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes.
"Even if you risk the lives of nine tribes, you still have to give it a try. Since you are here to live in this world, you have to leave a few lines of words in the history books, even if it means rebelling against a traitor or getting a bad name!"
...
After the governor of Dongchang came back.
The capital city, which was already undercurrent, began to stir up waves.
First, the imperial censor wrote a letter to the Minister of Civil Affairs, accusing him of selling his title and rank, forming a clique for personal gain, and asked your majesty to hand it over to the Zhenfu Division for investigation.
The government and the public were in an uproar, and they couldn't figure out what the grudge between the two was.
A leader of the Qing Dynasty and a Heavenly Official of the Six Divisions, both of whom were mainstays of the civil service, could actually quarrel with each other.
Unexpectedly, this was just the beginning, and several high officials in the court wrote to participate.
As long as the orthodox emperor went to court, the ministers would bite each other. The solemn morning court turned into chaos in the vegetable market. The usually dignified big shots almost started to fight with each other by grabbing their hair and gouging their eyes.
The chaotic court hall was completely unable to handle affairs.
However, the Zhengtong Emperor could not arrest them all, so he had to mediate. Today he would appease the household department, and tomorrow he would persuade the officials.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that there must be something behind the chaos in the court.
After the black hand.
This is just a precursor to a big storm!
It's June in the blink of an eye.
The sun is scorching.
The palace has become a steaming steamer, and the amount of ice used to dispel the heat is increasing day by day.
Seeing that the ice cubes in the cellar were exhausted, the imperial eunuch collected ice tribute from the people to protect the harem.
After several rounds of bidding, the Jiangning Su family obtained the qualification for ice tribute at a price far below the cost.
...
The imperial supervisor.
There are eight ice mirrors placed around, and the temperature is similar to that of autumn and winter.
If anyone in the palace breaks the ice, there will be no shortage of imperial guards. After all, there has never been a saying that a cook will starve to death.
Zhou Yi looked through the account books and calculated the cost of storing ice in the palace in previous years. Compared with the ice tribute collected from the Su family, the price difference was more than 50%, and he couldn't help but marveled.
"Where did the Su family get this cheap ice cube? Could it be that it was conjured out of thin air?"
Eunuch Chen, the head of the Imperial Supervisor, said: "Gongfu, the Su family must have benefited from the tribute and deliberately sold it to the palace at a loss to show their loyalty to the governor."
"If it were anyone else, our family would believe it."
Zhou Yi gently stroked his beardless chin: "The Jiangning Su family is different, it will definitely be profitable!"
Xiao Yinzi heard this and bowed to report.
"Godfather, there was a message from Inspector Liu. After watching him for several months, Fanzi found that there was nothing mysterious about the man. Instead, he was very laid-back and lazy. He did everything slowly and leisurely."
Zhou Yi shook his head and said: "Slowly, you can be confident and tell Eunuch Liu to find out the secret of the Su family's ice making!"
"As commanded."
A strange color flashed in Xiao Yinzi's eyes. He admired his godfather's methods very much and said that if the Su family had the means to make ice, they must have it.
Getting these secret recipes is like a gold mountain that cannot be dug out!
Zhou Yi knocked on the table, his mind wandering, and suddenly asked: "How did that person behave before, such as showing the name of the eldest prince?"
"Reply to godfather."
Xiao Yinzi said: "That person doesn't care about the Su family's business. However, in order to compete for the Gongbu business, the Su family mortgaged their fields and dyeing workshops. If they can't win a share, they will go bankrupt."
"It wasn't until the debt collectors blocked the door and the Su family had almost no way out that the man took out the eldest prince's name card!"
"It's like this..."
Zhou Yi's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood that the Dongchang spy had been exposed.
The spies were all good at martial arts, and they took turns to stare at the man. Instead of finding anything strange, they recognized Dongchang's identity. From this, they speculated that he must possess mysterious martial arts.
In the past, he was indifferent to the Su family's business, but this time he helped the Su family win the ice tribute. This has three meanings.
The first is to tell Zhou Yi that I already know you, the second is to use the ice tribute to express a signal not to be an enemy or even to join forces, and the third is that the method of making ice is not in his hands.
What ordinary people see as mountains of gold and silver, that person only uses it to deliver a message!
"It's fun, it's so fun!"
Zhou Yi clapped his hands and praised that it was easy to communicate with smart people, and he could explain everything clearly even though he was thousands of miles away.
"Xiao Yinzi, is there anyone in the Su family in Jiangning who is an official after studying well?"
Xiao Yinzi thought carefully and said, "That man is not on good terms with the Su family, but he takes good care of his wife. His brother-in-law failed to pass the imperial examination three times in a row!"
"Haosheng arranged the arrangements."
Zhou Yi ordered: "Next spring, let him become a Jinshi and seek an official position in the capital. Our family will also have to pay tribute."
Xiao Yinzi asked: "Do I need to arrange a good ranking?"
"No need."
Zhou Yi said: "You have to follow the person's wishes when it comes to returning gifts. If they don't want to be famous, if our family makes a big fuss, then this gift will turn into revenge!"
"Don't worry, godfather, everything will be done properly."
Xiao Yinzi kept that person in his heart, and stopped using the method of making ice. He must have a good relationship with him in the future.
"You go ahead, let's go meet an old friend."
Zhou Yi waved his hand to drive him away
The entourage walked through the palace alone, kowtowing to all the chamberlains he met.
"It's a good job to be an errand."
"Yes, I have a bright future in the future."
"You can make things happen, as we say..."
With a pat on the shoulder and a few simple words, the servants thanked him profusely and wished they could die for Zhou Yi immediately.
Until the cold palace.
Zhou Yi glanced at the ancient palace gate. The paint was mottled, which was very different from the splendor of the rest of the palace.
"Old Lu, our family is here to see you."
As he was talking, he stepped in and saw the old deer lying on the steps, basking in the scorching sun, but there was no sweat stain on his body.
Zhou Yi suspected more than once that Lao Lu was an unparalleled master. However, after several tests, he was sure that he was an ordinary old eunuch who had only lived longer.
Lao Lu opened his cloudy eyes. He had not seen him for two years and had aged much. His pupils were almost dilated.
"How come you don't make any movement when you are walking?"
"I'm used to it. When I was on guard duty in the palace in the early years, if anyone didn't walk quietly, if he stepped too hard and disturbed any noble, he would be pulled out and killed with a stick."
Zhou Yi didn't care about the dirt on the steps, lay down on it wearing a dragon's purple robe, and asked curiously.
"Old Lu, why don't you break a sweat? Could it be that you are immune to the cold and heat just like our family?"
"We are just a bad old man, but he can't compare to the famous Eunuch Yi, who even killed the innate sword god!"
Lao Lu caressed his chest: "A calm heart naturally cools down. Our heart is about to stop. How can we still know whether it's hot or cold?"
Zhou Yi used the Listening and Breathing Technique, and sure enough, the old deer's heartbeat was slow and weak, as if it would stop at any time, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, as expected, it was like a palace servant reporting.
The old deer is dying!
The servants on duty nearby are all confidants of Zhou Yi's arrangement, and they are always watching Leng Gong carefully.
Zhou Yi definitely did not want to kill Lao Lu, but wanted to watch him go with his own eyes and give him a ride as a way to repay him for his guidance.
"Don't worry, Old Lu, our family will give you a good life, and we will find a descendant for you in the capital, change your surname to Lu, and offer incense to you every year!"
"No need to bother."
Old Lu shook his head and said: "Ashes return to dust, dust returns to earth. Our family has long seen through life and death. There is no underworld in the world. It is just a lie to deceive believers."
Zhou Yi nodded slightly: "Come today, I still need to ask you something."
Lao Lu said: "Is there anything in this world that Eunuch Yi can't do?"
"Of course!"
Zhou Yi said: "As the saying goes, when things flourish, they must decline. This is an eternal truth."
"Our family is already the Chief Admiral of the Chamberlain Department, and we have also established and run the East Factory. We are the most powerful eunuchs in history. Are we going to start to decline?"
