Chapter 48: Countermeasures

The military officer understood: the son of the Prefect had defecated on the Prince, and it wasn’t just a little. If this had happened in the capital, not only the Prince, but even a random member of the royal family could have had him flayed alive. The gates of Kaifeng Prefecture had been stormed many times, and in the eyes of these people, a mere Gong Prefecture was nothing. A gatekeeper like the military officer would avoid them if he could.

"The son of the Prefect must have been beaten badly, and the Prefect must have spent a lot, right?" Wang, the military officer, asked cautiously, calculating whether the silver in his purse was enough. If not, he would borrow some, and if that didn’t work, he would have to pawn his pants.

"Not much was spent!" The head of the patrol said, pointing to the west. "Our Prefect sold over two hundred hectares of land to the Prince for five thousand strings of cash. The Prince then added a cat to exchange for a hundred-acre estate!"

"A cat for an estate, must be a golden cat, right?" Wang, the military officer, asked in surprise.

"Stay away from me, you're spitting on my face!" Li, the head of the patrol, wiped his face with his sleeve, looking annoyed. Wang, the military officer, smiled awkwardly and moved to the side. Li, the head of the patrol, was satisfied with his reaction and leaned in to whisper mysteriously, "That cat is far more valuable than a golden cat. It’s said that the current national father, Duke Yi, exchanged a painting by Chancellor Cai from the Xuanwang Palace for a lion cat, which he gave to his nephew to play with. The Prince adores it, hugging it every night to sleep. During the New Year, the Zhang County Magistrate and his family visited the Prefect’s house. When he saw the cat, he praised it repeatedly. The Prefect, tired of the cat’s noise, sold it to him. How much do you think it was sold for?"

"Oh, five thousand strings should be enough!" Wang, the military officer, gritted his teeth and named a high price.

"Tsk!" Li, the head of the patrol, laughed. "Three hands, three times, three ten thousand strings! And that’s after Prefect Chen gave a discount for a long-time colleague!"

"My God, three ten thousand strings! Even a golden cat isn’t worth that much." Wang, the military officer’s jaw dropped. Li, the head of the patrol, looked at him with even more disdain. What kind of person from the capital, a complete bumpkin, couldn’t even fathom such a price. Even if the Prefect said it was worth fifty thousand strings, would a small county magistrate dare to say it wasn’t worth it? Truly ignorant, no wonder he’s been a military officer in the imperial city for so long, his beard is almost white.

"So, Prefect Chen didn’t lose money on the land, but actually made a profit. Tsk tsk, the Prince’s family is really rich, a cat is worth so much!" Wang, the military officer, sighed, but in his heart, he thought the Prince was still young and didn’t know the market value, thinking an estate was much more valuable than a cat. If I could have caught such a good deal today, it would have been great.

"Speaking of being rich, I’m not sure. You didn’t see the Prince’s entourage eating that day. They had to add two rounds of dishes to finish. It’s said that the Prince only has one meat and one vegetable dish per meal. Think about how much it costs to feed so many people every day!" Li, the head of the patrol, showed sympathy for Zhao Cheng.

"What about the son of the Prefect?" Wang, the military officer asked again.

"This is a secret, only you, Wang, I dare to tell. The few participants, including the Prefect’s brother-in-law, were exiled to Lingnan. The Prince showed leniency to the son, making him kneel in the street and slap himself a hundred times in public!" Li, the head of the patrol, whispered, making sure no one else was paying attention.

"Oh!" Wang, the military officer nodded, thinking that the Prince only gave a light punishment, but this move was quite ‘vicious’. A person’s face is everything, and making him slap himself in public would ruin his reputation, making it impossible for him to mix in the ‘circle’ in the future. "Head of the patrol Li, how do you think the Prince will punish me?"

"I’ve said it before, the Prince is very reasonable. By confiscating your horses, he’s already let you off. You’d better understand and not mention the horses in front of the Prince. If he gets angry, he might change his mind. After all, this world is his, and if he wants something, we have to give it to him!"

"Thank you, Head of the patrol Li, I’ll never forget your advice!" Wang, the military officer smiled, thinking that it’s better to listen to advice and keep his head. If the sky falls, there will be someone taller to hold it up. The two imperial envoys didn’t mention it, so he certainly wouldn’t.

Cai You sat dumbfounded in the carriage, his hair cut off, and his concubine barely managed to comb it and pin it up. He had no interest in pleasure now, only thinking about how the Prince would settle accounts with him. As a Prince, he was a first-rank official, on par with his father. In terms of family, he had no advantage, as no one was bigger than his father.

"Yes, he doesn’t have as much money as I do!" Cai You thought for a long time and finally found his advantage. Although the Prince was a Prince, he lived on his salary and had no ‘extra income’. According to Chen Tang, he even had to write an IOU to buy the land. Thinking of this, Cai You became excited. His family had nothing but money, which was a weapon. He would use money to crush him.

"Come here!" Cai You lifted the curtain and called over a trusted attendant, whispering a few words in his ear. The attendant nodded, untied one of the horses pulling the carriage, and rode it bareback, galloping back the way they came.

Liang Shicheng’s sedan chair was quiet. He sat with a stern face, staring at the closed gate of the Prince’s residence, but his heart was not calm. With the rise of Tong Guan in the palace, Yang Jian’s position was threatened. He was instructed to probe Huang Jingchen’s intentions, and if he wanted to return to the capital, to hint that he could help mediate and bring him back to the palace.

"Damn, they used to fight to the death, but now they want to join forces, what am I to them?" Liang Shicheng pondered. He knew that Huang Jingchen had accumulated a large network of connections in the palace over the years, both inside and outside, and was always a strong contender for the head of the inner court. Although he lost in the struggle, he retreated unscathed under the protection of Empress Zheng, and now, with the merit of protecting the young prince, he would return to the palace with even more power.

Liang Shicheng originally wanted to use the opportunity to announce the imperial decree to catch up with Huang Jingchen, to get closer and use him as a future ally. However, Huang Jingchen’s words about ‘big beams’ made his heart sink. He still saw him as a small eunuch from the past. Looking at the tightly closed gate, it was clear that the ‘Ruisi Hall Texts Repository’ was not taken seriously.

"Hmph, if you join forces, there’s no hope for me. I’m here to announce the imperial decree, not to deliver messages for you!" Liang Shicheng had made up his mind. Whatever Yang Jian said, it was up to his mouth to decide. Since they didn’t speak, there was no way to verify.

If Zhao Cheng knew what Liang Shicheng was thinking, he would certainly sigh that people become bad gradually. Now, as a low-ranking eunuch, he dared to play mind games with the head of the eunuchs, Yang Jian, showing his bold and reckless character, which would lead to his future forgery of imperial edicts.

"Uncle Huang, have they been left out long enough? They’re probably cursing our ancestors by now!" In the main hall, Zhao Cheng put down his teacup and said.

"Yes, they’re probably cursing me, not you, Prince!" Huang Jingchen said with a bitter smile.

"Hehe, who makes me the son of the Emperor? But what do we want from Cai You? We can’t let him curse me for nothing."

"Ha ha, Prince, you’re like a goose that plucks a feather. But Cai You is not like Chen Tang. He is the eldest son of the current Chancellor and a close minister of the Emperor, and can be considered one of us. We shouldn’t be too harsh. A light punishment will do," Huang Jingchen said with a big laugh.

"Then let’s take fifty thousand strings from him, to fund our road construction!" Zhao Cheng gritted his teeth, understanding that Cai Jing could rise and fall four times, dominating the court for over twenty years, and must have exceptional abilities. He, as a young Prince, couldn’t shake him. Now, the two sides were in a political ‘honeymoon period’, and it wasn’t time to turn against each other. Everything had to be done gradually. For now, he could only get some money from his son.

"Prince, you underestimate the Chancellor’s family. Their wealth is in the millions. Fifty thousand strings is just a drop in the ocean for them!" Huang Jingchen teased, "Prince, don’t speak. Cai You will give you no less than this amount, and we might even have enough to build the bridge!"

"Alright, I’ll listen to you, Grand Official!" Zhao Cheng jumped off the chair and shouted, "Zheng Fu, open the gate and receive the decree!"

"Open the main gate, set off the fireworks, play the music, and welcome the decree!" Zheng Fu shouted, having seen the reception of imperial decrees at the Duke of Yi’s residence, but never seen a Prince keep the imperial envoy outside in the cold before.

Zhao Cheng and Huang Jingchen straightened their clothes and walked out of the main hall. The gatekeepers, following the instructions, opened the main gate. The servants lit the fireworks, and the musicians played the welcoming music. The incense table was already set up in the middle of the courtyard. Zhao Cheng led a group of people to welcome the envoy at the gate.

Outside the courtyard, the imperial envoy’s team heard the fireworks and quickly formed a line, inviting the two envoys to get out of the carriage. "Finally, they opened the gate!" Cai You wiped his nose and shivered, holding the seal and golden book, following Liang Shicheng into the Prince’s residence.

"Would the envoy like to come in for tea first?" Zheng Fu bowed and asked with a smile.

"Thank you, but no need!" Liang Shicheng coldly refused, "I’m so cold, I just want to urinate, not drink tea. You’re trying to make me wet my pants!" But he turned and smiled at Zhao Cheng, "Second Prince, receive the decree!"

"Yes!" Zhao Cheng replied respectfully, stepping back to stand behind the incense table.

"Second Prince Zhao Cheng, receive the decree!" Huang Jingchen stood and opened the imperial decree, reading it aloud.

"Your humble servant, Zhao Cheng, receives the decree!" Zhao Cheng bowed and knelt, and everyone in the residence followed suit.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Son of Heaven establishes a state, and must select the virtuous and capable. When feudal lords have merit, they are given more land and higher ranks. I, holding the great power of civil and military affairs, residing in the supreme position of the Central Plains, bestow titles without bias, and reward loyalty and labor. Second Prince, Duke of Ying, Zhao Cheng, is filial and righteous, and is hereby promoted to Prince of Yanzhou." Zhao Cheng, with his buttocks up and head down, listened to the decree, understanding only the last sentence, "Prince of Yanzhou, receive the decree and show gratitude!"

"Long live the Emperor, long live, long live for ten thousand years!" Zhao Cheng performed the grand salute, solemnly stepping forward to receive the imperial decree, the seal, and the golden book, feeling elated. With this title, his actions would be more convenient, and he could use it to intimidate and deceive people, seeing who wouldn’t comply!

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