King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

Ying Tianfu.

In the residence of Duke Yansheng.

Kong Gongjian was leaning on the couch with a calm expression showing no emotion. His right hand tapped the table from time to time, making a 'bang bang' sound. His eyes were slightly narrowed as he stared straight at the emerald green leaves swaying in the wind in the courtyard. It was unknown what he was thinking about, and the corners of his slightly raised mouth occasionally revealed a cold smile.

This action shocked the servants who were serving carefully at the side. They all lowered their heads carefully, trying to minimize their presence as much as possible, for fear that they would be stared at or called by their names.

"master"

At this moment, the old butler hurriedly trotted in from outside, bowed respectfully and shouted.

This action directly pulled back the thoughts of Duke Yansheng, and there was a flash of displeasure in his narrowed eyes. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable with his thoughts being interrupted. Then he glanced at him unkindly, and asked in a slightly low voice, "What's the matter?"

Seeing this, the old butler who had followed Kong Gongjian for many years naturally caught the change in his master's mood in an instant, and secretly sweated for his own behavior just now. Then he did not dare to hesitate at all, and immediately expressed his concerns and worries, and the reason why he entered to disturb him, and said:
"Reply to the master."

"It's not that I don't know the seriousness of the matter, but that I intentionally disturbed the master's meditation."

"It is indeed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Han who have come to visit me hand in hand. I dare not be disrespectful or negligent. I have respectfully arranged for them to wait in the lobby, and I have come to report to you as quickly as possible."

"Please understand, sir."

After hearing this, Kong Gongjian, who originally had a bad and unhappy expression, was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, his expression became introverted, and his face was full of surprise. He raised his head suddenly, stood up straight from the couch, and asked with some uncertainty and tentativeness:

"What did you say?"

"Can you say that again?"

"Who comes to our house? Who comes to visit us?"

The old butler hunched over and bowed again, and replied respectfully: "My lord, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Han are already waiting in the hall of the mansion."

Confirm again and get a positive answer again.

Kong Gongjian could not help but frown, his expression suddenly became extremely solemn, the expression on his old face changed several times from time to time, his eyes narrowed, and his mind suddenly surged with thoughts, he muttered in his heart:

"no."

"Why are these two little brats coming to visit us at this time?"

"And you came to our residence in such a grand manner."

"Is it because of the Hanlin Academy students who were taken to the Imperial Prison today, or is there another purpose or plot???"

As he was thinking, Kong Gongjian turned his head and looked back at the old housekeeper and asked in a deep voice:
"When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Han came to the mansion, you were able to see if you noticed anything unusual in their expressions or other aspects. Was there anything different about them from ordinary people?"

The old butler was no fool and naturally understood what his master meant by this. He wanted to judge the purpose of Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi's visit based on their expressions and facial expressions, or whether they came to call for punishment or whether they really had something important to discuss with them.

After hearing this, the old butler was silent for a moment, shook his head slightly, and replied: "My lord, there is no change in the faces of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Han. They are all indifferent, without showing any joy, anger, sorrow or happiness, so..."

There was not much else to say, but since they were both smart people, they naturally knew the other party's implied meaning.

Kong Gongjian's originally furrowed brows could not help but frown even tighter at this moment, but he did not ask any more questions, because he knew in his heart that now that things had come to this, the only thing he could do was to make the best of it. The Crown Prince and the King of Han had come, no matter for what purpose or what kind of scheme they had, it was absolutely impossible for him, as the master, to be arrogant in his mansion and refuse to meet them.

So I had no choice but to go and take a look, just like the soldiers coming and the water coming.

Although Kong Gongjian was jumping and shouting with joy when he was scheming and planning before, he was more or less nervous and uneasy when Zhu Gaochi and Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu came hand in hand.

Have no idea!

The two of them joined hands!
As someone who had been in the court for many years, he naturally knew better than anyone else the strength of these two people and the energy they could bring. He knew how big this place was, and if it really broke out, how many lives would be taken.

After a brief pause, Kong Gongjian waved to the servants around him, and when they were the only two left in the courtyard, he asked again:

"Both the Crown Prince and the King of Han came directly to our house after meeting the students of the Imperial Academy from the Jinyiwei Prison. Or did they go to other places or meet other people?"

The old housekeeper shook his head slightly, his expression solemn, and replied: "No one has ever seen the two of them, nor have they been to other places. After meeting the students of the Hanlin Academy in the Jinyiwei prison, the two of them came straight to our mansion."

After getting a definite answer, his expression froze slightly, his heart skipped a beat, and he murmured in a low voice:

“Nowhere.”

"After coming out of the Jinyiwei prison, he came straight to my mansion."

"Interesting, interesting. It's getting more and more interesting."

"It's possible that these two people came here with bad intentions. Their goal is very clear!"

As he was talking, Kong Gongjian knew that he would not go, so he decided to make the best of it. After he understood everything, he smiled and nodded at the old housekeeper, saying, "Come with me to meet the two most powerful people in the court besides Your Majesty."

Say it.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned around and strode towards the main hall.

Seeing his master leaving, the old butler did not dare to pause for a moment, and quickly followed his pace.

……

Not long after.

Kong Gongjian hurriedly trotted in, and saw Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi sitting on either side, sipping hot tea from their cups, looking at the decorations around them from time to time. Then, without any hesitation, he bowed respectfully and said:

"This old minister pays respect to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Han."

"I didn't know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han were visiting. I am sorry that I failed to welcome you. There are many inappropriate things. I hope Your Royal Highness and the Prince will forgive me."

Hearing the old and somewhat unfamiliar voice, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi both turned their heads and looked back at the same time. Then they looked at each other, but they did not act arrogantly. They stood up from their chairs and took the initiative to return the greeting, which was considered to be giving Kong Gongjian enough face. They responded:
"Duke Yansheng, no need to be so polite."

"It's fine as long as the two of us come here without telling anyone and don't disturb Lord Yansheng."

The politeness in the words was obvious, but anyone could tell that it was a test between the two parties.

After a brief greeting, Kong Gongjian stopped beating around the bush and asked with a faint smile on his face:

"I wonder if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Han are visiting my humble abode today. Do you have any important instructions for me?"

After hearing this, the two brothers Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi looked at each other, and then Zhu Gaoxu was the first to ask:
"I heard that Lord Yansheng has been feeling a little unwell recently, so I came to visit you. I wonder if he is feeling better now?"

Kong Gongjian was stunned for a moment, his face was a little excited, he bowed and said: "I am flattered to be favored by your Highness and the King of Han, but I just caught a cold."

"After taking a few doses of herbal medicine, my body is almost back to normal now."

"I'm sorry to have caused your Highness and the Prince to worry."

In response to this, Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile:

"It's good as long as you are healthy, it's good as long as you are healthy." "Duke Yansheng has not attended the court recently, so he doesn't know much about the government."

"I wonder if Duke Yansheng has heard anything about what happened in the court yesterday and knows what happened?"

This is said.

Kong Gongjian was about to get to the point, but he didn't want to foolishly answer directly about this matter. He knew or had heard something about it. Instead, he shook his head slightly and denied it directly:

"Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"During this period, I have been catching a cold and have been staying at home. I have rarely gone out."

"Moreover, I have been closed to visitors recently, and no one has come to visit me, so I really don't know what happened in the court yesterday."

Having said this, he paused, a hint of curiosity appeared on his face, he slowly raised his slightly lowered head and looked back, and asked:
"According to what the prince said..."

"Could it be that something big happened in the court yesterday?"

"I wonder what's going on?"

"Am I qualified to know?"

Have to admit.

A qualified official or politician is a person with great performing talent.

Take a look, take a look.

Kong Gongjian's performance perfectly portrayed the innocent look.

If Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi had not gone to the Jinyiwei prison and interrogated those Hanlin Academy students who were so daring as to commit crimes in the streets in broad daylight, they would have learned from them that they were instigated by Yansheng Duke Kong Gongjian to do such irrational actions.

It is possible that the two of them really believed Kong Gongjian's lies and thought that he really knew nothing.

but…

Although I had asked the Jinyiwei about the situation in the Yanshenggong residence in recent days when I came here just now, I knew that no one had visited it, and Kong Gongjian had not been seen going out to do business.

But others knew it... and not only did they know it, they also caused them quite an embarrassment.

It was like a slap in the face to both of them.

Seeing Kong Gongjian pretending to be stupid, Zhu Gaoxu's half-closed eyes flashed with an intriguing look. He looked him up and down, but did not expose him. Instead, he changed the topic and asked:
"There's nothing bad to say."

"But before I know what happened in the court yesterday, I have some doubts in my mind and would like to ask Lord Yansheng for advice. I wonder if Lord Yansheng is willing to answer them for me?"

Can you help me solve my doubts?

answer?

This made Kong Gongjian a little confused. He didn't know what he was up to, or what plans and calculations he had, but he didn't dare to refuse directly. He calmed down and replied:
"Your Majesty, you have shown me great favor. It is my honor to answer your questions. As long as I know something, I will tell you everything I know."

"If I don't know, I hope Your Majesty will not blame me for my lack of knowledge."

This statement cannot be said to be of low quality, it is simply flawless, and Kong Gongjian has said everything, both the good and the bad.

In response, Zhu Gaoxu smiled without comment, waved his hand, and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, Lord Yansheng. I will never do anything to deliberately embarrass you, or ask such questions."

"It's just some superficial discussions, which can also be regarded as exchanges on state governance strategies. I want to hear the opinions of Duke Yansheng."

At this point, Kong Gongjian naturally had no reason to refuse. He smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu naturally stopped being polite. He sorted out his thoughts for a moment and asked in a deep voice:

"Duke Yansheng, you are well-read and should be familiar with the laws of our Ming Dynasty."

"They attacked an official of the imperial court in broad daylight, and caused his death without knowing the severity of the situation."

"But the thieves were not one, two or three, but more than ten."

"According to Lord Yansheng's opinion, how should we deal with such a villain according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty?"

"Is this law not to punish everyone and to impose lenient punishment?"

"Or should we set an example and impose a heavier punishment?"

This statement came out.

After hearing this, Kong Gongjian's expression changed.

Here it comes, here it comes, love is waiting for him here.

He's not a fool.

How could I not know what Zhu Gaoxu meant by this?
However, he had to admit that this remark did make him look sideways a little.

This is a clear conspiracy against him!

Let him decide.

Severe punishment will inevitably discourage those Hanlin Academy students who were instigated by him to cause trouble and commit crimes.

If the punishment is lighter, it seems that it is somewhat inappropriate with the laws of the Ming Dynasty. After all, the crime was committed in the street!
Moreover, they did it in broad daylight, and attacked an official appointed by the imperial court.

If the punishment was lighter this time, given Zhu Gaoxu's methods, he really couldn't guarantee whether the bastard behind him would use this incident to retaliate.

If things go wrong, it is possible that a group of people will beat up the imperial officials again.

By then, I'm afraid it will be like nothing happened to both of us.

This question really stumped Kong Gongjian. For a moment he didn't know how to answer it. After thinking about it again and again, he felt that it was not appropriate.

Seeing that he was depressed, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth slightly, and asked with a smile:

"Duke Yansheng, why don't you say anything or answer?"

"But I didn't express it clearly?"

"Or do you need me to repeat it word by word?"

(End of this chapter)