Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 284 Man’s calculation is not as good as God’s calculation
……

The Hall of Mental Cultivation of Daming Palace.

The Second Prince had an embarrassment on his face: "Father, I'm afraid I can't do well on such an important matter."

Emperor Anping put the book aside and said with a smile, "It's just a poetry gathering. What's the big deal? Just do it. It's not something we haven't done before."

The second prince said with a bitter face: "Before, my son and his friends were fooling around. Now they are all Jinshi graduates with great talents. My son is really unsure."

Emperor Anping was obviously very pleased with his son's modesty, and deliberately said with a stern face: "There will be many more such things in the future. If you don't learn how to deal with them, who will you do?"

The second prince hurriedly said: "Big brother..."

"Hmph! Don't mention that evil creature!" Emperor Anping sneered and interrupted, "He is so ignorant all day long that he can't even recite the Four Books and Five Classics at his age. Is it embarrassing to go to a poetry gathering?"

The second prince was slightly pleased in his heart, but he did not dare to show it on his face. Instead, he continued with a bitter face, "This son has just finished reading the Four Books and Five Classics. It is very superficial, just like my elder brother."

"Don't flatter him. It's only half a catty. Saying it's two taels would be praising him too much. Doesn't he dislike studying? Let him go to the border to suffer after a while." The tone of Emperor Anping was full of disappointment.

The second prince was shocked.

I didn't expect that my father would...

Get ready to let big brother lead the troops!
"The son-in-law originally shared the worries of the father and the emperor."

The second prince did not say much and readily accepted the task of hosting the poetry meeting. He thought to himself: My eldest brother probably doesn't know yet that he will be going to the west to take charge of military affairs, and he must be full of resentment towards our father.

Do I want to provoke him?

Make him make a mistake?

……

The study room in the inner hall of Prince Yongjing’s Palace.

The eldest prince pushed a teapot off the table with a gloomy look on his face.

“Pah-la-la.”

The teapot broke into two pieces, and the tea leaves inside splashed all over the floor.

Several of the eldest prince's trusted aides couldn't help but take a small step back, thinking: "The great emperor looks so naive, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to accomplish anything in the future."

But it must be said that sometimes the emperor likes people who are simple-minded.

For example, Emperor Anping was liked by the retired emperor because he was "unsophisticated", and later he became the emperor as a matter of course. As for the scheming Prince Yi Zhong, he was not even allowed to enter the imperial mausoleum, and his end was very miserable.

From this perspective, the eldest prince's chances seem to be great...

"What do you think we should do? The second brother so blatantly invited the newly-appointed Jinshi to an outing and poetry gathering, and father actually approved it openly. Where does this put me?" The eldest prince said indignantly.

Someone immediately stood up and whispered, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. The Emperor naturally has his own considerations. You must not act on impulse."

"Yes, Your Majesty. A little impatience can ruin a big plan. A mere banquet is nothing. Your Majesty, don't take it to heart."

"Your Highness, you are the Emperor's eldest son. As long as you endure it, justice is on your side."

After everyone's endless persuasion, the eldest prince felt a little better and raised his head and said, "You guys go down first. I want to be quiet for a while."

He wants to ask Brother Shui Rong.

"Somebody come!"

"My lord, what are your orders?"

"Go to Prince Beijing's mansion and tell him that I have acquired two Persian beauties and would like him to come and appreciate them."

"Yes."

The guard took the order and left.

Prince Beijing quickly received the news in his mansion and smiled slightly.

The opportunity is here!
The court has been too quiet recently.

With the pressure from the retired emperor, Emperor Anping wanted to make changes but did not dare to take any drastic actions.

The older Ye Xiang gets, the less courageous he becomes.

Jia Jing was only interested in stability and did not try to move forward.

Wen Ting just plans to go home and retire.

Wu Nan wanted to jump up, but unfortunately he didn't have the ability. The stability of the cabinet made the court peaceful, like a pool of stagnant water.

It is not conducive for him to fish in troubled waters.

It's time to have some big fun!

"Your Highness."

When Prince Beijing met the eldest prince, he first bowed according to the rules.

"Brother Shui, you don't have to be so polite." The eldest prince pulled Prince Beijing and said with a smile, "Last time you mentioned the Persian women, I was interested in them. I tried every possible means to get two back, and the first person I thought of was Brother Shui."

Shui Rong pretended to be surprised and said, "Really? Your Highness is really capable!"

"hey-hey."

The eldest prince smiled complacently and whispered in a low voice: "You know what, Persian women are really different from our Daxia women in style. They are very coquettish, but I like them very much."

Shui Rong showed an anxious look, rubbing his hands and said: "Why are you so flirtatious?"

"Brother Shui, don't worry. You'll know when we meet later. I have another matter for you to decide."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"Is such that……"

……

Prince Beijing’s Mansion, secret room.

Shui Rong was sitting upright on a chair drinking tea. Opposite him was a beautiful woman in colorful clothes. She had a slender waist that could not be held in one hand, a face like a delicate flower and graceful eyes... In terms of appearance and figure alone, she was much better than that Persian woman.

In Daxia, thinness is considered beautiful after all.

"Miss Cai'er, does your master want to increase the price temporarily? This is not in line with our original agreement." Shui Rong said in a light voice. Although he didn't care about this little money, the temporary price increase was always disgusting.

If it weren't for the fact that the woman in front of him was so beautiful, he might have gotten angry.

"My master said that this incident might anger the imperial court, and might bring unimaginable disaster to our White Lotus Sect. They might even send troops to attack us, so..." Bai Caier smiled slightly, revealing an expression of 'do you understand'.

Shui Rong felt itchy when Bai Caier looked at him, and smiled, "Since Miss Bai has said so, I am not a stingy person. I will do as you said and send 50,000 taels of silver to the designated location."

"Your Highness is very generous!" Bai Caier complimented with a smile, then stood up and said with a smile: "If there is nothing else, I will go back and prepare first. When the time comes, I will definitely give Your Highness a satisfactory answer."

Shui Rong stood up and said with a smile, "There is no need to rush. Xiao Wang has prepared some wine and food inside. If Miss Bai doesn't mind, you can eat before leaving."

"No." Bai Caier waved her hand and said seriously, "It's important. Your Majesty, please stay."

Shui Rong did not force it and nodded, saying, "Okay, after this is done, I will have a banquet to celebrate for you all."

Bai Caier cupped her hands and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. But I would be even more grateful if Your Highness could give us silver in exchange for the banquet."

Water soluble: "..."

Such a money-grubber.

Is it to save up a dowry for yourself?

……

Jia Rong has been particularly free these days.

The selection and appointment of officials is still in progress, and there are many people who use their connections to find people. The entrances of every Shangshu and Grand Secretary are always crowded with people.

Ye Mengshu has gone to the Ministry of Revenue as he wished. For Jia Jing, it was natural for him to be arranged into the position as a mere intern Jinshi. As for a formal official position, it would surely take one or two years, and this was due to some background reasons.

Xie Jiwen also entered the Censorate with ease. This place was different from other places. As soon as he entered, he was immediately tried to win over many people. However, Xie Jiwen knew that he had a good relationship with Jia Rong, and Lord Jia was also very strong, so there was no need to feel uncomfortable, so he politely declined.

Jia Rong was also preparing to take up a post in the Hanlin Academy.

At this juncture, Jia Rong suddenly received an invitation from His Royal Highness the Second Prince to host a poetry gathering in a manor outside the city.

Jia Rong was not the only one who received the post. Many other undergraduate scholars also received the post. This season was a good time to go out for an outing, make friends and build closer relationships.

It is said that the scenery over there is unique and beautiful.

……

(End of this chapter)