The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 282 You forced me to

The beauty of April is fading, when peach and plum blossoms are no longer competing for beauty, the king of flowers, the peony, is in its prime.

In the Imperial Garden, peonies are in full bloom, and the graceful beauty of the king of flowers can be seen everywhere.

Emperor Yongchang, dressed in casual clothes, walked slowly along a path with his hands behind his back, looking at the blooming flowers on both sides.

The eunuch on duty bent his body slightly and followed him carefully.

As Emperor Yongchang walked, he asked the chief eunuch, "Those things really have nothing to do with Li Hu?"

The chief eunuch said: "I am incompetent and did not find anything unusual."

Emperor Yongchang stopped walking and said, "Am I overthinking? But Li Hu is definitely behind all these things. Whether it is Zhou Kui's death, the dethronement of the second son, or the death of the fourth son, the biggest beneficiaries are Li Hu and the crown prince."

The prince?! The chief eunuch was secretly shocked.

Emperor Yongchang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is there any news from over there?"

The chief eunuch: "General Wang is now only responsible for General Li's going out."

Emperor Yongchang frowned: "Exposed?"

The chief eunuch said: "No. He said he learned it from the Rongguo Mansion. Everyone has a clear division of labor and each has a different job."

Emperor Yongchang snorted and said, "You don't learn the good things, but just learn these!" He then walked away and asked, "What's Li Hu's reaction?"

The chief eunuch followed him and said, "They said they had never seen General Li so angry before. He complained."

Emperor Yongchang suddenly stopped and asked, "What did you say?"

The eunuch was a little embarrassed: "This is just some careless words"

Emperor Yongchang: "Speak."

The chief eunuch: "Yes. 'Demolish the bridge after crossing it', 'Kill the donkey after it has done its job', 'Have the bow put away after the birds are all gone', 'Forget the fishing net after catching the fish'." As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the emperor, observing his reaction.

Emperor Yongchang laughed angrily, "He even knows 'get the fish and forget the fishing net'. It seems that he has made the right choice for this marriage." He snorted coldly, "What do you mean? I am doing this for his own good. He is only twenty years old this year. Doesn't he know the truth that 'a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind'?" He walked forward a few steps and stopped again, "What about the Crown Prince?"

The chief eunuch said: "Your Highness the Crown Prince took the medicine and rested."

Emperor Yongchang was startled and showed a look of surprise.

The eunuch glanced at the emperor and lowered his eyes.

At this time, a gust of wind blew, and the fragrance of peony flowers came to my nose.

Emperor Yongchang came back to his senses, and for a moment he stared at the peony flowers swaying in the wind, then said, "The virtuous concubine loves the peonies in the imperial garden the most, but it's a pity that she can't see them anymore. Let someone put two peonies with soil and mud in a bamboo basket and send them over."

Chief eunuch: "Yes."

Emperor Yongchang suddenly remembered: "How is the second son doing recently?"

The chief eunuch: "Same old, drinking, cricket fighting and grasshopper fighting."

Emperor Yongchang sighed and asked again, "When will the mausoleum of Concubine Xian be completed?"

The chief eunuch thought for a moment and replied, "The earliest would be by the end of the year."

Emperor Yongchang was silent for a moment, then said, "The weather is getting hotter day by day, and it's not a good idea to keep him in the palace. Let him go to the West Mountain and temporarily place him in the temporary palace. Let the people who serve him go with him."

Chief eunuch: "Yes."

"He can go to the hunting ground to hunt." Emperor Yongchang added.

Just then, Dai Quan came over panting, with an excited expression on his face.

Emperor Yongchang's eyes flashed, and Dai Quan had already run to him and knelt down.

Dai Quan: "Your Majesty, the Third Prince has come to tell you the good news."

Emperor Yongchang frowned and asked, "What about the Ministry of Rites?" Dai Quan was stunned and replied, "I was just about to report to Your Majesty, but Hong Zhou has a stomachache, so we won't talk about it today."

Emperor Yongchang frowned.

Dai Quan then replied: "I have seen Doctor Wang. He will be fine after a few days of rest."

Emperor Yongchang was silent for a moment, then asked, "What's the matter?"

Dai Quan: "In reply to the emperor, the Third Prince has come to tell you the good news. Thanks to the emperor's blessing and the dedication of the army and the people, the border wall, barracks, towers and new city of Hetao have been completed, nearly two months ahead of schedule!"

The chief eunuch immediately knelt down to congratulate.

Emperor Yongchang's reaction was very calm. He nodded and said, "It's the icing on the cake. Pass the decree, the third prince will be awarded double salary, and the rest of the Ministry of Works' meritorious personnel will be promoted three levels by the Ministry of Personnel."

Dai Quan answered loudly: "As ordered! Your Majesty, the Third Prince is waiting outside the Imperial Garden."

Emperor Yongchang was silent for a moment and said, "Let him go back." Then he turned and walked away.

The chief eunuch quickly followed.

Dai Quan was stunned again, watching Yongchang's back disappear into the flowers, then he got up and turned to walk towards the garden gate.
As soon as he saw Dai Quan coming out, the third prince who was waiting outside the garden gate hurried to greet him.

Dai Quan knelt down with a smile: "This old servant congratulates His Majesty the Third Prince."

The third prince was overjoyed: "Father has a decree?"

Dai Quan stood up again and told him the Emperor Yongchang's order.

The third prince was confused.

Dai Quan: "Third Prince."

The Third Prince came back to his senses and looked at Dai Quan: "Did Father really say that?"

Dai Quan gave a bitter smile and replied, "Even if I had eight heads, I would not dare to falsely convey the imperial edict!"

The Third Prince still didn't want to believe it: "Did Father really say that?!"

Dai Quan nodded.

A surge of resentment rushed to the Third Prince's forehead. His chest heaved and his face turned pale.

Then, the third prince turned around and strode towards the inner right door.

Dai Quan looked at the back of the third prince, then turned his head to look at the imperial garden, blinked a few times, and then walked towards the Qianqing Palace.

The Third Prince didn't know how he walked back to the inner right gate from the Imperial Garden. All he could think about were those four words: "The icing on the cake."

Seeing the Third Prince in a daze, the guards outside the forbidden gate asked softly, "Third Prince"

The third prince finally came to his senses and walked towards the forbidden door. Perhaps because he was too tired or he had not really woken up yet, he stumbled when he stepped over the threshold and quickly held onto the door frame to avoid falling.

Upon seeing this, the imperial guards outside the forbidden gate hurried forward to help the third prince.

The third prince pushed away the imperial guards, took a deep breath, and walked out with difficulty.

Looking at the third prince's staggering back, the imperial guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

The third prince, with a blank mind, walked forward aimlessly. Suddenly, he stopped and came to the Fengtian Gate.

The third prince turned around and looked. The golden roof of the Fengtian Hall was shining brightly under the sunlight, exuding a mysterious and solemn atmosphere.

Looking at the Golden Throne Palace, the Third Prince felt a surge of grief and indignation in his heart. Did he dislike him so much?! Over the past year, he had worked from dawn to dusk, neglected sleep and forgot to eat, but in return, he only said "icing on the cake". No, it was "icing on the cake". What a great charity!

If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. No matter how hard you try, you won’t get recognition!
Thinking of this, a sinister light flashed in the third prince's eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "You forced me to do this!" After that, he turned around and strode away.

(End of this chapter)