Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 224: Third Party Intervention

Qin Ji left with the box that the Zhang family had prepared for Zhang Yu.

Zhang Luan personally sent him to the door of his house. Looking at the direction where Qin Ji's carriage left, there was still a hint of pride on his face, as if to say, look, son, your father is capable now. Even people in the palace come to me for advice.

Qin Ji didn't even tell the Crown Prince, but told me...

Or rather, it was told to us, father and son.

This shows what?
"Dad, do you understand?"

Before turning around and returning to the yard, Zhang Yanling asked a question.

Zhang Luan pursed his lips and said, "What do you know? I don't think this is a big deal. Hasn't the tribute been dealt with before? Liang Fang can't hand over the telescope, and His Majesty no longer trusts him. Even if the lecturer of the East Palace is convicted, even if the prince writes a petition to plead for him, can it affect the prince's position as the crown prince? Stop talking nonsense!"

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, you see things very clearly!"

"That is, do you think your father is a fool?"

Zhang Luan couldn't help but straighten his back as he spoke.

Your father, I will grow up too.

Who said that I have to be led by you in everything?
Zhang Yanling asked with a smile: "Then... Dad, tell me, Liang Fang knew that this matter would not have a big impact on the Crown Prince, so why did he do this? And why did he make Eunuch Tan so nervous?"

"This……"

Zhang Luan was stunned and was beaten back to his original form in an instant.

But after thinking about it carefully, he shook his head and said, "Eunuch Tan must have overreacted. This is called worrying too much."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "I don't think so."

"Hey, if you have something to say, just say it. Why do you always have to play dumb with your father?"

Zhang Luan rolled his eyes at his son again.

Zhang Yanling's eyes turned cold and he asked, "Who do you think Liang Fang should get support from if he wants to overthrow the crown prince?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." Zhang Luan said without hesitation.

"Besides His Majesty?"

Zhang Yanling patiently and persuadingly.

Zhang Luan thought about it seriously, frowned and asked, "You... want to talk about Li Zisheng?"

"Hey hey hey..."

Zhang Yanling laughed in a very strange way, "Now you should know why Liang Fang didn't pick anyone else, but only picked the Yang family, right? Because Li Zisheng hates the Yang family... to the core.

"Liang Fang should have a clear understanding of the situation now. He knows that without Li Zisheng's help, it would be a pipe dream for him to overthrow the crown prince.

"So, Dad, now you know what to do, right?"

Zhang Luan looked at his son blankly and asked, "What should I do?"

He was greeted by his son's hearty laughter again.

……

……

Room for the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

As soon as Qin Chang came back, Wei Tai picked up two memorials from the table and walked quickly forward, as if he wanted to talk to him anxiously.

"what happened?"

Qin Chang looked a little tired, but he still sat down and asked patiently.

Wei Tai said: "There are a few things that are very urgent."

"explain."

When Qin Chang faced the servant who came to serve tea, he simply raised his hand and sent the person away.

When there were only two people left in the room, Wei Tai did not open the two memorials in his hand, but directly dictated: "An urgent report just came from Fengyang Prefecture, saying that Huai En was assassinated. Fortunately, the people around Huai En fought to the death to protect him, and blood splattered five steps away. Huai En avoided death on the spot, but he was still seriously injured."

Qin Chang almost jumped up when he heard this and asked sternly, "Who is so bold?"

Wei Tai waved his hand to signal you not to get excited, but he said cautiously: "Since it was a death warrior who took action, I don't want others to know who ordered it... It is said that the assassin died on the spot, but Huai En didn't offend many people in the past, so it's not difficult to guess who ordered it."

Qin Chang said with a dark face: "Eunuch Huai is kind-hearted and has protected many officials. He is well-known in the court. It is very risky to make an enemy of him, especially to kill him, unless there is a direct conflict of interest between the two sides... Where did you get the news?"

Wei Tai sighed, "It was sent secretly by the Nanjing Jinyiwei with an express message of 800 miles...I wonder if this news should be informed to Your Majesty?"

"Just press it first."

Qin Chang's face was gloomy. He said, "If the Liang man can't hand over what Your Majesty needs, it won't be too late to ask for it at the same time. Otherwise, Your Majesty will get angry and that's it. Do you have anything else to say?"

Then Qin Chang turned his gaze to Wei Tai's hand.

What he meant was that since you verbally conveyed the fact that Huai En was stabbed, the two memorials you held should not involve Huai En, which is also the main matter you are going to talk to me about next.

Wei Tai opened one and said, "This is a memorial submitted by Wei Juan, the Director of Guangzhou Maritime Customs... Please take a look..."

"Ah."

Qin Chang received it and commented before reading the content, "This person and the Liang guy are like two peas in a pod."

After opening it and reading it quickly, Qin Chang's expression became even more stern.

Wei Tai introduced the situation: "This is Wei Juan's report that in Xihu and other villages in Dongguan County, Guangzhou Prefecture, there are residents in the port market who sell fish and salt, and the officials and tyrants take the profits. I request that it be banned and the taxes be collected by the government to prepare for the tribute."

Qin Chang said: "I know how to read, so there is no need to repeat... Just tell me your opinion."

Wei Tai sighed, "He reported this matter nominally for the purpose of paying tribute, but more for personal gain, because he was angry that someone had taken away his interests. He is a eunuch in the Maritime Customs, but he wants to interfere in the affairs of the local government. It is obvious that he wants to encroach on the interests of the people and use this to help Liang Fang win the emperor's favor."

"That's how it is."

Qin Chang said indignantly, "But what can you do? Your Majesty likes rare treasures, and there are people who cater to his tastes and can pay tribute from the local area. If you tell Your Majesty about this, will Your Majesty send someone to investigate him? Now he is impeaching others, not others impeaching him."

Wei Tai quickly opened another memorial and handed it over, saying, "Please take a look at this one."

"Oh?"

Qin Chang took it again.

Wei Tai seemed to have forgotten what Tan Chang had said before, and as if he was afraid that Tan Chang was illiterate, he annotated, "This is a memorial from someone else impeaching Wei Juan."

"The Hui people of the Kingdom of Mecca...Ali? Who is he?"

Qin Changcai couldn't help but frown when he read the beginning. He thought that if a local official really impeached Wei Juan and produced evidence of Wei Juan's evil deeds, he could take the opportunity to attack and find a way to completely cut off Liang Fang's wings. But when he saw that the person who impeached Wei Juan was from Tianfang Country, he immediately felt that his IQ was insulted.

The Kingdom of Mecca refers to the Arab countries in general. It is 18,000 miles away from the territory of the Ming Dynasty and does not have much contact with the Ming Dynasty.

Now it is the people from the Kingdom of Mecca who are impeaching Wei Juan?

What’s going on?

Wei Tai said: "It is like this. Prince Ali of Tianfang heard that his brother had traveled to Ming Dynasty for forty years and was now in Yunnan, so he rushed to Ming Dynasty and sent tribute and other treasures from Malacca and other places. He wanted to pay tribute and ask the court to allow him to go to Yunnan and other places to find his brother.

"As a result, after the people and goods arrived in Guangzhou, the goods were embezzled and seized by Wei Juan. Ali used his connections to make a memorial, begging the court to investigate the matter, calculate the value of the tribute, and allow them to go to Yunnan."

"Bastard!"

Qin Chang was furious and shouted, "No wonder a Maritime Customs official could have so many treasures as tribute. It turns out that he even dared to embezzle tributes from foreign countries. And he still wants to put the blame on the prince? This group of people is really lawless."

Wei Tai sighed, "It can't be helped. There are many factions in our palace. For example, Wei Juan has Liang Fang's support. He can do whatever he wants in the capital, let alone in the local areas?"

Qin Chang said: "This group of people are indeed the parasites of the Ming Dynasty. Eunuch Huai hates them deeply, and it seems that there is a reason. The assassination of Eunuch Huai was basically done by this group of people."

"Look at this... do you want to report it to His Majesty?"

Wei Tai asked again.

"What do you mean?" Qin Chang asked back.

Wei Tai said: "Both cases are related to tribute, and now the tribute case involves the crown prince. Liang Fang is busy making telescopes. If these cases are combined, it would be a cause for celebration if he can be brought down. But I am afraid that after the matter is reported, His Majesty will still remain indifferent."

"So you won't report it?" Qin Chang asked again.

"Ah."

Wei Tai nodded.

Qin Chang closed the two memorials in his hands and said, "Then why did you show them to us? It has already happened, but we are going to pretend it didn't happen? How can we treat the affairs of the court as a joke?"

Wei Tai asked, "You said that the telescope and soap and other items, could they be from the tribute items that the Hui people used to pay tribute? According to the memorial, Prince Ali of the Kingdom of Mecca is preparing to go to the capital to file a complaint. It is estimated that he will arrive near the capital in a short time. Is there any possibility that this matter will develop further?"

Qin Chang asked, "How do you know this? Isn't the telescope made of Huangshan mica? Is there a mountain called Huangshan in the Tianfang Kingdom?"

Wei Tai smiled bitterly: "That is simply Tan Ji's nonsense, how can we believe it? Maybe even Tan Ji himself doesn't know where those things came from.

"Hasn't the Imperial Guard just escorted Zheng Shi, the Left Minister of Shandong Provincial Government, to the capital? They even implicated several officials in the capital and the Eastern Palace and detained them? Perhaps they also want to know where the telescope in the prince's hand came from!"

Tan Chang shook his head and said, "It's a waste of effort... If you want to know, why don't you just ask Tan Ji directly?"

"Qin Ji has been very cautious recently."

Wei Tai said, "He doesn't even leave the palace now. He stays in the East Palace to serve the Crown Prince. It's difficult for others to get close to him. And what Qin Ji said... I'm afraid even His Majesty may not believe it.

"If Prince Ali arrives in Beijing and Liang Fang asks him to report to Your Majesty, saying that the telescope was originally a tribute from the Kingdom of Mecca, and that the Crown Prince's claim that it was made of Huangshan mica is deceiving the emperor, then what should be done?"

Qin Chang frowned slightly, glanced over, and asked, "Are you saying that the prince of Tianfang originally came to the capital to sue Wei Juan, but then he got together with Liang Fang? It's not that far-fetched, right?"

Wei Tai said: "How can a foreigner know all the twists and turns in the court? If he knew the power structure of the capital, would he dare to come to the capital to file a complaint? I'm afraid he would die without knowing how."

Tan Chang nodded: "Tan Ji did say that the telescope could never be built again. If the prince of Tianfang really said so, the prince might not be able to prove it himself. But it is too much to let Your Majesty believe it just based on the one-sided words of the foreign prince..."

Wei Tai asked, "Does that mean we don't care?"

Qin Chang was a little annoyed: "If we don't do anything, Liang Fang might turn the tide on this matter, and then our previous efforts will be in vain."

At this point, Wei Tai finally spoke out his true thoughts: "So in my opinion, I should still inform Your Majesty and exaggerate the situation to help Wei Juan. I should say that the people of Tianfang are robbers who stole things from other places as tribute and were helped by Wei Juan. The people of Tianfang are trying to turn the tables."

Qin Chang laughed and said, "Are you helping Wei Juan or harming him?"

Wei Tai said solemnly: "From our standpoint, it seems that we are on the side of the Ming officials and against the people of Mecca. This will also make Your Majesty feel that the words of these bandits of Mecca are not credible."

"Let us consider this."

Qin Chang couldn't make a decision for a moment.

On the one hand, he wanted to completely overthrow Liang Fang's power, but on the other hand, he knew that even if the leader of the Imperial Stables was changed, the huge power left by Liang Fang was still beyond his control.

As for whether to help the prince or Liang Fang, he himself had no idea... After all, he just wanted to stand on the side of the emperor. It seemed that only the golden rice bowl given by the emperor was the golden rice bowl, while those given by others were made of mud and would fall apart if they were dropped.

……

……

Day two.

When Tan Chang went to the Qianqing Palace to submit a memorial to Zhu Jianshen, he still told him about the prince of Tianfang impeaching Wei Juan.

"The Kingdom of Arabia? Where is it?"

Zhu Jianshen had no interest in this at all.

Qin Chang said: "It is said that it is to the west of the Ming Dynasty, very close to the West. If you want to go to the Portuguese territory, you have to pass through the territory of the Kingdom of Mecca... In the past few decades, they have come to the Ming Dynasty many times to pay tribute. The earliest one started in the eighth year of Xuande when their king sent his chieftain Sha Ni to Beijing to pay tribute."

"is it?"

Zhu Jianshen nodded slightly, and then asked, "Why did Wei Juan seize their tribute?"

Tan Chang said respectfully: "I don't know the inside story, but I guess it's because the envoys from the Kingdom of Mecca were born as bandits. They sent ships to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute. The tribute was not shipped from their own country, but looted from Malacca and other places along the way. Wei Juan was angry because of this..."

Zhu Jianshen suddenly thought of something and pointed at Tan Chang: "I remember that among the tributes sent to the palace earlier, there was a piece of yellow coral. Was that what the people of Tianfang robbed?"

Tan Chang said: "I can't be sure."

"I guess so."

Zhu Jianshen's tone remained calm, and he smiled and said, "How can there be such a coincidence in the world? The prince of the Kingdom of Mecca just impeached Wei Juan for misappropriating tribute, and it just so happened that the local area sent so many treasures to Beijing. I'm afraid that every piece was looted from overseas by the Kingdom of Mecca. But that telescope..."

When Qin Chang heard this, he immediately pricked up his ears and listened.

It seems that the emperor noticed the core of the problem.

The tribute, including the yellow coral, is not the point. Everything lies in the fact that the telescope and the soap were originally the core objects of the dispute between the prince and Liang Fang, but now the envoys from the Kingdom of Mecca have come to disrupt the situation.

Zhu Jianshen thought for a moment and asked, "What did Tan Ji say at that time?"

Qin Chang said: "Your Majesty, what Qin Ji said is that Huangshan mica is needed to make a telescope, but most of the raw materials have been used for manufacturing. Now there are only some scraps left. Even if we make one, we can't make a better one..."

"What about the soap?"

Zhu Jianshen asked.

Qin Chang shook his head and said, "He didn't mention this, so it should be... just build as many as you want."

(End of this chapter)