Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 238: Be kind to others
Sunset.

Outside the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace.

The lecturers of the Eastern Palace finished their day's lectures and were walking out of the palace.

The lecturers of the Eastern Palace were divided into two groups, and Xie Qian was the head of the lecture group on that day. When they left the palace, everyone was silent. At this time, they had already discussed among themselves that they would rise up to fight for Yang Shouchen's imprisonment and jointly submit a memorial to plead for him.

As for Zheng Shi... there is no way to save him for the time being. After all, Zheng Shi was convicted of deceiving the emperor by intercepting tribute and was sentenced to death. Moreover, Zheng Shi's case will soon be transferred to the Ministry of Justice. The situation will be much better if a civil servant is involved in the trial. It will not be too late to find a solution then.

Just as everyone was leaving Chengtian Gate and preparing to walk towards Chang'an Left Gate, they saw a few people standing at the palace gate, as if waiting for someone. Judging from their attire, they were all eunuchs in the palace, so it was not uncommon to see them in front of the palace gate.

What was strange was that after seeing them come out, the leader actually walked towards them.

"Thank you, Hanlin! Can I have a conversation with you for a moment?"

The person who came was Liang Fang.

He waited here specifically in order to communicate with these Eastern Palace lecturers when they left the palace.

Xie Qian looked him up and down and asked, "May I know who you are...?"

Liang Fang smiled and replied, "I am a eunuch, the Imperial Horse Supervisor Liang Fang."

"Oh, Eunuch Liang?"

Xie Qian was very surprised.

Liang Fang was a very famous person in the capital. Not only was he in charge of the Imperial Stables, he also managed matters such as the supervision of the Beijing camp for the emperor and even interfered in the affairs of the Ministry of War, not to mention that he committed crimes and framed loyal officials.

This person can be said to be a typical treacherous person in the court. Xie Qian even felt disgusted by knowing him, let alone having a face-to-face conversation with him.

"Exactly."

Liang Fang held her head high and looked very proud.

Look, I have condescended to come and see you in person. Isn’t that enough of a honor for you?

Xie Qian bowed and said, "I am a scholar, I dare not have any dealings with Eunuch Liang... This is also the rule of the court, officials inside and outside the court are not allowed to use their personal connections. Eunuch Liang, I'm leaving now."

Without saying a single serious word, Xie Qian bowed and left.

What the hell are you, Liang Fang?

Eunuch, right?

I’m sorry, according to the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, internal and external officials are not allowed to interact with each other. Don’t you, Liang Fang, understand the rules?
Liang Fang had not expected Xie Qian to be so stubborn, so she quickly stepped forward and stretched out her hand to stop him: "Xie Hanlin, let's talk slowly. What we talked about today has nothing to do with official business. We just happened to meet at the palace gate and exchanged a few words. It's not worth mentioning."

Xie Qian smiled modestly and politely, and shook his head: "This seems to be against the rules."

Liang Fang went straight to the point and said, "Then let's talk about Scholar Yang... I wonder if Xie Hanlin is interested in listening?"

The smile on Xie Qian's face disappeared instantly.

I was being polite to you and telling you that it was against the rules to do so. Now you have crossed the line first. Why did you mention the loyal person you framed when you could mention anyone else?

You are deliberately creating confrontation, right?
"Mr. Yang has always worked diligently and wholeheartedly for the court. Now he has been imprisoned by the Imperial Guard. We don't know what he has done wrong. If Eunuch Liang could give us some advice, that would be great."

Xie Qian used rigorous diplomatic rhetoric.

If you want to have a small talk, that's absolutely not allowed, because officials inside and outside the court cannot interact with each other. But if you insist on putting yourself in opposition to me, then we are like political enemies meeting and getting jealous of each other. I can refute your fallacies and accuse you of framing loyal officials. I, Xie, can have a good argument with you.

Seeing Xie Qian's murderous look, Liang Fang hurriedly said, "Xie Hanlin, there must be a misunderstanding between us. That's why I came to meet you and try to turn hostility into friendship and completely resolve the dispute between us. What do you think?"

Xie Qian frowned and said, "It is true that Yang Xueshi's imprisonment has nothing to do with you, Eunuch Liang. It was the Jinyiwei who arrested him, which involves the affairs of the royal family. We should not discuss it here. But do you think that this is really the Jinyiwei who acted on their own?"

Liang Fang smiled and said, "Just say there is a misunderstanding... or maybe we didn't explain it clearly enough... We are willing to clear up the misunderstanding and get Scholar Yang and Zheng Shi, the Left Minister of Shandong Provincial Administration, out of prison as soon as possible."

"Um!?"

Xie Qian was slightly surprised.

You said you wanted to help them?

There must be a conspiracy!

Liang Fang continued, "The loss of the tribute was originally a misunderstanding. It was all Zheng Shi's fault for being stubborn and self-righteous. He harbored hatred for our family. He was exiled from the capital after failing to impeach us. When he found a rare opportunity, he seized the tribute and arrested people without any reason. Later, the tribute was sent to the capital in two batches, but one batch... was lost by accident."

Xie Qian was no longer talking at this moment.

He couldn't understand what Liang Fang was trying to do, so the only thing he could do was to watch Liang Fang talking to herself.

"Later, somehow, the tribute ended up in the hands of you Hanlin scholars. This was definitely not what we wanted."

Liang Fang looked regretful and said, "Later, when His Majesty investigated the matter, I also mentioned to His Majesty that we should not expand the involvement, so only Zheng Shi was captured by the Jinyiwei. Later, we found that the missing tribute case might be related to Scholar Yang, so we... asked him to go back for questioning."

After listening for a while, the muscles on Xie Qian's face twitched slightly. This was a lie that made him scratch his head... Liang Fang, you still have the nerve to say this? Why don't you say that you are a righteous and loyal person, who is devoted to the government and has never framed loyal people?
"Eunuch Liang, do you know what you are talking about?"

Xie Qian almost wanted to burst into curse.

I have seen shameless people, but I have never heard of someone like you who is so shameless yet insists that you are doing it for the sake of your dignity and not setting up a large prison.

Liang Fang said, "Misunderstandings should be resolved... We are ready to send someone to the Northern Pacification Office to make everything clear. In this way, Yang Xueshi and Zheng Shi can be reinstated and continue to serve the court. What do you think?"

Xie Qian seemed to understand something and asked, "What do you want?"

When Liang Fang heard this, she thought, "It's still you, Xie Qian, who is right. It's worth my while to talk to you here."

This brings us to the point.

Of course it’s an exchange of interests!
"As for the prince, as a servant of the royal family, we have not been able to fulfill our duties and be loyal, and have not been able to provide any help to the prince in his studies. I am really sorry." Liang Fang said apologetically.

Xie Qian rolled his eyes and waved his hand, saying, "I, the lecturer of the Eastern Palace, will be responsible for teaching the Crown Prince. You don't need to worry about it, Eunuch Liang."

Liang Fang continued, "The Crown Prince has been showing his filial piety to His Majesty recently. Xie Hanlin should know about this, right?"

Xie Qian pursed his lips and said nothing.

He knew a little about the dispute between the Crown Prince and Liang Fang, but Xie Qian did not know the details of the palace secrets.

Liang Fang smiled faintly and suggested, "As the saying goes, forgive others when you can. Since we have reached peace, we should both take a step back... Even if we don't retreat, we shouldn't advance any further... Isn't that right?"

Xie Qian asked, "Do you want me to tell the prince about this?"

"Oh, Xie Hanlin, you misunderstood. I never meant that."

Liang Fang explained, "I want to make it clear to all the Hanlin scholars that I was blind to the true power of the Hanlin scholars before. I didn't know that all of you Hanlin scholars care about the country and protect the prince. Your loyalty and courage are really admirable."

Xie Qian felt uncomfortable after hearing this.

I thought to myself, why am I so awkward?

I can't figure out what this guy is doing here?

We are helping the prince, do you need to say anything?
Liang Fang smiled and said, "Recently, our family is preparing to present a batch of tributes, all of which are what Your Majesty needs. I hope that the masters of the Hanlin Academy will show some mercy..."

"What are you lifting...?"

Xie Qian continued to be confused.

What does your tribute have to do with us?

Please, you should show some mercy. You are using conspiracy to target the crown prince, why do you want to involve our East Palace lecturer?
We are just doing our job in return for salary. The emperor asked us to teach the prince, so why should we bear joint liability?
You asked the wrong person?

Liang Fang asked, "So, Xie Hanlin agrees?"

"This……"

Xie Qian now wanted to think about the reason behind Liang Fang's action. After thinking carefully, he nodded and said, "There is no conflict between the inner and outer officials. Whenever there is a problem, we should seek peace. I just don't know about Yang Xueshi and Zheng Canzheng..."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Liang Fang seemed very satisfied at this time. She waved her hand and said, "We will send someone to inform the Northern Pacification Office and try our best to resolve the rift."

Xie Qian asked in surprise, "Can Eunuch Liang interfere with the Northern Pacification Division's investigation?"

Liang Fang smiled and replied, "The tribute case was caused by me, so it is only right for me to end it now. Although this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family, as long as... I take action, it can still be saved."

He almost said that he was the plaintiff, and as long as he withdrew the lawsuit, it would be difficult for the people from the Northern Pacification Office to continue the investigation.

Xie Qian felt a headache after listening to this.

I thought, they say the Jinyiwei are the emperor's minions, how come the eunuchs can use public tools for their own purposes? And they are so shameless?
You are a eunuch in the Imperial Horse Bureau, but you can make the Jinyiwei Beizhenfu Division listen to you? You are not just a traitor, you are simply trying to usurp power.

"Then let's..."

Liang Fang smiled and said, "Harmony brings wealth?"

Although Xie Qian had a lot of questions in his mind, he nodded heavily and said, "Then... it's good to be harmonious. Everything depends on Eunuch Liang."

Out of nowhere, some people said they wanted to help Yang Shouchen and Zheng Shi get out of prison. What else can we say?

Just follow your words!
…………

After Liang Fang had a "friendly communication" with Xie Qian, she smiled and watched Xie Qian and a group of Eastern Palace lecturers go to the Hanlin Academy office.

Not long after, Wei Xing came jogging and came behind him.

"That's Xie Hanlin, right? Have you made everything clear?"

Wei Xing looked around and felt very puzzled.

Liang Fang asked, "Why? Do you think he won't give us face if we personally go there?"

"No."

Wei Xing shook his head and said, "It's just that people in the world say that the Hanlin group of people are all arrogant and proud, and usually don't treat people well. How come they suddenly become so easy to talk to?"

Liang Fang did not answer directly, but asked: "Tell me, can they keep their promise?"

Wei Xing nodded without even thinking: "If they agree, they won't deny it. These people are very principled. It's not an exaggeration to say that they keep their word. They are really a group of rigid scholars."

Liang Fang smiled and said, "Isn't that it? When negotiating with them, as long as we ensure that they can fulfill their contract, is anything else important?"

"what!?"

Wei Xing suddenly felt that his brain was not enough.

Liang Fang said, "We should show some goodwill first, for example, get Yang Shouchen and Zheng Shi out of the imperial prison, so that when we present the telescope and soap to His Majesty, they will not use conspiracy against us."

Wei Xing asked, "Are you sure they won't?"

Liang Fang glared at him and said, "Who said that they stick to their principles and won't deny it? What exactly are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the workshop watching over the making of colored glass and soap right now?"

Wei Xing said quickly, "It's like this. Tan Ji left the palace and went to the Crown Princess's family home, that is, the home of the newly promoted Honglu Temple Minister Zhang Luan. He just came back from outside the palace and brought back a batch of things. When I found out, I hurried to report to you, eunuch."

Liang Fang couldn't help but frown when she heard this.

Wei Xing seemed very regretful: "It's a pity that I didn't get the chance to take him down."

"Why?"

Liang Fang asked angrily, "Are you still planning to use force?"

"I……"

Wei Xing was a little confused for a moment.

I said this purely to cheer you up. Don't you think Qin Ji is a serious threat now?
Liang Fang asked, "What did Tan Ji bring into the palace from Zhang's house?"

Wei Xing said: "It is said that these are some of the things that women often use, but there are a few unusual things. For example, he carries a square wooden box with two books and a mirror in it."

"Book? Mirror?"

Liang Fang frowned and asked, "Does the palace need these two things? Does it still need him to bring them from Zhang's house to the palace?"

"I also find it strange. Didn't I come here specifically to report to you, Eunuch Liang? Do you think there is any hidden story behind this? The Zhang family..."

Wei Xing expanded his associations as much as possible.

Anyway, for him, he doesn't have to be responsible if he says something wrong.

It seems that Liang Fang's status is higher than his, but in fact the two of them do not have a direct command relationship in the traditional sense. At most, they are allies with different political status. In the past, they were connected by Concubine Wan.

Liang Fang asked, "What kind of book is it? A book by a sage?"

"Of course not."

Wei Xing said, "It's a pity that none of the palace guards have read a few days of books and didn't conduct a thorough investigation. After all, no one believes that Qin Ji would bring some prohibited items into the palace... He has a good relationship with people in the palace, and no one thinks he has bad intentions."

Liang Fang looked unhappy: "This shouldn't be an excuse to relax the search on him."

Wei Xing explained, "There's nothing we can do about it. There are only about a dozen or so eunuchs in the palace who are qualified to enter and leave the palace regularly. If you don't have a certain level of experience, who is qualified to own a private residence in the capital? Besides, the guards don't dare to openly offend the people on the side of the crown prince."

"What is the book? Haven't you checked it out?"

Liang Fang asked.

Wei Xing thought about it and replied, "It is very likely to be a leisure book."

"Idle books? Are you sure?"

Liang Fang suddenly became interested and asked, "There are rumors in the palace that Tan Ji did not allow the prince to read idle books in the beginning and repeatedly corrected him. Now he actually brought idle books into the palace for the prince? Didn't he bring any smuggled books with him?"

Wei Xing shook his head: "After a thorough search, there is indeed nothing hidden in it. It may really be a book... but it is not for the Crown Prince, but for the Crown Princess."

Liang Fang asked curiously, "She is just a woman, even if she is the Crown Princess, she has only been in the palace for a few days. It's ok for her to not strictly observe the rules of being a wife, but she is so absorbed in reading idle books? Aren't you afraid of attracting criticism?"

Wei Xing asked: "Do you think... there might be something complicated behind this?"

Liang Fang did not answer but asked: "Are there any of our own people in the East Palace or Wenhua Palace now?"

"without……"

After Wei Xing denied it, he continued, "Even if the prince wanted to read some books, he wouldn't bring them to the Wenhua Palace, right? There shouldn't be any spies from us in the East Palace."

"some."

Liang Fang suddenly thought of something and said, "They are just Lady Wan's people, and are now under the jurisdiction of Concubine Shao."

"what?"

Wei Xing was very puzzled by this.

Wei Xing was unaware of Fang'e's affairs.

Liang Fang smiled and said, "If the prince reads idle books, he will definitely delay his studies. His hard-earned attitude of studying will be ruined. Your Majesty will be disgusted with him when he finds out."

"Uh……"

Wei Xing looked a little embarrassed.

Do you still want to take advantage of this issue?
The previous tribute case has not been concluded yet. Do you think you have won the battle by currying favor with the Eastern Palace Lecturer? You are actually going to take the initiative again?
Liang Fang said, "I will go to see Concubine Shao right now... You can go back first... Keep an eye on her these few days. The deadline set by His Majesty is approaching. At least we have that telescope. Sending it to the palace will at least give us an explanation."

……

……

Liu Jian’s residence.

After meeting Liang Fang, Xie Qian immediately went to see Liu Jian, because he really couldn't figure out Liang Fang's intentions, but he felt that the matter was of great importance, so he had to find someone to confide in and discuss it.

After Xie Qian finished explaining the matter in general, Liu Jian also fell into deep thought.

Xie Qian sighed, "After returning to the Imperial Academy, I thought about it carefully. I wonder if Liang Fang thought that the previous quarrel between the Crown Prince and him was instigated by us? That's why he took the initiative to come to us to seek peace?"

Liu Jian asked, "What did the prince do?"

"It is said that...it involves tribute, which is the batch that was stolen earlier...They all say that Liang Fang was the thief crying 'stop thief'. Fortunately, Eunuch Tan had a keen eye and discovered the clues early, otherwise many people would have been implicated...But it's a pity for Scholar Yang, because his family's negligence ultimately led to his failure."

Xie Qian couldn't help feeling a little regretful when he said this.

After all, in their opinion, Yang Shouchen was honest and upright, but it was a pity that his family members were harmed by villains because of their carelessness.

Liu Jian asked: "Could it be related to the leak of our joint petition?"

Xie Qian asked hesitantly, "You mean, the joint signature was leaked out and Liang Fang knew about it... Liang Fang was afraid that the matter would get out of hand, so she took the initiative to talk to me about reconciliation?"

“That’s more likely.”

Liu Jian said seriously, "According to common sense, this should be the case. What the prince did has nothing to do with us. No matter how stupid Liang Fang is, he should not make such a fatal mistake. And since he dared to frame his colleagues in the Imperial Academy, he would not change his mind every day. If he wants to harm him, he will continue to harm him to the end."

Xie Qian nodded: "That's true. He was so focused on how to harm us before, but now he comes to negotiate peace... Maybe he has no regrets at all, but just has other plans and is waiting for an opportunity to act."

Liu Jian said: "We have to be on guard."

Xie Qian asked again: "Does this mean that... Scholar Yang is free? And Shandong Left Minister Zheng Zongliang can also be freed from the crime?"

Liu Jian shook his head and said, "I will pay special attention to this matter in the next two days, and I must not mention it to the prince, so as not to disturb his studies... The emperor has issued an oral order that no things other than books and scriptures should be mentioned during daily lectures. Yu Qiao, you must pay attention to this point."

Among the many Hanlin lecturers, Xie Qian was the most talkative.

It seemed that nothing could be hidden, so that whenever the prince had any confusion outside of books, he would basically seek answers from Xie Qian.

It is for this reason that Liu Jian reminded Xie Qian in this way.

"understood."

Xie Qian sighed, "The court has been plagued by bad policies, but even mentioning them in front of the crown prince is considered a taboo. The crown prince of the Ming Dynasty knows nothing about the darkness of the court. How can he govern the Ming Dynasty in the future? It's a headache!"

(End of this chapter)