Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 253 Doing evil

Zhang Yanling prepared to give his old father some special training before he became an official.

As Zhang Luan said, Zhang Yanling had little experience in being an official, but his son knew much more about the ways of the world than his cheap father. This was mainly because he had lived two lives and was more shrewd than ordinary people. As long as some of the "success theory" that was popular in later generations were brought out, it would be enough to shock Zhang Luan, or at least prevent him from doing anything wrong.

First, establish the character of the scholar, make Zhang Luan look more like a Confucian official, and then teach him how to be a good official, and then work together to deal with those old foxes in the court. If they really can't deal with them, then just do something about it. Anyway, Zhang Luan's future official direction is not in the civil service, but in the Five Military Commandery.

at the same time.

At Liang Fang's residence, Wei Xing brought some very bad news...

The prince actually obtained the emperor's permission to hold office in the Wenhua Palace.

The news came too suddenly, and Liang Fang was unable to react for a moment. She asked in shock, "Your Majesty actually agreed?"

Wei Xing was full of doubts, frowned and asked: "Eunuch Liang, didn't you say that His Majesty would not give the Crown Prince any power in the government? And you also said that anyone who mentioned this matter would anger His Majesty and would definitely suffer the consequences? Why does this matter seem to be going in the wrong direction?"

"Hmph, how would we know? Don't you know what kind of person His Majesty is better than we do?" Liang Fang was also extremely annoyed at this time.

Stealing the chicken is losing the rice!

This meant that the backup plan that had been carefully prepared was destroyed in an instant, but it actually helped the prince, giving him the opportunity to get involved in court affairs and gradually develop into a qualified crown prince.

Thinking of this, Liang Fang felt weak all over, as dejected as a defeated rooster.

"Deng Chang'en! It must be Deng Chang'en who did something bad! How did he submit that memorial? Go and call him over, we want to question him face to face! He is always causing trouble but can't do anything good. Is he a disaster star? Whoever uses him will be unlucky?"

At this point, Liang Fang was definitely unwilling to admit that all this was his fault, and was determined to put the blame on others.

Wei Xing said murderously: "I will call him over right now! If I cannot satisfy you, I will definitely cut him into pieces! What do you think?"

"What a stupid idea! You are an eunuch, not an executioner! Send someone to do it!"

Liang Fang yelled in frustration.

……

……

Deng Chang'en was called to Liang Fang's house overnight. Before he came, Wei Xing did not reveal a single word and let him guess it himself.

Deng Chang'en thought that Liang Fang came to him to discuss his merits and reward him, and he was full of expectations. But when he arrived at Liang's house, he found that something was wrong. Wei Xing even had the door blocked, as if he was afraid that he would escape.

When he went in and saw Liang Fang and her dark face, he felt that something was wrong.

"Master Deng, let me ask you, have you found someone to submit the memorial you were asked to submit?"

Liang Fang asked sternly.

Deng Changen replied as a matter of course: "Yes."

"On it? How did you say that?"

Wei Xing behind him shouted sternly.

Deng Changen looked puzzled: "Just as Eunuch Liang ordered, the prince usually reads idle books, sleeps day and night, is absent-minded, and even openly skips class, delaying his studies. Your Majesty, please regulate the prince's behavior and let him concentrate on learning.

"Oh, by the way, when Zhang Shanji reported this matter, he also specifically asked the lecturer of the Eastern Palace and learned that everything was just as you, Eunuch Liang, said. The prince has indeed neglected his studies recently... The evidence is solid, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Liang Fang asked: "Where is he now?"

"he……"

Deng Chang'en thought about it carefully and seemed to feel that something was wrong. He said, "I haven't seen him in the past two days, but we often met in the past few days. Could it be that he hid himself to avoid suspicion after submitting the memorial?"

Liang Fang looked at Wei Xing standing aside and asked, "Can you get someone here?"

Wei Xing, looking tired, said in embarrassment: "In fact, it's just a matter of your word to find someone... We just need to send someone to his house to find him. Should we wait until tomorrow? After all, it's getting late."

After being glared at fiercely by Liang Fang, Wei Xing immediately went out to run errands again.

……

……

As soon as Wei Xing left, Deng Changen quickly asked in a flattering tone, "Eunuch, is there something wrong?"

Liang Fang said with a gloomy face: "His Majesty asked the Crown Prince to hold court in Wenhua Palace."

"Ah? This... I wonder what's the point?" Deng Chang'en asked in surprise, "The current situation... shouldn't be what you want, Eunuch Liang, do?"

"boom!"

Liang Fang threw the teacup to the ground. After hearing the sound of the ceramic breaking into pieces, she angrily asked, "What do you think?"

Deng Chang'en immediately fell silent.

Liang Fang said angrily, "It is obvious that the prince is not concentrating on his studies, and his suggestions are well-founded. In addition, we also asked someone to submit a memorial to Your Majesty, asking Your Majesty to have the prince hold court in the Wenhua Palace, just to intensify the conflict and make Your Majesty angry. Even if he does not depose the prince, he will be confined to his house in anger, and then he will develop a dislike for the prince. Who knew..."

Deng Changen nodded slightly and said, "But who knows if His Majesty is really angry? His Majesty sometimes does things unreasonably... Eunuch Liang, think about it, the prince knows nothing, and he is holding court in Wenhua Palace, wouldn't it be embarrassing? Maybe this is a way for His Majesty to punish the prince?"

Liang Fang sneered: "You are quite optimistic!"

“This… hehe.”

Deng Chang'en's political awareness was far inferior to Liang Fang's. At this moment, he could only smile foolishly, not knowing how to respond.

……

……

After waiting for a long time, just when Liang Fang was getting impatient, Wei Xing finally came back with a dejected look on his face.

"No one found?"

Liang Fang asked.

Wei Xing said with a sad face: "Eunuch, something terrible has happened. Zhang Shanji has been imprisoned. It has been almost two days."

"what?"

Not only Liang Fang was surprised, but even Deng Changen beside her also looked confused.

Deng Chang'en woke up immediately and asked, "He has been imprisoned? I wonder why?"

Wei Xing said, "How can the Zhang family have a chance to see him now? His family is crying... Since he is in the imperial prison, he will be skinned alive if he doesn't die. I guess it has something to do with the memorial he submitted, or it may involve the crown prince."

"Is this the person you're looking for?"

At this time, Liang Fang still did not think there was anything wrong with his plan and believed that Deng Changen had entrusted the wrong person.

Deng Chang'en looked aggrieved: "I told him exactly what you told me, but who knew...he...he...would be like this?"

Wei Xing rolled his eyes and suggested, "He's in prison now, so it's not easy to ask him casually. How about we ask someone to go to the Northern Pacification Office to ask?"

"At this moment... who knows what will happen..."

Liang Fang seemed to realize that things were completely out of control. She glared at Deng Changen and said, "Whoever messed up should be the one to blame! Don't you, Master Deng, have a wide network of contacts? It shouldn't be that difficult to go to the Jinyiwei North Division to meet someone, right?"

"I……"

Deng Chang'en looked distressed. Is this a job that a normal person could get?

Originally, other people might not know that I was related to Zhang Shanji. If I went to meet him, wouldn’t everyone know about it?

Wei Xing glanced at Deng Chang'en and said, "How about this? Find someone familiar and ask him what the situation is. If it's Zhang Shanji's own problem, let Master Deng find someone else to report it... It's also possible that the report was submitted, but it was suppressed by the Yintaisi, the Cabinet, or the Silijian. We have to be on guard against this move."

Liang Fang said angrily: "Do they dare to openly oppose our family?"

Wei Xing said helplessly: "Now that the Crown Prince's position has begun to stabilize, many people are unconsciously moving closer to him... We cannot completely rule out this possibility."

Liang Fang seemed to have sensed that Deng Changen didn't want to go to the Northern Pacification Office, so she thought for a moment and said, "Then let's ask someone first. This matter is most likely Zhang Shanji's own fault!"

……

……

It is not easy to find out the news about the imperial prison, after all, Liang Fang is not in charge of the East Factory or the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The emperor was still wary of these eunuchs. After all, Liang Fang was already the number one figure in the Imperial Stables. If he were to take control of the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Liang Fang would be able to cover the sky with one hand in the court, which would be a huge threat to the imperial power.

Early the next morning, before any further news came, Liang Fang took the initiative to go to the palace to inquire about the news.

Unexpectedly, he was stopped at the palace gate. "Eunuch Liang, please forgive me, but I have been told not to enter the palace recently."

The palace guards were also in a difficult position, but they still stepped forward to dissuade him in accordance with their superiors' orders.

Liang Fang said angrily, "I went to the Imperial Stables and delayed my work. Can you bear the responsibility?"

As they were talking, a sedan chair descended and a man stepped down from it. It was none other than Wei Tai, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot.

Wei Tai asked with a smile: "Eunuch Liang, why do you have to embarrass us young ones? If you are angry, just vent it on us."

Liang Fang got angry whenever he saw Wei Tai. After all, Wei Tai was now considered a favorite of the emperor. He and Wei Tai had always been at odds with each other. Recently, Wei Tai had not taken the initiative to visit him and never informed him of any matters.

Moreover, Liang Fang looked down on Wei Tai from the bottom of her heart.

Liang Fang waved her hand, signaling the guards to step aside, and then asked, "Eunuch Wei, did you just come back from an errand?"

"No, I just went back to my private residence. I met you, Eunuch Liang, as soon as I returned to the palace... I was saying that I was hit on the head by bird shit as soon as I left the house today. It turns out that I was going to meet an honorable person."

Wei Tai deliberately showed his arrogance when he spoke.

Liang Fang asked coldly, "We are going to see the emperor, do you want to stop us?"

Wei Tai asked curiously, "Eunuch Liang, have you forgotten His Majesty's previous instructions? His Majesty has said that you cannot enter the palace casually recently. This is for your own good. If you have any problems, just tell me."

"you?"

Liang Fang was furious, but the situation forced him to suppress it. In the end, he swallowed his anger and asked with a dark face, "I'm here to inquire about Zhang Shanji, the military officer."

"Do not ask."

Wei Tai said, "It would be best if no one in the court had anything to do with him. This would be good for everyone."

"how do I say this?"

Liang Fang frowned.

Wei Tai said, "Earlier, Mr. Qin Yin was analyzing with me that Zhang Shanji was trying to sow discord between Your Majesty and the Crown Prince. There shouldn't be anyone behind this... Don't you think it should be this way?"

"What? You ordered the arrest of that person?"

Liang Fang almost had a fit.

Wei Tai shook his head: "The six departments are all in charge of the imperial court. They are not high-ranking officials, but who in the court does not respect them? Without the emperor's personal order, can anyone be arrested at will?"

Liang Fang took a deep breath. Only then did he realize that the problem might not be with others, but with his own wrong plan.

Wei Tai said, "The Crown Prince has been copying the script for Your Majesty in the East Palace. He has not slept for two days and two nights, and he is dedicated to relieving Your Majesty's fatigue. Your Majesty is very relieved and has praised the Crown Prince in his words. But at this critical moment, someone reported that the Crown Prince is not doing his job. You say... Can Your Majesty not be angry after hearing this?"

"Transcribing the story?"

Liang Fang took a breath and thought, why didn’t I think of this?
Wei Tai sighed, “Some people only know that after the prince took the storybook back, he ignored his studies and became obsessed with it day and night, thus neglecting his studies.

"But... the prince is such a filial and hardworking person. How could he not even grasp the basic sense of propriety? He has abandoned everything, including his reputation for learning, for the sake of filial piety! Zhang Shanji was eager to make achievements, and he rashly submitted a memorial without knowing the reason. Do you think he was short-sighted or stupid?

"Eunuch Liang, in your eyes, what kind of person is the prince?"

Liang Fang gritted her teeth and said, "The prince is cautious and never makes mistakes."

"Isn't that what it is?"

Wei Tai said, "The prince knows that he is the target of public criticism. Many people are watching his every move. How can he make a big mistake at this critical moment? Besides, no matter whether the prince works hard or not, it has nothing to do with the court officials. You are so eager to submit a memorial to ask His Majesty to regulate the prince's behavior... I think... this is sincere instigation, which is an even greater crime!"

……

……

Liang Fang did not insist on entering the palace.

On the way back, Liang Fang was in a daze, feeling that the big plan she had painstakingly planned was actually a wedding dress for the prince, and actually helped the prince get the opportunity to serve in the Wenhua Palace.

That felt worse than killing him.

After returning home, Liang Fang saw Wei Xing who had been waiting there since early morning at the door.

"Eunuch Liang, I have found out that it was His Majesty who personally ordered Zhang Shanji to be imprisoned... The prince copied the storybook he received and sent it to His Majesty. His Majesty has been reading it these past few days and can't put it down. I heard that His Majesty was so pleased that he was planning to give Zhang Luan, who wrote the storybook, an official position, and he has arranged for Li Zisheng to do it..."

Wei Xing seemed to be completely unaware of Liang Fang's loss at the moment, and was rubbing salt into the wound.

Liang Fang stepped into her own door in shock. After entering the yard, she seemed to have no idea where she was. Then her pupils suddenly contracted. She turned around and asked, "Zhang Luan? What is that?"

Wei Xing was surprised and said, "Eunuch, are you joking? He is the father of the Crown Princess. He was the one who wrote the story and gave it to Tan Ji, who then presented it to the Crown Prince."

"A scholar like you, instead of studying, writes a story book?"

Liang Fang bit her lips so hard that they actually drew blood.

That ferocious face made Wei Xing feel frightened.

"My father-in-law, do you mean to ask someone to teach him a lesson?"

Wei Xing looked puzzled.

Liang Fang glared at him: "Teach a lesson to the father-in-law of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace? The current court official, the person that Your Majesty is paying close attention to? Why not teach Tan Ji a lesson directly?"

"he……"

Wei Xing considered his words for a moment before saying, "Didn't they say that those words were originally written by Zhang Luan?"

Liang Fang asked, "Guess who came up with the idea of ​​transcribing the script and giving it to His Majesty to pass the time?"

"Is there any need to say more? It must be Tan Ji..."

Wei Xing suddenly realized, and said repeatedly, "I understand, I understand everything... You mean, in fact, the fault of this matter is not that of Mr. Zhang, but of Qin Ji, right? In fact, Qin Ji... he... may not have such an idea... Who knows what kind of storybooks Your Majesty likes to read?"

Liang Fang was so angry that she paced back and forth in the yard, muttering to herself: "I have been thinking hard for a long time, but I still can't figure out what His Majesty likes. I was accidentally hit by a script and got the emperor's favor... Is God deliberately disgusting me?"

"Be careful what you say, be careful what you say."

Wei Xing couldn't help but look at the dark sky above his head, fearing that a bolt of lightning would strike him, and whispered, "You really shouldn't blame others at this time. Or is it really as you said, that the prince just wanted to fulfill his filial piety, and he accidentally won the favor of Your Majesty?"

The muscles on Liang Fang's face couldn't help but tremble, and there was great unwillingness in her eyes.

Wei Xing said, "How about we find someone to write a storybook and send it to your majesty? Since your majesty likes storybooks, how many can the Crown Princess's father write? Besides, he is just a student, not from a musical family, how much knowledge can he have? Your majesty will only write something fresh for the time being."

"Humph."

Liang Fang did not comment.

Wei Xing continued to fan the flames: "But there is one good thing. It is said that His Majesty only allows the Crown Prince to attend to affairs in the Wenhua Palace on the 3rd, 6th and 9th days of the year, and does not let him manage the court. At most, he will only know what happened in the court. Moreover, Li Zisheng, Qin Chang and others will never tell the truth about the court affairs. The cabinet is keeping it strictly secret now, and will not instruct the lecturers in the East Palace to speak nonsense casually."

Liang Fang suddenly asked, "I wonder what story the prince presented?"

"Uh……"

Wei Xing was speechless for a moment.

Liang Fang said angrily, "You don't even know what kind of story His Majesty likes to read, and you still want to find someone to write it? Shouldn't you investigate everything clearly before coming back to tell us?"

Wei Xing said: "Eunuch, don't worry. You see, is this the best thing for us to do now? Ask Zhang Luan what he wrote. I think Zhang Luan wrote this book for his daughter, the Crown Princess, so what he wrote should be in accordance with the rules and not contain any content about love between men and women..."

Liang Fang frowned and asked, "Do you think His Majesty prefers to watch romantic things?"

"of course not."

Wei Xing shook his head and said, "I'm just making an assumption. Let's reason it out. Your Majesty really likes to read storybooks. Is it possible that they involve the stories of immortals? For example, the legend of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea to Penglai?"

Liang Fang thought about it carefully and it made some sense. She nodded and said, "You are quite smart. Can you find the relevant storybook?"

Wei Xing said helplessly: "Everything depends on human effort. If we don't find someone to write, we will be left behind. There are so many people in Beijing who can tell stories and write plays. I don't believe that we can't find someone of high standard."

"Then go find it now!"

Liang Fang said angrily, "If you can't find it, don't come to see us!"

"well."

Wei Xing agreed verbally, but was thinking about it in his heart.

What are you crazy about?

You caused the problem yourself, but you insist on putting the blame on others?
If you hadn't asked someone to propose to the emperor to allow the crown prince to hold court in the Wenhua Palace, would the crown prince have had this opportunity? Couldn't you have found out more and then asked someone to report it?
Now it’s completely... helping the enemy and disgusting myself!
Sin!
(End of this chapter)