Huangming

Chapter 151 The ancestral lineage is ruined, and the pen is stained with ink.

The Ten Princes' Palace.

Prince Rui, Zhu Changhao; Prince Gui, Zhu Changying; and Prince Hui, Zhu Changrun, visited together.

Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, was leaning against a rosewood couch, having his plump calves massaged by a maid. When he saw his three brothers arrive, he struggled to sit up and said, "Oh, what brings my three virtuous brothers here?"

Prince Rui, Zhu Changhao, stepped forward first and earnestly said, "Third brother, His Majesty is now reorganizing the imperial clans, even taking over 30,000 mu of farmland in Luoyang as imperial estates. As uncles, we should at least support our nephew, shouldn't we?"

As he spoke, he pulled out an account book from his sleeve and said with a smile, "Look, I have already presented all 28,000 mu of farmland and seven salt permits of Hanzhong Prefecture to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changxun frowned slightly.

Prince Gui, Zhu Changying, coughed lightly and pointed out the window, saying, "Just now, I passed by the Ministry of Revenue and saw Wei Zhongxian leading men to count the 200,000 taels of silver presented by Prince Zhou. I heard that His Majesty was greatly pleased and immediately issued an edict granting Prince Zhou's son the right to continue his title."

He deliberately lowered his voice and said, "His Majesty specifically requested that the singing girls bought from Yangzhou in Third Brother's residence be sent to the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau)."

Prince Fu frowned deeply.

You want my money, and you want my woman?

Is this polite?

Prince Hui, Zhu Changrun, suddenly knelt down with tears streaming down his face: "Third brother! The lives of us brothers are in His Majesty's hands. Please consider it a loss to avoid disaster. Offer some of the wealth of the Prince of Fu's mansion to His Majesty, so that we may benefit the country."

Seeing his three younger brothers take turns speaking, Zhu Changxun sneered inwardly, but put on a friendly smile and slowly stroked his beard, saying:
"Oh dear, what are you doing, Sixth Brother? Get up, get up quickly!"

He reached out to support King Hui, but didn't even bend his waist.

"Why must we brothers act like this? It's just about these estates, salt permits, and courtesans~"

He deliberately dragged out his words, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Let me think about it some more."

Prince Hui wanted to persuade him further, but Zhu Changxun had already stood up, stretched, and said, "Oh dear, it's getting late. My three brothers have come from afar and must be tired. Why don't we go back and rest first, and then meet again another day?"

The three looked at each other, their minds filled with questions: How far away are we? We're all in the Tenth Prince's Mansion, separated only by a wall.

But the attitude of the Prince of Fu made the three princes realize that it would be futile to persuade him any further, so they had no choice but to take their leave in a huff.

Zhu Changxun greeted him with a smile at the door, warmly saying, "Take care, come visit again anytime!"

Once the three figures disappeared from sight, the smile on his face vanished instantly, and he sneered, "Pah! They're all trying to swindle my money!"

Prince Rui, Zhu Changhao; Prince Gui, Zhu Changying; and Prince Hui, Zhu Changrun—these three actually persuaded him to donate all the wealth of the Prince of Fu's mansion to His Majesty and become a model prince.
The three of you don't have much wealth, but I'm richer than a country!
You want me to pay?

Five million taels is not enough?
Hehehe~
Zhu Changxun was so angry that he squealed like a pig.

On one side, Zhou Shiwen, the Right Chief Secretary of the Prince of Fu's residence, said with some concern, "Your Majesty, I think the three princes coming here as persuaders is not their intention."

Prince Fu looked puzzled and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhou Shiwen gave a wry smile and said, "This is very likely His Majesty's intention."

His Majesty?

Zhu Changxun clenched his fat hands, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Your Majesty has gone too far! I am his own uncle!"

Uncle?
Zhou Shiwen sighed, “Since ancient times, the imperial family has been ruthless. Judging from what Your Majesty has done since ascending the throne, the affection between uncle and nephew is not worth ten thousand taels of gold.”

Zhu Changxun narrowed his eyes, which were squeezed into slits by his fat, and asked in a low voice, "Chief Secretary, do you really want me to offer all the treasures in my mansion to my nephew? Those were all bestowed upon me by my father when he was alive."

Zhou Shiwen's eyes flickered, and instead of directly answering Prince Fu's question, he asked, "How many times has Your Majesty submitted your nameplate to the palace?"

After thinking for a moment, Prince Fu said, "The petition has been submitted three times so far."

Zhou Shiwen immediately replied, "If it fails three times, either the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial intercepted it, or His Majesty wants Your Majesty to do something before he will be willing to see Your Majesty."

My nephew is so deep in thought.
Is this still my Crown Prince brother's bloodline?

Prince Fu still didn't know what to do, so he asked for advice: "Please teach me, sir."

Zhou Shiwen pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness could send something to Wang Tiqian, or to the Grand Eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial in the Wei Dynasty, to find out the situation. If His Majesty really wants the King to offer silver, these people will surely give him hints."

After arriving in the capital for several days, they could neither see the emperor nor their mothers.

If this continues, won't he be unable to return to Luoyang for the rest of his life?
To be honest, Prince Fu was a little flustered.

The Tenth Prince's residence was really simple, far inferior to his Fu Prince's residence in Luoyang. After only three days, he was already getting tired of it.

"Let's follow the Chief Secretary's plan."

After saying that, Zhu Changxun was still somewhat puzzled.

"The power that Mother Consort cultivated for twenty years, the spies she planted outside the palace, have now withered to this state? She can't even find a single trustworthy confidant?!"

Unable to find a contact in the capital, he was completely clueless about the situation there.

I don't know where to start.

"Your Majesty, the person has been found!"

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Unsuccessful candidate Zhao Shiyong dragged a candied hawthorn vendor along as they stumbled into the hall.

The vendor still held half a sugar tree in his hand, with more than a dozen strings of candied hawthorns stuck on it. His hands were covered in sugar coating, and he knelt tremblingly before Prince Fu.

Prince Fu squinted at the ragged merchant with his swollen eyelids, his face twitching as he said, "Mr. Zhao, I asked you to find my mother's former subordinates, and you've brought me this kind of scum?"

Zhao Shiyong wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty is wise. I have searched all the nine gates of the capital and even secretly investigated the Jiaofangsi. This person is actually the last surviving member of Consort Zheng's former entourage."

"Him?" Zhu Changxun sized up the kneeling vendor before him, plucked a string of candied hawthorns from his sugar tree, and asked while eating, "Are you one of my mother's men?"

With tears in his eyes, the vendor said, "I am the steward of Master Zheng's household, and I used to serve the Empress."

Steward of the Zheng family?

"How did you end up like this?"

The vendor cried out, "The Zheng family's residence was raided by the Imperial Guards. I was quick-witted and hid in the countryside to escape this disaster. Unfortunately, I was penniless. Luckily, I have a skill in making candied hawthorns. I pawned my fine clothes and have managed to survive by relying on this skill."

"How ruthless the Embroidered Uniform Guards are! How ruthless His Majesty is!"

The forces outside the mother's palace were completely wiped out.

The situation is probably even more pronounced within the palace.

Is my mother doing well?
As he thought about it, two streams of hot tears welled up in Zhu Changxun's fat face.

"How is Mother Consort doing in the palace?"

The old steward shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I heard that all the palace maids in Cining Palace have been punished, and Consort Zheng has been moved to Renshou Palace. I imagine she's having a hard time."

Call ~
Zhu Changxun, panting heavily, said to Zhou Shiwen, "Immediately contact that eunuch Wang Tiqian. Isn't it just that he wants the wealth of my Prince Fu's mansion? I'll give it to him, okay? Then invite him to the palace to meet the Emperor and see my mother!"

Concern leads to chaos.

Zhou Shiwen sighed; there was no other way.

People are knives and servants, and I am fish and meat.

It all depends on how much of an uncle-nephew relationship His Majesty still retains.

Zhou Shiwen acted quickly, and within half a day he contacted Wang Tiqian and invited him to the Tenth Prince's Mansion.

Inside a side hall of the Tenth Prince's Mansion, candlelight flickered.

Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, sat in the host's seat, while Wang Tiqian sat in the guest's seat.

Zhou Shiwen concealed a silver note in his sleeve, bowed and approached Wang Tiqian, and whispered, "Wang Da Dang has had a hard time escorting you all the way. My lord has prepared a small gift to express his gratitude."

As he spoke, he pulled out ten silver notes worth ten thousand taels each from his sleeve and slipped them into Wang Tiqian's sleeve pocket under the guise of pouring tea.

Wang Tiqian could tell the thickness with a flick of his fingertips, but he pretended to refuse: "What do you mean by this, Chief Secretary Zhou? I am carrying out an imperial order, I dare not do such a thing."

Seeing that Wang Tiqian was unwilling to do the work, Zhou Shiwen hurriedly lowered his voice and said:

"Your Excellency, please hear my words. The Prince is well aware of His Majesty's good intentions in reforming the imperial clans and is willing to donate one million taels of silver to aid in the military campaign. However…"

Upon hearing that Prince Fu was willing to contribute money, Wang Tiqian was immediately wide awake, and even his eyes lit up.

"Just what?"

Seeing Wang Tiqian's reaction, Zhou Shiwen thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

His Majesty also wants to extract money from the Prince of Fu's residence.

He immediately said, "Your Highness's back sore has not yet healed, and I fear you may lose your composure before the Emperor. If the Grand Eunuch can arrange for you to have a private audience with the Emperor to plead your case, I am willing to contribute this million taels of silver to help with the expenses."

Wang Tiqian took a sip of fine tea and said with a smile, "One million taels of silver is quite a sum, but His Majesty is extremely busy, and I'm afraid he won't have the time."

Zhou Shiwen frowned, cursing the eunuch for his greed, but he could only swallow his anger and complain, "The Prince of Fu's mansion really doesn't have that much silver."

Although the Prince of Fu's mansion was said to be as wealthy as a country, in reality, the treasury only held a few million taels of silver.

Most of the legendary wealth and riches were actually farms, shops, and mansions in Henan Prefecture—things that could be seen but not possessed.

Whenever there are large expenses, the managers are in a panic, pawning things everywhere to get cash, just like beggars holding a golden bowl.

Wang Tiqian bowed slightly, a respectful smile plastered on his face, but his voice carried a hint of deeper meaning: "If Your Highness cannot raise the cash in time, that is not a problem. Luoyang has thousands of miles of fertile land, all of which were estates bestowed by the late Emperor. If Your Highness is willing to offer ten or twenty thousand hectares of land to be added to the imperial estates, His Majesty will surely be delighted. At that time, not only will you be able to petition the Emperor, but you might even be able to go to Renshou Palace to meet Consort Zheng."

As he spoke, he glanced at Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun's, chubby face, which had turned a deep purplish-red, and added, "I've heard that the officials from the Ministry of Revenue sent by His Majesty to survey the land have arrived in Henan Prefecture. If they find out about those hidden fields that were offered up, I'm afraid the Prince Fu's residence won't be able to explain themselves."

Zhu Youxiao used a combination of tactics to deal with Prince Fu.

After Prince Fu left Luoyang, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War were dispatched to investigate Prince Fu's background.

With two approaches combined, Zhou Shiwen was so anxious that he stamped his feet: "Your Excellency Wang, please be wise! The estates of Fufu were all bestowed by the late Emperor. If we were to suddenly cede them, wouldn't we be betraying the grace of Emperor Shenzong?"

Meanwhile, Prince Fu, who was standing to the side, could no longer hold back.

"Wang Tiqian, do you want me to die right in front of you before you'll stop?"

Wang Tiqian squinted his triangular eyes and forced a smile: "How dare this old servant force Your Majesty? If you are unwilling, then let this matter rest."

As he spoke, he suddenly lowered his voice, which was as cold as a viper's hiss: "However, as for when Your Majesty will be able to enter the palace to meet the Emperor, and when Your Majesty will be able to return to your fiefdom in Luoyang, this old servant dares not guarantee Your Majesty's life."

"Wang Tiqian, you!"

Prince Fu was so angry with Wang Tiqian that he was furious.

This eunuch is abusing his master's power; he's utterly despicable!
Wang Tiqian simply snorted coldly, remaining unmoved.

Now, Prince Fu has been tricked by the emperor and is indeed in a sorry state, looking quite pitiful.

But who still remembers those years when he lorded it over everyone in Luoyang?
The vermilion gates of the Prince's Mansion were painted red with the blood and tears of the common people, and countless skeletons are buried beneath the artificial hill in the back garden.

The forced seizure of farmland led to the extinction of farming families; the forced conscription of women drove respectable women to suicide by drowning; and the condoning of servants beating merchants to death in the street. Each and every one of these acts is utterly depraved.
Now, all he's doing is making him cough up some ill-gotten gains. Compared to the people he caused to lose their families and lives, this punishment is nothing!

In times of national crisis, if you truly cling to your own wealth, don't blame His Majesty for disowning your uncle-nephew relationship!
ps:
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(End of this chapter)