The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 435 The scapegoat

The melodious sound of a flute came from the backyard of Prince Zhongshun's mansion.

On the stage, Qi Guan pretended to be sick from lovesickness and sang charmingly: "In my dream, the pear clouds are vast. I am too sick to get out of bed, but I am glad to recognize my lover. Ah! He is really lovely and romantic. It makes me crazy to see you when we meet."

Under the stage, Prince Zhongshun was already a little drunk. He listened with his eyes slightly closed, shaking his head, tapping the table with his fingers to clap his hands, and cheering loudly when he heard something interesting.

After the song was over, Prince Zhongshun cheered loudly and then called out, "Official Qi, come and drink with me."

Qi Guan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I will go change my clothes first."

"I like this outfit of yours." King Zhongshun looked at Qi Guan with shining eyes.

Official Qi was filled with hatred, but he had to smile and answer, "Yes." He slowly walked down the stage and walked over.

When Prince Zhongshun saw Qi Guan's attire, he had already lost seven points of his reservedness and became three points more gentle. He poured a glass of wine and held it in his hand while waiting.

Qi Guan bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the wine."

Prince Zhongshun stared at him without saying anything.

Qi Guan understood, and in his heart he greeted the eighteen generations of King Zhongshun's ancestors, and at the same time he bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the wine."

King Zhongshun laughed and said, "That's right." He stuffed the wine into Qi Guan's hand and touched his face.

Officer Qi drank it in one gulp, and then in his mind he greeted the eighteen generations of King Zhongshun's ancestors again.

King Zhongshun: "Come, pour wine for me!"

At this moment, the steward came over hurriedly: "Your Majesty."

King Zhongshun glanced at him and asked, "What's the matter?"

The steward looked at Officer Qi and raised the letter in his hand hesitantly: "It was just delivered from outside."

Qi Guan spoke up: "Your Majesty, I will go change my clothes first."

King Zhongshun: "No need. There are no outsiders here. Go ahead."

Manager: “This.”

Qi Guan: "Your Majesty, I'd better stay away for a while."

Prince Zhongshun was a little embarrassed, his face sank, his eyes bulged, and he said, "Speak!"

The manager was silent for a moment before answering, "Yes. I just received news that the Duke of Lu changed the plan of the Ministry of War and transferred 500 musketeers from outside the city."

King Zhongshun raised his hand and stared at him fiercely, then said to Qi Guan: "That's all for today, you can go back."

Qi Guan bowed slightly and said, "Yes." He appeared silent but was shocked in his heart.

Seeing Qi Guan disappear outside the Moon Gate, Prince Zhongshun turned his gaze to the steward and asked, "What's going on?"

The steward said: "Your Highness, this change was expected. After all, there are Li Hu's people in the Southern Pacification Office. Besides, it is impossible for the palace to hide such a big thing from him." As he said that, he told Prince Zhongshun what happened in the examination room.

King Zhongshun sneered, "This little bastard also gets scared sometimes."

The manager said, "It's already difficult to assassinate someone. Now not only is the distance longer, but there are also musketeers." He paused, "It's almost impossible to succeed."

King Zhongshun smiled and said, "We should give everything a try. What if it works? Even if it fails, we won't suffer any loss. Besides, we are not the only one who has this idea." At this point, he suddenly remembered, "What's going on with that little bastard Wang Ren?"

The manager said: “Everything is normal.”

King Zhongshun: "What does he want to do?" The manager: "He doesn't have the courage to assassinate Li Hu. Maybe he wants to watch Li Hu being assassinated, or maybe he wants to reveal it at the last moment and gain credit."

When King Zhongshun heard this, his eyes rolled around, and then he sneered, thinking: Want to be the fisherman? Dream on! What a scapegoat!

Thinking of this, King Zhongshun waved his hand.

The manager immediately leaned forward.

Prince Chungshun whispered something in his ear.

The steward's eyes lit up as he listened, and he thought: Our prince is very capable of doing these immoral things.

Royal Garden

Emperor Yongchang was obviously in a good mood, walking on a path with the Crown Prince.

Dai Quan led several eunuchs and followed from a distance.

As the Yongchang Emperor walked, he asked the Crown Prince, "I heard from your teacher that you have already read the Four Books thoroughly?"

The Crown Prince: "In reply to Grandpa Huang, I have read the Four Books with great ease and clarity."

Emperor Yongchang nodded with satisfaction: "My grandson is very smart!" He stopped, looked at the Crown Prince, smiled and said: "What should I reward you with?"

The Crown Prince blushed, then smiled and said to Emperor Yongchang: "Grandpa Emperor, do you really want to reward me?"

Emperor Yongchang: "What do you want? Tell me."

The crown prince blinked his eyes, thought for a while, and said, "According to the rules, after the New Year I have to practice riding and archery. Grandpa, please give me a martial arts master!"

Emperor Yongchang did not expect the Crown Prince to make such a request, and asked, "Who do you want to be your martial arts master?"

The Crown Prince said without hesitation: "Duke of Lu."

Emperor Yongchang understood a little and asked, "What does your grandmother mean?"

The Crown Prince seemed to have remembered something, and after a pause, he replied, "I dare not lie to Grandfather, Grandmother taught me that. However, I admire Duke Lu's bravery and wisdom from the bottom of my heart. He fought in many battles and never lost a single one. He is truly a hero!"
Duke Lu did not disappoint Grandfather Huang's expectations, and he put his loyalty and bravery into practice. He defeated the Jurchens, annihilated the Outer Mongolian tribes, and put down the White Lotus Rebellion, making great contributions to our Dashun. I have heard from my grandmother and mother about Duke Lu's loyalty and bravery since I was a child, and I would like to ask Duke Lu to be my martial arts master! "

Emperor Yongchang understood that the Empress had noticed a rift between Li Hu and the Crown Prince and wanted to use the Crown Prince to tie Li Hu down.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongchang smiled and said, "Okay, I will reward you with a martial arts master. But it's not the Duke of Lu."

The Crown Prince was delighted at first, then stared blankly at Emperor Yongchang.

Emperor Yongchang: "Duke Lu is a general of the imperial court and the commander of the elite battalion. Not only does he not have time to teach you the art of riding and archery, but it is also inappropriate in terms of etiquette and law, and your father is also involved. Do you understand?"

How could the Crown Prince understand his words? He only felt wronged and had to reply, "I understand what Grandpa Huang said."

Emperor Yongchang saw this and sighed silently. He couldn't let Li Hu be the master of the Crown Prince, and a martial arts master at that. Li Hu was a domineering person, and over time, it would be easy for the Crown Prince to fear him from the bottom of his heart. How could he suppress Li Hu in the future?

Thinking about this, Emperor Yongchang said to the Crown Prince, "Don't learn from your father, who follows a bunch of corrupt scholars all day long. Humph, corrupt scholars are useful, but they cannot be trusted. They can only be a knife to attack military generals, and the government cannot be entrusted to them. Do you understand?"

Although the Crown Prince didn't understand, he still responded.

At this moment, Dai Quan walked over silently.

Dai Quan: "Your Majesty, there is news from the Southern Pacification Office that Zhen Fu has assigned Wang Ren to guard the perimeter of the examination hall."

A trace of doubt flashed across Emperor Yongchang's eyes.
(End of this chapter)