Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 64 Sowing discord
After nightfall, as candles in the palace were lit one after another, Zhu Youtang, after dinner, sat at his desk and continued reading.

The incident of someone writing a letter to the prince has passed away and no one mentioned it again. It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Tan Ji, who was serving beside him, began to doze off like a chick pecking at rice. Zhu Youtang glanced around and could not help but take out the letter from his arms. He read it carefully and a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Prince..."

Qin Ji's gentle call brought Zhu Youtang back to reality.

Zhu Youtang nodded at Tan Ji, his face full of bright smiles, his eyes twinkling with stars: "Since I was born, I have never had any contact with people outside the palace, but someone secretly cares about me and protects and comforts me everywhere. This feeling is great.

"I want to know who she is, where she is, and what kind of mood she is in when she writes to me. My dear, if I write a letter without mentioning state affairs and send it out of the palace, will I be criticized?"

Qin Ji thought about it carefully, weighed the pros and cons, and answered seriously: "No, the origin of this letter is unknown. As long as the prince does not mention his personal relationship with him in the letter, it will be fine. Besides, such a letter was not written by the prince, so how can he be blamed?"

Zhu Youtang was confused and asked, "I wrote the letter myself, so it doesn't count as my own wish?"

Qin Ji understood Zhu Youtang's pain and said with pity: "The prince has lived in the palace for a long time and rarely interacts with outsiders. It is rare for someone to communicate with the prince. As long as he has no bad intentions, I think he can do whatever he wants... and no one will ask about this matter."

"Ah."

Out of trust in Qin Ji, Zhu Youtang finally felt relieved. He slowly took out a piece of white paper from the drawer under the table, spread it out in front of him, picked up the brush dipped in ink, frowned and thought, but he didn't know how to start.

Qin Ji asked softly: "Do you need to avoid it?"

"Need not."

Zhu Youtang looked worried. "I have never written a letter to anyone before... My dear, please teach me what to write in this letter. I don't know her at all. If I ask her who she is, will it seem too deliberate?"

Qin Ji smiled and said, "The letter only mentioned some righteousness. The prince doesn't know him, so why not reply with righteousness first? In this way, the prince will be educating him and show that he has no intention of communicating with people outside the palace... Isn't this good?"

Zhu Youtang was embarrassed and asked: "Will this be disrespectful in front of others?"

Tan Ji smiled and shook his head.

He could see that the prince was hesitant.

He wanted to make friends with the writer of the letter, but was afraid that the content of the letter might reveal his personal feelings. People would say that the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was having connections with people outside the palace. Especially at a time when his position as the crown prince was uncertain, Zhu Youtang's cautious mentality meant that his behavior and even his thoughts were very contradictory.

"If there is anything you don't understand, I can teach you. This letter can be written in a more tactful way."

Qin Ji began to carefully teach Zhu Youtang how to write letters.

……

……

Capital.

The residence of Liang Fang, eunuch of the Imperial Stables.

As a eunuch holding great power, Liang Fang holds an outstanding status in the imperial palace. With his current status, it is common for him to have a private residence outside the palace. On weekdays, he needs to enter the palace from time to time to serve in the inner court. After all, most of the time he has to command the affairs of the Three Thousand Camps and other Beijing camps as the eunuch of the Imperial Stables, so his mansion is very close to the palace gate.

On this day, Deng Chang'en, led by the eunuch Chen Xi from the Imperial Household Department, came to visit Liang Fang's residence.

Liang Fang did not go out to greet them in person, but asked his servants to lead the two of them into the mansion and meet them in the main hall.

Liang Fang took the initiative to greet him, with a half-hearted smile on her face: "Isn't this Deng Zhengqing from the Taichang Temple? What brings you to our house? What a great honor to be here!"

Deng Chang'en bowed hastily and said, "Your Excellency, you are too polite. I have always admired your charisma, but I did not dare to seek your favor. Today, I can only ask Eunuch Chen to introduce me to you, but I am afraid of disturbing you... I hope you will forgive me if I am impolite." As he spoke, Deng Chang'en called upon the attendants behind him to carry in boxes of gifts.

Money can make all the difference!
Everyone in the government and the country knew that Liang Fang was greedy for money, so Deng Chang'en came prepared this time.

Liang Fang's expression improved, and she smiled at Chen Xi: "Eunuch Chen, you are really capable. You met a capable person like Mr. Deng. Now he is highly valued by His Majesty and holds great power. He is enviable."

Chen Xi said modestly: "I dare not, I dare not. We are both serving Your Majesty, so how can we be different from each other?"

Liang Fang smiled and said, "Please sit down."

Then Chen Xi and Deng Changen had the opportunity to sit in the guest seats.

Liang Fang asked the servants to serve tea, and her hawk-like eyes stared at the uninvited guest.

"You two are here, but what's the urgent matter?"

Liang Fang said sinisterly, "It is the winter idle season recently, and the regiment is seizing the time to train. We are under the emperor's grace, so we dare not slack off for a moment. It is a rare opportunity to return home early today. After a short rest, we will go to the palace to do business again."

Deng Chang'en smiled and said, "Your Excellency has worked hard and made great contributions. You are truly a model for ministers. In fact, I came here today for only one thing. Your Majesty summoned me and Minister Li to the inner courtyard. At that time, Eunuch Tan from the Imperial Household Department was also present. He asked about the disaster."

Liang Fang narrowed her eyes and said, "We have also heard about the earthquake in Ningxia. They all say that Li Zisheng's words are true. He can actually accurately predict earthquakes. People in the world are amazed."

Deng Chang'en said: "Originally this is a good thing, but unfortunately it has delayed an important event that Your Majesty is planning."

At this point, there was silence and the atmosphere quickly turned cold.

After all, it concerns the emperor's plan to change the crown prince, and it is not something that a minister can discuss casually.

"It is not appropriate to discuss matters of the Heavenly Family in private."

Liang Fang had lived in the palace for a long time, so he was familiar with the rules.

Moreover, Deng Chang'en and Chen Xi were not from his faction. He would not easily make comments in front of "outsiders", especially on such a major matter as the dethronement and enthronement of the crown prince. Any words he said would be tantamount to giving others a handle to criticize him.

Deng Chang'en said, "Originally, the earthquake in Ningxia has passed, but Your Majesty still wants to appoint another crown prince. When you ask me and Minister Li about our opinions again, I will naturally agree with Your Majesty. Eunuch Liang can ask Eunuch Qin about this later, and he can testify."

Liang Fang asked, "You mean... Mr. Li disagrees with His Majesty's decision?"

Deng Changen sighed, "That's right... He said that a disaster will happen in the east in the near future, and it may be related to Mount Tai. It is very likely that an earthquake will occur in Mount Tai."

"What did you say?"

When Liang Fang heard this, she stood up angrily, and the muscles on her face couldn't help but start to tremble.

Obviously, anyone who has a little knowledge of the traditions of the Ming Dynasty knows what this disaster means. The earthquake in Mount Tai concerns the stability of the Eastern Palace. It is equivalent to God telling the emperor clearly that if you dare to have the evil intention of deposing the prince, I will teach you a lesson.

Now it's just an earthquake in Mount Tai. Next time I might kill you and send you to heaven to play cards and have dinner with me.

Just asking are you afraid?
Deng Chang'en also stood up: "This kind of words sounds incredible and hard to explain... I don't know what Minister Li is trying to do. He kept saying that he was thinking about His Majesty and not favoring the East Palace."

This is simply adding fuel to the fire.

(End of this chapter)