Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 63 A gathering

Zhu Houzhao stood with his hands behind his back and walked with his head held high, as proud as a rooster patrolling his territory. He circled around Emperor Hongzhi and finally came to Empress Zhang.

Snap!
Zhu Houzhao placed a small bag of silver in front of Empress Zhang and said calmly, "Mother, my father is willing to let you live frugally, but I am not willing to do so. You are my dear mother."

"Take this hundred taels and buy more powder and rouge. Don't be stingy with yourself."

Under the astonished gazes of Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang, Zhu Houzhao left Kunning Palace with his head held high and his chest puffed out, leaving only a lonely shadow.

He came in style and left in style.

Empress Zhang looked at Emperor Hongzhi suspiciously and murmured, "Your Majesty, didn't you... reduce the expenses of the Eastern Palace?"

"Why does he seem to take this hundred taels of money as nothing at all?"

Emperor Hongzhi's face twitched. The brat's words were not very hurtful but extremely insulting.

What do you mean I am willing to let the Queen tighten her belt and go on a diet, but he, as her son, is not willing to do so?
Also, what happened to the money?

The first thing that Emperor Hongzhi thought of was that the eunuch Li Guang, who was in charge of the inner palace, did not carry out his orders, but on second thought, that was unlikely.

He had no appetite for the meal, so he stood up and left with a gloomy face.

Empress Zhang quickly said, "Your Majesty, he... is still a child."

"I know."

Emperor Hongzhi gritted his teeth and left Kunning Palace. After returning to Xiyuan, he summoned the eunuchs from the East Factory to investigate.

The efficiency of the Eastern Depot was just as good as that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and it didn't take long for them to inform Emperor Hongzhi of the whole story.

When Emperor Hongzhi heard that the Crown Prince and his two brothers-in-law from the Zhang family were taking advantage of the time difference to resell the farming racks to wealthy merchants and gentry in the capital, Emperor Hongzhi didn't know what to say for a moment.

You say that he competes with the people for profit and harms the common people, but that doesn’t count, because he is not harming the poor people.

You may say that these are ill-gotten gains, but no one dares to file a complaint with the authorities because those wealthy businessmen are well aware that their own bottoms are not clean.

This group of people are blinded by profit. The prince took advantage of their mentality and made a lot of money so easily?
Before, Emperor Hongzhi had earnestly told Zhu Houzhao that if you don’t manage a household, you don’t know how expensive oil and salt are, it’s easy to conquer an empire but hard to keep it, and it’s not easy to make money…

But now it seems that making money is not difficult for my son.

Although this method is not open to the public, he made money, didn't he?

The corners of Emperor Hongzhi's mouth twitched slightly, his expression was somewhat complicated and contradictory. He wanted to talk to Zhu Houzhao about the reason, but didn't know where to start.

You little bastard! You're showing off to your father!
Emperor Hongzhi was furious and said to Huai'en, "Go to the East Palace! Tell him that he went to Kunning Palace tonight and didn't greet me and the Queen! For being so rude, I will fine him 100 taels!"

Huai En: "..."

……

This morning, the sky was gloomy and cold. Chen Ce was used to going to bed early and getting up early, so he washed and prepared breakfast before dawn.

After finishing breakfast and washing the dishes, the sky began to brighten. It was extremely cold outside and a layer of ice had formed in the courtyard.

The big rooster crowed twice, signaling to his owner that it was time to feed him.

Chen Ce scattered a handful of rice for the two majestic roosters to peck at.

There was a knock on the door of the courtyard. Who was it so early in the morning? Chen Ce went to open the door. Seeing Tang Yin and Xu Jing coming, he was a little surprised and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Come in and sit down. It's freezing outside."

After entering the central hall, Chen Ce made a pot of tea for the two of them. Tang Yin hurriedly helped Chen Ce pour the tea. He could be arrogant outside, but now Chen Ce was his teacher after all, so it was unreasonable for a teacher to pour tea for his students. Xu Jing smiled and bowed to Chen Ce, saying politely: "Mr. Chen, it is really impolite to visit you so early in the morning."

Chen Ce didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue speaking.

Xu Jing continued, "Brother Bo Hu and I also received the invitation this morning. A scholar from Daxing County invited us to attend a gathering at noon."

"Several people of the same age from Zhejiang will be there. Mr. Chen's ancestral home is in Hangzhou, and he is also from the southeast. After the carriage passed Huaihua Hutong, Bo Hu thought of inviting you to come over to discuss it."

Chen Ce listened quietly and glanced at Tang Yin. Tang Yin smiled and said, "Father Heng is right. It was my idea."

Chen Ce said "oh" and looked at Xu Jing again.

Xu Jing looked around, then finally lowered his head and drank the tea.

For some reason, he always felt that he had no secrets in front of Chen Ce. This feeling was terrible.

It was not Tang Bohu who suggested inviting Chen Ce to the rally; it was he himself who did it.

Tang Yin smiled and said, "Teacher, he has settled down in Daxing. His ancestral home is also in Hangzhou, so he is from the same hometown as you. He may be able to take care of you in the future. It's always a good idea to get to know more people."

Chen Ce knew that Tang Yin was doing this for his own good. From Tang Yin's perspective, he was all alone in Shuntian Prefecture, and if he encountered problems in the future, it would be difficult to deal with them without any connections.

Although a juren was inconspicuous in Shuntian Prefecture, he had at least crossed the class barrier. Aren't connections accumulated by friends of friends?

Chen Ce took a sip of the tea, put the teacup down, and said, "I won't go. I can't understand the gathering of you scholars if I go. It would be embarrassing if I can't participate."

The circle is different, and Chen Ce doesn't want to integrate into it.

Xu Jing hurriedly said, "Mr. Chen, please don't misunderstand. We won't ask you to do anything. Just listen to some music and relax at noon, and listen to their chat. No one will make things difficult for you... um."

He originally thought that no one would embarrass him, but when he thought about it carefully, it seemed hard to say who could embarrass whom.

Chen Ce didn't know why Xu Jing insisted on asking him to attend this meeting. He didn't want to get into trouble as what happened with Lin Mianzhi last time was still fresh in his mind.

Once trouble arises, it always takes a lot of effort to deal with it.

"Teacher, I promise that there will be no rude people like Lin Mianzhi this time." Tang Yin said, "Let's go and relax. It's just a small gathering of fellow townsmen from Zhejiang and Zhili."

Everyone knew that Tang Yin had a painstaking plan, but what about Xu Jing?

According to historical developments, Tang Yin would not take the imperial examination until February next year. Now he was not qualified to visit Cheng Minzheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, so there was no risk of cheating in the imperial examination.

However, it is hard to say whether this rally will give me an opportunity to visit Cheng Minzheng in the future.

Chen Ce secretly said that he would ensure that Tang Yin had a smooth career in officialdom, and he would not go back on his word.

He thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll change my clothes."

Tang Yin and Xu Jing were delighted and said hurriedly, "Okay!"

The carriage was ready outside. Both Tang Yin and Xu Jing were not short of money, especially Xu Jing. The History of Ming Dynasty recorded that he "had several outstanding boys, who rode around the city every day and attracted many people's attention."

The carriage was very luxurious. Chen Ce, Tang Yin and the other two got on the carriage, but it was still empty.

The carriage traveled far and wide, heading towards a mansion somewhere in Daxing County.

Not long after Chen Ce left, Mrs. Wu next door finished washing up, took a look at Chen Ce's room, and seeing no movement, she walked out of Huaihua Hutong. After walking for a distance, she also got on a small carriage and headed straight for Daxing County.

(End of this chapter)