Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 369 Want to Rise to Power Along with Your Family and Friends?

Shen Qingzhou took advantage of the night to wander around the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He didn't see Imperial Physician Sheng or He Ping, but the side hall, which was usually used for interrogation, was brightly lit, and several guards could be vaguely seen walking at the door. These were the close attendants who had been following He Ping for the past few days. With this in mind, he moved closer with his guards. He didn't hear any screams of torture, so he left some people to keep watch there and managed to sneak over to the Shenwu Gate to see the Crown Prince.

Over the years, the Crown Prince has not only failed to cultivate his own power base, but even the Emperor has not set up a court for him. The guards around him were gradually sent to him by Shen Qingzhou over the years with the help of the Dowager Consort.

In fact, his alliance with the Crown Prince was initially based on mutual need.

Of His Majesty's several sons, only the Crown Prince and Prince Ning are suitable candidates for the throne.

Because the emperor believed in the saying that two dragons should not meet, he was not close to any of the princes. If one had to choose one of them to be slightly favored, it would be the most benevolent and loyal Prince Yu.

So when the emperor was forced by his court officials to establish an heir, he chose Prince Yu as the crown prince, but even the investiture ceremony was just a formality.

The emperor had been taken care of by the Dowager Consort when he was young. Before he ascended the throne, the Dowager Consort also played a crucial role. Therefore, among the emperor's many consorts, only the Dowager Consort enjoyed a peaceful life in the harem.

In the autumn of the year the Crown Prince entered the palace, Shen Qingzhou, as was customary, went to the palace to pay his respects to the Dowager Consort. The Dowager Consort then took the Crown Prince's hand and came out to tell him: "You two should get to know each other well, as you will need each other in the future."

At that time, they were both young, and Shen Qingzhou was not entirely at ease with this prince he had never met. It wasn't until many years later, when he had collected many charges against the Yan family and needed someone to cooperate with him, that he thought of the Crown Prince, who agreed without hesitation.

That time they also achieved an unprecedented victory, bringing Yan Song to the emperor's attention. The emperor dismissed him from his post, but in the end, they were still just a little short. Yan Song survived by putting himself in a life-or-death situation, and the Yan family escaped.

Three days later, the emperor deposed the crown prince and imprisoned him in the inner palace. When Shen Qingzhou went to rescue him, the crown prince refused to leave for fear of implicating him. As a result, he was shot in the heart by an archer from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the crown prince was also stabbed to death by the guards.

Forget the past.

However, this incident is enough to prove that the Crown Prince is also a person of firm conviction, and at the same time it makes people even more nervous: in this life, there must never be such sacrifices again.

They had been clearing the passage under the Shenwu Gate for several years, so the journey was naturally smooth and unobstructed.

As soon as they stepped through the back gate of the East Palace, the Crown Prince was already pacing anxiously beneath the palace gate.

"You've come at the right time. It looks like Gao Hong is about to cause some trouble!"

The Crown Prince pulled him into the shadows: "When you said that Gao Hong and Yan Song were secretly seeing each other the other day, I had the guards keep an eye on them."

"Sure enough, an hour ago, he was spotted leaving the Directorate of Ceremonial and heading to a teahouse on the street. And not long after, Yan Liang also arrived at that teahouse!"

Shen Qingzhou paused for a moment: "Did you hear what they said?"

"They act cautiously; it's already good enough that we were able to discover their whereabouts, let alone get close! But after Gao Hong returned, he went directly to the Directorate of Ceremonial, and alone in his office, he carried a bundle and kept the light on for a long time!"

"burden?"

"That's right! If nothing unexpected happens, this bundle should be the one Yan Song gave him that night!"

Shen Qingzhou frowned: "So, the Yan family wants to start by targeting Eunuch Li!"

"Do you have a way to stop this?"

"I'll go take a look." Shen Qingzhou had come in to discuss the Yan family's current situation with him. Now that the Crown Prince had already taken precautions, there was no need to say more.

The Crown Prince glanced around. "It's past midnight, and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is locked up. But since we brought down Yan Shu, I've had much more freedom. I can even go to the Imperial Kitchen to collect my meals in the middle of the night with my token. I'll give you a token; you can take it to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, but you'll have to bring it back to me later, because I only have one."

As the crown prince finished speaking, a hint of unease crept onto his face.

Shen Qingzhou felt uneasy, but didn't say anything. After accepting the token, she glanced at the empty East Palace and then took her leave.

On his way out, he turned his head to look towards the Forbidden City. There, he saw bright lights and magnificent palaces, as if they were perched high in the sky.

He looked away and gritted his teeth in the darkness.

The Yan family held absolute power in the court, their influence so dark and oppressive. The Crown Prince, once so subservient, had finally subdued Yan Shu and brought his humiliations of the past years to light, but things were far from better for him!
The emperor was still playing his imperial games, still using the heinous Yan family to suppress the Shen family. In his eyes, it was nothing for officials to fight each other or to use his name to bully others. The most important thing was to firmly grasp the imperial power in his own hands!

……

The bright glass lamps illuminated the office of the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs in all four corners of the room. Gao Hong sat behind his desk, staring intently at the documents in his hands.

The young eunuch diligently prepared a late-night snack for him: a plate of spring rolls, a plate of shredded chicken with sesame oil, half a roast goose, and a pot of wine.

"These are specially prepared by your disciple; they are all your favorite foods."

Gao Hong raised his gaze from the table and looked at his smiling face: "How long have you been in the palace?"

The young eunuch's smile froze, and after a moment he said, "In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. I have been under your tutelage for eight years now. Thanks to your guidance, I have risen through the ranks, and my salary was increased just a few days ago."

As he said this, he pushed the late-night snack forward with both hands.

Gao Hong gazed ahead and suddenly sighed, "Time flies. You've been here for ten years, and I've been here for twenty. How many twenty-year periods does a person have in a lifetime?"

A puzzled look appeared on the young eunuch's face: "Master, why do you sigh like that?"

Gao Hong raised his hand to stroke his droopy chin, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "You don't understand."

After he finished speaking, he paused, then looked over again: "Did you buy this roast goose with your own salary?"

"...Yes!" The little eunuch nodded emphatically after regaining his senses. "This is all out of my filial piety!"

"Would you like your salary to increase a bit more? Or would you like to climb even higher?"

"...Of course I want to! But, but my qualifications are not enough, so it's probably difficult."

"Then listen to me, and it won't be difficult." The light shone into Gao Hong's eyes, and a glint of shrewdness appeared in them. "Once I become the Grand Eunuch, all of you will naturally rise to power!"

The young eunuch stared in disbelief: "Master is going to be the Grand Eunuch? Then, then..." He glanced in bewilderment toward the next room, a larger office. It was empty, but the room was still enough to intimidate him.

"Do you dare?" Gao Hong's eyes gleamed even brighter.

The young eunuch swallowed hard, then gritted his teeth and knelt down: "From the day I became your disciple, I have been your person! What's this talk of daring or not daring? Just tell me what you need to say, Master!"