Qing Yao

Chapter 333 The Prince of Huanzhu
"My lord, how... how is this possible? How could Zhao Youlu be a descendant of the dragon!"

The brush in Master Zhou's hand was so startled that it fell to the paper with a "plop," and the ink blurred the two characters "Lost Pearl."

Akdan'a found it even more unbelievable that such an absurd thing could happen. However, this secret letter was sent by his friend Tong De, the Imperial Textile Commissioner of Jiangning. If this matter were truly just hearsay and rumors, Tong De would not have sent the message to him!

What does the "lost gems" from the Southern Tour mean?
Outsiders might not know, but how could the people in the Imperial Household Department not know?

The fact that Tong De dared to inform me of this matter in a secret letter shows that Tong De must have firmly believed it, and that he was not the only one who knew about it, but that the officialdom in Jiangnan probably already knew about it.

Only if this matter is true can it explain why Zhao Youlu, who was born into a family of scholars, was promoted twice by the emperor in just over a year, was granted the title of Jinshi, transferred to the Imperial Household Department, and was awarded the Ebilun sword. Now he has been promoted to a second-rank official in the local government, a rank even higher than Zhao Youlu's as a salt commissioner!
Besides princes and noblemen, who else receives this treatment?

But if this were true, wouldn't Akdang'a have offended the prince?

What are the consequences of offending a prince?
Even if this prince is "wild," he is still Akdang'a's master!

Haven't you seen how powerful the Third and Fourth Princes in the capital are, to the point of almost touching the heavens?

Any one of them could crush this living god of wealth from Lianghuai as easily as crushing an ant!

The more Akdana thought about it, the more frightened he became. He pressed his right hand firmly on the table, the veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible, and two faces kept flashing through his mind.

The faces belong to the elderly emperor and the young Zhao Youlu.

Akdang'a never saw what the emperor looked like when he was young, because he was not qualified to see the emperor at that time. He only vaguely felt that the emperor he saw when he left the capital to take up the post of Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai seemed to resemble Zhao Youlu in some way.

No, it's very similar!

Eyes, nose, mouth.
Akdan'a couldn't help but recall the scene when Zhao Youlu came to see him that day. At that time, Zhao Youlu was just a seventh-rank professor at the prefectural school, but he was neither humble nor arrogant in front of him, a third-rank salt commissioner of Lianghuai. His words and actions were also extremely magnanimous. Now it seems that this was not the dignity that an academic official wanted to maintain, but the arrogance that came from the bloodline of the imperial family!

A prince is a prince; even if he lives among commoners, he is still a member of the imperial family!
"My lord, if Zhao Youlu is truly of imperial lineage, how could he have been stranded in Yangzhou for so many years without the Emperor recognizing him? Isn't this all too far-fetched?"

Master Zhou still felt that this matter was too outrageous, utterly outrageous. What emperor would allow his own son to live among the common people for twenty years without any concern?

It's not some folk tale or unofficial historical story.

"Mysterious? When I was young, I heard my elders talk about how the Emperor had many romantic affairs during his six tours of Jiangnan, which caused a rift between the Emperor and Empress and made the whole city gossip. Perhaps the Emperor had some romantic entanglements during this time, and some woman became pregnant. But..."

They basically believed their friend Tong De's statement that Akdanga "stopped at that," since it involved royal secrets and was not something they, as servants, could comment on recklessly.

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou nodded knowingly, understanding that his benefactor meant that he could not be certain whether Zhao Youlu was a prince or not, but he was most likely convinced.

To be on the safe side, after a moment's thought, he suggested, "Sir, why don't you report this matter to Minister He? He can tell whether it's true or false at a glance, saving you the trouble of wondering."

"Do you think I've lived too long?!"

Akdang'a resolutely shook his head, rejecting Zhou's suggestion on the spot. At the same time, he raised an eyebrow and said angrily, "It is not my business as a servant to speak about the Emperor's affairs! Are you trying to get me killed?!"

"That's not what I meant, please calm down!"

Master Zhou quickly apologized, realizing he had given a bad idea.

“Forget it,” Akdang’a glanced at Zhou Shiye, whose forehead was covered in sweat, and snorted. “Remember, we servants can get involved in anything, but we cannot get involved in the Emperor’s affairs. Whether Zhao Youlu’s matter is true or false, we should treat it as true.”

He paused for a moment, then said in a tone that was both a warning and a reminder: "Remember, if His Majesty wanted Zhao Youlu to be recognized as a member of the family, it wouldn't have been so complicated. Judging from His Majesty's intentions, he should treat Zhao Youlu the same as the other sons of the Fu family. If I, as a servant, were to cause trouble, I'm afraid I wouldn't even know how I died. You asked me to ask Minister He, but do you know that Zhao Youlu rose to prominence precisely because of Minister He?"

"This"

Master Zhou had a sudden thought. That's right, wasn't Zhao Youlu the typical example of the bribe money that Heshen had set up for him?
It seems that Heshen knew Zhao Youlu's identity all along, otherwise why would he have gone to such lengths to "build momentum" for him, allowing Zhao Youlu to be promoted ten ranks in just one year?

Behind the scenes, it was entirely the Emperor's idea.

"Got it? This is probably true."

Akdang'a, realizing something, quickly instructed Zhou Fu: "Immediately withdraw 300,000 taels from the account, no, 500,000 taels! Use it all to purchase grain and medicine, and immediately hire people from the grain transport guild to transport them to Anhui for me! If we can't buy everything locally, we'll go to Huai'an and Jiangning to buy it. In short, every single 500,000 taels must be spent!"

"this!"

Zhou Fu gasped. "Sir, 500,000 taels is no small sum. Should we proceed first?"

"What, do I have to say it a second time?"

Akdan'a's expression turned cold. "Remember, transport it in the name of the Lianghuai Salt Administration. If anyone asks, say it's the administration's aid to the disaster-stricken areas of Anhui! If the main account doesn't have enough, use my seal to withdraw from the smaller accounts."

After saying this, he instructed Zhou Fu: "In addition, write a letter to Lord Zhao in my name, saying that I was busy with official duties some time ago and was unable to respond to the matter of borrowing grain in time. I hope you will forgive me. Also, buy some valuable items and send them to Lord Zhao on my behalf."

"Yes, my lord."

Zhou Fu had followed Akdang'a for so many years and had never seen his benefactor so humble to anyone. However, when he thought that the other party might really be the emperor's illegitimate son, he felt relieved.

Akdang'a sat down again, picked up a piece of paper, wrote a letter, sealed it, and asked Zhou Fu to send it to Guangdong by fast horse.

Why was it sent to Guangdong instead of the capital?

Because his uncle, Chang Fu, is currently a customs supervisor in Guangdong Province.

Changfu, as the Zuo Ling of the Imperial Household Department, participated in the Emperor's last three southern tours and was well aware of what happened at the time.

Akdanga wrote to him, naturally wanting to inquire about the emperor's romantic affairs more than twenty years ago. If his uncle's reply confirmed this matter, then Prince Zhao Youlu's identity would be beyond doubt.

Suzhou, the study in the back hall of the governor's office.

At this moment, Jiangsu Governor Fu Song was staring blankly at two letters on his desk.

One of the letters was a thank-you letter written by Zhao Youlu himself. The handwriting was neat and the wording was respectful. He thanked Fu Song for his great help to the people of Anhui and himself during the disaster in Anhui.

The other letter was a secret message sent back through an emergency channel by Fu Song's "sitting in the capital".

(End of this chapter)