Chapter 165

Capital city.

Ruyi Tower.

The issue of the three counties donating grain sparked huge discussion in the capital.

There was spontaneous propaganda, and passionate narration to the people of the capital in teahouses, taverns, streets and docks.

The storyteller at Ruyi Tower stopped telling stories and only talked about the disaster relief in Xiang River that year.

"…So, the imperial court couldn't collect enough grain. If it weren't for the Seventh Prince, the soldiers fighting on both sides wouldn't have enough to eat!"

Those who are timid naturally dare not talk about the royal family and only discuss it in a low voice with their friends.

"If you ask me, isn't the Seventh Prince better than the other princes in terms of achievements and abilities?"

"Yes, it was because of his poor health in the past few years, and because he was the youngest son of His Majesty, that he built his own house and attended court the latest, which is why he was one step behind his brothers. Otherwise, who knows who would have the most stable position in the court now..."

Ruyi Tower was a gathering place for elegant guests, and most of those who discussed these issues were children of officials, or scholars who were concerned about the current political situation in the court.

"When the Seventh Prince comes back, do you think he will... His Majesty... The Crown Prince..."

The low whispers died away between lips and teeth.

But Xi Zixing knew that these people were saying that the Seventh Prince was so competitive for the crown prince position that he might become the most competitive among the princes.

He stood on the second floor and looked down, his brows unconsciously frowned.

He was happy that more and more people were discovering the brilliance of the person he chose, but at this moment, the capital city was like a boiling oil pan to Xiao Qi.

Flowers are in full bloom, and the fire is boiling.

There are compliments everywhere.

It looks like a sea of ​​flowers, but in fact it is full of undercurrents.

Xi Zixing called the waiter over, stuffed the purse from his waist into his hand, and gave the waiter a few instructions.

The waiter went down with a smile on his face.

Not long after, the storyteller came down, and when he came back up, he no longer talked about the disaster relief work in Xiang River, but instead told stories as usual.

As a result, those who followed the trend to discuss the issue of donating grain stopped participating in the discussion after a few words of confusion.

Only then did Xi Zixing leave Ruyi Tower and go straight to Fang Mansion.

-

Master Fang has been suffering from severe inflammation these days.

When Xizi arrived, the old man was wearing a bamboo robe and holding an ice cube in his mouth to cool the burn.

He bowed and said, "Greetings, Master."

Master Fang: "Xiao Xi is here, come sit down." He straightened up and handed Xi Zixing a palm leaf fan, "Here, use it for now."

"You can sit still."

Xi Zixing took the fan and fanned himself.

"I'm getting really angry now," Master Fang sighed. "It's no use being anxious. No one expected that the three counties of Xianghe would give him a push at this time."

As they talked, they seemed to know each other's positions very well.

The two of them were not completely unconnected. When Qu Dubian held a banquet at his mansion, Xi Zixing went to visit Master Fang's house to prepare for the spring examination, so they had a bit of a teacher-student relationship.

Xi Zixing openly supported Qu Duan, and Taifu Fang originally thought he was a good person. Later, Xi Zixing won the top spot in the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy. His stance was clear, so Taifu Fang slowly started to get in touch with him.

Master Fang is an old fox. Through a little contact, he discovered that Xi Zixing seemed to have known the true talent of the Seventh Prince.

On the day when they finally decided to show their cards, Xi Zixing said, "I vaguely sensed your probing, so I followed your guess, neither denying nor acknowledging the Seventh Prince's talent. I didn't expect that you would actually stand on the side of Little Seven."

Master Fang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The old fox was tricked by the little fox, but fortunately, the result was a happy ending for everyone.

Master Fang never expected that Xi Shiqiu, that extremely neutral and old-fashioned old man, would give birth to such a son.

After all, if you make your position clear before entering officialdom, your official career will be more difficult.

He asked, but the boy didn't seem afraid at all. He said that the official position was just an auxiliary tool for him. If the Seventh Prince came to the throne, he would fight in the officialdom. If the Seventh Prince was not interested, he would resign and go to the fiefdom with him.

The lord and his advisers are all going to be together, so why should we be afraid of what others say?

After thinking about it, Fang Taifu said, "The military power of Zhennan Pass and the border is almost entirely in the hands of the Seventh Prince. This is enough to make the king and the prince's faction wary. The situation was already in the middle of a storm, and now there is another person pushing the storm forward. Everyone is praising the Seventh Prince. Where does this put Your Majesty? If he is more powerful than the master, even the princes have to stay away."

Xi Zixing: "I will contact my classmates. In addition, I can use my father's name to pressure people so that the court officials will talk less about this matter when they go to court."

"..." Master Fang praised the filial piety in his heart and stroked his beard, "I can suppress some of it. That money-grubber Lin Zongping stands firmly on the side of Your Majesty and doesn't follow anyone. Although we don't have to worry about him tripping us up, he won't speak for the Seventh Prince either."

He, Lin Zongping, and Xi Zixing's father Xi Shiqiu, the three grand secretaries who helped Emperor Chongzhao handle government affairs, were all old guys who had been in the court for a long time.

If they attack together, the prince's party will also give them face. Now only one and a half can attack, and the other half is Xiaolai, but it is also a force.

At least we won't allow remarks like "his achievements outweigh his master's" to run rampant in the court.

Xi Zixing: "I will write to the border again in the next few days to remind them to be careful."

-

Purple Palace.

Even with the pressure from Fang Taifu and Xi Zixing, Emperor Chongzhao still listened to some people's so-called "merits surpassing the master" and even the idea of ​​establishing a crown prince.

Eunuch Yu thought His Majesty would be angry.

But unexpectedly, His Majesty did not.

His Majesty only said: "Those ministers, have you not discussed this in private? Now they are making a fuss in public, just to test who I prefer as the crown prince."

Although he was angry, Emperor Chongzhao was aware of his declining energy and physical inability, and his ministers were also aware of this.

The position of crown prince should be decided in the next two years.

Emperor Chongzhao once again thought of the black brocade he had given away before.

He asked himself, if he had known that his younger son's health would improve and the abilities he had displayed in recent years, would he still have used the black brocade to cut off his younger son's path to succession?

Only the father and son knew about the Black Brocade transaction; no one else knew.

Emperor Chongzhao walked around the hall several times.

"The person who went to the northern border to deliver grain this time, I remember it was the deputy transport envoy, right?"

Eunuch Yu: "Yes, Your Majesty."

The grain and fodder transported to the two battlefields this time were collected from various states and counties, not transported to the front line from fixed grain and fodder warehouses, so the grain transport general needed to manage the transportation routes and escort the grain and fodder.

Needless to say, this batch of grain and fodder is very important. The northern border is much farther away than Zhennan Pass. Originally, the water transport envoy should have been responsible for escorting it personally, but he fell a few days ago and has difficulty walking. Fearing that the progress would be delayed, he had to ask the deputy envoy to do it.

The water transport envoy is the second prince's father-in-law, while the deputy envoy has little connection with the royal family.

Emperor Chongzhao groaned and said, "Ask Cui Rong to come over."

Eunuch Yu responded with a "yes".

Soon, Cui Rong hurried to the Zichen Palace.

He is the current head of the East Depot, but he has already intended to abdicate. He has followed Emperor Chongzhao for many years, and he is the one who handles many private matters. Although he is usually inconspicuous, he is Emperor Chongzhao's confidant.

He had white hair and beard, and was dressed neatly and cleanly. He was a decent and noble old eunuch.

Cui Rong: "Your Majesty."

"You are here," Emperor Chongzhao said, "I remember you said you would go back to your hometown after resigning? Your hometown is near Shanming Pass, right?"

Cui Rong was stunned for a moment and said, "Yes, I will take my adopted daughter back to the ancestral home to find my roots."

Emperor Chongzhao nodded and said, "I agree. But after you resign, you must follow the grain delivery team to the northern border and do something for me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! But...what can Your Majesty ask of you?"

Emperor Chongzhao looked at him and said, "Help me deliver something to the Seventh Prince."

-

Cui Rong stayed in the Zichen Hall for a while before returning home.

There was a little girl at home, about five or six years old, whom he picked up a few years ago. The little girl looked like his biological sister who died too early.

Although they are not related by blood, he still raises this child as both his daughter and granddaughter, and loves her equally.

People say eunuchs have no roots and no heart, but that’s not true, Cui Rong thought.

But the people who could make them give their hearts no longer exist.

Who would enter the palace to be a eunuch unless they had no other choice?

He wanted to abdicate in recent years because he didn't want his adopted daughter to be too close to the vortex of power and be tainted with blood.

"Daddy."

The little girl hugged Cui Rong's legs.

Cui Rong smiled and touched her head. "In a few days, Hu Hu will go home with Daddy. Are you looking forward to it?"

The little girl named Hu Hu's eyes lit up: "Really?"

After getting Cui Rong's affirmation, she cheered and said, "That's great! We can go out and play now!"

People in the East Factory also heard the rumor that Cui Rong was going to abdicate.

The next morning, Wen Xiaochun and Chen Jian, along with the other deputy supervisors of the East Factory, waited for Cui Rong to arrive.

But they waited from dawn till dusk, and Cui Rong did not show up.

It was not until noon on the third day that Cui Rong came to the East Factory.

He didn't look very well, a little pale and a little tired.

Wen Xiaochun was startled, "Mr. Factory, what's wrong with you?"

Cui Rong said, "The little girl was sick, and I took care of her all night. I forgot to send someone to tell you not to wait."

"It's okay," Chen Jian said, "I'm not in a hurry. I'm just waiting for the factory manager to make arrangements."

Cui Rong said a few simple words, then looked at Wen Xiaochun, "After I go to escort the grain, I will probably go back to my hometown to live for a while. From now on, the East Factory will be in the charge of you two."

"Which of you two will succeed me depends on His Majesty's will. You will know after I leave."

Wen Xiaochun and Chen Jian nodded.

Cui Rong also told them to prepare some things for the trip to the Northern Frontier. After sending them away, Cui Rong went to the secret room of the East Factory.

Only the factory owner has the authority to come in here.

-

Two days later.

Cui Rong set out with the grain transport team. The deputy envoy of water transportation was named Tang Yisu, who went with him to deliver grain to the border.

After the two of them met, Tang Yisu smiled and said, "It's been hard on this journey, and I hope that Eunuch Cui will cooperate with us."

After a few seconds, Cui Rong also smiled: "Of course."

The two men escorted the food all the way north.

-

After Cui Rong left.

Emperor Chongzhao promoted Wen Xiaochun to be the director of the East Factory.

Chen Jian was his deputy.

The two men officially took over the East Factory, but Cui Rong had just left not long ago, so they couldn't immediately remove Cui Rong's people and replace them with their own people.

If the emperor knew about this, it would inevitably be seen as an attempt to exclude dissidents.

When you first take over, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Wen Xiaochun simply quickly became familiar with places that only the factory manager had access to before, such as the secret room of the East Factory.

He walked around in it.

The secret cabinet contains various torture instruments, hidden weapons, and secret medicines.

Some of the bottles and jars don’t even have labels on them, and you can only look them up in the record book based on the shape of what’s inside to find out what they are used for.

He took a quick look and left the secret room.

After changing his clothes, he had to go to the palace to receive the official token of the factory manager.