145 Chapter 145

◎Encounter by chance. ◎

The sky was a little cloudy when I left the palace, but it was good for the early summer at the end of April, at least it wasn't too sunny.

In the carriage, Liu Che planned the day he would leave Weiyang Palace for the summer heat. He added, "I've already thought of a new name for Dinghu Palace and have someone carve a plaque for it."

"Ah?" Liu Ju was a little confused. "Ah, you really changed it."

This was a casual remark made by Liu Ju when the Emperor was recuperating. He felt that the name of Dinghu Yanshou Palace did not live up to its reputation. Liu Che laughed for a while and said that he would change it if he thought of a better one someday. But later, as more things happened, Liu Ju forgot about it. He thought that the Emperor had also forgotten about it long ago.

"Since the prince has said it is not good, of course it must be changed." Liu Che tapped his forehead and said with a smile.

Liu Ju smiled and said, "Thank you, old man!"

The glowing stone was not found again today. Fortunately, the emperor's purpose of leaving the palace was not for this purpose. He had already asked someone to find it for him.

There were more and more foreign merchants on the streets. After a walk around, Liu Che was in a good mood. Liu Ju saw a restaurant run by foreigners and pulled his father there to eat.

They arrived early, securing a quiet spot. The Emperor, not wanting to skimp on his appetite, ordered every dish in the restaurant. Liu Ju, fearing his father wouldn't be accustomed to the food, sent someone outside to buy something else.

While they were waiting for the food, a large group of people arrived outside. Liu Ju peeked through the gaps between the guards for a moment, then came over and said to his father, "Gongsun Jingsheng is here. It's probably just the useless descendants of various families gathered together."

Liu Che laughed and said, "You are biased. Gongsun Jingsheng is indeed incompetent, but he is the Crown Prince's cousin, the Empress's nephew, and the son of the Imperial Household. There are always people with talent but no connections. Perhaps one of them is close to him."

Liu Ju spread his hands and said, "If he wants to use Gongsun Jingsheng to show off his talent, then even if he truly has talent, his vision is seriously flawed. Isn't there another noble in Chang'an who is better at identifying talent than Gongsun Jingsheng?"

Liu Che shook his head and laughed, "You just don't like Gongsun Jingsheng, and by extension, the people around him."

"Auntie, you just said that Gongsun Jingsheng is the cousin of the prince and the nephew of the queen. Put yourself in his shoes, Auntie, would you like Gongsun Jingsheng?" Liu Ju asked, tilting his head.

Liu Che thought about it and instantly understood his son. He touched the prince's head and said, "Forget it, let's just ignore him."

The trouble with family ties is that even if they are between the emperor and the crown prince, they cannot be severed just because they want to.

The father and son didn't want to alarm anyone, but Gongsun Jingsheng obviously had no intention of keeping a low profile. Halfway through the meal, a group of people over there seemed to start looking for trouble.

"How could your father, who deceived His Majesty and the Crown Prince, and wantonly seized so much land, have such a cowardly son like you?"

Liu Ju was just about to listen to what was going on over there when he heard this. He raised his eyebrows and ordered his followers, "Go and call Gongsun Jingsheng over and tell him that the Marquis of Yichun is waiting for him here."

When the attendant saw that His Majesty the Emperor nodded, he stood up and went over there.

Liu Che raised his eyebrows and said, "You are the Marquis of Yichun, who am I?"

"General." Liu Ju smiled and blinked.

Liu Che smiled.

When Gongsun Jingsheng heard that Marquis Yichun had invited him, his mind suddenly exploded. If it was Marquis Yichun from his uncle's family, Gongsun Jingsheng would definitely not be afraid, but this posture... he must be the "Marquis Yichun" whom he could not afford to offend.

"Marquis Yichun?" one of the companions said, "Is Marquis Yichun here too? Brother Jingsheng, how about asking your cousin to drink with you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately echoed by many people. Marquis Yichun, he is the son of the general!

Gongsun Jingsheng smiled bitterly: "I...I'm going to see my cousin first."

The attendant sent by Liu Ju said, "Please come in."

Zhang He, who was unnoticed at the moment, was about to slip away when he was caught by one of the playboys: "Why are you running? Didn't I say I'd treat you to a drink?"

"That's right, why are you running..." Someone immediately started to agree with a laugh.

Gongsun Jingsheng was on the verge of tears. He hurriedly said, "Let him go!"

The attendant glanced at his master and saw his colleague nod, so he let the young man run away with a basket.

Gongsun Jingsheng's companions were quite dissatisfied and complained, "Brother Jingsheng, why are you speaking in favor of this brat?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you wanted to teach him a lesson first..."

Gongsun Jingsheng was so exhausted that he wanted to cry. There was really no need to add more charges to him. He could already imagine how the "Marquis of Yichun" would treat him.

After only a few steps, Gongsun Jingsheng didn't dare to explain any more to anyone, for fear that his identity as "Marquis of Yichun" would be revealed, which would make his crime even more serious.

When he saw the "Marquis of Yichun", Gongsun Jingsheng's legs went weak and he immediately knelt down with a thud, because another person who no one in the world dared to offend was sitting in the first seat, looking at him with a smile.

Gongsun Jingsheng’s first thought was that it was all over, both he and his father were finished.

Liu Ju smiled and said, "My dear cousin, I have heard that Zhang Tingwei was not only able to deceive the Crown Prince, but also deceived His Majesty. This is the first time I have heard of this. I must ask your friend to tell my father and me in detail what exactly Zhang Tingwei did to deceive even His Majesty."

"Your Majesty...I am just talking nonsense, don't take it seriously." Gongsun Jing said with cold sweat.

"Oh, that's nonsense," Liu Ju said. "Are you guaranteeing your friend?"

Since last year, Zhang Tang, leading a group of people from the Supreme Court, has relied on the emperor's order and the prince's supervision to seize countless fields from the nobles and dignitaries. Although no family lacks a little land, this matter is still a thorn in the side. Coupled with Zhang Tang's always bad reputation, it is inevitable that everyone resents him even more.

However, Zhang Tang was protected by the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and no one dared to provoke him easily. But this was not necessarily the case with Zhang Tang's sons, especially his eldest son, who did not seem to be very smart and was not good at speaking, making him the perfect person to bully him.

It won’t be a big deal. Even if you are reported to an adult, you may not even get a scolding.

The Gongsun family also fell victim to Zhang Tang's murder. Although Gongsun Jingsheng hated the emperor and the prince, his father Gongsun He was very clear-headed. He knew the emperor and the prince's intentions and had already advised his family not to comment on the matter without permission.

However, Gongsun He might be able to control many people in his life, but his son is definitely not among them.

So, today Gongsun Jingsheng once again took advantage of his power to bully others and made trouble in front of Liu Ju.

This time, His Majesty the Emperor also witnessed it.

Gongsun Jingsheng didn't dare to vouch for others when he himself was about to lose his life: "I dare not! Your Majesty... Cousin..."

He was speechless and couldn't help but glance at the Emperor who was drinking leisurely beside him.

Liu Ju smiled and said, "Write down the names of those people outside."

"Yes, yes, yes..." Gongsun Jingsheng responded immediately.

Those who had already been invited outside were looking at each other in confusion. What did Marquis Yichun want to say to Gongsun Jingsheng without being seen by everyone?

Someone whispered, "Could it be that the general is here too?"

“No way…”

Naturally, these people could not get an answer, because from that day on, they had not seen Gongsun Jingsheng for a full six months.

And all the elders and peers in their family who held any official position in the court also began to have a hard time.

…

On the carriage back to Weiyang Palace, after learning about Zhang Tang's son's situation, Liu Ju said, "My dear, Zhang Tingwei holds an important position and has heavy responsibilities. It would be inappropriate for him to be distracted by family matters."

Liu Che asked with a smile, "What are your plans?"

Liu Ju said with a smile, "How about you, my father, call them into the palace to serve as palace attendants? I will also have Huo Guang take care of them a little bit, and then no foolish people will dare to cause trouble for them."

"Huo Guang?" Liu Che was puzzled. "He's no longer a palace attendant, so he doesn't have that much free time to take care of them."

Liu Ju smiled and said, "Well, he's the brother of the Marquis of Guanjun, and I see him often, so it would be more convenient to ask him to take care of it."

"It would be more convenient if you take care of them," Liu Che said. "Let Zhang Tang's two sons go to your palace."

Liu Ju hurriedly said, "Forget about Zhang He. Uncle, let Zhang Anshi come to you."

"Why let Zhang He go?" Liu Che laughed, "Could it be that you like stupid people?"

Although Zhang He and Zhang Anshi are brothers, their talents are very different. Now His Majesty the Emperor only knows that the younger brother is more knowledgeable than the older brother, but he does not know that Zhang Anshi later ranked second only to Huo Guang among the eleven heroes of the Qilin Pavilion.

As for Zhang He, Liu Ju would certainly not treat him badly. After all, his loyalty to him was evident, and he also took care of his only bloodline. However, he did not have the abilities of his brothers. It would be better for him to stay in the prince's palace. In the future, he could give him some ready-made opportunities and allow him to make some achievements for promotion.

Liu Ju said with a smile, "Zhang Tingwei has two sons. My father-in-law has given him a favor, so naturally he is better than me. This also lets Zhang Tingwei know that you value him."

"Give it to the prince because I value him more." Liu Che tapped his son's forehead.

Seeing that his father was unable to convince him, Liu Ju nodded and said deliberately: "Then I would like to thank you, Uncle. If you see someone you like in the future, you must not compete with me for that person."

"Stingy guy, do I need one or two more people?" Liu Che smiled indifferently.

Liu Ju thought to himself, if you really think Zhang Anshi is a good person in the future, it would be strange if you don’t snatch him away.

The matter was settled, and within two days, brothers Zhang He and Zhang Anshi reported to the Prince's Palace.

When summoned to the Prince's Palace, Zhang He did not think of what happened the day before. However, Gongsun Jingsheng suddenly disappeared, and the Grand Coachman Gongsun He was scolded by the Emperor again - because his two sons were summoned to the Prince's Palace at the same time by His Majesty. What Zhang Tang said, who rarely returned home, made Zhang Anshi think of what his brother said the day before.

Could the Marquis of Yichun, who has never appeared before, have the ability to scare Gongsun Jingsheng to death?

When he met the prince, Zhang Anshi was still thinking about this. Even when the prince said he wanted to test them, he couldn't help but think twice. Could the person that day be the prince?

At the beginning, the prince's questions were simple, and Zhang He and Zhang Anshi answered them fluently. When the questions became more difficult, only Zhang Anshi could answer them fluently. As the difficulty increased, Zhang Anshi also stumbled.

Until Zhang Anshi couldn't answer, the prince nodded and said with a smile: "That's right."

At this moment, Zhang Anshi could no longer do two things at once. Seeing the prince's reaction, he knew that he and his brother would definitely be able to stay in the prince's palace.