Chapter 486: Lift
Ye Caiwei was pregnant and had a tiring journey back to Beijing, so she didn't stay long in the Jingbei Palace. Young Master Zhou told Xie Jingyu about the iron mine, and the two said goodbye.
The Zhou family saved Ye Caiwei's life, and Young Master Zhou was deeply in love with Ye Caiwei. More importantly, the Zhou Mansion was very close to the Duke Dingguo Mansion. The Yun family and Shen Ji could make up for what they owed Ye Caiwei in the past, so Shen Wan was not worried about Ye Caiwei.
Xie Jingyu sent Master Zhou and Ye Caiwei away, and when he came back, Shen Wan asked, "Master Zhou, is there something important?"
If it wasn't an important matter, I wouldn't have returned to Beijing yesterday and brought Ye Caiwei to the Jingbei Palace today.
Xie Jingyu did not hide it from Shen Wan, "Prince Qing privately opened an iron mine in Quanzhou, his fiefdom, to forge weapons."
Shen Wan was shocked, "Is Prince Qing planning a rebellion?"
Xie Jingyu said, "It's too late to plan now. It won't be successful."
Not only did he fail to achieve anything, but because he was too impatient, he made many mistakes. This was evident from the fact that Young Master Zhou discovered that Prince Qing was privately opening an iron mine just by passing through Quanzhou.
Chen Wan knew that it would be difficult to succeed in a rebellion, but in his previous life, Xie Jingyu had brought Xiao Yun down. He was able to succeed even without an iron mine or privately manufactured weapons. The ambition of Prince Qing must not be underestimated.
Chen Wan did not dare to look down on anyone, but he was also puzzled. In his previous life, Prince Qing had not shown any wolfish ambitions. When Xiao Yun ascended the throne, he trusted and valued him. Until Xie Jingyu invaded the capital, Prince Qing and Xiao Yun and others became prisoners. Did Prince Qing forge weapons for fun?
Shen Wan didn't know that Prince Qing had only started forging weapons in recent months, which was why Xie Jingyu said that Prince Qing was planning too late.
Who would have thought that the emperor had a prince living outside, and that this prince was the grandson of Old Tutor Lin, the elder brother of Chen Wan, and the son of the emperor's beloved Lin Qingyin.
As soon as the prince returned to the capital, Xiao Yun became further and further away from the position of crown prince, forcing Prince Qing to find another way out.
It's no wonder that Prince Qing and Duke Song didn't make plans before. Xiao Yun is a legitimate prince and has the support of Duke Song, the Left Prime Minister and others. Although the emperor tried his best to balance the power among the princes, none of those princes could be Xiao Yun's opponent.
If it weren't for Xiao Huaijin, Xiao Yun wouldn't have to take this path at all. Now he is completely forced into this and has no choice but to do it.
Shen Wan said, “This matter must be told to the emperor…”
Xie Jingyu said, "I will go to the palace and inform the emperor."
Xie Jingyu brought the iron ore given to him by Young Master Zhou into the palace and went straight to the imperial study.
But the emperor is not in the imperial study, he is with the empress dowager.
Xie Jingyu waited for a quarter of an hour before the emperor came back.
The emperor's face was not very good, and he went straight into the imperial study. Xie Jingyu asked Eunuch An, "What's wrong with the emperor?"
Eunuch An said, "The Empress Dowager just called the Emperor over, and Prince Qing was anxious to find the Emperor. He went to Shoukang Palace and reported to the Emperor that an iron mine had been discovered in his fiefdom, Quanzhou..."
Xie Jingyu, “……???”
Prince Qing actually took the initiative to tell the emperor that there was an iron mine in his fiefdom—
What is Prince Qing up to?
Eunuch An continued, "Now that Dongliang has invaded, the court has discovered an iron ore mine, which is a great joy. Normally, the court would not grant a prince a fiefdom in a place with an iron ore mine. Prince Qing asked the emperor to change his fiefdom. The emperor was about to agree when the empress dowager praised Prince Qing for his loyalty to the court. He did not hide the fact that there was an iron mine in Quanzhou from the emperor, nor did he mine it privately. This shows his loyalty to the emperor and the court."
"If Your Majesty changes Prince Qing's fiefdom at this time, it will inevitably lead to criticism. Let Your Majesty wait six months before making the change. During this time, you can send troops to garrison Quanzhou and intensify mining to forge weapons..."
The emperor looked unhappy because the empress dowager and the harem were interfering in government affairs.
But what the Queen Mother said was not a problem. Prince Qing had not concealed the fact that there was an iron mine in his fiefdom. He was indeed loyal to the Emperor and the court. The Queen Mother did not agree to change Prince Qing's fiefdom now, but the Emperor insisted on changing it, which only displeased Prince Qing.
Before entering the palace, Xie Jingyu still thought that Prince Qing would not be able to achieve anything. Now that Prince Qing has done this, he really dare not underestimate Prince Qing.
Xie Jingyu didn't believe it was such a coincidence. It was obvious that Prince Qing and the Queen Mother were working together to play a double act. Not only did they open up the Quanzhou iron mine, but they also firmly held the mining rights in the hands of Prince Qing. From now on, there would be no need to secretly conscript able-bodied men to open the mine, and they could do it with fanfare.
The imperial court even wants to send troops to garrison Quanzhou. There is no doubt that if Prince Qing dares to do this, he must be sure that the people he sends in the end will not only be Prince Qing's men, but also become his men.
Good plan!
Xie Jingyu entered the imperial study, and the emperor asked, "Why did you enter the palace?"
Xie Jingyu saluted the emperor and said, "Prince Qing is loyal to the emperor and the court, but he won't grant the land where there are iron mines. This precedent should not be set."
The emperor asked, "Do you have a solution?"
"Your Majesty, you may give Prince Ling's fiefdom, Suizhou, to Prince Qing as a reward for his loyalty."
"If Prince Qing still doesn't want to change, then let him move to his fiefdom and not return to the capital without a summons."
Xiao Huaijin's fiefdom, Suizhou, was the best prefecture in the Ning Dynasty. It had good weather and rarely suffered from droughts or floods. The emperor gave Suizhou to Prince Ling, and all the civil and military officials in the court knew about the emperor's favor for Prince Ling.
The emperor's brows relaxed a little, but not completely.
Eunuch An asked, "What about Prince Ling?"
"All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are his subjects."
"Prince Ling will rule the world."
Eunuch An, “…”
The words of Prince Jingbei were quite straightforward.
If it were another emperor, Prince Jingbei would be half dead after hearing this.
However, the Prince of Jingbei was smart and knew that the emperor would not be angry, otherwise he would not have said it.
As expected, the emperor's brows relaxed completely. "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Xie Jingyu said, "Wan'er likes the name the emperor gave the child very much. She must go to the palace to thank the emperor in person."
When the emperor mentioned his daughter, he felt better and he looked at his son-in-law with particular favor.
"Give him the painting I just got."
Eunuch An hurried to get the painting.
Xie Jingyu did not refuse, accepted it and thanked him.
Get out.
Chen Ping was waiting outside, still holding the brocade box in his hand. When he saw Xie Jingyu coming out, Chen Ping said, "The things were not given to the emperor..."
"No need."
Chen Ping, “…???”
Young Master Zhou finally found out that Prince Qing was secretly mining and forging weapons. Doesn't he need to tell the emperor?
It's not that it's no longer needed, but that it has been used.
It is very likely that Young Master Zhou is investigating the affairs of Quanzhou. Prince Qing has received the news. Instead of letting someone else tell the emperor, it is better for him to report it himself. He can also gain a reputation for being loyal to the emperor and the court. In this way, he will not change his fiefdom and will openly control the right to mine iron ore.
The next morning, during the court session, several ministers came forward and asked Prince Qing if there really was an iron mine in his fiefdom. Prince Qing replied, "If it's not true, how could I dare to tell the emperor about it?"
Then the minister asked the emperor to change the fiefdom for Prince Qing on the grounds that there were iron mines in the area and it was not suitable to be given to a prince as a fiefdom.
Duke Song said, "Prince Qing took the initiative to report the iron mine matter to the Emperor. Isn't this enough to prove Prince Qing's loyalty to the Emperor?"
The minister said, "No one doubts Prince Qing's loyalty to the Emperor, but the rules cannot be broken."
"Before the rules were broken, no one was as loyal as Prince Qing!"
The Right Prime Minister said, "I disagree with what Duke Song said. Few members of the royal family have disloyalty to the emperor. If this precedent is set, then if a prince discovers iron ore in his fiefdom, he must report it to the emperor and then be allowed to mine it. Who can tell whether he is truly loyal or not? To prevent such a thing from happening again, it is better to replace him."
The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, watching them argue back and forth. He said, "Yesterday I promised the Queen Mother that I would change Prince Qing's fiefdom in six months. But since it's going to be changed anyway, six months won't make a difference. Prince Qing's loyalty to the court and to me is truly comforting to me."
"Today, I am taking back Prince Ling's fiefdom of Suizhou and giving it to you as a fiefdom."
The expressions of Prince Qing and Duke Song were stiffer than each other.
Prince Qing hurriedly said, "Suizhou is Prince Ling's fiefdom, how can you give it to me?"
"Your Majesty, please revoke your order."
The Emperor said, "If Prince Qing despises Suizhou, I will allow you to choose any of the seventy-two prefectures and counties of the Ning Dynasty as a reward for your loyalty."
In short, the entire state must be recovered.
King Qing said, "Quanzhou has been my fief for twenty years, and I really don't want to change it..."
Eunuch An, “…”
Everything was exactly as the Prince of Jingbei had expected.
The emperor laughed and said, "Prince Qing has not been in Quanzhou for long, but he has such a deep affection for you. In this case, I will allow you to move to Quanzhou."
Prince Qing, “……!!!”
Duke Song's face was as cold as if covered with frost.
Prince Qing immediately knelt down and said, "I am ungrateful. I am willing to change my fiefdom."
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