"Your Majesty, the wine-making and glass-making are the business of my cousin, His Royal Highness Prince Yun and others... By the way, that old Taoist priest Zhang Hu also got involved, so wine-making and glass-making have nothing to do with me." Zhang Shixun hurriedly distanced himself from the matter and even took Prince Yun along.
"What's the difference between your cousin's and yours?"
"Of course there is a difference. His last name is Wang, and mine is Zhang. He has two concubines and a large family to support. How can I have the nerve to share his wealth?"
"Alright! Let's not talk about anything else. Even if your cousin doesn't give you any money, the rare treasures you have are enough for you to enjoy for a lifetime... Oh, right! My bedroom is short of a night-shining pearl. Do you have any suitable one?"
This is when the bribery began.
Zhang Shixun remembered that among Wang Dong’s treasures there was a small watermelon made of fluorite, and Wang Dong had given it a nice name, called Night-Shining Jade Watermelon.
For him, this thing was neither good to eat nor drink, and it was useless to keep it in his hands. But in this era, it was a priceless treasure, and it was most suitable for fooling people like Zhao Ji.
"Speaking of night-shining pearls, my Lord, I have one in my hand. It is truly a priceless treasure."
"Priceless treasure?"
"It's called the Night-Shining Jade Melon."
"Gulp!" Zhao Ji swallowed unconsciously and said greedily, "Night-shining Jade Melon, what kind of treasure is this?"
"A night-shining pearl." Zhang Shixun gestured with his hand. "It's the size of a fist. At night, it emits a emerald green light."
Zhao Ji's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked anxiously, "Can I watch it now?"
He liked collecting rare treasures before he became emperor, and he became even more obsessed with it after he became emperor. Now, when he heard Zhang Shixun talking about the Night-Shining Jade Melon, how could he resist the temptation?
"Sir, don't we have things to do now? Madam Li and the others are waiting. Besides, the Night-Shining Jade Melon only shows its splendor at night. It's daytime now, so it's useless to look at it."
"Oh! I was too impatient, haha!" Zhao Ji looked around and saw that all the women were looking at them. He forced himself to suppress the thought in his mind and said, "Then let's wait until tonight."
Zhao Ji said this, but he was itching in his heart and was eager for the night to come quickly.
The concert lasted until midnight.
"Shixun, let's go see the Night-Shining Jade Watermelon." Zhao Ji excitedly pulled Zhang Shixun's sleeve, his eyes full of desire.
Zhang Shixun felt amused and nodded while looking at Ding Dusai, asking how you were going back.
Li Shishi was very smart and saw it at once. She smiled and said, "Master Zhang, you don't have to worry about Saisai. I'll let her ride home in my sedan chair."
"Then I'll have to trouble Madam Li." Zhang Shixun bowed and followed Zhao Ji out.
After going out, several people walked out from the shadows. They were Liang Shicheng, Gao Qiu, Wang Fu and others.
They were all wearing casual clothes, and their necks were hunched, probably because they had been standing outside for a long time.
Seeing them about to salute, Zhao Ji waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite. Come with me to Shixun's house."
Wang Fu glanced at Zhang Shixun and said to Zhao Ji, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. You should hurry back to the palace."
Zhao Ji ignored him and walked forward with his hands behind his back.
Wang Fu pulled Gao Qiu's sleeve again and nodded at Zhao Ji, indicating that he should persuade the emperor.
Gao Qiu shook his head. He knew the emperor's temper very well and could not persuade him.
Wang Fu had no choice but to follow behind dejectedly, glaring at Zhang Shixun hatefully.
Zhang Shixun took the opportunity to apply eye drops, "Sir, it seems that Mr. Wang doesn't want you to come to my house."
Zhao Ji snorted heavily, turned to Wang Fu and said, "If you don't want to go, go home."
Wang Fu quickly clarified: "Your Majesty, I did not mean that. Zhang Shixun is just talking nonsense."
Zhang Shixun said, "If you didn't mean that, why are you glaring at me so fiercely? Speaking of which, you're the prime minister, and I'm just a small official. How dare I speak nonsense?"
"You were just talking nonsense."
"I didn't, you falsely accused me."
"You falsely accused me first."
"I clearly saw you pulling on the sleeve of the general and making faces at him, trying to get him to dissuade the emperor. I'm not accusing you of this, am I?"
"I..." Wang Fu wanted to deny it, but he knew in his heart that Gao Qiu would not help him cover up.
"Look, you're speechless, aren't you?" Zhang Shixun said stubbornly, "A real man should say yes or no. Why hesitate like a woman and be so awkward?"
"You...you speak like a petty villain. I am ashamed to be associated with you." Wang Fu was shaking with anger.
"You act like a scoundrel, and I am even more ashamed to be associated with you."
Wang Fu was at a loss as to what to do, so he used his position as prime minister to pressure him, "I am the prime minister of the current dynasty, how dare you humiliate me..."
"What's wrong with the prime minister? You probably don't know me. I've always been someone who can't be corrupted by wealth and power, and can't be bent by force." Zhang Shixun didn't buy Wang Fu's rhetoric and said with a smile, "What does the prime minister mean in front of the emperor?"
"you……!"
Wang Fu looked at the emperor walking in front of him and thought to himself, "I'm clearly walking behind the emperor, how can I be in front of the emperor? You kid are lying with your eyes open."
Zhang Shixun said with a playful smile, "With the emperor here, you, the Prime Minister, had better keep your tail between your legs. If you want to show off in front of others, at least change the occasion... Prime Minister Wang, I'm not saying anything bad about you. You look quite smart, but you're not very smart when it comes to doing things."
Wang Fu was so angry that he was fuming.
The angrier he was, the happier Zhang Shixun was.
"You thief!" Wang Fu cursed.
This guy is so irritating, I can't help it.
"Look! Look! I just said you act like a petty man, and with just a few words, you've proven yourself to be a petty man... Lord Wang, as a prime minister, your manners are so poor. It's truly a pity."
Zhao Ji walked in front. Although he didn't say a word, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. The more discord there was among his ministers, the happier he was.
What he didn't want to see was harmony among his ministers.
Zhao Ji admired Zhang Shixun very much, as he was not only versatile but also had the merit of saving the emperor.
However, he is now very afraid of Zhang Shixun. The magic of summoning heavenly thunder is simply too scary. It can kill people with just a wave of his hand. If Zhang Shixun has any rebellious intentions, it will be too dangerous.
I can't sleep or eat well.
As they were talking, they arrived at Zhang Shixun's house.
The gate of the yard was ajar and opened easily. It was not too dark in the yard, after all, it had just snowed.
Zhao Ji asked Zhang Shixun to lead the way, and as they walked, he asked, "Didn't I give you a few palace maids as a reward? Where are they?"
"Before I left, I told them that if I came back late, they didn't need to wait for me and could just go to bed."
"Isn't this too unruly?"
"Sir, I am from a humble family. Why do I need so many rules?"
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