Chapter 85 The Wind Fills the Tower
"Huh? You really left it at the door? Hahahaha."
"Wonderful, wonderful!"
"And what was the Sun family's reaction?"
The scout lowered his body and reported in detail: "We brought the owner of the pleasure boat inside, and he threw a tantrum, saying that the Prince of Dingxi was slapping them in the face and that we absolutely cannot let this go."
The Third Prince, Li Zhuo, laughed heartily.
"They only mentioned the Prince of Dingxi, but didn't mention my sixth brother?"
The scout said, "He mentioned it briefly, but not much; the focus was still on the Prince's residence."
"That's true. In the past two years, Xiao Liu has been like Cen Yan's subordinate, doing whatever he's told. And when he gets angry, it's Cen Yan who's in charge. Plus... he probably already understands that Cen Yan is the one in charge."
"Tsk, Xiao Liu has gone into hiding."
At this point, Li Zhuo's smile faded again, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face, as if he had thought of something.
He murmured, "First there was Consort Shu, then there was Father Emperor's guilt after Consort Shu left, and even when he came out to inspect the salt... Hmph, what good fortune, I can't be envious."
The advisor beside him flattered, "Your pursuits are different from those of the Sixth Prince. If you want to be a wealthy and leisurely person, you don't need to go through all this. As the saying goes, jade cannot become a vessel without being carved. Too much smoothness may not necessarily be a good thing."
Li Zhuo lazily raised an eyebrow, showing no reaction to these words.
Knowing Li Zhuo's unpredictable temper, the staff kept quiet, fearing that continuing would backfire and make things worse.
Li Zhuo looked at the scout: "Why aren't you leaving? Is there something else going on?"
Scout: "There's one more small matter."
"The owner of the pleasure boat did not stay at the Sun residence. According to the informant planted at the Sun residence, the Sun family wanted to keep him, but he refused and insisted on returning to his own residence to recuperate. Later, the Sun family sent someone to escort him back to his residence."
Li Zhuo tapped the fan handle against his palm as he pondered deeply.
It sounds like a small matter.
I just don't know...
Li Zhuo quickly came up with a solution: "Have someone keep an eye on that boss and see if he sells off any of his assets later."
Staff member: "Do you think he's scared? And intends to leave?"
Li Zhuo: "I don't know, let's wait and see."
After the spies from the Sun family left, a short while later, spies from the prefect's residence returned.
After listening to everything, Li Zhuo had a general understanding of the current situation.
Actually, having been in Jiangnan for so long, when the floods came, he didn't just laze around while he was away. Instead, he used the time to set up these informants, which, judging from the current situation, was still quite necessary.
Li Zhuo: "By the way, has there been any news from Beijing lately?"
Staff member: "There are two reports, which came back this morning."
"His Majesty has taken the elixir presented by the Eighth Prince and is in excellent health. The morning court sessions have been held for over a month without interruption. He intends to summon the alchemist who made the elixir and reward him accordingly."
"Another matter is that the Fourth Prince was publicly reprimanded by His Majesty during the morning court session. It is said that he was scolded very harshly, which made the Fourth Prince feel embarrassed."
Li Zhuo: "What mistake did you make?"
As his advisors recounted their stories, Li Zhuo remained silent.
It wasn't a big deal, but Emperor Shengwu just wouldn't let it go once he caught it.
After a long pause, he murmured, "Father's temper is getting worse and worse."
"Of course, it's also possible that they just don't like us."
"Wait, wait a little longer. Once this matter is settled, it will be soon..."
*
Li Zhuo was gathering intelligence in his own residence.
Upon arriving at the Prince's residence, Zhuang Dongqing also tore off a piece of paper and began to write and draw on it with a charcoal pencil.
Unlike Li Zhuo, who listens to current intelligence, Zhuang Dongqing analyzes the plot of each character in the book.
The crown prince had already died.
The fifth prince was inconspicuous, but after they left the capital, he was also placed under house arrest because of the Emperor's birthday celebrations.
Li Yang is currently with them and seems to have grown somewhat, but Zhuang Dongqing isn't sure exactly how much he has grown.
Zhuang Dongqing drew a question mark after the number 6.
The plots involving the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, the secret schemes and plans, have not been neglected in terms of major events, but Zhuang Dongqing is unaware of the details of how well they have been executed.
Oh right, the Eighth Prince has made a name for himself in the capital in the past year because of the matter of offering elixirs as tribute.
But the elixir shouldn't have been available so early.
This happened near the end of the series.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly a sound came from behind, and Zhuang Dongqing jumped. She turned around and saw Cen Yan. She patted her chest and exhaled, "Why do you walk so quietly?"
Cen Yan pointed to Cen An'an, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Okay, so it turns out they had calculated the little one's schedule perfectly.
But Cen Yan arrived just in time. Zhuang Dongqing pulled him down to sit and asked, "I heard from you that His Majesty's health has improved a lot recently?"
Cen Yan took off his shoes and sat down next to Zhuang Dongqing on the mat where the little brat usually played.
"This is the news I received upon my return."
Zhuang Dongqing: "But..."
After saying two words, Cen Yan stopped and looked at Zhuang Dongqing with a puzzled expression.
However, Emperor Shengwu's health should not improve.
Or perhaps, it shouldn't have improved at this time; it was too fast.
Zhuang Dongqing muttered, "Can elixirs really improve health?"
Cen Yan: "You're asking me?"
"What are your thoughts?"
Cen Yan didn't hide anything, "I don't think so. Most of them are lies."
"If it were truly possible to achieve immortality, why wouldn't the alchemists consume it themselves?"
Zhuang Dongqing nodded.
Cen Yan's view on the elixir of immortality was still quite clear.
After thinking for a moment, he boldly asked, "What do you think, if, I mean if..."
"Hmm, tell me, what are you nervous about?"
Before Zhuang Dongqing could pick at her own hand, Cen Yan grabbed one of them.
Zhuang Dongqing: "There might be some disobedience."
Cen Yan chuckled lightly, "The emperor is far away, so what's there to be afraid of when we're talking to each other at home? I've noticed that you weren't this nervous when you made me angry."
"..."
Zhuang Dongqing gripped Cen Yan's hand and said seriously, "Let's get serious!"
"Okay, then you go ahead."
Swallowing hard again, Zhuang Dongqing asked, "What do you think of Li Yang now?"
Cen Yan paused for a moment, then understood. After thinking for a second, he said, "You mean to ask..."
"My opinion is so-so."
"He doesn't have the high status of the fourth prince, nor the cunning of the third prince, and he's not as good at flattery as the eighth prince."
“Under normal circumstances, His Majesty would not consider him.”
"But if it really is him, things should get better."
Zhuang Dongqing didn't understand: "What do you mean? What's next?"
Cen Yan slowly explained, "If you can really sit on it, it should be stable."
The reason is quite simple.
"In fact, sometimes, what gets things done is often unconventional methods."
"Don't be fooled by how many officials and relatives I've dealt with. Sometimes, if we really had to be honest, there would be too many constraints. It might take eight or ten years to get anything done. So, to some extent, although they all had problems, if they used their positions well, they could all be capable ministers."
“There aren’t many people like that in the court these days.”
As Emperor Shengwu aged, he became increasingly suspicious, executing one high-ranking official after another. Those who remained were either honest and taciturn, or extremely astute and cautious, making them convenient for managing Emperor Shengwu. However…
"If everyone continues to occupy their positions without contributing anything, the current emperor will be able to rest easy, but what will happen to the Great Sheng dynasty?"
"Li Yang is a bit lacking in strategy, but he is willing to learn and learns relatively quickly. If it were him, he should be able to make up for some of the losses in the court in recent years."
Conquering a country and maintaining it are very different.
For a ruler who maintains the status quo, being without fault is considered a merit.
Cen Yan may not know about other things, but Li Yang can do this.
Zhuang Dongqing asked in surprise, "Can't the other princes do it?"
Cen Yan: "As far as I'm concerned, I think it's unlikely."
"The fourth prince is similar to the crown prince, he's too pedantic. Actually, this kind of personality isn't bad, but he's the kind of person who has great ambitions since childhood and has high expectations for himself. Of course, that's not wrong, but if his abilities don't keep up, he might end up like the crown prince, whose starting point is good, but who always ends up making people laugh. That would be very troublesome."
Oh, all talk and no action, indeed.
The state is not a company that can be used for experimentation.
If a modern rich kid fails in his business venture, he can file for bankruptcy. But if he fails to govern a country... will the country perish?
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Zhuang Dongqing: "Where is Li Zhuo?"
Cen Yan: "Third brother, you're good at playing tricks, but you never get involved in the proper way."
Zhuang Dongqing recalled for a moment, and it seemed so. The Third Prince was good at avoiding trouble, but when it came to getting things done, he was just so-so.
If they were truly capable, they wouldn't have ruined the Emperor's birthday celebration.
Cen Yan: "As for the Eighth Prince, I haven't had much contact with him, but based on the news of his return from the capital in the past two years, I feel that he has only risen to prominence by taking advantage of the times. If it weren't for the alchemists and the elixirs offered as tribute, who would know about him?"
At this point, Cen Yan suddenly said, "The fourth prince was recently severely reprimanded by His Majesty in front of the court officials."
Zhuang Dongqing: "Did you do something wrong?"
"There's been a minor problem with the mission, but the real issue isn't with the higher-ups. The real issue is the request to establish a crown prince," Cen Yan pointed out. "His Majesty is probably focused on achieving immortality right now and has high expectations for alchemists. At a time like this, wouldn't a courtier's request to establish a crown prince be like stabbing him in the heart?"
"The crown prince is the foundation of a country; without a crown prince, the country is unstable."
"Although His Majesty will not openly oppose these things, he is certainly not happy about them."
"If the fourth prince can't even see this clearly, with court officials submitting memorials one after another, how could His Majesty possibly favor him? Didn't you see that the third prince has already run away?"
He paused, and Cen Yan's face became somewhat somber.
Zhuang Dongqing, perceptive as ever: "What's wrong?"
Cen Yan held his hand tightly and whispered, "Actually, logically, the third brother shouldn't have left the capital at this time... I always feel there's something behind this, but I haven't figured it out yet..."
"And I have a feeling that what he's looking for is in Hangzhou..."
During the floods, the third prince would often disappear, but since disembarking, he has become very diligent, always going in and out with Cen Yan and Li Yang, and never once acting like a prince, which is unlike him.
Zhuang Dongqing: Are you worried?
Cen Yan looked at Zhuang Dongqing quietly for a while, then suddenly smiled, with a hint of self-deprecation, and said, "To be precise, I'm a little scared."
Zhuang Dongqing was taken aback.
Cen Yan: "Doesn't this sound like something I would say?"
It really doesn't look like it. It's very unlike it.
While stroking Zhuang Dongqing's hand, Cen Yan suddenly placed a kiss on the back of his hand.
"People are actually very fragile, and the third brother is a ruthless person. I'm a little worried about you and An'an."
Even if the guards do their best, there are still many things that are unpredictable.
Having lived in the shadows of the capital for many years, Cen Yan knew all too well what kind of mishaps might occur, from food and water to escort carriages...
Zhuang Dongqing paused for a moment, then said softly, "No, he needs your help and wouldn't dare do anything to us."
That's the logic.
Cen Yan stopped talking about the unlucky things that followed, not wanting to say any more.
Looking at Zhuang Dongqing, he said solemnly, "If, and I mean if, you were to fall into danger, could you please not think of others, but do your best to survive, just for my sake? Is that alright, Qingqing?"
That look contained so much, so much weight, that it made Zhuang Dongqing feel uneasy.
He nodded.
Cen Yan relaxed and kissed the back of his hand again.
*
The matter of the pleasure boat ended with the Sun family coming to their door, humbly explaining the situation, and taking the initiative to back down.
Through this, Cen Yan and Li Yang also glimpsed some of the problems in the salt administration by looking at the Sun family's salt accounts.
In the following days, the prefect took the initiative to invite the imperial envoys to inspect the major salt fields, and Cen Yan and Li Yang agreed.
The first salt field was located within the city of Hangzhou.
Wanting to know what was going on, Zhuang Dongqing went along with them.
I regretted going to Zhuang Dongqing.
There was nothing else to it, but Li Zhuo had been subtly observing him, and his gaze was making him somewhat annoyed.
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