Chapter 119 Cooperation
The prince was filled with hatred, but he dared not show it on his face. Facing the wrath of Emperor Tai'an, he honestly admitted his fault: "My son was wrong. I won't do this again in the future."
The prince's attitude of readily admitting his mistakes slightly reduced Emperor Tai'an's anger.
This was the son he once held on his knees and taught himself to write. The disappointment he felt was due to the high hopes he had placed on him.
Emperor Tai'an's tone became less cold and more serious: "You are the crown prince. You cannot act too arbitrarily. Otherwise, how can you convince your subjects in the future?"
"My son knows."
Emperor Tai'an glanced at the Crown Prince's left arm and sighed inwardly, "Take good care of it. Recovery takes time. Don't let this mess up your mind."
The prince agreed obediently, and he breathed a sigh of relief when Emperor Tai'an left.
He knew that as long as he admitted his mistakes with a good attitude, his father would not care.
This incident taught him a lesson. He must be more careful in his actions in the future and not leave any more trouble.
After understanding Emperor Tai'an's intentions, Cheng Maoming, commander of the Jinlin Guard, arranged for an explanation for the prince's assassination soon: the former imperial tutor still had evil intentions and arranged for someone to do it.
This news spread quickly, and even Master Mingxin, who was in the Eastern Palace, heard about it.
The strategically shrewd Master Mingxin remained expressionless, but a rare sense of bewilderment rose within him: He had arranged for this to happen? How could he not know about it?
There is something wrong with this matter.
As the person Emperor Pingle relies on most, Master Mingxin knows best how many people he has arranged in the capital, which officials he has won over, and what plans he has.
This does not include assassinating the prince.
It’s not that they don’t want to, but they haven’t found the right opportunity yet.
Emperor Tai'an had only two sons, so one can imagine how concerned he was about the safety of the crown prince. It was a miracle that the performing boy was able to injure the crown prince.
It's interesting that the incident was blamed on them even though they were not the ones responsible.
Who would try to shift the blame? It would naturally be someone who is against them.
The opposing person - Master Mingxin stroked his beard.
Isn’t the person they are against the current emperor?
The letters he exchanged with Qin Yunchuan were stolen, and then Qin Yunchuan got into trouble, but he retired in name only. It can be seen that Emperor Tai'an did not want people to know that Emperor Pingle's people were still active in order to maintain stability.
But now Emperor Tai'an took the initiative to shift the blame, which shows that he wants to cover up something more unfavorable.
What is more disadvantageous to Emperor Tai'an is beneficial to them.
What did Emperor Tai'an want to cover up?
Master Mingxin grimaced and gasped in pain. When he came to his senses, he found a beard between two of his fingers.
He rushed to the mirror and looked at his sparse beard, feeling distressed.
I’m going to go bald!
Master Mingxin was puzzled, but Qi Shuo happened to know the answer.
Want to cover up for the prince? He is indeed a kind father.
He naturally made an appointment to meet Lin Hao.
Between the two of them was a boiling small copper pot, in which thin slices of lamb and tender cabbage were rolling.
"The specialty of this restaurant is the high-quality lamb, sliced as thin as a cicada's wing, and ready to eat after just one dip in the pot." Qi Shuo used a serving chopstick to place the cooked slices of meat on the porcelain plate in front of Lin Hao, and talked about business in a casual tone, "It's been rumored outside, Miss Lin Er has heard about it, right?"
"Your Highness, are you talking about Xiao Feng's origins?" Lin Hao thought of the rumors and sneered, "You're really good at covering up."
Qi Shuo couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at, Prince?"
"Nothing, we just thought of the same thing."
"What are your plans, Prince?" Lin Hao leaned forward slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of anticipation.
Prince Jing used the Jinlin Guard to easily present the truth about the prince's assassination to the emperor. He is quite reliable in his work.
The anticipation in the girl's eyes made Qi Shuo happy, but he didn't show it on his face: "Since it's a fig leaf, then tear it off. The people of the capital are famous for their tolerance of all kinds of rumors."
Lin Hao understood what Qi Shuo meant. He wanted to use public opinion to spread the truth.
"Then you should be careful when handling this matter, don't let anyone catch you."
"Thank you, Miss Lin Er, for the reminder. I will be careful."
Lin Hao felt that she should also contribute some efforts, otherwise why would Prince Jing come to her to discuss things.
There is no manpower, but there is some money.
"It must have cost a lot to arrange for people to do things, right?"
Qi Shuo paused with his chopsticks as he tried to pick up the mutton slices.
Is Miss Lin Er worried that he has no money?
"Yes, there are some expenses." Qi Shuo said vaguely, unable to understand Lin Hao's intentions.
Lin Hao quickly calculated the expenses of sheltering beggars and made a decision: "Since I can't help much, I will cover part of the expenses and cooperate with the prince."
"Cooperation?" Qi Shuo felt that the word was quite pleasant to the ear.
Lin Hao said frankly, "Neither the Crown Prince nor I like the Prince. The Crown Prince is willing to share his plans with me, and I can't just be a listener."
She didn't know why Prince Jing was determined to confront the Crown Prince, but since they had the same goal and he was trustworthy, she naturally had to show some sincerity.
Prince Jing is more convenient than her in many things, so this cooperation is worthwhile.
"Then let's cooperate." Qi Shuo smiled and asked seriously, "I wonder how much the second Miss Lin is willing to pay?"
"Two hundred taels of silver." Lin Hao said with pain.
Although she has long-term plans for those beggars, it will take several years for them to grow up and pay her back. Now, the house that shelters the beggars is a huge money-eating beast to her.
Miss Lin, who had lived a life of luxury since childhood and had never worried about material things, finally realized the importance of money.
Qi Shuo looked at Lin Hao deeply.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but Miss Lin Er even has her hair loose.
In this case—
"That's probably not enough."
"Not enough?" Lin Hao was stunned, a little bit incredulous. "Spreading gossip... is it so expensive?"
She really has no experience in this area.
Qi Shuo nodded seriously: "It's very expensive."
Lin Hao hesitated for a moment, feeling unsure about money for the first time. "Then...how much do you need?"
"Does Miss Lin Er need open source?" Qi Shuo suddenly changed the subject.
Lin Hao digested the new topic for a while and then became interested: "How to open source?"
"I'm planning to open a small restaurant with affordable prices. Miss Lin Er can invest some money and we can split the profits together."
"Since the price is so affordable, there shouldn't be much profit, right?" Lin Hao wasn't the type to be shy. Since he was interested, he started analyzing the situation right away.
Qi Shuo was silent.
It doesn't seem that Miss Lin Er has the potential to be a profiteer.
"It's better because of small profits but quick turnover. More importantly, this kind of restaurant contacts a wide range of people, making it easier to get information."
Lin Hao was persuaded: "Then how much should I invest?"
"One hundred taels is enough."
Lin Hao secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I voted."
This is less than spreading gossip.
Thinking of this, Lin Hao brought the topic back to the topic: "How much will it cost to arrange that?"
Qi Shuo laughed: "I'm just kidding. I can't let you go alone. I'll fill in the gaps if there are any."
Lin Hao did not try to be pretentious and happily reached a cooperation agreement.
After dinner, Lin Hao decided to visit the house that sheltered beggars, while Qi Shuo returned to the palace.
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