Chapter 356: Really a decisive blow
The prince has been jumping around a lot these days, which is unprecedented.
It might be because Xiao Tai was not in the capital, and he ignored him before leaving, which gave him a huge sense of crisis. Anyway, he has been trying to win over people everywhere in a serious manner these days.
First it was the elder statesman, then his father-in-law.
His father-in-law's surname was Li, and his name was Li Zhizhi. He was not a high-ranking official, just an assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but he also had the title of marquis.
He was a well-educated man with a good reputation and a righteous character. The girl he raised was also well-educated and well-mannered.
When they got married, the prince was still very old and Emperor Mingpei had not given up yet. He really wanted to find him a good in-law family and a virtuous wife to change his mind.
But the prince was a weirdo. He was not keen on matters between men and women, and he looked down on women extremely. He believed that the only role of women was to do that kind of thing. They would come in to do the job, put on their pants and leave, and they were too lazy to even say a word.
How could the daughter of a marquis who was raised with great pampering stand this? She couldn't help crying and told him how His Highness thought of her as a prostitute and just for fun... The prince said, "It's all the same. Are you a supernatural being?"
In a word, the Crown Princess went back to her parents' home crying.
Then Lord Li came to file a complaint to the emperor at the risk of his life.
Emperor Mingpei took great pains to mediate, and the Crown Prince did not dare to resist, but from then on, he never entered the Crown Princess's room again.
He felt troubled.
If you want to get something done, just pick up any palace maid. They are all the same. Why bother listening to what these people say?
For this reason, the prince did not even have a concubine for so many years. After all, Emperor Mingpei was afraid of disappointing his subjects. However, he took in seven or eight concubines and raised four children.
Therefore, given his character, it would be strange for Li Zhizhi to be nice to him.
Anyway, apart from the face of hierarchy, there was no other consideration. However, the prince had a bad temper and would be timid if you were too strong, so there was no trouble.
At noon, the prince was eating, and a young eunuch beside him was diligently serving him food.
This young eunuch was very perceptive. Whenever the prince wanted to threaten something, he would give it to him. The prince was somewhat satisfied and condescended to ask, "What's your name?"
The young eunuch put down his chopsticks and bowed politely: "Your Highness, my name is Ma Yi."
The prince burst out laughing: "Ant? What do you call it?"
Ma Yi immediately agreed with him and said, "Because I was very thin and small when I entered the palace, the eunuch who was in charge of me gave me this name."
The prince smiled and nodded, "I just guessed it! Haven't I seen you before?"
"Your Highness," Ma Yi said, "I am new here. Several people from your Highness's palace went to the Third Prince's palace, so they were short of manpower, so I rushed here."
The prince's face darkened.
Ma Yi "realized" that he had said something wrong, and knelt down hurriedly and said, "Your Highness, please spare me! Your Highness, please spare me! I can't speak!"
The prince pointed at the table with his chopsticks in annoyance, asking him to continue serving the food. Ma Yiji got up and continued serving the food.
The prince said, "I am still the prince! What a bunch of bastards! You look down on others!!"
Ma Yi said with genuine emotion, "That's right!" He quickly changed his words, "Your Highness is right!"
The prince couldn't help but squint at him, and after a while he said, "Then why did you rush here?"
Ma Yi said, "Slave..." He glanced at him, and the prince said, "Just say it! I forgive you!"
"Yes, yes," Ma Yi said, "I think your Highness is the best! Your Highness is the crown prince! The eldest son! And everyone in the palace knows that your Highness is very good to me. Eunuch Hu has served you in your room for half a year and has gained a lot of weight. Your Highness is kind and treats me well. I never get angry when I make mistakes..."
He talked incessantly.
The prince couldn't help but nod his head after hearing what he said, and felt that he was indeed not bad.
Ma Yi said: "Only a generous person like Your Highness can be worthy of the title of Crown Prince. I have never understood why it is wrong to like to eat something. Who doesn't like to eat? People have tongues for eating!"
The prince suddenly felt like he had found a soulmate: "That's right! I just like to eat a few bites, I haven't done anything bad!"
Empress Xiao passed away early, and the prince was used to being left alone. In addition, he was the eldest since childhood except for the emperor, so he had no taboos in his mind. Therefore, when Ma Yi said some extraordinary words, they sounded very pleasing to him.
After an afternoon, Ma Yi suddenly became the prince's favorite person and even talked to him alone after dinner.
Then Ma Yi began to give advice to the prince: "Actually, your highness, don't worry. Now that the second prince has been exiled and will never return to the palace, your highness's only threat is the third prince. The fifth prince below him is only in his teens, what position is he in? So your highness, as long as you deal with the third prince, you can rest assured."
The prince snorted, "Of course I know that! But didn't the third son read a couple of sour poems to please the emperor? And his mother is already an old woman, but the emperor still visits her from time to time. I don't know what she wants!"
There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!
Ma Yi smiled and said, "Your Highness, let me see that the Third Prince's pretending to like studying is his biggest mistake! Your Highness, haven't you heard that scholars make or break by following rules? Your Highness is the king in public and the elder brother in private. No matter what Your Highness does, the Third Prince cannot resist! If he says anything wrong, it is disrespectful to the king!"
It didn't take Ma Yi much effort to convince the prince.
The prince then swayed to the prince's residence and said, "Third brother, I have been reflecting on myself recently and feel that I am not knowledgeable enough. I heard that the great scholars who taught you are very knowledgeable, so why not give them to me!"
The third prince's face turned green.
You know, the princes haven't set up their own residences yet, so it's not convenient to do things if you live in the prince's residence. This great scholar is nominally a teacher, but in fact he is his staff! !
Who would dare to lend out such a thing as a staff? The third prince said anxiously: "I'm afraid it's not appropriate. Your Highness wants to study, why don't you ask your father for help?"
The prince said, "If I don't go, I will take those people of yours."
The Third Prince said, "Your Highness, you are joking. These gentlemen were assigned to me by my father. How can I give them away at will?"
"It's not a sale," the prince said, "I want to use them! What? Aren't they my subjects? Don't they have to listen to me?"
To be honest, it is really a dead end for a scoundrel like the prince to face off against a scholar.
The prince is a person who bullies the weak and fears the strong. If you are strong, he will be timid. But as long as you don’t take action, he will not care if you speak in a flowery and bookish way or use allusions to mock others.
So, he made up his mind... No need to say anything, I just want those people from you.
To see the emperor? No, no.
What teacher or not? The wind is too strong and I can’t hear you clearly!
But he happened to be the crown prince, and he had a natural advantage in status. If he really acted like a rogue, the third prince would be completely helpless.
In the end, those people were "invited" into the East Palace.
(End of this chapter)