After listening to what the third brother Wei said, the eldest brother Wei felt a little unhappy.
He was the eldest in the family, and his younger brothers and sisters had to listen to him. He never took Wei, the third child, seriously.
Before the family split up, in his mind, Wei Lao San was just a younger brother who worked for him and earned money. When Wei Lao San wanted to split up, his attitude towards Wei Lao San changed immediately. He felt that this younger brother was too disobedient and troublesome, and he hated Wei Lao San very much. He was just waiting to see this younger brother make a fool of himself.
Unexpectedly, after his third brother had lived a hard life for several years, their youngest son passed the imperial examination and became a famous young scholar in the neighborhood.
Later, he passed the imperial examinations and became the top scorer, the first place winner, and the top scholar...Now he has been awarded an official position in the capital.
As long as these things are far away from him, that's it.
But his third brother, whom he had always looked down upon, was going to live in the capital. He felt mixed emotions and was very upset.
After returning home, Boss Wei told his family what he had just heard.
As soon as they heard what he said, everyone started to say sarcastic words.
However, as I felt more and more sad, other thoughts came to my mind.
"San Gouzi became the top scholar and is now an official in Beijing. He has a bright future. There is no one in his family who can help him, so it is better to let Shu Ge'er go with him." said Wang, the wife of Boss Wei.
After hearing this, Boss Wei's eyes lit up.
Yes, why didn't he think of this?
Wei Hanzhou is not only the son of Wei Laosan, but also his nephew. He is his elder. Since Wei Laosan can take advantage of it, his family must be able to get something.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Wang was right.
The two of them talked a lot together.
Looking back, they told their son and daughter-in-law.
When Shu Ge'er came home drunk in the evening, he immediately perked up after hearing what his grandfather said.
"You are right, Master. Although I did not pass the imperial examination, I am still a scholar. My uncle is isolated and helpless in the capital, so I have to go and help him."
Wang said proudly, "That's right. My eldest grandson is very capable. We went to help him because we were all in the same boat. They should be grateful to us."
Boss Wei nodded in agreement.
"Isn't it said that my cousin is a daughter of a marquis? I have recently found out that they are from a noble family. If you can marry such a relative, you don't need to take the imperial examination, you can directly become an official."
Wang's eyes widened in surprise and she said, "The woman we bought is so amazing."
Speaking of the Marquis' Mansion, Shu Ge'er became more cheerful and said, "That's right. The money in their house is more than they can spend in a lifetime."
When the people in the Wei family heard this, they became even more excited.
If this is true, wouldn't their eldest grandson also be able to become an official?
Boss Wei immediately said, "I will talk to your Third Master tomorrow and he will take you with him no matter what."
"Okay, when my grandson becomes an official, I will bring my grandpa, grandma, parents, and sisters to the capital to enjoy life."
Wei Laosan, Wang and others were all delighted.
After the family members had discussed the matter, they went to Wei Lao San's house early the next morning.
Unfortunately, Wei Lao San's family went to sell candied haws, Fu Yao and Shu Lan also went to the shop to sell embroidery work, and Zhong Xing was also taken to the town by Zhou.
In the afternoon, Wei Laosan and his family came back carrying a rack of candied haws.
Originally they were going to take a cart, but now they were going to the capital, so they would save as much as possible since it would cost a lot. Also, there were many people going with them today, so they could take turns.
As soon as they opened the door, before they could drink the hot water, Mr. Wei and his family came in.
Quite a lot of people came, not only Mr. and Mrs. Wei, but also his son and daughter-in-law Ms. Wu, and his eldest grandson Shu.
"Brother, what are you doing here?" Wei Lao San asked in surprise.
Boss Wei sat aside and said, "Brother San, aren't you going to the capital? I thought that San Gouzi has no help in the capital, so why not let Shu Ge'er go and help him."
Wei Lao San glanced at Shu Ge'er standing beside him and frowned.
I heard that this kid was addicted to eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and he failed to pass the exam to become a scholar after taking the exam for so many years.
How could he help Han Zhou? He could be more of a hindrance than a help.
"Third uncle, you don't have to thank me. After all, we are all family. For my third uncle, it doesn't matter if I give up the imperial examination. After all, you can't write two words "Wei" with one stroke. We are all thinking about the Wei family." These words were said in a very high-sounding manner.
Hearing the noise outside, Li and others who were resting in their room could no longer sit still and came out.
"Thank you, eldest brother and eldest grandson. But there's no need. My Han Zhou is doing well as an official in the capital and doesn't need any help." The third brother Wei decisively rejected their proposal.
After hearing this, Boss Wei and the others looked a little unhappy.
Wang said angrily, "Is it because you have found the Marquis' Mansion as your backer that you look down on us? Don't forget that they are outsiders and we are a family."
Li heard this as soon as she came out. She was very angry and said, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? Our Han Zhou passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar. Before he passed the imperial examination, the Marquis' Mansion had not yet recognized his daughter-in-law. Our Han Zhou relied on himself."
Zhou had just fed her son something and was about to coax him when she heard Wang's shameless words and rushed out in anger.
As soon as Li finished speaking, Zhou immediately said rudely: "I think you guys are trying to take advantage of the Marquis' Mansion!"
After hearing these words, the expressions of Boss Wei and others suddenly changed.
"What nonsense are you talking about? We don't know the Marquis' Mansion, so how can we take advantage of them? We are doing this for the Wei family." said Wang's daughter-in-law Wu.
"Bah!" Zhou pinched her waist and started cursing at Wu.
Anyway, they were about to leave Weijia Village, so she didn't care about anything.
If the book boy from the Wei family were to follow her, he would be disgusted to death.
"Why do you say it's for the sake of the Wei family? I think it's for the sake of your own family. The reason why my third brother passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar so late was because you cheated him out of the money that our parents had saved for his studies and gave it to your eldest nephew to study. Over the years, our family has lived in poverty, but you have never helped us for the sake of the overall situation or the Wei family. Now that my third brother has passed the imperial examination and become the top scholar, you all come to help us. How can you be so shameless? You are so shameless!"
Zhou started to talk nonstop, not giving anyone a chance to speak, and continued, "Also, you want to rely on the Marquis' Mansion? Don't you see how you framed my third sister-in-law behind her back? Oh, by the way, my third sister-in-law is now a daughter of the Marquis' Mansion, and her parents are very powerful. If they knew that you said she came from a dirty place behind her back, do you think they would avenge their daughter? Then arrest those people who are talking nonsense behind her back!"
When these words came out, everyone in the Wei family felt a pang in their hearts.
Yes, they also said bad things about Liu Tangxi back then.
They have forgotten about this matter.
Others didn't know how powerful Liu Tangxi was, but Wang and her daughter-in-law Wu had experienced it. Suddenly, the people from the Wei family became weak, and soon left in disgrace.
As soon as the people from the Wei family left, Wei Lao San looked extremely unhappy. He glanced at his second daughter-in-law, sighed deeply, and turned around to walk into the house.
Seeing the last look in Wei Lao San's eyes, Zhou was a little scared. She tugged at Li's clothes and asked in a low voice, "Mom, is Dad angry with me? Did I say too much just now?"
Li smiled and said loudly, "No, I think what you said just now is very good! If you didn't say it, I would have said it just now. If they dare to say such things again in the future, just call them out and don't waste your words on them. If you want to take advantage of my son, dream on!"
Zhou was encouraged and said with a smile, "Okay, mother, don't worry, your daughter-in-law will do as you say."
Wei Lao San lay in the house for a long time and recovered as usual in the evening.
When it was time for dinner, Wei Lao San said, "No matter who asks you to take them to the capital, you can't agree. This is our first time going to the capital, and we don't know what they want to do with us. If they want to take advantage of me or my wife, that would be bad. If we settle down in the capital in the future, you can help us if it's not a big deal."
After hearing this, Zhou finally felt relieved.
Liu Tangxi also received the news soon. Wei Laosan and others planned to return at the end of February.
It was mid-February at this time. Liu Tangxi thought about it, calculated the days, and came up with an idea.
Wei Lao San and the others had never even been to the capital, let alone traveled far away. Moreover, Zhong Xing and Shu Lan were too young, and Wei Lao San and Li were too old, so it would definitely be inconvenient for them to travel, so it would be better for her to pick them up.
Anyway, she has money and connections now.
Liu Tangxi did not tell Wei Hanzhou about this matter, but went to discuss it with Yin.
How could Yin not agree to such a small matter? Soon, three carriages came out of the Marquis's mansion and headed towards Weijia Village.
In less than ten days, the carriage arrived at Weijia Village.
Wei Lao San had already sold all the hawthorns at home, and there were still five days left before the date they had planned.
Now that they saw their son and daughter-in-law sending a carriage to pick them up, they were naturally overjoyed.
They had never been out of the house and had four children, so they planned to bring a lot of things with them, so this made them feel relieved.
After hearing about it, the villagers became even more envious of them, especially Mr. Wei.
They were afraid that Liu Tangxi still remembered what they said about her behind her back, but they also wanted to go to Beijing with these luxurious carriages.
After much thought, Mr. Wei went over to try it out.
As a result, the servants in the Marquis' Mansion ignored them, and Wei Lao San refused to give in.
Boss Wei was very angry and went back cursing.
Five days later, Wei Laosan and his group left Weijia Village and headed towards the capital.
After a few months, the issue of the third prince's marriage was mentioned more and more.
A lot has happened in these few months.
Especially the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, the two fought even more fiercely.
First, the Ministry of Revenue, which the prince was in charge of, was exposed by the prefect of Lin'an for embezzling taxes from the south. After investigation, it was found that the embezzlement was not limited to this. Nearly 100,000 taels of tax revenue were missing. A group of officials from the Ministry of Revenue were imprisoned, and the prince was reprimanded and almost deposed.
Just when the crown prince was about to be deposed, the Ministry of Personnel under the charge of the third prince had another problem. The Ministry of Personnel was impeached by the historian for changing the performance of an official who had been rated as good for three years to excellent, and then promoted this official. After investigation, it was found that the official was a relative of the third prince's mother. The third prince was also scolded by the emperor in the court.
Then, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince started fighting in the court.
Either today we reveal that the Ministry of Revenue concealed thousands of acres of fertile land for the Crown Princess's family, the Duke's Mansion, when measuring the land, or tomorrow we reveal that there are problems with the people selected by the Ministry of Personnel.
In short, all the crimes committed by the crown prince and the third prince were revealed.
In fact, the news about the Third Prince was not so bad, most of it was just hearsay, with a mixture of truth and falsehood. But the matter of "power" was too sensitive for an emperor. Even if it was just a small matter, it was still important to Emperor You.
On the prince's side, however, there were mostly stone hammers.
When Emperor You heard that the historians began to accuse the Ministry of Revenue of withholding military supplies for the war a few years ago, he panicked. He quickly stopped everyone and ordered the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to reflect on their mistakes for a month, and they were not allowed to mention the two again.
In fact, the military supplies that were withheld were the military supplies that Prince Jian used when he fought against Dayun.
Although he did not say it explicitly, the prince acted according to his wishes.
If someone continues talking about it, I don’t know what will be dug out.
And now Prince Jian is eyeing him covetously, and it seems that he wants to covet his throne, so he has to be on guard.
After retiring from court, Emperor You was extremely angry.
These two sons were his favorites. But, they both did such things behind his back. He was not dead yet, but they both started to target the country. One took his money, and the other took his power.
He was wondering why there was no money despite the continuous increase in taxes, it turned out that all the money was embezzled by the prince.
The officials below are becoming more and more chaotic and incapable of doing anything, which must be because the Third Prince controls the Ministry of Personnel and selects incompetent people.
But apart from these two sons, the only adult subordinate to him is the second prince.
Looking at the Second Prince's dull look, Emperor You felt a little pain in his chest.
What kind of kids did he give birth to? They are all so disappointing!
He originally wanted to depose the crown prince, but that was because the third prince was striving for honor, just as he wanted. Now that the third prince was also like this, he was a little hesitant.
One takes his money, the other shares his power, and it is hard to tell who is worse off.
"Someone, go and call the Second Prince over."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As a result, it took three days to find the second prince.
Seeing the Second Prince wearing cotton clothes and looking dusty and dirty, Emperor You was so angry that he wanted to hit him.
Is this really his son?
He didn't want to admit it at all.
"Where have you been lately? How is the Ministry of Rites doing? Why haven't I seen you for a long time?"
A guilty look immediately appeared on the Second Prince's face. He glanced at Emperor You and fell to his knees with a plop in fear.
Seeing him like this, Emperor You became even angrier and shouted angrily: "Look at how miserable you are!"
Although the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were greedy for wealth and power, they were at least decent people. But what about this guy in front of him? He was just asked a casual question, and he was so scared that he knelt on the ground. He really didn't look like him at all.
"My son...I know my mistake."
Emperor You endured it for a moment and asked, "What's wrong?"
After asking, he suddenly thought of what the Crown Prince and the Third Prince had done recently, and his eyes narrowed. He thought, could it be that this son also embezzled something behind his back? But now he is in the Ministry of Rites, what can he get?
"What did you do in the Ministry of Rites?"
The second prince trembled and said, "My son has not been to the Ministry of Rites for two...two months."
He was very troubled by the matter of the eldest princess's family marrying a daughter-in-law last year. On one side was his aunt, and on the other side were the etiquette and rules of the officials of the Ministry of Rites. He was caught in the middle and it was really difficult for him to be a man. Now the Duke's Mansion was going to marry the prince's daughter-in-law. When he heard about this, he was so scared that he ran away immediately and handed over everything to the Ministry of Rites.
If someone hadn't found him today, he might not have come back.
If you think about it carefully, he has been quite negligent in the past two months.
After a long while, the second prince did not hear the voice of Emperor You, so he added: "I will definitely do my best in the future and live up to my father's expectations."
Emperor You heaved a sigh of relief when he heard his son's words.
"Well, just remember it in the future. Get up." Emperor You said, "However, you haven't been to the Ministry of Rites for two months. What have you been doing? Reading books in the mansion?"
The Second Prince was relieved when he heard that Emperor You didn't seem to be angry about him not going to the Ministry of Rites. He said, "No, my son is reading at my uncle's house."
"Uncle?" Emperor You's voice became strange.
"Yes, in Prince Jin's mansion outside the capital." said the second prince.
"Why do you go there to read?" Emperor You asked.
The second prince touched his nose and said, "Because it's quiet there."
He couldn't say that the place was close to Liutangxi's orchard and there was also a Liutangxi vegetable garden nearby, and he would go there from time to time to steal some vegetables to eat.
As soon as he saw his son's guilty look, Emperor You became furious.
"Are you really just reading?" Emperor You asked coldly.
The second prince suppressed his fear and said, "Really."
"You really disappoint me. Get out of here. Like the Crown Prince and your third brother, stay in seclusion for a month."
"Ah? Oh." The second prince replied.
He didn't like going out anyway, so there was nothing wrong with him staying at home for a month.
After the second prince left, Emperor You closed his eyes and leaned back on the dragon throne.
Compared with the crown prince and the third prince, the second prince's problem seems to be more serious.
"Someone, go check where the Second Prince has been recently and what connection he has with Prince Jin's Palace."
The affairs of the Second Prince were so easy to investigate that in the evening, Emperor You received all the information about the Second Prince in the past year.
"The Second Prince did go to Prince Jin's Mansion recently, but he has no connection with it. Prince Jin and the Crown Prince rarely go to that mansion, and they rarely meet the Second Prince."
Emperor You frowned slightly, always feeling that something was strange.
"Didn't he do anything else?" Emperor You asked again.
After hearing this, the secret guard hesitated for a moment and said, "I wonder if this counts."
"say."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The secret guard said, "Rather than saying that the Second Prince is in Prince Jin's Mansion, he actually spends more time in the manor of Marquis Huai'en Mansion next door. The Second Prince would secretly go to the vegetable garden of Marquis Huai'en Mansion in the morning, and sometimes he would stay there for the whole day. Several times, he was beaten out by others as a thief who stole vegetables."
Emperor You’s expression was so wonderful.
His son actually went to steal vegetables?
"I have inquired about this and heard that the food at the Huai En Marquis's Mansion is very delicious and well-known. Many nobles buy food from this manor."
Emperor You thought, no matter how delicious the food was, would a prince really need to steal it?
He is really promising!
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince at least knew how to use their brains, but what about him? He was just an embarrassing idiot!
"Buy all the vegetables from the manor of Marquis Huai'en and send them to the Second Prince."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
That night, Emperor You took medicine before going to bed.
Early the next morning, Liu Tangxi learned that the emperor wanted to buy all of his vegetables, and the price he offered was quite high.
After hearing this, she was so happy.
When Wei Hanzhou came back in the evening, Liu Tangxi told him about this.
She now knew that the emperor bought the food and sent it to the second prince's house.
This sounds weird.
"Why do you think the emperor did this?"
Wei Hanzhou had also received the news. He had been in front of Yu frequently over the past year or so, so he knew more.
"I heard that the Second Prince likes the vegetables you grow on the farm."
Liu Tangxi thought, she knew that what she grew was delicious, so it was normal for her to like it.
However, why did the emperor suddenly do such a thing? It makes people think more.
After all, the emperor did not give it to the crown prince and the third prince, but only to the second prince.
Thinking of the recent troubles caused by the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, Liu Tangxi asked in a low voice: "Could it be that the Emperor intends to let the Second Prince..."
Liu Tangxi didn't say the rest of the words, but she pointed in the direction of the sky.
Wei Hanzhou looked at her cautious look, raised his hand and rubbed her hair, and said, "No, it is indeed the Second Prince who likes it."
There are many people who have the same idea as Liu Tangxi.
At least, that's what the Crown Prince and the Third Prince thought.
The Third Prince’s Mansion.
"You know, my father has been asking people to look for my second brother in recent days, and today he even sent several hundred kilograms of fruits and vegetables to his house." The third prince said with a cold face.
Because the third prince was under house arrest, Liu Yanan came quietly at night.
She no longer has the calmness she had a year ago.
A lot has happened in this year.
It took them nearly ten years to control the situation, and they seemed to be on the verge of success as the crown prince was about to be deposed. However, it only took them one year for the situation to gradually falter.
"Your Majesty, do you know that the Second Prince has been staying in Prince Jin's Mansion recently?" Liu Luan asked.
The third prince twitched his lips and said, "How could I not know? It is precisely because my father knew about it but did not punish him that I felt that this matter was not simple."
Liu Yanan frowned slightly.
In her opinion, the emperor was very jealous of Prince Jian. If he was jealous, why would he just let it go and not say anything, but also give him a reward.
"My second brother is just a nerd. What's so good about him? Father has become more and more confused recently."
Liu Luan thought about it for a while and said, "The Second Prince is nothing to be afraid of."
Although she didn't know the purpose of the emperor's action, she was sure that the emperor must be very wary of Prince Zhen.
"Hmm?" The third prince looked puzzled.
"Who does the emperor fear the most?" Liu Luan asked.
"Of course it's Prince Jian." The third prince replied.
"Since the emperor has punished the second prince to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors, it means that the emperor is concerned about his close contact with Prince Jin. Later, he gave him a reward, which must have other reasons. Since the emperor cares, we can start from this aspect. Do you still remember that the second prince was also very close to Prince Jin's son before?"
The third prince nodded.
"We can use this to our advantage. The emperor believed the second prince the first time, so what about the second and third time? Do you think the emperor will still believe him given his personality? Besides, others don't know the second prince's personality, but you must know it. Do you think he wants that position? However, even if he doesn't want it, we have to prevent someone from trying to push him up. So, this time, we must nip the possibility of the second prince in the bud."
Liu Luan thought that having one prince was enough, and there couldn't be too many rivals.
The Third Prince pondered the personalities of Emperor You and the Second Prince, and the impetuous look on his face gradually dissipated.
After thinking this through, the Third Prince smiled, raised his hand and held Liu Lu'an's, saying, "An An is indeed the smartest."
Liu Yanan also smiled and said, "You have been too busy recently, and you have been mad at the prince. It would be good for you to take a rest in the mansion for a month."
"Well, you still understand me the best."
"However, there is one person we must pay attention to."
The Third Prince is not that stupid. Who Liu Luan is talking about is what he is most worried about now.
"My Lord."
When the third prince said this name, his eyes were filled with danger.
"Yes. With so many things happening now, it is absolutely impossible to say that Prince Jian has no hand in it."
"Yes." The third prince responded.
However, the look he gave Liu Luan was a little strange. He pursed his lips and wanted to say something, but it seemed difficult to speak.
Liu Xuanan naturally noticed this strange look, as she was well aware of the recent rumors.
Even though neither of them had ever spoken of it, the fact still existed.
"Are you going to talk about the eldest daughter of the Marquis Weizhen?" Liu Luan was the first to point it out.
When the matter was mentioned, the Third Prince seemed to feel guilty and immediately said, "An An, don't worry, she can only be a concubine, and will never be the principal wife. But I need the support of Marquis Wei Zhen now."
Liu Luan understood what the Third Prince meant. Since the Third Prince said that the girl was a concubine, then she could only be a concubine. As for how he made a girl from a marquis's mansion a concubine, it must not have been a very honorable method.
However, she didn't want to know how he did it, as long as she could achieve her goal.
Liu Luan said, "Well, I understand, and I support you in doing this. Prince Jin is our most important opponent now. Only if we undermine Prince Jin's influence among the generals will we have hope. Only then will the emperor pay attention to you again."
Hearing this, the Third Prince heaved a sigh of relief but was also a little disappointed. He said stiffly, "I knew An An was the most considerate. However, I will never let her have my child. Only our child can inherit the throne in the future."
Liu Yanan thought, she would fight for what she wanted, even if this man had eight or ten children first, so what? She was confident that she could get what she wanted.
After finishing the business, Liu Luan left again at night.
On the way back, sitting in the carriage, Liu Luan leaned back.
Although she said she didn't care and her mind told her that this was the best thing to do at the moment, she still felt a little helpless deep down.
There is both disappointment in the third prince and anxiety about the current situation.
I raised my hand and opened the car curtain, and a cool breeze blew towards me.
Liu Yanan gradually regained consciousness.
Now, among the three princes, only the third prince can ascend to the throne. Moreover, only when the third prince ascends to the throne can she legitimately participate in the affairs of the court. If the crown prince, the second prince, or the prince Jian really ascends to the throne, based on what she has done over the years and her relationship with the third prince, she will definitely not end well.
After thinking it through, Liu Lunan closed the car curtains, closed his eyes, and began to think about his next plan.
On the other hand, out of consideration for the children and the elderly, Wei Lao San and his companions did not walk fast, and it took more than half a month before they arrived in the capital.