Fourth Prince never expected that his father, the Emperor, would bestow upon Eighth Prince the title of Prince of the Second Rank, Prince Lian…
The character 廉 means upright, honest, and of good character.
But what if these words were applied to the Eighth Prince? Everyone knows that the Eighth Prince has always been a person who loves to make friends widely, and he is mostly praised in the capital. He is upright, and among all the princes, which one dares to say that he is definitely upright?
This title sounds incredibly ironic.
However, the Fourth Prince was not unhappy about this. Although he and the Eighth Prince were now equals as Princes, they did not work in the same place and did not see each other on a regular basis, so there was no other hindrance.
The only difference is that the Eighth Prince was granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank, while the Seventh Prince was only a Prince of the Third Rank... The Fourth Prince knew the Seventh Prince's personality; he usually kept to himself and rarely went out. However, the Seventh Prince's job was in the Imperial Household Department, so he and the Eighth Prince were always seeing each other.
Fourth Master was unhappy, but he knew it was only a matter of time.
After all, the Eighth Prince has been doing his job. As long as there are no major mistakes in the job he is in, it's only a matter of time before he is granted the title of Prince.
It was bound to happen sooner or later...
After the morning court session, a bunch of things were swirling in his mind. Fourth Master then instructed that he should go to Seventh Prince's residence first.
The seventh prince has difficulty walking, so when the Emperor bestowed a residence upon him, he specifically chose one that was closer to the capital. Now, if the fourth prince were to ride a horse out of the palace, he could arrive there in a quarter of an hour.
But as soon as the Fourth Prince stepped out of the palace gate, he was stopped by Longkodo: "Where are you going, Fourth Prince? My good-for-nothing nephew has recently acquired some trinkets that he wants to present to the princess."
The so-called good-for-nothing nephew was none other than Shun'an Yan. The Fourth Prince did not like Shun'an Yan's sycophantic manner. Did the Fourth Prince really not know that Shun'an Yan would send any good things he got to the Prince Zhi's residence first?
So the Fourth Prince never wanted to see Shun An Yan, but Shun An Yan was not discouraged and turned to Long Ke Duo to make connections.
Seeing that Longkodo was not going to give up, and that it would take Su Peisheng some time to go back to the mansion to get the calligraphy copybook, the Fourth Master simply let Longkodo go.
Sure enough, Longkodo didn't let Shun'an Yan act as a go-between for nothing; he secretly told the Fourth Prince a few names along the way.
The Fourth Prince vaguely remembered a few of them. They were either former protégés of Prime Minister Suo or members of the Hesheli clan. Their official positions were not very high, only sixth or seventh rank, which was nothing in the capital city where high-ranking officials were everywhere.
Longkodo didn't say anything more, leaving it at that. Then Shun'an Yan walked out with a smile. He had a headache when he saw his brother-in-law, the Fourth Prince, but for the sake of his sister, he still forced himself to listen to Shun'an Yan's nonsense.
Before leaving, Fourth Master asked, "Have all the ones you kept outside been dismissed?"
Shun Anyan's face stiffened.
Longkodo was somewhat embarrassed. He had warned this scoundrel long ago that although he was now a prince consort, he was not Shun'an Yan's father after all...
He raised his hand, ready to tap Shun'an Yan on the forehead, but Fourth Master spoke first: "Then let him rest. If things come to light one day, I'll cover for you."
Fourth Master was a man himself and knew that things would turn into their opposites if they went too far. He didn't push Shun An Yan to the edge, but instead took a step back, making Shun An Yan even more uneasy and fearful.
After the Fourth Prince left, Longkodo still smacked Shun Anyan on the forehead: "You're confused! How many times have I told you? Just wait until the truth comes out and see how the Fourth Prince impeaches our Tongjia clan for their lack of moral integrity."
Anyone who isn't a fool could tell that what Fourth Master said just now was sarcastic.
Shun An Yan was already drenched in cold sweat, and in his panic, he couldn't come up with a proper answer.
Finally, Longkodo turned and left.
As soon as Fourth Master came out of the teahouse, Su Peisheng was already waiting outside. Fourth Master picked up a book from his hand and went straight to Seventh Master's residence.
It was past noon when the Fourth Prince came out of the Seventh Prince's residence. Originally, the Fourth Prince planned to go to the palace to pay his respects to his mother, but because of Longkodo's last-minute intervention, the Fourth Prince returned to his residence instead.
At the same time, he gave another instruction.
If Father Emperor says he will investigate, then he will definitely investigate thoroughly.
Once back at the manor, the Fourth Prince naturally pulled Dai Duo aside for another discussion.
After discussing for half a day, Su Peisheng waited outside until they finished before coming in to report: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Personnel has already dealt with a group of corrupt officials, and I heard that the local officials in Shandong are now being escorted away."
The movement was too fast.
The Fourth Prince paused for a moment: "Who are they in the capital?"
Su Peisheng whispered a few names.
The Fourth Prince paused for a moment, then said that several of them were from collateral branches of the Hesheli clan, and if they were convicted, the punishment would be neither too serious nor too minor.
The final charge could be serious or minor, depending entirely on the Emperor's mood.
However, the Fourth Master has gradually come to understand the current situation.
The eldest brother, Prince Zhi, goes without saying; Father Emperor has been promoting him to compete with the Crown Prince for years. The third brother was favored by Father Emperor a couple of years ago, but in the last two years, he has made a mistake by beating Lady Zhangjia, and there's also the matter of Prince Yu. So, the third brother has gradually been neglected in the last two years.
The fifth brother was close to the fourth master, who knew that he also didn't want to attract attention, but it was mostly because of his indifferent nature.
Needless to say, the seventh prince was loved by the Emperor but not valued. The eighth prince, on the other hand, has been promoted steadily in the past two years and is highly regarded by the Emperor.
Therefore, among all the princes, it was the eighth prince who was pushed forward.
Then there's the tenth prince, who comes from a noble family and was granted the title of Prince of the County at a young age. He's already married and lives separately in his own residence, but he's a bit muddle-headed when it comes to his official duties. In the last two years, he's become quite close to the eighth prince.
Thus, among the princes, the Prince of Zhi, the Crown Prince, the Eighth Prince, and the Tenth Prince each formed their own faction.
Fourth Prince has always been closer to the Crown Prince, so it doesn't really matter...
There are too many princes. It seems like Father Emperor intends to cultivate them all.
However, with the Emperor so energetic and vigorous these days, the struggle for the throne among the princes... seems a bit premature.
We can't rush things; we have to settle the rewards and punishments this time.
Speaking of rewards and punishments, after Dai Duo left, the Fourth Master ordered, "Bring me the list of rewards and punishments."
Su Peisheng went there immediately.
"A house in the south of the city?" Fourth Master asked, pointing to a certain place as he flipped through the gift list.
The houses in the south of the city are not in the inner city; they are somewhat remote.
Su Peisheng replied, "Yes, that house is near the goldfish pond, and the surrounding area is full of abandoned old princes' residences. That area is a quiet place."
Fourth Master grunted in agreement: "Find out the land deed. I remember there's another house in the East City. Find it too and send it to your Master Li."
Su Peisheng remembered that house; it was near Fahua Temple, a place known for its efficacious incense offerings and considered a sacred site.
When you add up the cost of the two houses... Su Peisheng clicked his tongue inwardly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
