Prince Zheng's Mansion.
With King Zheng absent, the mansion appeared quiet and beautiful.
Even though Consort Cui is gone, Prince Zheng is still the most favored son.
This mansion was requested and renovated with the help of Consort Cui. Among all the princely mansions in Sheng'an, it ranks among the top.
Especially since it hasn't been lived in for so many generations, this is brand new, not even the princess has lived here.
Currently, there are some officials and servants in the mansion who are able to maintain its operation.
There are practically no members of the Cui family left now. Some of the eunuchs are from the palace, and even if they are old, they are still quite extraordinary.
The Prince Zheng's residence is less than two miles from the imperial city, which is very close.
If something happens in the palace, it can be reported to us in less than fifteen minutes; or if the emperor misses his son, he can put down his rice bowl and rush to the palace to get a hot meal.
Xie Zhu has been granted the title of Prince, but he has not yet been granted the right to establish his own residence. His fourth brother is not at home, so he does not come over.
Fu Dingchen moved into a courtyard of the Prince Zheng's residence.
Anyway, the Prince Zheng's mansion is very large, and it's mostly empty.
The houses at the back were for respectable servants.
This guest courtyard is where some officials live.
Most of the officials have families, but they stay here overnight when they are busy late.
In short, the guesthouse is clean and tidy, and the conditions are quite good, no worse than the luxurious guesthouses in Sheng'an.
Saving money is secondary for Fu Dingchen; safety is the primary concern.
He and the Charity Department caused a ruckus at Zichan Mountain, and some people wanted to kill him.
However, the Prince of Zheng's residence was entirely within the imperial city's jurisdiction, and the Prince of Zheng was protected by the emperor.
Even though King Zheng is not at home, most people don't dare to come and act recklessly.
After all, it was very dangerous for King Zheng to go to sea. If anyone angered the sage, they would probably face the fate of having their family and clan wiped out.
Fu Dingchen was quite shrewd; he stayed in the Prince's mansion and never went out to have fun.
Anyway, the Prince Zheng's mansion had quite a few books, many of which he had never read before, which was like a mouse falling into a rice jar.
Although Xiao Lin was a palace attendant, he was extremely well-read and could be described as having a vast knowledge base, comparable to a half-Confucian scholar, or even more knowledgeable than a Confucian scholar. He not only had excellent calligraphy skills, but also had his own unique style of painting.
Fu Dingchen then started an affair with his father-in-law.
Anyway, Xiao Lin is living a retirement life in the Zheng Prince's Mansion, so even if the two of them have a good relationship, it doesn't matter to Fu Dingchen, or it would be good if they did.
Fu Dingchen had no intention of gaining anything from his father-in-law in Sheng'an.
He's so young, his future is full of hope! Only those who are hopeless would resort to crooked means.
While some people are born with it, Fu Dingchen is not.
Xiao Lin really liked this younger generation.
The two were in the garden, drinking and chatting.
When the mood strikes, reciting poetry is nothing special; one can even sing and dance.
Regardless of how well you dance, the key is your spirit of elegance!
The pageboy thought his young master was doomed! He'd been led astray by his father-in-law.
Other people are already retired and have everything they need; his son doesn't even have that yet, he's getting excited too soon!
However, the pageboy wouldn't spoil the mood. He planned to read more books; he couldn't compare to his father-in-law, but at least he could pretend.
Several eunuchs watched the play from the sidelines.
They may not be as talented as Xiao Lin, but their level of appreciation is not low.
Just like appreciating paintings, that was all learned in the palace.
Some people are at the very bottom of the palace, but if they are even slightly ambitious, they can definitely broaden their horizons.
Fu Dingchen has a good personality, and even a group of shrewd people like him. They don't tease him, though they can joke around.
Wei Yang was the East Pavilion Libationer, while the West Pavilion Libationer accompanied Prince Zheng to the sea, and he was the caretaker of Prince Zheng's residence.
As a graduate of the imperial examination, he also enjoyed participating in such activities.
Xiao Lin and Fu Dingchen's unique approach yielded many benefits for him.
It must be said that those who can become the top scholar in the provincial examination are truly talented; it is a gift from God.
It's not that those who passed the imperial examination were stupid; they were selected from among countless others.
Anyway, Wei Yang felt that Xiao Lin was much more capable than him, and he wasn't jealous. After all, the Zheng Prince's Mansion was chosen by the Emperor himself. The fact that he was selected meant that he had some merits.
He probably wouldn't be good enough to be an official in the Crown Prince's Palace, but the Prince Zheng's mansion was also extremely lucrative.
Don't underestimate the Dongge Jijiu just because he's only a seventh-rank official. Just like many people would like to become a concubine in a prince's mansion, this is a ready-made fortune.
The East Pavilion Master and a concubine are, after all, different.
Whether it's Prince Zheng or not, Wei Yang isn't here to retire. Prince Zheng's residence has a lot of things to deal with, and his subordinates have to handle them all together.
Fu Dingchen and his father-in-law were discussing the lively spread of the teachings.
A servant came to report: "The Song family is looking for Young Master Fu."
Fu Dingchen didn't react for a moment.
Wei Yang reacted quickly: "Who is it?"
Several eunuchs reacted even faster and started mocking Fu Dingchen.
"They must be here to find a son-in-law after the imperial examination!"
"I've heard that the young ladies of the Song family are all quite remarkable!"
"That is someone who can rule the world as an empress."
Fu Dingchen snapped out of his reverie. Why would he need a woman who could rule the world like an empress? To rebel? He just wanted a virtuous woman who could cook. Even if there were servants at home, someone who could grace the halls and cook in the kitchen would be fine.
The eunuchs were well-informed because the Song family was making quite a fuss and wasn't trying to hide it.
"Zhongwei may not be the one to become the empress, but having General Lü as his brother-in-law is not bad either."
"Women are not important. Those who marry Dong Xu's daughters are only after Dong Xu himself."
Wei Yang was about to burst out laughing! Didn't Dong Xu want to exterminate his entire family?
None of those who had their eyes on his daughter ended up well.
Empress Dong served as empress for nearly twenty years, something Song Jun could never match.
Zhongwei was Fu Dingchen's courtesy name. He was used to being teased by the eunuchs and didn't care at all.
The eunuch asked venomously, "Does Zhongwei have someone he loves?"
Fu Dingchen hurriedly shook his head, "No, no!"
The eunuch teased him, "Your sweetheart is no match for your future. You're so foolish, it's disheartening to see you so hopeless."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Song Rong from the Song family was still waiting outside.
Xiao Lin said, "Even saints give us face, so we can't keep people out."
Otherwise, it would damage Fu Dingchen's reputation. Although everyone knows the Song family is spreading rumors.
Wei Yang didn't care. He had heard of Song Rong, how he managed to become a scholar through the Song family's machinations, and then went around swindling and cheating people.
The servant led Song Rong to the garden, where he was accompanied by a group of people.
They weren't beauties, but probably scholars who wanted to befriend Fu Dingchen.
The eunuchs all have sharp eyes.
It all depends on whether Song Rong takes a liking to the garden!
This is the garden of the Prince's mansion, and it was built by Consort Cui, so it is naturally extremely exquisite.
Song Rong's eyes were glued to his body, and he was practically drooling; he wished he could become a member of the Song family immediately!
The eunuch glanced at Fu Dingchen; his brother-in-law might also include the Prince of Zheng.
If he could make the King of Zheng his son-in-law, wouldn't all the wealth and power in the world be his?
The servant led the way without urging them on. That's just how the Song family is.
They're not quite a pack of wolves, they're just greedy!
They want to get their hands on anything good, and what they can't have, they destroy.
However, daring to be greedy in the Prince Zheng's mansion is like daring to go to the Eastern Palace to replace Consort Huan; their audacity goes without saying.
After looking at it for a long time, Song Rong finally came to his senses. After all, Jiangling was not bad either. The main problem was that there were too many grandsons in the Song family, so each person could only get a small share.
Song Rong stared at Fu Dingchen, wishing he could devour him!
Fu Dingchen was so excited that he wanted to jump up and argue with him, but his father-in-law stopped him.
With my father-in-law here today, I won't let him be bullied.
Song Rong wasn't familiar with the eunuch, so she simply reached out and grabbed Fu Dingchen, saying, "Come on, let's go have a drink! This palace isn't a place for you."
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