1835 Cooperation, the Ninth Prince Abuses His Power for Personal Benefits
"Father, father... Rui'er is so scared, come and save Rui'er. Rui'er is in so much pain, it hurts so much..."
Little Tuanzi's cry for help reached Prince Duan's ears, and Prince Duan burst into tears. Self-blame, powerlessness, hatred and other emotions surged in his heart. Prince Duan couldn't stop crying: "Rui'er, father is sorry for you."
At this time, Prince Duan didn't care whether the little girl was willing or not, he stepped forward and picked up the little girl from Feng Qingchen's hands. He held her tightly in his arms, as if he wanted to melt the little girl into his bones.
"Rui'er, don't cry. Father is here. Father is here to save you. Father will never abandon Rui'er again, never again..." No one knew how much Prince Duan regretted abandoning his son alone to face the inhuman torture.
"Rui'er, father will never abandon you again. Father will never let you get hurt again. Father will never..." Prince Duan didn't care about his face anymore. He hugged the little boy and burst into tears in front of Feng Qingchen.
Men don't shed tears easily, but they do shed tears when they are sad. To Prince Duan, the little dumpling was his life. The emperor used the little dumpling to test Prince Duan, which undoubtedly touched Prince Duan's reverse chord.
"Father, father..." The little girl cried heartbreakingly, as if she wanted to cry out all the fear and grievances in her heart.
Feng Qingchen looked at the father and son who were crying and hugging each other, with a look of relief on her face. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, quietly retreated, leaving the space to the father and son.
It was a great thing that the little boy was willing to come out of his closed world. But she didn't expect that it was such an opportunity that made the little boy willing to come out of his closed world and forgive his father.
Little Tuanzi was already close to his father, and given Prince Duan's child-control tendency, he would definitely not let Little Tuanzi stick to her. When Little Tuanzi no longer needed her, it would be time for her and Feng Jin to leave Prince Duan's mansion.
Feng Qingchen raised her head, looked at the bright sky, and sighed softly. Without Prince Duan leading her, she would have to face the Emperor and the Princess head-on.
However, she did not regret it at all. Compared with Xiaotuanzi's illness, her trouble was nothing. Anyway, her status was high enough and Emperor Xiling did not dare to take her life.
…
"The Imperial Master of Xiling actually suspected Qingchen." The Ninth Prince didn't know much about the Imperial Master of Xiling.
The Xiling royal family kept this person hidden very well. Xiling Tianyu had only seen the imperial teacher once when he was a child. The Ninth Prince only knew that there was such a person, but he didn't know where this person came from.
Of course, on the other hand, it also shows that this person does not have a great reputation in Xiling, at least not many people know him among the people.
"Maybe, I should go to Xiling." The Ninth Prince knew that the people of Xiling were extremely wary of Feng Qingchen. Even if Feng Qingchen went there simply to save Feng Jin, the Emperor of Xiling would think that Feng Qingchen had ulterior motives.
It is not easy for Feng Qingchen to move among several powerful figures in Xiling.
"No, you can't leave the imperial city at this time." Su Wenqing jumped up immediately after hearing this: "Ninth Uncle, there are signs that Chu City is mobilizing troops, and it is possible that troops will be dispatched soon. If my guess is correct, Beiling and Chu City will dispatch troops after the autumn harvest."
The reason why it was harvested in autumn was because Beiling attacked Dongling for food. In addition to ceding the city, the King of Zhou was able to persuade Beiling to help him by promising them a season's worth of food.
Without benefits, how could Beiling send troops at the same time as Chucheng to help King Zhou hold back the Dongling army? For King Zhou, granting these benefits to Beiling was not a big deal to him. He was quite happy to exchange a few cities for the throne of the emperor.
"There are still two months left, which is enough time for me to go back and forth." The Ninth Prince was determined to go. Su Wenqing was about to cry, and said with a bitter face: "Ninth Prince, Master Fu is in Nanling and can't come back for a while. If you leave, won't the eldest son be the only one in charge? Isn't that bad?"
Except for Fu Lin and the eldest son, the other regent ministers were there for show. In the past two years, they have been gradually sidelined by the Ninth Prince and are only in charge of some insignificant departments, such as the Ministry of Rites.
"Well," this is a problem, but it is not something that cannot be reconciled.
After the morning court session the next day, the Ninth Prince kept Wang Jinling and directly stated his intentions: "Xi Ling is poor, but it is still profitable. This prince is going to Xi Ling to discuss with the Emperor of Xi Ling to open a market on the border between the two countries so that goods from the two countries can be exchanged."
Simply put, I am going to Xiling to handle some private matters under the pretext of official business. You have been working hard on your own during this period, and I will not let you suffer any loss.
"The Regent's move is beneficial to the country and the people. I agree." Wang Jinling pretended not to understand the Ninth Prince's true intention and talked to the Ninth Prince in detail about the trade between the two countries.
Opening a market to allow the two countries' goods to circulate between each other is a good thing for both countries and even the people. But it also brings disadvantages, that is, it is easier for spies from the enemy country to sneak in.
In the past few years, Dongling has been cleaning up spies a lot. If a market is opened on the border, it will undoubtedly provide opportunities for enemy spies. Of course, it is also very convenient for Dongling to plant spies.
Everything has its pros and cons. The Ninth Prince had certainly thought about these things. Although he went to Xiling to help Feng Qingchen under this pretext, the Ninth Prince really wanted to accomplish this.
Merchants have a low status, but the Ninth Prince knows well that if he wants the country and the people to be prosperous, commerce must be developed. The four countries have exchanges with each other, and when commerce and trade are developed, the Dongling treasury will be abundant.
Moreover, when the four countries are unified in the future, with this foundation, there will be less friction between the people of the four countries, and it will be more conducive to governance.
After the Ninth Prince and Wang Jinling had some discussion, they added some details, making the whole plan very feasible.
"Let Lord Fu handle Nanling. This will benefit the country and the people, and I think the emperor of Nanling will agree. As for Beiling... Lord Yuwen is an excellent candidate. Lord Yuwen has been dealing with Beiling for many years, and Beiling is familiar with Lord Yuwen's name. With Lord Yuwen's presence, things in Beiling will go more smoothly." As for Beiling's increase of troops on the border with the intention of joining forces with King Zhou to attack Dongling, Wang Jinling wisely did not mention it.
There has never been close cooperation between countries, nor will there be mortal enemies. As long as there is interest, there will be cooperation. At the same time, as long as there is interest, there will be a chance to betray an ally at any time and stab an ally in the back.
As long as Beiling is not stupid, they will agree to open border markets with Dongling and exchange their specialties for food with the people of Dongling. As for the future war between the two countries, the market will be closed.
"Yes." The Ninth Prince had no objection to Wang Jinling's proposal, except for one thing: "I will leave this matter to you. As for Xiling, I will go and discuss it myself."
"No, no, no..." Wang Jinling had expected this and shook his head to reject it. He ignored the Ninth Prince's dark face and said with a smile, "The Regent's action is inappropriate. I ask the Regent to think twice."
Want to use public power for personal gain?
Humph...he refuses to cooperate this time!