Chapter 27 In the Drizzle
"Please come in, sir. There are elegant seats on the second floor." The waiter greeted the guest and asked with concern, "It's raining outside. Does the sir need a handkerchief?"
Yang Pu told the servant to sit downstairs for a while, then said to the waiter, "I have never been here before. It was raining and windy today, so I came to the teahouse to rest. It's cold, so please give them a pot of tea. I'll pay the bill."
"Don't worry, sir. We all know it." The waiter said with a smile, "Normally, quite a few distinguished guests come to our Taiping Teahouse to try our various teas and snacks. To be honest, these are all delicious things you can't get anywhere else! I don't know how many masters and young men love to come to our Taiping Teahouse to relax!"
Yang Pu followed the waiter of the teahouse to the second floor and saw that the stairwell was decorated with various paintings and calligraphy as well as flower arrangements, which showed that it was carefully decorated every day.
The two of them went up to the second floor, one in front of the other. Yang Pu looked at the scholars and poets below who were appreciating calligraphy and painting, and could not help but sigh, "It's really lively. Even the literati gatherings in Jiangnan couldn't compare to this."
The waiter had heard similar things before, so he wasn't surprised. He just smiled and replied, "Yes, our teahouse is a famous place in the capital for its elegant calligraphy, and we even have your Highness's calligraphy! Especially the various teas and snacks that are available year-round are the most attractive! They are suitable for both the elite and the masses, and for all ages!"
Hearing his boasting, Yang Pu smiled helplessly, but when he saw the sincere smile on the waiter's face, Yang Pu was still stunned.
When Zhu Yuhuan's subordinates mentioned Zhu Yuhuan, they were full of admiration and respect, which shows that they were indeed sincere.
Yang Pu had also heard of Zhu Yuhuan's imperial farm. According to the amount of grain Zhu Yuhuan spent on charity halls, Taoist temples and other places every year, it was enough to show that the grain output of the imperial farm was astonishing.
Thinking of Zhu Yuhuan's frequent visits to the Wunong Temple and the Imperial Farm, Yang Pu knew that she had spent a lot of time and energy on this. However, Zhu Yuhuan did not care about her efforts. As for fame, for the eldest princess, no matter how much fame she had, it was just "empty fame" and could not be exchanged for tangible benefits.
Not to mention that Zhu Yuhuan's imperial farm was completely different from the farms of the vassal kings, and there had never been any rumors of bullying men and women or forcibly collecting grain.
Either Zhu Yuhuan was extremely strict with his subordinates, so no one could leak the news, or Zhu Yuhuan loved his people like his own children, so the tenants in the imperial farm had no complaints.
The empty private room was in the inner room on the second floor. The corridor was filled with the fragrance of fresh flowers. Yang Pu walked a few steps and his eyes were attracted by the picture of a raccoon hanging on the wall.
The waiter was walking ahead, explaining the layout of the Taiping Teahouse. Unexpectedly, he turned back and saw Yang Pu standing there admiring the painting. He turned back and said with a smile, "Your Highness may not know this, but this painting is a favorite of our Highness. He takes care of it every day, otherwise it wouldn't look as good as new."
Yang Pu naturally recognized at a glance that the painting was from Zhu Zhanji's hand, and he couldn't help but feel emotional.
When the late emperor was still alive, he did often praise Princess Shunde's abilities and virtues, but they never took it to heart.
No one could have imagined that the late emperor would suddenly pass away in the prime of life, leaving only the Crown Prince, who had not yet left the throne to study, to succeed him. There were only a few people capable of managing royal affairs and shouldering such heavy responsibilities: Empress Dowager Zhang was one, and Zhu Yuhuan was likely another. Yang Pu was even more certain of this when he learned that Zhu Yuhuan had saved Li Yi's life.
The late emperor probably had the same consideration, otherwise he would not have issued the decree ordering Princess Shunde to become a nun.
Because of this speculation, Yang Pu secretly pushed it forward several times.
The waiter invited Yang Pu in and first brought the tea card for Yang Pu to confirm. After Yang Pu ordered tea and snacks, the waiter burned incense, raised the window slightly, and quietly retreated.
After a while, there was a knock on the door. Yang Pu's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be calm and said, "Come in, but is the tea ready?"
The door was pushed open, and outside was Zhu Yuhuan, who was dressed in casual clothes and extremely low-key. She was wearing a sky-blue Taoist robe, but her hair was in a woman's bun, decorated only with three green bamboo silver hairpins. She still held a folding fan in her hand, looking fresh and elegant.
The two men looked at each other. When Yang Pu was about to stand up, Zhu Yuhuan waved at him, indicating that Yang Pu didn't need to stand up. Someone outside would naturally close the door of the private room.
Zhu Yuhuan noticed that Yang Pu was fidgeting a little because they were alone together, so he smiled and said, "Sir, you have an extraordinary temperament. The staff all knew that a big shot had come to Taiping Teahouse, so they specifically informed me."
Yang Pu stood up and said repeatedly, "How dare I?"
He naturally didn't believe that there was such a "coincidence" in the world, but he didn't come to Taiping Teahouse just because it happened to rain, so there was no need to delve into it.
Zhu Yuhuan sat by the window, seemingly admiring the scenery outside. After a while, he said, "They say spring rain is as precious as oil. With such a sweet downpour in early spring, I'm sure the harvest will be good this year."
Listening to Zhu Yuhuan talking about farming, Yang Pu followed her words and said, "Your Highness's concern for farming is the same as His Majesty's concern for farming. This is a blessing for the people."
Zhu Yuhuan turned his head to look at Yang Pu and said, "Sir, you came here on your own initiative, so you must have something to say. Why beat around the bush?"
Yang Pu met her gaze and thought of the first time he saw Zhu Yuhuan on the palace road. Although Zhu Yuhuan had grown taller over the years, he seemed to have not changed at all. His eyes were still bright, and even more determined than before.
At this moment, Zhu Yuhuan was dressed like an ordinary citizen, but he did not hide his demeanor. Sitting in front of the window, he looked more like a hermit, implying that "rich and poor, each has their own aspirations."
Yang Pu no longer concealed anything and said frankly, "This time, thanks to the princess' willingness to mediate, Li Yi's life was saved."
Zhu Yuhuan simply smiled upon hearing this and said, "I'm sure you've put a lot of thought into this, sir. Your Majesty told me personally about Li Yi's memorial. While his impeachment of Liu Lian was relatively coherent, when it came time to defend himself, he became overconfident of his reputation as a remonstrator and refused to admit his mistakes. If no one had quietly reminded him to consider his family more, he would probably have been killed by now."
The previous killing of An Jing was already a sign. Zhu Qizhen did this simply to warn everyone not to fool him just because he was young.
No matter whether it is a civil official or a military general, a minister or a eunuch, the emperor's majesty will never be allowed to be violated at will by anyone.
"Li Yi was saved because of the Princess, and he knows it perfectly well. He is deeply grateful to Your Highness." Yang Pu sighed softly, then said sincerely, "In the past, we would have offered some advice, but now we are old, and Your Majesty is at the peak of his energy, so we are reluctant to say anything."
Zhu Yuhuan knew exactly what they were worried about, and wasn't she the same?
Zhu Yuhuan looked at Yang Pu and said, "Sir, why did you tell me these last few words?"
Seeing that she had exposed him, Yang Pu continued, "When the Grand Empress Dowager summoned us to her palace to give us a lecture, she had already reminded us to assist Your Majesty just as we did before Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong. We understand the Grand Empress Dowager's earnest wishes for Your Majesty, but..."
Before he could finish his words, the waiter's voice was heard outside the private room, asking to serve tea to the two of them. The room was silent again.
Zhu Yuhuan understood what Yang Pu meant. It was simply that Empress Dowager Zhang herself did not directly interfere with the emperor, so it was even more difficult for them, the foreign ministers, to say anything. Moreover, they knew their own descendants very well and knew that there were almost no ones who could really achieve great things. In the future, they could only rely on the protection of these few old ministers.
If anything happened to Yang Pu and his group, it would undoubtedly cut off the entire family's escape route. No one was willing to pay such a high price for "teaching the emperor."
But they are all old ministers who have experienced six dynasties. If they really do nothing, they will inevitably feel that they are unworthy of the trust and appreciation of several emperors.
When the waiters had arranged the tea and snacks one by one, tanci singing started outside. It was the students that Zhu Yuhuan specially borrowed from Jiang Dounu who were performing, and the singing matched the sound of rain very well.
Zhu Yuhuan watched the men leave before saying to Yang Pu, "Sir, you have helped me a lot, and I am willing to help you, but assisting you is the will of our Emperor, and I must not let you down."
Yang Pu's words were merely a momentary outpouring of his true feelings. No matter how many ambitions Zhu Yuhuan had, they were limited to the small plot of land designated by the emperor. How could he expect her to teach the emperor? Being able to offer some advice to the emperor, as in the case of Li Yi, was already a good outcome.
"It was my fault for speaking carelessly. Princess, please don't take it to heart."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "After all, the three gentlemen are already old, while Your Majesty is still young. Why not take this opportunity to summon officials to join the cabinet to avoid a lack of successors?"
Yang Pu didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to say this, and was slightly stunned. He had been an official for decades, but he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Although he and Zhu Yuhuan met in private, it does not mean that every word Zhu Yuhuan said only represents her personally. Who knows whether Zhu Yuhuan's words also have the meaning of Emperor Zhu Qizhen.
Zhu Yuhuan saw a flicker of alarm on Yang Pu's face and continued, "There are only three people in the cabinet now. If you're ready to retreat, you shouldn't be clinging to power like this, right?"
She just looked at Yang Pu quietly, but the pressure on her body did not diminish at all, and even made people feel a little suffocated. Such calm words, spoken from Zhu Yuhuan's mouth, suddenly added a bit of deterrence and warning.
Yang Pu met her gaze and vaguely seemed to see a familiar expression on Zhu Yuhuan's face. He immediately lowered his head and subconsciously began to think.
What he said was indeed the truth. He really hoped that Zhu Yuhuan could use the trust of the late emperor and his status as the elder sister to assist the new emperor on behalf of them, the ministers of state. However, this truth was indeed selfish.
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled softly, but with a hint of coldness in his voice, and said, "The ministers who are in charge of the affairs of state are all innocent. Do I have to bear all the blame?"
It was simply because she took into consideration that Zhu Yuhuan was just a princess, and after squeezing her dry she was thrown aside. At that time, people would probably say that she had lived a life of wealth and power but got away with it unscathed. She would also have to thank the emperor for giving her an "intact body" and be grateful to him for the rest of her life in the eyes of future generations.
Seeing her outspoken, Yang Pu sensed that Zhu Yuhuan was already somewhat angry and said, "It is because we are old and confused..."
Zhu Yuhuan paid no attention to his excuses and simply asked, "When I led the army to Zhangde Prefecture to quell a rebellion, many of the rebels were farmers from northern Zhili whose land had been taken away. I think you know exactly who took their land, right?"
The Three Yangs had all heard about the assassination of Princess Shunde while handling official business in Zhangde Prefecture. In addition, Empress Dowager Zhang later summoned Yang Shiqi to meet her. Yang Pu and Yang Rong soon speculated that the reason was probably related to Yang Shiqi.
The three of them, together with Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu, had a very good relationship, so how could they not know about the affairs of Yang Shiqi's son? But after all, they were colleagues, so it was naturally impossible for them to really hand Yang Ji over to the authorities. They could only try their best to mediate.
Fortunately, since Yang Shiqi was privately reprimanded by Empress Dowager Zhang, Yang Ji's behavior has been significantly restrained.
But as time went on, Yang Ji couldn't help but return to his old ways, but he acted much more low-key than before.
Now that Zhu Yuhuan mentioned this matter, Yang Pu's heart skipped a beat. He immediately understood that this matter was probably not just about Yang Ji violating the law and discipline and needing to be dealt with.
"My assassin said it was Yang Ji who seized his land and murdered his family, leading to his forced exile. Xu Gong, the current commander of the Imperial Guard, has already secretly investigated and confirmed the facts." Zhu Yuhuan looked at Yang Pu and said, "Sir, now you understand why the Empress Dowager summoned Yang Shiqi privately. If His Majesty knew about this, what would have been the consequences? Don't you all see the lesson of An Jing's past?"
Yang Pu could not help but remain silent.
"It's understandable to want to leave something for future generations. Doesn't the royal family also plan for future generations?" Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly. He seemed gentle, but his voice was calm and indifferent. "Even if you fight for it with your life, you still have to live to spend it."
If it weren't for An Jing's incident, Zhu Yuhuan's words would seem like mere alarmism. But now that the first blow has been struck, who knows if there will be a second or third blow? And who would dare to gamble with their life?
How could Yang Pu not understand her meaning? He pondered for a long time, and finally said, "Your Highness, what you said is all for our consideration. We understand it clearly in our hearts, and we will definitely give it more consideration when we return."
Seeing him about to stand up, Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "The rain hasn't stopped yet, sir, why are you in such a hurry?"
Yang Pu then remembered that he had "entered in by accident" and sat back down.
He was about the same age as Zhu Gaochi, and in an ordinary family, he would be considered an elder. But after hearing what Zhu Yuhuan had just said, he actually felt uneasy.
Outside, the rain pattered softly. Yang Pu coughed twice. Seeing Zhu Yuhuan looking at him, he asked, "Your Highness, that painting of a cat slave hanging in the middle of the second floor of the teahouse was painted by the late emperor, right?"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Sir, have you figured it out?"
Yang Pu couldn't help feeling emotional when he thought of the tabby cat taking the lead and climbing up.
When the late emperor painted this picture, he might have just been thinking about the harmonious relationship between his children, but the eldest princess Shunde's eager-to-be-first personality had already been portrayed in the painting by the late emperor unintentionally.
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