Chapter 214 Too wicked
Yuqing Palace did not have the heating facilities of the Yangxin Palace. The prince had a cough and could not stand the smoke from the fire, but it was too cold without a brazier, so a rosewood banner door was installed inside the warm room. A fire could be lit in the warm room, blocking the smoke and preventing it from being too cold.

Zhao Tong sat on a low stool by the door, looking at the blazing brazier while listening to the noise inside.

There was a “pop” sound from inside, followed by the prince’s voice: “You made a bet here, so why don’t you respond there?”

Li Hu laughed: “What are you afraid of? You eat me like this, and I respond like this. You eat me like this again, and I respond like this again. I’m still holding back a move, and we’ll be able to connect in the end.”

The prince smiled and said, “Wow, it’s only been over a month since we last met, and your chess skills have improved greatly!”

Li Hu smiled and replied, “My father-in-law taught me a few tricks.”

“You are so shameless. You called her before we even got married.”

“Sooner or later.”

“.You, don’t say anything, what if I eat it like this?”

“Oh, there’s a ‘counterattack’ in there! I wasn’t prepared for it.”

“You are not well-trained!”

“.Don’t be too happy too soon, what if I eat like this?”

“Wow! It’s true that when you’ve been away for three days, you look at me with new eyes. You actually kept this trick up your sleeve and took away my corner with one move.”

Li Hu laughed out loud: “This is called ‘reverse boots posture’, my father-in-law taught me.”

The prince also laughed, and then there was a cough.

Zhao Tong stood up hurriedly and prepared to go in.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Zhao Tong quickly looked over there.

Jia Yucun walked in with a chill in his air, listened to the laughter inside, and asked in a low voice: “I heard that General Li is here?”

Zhao Tong: “Yes.”

Jia Yucun: “I have something to report to Your Highness.”

Zhao Tong pointed at the brazier and motioned him to get rid of the coldness in his body first.

Jia Yucun understood and walked to the brazier and walked around it a few times.

Zhao Tong cleared his throat and said, “Your Highness, Minister Jia is here.”

The laughter inside stopped abruptly. The prince said, “Please come in.”

Zhao Tong replied, “Yes.” He gently pushed the door open a crack to let Jia Yucun go in. He immediately closed the door, picked up two pieces of sandalwood from the basket beside and put them in the brazier, then sat down on a low stool, looking at the brazier and listening to the movements inside.

On the recliner in front of the couch, the prince was half lying and half sitting on a quilt. In front of him was a low table, on which was a middle-stage Go game, and opposite the Go player, Li Hu was sitting upright.

Jia Yucun stepped forward and bowed to the prince: “Your Highness.”

The prince pointed to the low stool under the north window and said, “Sit down.”

Jia Yucun: “Yes.” He went to the north window and moved a low stool, put it down about two steps away from Li Hu, and then bowed to Li Hu: “General Li.”

The prince smiled and said, “Now you should call me ‘Master’.”

Jia Yucun smiled and replied, “I’m used to it. It’s like a piece of clothing. You can’t let it go after using it for a long time. The name ‘General Li’ comes out easily and sounds very familiar to me.”

The prince smiled and said, “Sit down and talk.”

Jia Yucun: “Yes.” He answered and sat down on the low stool.

Li Hu smiled and looked at him. This old guy is really shameless. He is taking the opportunity to show his loyalty. If he is really a nostalgic person, he would not have judged the “gourd case” against his conscience in the original novel, and then betrayed the Jia family. It’s a damn “being in Cao’s camp but heart is with Han”. He is a person who can change his nature but not his country. He is always looking at the pot while eating from the bowl, ready to jump ship at any time!

Jia Yucun: “Your Highness the Fourth Prince and I spent the whole night last night checking and finally calculated all the expenses before the Ministry of War signed the contract.”

Li Hu interrupted him: “Inspect the military expenditures? Whose idea was it? Are we going to settle the accounts afterwards?!”

Jia Yucun hurriedly explained: “This is the court’s rule. It is a normal inspection. It has no other meaning, let alone a post-mortem settlement!”

The prince spoke: “How is it?”

Jia Yucun: “Eight million, four hundred and thirty-three thousand taels!”

The prince was shocked: “So many?!”

Li Hu was also surprised, but the calculation was about right. The Jingying, Xuanfu, Datong, plus the 20,000 reinforcements from Jizhou and Shanhaiguan, Dashun had mobilized about 300,000 troops. He also reported 50,000 troops in Hetao, so it was rounded up. The battle in Hetao lasted for half a year, and the battle in the north lasted for more than half a year. It was not too much.

Jia Yucun continued, “I just sent the bill from the Ministry of War to the Cabinet, and the faces of the elders were not very good.”

Prince: “Have you signed it?”

Jia Yucun: “I have signed it. But…”

The prince: “What?” Jia Yucun glanced at Li Hu first, then said: “A few old men have some complaints about the expenses of General Li’s department.”

The prince was startled: “What do you mean?”

At the same time, Li Hu stared at him: “Who!”

Jia Yucun was in a dilemma: “This, this”

The prince said: “Well, now that you know, what does it matter? Can you still stop them and beat them up?”

Li Hu raised his eyebrows and said, “That’s a good idea.” Then he said to Jia Yucun, “Tell me secretly, I will never make a fuss and let others know that it was you who said it. I will take action after the storm has died down.”

The prince glared at him and said, “Don’t talk nonsense!” Then he asked, “What’s going on?”

Jia Yucun: “It’s because of those Mongolian surrendered soldiers. Several elders think that the Mongolian surrendered soldiers are prisoners and criminals, and they should not be given military pay and pensions.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Hu immediately burst into swearing.

The prince smiled bitterly. These scholars are too pedantic!

Jia Yucun continued, “Also, there was the matter of General Li privately dividing the spoils of war and stealing and selling cattle and sheep.”

Li Hu couldn’t help but raise his voice: “You said it’s not a post-mortem! I expanded the territory for the court and seized spoils worth hundreds of thousands. I heard that from the doctors of the Ministry of Revenue to the chief and deputy officials, and several people in the cabinet, they all took the money from the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River who bought the land. It’s too shameless to dig up my old accounts at this time!”

Jia Yucun coughed and said, “This is the habit of civil officials. They are not just ‘finding faults’ against General Li. A lot of ‘evidence’ has also been found against the other commanders of the armies. General Li doesn’t need to get angry about this matter.”

Prince: “Was it spoken or written?”

Jia Yucun: “It was just a complaint. After signing, the old gentlemen all left. Your Highness, don’t worry.”

The prince sighed: “I am worried about the future.”

Li Hu and Jia Yucun understood that this battle consumed so much money, and if they wanted to use military force against foreign countries in the future, the resistance from the civil officials would be much greater!
Jia Yucun suddenly remembered: “I heard another incident in the cabinet. The Kong family entered the capital, and rode their horses to injure people at Yongding Gate, whipped the sentry officers, and forced their way into the city gate. They were reported by the Ministry of War.”

Li Hu smiled and said, “Is this kid so brave?”

Prince: “You know?”

Li Hu: “The fourth son of the Kong family’s eldest son, my God of Wealth.”

The prince smiled and asked again, “Why did he come to Beijing?”

Jia Yucun was also curious and looked at Li Hu.

Li Hu: “Who knows? This kid doesn’t tell the truth. He said he couldn’t make it in Qufu and came to Beijing to seek a future.” At this point, Li Hu suddenly remembered, “Isn’t the Southern Pacification Office going to be reorganized? This kid used to do sneaky things. Let him submit a petition himself, and your Majesty will go along with it.”

The prince’s eyes lit up. It was quite interesting that the descendant of a saint became the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the court’s lackey!

Jia Yucun widened his eyes. This was too immoral!

Li Hu glared at him, meaning: What are you looking at me with?!

Jia Yucun coughed and said with an apologetic smile, “There is an urgent matter at the government office, so I won’t bother Your Highness and General Li.”

The prince smiled and said, “It’s snowing heavily outside. Walk slowly. Be careful not to fall.”

Jia Yucun paused and said, “Yes.” He stood up, bowed to the prince, then clasped his hands towards Li Hu, turned around and walked out.

The prince called out to the outside, “Zhao Tong, please escort Minister Jia to the palace.”

Zhao Tong’s voice: “Yes.”

The footsteps became farther and farther away, and Li Hu then told the prince about Kong Xiaosi.

The prince smiled and said, “I knew it a long time ago. It was the emperor who gave the idea to the fourth son.”

Li Hu smiled secretly. Once this troublemaker made a move, the Kong family would definitely be in trouble!
The prince suppressed his smile and said, “There is one more thing. The one in Fengzao Palace is most likely pregnant with a boy.”

Li Hu was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively, “What does Your Highness mean?”

The prince looked at him and smiled: “Someone is more anxious than me.”

Li Hu asked anxiously: “Who?”

The prince pointed to the east.

Li Hu was stunned. To the east, Daming Palace, the emperor? No way! Oh, if Jia Yuanchun died, how could she visit her parents? !
“I’m tired, you go back first.”

The prince slowly leaned back in his chair and said softly, “You should also go back and have a good rest. There is something else I need you to do.”

Li Hu asked tentatively: “What’s the matter?”

“Murder.” The prince slowly closed his eyes.

(End of this chapter)