Chapter 262 You come and I go
Li Hu sat at the stone table under the tree, looking around casually.

Wang Shanbao walked up to Li Hu holding a cup of tea and said softly, “General Li, please have some tea.”

Li Hu took the tea and said with a smile: “I’m going to the old lady’s room to eat today, you don’t have to prepare anything. Hmm? What kind of tea is this? I really haven’t tasted it before.”

Wang Shanbao smiled and said, “This is the ‘Nanyang Tea’ that General Wu of Yuehai gave to you two days ago. It is wild and fresh. Let General Li have a taste. If General Li is not used to it, I will give you a cup of Yuqian instead.”

Li Hu sniffed it, and it smelled like a floral aroma. He took another sip, put it down, and smiled at Wang Shanbao, “I’m still used to local tea.”

Wang Shanbao smiled and said, “My master and second master said the same thing. I’ll go make you a cup of Yuqian tea right away.” He picked up the tea bowl and walked away.

General Wu’s family of Yuehai?

Li Hu tapped his fingers on the stone table a few times. The West was now undergoing the first industrial revolution. Calculating the time, they had not yet entered the “steam age”. The gap between the two sides was not too big, and they could catch up with each other in a jog. He knew firearms, but not those complicated machines, which were still antique-level. The Wu family had been dealing with Westerners for many years, so perhaps they could ask them for help.

Li Hu thought of another problem. In the original history, Qian Xiaosi and others had always known clearly about the series of revolutions in the West. Why didn’t they take the initiative to connect with the world? They were worried that their rule would be overthrown. Only by falling behind could the lower class people be unable to turn over, which would be beneficial to their rule. After all, no one wants to be sent to the guillotine!
Thinking of this, Li Hu sighed. It’s not easy to deal with, after all, the power is in the hands of the emperor.

At this time, Jia She came out of the study holding a piece of ink paper.

Li Hu looked at him.

Jia She walked to the stone table and sat down, handing over the ink paper in his hand.

Li Hu took it and looked at it, then smiled and looked at Jia She: “Can it be mistaken for the real thing?”

Jia She stroked his beard and smiled: “All that’s missing is a blank warrant with the seal of the Infantry Yamen.”

Li Hu smiled and said, “Why don’t you cast one yourself?”

Jia She rolled his eyes.

Li Hu looked around and lowered his voice: “Can Officer Qi get a blank warrant? Or do you have someone in the Infantry Office?”

Jia She looked at him and smiled: “Want to know?”

Li Hu nodded.

Jia She looked at both sides and waved.

Li Hu leaned his head forward.

Jia She lowered his voice and said, “I won’t tell you.” Then he burst into laughter.

Li Hu was slightly stunned. This old man is so frivolous.

Wang Shanbao came over dragging a tea tray, placed two bowls of tea on the stone table, and stepped back.

Li Hu: “Should we use some tricks on King Zhongshun first?” He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Jia She put down his tea bowl, cleared his throat, and then said, “You just said that the emperor conferred you a higher title in order to ease the relationship between him and the empress and the prince. If such a rumor comes out at this time, the emperor will definitely summon Prince Zhongshun to answer. There is no need for us to alert the enemy. We should wait for the right opportunity and uproot them with one fatal move!”

Li Hu nodded and continued, “You have a good relationship with the Wu family?”

Jia She: “What’s the matter?”

Li Hu: “Please help me connect.”

Jia She: “Okay.”

Li Hu was startled: “Aren’t you always curious?”

Jia She laughed: “I know too much and can’t sleep well at night.”

Li Hu smiled.

At this moment, Wang Shanbao walked in with Li Hu’s personal soldiers.

The personal soldier took out a letter from his bosom and handed it over with both hands.

Li Hu took the letter, tore it open and read it, then smiled and handed it to Jia She.

After reading the letter, Jia She also laughed.

Seeing Wang Shanbao and his personal soldiers retreat, Jia She smiled and said, “When the emperor scolds Prince Zhongshun, isn’t that scolding himself? He is so angry that he is confused!”

Li Hu smiled and said, “This makes Prince Zhongshun even more resentful.”

Jia She nodded.

Li Hu: “What do you think about Wang Ziteng’s matter?”

Jia She handed the letter to Li Hu and picked up the tea bowl: “Let’s not talk about him.”

At this time, Wang Shanbao and Kong Qingxiang hurried in.

Kong Qingxiang ran over and gasped, “The sky is falling!”

Li Hu was startled: “What’s wrong?” Kong Qingxiang swallowed his saliva: “It’s rumored everywhere that the Fourth Prince is colluding with the White Lotus Rebellion and that he is the mastermind behind the child trafficking case in the capital.”

Li Hu was really shocked. Who is so brave!

study room

With a “bang”, a blue and white tea bowl smashed to the ground, with fragments flying everywhere, frightening the red-robed eunuch from the Imperial Household Department who was kneeling there.

Emperor Yongchang turned pale, his lips trembled, and he slapped the imperial desk repeatedly: “Arrest them! Arrest them all!”

The eunuch was in a dilemma and secretly turned his gaze to Dai Quan.

Dai Quan hesitated for a moment and said softly, “Your Majesty, you can’t catch him.”

Emperor Yongchang stared at Dai Quan: “What did you say?!”

“Who should we arrest for the people who are talking about it? Besides, rumors stop at the wise. If we mobilize a large force to arrest him, it will only make us look guilty and end up making things worse. What I want to say is, find someone to take the blame.”

“The fourth brother pretends to be a good person in front of outsiders, with a kind heart. He has good relationships with everyone and has no enemies.”

Dai Quan was slightly stunned, it seemed to be the case.

At this time, the eunuch on duty hurried in and reported to Emperor Yongchang: “Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department reported that there are rumors outside. It is said that the rumors slandering the Fourth Prince were spread by the Crown Prince’s people. It is also said that the Second Prince’s dethronement is also related to the Crown Prince.”

Before he finished speaking, the red-robed eunuch from the Imperial Household Department hurried in and knelt before Emperor Yongchang. “Your Majesty, there are two more rumors out there saying that the rumors slandering the Fourth Prince were spread by the Third Prince and Prince Zhongshun. The rumors about Prince Zhongshun also say that Prince Zhongshun wanted the Fourth Prince to deal with Earl Zhongyong, but when he was rejected, he got angry and spread rumors to slander the Fourth Prince.”

Emperor Yongchang was startled at first, then he understood that it was probably the fourth son who wanted to muddy the waters so that he could get away with it. It seemed that the rumor was spread by Zhongshun.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongchang became even angrier. Prince Zhongshun actually dared to deceive the emperor and swore that those rumors were slandering him. He had never thought of dealing with Li Hu.

And the fourth brother, why do you have to involve the prince and the second brother?

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongchang grabbed the inkstone on the imperial desk and threw it hard to the ground!

Dai Quan was startled: “Your Majesty.”

Emperor Yongchang: “Get out.”

Dai Quan: “Your Majesty.”

Emperor Yongchang stared at him and said, “Get out!”

Dai Quan shuddered and stepped back.

The eunuch on duty and others followed and retreated out of the hall.

Emperor Yongchang: “Send someone to keep an eye on Zhongshun and Lao Si!”

The eunuch on duty responded.

As news continued to arrive, the Fourth Prince finally felt relieved.

Looking at the Fourth Prince slumped in his chair, Jia Yucun spoke: “Your Highness, muddying the waters is far from enough, we must prove this!”

The fourth prince sat up straight and asked, “What do you mean?”

Jia Yucun: “We must pin this incident firmly on Prince Zhongshun, so that no one can use it to attack Your Highness in the future.”

The fourth prince’s eyes flashed: “Do you have an idea?”

Jia Yucun stepped forward and said to the Fourth Prince, “You know, I have a good relationship with Earl Zhongyong, and I heard some news. Before the rumors slandering Your Highness came out, the man surnamed Mei went to Prince Zhongshun’s mansion, and he must have known about it. As long as he testifies, we can pin the blame on Prince Zhongshun.”

The Fourth Prince: “Him? Is it possible?”

Jia Yucun smiled and said, “We just need to invite the man named Mei to stay in our house for one night.”

The Fourth Prince: “I understand. If this happens, Prince Zhongshun will be anxious, and once he is anxious, he will take action?”

Jia Yucun: “Of course, we can’t just watch the fun.” At this point, he lowered his voice: “After inviting the surname Mei, we will ask the Dali Temple to stop. After dusk, the Qingliu side will spread the word that the prince is very optimistic about the surname Mei.”

The fourth prince’s eyes lit up: “Great! I’ll arrange someone right away. Oh, by the way, who told you about the Crown Prince and the Second Prince?”

Jia Yucun’s eyes flickered for a moment, and he replied, “Was it someone from the Second Prince’s residence who released it? He wanted to attract His Majesty’s attention.”

The fourth prince thought for a moment and said, “Forget about him. By the way, don’t leave tonight. I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare some wine and food. We’ll eat while we wait for news.”

Jia Yucun was stunned. Aren’t you a vegetarian?

The fourth prince reacted and said hurriedly: “The wine and food are prepared for you. I am a vegetarian.”

Jia Yucun nodded.

(End of this chapter)