Chapter 273

Qianmen Street is a prosperous place in Beijing. It becomes even more lively after dusk, with crowds of people bustling about. Both sides are filled with all kinds of stalls, selling food, drinks, and entertainment. You can buy anything you want.

Yongyan and Bai Hongzhi, dressed in Han Chinese clothes, walked slowly among the bustling crowd. Behind them followed four guards dressed as followers who were keeping a close eye on everything around them.

Li Hu’s guess was correct. Bai Hongzhi had changed. He was not wearing a hat. He walked among the crowd with a blindfold on, looking at the surrounding scenery while talking to Yongyan beside him.

As Yongyan walked, he smiled and said, “No wonder Heshen, the dog slave, couldn’t forget it after coming here once. The prosperity of the streets and the abundance of people are really incomparable to Shengjing City.”

When he heard the words “dog slave”, a cold look flashed across Bai Hongzhi’s eyes, and then he smiled again in an instant.

Yongyan: “Sooner or later we will take back this country and everything that belongs to us, the Jurchens!”

Bai Hongzhi smiled and nodded.

Yongyan looked at the restaurants on both sides and said, “I heard from my fifth uncle that you stayed in the capital for a while. Which restaurant on this street has better food and wine?”

As he walked, Bai Hongzhi’s eyes lit up, and through the crowd he finally saw a restaurant with a sign that read “Youjian Restaurant”.

Yongyan followed his gaze and asked, “This one?”

Bai Hongzhi said “hmm”, then said to Yongyan: “It’s been half a year in a blink of an eye. I wonder if the chef has changed?”

Yongyan thought for a moment and said, “You’ll know after trying it.” After that, he walked straight towards a restaurant.

Bai Hongzhi followed with some joy and some emotion.

Not far behind him, two uniformed officers looked at each other.

An officer spoke up: “Yes, it’s Bai Hongzhi.”

Another officer said, “I’ll watch from here. Go and report to the prince!”

The officer nodded, turned around and disappeared in the crowd.

The officer glanced at the restaurant and walked towards the teahouse diagonally opposite.

Outside the main hall of Yuqing Palace
Jia Yucun knelt respectfully at the foot of the stone steps.

Zhao Tong came out and said, “Master Jia, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has just taken medicine and cannot see you. His Royal Highness said that he recommended you for the sake of the country and has no other intentions. When you return to the Ministry of Rites, you must be loyal to your duties and share the worries of the Emperor. His Royal Highness also said that the court will not wrong anyone who works wholeheartedly for the court.”

Jia Yucun said loudly, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace!” Then he kowtowed respectfully, then stood up, took a step forward, and said softly, “Excuse me, Steward Zhao, I have filled the vacancy of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, but where is Mr. Zhen Yingjia?” As he said that, he took out a silver note from his sleeve and put it into Zhao Tong’s hand.

Zhao Tong took a look and saw three big words “One Thousand Taels” clearly visible on the banknote!
Zhao Tong smiled and said to Jia Yucun, “Minister Jia, don’t worry. Old Master Zhen has been promoted to Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.”

Jia Yucun felt relieved when he heard this. He didn’t want to offend the Zhen family at this time.

Zhao Tong: “It’s getting late, and the imperial city will soon be locked. Minister Jia, please hurry and leave the palace.”

Jia Yucun nodded in appreciation and turned to walk out of Yuqing Palace.

After watching Jia Yucun’s figure disappear outside the palace gate, Zhao Tong turned around and entered the hall.

Jia Yucun was in an unusually good mood, and he walked much more briskly than usual.

As he walked out of Dong’anmen, he was startled by a somewhat familiar voice.

Jia Yucun stopped and looked, and it was Zhen Fu.

“Mr. Jia!” Zhen Fu raised his hands from a distance.

Jia Yucun’s face looked a little ugly. He and Zhen Fu had known each other for a long time. After he was demoted, he struggled to seek an opportunity to be reinstated. He first went to the Zhen family to educate Zhen Baoyu, but unfortunately Zhen Baoyu was too stubborn and the old lady of the Zhen family had a bad attitude, so he resigned and later became Lin Daiyu’s private tutor.

Seeing Jia Yucun standing there motionless, Zhen Fu walked over with a smile.

Walking closer, Zhen Fu said with a smile, “Congratulations!” Jia Yucun raised his eyebrows and said, “You know?”

Zhen Fu: “I just accompanied the master to the Qianqing Palace to express gratitude.”

Jia Yucun: “Where is Mr. Zhen?”

“I’m going to the old concubine’s place to pick up the old lady and Baoyu.”

Zhen Fu looked around and whispered, “I’m going to the old concubine today.”

Jia Yucun’s face turned cold: “Don’t go too far!”

Zhen Fu looked at him and smiled, saying, “Mr. Jia, don’t get excited. I haven’t seen the emperor, and I don’t have any words to bring to you.”

Jia Yucun swallowed his anger and said, “Master Zhen, it’s all right. I’ll leave first.”

Zhen Fu smiled slightly: “It’s okay, it’s okay, I just want to say hello to Mr. Jia.” As he said that, he stretched out his hand as if to give way.

Jia Yucun glanced at him, flicked his sleeves, and walked towards the sedan chair.

The smile on Zhen Fu’s face disappeared. What did the emperor mean by “the eighth day of the twelfth month of the third year of Yongchang”? He was able to control Jia Yucun and make him spread rumors for the emperor. If he could figure out the reason behind this, could he control Jia Yucun?

Thinking of this, Zhen Fu felt warmed in his heart.

Seeing Jia Yucun’s sedan chair disappearing on the street, Zhen Fu turned around and looked towards Dong’anmen, thinking: Why hasn’t this old man come out yet!

The floor of the western warm room of the Hall of Mental Cultivation was covered with the military map woven from silk brocade again.

In front of the map, Emperor Yongchang’s eyes scanned the map and finally fell on Shengjing City. It took him a while before he turned to look at Shi Ding, Marquis Zhongjing, who was standing beside him.

Shi Ding was holding a brief summary and looking at it.

Finally, Shi Ding finished reading it and stood there in a daze, holding the brief summary.

Emperor Yongchang coughed and spoke: “How is it?”

Shi Ding came back to his senses and said, “I dare to ask, who came up with this military strategy?”

Emperor Yongchang did not answer, and asked again: “Just tell me if it’s okay or not.”

Shi Ding did not answer immediately, but pondered for a moment before replying: “As long as the first step is successful, there is at least a 70% to 80% chance of winning.”

Emperor Yongchang’s eyes lit up: “If there is a 70% chance of it, it can be done!” He then said to Shi Ding: “Besides me and the crown prince, you are the only one who knows about this matter. You must keep it to yourself. Do you understand?”

Shi Ding responded loudly: “Yes.”

At this time, Dai Quan hurried in and said, “Your Majesty, there is news from the Imperial Household Department that Bai Hongzhi and the Jurchen deputy envoy have been arrested and taken to the prison of the Jinjun Yamen.”

Emperor Yongchang was shocked: “Who did it?”

Dai Quan: “Loyal, loyal and obedient prince.”

Emperor Yongchang’s face darkened: “What’s going on?”

Dai Quan replied: “Prince Zhongshun personally led people to arrest the man, saying that Bai Hongzhi had cheated him of his money, and it seemed that there was more. Prince Zhongshun wanted to take Bai Hongzhi back to the Infantry Yamen, but Yongyan disagreed, and the two sides clashed. Yongyan’s four guards attacked ruthlessly, seriously injuring more than a dozen soldiers from the Infantry Yamen, and wanted to take Prince Zhongshun hostage. The soldiers from the Infantry Yamen fired their muskets, killing three and seriously injuring one.”

Shi Ding was surprised.

Emperor Yongchang’s face changed. “Go, bring the man out of the Infantry Yamen prison. Also, tell Zhongshun to come to the palace immediately!”

(End of this chapter)