The Heavens of Film and Television: From Serving as a Soldier

Chapter 202 House
On this day, Commander Meng took Mei Changsu out to look at houses.

Now everyone in the capital knows that the commoner official Su Zhe wants to move out.

Prince Mu's Mansion, the Crown Prince, and Prince Yu all strongly recommended the house.

……

This!" A large oval pear was handed to me, looking plump and delicious.

"Why do you give this to me?" Mei Changsu smiled slightly and teased the young man in front of him.

"maximum!"

"Shall we give the biggest one to Brother Su?"

"Ok!"

Mei Changsu glanced slightly to the side and saw Meng Zhi, who was sitting next to him, drinking from a cup. He smiled secretly and deliberately asked, "Fei Liu, tell me, Brother Su, what color is this pear?"

"Deep white!"

Meng Zhi spat out a mouthful of water he had just drunk, choking and coughing while staring at Fei Liu: "Deep... what color is deep?"

Feiliu snorted, ignored him and turned his head away.

"In fact, our Fei Liu is the one who is best at making up words." Mei Changsu's eyes were filled with warmth and tenderness, and he stroked Fei Liu's hair softly. The latter seemed to be able to feel his care and leaned over, handing over the pear in his hand again.

"Fei Liu, you can't eat this now," Mei Changsu said with a smile, "This is a frozen pear..."

"Frozen pears..."

"Just freeze it so it can be preserved longer, but when you want to eat it, you have to thaw it first, otherwise you won't be able to chew it."

Feiliu opened his eyes wide, looked at the pear in his left hand, then at the pear in his right hand, finally he raised the smaller one and took a bite, then he was stunned.

"You can't bite it, right?" Meng Zhi had regained his master's demeanor and came over to say, "You need to soak it in water to thaw it. You can eat it when it's soft."

After Fei Liu took a moment to digest this sentence, he immediately disappeared.

"Actually, that pear can't be considered the biggest one," Meng Zhi shook his head and sighed, "Right now, the biggest round object in the imperial city should be the head of Jingzhao Prefecture Governor Gao Sheng, right?"

Mei Changsu couldn't help but smile, "Brother Meng's words are interesting. Even if Mr. Gao hadn't encountered these difficult problems, his head should be bigger than Shuili's, right?"

Meng Zhi couldn't help laughing, "What are you talking about? You're dealing with two troublesome cases for others, but you have so much free time. From the way you tease Fei Liu, I know you're in a good mood today."

The two of them are now in an elegant and unique teahouse in the south of the city. Although it is on the street, it is not noisy. Each tea room is a single bamboo house and is tastefully decorated.

Ever since the corpse hidden in the dry well case was reported to the police, everyone in Jinling knew two things: one, there was a corpse in the well in the Orchid Garden; two, a newly emerged celebrity, Su Zhe, wanted to buy a garden.

The Orchid Garden was dilapidated and ruined, and it was also the scene of a murder, so of course it was uninhabitable, so Su Zhe should have to buy a new house. So, whether it was someone who wanted to make friends, someone who really recommended it with good intentions, or someone who really wanted to sell the property, in short, all kinds of invitations to him to visit the garden kept coming, and he was overwhelmed. However, since he was still living in the Xie Mansion, most of these troubles were of course blocked by Xie Bi. In addition to visiting the house recommended by Yunnan Mu and Xia Dong, Mei Changsu went out for the third time today.

"What do you think of the house I chose?" Meng Zhi asked, moving closer.

Mei Changsu slowly turned his head and glanced at him: "Are you really planning to sell that house to me?"

Meng Zhi joked, "Although it feels a bit like I'm trying to make friends with a famous person, you really gave me face by going out with me to take a look."

"You are such an important figure, Commander Meng. No matter who you are, I dare not refuse you. You see, I accepted your invitation today, and Xie Bi obviously thought it was natural. If I rejected you, he would be surprised, right?" Mei Changsu smiled faintly, "Besides, my initial fame in the capital was all due to the battle between you and Fei Liu. Although that was not arranged by me, it also had an unexpected effect."

"Fei Liu is indeed a prodigy. He seems to have made great progress after not seeing him for a few days. I heard that he defeated Xia Dong not long ago?"

"Yeah." Mei Changsu responded casually, as if he didn't care at all. "This child has a calm mind, so it's natural for him to resonate with martial arts. But he is still young after all, and his internal strength is not pure enough. If he really meets a pure Yang master like you, he will inevitably suffer."

"What does it matter? He still has plenty of time to practice." Meng Zhi tapped his teacup and asked for the second time, "What do you think of the house I chose?"

Mei Changsu thought for a moment and said, "I can see that it was your choice."

"Don't be so harsh. Although I don't understand those buildings and pavilions, I know what you are thinking, so I went through so much trouble to find this place for you, and you don't even appreciate it."

"That's exactly what I meant," Mei Changsu looked at him tenderly, "Brother Meng, you really understand what I want best."

Although Meng Zhi had a smug look on his face and wanted to take credit for it, he felt a little embarrassed after being thanked so directly. He scratched his head and said, "I also know that the scenery in that house is indeed a bit worse..."

"The garden needs to be renovated, otherwise people will wonder how I could have chosen such a house after careful selection. But this one advantage is worth ten views. Brother Meng, I'm sorry you took the trouble."

"I didn't take any special care," Meng Zhi said embarrassedly, "I just found it when I was wandering around. The back wall of this house is only a few feet away from the back wall of Prince Jing's mansion. There is a sewer in the middle, which makes no sense. There are trees all around, and the main doors of the two houses face different streets. It feels like the two houses are not even in the same block. It is indeed not easy to find that the two houses are so close. Xiao Shu, don't you have someone who specializes in earth manipulation? After you move in, dig a secret passage between your backyard and Prince Jing's backyard. Even if you don't have an open relationship here, he can sneak through the secret passage at night to meet you privately..."

Mei Changsu looked helplessly at the top master of Daliang, and said with a smile: "Although it's a good idea, can you not use words like Fei Liu? What do you mean by private meeting?"

"That's about the same..." Meng Zhi thought for a moment and asked, "Aren't you going to make a clear statement now? The prince will sooner or later know that you were the one who ruined the princess's incident. He is not a tolerant person, and he might take revenge on you. I think you should pretend to obey Prince Yu first. Even if you don't need his protection, at least you don't have to be attacked from both sides, right?"

"Don't worry, they are all busy now and have no time to deal with me." Mei Changsu smiled coldly, "It is said that only defending without attacking is a sure defeat. Since Prince Yu has used the dry well case to hold the Minister of Revenue Lou Zhijing accountable, the Crown Prince will definitely keep a close eye on He Wenxin's case. I think... He Jingzhong will definitely find a way to bring his son's murder case to the Ministry of Justice for trial."

"The Ministry of Justice is Prince Yu's domain. Can the Crown Prince keep an eye on it?"

"It's true that Prince Yu has the upper hand, but He Wenxin's case is too blatant, and Earl Wenyuan is very ruthless. If the Ministry of Justice wants to make some moves, it will inevitably be a bit complicated."

"Of course you are most happy to see them fighting each other." Seeing Mei Changsu put his hands into his sleeves, Meng Zhi hurriedly pushed a hand warmer over, "But even if He Wenxin is being watched to death by the crown prince, it is not He Jingzhong himself. For Prince Yu, it is not a big loss."

Mei Changsu suddenly had a meaningful smile on his face, and whispered, "If he knew how to restrain his subordinates and stop at the right time, He Wenxin's case would not have hurt him much... His biggest weakness at the moment is still Duke of Qing, Bai Ye."

Meng Zhi hit his thigh and said, "Speaking of this, I was just about to ask you. I thought Xia Dong had collected a lot of evidence when he returned to Beijing, but why is there no evidence in this land invasion case? What do you think the emperor is thinking?"

"He was wondering... who would be in charge of this land invasion case..." "Ah?"

Mei Changsu turned his palm over and put it on the hand warmer to keep warm. His expression was indifferent, as if he was chatting casually: "The emperor wants to investigate the land infringement case mainly because the trend of the rich and powerful arbitrarily annexing land has been increasing recently, which is detrimental to the country. But it is a difficult question to hand over such a big case to who should be in charge. I think he has not decided on the chief judge yet, so he has not made any move yet."

As the commander of the imperial guards, Meng Zhi was certainly not a simple and rough person. After thinking about it carefully, he nodded and said, "That's right. The Xuanjing Division is only responsible for investigating cases and has no right to judge them. This case is too big, so it can only be handed over to the Secretariat, the Censorate and the Supreme Court for a joint trial... But..."

Mei Changsu sneered, "Your Majesty is very clear-headed. If there is no neutral and calm person to supervise the three courts, a land invasion case will immediately turn into a factional dispute, and the original intention of the emperor to investigate this case to establish his authority and warn others will not be achieved."

Meng Zhi frowned and sighed, "No wonder the emperor is hesitant to make a decision. This matter is indeed difficult to handle."

Mei Changsu glanced at him with a half-smile and said, "So I have to rely on you to relieve the emperor's worries."

"Me?" Meng Zhi was surprised. "What good solution can I have?"

"Of course there is a way." Mei Changsu leaned back with the heater in his arms, and raised the corner of his lips slightly, "You can recommend someone to the emperor."

"Who?"

"Prince Jing."

Meng Zhi stood up suddenly, "What did you say?"

"If we want to suppress the people of the Three Departments, no court official can do it. We can only rely on the royal family. If the crown prince goes, the case will be out of control. If Prince Yu goes, it will definitely make a big thing small, and a small thing nothing. Prince Jing has been away from the center of government for many years, and he is upright. Let him try this case, and that will truly achieve the emperor's purpose of handling this case."

"But for Prince Jing, wouldn't this offend people?"

"How can you enter this world of fame and fortune without offending people? The key is whether it's worth it." Mei Changsu's voice was light and cold. "If you handle this case properly, you can win the hearts of the people, establish your authority, and show your talent. Besides, if you offend some people, you will inevitably get the support of others. If you always stand far away, no one will notice your existence..."

Meng Zhi stared at him for a long time before he slowly exhaled and said, "You've made up your mind, so it won't be wrong. There is nothing perfect in this world. I think you must have thought it through step by step. But what if the emperor disagrees?"

"He'll agree."

"So sure?"

"Because he has no better choice." Mei Changsu pursed his lips and swallowed the sigh that had already slipped to his lips.

In addition to having no other choice, there is actually another reason. That is, Emperor Liang does not love Prince Jing, and he will not consider too much about the difficulties and consequences that Prince Jing will face after taking on this task, so it is easier for him to make a decision.

But for Prince Jing, this was the first step on his journey of no return.

Once you take the first step, there is no turning back.

……

Zhang Yang went to the palace to meet the emperor today.

Ever since the death of Concubine Xi, Zhang Yang has been afraid to face this heartless emperor.

But today I have to go to Beijing.

"Your Majesty has ordered that the Eighteenth Prince Jingyu be summoned to the audience."

"My son, I obey."

Zhang Yang, wearing ordinary Confucian clothing, came to the front of the palace and said, "I hope the eunuch will inform you."

"Your Highness, wait a moment."

Soon after the eunuch reported, Gao Zhan came out to greet him and said, "His Majesty is waiting for Your Highness."

Zhang Yang knew that they were looking for someone to handle the land infringement case, but he was still young, so it wouldn't be his turn to take on this task.

For such offensive matters, it is better to let Prince Jing take the lead. He is a good brother and a good general, but not a good emperor.

At the very least, during his tenure, he relied heavily on his relatives by marriage, which led to the growing power of the queen.

After her death, the crown prince was still young, so the empress dowager indicated that she would rule the country from behind the scenes.

Zhang Yang saw Prince Jing's integrity, but he was far from adequate in politics.

When His Majesty saw Zhang Yang coming, he said, "My son, you are here."

"My son, I will meet my father."

"Get up and talk."

"Thank you, Father."

"Huang'er, what do you think we should do about this land invasion case?"

Zhang Yang showed an innocent expression and said, "Father, I don't know much about the court. I don't know any of these people, let alone who is more suitable."

"Now the Crown Prince and Prince Yu's people are fighting for the right to hear this case."

The emperor spoke to himself.

Zhang Yang could only listen.

At this time, the backup plan that Mei Changsu had arranged for Prince Yu began to appear.

(End of this chapter)