The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 427 Father and Son, Imperial Concubine, Old Friend
There were only two people in the huge Yangxin Hall of the Qianqing Palace. One was the current emperor, Emperor Qiansheng, and the other was the crown prince Xu Wenhong. Emperor Qiansheng was in his early forties, in the prime of life, while the crown prince Xu Wenhong was in his early twenties, in the prime of life. However, the appearance and temperament of the father and son were very different.

Emperor Qiansheng has a square face with a gloomy bookish air, while Crown Prince Xu Wenhong has an oval face and probably looks like the Empress. He has a tall and slender figure and a strong physique, and appears sunny and toned. It seems that the crown prince is in good health. If nothing unexpected happens, he will have no problem living to see his father die of old age.

However, looking at all dynasties, only about 46% of princes were able to successfully succeed to the throne, which is less than half. This means that out of one hundred princes, fifty-four unlucky ones eventually became Barbie Q or were deposed. This also reflects the cruelty of the struggle for imperial power, such as the Xuanwu Gate Incident in the Tang Dynasty and the Nine Sons' Battle for the Throne in the Qing Dynasty.

At this moment, Crown Prince Xu Wenhong knelt in front of the throne, his face pale, his body covered in cold sweat, his body trembling like a sieve, and he was about to collapse. He had been kneeling for a whole morning, and it seemed that he had lost consciousness below his buttocks, but he was still gritting his teeth and holding on, because he knew that if he couldn't make it through this, not only would his position as crown prince be in jeopardy, but even his life would be in danger.

Emperor Qiansheng was still concentrating on reviewing the pile of memorials on his desk behind his desk. He never looked at Crown Prince Xu Wenhong once, as if the person kneeling in front of him was a piece of air.

Jia Huan was still one-sided. His understanding of power and his speculation on human nature were still immature. He only thought that Yi Hong deliberately concealed the other party's crimes in order to please the prince. Little did he know that Yi Hong only concealed the prince's crimes from the public, but did not hide them from Emperor Qiansheng.

It is true that the prince is the future emperor, and offending him will definitely not end well in the future, but deceiving the current emperor will immediately lead to bad consequences. As the saying goes, the county magistrate is not as good as the current manager. The emperor is the one who holds the power of life and death. How could Yi Hong not tell the difference?
What's more, Emperor Qiansheng is only in his early forties, in the prime of his life. It is still unknown whether the prince will be able to ascend to the throne in the future. The Jinyiwei are the emperor's personal army. If they are disloyal to the emperor, even the slightest bit, their lives may be in danger. Therefore, it is safest and most reliable to hold on to the emperor's thigh.

Therefore, Yi Hong reported everything to Emperor Qiansheng about how Crown Prince Xu Wenhong intervened in the private salt business for profit through Yangzhou Salt Transport Commissioner Zhang Yidong, which led to what happened today.

About half an hour later, Emperor Qiansheng finally finished reviewing all the memorials. He put down his imperial pen, looked at the prince and asked calmly, "Are you short of money?"

Crown Prince Xu Wenhong lowered his head and dared not say a word. He was indeed short of money, very short of it. The large number of retainers maintained by the Eastern Palace required money, it also cost money to win over talented people, it also cost money to make friends with the officials, and even more money for personal enjoyment. The annual salary was obviously not enough to spend.

Emperor Qiansheng shook his head in disappointment and said, "Hong'er, you are too impatient. After a hundred years, the entire Jin Dynasty will be yours. Can't you wait for twenty or thirty years? Are you so anxious to build your own team?"

"Father, I know I was wrong, and I won't dare to do it again." The prince cried bitterly and kowtowed, and a big bump soon appeared on his forehead.

Emperor Qiansheng frowned and sighed, "If you want to wear the crown, you must first bear its weight. Even if I hand over the Great Jin Dynasty to you now, can you bear this burden? Only by cultivating yourself and managing your family can you govern the country and bring peace to the world. Hong'er, you still need to read more books to cultivate yourself. And you must be confined to the East Palace for half a year. You must not leave and concentrate on your studies. It seems that your teachers should also be replaced. They are all misleading students and are just filling in the gaps."

The prince felt bitter, kowtowed and accepted the order, then left the Yangxin Palace in a daze and returned to the Eastern Palace in silence. Soon, all the Eastern Palace guards were replaced, followed by the Eastern Palace assistants in the Zhanshi Mansion, and thousands of retainers were also dismissed. The ministers in the court also obviously smelled something unusual, and the ministers who were usually on good terms with the Eastern Palace became even more uneasy. The Eastern Palace, which used to be crowded with guests, quickly became "deserted and sparsely visited".

After Emperor Qiansheng sent the crown prince away, he leaned back on the dragon chair, rubbing his brows, looking very tired and deep in thought. At this time, a eunuch named Xia Shouzhong ran in triumphantly, knelt down in front of the throne and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Concubine Xian De has just given birth to a son, and both mother and child are safe."

Emperor Qiansheng nodded and said, "I understand. Pass on my decree. From today on, Concubine Xian De will be promoted to Imperial Concubine, and she will be given a pair of jade rings, a pair of jade ruyi, a pair of golden unicorns, and seven golden melon seeds."

"Yes!" Eunuch Xia left the Palace of Tranquil Longevity happily and went back to report the good news to Concubine Jia.

As the saying goes, a mother's status depends on her son, and a servant depends on the power of his master. Xia Shouzhong is the chief eunuch of Fengzao Palace. Now that Concubine Jia has given birth to a prince and has been promoted to noble concubine, Eunuch Xia's status has naturally risen as well. How can he not be happy?
Emperor Qiansheng waved away Eunuch Xia, stood up and said, "Change your clothes!"

The eunuchs serving in the palace hurried forward to serve, thinking that Emperor Qiansheng was going to visit Fengzao Palace to visit Concubine Jia and the little prince. Unexpectedly, he was going to the West Garden, which was where the retired emperor rested. Naturally, the emperor went to the West Garden to pay his respects to the retired emperor.

Although it was sunny today, it was still very cold. Emperor Qiansheng came to the Western Garden, and the chief eunuch and the chief guard here hurried over and knelt to greet him.

Emperor Qiansheng waved his hand and said, "Stand up, Eunuch An, where is the Emperor?"

Eunuch An was the chief eunuch of the Western Garden, responsible for serving the daily life and diet of the retired Emperor Kangping. He was also an old man by the retired emperor's side. He was over 60 years old and had served as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

Eunuch An replied respectfully, "The Emperor is fishing in a boat in the North Sea."

There are three lakes in Xiyuan, named South Sea, Middle Sea and North Sea. Among them, North Sea is the largest, with an area of ​​about 70 hectares.

Emperor Qiansheng frowned slightly and ordered, "Lead the way!"

Eunuch An quickly turned around and led the way. A group of guards surrounded Emperor Qiansheng and headed towards the North Sea. As soon as they arrived at the pier of Qionghua Island, they saw a fishing boat approaching the shore. An old man wearing a bamboo hat jumped onto the shore carrying a wooden bucket.

Although the old man's hair and beard were all gray, his hands and feet were very nimble. When he looked around, he had a terrifying aura and was intimidating without even being angry.

When Emperor Qiansheng saw the old man, he hurried forward, knelt down and saluted, saying, "Your son pays respect to your father."

It was obvious that the old man in front of him who was intimidating without even getting angry was the retired emperor Kangping, and Emperor Qiansheng was clearly inferior to him in aura.

Emperor Kangping put down the wooden barrel he was holding, nodded and said, "Please stand up. It's hard for Your Majesty to come to see me in this cold weather." As he spoke, he bent down and put his hands into the lake to wash, and he didn't feel cold at all.

After Emperor Kangping washed his hands, he turned around and walked towards the nearby Jingxinzhai, saying, "Let's go inside and talk."

Emperor Qiansheng followed the old man silently, even feeling a little depressed. Ever since he could remember, he had been following this man cautiously. This was the case for more than a decade when he was the crown prince. Even after he ascended the throne, he still had to live cautiously in this man's shadow. Even now, this man was still like a white-haired tiger.

Emperor Qiansheng had always wanted to see the vulnerable and depressed side of this man, but except for the time eight years ago when this man was seriously ill and dying, he had never seen him vulnerable again.

Eight years ago, this man fell seriously ill. He was so sick that he thought he was going to die, so he gave up the throne. But in less than half a year, this man miraculously recovered. Even after becoming the emperor, he still had to stand under his shadow, just like when he was a child.

Emperor Qiansheng came to the West Garden today, expecting to see this man listless and old, but unexpectedly, this old man was not afraid of the severe cold, and went to the lake to fish in a boat, and even jumped off the boat with a wooden bucket in his hand, his movements as agile as those of a young man.

At that moment, Emperor Qiansheng even felt a little depressed, but after seven years on the throne, he was no longer the young prince, but a shrewd emperor. He followed the retired emperor into Jingxinzhai with a calm expression.

There was a fire pit in Jingxinzhai, with a blazing fire burning. Emperor Kangping stood in front of the fire pit, stretched out his hands, and asked, "What is the situation in Liaodong now?"

Emperor Qiansheng replied: "Xiong Tingbai is guarding very well, there is no need to worry."

Emperor Kangping nodded and said, "Xiong Tingbai is very good. I was too hasty before. The strategy of steady and cautious is correct."

"But it's a huge expense and not a long-term solution." Emperor Kangping closed his eyes and said nothing. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said, "I suddenly want to go out of the palace for a walk. Is the emperor interested?"

"When?"

"Right now!" Emperor Kangping looked at Emperor Qiansheng with sharp eyes, and the latter nodded and said, "Since your Majesty is so interested, I will accompany you."

…………

The weather was sunny today, and Mandarin finally got what she wished for. Jia Huan took her out on the street dressed as a man.

The capital city was very lively after the snow, and the streets were full of pedestrians. I guess everyone was bored these days, so they took advantage of the sunshine to run to the streets to relax. The vendors also seized the opportunity to do business. There was still a month before New Year's Eve, so they made more money to celebrate the New Year.

The group had only walked half a street when Mandalin's hands were full of snacks, including lamb skewers, candied haws, beggar's chicken, and crispy duck. She couldn't stop eating.

"Is it delicious?" Jia Huan asked.

Mandalin puffed up her cheeks and nodded. Jia Huan smiled and said, "Do you want to eat something exciting?"

"Hmm?" Mandarin's eyes subconsciously looked at someone's lower abdomen, and she sucked her greasy fingers.

Jia Huan sweated secretly, secretly calling out "a damned witch". This foreign maid was so passionate and unrestrained that he really couldn't handle it. He coughed lightly and said, "Be serious!"

Mandalin chuckled and asked, "What exciting food is the Third Master going to treat us to?"

"We'll be there soon!" Jia Huan walked forward about thirty or forty meters and finally stopped in front of a store. He saw the words "Ice Cream" written on the sign in front of the door.

Shitou stepped forward quickly and shouted, "Brother Tieniu, is Sister Hongling here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a strong man like an iron tower ran out like the wind, frightening Mandarin so much that she hurriedly stood in front of Jia Huan.

"Shi Tou? Is it really you? When did you return to Beijing?" The sturdy man put his hands on Xing Wei's shoulders and shook him vigorously in excitement.

Xing Wei bared his teeth and said, "Brother Tieniu, be gentle, we are about to fall apart!"

The sturdy man quickly let go of his hand and scratched his head embarrassedly. Only then did he notice Jia Huan, who was standing not far behind him with a smile on his face.

The sturdy man was stunned for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Third Master?"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Brother Tie Niu, long time no see!"

The sturdy man almost jumped up and shouted, "Oh, it's really the Third Master. I haven't seen you for a few years. You have grown so much taller that I can hardly recognize you." As he said this, he knelt down and saluted.

Mandalin looked at the sturdy man who knelt on the ground like a golden mountain being pushed down by a jade pillar, and said in shock: "Third Master, this man is... Tiehu's brother?"

Jia Huan nodded and hurried forward to help Tie Niu up. Mandalin looked at Tie Niu's physique and couldn't help but stick out her tongue. Tiehu's physique was already exaggerated, but she didn't expect his elder brother to be even more powerful.

"When did the Third Master return to Beijing?" Tie Niu rubbed his hands excitedly, while subconsciously looking behind Jia Huan.

Shitou smiled and said, "There's no need to look for Brother Tieniu. Brother Hu didn't return to the capital with us. Now he is a captain under the Yangzhou Guard. He can't come back whenever he wants."

Tie Niu smiled innocently and said, "I actually forgot about this!"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "After the New Year, Hu Zi should find time to take a vacation and return to Beijing to visit Auntie. By the way, are Auntie and Sister Hongling okay?"

"I'm fine, Third Master, please come in. Uh... I don't recognize this brother, what's your name?" Tie Niu looked at Mandarin hesitantly.

Although Mandarin was dressed as a man at the moment, her blonde hair, blue eyes and glowing white skin were still very eye-catching.

"My name is Mandarin, hello Brother Tieniu." Mandarin introduced herself generously.

Tie Niu had already suspected that the person in front of him was a Westerner. When he heard the voice, he realized it was indeed a woman. He probably was the Third Master's maid or concubine. He hurriedly said, "I dare not. Miss Man, please come in."

Jia Huan and others then entered the store. Tie Niu gave the waiter a few instructions and then led everyone to the back house.

It turned out that there was a residential building behind this shop. In the past few years, Tieniu and Hongling made some money from selling ice cream, so they bought this house. They sell ice cream in the front shop and live in the back. They also moved their blind mother into the city to live with them.

Tie Niu led Jia Huan and others into the backyard. Before they even entered the house, he called out, "Hong Ling, come and see who's here."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young woman holding a child came out of the house. It was none other than Hong Ling, the maid who had originally served Jia Huan.

"Sister Hongling!" Jia Huan called out with a smile.

"Third Master!" Hongling hurried over excitedly, her eyes instantly turning red.

(End of this chapter)