Chapter 49: Different Thoughts

  After receiving the imperial edict, the Wang Mansion set up a simple banquet to entertain the two envoys and their entourage of guards and officials. The soldiers ate until they were full and felt that although the dishes at the Wang Mansion looked rough and the utensils were all large bowls and plates, the flavor was absolutely good and not inferior to those of top restaurants in the capital. However, Li Ban and the officials' faces didn't look too good. On the day when the county magistrate invited guests, many of them were present, and the prince cried about being poor for half a day. Today, he happened to ask a miscellaneous servant in the mansion and only then did he know that they ate this every day.

  "From now on, no one is allowed to mention today's meal, or else don't blame brother for turning his face!" Li Ban said to his own men. The yamen nodded, they all understood from each other's eyes that the county magistrate had been played by Wang Ye, he didn't dare do anything to Wang Ye, but dealing with them was no problem at all. Whoever spoke out would be asking for trouble, it's better to let the county magistrate remain ignorant.

  When everyone was drinking hot tea waiting for the imperial envoy, another official came to the mansion and gave each person a gold leaf, saying it was the king's reward for their hard work. Everyone was an old hand, and with a touch and a pinch, they knew that this gold leaf was absolutely worth five taels of silver. When people received it, they were confused - the king was indeed a clever man, as he had robbed each person of only two cents, so how many people would he have to rob to make up for this gold leaf?

  "The young master is still a child, he's just playing a prank on everyone for fun. I apologize to everyone for the shock, please don't take it to heart. The steward asked me to apologize on his behalf!" The housekeeper said with a bow.

  "Haha, no way, no way! Everyone knows that the king is just joking with us, right? Isn't that so, brothers?" Wang Xiao Wei said with a smile.

  "Yes, Prince, this joke is interesting and fun. At my age, I still wet my pants with mud." The imperial guards thought to themselves: You got beaten up and you don't have any complaints, what can we say? Now everyone has opened their eyes, the horse belongs to the official's family, only the golden leaves in one's own pocket are truly one's own. Why should we provoke the prince when he takes things that belong to his own household?

  The king's luncheon didn't end until 3 pm, when the two envoys came out with smiles on their faces, but everyone felt a bit forced. The king, however, looked sorrowful and clung to Liang Shicheng's sleeve, reluctant to let go, his affection hard to express.

  "Your Highness, I have some urgent business to attend to and cannot stay for long. When you return to the capital, I will petition the Emperor to let me serve as a minor official in your mansion, so that I can accompany you!" Liang Shicheng raised his hand and used his sleeve to wipe away Zhao's tears.

  "Madam Liang, you must tell the Emperor and Empress that I miss them terribly here. Don't forget, after finishing your duties, come keep me company!" Zhao Yi cried out as she threw herself into Liang Shichen's arms.

  "Your Highness, I'll definitely come!"

  "Your Highness, it's getting dark, they still need to return to the capital to report back, don't stay any longer!" Huang Jingchen pulled Zhao Che and said.

  "Alright, goodbye!" Zhao Yun sobbed, suddenly turned back and grabbed Cai Yi saying: "Xiao Cai, remember our agreement, go back and find me to join forces!"

  "Your Highness, I won't forget, definitely, definitely!" Cai Yi hastily replied, looking like a startled rabbit as he scurried out of the gate and into his carriage.

  "Ah-choo!" Cai You let out three loud sneezes in a row, then pulled out his handkerchief to wipe his nose. He carelessly tossed the silk handkerchief out of the carriage window, and gazed at his listless guards with annoyance. "General Wang, can't you even arrange for a few horse-drawn carriages? At this rate, when will we ever make it back to the capital?"

  "Master, we haven't even left the king's estate yet. If he charges us for the carriage again, I'm afraid we'll have to go back with our shirts off!" Wang Xiao Wei said with a bitter smile.

  "Ah?! Then tell the head of the provincial government to hurry up and find a carriage in the village ahead, don't provoke him if nothing's wrong, today we must return to Beijing!" Cai You said, putting down the curtain of the sedan chair with a huff. Today he had lost big time, Wang Ye learned from the actors to be overbearing and almost got his own head chopped off, snatched Chen Tang's money that was meant for him, and grabbed onto his weakness, forcing him to "borrow" another 100,000 guan as a congratulatory gift. Only then did he reluctantly agree not to pursue the matter of insulting the imperial family, sparing himself from being slapped in the face on the street.

  "I'll go back and investigate, which theater troupe was invited to the Wang Mansion. What's wrong with you guys, why did you have to perform 'Green Forest Heroes Robbing the Road'?" Cai You knew that Zhao Che had been sent here because of evil spirits invading his body, and now after watching the play he seemed even more stimulated, as if he had gone mad. The Emperor asked me to come and also check on Prince Wang's condition, I'll have to tell the truth when I get back, don't want to cause any trouble.

  At the banquet, Wang Ye quarreled to return to Beijing, you want to know the reason is not surprising, he was in the imperial city gate robbery, said that the entrance and exit are all rich people, a day can collect at least 180 yuan, unlike in rural areas, a day's encounter is all poor guys, busy all day can't collect even a pot of wine money. He also said that he knows who has money, collects money and gives himself half. If he really collects money from the officials with his own son, some people might dare not give it to him, but he would be drowned by everyone's saliva.

  "We can't let this little demon return to the capital, or else we'll be the ones who are unlucky. But how am I supposed to tell His Majesty?" Cai You shifted backwards and lay on the young woman's lap, his hand slipping into her undergarments, and the carriage was suddenly filled with a boundless spring light.

  "Hmph, Huang Jingchen, you really are an old fox. You don't mention anything about returning to the capital, but instead say that the prince misses the emperor and empress and wants to return to the palace. Aren't you treating yourself like a fool? If the prince returns, who would he stay here to serve? Wouldn't it be following him back together? What a self-serving calculation.

  Li Sheng thought resentfully, "What's even more infuriating is that you 'bullied' the second prince and instigated the child to make me accompany him. You want me to be the scapegoat here, no way!"

  "It's a pity for the king, this child is talented and can be cultivated, compared to the dull eldest prince, the sharp-tongued third prince, and the foolish fourth prince. If he can receive good guidance in the palace, his future will be boundless! Liang Shicheng was somewhat conflicted, as the empress was now bedridden with illness, only making a brief appearance at the New Year's court gathering. Zheng Guifei, on the other hand, was favored beyond measure, and it was likely that she would soon take the empress's position. With her support, the second prince might just become the future emperor."

  Huang Jingchen is a person of Zheng Guifei, and when he returns to the palace, he will definitely be reused. With his attitude towards himself, perhaps this piece of gold will really be buried in the yellow soil forever. Moreover, the emperor is now in his prime, and there are still 20 or 30 years of good life ahead. Even if the second prince can really ascend to the throne in the future, he may have already returned home to retire by then. For now, he can only hold on to the emperor's leg, "If one doesn't work for oneself, heaven and earth will be destroyed. For his own future, he can only temporarily yield to the second prince." Liang Shicheng sighed and finally made a difficult decision.

  "Huang Bo, with this commotion, your return to Beijing has become uncertain, I'm really sorry for the trouble!" Zhao sent off the two imperial envoys and said apologetically as he returned to the house.

  "Hehe, Your Highness doesn't have to be like this, I've said before that I'll accompany you!" Huang Jingchen waved his hand with a smile and said, "With the guidance of the immortal master, Your Highness will definitely achieve great things. I also wonder what kind of miracle Your Highness will create!"

  "Thanks, Huang Bo! Let's work together for the prosperity of the Great Song and for the peace and happiness of our people!" Zhao Che said solemnly, clenching his fist.

  "All right, Your Highness has such a heroic spirit. Even if there are knife mountains and fire seas ahead, I am willing to follow you closely as your humble servant!" Huang Jingchen was also infected by Zhao Che's enthusiasm, and he seemed to have regained his long-lost passion, saying firmly.

  "Your Highness, today we've made a pretty good haul. The emperor's reward plus the congratulatory gift from Chancellor Cai amounts to over 200,000 taels. If only this could happen every day!" Just then, Xi pointed and directed the servants to bring in four or five chests.

  "Haha, you little scamp is not greedy enough! You think silver is that easy to get? I, the king, cried and laughed today, throwing a tantrum and making a fuss for a whole day just to get it. It's harder than performing in an opera!" Zhao Ke said, poking Xian Xi's nose.

  "Hehe, the king's acting is so real, I almost believed it if I didn't know beforehand. You two imperial envoys were fooled by the king and still don't know what's going on, and you've given us a huge sum of money!" Ji Xi said, stroking the box.

  "Alright, stop boasting. Don't let today's events spread outside. Call the steward to come and check the inventory. Now he won't have to worry about money!" Zhao said, "Give this money to everyone to share, and let the people in the mansion be happy too!" He took out another stack of banknotes from his pocket, counted out a few and said

  "Prince Wang, how do you have so much money? Where did it come from?" Xie took the banknote handed over by Zhao and counted it, finding that there were more than 200 taels, while he still had a large stack left in his hand.

  "Alas, this is what I snatched from Little Cai's hand. If Huang Bohan had come a step later, I would have untied the jade belt around his waist too. That jade belt could be worth over a thousand taels!" Zhao Zhan said with some regret.

  "Second Master, you still have a lot left, why don't we put it all together?" Jian Xi said.

  "No, this remaining money is for Huang Bo. He spends a lot of places and doesn't want to withdraw from the government's account. Can't always let him pay out of his own pocket!" Zhao Ke put all the remaining IOUs in his hand into Huang Jingchen's hands.

  "Your Highness, sometimes I really don't understand you. You're generous with money and goods to the people in the mansion, even to beggars, without hesitation; but when it comes to officials like Cai Xueshi, who holds a low-ranking position in the imperial court but is close to the Emperor, or Chen Tang, a high-ranking local official, you extort and swindle them with no qualms. You're not choosy about your methods!" Huang Jingchen shook his head, waving the money in his hand.

  "Huang Bo, there's a saying: Man proposes, Heaven disposes! When doing things, why bother with schemes and plans? As long as you have a clear conscience, that's all that matters!" Zhao Zhan said, pointing to the sky and then tapping his chest.

  The few people in the "conscience clear" house were all lost in thought, muttering to themselves.