After the Duke of Wei arrived, Marquis Linhuai had someone serve a pot with a small charcoal stove underneath, and had someone serve some shabu-shabu meat and vegetables, warmed up a jar of Shaoxing Daughter’s Red, and the three of them sat around the pot.
“Xian nephew, I didn’t realise that you had an early friendship with Eunuch Chen, hehe, really underestimated you, good, good. Speaking of which, there is now an opportunity to take your relationship with Eunuch Chen to the next level.”
Duke Wei said with a chopstick of shabu shabu to Zhu Pingan with a face that revealed the inside story.
“I ……” Zhu Pingan was about to tell them the truth about his relationship with Chen Hong, what kind of friendship ah, is clearly a friendship, but Zhu Pingan’s words only said the word “I”, the latter words have not yet come to say, the side of the Marquis of Linhuai could not wait to open his mouth, interrupting Zhu Pingan’s words.
“Old Xu, do you know something? Don’t keep us in suspense, tell us quickly.” Marquis Linhuai couldn’t wait to urge, not giving Duke Wei a chance to sell his story.
“Hehehe, it was also by chance, I overheard Eunuch Chen and Eunuch Wang chatting and got an insider tip. Wasn’t Eunuch Chen ordered to come to Jiangnan last month to pick up pearls, and got a commendation from His Holiness when he went back. But ah, Chen Gonggong said, the palace inside the pearl, there is still a big gap, said the ancestors when the accumulation of treasures, including pearl ah, etc., were Hongzhi Emperor Zhengde Emperor to spend all the money, the Holy Spirit does not have a mother need to offer, the cost of the savings has been seven or eight of ten. The courtroom ministers know to advise the emperor not to care about jewellery treasures, do not want the emperor to abolish all the use of it? So ah, Eunuch Chen also wanted to bring back some more pearls on the way this time to offer to His Holiness.”
Duke Wei opened his mouth with a smug face at Marquis Lin Huai’s urging, recounting the news he had heard.
“He’s trying to claim credit.” Marquis Lin Huai stroked his chin.
“Right, so, at this time, if we give Eunuch Chen some pearls, wouldn’t that be throwing our weight around and it will please him. When he returns to the capital, he will be able to put in a good word for us, and in the future, he will also have one more doorway.”
Duke Wei nodded his head vigorously and spoke of his intentions with an excited face.
Marquis Linhuai followed and nodded, very much agreeing with Duke Wei’s intention, “Well, Old Xu, this is a good idea of yours. If you send him gold and silver treasures, he won’t necessarily accept them, but if you send him pearls, he won’t be able to push back.”
“Uncle, as I see it, he’s doing this in the name of inviting merit by presenting it to His Holiness, but in reality, he’s doing it to amass wealth.” Zhu Pingan shrugged his shoulders and hit the nail on the head.
What by the way to take the pearl offering to the saint, are a front, he took the pearl back, will only fall in his own pocket, certainly will not offer to the saint.
“Xian nephew, this is somewhat arbitrary.” Duke Wei was stunned for a moment and said.
“It’s not that I’m arbitrary, but that’s just the way it is. Uncle you think, if Eunuch Chen he received a lot of pearls, under what name will he offer them to the saint?” Zhu Pingan shook his head slightly and asked the two men.
“Do you still need a name to offer it to the saint? This is some of his loyalty.” Marquis Linhuai said in disbelief.
“He’s a middle palace eunuch, where did he get so much silver to pick up pearls?” Zhu Pingan pulled his lips slightly, “Did he get it by trickery? Or is it a gift from someone below? It can’t be that he picked it up.”
“Er, this is a problem.” Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai sniffed and pondered for a moment, and couldn’t help but nod their heads.
Taking it by trickery, definitely not; a gift from someone below, also not; if it was said that it was offered to His Majesty by someone below, then there would be the same problem, where did the person below get the silver to pick up so many pearls.
If a small amount of pearls, you can also say that the salary to buy and other reasons, but a small amount of pearls you have the goodwill to offer to the emperor? Even if you are willing to offer to the emperor, the emperor will not look in the eyes.
Therefore, even if Chen Hong received the pearl, is not good to offer to the emperor, the probability is to stay in his own pocket.
It seems that, really, as the nephew said, Chen Hong in the name of offering to the Holy Spirit to take credit, but in fact, the practice of enrichment.
However, it does not matter ah, our purpose is to make good Chen Hong, as for him to dedicate or not dedicate to the saint, we do not have any impact.
“Xian nephew, whether he dedicates it to the saint or collects wealth, what does it matter, as long as he receives it, it’s enough.”
Duke Wei said unconcernedly.
“Precisely, it would be better if he collects money, knowing that he likes to collect money, we are better to throw in the towel.”
Marquis Linhuai had the same attitude.
“Xian nephew, you have friendship with Chen Hong, it’s more convenient for us to act, tomorrow I’ll gather a sum of silver with Old Li and pick up some pearls, at that time, you’ll find a chance to send the pearls to Chen Hong in the name of the three of us. Hey hey, then you and Chen Hong’s personal relationship is not even higher ah, he went back to the capital certainly help us to say a few words of praise.”
Duke Wei ate a large chopstick of shabu-shabu and drank a glass of wine, he said to Zhu Pingan with a hefty smile.
“This is good.” Marquis Linhuai concurred.
“Ahem, uncle ……” Zhu Pingan coughed and looked at the two with a difficult face, ready to tell the truth.
“Xian Nephew, this is not the time to be noble.” Duke of Wei thought Zhu Pingan readers noble strength came up, what not for five buckets of rice folded ah, what can destroy eyebrows folded things power noble, make me not happy face ah.
“That is ah Xian nephew, you have to learn to adapt. You must know, water to clear is no fish, people to inspect is no disciple.”
Marquis Linhuai also followed the advice.
“Uncle, it is not so.” Zhu Pingan smiled bitterly.
“Then why is it?” Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai both asked anxiously.
“Two uncles, my relationship with Chen Hong is not what you think or what Chen Hong said.”
Zhu Pingan spread out his hands.
“Didn’t you do him a big favour by catching a thief who was posing as his righteous son to recruit people?!”
Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai looked at each other, both had a hint of foreboding in their hearts, and somewhat nervously looked at Zhu Pingan and asked.
“Uncle, I’m not arresting a thief who is posing as his righteous son?” Zhu Pingan shook his head.
“Then who is the one impersonating?” Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai hurriedly asked.
“It’s not an impostor, it’s his righteous son that I arrested.” Zhu Pingan said to the two with a frank face.
“What? You captured his righteous son?” When Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai both heard this, they couldn’t help but blanch and the corners of their mouths twitched, “That means you even beat up his righteous son?!”
Zhu Pingan nodded, then added, “It’s more than that ……”
“What else did you do?!” Both Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai couldn’t sit still and shivered as they asked.
“Nearly ten thousand taels of silver, antiques and paintings, etc. that his righteous son had taken by trickery and bribery were all confiscated by me ……”
Zhu Pingan slowly said.
“Ah?!” When the Duke of Wei and Marquis Linhuai both heard this, they sprang up from their chairs in a flash.
It was as if they were struck by lightning.
“Uncle don’t worry, the pearls procured by his righteous son as well as the Taicang official silver and other official matters, when I had people escort his righteous son, they were all handed over to Chen Hong.” Zhu Pingan saw that the two were so agitated, and was busy calming them down.
“Xian nephew, you, you, you let us say what you good ah, his righteous son’s silver, that is not his silver.”
“You confiscated his ten thousand taels of silver ah …… These dysfunctional eunuchs, less lifeblood, no ambition in that area, one by one see the silver as lifeblood, you are castrating him again ah ……”
Wei Guo Gong and Linhuai Hou continuously sigh, like ants on the hot pot, in the house can not stop walking in circles.
