Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 18 Method
"Father..."

"Stop talking. I can let you do whatever you want with other matters, but this matter is not negotiable." The emperor scolded.

The round trip from Bian Jing to Yangzhou was thousands of miles long. In ancient times, transportation was backward and the journey was tiring. In addition, people suffered from acclimatization. Some people even fell ill and died on the road due to the long journey.

He only has this one son, who is only six or seven years old. Even if he did not investigate the salt affairs, he would not agree to let Zhao Xing go to Yangzhou.

"Father, please don't be angry. Isn't it okay if I don't go?" Zhao Xing saw that his father was angry and hurried to comfort him.

In fact, when he arrived, he estimated that his father would not let him go. The reason why he still mentioned it was, on the one hand, to give it a try, and on the other hand, he also wanted his father to take the matter seriously.

"Father, I have thought about it carefully. Not only will there be great resistance to a thorough investigation of the salt business, but even if you can suppress the opposition and force a thorough investigation, the officials involved will definitely clean up their traces after learning the news. In addition, officials protect each other, so it will be very difficult to get to the bottom of it. The salt merchants involved must know many secrets. As long as we have these clues, we can get rid of the problems and open up the situation. If you don't let me go, you should also send a person with outstanding abilities to Yangzhou to meet Zhong Huai's grandfather." Zhao Xing said.

"This concerns the life and property of the Bai family. If the person's status is low, the Bai family will definitely not say anything. But if the person's status is high, with so many eyes watching in Bian Jing, the news may leak out before the salt administration investigates." The official murmured.

"I have this consideration as well, so I thought of making the trip myself," said Zhao Xing.

Selling illegal salt is not only a capital crime, it also affects the Bai family's way of making money.

Even if the Bai family was not involved and just knew something, Old Master Bai would not dare to say it out easily.

But if Zhao Xing revealed his identity and expressed his appreciation for Gu Tingye, for the sake of Gu Tingye's future, even if it meant cutting off the Bai family's financial resources, Old Master Bai would be willing to do it.

In ancient times, merchants had a low status, and no amount of money could change this.

Even though the status of merchants in the Song Dynasty was higher than in other dynasties, the concepts that had been developed over a long period of time were still deeply rooted.

There was a very interesting phenomenon in ancient times. Whenever there was chaos in the world, the first people to take sides were not the aristocratic families, but the businessmen.

Like Lu Buwei in the Qin Dynasty, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping who were the first to support Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms period, Mi Zhu, a wealthy businessman from Xuzhou who was the first to support Liu Bei when he entered Xuzhou, and Wei Zi who supported Cao Cao, these people were all businessmen.

The father of Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty was also a businessman. He was the first to support Li Yuan in his uprising and was therefore granted the title of Duke.

This is so because businessmen want to change their class in this way.

Old Master Bai left all his family property to Gu Tingye, so naturally he was willing to give it up for Gu Tingye's future.

But the prerequisite is that he has to believe it. If you just send someone, even if Gu Tingye can testify, Old Master Bai may not believe it.

People like him believe more in what they see rather than what they hear from others.

"Don't even think about it."

The emperor glared at him, thought for a moment and said, "Gu Yankai's father-in-law is old, but he may not be unable to travel far. Doesn't Gu Tingye want to go to Yangzhou? Then let him go. If his grandfather is still in good health, invite him to Yangzhou. If he really can't stand the tossing, I will think about who to send."

"Father, this is a good idea. It would be best if Zhong Huai could bring an imperial physician with him," Zhao Xing said.

If we follow the timeline of the original drama, Old Master Bai should be able to live for another two or three years.

However, the drama does not mention whether Old Master Bai died of illness or old age.

But Zhao Xing felt that it was probably because his daughter's death had dealt him a great blow, coupled with his longing for his grandson, that his health collapsed.

If he had seen his grandson, perhaps he would not have died so early.

It is not impossible to send an imperial physician to bring Old Master Bai to Bian Jing.

"These are all trivial matters. I can send the best imperial physician over." The emperor said nonchalantly.

"Father, it's settled. Let's talk about my son's enthronement." Zhao Xing said with a smile, "Father, after I've been enthroned as the crown prince, can I move to the East Palace to live?"

He had long been tired of staying in the palace, and living in the palace, he was unable to put many of his ideas into practice.

"The Eastern Palace has been in disrepair for many years and is in a state of disrepair. After you are crowned the crown prince, you can live in the palace first and move in after the Eastern Palace is repaired." said the emperor.

"Now the national treasury is empty, and my father advocates frugality. As a prince and the future crown prince, I must learn from him and not be extravagant. It doesn't matter if the East Palace is in ruins," said Zhao Xing.

If he is named the crown prince, he still has to live in the palace. What's the point of naming him the crown prince?

"No, I am the emperor, the official of all the subjects in the world, so I naturally need to set an example. You are the prince, representing the face of the royal family. Although you should not be extravagant, you can't be shabby either. The East Palace must be renovated." The official waved his hand.

He was very pleased that Zhao Xing was thinking about frugality, but as a parent, no one wanted their son to suffer. He was an emperor and a father, so naturally he had such thoughts.

When he said he wanted to renovate the Eastern Palace, he didn't just want to keep Zhao Xing in the palace for a longer period of time.

Zhao Xing saw that his father was determined not to let him move out of the palace, so he had to find another way. He said, "Father, now that I have been named the crown prince, I will have to start to deal with government affairs, right? It will be inconvenient for me to live with my mother. How about I move to Yongning Palace?"

"You are still young. Even if you are named the crown prince, you will focus on your studies. It will take some years before you can get involved in government affairs. There is no rush." ​​The emperor shook his head.

Although Yongning Palace is also in the palace, it is in the central palace, which is not as convenient as in the harem.

Zhao Xing was unhappy when he heard this and said, "Father, I have been giving in again and again. You are not good at this or that. So I will not be the crown prince anymore. Whoever is willing to be the crown prince can be the crown prince."

"you…"

The emperor glared at Zhao Xing angrily, but when he saw that he was looking at him without backing down, he finally gave in.

"Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. Once you are crowned the Crown Prince, I'll let you move to Yongning Palace."

"Thank you, Father."

Zhao Xing pressed his father's shoulders flatteringly and said with a smile, "Father, when are you going to confer the title on your son?"

"The appointment of a crown prince is a serious matter that requires a lot of preparation. It will probably be after the beginning of spring next year. It depends on the auspicious day chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory." said the emperor.

When Zhao Xing heard that he would have to wait so long, he was speechless.

However, to enthrone a crown prince, it is not enough to just issue an imperial edict. One has to offer sacrifices to heaven, ancestors, etc., so it is normal that it takes a long time.

After having lunch with his father, Zhao Xing left Longtu Pavilion and returned to Renming Hall for a nap.

Before the afternoon class, I went to Zishan Hall and called Gu Tingye out.

"Zhong Huai, I can't go to Yangzhou, but I will talk to Marquis Gu for you. Also, I want to see your grandfather for something. When you go to Yangzhou, I will send an imperial physician to accompany you. If your grandfather's health allows, you can bring your grandfather to Bian Jing." Zhao Xing said.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Gu Tingye said excitedly.

By bringing his grandfather to Bian Jing, he could also fulfill his filial piety.

As for why Zhao Xing wanted to meet his grandfather, although he was curious, he did not ask much.

Thanks to Yango, informal member, and Huashiqingcheng for their monthly ticket support.

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(End of this chapter)