The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 35: Father and Son Gap 1
The opening times of the nine gates in the capital city are different in the morning every season, depending on the time of daybreak.

Today is the first day of August. The sky brightened at the beginning of the morning hour and the city gates opened.

Guang'anmen is the only gate in the outer city of Beijing that opens to the west. It is the only way for southern and southwestern provinces to enter Beijing. It is an important transportation route and a "window" to showcase the image of Beijing. Therefore, the specifications of the city gate were improved to be similar to Yongdingmen. The official road from Wanping City to Guang'anmen is also paved with stone slabs.

As the saying goes, "If you want to get rich, build roads first." The construction of this stone road from Wanping City to Guang'anmen greatly promoted the economy of the two places, especially Guang'anmen, which soon became a place where merchants from all over the world gathered.

Caravans transporting coal, building materials, mountain products and local specialties from outside the city passed through Guang'anmen in an endless stream and entered the outer city. It was crowded with people and bustling with noise, making it the most prosperous place outside the city.

Needless to say, there was a lot of congestion outside Guang'anmen today. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and the flow of delivery trucks and people is even more chaotic.

Eight soldiers from the infantry battalion, four on each side, were standing majestically on both sides of the city gate, holding guns and swords. There was also a man who looked like a tax collector sitting lazily at a table.

The side was filled with merchants waiting in line to pay taxes and enter the city.

The tax collector slowly took out a snuff bottle from his pocket, poured the tobacco butts into the palm of his hand, then rubbed two fingers together to apply the tobacco butts, put them to his nostrils, and took a deep breath. Then he sneezed with a yawn, stretched himself refreshed, then slowly stood up and pointed at the first merchant in the line.

The merchant came over with a big smile on his face, presented the list of goods and a small ingot of silver, then took out a silver note from his pocket and said, "Please have a cup of tea, sir."

The tax officer took the banknote, glanced at it, nodded with satisfaction, and threw the silver into the basket on the table, "Go in."

"Thank you, sir."

The merchant took the list with both hands and waved to the caravan. A caravan of more than 20 camels slowly entered the city.
As the sun rose, the amount of silver in the basket increased.

The tax collector stuffed another silver note into his arms, picked up the teacup and took a sip leisurely.

At this time, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds came over, and the tax collector looked over.

There were rapid clatters of horse hooves and a cloud of dust rising as a messenger came galloping towards this side, whipping his horse madly.

From afar, his eyes suddenly widened. The courier had a yellow flag tied around his waist. It was an urgent delivery of 800 miles!
With a "bang", the tea bowl fell to the ground and broke into several pieces, and his official robe was immediately covered with tea!
"It's an express train of 800 miles! Get out of the way~ Everyone~"

The tax collector had no time to think and rushed forward to drive away the caravan that was blocking the passage.

The courier who was traveling 800 miles express would tie a yellow flag around his waist, which was very conspicuous.

The bosses of the caravans that were occupying the road were even more panicked. They shouted at their followers and began to move to the sides of the passage.

According to the imperial law, anyone who obstructs an express train that travels 800 miles will be killed without mercy!

The messenger whipped his whip and the horse rushed into the city gate like an arrow and entered Guang'an Gate.

The crowd immediately went wild.

A merchant spoke up: "Isn't this an express delivery from Shaanxi?"

Another businessman: “It’s possible!”

A porter: "It doesn't look like good news"

Another porter sighed and said, "What's going on? There are bandits in Shaanxi and the Mongolian Tartars are invading the border in the north."

An old man even said something shocking: "Fighting has also broken out in the Liaoxi Corridor. I heard that the Liaodong Army suffered a great loss."

The doctor ordered that the prince should not be exposed to wind, so the curtains and windows of the prince's bedroom were tightly closed and the light inside was dim.

The bamboo lounge chair that the prince usually sat on was moved to the north window of the west warm room. A thin quilt was spread on it. The prince was lying there, staring out the window in a daze.

There were a few pieces of ink paper scattered on the floor tiles next to the recliner.

Suddenly a beam of light shone in and the door curtain was lifted.

The Crown Princess came in holding the medicine.

Carrying the bowl of medicine and walking up to the prince, the princess said softly, "Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine." The prince came to his senses, sat up straight, took the medicine and drank it in one gulp.

The Crown Princess smiled and took the bowl with both hands and said, "That's good. Your Highness will surely recover quickly this way."

The prince looked at her.

The Crown Princess took the empty bowl and walked to the kang on the south side. She picked up the kettle from the table and poured half a bowl of warm water into it. She walked back to the Crown Prince and said, "Chief Steward Dai said that the Imperial Household Department found a miracle doctor in southern Xinjiang. He is expected to be able to come to Beijing in winter." She took the warm water and let the Crown Prince take a sip and spit it back into the bowl.

"Will my father pass the throne to me?" the prince suddenly asked.

How could the Crown Princess hesitate? She immediately replied, "Of course I will pass it on to His Highness!"

A trace of bitterness appeared on the prince's face, and then he shook his head slightly: "Not necessarily."

The Crown Princess was surprised: "Your Highness."

The Crown Prince: "Father approved my second brother's petition, and the border troops of Yulin Town were assigned to him. This is a border army! He turned the original simple disaster relief into suppressing rebellion, but father only reprimanded him a few words and now he has even assigned the border troops to the border. What do the civil and military officials in the court think?"

The Crown Princess didn't dare to say anything, she just looked at him and listened to him quietly.

The Crown Prince: "Father clearly knew that someone was behind the Second Brother's plan, yet he still agreed to his unreasonable request. This shows what the Second Brother has in mind. He is preparing for a rainy day, waiting for my death, cough cough cough cough."

"Your Highness!" The Crown Princess quickly patted him on the back.

The prince took a breath, "If the king wants his subjects to die, they must die; if the father wants his son to die, he must die. Let alone deposing me, even if the old man kills me immediately, I will not have the slightest resentment. But he shouldn't let me be a whetstone for others! He wants our entire family to die!" When he said this, tears fell from his eyes.

The Crown Princess's hands softened and she let go of the Crown Prince. She fell to the ground and looked at him with a pale face.

The prince closed his eyes and returned to his usual gentleness and elegance. He picked up the ink paper on the floor tile and said, "Take a look at it too."

The Crown Princess was slightly stunned, then she took the exhibition and looked at it. As she looked at it, sweat began to seep out of her already pale face.

If Li Hu were here, he would be shocked, because what was written on the ink paper was exactly what happened in the Daming Palace on the night of the coup.

The Crown Prince: "If the Mongolian Tartars had not invaded the border, I would not have known that the Western Garden Guards were transferred to the border, let alone these things."

The Crown Princess suddenly remembered: "General Li was in Daming Palace that night, right?"

The prince raised his hand and said, "No need. This is the confession obtained from more than a dozen former Xiyuan Imperial Guards in Datong and Xuanfu. It cannot be wrong."

After a pause, he said, "His heart may not be entirely in Yuqing Palace."

The Crown Princess was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Among your Highness' followers, only Li Hu holds military power. He will definitely be of great use in the future. You must not destroy your own strength because of a small matter."

The prince: "As long as I am still alive and still the prince, Li Hu's butt will not be crooked."

The Crown Princess immediately nodded in agreement.

At this time, the voice of Zhao Tong, the eunuch in charge of Yuqing Palace, came from outside the door: "Your Highness, the people who went to Yangzhou brought an urgent letter."

Prince: "Bring it in."

The door curtain was lifted, and Zhao Tong walked in with an envelope and presented it with both hands.

The prince took the letter, opened the seal and read it. After reading a few lines, his face changed suddenly.

The Crown Princess and Zhao Tong looked at the Crown Prince in surprise and suspicion.

After reading the letter, the prince spoke: "Jia Min is dead!"

(End of this chapter)