The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 36: Father and Son Gap 2
In the upper study, Emperor Yongchang seemed extremely excited. He placed Li Hu's military report in his palm and slapped it twice. Then he stood up and said loudly to Dai Quan, "Do as Li Hu says. Put the White Lotus Left Protector into a big cage and walk slowly along the way. Let the White Lotus followers in Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong and Zhili see that this is the end of rebellion!"

Dai Quan also answered loudly: "Yes."

Emperor Yongchang calmed down his excitement and continued, "Give Li Hu the royal flag and allow him to act at his discretion and mobilize the patrol camps of the provincial governments along the way. Tell Li Hu that he would rather kill the wrong person than let anyone go. Anyone with a suspicious identity should be killed, and no one should be spared!"

Dai Quan was surprised: "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yongchang raised his hand and said, "I believe Li Hu will know how to handle things properly."

Dai Quan had nothing else to say, so he could only answer, "Yes."

Emperor Yongchang read the report again and said with a smile, "This Li Hu is really a lucky general. He first killed the leader of the White Lotus Sect's Shaanxi branch, and now he has captured the White Lotus Sect's Left Protector alive. With such great contributions, how should I reward him?"

Dai Quan didn't dare to say anything, but just looked at Emperor Yongchang with a smile on his face.

At this moment, the voice of the eunuch on duty came from the door: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here."

Emperor Yongchang seemed not to have heard clearly: "Who is coming?"

The chief eunuch: "Your Majesty, the prince is here."

"Nonsense!"

Emperor Yongchang frowned, "How did it come about?"

The chief eunuch: "Take the sedan chair."

Emperor Yongchang: "Bring it in."

The sedan chair was carried into the upper study room. This was unprecedented! The eunuch on duty was stunned.

Dai Quan said quickly, "He's deaf! If the emperor tells you to bring him in, then bring him in!"

The eunuch on duty replied with a "yes" and ran out of the hall like a flash.

Soon, a sedan chair for two people was carried into the study and placed in front of the imperial desk.

After the palace door was closed, Dai Quan stepped forward and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair.

The prince came out coughing.

Emperor Yongchang frowned and said in a somewhat unhappy tone, "Isn't it still two days before I can go out? Why don't you listen to the doctor's advice?!"

The prince said: "Your son pays his respects to the emperor." Then he knelt down to pay his respects.

Emperor Yongchang: "That's enough." He then said to Dai Quan, "Bring a chair for the prince."

Dai Quan quickly moved a chair and placed it next to the imperial desk, then helped the prince sit down.

At this time, Emperor Yongchang sat on the dragon throne again, looking at the prince, as if waiting for his explanation.

Dai Quan brought more hot tea and said softly, "Your Highness, have a sip of hot tea."

The prince smiled in response, took the tea, took a sip, put it down, and then spoke: "Father, Lin Ruhai's wife is dead."

Emperor Yongchang was stunned for a moment, "What did you say?!"

Prince: "Lin Ruhai's wife is dead."

Emperor Yongchang suddenly turned his gaze to Dai Quan.

The prince spoke again: "Li Hu wrote me a letter from Shaanxi, asking me to send someone to Yangzhou to investigate, so I can get the news first." Then he took out the letter from his sleeve and handed it to Dai Quan.

Dai Quan took the letter with both hands and presented it to Emperor Yongchang.

Emperor Yongchang took the letter and read it. After reading it, he asked Dai Quan, "What does that matter say?"

Dai Quan replied: "It was definitely an accident."

Emperor Yongchang turned his gaze to the Crown Prince again: "What about you?"

The prince: "Father, I found nothing."

Emperor Yongchang nodded.

Dai Quan let out a long sigh of relief without concealing anything.

The prince coughed and continued, "I have also thought about it carefully. This matter is very strange. How could a boat girl who has been sailing in Slender West Lake for nearly ten years make such a mistake? This is unreasonable.

The most important thing is the pleasure boat. Before the boat girl was escorted to the Yangzhou government office, her husband burned himself on the boat and destroyed it. He said, "He is willing to sacrifice his life and it has nothing to do with his wife." I think he was just trying to destroy the evidence. He did something with the pleasure boat."

Dai Quan spoke up: "There is no evidence!"

Prince: "The Yangzhou Salt Merchants Association not only held a funeral for them, but also bought real estate and land for their family and children. What do you mean by 'moved by their epic love'? I think they are the mastermind behind this!"

Dai Quan: “There is no evidence.”

The prince glanced at him and said to Emperor Yongchang: "The key point is that Li Hu was killed by the salt merchants." Then he took out Li Hu's letter from his arms.

Emperor Yongchang glanced at Dai Quan and motioned him to present it.

Dai Quan took the letter, walked back to Emperor Yongchang, and held it there.

For some reason, a hint of suspicion flashed in Emperor Yongchang's eyes, but his face was as calm as water. He took the letter and read it.

The prince had seen it, and he clenched his fists in his sleeves, thinking: It turns out that he doesn't really want Li Hu to become his disciple.

After reading the last page, Emperor Yongchang raised his head and thought silently. After thinking for a moment, he put the letter down and said, "This is just Li Hu's guess. Without evidence, the court will not take action against the salt merchants." The prince: "If you are put in prison, there will be all the evidence."

Emperor Yongchang frowned and was about to get angry.

The prince went on to say, "Whether it was an accident or not, the blame should be put on the salt merchants. The Yangzhou prefect's daughter died, the salt inspector's wife died, and the salt transport envoy's wife and daughter are still ill. If the palace does not give an explanation, it will chill the hearts of loyal officials. Who will dare to share the country's worries and be loyal to the royal family in the future!"

After hearing this, Emperor Yongchang was speechless for a long time.

After pondering for a long time, Emperor Yongchang turned his gaze to the crown prince again: "What do you think?"

Prince: "Kill three of the eight families and exile one."

Dai Quan was shocked. Is this still the gentle and elegant prince?
Emperor Yongchang's eyebrows moved slightly, "Because of Li Hu?"

The prince was surprisingly calm: "Yes."

Emperor Yongchang snorted and said, "For the sake of Li Hu, you want me to kill thousands of people and disregard the laws of the country. Where are your books? You have disappointed me so much!"

The prince suddenly felt an irritation that he couldn't even explain, and he shouted, "Father, I only have Li Hu as my helper!"

Emperor Yongchang was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened, "Are you blaming me?!"

The prince said: "My son doesn't dare."

"Don't dare? So you have complaints?" Emperor Yongchang still refused to give in.

The prince knelt down but did not answer.

"Reply!" Emperor Yongchang spat out two words from between his teeth.

The prince knelt upright and looked towards Emperor Yongchang: "This son does not desire the position of the crown prince. Whether to abolish or not is up to your father. This son has no complaints!"

"How dare you!" Emperor Yongchang grabbed the tea bowl on the imperial desk and smashed it to the ground!
Fragments flew and tea splashed everywhere!
Dai Quan was blinded and stood there with a look of panic on his face.

The prince: "I should have died long ago. One day more or less does not matter to me. But my child is innocent. Please, father, give him a chance to live!" As he spoke, big tears fell.

Emperor Yongchang's expression gradually changed from anger to calmness, and he was silent for a while: "With my care, you will be safe no matter what."

The prince laughed bitterly, "Uncle's son, the grass on the graves of my cousins ​​has grown a lot."

Emperor Yongchang stood up suddenly, his face changed suddenly, and he stared at the prince: "What did you say?!"

Seeing Emperor Yongchang's extremely ashamed and angry expression at this moment, Dai Quan's heart suddenly weighed on his shoulders, and he quickly shook his head at the prince.

The prince seemed to have no regard for the emperor's current state of mind, and continued, "I am not a son who dares to say that your father is wrong. You knew that my second brother wanted to seize the throne, but you still agreed to his unreasonable request. What exactly does your father want to do? Are you going to use me as a whetstone for the new crown prince?! If I don't die, will they also have a 'Xuanwu Gate Incident'?"

Emperor Yongchang slammed the imperial desk hard: "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He couldn't hold his breath and started coughing violently.

Dai Quan hurried over and patted the emperor's back.

Emperor Yongchang gasped: "You, you get out! Get out!"

The prince stood up and walked out without saying a word.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Dai Quan helped Emperor Yongchang sit down, and hurriedly stopped the prince, "The imperial physician said that you can't see the wind for the next few days."

Helping the prince into the sedan chair, Dai Quan shouted, "Someone come!"

The door opened and the chief eunuch on duty walked in with two eunuchs on duty.

Dai Quan: "Send the prince back. Then go to the Imperial Hospital to invite Li Yuanzheng."

After seeing off the crown prince, Dai Quan returned to the study and saw that Emperor Yongchang was still sitting on the dragon chair in a trance, so he brought a bowl of tea to him and said, "Your Majesty, please have a cup of hot tea."

Emperor Yongchang came back to his senses, took a sip of the tea, and sighed, "Tell me, did I do something wrong?"

How could Dai Quan dare to say anything?

Emperor Yongchang: "But he is not in good health. I have to consider the country and people of our ancestors!"

Looking at the two letters and military reports on the imperial desk, he closed his eyes and said, "Let's follow the prince's advice."

Dai Quan: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang: "Draft two decrees: First, Li Hu is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General of the Beijing Camp and is granted the title of Second Rank Earl. Second, the Crown Prince is concurrently in charge of the Ministry of Personnel."

Dai Quan: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang sighed deeply: "I am in a dilemma too! I just hope that the brothers will not kill each other for power."

He didn't know that the Second Prince's memorial impeaching Li Hu was on the way!
The Mid-Autumn Festival has not yet passed, but the autumn wind has already felt bleak. Many leaves on the big trees in the back garden of Daming Palace are falling down before they even turn yellow.

The emperor let the fallen leaves flutter all over his body, looked up at the distant sky, and murmured, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming again for three years!"

Xia Shouzhong hurried in and whispered, "The emperor and the prince had a quarrel, and the emperor even smashed a tea bowl."

There was a gleam in the emperor's eyes.

Xia Shouzhong: "Do we need to add more fuel to the fire?"

The Emperor: "No need. The seed has already taken root and sprouted." After saying that, he turned and left.

(End of this chapter)