Help! The innocent prince always tries to seduce me clumsily

This year's custom of going to Qingliang Mountain Villa to escape the summer heat was cancelled.

Firstly, it was because of the frequent droughts in the recent period, and secondly, the national treasury was not enough to support so many people to go there to escape the summer heat. It would cost money to go back and forth, and the national treasury was not abundant, so the summer escape tradition was simply cancelled.

Chu Shiyu ordered that all taxes from various provinces be counted and handed in. Chu Shitong guessed that it was almost time to send people to Jingzhou.

Today, because Chu Shitong had made great contributions in praying for rain, Chu Shiyu rewarded her with many good things. However, these were nothing to Chu Shitong, just some money. What she wanted was real power.

But Chu Shiyu held power very tightly, and almost every prince had no real power, except Chu Shihuan, who was on the battlefield all year round and had less than two thousand elite cavalrymen from the capital.

Chu Shifeng was also rewarded with a lot of things because he went with them and helped Chu Shitong complete the task.

The summer retreat at Qingliang Villa was cancelled, and something else had to be used as a replacement, otherwise the royal family would seem too poor.

Therefore, Chu Shiyu decided to hold the hunting competition that Qingliang Mountain Villa holds all year round at the hunting ground in the suburbs of Beijing three days later, which is July 18th.

That hunting competition was also the day when Princess Lily of the Valley chose her last husband.

During the half month that Chu Shitong was away, a reply came from the Western Regions.

The King of the Western Regions did not have any other requirements for this marriage. As long as the marriage was with a prince, the Western Regions would not consider marrying Princess Lily of the Valley with a minister at all.

This year's imperial examination is scheduled to be held on the Full Moon Festival on August 15th. After the examination, the palace examination will be held in November.

......

next court.

Chu Shitong was walking among the ministers, but before he could take a few steps, Wang Zexu caught up with him.

"Your Highness Prince Qi, please stay!"

Chu Shitong looked back and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the person coming was Wang Zexu.

"Is there something wrong, Eunuch Wang?"

Wang Zexu said politely: "His Majesty has asked you to go to the Imperial Study."

Chu Shitong nodded, "Then go."

Just after walking a few steps with Wang Zexu, he saw Chu Shifeng seeing him not far away.

Chu Shitong was deliberately avoiding him today.

"Little Seven!"

From a distance, he heard Chu Shifeng calling him.

The ministers who had just left the court were all around him. Chu Shitong would be embarrassed if he responded to this call, and would also be embarrassed if he didn't respond.

The rumors spread by Si Xunhuan have spread throughout the capital. It is estimated that these ministers all know about it to some extent. Fortunately, Zhang Yuanqing has not entered the court yet, otherwise he would have impeached me again.

Chu Shitong stood there awkwardly, watching Chu Shifeng walking towards him quickly.

When he got there, he saw Wang Zexu half blocking Chu Shitong. Chu Shifeng frowned slightly and said, "Eunuch Wang, what does the emperor want to see Xiaoqi about?"

His tone was not kind, but Wang Zexu stood in front of Chu Shitong without any fear, with a polite and courteous standard servant smile on his face. He lowered his head slightly, but there was no fear or flattery in his voice. He said: "Your Highness Prince Yu is right. His Majesty ordered me to summon His Highness Prince Qi to the imperial study immediately."

Chu Shitong was a little surprised. How could he not know how shrewd Wang Zexu was? He would definitely not confront Chu Shifeng directly just because he had found a job for his nephew.

After all, Wang Zexu, the chief eunuch, is, after all, just a slave with an official position.

Chu Shifeng didn't take Wang Zexu seriously at all, nor did he notice the change in his words. He said, "Then wait a moment. I have something to say to Xiao Qi."

He wanted to reach out to pull Chu Shitong, but Wang Zexu gently moved his body to block his hand.

Chu Shifeng was blocked by him and realized that something was wrong with Wang Zexu.

"What does this mean, Eunuch Wang? Are you trying to stop me from looking for Xiao Qi?"

Wang Zexu just kept on wearing a fake smile on his face and said, "I dare not, but it is because His Majesty summoned me urgently. If His Royal Highness Prince Yu really has something to say to His Royal Highness Prince Qi, please wait until His Royal Highness Prince Qi finishes the audience in the Imperial Study."

The expression on Chu Shifeng's face gradually turned cold, and was replaced by the murderous and sinister look that Chu Shitong had often seen in his previous life.

Chu Shitong was silent for a long time and finally spoke.

"Eunuch Wang, I think my brother must have something urgent to tell me. After all, my brother is here. Otherwise, I will listen to what he has to say first. After he finishes speaking, I will go to the imperial study to confess my guilt to my father."

If we allow the situation to continue to develop, it may be impossible to stop it completely.

It seemed that because Chu Shitong spoke, Wang Zexu no longer blocked her. He stood up and walked to the side. The smile on his face just now disappeared without a trace, as if he was helping Chu Shitong with kindness, but Chu Shitong did not appreciate it.

"Then your highness Prince Qi should hurry up."

Chu Shitong walked up to Chu Shifeng and pretended to be well-behaved and asked, "What's wrong, brother? Why don't we go talk to the side? There are too many people here."

Chu Shifeng put away his gloomy expression and said, "Okay."

The two walked to the edge, where there was no one around.

There was an awkward silence.

Chu Shifeng must have known about the rumors in the capital, and that was why Chu Shitong wanted to avoid suspicion temporarily.

Unexpectedly, Chu Shifeng came directly to me. Maybe that was what Chu Shifeng was thinking.

Chu Shitong asked first: "Brother Huang, what is the matter with you calling me?"

Chu Shifeng sneered for no reason and looked into Chu Shitong's eyes with a dark look in them.

"Why? I can't come to you if nothing happens, right?"

Chu Shitong's smile froze slightly, and he laughed dryly, "How could that be? It's just that my father sent me to the imperial study, and my brother stopped me halfway. I guess he had something important to say."

Chu Shifeng took a deep breath, and the expression on his face finally looked better.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask if you were free this afternoon. You walked towards me so quickly that I couldn't find you after looking for a long time."

"..."

Chu Shitong didn't expect that Chu Shifeng was still looking for him to play.

Because of this incident, he almost came into conflict with Wang Zexu.

Could it be that he didn't hear the rumors in the capital?

Thinking about Chu Shifeng's bad temper, he was not much better than Si Jingli. Could it be that the people around him didn't dare to tell him?

Chu Shitong asked tentatively, "My brother, when you returned home yesterday, did you hear any rumors in the capital?"

Chu Shifeng sneered and said, "Isn't it just that idiot Si Xunhuan who spread the rumor that you and I are gay? What's the big deal?"

Chu Shitong: “…”

Isn't that nothing?

When Chu Shitong came to court today, almost all the ministers she met did not dare to look her in the eye and lowered their heads with a guilty look on their faces.

Chu Shitong simply couldn't imagine how she had been arranged in a place unknown to her these days.

Chu Shifeng looked at Chu Shitong without saying anything, his eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a dangerous aura, and said, "Will Xiaoqi be provoked by this bitch's words and break up our brotherly relationship?"

Chu Shitong thought it was hard to judge, so he thought of a compromise and said tactfully, "Brother, the rumors may not be true, but today I saw that the civil and military officials have treated us differently. Why don't we reduce our interactions for the next few days so that the rumors will be dispelled. It will be the same when we play together in the future."

Chu Shifeng pondered for a moment, his eyes were as deep as the sea and as dark as the night sky.

After a while, he slowly spoke.

"If Xiao Qi feels that we should avoid suspicion, then listen to Xiao Qi and don't interact with each other for the time being. We can play together again after some time."

Chu Shitong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If Chu Shifeng didn't agree, Chu Shitong would go to Prince Yu's Mansion this afternoon, and Si Jingli would come to Prince Qi's Mansion in the evening and cry in grievance.

Chu Shifeng suddenly reached out and pressed Chu Shitong's shoulders. His force was so great that her thin figure shook.

Chu Shitong looked up in confusion, and happened to meet his ink-black eyes.

Chu Shifeng's handsome face was covered with a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes. His voice was cold and brisk as he said, "Xiao Qi wouldn't run off to get close to Big Brother just because you haven't played together for a while, right?"

Chu Shitong smiled slightly and said, "Of course not."

"Xiao Qi's words are enough."

Chu Shifeng patted Chu Shitong on the shoulder, turned around and left gracefully.

"I'll take my leave now, Xiaoqi, go find Father."

Finally, this big Buddha has been sent away.

Chu Shitong pretended to say, "My Royal Brother, take care."

Chu Shifeng waved his hand and walked towards the palace without looking back.

Although she was dressed in luxurious brocade and cool tourmaline, her back as she left alone seemed a little depressed and lonely as the wind blew her away.

Chu Shitong withdrew his gaze and hurried to the imperial study.

......

Royal study room.

Chu Shitong entered the hall and paid his respects as usual.

Just now outside the door, Wang Zexu secretly reminded Chu Shitong of the general reason why he was summoned.

It seems that it was because of the rumors in the capital.

"My son, I will meet my father."

"Get up."

Chu Shiyu's voice seemed to be filled with suppressed anger, like a sky covered with dark clouds, just waiting for a thunderous explosion, so that lightning would instantly flash across the entire sky.

Chu Shitong raised his eyes and took a peek. It seemed that Chu Shiyu was not angry about him. He frowned and looked at the memorial in his hand. That should be the real reason why Chu Shiyu was angry.

However, Chu Shitong would not rush to ask. Instead, as usual, if Chu Shiyu didn't speak, she would also keep silent.

I don't know how long I stood like this. Chu Shiyu sighed, put down the memorial in his hand, closed his eyes and rubbed his eyebrows.

Chu Shitong guessed that the document should be the tax report.

The annual tax revenue has long been recorded, and it will only take a while for it to be sent to the palace. It has been more than half an hour since Chu Shiyu issued the decree, so it is only natural that the report has been delivered.

Wang Zexu entered the hall, lit a stick of incense to calm the mind, and poured a cup of herbal tea to clear the mind and reduce internal heat.

Chu Shiyu casually picked up the teacup and took a sip. His brows furrowed again. The anger that had just subsided with great difficulty surged up again, more fiercely than before.

He scolded, "Didn't I tell the palace to save money and not use ice this summer?"

Wang Zexu immediately knelt down and spoke respectfully but without any panic.

"Your Majesty, calm down. This ice was sent to the imperial kitchen by His Royal Highness Prince Qi today. He said that the weather has been hot lately and the government has been very busy, so he wanted to send some ice to the palace to make some iced herbal tea for you to cool down your internal heat."

Chu Shiyu then looked up at Chu Shitong.

Thinking that Chu Shitong had been standing there without saying anything for a long time, Chu Shiyu finally spoke.

"Xiao Qi, the Qi Palace is the most financially strapped among the other palaces. Why did you send all this in?"

Perhaps it was because of the little bit of father-son relationship that remained, the words finally calmed down a lot, but they still contained some subtle blame.

Chu Shitong said, "Father, don't worry. I have made friends with a businessman who can produce large quantities of ice in the hot summer. The price is much cheaper than the ice used in the palace in previous years, and the amount of ice produced is very substantial, and the quality is also much better than other ice."

Chu Shiyu was slightly surprised and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course it's true." Chu Shitong said, "Otherwise, I wouldn't want to recommend this person as the new supplier of ice for the palace."

Chu Shiyu glanced at the ice in the teacup and found that it was indeed much more crystal clear than the ice used in the palace before.

His expression changed slightly, he put down the teacup and said in a deep voice.

"What's the price of ice for this merchant you mentioned?"

Chu Shitong lowered his head, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"The price of ice is one of the hundredth of the ice used by the emperor in previous years. Moreover, the merchant uses mountain spring water to make ice, so the delivery is very fast. Your Majesty does not need to wait for the ice messenger to deliver ice from the frosty land."

When Chu Shitong said this, Chu Shiyu was instantly shocked!

"Are you serious? One in a hundred? That merchant can actually make ice?"

Chu Shiyu asked questions again and again, and Chu Shitong answered them one by one. However, Chu Shitong avoided answering all the questions that really concerned the technical level.

In previous years, ice was delivered by the box. Basically, except for Chu Shiyu who had ice supply all year round, the empress and other concubines only used a few pieces.

Concubine Li could still use some occasionally because her mother's family was wealthy.

The ice that Chu Shiyu had here was not yet good enough to be used at will.

Generally speaking, a carriage can only carry one box of ice, and this box of ice was delivered from Lingren thousands of miles away. Even if it was sprinkled with several layers of salt and wrapped thickly, only half of it could be retained.

"Lingren" is a profession whose job is to organize manpower to collect ice in the cold winter, store it in cellars, and sell it in the summer of the following year, or collect ice in cold winter places and deliver it from thousands of miles away.

Originally, the price of this box of ice was about thirty taels of silver, because it originally consumed a lot of cost and manpower.

But the ice recommended by Chu Shitong, the same box, if full, only costs three hundred coins!

If Chu Shitong hadn't explained it so clearly, Chu Shiyu would have really thought he had heard it wrong.

"If your Majesty agrees, I am willing to act as a middleman. I think the merchant will not refuse."

"I naturally agree to such a good thing."

Chu Shiyu said: "Don't wait a few days, just these two days, before the hunting competition."

Because the summer vacation in Qingliang Mountain Villa was cancelled and this summer is particularly hot, it is inevitable that it has caused a lot of discussion among the people. Now there is a supply of cheap, large quantities and good quality ice. The money for one box of ice before can now buy a hundred boxes. It seems that the entire palace, including all the royal palaces, can use ice.

And Chu Shitong would naturally not lose money. Since the discovery of saltpeter, Chu Shitong has built a large cellar every year to make and store ice. The raw material of ice is nothing but water, and there is plenty of water, so no money is needed. A rich mine of saltpeter has also been discovered, and it is likely that it will take decades to use it up. Chu Shitong lowered the price just to try to monopolize the entire ice business in the capital.