How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

Xie Chengze quickly withdrew his hand, jumped up and sat up straight.

A hint of pity flashed across Wu Ji's eyes.

"Visiting the patient?"

Xie Chengze realized later that he had indeed taken sick leave.

Looking back at the time when he was sick, the original owner never refused anyone who came to him. Even when he was sick, he would meet with ministers and collect expensive gifts from them...

And this visiting gift is no different from a stepping stone. Whoever gives more is implying that he or she wants to support the second prince.

The formation of cliques and pursuit of personal gain also gradually started from here.

Xie Chengze was just about to lie down again when he caught a glimpse of the grape plate being extended to him again. He immediately got off the bed and walked towards the bedroom in his shoes.

He walked quickly while waving his hands, "No, no, send them all away. Tell them that I'm seriously ill and can't see anyone! Tell them to get out with their things!"

That hurried back figure looked like someone was fleeing in panic.

The guard could only obey the order and raised his hand to retreat.

Wu Ji licked the grape juice left on the knife and said to Wu Hen beside him, "Did you notice it?"

Wuhen nodded slightly.

"Your Highness ate the lychee on top."

"He used to hate it when people mentioned the word 'beautiful'. Last time I mentioned it, he beat me with 20 sticks."

Wuhen and Wuji spoke at the same time. After a moment, Wuji rolled his eyes and said, "Lychee, you only know lychee!"

However, what Wuhen said was indeed true. In the past, His Highness would deliberately overturn Wuhen's neatly stacked lychee towers, and then randomly choose one of them to eat. He would not obediently take the lychee on the top like he did just now.

No... or maybe it's been a long time since he...

"Your Highness, do you think..." Wu Ji's expression showed a little more expectation.

Wuhen raised his head and said in a cold voice, "Next time, can you use your sword to peel the grapes instead of my knife?"

Wu Ji chuckled and said, "No, I don't want to wash the sword."

Wuhen: ...

……

The guard returned to the entrance of Cheng Huan Palace and said to the ministers waiting there, "My Lords, His Highness has said that it is not convenient to see guests today. Please go back."

"Then as for the visiting gift..." The ministers couldn't help but hold out the gift boxes in their hands.

"Your Highness said that he does not accept gifts."

All the ministers looked at each other in surprise.

When the Second Prince was sick in the past, he would always accept the visiting gifts. Why is he not accepting them today?

Could it really be that the deadline is approaching and it is useless to accept it? !

"What should we do?" A minister holding a gift box asked anxiously, "Is the Second Prince really that ill?"

"It's hard to say. Maybe he's just in a bad mood?" another minister speculated.

"Hey? Censor Chen is here!" A minister was sharp-eyed. Seeing Censor Chen coming over with a food box, he couldn't help but greet him, "Censor Chen, what did you bring?"

Censor Chen never visits people to give gifts or make friends with factions, but he didn't expect that yesterday, after receiving a favor from the Second Prince, he would also give gifts in a conventional way.

"They are just some homemade side dishes. What are you doing piling them all here?" Censor Chen asked puzzledly.

Hearing that Censor Chen had only sent some side dishes, the other ministers felt bored and started gossiping, "The Second Prince doesn't see anyone and doesn't allow gifts. What's going on?"

Censor Chen didn't understand, but he just didn't accept gifts. What's so strange about that?

Since the Second Prince was not seeing anyone, Censor Chen planned to go home first and visit him again when the Second Prince was feeling better. However, just as he raised his foot, he saw a clerk from the Ministry of Revenue walking towards him.

"What are you all doing here?" The clerk from the Ministry of Revenue looked at everyone in confusion, holding in his hand the silver donation slip.

These ministers certainly would not carry much silver with them when they went to court, so what they wrote at the Ministry of Revenue yesterday were silver donation slips, and then the officials of the Ministry of Revenue took the silver donation slips to the ministers' homes to collect the money.

Some officials donated less money, so there was no need to collect money. The clerks had already gone there yesterday. Today, they went to the homes of ministers who donated more money. As for Cheng Huan Palace...

In fact, he came here yesterday, but was told that the money had not arrived yet and was asked to come again today.

But looking at the current situation...could it be that he is planning not to give the money again?

The clerk of the Ministry of Revenue could not help but said anxiously, "We can't get through this door? What about the donated silver? I came here yesterday and said I would come to get the money today."

"Ah? When you came yesterday, the Second Prince didn't give you any money?"

"Yes." The clerk of the Ministry of Revenue had a sad face. "It's only forty taels. I don't understand why the Second Prince insisted on dragging it out and asking you to come and get it today."

Now think about it, forty taels of silver is just a drop in the bucket for Chenghuan Palace, why would it take time to raise it?

Second Prince, it's obvious that you are not willing to pay even forty taels of silver!

"Really? You're not willing to pay forty taels? Then..." A minister couldn't help but look at Chen Yushi with a complicated look in his eyes, "Then you really gained a good reputation without losing money..."

Hearing this, Censor Chen's face looked a little unhappy.

He stepped forward and questioned the guard of Cheng Huan Palace, "What does your Second Prince mean? Since you are unwilling to pay, there is no need to play around with him. Although I am a low-ranking official with low influence, I cannot be played around with by others!"

"Your Excellency must have misunderstood..." The guard was just a gatekeeper and had no idea about this matter. Especially since the Second Prince looked very unhappy just now, he didn't dare to go in again and bring bad luck, so he said, "Why don't you come back tomorrow..."

"But this silver will be sent to Yizhou tonight..." The clerk in the Ministry of Revenue said with a sad face, "If we can't gather all the money, we can only, can only..."

Only the minor clerks like them could fill the gap.

But their monthly salary is even less than that of Censor Chen, forty taels, what can they use to make up for it? Their lives?

"Alas, Your Highness, this is too unkind. It's only forty taels."

"That's right. Your Majesty rewarded him with so many treasures, but in the end, he only took in and didn't give out..."

"You spoke so eloquently in the palace yesterday, but in the end you couldn't even spend this little money. Tsk tsk, I thought Your Highness had grown up..."

The ministers could not help chewing their tongues. Censor Chen became more and more angry as he listened. He stepped forward and said angrily, "Forget it! I'll pay for the forty taels! Just consider it a lesson for me to see through the Second Prince!"

"Tomorrow, the government will definitely criticize the Second Prince. He is really untrustworthy and unworthy of being a prince!"

"Come with me!" Censor Chen picked up the food box, pulled the clerk from the Ministry of Revenue and turned to leave. After just two steps, he heard someone shouting in front of him, "Hey, why are there so many people? Gentlemen, please make way, we are in a hurry!"

The ministers turned their heads and saw a dozen palace servants in eunuch uniforms walking hurriedly towards them, two of them carrying a mahogany box. The boxes seemed very heavy and the palace servants carrying the boxes looked very tired.

"Which palace does this person belong to?" a minister asked.

"It seems to be from Yufu Palace."

"Aren't those Concubine Rou's people? Why are they here and what are they carrying?"

"Oh, we finally made it!" After carrying the six boxes to the entrance of Chenghuan Palace, the eunuch of Yufu Palace urged the guards at the gate, "Go and tell the Second Prince that my family has brought the silver, the Yunduanjin and the Canghai Pearl. Please send them to Yufu Palace as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, the guards hurried into the hall and soon came out with the storehouse manager. The storehouse manager opened the mahogany box, and the ministers were surprised to find that it was full of silver!

Oh my god, what's going on?

"Come here, take an inventory." The warehouse manager looked calm and composed. After giving the order, the two eunuchs behind him stepped forward and said after a thorough inventory, "Manager, the numbers match. The total is three thousand taels of silver."

Three thousand taels?! That’s so much!

Why did Concubine Rou suddenly give the Second Prince so much money?

"Oh my, why are there so many people here! Make way, we are in a hurry!" The familiar lines sounded, and the ministers turned around and saw another group of people hurriedly carrying boxes. "Get out of the way, you are holding up Concubine Xi's things, you will be in trouble in the future!"

"Hurry up and tell His Majesty the Second Prince that I have brought enough silver. Concubine Xi also wants two pieces of cloud-forged brocade. She is willing to pay a higher price than Concubine Rou!"

"What?" When Concubine Rou heard this, she was immediately unhappy. This Yunduan Brocade is extremely rare and it may take several years to produce one piece. It can be said that it is in short supply. The only three pieces of Yunduan Brocade in the palace are all in Chenghuan Palace.

It was originally agreed that these three pieces of cloud-duan brocade would be sold to Concubine Rou.

But who would have thought that Concubine Xi would suddenly jump out and say that she wanted to raise the price, and she wanted two horses at once!

"Humph! I've known for a long time that you people in Chonghua Palace are not decent people. Clap!" The eunuch from Yufu Palace clapped his hands, and then saw a few more people coming out from behind the bushes, holding silver boxes and shouting, "The Queen has long told us to bring more silver and money, just to prevent you villains from blocking our way!"

"You are the villains. You are the daughter of a poor merchant, and you dare to buy out Yun Duan Jin? If you know what's best for you, hurry up..." The people in Chonghua Palace were embarrassed. Just when the two groups were about to quarrel, a third group suddenly appeared and said, "Make way. You dare to block the way of Concubine Da——?"

Ministers:?

Come again?

Not only did they come again, but they came again and again. There were more than a dozen beauties in the harem, and there were people coming from almost every palace. Those who had money came to pay, and those who had no money came to watch the fun so that they could go back and tell their masters about it.

The warehouse manager stood at the front, as if he had already become indifferent to life and death, and said calmly, "Everyone, there is no need to fight over it. The price and exchange amount we agreed on before are fixed and unchangeable. If Concubine Xi really wants the Cloud Forging Brocade, she can go to Yufu Palace and ask Concubine Rou for it."

He glanced at the palace maids calmly and said, "You are making trouble at the gate of my Cheng Huan Palace. If it disturbs His Highness's sick body and he takes back all the treasures in anger, it will be more trouble than gain."

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly quieted down and dared not make a sound.

Who doesn't know that the man in Cheng Huan Palace is moody? If he is really disturbed, then there will be no chance to get these rare treasures.

As people in the harem, they knew best how much Emperor Jian favored the lady in Chenghuan Palace. Anything related to Chenghuan Palace, such as a Canghai Pearl, could allow the Emperor to go to the concubine's palace and talk freely. When the conversation lasted until late at night, it went without saying where they would stay.

Therefore, this thing must be obtained.

Seeing that everyone had stopped talking, the warehouse manager looked at the crowd and asked, "Who is the official from the Ministry of Revenue?"

The clerk in the Ministry of Revenue was stunned for a moment when his name was suddenly called, and he quickly stepped out of the line, "It's me."

The warehouse manager looked at the clerk from the Ministry of Revenue and said calmly, "Go back to the Ministry of Revenue as soon as possible and send someone to take the silver away."

The clerk in the Ministry of Revenue was at a loss: "Ah?"

"This silver is donated by Your Highness to the disaster victims in Yizhou." The warehouse manager smiled slightly, with a meaningful look in his eyes, "Your Highness said that the Minister of Revenue will know where this silver should go."

The clerk of the Ministry of Revenue was stunned, but immediately understood the deep meaning, and raised his hand and said, "I understand! Your Highness is kind-hearted and sympathizes with the suffering of the people of Yizhou. He dragged his sick body to raise money for the people. He is truly a role model for all civil and military officials. We had a deep misunderstanding before, and we are really ashamed!"

The other ministers reacted and were also stunned. They echoed, "We are so ashamed! I didn't expect that the Second Prince is so wise and righteous!"

Censor Chen, who was standing by, stared blankly at all this. When he finally realized what was happening, his face suddenly turned red.

Did he actually misunderstand the Second Prince?

He deserves to die!

The storehouse manager waved his hand again, and a man behind him came forward with a silver tray. On it was thirty-nine taels, nine coins, and ninety-nine coins. He said calmly, "This is the donation that Your Highness promised to make."

The clerk from the Ministry of Revenue hurriedly took it, and the silver donation slip in his hand was taken away by the warehouse manager. The door of Chenghuan Palace was closed again, and all visitors were declined.

The ministers watched all this in a daze, until finally, the clerk from the Ministry of Revenue counted the boxes and said in a trembling voice, "A full ten thousand taels of silver!"

Who would have thought that the Second Prince, who had always been stingy and only took in money but never spent it... actually donated 10,000 taels of silver plus 39 taels, 9 coins and 99 coins to the victims of the disaster in Yizhou!

If this had happened in the past, it would have been simply a fantasy!

Second Prince, are you really——

Is the deadline approaching?

Suddenly, rumors in the palace arose again, like a strong wind.