Chapter 143 Self-destruction
The most important thing in fishing is patience, which Zhao Xing has in abundance.
For several days, he did not go to Kaifeng Prefecture, and did not even leave the East Palace.
But he has been paying attention to the situation in Kaifeng government office.
But the fish I caught this time seemed to be very smart. Not only did it not take the bait, it didn't even show any signs of getting close to the hook.
Although Zhao Xing was not lacking in patience, he knew that he could not keep waiting like this.
After thinking about it carefully, I seem to know where the problem lies.
The reason why the fish doesn't bite the hook is because it has some concerns.
And this concern is Sheng Hong.
Sheng Changbai was his study partner, and Sheng Hong's daughter was his future concubine.
In this case, how could the fish bite the hook?
If you want to catch fish, you must find a way to make the fish relax their vigilance.
But Zhao Xing couldn't wait too long. After thinking for a long time, Zhao Xing came up with a solution. He asked someone to call Yin Hanzhang and gave him some instructions.
After listening to this, Yin Hanzhang looked strange and asked, "Your Highness, do you really want to do this?"
"I asked you to do it, what are you afraid of?" Zhao Xing said indifferently.
"But what if Your Majesty finds out?" Yin Hanzhang asked worriedly.
"If the emperor investigates, I will naturally handle it. You won't lose your head," said Zhao Xing.
"Yes, I will do it then." Yin Hanzhang bowed.
"Go ahead." Zhao Xing waved his hand.
…………
That afternoon, a piece of news spread throughout Bian Jing.
After His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took over as the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, he only went to the Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen once and left shortly afterwards. Since then, he has not been to the Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen for several days.
The reason for this is that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is obsessed with women.
This news spread like wildfire, and the person Zhao Xing was obsessed with was Yu Xianggong's granddaughter.
It was no secret that Yu Yanran entered the Eastern Palace.
She was a concubine, so it wasn't like marrying a princess, where there had to be a grand ceremony.
But this matter was not known to everyone. Now that it has spread, everyone knows about it.
The rumor was quite detailed, saying that Mr. Yu's granddaughter was so beautiful that the Crown Prince was obsessed with her.
Some people even cite women like Daji of the Shang Dynasty, Baosi of the Zhou Dynasty, and Yang Yuhuan of the Tang Dynasty who brought disaster to the country and the people.
It was said that the eldest daughter of the Yu family seduced the Crown Prince and should be executed.
In short, all kinds of rumors are flying around.
The official was furious when he heard this, but he knew that this was not the case at all.
He was very angry about someone slandering the prince behind his back, and ordered people to investigate the matter thoroughly, and soon found out that it was Yin Hanzhang who was responsible.
When the emperor learned the news, he ordered someone to call Zhao Xing over.
"Father!" Zhao Xing saluted.
The official waved his hand and said, "All of you retreat!"
"Yes!"
The palace maids and eunuchs in the hall bowed and left.
"Did you let people spread the rumor that you are addicted to women?" the official frowned.
Zhao Xing asked him for Yin Hanzhang. Although the emperor could not remember Yin Hanzhang's name, Eunuch Liu did.
After finding out that it was Yin Hanzhang who spread the news, Eunuch Liu reminded the emperor when he reported it.
When the emperor heard this, he knew that this matter was related to Zhao Xing.
"I knew I couldn't hide it from my father." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
In fact, he had no intention of hiding it at all. The reason why his father was able to find Yin Hanzhang so quickly was because Zhao Xing told him not to be too secretive.
The reason I did this was because I wanted my father to find out.
Otherwise, if my father asks people to investigate, the fact that I had people set up an intelligence system might be exposed.
"What exactly do you want to do? Do you know what people are saying about you now?" said the official.
"People say that my son will be a tyrant when he succeeds to the throne in the future." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
"You're still laughing?" The official said coldly, "Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"Father, your son..." Zhao Xing repeated his plan.
After listening to this, the emperor pondered for a while and said, "Is it necessary to spend so much effort on such a small matter?" "It may be a small matter for your father, but it is not a small matter for me," said Zhao Xing.
"But what about your reputation?" the official frowned.
"Don't worry, father. Once this is over, I will naturally find a way to turn the situation around," said Zhao Xing.
"Forget it. You are grown up now. I can't make decisions for you on everything. You can handle it yourself." The emperor waved his hand.
"Then I will take my leave." Zhao Xing bowed and said.
…………
Soldiers from the Five Cities Army often patrolled the main streets of Bianjing City, so public security was quite good.
However, no matter how prosperous Bianjing was, there were still some relatively dilapidated places.
These places are inhabited by ordinary people, with dense populations and a mixed crowd.
There is such a place in the west of the city, not far from the outer city wall.
To use the words of later generations, it is the slum area of the urban village.
There are not only some ordinary houses here, but also some low-rent houses built by shops and housing services.
That’s right, there was already low-rent housing in the Song Dynasty.
The city of Bianliang had a large population, and in order to reduce housing pressure, the imperial court established an agency called Dianzhaiwu.
The store and house affairs department is responsible for the management, leasing and maintenance of the court’s public rental housing.
The public housing in the west of the city are all small single rooms, rented to the lowest class of people.
This kind of place is in chaos, even the people from the Five Cities Army would not come here to patrol.
The curfew system in Bianjing had been abolished long ago, and the night market would last until dawn the next day, so it could be considered a city that never sleeps.
However, this place where all kinds of people gather becomes quiet early every day.
Because the people living here are all from the lowest class of society, after a tiring day, they go to bed early when they get home.
At the hour of Hai, the place was completely quiet, with almost no lights on in any house.
That night, there was a half moon in the sky, providing a ray of light here.
Several furtive figures appeared and disappeared.
The reason for this description is that they can walk in dark places, and if there is no cover when they pass through some intersections, their figures will probably not be revealed.
From time to time, the barking of dogs was heard, and the figures immediately crouched down and did not move.
Then there was a burst of cursing from the room, but no one came out to check.
After a few times, these figures became much bolder and did not stop when they heard the dogs barking.
After an unknown amount of time, they found themselves near a dilapidated house, hid in an alley, exchanged a few words in a low voice, and then climbed into the house.
After a while, there were sounds of fighting in the house, but the fighting didn't last long and soon subsided.
Then the lights in the house came on, the door opened, and a figure ran out.
About half an hour later, the man who had gone out earlier came back with a team of yamen runners.
Not long after, the bailiffs took the four people away.
…………
Sheng Hong got up in the morning, washed up, went to Shou'an Hall to pay his respects to Old Madam Sheng, and then went back to Weiruixuan for breakfast.
Sheng Hong was in a very good mood during this period.
His son passed the imperial examination and was engaged to the eldest daughter of the Hai family.
He also got promoted.
On the way back to Weiruixuan, Sheng Hong was humming a little tune.
At this moment, a maid ran over in a hurry, bowed and said, "Master, the third son of the main house is here. He said he has something urgent to see you. He is waiting in the main hall."
"Changwu has something urgent to tell me?" Sheng Hong was startled when he heard that, but he quickly realized that it must be some instructions from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
He quickly changed his route and went to the main hall.
……
"Second uncle!"
Sheng Changwu, who was waiting in the main hall, saw Sheng Hong come in and quickly stood up and saluted.
Sheng Hong waved his hand and asked, "Changwu, what instructions does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have?"
"That's right. Last night a few thieves sneaked into a house in the west of the city and tried to commit a crime, but were caught by the owner. They are now being held in the jail in Kaifeng Prefecture. Your Highness asked your second uncle to ensure the safety of those people." Sheng Changwu said.
(End of this chapter)