Chapter 39 Uncle, I was wrong
Jiang Qingzhi thought about it for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what he had done to cause the country's destiny to explode.
Then don’t think about it.
He looked at the rotating cauldron expectantly.
Brother Ding!
Uncle Ding!
What reward will be given this time?
Da Ding slows down
I'm coming!
Mr. Jiang rubbed his hands.
Something suddenly appeared in the void.
Jiang Qingzhi's eyes widened.
"Master Ding! Is this the reward?"
A courier bag fell in front of Jiang Qingzhi.
"Isn't this too fake?"
There was a note on the bag.
——Company X.
Which company did Mr. Ding get this from?
Jiang Qingzhi turned over.
blank.
Tear open the bag.
There is a sealed bag inside, open it.
"Isn't this just chili seeds?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the familiar thing and almost drooled all over the floor.
Just as he was happy, a cat's meow was heard in the study.
Pfft!
A fat cat landed on Jiang Qingzhi's desk.
With orange fur, it looks majestic.
"Uncle Ding...it's not a double yolk egg, is it?"
Can this living creature be a prize?
It would be nice to give you a dog!
At least I can look after the house.
Jiang Qingzhi was confused.
"Meow!"
The cat is not big, but still has the cuteness of a kitten. There is an M-shaped pattern on its forehead.
Isn’t this the most important thing?
When Jiang Qingzhi saw the dust on the cat, he realized that it was not Uncle Ding’s prize.
"Meow!"
The orange cat climbed onto Jiang Qingzhi's shoulder, moved its body, and licked its paws with its tongue. Surprisingly...
"Sleep?"
Jiang Qingzhi likes to keep dogs, not cats.
Rumor has it that orange cats are obese and are foodies. They are likely to be clingy and even scratch people.
Outside, Sun Chonglou asked in confusion: "Why do I hear a cat meowing?"
The door opens.
Jiang Qingzhi came out.
"Master." Sun Chonglou pointed at the orange cat on his shoulder, "Where did this cat come from?"
"I picked it up." Jiang Qingzhi was still confused.
"Sir, Prince Yu is here." The servant reported with his head lowered. It seemed that his loyalty had increased by at least 50% compared to when he first came to the Jiang family.
Who has ever seen the prince visit the ministers’ house frequently?
Only our Jiang family.
The servants and people were whispering to each other, feeling proud.
Zhu Zaigui brought bad news.
"The murderer who killed Wang Su has been killed, uncle, I..."
"Don't feel guilty." I was the one who killed him... Jiang Qingzhi patted his shoulder.
"what!"
Zhu Zaihui saw the orange cat on his shoulder and asked, "Does your cousin have a cat too?"
Dao Ye himself is a cat lover. His favorite cat is called Shuangmei, and he takes her wherever he goes.
"I found it." Jiang Qingzhi tilted his head to look, and the orange cat was still sleeping soundly on his shoulder. He reached out and rubbed the orange cat's head, and the orange cat stretched out its paw and waved it, a little impatient.
"It's more interesting than father's frosty eyebrows." Zhu Zaigui said.
"You are now bold enough to tease His Majesty's pet cat."
"Earlier, my father sent someone to ask me if I would like to keep a cat."
"Oh!"
This is a good thing.
"You didn't want it?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"Yes! I'm worried that my father will be sad if he dies."
"That's a good reason."
"I just said yes!"
"I will tell His Majesty later and have him beat you to death for being such an unfilial son."
"Young Master." The servant came again, looking excited and weird.
Jiang Qingzhi said dissatisfiedly: "Who is here? It's worth it for you to look constipated."
The servant glanced at Zhu Zaigui and said, "It's His Royal Highness Prince Jing."
Jiang Qingzhi was stunned, "Did you two brothers make this appointment?"
Prince Yu shook his head, with some confusion and fear in his eyes.
A half-grown child came in, bowed, and smiled happily, "Zhu Zaizhen greets his uncle."
Zhu Zaizhen glanced at his uncle: he was dressed in plain clothes, his hair was not in a fashionable style, and he looked handsome... but only slightly inferior to me. There was a fat cat on his shoulder.
Isn’t this just a country boy… just a country relative?
Mother!
You made me go to see him with such a big fuss, it's a joke.
"King Jing!" Jiang Qingzhi felt that the atmosphere was not right, as if he was in a ring.
"Third brother is here too?" King Jing said with a smile, "My cousin has been in the capital for a long time. I have long wanted to come and ask about him, but the teachers kept me studying, so I can only leave the palace today."
Ha ha!
As for the children of the imperial family, even if they were five or six years old, Jiang Qingzhi still felt that they were no different from fucking foxes.
"Someone is coming."
King Jing waved his hand, and more than ten servants came over carrying loads.
"I know my cousin has been in Suzhou. The food in the south is said to be exquisite, but the capital is the place where the best food is gathered. Today, I asked my father to prepare some food from the palace. I hope my cousin will not dislike it."
Delicious dishes were delivered one after another.
Zhu Zaigui said woodenly: "Did the fourth brother plunder the palace?"
Zhu Zaizhen smiled reservedly, "As soon as I mentioned my cousin, my father sent someone to tell him to take it."
Jiang Qingzhi sensed the tension and took them to the front hall.
"What do you think about the commercial tax issue, cousin?" Zhu Zaizhen asked with a sharp gaze and went straight to the point.
He was indeed a favored prince, and his demeanor really overwhelmed Zhu Zaigui.
"What do you think?" But Jiang Qingzhi was not a man of his time, so he returned the favor. Zhu Zaizhen was startled.
If he expresses his support for increasing commercial taxes, he will become the enemy of the literati. Let alone fighting for the throne, it would be good enough if he can successfully become a fiefdom.
But if you don't support it, it would be a betrayal of Emperor Jiajing.
King Jing looked at Jiang Qingzhi and suddenly laughed, "Hahahaha!"
"You little brat, you're trying to play tricks on me." Jiang Qingzhi took out the medicinal cigarette.
King Jing stopped laughing, walked over, and took the initiative to light the incense for Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Zhu Zaigui and thought, if you had the foresight of Prince Jing, why would you be disliked by Emperor Jiajing?
Zhu Zaigui gave a wry smile.
King Jing returned to his seat and looked at his followers, "Get out."
The attendant glanced at Sun Chonglou, and King Jing cursed: "This is my cousin's house. Can my cousin harm me? Get lost!"
Tsk!
There was a sense of intimacy in these words.
Jiang Qingzhi felt like he was Emperor Jiajing and would also have a headache dealing with these sons.
After the entourage left, King Jing bowed and said, "Father is very angry. Although I am incompetent, I also want to share his worries. But I don't have much experience, so I would like to ask my uncle for advice."
Zhu Zai's eyes lit up, "Uncle..."
King Jing was just pretending and was looking for an opportunity to get close to him.
But Zhu Zaigui asked for advice sincerely.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said nothing.
King Jing gritted his teeth and said, "If commercial taxes are not increased, the Ming Dynasty will perish."
This kid is smart!
Once the words are spoken, it becomes a token of allegiance.
If he goes out and says that Jiang Qingzhi supports tax increases, he would be slapping himself in the face and would be despised by others.
What else does a prince with a bad reputation want to fight for?
Zhu Zaigui realized later, "If commercial taxes are not increased, the Ming Dynasty will be difficult to continue. I want to support my father, but... all the gentlemen are against it, saying that this is competing with the people for profit."
"That's right." King Jing said angrily, "But it is indeed competing with the people for profit."
The two half-grown children looked at Jiang Qingzhi.
One wanted to please his uncle, and the other knew that his uncle was very knowledgeable and just wanted to ask for his advice.
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the ash. This time Zhu Zaigui reacted quickly and handed him the ceramic ashtray. Jiang Qingzhi shook off the ash and asked, "What is the people?"
"Aren't they just the people?" King Jing said.
"Who destroyed the Former Han Dynasty?"
"Eunuchs and aristocratic families." King Jing said calmly, but he could not hide his pride.
"Superficiality is fun!" Jiang Qingzhi suddenly sneered, "Without the Yellow Turban Rebellion, how could the Former Han Dynasty suddenly collapse?"
It was the Yellow Turban Rebellion that swept across the Han Dynasty that dragged down this old empire and gave those ambitious people the opportunity.
"What my cousin meant." King Jing's face turned slightly red after being ridiculed. Although he was smart, he was not as foresighted as the petty warlords of later generations.
"The people you are talking about are those scholars and officials, those powerful and wealthy people?"
"Yes."
What King Jing said was natural.
"So, what are the people?"
King Jing glanced at his uncle and suddenly realized, "Uncle, you mean, the people are the common people?"
"Who feeds you and the world by farming?"
"Farmers."
"Who joined the army to protect the Ming Dynasty?"
"Farmers, common people."
"Who built the city, who constructed the roads, who made the tools, who... is supporting this world?"
"It's... Li Shu."
King Jing was puzzled. "Isn't it normal for the four classes of people to each perform their duties?"
"It should be your sister!"
Jiang Qingzhi was furious.
"I don't have a sister." King Jing was stunned, and felt that his uncle's anger came out of nowhere.
"Fuck off!"
Prince Jing said goodbye awkwardly, and Zhu Zaigui suddenly laughed behind him.
"You get out too!"
Jiang Qingzhi suddenly felt that both princes were an eyesore.
King Jing returned to the palace to see his mother.
"Why do you look so depressed?"
Concubine Lu Jing asked.
"I wanted to get close to my uncle, so I mentioned the business tax issue, but my uncle..."
"What did you say?"
King Jing was still a child after all, and he showed some of his nature in front of his mother. He said aggrievedly: "My cousin said that the people are the common people. But the gentlemen said that the people are the scholars and officials, and the gentry."
"What did you say?" asked Concubine Lu.
"I said that each of the four classes of people has his own duties, and this is natural."
King Jing said in shame and anger, "Mother, my cousin told me to get out."
"Who is your father's opponent?" asked Concubine Lu Jingfei.
King Jing was startled, "Isn't he a foreign race from the grassland?"
He noticed that his mother's face was livid, and his mind suddenly turned around, and he suddenly realized, "It's the minister."
"You are competing with the people for profit. The so-called people are the scholars and officials, the gentry, and the enemies of your father. You are such a fool, but you are arguing with your uncle on this. Get out!"
King Jing suddenly realized his mistake, smiled bitterly and bowed, "Mother, my cousin is angry now. Otherwise, I will keep my distance from him in the future."
"Do you think it doesn't matter if you distance yourself from him?" asked Concubine Lu Jingfei.
"My cousin looks mediocre. In terms of talent, I don't lack people with his talent. In terms of favor, a word from my mother in the harem is ten times or a hundred times more effective than my cousin. Why should I bother to see his cold face?"
Concubine Lu was about to throw the teacup at him, and King Jing was surprised, "Mother, am I wrong?"
"Is your father more affectionate to Jiang Qingzhi than the crown prince?"
"Not even close." After all, he was his biological son, and the crown prince.
"Then you can count the number of times your father has summoned Jiang Qingzhi recently, and also the number of times your father has sent people to inquire with the crown prince."
King Jing was stunned.
"Don't count it." Concubine Lu Jing sighed, "Recently, your father summoned Jiang Qingzhi nine times and asked people to question the prince six times. Why do you think this is?"
"Could it be..."
"Of course there is affection between cousins, but more importantly, Jiang Qingzhi is talented. Your father is extremely smart, but he thinks so highly of this young man.
"He's such a great talent, but you say he's mediocre. I tried my best to get you close to him. But you want to distance yourself from him. You, you want to piss me off to death?"
Concubine Lu Jing looked gloomy.
At this time, someone came in to report.
"The prince sent someone to deliver gifts to the Jiang family."
King Jing's expression changed, and he turned around and asked, "Which Jiang family is it?"
He still had a little bit of hope in his heart.
I hope it’s another Jiang family.
The person who came said, "The Jiang family in Mingyufang."
(End of this chapter)
