Because the Dingbei Hou Mansion was surrounded and the neighbors' houses were closed, the whole alley looked a bit solemn.
The concierge answered the door and was stunned when he saw Li Shao getting off the carriage.
"Why are you here, Your Highness?"
"I came as soon as I thought about it. Is grandpa in the mansion?" Li Shao responded casually, but his eyes couldn't help but glance to the side of Dingbei Hou's mansion.
The circumstances of the case were unclear, and the orders from above were to "treat them kindly." The guards were relatively relaxed and did not feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Someone with sharp eyes saw Li Shao and quickly saluted and said hello from a distance.
The concierge followed Li Shao's gaze and replied, "My uncle and uncle are not here. The old lady is in the inner courtyard."
Li Shao just acted on a whim. His grandfather and uncle were not in the house, so he didn't care much.
After entering the door, he asked again: "What's going on next door in the past two days?"
The concierge said: "Yesterday, the guard office came to search, and Dingbeihou Mansion was very cooperative. I thought it was just a matter of course, but I didn't know that something deadly was actually found.
The Ji family insisted that they had no knowledge and were being framed, so Commander Wan returned to the palace without much trouble.
After that, they surrounded the house, but they were not noisy inside or outside, and they were very restrained."
No matter how restrained you are, after all, such a big thing is weighing on your head.
The neighbors were anxious when they saw it, let alone the people of Dingbei Hou Mansion.
When the porter said this, he didn't hold his tongue and sighed: "Dingbei Hou still brought his children and grandchildren to fight against the enemy in Yumen, but something like this happened in Beijing. The person who framed him is really hateful!"
Li Shao raised his eyes and looked at him: "How do you conclude that it is a frame-up?"
The concierge was stunned.
Knowing that he had made a mistake, he really couldn't figure out the temper of His Highness, so he could only lower his head and say nothing.
Li Shao didn't bother to argue with the concierge and strode towards the inner courtyard.
When they arrived outside the old lady's courtyard, Xia Qinglue, who had received the news, had already come out to greet her.
Xia Qing slightly saluted and called "Your Highness".
Li Shao nodded slightly in return.
In the room, the old lady also got up and walked to the door. She asked Li Shao with a kind smile: "Your Highness should send someone over earlier, so that I can ask the kitchen to prepare more of your favorite dishes."
"It came as soon as I thought about it," Li Shao stepped forward to help him, "Grandma knows what I like to eat?"
"Why don't you know?" The old lady smiled and said a few dishes.
Li Shao raised his eyebrows.
Almost all of them are ones he loved to eat when he was a child, but have eaten less in the past two years.
But we can't blame the old lady for not remembering that when he was a child, he would come once a month. As he grew older, he came less and less.
In recent years, I have even shown up during festivals, greeted and then left, without ever sitting down to have a meal.
Who is to blame for this?
After thinking about it, Li Shao still had to blame his grandfather and his uncle who inherited the title.
Without relying on his status as the father-in-law and uncle of the country while walking around, he would not be able to think of anything to fight for for Li Shao.
If they had Liu Xueshi and Gu Heng devoted themselves to his grandson, Li Shao would not be the deposed prince today.
Li Shao took a deep breath.
He wanted to have a good talk with the two of them.
It makes no sense for other people's grandparents to charge forward and rack their brains, while his grandfather's family retreats.
Especially my eldest uncle. This morning, my uncle saw what Xuexianshi Liu was doing in the morning. In the end, he just didn't learn from it. It was no different from not seeing it.
After taking two more steps inside, Li Shao noticed that there was another person standing next to the floor covering.
That was Xia Qingzhi.
Xia Qinglue did five things at home, and Xia Qingzhi did three things at home.
"I'm here to take a look at the situation next door," Li Shao said as he walked in with the old lady, "I'm here to take a look at you too."
"Your Majesty, I'd like to thank you for your concern," the old lady responded, but she never mentioned the neighbor next door.
Xia Qingzhi was not as restrained as the old lady, and asked directly: "Your Highness, how does the Holy One view the matter of Dingbeihou?"
"Qingzhi!" The old lady looked at him angrily, and then said to Li Shao, "It's rare for His Highness to come here and not talk about the court affairs."
Xia Qingzhi turned his head gloomily.
Seeing that Xia Qinglue remained silent, he added: "You and Duke Fu are as familiar as brothers wearing a pair of trousers, so you don't care?"
Xia Qing briefly looked at the disapproving old lady, then looked at Li Shao, and Xia Qing knew: "The one under investigation is the Dingbei Hou Mansion, not the Fuguo Duke Mansion."
Li Shao laughed.
Yes.
He had forgotten that there was such a thing.
Obviously they were cousins of similar age, but Xia Qinglue didn't know why he didn't have any friendship with him, but he was very familiar with Xu Jian.
In terms of not taking the right path, Xia Qinglue actually did not make too many concessions.
His mind was not on studying at all, and he loved to watch the excitement of various houses all day long. His father often called him to the imperial study room just to listen to him tell fun stories.
Xia Qingluo knew a lot about the news about the family affairs in the east and west of the capital.
He's such a lover of theater, but he doesn't want to mention the Beihou Mansion anymore?
Strange!
Xia Qinglue didn't want to say anything, but Li Shao wanted to ask.
"If my father didn't trust Marquis Dingbei at all, he wouldn't have surrounded the mansion politely today," Li Shao said. "But I don't dare to believe it blindly. After all, Li Du is involved. I also want to find out the situation as soon as possible, otherwise
Whether it’s Beijing or Yumen, it’s very worrying.”
The old lady laughed: "That's the reason. The specific internal situation will be investigated by responsible officials..."
Now I want to bring the topic back, but Li Shao is not one to give up halfway.
He briefly talked to Xia Qing: "Why is it none of Xu Jian's business? Xu Jian is under the command of Dingbeihou. If Dingbeihou has an affair with Li Du and lets Xu Jian do dangerous things, what will happen?"
"How could His Highness think so?" Xia Qinglue had no choice but to throw the words back.
"Xu Jian is your best friend, and he was also the one who helped me. I hope everything goes well for him." Li Shao nodded slightly when he said this.
When talking about positions and closeness, Li Shao believed that he was speaking the truth.
Xu Jian's accident would not do him any good. On the contrary, Xu Jian's return alive would be his help.
He was really concerned about Xu Jian's condition and spoke more and more confidently: "Li Du hates Xu Jian. Dingbeihou didn't say anything about letting Xu Jian be involved in danger. He can also assign some difficult things to Xu Jian. At that time, he will not get any credit, but he will still have a lot of sins."
...Grandma, do you think I can stop worrying about the situation in Dingbeihou Mansion next door?"
"It is reasonable for His Highness to be concerned about the condition of Duke Fu," the old lady thought for a moment and said, "We have been neighbors with the Dingbei Marquis Mansion for so many years and have had many contacts over the decades. Knowing their character, the Ji family should not be Li Du.
people.
I also know that I don’t know people’s faces but don’t know their hearts, and I don’t dare to say for sure what to do.
But I think the imperial court can determine the result after conducting an investigation."
Li Shao didn't expect to find out any secrets about the next door from his grandmother, he was just very upset.
Since Enrongbo's Mansion and Dingbeihou's Mansion are close, why don't Dingbeihou help Li Shao?
oh.
Neither does Enrongbo Mansion.
This is the point that bothers Li Shao the most.
He was simmering with anger in his heart and his face became darker. He briefly said a few words about home affairs. Knowing that neither the old uncle nor Enrong uncle came back to the house for dinner, Li Shao simply stood up and left.
The old lady kept him, but if she couldn't keep him, let it go.
The two brothers Xia Qinglue sent him out all the way.
Along the way, Li Shao listened to Xia Qingzhi talking about this and that. Xia Qinglue wanted to interrupt several times, but the two people ignored him.
When he walked to the door of the mansion, Li Shao finally saw it.
Xia Qingzhi was also full of complaints.
Li Shao didn't want to talk to Xia Qing slightly more, but Xia Qingzhi was quite pleased with him, and even asked him to have a drink with him next time.
After sending Li Shao away, Xia Qinglue and Xia Qing knew: "Your Highness Jingui, if you want to have a drink, you should come to your house and forget about it outside, so as not to cause trouble."
Xia Qingzhi frowned and said: "You also said that Your Highness Jingui has the final say where he chooses to have a drink. I won't go to any weird place with Your Highness. It's worth having a drink in a serious restaurant."
Are you so careful? Don’t you go out to eat less often?”
Not enough words to speculate.
But those who are speculative can talk about it together.
The next day, Li Shao invited Xia Qingzhi to dinner. At noon, he booked a private room in a small restaurant not far from Qianbu Corridor.
Since he was from the Xia family and didn't drink wine, Eunuch Gao couldn't say anything.
The two of them talked a lot about a few side dishes.
Unlike his cousin Qinglue, Xia Qingzhi was studying the Eight Classics of Zheng'er, and his studies were not outstanding, but he could be said to be quite satisfactory.
But his path to education was not smooth.
His family did not arrange for him to be admitted to the Imperial Academy. The academy was not bad, but there were many talents. He, a student with only one head of family background, did not stand out among his teachers and classmates.
"I also know that our Enrong family has received favor from the emperor, and the queen has left early, so we need to be more restrained and prudent in our actions," Xia Qing knew, "but I occasionally think that my grandfather and the others are too restrained."
Although he is the father of Dashun, the Xia family stays away from the government.
Enrong Bo went to court and did not participate in other political affairs. He only had the word "Qinggui" carved on his face.
Xia Qingzhi never thought about asking his family to put so much thought into him, but not only did he not care, but he also showed humility, which was really aggrieved.
After quietly glancing at Chamberlain Gao, Xia Qingzhi lowered his voice and said to Li Shao: "I shouldn't say something, I quite envy that boy Liu Xun.
He was obviously an empty-headed idiot, but his father had worried about him a lot when he was in office, wishing he could arrange everything for him inside and out.
That is to say, Liu Xun couldn't figure it out himself, so he took advantage of others and caused His Highness to suffer..."
Li Shao laughed.
This is indeed a true statement.
Liu Jing did his best to raise his son. Of course, he raised a son he recognized.
Speaking of which, Liu Xun is in exile, and he doesn't know whether he is alive or dead.
After lunch, Li Shao was dissatisfied with the alienation from his grandfather's family, and Xia Qingzhi had some thoughts about his grandfather and uncle's aloofness. The two of them thought of going together, which could be regarded as a "hit".
In the next few days, we often met for dinner and drinks.
The high chamberlain privately sought out Eunuch Cao: "I shouldn't be worried about the Enrong family, but I feel that Young Master Xia's words are not very appropriate..."
Eunuch Cao knew it well and reported it to His Majesty.
The Holy Master sighed: "Xu Jian is not in the capital, and Shaoer has never had any good friends."
After all, he is a nephew from the Xia family. The Holy Emperor will not say that Li Shao is not allowed to interact with relatives from his maternal grandfather's family, so he said: "Tell Qing Lue and ask him to join in. Qing Lue will follow. I am relieved."
The other side.
Lin Yunyan's carriage entered Uncle Chengyi's mansion.
When Xiao Duan saw her, she hurriedly said: "It's so hot, be careful not to get heatstroke."
"I made some cold cakes at my house and kept them chilled along the way. I sent them to my family to try," Lin Yunyan said with a smile, "I will also send some to Uncle Enrong's house later."
As soon as he heard this, Xiao Duan wanted to call for help.
Lin Yunyan stopped her: "I'll go by myself."
"It's so hot..." Mrs. Duan disagreed, but when Lin Yunyan insisted, she had no choice but to let her go.
Yun Yan has always had her own opinion.
Maybe a trip to the next door is not just to deliver cold cakes.
In fact, Lin Yunyan did visit the Xia family on business.
The capital is facing a storm due to the BRIC case in Dingbeihou Mansion, but it is Li Shao who Lin Yunyan needs to be more alert to.
According to the information obtained by Shen Chen, it may be that without Xu Jian to supervise and supervise the government, Li Shao seems to have grown up in recent days.
And since Li Du still has the power to frame others in the capital, he can't ignore Li Shao's "no distinction between friend and foe" and blow up a big firecracker at a moment's notice.
But now, it's not so easy to put people around Li Shao.
The way for eunuchs, chamberlains, and bodyguards was blocked by Eunuch Cao.
If it weren't for his incompetence, Eunuch Cao would have wished he could have followed Li Shao at twelve o'clock every day.
Therefore, the person who has become close to Li Shao in recent days is Xia Qingzhi of Enrongbo Mansion.
Lin Yunyan knew something about Xia Qingzhi.
Xia Qingzhi is the nephew of Uncle Enrong. His father is the second son of the old uncle. He is married to an official woman. In addition to Xia Qingzhi, there is also a daughter who has left the court.
The Xia family's incense is not prosperous, but it is not sparse either.
Among the Qing generation, Xia Qingzhi, who was ranked in the middle, was neither above nor below. The family valued him less than the eldest grandson and did not favor him as much as the youngest grandson.
In such a situation, it is not surprising to have complaints about the situation at home.
But Lin Yunyan still didn't believe that Li Du could win over Xia Qingzhi.
Because Queen Xia died under Li Du's plan, regardless of whether Li Du wanted it or not, the result is there.
It's no surprise that everyone in the Xia family is gnashing their teeth at Li Du.
How could anyone vote for Li Du?
If Li Du wanted to make waves, he had to make two more turns.
Lin Yunyan just wanted to figure out where the two bends would be.
When she went to Enrong Bo's house, she could be said to be familiar with the road.
She often came here when she was a child, and the old lady and the uncle treated her very kindly.
Aunt Yu, who was beside the old lady, trotted all the way to greet her: "Princess, our old lady was still talking about you a few days ago, saying that since you married to Fu Guogong's mansion, it is not as convenient as before when you lived in the alley.
See you."
Lin Yunyan smiled.
When they saw the old lady, they sat down on both sides of the table, and Grandma Yu put the cold cakes on a plate and presented them to her.
The old lady smiled and took a piece: "The princess is still thinking about me, and she will not forget me if she has something delicious to eat."
"If you had any delicious and fun things in the past, you would always give them to me." Lin Yunyan said.
The old lady was cheerful, but with a glance, she signaled Nanny Yu to push away the others, and then she asked seriously: "Is the princess coming here for some serious business?"
"Yes," Lin Yunyan followed her words and said, "for the matter of Dingbeihou Mansion next door.
They are all old neighbors from the same alley and know everything about him. I don't believe they would vote for Li Du.
My grandmother asked me to come here because she wanted to discuss it, and she was wondering if I could help the Dingbei Hou Mansion at this time."
