In the quiet courtyard of the East Palace, a small stove that was moved from the house was quietly placed in the middle of the courtyard.
The fire was bright red, and a fragrant smell of meat floated in the yard.
Zhu Gaochi specially arranged several guards to guard the gate of the small courtyard, paying attention to the situation outside. If anyone approached the small courtyard, he was determined not to come in and disturb him.
Now, this is your own paradise.
Xiao Chen held the iron rod with the roasted pigeon in his hand and turned it slowly.
Zhu Gaochi next to him stared at the squab that was gradually turning brown, and his throat surged several times in succession.
"Don't worry, you have to wait for a while." Xiao Chen said with a smile, then picked up the oil brush next to him and brushed the squab.
"Back in the East Palace, there are people serving three meals a day, but I always feel that the food is not as good as the days outside." Zhu Gaochi smiled brightly.
"Have you heard anything new about the gentlemen during the days since you came back? For example, did the King of Zhao and the King of Han come to pay homage to you?"
"The King of Zhao came to the East Palace to pay homage to the King of Han that day. So far, he has not even sent a letter." Zhu Gaochi said.
"Ambition must not have been eradicated in the heart of the King of Han. Otherwise, even if he cannot come in person, he should write a letter to congratulate His Highness on his return. His doing so is a silent protest. This kind of person is the most
I'm afraid that once he gets the chance, he will definitely kill you, Your Highness, so you have to be careful." Xiao Chen reminded Zhu Gaochi while turning the roasted pigeon.
Even if you don't kill a snake, you will eventually be bitten by a snake, not to mention that this is a poisonous snake that holds a special grudge.
"Over the King of Han, I arranged for people to keep an eye on it secretly. However, King Zhao came to visit this time. He was polite and complimentary, almost completely different from before. He also inadvertently mentioned old things from the past, as if he was testing my memory.
." Zhu Gaochi put away his smile and said with a serious face.
"Testing memory?" Xiao Chen was startled, and the movement of turning the roasted pigeon also stopped, "You said that King Zhao is testing your memory?"
"Yes."
After putting the roasted pigeon on the stove, Xiao Chen stood up and looked in the direction of the imperial study involuntarily.
"Is it true that King Zhao has a new conspiracy?" Zhu Gaochi also stood up.
Xiao Chen turned around: "Has the Emperor summoned you recently?"
"Except for the normal morning court, my father did not summon me."
"King Zhao is testing his memory. It is very likely that your image has changed greatly. He suspects that you are no longer the original prince, but that I found someone to replace you in order to resolve my sins." Xiao Chen's face turned cold.
"This..." Zhu Gaochi opened his mouth, "Isn't this too incredible? I'm just no longer fat, and my appearance has not changed. How could he doubt me like this?"
"If only King Zhao is suspicious, it doesn't matter. What I'm worried about is that he informed the emperor of his suspicion. According to the emperor's suspicious character, he will definitely believe it. If this is really the case, you really have a lot of ambitions.
Trouble." Xiao Chen had a hint of worry in his heart.
Once the emperor determines that the prince is being impersonated, not only the prince himself will be in danger, but also Dongchang, Daning, and all those who have assisted him will be guilty of deceiving the emperor.
When did the once reckless King Zhao become so scheming?
Zhu Gaochi was thoughtful and looked at Xiao Chen slowly: "When you said that, I remembered something. A bachelor from Zuo Chunfang of James's house used to be responsible for his daily affairs. I met him
I don’t have too many words. Recently, I always like to report things when there is nothing wrong, and he always asks me for my opinion on things that have nothing to do with me. Could it be that he is also testing my authenticity."
"Oh?" Xiao Chen smiled faintly, "If I'm not wrong, this person must be a confidant arranged by the emperor in James's residence. He was ordered to observe His Highness. Alas, it's really hard to describe the emperor's thoughts."
"Real gold is not afraid of fire, let them test it." Zhu Gaochi flicked his sleeves and seemed a little angry.
"There's no need to accuse you. I'm not worried about them being tempted. What I'm worried about is that even if they know that you are genuine, Your Highness, they still believe that you are fake. If this is the case, what should we do?
"Looking at Zhu Gaochi, a smile appeared on Xiao Chen's face.
"This, this..." Zhu Gaochi couldn't answer the question for a moment.
If his father insists on saying that he is a fake prince, he really doesn't know how to defend himself.
"The news from Mr. Factory Master is that the emperor's physical condition is not very good. The more this happens, the more suspicious the emperor becomes. He is now highly vigilant towards everyone around him. Arrange a commanding colleague for the Jin Yiwei.
You know, it is to check and balance Dongchang. And the purpose of juxtaposing the position of King Zhao with His Highness is to create pressure on you. In this case, we have to take countermeasures." Xiao Chen said.
"We can formulate countermeasures against anyone, but how do we formulate countermeasures against our father? We can only obey the imperial edict." Zhu Gaochi also looked at the palace not far away.
"Your Majesty, please go and pay homage when you have time. Tell us more about the past and gradually dispel the doubts in your mind. King Zhao is giving you both kindness and power. When it's time to hit, you must hit him to make him retreat. Others
Just leave everything to me."
A burning smell came from the stove. Zhu Gaochi rushed over and picked up the roasted pigeons.
"Hahaha, is this roasted pigeon? This is roasted pigeon." Xiao Chen smiled and walked over.
He handed the squab in his hand to Xiao Chen: "We will make plans for other things later. This roasted squab cannot be wasted."
"It must not be wasted." Xiao Chen took the pigeon and took a big bite, "Today, let's eat it first. Eat when you should, drink when you should. Focusing on food like this, it seems without ambition, maybe
It makes the emperor feel more at ease."
"Come on, come on, how can good food be complete without good wine?" Zhu Gaochi picked up the wine jar at his feet and poured a bowl for each of them, "Come on, drink."
"drink."
After drinking and eating, Xiao Chen raised his sleeves, wiped the meat residue from the corner of his mouth, walked into the pavilion, and slowly lay down on the cross bridge between the columns of the pavilion.
Zhu Gaochi followed closely and lay down opposite Xiao Chen. He rubbed his belly with both hands, looking very leisurely and contented. He didn't look like the current prince of the Ming Dynasty at all.
"The factory master was transferred to the palace by the emperor?" Zhu Gaochi said slowly with his head resting on the bridge.
"Well, the Lord of the Factory has been in the palace recently, and I have full authority to handle the affairs of the East Factory for the time being." With his eyes closed, Xiao Chen took the flower branch he had just broken off and began to pick at the gap between his teeth.
"Dongchang hasn't taken any action recently?"
"No, it's basically a resting state. A few days ago, Jinyiwei sent people to walk along the route of Dongchang's case handling. The purpose of finding the flaws missed in Dongchang's handling of the case is very obvious. Since Jinyiwei wants to investigate, let them
After checking it out and confirming that there is no problem in Dongchang, Dongchang will start the next step." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"Are you attributing the reason for your inaction to Jin Yiwei?" Zhu Gaochi turned his head and glanced at Xiao Chen.
"Jin Yiwei is targeting Dongchang, why can't I turn the tables on Dongchang? Since you are not worried about Dongchang, then Dongchang simply doesn't do anything. In this way, the brothers can rest and do something they want to do, and just treat it as a let-down.
It’s a long vacation, why not?”
"If your father takes the blame, do you plan to shift the responsibility to Jin Yiwei?"
"Of course." Xiao Chen chuckled, "I have written down the Jin Yiwei's behavior in Gu'an and Baoding Mansion. When the emperor blames it, I will submit it to him."
"How did you write it?" Zhu Gaochi asked with interest.
According to Xiao Chen's character, he will never write in a regular way. He will definitely take a roundabout way and get Jin Yiwei into it.
"Faced with Jin Yiwei's re-examination, Dongchang deeply felt that he was not handling the case well. During this period, he stopped everything he was doing and began to self-reflect and improve on the deficiencies and omissions in the case handling process. Although it took a little longer, as long as he was ready for the next step
Any improvement in handling cases is worthwhile.”
Targeting Dongchang? Then Dongchang should stop what he is doing. If he is not trusted by others, who would be in the mood to continue working?
Xiao Chen's eyes were half-squinted, and his face was bright.
