Rise From the Humble

After the Duke of Wei arrived, the Marquis of Linhuai ordered a pot to be put on. There was a small charcoal stove under the pot. He also ordered some meat and vegetables to be cooked, and a jar of Shaoxing Nuerhong was warmed. The three of them sat around the pot.

"My dear nephew, I didn't expect that you and Eunuch Chen have been friends for a long time. Haha, I really underestimated you. Not bad, not bad. Speaking of which, now there is an opportunity to take your relationship with Eunuch Chen to a higher level."

Wei Guogong picked up a chopstick to cook the mutton and said to Zhu Ping'an with a face that revealed the inside story.

"I" Zhu Pingan was about to tell them the truth about his relationship with Chen Hong. What kind of friendship was it? They were clearly enemies, but Zhu Pingan only said the word "I" before the rest of the words came out. The Marquis of Linhuai on the side couldn't wait to speak, interrupting Zhu Pingan's words.

"Old Xu, do you know something inside? Stop lying and tell us quickly." Linhuai Marquis couldn't wait to urge, not giving Wei Guogong a chance to lie.

"Hey, it was also by chance that I overheard Eunuch Chen chatting with Eunuch Wang, and got an inside tip. Didn't Eunuch Chen come to Jiangnan to buy pearls last month? After returning, he received a commendation from the Holy One. But, Chen The father-in-law said that there is still a big gap in the pearls in the palace. The treasures accumulated during the ancestral period, including pearls, etc., were all spent by Emperor Zhengde. The emperor did not have a queen to worship, so the cost has been saved by ten. That's right. The ministers in the court knew how to persuade the Holy One not to care about the jewelry and treasures. Do they want the Holy One to abolish all expenses?! So, Eunuch Chen wants to bring some pearls back this time and offer them to the Holy One."

Under the urging of Marquis Linhuai, Duke Guo of Wei spoke with a proud face and recounted the news he had heard.

"He wants to take credit." Marquis Linhuai touched his chin.

"My enemy, if we give Eunuch Chen some pearls at this time, wouldn't it be to suit his liking and he will surely be pleased with him? When he returns to the capital, he will surely have a nice word for us and open up more opportunities in the future."

Wei Guogong nodded vigorously and expressed his plan with excitement.

The Marquis of Linhuai nodded and agreed with Wei Guogong's plan, "Well, Lao Xu, this is a good idea. If you give him gold and silver treasures, he may not accept them, but if you give him pearls, he will definitely not refuse."

"Uncle, it seems to me that he is doing this in the name of offering sacrifices to the Holy Father and seeking merit, but in fact he is doing things to make money." Zhu Ping'an shrugged his shoulders and hit the nail on the head.

Bringing pearls along the way to offer to the Holy One is all a pretense. If he takes the pearl back, it will only end up in his own pocket, and it will definitely not be presented to the Holy One.

"My dear nephew, this is a bit arbitrary." Wei Guogong was stunned for a moment and said.

"It's not that I'm arbitrary, but that's the fact. Uncle, do you think, if Eunuch Chen collected a lot of pearls, under what name would they be dedicated to the Holy One?" Zhu Pingan shook his head slightly and asked the two of them.

"Does it need a name to dedicate it to the Holy One? This is his loyalty." Linhuai Marquis said puzzledly.

"How could he, a middle palace eunuch, get so much money to buy pearls?" Zhu Ping'an twitched the corner of his lips slightly, "Did he get it by clever means? Or was it given as a gift by someone below? He couldn't have picked it up."

"Well, that's a problem." Wei Guogong and Linhuai Marquis thought about it for a moment and nodded.

It's definitely not possible to plunder by clever means; it's not okay to give gifts from people below; if it is said to be dedicated to the Holy One by people below, then there will be the same problem. Where did the people below get the money to buy so many pearls?

If there are a small amount of pearls, you can still say that you bought them with your salary, etc. But if you have a small amount of pearls, are you embarrassed to offer them to the Holy One? ! Even if you have the nerve to donate something to the Holy One, the Holy One will not see it.

Therefore, even if Chen Hong collected the pearls, he would not be able to donate them to the Holy One. It would most likely be kept in his own pocket.

It seems that, as the wise nephew said, Chen Hong used the name of offering sacrifices to the emperor to seek merit, but in fact he was amassing money.

But it doesn't matter. Our goal is to make friends with Chen Hong. Whether he dedicates it to the Holy One or not has no impact on us.

"My dear nephew, it doesn't matter whether he gives it to the Holy One or makes money. As long as he collects it, it's enough."

Wei Guogong said nonchalantly.

"Exactly, it would be better if he amassed money. Knowing that he likes to amass money, it would be better for us to give him what he likes."

The Marquis of Linhuai also had the same attitude.

"My dear nephew, your friendship with Chen Hong will make things easier for us. Tomorrow, Lao Li and I will pool together some money to buy some pearls. Then you can find an opportunity to give the pearls to Chen Hong in the names of the three of us. Hehe, Then your personal relationship with Chen Hong will be even better. He will definitely put in a good word for us when he returns to Beijing."

Wei Guogong ate a big chopstick-shabu-shabu mutton, drank a glass of wine, and said to Zhu Ping'an with a smile.

"This is good." Linhuai Marquis agreed.

"Ahem, uncle" Zhu Ping'an coughed and looked at the two of them with a troubled expression, ready to tell the truth.

"My dear nephew, this is not the time to be aloof." Wei Guogong thought that Zhu Ping'an, a scholar, was very aloof. Why didn't he bend down for five buckets of rice? Why did An Neng bend down to serve the powerful and make me unhappy?

"That's right, nephew, you have to learn to be flexible. You should know that if the water is clear, there will be no fish, and if the people are careful, there will be no disciples."

The Marquis of Linhuai also followed suit.

"Uncle, that's not the case." Zhu Pingan said with a bitter smile.

"Why is that?" Wei Guogong and Linhuai Marquis asked anxiously.

"Two uncles, my relationship with Chen Hong is not what you think, nor is it what Chen Hong said."

Zhu Pingan spread his hands.

"Didn't you do him a big favor by catching a thief who pretended to be his adopted son?"

Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai looked at each other, with an ominous premonition in their hearts. They looked at Zhu Pingan nervously and asked.

"Uncle, didn't I arrest the thief who pretended to be his adopted son?" Zhu Pingan shook his head.

"Who is the impersonator?" Wei Guogong and Linhuai Marquis asked hurriedly.

"It's not impersonation, the person I arrested is his adopted son." Zhu Pingan said to the two of them frankly.

"What? You captured his adopted son?" Upon hearing this, Duke Wei and Linhuai Marquis couldn't help but turn pale and the corners of their mouths twitched, "In other words, you also beat his adopted son? !”

Zhu Pingan nodded, and then added, "It's not just that."

"What else did you do?!" Wei Guogong and Linhuai Marquis both couldn't sit still and asked tremblingly.

"I confiscated nearly 10,000 taels of silver, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc. that his adopted son had robbed and bribed."

Zhu Pingan said slowly.

"Ah?!" Upon hearing this, the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai jumped up from their chairs.

It was like being struck by lightning.

"Uncle, don't worry. The pearls purchased by his adopted son and the official silver of Taicang and other official matters were all handed over to Chen Hong when I sent someone to escort his adopted son." Seeing how excited the two of them were, Zhu Ping'an hurriedly comforted them.

"My dear nephew, you, you, what do you want us to say about you? His adopted son's money, isn't that his money?"

"You confiscated 10,000 taels of silver from him. These unsound eunuchs have lost their lifeblood and ambition, and each of them regards silver as their lifeblood. You have castrated him again. "

The Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai sighed repeatedly and walked around the room like ants on a hot pot.