Chapter 49: Adventure (IV)
"Fourteen, why did you pass on the note to go to Shandong?"
"I have learned that the craftsman who makes the colored glaze fire is in Shandong. This time I am going there to learn how to make the colored glaze fire."
"The craftsman must value this more than his life. How could he give it to you easily?" Kangxi said calmly.
"Father, I heard it from someone else. The news has spread to the capital, so the Shandong officials must know about it. I was able to save the craftsman's life by going there this time. How could he not give it to me?"
Kangxi smiled slightly when he heard this, but he didn't say anything, just pointed to the seat. The fourteenth prince thanked him first, then sat down properly.
Kangxi changed to a comfortable sitting position. "Yesterday I asked Lao Si to come over. He said he had seen the craftsman. From what he said about the craftsman's words and deeds, if I had met him when I was young, I would have arrested him and put him in jail. Lao Si said that the man could tell the truth and lie at the same time, which was really interesting."
The Fourteenth felt a little disappointed when he heard this. He didn't expect that the Fourth had taken the lead. However, the Eighth had already mentioned this possibility and had a response, so he replied: "Father, I have never seen the craftsman, and I don't know what he looks like. But I have tried this glass fire and I think it is very useful for marching."
Seeing that Kangxi was obviously interested in this, the Fourteenth Elder briefly told Kangxi about his experiment. After listening, Kangxi did not comment on the Glazed Fire, but asked: "Why do you think that craftsman is going to die?"
"Father, the creation of objects is done step by step. When the officials learned about this, they would definitely want to get the Glazed Fire immediately and present it to the court. They don't care how long it takes to make it. They just think they can get it by forcing it. This is probably a good thing. Some officials even wanted to get the secret recipe to present to the court, so they tortured and interrogated. I am going there just because I don't want the recipe to be lost."
"I have made progress." Kangxi replied calmly: "Since you are going to Shandong, go see your mother and ask her if she has anything to bring."
The fourteenth old man was overjoyed, firstly because he had received his father's approval, and secondly because he could see his mother more often. He couldn't help but smile widely.
Kangxi felt warm at heart when he saw his son was happy to see his mother. He waved his hand to signal Fourteenth to go quickly.
After meeting his mother, the Fourteenth Prince began to prepare to go to the capital. The prince could not leave the capital without an imperial decree, so once the prince left the capital, it would inevitably cause a great impact in the officialdom. Myna said that since the purpose was clear, he should go and come back quickly, and not leave any excuses for others.
But after thinking it over, the Fourteenth Prince decided to go to the Eighth Prince under the cover of night. When the two met, the Fourteenth Prince told the Eighth Prince what Kangxi had said to the Fourth Prince.
The eighth brother frowned slightly, thought for a while and said, "Fourteenth brother, let's let the fourth brother take the lead."
Old Fourteen nodded and said, "Myna, I think so too. But where do you think the opportunity lies?"
"Father once said that the fourth brother was moody. Later, the fourth brother changed his temper. Last time, he did a good job and asked father to remove this sentence. Father also agreed. This time, father said that if he met the craftsman when he was young, he would have put him in jail directly. Think about what the fourth brother did, what do you think?"
The fourteenth old man bit his lip gently. In fact, he felt that his father's words were like a thorn in his heart, but he dared not touch it. Now that the eight-bird had pointed out this thorn, he felt even more uncomfortable.
Since the first time the crown prince was deposed in the 47th year of Kangxi's reign, although he was restored in the 48th year, he was deposed again in the 50th year of Kangxi's reign. From then on, the issue of appointing a crown prince was never mentioned again.
However, since the first time the crown prince was deposed, the princes had hope of competing for the throne, and they all began to take action. After all these years of turmoil, the eldest, second, and thirteenth princes have been imprisoned. The eighth prince, who was considered to have the greatest hope of seizing the throne, was completely disliked by his father and was often beaten. Now the only ones who were recognized as having a chance were the fourth prince and himself.
Not only did he and his fourth brother Yinzhen have the same father, but they also had the same mother. This competition must not allow for the slightest mistakes.
Just as the Eighth Brother said, Father was praising the Fourth Brother for no longer being the moody person he used to be, and even being able to see things that others couldn't see. Since the Fourth Brother had already achieved this, what should he do?
In the midst of anxiety, I heard the Eighth Brother say, "Fourteenth Brother, don't worry. The Fourth Brother is just taking advantage of me."
Old Fourteen immediately perked up, "Myna, how should I explain this?"
The eighth brother calmly expressed his views. The fourth brother did not attack the craftsman because of his own displeasure, but instead learned who made the Glazed Fire. This indeed made the fourth brother look magnanimous and avoided all kinds of troubles. However, the fourth brother did not understand military affairs and did not understand the value of Glazed Fire in the army.
The Fourteenth Prince was considered the most knowledgeable about military affairs among the princes, and he could see through this and then asked for the secret recipe. Being able to do this has already shown that he and the Fourth Prince are both good at what they do. If he can get the formula for the Glazed Fire, he will have done his best. In Kangxi's eyes, he is definitely better than the Fourth Prince.
"Myna, this craftsman must value this secret recipe more than his life." Old Fourteen couldn't help but use his father's words.
"Father told you what the fourth brother said just to test you. I thought that a person who dared to tell the truth must have something to ask for. Although I don't know why the fourth brother said that the man could make the truth sound like a lie, when you meet the craftsman, believe what he says."
Lao Shisi felt that Lao Ba had explained his doubts clearly, so he quickly stood up and said goodbye. On the way home, he was thinking about how to talk to the craftsman, but he still couldn't come up with a sure-fire way of thinking.
I thought of Lao Ba's words, "If someone dares to tell the truth, he must have something to ask for," and my heart seemed to be stabbed again. Lao Ba's words also sounded like they were hinting at something.
Before daybreak, Lao Shisi boarded the boat. At this time, the Yellow River still flows into the sea through the Huai River, and boating is much more comfortable than riding a horse. At this time, on the future Yellow River, there is a river called "Daqing River". This name has existed since the Ming Dynasty, referring to the clarity of this river.
The boat turned into the Daqing River, and the fourteenth prince disembarked at the nearest intersection to Zhangdian. Before disembarking, the fourteenth prince saw the flag that had been erected at the intersection. It was a taboo for the prince to leave the capital without permission, and he would be immediately deprived of all privileges and even imprisoned.
But being ordered to leave the capital was another matter. With fast horses leading the way and guards riding tall horses around him, there was no obstacle along the way and he went straight into Zibo County.
They stopped at the gate of the county government office, where the county magistrate and the police officers were kneeling. Old Fourteen jumped off his horse, said "Get up ", and then went straight into the government office. The government office was in tatters and obviously had been in disrepair for a long time. Knowing that this was the custom of the government office, Old Fourteen did not care.
A guard put a cross-legged chair in place, and the Fourteenth Old Man sat down. When the county magistrate came in, he asked, "There is a man named Huo Chong in your county. Where is he now?"
The county magistrate's face changed, and he answered hesitantly in his Jiangsu and Zhejiang accent: "Is this the person the prince is looking for?"
Old Fourteen didn't want to delay at all, and asked, "Where is this person now?"
"Well... I'll send someone to find him." The magistrate replied with his head down.
Old Fourteen sneered, "I'm asking you, do you know where he is? Think about it before you speak. If you lie, I will report it to the emperor when I return."
When the magistrate heard this, he knelt down immediately in fear and said, "Reporting to the prince, this man is in the county jail."
Hearing this, Lao Shisi finally felt relieved. He had thought of the worst possible scenarios along the way, one of which was that someone had killed the craftsman. If that happened, even though the person who did it would not be well, he would lose face. Since the craftsman was still alive, it was the best. Lao Shisi ordered, "Bring him here."
Soon, there was a sound of chains, and a tall man was brought in. He was half a head taller than the jailer of medium build next to him, and his head was hairy as he hadn't shaved for a few days.
Although there were marks of being beaten on his face, the man did not look dispirited. When he saw Old Fourteen, he knelt down and said, "I pay my respects to the prince."
After seeing this, the Fourteenth Elder inexplicably understood why the Fourth Elder said that this man was a bit like a bandit. He was arrested and suddenly called before the prince, but he didn't seem to be afraid at all. Not only was he not afraid, but he also didn't protest his injustice. He also followed etiquette in his words and deeds. He was not a good person at all.
But thinking that he had to compete with the fourth brother in this matter, the fourteenth brother hid this feeling in his heart and asked, "What's your name?"
"My name is Huo Chong."
"Huo Chong, are you willing to present your recipe for Glazed Fire to the court?" After saying that, Old Fourteen stared at Huo Chong, who lowered his head, and heard Huo Chong reply, "I am willing to sell this recipe."
...Old Fourteen thought he might have heard wrongly. This guy was obviously arrested because he didn't want to hand over the recipe, so why would he be willing to sell it?
I wanted to rebuke Huo Chong for lying, but I also felt that my impulsiveness was a bit strange. Since Huo Chong was willing to sell, wasn't it a good thing?
Fortunately, he had heard of Huo Chong's ability to "tell the truth and make it sound like a lie", so Old Fourteen felt that he was still calm. So he asked, "Why are you willing to sell it?"
"Since the prince wants to buy it, I will sell it to him. If others know about this, they will no longer have any intention of targeting me."
When Old Fourteen heard this explanation, he felt that Huo Chong's words were indeed true in theory, but it just felt a little fake. He couldn't help but ask tentatively: "Is that all? Don't you have any other thoughts?"
"If Your Majesty is willing to give me a chance to live, the Governor of Shandong has allowed local people to donate their honors, and I would like to ask Your Majesty to recommend me."
Old Fourteen felt that he was stunned. In shock, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you still want to be an official?"
"I just want to make a name for myself, not become an official."
"If you don't want to be an official, why should you donate to become an official?"
"If I can donate a title, I can at least live a stable life in the village. I won't be arrested by the government at will. I have never thought about becoming an official, but I don't want to live in such a precarious situation. I donate a title just to save my life."
The fourteenth brother felt that all his previous preparations had been in vain in front of Huo Chong, and he had never expected that there would be such a simple and clear choice in front of him. It seemed that the fourth brother's evaluation was right, and this guy in front of him could really make the truth sound like a lie.
And Lao Ba's evaluation is also correct. If a person dares to speak the truth, he must have something to ask for.
The initiative was on his side, and Old Fourteen felt much more relaxed. Just as he was about to make a few difficult remarks, he heard the magistrate angrily said to Huo Chong: "You are so bold and unruly. The prince came here in person, which is a great honor for you. You don't say that you are supported by the country, but instead you rely on your little secret recipe to threaten the prince. You are committing a capital crime!"
After hearing this, the Fourteenth Prince was very unhappy. This bastard magistrate had failed to force the secret recipe out of Huo Chong, but now he was making a fuss. The Fourth Prince had not even touched Huo Chong, so was he going to force him to death? If the Emperor knew about this, what would he think of him?
Thinking of this, the Fourteenth Elder felt that what Huo Chong said was acceptable. He said, "Huo Chong, let them follow you to your workshop now. Once they learn the recipe, I will guarantee you a good reputation."
Huo Chong immediately kowtowed and said loudly with joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me a chance to live."
However, one day, Lao Shisi's men had obtained the secret recipe and brought the Glazed Fire that they had made themselves. Lao Shisi was worried that these people were not honest, so he tried it himself. Sure enough, it was the same as the Glazed Fire in the capital.
After reading Huo Chong's secret recipe again, I saw that the steps were clear. Although I had never made it myself, I felt that I could do it just by reading it. In addition to Liuli Fire, his men also brought back two wine jars, with "alcohol" and "vinegar essence" written on the red paper in turtle-like characters. These two words also appeared in the secret recipe, and there was also a special description of the method of making alcohol vinegar essence.
Old Fourteen still felt uneasy, so he asked his men to demonstrate how to make the colored glaze fire in front of him. Sure enough, the colored glaze fire with the materials provided by Huo Chong was of the same quality as the one in the capital.
At this time, Li Shude, the governor of Shandong, who had learned that the Fourteenth Prince had suddenly arrived in Zibo County, also rushed to the county. After a few casual greetings, the Fourteenth Prince said to Li Shude: "Governor Li, Huo Chong presented the secret recipe for making glass fire. How about asking him to donate his fame?"
Li Shude was stunned for a moment, hesitating a bit. Old Fourteen smiled and said, "I don't think Huo Chong can be an official. Huo Chong himself said he doesn't want to be an official. It's better not to use him."
After hearing this, Li Shude asked, "I wonder what rank the prince wants to recommend him for?"
The Fourteenth Elder immediately realized that Li Shude was also a veteran official and a shrewd man, and immediately replied, "Should I recommend him? He is nothing, let him create his own reputation!"
After hearing this, Li Shude remained calm and asked the people around him what positions were left. He picked a sixth-rank official at random, which was impossible for someone who donated money to become an official.
After finishing his work, the eager old fourteenth stayed in the broken county government office for one night and set off the next morning. The earlier he left and the earlier he returned, the more he could show his ability to do things.
On the way back, Lao Shisi's mind was full of the dispute between himself and Lao Si. As for the craftsmen in a small county like Zibo, he completely forgot about them.
