Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 317: My friend dies, but I am not dead
"The eldest prince is in there. He made a lot of noise for a whole day and night at first, but he became quiet after being hungry for two days. Uncle Yunhe specifically ordered that he only be fed one meal a day and that there was plenty of clean water. He didn't even have the energy to yell anymore."
Xiao Huasheng had a kind of affection for Lao Xianyu, who had raised him for several years and often left him money, food, and vegetables even when he went out to sea, and also entrusted Xian Yunhe to take care of him. Therefore, Zhu Er was brought by Lao Xianyu, so he naturally trusted him more and whispered everything to him.
Hearing that the eldest prince, who was used to enjoying fine clothes and delicious food, was treated like this, Zhu Er cursed softly, "It serves him right!" and then made a gesture to Xiao Huasheng to keep quiet. When the others understood and stepped back a few steps, he tiptoed forward and peered inside through the gap between the two doors for a long time. He saw only overturned tables and chairs on the ground and a man sitting dejectedly against the wall. Who else could it be but the eldest prince?
It's easy to tell that the eldest prince smashed things to vent his anger when he was locked up, but when he found that this trick didn't work, he just gave up and didn't care about his manners anymore... Of course, if the eldest prince didn't have the energy to clean up the mess, that's not impossible! However, it's really unworthy of sympathy for a dignified prince to fall into such a state!
As Zhu Er thought this, he turned his head and saw that Old Salted Fish had retreated to the side of Little Peanut, looking at the fun with a smile on his face. Zhu Yi was even closer to him, as if he was going to help him if something went wrong. He took a deep breath, then gently knocked on the door and called out in a low voice, "Grand Prince, Grand Prince?"
Through the crack in the door, he could clearly see that the person leaning against the wall inside didn't move at all. He didn't know whether he had fainted from hunger, fallen asleep, or simply didn't want to talk.
Although he could not say that he knew the eldest prince's temper well, he often heard Zhu Ying mention it, so he knew it better than most people. He immediately emphasized his tone and said, "Did the eldest prince hear the noise at the gate of the palace? The Magistrate Xu of Changlu County has recruited a large number of idle people and private soldiers to try to rescue you, the eldest prince, from the palace!"
At this point, he saw the eldest prince, who had been limp like a pile of mud, gradually come alive. He even slowly turned his head to look at him, and then said in a hoarse voice: "Your voice... I seem to have heard it before... Who are you?"
Outside, Xiaohuasheng was only slightly suspicious, but Laoxianyu, while letting go of one worry, had another worry. Hearing what the eldest prince said, the boy who claimed to be the second son of Qi and had been hanging out with him for several days was a son of a noble family from the capital, this was already certain. But why did he suddenly run to Cangzhou? Was he going to oppose the eldest prince, or did he have other purposes?
Hearing the eldest prince say that his voice was familiar, Zhu Er couldn't help but laugh secretly. If it was Zhu Ying who was here, the eldest prince would definitely recognize her after hearing two words. If it was the eldest brother, after so many words, the eldest prince would definitely recognize her identity. As for him... the eldest prince never took him seriously, so he just felt familiar.
He suppressed the inexplicable dissatisfaction in his heart and laughed: "The eldest prince just needs to know that I happened to be in Cangzhou by chance and planned to help you. You may think that the people who hold you hostage are just a group of rabbits that are cornered and bite people, but you are in their hands, and the county magistrate Xu attacked you. Do you think he is trying to save you or to harm you?"
Zhu Er felt that when talking to a person like the eldest prince, he had to understand his thoughts. Sure enough, when the question of whether the other person was saving him or harming him came up, he saw the eldest prince, who had just breathed more than a dead man, suddenly turned over and sat up straight, and then rolled and crawled towards the door.
He moved aside almost without a second thought, very grateful for the large padlock on the door that prevented the eldest prince from coming out.
At the same time, Peanut had already dragged Old Salted Fish to the other side of the door where he could not see, while Zhu Yi rushed over swiftly and squatted down in front of the door on the other side of him, obviously guarding against the eldest prince's desperate actions.
After pulling hard twice, the door creaked for a while, but finally did not move. The eldest prince lost his temper again, and his voice was filled with despair and madness: "What's the point of you saying this to a prisoner waiting to be slaughtered? Those unruly people even dared to hit a prince like me. Even if Xu Cheng wanted to harm me, so what? Do I still have the ability to stop him?"
As he spoke, he pounded the ground with all his might. A dull thud was heard, and at the same time, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "As long as I can get through this difficult time, I will never let go of those damned guys, never let go of those hypocritical officials, never let go of those bitches who are sweet-mouthed but treacherous..."
Hearing the eldest prince swearing and yelling, Zhu Er felt extremely irritated and interrupted him angrily, "If you, the eldest prince, can only curse, then I won't accompany you. Just wait for others to come and kill you!"
As he spoke, he shook the corner of his robe vigorously to make a sound, and made a gesture as if he was about to leave. As expected, as soon as he made this gesture, the eldest prince immediately shouted, "What... do you want?"
Zhu Er finally perked up. He organized his words and finally changed his tone to one of persuasion.
"This matter has been exposed. Those who hold you hostage are afraid that the imperial court will send troops to wipe them out, and their families will be implicated. The local officials and gentry like Magistrate Xu are worried that the imperial court will blame them, and they are even more worried that the imperial court will investigate the affairs between you. And you, the eldest prince, even if you escape this disaster, you are afraid that the emperor will investigate, right?"
When Zhu Er found that the eldest prince did not answer, which clearly indicated his consent, he said sincerely: "At this point, you, the eldest prince, must bow to one side. Of course, it would be ideal to bow to the emperor, after all, he is the king and father, but the emperor is far away in the capital and cannot come over for a while. I think it is useless to bow to the people like Xu County Magistrate. When these officials get greedy, even the emperor cannot control them."
The eldest prince was so angry that he trembled: "You mean, you want me to be submissive to those untouchables?"
Hearing the word "untouchable", Lao Xianyu chuckled contemptuously, while Xiao Huasheng showed an angry expression.
Zhu Er frowned, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Prince, have you forgotten your current situation? Besides, what does it mean to be soft to the untouchables ? That means being deceived by corrupt officials and profiteers, so you feel guilty towards the innocent people who were harmed!"
When he said this, Zhu Er felt that he was too smart. He continued to deceive people with reason and evidence: "It is a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. The emperor always admires such people, right? Now you should give in and sincerely apologize to the injured spinners, their families and the poor. With the respect of the people of the world for the royal family, you can at least get out of this hellhole!"
"As long as you reach a settlement with these people and then step forward, you can immediately righteously rebuke those corrupt officials, evil gentry and profiteers, and put all the responsibility on them, and you can wash away at least half of your stigma. Then, you can step forward to confiscate their property and compensate the victims. You can save your life and your reputation, so why not do it?"
The eldest prince was finally moved by Zhu Er's words. Thinking about his father's temper, he couldn't help but feel that the words of the mysterious man outside made sense. It is better to live a miserable life than to die a good death. Moreover, if he could behave better, he would not only be able to smooth over this matter, but he might also be able to rebuild his image among the people.
Isn't it just passing the buck? How many princes and nobles have done this since ancient times? Even Emperor Taizu once said that it would be better for me to die than for my fellow Taoists to die...
Thinking of this, he said resolutely: "Okay, let's do it! But I'm locked up here, and those cheap...those people won't come here except to deliver food. Is it too late?"
"Well, I'll find a way. Just remember what you have to do, my Lord!"
Zhu Er was so happy that he made a gesture to Lao Xianyu and Xiao Huasheng that everything was ready except for the east wind. Xiao Huasheng, who had listened to the conversation between the two and didn't understand the infighting in the officialdom, was at a loss. However, Lao Xianyu, who had lived for most of his life, couldn't help but look at the seemingly stupid Qi Er Shao with a new respect.
He whispered a few words to Xiao Huasheng, sent someone to report the news, and then walked forward with a swagger. When he arrived at the door of the hut, he saw Zhu Yi roll over neatly and pull Zhu Er with him to an empty corner, as if he was afraid of being seen by the eldest prince inside. Knowing what was going on, he glanced at the big padlock and the closed door and suddenly laughed.
"You are a pampered prince after all. You are stumped by these two broken doors. Please step back. Xiao Huasheng is going to notify someone to get the key. I don't know how long it will take for him to come back. I will open the door and let you out first."
The eldest prince was now like a drowned man, who would desperately grasp at even the last straw to save his life. Therefore, he did not care about the disrespectful expression of the visitor, and while supporting himself with his hands, he stepped back as far as he could. However, before he could consider whether this distance was safe, he heard a bang, and the two doors that had trapped him so much that he was almost going crazy actually opened.
To be more precise, one of the doors was hanging softly on the side, while the other one was blown away by Lao Xianyu's kick, and fell to the ground, brushing against the eldest prince's body, making another loud noise and raising a large amount of dust.
The eldest prince, with his scalp tingling, couldn't help but regret his choice. However, there was no turning back after pulling the bow, so he could only bite the bullet and struggle to get up. But before he could stand firmly, he felt someone grabbing his arm and lifting him up.
Seeing that it was an old man in short shirt and with a smiling face, he was about to force a smile, but when he saw the other person's white teeth showing in his smile, he couldn't help but shudder again.
Old Salty Fish stared at the eldest prince's bruised face and had an inexplicable urge to burst into laughter, but he had to hold it back: "You have been wronged, eldest prince. Come, let's go out."
He wanted to be hypocritical and polite, but when the eldest prince realized that the hands holding his arms were as strong as iron clamps, he was frightened and immediately said nothing. He suddenly doubted that if he had not listened to the words of the suspected acquaintance outside the door, would he be held hostage as a shield, and if the Changlu County Magistrate Xu Cheng did not withdraw his troops, would he be killed as a sacrifice?
This kind of unspeakable worry lingered in his heart, especially when he did not see the so-called acquaintance after going out, the eldest prince became even more nervous and no longer had the mentality of fighting to the bitter end.
Soon, he saw the boy running back - he recognized him at a glance, he was the man who was outside just now, and he was the man who had been following the strong man who beat him. The boy ran up to him, looked at him for a few times, and then handed a small box to the old man beside him, and then whispered something.
"Uncle, Uncle Yunhe said that we should use some powder to cover the scars on the eldest prince's face, otherwise it will be ugly for both of us!"
The old salted fish let go of the eldest prince's hand, opened the crude box, and saw some perfume powder used by ordinary women inside. He couldn't help but smile. The eldest prince was shocked and angry, but he didn't dare to think of escaping when someone let go. He was so hungry that he didn't even have the strength to walk, let alone run. Besides, the palace was full of thieves, where could he run to?
So, seeing the old man handing over the box, the eldest prince had no choice but to take it humiliatingly. Thinking about what he was going to do soon, he just went for it and rubbed the pungent powder on his face a few times with trembling hands.
Unlike men in the common people who never use women's cosmetics, the palace pays attention to skin care and health preservation. There are many requirements for everything from facial cream to lip balm, and many things are specially provided for men.
Although there was no mirror at the moment and the box of powder was of inferior quality, the eldest prince, who was used to using expensive pearl powder, still managed to apply the powder extremely evenly based on his feeling.
At least in the eyes of Lao Xianyu and Xiao Huasheng, the eldest prince's face, which still had scars and bruises, looked pale under the powder, and there was nothing much different about it. It was even harder to see clearly from a distance.
Peanut really couldn't bear to see a man applying powder carefully, and he was worried about the battle outside, so he snatched the powder box from the eldest prince and shouted, "Hurry up, hurry up! If you don't leave now, it will be too late."
The eldest prince was helplessly held hostage by two people and ran away without stopping. After he left, Zhu Er appeared, patted the non-existent dust on his body, and then gently wiped his sweaty forehead. At this time, he heard Zhu Yi beside him whisper something.
"Did the Second Young Master mean what he just said to the First Prince?"
"Really?" Zhu Er turned his head and glanced at Zhu Yi, then laughed, "How is that possible? Of course I lied to him!"
Seeing Zhu Yi was stunned at first, and then showed a thoughtful expression, Zhu Er said smugly, "The one who tied the bell should be the one who untied it. The trouble caused by the eldest prince and those corrupt officials and profiteers should be left to fight each other. Of course, those who occupied the palace should still be punished! But what I want to know most is how these people occupied the palace. Are the people around the eldest prince just sitting there doing nothing?"
