HCB Chapter 1437 Change a gentleman
Chapter 1437 Change a gentleman
Cheng Youning did not struggle any more. He simply asked someone to take out a huge sum of money from his own small treasury and handed it over to the Ministry of Revenue. The debt was finally paid off.
Cheng Youning lay on the bed, saying nothing, hugging her two cats with a heavy heart.
Qiao Rong comforted him and said, "You have received all the punishment you deserve. Your Highness, take a good rest!"
Cheng Youning didn't sleep well last night and had dark circles under his eyes.
Cheng Youning said, "Every day after court, I would go to Ningxin Pavilion to listen to the teacher's lectures. Do you think my master will come here to teach me today?"
"No way, the Imperial Master will probably be punished!"
"Go and ask around and see what kind of punishment my master received."
Qiao Rong did not dare to delay and turned around to inquire in the palace. He came back an hour later. Seeing Qiao Rong, Cheng Youning reluctantly raised his body and said, "How is it? My master did not punish me too severely, did he?"
"He was fined half a year's salary."
Cheng Youning heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that. He lay back on his silver pillow and said, "That's not a big deal. Go pick out a valuable item and bring it to the teacher with me. This way, the teacher can avoid losses. Then you can ask the teacher when he will come to give me lessons."
"Your Highness... I'm afraid the Imperial Master can't come to teach you!"
"Why?"
"Because the Emperor dismissed the position of Imperial Master and the Crown Prince's Grand Master."
"What? Are you mistaken?"
"No mistake, what I said is true. Not only the Imperial Master was punished today, but also Lord Yan Qilian. In addition, all those who bribed the Crown Prince were demoted one rank and fined half a year's salary. It seems that the third-rank official Song Ruhong was not demoted."
"Song Ruhong? Why was he spared?"
"Not only was he spared, the emperor even arranged for his son to be an official of Shanglinling!"
"Shanglin Order? Is this true or not?"
"of course it's true!"
"Song Ruhong is a third-rank official in the court, and his son is only a Shanglinling, which is less than a seventh-rank official. Do you know what Shanglinling is in charge of? It's the gardens and ponds, and the storage of ice in winter. It's a sesame-sized official with few people under him. Song Ruhong wouldn't come to me just for such a high-ranking official, right? How much silver did he pay when he came to buy the kite... It seems to be one thousand taels. I was thinking at the time that among the people who came to me, he has the highest official rank, but he is the stingiest and pays the least silver. It turns out that the things he wants to do are also the smallest. Haha, this person is really interesting."
Qiao Rong, "Song Ruhong's son seems to be lame!"
"Cripple? No wonder it's hard for him to get into the government! In that case, it's no surprise that his father came to me with 1,000 taels. Qiao Rong, go get some paper and pen!"
"What do you want to write, Your Highness?"
"Sir, you have been implicated by me. I will write a letter of apology, and then write another letter of confession to my grandfather, asking him to restore you to your position as the Prince's Grand Tutor."
"The Emperor was furious in the court just now. Your Highness, writing a letter of apology and saying this is just like adding fuel to the fire! I think Your Highness should take good care of himself first, and we can talk about other things after Your Highness recovers."
"It's not the first time that my butt has been bruised. It's okay. As for my family, Qiao Rong, go to Prince Pang's mansion and tell my grandfather... just say that I'm learning the Six Arts recently and I won't visit him for the next few days... If my grandmother is not easy to fool, just say that the Six Arts are for the imperial sons to learn, and as the crown prince, I must strive for perfection."
Qiao Rong nodded and left again.
Prince Pang's mansion was still crowded with a bunch of people coming to make shoes. As if they had agreed, everyone kept silent about the prince's mess. As usual, Shang Xi also pretended to be indifferent. In her heart, she was worried about Cheng Youning's badly damaged butt and also scolded Cheng Youning for being a troublemaker.
When Madam Wan heard Qiao Rong say that Cheng Youning was learning the Six Arts at home, she was a little confused, "Isn't the prince proficient in the Five Classics and the Six Arts?"
"Oh, the prince said that the Six Arts are for the children of the state to know. As the prince, I must strive for perfection."
Madam Wan nodded and said, "This child is becoming more and more motivated. Xing'er, go find the old ginseng at home and ask Qiao Rong to take it back to nourish the prince. The prince is in the period of growth. Recently, I noticed that the prince's face was gray and his eyes were dark. It was obvious that he was tired from staying up late to read books."
Qiao Rong didn't dare to say a word, just took the ginseng and ran away.
In the evening, all the things sent to the Imperial Master's house were returned, along with Huang Chenming's reply letter.
Cheng Youning read it carefully twice and felt even more depressed after reading it.
Qiao Rong, who was serving on the side, asked.
"Your Highness, what did the Imperial Master say to you?"
"He said that as a teacher, he saw his students make mistakes but didn't stop them. It was his fault. He was not worthy of being my teacher and he should be punished. But the teacher was not angry with me. He said that as long as I paid him a gift of tuition, he would be willing to be my teacher. However, he could not teach me without the emperor's order. The teacher deeply regretted his dereliction of duty. Whether he could still be my teacher depended on the opinion of the little grandfather. Qiao Rong, have you sent my confession to the palace?"
"It has been sent, but I can't say whether the emperor has seen it or not!"
Wan Lianxing didn't even read the confession letter that Cheng Youning had painstakingly written, and threw it away directly. However, it was picked up by the old housekeeper, who read it carefully and said a few good words for Cheng Youning after reading it, "Your Majesty, the prince spoke sincerely and repented sincerely. This time he knows he was wrong!"
"He is rare when it comes to getting into trouble!" Wan Lianxing's face was dark that day. Wherever he went, the air was thin and the sky was covered with dark clouds. When it was time for dinner, there were still ministers outside who wanted to give advice.
"Your Majesty, the prince also has good qualities. Please see what is written in this confession. The prince wants to study, but he has no teacher. He wants you to restore the position of the prince's grand tutor. The prince wants to continue studying with the imperial tutor."
“That’s a dream!”
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Master is devoted to the country and has been negligent in the Crown Prince's affairs. However, this cannot be entirely blamed on the Imperial Master. The Crown Prince is a child but has many ways to cause trouble. Sometimes he even resorts to trickery. It is difficult to detect when such a person wants to do something bad. Not to mention the Imperial Master, we meet with the Crown Prince every day. If this matter had not been made a big deal, we would not have known about it either."
"Why did we know about it so late? It's because no one told us. They had heard about it a long time ago, and we were the only ones who were kept in the dark. I have decided to temporarily change Cheng Youning's husband. It's time for him to suffer."
"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate! The Imperial Master is a founding hero of our country. He has been giving advice to Your Majesty, helping him avoid disasters and taking shelter. He has worked hard and made great contributions. Just because of a little negligence towards the Crown Prince, he was dismissed from his position as the Crown Prince's Grand Master. The Imperial Master will inevitably be disheartened."