The streets of Changle.

On the opposite side of the Shen Mansion mansion, there is a lively Hongmen Inn full of guests.

They simply went up to the second-floor box.

Shen Wanbao, the eldest son of Shen, and Xiang Tiange, the crown prince, both invited each other out to drink, all of them had a sad face, and each had an indescribable depression.

"Shen Wanbao, I feel that this time, something is very wrong!"

Xiang Tiange said with a sad face.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Wanbao asked.

"In the past, as long as the prince committed a crime, his father would severely reprimand him and order him to be grounded in the East Palace. Harsh words, even punish the auxiliary officials of the East Palace, and even whip me.

But this time, this prince almost killed the prince of Wu in the smoke and rain, and the news will definitely reach my father.

My father hasn't reacted at all, which has never happened before.

Wanbao, you say, is my father disappointed this time... Ready to give up on me, the prince? Choose another prince to take the throne?! ”

The more Xiang Tiange thought about it, the more panicked he became.

He made a mistake, and the emperor angrily punished him for grounding in the East Palace, which was almost a common practice from childhood to adulthood.

He's used to it, and it's not the same thing.

But this time he committed such a major event as assassinating Wu Shizi, although he did not kill Wu Shizi, but it also scared Wu Shizi enough.

There was no punishment this time.

The palace was surprisingly quiet, as if it had never happened before.

Xiang Tiange panicked to death.

His father disciplined him, at least there was hope for him. But once you are disappointed, let it go... Does that mean giving up?

He, the prince, is it the end of his life? His prince's good days are over!

Shen Wanbao smiled bitterly, and only sympathized with the prince, "I'm not a worm in the emperor's stomach, how do I know what your father is thinking."

If you are afraid, please take the sin yourself. ... The emperor is not good at talking, you go to the queen, where can the Empress Dowager Shen cry, and let them help you intercede. ”

In this matter, the prince can only find the Empress Dowager Shen, he really can't help much.

But he felt that it was not so serious.

Although the prince is reckless and impulsive, he is the concubine of Queen Cui.

If you really want to abolish Xiang Tiange, the crown prince, it will be a major event that will shake the country.

Can Queen Cui sit idly by?

"This prince wants to intercede, and I sent someone to spread the word to the palace. But the queen mother and the queen mother in the palace replied, and seemed to say that they had been very busy recently and didn't want to see me. This is clearly that even the queen mother and the queen mother are going to give up on me! ”

Xiang Tiange wanted to cry without tears.

After his prince reached adulthood at the age of fourteen, he was no longer allowed to enter the palace at will unless he was summoned to the palace by the will of the emperor, empress, and queen mother.

In the palace, the emperor, the queen and the queen mother did not see him, and he, the prince, couldn't cry if he wanted to cry.

Even if he wanted to use a way to please his father, the queen mother and the queen mother, he couldn't help it.

Shen Wanbao was also helpless.

Prince Xiang Tiange looked at Shen Wanbao, and saw that Shen Wanbao was also constantly drinking, sighed, and couldn't help but ask strangely: "Wanbao, what are you worried about, you also committed a crime?" Did your father scold you? ”

"Phew? What can I do! I'm worried that my family's papermaking workshop is all my father's pit! was stunned by Xiao Duhou, and he had to play against Xiao Duhou.

He said that he was optimistic about the prospects of the paper industry, and invested 10,000 taels of silver in the paper workshop to build a large workshop, but it has been in a state of half-dead loss. ”

Shen Wanbao drank depressedly.

Shen's hemp paper sells for a five-cent copper coin.

The Confucian scholars were too expensive to sell.

But the cost of hemp paper is high, and the price is reduced and the cost is lost.

Moreover, the workers have to be paid every day, and it costs a lot of money just to maintain this paper workshop.

If this continues, the tens of thousands of taels of silver that he finally got are like a blunt knife cutting meat, and little by little they will disappear.

"I want to close the Shen family's workshop that lost money and sell some silver back. But my father didn't give up, so he ran over every now and then, and together with the group of papermakers, he had to study the papermaking technique of faint paper. ”

Shen Wanbao was about to die.

But he also knew that Daddy was actually not wrong to do this.

As Empress Dowager Shen is getting older day by day, she is seventy or eighty years old, and no one knows when she will die. The life of Shen Mansion, the No. 1 silk merchant in the south of the Yangtze River, is not easy.

Shen Dafu was also afraid that once the Queen Mother went, she would lose this big backer.

The emperor didn't care about the affairs of the Shen family.

The Shen Mansion will not be able to keep the big industry of silk with extremely high profits, this industry is too huge, too popular, and the local tycoons will definitely be eyeing it, and Shen Dafu also wants to have one more way out.

The paper industry is just emerging and is highly profitable, but there are significantly fewer people competing than the silk industry. Even if the Shen Mansion declines, it can still occupy a place in the paper industry.

Xiang Tiange was afraid of falling out of favor in front of the emperor, and the Shen family was afraid of the death of the Empress Dowager Shen.

This family has a scripture that is difficult to read!

...

Chu Tianxiu took Zu'er back from the workshop outside Jinling City, passed by the Hongmen Inn, and saw Shen Wanbao and the crown prince Xiang Tiange sitting in the elegant seat on the second floor, drinking in front of the window.

"Oh, Brother Shen and the Prince, why are the two of you full of sorrow?!"

Chu Tianxiu smiled, and under the careful hospitality of the shopkeeper, he went up to the second floor of the Hongmen Inn and sat down in the private seat.

"Little Dusk Hou, this Lantern Festival has passed. You, the commander of Danyang County, are wandering around Jinling City with a maid, and you still haven't taken office? ”

Xiang Tiange was full of resentment, and said angrily.

If it was a little faint marquis, he would be willing to help him instigate Wu Wang Shizi and run away from Wu Shizi angrily. He wouldn't be angry and fly his sword to stab Xiang Xian.

"It's almost time, I'll go to office in a few days. I don't want to think about a few brothers, say goodbye to the big guys, you guys in the province say I won't say goodbye! Look at you all sorrows, but there are sorrows? Tell me about it! ”

Chu Tianxiu said with a smile.

Shen Wanbao rolled his eyes, his sorrow was the Shen family's papermaking workshop, but Xiao Duhou wanted to eat alone, and he refused to dominate the paper industry together.

The sorrow in his heart is in vain.

Shen Wanbao pointed at the prince and said, "The prince made a big mistake in the Yanyu Painting Boat, and the emperor actually didn't punish him, and there was no movement. Even the queen and the queen mother only said that they were very busy, and they refused to see the prince. Isn't the prince panicked, afraid of being deposed, what do you say is the situation in the palace? Just because the crown prince almost assassinated King Wu, is the emperor going to abolish the prince! ”

"Oh, there's such a thing?!"

Chu Tianxiu was taken aback.

He also thought that the emperor had already sent eunuchs to impose severe punishments on the prince of the East Palace, and to give an account to King Wu!

If you do this, this shows that everything in Da Chu is as usual, and there is no intention of making enemies with the princes and kings.

But the emperor didn't punish the crown prince, and there was no movement?

This is abnormal, and it is clearly an obvious signal!

This shows that the emperor is already very unhappy with these princes and kings, and he doesn't like them anymore. The prince stabbed the prince of Wu and stabbed him, but he didn't kill him.

Is this overbearing and unreasonable?

The emperor is so domineering and unreasonable.

The emperor did not intend to punish the crown prince at all, and of course there would be no movement in the palace towards the East Palace.

I am afraid that there will be big changes in the imperial court, the queen and the queen mother, there is no time to see the prince at this juncture.

This Great Chu Dynasty is really going to slowly change the sky.

It's just that everything in Dachu is chaotic, cumbersome and complicated. Domino effect... I don't know where the emperor will start!

Never mind.

He, a little dusk marquis, is just a small Danyang county magistrate, why worry about the emperor who rules the world.

Chu Tianxiu pondered for a moment and said, "What is the prince anxious about?" King Wu was scolding the emperor for being mediocre at that time, and you, the prince, were angry, so he stabbed Wu Shizi.

You just have to seize this and cry when you find an opportunity, and no one can move you. It's easy to get by. ”

"That's right! I'm not wrong at all, it's to maintain the majesty of my father! ”

Xiang Tiange's eyes lit up.

"However, this matter can be mixed up. But you, the prince, still want to make more meritorious deeds and try your best to show your skills in front of the emperor!

Otherwise, the emperor only sees your recklessness and impulsiveness, but does not see the real ability, he is still very disappointed! Over time, it's hard to say whether you, the crown prince, can sit firmly. ”

Chu Tianxiu patted the crown prince's shoulder and said with a smile.

Xiang Tiange suddenly realized, he felt that Xiao Duhou's words were very reasonable, and his eyes looked at Chu Tianxiu eagerly, "Xiao Duhou, you have a lot of ideas, give me a trick and help me make a great contribution in front of my father!" ”

"Think for yourself!

Ben Xiao Duhou is busy going to work! I'm not a fortune boy, I'm giving you a lot of credit for nothing! ... Unless, what benefit does the prince have in return.

When did the prince think of giving me a great benefit, I will immediately give you a great merit when I turn around, so that the emperor will be impressed by you.

Remember, an impressive miracle! ”

After Chu Tianxiu finished speaking, he patted his ass and left, not bothering to pay attention to Xiang Tiange and Shen Wanbao.

Xiang Tiange was distressed, if he wanted to get a big credit, did he need to ask him for help.

Besides, he, the crown prince, has no power or power, so where can he get any great benefits.

Xiang Tiange couldn't help but itch his teeth with hatred, and shouted at Chu Tianxiu's back: "Little Dum, you dropped a sentence to provoke me, and just patted your ass and left?" Can't you owe, wait for me to become the emperor, and then give you benefits? ”

Shen Wanbao couldn't cry or laugh, "Forget it, Xiao Duhou is very slamming the door, he has always only taken advantage and not suffered, you want to owe him benefits, there is no door!" ”