Liu Qingli didn't expect to be exposed by his son for teaching his son, but what Liu Jingnan said was the truth, he couldn't refute it, he wanted to get angry but had no confidence, his face turned blue with anger, and he held back for a long time before saying: "...... What is the current situation of our Liu family, you don't know, everyone shouts and beats, and is excluded everywhere, if it weren't for Your Majesty to keep my title, I would have no place to stand a long time ago, how can I have such a great ability to arrange an official position for you? ”

"The family is not rich now, and you have to rely on your sister in the palace from time to time to use the rewards given by Your Majesty, and other people's mothers are supporting their daughters, but we almost became a drag on your sister and Second Highness, are you embarrassed to ask for this or that?"

Speaking of his daughter who was struggling in the palace, Liu Qingli's heart was sour, and he was more and more unhappy with his son, and the more he scolded, the more he scolded: "When there was a disturbance in the court, His Majesty didn't go to Cuihua Palace for three months, and he turned his head and set up the eldest prince as the crown prince, completely blocking the road of the Second Highness. After that, your sister didn't know how many means she used to slowly coax Your Majesty to change her mind. ”

"Now that there is finally a turning point, Your Majesty has the idea of letting His Royal Highness and the prince go to Wenhua Hall to study together, and is fighting with Zhou Minqing's old things. This wants them to know that His Royal Highness's uncle has incurred gambling debts outside, how can His Majesty be embarrassed to fight for His Royal Highness? Didn't you slap Your Majesty in the face! ”

The Great Xia Dynasty had a complete set of methods for cultivating princes, and the eldest son of the emperor should be made a prince when he reached his age, and then go to the Wenhua Hall to study, take Confucianism as his teacher, and receive an orthodox prince education that is different from that of the princes, so as to prepare for becoming a qualified emperor in the future.

Except for the crown prince, it stands to reason that the rest of the princes should go to study in the Guozijian like the children of the nobles in Beijing. But after all, Emperor Jingfeng still prefers the second son, and because he set up the eldest prince as the prince, he owes Liu Guifei something in his heart, and wants to make up for their mother and son, so he wants to win the opportunity for the second son to study in Wenhua Hall in front of the ministers.

Even if he fails to become the crown prince, as long as he receives the education of the prince, he can be regarded as a "candidate for the prince", and if the crown prince Li Jinze makes a mistake or has an accident in the future, the second prince Li Jinche will have the opportunity to ascend the throne at any time.

Since there are also precedents in the history of Great Xia where princes and princes studied in the Wenhua Hall together, although the ministers opposed it, it was not very fierce. Seeing that Emperor Jingfeng is about to convince the hundred officials, if there is negative news about the second prince's mother's family at this juncture, the ministers are afraid that they will make trouble again.

Seeing that Liu Qingli was very angry, his staff member Jiang Yang stood up and said: "Lord Hou is angry, the top priority is to repay the gambling debts of the last son as soon as possible, and suppress this matter as soon as possible, so as not to affect the matter of the Second Highness going to Wenhua Hall to study." ”

Liu Qingli slowly exhaled a breath, suppressed the fire in his chest, and asked his son Liu Jingnan, who was kneeling on the ground: "How much do you owe?" ”

Liu Jingnan subconsciously swallowed his saliva, didn't dare to look at his father's eyes, and whispered: "Before and after, probably...... Five hundred taels ......"

"Five hundred taels? That's fine, not very much. This amount is still within the acceptable range of Liu Qingli, and he breathed a sigh of relief, "All the cash in our family is about more than six hundred taels, so let's take it all out first and pay off the gambling debts." Before the profit of the store in this quarter is collected, you spend money to save me a little, don't be extravagant, do you hear? ”

Liu Jingnan didn't respond, only buried his head lower, and said after a while: "Just started...... It's five hundred taels, but the gambling house is too dark, as long as they don't pay back the money in the first place, they will make a profit...... Now, it's almost more than six thousand taels......"

"More than six thousand taels? Unfilial son! Why don't you gamble your life too! ”

Liu Qingli was furious, his face instantly turned from red to blue, and in anger, he stepped on Liu Jingnan's chest, kicked his son to the ground, and roared: "Six thousand taels, you sold my entire Xuanyang Houfu without six thousand taels!" Simply, I'll personally chop you and send you to the gambling house now, and it's better to kill you alone than to let my entire Liu family fall into ruin! ”

As he spoke, Liu Qingli grabbed his son's clothes and dragged him out. Liu Jingnan was so frightened that he wept, hugged his father's leg and cried: "Father, father, spare me, father!" The key is that the gambling house knows that I am the prince of Xuanyang, even if you kill me, it is useless, they will still find our family! ”

Liu Qingli's eyes were red with anger, and he threw Liu Jingnan to the ground: "Then what do you say!" I, the marquis, was rewarded by His Majesty, not earned by military merit! Do you think we have the same thick foundation as those old lords? ”

"Ten years ago, I was still working as a writer in the Ministry of Industry, that is, your sister was favored, and our family gradually became larger. How much background does our family have, you should know very well, smash the pot and sell iron at most 3,000 taels, what to do with the remaining 3,000 taels? It's up to you to go to the streets to beg for food! ”

Liu Jingnan sobbed, shrunk his neck and said, "My son thinks ...... I don't have to pay off this gambling debt...... After all, we are the Xuanyang Marquis Mansion, the mother of His Royal Highness, backed by the noble concubine, I don't believe that they dare to violently force debts. Let's just drag it out and not pay it back, what can they do? It's not like you're going to swallow this dumb loss. ”

Liu Qingli said angrily: "You want to be beautiful!" If only it were as easy as you say! People who can open a black gambling house in the capital, do you think it's simple? Do you know what forces are behind them? But if mortals want to kill you, there are many ways to kill you, and you don't even know how you died! ”

"People don't even need to do anything else, just publicize it, and you and I won't have good fruit to eat! In case of a certain day when the court meets, the imperial history goes up to the front of the emperor with a fold, and in front of the public, my godson has no way and is not restrained, and by the way, a few old things come out, do you think Your Majesty will protect you and me? ”

Liu Jingnan suddenly panicked: "Dad, then, what should I do?" Why don't we go into the palace and beg the concubine Niangniang to let her sell the property under her name for money, pay off the gambling debts first, and redeem them later? ”

Liu Qingli frowned, and said: "Although the concubine Niangniang has some properties under her name, but they are all given by His Majesty, she is just sitting on the profit, and the real ownership is still in the hands of His Majesty, I am afraid that if you sell your front foot, Feiyuwei will come to the door on your back foot." ”

"That'...... Isn't there no place to turn? ”

Knowing that his sister couldn't go this way, Liu Jingnan's face was ashen and he collapsed on the ground.

Liu Qingli looked solemn and said in a deep voice: "In short, first make up all the money that can be scraped up, if you really can't make it up, we have to go to Your Majesty and tell the whole story." It's better to tell him about it in private than to make a public fuss in the court. ”

"Maybe Your Majesty can look at the face of Niangniang and His Royal Highness at that time, and help our family again."

Liu Jingnan said in a panic: "What if Your Majesty doesn't help?" Taking a step back, even if he helps, wouldn't it be that there is no hope for His Royal Highness to enter the Wenhua Hall to study? ”

(End of chapter)