Chapter 170: Confiscated

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Even if the Fifth Prince was ignorant of the sufferings of the world, he knew that forty taels of silver for a fish was definitely not normal.

It was so blatant and arrogant, and it further proved that his involvement with the prefect was deeper than imagined.

Emperor Jingwen came this time to deal with the Crown Prince’s affairs, but unexpectedly, he caught Xiaojiu first.

Emperor Jingwen looked at his son and for a moment he didn’t know whether he should continue the investigation.

Ye Shuo suddenly remembered something and quickly changed the subject: “By the way, Dad, Brother Four, Brother Five, Brother Seven, Brother Eight, why are you here? Why didn’t you let someone know in advance?”

If he sent someone to notify them in advance, he would never let his stepfather and the others see that kind of scene.

“Isn’t it because of you?” The fifth prince said unhappily, “You haven’t been back to the capital for two years. Father is worried about you, so he wanted to stop by and see you during his southern tour.”

Ye Shuo’s first reaction when he heard this was, bullshit!

This was pure nonsense. No matter what his cheap father did, he would never go so far just to see him.

Ye Shuo subconsciously wanted to refute, but then he changed his mind and thought, why should he refute? Since they said so, then so be it. It would not do him any good to expose them.

“real?!”

Seeing his brother first startled, and then with a mixture of excitement, disbelief and shock in his eyes, the Fifth Prince choked.

Wait, did he really believe it?

I was just saying it casually.

“Fourth brother, fifth brother, seventh brother, eighth brother, I thought you were still angry with me…”

“Also, Dad, I haven’t seen you for more than two years, how come you have white hair?” Ye Shuo actually noticed this from the beginning. Compared to two years ago, his stepfather’s condition was obviously not as good as before.

Although his majesty has increased with age, the traces of time on his face cannot be concealed no matter how hard he takes care of himself.

I guess the fighting in the palace is more intense than I imagined.

Ye Shuo couldn’t help feeling sad.

During the two years that Xiaojiu was away, he became more and more unruly.

The moment the words fell, the Fifth Prince and the others were horrified.

You know, as an emperor, the most taboo thing is for others to say he is old.

The same was true for Emperor Jingwen. His sons were in their prime, but he was ageing day by day, like the setting sun. Whenever Emperor Jingwen looked in the mirror, he would feel powerless and angry.

When Emperor Jingwen heard this, his first reaction was anger. His expression suddenly became a little bad. But just as he was about to speak, he saw the undisguised concern in Ye Shuo’s eyes.

“Dad, how are you feeling lately?”

No matter who they are, including his closest friend Wang Ziquan, they are all very secretive about his ageing and dare not mention it at all. Whenever they mention it, these people will try every possible means to praise his youth and say that he is more energetic than before.

But old is old, that is the fate of man, even if you are the emperor you can do nothing about it.

Emperor Jingwen was a little uncomfortable with the sudden appearance of someone who spoke the truth.

After a while, Emperor Jingwen said, “It is a little older than before.”

“Then Father, please be less angry and less prone to rage. Being angry can easily harm your health.”

Looking at the father and son arguing with each other, Zhao Jinchuan’s eyes almost popped out.

It turns out that there is such a scene in royal family.

Zhao Jinchuan quickly lowered his head and drank tea to hide his shock.

But his sudden change was still seen by the Fourth Prince and the others, and they all said in their hearts at the same time, “No, they are not like this normally.”

At the very least, they would not dare to mention the fact that their father has white hair even if they were beaten to death.

It was getting dark, and Emperor Jingwen and his entourage were originally going to have dinner in this restaurant, but Ye Shuo didn’t dare to do that. Judging from the chef’s cooking skills in this Ping’an Restaurant, he could only say that the food would not starve him to death. If his cheap father ate this kind of food, he would probably be killed on the spot by the guards.

“This is my house in Liangzhou. Although it can’t compare to the one you gave me, it’s still good enough.”

About half an hour later, Ye Shuo brought them to his current residence.

The old house that was abandoned two years ago has now been renovated into a new one. As Ye Shuo’s wallet has gradually become fatter, he has expanded the house several times and the area of ​​the house has been expanded again and again.

The so-called richest man in Liangzhou is not just talk.

Looking around, the Fourth Prince and the others seriously doubted whether his words “not as good as going to the capital” were just modesty.

It can be seen with the naked eye that this house is larger than the Ninth Prince’s Mansion in the capital.

Emperor Jingwen wanted him to quit Qinglufang at first. After all, it would be embarrassing for a prince to run a casino. It would be embarrassing for the old ministers and the noble families to know about it.

But after arriving at the house, Emperor Jingwen suddenly hesitated.

This casino seems to be more profitable than I thought.

“Do you have an account book? Bring it here for me to see.”

Hearing this, Ye Shuo subconsciously became alert. What a familiar tone. It was so similar to the tone his friends’ parents used when they were giving out New Year’s money when they were children in his previous life.

Emperor Jingwen noticed the vigilance in his son’s eyes and was both angry and amused: “What’s with that expression? Can I still covet your little money?”

Finished, more like it.

However, the emperor’s order was hard to disobey, and Ye Shuo had no choice but to ask the accountant in the mansion to fetch the account book of Qinglufang.

Emperor Jingwen sat there and flipped through the book. Then he couldn’t help but be a little surprised: “So many?”

Coming, coming, coming.

The next moment, Emperor Jingwen said, “What about the others? Bring them up as well.”

“…It’s okay for me to show it to you.” Ye Shuo tried to struggle desperately: “But Dad, you have to promise not to covet your son’s money.”

Emperor Jingwen said nothing, but just looked at him with a smile.

What happened to your promise not to be greedy for money? ! How can you, my cheap father, go back on his word! Ye Shuo gave the order with a sad face.

After reading it, Emperor Jingwen was very satisfied.

Think about the daily turnover of a modern casino, and then think about the backward productivity in ancient times. It is no wonder that even the emperor would be tempted and would sacrifice his face to snatch his son’s things.

“Okay, the treasury is short of money, so I’ll keep these account books with you for now.”

No way? It’s so dark?!

Ye Shuo initially thought that his cheap father would only take 40% to 50% of it, but he didn’t expect that he would not leave any for himself.

“Dad! You can’t do this!” When Ye Shuo thought about how so many things no longer belonged to him, he couldn’t hold back his grief and anger, and cried loudly while hugging Emperor Jingwen’s legs.

“You are the emperor. How can you take your son’s things? Wouldn’t that damage your image as a wise emperor?”

Emperor Jingwen didn’t buy his words at all: “Since you are my son, everything you have should belong to me.”

It turns out that parents in feudal society are unreasonable.

Patriarchy and imperial power oppress people!

Ye Shuo cried even more sadly.

Although in most cases he didn’t need to do it himself, and he spent a lot of money to have others do it for him, it was still his hard work after all, two whole years! Who wouldn’t cry!

Seeing that he was throwing tantrums like he did when he was a child when they disagreed, Emperor Jingwen almost laughed out loud: “Why are you crying? I didn’t take it for nothing.”

The little bastard is almost twenty years old now, and according to the rules, it is time for him to be promoted to a higher title.

First the prince of a county and then the prince, if he wants to be crowned the prince, there must be a reason, something to show for it, right? Otherwise, his brothers would be unhappy.

What’s more, in the current situation, it’s better for the little bastard not to have any extra things in his hands, so as not to attract people’s attention. He doesn’t have the ability to protect them, so he won’t get into trouble later.

When Ye Shuo heard this, he asked, “Then what are you going to exchange for?”

Since the things are about to be lost, it would be nice to get some compensation.

Emperor Jingwen paused and said, “How about a prince’s position?”

Two years of hard work in exchange for a prince title, it’s a huge profit!

Ye Shuo was immediately fine.

“Dad, you are so kind. I know that you love your son the most.”

Emperor Jingwen: “…”

Emperor Jingwen felt that the little bastard changed his expression faster than turning the pages of a book, and he didn’t even try to hide it.

Emperor Jingwen didn’t know what to say about him.

Then, Ye Shuo asked a question that made Emperor Jingwen’s smile freeze instantly.

“By the way, where is my third brother? Didn’t my fourth brother and the others just say that he was here too? Why can’t I see him?”

Anyone who has a little knowledge of the court’s developments would not ask this question. The fact that he asked this question proves that he really knows nothing about it.

Seeing that the confusion in his youngest son’s eyes did not seem fake, Emperor Jingwen’s anger only lasted for a moment. Then he sighed, feeling worried about the little bastard’s frankness and stupidity.

It would be fine if he were like this to his biological father, but with his temper, he would suffer a great loss sooner or later if his brother took the throne in the future.

Emperor Jingwen did not say it directly, but only vaguely said: “When your third brother was in Bingzhou, I let him get off the ship in advance.”

Ye Shuo always felt that his cheap father’s expression seemed a little stiff when he mentioned the crown prince. There must be something fishy going on, so he asked, “Then did you tell my third brother the specific reason for not bringing him along?”

Ye Shuo didn’t know what happened between them, but his idea was very simple. From the child’s point of view, the father took a group of children out to play, but left one of them alone. How could the one who was left alone not think too much?

Emperor Jingwen did not care. Even if he was the crown prince, it was impossible for him to explain everything clearly.

Seeing that his youngest son kept harping on such trivial matters, Emperor Jingwen became a little annoyed after a long time.

“Since you care so much about your third brother, why don’t you go to Bingzhou to accompany him!”

Emperor Jingwen couldn’t help feeling angry because he had taken so much trouble to help him plan, but his mind was completely on his brother. Even Xiaojiu went against him.

hiss…

My cheap dad himself was angry.

After not seeing my stepfather for two years, his temper has become even weirder.

Ye Shuo hurriedly said: “I am not speaking for Third Brother, I am speaking for you, right?”

Emperor Jingwen sneered at him, wondering what nonsense he could come up with.

Seeing this, Ye Shuo was very helpless: “The son that Dad values ​​most is Third Brother. Dad, you don’t think your son can’t see it, right? Since you value him so much, how can your son bear to see you sad?”

“If it can be avoided, why not avoid it?”

“If you really feel embarrassed and can’t save your face, then let your son convey your message.”

“Someone, bring paper and pen!”

Without giving Emperor Jingwen any chance to refute, Ye Shuo had already spread out the paper and held the pen in his hand.

Then Ye Shuo raised his head and said seriously, “Okay, Dad, start talking.”