manynovel Chapter 406 What's so great about being a beggar?
Chapter 406 What's so great about being a beggar?
The crown prince, who was followed by many secret guards, was speechless at the sight.
What should I do?
Someone reported this to Song Yan. Song Yan had spent a lot of time with the Empress and thought to himself, "So what if the Crown Prince is a beggar? The Empress even ran a brothel." He gave instructions that unless the Crown Prince's life was in danger, he could do whatever he wanted.
The prince even smeared his face with dirt and sat guarding the broken bowl. For most of the day, only a few people who looked ragged threw him a few copper coins, while those who were well-dressed, riding horses, riding in carriages, or surrounded by servants didn't even glance at him.
Although he didn't understand what it meant for the rich to be heartless, the seed was planted in his heart.
Suddenly, several little beggars came over aggressively. The prince was still stunned when his newly acquainted elder brother arrived with his men. Without exchanging a word, the two sides started fighting.
The crown prince was completely dumbfounded.
His elder brother had the upper hand, mainly because he had secret guards with him. Fearing that the Crown Prince would be affected, he sent the Southern Palace Imperial Guards over. When the enemy saw the Imperial Guards coming, they scattered in a flash.
Only then did the Crown Prince realize that this street was located at the border of two territories, a place that the two beggars would fight over. It turned out that his elder brother, Wei Shuo, had been begging here himself. Wei Shuo had only been gone for a short while, and the Crown Prince was a stranger, so the other party came over.
Been taught a lesson!
Wei Shuo glanced at the broken bowl, which held a pitifully small number of copper coins. He then said to the little beggar under his command, "Fu Guang is joining us today, and he's not very good at begging yet. We'll waive his rent today. What do you say?"
That's right, the crown prince used his younger brother's name.
Not only do they occupy territory, but the beggars are also organized, and each beggar has to pay a certain amount of rent to their organization every day.
The crown prince said he had learned something new.
Everyone agreed.
The prince was taken by his elder brother to their dwelling place, a barren mountain on the north side of the city, where a city god temple, hidden by bamboo forests, was reduced to ruins and could not provide shelter from the wind and rain.
Some people asked for food, and some asked for copper coins. Wei Shuo instructed the Crown Prince to take out three copper coins and send someone out to buy the simplest food. Everyone shared it and barely managed to fill their stomachs.
The prince had never eaten such coarse food before. He ate with great difficulty, but he was hungry and there were so many people watching. It would be fake not to eat.
He somewhat regretted becoming a beggar.
"Fuguang, how did you end up as a beggar? Did something happen to your family?"
The crown prince was still hesitating.
Wei Shuo had already answered for him, patting him on the shoulder, "It's okay if you don't want to say, we're all brothers, we won't betray you."
Someone said, "Boss, didn't your family also suffer a misfortune?"
Wei Shuo is only twelve years old, but he has been a beggar for six years. He laughed and said, "Yes, my father died in battle, my mother remarried, and I lost my home. Sooner or later, I will return to the border, I will destroy Xiling, and avenge my father!"
The prince exclaimed in surprise, "Your father is a hero?"
He learned this word from his mother.
Wei Shuo said, "Yes, my father is a hero. He is a great hero who defends the country and protects the borders."
He was very happy and patted his younger brother on the shoulder, "Fuguang, in the future, we will go to the battlefield together, and I will teach you martial arts."
The crown prince couldn't refuse, so he learned a few moves from Wei Shuo. They were exhausted when the moon rose high in the sky, so they leaned against the wall, wrapped themselves in their few remaining clothes, and went to sleep.
Even the crown prince couldn't resist falling asleep.
After he fell asleep, the guards appeared, carried him away, and behind him, Wei Shuo opened his eyes and glanced at them, but was not surprised, and continued to close his eyes and sleep.
When Li Yuanke heard that the Crown Prince had become a beggar, he was drinking tea and luckily didn't choke to death.
When the crown prince returned, he saw that the prince truly looked like a beggar. He hurriedly went up to the prince and pinched his left ear to examine it. The red mole on it was the same as his own. He was relieved, knowing that the prince was indeed his son.
Shen Shixi pinched her nose and hid far away, waving her hand and saying, "Quickly, get a separate bucket, throw him in the bucket and wash him clean. How did you bring him back? Wash him outside first, he probably has fleas all over him."
The more she talked, the more terrified she became. Shen Shixi simply climbed onto Li Yuanke's back, raising her legs high, and said, "Bai Ping, Bai Ping, quickly go to the Imperial Hospital and get some insect-repelling herbs to fumigate the whole palace."
The prince was woken up and saw his mother looking at him with such disdain. He was so aggrieved that he almost cried. "Mother, I'm not really a beggar."
Shen Shixi peeked out from over Li Yuanke's shoulder and asked, "What's the difference between you and a real beggar?"
Wang Shu didn't understand yet, but seeing his mother so frightened, he also burrowed into his father's arms in fear.
Li Yuanke, with one arm around his youngest son and the other supporting his shrewish wife, was utterly speechless.
Bai Kui and Lan Ying took the prince to scrub him clean and then soaked him in the hot spring. Bai Ping hadn't brought back the herbs yet, and Shen Shixi felt itchy all over.
"Could there really be fleas? Li Yuanke, what kind of son did you raise? A dignified crown prince, reduced to a beggar? What were you thinking?"
Seeing her scratching around like a monkey, Li Yuanke couldn't bear to watch. "How could I possibly give birth to one by myself?"
To be fair, the Crown Prince's personality is very much like Shen Shixi's—unconventional, daring to think and do anything.
Xihe returned from a day spent in the bookstore. When she heard that her younger brother had come back, she ran over and was also very surprised.
She couldn't quite understand why her brother would become a beggar.
But the crown prince felt he had gained a lot. He told his parents, "My eldest brother said that wherever there are people, there is a world of its own, and wherever there is a world of its own, there are rules."
Shen Shixi burst out laughing. "Then do you understand what that means?"
The crown prince nodded. "Understood."
He understood somewhat, but not quite.
But one day you'll understand.
Shen Shixi patted his head. "Very good! Remember one thing: when you enter a circle, first adapt to it. If you want to dominate it, you must learn to use the rules of this circle to defeat it. After occupying the high ground, then make the rules to rule this circle."
The prince was even more confused, but he remembered his mother's words.
On the 18th day of the third month of the 15th year of Yongxi, the Emperor Qianqiu was born.
Shen Shixi is twenty-six years old.
She had no intention of celebrating her birthday. As in previous years, she first received the homage of the court officials in the imperial court, and then went to Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager did not look well, but she was much more at peace. She leaned against the large pillow at the head of the bed, drank a bowl of medicine served by Shen Shixi, and then patted the edge of the bed to let Shen Shixi sit down.
"You've always protected the Emperor since you were little. In the Xie family matter, you saw me protecting Yuan Yin, and you became resentful towards me. For so many years, I've treated you like a daughter, and you turn against me so easily? You really are heartless."
The Empress Dowager was in poor spirits and became breathless after saying only a few words.
Shen Shixi said, "Mother, ask yourself honestly, do you feel the same way about the Emperor and about Prince Guo?"
The Empress Dowager coughed twice and said, "You now have four children. Do you treat all four of them the same? Do you think I don't love the Emperor? He has you, he has the empire. Is it wrong for me to love Yuan Yin a little more?"
Shen Shixi tucked the blanket around her. "Whether Mother loves Yuan Yin or protects him, we have no objection. It's just that Mother shouldn't harm the Emperor's interests for the sake of Prince Guo."
You have repeatedly harmed the Emperor for the sake of Prince Guo and Yang Tingyue, and I cannot stand on the same side as you. However, these are all things of the past, why bring them up again? The imperial physician said you need to rest; isn't being restless another form of exhaustion?