Emperor of the Red Chamber

Chapter 31 The Sons of the Cold-faced King

After receiving the errand of checking the deficit, the third prince left the palace and took a sedan chair back to Prince Yiqin's Mansion in the East City.

I had a lot of thoughts along the way, mainly thinking about three things.

The first is the position, the second is the inventory deficit, and the third is his son Qingbai.

In the past, he would never have thought that one day, his dignified and cold-faced king would rely on his son to gain points for him in the fight for his father's position.

Moreover, this son is not his legitimate son Yuan Qingzhe, nor is he his fourth son Yuan Qingsong.

It turned out to be his third son Yuan Qingbai, who he had previously ignored and ignored and was weak and incompetent.

Because of such thoughts, when the third prince returned to Prince Yiqin's Mansion, he couldn't help but want to take a look at Yuan Qingbai's residence.

When he walked towards the remote courtyard house on Neifu West Road, he suddenly met his other three sons, Yuan Qingzhe, Yuan Qingsong, and Yuan Qingshu, halfway.

Yuan Qingshu fell to the ground.

Yuan Qingsong stood aside in confusion.

Yuan Qingzhe sneered at Yuan Qingshu and said, "I told you to be more obedient, learn from Qingsong, and give me the money. How could I, my brother, do something to you?"

Just at this moment, the third prince came over.

Yuan Qingzhe was startled, Yuan Qingsong's eyes lit up, and Yuan Qingshu hurriedly climbed up from the ground, lowering his head.

The third prince looked at his three sons with a stern look, and asked in a deep voice with frowning eyebrows: "What are you doing?"

The three sons were silent, but their expressions were different.

Yuan Qingzhe was frightened and uneasy, Yuan Qingsong was timid, and Yuan Qingshu glanced at Yuan Qingzhe.

The third prince looked at Yuan Qingzhe and asked, "Tell me, what are you doing!"

Yuan Qingzhe stammered: "Back to dad, I didn't... didn't do anything. We were just joking."

The third prince shouted to Yuan Qingzhe: "Kneel down!"

Yuan Qingzhe was so frightened that he knelt on the ground.

Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu were also frightened and knelt down.

The third prince looked at Yuan Qingzhe: "What on earth are you doing? Tell me the truth. You know my temper. If you dare to tell any lies, I won't expose you!"

Although Yuan Qingzhe is a proud and arrogant master, he is very afraid of his cold-faced father. At this moment, he is like a mouse being stared at by a cat.

He trembled and said: "I... I was joking with my two younger brothers. Let... let them give me the money they have on them to see if they have any affection for my brother. I don't really want what they have."

As he said that, he took out three pieces of silver, handed two pieces to Yuan Qingsong, and handed one piece to Yuan Qingshu.

The third prince immediately understood that Yuan Qingzhe was asking for money from his two younger brothers. Yuan Qingshu refused to give it and was pushed to the ground and robbed.

Of course the third prince is very rich.

Not to mention anything else, just his palace and two gardens are worth a fortune.

In addition to the Prince Yiqin's Mansion and the Cow Garden in Chengde, he also has a garden in the western suburbs of Shenjing.

This garden in the western suburbs is only about a mile away from Dangchun Garden. Emperor Jing'an named it "Yuanzhao Garden".

Yuanzhao Garden was also awarded to the third prince by Emperor Jing'an.

However, the third prince did not like luxury and was not greedy for pleasure, and he also had strict restrictions on his sons' expenses.

Although Yuan Qingzhe is still young, he is already greedy for pleasure and spends money like water.
He asked Xiahou for a lot of money every month.

He also asked his three younger brothers for property.

Xiahou's expenses were also limited, and although she doted on Yuan Qingzhe, she would not give him any money, knowing that it was wrong to do so.

Yuan Qingzhe once stole something from the Xiahou family, but was taught a lesson by the Xiahou family after being discovered. Yuan Qingzhe thought of another way to get money, which was to steal the property left by Su Zhiwan.

So far, he has gone to Yuan Qingbai's study three times to steal.

The first time he stole, the original owner was suspicious.

The second theft was discovered by Yuan Qingbai, who traveled through time.

The third theft occurred when Yuan Qingbai was training in Beijing Camp.

Since Yuan Qingbai was raised by Emperor Jing'an, he has become the most important son in the heart of the third prince. Although the third prince did not change his residence in the palace, he sent people to guard his courtyard and prohibited others from entering without permission.

It makes it inconvenient for Yuan Qingzhe to go to Yuan Qingbai's study to steal again.

When Yuan Qingzhe was in a hurry for money today, he asked Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu for money.

Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu are both afraid of Yuan Qingzhe.

Moreover, both of them had complained to their biological mothers before, saying that they were asked for money by Yuan Qingzhe, but their biological mothers were afraid of the Xiahou family and asked them to endure the matter.

Yuan Qingzhe did not live up to his expectations. Today, when he asked his two younger brothers for property, he was caught on the spot by the cold-faced father.

This is what happened!
At this moment, the third prince interrogated Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu again and confirmed his speculation.

The third prince turned blue with anger.

Qingzhe, ah Qingzhe, as an elder brother, you should take care of your younger brothers. Brothers, friends, and brothers are respectful.

But you asked your brothers for their property, but when Qingshu refused to give it, you pushed them down and robbed them.

Qing Bai is so accomplished now. You are his legitimate son and elder brother, how come you are so incompetent?
Why is the gap between you so big?
The third prince gritted his teeth, paused, let out a breath, and shouted to Yuan Qingzhe: "Kneel down here, and I will punish you later!"

He then said to Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu: "You two each go back to your own rooms and kneel down."

Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu ran away in a hurry.

Yuan Qingzhe knelt on the spot, trembling.

The third prince continued to walk towards Yuan Qingbai's residence.

Fei'er and Cui'er, the two rough servants, were both surprised and happy when they saw the third prince suddenly arriving. They hurriedly stepped forward and saluted respectfully: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The third prince nodded slightly: "Open the door to the main room."

Fei'er and Cui'er hurriedly opened the door.

There are three main rooms, the middle room is the main room, the east room is Yuan Qingbai's bedroom, and the west room is the study.

The third prince paced around, first looking around in the main room, and then in the bedroom, thoughtful and guilty.

Qing Bai, a good son, lives in a remote and shabby place in the palace!
At this time, the third prince walked into the west study room.

The study room is also simple, without a kang or a kang table. It is equipped with a desk, a bookshelf, and a locked cabinet.

The bookcases, bookshelves, and cabinets were all used by the deceased Su Zhiwan.

The third prince stood in front of the bookshelf and found two folded paintings. His eyes lit up and he opened them. One painting was of flowers and the other was of landscapes. They were both works by Su Zhiwan.

The third prince asked Fei'er and Cui'er: "I remember Qingbai has several paintings given to him by his mother. Why are there only two?"

Fei'er said hurriedly: "Go back to the prince, there are two more paintings. Mr. Bai San has brought them into the palace."

The third prince was delighted when he heard this. He was a filial son, and he even brought his biological mother's paintings into the palace.

He continued to look at the two paintings and found that both paintings had Su Zhiwan's seal.

Huh? Why is there a "Song Si Ye Seal" stamped on this landscape painting?
He frowned, pointed at the "Song Si Ye Seal", and asked Fei'er and Cui'er, "What's going on with this seal?"

(End of this chapter)