Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty Seven: This Great Family
The huge team arrived in front of the city gate in a short time.
Seven or eight carriages were divided into two echelons, four at the front and four at the back, traveling side by side, with no one willing to give way to the other.
The carriage stopped leisurely at the gate of the city. The curtains of the four carriages in front of them were opened. There were middle-aged men wearing wide-sleeved python robes sitting in each carriage. There were also several maids in each carriage, wearing thin clothes.
This time, Hu Hui and others seemed much calmer. The green-robed official behind him sighed in his heart and still prostrated himself on the ground.
Yang Shan followed the etiquette and half-bowed his hands as a gift. As for Mr. Hu Hui, he didn't even bother to bend his waist, so he bowed his hands and walked out.
“I have met the four princes.”
After giving such a symbolic salute, Mr. Hu put down his hand, as if the person who had been bending down to reply in front of King Min just now was not him.
However, these four princes are also different from the arrogance of King Min just now.
As soon as the carriage stopped, everyone in the carriage got out.
The first person to come down was the King of Zhennan. He was wearing a bright red robe with a python pattern over his shoulders. He was in his forties, had a short beard, was fat and looked very rich, and was smiling.
As soon as he stood firm on the ground, the fat prince had a look of joy on his face, took two steps forward, cupped his hands towards Hu Hui, and said.
“I have been ordered to go to the capital, which has already caused trouble to the elders of the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple. How dare I ask Uncle Lao Zong to personally welcome me? This is really a disgrace to my king.”
As he spoke, King Zhennan swept around to the left and right, raised his hands, and said repeatedly.
“My lords, please get up quickly, there is no need to be so polite.”
Then he turned around and waved. From another carriage behind him, several maids came down immediately holding silver plates and delivered them to everyone.
The red silk on top was opened, and each plate contained an ingot of silver and three strings of copper coins. The fat prince said with a smile.
“I would like to express my gratitude to you, uncle Zong, and all of you, please don’t take it personally and use it to buy some food. This can be regarded as my condolences to you all for waiting so early in the morning.”
The King of Zhennan was very generous in his dealings. One ingot of silver seemed to cost only five taels, and with three strings of copper coins, it was equivalent to a month's salary of a seventh-grade censor.
There were many low-ranking officials present who were in the sixth or seventh grade. They couldn't help but swallow their saliva when they saw the white money on the plate.
However, they still knew how to behave and did not dare to accept it directly. Instead, they set their sights on the leader, Mr. Hu.
Different from others, what was placed in front of Hu Hui and Yang Shan were gold ingots.
Shu Liang watched from the side and found it very interesting.
These days, he has also met many clan members. It’s not that they don’t have money, but it’s really rare. There are people who reward money like this at the gate of the city.
With everyone eagerly anticipating it, Hu Hui was not polite and waved his hand for his subordinates to take the plate. Then he cupped his hand and said with a smile on his slightly cold face.
“I dare not refuse the reward from the county prince, so I accepted it alive.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shu Liang seemed to be able to hear the cheers in the hearts of the green-robed officials beside him. Presumably at this time, they would not regret getting up so early.
At the same time, the doubts in Shu Liang’s heart became even worse.
Normally when princes from a county visit the capital, they keep a low profile. Although this kind of behavior of rewarding officials is not considered excessive, it is still a bit publicity.
What is the background of this King of Zhennan?
Seeing that Hu Hu did not refuse and accepted the gold ingot, King Zhennan's originally smiling face became even more happy, and he cupped his hand again and said.
"Uncle Da Zong, you're welcome. I'm really sorry for what happened just now..."
But as soon as he finished speaking, a strange and sinister voice came out.
"The Prince of Zhennan is really generous. My second brother has so much money, but he is so worried about a little jewelry. Aren't you afraid of being blamed for your life at night?"
The Fat Prince's smile suddenly stopped, as if someone had cast a talisman on him. A haze appeared on his round face. He turned around and said with a trace of disgust.
“Uncle Zong is here, what nonsense are you talking about, why don’t you get back to your car!”
Shu Liang looked in the direction where King Zhennan was scolding him and saw three more people getting off the three carriages opposite.
The person in front of him is wearing a light blue python pipa-sleeved robe and a thick fur robe. He is not a strong figure. It is worth noting that there are deep "Sichuan" lines between his eyebrows, which seem to hide countless worries.
From the emblem on his carriage, Shu Liang recognized that this was the King of Jiangchuan.
The two people who got off the two carriages further behind were different.
King Jiangchuan is not very strong, but these two are lean.
The first one is a little taller, and the second one is a little shorter. Although they look about thirty and very young, they are both so thin that they can't even hold up their robes.
Because they are too thin, their faces look a bit mean, as if they were carved from the same mold.
Judging from the emblem, the taller one should be King Guangtong, and the shorter one should be King Yangzong.
The words that provoked King Zhennan just now were said by King Guangtong.
King Guangtong and King Yang Zong seemed to have a very good relationship, and they stood together as soon as they got off the carriage.
Hearing King Zhennan’s reprimand to them, before King Guangtong could say anything, King Yangzong said in a strange tone.
“Yo yo yo, are you starting to show off to your second brother? Don’t forget, our brothers are all county princes. The old man is still here, but it’s not your turn to make the decision in the Min Prince’s Palace. How can you show off your prestige?”
Shu Liang watched from the sidelines. After staying in Dongchang for a long time, he liked to look at others when he had nothing to do. He was keenly aware of the two princes as soon as they got off the car.
They were full of resentment in their hearts, and they were not lenient. Unlike the generous and amiable King Zhennan, King Guangtong and King Yangzong both wore old robes and spoke harshly.
However, judging from the meaning of these words, it seems that they are brothers?
When Shu Liang heard the words "Prince Min's Mansion", his heart suddenly moved, and he asked softly to a green-robed official from Honglu Temple next to him.
“What is the name of this King of Zhennan?”
There was no official present who did not recognize him as the great master of Dongchang.
Although it is a bit against the rules to call the prince by his first name, relatively speaking, they are still less willing to offend Shu Liang, the admiral of Dongchang.
Therefore, the green-robed official who was pointed out by Shu Liang had no choice but to lower his voice and say while the person in front was talking.
“The king of Zhennan named Huixun, which was granted by the late emperor in the fourth year of Xuande.”
Shu Liang nodded, feeling a little enlightened.
Although the Ming Dynasty's princes and prefectures have said so, they all have a common thread to follow. At the time, Emperor Taizu set naming rules for his descendants.
Emperor Taizong's lineage is characterized by Gao Zhan Qi Jianyou and Hu Zai Yi Changyou. Counting from Emperor Taizong, the current emperor is the fourth generation, and his name contains the character Qi.
As for the word Hui, it belongs to the lineage of King Min. It is said that the sound of Hui is praised by Yan, and it is determined by Qi Yong.
In this way, the four people in front of me are none other than the four sons of Prince Min who have just entered the city.
Looking at the opposite side, the chubby King Zhennan and the two tall and thin King Guangtong and King Yangzong had already started to argue. The melancholy King Jiangchuan stood aside, holding the heater and sighing, and neither side helped.
Shu Liang sighed. He finally understood why Prince Min was in such a hurry to enter the city just now.
With so many sons in the stall, one can only be out of sight and out of mind...