Chapter 273: Fake Compromise

Zhongshan Marquis' Mansion.

Tang Hao was concentrating on spending all his time and energy accompanying Zhang Jingshu.

This lady of the Marquis' Mansion has now become Tang Hao's virtuous wife. She not only manages the Marquis' Mansion in an orderly manner, but has also been committed to repairing the awkward relationship between Tang Hao and Duke of England Zhang Mao.

Previously, in order to board the big ship to go to sea, the nobles had repeatedly found Tang Hao to put pressure on him. After Tang Hao exchanged interests with him, he asked Zhang Mao to abolish his son Zhang Zhong and broke one of Zhang Zhong's legs with his own hands!

After this incident, the relationship between Tang Hao and Zhang Mao suddenly became extremely awkward, and even had a hint of hatred.

As Zhang Mao's most beloved granddaughter, the only thing Zhang Jingshu could do now was to go to the Duke of England's Mansion from time to time to visit her grandfather and then say good things for Tang Hao.

Today, Zhang Jingshu wanted to invite Tang Hao to go with her, but Tang Hao was not stupid, so he refused decisively.

Coincidentally, at this time, something quite interesting happened.

The cheap second uncle Tang Yi hurried over and whispered: "The Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao sent someone to deliver a box of gold and silver treasures, in the name of apologizing to you, and also said that he had prepared a banquet at home, specially for you alone!"

"Hao brother, what's going on? When did you offend this Zhu Chenhao again?"

Tang Yi looked at Tang Hao nervously and couldn't help asking.

Tang Hao shrugged indifferently and sneered.

"It's not that I want to offend him, but it's your majesty's order."

"I blocked this guy at the gate of the palace and beat him up in accordance with your majesty's order. He didn't even dare to fart, and even said that all his injuries were caused by his fall!"

Hearing this, Tang Yi's expression became solemn.

"This shouldn't be!"

"It is said that Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao is not a good person. He has been making a lot of money and eliminating dissidents in his fiefdom. How could he swallow this anger when he was beaten up by you for no reason? Moreover, he lowered his posture so much that he not only gave you gold and silver treasures, but also held a banquet to apologize to you..."

"Hao'er, there must be something wrong when things are abnormal. I guess this banquet is not a good one!"

Tang Hao touched his chin and nodded, roughly guessing Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao's little thoughts.

The reason why he swallowed his anger, the reason why he sent gold and silver jewelry, and the reason why he held a banquet to apologize...all because of-military power!

Zhu Chenhao was conferred the title of Guanglu Temple Minister, and he would stay in the capital as an official most of the time. This is not a good thing for an anti-king with evil intentions, or it can be said that there are pros and cons!

After all, the capital is the capital of the Ming Dynasty, where the emperor is, not Zhu Chenhao's base camp in Nanchang!

This capital is the headquarters of His Majesty the Emperor!

Zhu Chenhao staying in the court as the Minister of Guanglu Temple will help him win over the court officials and cultivate his party members, which will facilitate his rebellion in the future.

But at the same time, he will be trapped in the capital, and his every word and action will be under the eyes of His Majesty the Emperor. He can only act more cautiously, and he has to find a way to win over the powerful nobles who are in charge of the Beijing army!

And looking at the entire Ming nobles, the only person who holds real power is him, Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao!

"This guy has a lot of little ideas!"

Tang Hao sneered, and then ordered: "Second uncle, take this box of gold, silver and jewelry, and then send Jinyiwei to send it to the palace."

"In addition, if you are free, tell the people from Ning Wangfu that this marquis will be on time for the dinner."

"This marquis would like to see what other tricks this Zhu Chenhao has!"

Tang Yu frowned when he heard this, and then tentatively mentioned it.

"Could it be a Hongmen Banquet?"

"Hahaha... Zhu Chenhao must have gone crazy to set up a Hongmen Banquet in the capital to take my life!"

Tang Hao laughed and then replied domineeringly.

"No one can take my life in the capital of the Ming Dynasty!"

Do you really think that the soldiers of the Beijing Army are just for show?

Tang Hao was also amused by his own ridiculous idea.

If Zhu Chenhao really wanted to rebel, he would definitely not set up a Hongmen Banquet, but try his best to win over Zhongshan Marquis Tang Hao.

This is what a rebel king should do!

Time flies, and it is soon time for the banquet.

Tang Hao, dressed in plain clothes, arrived at Zhu Chenhao's mansion, now called Ning Wangfu, in a carriage.

Unlike other princes who only came to Beijing temporarily to attend the clan meeting, before they came to Beijing, Tang Hao and Zhu Houzhao had already decided on two candidates for the clan princes to stay in Beijing, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and Xing Wang Zhu Youluo, so they ordered the Ministry of Works to vacate two mansions and give them to the two kings.

Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao's mansion occupies a large area, which is also in line with his status as a noble.

Liu Yangzheng acted as a temporary housekeeper and respectfully led Tang Hao into the lobby.

Tang Hao glanced at Liu Yangzheng. In his memory, he seemed to be a figure, but not very glorious.

Liu Yangzheng was from Luling, Jiangxi, and played an extremely disgraceful role—one of the masterminds of Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao's rebellion.

This person was originally a juren, read books and knew military affairs, had lofty ambitions, and was known as a Jiangxi celebrity. He and another so-called celebrity Li Shishi were favored by Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and invited to be the staff of Ning Wang's mansion.

At that time, bandits were rampant in southern Jiangxi. Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao preferred to make friends with thieves and robbers. He often interacted with bandit leaders from all sides and recruited them to serve as guards in his palace, becoming a veritable "gangster boss" at the time.

Liu Yangzheng saw Zhu Chenhao's wolfish ambition, so he flattered him and called Ning Wang "the real man who puts order to chaos". He also often used the Chenqiao mutiny of Song Taizu to "tell the story" and deceived Zhu Chenhao into plotting a rebellion.

Zhu Chenhao, because of the grievances between the royal family and the Ning vassal, especially the promise of Emperor Taizong Wen that "the world will be divided equally after the success", made Zhu Chenhao have long had dissent towards the court, but the time was not ripe and he did not dare to act rashly.

Liu Yangzheng's flattery and deception made Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao very happy, and he sighed that he was a genius, called him "Mr. Liu", and treated him like a "military advisor". Then, under Liu Yangzheng's planning, Ning Wangfu made a lot of money and plundered the people's fat and blood, and used these money and grain to recruit soldiers and build weapons, which accelerated the pace of rebellion.

In the autumn of the 14th year of Zhengde, Liu Yangzheng was ordered to draft the "Exhortation to Punish Zhengde" and was granted the position of "Right Prime Minister". He followed Zhu Chenhao's 60,000 navy down the Yangtze River to Nanjing, becoming a veritable military advisor and reached the peak of his life.

However, the final result was that he and Zhu Chenhao's painstaking rebellion happened to encounter a living saint. In less than 30 days, the saint put down the rebellion. Liu Yangzheng, Zhu Chenhao and a group of his confidants were escorted to the capital and beheaded for public display.

This speculator who was ambitious and far-reaching ultimately failed to realize his dream of wealth and honor. He was even infamous for writing an "Exhortation to Punish Zhengde" for Zhu Chenhao and was spit on for all eternity!

When he thought of this, Tang Hao looked at Liu Yangzheng with more and more strange eyes.

Liu Yangzheng naturally noticed the strange look of Zhongshan Hou, and after thinking for a long time, he didn't understand what it meant.

Just when he felt like he was on edge, he finally arrived at the lobby of the palace.

Zhu Chenhao had been waiting here early, and when he saw Tang Hao, he immediately went forward to greet him with great enthusiasm.

"Zhongshan Hou, you are finally here!"

"That day, the little prince was blind and accidentally bumped into Zhongshan Hou, so I specially held this banquet to apologize to Zhongshan Hou!"

Hearing this, Tang Hao looked at Zhu Chenhao with a smile.

The bruises on this guy's face have not disappeared, but he can swallow his anger and apologize to him by turning black and white. He is indeed a ruthless person.

"Your Highness Prince Ning is polite."

"The Japanese Hou was in a bad mood, so he acted rashly. Please forgive me, Prince Ning!"

Tang Hao arched his hand casually, which made Liu Yangzheng frown on the side.

This Ming Zhongshan Hou is really as arrogant and domineering as the rumors say!

When my prince was in Nanchang, he was never despised and neglected by others like this!

As a prince, I apologized to you silently, but you still look indifferent. Do you really think that the one who is wrong is our prince?

What a bastard!

Zhu Chenhao's eyes were cold, but he did not forget the purpose of today, so he suppressed his anger and pulled Tang Hao to sit down.

Liu Yangzheng was naturally not qualified to sit down. He acted as the host and clapped his hands. Soon a group of beautiful women walked into the lobby.

These pretty ladies were all dressed in a piece of clothing, which made people feel restless and excited at a glance.

Under the command of Liu Yangzheng, they immediately danced gracefully, and the dance they performed exuded a sense of enchantment from inside to outside.

Every move they made seemed to be aimed at arousing the guests' primitive desires, and the look in their eyes when dancing made people's hands and feet soft and their mouths dry.

After just a glance, Tang Hao dared not look at these fairies anymore. His whole energy was now used to suppress the restless little Tangzi.

For his future sexual happiness, Tang Hao has always kept himself clean and never sent his energy to other women.

As if he felt that the heat was not enough, Zhu Chenhao gave Liu Yangzheng a look, and the latter clapped his hands immediately, and the next moment a beautiful figure appeared in the center.

This is a Hu Ji, who looks quite different from the Han people, but is full of exotic charm.

The stunning Hu Ji was lightly dressed, her exquisite figure was looming, and the charm flowed between her eyebrows. The golden hairpin passed through the combed black hair, and bursts of fragrance came. Her steps were light and graceful, like a fairy descending to the earth, dancing in the Qinhuai wind that brushed across the painting boat, and her every frown and smile was full of charm.

The slender legs and the half-covered gauze skirt made people feel as if a fragrant breeze was blowing in the haze.

It would be hard for any normal man to look away after seeing this scene.

Tang Hao originally thought that he shouldn't be so unrestrained, but then he thought that he was in front of Zhu Chenhao and others, so there was no need to pretend to be a gentleman.

There was still plenty of time to play with this guy slowly.

So Tang Hao laughed a little wildly, then raised his glass and drank it all.

"This woman is really... charming!"

As soon as the voice fell, Tang Hao stepped forward without saying anything, and pulled the stunning Hu Ji into his arms amid the exclamations of the crowd, and began to caress her wantonly.

Zhu Chenhao was startled at first, and then a barely perceptible sneer flashed across his face.

He finally found the weakness of this beast!

Greedy for money, lustful, arrogant and domineering, this is what Zhu Chenhao really wants to see!

As long as these weaknesses are grasped, Zhu Chenhao can slowly erode this Ming Zhongshan Marquis until he becomes his own!

You know, this guy holds the Beijing Army in his hands!

When he thought of this, Zhu Chenhao felt hot inside.

He turned a blind eye to the charming scene of Tang Hao playing with the stunning Hu Ji, and took the opportunity to ask the question he was most concerned about.

"Lord Tang, the Prince of Anhua Zhu Zongxuan suddenly rebelled, and His Majesty was furious about it, and also imprisoned the Prince of Qing Zhu Taihong..."

"Will this matter affect the transaction between our clan and His Majesty? What if His Majesty is wary of the clan and the princes again because of this, what should we do?"

Zhu Chenhao asked very straightforwardly, which was actually a test. He wanted to see Tang Hao's sincerity.

Tang Hao's eyes flashed when he heard the words. While playing with the graceful body of the stunning Hu Ji, he looked at Zhu Chenhao with a smile.

"Prince Ning, it is not the behavior of a minister to guess the emperor's intention without permission!"

Zhu Chenhao was choked to death by this sentence!

He really wanted to overturn the table directly, but he could only swallow his anger.

You have received the gold, silver and treasures, and the beautiful Hu Ji, but now you are acting loyal to me?

This is so disgusting!

Just when Zhu Chenhao looked unhappy, Tang Hao changed the subject.

"But I have not heard of any unusual movements in the palace, and no decree has been issued to the cabinet."

"That is to say, Prince Ning is still the Minister of Guanglu Temple, and Prince Xing is still the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Isn't this enough?"

Enough!

Of course it is enough!

Zhu Chenhao was overjoyed when he learned this secret. He was worried about Zhu Zhixuan's rebellion before, but now he is finally relieved.

Since His Majesty has no intention of changing the official positions of the two princes, it proves that His Majesty still insists on bringing the royal family into the court to fight against the civil officials and gentry, and will not change because of this matter. This is the best result!

"Prince Ning, let me put it bluntly. After all, the royal family and the vassal kings are the bloodline of the royal family. No matter how cautious and fearful His Majesty is, he knows it."

"But the civil officials and gentry are different. This group of officials from other surnames have been controlling the government and trying to completely undermine the imperial power. This is something His Majesty cannot tolerate!"

"If it weren't for this reason, His Majesty would never risk the world's disapproval and bear the stigma of disrupting the ancestral laws, and would have to bring the royal family into the court!"

Zhu Chenhao's eyes lit up.

He caught another piece of information!

That is, Emperor Zhengde is already at odds with the civil officials and gentry!

The contradiction between the two can no longer be reconciled, so Emperor Zhengde was forced to bring the royal family into the court!

For Zhu Chenhao, this is simply a godsend!

The fierce confrontation between Zhu Houzhao and the civil officials and gentry happened to be the best opportunity for him to win over the court officials.

These gentry are extremely greedy. As long as they use gold and silver to pave the way, coupled with the current situation in the court, Zhu Chenhao is very confident that he can win over a group of followers in a short time and cultivate his own power in the court!

The purpose of this dinner tonight has been achieved.

The first is to make friends with Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao. Tang Hao just took the initiative to show his goodwill, which undoubtedly shows that the purpose has been achieved.

The second is to determine the impact of Zhu Zong's rebellion on the royal family and vassal kings. His Majesty the Emperor has no intention of moving his and Zhu You's official positions, which means that the previous exchange of interests has not been suspended.

There is even a third unexpected surprise, that is, to learn about the fierce conflict between Zhu Houzhao and Emperor Zhengde.

So Zhu Chenhao was extremely happy and truly realized the value of Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao.

This person is undoubtedly the absolute confidant of Emperor Zhengde Zhu Houzhao, but he is also an arrogant, greedy and lustful brainless man!

If Zhu Chenhao can take Tang Hao for his own use, then great things will be accomplished!

"Marquis Tang, drink this cup!"

"You and I are close friends. It's rare for us to gather here today. We should drink and have fun to show our friendship!"

Friendship?

I don't have any friendship with you!

If there is such a thing as "friendship", it might be that Tang Hao beat this guy up.

Tang Hao kissed the beautiful Hu Ji deeply on the lips, showing an impatient and lustful look.

Zhu Chenhao and Liu Yangzheng looked at each other, and the banquet ended.

Tang Hao hugged the beautiful Hu Ji by the waist and walked out of the Ning Wang Mansion, then got on the carriage and went straight to his own mansion.

After watching Tang Hao leave, Zhu Chenhao retracted his gaze and sat on the main seat with a smug look.

"Mr. Liu, this Tang Hao is a greedy and lustful man. Our great cause has taken another step forward!"

Liu Yangzheng stroked his beard and said: "Speaking of which, it is normal for a warrior to be lustful, but greed is the nature of the powerful, so it is understandable that the Marquis of Zhongshan is greedy and lustful."

"It is rumored that Tang Hao was originally a crude warrior and just a meritorious guard. It was because of his merit in saving the emperor in the Nanyuan Tiger that he was able to soar to the sky and become a hot new noble in the court of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Brave but not wise, greedy and lustful, this kind of talent is more likely to be controlled by the prince!"

Zhu Chenhao nodded in agreement, but suddenly his expression became fierce.

"This reckless man is so lucky!"

"I have never enjoyed the beautiful Hu Ji, but I didn't expect that this guy would enjoy her!"

Liu Yangzheng was a little amused and immediately tried to comfort him: "Your Majesty, as long as we can win over Tang Hao, let alone a Hu Ji, even if we have ten or a hundred Hu Ji, it will be totally worth it!"

"As long as our hegemony is accomplished, does Your Majesty still lack any beautiful women to enjoy?"

This is the truth, but Zhu Chenhao still feels unhappy.

Liu Yangzheng reacted immediately, ordered two pretty maids to come, and then retreated tactfully. The next moment, a shrill scream came from the room.

In the carriage, Tang Hao returned to normal and glared at Hu Ji coldly, who immediately shrank aside in fear.

"A gorgeous woman like you can only become a man's plaything in this era!"

Tang Hao couldn't help but stretched out his hand to pinch Hu Ji's chin, staring at her peerless face.

"I'll give you a chance to choose."

"Either be my woman and serve me wholeheartedly; or I'll send someone to send you out of the capital, and you can go anywhere you want."

"Just now, I was just pretending to be with Zhu Chenhao, so you and I were just playing along. Now you can choose where to go!"

The stunning Hu Ji stared at Tang Hao in a daze.

She knew very well that with this stunning appearance, she was destined to live a miserable life.

Unless...she could meet a good man.

Hu Ji only thought about it for a moment, and then responded with practical actions.

Inside the carriage, there was soon applause.