Chapter 28 Common People
Li Jiancheng worshipped the statues in turn and offered incense money. He wanted to meet the abbot of the temple, but failed. However, it was expected that Su Wei, Yang Su and other abbots of the temple would behave as disciples, so it was normal not to see a junior like him.

He let the Taoist boy lead the way to a quiet courtyard where Wang Fuxian, a fortune teller from Bashu, was staying. He could hear faint sounds of conversation inside, so Li Jiancheng stopped the Taoist boy who was about to go in to report.

Although his family is Wang Fuxian's financial backer, fortune tellers, as long as they have some ability, will attach great importance to honor and courtesy, and will not bow their heads for money.

After waiting for a cup of tea, the person inside came out, leading a chubby white child. Judging from their clothes, they seemed to be from a wealthy merchant family. They did not know Li Jiancheng and just thought that he had come here to seek divination as well.

After the others left, the Taoist boy went in to report, and soon Wang Fuxian came out to greet him. He greeted him politely, then went in and took a seat. The room was filled with incense, and the green smoke was curling up, which was quite charming.

"Thank you for waiting, Mr. Lao."

"I just arrived a moment ago, you are too polite, sir."

Wang Fuxian was dressed like a scholar, with gray hair and a clean face. He had a good demeanor that made people convinced at first sight. Without this ability, it would have been difficult for him to gain a foothold in Beijing.

"What do you think, sir?"

Li Jiancheng had met with Wang Fuxian several times and vaguely revealed something that needed him to do. But he had never given a definite answer. If he still didn't respond today, he would have to replace him and arrange for someone to get rid of him.

Killing a famous fortune teller in the capital is no small matter. It might even cause trouble for Prince Jin to intervene, which is a situation he does not want to see.

But the trouble had to be dealt with. Li Jiancheng's demeanor was no longer as warm and polite as before. He stared straight into Wang Fuxian's eyes, and the meaning of oppression was self-evident.

It is easy to give up money, but it is hard to give up life.

Wang Fuxian sighed in his heart, but replied solemnly: "Everything will be in accordance with my husband's wishes. I just hope that my husband will not forget his promise."

Li Jiancheng stood up and bowed: "When the time comes, I will arrange for you to go to Jiangdu to enjoy yourself."

The two men sat down and began to talk in low voices. Half an hour later, Li Jiancheng said goodbye and left. Wang Fuxian saw him off to the front of the temple and then stopped, watching Li Jiancheng mount his horse and leave.

He really wanted to escape, but when he looked at a few strong men not far from the front of the temple who were staring at him openly, he lowered his head and went back into the temple.

…………

Ten days later, for unknown reasons, all the civil and military officials in the court suddenly began to jointly submit a memorial to impeach the crown prince for his mistakes. Some of the problems were obviously very small, and the crown prince had even corrected them, but they still persisted and exaggerated in their impeachments.

In particular, some officials working in the Prince's Mansion revealed many of the Prince's misdeeds in private. For a time, there was real slander both inside and outside the court, and his faults became known every day.

Although Duke Gao Zuo of Qi vouched for the prince's character several times and asked many of his disciples to write letters to support the prince, the emperor deliberately condoned him, and the prince was forced to admit his mistakes in court.

Even Gao Zuo was implicated. Many people impeached him for protecting the crown prince simply because his daughter was a concubine in the Eastern Palace and his son was going to marry the crown prince's daughter.

The emperor and empress, who had always tried their best to protect the Duke of Qi, did not say a word in response to such slanderous remarks, which resulted in Gao Zuo being humiliated in court by his subordinates.

If there is criticism, there is praise. Officials all took turns praising the other princes, meaning that except the crown prince, the other princes were worthy of the position of crown prince in terms of their virtues.

Although the prince's faction fought back, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and could not reverse the situation at all. Now they were just relying on Gao Zuo's words that there was order in terms of seniority, and it could not be abolished, and they were barely maintaining their status.

Gao Zuo tried his best, but the prince became more and more self-destructive. Li Jiancheng was sometimes on duty in the East Palace, and the prince was seen indulging in wine and women, singing and shouting from time to time, and praying to gods and Buddhas when he was sober.

One day, an official from the Eastern Palace brought Wang Fuxian to the Eastern Palace to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. After a simple body examination, he was allowed to enter.

Wang Fuxian walked into the East Palace nervously, but still instinctively maintained a calm and relaxed attitude until he saw a man in disheveled clothes and without shoes running up to him.

Instead, his heart was at peace. If such a person were placed outside the palace, he would be able to strip away all the family property of his ancestors for eighteen generations.

Without waiting for Wang Fuxian to salute, Yang Yong stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve, begging: "Master, please save me. Master, please save me. If you can help me get rid of the evil luck, I will give you ten thousand gold coins."

Wang Fuxian pushed his hand away and said softly, "Your Highness, please stand still. I want to see your fate."

Yang Yong stood up swayingly. Wang Fuxian circled around him a few times, raised his head and counted on the sky, and asked someone to lead him around the East Palace before he spoke: "A white rainbow penetrates the East Palace gate, and Taibai hits the moon. This is a sign that the crown prince will be deposed."

This is nonsense, it is something anyone can know if they go out and ask around, but Yang Yong is like a man drowned, and the fate of gods and Buddhas is his last straw.

He hurriedly asked Wang Fuxian to find a solution, and made many promises, even saying that if his fortune turned out well, he would be rewarded with the title of Duke and the title of Imperial Master in the future.

Wang Fuxian was really greedy, but unfortunately he knew that a prince like this would never have a chance to fulfill his promise.

He came up with a rather peculiar idea, which was to go with the flow and deceive God's will. If the crown prince was deposed, he would become a commoner, so the crown prince might as well move out of the palace and build a thatched hut in the East Palace courtyard.

On weekdays, they lived in thatched huts, wearing common people's clothes and eating rough food, in order to comply with the heavenly signs and ward off disasters and bring blessings.

Yang Yong was very proactive at this time. He immediately ordered the guards of the East Palace to build a commoner village next to the palace. He erected several low and dilapidated thatched houses, laid straw mats inside, and began to eat and sleep there every day in tattered clothes.

Not only did he do this himself, he also dragged his wives, concubines and children over there. A large group of people crowded inside, crying and making a lot of noise. When the news of the noise spread outside the palace, it became even more controversial.

When the emperor learned of this, he angrily began to weaken the prince's Eastern Palace guards and transferred all the brave warriors to the camp outside the city. Although some officials of the Eastern Palace objected, saying, "If we take all the strong men, I'm afraid the Eastern Palace guards will be too weak."

But the emperor said: "I sometimes go in and out, the guards must be brave and resolute. The crown prince Yude's East Palace, why do you need strong men on both sides? If you like me, always go to the East Palace on the day of the change of guards, and the upper and lower teams will not be separated. Isn't it a good thing?"

As a result, the prince no longer had his own guard, and the emperor's close guards such as Yang Jishen, Dugu Kaiyuan and Li Jiancheng would also have to take on the responsibility of guarding the Eastern Palace.

Dugu Kaiyuan and Dou Dan both felt some sympathy for the prince's current situation, while Li Jiancheng and Yang Jishan gathered together to discuss the follow-up matters.

After finishing their shift that day, the two of them walked around a few times and arrived at the Prince of Jin's Mansion. There were many people sitting and standing inside. Yang Guang sat in the main seat, with Yang Su, Duke of Yue, sitting at the top left, and Yuwen Shu, Duke of Bao, sitting on the right.

The left is respected and the right is humbled, which shows that Yang Su is now the number one figure under the King of Jin.

(End of this chapter)