Eastern Palace, Crown Prince Residence.
The Eastern Palace was located to the east of the imperial city, not far from Yongxing City. Chen Dapeng returned to the Eastern Palace not long after leaving the Du residence and met with Li Jiancheng in the study.
Li Jiancheng was in his early thirties. His features were regular, and he was tall and slender. However, his brows were softer and less incisive. He lacked Li Shimin's sharp aura, and he lacked the domineering boldness of someone who had experienced the bloodbath of the battlefield.
Chen Dapeng entered and cupped his fists in greeting. Somewhat surprised, Li Jiancheng asked, "Chen Dapeng, where's Du Qi? Didn't he come with you? "
"He didn't!"
Chen Dapeng shook his head. "Your Highness, that brat Du Qi is truly hateful. When the brat learned of Your Highness' summons, he purposely used the Duke of Qin as an excuse, dilly-dallying away. Later on, he said he didn't have Your Highness's warrant and was worried I would harm him. In short, the brat was purposely evasive, saying he needed Your Highness's warrant before he was willing to come to the Eastern Palace. "
Li Jiancheng frowned after hearing this.
His gaze shifted to a middle-aged scholar sitting at the head of the table on the left side of the study. This person was dressed in long black robes. His features were thin, but his eyes were bright and spirited. In particular, his sharp features and slanted eyebrows gave off an extremely powerful impression.
This person was none other than Wei Zheng.
He was from the Crown Prince Residence.
Li Jiancheng's expression was solemn. "Xuancheng, Erlang directly refused my summons and even asked for a warrant. Tell me, what should we do about this? "
Wei Zheng thought for a moment. "Your Highness, Erlang's thoughts are extremely meticulous and not simple at all. Although he's a child of twelve or thirteen, he can't be taken lightly. Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't have personally gone to Erlang's restaurant to deal with Yin Changqing and his son on his behalf. "
Li Jiancheng said, "I know."
Wei Zheng continued, "Du Erlang only mentioned the Crown Prince's warrant in the end because he was waiting for the Crown Prince's warrant. As long as he has the Crown Prince's warrant, he can confirm that the Crown Prince has invited him. "
"No matter what Erlang is like, he is still a twelve or thirteen year old child. If anything happens to Erlang in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, I'm afraid His Majesty will be furious. Even the Duke of Qin's Residence won't let the matter rest. "
"All of this is the warrant."
"The warrant proves that Du Qi is in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. But in the end, Du Qi is doing this to protect himself. He wants to prove that he came to the Eastern Palace. "
Wei Zheng gave his own analysis.
He didn't think that Du Qi had any other intentions.
It was nothing more than self-preservation.
After listening to Wei Zheng's analysis, Li Jiancheng immediately laughed and said seriously, "What a cunning Du Erlang. I didn't expect him to have such a scheme. However, why would this Crown Prince want to deal with him? I just want to take a look at Erlang. "
Wei Zheng said solemnly, "This Du Erlang is not simple. His tea is now popular all over the world and has begun to expand from Chang 'an. It can be said that he makes a lot of money every day. "
"His restaurant is also making a lot of money."
"In terms of the ability to make money, I'm afraid that countless people can't compare with Erlang."
"At such a young age, he can turn stone into gold and make a lot of money. Even this humble one can't compare with Erlang in business. If this kid is willing to work for the Crown Prince, then the Crown Prince won't have to worry about money. "
Wei Zheng said, "After all, the Crown Prince needs to win over the courtiers and spend a lot of money."
Li Jiancheng's eyes lit up and said, "What Xuancheng said is true. If we can recruit Erlang, it can indeed solve these problems. Although the Crown Prince's Residence has a lot of money bestowed by the imperial court, the Tang dynasty has just been established, so the Crown Prince's Residence doesn't have much money. "
Wei Zheng continued, "If Erlang wants the Crown Prince's warrant, just give it to him. After all, it won't affect the Crown Prince. Especially this time, we're trying to win him over, not to deal with Du Qi. "
Li Jiancheng nodded in agreement.
He quickly wrote a warrant and gave it to Chen Dapeng, asking him to go to the Du family again.
In fact, Chen Dapeng was very dissatisfied.
However, Chen Dapeng didn't say anything.
Since the Crown Prince didn't reprimand him, he couldn't go against the Crown Prince's will. So, Chen Dapeng rode to the Du family at full speed. After entering the Du family, Chen Dapeng saw Du Qi again in the hall.
Without saying anything, Chen Dapeng directly took out Li Jiancheng's warrant and handed it to Du Qi. With an angry look, he said, "Du Qi, come with me. The Crown Prince is waiting for you."
"No hurry!"
Du Qi shook his head and said, "Look at my clothes. They're very shabby. Let me change first, then I'll go with you. Otherwise, it won't be good if the Crown Prince is unhappy because of my shabby appearance. "
"You …"
Chen Dapeng was about to break down.
Why did he have to meet such a person?
Du Qi was young, but he had too many tricks up his sleeves.
Most importantly, Chen Dapeng couldn't find fault with Du Qi's request. He could only nod in agreement and let Du Qi change his clothes. Not long after, Du Qi came out. He had changed into a simple but elegant white robe. Although it wasn't luxurious, it was clean and elegant.
"Let's go!"
Du Qi ordered.
After Chen Dapeng brought Du Qi out of the residence, he wanted to let Du Qi ride a horse. Du Qi asked, "Should I ride a horse and walk back? Or should Chen Dapeng personally send Du Qi back?"
Chen Dapeng didn't say anything. He didn't like Du Qi. Why should he send Du Qi back?
He couldn't stand Du Qi.
Chen Dapeng didn't stop Du Qi from taking the carriage. The two went their own way and went straight to the Eastern Palace. Entering the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng didn't meet Du Qi in the study. Instead, he met him in the reception hall.
Although Li Jiancheng knew that Du Qi was only twelve or thirteen years old, he was still shocked when he saw Du Qi in person. At twelve or thirteen years old, he could turn stone into gold and even stir up a situation. It was truly remarkable.
If it were him, he wouldn't be able to do it.
Li Jiancheng put on a pleasant expression and said, "Erlang, I've long heard of your deeds. Your teahouses and restaurants in Yongxing Lane are famous far and wide, and are known far and wide. I also like to use the tea leaves from your tea shop. Especially the dishes from your restaurant. Although I've never tried them, I've long heard of your reputation. "
Du Qi was neither servile nor overbearing. He said, "Your Highness is too kind. Actually, whether it's the tea shop or the restaurant, there's nothing too special about them. It's just that many people like them because they're novel. After a while, the tea leaves and dishes won't be as rare, and the business won't be as prosperous. "
Li Jiancheng said, "You're modest."
Du Qi said, "I'm just speaking the truth. Because the tea shops and restaurants don't sell rare things."
Li Jiancheng didn't know how to respond. He turned his gaze and looked at Wei Zheng, indicating for him to continue the conversation. Wei Zheng understood the meaning of the song and said, "Du Erlang, His Highness the Crown Prince invited you to the Eastern Palace today for no particular reason other than to talk about your Du family."
Du Qi asked, "You are?"
Looking at Wei Zheng's appearance, he was 60% similar to Wei Shuyu. Therefore, Du Qi already had a rough judgment in his heart. However, Du Qi didn't point it out. Instead, he asked.
Wei Zheng said, "I'm Wei Zheng!"
When Du Qi heard this, he pretended to be surprised and said, "So, you are the Crown Prince's horse washer, Wei Zheng. I heard that Horse Washer Wei is the Crown Prince's most trusted aide. He's resourceful and has great ambitions. He's determined to help the Crown Prince become a wise ruler. Meeting you today is an eye-opener. "
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