But it is said that time flies and everything is withered on the outskirts of Shenjing City. Turtle doves and hawks are jumping among the branches of a few leafless poplar trees beside the road to look for food, and from time to time they emit desolate and distant bird songs.
In the distance, dozens of riders rode through the muddy water, stepped on the official road that was slightly muddy after the snow melted, and drove into the majestic and high-rise Shenjing City.
"Xi Lv Lv"......
Following the neighing of a horse, dozens of riders reined in their horses and stopped in front of the stone archway in front of Yongye Square.
The leader is sitting upright, a middle-aged military general wearing a black cloak and a first-class military attaché robe, with a sword at his waist.
The military general had a dark complexion and a short beard under his chin. Under his brows, his eyes were calm. He was looking at the bluestone street where the houses looked like. He was holding the reins in his hands, and the midday winter sun fell on his tall figure.
"Sir, would you like to go home and have lunch first?" the general behind him asked.
Wang Ziteng frowned and shouted: "What kind of lunch are you having? I am in a hurry to enter the palace to meet the Holy Spirit."
As Wang Ziteng spoke, he gave instructions to a soldier behind him: "Go home and tell Madam that I will go to the palace first to see the saint, and I will come back later."
When he returned to Beijing on a foreign mission, he immediately went to the palace to meet the saint, so as to show that he was devoted to official duties.
The soldier responded, clamped the horse's belly, and with the sound of the horse crowing as it stepped on the bluestone, he headed towards the end of Yongyefang.
Wang Ziteng's face was indifferent, and he also turned his horse and headed towards the palace.
As time passed, news of the prince's return to the capital began to spread to the city of Shenjing, centered in Yongyefang, and became known to some interested officials and military generals.
At half noon, in the Rongqing Hall of Rongguo Mansion, a crowd of orioles gathered in one room. Because there was a fire burning below, and the doors and windows were sealed with cotton curtains and glass, the room was as warm as spring, and there was no cold wind.
Jia Mu was sitting crookedly on the Arhat bed, with her maids Yuanyang, Hu Hu and others squeezing her shoulders and beating her back. Below her, on several embroidered piers covered with woolen blankets, Sister Feng, Li Wan, Mrs. Wang, Tan Chun, Ying Chun, Xichun and Dai Yu , Xiangyun all sat down, chatting and laughing with them.
Baoyu was also beside Jia Mu, with a happy smile on his face like a full moon, listening to Sister Feng joking and joking next to Jia Mu.
Because Jia Heng has been away from Beijing for a long time, Baoyu has returned to his old ways. In addition, the weather has been cold these days, and he is increasingly reluctant to go to school to study or listen to lectures.
As for the laughter and laughter in Rongqing Hall, with Sister Feng here, there will be no shortage of them.
While everyone was talking and joking, Sister Feng smiled and said, "Ancestor, aunt and the others don't know where they are now."
Jia Mu chuckled and said, "From Jinling, we should have arrived in Gyeonggi by now."
At this moment, a woman from outside came into the hall and said with a smile: "Old lady, second madam, second grandmother Lian, the Wang family's cousin sent people, and my uncle came back from checking the area. Now he comes to the palace to see you." The saint is gone."
When Mrs. Wang heard this, a smile appeared on her fair face, and she said in surprise: "This is really a great happy event. My sister-in-law said before that it was more than ten days later than the scheduled date. How many days will it take?" But it’s just giving birth.”
Sister Feng also smiled and said: "It's not too late to come back now, so I'm not too busy making preparations."
I was also a little happy that my uncle was finally back.
The former nun Jingxu from Shuiyue Temple begged her to do something and gave her five thousand taels of silver. She said that the Wucheng Soldiers and Horses Division had caught a kidnapper in Dongcheng and begged her to find a way to fish him out. She went to the Wucheng Military and Horse Department, and the chief clerk there, named Fan Yi, didn't buy her account at all.
It really frightened her to death. It’s better to have your own mother instead of your father’s, right?
Fortunately, she still tried every means to send Ping'er to his room, but she couldn't get any of this light.
Speaking of which, the money from Wu Xindeng, Shan Daliang and others was collected and transferred to the public house, which caused some subtle changes in Sister Feng's mind.
In addition, Jia Heng's previous verbal attacks neither reminded him nor penetrated deeply into his heart.
Sister Feng inevitably had some luck in her mind. Although she did not dare to do such immoral things as loan sharking, she did not completely give up the idea of meddling in lawsuits and manipulating power.
On the contrary, as Jia Heng and Wang Ziteng became important officials in the palace and became more popular, as well as the day before yesterday when Xue Pan had his slaves beat someone to death, and the prefect of Jinling excused him, they became more courageous.
This is human nature. Unless it undergoes major changes, how can a temperament developed over twenty years be changed in a few words?
A smile appeared on Mrs. Wang's fair face and she said: "Girl Feng, you, Brother Lian and Baoyu will go to Yongyefang to meet his uncle and aunt later. Speaking of which, Baoyu has not been here for a while." I’ve met his uncle.”
Sister Feng chuckled and said, "I'll just go. The second master hasn't seen anyone else these days. How about my wife take Baoyu and I in a carriage at night to meet my uncle."
"Okay." Mrs. Wang smiled and nodded. Seeing the reactions of the people around her, she thought to herself that it would be helpful if Baoyu and his uncle came back.
The one from Dongfu was only a third-grade military attaché, while her brother was a first-grade military attaché.
As the saying goes, one level of officialdom can kill someone, but this is more than just one level of officialdom.
Jia Mu watched the two people talking quietly, the smile lines on her face were somewhat dull, she turned to ask Yuanyang beside her, smiled and said: "Yuanyang, brother Heng has been away from Beijing for a while, I was thinking about it. It’s time to come back, and I won’t miss celebrating Baoyu’s birthday at his uncle’s house.”
Mrs. Wang: "..."
On the embroidered pier on the side, Tanchun looked strange for a moment, glanced at the smiling Jia Mu, and thought to himself, the old lady is... really interesting.
Daiyu's bright starry eyes were shining. She held a handkerchief and covered her mouth with a sweet smile. However, Yan Yan frowned slightly and thought, "I don't know Heng... how is my brother doing now."
Over here, Yuanyang smiled and said: "Grandma Heng from Dongfu said that the letter from the uncle yesterday said that there are only a few hands left in Huayin, and it will only take a day or two to come back."
Tanchun also took over the conversation and said: "The newspaper in the residence said that Brother Heng used the strategy of encirclement and appeasement, and many people in Shaohua Mountain who had turned themselves into thieves have surrendered to the imperial court."
Jia Heng's suppression of the bandits did not have much suspense, and was even very smooth. After quelling the bandits in Shigu Mountain, he moved to Shaohua Mountain. On the way to the advance, he blocked the area where the bandits were active in Shaohua Mountain.
Because it was nearly winter, the thieves, who lacked food and clothing, could not endure the hardship in the mountains.
Jia Heng led the captured bandits and shouted in the mountains, "The culprit will be punished, threats will never be asked, and meritorious deeds will be rewarded." This slogan quite destroyed the bandits' will to resist, and many bandits went down the mountain to surrender to the officers and soldiers.
Jia Mu smiled and said, "That's okay. I also wanted to avoid delaying the New Year."
Tan Chun smiled and said: "Brother Heng led an army of more than 10,000 people from the capital to suppress the bandits. Suppressing those bandits is like searching for something. Besides, if you are holding your hands and feet for a while, it will not delay the New Year. Even if the general is the king, I’m so busy that I can’t even take care of it, so I always have to consider the soldiers below, otherwise it will definitely affect morale if people’s thoughts return.”
Sister Feng Danfeng glanced at Tanchun and said with a clear smile: "Look, it's morale and people's thoughts. Since the third sister wrote some documents with Brother Heng, she has become more and more interested in the things in the military camp. Insightful.”
Everyone chuckled when they heard this.
But Tanchun felt a little embarrassed and said, "I have seen a lot, so I know a lot."
After seeing everyone saying a few words, the topic turned to Jia Heng again. Mrs. Wang's face and smile froze for a moment, as if she had eaten a fly.
It’s that Uncle Heng again!
Why didn't he die outside?
There is also a third girl who has raised her for more than ten years, but she still can’t bear to spend a few days with her!
…
…
In the Daming Palace, side halls and study rooms, the soft sunshine in the winter afternoon falls on the strips of eucalyptus.
Emperor Chongping held the memorial in his hand and was reviewing it.
"Dai Quan, has Jia Ziyu's memorial arrived?" Emperor Chongping suddenly stopped writing, raised his head, and asked Dai Quan who was standing beside him.
Dai Quan smiled and said: "Your Majesty, the memorial that Jia Ziyu just handed over yesterday said that the teacher will be returning to Beijing in the next two days."
Since Jia Heng left Beijing, he has won successive battles and won numerous memorials.
Because this memorial was not submitted by the General Secretary, it was submitted by people from the Jinyi Mansion and went directly to the imperial court.
how to say?
I wrote one letter every two or three days, and it almost became a diary. It was not only good news, but also some emotions and essays. It was a bit like a report on my thoughts.
For example, the views on the poor livelihood of the people in Sanfu and the continuous suppression of bandits and bandits, concern for the country and the people, and true knowledge and insights, are overflowing between the lines.
Without achievements and good news, this frequency of memorials would be a bit annoying, but with the continuous good news coming in, and the fact that the main force of the Shaohua Mountain bandits were all wiped out yesterday, and Jia Heng's attack on the bandits, Political commentary on people's livelihood, public security, and military affairs.
This memorial seems to be sincere and every word is exquisite, vividly portraying on paper a capable and direct minister with a heart of fists and no shortage of resourcefulness and talent.
Emperor Chongping even had some, um, expectations similar to "love letters" from future generations of women.
Recently, Jia Heng even proposed the necessity and relevance of "rectifying salt affairs, refreshing official management, and eliminating the old army". In terms of priorities, he proposed that the three should be promoted simultaneously and should go hand in hand.
Well, just like the two wheels of a car or the two wings of a bird, they cannot be neglected.
This conclusion not only supported Emperor Chongping's decision-making, but also gave him confidence in his governance.
This was Emperor Chongping's new policy for next year that was vaguely forming in his mind.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said warmly: "I was so busy that I almost forgot. He said that part of the squadron would return to Beijing, and another group of soldiers would be left behind to help the snow-stricken people in Huayin build houses to avoid the wind and snow."
Dai Quan said softly: "Jia Ziyu seems to say that this is mutual aid between the army and the people, and they think it is a relationship between fish and water."
I thought to myself that Jia Ziyu's memorial, written every two or three days, has almost become something that His Majesty must read before going to bed.
Emperor Chongping laughed and scolded: "You old eunuch, you also know what the joy of fish and water is?"
The folds on Dai Quan's face also bloomed with chrysanthemums.
Emperor Chongping stopped smiling, looked into the distance, and murmured: "Jia Ziyu, you should be returning to Beijing in the next two days tomorrow."
Dai Quan said: "If it is a day and night march, we should arrive by this time tomorrow."
While the monarch and his ministers were talking, suddenly, the eunuch from outside reported: "Your Majesty, Prince Teng, the governor of the Beijing Camp, is outside asking for an audience."
When Emperor Chongping heard this, he was stunned for a moment and said: "Did Wang Qing come back from the northwest? Xuan!"
Prince Tengcha's main destinations were Yansui, Guyuan and Ningxia. The former was originally within Shaanxi Province, while the latter two were farther away.
Not long after, Prince Teng entered the side hall with a tiger's stride, knelt down and saluted, and said: "I have seen you, Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty."
"Wang Qing's body is flat." Emperor Chongping looked gentle and smiled and said: "Dai Quan, move an embroidery pier for Wang Qing."
Prince Teng thanked him for standing up. Hearing Emperor Chongping's tone and seeing Long Yan's joyful expression, he felt relieved.
The monarch and his ministers exchanged pleasantries.
Wang Ziteng said: "Your Majesty, I am here to inspect the defenses on the three sides, check the passes and beacons, and now I have summarized them. I would like to ask your Majesty to take a look at them."
As he spoke, he took out a memorial from his sleeve and raised his hands above his head.
Dai Quan took the memorial, turned around, and handed it to Emperor Chongping.
Emperor Chongping took the memorial, opened it, and read it intently, his brows gradually furrowed, and he said coldly: "The three-sided military system has been so corrupted?"
"Your Majesty, I have made a secret investigation and discovered that nearly 40% of the troops of the three frontiers have been short-changed. Everyone watching this is shocked and unbelievable." Wang Ziteng looked solemn and said in a deep voice, but there was a trace of pride in his eyes. In order to find out these things, The numbers took a lot of effort.
Those border generals are as cunning and cunning as the generals in the capital.
Emperor Chongping covered the memorial, his face was ashen, and said: "Dai Quan, show Wang Qing this memorial by Jia Ziyu."
"Yes." Dai Quan took a memorial from the royal eucalyptus, turned around and handed it to Wang Ziteng.
Wang Ziteng was shocked. He took it and read the words on it. His expression changed a little, because it was about the story of Guo Yongying's lack of quota.
Prince Teng's expression suddenly changed, and he felt cold sweat oozing out from his back. He knelt down with a bang, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am the envoy of the Beijing camp, and I am responsible for my negligence. Please forgive me!"
"You have been serving as the governor of the capital camp for less than a year, and this debt is not settled on you. Get up!" Emperor Chongping waved his hand, his face was ashen, and he felt a little disappointed when he looked at Wang Ziteng who was sweating on his forehead. .
Is it true that he can't do anything if he has been appointed as the military envoy of the Jingying camp for less than a year?
In the past, he might have thought that this was indeed the case.
But Jia Ziyu had just raised the capital camp for one day, and then he checked the empty salary money and pursued the embezzled salary money. Just half a month ago, Niu Jizong pawned the Niu family's property everywhere in order to repay the shortfall in salary money.
However, Xia Mu and others in the Guoyong camp, except for Xia Mu, who was beheaded in public, inspected his family assets to make up for the shortfall, including colleagues, ministers, generals, and guerrillas, who all made up one after another, leaving nearly half of the salary shortfall.
Besides, there are too many constraints to organize the army?
Jia Ziyu has just received the memorial and has replenished the number of troops in Guoyong camp. He said that several groups of bandits in Shaohua Mountain were captured. In order to seek a fundamental solution, he recruited young and strong refugees as soldiers to prevent them from succumbing to thieves and disturbing the local area.
This kills several birds with one stone and covers everything.
Not to mention, there was a clearing out of the Sanhe gang bandits in the past, which not only solved the financial difficulties of the national treasury, but also made great efforts to make a living through internal funds.
"The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty are like Jia Ziyu, how could I end up in such a predicament of internal and external troubles and being trapped on one side and on the other?"
Again, Jia Heng's appearance, especially his vigorous, decisive and capable style of accomplishing everything, gave Emperor Chongping high expectations.
I can't help but compare my ministers with Jia Heng.
This comparison is unbearable.
Emperor Chongping looked hesitant and said with a sneer: "The frontier troops were underpaid by 40%, and the Beijing camp was particularly severely underpaid. Nearly half were underpaid, and the old and the weak were paid half the salary. I read the "History of the Ming Dynasty" compiled by Hongwen Museum the day before yesterday. Looking at our capital camp in the Han Dynasty, we have already seen the Gengxu Revolution, which is an ominous sign for the future!"
What Emperor Chongping said refers to historical records: [In the 29th year of Jiajing, I joined the invaders, and Ding Rukui, the Minister of War, had less than 50,000 or 60,000 troops in his camp. When they were driven out of the city gate, they were all in tears and did not dare to go forward. The generals also looked at each other and changed their expressions. Ru Kui sits down for execution. 】
Wang Ziteng cupped his hands and said: "I will do my best to rectify the capital camp, eliminate the old and weak, and train a soldier for the Holy One who dares to fight."
Emperor Chongping said: "It is urgent to reorganize the capital camp. When Jia Ziyu returns, you can discuss it more."
When Wang Ziteng heard this, he felt a chill in his heart and felt a little aggrieved.
It's Jia Ziyu again.
He has mentioned Jia Heng's name several times in the mouth of the emperor. What virtues and abilities does this young man have? Why is he so favored by the emperor?
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Dai Quan, I have passed on my oral instructions and drafted decrees for the cabinet. Prince Teng has made meritorious service in the border area and has been promoted to the title of Minister of the Ministry of War. Jia Heng has made meritorious service in the third auxiliary work in the capital and suppressed the bandits. He has been promoted to the rank of General Yunhui." , six parts of the imperial edict were published at home and abroad."
Because the person on duty in the cabinet at the moment is Li Zan, a bachelor of Wuyingdian, he has been informed in advance and can directly draft the decree.
Originally, Prince Teng was a military general, and if he was actually awarded the title of Minister of War, it might cause an uproar in Liuke. Emperor Chongping might have to use some power tactics to leverage his strength.
but now……
Emperor Chongping clearly changed his mind and only gave him the title of Minister of War to show his hard work and merit, but did not actually grant him the title.
This kind of title increase, even for some hard-working general soldiers at the border, was given the title of Minister of War and received an extra salary, but it lost the "prelude" purpose that Li Zan had previously intended for the prince to enter the cabinet.
As for Jia Heng's title promotion, from the third rank to the second rank, it is said that there will be a symbolic discussion in the court.
But first of all, he was promoted to the rank of Martial Lord, and was not among the five nobles. Secondly, it is justifiable that Wu Yingdian, a bachelor in charge of the Ministry of War, is willing to submit proposals to the cabinet.
Therefore, the chance of the cabinet drafting an edict being rejected by the Sixth Section is zero, because Jingping’s three auxiliary thieves and bandits have almost the same amount of credit.
"The first-class general is the second-class general, and it will be a matter of course for him to be the commander-in-chief of Guoyong Camp."
Emperor Chongping's eyes flashed, thinking.
Wang Ziteng also handed over his hand to express gratitude, and the strange feeling in his heart that the Holy Scroll had been removed and wasted became more and more intense.
Add the title of Minister of War, is he lacking this title?
Who else could tell him that when he left Beijing, that Ningguo branch officer would be promoted to a second-grade military attaché?
Hateful, who told him... not to have the surname Jia?
