Beijing Palace
It was already afternoon. Princess Zhen Xue of Beijing had just gotten up from her nap. She was lazily leaning on the huanghuali wooden chair in front of the dressing table. Two maids behind her were combing her hair. A moon-shaped star was reflected in the bronze mirror. A beautiful face with fragrant eyes and fragrant skin.
Melon face, willow eyebrows, pink and phoenix eyes, cherry mouth...
Not far away, Zhen Xue's daughter Shui Xin was sitting on the Arhat bed, turning over the flower rope with the little maid. The little girl's face was pink, but she just turned over the flower rope for a while, then she pouted, looking like a baby who was unhappy. appearance.
"Xinxin, why are you so depressed?" Concubine Zhen put on her makeup after going to bed. She turned around and walked towards her daughter with graceful steps. She picked up Shui Xin with a smile on her face.
Shui Xinnuo said: "Mom, those sisters in the Jia family are so lively."
Although the little girl is young, her words are very childish, but there are some signs of precocious wisdom.
Concubine Zhen Liwu smiled lightly and said: "Xinxin, these maids in the backyard don't play with you every day, why are they so deserted?"
Although there are no brothers and sisters playing together, there is still a little maid in the house to accompany them.
Shui Xin smiled and said, "Mom, I also want a younger brother and sister."
Tong Yanwuji felt that the Jia family would be more lively because of the large number of sisters, so he spoke out at this time.
The smile on Concubine Zhen's face faltered and she wiped the handkerchief in her hand.
Three years after she entered the family, she only had a daughter and nothing to do with it, let alone a son. Because of this, her mother-in-law was constantly angry with her, and she even made plans to recruit a concubine for the prince.
She didn't really want to stop him, but the prince himself didn't allow it. This made her mother-in-law think that she was seducing the prince and hindering the succession of the Shui family.
In fact, when the prince visited his concubine in the palace, he didn't see anything wrong, and he didn't know what happened to her body.
In fact, when the King of Beijing was a boy, he liked to turn into a child, and later he liked to take Wu Shi Powder. The imperial doctor diagnosed that it would be difficult for him to recover from this condition. The King of Beijing knew this well, but Beijing Princess Jing and Princess Zhenxue of Beijing were kept in the dark and knew nothing.
While the mother and daughter were talking, suddenly, a nanny entered the side room and said in surprise: "Princess, Princess Chu is here."
Concubine Zhen's heart moved slightly, and she couldn't help but call out: "Go and entertain first, I'll be there right away."
With that said, he led the maid and grandma towards the flower hall in the backyard.
At that time, Princess Chu Zhen Jing, surrounded by maids and maids, had been welcomed into the hall by the housekeeper of Beijing Prince's Palace. She picked up the tea, a first-grade fragrant tea, and her clear eyes were cold under her willow eyebrows. The jade face is covered with frost.
"elder sister."
Accompanied by a group of maids, Zhen Xue entered the hall and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Why do you have time to come to my place, sister?"
Zhen Qing put down the tea poison, a smile appeared on her beautiful face, and said: "I have nothing to do at home, come and see my sister."
While the two sisters were chatting, Zhen Xue invited Zhen Qing to the pavilion room. The two sisters sat down on both sides of the Kang table, and the maid served seasonal fruits.
Zhen Xue picked up an orange and cut it into pieces with a dagger. Her skirt rolled up her sleeves, revealing her frosty wrists, as white as jade, like lotus roots.
Zhen Jing smiled and asked curiously: "Sister, I heard that you went to Jia's house at midnight?"
"How did sister know?" Zhen Xue cut the orange into small pieces and handed it over, with a somewhat unnatural look on her face.
"I was a guest at Nan'an Prince's Mansion, and I met Princess Nan'an. I heard her talk about it, and now it's almost spread all over Shenjing City, saying that the Nan'an and Beijing families went to the Jia family and were rejected by the Jia family." Zhen Qing Taking the orange segment, he put it in his mouth and chewed it gently. The berry juice soaked out from the rose-red lips, making them look more and more translucent.
Zhen Xue also picked up the orange and said softly: "I was a little rash and led Aunt Guo to the house to ask for help. I met Jia Ziyu and he said that all kindness and punishment come from above. Although he is the governor in Jinyi and is in charge of the trial, But I can’t make the decision, that’s what I think.”
"He just tried to block you with his words, but you still believed him." Zhen Qing chuckled, picked up a handkerchief and wiped her mouth, and said faintly: "Last time he said that the prince was actually attracted by Yan Lise, the girl in the queen's palace. It's just an excuse to repeat the same trick, but my sister actually believed it."
Zhen Xue raised her beautiful eyebrows, her bright eyes were surprised, and said: "Isn't it right, sister?"
"Officials of this class are best at speaking loudly, and what they say is more beautiful than what they sing. Those scholars, who talk so much about benevolence, righteousness and morality, are full of men stealing women and prostitutes." Zhen Qing's voice was clear and clear, as if Mountain springs and rocks.
Zhen Xue frowned, her jade face moved slightly, thinking about Zhen Jing's words in her heart.
"This Jia family is still an old relative of ours. We don't give you any face at all. In Jinling, my father took care of them a lot, so he's just trying to block you with words like this." Zhen Qing said with a focused look, seemingly angry. "
Zhen Xue sighed quietly and said, "Being an official in the court is not easy."
"That's because my sister is kind-hearted, empathetic and understanding." Zhen Jing said, then smiled and asked, "Where's Xinxin?"
"Auntie." At this time, Zhen Xue's daughter Shui Xin, supported by her grandma, entered the pavilion and called Zhen Qing.
"Xinxin." Zhen Jing looked at Shui Xin with a big smile. As she spoke, she held Shui Xin in her arms and played with her. The little girl giggled and buried her head in Zhen Xue's front.
Zhen Qing hugged Shui Xin and played affectionately for a while, then rubbed the little girl's hair and smiled at Zhen Xue, "Xin Xin is taller again."
"At her age, she grows very fast, every month." Zhen Xue asked with a smile, "My sister's Chun'er has grown quite a lot during the Chinese New Year."
Zhen Qing had been in the Chu Palace for a few years, and she had a son, now four years old, named Chen Chun.
"She's grown too. I look at her every day but don't notice." Zhen Qing smiled, took Shui Xin's hand, and said with a smile: "I like this daughter very much. When we are older, we two How about a family kiss?"
"You have to listen to the prince." Zhen Xueli smiled lightly, but did not follow the trend.
Zhen Jing smiled and didn't say anything. She just said, "I have something to discuss with my sister. I want to hear your opinion."
Seeing this, Zhen Xue waved her hand and motioned for her mother to carry her daughter down.
"Father sent a letter the day before yesterday, saying that the imperial court is very determined to rectify the salt affairs in the south of the Yangtze River. Not long ago, a cabinet minister was sent south, saying that he was not allowed to inspect the treasury of the Transport Department over the years." Zhen Qing lowered her voice.
Zhen Xuexiu frowned and whispered: "I don't understand much about these things in the court. How can my sister tell me these things?"
It's obvious that I don't want to hear it, but I have to listen.
"We are sisters. If I don't tell you, who should I tell?" Zhen looked at her sister's beautiful face and said angrily, then she smiled and said: "Besides, my brother-in-law is now the minister of military aircraft and went to the north to investigate the border. , seeing that we are going to be put in important positions in the palace, it’s time for us to help each other.”
Sometimes she thought that if she and her sister had switched, and she had married the King of Beijing, and her sister had married the King of Chu, she might not have had to work so hard. Even after passing the marriage, she would still have to help the family continue their future plans. .
However, with my sister's calm nature, she couldn't help King Chu even if she thought about it.
"This is also the reason for my father's choice back then." Zhen Qing thought about this, and her mood was not complicated.
When the Supreme Emperor was in power, he was very happy with his achievements. He visited the south six times. As the president of Jinling Tirenyuan, the Zhen family was in charge of the three major weaving bureaus in the south of the Yangtze River. The important task of taking over naturally fell on them.
There were a total of four pick-ups before and after. For the sake of dignity and scenery, we left a lot of money.
As recorded in the original work of "A Dream of Red Mansions", the Duzhen family picked up the emperor four times, but they used the emperor's money to spend on the emperor.
As for Yangzhou salt merchants, they also donated a lot of silver, and they had many business contacts with the Zhen family. Even the remaining silver in the treasury of the Yangzhou Transportation Secretary was lent to the Zhen family every year.
This is why the water depth of Jiangnan Salt Affairs is bottomless, even Emperor Chongping is weighing and weighing it.
"My good sister, they want to audit the accounts, but how can these old accounts, which are just bad debts, stand up to the investigation?" Zhen Qing took Zhen Xue's arm and whispered: "But my father in the palace now, listen After Jia Ziyu and the civil servants' instigation, they are going to take action, but the family also suffered a loss because of the palace, so they have to admit it, right?"
In fact, this is both true and false. Although the Jiangnan Zhen family spent a lot of money on the emperor's southern tour, they also pocketed a lot of it.
The Zhen family and the Emperor are just like the Lai family and the Jia family.
"But the prince has left the capital to investigate the border and will not be back for March or May. No matter how hard he tries, it is beyond his reach. Since the court wants to investigate the salt affairs, this is a great trend." Zhen Xue frowned, her eyebrows softened. vocal channel.
Zhen Qing said: "Sister, this is what I am thinking, can you ask your brother-in-law to write a letter to Fourth Uncle Yu in Jiangbei Camp?
"Write a letter?" Zhen Xue was startled and frowned: "What does sister want to do?"
Zhen Jing smiled and said, "Sister, don't panic, where are you thinking?"
Because Chen Han conquered from the south to the north, he spent some years in Jinling as the capital in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It was for Nanjing. In addition to the garrison in Nanjing, there were also two large armies stationed in the two camps south of the Yangtze River and north of the Yangtze River.
The Jiangbei camp was stationed in Yangzhou, with about 30,000 soldiers and horses, while the Jiangnan camp was stationed in Xiaolingwei, Nanjing, with 60,000 soldiers and horses.
But now that the military system of Chen and Han is corrupt and decayed, it is actually difficult to say how much the two battalions of soldiers in the Jianghuai area can have.
The commander-in-chief of the Jiangbei camp was none other than Shu Shuiyu, a member of the Beijing royal family. His official position was the military governor of the Jiangbei camp. This was also the reason why the Beijing king was one of the four princes and eight princes, and he was close to the old generals in all provinces.
As for the Jiangnan camp, there were no Jiedu envoys, and the military power and orders were more complicated. In addition to being subject to the governors of Liangjiang and the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs to receive money, food, and salaries, the generals and personnel were under the joint jurisdiction of the Nanjing Ministry of War and the Fifth Military Governor's Office in Shenjing.
"Sister, what are you writing to do?" Zhen Xue's face changed slightly and she asked with a focused gaze.
Princess Chu Zhen Qing smiled, stroked her sister's hand, and said softly: "Sister, don't be alarmed. Qi Kun is going south to patrol the salt. If the salt owl in the two Huaihe Rivers is to be suppressed, the camp in the north and south of the Yangtze River must be mobilized to fight in advance. Just saying hello."
Hearing this, Zhen Xue felt a little uneasy and whispered: "Sister, when the prince comes back, I will talk to him before we make any arguments."
I sighed quietly in my heart. Such a huge shortfall in my family would have to be investigated sooner or later. How could the prince get out of this muddy water?
But if something happens to the Zhen family, she, the Princess of Beijing, will also be uneasy, and the prince has some contacts with the King of Chu.
"Okay." Zhen Qing nodded, agreed, and then said: "There is another thing that I am also very worried about. The prince has been in charge of government for several years, and he only did trivial things in the Ministry of War. Some time ago, Zou Jing, the minister of the Ministry of War, followed Scholar Li went to the north. The prince originally wanted to take charge of the ministry and asked the emperor to help him, but his father refused. Now that there is a vacancy in the Ministry of Works, the prince went to the palace and asked the emperor to help supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum. I don’t know if this thing can be done.”
At this moment, King Chu had already gone to Daming Palace, planning to ask himself to supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
"Supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum?" Zhen Xue frowned and said in surprise: "Will the Holy One agree to this matter?"
"There must be a vassal king who will take care of this matter. I heard that the boss is also in the palace, and I'm afraid he will steal this job." Zhen Qing whispered.
"Boss, King Qi?" Zhen Xue stared hard and whispered.
Zhen Jing smiled and said: "What King Qi? He is now the King of Qi County. He has not recovered from the last time he lost his title. It is said that it was Jia Ziyu's handiwork."
To put it bluntly, if Emperor Chongping died without leaving an edict, then King Xu of Qi would not be qualified to inherit the throne because of his title as a county prince.
Thoughts appeared on Zhen Xue's face, and she said softly: "I heard that there was such a thing. It seems that last time the Jia family was exiled, Prince Qi also sent it off?"
"In fact, King Zhongshun also went to see him off. I don't want to be so happy that he will be sad. Now the situation is changing, and he will personally supervise his case." Zhen Jing sneered, and then whispered: "Sister, you said Jia Heng, he and King Qi are not at odds with each other. , and now he is not close to our family. Normally, the two families are still close friends, so he cannot be... then the King of Wei."
Zhen Xue said softly: "Sister, I'm not Jia Ziyu, how do I know what he is thinking?"
Zhen Qing nodded and said: "Speaking of King Wei, I rushed to Gongling yesterday and heard that I had won a reward from Chonghua Palace earlier."
"He is his legitimate son." Zhen Xue said softly.
Although I don't want to involve my prince, it is somewhat interesting to hear my sister talk about these rights and wrongs.
"What kind of legitimate son? If it hadn't been for it, it wouldn't have been my turn..." Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows and said in a cold voice, but at the end of the sentence, she felt a little scrupulous and paused.
At the beginning, Emperor Chongping, who was still in the dormitory, adopted Princess Yong, who had two miscarriages and later died in depression. So far, Prince Yong has never had a main concubine.
Because the status of King Qi's biological mother was low, she was just a wife, and she died early, so she became a concubine.
As for the King of Chu, although his biological mother was a concubine, she died early.
Emperor Chongping supported the Queen of Song Dynasty, who came from behind. In other words, King Wei and King Liang were originally concubines.
It is equivalent to the fact that all the sons were born as concubines at the beginning, but because the two princes of Wei and Liang suddenly became legitimate sons because of their mother's noble status, naturally all the sons were unwilling to do so, and Emperor Chongping was unwilling to establish his heir as the crown prince, which made it even more difficult. People think about it.
While the two sisters were discussing matters, the Chonghua Palace was also enjoying the show of loving-kindness and filial piety.
King Chen Cheng of Qi was already in the Hall of Tihe, surrounding the Emperor Longzhi's bedside, and asked with concern: "Grandpa Huang, how are you feeling?"
"You're much better today." The Supreme Emperor sat on the bed, looked at Prince Qi, and whispered, "Cheng'er, don't suffer too much, you're already thin from hunger."
Queen Mother Feng, who was not far away, glanced at her eldest grandson and wondered what kind of medicine was being sold in the gourd.
Empress Song also glanced at Chen Cheng's chubby face.
I thought to myself, how can I still lose weight if I haven’t eaten for a day?
Chen Cheng sighed and said sadly: "I didn't expect such a thing to happen. Uncle Wang is so good, but he has to..."
As he said that, he looked at the Emperor's face, which seemed worried, and quickly changed his words and said, "Grandpa Emperor, don't be angry. It's not worth it to make yourself angry."
The Supreme Emperor sighed: "People are rare in their seventies. I know my own body and bones clearly, and it's time to think about what happens after my death. Now that the auspicious soil has collapsed, I still need to step up repairs."
Chen Cheng also took advantage of the situation and explained his purpose of coming, saying: "Grandpa Huang, now Xiu Jirang has been punished by everyone who should be punished. We need to find a reliable person to supervise it, but we can't go on business trips anymore."
When he came here, he naturally wanted to take over the job of supervising the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
Since ancient times, supervising the construction of imperial tombs has been a great achievement once completed. If he has such a great achievement, it will be easy for him to regain the title of prince.
Thinking about the matter of reducing his rank, Chen Cheng couldn't help but think of Jia Ban, and his heart was full of anger. When he took over the throne, the Jia family would not be left alive!
The Supreme Emperor was an old man, so he naturally saw his grandson's intention to raise the issue of supervising the construction of the imperial mausoleum, and said with emotion: "If you had been responsible for supervising the construction, perhaps this matter would not have happened."
"Grandpa Huang, how old was I then? I couldn't handle such a big thing. Now that I'm getting older and becoming a father, I'm starting to understand the ropes of these things." Chen Cheng whispered.
This naturally excludes some of the two kings of Wei and Chu who intervened to steal the errand.
The King of Wei is young, has no hair on his lips, and does not act properly. The King of Chu is not older than him, and does not act properly.
Queen Song listened to what King Qi said, her eyes narrowed, and she glanced at Chen Cheng, feeling displeased in her heart.
She originally wanted to wait for a while and take the opportunity to ask Ran'er to supervise the construction of the imperial tomb, but she didn't expect the boss to take the lead.
He said why he came here so eagerly, it turned out that he had a plan for a long time, and it was not beneficial to come early!
If in the future hundreds of officials ask for a crown prince, supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum, and be filial and virtuous, there will be sufficient reasons for him to be crown prince.
The Supreme Emperor smiled and said, "I can rest assured that Cheng'er will supervise the production. I will talk to your father later."
When Chen Cheng heard this, he was overjoyed and promised: "Grandpa Huang, don't worry, I will definitely handle it properly."
On the other side, Daming Palace, inner study room
Emperor Chongping glanced at King Chu suspiciously and asked, "You want to supervise the construction of the imperial tomb?"
The King of Chu said: "Father, Gongling is in trouble and Xuan Palace has collapsed. My son is heartbroken. I almost didn't sleep all night last night. I was thinking that if I come to supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum, I will never tolerate this." Corruption flourishes."
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at Emperor Chongping, only to see bloodshot eyes in his pupils.
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said, "You have always been serious and careful, so it is perfectly fine that you supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
The King of Chu was listening to "Serious and Careful" below. He felt happy in his heart, but his face showed no signs of it. He said, "My talents are mediocre, but I remember my duty."
"However," Emperor Chongping said one sentence, which tugged King Chu's heart again, and said in a deep voice: "However, supervising the construction of the imperial mausoleum involves the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the three yamen of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. You are young. With less experience, maybe I can turn around the three yamen?"
The King of Chu said: "Father, I am confident that I can do this well."
If he is young and has little experience, then Jia Ziyu is not even older than him, and he is not yet in charge of three yamen.
Besides, the older uncle Wang Zhongshun has been deposed as a commoner.
Emperor Chongping paused for a moment, weighing something, and said: "Rong Lian will think about this matter and discuss it with your imperial grandfather."
When the King of Chu heard this, he was disappointed that there was no straightforward agreement, but he couldn't say anything else. He cupped his hands and said, "I'll retire there."
After King Chu left, Emperor Chongping showed contemplation on his face. After a while, he suddenly asked Dai Quan beside him, "Jinyang went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
"The eldest princess went there early in the morning and was escorted by the inner guards." Dai Quan replied in a low voice.
Emperor Chongping nodded and thought silently again.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has many responsibilities. It governs the property of the Imperial Estate and is related to the internal income. It is not suitable for outsiders to take charge of it.
The person in charge of government affairs must first be related to the royal family, so as to facilitate the affairs of the inner palace. In addition, he must not be a vassal king, otherwise it will be easy to cultivate the influence of party members. After thinking for a long time, it would be quite suitable to hand it over to Jinyang.
It's just that she is a female, so it is not very convenient for her to do things.
My mind is searching for the right person to help.
After thinking for a moment, he said to Dai Quan: "Go to Chonghua Palace and ask the queen to come over."
Dai Quan responded, then left the Daming Palace to invite Empress Song.
After a while, Queen Song entered the palace, saluted Emperor Chongping who was behind the case, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, do you want to call me your concubine?"
Emperor Chongping said: "Zizhang, I have something to discuss with you."
As soon as these words came out, Queen Song was surprised and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, what is it that is so solemn?"
"Shuyu is in Honglu Temple now? How many years has it been?" Emperor Chongping asked.
This is a question for Song Huan, the younger brother of Queen Song, who is now a sixth-grade official in Honglu Temple.
"Well, my concubine's brother has been in Honglu Temple for six or seven years. Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to ask these questions?" Queen Song said softly and asked curiously.
Emperor Chongping said: "He has been working diligently at Honglu Temple. I have heard about him over the years, and it is time to put him to good use."
When Empress Song heard this, she was surprised and happy, but her face showed hesitation, and she sighed: "My concubine's younger brother is of mediocre intelligence. He used to be a sixth-rank official, but he has become so dull that he has nothing left to do, let alone a heavy use?"
Emperor Chongping said: "Shu Yu is still talented. I have been training him these past few years just for his great use."
In fact, he also knew that the queen had some thoughts in her mind, but even as the emperor, she could not act willfully.
Empress Song frowned, her jade face moved slightly, and she asked in a low voice: "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"Over at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, many people are involved in the Imperial Mausoleum case. The Kuaiji Department is currently short of a person in charge. Let him be transferred to the Kuaiji Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a doctor and do some work first." Emperor Chongping said.
"Your Majesty, how can you do this?" Empress Song said in surprise: "I'm afraid there will be criticism."
I was thinking about the Kuaiji Division. It was indeed a good job to be in charge of money and food expenditure. It was just a matter of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Who was in charge of it?
Emperor Chongping smiled and said: "Why can't we do it? He was originally a sixth-grade doctor, so why should he be transferred to a fifth-grade doctor? What's the point? Besides, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was originally in charge of Tianjia affairs, so let's just leave it like this and let him take care of it first. I work for the Kuaiji Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If you are really capable, you can also assist Jinyang and the prefect."
As soon as these words came out, the eldest princess of Jinyang was basically asked to take charge of the internal affairs, but she also sent the younger brother of Queen Song to take charge of the money and food expenditure.
When Empress Song heard this, she felt slightly happy and said, "On behalf of my brother, I would like to express my gratitude to the Lord for your kindness."
Go to the House of Internal Affairs first, and then assist in the affairs of the house later. Of course, then... you can also be of help.
Emperor Chongping turned to look at Dai Quan and said, "Send someone to Honglu Temple to summon him. I have a few words of advice."
Dai Quan bowed his hands and accepted the order, and then went to order the attached eunuch to deliver oral instructions.
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Chapter 504: When he takes over the throne, no chickens or dogs will be left in the Jia family! Read for free.
