Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall
Following Ji Hong, the censor of Zuo Qiandu, Chen Zhao came out to participate in the impeachment of Wei and Zheng vassals. The officials in the palace were shocked and looked sideways.
Both the Wei and Zheng vassals were brothers of the Supreme Emperor. Wouldn't such an impeachment seriously damage the friendship and harmony of the Heavenly Family?
Previously, Jia Heng and Henan Prefect Meng Jinwen impeached the two vassals for tax arrears of more than 3 million shi, which caused a moment of restlessness in the entire Shenjing. Later, because the whole court was paying attention to the direction of the rebellion in Henan, there was little follow-up. Pay attention again.
But now, the bandit leader has been escorted to Beijing, and the last remnants of the Henan Rebellion have gradually calmed down, so the matter of settling scores after the fall has naturally been put on the agenda.
Emperor Chongping said in a deep voice: "Previously, Henan reported that the Wei and Zheng dynasties were in arrears with their payment of money and food. Now Henan can have military rations to deal with the aftermath. It is because of this. There are also illegal things, and I have heard a little bit about them."
Ji Hong raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the two vassals of Wei and Zheng have not only been in arrears with the imperial court in terms of taxes and grain for many years, but the two vassals have also bribed thousands of Jinyi Mansion's households in Luoyang, raised soldiers privately, and hoarded grain and fodder. I think the ambitions of the two vassals are not small."
This phrase "the ambition is not small", which is frequently used in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is undoubtedly very thought-provoking at this moment.
boom……
The ministers in the palace were really in an uproar now.
The previous secret report sent by Jia Heng involved two vassal kings. After receiving it, Emperor Chongping was furious, but because the rebellion in the Central Plains was the top priority, he did not publish it. As a result, the matter of wooing thousands of households in Jinyi was not a matter of concern to the officials and the public. smell.
The censor of Zuoqiandu, despite the war in Henan, led his old servant to Luoyang a few days ago to conduct overt and covert investigations. Today, when the bandit leader of Henan was bound to Beijing and the dust of the rebellion settled, the secret was revealed at the court meeting. This lid.
Undoubtedly, like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, it caused an uproar.
The vassal king raised soldiers and bribed the imperial guards. By the way, he also defaulted on the taxes and grain from the court and hoarded grain. What was he doing? He was plotting evil!
With food and soldiers, he also attracted the court's spy...
For a time, the censors of Kedao came out one after another to impeach the Wei and Zheng dynasties for being "rebellious and immoral" and "their intentions are worthy of death."
Cen Weishan, the right minister of the Ministry of Punishment, also came out from behind Zhao Mo. With a cold face, he raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I thought that I should immediately summon the two kings to the sacred capital to interrogate them to find out their wrongdoings. At the same time, the Jinyi Mansion actually colluded with the vassal king. , due to fate, I believe that the conduct of the guards of Jinyi Mansion should be strictly rectified!"
Pang Shilang, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, also went out to report: "It is shocking that all the detectives of Jinyi Mansion have been bribed. Jinyi Mansion should take strict measures."
The departure of two minister-level officials from the Sixth Ministry undoubtedly added to the fire.
The other courtiers were also ready to make a move and looked around.
Han Huang frowned, his elegant face was as calm as the abyss, but there was a faint light in his bright eyes.
Correcting the customs of the brocade robe, the governor of the brocade robe is none other than Yongning Bojia Ziyu. Xiangzhuang dances with the sword, aiming at Peigong.
But he took over Jinyi last year, and the time was still short. Even if he was held responsible, he could not catch up with Uncle Yongning.
Of course, it is entirely possible that their consuls have many affairs and limited energy, so they have no time to take care of them and deprive them of their power. This is their real purpose.
It can be said that Jia Heng is also the governor of Jinyi, the commander of the Beijing Camp, and the military commander of the five cities. Any knowledgeable person in the country, or a civil servant with some conscience, cannot tolerate him.
In fact, while Jia Heng was in Beijing, he no longer paid much attention to the affairs of the Wucheng Army and Horses Division, and left everything under the command of the King of Wei and the Five Cities of the Wucheng Army and Horses Division.
After he was granted the title of Uncle Yongning, he planned to submit a letter asking for his resignation and be promoted to the Military and Horse Division of the Five Cities, but he didn't get the right opportunity.
Emperor Chongping's expression was indifferent, his eyes swept over Cen and Pang, and he said in a deep voice: "Earlier, Uncle Yongning had secretly reported that the two vassals were buying Jinyi, but I didn't pay attention to it because the war in Henan was raging."
Cen Weishan and Pang Shilang: "..."
Han Huang's expression paused and he sighed in his heart.
The emperor really has great favor and trust in Uncle Yongning.
Han Huang suppressed the complicated thoughts in his heart, held the ivory jade wat in his hand, and said: "Your Majesty, since the two vassal princes are suspicious, we should investigate their intentions to set the record straight."
No matter what, if the vassal king recruits local guards and raises private soldiers, these are taboo matters and need to be arrested and brought to the capital for detailed questioning.
Yang Guochang cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, since I have known about household affairs and paid out money and grain, I have looked through the account books over the years and found that the two vassals in Henan and other places have been in arrears of grain and grain for more than ten years. The tax and grain arrears are three to four million dan. Although it was due to the last time After the war in Henan, all the grain fields were taken back, but the two vassals of Zheng and Wei were unscrupulous in annexing grain fields. Today, all the land in Henan and other places belongs to the two vassals, and the people are all tenant farmers. They are extravagant, extravagant and extravagant. Now they are secretly stocking up with soldiers. It’s quite surprising.”
In terms of restricting and suppressing the vassal kings, regardless of the differences between the Qi and Zhejiang parties, they were all acting in unison.
As the first assistant of the cabinet and the second assistant of the cabinet went out one after another to attack the Zheng and Wei vassals, the ministers in the palace did not hesitate and went out to support them one after another.
Emperor Chongping looked at the ministers below, pondered for a moment, and said: "Wei and Zheng vassals have various unfavorable matters that need to be inquired. The cabinet drafted an order and sent King Chen Qin of Chu to Luoyang immediately to escort the Wei and Zheng vassals to the capital to pay their respects to the clan. interrogation.”
After all, the clan is a clan. Even if a crime is committed, for the sake of the dignity of the royal family, it is not allowed to be arrested by the Metropolitan Procuratorate or even the Imperial Guards. It is the right thing to send a feudal king there.
When the two kings Zheng and Wei arrived in the capital, Emperor Chongping probably asked a relative with an old relationship with the royal family to conduct a preliminary interrogation at the Zongren Mansion, and finally informed the ministers of the interrogation results.
At the same time, Emperor Chongping also wanted to go to Chonghua Palace to have a breather with the Supreme Emperor.
But, sending King Chu to Luoyang?
When all the ministers in the court heard this, their hearts tightened and their thoughts were inexplicable.
Secretly, could it be related to the previous visit to the Hanlin Academy to pray for the early establishment of the country's foundation?
…
…
In the Prince of Chu's Mansion, in the evening, the sunset filled the sky, as bright as fire.
Under the window, a beauty wearing a sky blue dress and a heart-shaped bun with her hair was sitting behind a bookcase in the inner room. She was holding a woolen brush in one hand and dialing an abacus in the other hand. With the "crackling" sound of the abacus, she suddenly The jade hand, as slender as an onion tube, held the brush and wrote a line of beautiful plum blossom regular script on the rice paper.
It was Princess Zhen Qing of Chu.
Zhen Qing has a standard face with oval seeds, curved eyebrows, slender eyes and a beautiful nose, and pink skin on her cheeks. The sunset shines through the withered flower window, and a large area of shiny white hair appears under her low-cut skirt. On the skin, the rays of sunlight cast a halo of blue waves on the blue jade talisman.
After a while, the rays of light staggered, as if the light could not escape from the black hole, but it could not illuminate the deep ravine after all.
The season has arrived in April, and the weather is getting warmer. The princess, who has a beautiful appearance and cold eyebrows, has also lost her thick coat and put on a slightly thin skirt in the wing room. She is more at home, and there is no clothes in front of her. Tie up.
Zhen Qing curled her eyelashes and trembled. Yurong saw her concentration, and her cold eyes swept over the lines of text on the account book.
On it were the relevant amounts of money that the Zhen family from Jiangnan had delivered to the Prince of Chu's Mansion over the years, as well as the various expenses of the Prince of Chu's Mansion since the beginning of spring.
As the virtuous wife of the King of Chu, Princess Zhen Qing has almost all the power in the palace. At the same time, she also helps the King of Chu control a secret intelligence force.
Because the account books in her hands were too sensitive, Zhen Qing could only record and calculate by herself.
Zhen Xue stretched her waist, her exquisite and graceful curves looked like winding hills under the glow, and there was a trace of tiredness on her beautiful snow-skinned jade face.
At this moment, a nun outside said: "Princess, the prince is back."
Hearing this, Zhen Qing raised her beautiful eyes as moist as water and asked in surprise: "Why is the prince back at this time?"
While he was talking, King Chu quickly walked from the front hall to the backyard, entered the side room, and looked at Zhen Qing with a solemn expression.
Zhen Qing's peach buttocks, which were like millstones, left the Taishi chair covered with mattresses, walked up to him, and said with concern: "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Are you frowning?"
With that said, he personally lifted the teapot on the round table and poured tea for the King of Chu. The aroma of the tea and the heat rising from the birds overflowed everywhere.
The King of Chu sat on the embroidered pier and sighed: "My father sent me to Luoyang to escort the Zheng and Zheng dynasties to the capital."
Zhen Qing's face was slightly surprised, she handed over the tea cup and asked softly: "Going to Luoyang? What's going on?"
The King of Chu took the tea cup, took a sip, and said solemnly: "According to what the internal prison guard said on the way, the two feudal lords, David and Zheng, bribed the guards of Jinyi Mansion in Henan and secretly accumulated armored soldiers. The court will deal with the two vassals strictly."
When Zhen Qing heard this, her beautiful face changed slightly, her curved eyebrows furrowed, her long and narrow beautiful eyes showed surprise, and she said: "They are so bold and reckless, are they planning to rebel?"
The King of Chu shook his head and said in a deep voice: "I don't know about this. However, when Uncle Yongning went to Luoyang, he recovered the taxes and grain arrears owed by the Wei and Zheng vassals. Today the court will expose the two vassals' treason, so my father will send me alone." In the past, I didn’t know what the purpose of doing this hard work was? Could it be because of the last meeting of the Hanlin Academy on the establishment of a national foundation? "
He vaguely felt that his father was beating him.
Zhen Qing thought for a while, her phoenix eyes flashed under Liu Ye's eyebrows, thinking about the reason.
After a while, her pink lips opened softly and she said softly: "Your Majesty, you may have been overly worried. This distant clan, as well as the elders, has violated the national law. It should have been the clan who went to pick up the person and hand him over to the clan's mansion for interrogation." , to show solemnity, otherwise it would be disrespectful to send court officials there."
King Chu's face paused, nodded and said: "That's the truth."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhen Qing said in a clear voice: "Concubine Kuang Chen feels that it is a good thing for my father to send the prince on this mission."
"A good thing?" King Chu was really confused now.
Zhen Qingfeng looked at the King of Chu with bright eyes, and said softly: "I thought it was a matter of the Hanlin Academy, and the truth has been investigated by my father, so I sent an errand to the prince to show that However, it still needs to be handled well by the prince. If this kind of thing is not done well, it will be gossiped by the distant clan, but if it is handled thoroughly and properly, the father is in a happy mood and the clan is respectful. At that time, the father thinks If the prince has the magnanimity of the clan, and his family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs are all in order, and everything is done in an orderly manner, with both reason and reason, then he will be lucky."
The last sentence, "Family affairs, state affairs, world affairs..." was when she was talking to Mrs. Qin a few days ago. She saw a wooden sign on the doorpost outside Jia Ziyu's study, which left a deep impression on her. According to Mrs. Qin's explanation, it was Jia Ziyu's sign. What I usually write is my motto.
Well, there seems to be something wrong with her quoting Jia Ziyu's motto in front of the prince?
When the King of Chu heard this, his handsome and fair face looked thoughtful, his eyes lit up, and he praised: "What a good person who has family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs. If you want to be the master of others, don't you have to take everything into consideration and have both reason and reason? When I arrive in Luoyang, I'm afraid I will have to deal with Wei and Zheng vassals should be more polite."
I originally thought it was a chore to offend someone, but I was a little discouraged in my heart, but I didn't expect it to have such a profound intention.
"Your Majesty, you must be polite and uphold the laws of the court. The other thing is kindness." Zhen Qing said softly.
There was a faint hint of Xiran on the handsome face of King Chu. He looked at Zhen Qing with admiration and said with a smile: "My beloved concubine is really my good wife. There are many local specialties in Luoyang. I will bring some to my beloved concubine when I come back."
As he spoke, he held Zhen Qing's slender crotch.
Zhen Qing softly said "Hmm", a smile appeared on her beautiful face, and she said softly: "Your Majesty, don't forget to visit Mrs. Korea's house. The Queen Mother's marriage documents are all in Luoyang, so we can't lose them." Etiquette.”
She is not only a virtuous wife, she also wants to be a virtuous queen like Yin Lihua and Changsun.
"My beloved concubine, I almost forgot about it." King Chu nodded and said with a smile, "I have to pay a good visit."
Zhen Qing asked again: "When will the prince set out?"
"My father said that we will set off immediately tomorrow. We will pack our bags and tidy up later. Early tomorrow morning, I will lead my entourage and ride a fast horse to Luoyang." King Chu said.
Zhen Qing said in a clear voice: "Then please take care of yourself on the road, Your Majesty."
King Chu nodded and said, "I'll go see Mr. Liao and Mr. Feng first."
With that said, he stood up and left the wing without staying too long.
Zhen Qing looked at the disappearing figure of King Chu, her clear eyes flashed, she looked at the steaming tea cup on the bookcase, and sighed softly.
I originally thought that I could be gentle before leaving, but the prince... I was afraid that he would still go looking for Concubine Liu in the middle of the night.
Over the years, as Zhen Qing had a son with a strong personality, the King of Chu actually did not want to stay in Zhen Qing's room most of the time. On the contrary, Concubine Liu was docile and well-behaved, and she was very favored by the King of Chu.
However, Concubine Liu had a miscarriage and was still childless.
…
…
In the evening, the sun sets in the west, with its afterglow, the golden sunset is like covering the Rongguo Mansion with a layer of golden gauze.
In the backyard, the courtyard where Yuanchun and Tanchun live, in the wing room, Yuanchun is wearing a pale yellow dress and a beautiful bun. He and Baoqin are in the inner and outer rooms, packing things, as if preparing for a long trip.
At this moment, I heard a familiar and charming voice coming from the window.
"Is sister in the inner room?"
While talking, Tanchun opened the curtain, walked around the screen, and entered the inner room.
Yuanchun stood up with a smile, walked up to her, and asked, "Third sister, why are you here?"
With that said, he asked Xiren to pour tea.
"Come and see eldest sister." Tan Chun's beautiful face was filled with a smile, her bright eyes flashed, and she took in the scenes of tidying up in the house, and said softly: "Sister, are you going to Luoyang?
"The Princess of Jinyang is escorting a batch of salary to Henan on behalf of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I am accompanying him." Yuan Chun took Tan Chun's little hand and led him to the Kang table next to the flower window.
Xiren brought over Siamese tea and served the fragrant tea to the two of them.
"When will the eldest sister set off?" Tan Chun asked Yuan Chun without moving his eyes.
"The day after tomorrow, I'll pack up my things today, and prepare the guards, boats, and silver tomorrow. The eldest princess and I will go there by boat."
From Guangtong Canal, you can go directly to Tongguan, then enter the Yellow River and sail to Luoyang. This was the water transportation route of the Han Dynasty for transporting grain from the south to the north.
When Jia Heng rushed to Henan at night to help Henan, the military situation was very strong, so he did not take the boat.
Tan Chun's bright eyes flashed, and there was a tangled look on her beautiful face. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with hope, and she said, "Can sister take me with you?"
After receiving the letter, she had been tossing and turning for the past few days, unable to sleep. She thought about it and decided to go to Henan to see... the scenery of Liao Kuo in the Central Plains.
"Third sister, you...are you going too?" Yuan Chun was surprised when he heard this, then hesitantly said, "But I haven't told you, Brother Heng, before."
Tan Chun took a sip of tea and said in a clear voice: "Sister, Brother Heng asked me to go with the army to Henan last time. Later, my ancestor felt that the military situation was very strong. Considering that I had never been far away, I didn't respond. Now that the situation in Henan has stabilized, eldest sister also wants to go to Henan, why can't I go? Brother Heng would also be happy to see me come over."
Seeing the hesitation on Yuanchun's face, Tanchun said softly: "Sister, it was Brother Heng who wanted me to go first. Now my sister has gone, leaving me alone here, and she has gone to my head."
At the end of the sentence, my tone was a little aggrieved.
Brother Heng had promised her to stuff cattle and sheep into the Jiangnan water town...
Yuanchun's eyes were as soft as water, and he said softly: "But my sister is still young, and I'm afraid my body and bones won't be able to bear the fatigue of traveling all the way."
Neither of them knew that one moment they were "running away from me" and the other moment they were "young and my body and bones can't bear it", which was already a prophecy.
Tan Chun took Yuan Chun's arm and shook it, but he didn't want to rub Yuan Chun's arm with his pointed lotus. He said softly: "Good sister, let me go. Isn't that just going to hold Qin? My sister is on the boat. It’s just one more person, more clothes and more clothes.”
In front of her older sister, who was already in her twenties, the girl who used to be charming in the past rarely showed a bit of the charm and innocence of a little girl.
Yuan Chun felt something strange on his arm, and between his gentle brows and eyes, there was an aura of motherhood. He rubbed Tan Chun's forehead, and with a hint of endearment in his round and round voice, he said softly: "Okay. , you are also a grown girl, why are you still imitating the coquettish behavior of a child?"
Firstly, they are sisters, they have flesh and blood, and blood is thicker than water. Secondly, Yuanchun is a little older and she hugged Tanchun when she was a child. In fact, looking at Tanchun now is like looking at her own daughter.
Well, that's a little weird.
"Then eldest sister has agreed?" Tan Chunxiu said with joy in her eyes.
Yuan Chun said softly: "I don't have anything here, but I need to tell my ancestors and my wife. If they don't have anything to say, just follow me to Henan. In fact, I am worried about you getting seasick."
In fact, it was a bit difficult to let Tanchun go, otherwise, with the intelligence of the third sister, she could see that she and Hengdi...
Under Tan Chun's beautiful eyebrows, his eyes sparkled, and he said: "I have practiced before, and there is no serious problem."
As he said that, he took Yuan Chun's hand and said with a smile: "Sister, let's go talk to our ancestors and my wife without further delay."
If she wanted to go alone, the ancestors would definitely be worried, but it would be different with her eldest sister. An eldest sister is like a mother.
Yuanchun felt helpless for a moment and said softly: "Okay, let's go."
Instructing Baoqin to pack her clothes, the two sisters went to Rongqing Hall to find Jia Mu while they were talking.
Rongqingtang
Jia Mu was chatting with Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang, and Aunt Xue, while Baoyu, Xiangyun, and Daiyu were accompanying her. As for Fengwan, he went to Ningguo Mansion, and Yingchun and Xing Xiuyan went to Xichun Courtyard to play chess. .
Baoyu and Jia Cong had just participated in the imperial examination organized by Jingzhao Mansion a few days ago. It had been several days.
Previously, at the request of Jia Mu, the Chongwen Hall of Ethnology also gave Baoyu a few days' vacation. Therefore, Baoyu was talking to Daiyu while Xiangyun was solving the nine-link chain.
Jia Mu glanced at Baoyu and said with a smile: "Baoyu, my mother, tomorrow is the day when the results will be released?"
Mrs. Wang nodded and said with a smile: "The master said that the results will be released tomorrow. However, they haven't been studying in the school for long, so don't expect too much, old lady."
Speaking of which, it wasn't her first time. Zhu'er had already won the title of scholar.
Jia Mu smiled and said, "It's great to be able to go to the next exam. Baoyu is still young, so don't worry."
After saying that, he turned to look at Mrs. Xing and asked curiously: "What did Brother Cong say?"
Mrs. , Baoyu is still smarter, so he entered school this time without any hesitation."
With Jia She being exiled, the childless Mrs. Xing did not appear embarrassed or embarrassed in Rongguo Mansion, but she also restrained some of her arrogance.
When Mrs. Wang heard this, she smiled reservedly and said, "Baoyu is still young. In fact, he is not in a hurry to go to school. Didn't Zhuer enter school when he was only fourteen years old?"
Jia Mu said with a smile: "Yes, don't worry, I think there are a lot of seeds for studying in the house. Baoyu, Lan Ge'er, Cong Ge'er, in the future, maybe it will be like what the opera said, three Jinshi in one discipline?"
Everyone listened with joy in their hearts.
Aunt Xue smiled and said: "The West Mansion is for Wen, and the East Mansion is for Wu. I heard from Pan'er the other day that someone named Jia Fang in the clan sent a letter saying that he had been promoted. Qianhu, these are all sixth-grade military attachés.”
Xue Pan came back once every half month. Sometimes he would have wine with the young men and servants from the eighth room of the Jia family in Shenjing. During the chat, he heard rumors about the situation in Henan.
As the chaos in Henan was settled, many members of the Jia family were promoted in the military and sent letters back.
In a battle against rebellion, Jia Fang was promoted to the sixth rank of Qianhu, and Jia Chang also jumped from the general banner to deputy Qianhu because he took the head of the bandit leader He Guosheng. Other soldiers such as Jia Yun, Jia Ling, and Jia Qin There are also different levels of promotions for positions, mostly ranging from 100 households to 100 households.
It can be said that members of the Jia family are mushrooming in the military today, but they still remain in the ranks of middle- and lower-level officers.
"The military is no better than anywhere else. It's a matter of risking one's life for wealth." Jia Mu smiled and said with emotion.
Mrs. Wang pinched the beads, feeling a little complicated.
The sixth-grade military attache, compared to the fifth-grade doctor at the time, well, he was a noble man and a low-ranking military officer, so he couldn't be compared to him.
Speaking of which, her family Baoyu is just too young. If he is in the army and has that uncle Heng taking care of him, he will be able to become a general or a guerrilla in the future.
However, Baoyu was indifferent, gentle and filial, so he still studied hard.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but glance at her son, and saw that beside Daiyu, he was smiling playfully, while Daiyu frowned and spoke in a low voice.
Mrs. Wang's face paused for a moment, and the beads she was turning in her hand suddenly paused, and she suddenly felt a sense of irritation in her heart.
At this moment, grandma said: "Old lady, the eldest girl and the third girl are here together."
Jia Mu was surprised when she heard this and said with a smile: "What are you two sisters doing here together?"
While talking, Yuan Chun held Tan Chun's hand, and the two sisters, one big and one small, entered the Rongqing Hall and saluted Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wang:
"I've met my ancestors, mother..."
Jia Mu smiled and said, "Big girl, Tan girl, get up quickly."
After the two of them sat down, Yuan Chun explained his purpose of coming and said softly: "Old ancestor, I am going to Luoyang with the eldest princess of Jinyang to run errands for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I think my third sister has nothing to do in Beijing, so I might as well go with her. We had some fun in Luoyang, and Brother Heng originally wanted to take his third sister with him, but then he thought about the war and chaos, but now that things are peaceful, why not take his third sister there, and this time he and his third sister’s wish came true?”
As soon as these words came out, everyone in Rongqing Hall was shocked. Daiyu, who was talking to Xiangyun and was being "harassed" by Baoyu, gently raised her starry eyes and looked at Yuanchun blankly.
Going to Luoyang? She... seems to want to go.
However, I am afraid that my grandmother will not be willing to do so. It has been many years since I took the boat from Yangzhou to Beijing.
Xiangyun had already put down the nine-link ring in his hand. A look of surprise appeared on Pingguo's round face, and he said happily: "People say that Luoyang's peonies are the best in the world. The peonies are in full bloom at this time."
It was clear that he also wanted to go to Luoyang.
