Ningguo Mansion, in the study room——
Jia Heng and Yuan Chun were tired for a while. They carried a lantern and illuminated the blurry night. They returned to Ningguo Mansion and came to the study. They lowered their eyes to look at the invitation in their hands. When they raised their eyes, there was a trace of suspicion in their eyes.
Looking dimly through the light, I saw the name of Princess Chu Zhen Qing written clearly on the title page of the invitation.
"Zhen Qing and Zhen Xue invite a host to ask about Prince Beijing's stay in Datong Military Town at Zuixian Tower tomorrow afternoon." Jia Heng put down the invitation in his hand, frowning and feeling a little confused.
To be honest, if it was Princess Chu Zhen Qing's invitation, he wouldn't even go, but there is Zhen Xue in the middle. Of course, it's not that Princess Beijing has a big reputation, but that this is a formal invitation, and she is busy with Prince Beijing's affairs. .
Among the several military ministers of the Military Aircraft Department, Li Zan was in the north. In addition to Shi Jie, the minister of the Ministry of War, there were also him, the Prince of Nan'an County, and the Prince of Beijing County.
Judging from the fact that the King of Nan'an County was defeated and captured in the original work, it can be seen that this person was self-righteous and harmed the country and the army. Although King Beijing was a little less capable, he was still mild-mannered.
"We can't stay away from each other forever." Jia Heng thought this way and decided to go to the banquet tomorrow afternoon.
"Husband." At this moment, Qin Keqing's voice came from under the eaves of the corridor. Immediately, the beauty stepped lightly into the wing and looked at the tall and tall young man with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Jia Heng put down the invitation, turned around and said warmly, "Keqing, why are you here?" As he spoke, he came forward and held Qin Keqing's slender hair with both hands.
Qin Keqing's eyebrows were pretty, her eyes were as bright as water, and she said softly: "Husband, it's getting late, it's time to have dinner." The fragrance of the powder on my husband's body was unknown, but there was also a vague fragrance. Necklace.
Jia Heng nodded, took Qin Keqing's bare hand, and said softly: "Let's go there together."
As the couple walked along the corridor, Qin Keqing said softly: "Husband, let's go to daddy's house in the next two days?" Jia Heng said: "There will be a court meeting tomorrow, but I'm afraid it won't work. We'll have to call the day after tomorrow." Shang Jingqing, if he has homework in school, let him take a day off."
When I come back from Henan, I always have to visit my father-in-law, and I also need my father-in-law, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to work on the mining of coal mines in various provinces, so that the coal mines can really be used by the people.
Currently, gold and silver mines are under the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while coal mines are jointly managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Industry. Qin Keqing said "Oh" and agreed.
The couple came to the inner hall. At this moment, Second Sister You and Third Sister You had been waiting for a while. Sitting beside them was a girl wearing a green lotus dress, with soft eyebrows and a beauty mark between her eyebrows.
"Sister Qin, Brother Heng." All the warblers in the hall called out in unison, their voices clear and sweet, their eyes either fiery, or timid, or gentle with a bit of curiosity.
Jia Heng nodded, his eyes passing over the faces of the You sisters, and then he sat down and washed his hands in the copper basin. Sanjie You looked at the young man opposite her, her eyes sparkling, and there was a bit of resentment in her heart.
She has finished writing her Sui and Tang Dynasty novels, but Uncle Heng seems to have forgotten his original promise and has not mentioned that incident. Is this because he wants to default on his debt?
In fact, Jia Heng really didn't forget it, but... he was too busy. Ever since he came back, his schedule was full and he couldn't spare any time.
After everyone had dinner, they saw Sister Feng bringing Ping'er over to play mahjong with Ke Qing. Jia Heng did not stay in the back house for long and went to the inner study to read the information collected by Jinyi Mansion.
.......
...
Lixiangyuan
Aunt Xue looked at Xue Pan, who was lying on the bed and sober from drinking, and said angrily: "It's hard to come back, but you're lying dead as soon as you come back. Why are you drinking so much wine?"
"Mom, aren't I happy?" Xue Pan burped, his face flushed, and his eyes were drunk, he smiled and said: "I'm watching cousin Heng become a first-class uncle, it's really changed in a few months , Mom, did you listen to what I said? From now on, you will be granted the title of County King, and you will also have it."
Aunt Xue was upset by what she said and said, "I have inquired about it. It will not be so easy to be promoted to a noble rank in the future."
Xue Pan smiled and said:
"It also depends on who it is. With Cousin Heng's ability, he has the opportunity to become a prince or a duke. Mom, if you miss this village, you won't have this shop."
"Here comes the nonsense again." Aunt Xue spat, with complicated thoughts.
To be honest, Aunt Xue was really shaken. Just as Xue Pan said, Jia Heng's title has been changing rapidly for several months.
While mother and son were talking, a joyful voice came from outside, saying softly: "Madam, the girl is back."
After Baochai came back, he went to Daiyu's room and sat with Daiyu for a while to talk. In the past, Baochai and Dai often visited each other to talk. They were both girls with good literary talent and good looks, because they were not as famous as in the original work. Baoyu, the relationship between the two is actually closer.
"Sister is back." Xue Pan took the handkerchief off his head, stood up from the kang, and looked at Baochai who came from outside.
Baochai looked at Xue Pan who was drunk. Under the air bangs, a pair of delicate eyebrows were slightly frowned. He gently fanned the alcohol with a round fan and said with a smile: "Brother, why are you drinking like this?" Too much wine?"
Xue Pan laughed sillyly and said, "Sister, I am just happy today."
Baochai smiled and could guess some of Xue Pan's thoughts. He looked at Aunt Xue and said, "Mom, make a bowl of sobering soup for my brother. Being drunk will hurt your health."
"It's ready." Aunt Xue looked at her daughter with a smile and said with a smile: "My dear, where have you been playing? Have you eaten?"
Like a good girl, Baochai sat down and said softly: "After eating, I just went to Zhuo'er's place to sit for a while and played two games of chess with Sister Yun. She loves this recently."
I asked Ying'er to ask Cui Lu before, and I almost learned that after he came back, he went to Zhu'er's room to talk for a while, Xiangyun pestered him and played chess, and there was nothing else.
Aunt Xue said with a smile: "Girl Yun is a bit playful. Brother Heng took her on many sightseeing tours in Luoyang and Kaifeng. If Brother Heng hadn't been busy with business, he wouldn't have taken her there. There are so many places to have fun.”
Hearing this, Baochai nodded, sat down, washed his hands in the copper basin brought by Ying'er, took the hand towel, and wiped his hands gently.
If I went to Henan with my eldest sister, I think we can go sightseeing together.
Xue Pan turned to her face at this time and said: "Sister, I told my mother just now that cousin Heng is now a first-class uncle. If he has military merit, he will be made a marquis."
"Good girl, ignore your brother, he gets drunk after eating too much and drinking too much." Aunt Xue said angrily. Baochai's eyes flickered and he asked, "What's your brother's plan again?"
She could also guess some of her brother's thoughts, but he didn't know the details.
Xue Pan said: "What kind of idea did I have? Didn't you tell us this? I said Brother Heng is a good person, let mom think about it again."
Aunt Xue sighed and said, "Can I know if it's a good thing?"
As he spoke, his heart was agitated, and he called to his colleagues, "Help me go back to the house." Xue Pan said anxiously, "Oh, Mom, you don't listen to me."
"I'm going to have a private conversation with your sister, so you can eavesdrop?" Aunt Xue said angrily. After Xue Pan left, she looked at Baochai and whispered, "Baby girl."
"Mom." Baochai's jade face changed slightly, her teeth pursed her pink lips.
Aunt Xue was silent for a long time, then she held back a sentence and said, "Girl, I think what your brother... said is reasonable."
Baochai narrowed her apricot eyes and said, "Mom, what are you talking about now?"
"Brother Heng, why did he get promoted so quickly?" Aunt Xue sighed, feeling quite distressed and entangled. Baochai was speechless for a moment and said, "Mom, don't even look at what he did. thing."
Aunt Xue nodded and whispered, "That's what I mean."
Feeling tangled in her heart, she changed the subject and said, "My dear, Lin Yatou is also a good girl. She is not young at all. I don't know how she and Baoyu are doing. I look at the old lady and I am a little happy to see it happen."
Aunt Xue is such a good person, Jia Mu has already figured out her thoughts.
Baochai's eyes were bright and he said, "Uncle Lin is still in Yangzhou.
It is up to Uncle Lin to make the final decision on such a life-long event. "She didn't know who she heard from recently. It seems that Yan'er is not very close to Brother Bao anymore. Maybe it's because Brother Bao made her angry again.
"It's hard to say. If the old lady really wants Lin Yatou to promise Baoyu, it's not impossible." Aunt Xue frowned and whispered.
As Aunt Xue's favorite child, her impression of Baoyu, in one word, gradually faded away.
Judging from this period of time, Baoyu is really different from someone else. It can be said that Jiaheng single-handedly drew Aunt Xue's attention to Count Wuxun.
Baochai's eyes were lost in thought, she pursed her pink lips and said, "That's someone else's business too, so we can't care too much about it."
She vaguely felt that Meier's marriage would not simply fall on Brother Bao so easily. What changes would happen in the future? Aunt Xue sighed, looked at her daughter, and said, "My dear, my heart is still not settled."
It can be said that Aunt Xue is very confused at this moment. It seems good to be Jia Heng's equal wife, but she is a little discouraged when she thinks that she is not the first wife. But if she continues to wait like this, I am afraid that she will not be able to get the position of equal wife. one.
Baochai said softly: "Mom, the boat will be straight when it reaches the bridge. There is no need to say anything... I am afraid of the wolf in front and the tiger in the back." She can't tell the truth yet, otherwise she cannot be restricted from meeting Brother Heng.
When Aunt Xue heard this, she looked at Baochai in surprise and said, "Good girl, you...are you not talking about your brother Heng?"
At such a young age, Brother Heng is already a member of the royal family, and he is so handsome... How can these backyard girls not be tempted?
Even if she saw it when she was young, well, bah bah... "Mom, I don't have one." Baochai said, feeling ashamed for a moment.
Aunt Xue's expression changed, and she looked at her daughter and said, "My dear, you know what's going on." She said that some time ago, why did she go to the east to accompany Mrs. Qin so often? It turned out that she was hiding here.
In fact, Aunt Xue had not yet suspected that her daughter, who had always been a good girl and kept her own rules, had made a private life-long commitment to Jia Heng.
Baochai's cheeks were red with embarrassment and she whispered: "Mom, I'm tired, I'm going to rest." -
....
The next day, it was the first day of the first lunar month. In the palace in front of the Daming Palace, civil and military officials lined up with wat tablets in their hands to wait.
As Jia Heng went to court for the first time after returning to the capital, Yong Ning Bo, the first-class Han Dynasty man, stood among the first-class civil and military officials. His expression was as bright and elegant as a orchid and a jade tree. Many civil and military courtiers looked at the young man with a vague look.
Especially, one person in the Imperial Academy looked at him with cold eyes, it was none other than Lu Li, a scholar at the Hanlin Academy.
If it weren't for Jia Heng's frequent "good news", Lu Li wouldn't be so polite in the court. His face was completely lost, and now he is being pointed at.
The ugly thing about human nature is that if something goes wrong, most of the time you will not reflect on yourself, but blame others.
"Your Majesty has arrived!" Following the call from the inner prison, hundreds of civil and military officials from the Han Dynasty lined up in several lines and entered the majestic and magnificent Daming Palace to discuss matters.
"The ministers pay homage to your majesty, long live long live." The ministers all paid homage to Emperor Chongping, and the cry of long live the mountain resounded throughout the palace.
"Your Majesty, please be safe." Emperor Chongping's expression was gentle. He seemed to be in a good mood today. He looked at Jia Heng first.
All the ministers expressed their thanks and stood up, lining up on the left and right.
Emperor Chongping looked at the ministers below and asked: "In the Ministry of War, Uncle Yongning led the army in victory. Have all the reports of meritorious service and promotion been sent out?"
As these days passed, the Ministry of War issued approvals for some generals to review their merits and promotions, and issued edicts related to promotions. Because it was Emperor Chongping who commended his merits and bestowed favors, and out of consideration of the fact that all favors and punishments came from above, Jia Heng just reported the merit books of the relevant generals and colonels to the Military Aircraft Department, and at the same time, in order to avoid suspicion, he ignored them.
Of course, Jia Heng in Huai'an Prefecture had rewards and pensions for generals, but when he arrived in the capital, he kept a low profile.
For example, Cai Quan was transferred to Guoyong camp and was granted the title of Yunqi Lieutenant. Xie Zaiyi was transferred to Guoyong camp and was granted the title of Captain of Qingche. Other meritorious generals, such as Xie Jing from the original Jingying camp, were also transferred. As a general of the Yaowu Camp, other generals and schools have varying degrees of rewards.
The Han Dynasty had a complete and systematic Juelu system.
At this moment, Shi Jie, the Minister of War, holding an ivory jade saber, came out of the squad and said: "Your Majesty, after inspection and review, the Department of Military Selection and Purification has issued an official document regarding the promotion of Ce Xun to the relevant meritorious generals. In addition, for those in the Central Plains, During the Battle of Nanhe, the generals who fought against the floods and died in the royal affairs were given pensions and food to their families.”
Emperor Chongping nodded and said: "The Beijing camp quickly pacified the Central Plains, and went non-stop to fight the floods. It worked tirelessly. We must not wait to reward the relevant generals with meritorious service."
The ministers below listened quietly. The rewards have been dealt with, and it is time to start this chapter. However, at this moment, Jia Heng said, "My dear friend, Jia Heng, I have this memorial."
"Oh?" Emperor Chongping heard this and looked at the young man in the python suit with surprise.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, Jia Heng took an ivory and jade wat, took a step forward, and said loudly: "Since the warlord's army put down the rebellion in Henan, I have been pacifying the local area, investigating the corruption of prefecture and county officials, and found that the local officials are corrupt, cruel and cruel. Only by suppressing and exploiting the people can they provoke civil unrest. Therefore, I should regulate the officials with heavy rules, comb the prisons of injustice, and hang the mirror of the Qin Dynasty high. When the resentment of the people is a little dispersed, people's hearts will be at peace."
This is a self-defense of past policy measures in Henan to prevent some officials from confusing the situation. Sure enough, the expressions of the ministers below changed.
Naturally, civil servants wanted to downplay these achievements of Jia Heng, and maybe one day use the skills of historical records to be vague and confuse right and wrong.
"The minister later went to the Donghe River to prepare for floods. During the period, he rectified the river affairs and severely punished the river officials. He found that the river officials were filling their own pockets and becoming greedy. I was in Huai'an to supervise the river. At that time, the floods surged and Huai'an was short of food. Jinling Many officials' children took the opportunity to hoard goods and resell official food for profit. I have also impeached people in my previous memorial, so I won't go into details. Since the corruption case in the imperial mausoleum in Kyoto, I have been working in the Central Plains to quell chaos, and to fight floods in the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers... From what I hear and what I see, corrupt officials are everywhere, and there are very few honest officials. The ministers really don’t know that in recent years, the officialdom has been so corrupted! From the central government to the local government, from the bureau to the river platform, corruption has become common. The old habits are followed, the evil is insidious, the hearts of the people are ruined, the saints are magnanimous and magnanimous, but they do not feel the grace of heaven, do not want to serve the country, and read the books of the sages in vain!"
Upon hearing Jia Heng's denouncement of the long-standing abuses, many of the officials in the palace were shaken and looked at the young man in surprise.
Because Jia Heng openly reported what he had seen and observed about local corrupt officials since leaving Beijing for comment and criticism in the temple.
The administration of officials is corrupt and full of holes and wounds.
Only by constantly emphasizing the seriousness of many problems can we prepare for the next step.
As for the issue of official administration, the Gungun princes, who claimed to be in good hands with the government, were not easy to be careless when faced with the questioning of a military minister.
In other words, if an ordinary censor made such cynical remarks, most of the temple officials would pretend to be deaf and mute and turn a deaf ear, or they might just be new to the matter and not know what it meant. But now this is a time when the trend of military ministers criticizing corruption is particularly fierce. The situation is very different if the country is in danger and in urgent need of rectification.
Some things also depend on who says it. If a keyboard warrior says it, just stop making people laugh. If a big boss says, don’t worry about making fun now and be careful about making lists in the future, then just be cautious and silent.
When Dai Quan handed Jia Heng's memorial to the imperial case, the palace fell into deathly silence.
After a while, Emperor Chongping put down the memorial, with a silent expression on his face, and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Han Ge, you are in charge of the staff department, but corrupt officials are filling the Yamen office, and corruption has become common. Why do you mean that?"
Han Huang hurriedly handed over his hands and left the office, saying: "Your Majesty, I am incompetent, I don't know people well, and I don't pay attention to people. However, since the Beijing inspection this year, the imperial court has refreshed the administration of officials, and it has achieved results. After that, big plans were carried out and places were postponed. I thought Official governance can lead to purification, but the problems caused by official governance are like poisons in the internal organs, causing chronic diseases, which cannot be cured without acupuncture and medicine over many years."
Emperor Chongping frowned, not satisfied with this answer, and said coldly: "Xu Qing, what do you think?"
Xu Lu said: "Wei Chen believes that for local affairs, integrity should be the top priority when selecting officials. In the next six months, the Metropolitan Procuratorate should follow the previous story in Henan and send more censors to inspect the local areas, accept complaints from the people, and conduct regular inspections. Illegal... In addition, the Six Ministries of Jinling resold official grain. No matter who is involved, they will be strictly investigated. All relevant persons in the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs involved in the case will be dismissed from their posts and questioned, and their crimes will be blamed. Those who do not restrain their children and their families will be punished. Officials, written reprimands, fines and salary reductions are not as good as
This is not enough to scare Xiaoxiao and cleanse the atmosphere! "
As soon as these words came out, all the officials in the palace were frightened. After rectifying the center, they started to rectify the place again.
"It's accurate." Emperor Chongping said.
Han Huang and Xu Lu, the censor of Zuodu, handed over their hands and said yes.
Emperor Chongping flipped through the memorial in his hand, looked at Jia Heng, and said, "Ziyu's memorial mentions the Ministry of Internal Affairs, does it seem like there is something unfinished?"
At this time, Jia Hengtu saw his dagger and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I am exploring gold mines in Henan. I heard that there are still people who want to seize the mining rights of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Now the salary department of Beijing Camp is supplied by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Household Affairs allocates money and grain. It has never been possible. If all the mining profits are given to other companies for mining and smelting, I don’t know how to govern with the current officials. They have their own hands and enrich their own pockets. Can the soldiers in the Beijing camp be given timely pay? When facing the enemy, the supply of weapons, food and grass can be guaranteed. Are you worried? When you control the river, you will lose millions of dollars to solve the river problems?"
At the end of the sentence, he suddenly said: "I think that those who argue that all the mines and profits are paid to other companies will bring harm to the country and the people, and they are worthy of death!" As soon as these words came out, it was like a cold wind blowing, and all the ministers felt a chill in their hearts.
Some imperial censors were livid, and they were inexplicably frightened, because this was the public opinion that suddenly arose in the imperial court in Beijing some time ago, and now there are still undercurrents surging, lobbying and collaborating in an attempt to remove the power of Princess Jinyang from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
After all, it was because Jia Heng discovered gold mines and coke mines in Henan, especially the former. The gold reserves were astonishing, and gold wealth was exciting.
The imperial censor Ke Dao believed that the eldest princess of Jinyang was a member of the female class, and the mining industry was related to the national economy and people's livelihood, so it was not easy to handle it in the inner court. Only by treating the eldest princess of Jinyang based on her moral character could she launch an attack on the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He criticized heavily, and all the memorials and memorials were kept by the emperor.
The issue of ownership of mining profits has been a hot topic since the Ming Dynasty. According to historical records, some local officials indulged the villagers and beat the palace tax supervisor to death in order to make a big noise, and the talk of competing with the people for profits was even more popular among the scholars. This is popular among public opinion, and some officials say it will damage Feng Shui... In short, the gentry can mine, but the royal family cannot.
The chief minister of the cabinet, Yang Guochang, frowned even more tightly, feeling unhappy.
The child has just been working in the capital camp and river affairs. Although there is no sentence pointing to him, every sentence points to the household department.
Emperor Chongping said in a deep voice: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs exploits mineral deposits and harvests the benefits of mountains, rivers and ponds. This is an ancestral law and cannot be changed! I have already prefaced it, but Ziyu is worried about military pay. I understand it deeply. In recent years, the national treasury has It’s a bit more difficult.”
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is really the ancestral method.
Jia Heng said: "With the words of the Holy One, I don't have to worry about this matter anymore."
It was originally just a statement. The military's attitude on this issue is consistent with that of the emperor. Anyone who touches the money bag of the Beijing camp will be at odds with the barrel of a gun.
The gentle conversation between the monarch and his ministers about this matter also made some people completely give up their sneaky thoughts.
After waiting for a while, Emperor Chongping finally said: "The situation in Henan is now stable, but there are vacancies for governor and vassal officials. All the ministers are discussing today who should fill the position to ensure peace and order in Henan."
As soon as these words came out, all the ministers in the palace who were originally silent became excited.
According to the rules of Tingtui, the cabinet and the nine ministers gathered together to discuss the candidates, and discussed the merits and demerits of the virtuous and foolish. Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing who was behind the train from the Military Aircraft Department, felt his heart skip a beat when he heard this and couldn't help but cast his fiery gaze on the young man in the python suit.
Jia Heng entered the train this time and waited to see what happened.
He didn't need to say anything. Later, Emperor Chongping would come and take the initiative to inquire. Besides, if it didn't work out, he still had the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, so he could mention it. He was just watching the show now. When the Qi and Zhejiang parties couldn't argue, he would do it again. Come out and end the argument.
Emperor Chongping glanced at the courtiers below and asked Han Huang below, "The governor of Henan has a vacancy, can the Ministry of Personnel select a candidate?"
Han Huang, the Second Assistant to the Cabinet and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said: "Wei Chen, together with Fang and Zhou, have inspected the officials who are suitable for transfer in recent years and have roughly determined the following names. I would like to ask the Holy Lord to take a look at them."
With that said, he handed over a memorial.
Dai Quan, who was standing beside Emperor Chongping, walked down slowly, took the memorial from Han Huang and returned.
