Daming Palace, inner study room
It was already past noon, and after the banquet officials in Xihe Palace dispersed, Emperor Chongping left Jia Heng alone to question him.
At this moment, the news that Jia Heng was awarded the first-class Yongning Marquis also spread to the streets and alleys of the entire Shenjing City as the courtiers left the palace in twos and threes. It was talked about and discussed by the people of Shenjing in the restaurants and tea shops.
In the inner study room, behind the mahogany imperial desk, the middle-aged emperor sat on a pearwood chair, looking appreciatively and gently at the young man in python suit who still maintained a respectful attitude, standing with his hands folded, and said: "Ziyu, sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jia Heng said softly and sat down on an embroidery pier that Dai Quan had moved.
Emperor Chongping asked about what happened just now and said, "Just now I said I wanted to meet Duduo, but Ziyu seems to have other plans?"
Obviously, it was strange for the emperor to have his pretentious way of holding the chieftain in front of his majesty interrupted when he was casting a spell.
Of course, knowing Jia Heng must have deep meaning.
Jia Heng said seriously: "Your Majesty, that Duduo is very rebellious and arrogant. If he speaks such treacherous and unethical words at the court meeting, I am afraid it will damage the morale of our great people. I think that at the next court meeting, your Majesty will If he is asked about his crime, he will be punished with thunder, and the Jurchen prisoners will also be sacrificed in the Ancestral Temple. This may inspire the morale of our Han people, and this move may make the final decision in the battle of peace and war."
Since he is the chief director, he must control the plot. Emperor Chongping's practice of adding scenes to himself without authorization needs to be stopped, otherwise it will disrupt the rhythm of his narrative.
When Emperor Chongping heard the words, his heart moved slightly, and he nodded and said: "That's fine. I originally wanted to let Mingzheng punish me to show the world. Now that there are discussions about peace in the court, I need to make some preparations." yes."
It can be said that Emperor Chongping almost obeyed Jia Heng at this moment.
No matter how colorful the text of the battle report was, the Jurchen Prince was not seen boarding the prison car with his own eyes, which was even more visually shocking. The same was true for Emperor Chongping.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, stood up from his seat, bowed his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the assassination of the King of Chu was caused by a minor minister who was negligent and was responsible for negligence. Please be punished by your Majesty. I resigned from my position as the Commander-in-Chief of Jinyi. Please give me the Holy Spirit’s permission.”
This means retreating to advance, and achieving first-class status requires tempering one's sharpness.
Emperor Chongping said: "I didn't expect that these remnants are still making trouble. What does this matter have to do with you? When King Chu was assassinated, you were still investigating the Zhen family. King Zhao's remnants and others were originally snake-hearted, and now they are even more insane. Plot to assassinate the clan!"
The young man in front of him has done so many things. Since arriving in Jiangnan, he has been rectifying salt affairs and fighting wars at the same time. In the middle, he has also made a trip to the Guangdong Sea to solve the Haojing matter. He has hardly stopped along the way.
Besides, the old matter originally involved the secrets of the previous dynasty, so he shouldn't have been allowed to interfere too much.
As for the Jinyi Mansion, it has always been used to spy on the outside world, and the young man in front of him has never been involved in the internal affairs of the five offices.
Thinking of this, the middle-aged emperor paused and said in a deep voice: "Now that we know these people, the rest will be easy to deal with. You don't need to pay attention to this matter, Sir. I will ask Dai Quan and Jinyi Mansion to go there." After checking, you will select some people from Jinyi Mansion to protect the clan, and hand over any traces and clues found to Dai Quan."
With that said, he looked at Dai Quan and said in a deep voice: "Ask your internal guards to move, and Shang Yong from Nan Province to continue investigating the case in Jiangnan. We must dig out King Zhao's party."
Shang Yong was the commander of Jinyi in the Chongping Dynasty. He was later demoted to Jinling due to the Sanhe Gang incident. In fact, he was a sharp knife under Emperor Chongping. Now, Shang Yong, who is familiar with affairs, is undoubtedly re-appointed.
When Dai Quan heard this, he was shocked, cupped his hands and said, "I obey, my slave."
Hearing this, Jia Heng's face froze, but thoughts surged in his heart.
His original restructuring of the Jinyi Mansion stretched the boundary between him and the emperor and ensured his own safety. In addition, the matter of King Zhao already fell into the category of dirty work, and may involve the emperor's past. From this point of view, I don't want him to continue to interfere.
Because in order to affect the glorious image of the Emperor in his heart, of course the Emperor thought so.
It's like a wife doesn't want her husband to know about the bullshit that happened before they got married.
Jia Heng's eyes flashed, he suppressed some weird thoughts in his heart, and thought to himself, Xiaoxiao needs to be reminded.
Xiaoxiao has been wandering around the world for many years. The emperor or the clan thought that he was robbed by gangsters and his whereabouts are unknown.
Of course, it is difficult to say that the emperor was not vaguely aware that some of his eldest nieces were suspicious of what happened back then and ran away angrily.
However, she must not have known that her niece had joined the White Lotus Sect and became the White Lotus Demon Girl.
Moreover, the King of Zhou was indeed not a party to the deposed prince and King Zhao. According to official public opinion information, he even played a decisive role in helping the emperor at a critical moment. He was regarded as a model of loyalty, filial piety and justice in the Tian family, but it was a pity that he died young.
Not an opponent of the emperor, but more like a tragic figure.
Jia Heng sighed inwardly.
After he eats Xiaoxiao's big snow pear, Xiaoxiao becomes hers.
At this time, Emperor Chongping also diverted attention from King Zhao's remnant party and said: "Ziyu, you previously transported the Hongyi cannon to the capital. Did you rely on this to defeat the captives in the previous naval battle?"
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, in the future battle between the two armies, firecrackers and artillery will be the mainstream. They are also military and national weapons to defeat the enemy."
Emperor Chongping thought for a while and reminded: "But the weapons of the military and state still need to be driven by people. In the former Song Dynasty, there were thunder and rockets, so many things just looked lively and may not be used."
Jia Heng said: "What the Holy One said is true. The Holy One has said in the past that no matter how strong the weapons are, the victory or defeat of the military battle must be decided by human beings. For example, Hao Jing used the red barbarian cannon to steal our Han Dynasty, but in the end it was defeated by the Han Dynasty. That is This principle is just that if a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his weapons. Since we have good weapons, I, a big man, cannot use them."
Seeing that Jia Heng still remembered the original "teachings", Emperor Chongping smiled and said, "It's good if you can think about it like this."
Ziyu was the Minister of Military and Aircraft, so he was obviously well prepared for the war against the captives, so there was no need for him to give any more advice.
Emperor Chongping thought for a while and then mentioned another matter: "The salt tax in the Huaihe River collected more than 4 million taels in half a year. The method of voting salt is a good way to eliminate disadvantages and bring benefits. Qi Kun also went to the Hedong Salt Fields in Shanxi Province to try out the new method the day before yesterday, and the results were great. Feiran, the new salt method proposed by Ziyu benefits the country and the people."
The young man in front of him was not only good at military strategy, he was also as talented as King Ziyu, as he had estimated back then.
It seems like it was yesterday in this study room that Jinyang brought the young man, who was just a commoner, to the prelude.
In fact, it is no wonder that the emperor is filled with emotions, because the current situation is a dream, and it can be said that he has played the best hand since he took the throne.
Prince Jurchen was captured, the North Korean generals surrendered, the Jingying camp and the Jiangnan camp were strong enough to fight, and the national treasury gradually had more income due to the implementation of the Lianghuai Salt Law. Not to mention that the internal funds were full, it was comparable to all Like a war.
In addition, the emergence of sweet potatoes can be said to have saved the Han Dynasty, saved the ZTE cause of Chongping Dynasty, and alleviated the root cause of famine.
However, although this kind of merit is a weapon that extends the country in the eyes of knowledgeable people and Emperor Chongping, it cannot be used as a basis for making a prince or even a duke.
This is also related to the contempt for agricultural technology in this world. If Jia Heng had not selected and bred excellent seeds, an ordinary person would have donated such high-yielding crops, and then Longyan Dayue would have awarded a fifth- or sixth-rank official to the ancestors for burning high incense.
Therefore, the imperial decree at the time of the feudal lordship was not mentioned at all, nor was the Battle of Haojing, because the latter was more like a security battle to protect the territory of the country.
Only local officials in Guangdong could lead troops to expel the barbarians entrenched in Haojing.
All in all, these things have become Jia Heng's holy family, and the achievements that are not commended on paper will be remembered in his heart.
Jia Heng said: "Although the good law is good, it is still being implemented. If the emperor is not wise and the ministers are wise and promote the good law, I am afraid it will not be able to take full credit. In fact, when I was in Nan Province, I only helped to check smuggling. Although the new salt law is It is the humble minister who presides over it, but its implementation relies on the efforts of Yushi Lin and Elder Qi Ge."
He felt that he still couldn't take all the credit.
Emperor Chongping looked at the young man with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Young people should not be arrogant or impetuous, be modest and prudent, this is the long-term way. Yang Guochang's previous so-called worries were simply alarmist.
"Qi Kun is a capable official, and Lin Ruhai is also an official. I plan to call Lin Ruhai to the capital to report on his duties before the end of the year." Emperor Chongping said, pondering for a moment, looking at the young man with stern eyes, and said: "Zi Yu, there is still a shortage of people in the household department. A hall official is in charge of the ministry, and I plan to appoint Lin Ruhai as the household department hall, what do you think?"
Both the minister and the minister are ministers, which is obviously referring to the minister of household affairs.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment and then said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, Yushi Lin and I are related by marriage. I should not speak nonsense."
He was talking about Jia Min and Lin Ruhai, not him and Daiyu.
"Don't avoid relatives when promoting talents, Ziyu can speak freely." Emperor Chongping said.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "Lin Yushi stayed in Yangzhou for six or seven years at the beginning, and he was very dedicated to the salt affairs. Over the years, there was no omission in the taxation of salt and silver. This time, the new law was implemented, and he worked with Qi Ge Lao. run."
He can tell what he knows without exaggerating.
Emperor Chongping pondered and said: "Lin Ruhai was known for being upright and daring to give advice when he was the censor. I personally appointed this censor of salt inspection. I originally thought that he could make a difference in Huaiyang. Now Huaiyang's new system is popular , it can be considered as a successful retirement, and I will be transferred to the household department next year.”
According to Lin Ruhai's previous position as the fourth-rank censor of Zuoqiandu, it is not unexpected that he was promoted to the third rank because of his efforts in rectifying salt affairs, even though he belonged to the majority of the household department.
Jia Heng cupped his hands and said nothing.
Emperor Chongping looked at the young man opposite and suddenly asked: "Are the four girls of the Zhen family with you?"
Jia Heng's expression remained unchanged and he said calmly: "Just as the Holy One said, Mrs. Zhen took Wei Chen's hand and asked her to help him before his death. I had no intention of doing so. Later, after something happened to the Zhen family, Zhen Xi came to Wei Chen's side. .”
Emperor Chongping listened to the young man's words, pondered for a moment, and said: "The Zhen family has been corrupt and extravagant over the years, and they don't know how to restrain themselves. They spend extravagantly and illegally in the south of the Yangtze River just because they are relatives of the emperor. They have received many favors from the emperor. How can they solve the country's problems?" , planning for a day? I have long been tired of the Zhen family, but God has the virtue of a good life and has punished the four brothers of the Zhen family. I have no intention of angering their family members. "
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty is magnanimous. Zhen Yingjia and others have truly confessed the corruption in recent years. I have already sent people to deliver the files to the capital. Now the treasures that have been copied have been sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Although they have not fully filled the shortfall." , The Zhen family really has no money left."
The emperor has absolutely nothing to do with magnanimity, and even has some vengeance. A "I've been tired of it for a long time" basically says:
I have tolerated them for a long time!
Emperor Chongping pondered and said: "Dai Quan asked the cabinet to draft an edict. Zhen Yingjia fled to Yunnan, Zhen Shao and Zhen Zhu were exiled to Guizhou. Zhen Xuan stayed for three years. The men who were officials in the Zhen family were handed over to the ministry for discussion. The rest were not guilty. "
Dai Quan accepted the offer, then sent an internal eunuch to instruct the cabinet to draft an edict.
Until now, the Zhen family's disposal has been completely settled.
To a certain extent, this was also an admonition to Jia Heng, not because of Zhen Xi, because with the two princesses Zhen Qing and Zhen Xue there, it would not be too embarrassing.
It's still the Jia family. If it weren't for Jia Heng's appearance, the two houses of Rong and Ning, which were extravagant and full of dandies, would not have been able to escape this ending.
After Emperor Chongping said this, he looked at the young man opposite him kindly and said warmly: "Follow me to the harem. Xianning must have met her mother by now."
Although Ziyu is a young man and a successful young man, he has not indulged in female sex. When he went to Jinling, he did not hear that he lingered in the Qinhuai romance. I think the four girls of the Zhen family were indeed Mrs. Zhen’s self-protection. Policy.
He is not only an honorable person, but also a father. Zhi'er should not suffer any grievances after coming here. As for the daughter of the Qin family, I heard from Concubine Rong that she is not the temperament of the Hedong Lion. In the house, she just plays mahjong from time to time and is isolated from the world. Competitive nature.
Well, since she recognized Jia Heng as her son-in-law, Concubine Rong naturally learned about the temperament of the first wife of Ningguo Mansion through some channels.
Jia Heng also followed Emperor Chongping towards the harem, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
After he had an emperor's father-in-law, he even went out of his way to ask about the daughter of the Zhen family.
Kunning Palace, in the palace——
Empress Song, Concubine Duanrong, Princess Xianning, Princess Qinghe, and mother and daughter Shen and Song Yan were finishing their lunch and talking over tea.
Yan Yiliu was also accompanying her mother-in-law, but although she had a smile on her face, she was a little absent-minded.
I was thinking about the war in the southern province. Through the story of Princess Xianning and the supplement of Princess Qinghe, the story of Jia Heng rectifying the salt affairs in the south, luring snakes out of their holes, and pacifying the bandits with thunder was gripping and fascinating.
This princess, who was born in a martial arts family and had practiced martial arts since childhood, was also somewhat leisurely and fascinated.
While they were talking, the nun outside said, "Mother, your majesty and Marquis Yongning are here."
After hearing this, Empress Song had a look of joy on her face. She looked at Concubine Duanrong and said softly: "Sister, Your Majesty and Ziyu are here."
At this moment, Jia Heng followed Emperor Chongping into Kunning Palace and entered the warm spring-like palace. In his eyes, a gorgeously dressed beauty came forward to greet her, it was Empress Song.
Today's Empress Song is wearing a light yellow dress, with gold hairpins and pearl flowers pinned between her temples. On her graceful and plump face, she has a sweet smile, like a peony with national beauty and fragrant fragrance. Her charming charm flowed out silently, her lips were pink and shiny, and her teeth were shining brightly when she smiled.
Because it was winter, her clothes were not as cool as in summer, but her skin, as white as snow, was still very eye-catching.
In fact, when it comes to snow beauties, Queen Song is the real snow beauty.
Jia Heng just glanced at it, not daring to look more. Instead, he came closer to salute the Queen of Song. He felt a fragrant aroma coming to his nostrils, making him drunk, and said: "Wei Chen has seen the Queen, Concubine Rong."
Concubine Duanrong looked at the young man at this moment. Under her thin and delicate willow eyebrows, her beautiful eyes were flowing with a hint of softness and kindness.
After all the events in the south of the Yangtze River, Jia Heng was granted the title of Marquis. This beauty who once questioned Jia Heng in Wuying Palace has completely recognized Jia Heng as her son-in-law.
"Ziyu, there is no need to be polite." Empress Song said with a chuckle.
On the other side, the Shen family, Song Yan's mother and daughter, and Yan Yiliu in Kunning Palace all came forward to pay tribute to Emperor Chongping. Princess Xianning also held Princess Qinghe's hand and called Emperor Chongping.
At this time, Princess Xianning looked at the young man, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and said softly: "Sir, have you finished talking to your father about the business?"
The girl knew that Jia Heng was going to have a one-on-one confrontation with Emperor Chongping. When it came to business matters, she was not in a hurry to see Jia Heng. She had been with Jia Heng so many times along the way.
Jia Heng looked at Princess Xianning, nodded and said, "Yes."
Then he looked at Li Chanyue aside, his eyes a little gentler.
Mrs. Shen also looked at the young man, and Wen Ning could see joy in his eyes.
Song Yan, holding her little hand beside her, had curiosity on her pretty face, bright eyes, white teeth, and fair complexion. She looked at the young man, and her features were full of thoughtfulness, just like Empress Song.
Is this my cousin-in-law? He seems to be taller and taller than last time, and he is three years older than him, so now he is the first to wait.
In fact, the girl had met Jia Heng before, but her impression was not very deep.
Yan Yiliu's eyes were slightly bright, and he glanced sideways at the boy in the python suit. This time, his eyes were more of a look and look.
The young man who had just been awarded the title of first-class marquis had no trace of arrogance or pride on his youthful and handsome face. Under his slanting eyebrows, his eyes were bright and clear, but it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.
This was an important court official who had an arm wrestling match with his father in the court, and the prince had also won over him many times before.
Yan Yiliu reminded himself in his heart that he should not be confused by this young face.
At this moment, Jia Heng noticed Yan Yiliu's gaze and glanced at Wei Princess Yan Yiliu. However, he saw the lightning flashing away, and immediately saw the cyan crystal earrings under the earlobes, which looked like jade. The hair at the temples is slightly curled.
Jia Heng's heart moved. Princess Wei of Nan'an County Prince's family seemed to be a little curious about him?
Without thinking too much, he sat down on the embroidered pier that had been moved from the inner prison, sitting upright and not squinting.
Empress Song looked at the young man with a smile in her beautiful eyes. When she saw the young man with a calm temperament, she said softly: "Ziyu has worked hard this time going south."
"Your Majesty, it's not hard to serve the country." Jia Heng met the soft eyes and suppressed the memory of grapes in the summer a few months ago.
At this moment, it felt like being as close to the Tian family as one family. Empress Song always looked at the younger generation.
Perhaps after he became a first-class marquis, the marriage with Xianning was no longer a proposal or idea, but started to come true.
Concubine Duanrong's eyes were somewhat gentle. She looked at the young man and said, "Xianning just told me and the Queen that you have been busy in Jiangnan this time, and you should also take a good rest when you return to Beijing this time."
Jia Heng said: "Thank you for your concern. I am young and strong, so I don't feel tired. If I rest all of a sudden after returning to Beijing, I will get sick easily."
This is the mother-in-law feeling sorry for her son-in-law.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said: "What Zi Yu said is true. The Northern Captives are still watching with eager eyes. Zi Yu is the pillar of the country. The war against the captives still needs Zi Yu's preparation."
This time, Jia Heng was summoned to return north to prepare for the captives. Otherwise, the southern land would be much warmer than the northwest in winter.
Empress Song looked at Emperor Chongping with her beautiful eyes, and said in a slightly angry tone: "Your Majesty, Ziyu has just come back, and it seems that it's already the New Year, and he doesn't let anyone take a break."
"You should take a break when you should." Emperor Chongping said softly with gentle eyes.
Concubine Duanrong said with emotion: "It's almost the Chinese New Year as we say, but there are a lot of things happening this year."
The king of Wei got married, chaos broke out in Henan, the emperor fainted, and the war in the south, as this cool and charming beauty said, a lot of things happened.
Emperor Chongping said: "It snowed in Guanzhong this year. The people at Qin Tianjian said that next year it should not be so dry, and the harvest in the north will be better."
Mrs. Shen smiled and said, "This is God's gratitude. The weather is going well."
Empress Song smiled and said: "Ziyu didn't promote the planting of sweet potatoes before, but I heard that Henan has a bumper harvest this year. The problem of food shortage next year should be gone."
Speaking of sweet potatoes, Emperor Chongping said: "I intend to widely cultivate sweet potatoes in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and other places. Ziyu, can they also be planted in spring?
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, we can plant after the Grain Rain in March and April. However, after several years of planting, we need to rotate farming to restore the soil fertility. Although sweet potatoes can satisfy hunger, other cereals, wheat and rice cannot be neglected."
Just steamed sweet potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, fried sweet potatoes? Of course, it’s good if you can eat a full meal. If you feel sick, just feel sick.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said, "That's what Ziyu said."
On the side, Princess Wei Yan Yiliu listened to the conversation of several people, feeling emotional in her heart. No wonder the prince spoke of this Jia Ziyu's holy family with a lot of envy.
Jia Heng and the emperor and the empress were talking, and before they knew it, time flew by and it was almost time to apply for the cards.
Queen Song glanced at the vast sky outside the palace, smiled sweetly and said: "It's getting late now. I think there are people waiting at Ziyu's house, so I won't let you have dinner."
I have to say that Queen Song was considerate and knew that Jia Heng still had relatives at home waiting for her belated husband.
Jia Heng left Xiudun, bowed and saluted, and said, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, I will take my leave first."
Emperor Chongping said: "Go ahead, I will call you again tomorrow to ask you."
There is still a need to discuss the matter of offering prisoners to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and attending court meetings.
At this time, Princess Xianning took the little princess's hand and stood up gracefully. With a slight smile on her pure and beautiful face, she said: "Mother, please go see your husband off."
The young girl just watched the three emperors and concubines talking to Jia Heng, and she felt quite happy.
Queen Song smiled and said, "Go ahead, don't take too long."
Princess Xianning responded, and then she and Li Chanyue escorted Jia Heng out of Kunning Palace.
(End of chapter)
