Jinyang Princess Mansion, near noon, the New Year in the south is much warmer than in the north, and the temperature has also risen a lot.
Along with a burst of light footsteps, the fragrant fragrance came, Yuanchun and other maids carried various dishes and entered the hall of the back house, with faces full of joy.
Jia Heng took a sip of tea, looked at Yuan Chun curiously, and asked with a smile: "Sister, what did you cook?"
Yuanchun's plump and beautiful face showed a calm smile, and he said softly: "Brother Heng, I will cook you some local dishes."
Yuanchun is not only good at female beauty, but also good at cooking. She was originally trained according to the standards of a palace concubine. These are essential skills.
Jia Heng said: "Big sister."
At this time, Yuanchun saw Princess Jinyang on the side and said softly: "Your Highness, it's time for lunch."
When everyone sat down to eat, the eldest princess of Jinyang said softly: "Ziyu will go back in the third year of junior high school. There is going to be a war in the north."
Yuanchun looked at the young man with concern and said, "Brother Heng, is there going to be a war in the north?"
Jia Heng said: "That's not the case, I just need to go back earlier to take precautions. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore and let's celebrate my eldest sister's birthday first."
Yuanchun said "hmm" and then sat down.
The eldest princess of Jinyang also handed over the secret letter and said, "Do you want to go to Chahar Mongolia in person?"
Jia Heng said: "Ezhe probably can't trust other Han court officials, so I might as well go there."
"It's too risky. Just send a special envoy. No one knows what Chahar Mongolia thinks." Princess Jinyang reminded.
Jia Heng said: "I will definitely bring some followers with me. I will check the situation first before deciding where to go. I may not go to Mongolia in person."
In fact, he still wants to solve the problems of Taiyuan and Datong military towns first.
Seeing this, the eldest princess of Jinyang stopped mentioning the matter.
"Sister, it's been a year, but I'm still one year older." Jia Heng took Yuan Chun's hand and said with a smile in his eyes.
The eldest princess of Jinyang smiled and said: "I said yesterday that you are not young anymore. If you give birth to a child earlier and raise it under your knees, you will not be lonely."
Yuanchun: "???"
Jia Heng nodded and said softly: "It's time for my eldest sister."
In fact, he and Yuanchun didn't avoid each other very much during this period. Yuanchun expected to have a child in one or two months.
I think of the judgment about Yuan Chun in the original work, "Twenty years have passed to distinguish right from wrong, the pomegranate blossoms have bloomed to illuminate the palace, the three springs have competed for the scene of early spring, and tigers and birds meet and return with great dreams." This life should not be like this.
Yuanchun's plump jade cheeks with a little baby fat flushed slightly, and he said softly: "Brother Heng, what are you talking about?"
Princess Jinyang smiled and said: "Then Zhen Qing and Zhen Xue, who were close friends with you at the beginning, already have one, so you should have one too."
Jia Heng: "..."
Yuanchun: "???"
Glancing at the young man in python suit next to her, she felt something strange in her heart. Is there something going on between Hengdi and His Highness that she didn't know about?
After Jia Heng had lunch with Yuanchun and the eldest princess of Jinyang, in the afternoon, a female official came from outside and reported: "Master Marquis, Li Shu, the chief envoy of Jiangzuo, went to Ningguo Mansion to look for him. Lord Marquis talks."
Jia Heng nodded, waved his hand and said, "Just say I'm too busy, so I won't see you."
Xu Shikui wanted to see him because he wanted to stay in Jiangzuo. But according to his opinion, it was best for him to be transferred away from Jiangzuo. Otherwise, Li Shouzhong would be constrained in the future. He would suggest that the emperor transfer a northern official from the four provinces of Shanhe. Served as chief envoy.
The female officer held a letter in her hand and said, "This is the letter from Xu Shikui."
When Jia Heng heard this, his expression paused. He took the letter and read it. It contained compliments from Xu Shikui, and also recorded some dirty information about Shen Fang. Of course, it was not about corruption or bribery. But regarding grain transportation, Shen Fang responded passively and paid half-heartedly to the court.
In fact, it already has the meaning of bringing a gun to shoot, of course, it is more of a test.
Jia Heng's eyes were focused for a moment, and he put away the letter, with a thoughtful look on his face.
Princess Jinyang's beautiful eyes narrowed, she looked at the young man quietly, smiled softly, and said: "If you want to see him, you can't go and see him now. I have nothing here."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment and said, "I said I would accompany you, so I'll come as soon as I go."
With that said, he returned to Ningguo Mansion under the escort of Jinyi Mansion guard Li Shu.
At this moment, Xu Shikui had been waiting in the hall for a long time. When he heard Jia Heng coming, he quickly got up, with a hint of anxiety on his chubby face.
It turned out that Xu Shikui heard some news that Jia Heng had completed the inspection of Jiangnan as a suitable official to stay in the Third Division and would return to the capital today.
"Master Hou." Xu Shikui took a few steps quickly and saluted the young man in the python suit with a flattering look on his face.
Jia Heng frowned and said, "Master Xu, what are you doing?"
The letter just now mainly said that Shen Fang had paid shoddy goods to the imperial court and complained many times. In fact, there was still a lot of food in the Jiangnan granary.
Xu Shikui said: "Master Hou, I am here to abandon the dark and turn to the light."
Jia Heng looked at Xu Shikui and said, "What does the letter Mr. Xu just sent mean?"
Xu Shikui looked around and said, "Master Hou, can you lend me a moment to speak?"
Jia Heng frowned and said, "Master Xu, let's go to the study to talk."
With that said, Xu Shikui was led to the study, and this time only two people were left.
Xu Shikui gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "Master Hou, does he know that Lord Shen has always been critical of Master Hou? He often makes trouble in some matters?"
Jia Heng looked gloomy, put down the teacup in his hand, and said coldly: "Master Xu, I didn't listen to what you said."
If we see a feminine politician in Zhang Yongchuan, then we see a duplicitous villain in Xu Shikui, which even makes people feel uncomfortable.
"Master Shen and Gao Bin are brothers-in-law. Gao Bin was embezzling money from Mohe workers. Although Master Shen has never been heard of sharing the stolen money, he mostly covered it up for his crimes and deceived the court during the Ministry of Works investigation." Xu Shikui lowered his voice. , said.
Jia Heng's eyes flashed and he asked softly: "Besides squandering Gao Bin's greedy money, who else got it into his own hands?"
When he was punishing the Hedao Yamen corruption case, he was curious. Not much money was confiscated from Gao Bin's home, so whose pocket did the money go into?
A certain vassal king or a big shot in the court?
Jia Heng's thoughts were racing for a while. Is Han Huang really as honest as he appears?
Xu Jie still has many grain fields in Songjiang Prefecture.
Mainly, the impression Han Huang gave him was that although he was quite selfish, when it came to corruption, he didn't seem to be serious about it. He was probably the type of Secretary Yuliang.
What these politicians seek is power.
Xu Shikui shook his head and said: "I don't know about this either. This core secret may only be known to Mr. Shen."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment and said, "Since Mr. Xu is an official under Mr. Shen, why is this so?"
This Xu Shikui betrayed Shen Fang because he saw that Shen Fang could not keep the chief envoy in him and wanted to be a second-in-command.
Xu Shikui lowered his voice and said softly: "To be honest with the Marquis, Xiaguan has never been a direct descendant of the Zhejiang Party. He has to bow his head when he is under the eaves. Xiaguan is an official of the imperial court, not an official under Master Shen. .”
In addition to the two central members of the Zhejiang Party, Han and Zhao, the local feudal officials are divided into six departments: Jiangxi, Jiangnan, Zhejiang and Nanjing. Many of them are Confucian masters. In other words, they are not just for profit. Also mixed with some political ideals.
For example, encourage private merchants, ease the heavy taxes in the southeast, eliminate border troops, and suppress northern scholars. Another is to stop the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the mining supervision bureaus, introduce private capital, and not compete with the people for profits, even in the southeast. The land opens up the sea for trade.
When Yang Guochang was in power, he had the opposite policy. He made no bottom-line concessions to the imperial power in matters concerning the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He imposed heavy taxes on the southeastern coast, subsidized the north, and did nothing on the frontier army.
This is also the reason why Jia Heng's previous proposal to open up the sea ban did not attract any opposition from the Zhejiang Party from the imperial court.
Among the officials of the Zhejiang Party and other frontiers, Zhang Yongchuan, the governor of Jiangnan, Liu Zhen, the governor of Zhejiang, Chu Yun'e, the governor of Jiangxi, and Shen Fang, the governor of Liangjiang, were rising stars and had a competitive relationship with each other.
Xu Shikui was more like a peripheral person recruited by Shen Fang. Although he was also a second-ranking scholar, he did not belong to the core circle and belonged to Shen Fang's faction. The Chief Secretary of Jiangzuo had always followed the lead of the Liangjiang Governor's Yamen.
Jia Heng took out the letter from his sleeve and said with an indifferent expression: "My Lord Xu, this letter alone can't help much."
He had never wanted to deal with Shen Fang directly, otherwise it would easily anger Han, Zhao and others in the cabinet, which would lead to discord between the generals and the political situation.
The current situation is like this. He, Han Zhao and others are all maintaining restraint for the time being, waiting for the outcome of the first battle against the captives.
Therefore, Zhang Yongchuan worked hard to bring down Shen Fang, and he was happy to see the internal factional disputes come to fruition.
Xu Shikui carefully observed the young Marquis Wu and said, "Master Marquis, Mr. Shen's official reputation is not bad. There is not much to criticize."
To put it bluntly, people like Shen Fang cherish their feathers very much. If you want to find evidence of corruption by these people, it is not easy to find.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, looking at Xu Shikui aggressively, until he lowered his head slightly to show submission, and then said coldly: "Mr. The Chief Secretary shall cooperate well with the Governor and assist in the management of civil affairs."
When Xu Shikui heard this, he quickly said: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis. I will definitely cooperate with Futai. If there is a letter from Jiangnan, I will deliver the letter with Lord Marquis."
Jia Heng looked calm and noncommittal, served tea to see the guests off, and watched Xu Shikui leave.
This kind of backstabbing in official circles is actually not uncommon. These people are only responsible for the black gauze hat on their heads.
Xu Shikui must still have a way to deal with Shen Fang's anger.
However, Xu Shikui was transferred to the chief envoy under the governor of Anhui. After Li Shouzhong took office, he could help Li Shouzhong stabilize the situation.
If someone is rashly transferred from the north, his interests may not be maximized.
However, Li Shouzhong, a Qingliu official, had done a lot of work and was not necessarily well versed in government affairs. He acted in a rigid manner, and it was unclear whether he could face the complicated situation after the province was divided.
However, once he is weak, Xu Shikui will probably relapse again, but from the perspective of stabilizing the current situation, such a capricious villain cannot help Li Shouzhong suppress the situation.
The so-called emperor's skills are not necessarily used by gentlemen. Villains sometimes have to use them too.
This is what Jiajing said about the purity of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Whoever floods will be treated.
Time flies, and before you know it, the second day of the first lunar month of the 16th year of Chongping has quietly arrived. Jia Heng also stayed with Zhen Qing, Zhen Xue and Shui Xin for a while, and then, without lingering in Jinling anymore, he immediately gave up. He notified Nanjing, and then rode a fast horse to Shenjing to prepare for side affairs.
At this moment, in Shenjing City, Daming Palace, inner study room
The thin, middle-aged emperor was lying behind the imperial desk, holding a red pen in his hand, reviewing a memorial. Although it was the third day of the first lunar month, the emperor had already begun reviewing the memorial and received the imperial court who came to Beijing from other places to report on their duties. Important minister.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Lin wishes to see you." Dai Quan, the Prime Minister of the Daming Palace, entered the palace in small steps and whispered to the middle-aged emperor.
"Xuan." Emperor Chongping raised his head, his face solemn and solemn, and said softly.
Not long after, Lin Ruhai, the salt censor of the Lianghuai River, wearing a scarlet robe official uniform and a black gauze hat, quickly entered the palace, saluted the emperor after the case, and said: "Lin Ruhai, a humble minister, pays homage to the Holy One, long live the Holy One." Long live.”
Emperor Chongping put down the ink pen in his hand, looked at the middle-aged official with an elegant face, and said with a smile: "Lin Qing has been patrolling salt in the south of the Yangtze River for several years. He has worked hard and achieved great results. Get up quickly and Dai Quan will watch."
Lin Ruhai bowed her head and bowed again, cupped her hands and said, "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."
Emperor Chongping said with emotion: "After a long separation, Lin Qingqing has lost a lot of weight."
At the beginning, he ordered the scholar in front of him to go to the south of the Yangtze River to inspect salt. Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Yushi, who was high-spirited at the time, now also showed some signs of aging.
Lin Ruhai cupped his hands and said: "I have been in Yangzhou for eight years, and today I see the holy face again. I feel that my heart is agitated and I can hardly control myself."
Emperor Chongping sighed and said: "Lin Qing was rectifying the salt affairs in the Lianghuai River and worked hard without complaint. Fast forward seven or eight years, and I have not thought of transferring Lin Qing to the capital. However, the Lianghuai River is a major source of national wealth, and Lin Qing cannot be separated for a while. , so it was postponed to today."
Lin Ruhai said: "Your Majesty has worked hard, and I would like to know that I have been inspecting the salt affairs of the Huaihe River for several years. I dare not slack off for fear of affecting the national treasury."
Emperor Chongping had a rare kind look on his face, and said with a smile: "Now the new salt method in the Huaihe River has achieved remarkable results. Now that Lin Qing has returned to the capital with great honor, I am about to entrust Lin Qing with an important task to make sure that Lin Qing lives up to what he has learned."
When Lin Ruhai heard this, his heart moved slightly and he cupped his hands and said, "I have been entrusted with the responsibility of patrolling the salt because of the great reliance of the Holy One. I am so grateful that I can't repay the Holy One with all my heart and soul. I don't dare to expect anything else."
Emperor Chongping looked at Lin Ruhai, his eyes secretly satisfied. This Lin Ruhai was the censor of the Salt Patrol whom he personally ordered back then. He could be regarded as a simple and talented person. He was born in a famous school and had been working hard in the Salt Patrol post for several years. His talents and character were both worthy of him. For great use.
After thinking for a while, he said: "Now in the Ministry of Household Affairs, Yang Qing is in charge of ministry affairs, but he also manages the world's financial and taxation matters in the cabinet. There are many things that are not taken into account in the ministry. Lin Qing must be brave enough to take up his duties when he arrives in the capital. .”
The Ministry of Household Affairs is where the world's money and food are collected. Because Qi Kun is a cabinet minister, Lin Ruhai is the official who specifically handles ministry affairs.
Hearing this, Lin Ruhai left his seat and bowed, saying: "I will work conscientiously and do my best to avoid complicating the affairs of the department."
Emperor Chongping nodded, and while letting Lin Ruhai excuse himself, he stood up from behind the case, walked to the carved glass window, and said: "According to Ziyu, there is no doubt that there will be a big and tough battle next year. This battle What is being fought is money and food, and the military affairs are handed over to Ziyu. The court still has to do a good job in the matter of money and food."
Lin Ruhai followed closely and whispered: "What the Holy One said is true."
Listening to the emperor's tone when he mentioned Zi Yu, it was better to say he was a nephew than a monarch. This kind of favor was far beyond that of an ordinary monarch. I don't know whether it will be a blessing or a curse in the future.
After he arrived in the capital, he heard some rumors, saying that the emperor actually wanted to marry Princess Xianning to Ziyu, but Ziyu clearly already had his first wife, and this rumor did not seem to be groundless.
It is worth mentioning that there are many people of the same age as Lin Ruhai, and some of them are still officials in the Sixth Department of Beijing, Kedao, and Hanlin Academy.
Emperor Chongping looked at the sky outside and said, "It is said that the Jiangnan sub-province matter has been finalized and Ziyu should be back. Dai Quan asked Fei Ge, the detective of Jinyi Mansion, to send a letter to urge him."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Dai Quan responded quickly, then walked to the entrance of the palace and ordered an internal prisoner to go.
Emperor Chongping looked at Lin Ruhai and said in a gentle voice: "In the past two days, the veteran Li Ge from Peiping will come to Beijing. If Ziyu is here, we can talk about side affairs together. Ziyu is still in Nan Province now."
Lin Ruhai nodded in agreement.
Emperor Chongping said again: "Lin Qing has just arrived in the capital. It's difficult to live in the capital. Dai Quan will choose a good mansion from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Lin Qing to settle down with his family."
The emperor gave residences to his important ministers, which was a fundamental thing that won people's hearts.
Lin Ruhai quickly thanked the Holy Father.
The monarch and his ministers talked until about noon, when Emperor Chongping left Lin Ruhai to give him a banquet. Not long after, the imperial edict regarding Lin Ruhai's promotion to the Minister of Household Affairs was issued, and the imperial newspaper spread to the world, and the dust settled.
However, the special decree of the chief minister of the cabinet has not yet been issued, and the carriages of Li Zan, a bachelor of Wuyingdian, Shaobao, and minister of the Ministry of War, gradually arrived in the capital.
…
…
The years pass by and the seasons flow by. Unknowingly, it has arrived on the 13th day of the first lunar month of the 16th year of Chongping. The noise and enthusiasm of the New Year has become even more lively after the Rongning and Ning mansions confirmed that Lin Ruhai would be promoted to the Minister of Household Affairs.
The two houses of Rong and Ning performed a great opera for half a month, and everyone from the top to the maids and the maids looked beaming with joy.
Later, the cabinet issued a decree to appoint Li Shouzhong as the governor of Anhui, which added to the noisy and festive Rongning government.
The Lantern Festival is approaching, and the two houses of Rong and Ning now deserve to be decorated with flowers and cooked with fire.
The night was dark, and the full moon in the sky was as bright as silver. The cold moonlight fell on the land of Guanzhong in Liao Kuo, reflecting a layer of cold brilliance on the blue brick eaves.
The sound of "da da" sounded on the official road outside Shenjing City, reaching far away under the frosty moonlight, and dozens of horsemen wearing flying fish uniforms and embroidered spring knives came galloping from the official road in the southeast. , gradually approaching Shenjing City.
"Xilulu..."
As the horse's reins were stopped, the horse's hooves were raised and snorted, and the horse team gradually slowed down. The people headed by the knights raised their eyes to look at the towering city wall, and the lanterns hanging on the gate tower swayed in the wind. The circle of red light and shadow also made the deep eyes under the resolute eyebrows under the mountain-shaped feather crown crystal clear.
"Captain, we're here." Li Shu, the guard of the Jinyi Mansion on the side, said in a low voice.
After rushing all the way, we finally arrived at Shenjing City before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
"Enter the city."
Because the Shangyuan Festival is approaching, the city is quite lively. Even in Xu Shi, the city wall gates are not closed. Even if the city gates are closed, Jia Heng, as the commander of the Beijing camp and the governor in golden clothes, can open the city gates and enter by handing a sign.
Li Shu beside him responded to the order, surrounded Jia Heng, and entered the sacred city under the frosty moonlight.
In the Ningguo Mansion, it was dark at night and everything was quiet, except for the two Lantern Festival lanterns hanging under the eaves, which made a hoarse rustling sound in the cold spring breeze, making the entire Ningguo Mansion even more quiet.
It needs to be brewed, and everyone can cast a monthly vote.
(End of chapter)
