Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall
Suddenly hearing that Jia Heng had returned from Jiangnan, Baochai and Daiyu looked at each other, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
When did he come back? I haven’t seen him back during the New Year.
When Mother Jia heard the news of Jia Heng's return, she saw a kind smile on her old face. She smiled at the mandarin duck beside her and said, "Quickly go and ask Brother Heng to come over. I have something to ask him."
The mandarin duck responded with an "alas", and his face, with a few small freckles on his white and greasy duck egg face, couldn't hide his joy, and walked away.
After a while, everyone looked at the young man in a python suit and walked into the house.
In fact, when Yuanyang came to look for her, Jia Heng was about to go out. After thinking about it, he was not in a hurry to enter the palace to meet the saint, so he came to see Jia Mu.
Jia Heng entered the hall, stood on the Persian carpet paved in the hall, faced the gazes of a group of women with hairpin skirts and jackets with different expressions, saluted Jia's mother and said, "I have seen the old lady."
Jia Mu smiled and asked, "Brother Heng, when did you come back and why were you so silent?"
Jia Heng said: "I rushed here last night. Something happened in the court, so I was anxious to come back and take a look."
Jia Mu said: "You are really busy. When you were in Jiangnan, you didn't even come back during the New Year."
Sister Feng looked at the young man in the python suit from the side. The python suit woven with python patterns was tailored to fit perfectly. When worn on Jia Heng, he became more heroic and elegant. The eyes under the resolute eyebrows were as calm as an abyss. , suddenly filled with divine light.
If Sister Feng had seen Jia Heng's appearance in the past, she had regarded it as normal, but now after last night's skin-to-skin contact, seeing Jia Heng now, she felt a little unspeakable joy.
Jia Heng sat down and said softly: "Because I am tied up by the court's errands, there is nothing wrong now."
In fact, in addition to presiding over the affairs of the Jiangnan branch, the previous trip south was mainly to visit Zhen Qing, Zhen Xue and Jinyang.
Jia Mu smiled and said, "I heard that the Li family's relatives have been reactivated and appointed as governors and officials in the border areas."
After saying that, he turned to look at Li Wan aside and said with a smile: "Brother Lan, brother Heng, you have worked so hard. You should thank him more."
Li Wan's heart skipped a beat at this moment, he raised his head, a slight blush appeared on his soft cheeks, and said softly: "Old lady, I was talking about thanking Brother Heng, but he is often busy with outside matters. Son, you don’t necessarily have the time.”
Uncle Heng said last time that he probably wouldn't come to her Daoxiang Village.
Mother Jia had a smile on her face, not doubting that he was there. She turned to look at Jia Heng and said with a chuckle: "Brother Heng, are you free recently? Brother Lan has been back from school for a while, and his grandfather said that he should I went to Jiangnan to study and study, and the guy in front of me said that Brother Lang was still young."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "When I have some free time, I'll go over and talk to Sister-in-law Zhu about Lange'er."
As he said that, he looked at the beautiful lady with beautiful face.
That cry of joy seemed to linger in my memory.
Li Wanfang's heart couldn't help but jump. When she met the gentle gaze that was as calm as the abyss, she clenched the handkerchief tightly in her hand and her delicate body felt warm.
Jia Heng said, looking away, turning to look at Daiyu, and asked with concern: "Sister Lin, I heard that Uncle Lin recently arrived in Beijing. I wonder if he has settled down?"
Daiyu nodded, looked at the young man, and said softly: "Thank you, Brother Heng, we have settled in."
Humph, she didn't want to pay attention to him. Now that she's asked about her father, is she going to stop looking for her later?
"The palace gave me a mansion, just at the entrance of the south lane of Xinglong Street." Jia Mu smiled and explained.
Jia Heng said warmly: "When I come back from the palace, I will pay a visit. Sister Lin will come with me then."
As he said that, he looked at the young girl with a pretty face and teeth. The starry eyes seemed to be filled with the scenery of lakes and mountains, making people unable to help but wander in between them.
After another year, Daiyu has indeed grown up, and her eyebrows and corners of her eyes have become more attractive.
By the way, I haven’t been shepherding sheep for a while.
Under Daiyu's smoky eyebrows, her bright starry eyes stared at the young man, feeling a little longing for him in her heart.
Jia Mu asked with a smile: "Brother Heng, this year's Chinese New Year, why didn't the eldest girl come back from the south?"
Jia Heng thought for a while and explained: "Her Royal Highness Princess Nanbian'er values eldest sister very much. In addition, I still have some business that cannot be separated from eldest sister. When Nanbian'er is more relaxed in the summer, eldest sister can return to Beijing. "
When Mrs. Wang heard this, she narrowed her eyes and looked at the young man. Her heart moved slightly, but she couldn't ask.
Sister Feng Danfeng also secretly looked at the young man with an indifferent expression, folding the handkerchief back and forth in her hand.
Who would have thought that this man, now so serious, would bully her in different ways last night...
Mother Jia sighed: "The eldest girl is not young anymore, and she can't show her face every day. Brother Heng, please help her find a good family sometime."
In fact, I just want to ask Jia Heng, what does it mean when he said that the eldest girl's marriage fell on him, but now it has been more than a year and there is still no sign of it? But it was somewhat questioning, so I changed the way of saying it.
Mrs. Wang, on the other hand, stared at Jia Heng, clutching the Buddhist beads in her hand.
If the uncle Heng in front of her hadn't ruined her marriage to the King of Chu, the eldest girl in her family would now be the concubine of the King of Chu.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment and said, "Old lady, eldest sister has some other ideas of her own."
Mother Jia was surprised and said, "What can she think?"
Jia Heng glanced at Mrs. Wang and said, "The eldest sister Xu was sent to the palace when she was a child. She lived alone. When she grew up, she had the idea of becoming a monk and escaping from the world. She usually pays great attention to books on Buddhism, Taoism and Zen. "
As he said that, he glanced at Baoyu who was staying in the corner, as quiet as a chicken.
"This..." Jia Mu was startled when she heard this. She seemed to understand something and asked, "Is the eldest girl thinking about becoming a monk?"
Mrs. Wang's face didn't look very good either.
Jia Heng said: "It's not that far yet."
Mother Jia's expression suddenly changed and she said, "Brother Heng, what should we do? We don't have anything like this in our family. Baoyu, mother, did you know before?"
The look on Mrs. Wang's face also became flustered, her heart skipped a beat, and she said: "Old lady, the eldest girl has said this before. I asked the third girl to persuade her more. It was just a sudden idea, and I never wanted to return it. It really touched my mind.”
In order to cover up his affair with Jia Heng, Yuanchun prepared some Buddhist books to read, which worried Mrs. Wang for a while.
Aunt Xue said: "It's so good. Why do you become a monk?"
Baochai pursed her pink lips and looked at the boy in the python suit with bright apricot eyes. For some reason, she felt that her man was not telling the truth.
I also often get tired of being with Jia Heng for a long time, and I know a lot more about Jia Heng.
Daiyu also frowned, with a hint of thought in her starry eyes.
The main reason is that when Yuanchun was in Jiangnan, he did not show any special yearning for Buddhism and Taoism.
Both Chai and Dai were smart girls, and they vaguely felt that there was another reason.
Jia Heng said: "Don't worry, old lady, I will advise my eldest sister in the future."
Maybe, with more advice, it would be better to wait until you have children.
Hearing this, Mother Jia's face showed sadness. She looked at Mrs. Wang, whose face was full of depression, sighed and asked, "What should we do?"
Aunt Xue comforted and said: "Old lady, don't worry, it will be fine after a while."
If the girl hadn't been allowed to follow Brother Heng, I'm afraid the situation she faced now wouldn't be much better than that of her sister.
Mother Jia sighed and said: "When the eldest girl went to the palace, I felt bad, but now I didn't expect that she would have such thoughts. Brother Heng, you have to persuade him."
Jia Heng said: "Don't worry, old lady. I'll go back and give eldest sister some advice."
Jia Mu said: "Brother Heng, you came back late this time and didn't make it in time to worship your ancestors. When you are free in the next two days, go to the ancestral hall to say goodbye to your ancestors."
Jia Heng nodded, accepting the matter.
Sister Feng's beautiful face was full of smiles, and she said: "Old ancestors, Brother Heng said that he wanted to go to the palace to meet the saint. It's not too late to have dinner together when he comes back at noon."
As he said that, he glanced at the young man in the python suit and thought to himself, "I'm just talking here. Isn't it time to go to the palace to meet the saint?"
Jia Mu smiled and said, "What Feng girl said is, Brother Heng, you should go to the palace first, and you should take care of business."
"Old lady, I'll go over first." Jia Heng nodded, then stood up. He couldn't help but glance at Chai Dai and secretly thought that he would go hunting for Bao Chai and talk to Dai Yu after he came back from the palace.
After Jia Heng left, Jia Mu looked at everyone in the hall and said, "Now everyone is here. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, so the whole family has to celebrate."
Sister Feng smiled and said: "Don't worry, old lady, the house has made arrangements to keep everything warm and bustling."
Everyone was chatting and laughing, and Rongqing Hall burst into laughter again. After all, Jia Heng was back, and the biggest backbone of the mansion was back.
…
…
Daming Palace, inner study room
Emperor Chongping was summoning Li Zan, a bachelor of Wuyingdian, Shaobao and Minister of the Ministry of War, to inquire about the situation of regiment training in Beiping Prefecture and Hebei.
But it was said that Jia Heng delivered the sign to the palace, and was led by the internal eunuch to the study room in Hanyuan Hall of Daming Palace.
"I have seen Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty." Jia Heng walked into the hall with small steps, saluted the middle-aged emperor behind the imperial case, and paid homage.
Emperor Chongping looked at the young man in the python suit with a smile and said, "Li Qing, Ziyu is back. You two are discussing how to deal with the kidnapping in the north."
Li Zan, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, who was not far away, raised his hand in response and immediately turned to look at the young man in the python suit. His eyes were gentle and he said, "Jia Hou, long time no see."
After he went to Peiping, a lot of things happened in the court. First, there was trouble in the Central Plains, and then the Donglu invaded the southeast coast and wanted to cause trouble in the south of the Yangtze River. Once it was settled, there was no trouble.
And the young man in front of him also suddenly became an important military official.
Jia Heng bowed his hands and returned the salute, saying, "Mr. Li Ge, I haven't seen you for a year. Mr. Ge's demeanor is even better than before."
Emperor Chongping smiled and looked at the important civil and military officials he could rely on. His gentle eyes fell on the young man Qingjun's face and asked: "Ziyu, is the food well prepared over there in the south of the Yangtze River? The officers and officials of the third division , have you ever gone to the provincial government?"
Jia Heng said: "Back to the Holy Spirit, the original team of Jiangnan Zuosi moved to Anqing Mansion, and as the chief of the division, I thought that we should select legal officials who are familiar with the laws and regulations from the north, and the chief of the Dusi was transferred through the Jiangnan camp, and the Ministry of War You can choose from the people in the Beijing camp."
Emperor Chongping nodded and said: "Ziyu is thinking about Zhou Xiang, so it's just right. I have issued an edict the day before yesterday to appoint Li Shouzhong as the censor of the Zuo Deputy Capital to patrol Anhui. Although the former Imperial Academy's filial piety has spread to the north and south, , but I don’t have much experience in managing local areas before. If I want to manage Anhui, I cannot do without the support of Jiangzuo Chief Secretary.”
Jia Heng cupped his hands and said, "The Holy Spirit is a clear guide."
Emperor Chongping turned to ask again: "Ziyu said in the Fei Ge Biography that the Jurchens are about to move and seem to be heading west, so they need to take immediate precautions?"
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, I would like to go to Chahar Mongolia in person to discuss the plan of uniting Mongolia to fight against the invaders."
When Li Zan heard this, he stared at the young man with his bright eyes and asked: "Jiahou, are there any recent developments in Chahar Mongolia?"
"Chahar Mongolia also has the potential to unite with our Han Dynasty." Jia Heng explained, and said: "Your Majesty, this is the information sent by the detectives who went to Chahar Mongolia. Please give it to your majesty."
With that said, he took out a light yellow-covered notebook from his sleeve and handed it over to Emperor Chongping.
Dai Quan hurriedly left the imperial case, walked quickly to the front, took the zazi from Jia Heng's hand, turned around, and handed it to Emperor Chongping respectfully.
Emperor Chongping took the papers and flipped through them. He looked thoughtful and asked: "Ziyu, since we have sent people to warn the Chahar Mongols about the invasion from the East, why does Ezhe still have doubts? He actually plans to let you go." Negotiation with the North?”
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, Chahar Mongol may have doubts about the decisive battle between our country and the Jurchens, and is worried that I will draw chestnuts from the fire. This is to test our country's determination."
Emperor Chongping thought for a while and felt that it was reasonable, and said: "There is no doubt that our court is determined to fight the enemy. The previous killing of Prince Jurchen and the captured soldiers and generals have long been at odds with the Eastern captives! How will Ziyu deal with it next?"
The young man in front of me went from fighting the chaos in the Central Plains to guarding the captives in the south of the Yangtze River. From the south of the Yangtze River to Shenjing, and now he has to go to the northern grasslands. It is indeed a lot harder.
But there is no other more suitable person around who can replace Jia Heng.
"Your Majesty, I have told your Majesty before that I will lead tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to the military towns of Taiyuan and Datong to inspect and organize border affairs, and then wait for an opportunity to go to Chahar Mongolia to discuss the plan of joining forces with the Mongolian Khan Ezhe to fight against the invaders. "Jia Heng's voice was like the clanking of gold and stone, ringing loudly on the ground.
After hearing this, Emperor Chongping looked at Li Zan aside and said with a smile: "Mr. Li Ge, I said that after Ziyu comes back, he will definitely go to the north in person, and it is true."
Li Zan also looked at the young man at this moment, what is the Qiancheng of the country? That's it.
When he was in Peiping, he was still inexplicably shocked by the two chaos incidents that he had suppressed in a row. Now looking at the young man, most of the doubts in his mind were suddenly cleared.
Jia Heng raised his hands and said, "Serving the country is my duty."
Emperor Chongping nodded slightly and said, "Ziyu must be careful and not take risks rashly."
"I thank you, Your Majesty, for your advice." Jia Heng said quickly.
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment, then suddenly said: "Today, the right deputy censor of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate impeached the governor of Liangjiang, Shen Fang, for being greedy, cruel and cunning. He made many complaints about the falsification of the canal transportation of grain and fodder. He also had a high opinion with the governor of Nanhe. Bin is closely related to the river embezzlement case. Ziyu, you have been in Jiangnan for such a long time. Do you know what Shen Fang is like?" Emperor Chongping paused and asked suddenly.
When Jia Heng heard this, his face showed thoughts and he said: "The official voice of Shen Zhitai, the humble minister dare not speak nonsense."
Secretly, Zhang Yongchuan had already exerted his strength at this time, but the other Kedao spokesperson he had found was a Censor of the City.
"Ziyu is a military minister, so there is no harm in speaking outright when it comes to the virtuous and foolish ministers in the border areas." Emperor Chongping said.
"Shen Jiefu, I have not worked with him for a long time. In terms of talent alone, I can be regarded as an old official, but sometimes it is inevitable to be greedy for merit and rush forward." Jia Heng thought for a while and said carefully before speaking.
Li Zan's face paused as he listened to what the young man said, and various speculations surged in his mind.
Emperor Chongping pondered and said: "When he reorganized the Jiangnan camp and appointed Zhen Zhu brothers, the Jiangnan navy was defeated. Ziyu was also a witness to the whole process. The blame was due to greed for success. Ziyu's words are pertinent."
In a nutshell, I want to make progress too much.
Jia Heng said: "The holy candle shines thousands of miles away, and all the ministers respect it."
There are some words that don't need to be embellished by him, but just telling them truthfully is a fatal blow.
Moreover, the emperor clearly had some decisions in mind.
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said: "Shen Fang has been in Liangjiang for a long time. In recent years, he has become more and more ignorant and neglectful of official duties. I think it is not appropriate to be the governor of Liangjiang and supervise the local area."
Jia Heng's face was calm, but it was difficult to respond to these words.
Sure enough, this is the emperor's latest move to suppress and weaken the Zhejiang Party.
Li Zan listened on the sidelines, his face was like water, but he was thinking about the reason for Shen Fang's impeachment.
Ordinarily, such an impeachment should not be carried out when people are being dismissed and retained. Unless it is due to strife within the Zhejiang Party, could it be that this impeachment was carried out by officials from Jiangnan and other places?
Before Li Zan could think about the reason, Emperor Chongping suddenly broke the silence and called out: "Li Qing."
"Wei Chen is here." Li Zan replied with a respectful look on his face.
"Li Qing went to the cabinet to draw up an edict to impeach Shen Fang, the governor of Liangjiang, for being greedy, cruel and cunning. He had previously dismissed the governor of Liangjiang for the crime of diverting troops from the Jiangnan camp. Now he is punished for both crimes and is demoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing. Today, the Cabinet Committee will recommend the candidate for the Governor of Liangjiang."
When Li Zan heard this, his heart was filled with turmoil. He didn't dare to think too much, so he quickly accepted the offer, said goodbye, and went to the cabinet to draft the decree.
Jia Heng's expression paused, his eyes condensed, but a chill surged in his heart.
The emperor did not demote him early or late, but he demoted Shen Fang when he came back. In fact, it had a deeper meaning.
It can be said that this was a conspiracy involving both him and Li Zan.
The chief minister of the cabinet has been undecided for a long time. It is clear that he is using this as a carrot to dangle the Zhejiang Party, splitting the Zhejiang Party bit by bit, and better controlling the political situation.
Perhaps the emperor had already seen the strife within the Zhejiang Party and the governor-general dispute behind this impeachment. Perhaps he had the intention of forcing Han and Zhao to fight again for the position of governor of the two rivers?
Now even if Shen Fang, the governor of Liangjiang, is demoted, Han Huang, who is eagerly waiting for the position of chief minister in the cabinet, can only wait patiently.
Because there is still Li Zan watching from the side, in case he is used as the first assistant by the emperor, so no matter how much resentment he has, he can only swallow his anger now.
However, this dazzling set of political tactics... is actually very thoughtful and has deep intentions.
If he is dealt with in the future, he may not be able to withstand it.
In other words, without a basic base, he has no power to fight back.
Jia Heng's face was like a flat lake, his eyes were lowered, but a cold wind blew in his heart.
Emperor Chongping looked at the young Marquis Wu who was waiting respectfully, and said with a smile: "Ziyu, it's been a while, come with me to Kunning Palace. During the New Year these days, the Queen, Concubine Rong, Xianning and Chanyue are all thinking about it. you."
Jia Heng handed over his hands.
It's understandable that Xianning and Chanyue miss him, but...why does Queen Song miss him?
Well, it's just the emperor's polite words.
When the cabinet was on duty, Han Huang learned about Li Zan's decree. His face was gloomy and unclear. He looked at each other with Zhao Mo, the cabinet minister, and his heart was filled with solemnity. When Li Zan had drafted the decree, it was transcribed and recorded by the cabinet secretary. , signed his name, looked at Han Huang, Zhao Mo, Qi Kun and others, and said: "Several colleagues, please also write and countersign."
Han Huang nodded, and then stepped forward to write his name. Zhao Mo and Qi Kun did not refuse and wrote their names one after another.
Zhao Mo looked at Li Zan and said, "Mr. Li Ge, I don't know who wrote the impeachment memorial?"
Li Zan said: "If Mr. Zhao Ge is curious, he can look for the memorial from the General Affairs Department. These are not dense, and maybe he can still find them."
Han Huang glanced at Zhao Mo, but his brows furrowed deeper.
On the other side, Jia Heng followed Emperor Chongping towards Kunning Palace. On the long palace road paved with red bricks, the late afternoon sunlight in spring shone, and the figures of the father-in-law and son-in-law were reflected on the beams and pillars. Above the vermilion door.
Emperor Chongping suddenly asked: "Zi Yu, Jiangnan Imperial College has caused trouble among the students because of the division of provinces. Can the investigation reveal the mastermind?"
Just now, in front of Li Zan, the emperor was obviously not easy to ask.
Jia Heng said: "There are two groups behind this matter. One is Fang Yaochun, the former Imperial College Prince who wanted to use this to offer wine, and the other is... Governor Shen Fang of Liangjiang. According to the Jinyi Mansion detective report, there is someone from the Yamen of the Governor of Liangjiang behind it. Incitement, its purpose is unclear.”
Emperor Chongping looked gloomy for a moment and said in a cold voice: "Abandoning public service for personal reasons."
In fact, it is almost the same as what he had guessed before. This is also the reason why he dismissed Shen Fang. He was dismissed from his post and was disrespectful to serve. He still appeared in the matter of dividing the provinces. No matter what the intention was, he was not suitable for the power of the Governor of Liangjiang. A minister of one party.
"Your Majesty, calm down." Jia Heng said quickly.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said: "Now that the internal affairs have been settled, the remaining matters are the foreign affairs. The army in the capital camp has not been rebuilt for a long time, so I am still a little unsettled."
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. The soldiers in the capital camp are on the alert and are not afraid of barbarians."
While the monarch and his ministers were talking, they came to the palace where Kunning Palace was located.
In Kunning Palace, Queen Song was conversing with Concubine Duanrong and entertaining Song Jing's wife Shen and daughter Song Yan who arrived.
"Empress, Your Majesty and Marquis Yongning are here." Xia Shouzhong came in small steps and reported back to Empress Song.
After hearing this, Empress Song looked at Concubine Duanrong, who also had a look of joy on her face, and said, "Let the kitchen prepare dinner and go to Tangli Palace to summon Xianning and Chanyue."
Xia Shouzhong left as ordered.
(End of chapter)
