In the eldest princess's palace, behind the central hall, there is a luxurious bath, which was built for the princess by Prince Yitada.
After Princess Zhaoyang obtained this mansion, she saw its exquisite structure and decorated it for her own use.
It was late autumn and the weather was cold, so it was rare for Princess Zhaoyang to bathe here. On the floor beside her, two maids with excellent temperament burned tea in the stove for her to taste. In the open space in front of the pool, there were three more beautiful, tall and graceful beauties, wearing light silk gauze, dancing gracefully. .
A wonderful picture that is both elegant and romantic.
Suddenly a maid pushed the curtain in, knelt on the other side of Princess Zhaoyang, leaned forward and whispered.
Princess Zhaoyang, who was gently squeezing the teacup and enjoying the dance leisurely, did not change her expression after hearing this. She even turned around and put down the teacup without any haste, and then asked, "Are you sure that among those people, there are people who are loyal to the palace?"
"Go back to the princess, I've confirmed that it's the second young master Wei Wei."
"Well, I know, please step back."
After waving away her confidant maid, Princess Zhaoyang picked up the hot tea that the maid had poured and began to sip it slowly, but her eyes were no longer focused on the dancing maid in front of her. So, after the three maids finished dancing, they did not receive any instructions and could only stand quietly in line.
Suddenly, Princess Zhaoyang stood up from the water and walked ashore along the stone steps in the pool.
"Get changed."
Following Princess Zhaoyang's order, the maids who had been prepared lined up and covered Princess Zhaoyang's flawless skin under the gorgeous skirt.
…
On the long street, facing the insults of the fourth prince, Zuo Zongren of the Zongren Mansion did not dare to reply even though his face was dark.
He was really afraid that Jia Lian would use this as an excuse to arrest him too.
Not daring to do anything to the fourth prince, he had no choice but to point his gun at Jia Lian.
"Commander Jia, do you understand that you are openly defying our clan? If I remember correctly, your title in Jia Jia Ning's palace is still undecided. Aren't you afraid that the clan's mansion will not give you any instructions when the time comes? You should know that according to the scandals of your Ningguo Mansion back then, it would not be an exaggeration to deprive your Ningguo Mansion of its title..."
As expected, he was in charge of the clan's affairs, and he seemed to have a clear grasp of the Jia family's affairs.
You's son Jia Wu is too young. According to the usual practice, it is not too late to wait until he is a little older, at least able to walk and run, before going to the clan mansion to receive a title. The Jia Mansion was also prepared in this way.
I didn't expect that this could also be used as a threat.
In particular, the fourth prince, who was naturally curious about the baby's attributes, turned to him and asked: "Scandalous matter? Is there any scandalous matter in your family?"
Jia Lian's face turned even darker. He was also not sure what to do to the fourth prince. He just looked at Zuo Zongren and sneered: "My ancestors fought with their blood and lives to come here. Even if they have to be deprived, it will be your Majesty's decision. How has it ever happened before?" You have the final say at the Clan's Mansion? Not to mention, when will you, a subordinate official, be able to represent the Clan's Mansion and His Majesty today?"
Jia Lian will naturally not be afraid of such threats. Although the Zongren Mansion is in charge of the inheritance of all titles in the world, it has never been the Zongren Mansion that can really decide who can inherit the title and what title it can inherit. It can never be the Zongren Mansion.
The title is a great weapon of the country. If the emperor cannot be in his own hands, then it can be said that the emperor cannot be regarded as a true emperor.
In other words, as long as Emperor Ningkang felt that the title of Ningguo Mansion could continue to be passed on, even if all the officials of the Zongren Mansion objected, it would not help.
While they were having a boring chat, they suddenly saw a group of cavalry coming from the east. From their special, glittering costumes, it is easy to tell that they are the imperial guards in the imperial city.
Behind the Imperial Guards was a carriage with a royal carriage, which did not stop until it reached Jia Lian and others.
"Hey, Eunuch Zhou, why are you here?"
Mr. Zuo Zongren, who had been very tough before, immediately stepped forward to greet the eunuch with a smile after seeing the eunuch emerging from the carriage.
This time Eunuch Zhou stepped down from the carriage with a serious smile. He didn't feel cold at all when facing his hot face. He just flicked his fly whisk and passed him. He walked up to Jia Lian and the fourth prince and declared loudly: "Your Majesty has a decree. The fourth son of Emperor Xuan, Wei Ling, and the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Jia Lian, came to the palace to pay homage!"
Jia Lian immediately knelt down on one knee and said, "I accept the order."
The fourth prince also bent down and said: "My son, I accept the order."
The father-in-law Jia Lian naturally recognized him this time, but he was not as familiar with Dai Quan and Xia Shouzhong. He only knew that he was also a close confidant of Emperor Ningkang.
After announcing the oral instructions, Eunuch Zhou showed a warm smile and said to the fourth prince and Jia Lian: "Your Majesty, the fourth prince and the Marquis of Zhenyuan, please enter the palace as soon as possible. Your Majesty is waiting for you."
"Then these people..."
The fourth prince was impatient and immediately pointed at Wei Xian and others. He felt that they had spent so much energy on these people today, and it would be a big loss if they let them go without any reason.
Eunuch Zhou explained in advance: "Your Majesty, Fourth Highness, don't be anxious. Your Majesty already knows what will happen today and has made arrangements."
As he spoke, Eunuch Zhou looked around, waved his hand and said, "His Majesty's decree is that the people involved in today's murder will be temporarily handed over to the custody of the Imperial Guards. A decision will be made after the truth is found out."
This result was within Jia Lian's expectation, so he immediately responded and waved to hand the person over to the imperial guards.
Although the Zuo clan was anxious, they did not dare to disobey Emperor Ning Kang's order. They could only reluctantly clasp their fists and salute, and then watched helplessly as the imperial guards took Wei Xian, Wei Wei and other clan members away.
In the south study room of the Daming Palace, when Jia Lian and the fourth prince arrived, in addition to seeing Emperor Ning Kang who was lying in front of the eucalyptus reading memorials, they also saw a middle-aged man in a black python robe and a big belly, kneeling with an aggrieved look. middle.
Seeing them coming in, the middle-aged man gave them a forced smile.
Jia Lian's heart trembled. Of course he recognized this person, but he didn't know how he could be kneeling here, and it looked like he had been kneeling for a long time, tapping his knees and legs.
Jia Lian was about to step forward to salute Emperor Ningkang, but the fourth prince stepped forward and said loudly: "Father, since you know what happened today, you must not let them go easily. You don't know, How abominable they were at that time, and what they said...how, well, they were not the sons of men! Yes, they were not the sons of men!
"
The fourth prince had a lot of curse words, but there were very few polite curse words. He racked his brains to think of a strong word.
Emperor Ning Kang paid no attention to him and just flipped through the memorials. After he finished reviewing the pile in hand, he picked up the empty space in the other pile and said without raising his head: "Where have you been today?"
"Uh, this, this..."
The fourth prince felt guilty and subconsciously wanted to deceive him, but he also thought that he had to testify to Jia Lian. If he lied now, he would not be able to stand up later.
When he was in trouble, he saw Jia Lian step forward and kneel down and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me, today it was the humble minister who made the decision and took the Fourth Prince to the Jinpin Pavilion. If your majesty wants to punish him, please punish the humble minister."
It would have been better if Jia Lian didn't say that. As soon as he said that the fourth prince was willing to do anything, he immediately knelt down and said: "Father, don't listen to his nonsense. I am going on my own. They are all very timid. How dare they take me with them?" Go to that kind of place.
Father, you don’t have to be angry. According to the ancestral system, I, the Prince of Wei, will be crowned an adult at the age of sixteen. Now that I am almost eighteen years old, I am no longer a child. I have the right to go to that kind of place!
Besides, we originally only planned to have a meal, and we didn’t plan to do anything else..."
Although the fourth prince looked confident, he still blushed as he spoke. When he realized this, he immediately changed his tone and said: "Also, if I don't go there today, how can I know that the people in the clan think so? My father! My father, you don’t even know how they arranged for you hiding in the box on the third floor. Even I can’t stand listening to it. I’m standing up for you today. Don’t be ignorant. …”
When Jia Lian heard this, he secretly wiped his hands in cold sweat.
Even King Zhongshun, who was kneeling in front, couldn't help but look back a few times, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
He had been confused since he was punished by Emperor Ningkang to kneel here before, and Emperor Ningkang would not explain to him. It was originally thought that he did not accept the task of persuading the clan to respond to the new tax law, but now it seems that the problem lies elsewhere.
The fourth prince was used to being talkative, so he finally realized something was wrong and shut up. Unexpectedly, Emperor Ning Kang didn't look angry at all. Instead, he looked up at him and asked curiously: "Oh, I really want to know how they arranged for me behind the scenes."
"They...! Oh, Father, you'd better not know. Anyway, these are unworthy words. Father will be angry for no reason if he hears what he does."
It was rare that the fourth prince was still considerate.
Emperor Ningkang looked at Jia Lian.
Jia Lian understood and bowed his head: "Your Majesty, it is clear that today, the minister, the Fourth Highness, and the Fourth Highness's companions, the Zhang Shuo brothers, indeed heard many criticisms of the government in the box on the third floor of the Jinpin Pavilion, and some The words that undermine His Majesty's authority are far more serious than the ignorant words of an ordinary dandy, and are truly unforgivable.
The Fourth Highness loves and protects His Majesty very much, but it is really unbearable for them to confuse right and wrong and slander the Holy God. Therefore, he ordered the ministers to arrest all the people who had secret meetings and prepare to hand them over to His Majesty for disposal.
Wei Chen knew that arresting the clan members without permission was against the laws of the country, and Wei Chen was willing to accept the blame. "
Emperor Ning Kang was a man of profound opinions. There was no need to explain too much in front of him, let alone say good things for himself.
Sure enough, after hearing Jia Lian's words, Emperor Ning Kang snorted seemingly indifferently, but in fact a cold light flashed in his eyes.
He finally lowered his head and looked at King Zhongshun in front of him, "You heard what they said, what do you think?"
King Zhongshun was also familiar with Emperor Ningkang. From the tone of his voice, he knew that Emperor Ningkang must be angry.
He also became nervous. After all, as the talker of the clan's mansion, he was, to put it bluntly, helping Emperor Ning Kang look after the clan and his relatives.
The current situation seemed to be that some of the disciples in the clan said some disrespectful words behind their backs and were caught on the spot by Jia Lian and the fourth prince.
If Jia Lian just gives up and is reused, he will be nothing more than a minister. It will be easy for him to change his tune. But there is also the fourth prince here, and the fourth prince is a very naughty child, so this is difficult to handle...
After rapid calculations in his mind, King Zhongshun decisively chose to protect himself: "If what the emperor's nephew and Marquis Zhenyuan said is true, then these clan members are really daring and do not know whether to live or die. In my opinion, all arrogant comments on government affairs should be punished. , the unfilial children who disrespect the emperor’s brother will be severely punished to serve as a warning to others.”
King Zhongshun has an attitude of hating iron but not steel, and destroying relatives for the sake of justice.
Jia Lian also understood that King Zhongshun probably didn't know that his son was also involved. But if that's the case, then what's the matter with Qiu Liang blocking the way? He clearly said that he was instructed by Prince Zhongshun...
Emperor Ning Kang looked at King Zhongshun with a half-smile, "Oh, really? Jia Lian, tell me who the clan members you captured are."
Jia Lian frowned, but still obeyed the order: "Reporting to your Majesty, the person in charge is Wei Xian, the crown prince of Prince Duan, and the other ten people are from the Yongning Fuguo Palace..."
Jia Lian briefly reported the identities of the clan disciples, and replaced those who were unclear with "wait", and finally said: "There is also... Prince Zhongshun, Young Master Wei Yu..."
King Zhongshun was stunned on the spot, and he immediately understood why Emperor Ningkang had just asked him to continue kneeling.
His expression suddenly changed and he immediately kowtowed: "Brother Emperor Mingjian, there must be a misunderstanding here. You also know Kuan'er. He has been a well-behaved and sensible person since he was a child. How could he do such a rebellious thing... By the way, what happened recently? For some time, I heard from his mother and concubine that there are often clan members looking for him to go out, and it must be those people who are coercing him. He is young and accidentally got together with those unscrupulous people."
King Zhongshun said with runny nose and tears, and turned back to look at Jia Lian eagerly: "Master Zhenyuan, you just said that you heard what those people said with your own ears. Did you hear that my family's wife? Did you say anything disrespectful to His Majesty?"
King Zhongshun was a prince, and Jia Lian was just a second-class prince. The status gap was huge. At this time, King Zhongshun addressed him as "Master Hou", which shows that it is not without merit that this person can gain the trust of Emperor Ningkang.
Speaking of which, Jia Lian always thought that Prince Zhongshun was the potential biggest enemy of the Jia Mansion. After all, the decline of the Jia Mansion in the original work was obviously inseparable from Prince Zhongshun's Mansion.
But after much calculation, Jia Lian discovered that he seemed to have done something wrong.
The enemy of Jia Mansion may not be King Zhongshun. Because King Zhongshun was a member of Emperor Ningkang. If Emperor Ningkang was dissatisfied with the Jia family in the original work, then it would be perfectly reasonable for King Zhongshun to come forward to suppress the Jia family.
In this life, because of his presence, Emperor Ningkang did not show any obvious dissatisfaction with Jia's family, so King Zhongshun may not be the enemy of Jia's family.
Therefore, Jia Lian never thought of deliberately going against King Zhongshun. After hearing this, he nodded frankly and said: "Replying to the prince, I did not personally hear Mr. Yu say any disrespectful words to His Majesty. It seems that it is indeed what the prince said. It is said that Mr. Yu was taken away by Wei Xian and others."
Jia Lian's words made King Zhongshun very happy. He nodded quickly and turned to talk to Emperor Ningkang.
The fourth prince quit immediately, "Although he did not say anything disrespectful to my father, he did not stop and scold those people when they slandered my father. Moreover, listening to Wei Xian's words, they are today The purpose of specially inviting Wei Wei is for Wei Wei to persuade you, Uncle Fourteen, to suggest to my father on behalf of the clan that the tax law should be abolished!"
King Zhongshun knew he was going to suffer as soon as he heard this. In my heart, I scolded my own unlucky son to death.
He just refused to become Emperor Ningkang's lobbyist, but that little brat almost became the clan's lobbyist? Do you want him to ask Emperor Ning Kang to cancel the new tax law? If he had that ability, why would he use those brats to talk about it?
He raised his head and took a glance, just in time to catch the cold look in Emperor Ning Kang's eyes. King Zhongshun shrank his neck and did not dare to hesitate at all before opening his mouth to explain.
But Dai Quan stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, the eldest princess is asking for an audience outside the palace."
Emperor Ning Kang frowned, but still nodded: "Let her come in."
"Princess Xuanzhang has an audience."
…
