Nanjing Longsheng Pass.
Longshengguan is close to the Yangtze River and has an excellent port. It has the largest post station, Longshengyi, and the largest airship docking base in South Zhili. Therefore, it is bustling with traffic. The port is lined with shops and goods from the north and south are densely packed. It is one of the best places around Nanjing. The big port.
Among the many shops and restaurants, Zuixian Tower has the most extravagant regulations. Most of the people who come to this restaurant for banquets are dignitaries from the capital and extraordinary people.
After Emperor Guangde succeeded to the throne, he abolished many old regulations that were unfavorable to the flow of goods and relaxed many restrictions on merchants. Affected by this, commercial exchanges in various parts of southern Zhili became more and more prosperous, and Longsheng Pass became one of the most popular places.
As the New Year approaches, many of the wealthy businessmen and officials who live in the capital return to their hometowns. Zuixian Tower is much more deserted than usual, but compared to other wine shops, it is still very lively.
"Everyone, have you heard? Long live the wedding. It will be this month."
"Where is the Queen from? How come no one has ever mentioned her?"
When it comes to the most alluring topics of conversation in the capital at this moment, there are only two.
One of course is the wedding of Emperor Guangde.
It should be noted that the provinces in the north and south have been busy for more than half a year for this queen selection. Thousands of ladies have been selected at different levels, and the various erotic stories among them are the topics that the common people talk about.
The diners at Zuixianlou are all rich or noble, but when they talk about this secret, they are all very happy, and their expressions are like Wang Ganniang who is gossiping in a street tea shop.
"It's not an audition now. There have been five or six selections. The last three top picks were selected by the two Queen Mothers with their own eyes. The current queen will be selected from them. It will not be made public. How do you know?"
"It's a pity. I don't think it's very miraculous. Long live the Lord rejected the Swedish princess. I heard that the princess was really beautiful and beautiful, even more beautiful than Yang Guifei..."
A group of diners were so drunk that they were so drunk that they did not know whether to live or die and uttered the words of some illegal criminals.
The shopkeeper of Zuixianlou was so frightened that he hurriedly walked out and signaled everyone to keep their voices down. While bowing to everyone, he pointed to the notice posted on the pillar of the wine shop and said:
"Dear guests, gentlemen, and ancestors, don't talk about state affairs. Don't talk about state affairs. The streets are full of black-clad public servants. Although the Holy One says you are lenient, if you let anything slip, be careful to issue an edict. Prisoners eat for free."
The diners obviously didn't take the shopkeeper's words to heart at all. One official from the capital said drunkenly:
"Shopkeeper Wang is unfounded and worried. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. Today is different from the past. Emperor Guangde, the eternal sage, has never been punished for his words in our dynasty. Don't talk about state affairs. You have to tear it up a long time ago."
Another diner who looked like an eunuch also laughed and said: "How long has it been since the coir raincoat guards arrested people? Wang Zhangji still mentions this now. If you are not an official in the court, how can you know the current situation..." "
"Yes," a drunken officer continued: "It's different from the past. Nowadays, civil servants are noble and military men are nothing. Even a commander like Pu Gang arrests people when he says it, and raids his house when he says it. The raincoat guards are busy dealing with it now. The commanders of the various corps, how can you have the energy to ask your little shop..."
Shopkeeper Wang was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and held his hands in front of everyone. A few of the Coil Yiwei who were patrolling the place and drinking at the door pretended not to hear these "treasonous" remarks and hurriedly paid for the drinks and turned around to patrol elsewhere.
The diners watched as the raincoat guards in black casual clothes left their sight and continued to scream strangely at the top of their lungs.
After they talked about Emperor Guangde's wedding, they naturally turned to another topic.
"The eldest princess is coming to the capital? Do you know?"
"I heard that the eldest princess has been living in seclusion in Dongzhuang, Suzhou for three years. She won't come back sooner or later, so why should she come back at this time?"
"You don't know this. I also heard it from my former brothers in the Eighth Corps. The eldest princess did not return to Beijing alone this time. General Pu was harmed so miserably by them. Don't you know? Ning Gutana It’s already been a mess..."
"Is this coming with bad intentions?"
All the diners realized that they had unknowingly talked about an extremely sensitive topic, and they all closed their mouths in unison.
"Here you go! Guys, let's try our Zuixianlou's signature dish, the cauldron fish."
At this time, the shop assistant brought the hot pot stone cauldron and put the cut sea bass into the clear soup.
As the charcoal fire at the bottom of the stone cauldron was ignited, the bass actually swam around in the cauldron, unaware that death was approaching.
~~~~~
On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month in the sixth year of Guangde, the eldest princess returned to the capital by airship from Suzhou and arrived in the Forbidden City before the birthday of the Supreme Emperor on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month to meet her younger brother Liu Kan, Emperor Guangde.
Emperor Guangde was very enthusiastic about the eldest princess's sudden return to the capital, and sent the general manager Li Juying to lead people out of the city to greet the eldest princess.
At noon on the sixth day of the lunar month, Eunuch Li led a group of followers and waited at the Longshengguan airship base for an hour before finally waiting for the Eldest Princess airship to land slowly.
"Eunuch Li, how is Emperor Guangde doing these days? I heard that the candidate for the queen has been decided?"
Li Juying had a smile on her face, her eyes narrowed into a thin line, and she glanced at the guards standing beside the princess, while smiling and saying:
"Thanks to the care of the eldest princess, Your Majesty is in good health. He was still hunting in Shanglinyuan yesterday. The eldest princess is well-informed. The queen was just decided the day before yesterday. The people of Kaifeng Mansion and the queen mothers of the two palaces are quite satisfied."
"A person from Kaifeng Mansion?" Liu Yufei murmured to herself.
"Kaifeng Mansion is really home to beauties. I remember that Queen Mother Zhang is also from Kaifeng Mansion."
Li Juying did not dare to continue. The eldest princess could discuss Emperor Guangde's biological mother, but he could not.
"Has your journey back to Beijing been smooth, eldest princess?"
Suzhou is only four hundred miles away from Nanjing, and an airship can reach it in three hours. Travel between the two places is usually by passenger ship or carriage. The eldest princess has loved to be exposed to new things since she was a child, so she must take an airship every time she travels.
Liu Yufei said calmly: "There was a bit of wind and it was a little bumpy. Fortunately, there was no danger."
"The princess is a daughter of a daughter. Emperor Guangde often said in front of his slaves that the eldest princess is his majesty's closest relative in this world. He asked the slaves to work hard to serve the princess..."
The eldest princess said:
"Emperor Guangde is getting married, and the palace is very busy. Manager Li has been doing a lot of work during this period."
Li Juying hurriedly said humbly: "This is what a slave should do. It is not a matter of contribution or lack of effort..."
Liu Yufei looked solemn: "I heard that Eunuch Li also went to Ninggu Pagoda some time ago. It's thousands of miles from north to south, and ten months are coming. Are you also taking an airship?"
Li Juying rushed to Ninggu Pagoda from Nanjing. She first took the Daqi Post Road. After arriving at Shanhaiguan, she transferred to an airship and flew to Ninggu Pagoda.
Since airships are extremely expensive to build and are mostly owned by the military, according to Daqi regulations, only officials of third rank or above are eligible to use them.
However, from the tone of the eldest princess, it was obvious that she was not pursuing this. Li Juying knew that she was questioning Pu Gang.
"Eldest Princess, I am aware that when I work for the Holy Master, I am a little anxious and accidentally exceed the rules. Please punish me."
Liu Yufei waved her hand and said disapprovingly:
"Eunuch Li is your majesty's most famous person. His status is so prominent that one person is less than ten thousand people. He is no less generous than Dongfang Zhu back then! And I am just an old princess from the late emperor's dynasty. All old princesses are worthless. Yes, how can I dare to punish you? If you are accused of being disrespectful, wouldn't it be like Pu Gang's, where your family will be confiscated and your family will be exterminated?"
Li Juying knew that the eldest princess was coming back from Suzhou with bad intentions, but she didn't expect that she would be so angry, and she was clearly prepared.
He looked around and saw that the guards were looking murderous and the Daqi officials waiting on the pier all had evil looks on their faces. They were all obviously supporting the eldest princess. He remembered that he had heard from Emperor Guangde before that the eldest princess had gangsters all over the world, so he quickly knelt down. The ground burst into tears and said:
"My servants are incompetent in their governance. Damn it! I didn't expect that they accidentally killed General Pu's family. I just asked them to check the anti-poems. I had no other intention..."
"Okay," Liu Yufei suppressed her smile, "Take me to see Emperor Guangde. Now that a life has been lost, the old members of the Eighth Army are in a state of excitement, and the court should give them an explanation."
plum
Juying felt chills on the back of his neck when he heard the explanation. Based on his understanding of Emperor Guangde, if the situation was really unmanageable, he would most likely be regarded as a scapegoat and pushed out to let those Qiu Ba vent their anger. .
Thinking of this, he made a plop and knelt down in front of the eldest princess again.
"Please, Princess, save me, save me,"
The guards helped the eldest princess to board the carriage. When the eldest princess entered the carriage, she looked back at Li Juying and said meaningfully:
"If Dongfang Zhu were here, Your Majesty wouldn't have to worry so much. Emperor Guangde trusts you so much, but you have caused a huge disaster. Eunuch Li, you are like a fish in the bottom of the cauldron. Your death is coming, and no one can save you. "
The carriage, surrounded by a group of retinues, drove across the cement road and slowly headed towards the Forbidden City.
