I remembered my family’s mentality at that time after they were transferred to the position of Chief of the British Palace. Su Jin smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Of course, these two are not the worst. The worst is the third Changshi. I don't know what happened to anger King Song, and he was almost killed by Concubine De with a cane. In the end, although Even if he escaped, he would be dismissed from office and sent to Longyou Road for the people."
"Nowadays, all the officials below the fourth rank in the dynasty feel that going to the palace to serve is like entering a wolf's den. Especially in the palace of Song Dynasty, no one is willing to go in the name of dismissal. When I was in the capital, I had always been on good terms with King Yong. The king is so virtuous that he is not immune to wine, sex and wealth, and he has done even more ridiculous things."
"As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. At that time, I thought that the prince and the prince had the same preferences. Therefore, I was quite reluctant to serve as the chief historian of the British prince's palace. In addition, those colleagues were transferred to serve as subordinates of the prince's palace. The situation of an official and a queen, and my temperament and temperament, what are the benefits of being an official of the palace?"
"If I had known earlier that the prince was so wise and righteous, how could I have done those things in the first place? At that time, I was only thinking about being transferred, but I did not take into account the relationship between the prince and Mrs. Chen. Now think about it, what did Jin do in the first place? It's not excessive. Fortunately, the prince is a tolerant man and doesn't bear grudges against his ministers."
Hearing what Su Jin said, Huang Qiong's brows frowned deeply. Huang Qiong didn't pay much attention to Su Jin's disguised apology later. But what Su Jin talked about earlier caught Huang Qiong's attention. Especially since Concubine De and the Queen of Song, mother and son, were so unscrupulous, why didn't my own emperor say anything about it?
Concubine De took responsibility for the palace officials without permission. This was already interfering in the government affairs. Who gave her such great rights? Don't say she is just a concubine, not even a noble concubine. Even the queen of the dynasty has no right to blame officials. After the incident, the emperor did not pursue any investigation. For the emperor who always strictly prohibited the harem from intervening in politics, this result was really strange.
Huang Qiong pinched the bridge of her nose, really not knowing what to say. He even didn't understand what his old emperor was thinking. He neglected to discipline the prince and blindly blamed the palace officials when something went wrong. Isn't this obvious favoritism? It’s no wonder that officials in the Manchu Dynasty now regard serving as a royal official as a shortcut to promotion as a shortcut to promotion.
Doesn't he really know that pride is like killing a son? These princes were so pampered and lawless in the capital, how could they treat the people well in the fiefdom? Now that you know the public opinion, why did you go there earlier? Born without education, what this father did was not ordinary and unqualified. Especially the Queen of Song's mother and son, who had been so domineering before, didn't even get a small punishment.
No wonder that Concubine De knew that she was in Zhengzhou to deal with the aftermath. He still dares to cause trouble under his nose at this time and use his tribe to spread rumors. Without the emperor turning a blind eye to her various behaviors over the years, how many of the stupid mother and son of the concubines would have the guts to be so unscrupulous? You know, it is a serious crime to blame the imperial officials.
Although the King of Shu has not yet been deposed, once those things are revealed, even the emperor will not be able to protect him. Nowadays, the four sons born by Queen Daxing are basically dead and fallen. The mother and son were probably so jealous of the crown prince's position and the currently vacant queen's position that they couldn't even hide it in the most basic way.
Otherwise, how could he be so bold as to propose marriage to the prince of Guilin without authorization? It seemed that I had somewhat underestimated the mother and son who were so stupid and arrogant in the past. If they were just relying on honor to protect their mother-in-law, it would be impossible for the mother and son to act so boldly. At least when dealing with my own emperor, I should still have some skills.
Otherwise, he would not be so favored in the palace. Although the mother and son are not very capable. But this little private action, although it doesn't hurt myself for a while, is not generally annoying. It's like during this period of time, I don't dare to confront myself openly. But this caused trouble below and almost ruined the good situation that he had finally managed to create.
However, although Huang Qiong thought so in his heart, he did not intend to continue this topic with Su Jin. No matter how this matter is said, it involves the privacy of the Tian family. Talking openly with officials below would somewhat damage the emperor's face. After thinking about it, Huang Qiong turned the topic to the aftermath of Zhengzhou. When Huang Qiong changed the topic, Su Jin naturally wouldn't hold on to it uninterestedly.
Since he was walking and talking with Su Jin, Huang Qiong did not continue to gallop, but walked and talked with Su Jin freely. When they arrived at a village, Huang Qiong pointed to the village in front and said, "I'm feeling a little thirsty after running so fast. Let's go to the village in front to get some water and take a break."
Because he was worried that his group of people riding into the village would disturb the people in the village. So Huang Qiong got off his horse and walked at the entrance of the village. It is already early winter, the farmland has been harvested, and all the grain that should be put into the warehouse has been put into the warehouse. Because most poor people cannot afford to prepare heavy winter clothes, in this kind of weather, people can naturally go out less, and it is better to go out less.
Therefore, the whole village seemed somewhat deserted. However, a small number of people in the village, after seeing Huang Qiong and his entourage dressed in bright clothes and angry horses. Not only did no one come forward to talk, but they all locked the door tightly like snakes and scorpions. There were not many people on the streets of the village, but all of them disappeared in an instant.
Looking at everything in front of him, Huang Qiong frowned. When he looked at Su Jin, although he didn't say anything, his expression was very ugly. Looking at Su Jin who had an embarrassed expression at this time, Huang Qiong turned his head and pointed at the only decent house in the village, and said to Liu Hu: "Go and call the door and say that we are passing merchants." , wanting to beg for a drink of water and a warm place by the fire.”
"You are a local. Although the accent is slightly different, it is similar. If you call the door, they will not be too repulsive. Also, if they insist on not opening the door, forget it. You must not use force or scare the people here. If it doesn’t work, just call a few more doors.”
Maybe Liu Hu's local accent played a certain role, maybe Huang Qiong and his party didn't do anything out of the ordinary after entering the village. After Liu Hu's repeated explanations, the house that had also closed its courtyard door finally opened its door. An old man in his fifties leaned out and cupped his hands and said, "I wonder why the master called the door?"
I had somewhat lost my patience and was about to change my name to Liu Hu. Seeing that someone finally came out, he remembered Huang Qiong's advice and hurriedly said: "Let's go back to my father-in-law. Our master and servant are rushing from Zhengzhou to the capital for business, but we don't want to get lost on the way. My master is weak and cannot bear the cold wind. , I want to borrow some water from my father-in-law’s house and warm up by the fire.”
Huang Qiong, who was just behind Liu Hu, didn't speak when he saw the old man opening the door. He just looked at Liu Hu and didn't know what he was thinking. Then he stepped forward, cupped his hands and said: "Old man, it's not because we mean to bother my husband. It's just because the weather is too cold today, and we are from literary backgrounds. We can't bear the speed of our horses when the cold wind blows, so I have no choice but to disturb my husband’s purity.”
I saw that although Huang Qiong was dressed as a rich man, he was gentle and well-mannered, and he looked like a scholar. With a kind face again, the old man hesitated for a long time and finally opened the door: "Even if you are a passing merchant, you should take advantage of this convenience. As long as you don't mind the simplicity and dirt here, please come in."
In response to the old man's words, Huang Qiong just smiled lightly and said: "Young man, I don't want anything else. I just want a place to warm up by the fire. Some hot water is enough. Who would dislike the old man's simplicity here?" After that, Huang Qiong asked. Pushing Liu Hu aside, he took the lead and walked into the yard. Su Jin, who was following him, looked at Huang Qiong's back, gritted his teeth and followed in.
Seeing Huang Qiong and Su Jin walk into this small house without any precautions, Liu Hu behind them could only arrange a warning, shake his head and smile bitterly. Originally, he thought that his master had dragged Magistrate Su out just for a ride and then would go back. Thinking there, Huang Qiong actually stayed here.
Although he is currently accompanied by twenty personal soldiers, these twenty people are just ordinary soldiers of the Xiaoqi Battalion. There are only two people who can be called guards, including myself. Although Zhengzhou is much calmer now, who can guarantee that all the hidden assassins have been wiped out? What if there is an assassin following you? How should you deal with it?
But Liu Hu also knew that although his master was young, it was difficult to change his mind once he made up his mind. So even if he was a little dissatisfied, he couldn't persuade him. I can only be alert and pay attention to every move around me. Fortunately, the twenty pro-soldiers brought here are all veterans of the Xiaoqi Battalion who have fought hundreds of battles, and they all know what they should do without his orders.
Huang Qiong, who entered the room at this time, ignored what Liu Hu was thinking outside the room. What he was thinking more about was the attitude of the people in the village after seeing him enter the village. This is the only way from Zhengzhou Prefecture to Mizhou. Even if the people here have little knowledge, they will not panic when they see themselves. There must be some reason for this.
Taking the coarse porcelain bowl handed over by the old man, Huang Qiong lit the fire while thinking about the reason why the people here were so panicked. Su Jin, who was beside him, looked at the rough porcelain handed over by the old man and the stains on the mouth of the bowl that had not yet been cleaned, and couldn't help but frowned.
Although he has always been frustrated in his official career, he has been well-off and prosperous since he was a child. Now that he has become a fourth-rank official, he can be regarded as having enough food and clothing with just his salary, even if he has not received the full salary. How could he have used such filthy items to drink water?
Seeing the bowl of water in his hand, the stains on the mouth of the bowl were not washed away. How could he drink it? But when he saw the King of England, who was much more noble than him, the bowl in his hand was still unclean. But he just blew the water in the bowl to make it slightly cooler and drank it all in one gulp. The King of England acted like this, which really made him feel ashamed.
He just felt a little ashamed in his heart, but he was asked to drink water from such a stained bowl, but he couldn't drink the water. In order to cover up the embarrassment, Su Jin could only change the subject and said: "I'd like to ask, sir. This is my first time in Guibao. Why did the people in the village avoid us like snakes and scorpions when we entered the village? "
The old man was pouring water for Huang Qiong and Su Jin, and then brought in a bundle of firewood from outside the house to make the house warmer. When Su Jin asked, the old man was filling the pit with firewood. Hearing this, he said directly without even raising his head: "I don't know, these gentlemen, when they see you dressed in bright clothes and angry horses, they may have mistaken you for officials who are here to collect taxes."
Hearing the old man's answer, Su Jin couldn't help but said with some doubts: "Collecting taxes? Didn't the imperial court exempt the states and counties under Zhengzhou Prefecture from paying for three years of food and grain? And didn't the prefect also order that all the money and grain for their own fields this year be exempted? . For those who rent government land, do their harvests differ from those of the government? How come there are still people here to collect taxes?"
