Baoyu is no longer the same as before. He has experienced so many ups and downs in the past few years, which has made him realize that the Jia family is no longer the glorious era of the four kings and eight princes in the past.
Especially after the Nanjing Incident, my father was an official in Nanjing and was labeled as a traitor. His uncle collaborated with foreigners for smuggling and smuggling. Uncle Jing of the Ningguo Mansion unexpectedly came back from the dead and established Nanjing. He was "a minister in the same palace" as his father, and he was also a traitor to the party. , and my uncle directly raised the banner of rebellion.
The various changes that followed one after another overwhelmed him, and then the whole family was thrown into prison, waiting to be executed.
At that time, the whole family was in panic all the time. The female relatives in the family were in tears, fearing that they would be thrown into the Jiaofang Department and become a brothel girl who could not be used by anyone. Fortunately, Brother Feng came to the rescue and the whole family was released on bail. .
Seeing how Sister Yun and Brother Rong's daughter-in-law from Ningguo Mansion were escorted into exile in Shaanxi, you will know how dangerous the current situation is. Princess Shui Zhen of the Shui family of the Prince of Beijing, the biological sister of the Prince of Beijing, and the Wang family of Dongping County Their legitimate daughters, all of whom were well-known nobles in the capital, were all sent to the borderlands of Shaanxi.
If Brother Feng hadn't happened to go to Shaanxi to serve as governor, I'm afraid they would either have died in a foreign land, or they would have become the playthings of those powerful warriors in the border.
Baoyu shuddered when he thought of this.
What should I do if my sisters, my mother, my aunts, and the maids around me in the mansion end up in this situation?
Watching them die miserably or taking off their clothes in front of those vulgar warriors? Then I really might as well just die.
So no matter what Brother Feng does, whether he marries his favorite sisters Bao and Lin, takes his second sister and Miaoyu as concubines, or even takes his third sister, fourth sister and sister Yun as concubines, Baoyu They all had to admit that without Feng Ziying, the fate of all of them would be extremely miserable, but he was powerless. He had to appreciate this kindness.
Not to mention that Brother Feng is currently busy looking for a way to enter the Hanlin Academy for himself.
It would have been fine if it was any other position, but going to the Hanlin Academy really hit the weakest point in Baoyu's heart. He can ignore everything, but he can never get rid of his inner identity of a scholar who prefers to read.
He knew that he would not be able to study hard like Huan Laosan and Lang Geer, who studied hard at midnight and under the lights, so he would never have a share in the imperial examination.
The reputation of donating officials was too bad, and he would never be able to enter a prestigious place like the Hanlin Academy, so he never expected it.
At first, the family hoped to ask Brother Feng to put him into the clan's mansion to work on errands, and he was satisfied. But now when it was said that he could go to the Hanlin Academy, Baoyu felt like he was possessed after receiving the news.
He now thinks day and night about what he would do if he went to the Hanlin Academy. During this period, he even dreamed that he would enter the Hanlin Academy and join those famous scholars in the whole Zhou Dynasty, ask for their advice and learn from them, and communicate with them. What an honor it is to compile a history and discuss it together, and it can even be included in the family tree's glorious deeds.
Now Baoyu is looking forward to that moment with all his heart. He knows that he did not enter the Hanlin Academy for the right reasons, but that does not matter. After entering the Hanlin Academy, he can ask for help from those famous scholars, and he can really talk and laugh with the great scholars. Wu Baiding, with this qualification, he can go anywhere in the world, and the Niu family where his wife belongs no longer dares to underestimate him, and he can be proud and proud in front of the Niu family.
"Almost." Chai Ke said calmly: "Miao Changqi has entered the city."
"Oh? Openly entering the city?" Feng Ziying raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Are you ready to sign?"
Chai Ke laughed dumbly and glanced at Feng Ziying, "Where did the signature come from? It's just a tacit understanding. When it comes to the same road, do you really think that Tang Mu, Zhu Gu and others have no tacit understanding with Ye Xiangxiang and the others?"
Feng Ziying's heart moved slightly, "It seems that I was still too naive. I really thought that I had to talk about everything clearly. It turns out that everyone has a tacit understanding."
"Haha, how is that possible?" Chai Ke shook his head, "Prince Yi Zhong may be able to deal with Niu Jizong and Wang Ziteng, but Tang Miuzhu
Gu, they are the backbone of the Jiangnan side. Without them, how could the Jiangnan gentry support Prince Yi Zhong to fight against the imperial court? In a sense, I feel that I am afraid that Ye Xiang and Fang Xiang are still adding fuel to the flames. Woolen cloth. "
Feng Ziying really couldn't believe it. Could this be a double act?
The ministers in the cabinet and Tang Mu, Zhu Gu and others from the south of the Yangtze River joined forces to put on a show for Prince Yi Zhong, Emperor Yonglong and even the royal family?
Seeing the increasingly doubtful look in Feng Ziying's eyes, Chai Ke smiled and said, "It's not as exaggerated as you think. Tang Mi and others must still protect Prince Yi Zhong. At least Prince Yi Zhong will succeed to the throne, and his lineage will also There was a stalemate with the cabinet on ensuring the right to succeed.
"Then King Shou and King Lu and the others..." This is the key.
"We'll put it on hold for now." Chai Ke paused, "The cabinet's intention is to make a decision at that time. It probably means that if there are no other unexpected events, Prince Yi Zhong, as the crown prince, will definitely succeed to the throne, but the cabinet does not rule out other possibilities." Chai Ke spread his hands, "For example, if the prince dies of illness, or if the prince's performance fails to satisfy the cabinet, then..."
"Then, everything is possible, and the decision-making power still lies with the cabinet." Feng Ziying then asked, "Is that when Tang Binyin joins the cabinet?"
"No, both Tang and Mi will join the cabinet, otherwise Prince Yi Zhong will not agree." Chai Ke sneered, "You two, Ye Fang, ignored us Huguang scholars. Dongxian was very angry, but the current situation requires Some people made sacrifices."
If the seven cabinet ministers theoretically should consider a Huguang scholar no matter what, but now Guan Yingzhen is only given a minister of the Ministry of Rites as a consolation. Among the seven cabinet ministers, as many as five are Jiangnan scholars (Ye Xianggao, Fang Congzhe , Gu Bingqian, Tang Binyin, Miao Changqi), and two northern scholars (Qi Yongtai, Li Sancai).
Feng Ziying thought for a while and then understood, "Prince Yi Zhong is worried that something will happen if only one of Tang Mi and Tang Mi is in the cabinet, so he wants them to join the cabinet at the same time to avoid any accidents in the future?"
"Well, to change the crown prince, the cabinet must support it unanimously. That's what Prince Yi Zhong thinks. The relationship between Tom and Mu is not good. He only needs to ensure that one of them is loyal to him, and he can keep the crown prince's position." Chai Ke nodded.
Feng Ziying also sneered in response, "Can Prince Yi Zhong ensure that Tang Mu and the two are loyal to him? They are both Jiangnan scholars. In the face of the interests of scholars, I am afraid that Prince Yi Zhong will despair and find that he has been deceived."
Chai Ke also sneered slightly, "Who can tell clearly? Maybe Prince Yi Zhong can bribe some other cabinet minister? At least the three towns in Jiangnan are still there. Maybe this is his reliance?"
"Reliance? If reliance is placed in the south of the Yangtze River, it is not reliance, but a noose. If Prime Minister Ye and Fang can tolerate this, let alone others, even Tang Mi and others cannot accept it. Look, it will take one year at most. I can see the difference.”
Feng Ziying and Chai Ke both pursed their lips and smiled. In that case, let's keep watching. They both felt that they were sure of victory, so let's see who laughs last.
As the important ministers arrived one after another, they gathered near Wenyuan Pavilion. Before the ministers arrived, everyone was used to discussing casually under the big locust tree outside Wenyuan Pavilion.
At present, there are four cabinet ministers, the so-called great scholars, seven ministers plus left and right ministers, twenty-one people, four censors of the Ducha Yuan and deputy censors of the capital, and one general envoy of the General Affairs Department. Among the five temples, only Dali The ministers of the two temples of Taichang Temple and Taichang Temple are the third grade, plus one of the Shuntian Prefecture Yin, which means that there are currently thirty-three important ministers in the capital.
The number is not small, but some candidates have not yet been filled. For example, the ministers of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Commerce are each short of one person, and the deputy imperial envoy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is also short of one person. In addition, some are ill and some are sent abroad for business, so today The court meeting, or the meeting of important ministers due to the emperor's absence, actually had only twenty-six people.
For example, Liu Yibao, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was temporarily resting at home due to illness, and Sun Chengzong, the left minister of the Ministry of War, had not returned yet. Another minister of the Ministry of Commerce also went to Yuguan, and a right deputy imperial envoy from the Metropolitan Procuratorate went to Huguang. Haven't come back yet.
The content of the meeting was also very simple, which was to report on the progress of the negotiations with Nanjing and to have a result.
"Chen Jixian, a rat, has always been in cahoots with Niu Jizong and Wang Ziteng, and they have already had a tacit understanding.
The imperial court should have cut off his food and salary long ago... "It's a bird's use! Yangzhou is more prosperous than Su Lake, and those salt merchants have hairs thicker than birds in the north. They really made that guy anxious, and he still Isn’t it just about attacking Yangzhou merchants?”
There are still rough and powerful people among civil servants who dare to speak nonsense.
"If he wants to take action, he can do it. It's not the imperial court's responsibility anyway. Aren't they always resisting the imperial court sending people? Chen Jixian is the one who has to do it. Now he is really going to suffer a loss. Who can blame him?"
"If you ask me, the imperial court should have ordered the Northwest Army to go south along Xuzhou and directly to Yangzhou. Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu are basically household dogs. They only dare to guard Fengyang and Luzhou. How dare they go north?"
"Now it's all hindsight. Who was there to yell at Xu Tuzhi? Whose idea was it to withdraw the Northern Front Army to Gyeonggi?"
"Oh, now we are going to settle an old score? Who was there to say that the grain supply was cut off? We are in a dilemma between Yanxu and Xu. The grain and grass are not available. Why not go to Tianjin Wei and transport grain supplies from the sea?"
"Absurd! At that time, Liaodong Jianzhou Jurchen was ready to move, and the Chahar people were harassing Ji Town. Who was slow and who was anxious? Can't you see it? If the Northern Front Army hadn't gone north, would Liaodong have had enough time? It's too short-sighted. Come and talk nonsense about military and national affairs!"
