Prince Xiang's Mansion is quite special. Unlike other royal palaces, which are mostly located within the imperial city, it is located in Xiguan in the north of the city.
The palace is large in scale. It is adjacent to the outer wall on the west side and the back earth altar on the east side. The perimeter of the palace wall is more than 400 feet, which is almost the same size as a county town!
The owner of this grand palace, Zhao Qi, is the eldest son of Emperor Renzong and is forty-two years old this year.
When Emperor Renzong suddenly died of illness, Yang Shizhen did not announce his mourning. He sent Liu Gan, a member of the Zhongshushe family, to rush to the grassland day and night to deliver a message to Emperor Xuanzong who was on his way to the Northern Expedition, and insisted on his position as heir during the court meeting.
When Xuanzong died, it was he who promoted Zhao Tuo, who was still young at the time, to the throne in the name of giving priority to heirs and despite the reputation of wielding power. During this period of time, King Xiang actually had two opportunities, but in the end he was rejected because "although the eldest son, his mother is a concubine".
In order to comfort this unfortunate prince, two generations of emperors showed great tolerance to him.
Although he left the capital for the fiefdom of Xiangyang sixteen years ago because he was "too old to join the feudal vassal and guard the country", his palace in the capital has never stopped working, and he has continued to add various pavilions and pavilions. .
Except for the official dormitories and warehouses on the east side and some palaces on the middle road, the gardens occupy 60% of the entire palace!
Even though the prince himself rarely goes to Beijing, this palace still has a stay-at-home department running, eunuchs and maids responsible for cleaning, and a 400-person ceremonial guard guard.
The people in the palace often gathered in groups, because King Xiang had a good reputation for loving and recommending talents, so you could often see scholars and knights going to the palace gate to assassinate him.
Both the prefect of Guide and the magistrate of Shangqiu are used to this. Xie Minhong judged that the drunken guest who was messing around with his companions upstairs probably also fell into this category.
He called his own swordsman Zhou Feng and asked him to bring a few astute servants to cooperate with Jiulang to find out the whereabouts of the retainer.
It was easy to inquire from Han Chang. He liked to show off his contacts with the noble class, so he naturally told him that he was a Qingke of Prince Xiang's Mansion. It was said that he had been a Jinshi, but he didn't go because he thought he was a minor official. After taking office, he turned to find a way to join King Xiang.
After the confirmation, for several days, Xie Minzhong and Zhou Feng stared at the corner of the second floor of the Kingfisher Restaurant on the north side of Xiangjun Road in the direction of the main entrance of the palace, but they never saw the man coming out.
Xie Minzhong became a little impatient: "You are here to do business in Beijing and you have already returned, right?" He said this several times, but Zhou Feng kept urging him not to be impatient and wait.
On the fourth day, Xie Minzhong suddenly pulled Zhou Feng's sleeves and pointed out to him a man of about thirty years old wearing a brown cloak with fur trim: "That's right, that's the guy. The two locks of beard and hair under his temples are very special, I remember it!" "
Zhou Feng looked carefully and saw him talking in a low voice with a man dressed as a servant holding a horse. "You two go follow the man leading the horse and see where he goes. You follow this brown man and find out his name and whereabouts."
Zhou Feng summoned a few servants to give instructions, and then said to Xie Minzhong: "Jiulang has worked hard, please go back to the house to rest. Once he is found, leave it to me later!"
Xie Minzhong was already impatient. Seeing him say this, he felt relieved. He cupped his hands and said please, then turned around and went downstairs. Unexpectedly, he came back in the blink of an eye. "What's going on?" Zhou Feng asked him in surprise.
"That man is coming to this restaurant!" Xie Minzhong replied nervously. It turned out that he saw the man walking this way before he went out. He was afraid of being recognized by the other party, so he quickly turned back to the store.
Zhou Feng looked at him in surprise, and immediately ran to Langan and looked down, only to see a figure entering the store from behind. "It's too late. Kuro, please sit with your back to the door."
Zhou Fengxu closed the door next door and pressed the helpless Xie Minzhong into a chair. He listened to the man's footsteps going upstairs and made a "beep" sound in his mouth, holding his voice and singing:
"The sky is blue and the sky is yellow, the ground is yellow, the west wind is strong, and the wild geese from the north are flying south. Who will be drunk in the frost forest at dawn? People always cry when they leave..."
I saw a figure flash through the crack of the door, walking cautiously towards the private room inside. Then, I heard the sound of people greeting each other in the distance.
Zhou Feng opened the door gently, took a look, and waved to Xie Minzhong to take the opportunity to leave quickly. It happened that the servant who went out to inquire about this person came back. Zhou Feng asked him to enter the house and listened to him say:
"After checking clearly, the man's name is Song De. He has been worshiping in the palace for six years. Now he has a well-known position. He welcomes and sends guests, which is equivalent to the role of Huangmen's minister."
"Okay! You sit in the room and pretend to be there, and I'll go out for a walk and come back. If the waiter asks, just say that I'm writing poetry, so I won't disturb you."
"clear."
Zhou Feng came out and pretended to stretch his body in the corridor. Seeing that no one was there, he jumped up on the pillar. After three or two strokes, he was already walking on the beam like a cat. Looking down from above, I saw Songde crossing his arms and talking to another person. This person had his back to Zhou Feng and spoke with a Jinghu accent.
"Ji Shan came from far away and should have given us a good reception. Unfortunately, Your Excellency, the King, was not alive and had to return quickly. Please drink this cup to the full and I wish you a safe journey!" After finishing speaking, Song De raised his wine glass.
"Haha, Mr. Wang spends money every time he comes here. I really deserve it."
"Everywhere, everyone is doing things for the prince, regardless of each other. Please, please!"
The two drank together, and it was obvious that this was not the first time they had met. Wang Jishan peeled the edamame in his hand and said, "Mr., I will help you with this matter. Go back and report it to the prince."
"Hey, what's your contribution?" Song De waved his hand and said humbly, and then said: "As long as the prince knows the student's loyalty, that's enough!"
"It's natural. The prince's ability to recognize and employ people is much better than that of the man in the city! When a man with such talent meets the prince, he will be the winner of the pearl. He is much better than any county magistrate! "
After Wang Jishan finished speaking, he leaned forward: "But for now, please continue to be patient, sir. If things come true in the future, your high position will be indispensable."
"Students have endured hardships and endured humiliation just for that day! Come on, brother Wang, let's raise a glass. With this cup, I wish the prince a thousand years of life!"
At this time, the waiter came upstairs with a tray. While he was entering the room to serve the food, Zhou Feng returned the same way, came down to his room, called his companion to come out, pay and leave.
He asked his companion to stay and keep an eye on Wang Jishan's movements, and he went back to the house to report to Xie Minhong.
It wasn't that he didn't want to continue listening, but Zhou Feng could hear the somewhat rebellious tone in the two people's words, so he didn't want to listen too much, lest he heard something he shouldn't have heard.
After the morning meeting the next day, Xie Minhong did not follow everyone back to the mansion to go to work. Instead, he quietly handed the sign to Liang Wu who was seeing the adults off in the corridor.
When the emperor was changing his clothes in the back hall and changing his court clothes into ordinary clothes, he heard that Xie Minhong asked for an audience. After some thought, he agreed.
Although Xie Minhong's status is equivalent to "Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council", he does not have many direct meetings with the emperor.
Because the Zhongshu Ministry will review the emperor's decision and, if necessary, use the power of refutation to reject it, it must be from a relatively neutral perspective and not give everyone the impression of a "royalist". Therefore, Xie Minhong will not I come to see you often.
He suddenly asked for a meeting today, and the emperor knew that there must be something he had to say that needed to be communicated in private.
"What did you say? Prince Xiang's Mansion...?" Zhao Tuo turned around in surprise: "You didn't lie, did you?"
"Your Majesty, in order to confirm this matter, I have learned about it from more than one channel, but it is true." Xie Minhong bent down and answered with fear.
The imperial study was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. After a while, I heard the emperor ask again: "Apart from my dear brother, does anyone else know about this matter?"
"The guardian at Chen's house saw Song De and Wang Jishan meeting in a restaurant, but I didn't tell him the details of the incident."
"Very good. I don't want too many people to know." After Zhao Tuo finished speaking, he stared at Xie Minhong: "Do you understand?"
"I know how to measure, your Majesty, don't worry!"
After waving Xie Minhong to step aside, Zhao Tuo sat down feeling depressed. He heard that someone in the market actually knew about the impeachment of Li Dan in advance, and he was very angry. Unexpectedly, Uncle Xiang was implicated!
Uncle Wang, Uncle Wang, does this matter really have anything to do with you? How did you know about this memorial?
Zhao Tuo couldn't tolerate the fact that he had no idea that a minister came to report the matter.
He cleared his throat and was about to ask Eunuch Liu to call Chen Jue, the commander of the Winged Dragon Guard, for questioning. He saw Liang Wu bowing and saying something to Eunuch Liu at the door of the hall, so he asked, "What's the matter?"
"Your Majesty, King Ding has entered the palace to greet the Queen Mother. Now he is greeting the Emperor at the gate of the palace. Do you want to see him?" Eunuch Liu came back and reported.
"Brother Huang is here? I have to see you. Please invite him into the study to talk."
"According to the order."
Zhao Jie was the eldest son of Emperor Xuanzong's concubine. His mother-in-law was the late emperor's concubine Yunhuang, now called Princess Yun. Zhao Jie looks like his mother, with a tall body and eyes as bright as stars.
Under the influence of his mother, he likes flowers and plants, and is good at the design and production of hardware and woodware. Therefore, he still holds the position of right eunuch and general right eunuch of Shanglinyuan in the palace. He is rarely seen in the busy life every day.
"Chen Jie, pay homage to His Majesty!"
"Brother, please excuse me. There is no need for this to happen between you and me." Zhao Tuo quickly grabbed his brother.
"Your Majesty, there is a distinction between monarch and minister, and etiquette cannot be discarded."
Zhao Tuo smiled but was very satisfied. Although he and Zhao Jie were not born to the same mother, they were close in age and had a close relationship.
At that time, the late Emperor Xuanzong was devoted to the great cause of the Northern Expedition of Tatars, and wanted to achieve the achievements of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in opening up territories. There were only three empresses, concubines Yun and concubines in the harem.
Unfortunately, the Queen's first two children were both daughters, and Concubine Yun Yun gave birth to two princes in succession. Fortunately, the Queen gave birth to Zhao Tuo for the third time, and many veterans felt relieved.
But precisely because of this, it laid the foundation for the "five-year battle" over whether to establish a direct descendant or an elder, which was not resolved until the day of Xuanzong's sudden death.
Xuanzong passed away without any warning, so he could not leave any last words. The ministers lined up one after another to fight for the "right" and "eldest brother", and there was no fighting in the court.
In the end, the Empress Dowager found an opportunity to talk to Concubine Yun. The next day, King Fan Zhao Ting appeared in the court and submitted the "Book of Adoption of the Domain" to Yang Shizhen, saying that the distinction between concubines and concubines was the same in private households. The royal family should set an example for the public, and should not Personal preference determines whether etiquette should be done or not.
In this letter, the eighteen-year-old Zhao Ting boldly criticized some court officials, saying that he was the oldest among the former emperors and should set an example for his younger brothers to abide by the law. He was just eighteen years old, and according to the law You should go to the fiefdom and become a vassal.
Please ask the cabinet to agree and arrange for him to arrange the dates, ceremonial guards, and escorts for the domain.
King Fan's withdrawal made everything settle. Since the difference between the late emperor's second concubine Zhao Jie and his only legitimate son Zhao Tuo was only two months, it was pointless to continue arguing.
An important reason for the ministers who originally agreed with Zhao Ting's accession to the throne was that King Fan was old enough to take on the important responsibilities of the empire. Now that the only two candidates left were only five years old, establishing a direct line became the only option.
Zhao Tuo has known about this past event since he was a child, and the Empress Dowager has repeatedly warned him: If the royal family wants to prosper, don't forget the merits of King Fan's courtesy, and don't forget the merits of Concubine Yun.
The Empress Dowager gave him many examples of the Tian family's struggle for power leading to the decline of national power, letting him know that King Fan's actions were rare and difficult, and warned him that he must cherish them.
Perhaps because of his love for the house, his eldest brother went to Dingxing and became a feudal lord and rarely returned to the capital, so Zhao Tuo turned his thoughts to Zhao Jie, who was also from Princess Yun. The two have been eating, playing and studying together since childhood, and their relationship is better than that of biological brothers.
"Your Majesty, I saw that carriage in the Yuan Horse Prison. It was really great!" Zhao Jie said with some excitement:
"Not only is it easy to drive, but it is also very flexible in walking, turning, and parking. The interior of the car is very beautifully decorated with many exquisite designs. Also, is the door made of crystal? Why is the window so transparent?
The best thing is that you can hang your legs down, and you won't feel sore and numb even if you sit for a long time... "He said several things in succession, and Zhao Tuo just looked at him with a smile.
It wasn't until he stopped that Zhao Tuo said, "You've been praising me for a long time, but you don't know the most important thing."
"Oh? What else?"
Zhao Tuo waved him into the study, pointed to the carriage model placed on the long table under the window and said:
"No wonder you don't know. They have iron plates embedded in two layers of wood. They are on the door, the skirts on both sides, and the left and right sides of the trunk. It is said that they used the official and military standard bows and arrows to test, and they could shoot no one thirty steps away. Wear it! Then Li Sanlang calls it a semi-armored protective carriage."
"Oh, that's it! The strange road needs four horses to pull it!" Zhao Jie marveled, and then asked tentatively: "Why don't you let them bring one for the emperor?"
"Hmph, why are you doing this for me? You like it so much that you want one, right?"
Zhao Jie chuckled.
Zhao Tuo sighed: "Why don't I want it? But now Li Sanlang has just returned from a trip to Shangrao. His Qingshirt team also needs to rest and replenish after defeating Yang He. There are many things to do.
I won't get involved at this time. When the whole of Jiangxi is calmed down, then they will have more energy and can make better things, right? "He said and pointed to the light green glass on the desk:
"This is what you asked just now, right? It is said that this is not crystal, but quartz and mica mixed and then melted. It can be made into various shapes before it solidifies.
Li Sanlang said that this thing is called glass, which is actually the Po Li that Persia paid tribute to during the Tang Dynasty.
It’s just that Zhongyuan never knew how they made it. Li Sanlang saw a book about Taixi customs and copied it according to the description above! "
"That's it!" Zhao Jie exclaimed again, suddenly remembered, and asked: "Your Majesty just said that he was going to Shangrao, but I heard that there was a war there surrounded by bandits, wasn't it?"
"Because of this, I originally planned to let him bring Prince Fengning to Beijing to attend the Spring and Autumn Ceremony of the Queen Mother. I didn't want the city to be tightly surrounded and the Prince had to lead the army and civilians to defend the city, so I only brought the prince back."
After he finished speaking, he found Li Dan's report and handed it to Zhao Jie: "Look at the plot, it's almost as good as a storyteller!"
After Zhao Jie confessed, he took it and read it page by page. After reading it, he sighed: "It's really thrilling!" Then he asked: "Your Majesty, is this... written by Li Sanlang himself?"
"yes."
"Good writing style, good handwriting! The writing of this article is at least much better than those of Ji Shan in my house!" Zhao Jie shook his head and said:
"I just can't understand that such a person who dares to challenge tens of thousands of rebels for His Majesty is only sixteen years old this year? It's incredible! Why is a sixteen-year-old young man so desperate?"
"It is said that it was for the youngest daughter of a guilty minister." Zhao Tuo told the story about Li Dan and Chen Meng'er with a wry smile.
"Still a person who is affectionate and righteous? This is becoming more and more rare! I really want to see this person as soon as possible to see what he is like?" Zhao Jie said, stroking his palms, and suddenly the topic changed: "But..., what's wrong with me? I heard that someone was involved in impeaching him?"
Zhao Tuo's eyes jumped: "Have you heard about this?"
"Not only the minister, I'm afraid the entire Shang Jing Dynasty knows about it now!" Zhao Jie said:
"I just heard about it yesterday. I remembered the carriage that the emperor said he paid tribute to, so I went to see it today... How does your majesty plan to deal with this matter?"
"You rarely interfere with government affairs." Zhao Tuo tilted his head and seemed to be smiling.
"If he were an ordinary person, that would be fine. I would throw away my hand after hearing this. However, the carriages he made were so good that I felt that talents were rare, so I came to your majesty boldly.
If you have already thought about how to deal with him, I would like to ask for a favor, please reduce his punishment by one level. Or, how about you hand him over to me, and I ask him to follow you every step of the way and supervise the craftsman's work? "
"What a beautiful idea you have!" Zhao Tuo was happy: "A man who can take the head of a general in an army of ten thousand horses, and I will hand it over to you as a coolie? What a dream!" He sat behind the desk and said with a frown:
"But brother, do you think it's strange? Why do some people rush to impeach him and deliberately spread the news throughout the city?"
"Huh? Your Majesty is saying...could there be some articles here?"
"Yes, there is a big article!" Zhao Tuo sneered: "Some people want to take advantage of the opportunity to make small moves and tell the subjects that I am not qualified as an emperor, at least I don't know how to recognize people!"
Zhao Jie thought about it: "Then what is the purpose of this person? To ruin His Majesty's reputation, unless..." He looked up and saw Zhao Tuo nodding to him: "Am I right?" he asked in surprise.
Zhao Jie looked back at the door of the Royal Study, leaned closer and asked softly: "Does Your Majesty already know who did it?"
"Eight or nine are inseparable from ten." Zhao Tuo sighed: "If you want others to not know, you have to do nothing yourself. Some people want to be clever and think that there is no trace of what they have done. In fact, the tail has been exposed there, and he himself does not know it!"
"So, Your Majesty will not punish Li Sanlang?"
"No, I will not order him to be punished, but I want him to suffer a little bit. Brother Huang, would you like to help me?"
"This..., your majesty, please don't involve me in something that makes people suffer. I'm a soft-hearted person and can't do it." Zhao Jie grinned. He didn't know what the emperor wanted to do, so he was a little worried.
"I think he is too obedient. Yang Taige had advised me at first, saying that Li Sanlang was young and it would be bad for him to be promoted too quickly.
Now that I think about it, it makes sense, so I want to give him some hardships, and finally see if he will be bored from now on, or can he cheer up or calm down and learn more? "
"Understood, I just want Monkey Monkey to keep encountering goblins and see if he has the patience to accompany Tang Monk to the West to retrieve the scripture." Zhao Jie nodded:
"This is more interesting. The Emperor is the Buddha who lives in the West and cannot be separated easily. Then I will act as a Bodhisattva running errands and give guidance and help when necessary. Is that so? What do you plan to ask me to do and do? What?"
Some people died, but not completely...
