Li Shimin: "Working seven hours a day is like growing a person on your liver!"
Only Liu Chekuan comforted him: "Loosening the reins today is for a better whip tomorrow. This is called sustainable fishing."
Ying Zheng gave Liu Che a rare thumbs up.
…
The servants of the Taiji Palace faced the moonlight and entered the harem with rewards and instructions to promote talented people to beauties. For the concubines, it was like a long drought.
Feng Lanruo's liver has turned sallow recently and his limbs have been weak. Bird's nest and ginseng supplements were of no use. Suddenly he learned that the emperor had set working hours. He could rest at noon every day (four o'clock in the afternoon), and his monthly schedule would be doubled. Thank you. The heart arose spontaneously.
The other concubines finally felt they could breathe a sigh of relief.
Especially Mao Cairen - now called Mao Beauty.
After sending away the chamberlain who came to convey the order, Beauty Mao knew that she had made the right bet.
Today, I am a person who likes to do practical things, and rewards and punishments are even more clear. Although my appearance and talents are not outstanding enough, as long as I am willing to do things well, there will be a path to success.
…
Xingqing Palace.
When the Empress Dowager initially heard that the new emperor ordered the concubines to handle palace affairs in the West Pavilion, she didn't take it very seriously. In the previous dynasty, there was one emperor and one courtier, so why not be like this in the harem?
Then he heard that the new emperor ordered the concubine to check the accounts and personnel promotions of the inner palace in the past twenty years, and his expression suddenly changed drastically.
She dismissed the attendants and summoned her confidants alone: "Have all the traces of that matter...been erased?"
When the confidants heard that the new emperor was checking the accounts, they were also panicked. When they met the empress dowager's urgent questioning eyes, they subconsciously wanted to give a positive answer, but their hearts beat again and again. In the end, they shook their heads and said timidly: "The empress knows, the palace The treasures are all registered in the books. Although the accounts are based on normal rewards, there are too many. If Your Majesty really checks in detail, it will be difficult not to reveal traces..."
The Empress Dowager's face instantly lost color, her lips trembled feebly a few times, and she was speechless for a long time.
After a long time, her confidants heard her voice that seemed to float from the sky, faintly: "When people get older, they miss their parents especially. I sent a message to the Duke Cheng'en's Palace to ask my mother to come to the palace."
The empress dowager is the wife of the late emperor and the current mother, so naturally she does not have to be bound by palace rules like ordinary concubines. As long as she wants to, her mother's wife can enter the palace the next day.
After Duke Cheng'en heard the news, Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Feng handed the sign to the palace the next day.
The Empress Dowager dismissed the attendants. Although her expression was relatively calm, there was still a hint of uneasiness in her eyes: "Your Majesty, you have been checking the accounts recently."
Mrs. Feng knew the elegant meaning after hearing the sound of the string. Her face changed slightly, and she quickly asked: "Didn't the late Emperor ever finish it carefully?"
The Empress Dowager whispered: "The late emperor was always cautious, and naturally he did everything he should do, but what is fake is fake after all. Such a large sum is a rare treasure, how can it be easily smoothed out? Then, how could people at that time think about future generations? Negligence is inevitable."
He added: "I heard that His Majesty started to check the old accounts from twenty years ago. He was sometimes afraid of the mistakes he made, but it won't be long after all."
"Mother," the Queen Mother said with a complicated look, "we should have made preparations early."
She is the daughter of Mrs. Feng, the flesh that fell from Mrs. Feng's body. When Mrs. Feng saw the expression on the Queen Mother's face, her heart trembled - the Queen Mother was scared.
After all, when things have developed to this point, they are far from the original plan.
And once things fail...
A terrible fear suddenly came to her heart, and Mrs. Feng forced herself not to think about it any more: "Where are the account books over the years? Where are the records of the past twenty years stored?"
The Empress Dowager could only smile bitterly: "Your Majesty ordered it to be deposited in the West Pavilion, so that the confidants can guard it nearby."
Mrs. Feng closed her eyes, and the wrinkles on her face closed tighter.
Mrs. Feng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said: "Instead of boiling down the boiling water, it is better to draw fuel from the bottom of the cauldron!"
Mrs. Feng and the Empress Dowager were both shocked.
If Mrs. Feng hadn't seen it, the always gentle person would become even more decisive once she made up her mind: "Many changes begin with one person. In that case, why not get rid of them? Now that he has only been on the throne for a few months, he is already so difficult to deal with. When his wings are full, not to mention the planning in the past, I don’t know whether the Feng family can be saved!"
Mrs. Feng had obviously been persuaded by her daughter-in-law, and her expression was obviously convinced. She turned around and saw the Empress Dowager's eyes flickering and her eyes anxious. She was obviously in hesitation. She immediately said sternly: "Mother, please stop." Continuously, you are being disturbed! How can you turn back when you fire your bow?!"
The Queen Mother took a deep breath and finally nodded: "Okay, I will act accordingly."
After Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Feng returned home, they couldn't help but tell Feng Mingda what happened today. After the latter was horrified, he glared at his wife: "How dare you make an independent decision on such a big matter? This is - "
Even though there were no outsiders in the inner room at this moment, he lowered his voice again and again, and then squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: "This is regicide!"
Mrs. Feng looked at him, and a hint of ridicule suddenly appeared on her face: "It was you who was so ambitious and ambitious to seize the artifact back then, but now it's you who are timid and shrinking, and when death is imminent, you are even worse than a housewife like me! It’s better for me to be a man and you to be a daughter in the next life, and you stay at home to take care of your husband and raise your children, I won’t be much better than you!”
Feng Mingda was angry: "You!"
"Okay, shut up! Before the foreign enemies are eliminated, are you and your wife going to fight among themselves?!"
In the end, Mrs. Feng turned livid and spoke sternly to stop her.
The dim yellow candlelight danced on her old face, and against the boundless night outside the window, there was a ghostly gloominess: "Recently, that young boy has been a little too proud!" If only in time, would it be okay? He was just an idle member of the clan at the beginning, and it was we who promoted him to the throne of the emperor - since we can send him up, we can pull him down again!"
Feng Mingda trembled: "Mother..."
"Now that things have come to this, will he let you go just because you are so humble?"
Mrs. Feng said sternly: "Since he will get rid of the Feng family sooner or later, why not strike first and send him on his way as soon as possible!"
Feng Mingda's expression changed several times, and finally he bowed his head obediently: "Yes, it all depends on mother's instructions."
…
Since the Empress Dowager had this intention, she also began to pave the way, announcing to the outside world that she had recovered from her illness, and from time to time she would meet with the concubines who came to pay their respects. When she had time, she would often invite old people left behind by the late emperor to talk to her. The small kitchen in Xingqing Palace was arranged When the desired meal comes out, someone will send a copy to Tai Chi Palace.
Ying Zheng glanced at the peony roll on the table for a few times, and then smiled.
The Queen Mother is finally going to take action.
Does he want to refuse?
of course not!
Not only would he not refuse, he would also publicize the matter widely.
Ying Zheng generously rewarded the chamberlain who brought pastries. For the two palaces, this was obviously a signal that the relationship had begun to break. After that, Xingqing Palace sent food several times.
Ying Zheng seemed to have completely accepted the empress dowager's kindness. Sometimes the prime ministers would discuss matters in the imperial study, and Xingqing Palace would bring them soups, drinks and meals, which they would taste together.
When the emperor ascended the throne, several people violently broke out in the court. Didn't the courtiers know that it was actually a struggle between the two palaces, and the emperor's party and the queen's party fighting for power?
It's just that this dynasty has always governed the world with filial piety, and the emperor is an adopted member of the clan. It is unseemly for the two palaces to fight to the death. What's more, the emperor may be accused of being unfilial.
Now that Xingqing Palace has taken a step back, there will no longer be any matters before the court, and Taiji Palace has also taken a step back. The emperor goes to pay his respects every day, and has even made peace with Xingqing Palace. The courtiers also feel very lucky.
Zhongshu ordered Liu Xuan to praise: "Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues, the scripture of heaven, the righteousness of earth, and the conduct of man. Now the two palaces are in harmony, the mother is kind and the son is filial, which is even more fortunate for the people of the world!" "
Ying Zheng smiled reservedly: "Next month is my mother's birthday. As a human son, I should celebrate my mother in a big way."
All the ministers praised in unison: "Your Majesty is a model of benevolence and filial piety!"
…
The Empress Dowager's birthday is coming soon, and the person responsible for organizing this matter is Feng Lanruo, the Empress Dowager's niece and the most respected concubine among the concubines.
Because she was responsible for preparing this matter, the errands at the West Pavilion were naturally and temporarily handed over to Wu Jieyu and Xue Meiren.
Ying Zheng's messenger quietly sent a secret order to the two of them, and after waiting patiently for some time, the result finally came.
That night, the second concubine avoided the sight of the palace attendants and asked Taiping, the eunuch of the palace, to personally lead her to the imperial study room with a document in her arms.
I don't know whether it was because the lights in the royal study were too bright, or because the truth they discovered was too shocking, both of them looked a little pale, and their expressions were more or less a little panicked.
Xue Meiren softly stated her findings to the emperor: "When I checked the late emperor's private treasury, I found that the account books had been altered in the past two years. Although it was done cleverly, the fake ones were fake after all. Concubine I spent some time restoring the account books and found that the late emperor's private treasury had a very, very large deficit..."
When Ying Zheng heard this, he was really surprised: "Oh, you have settled all the accounts of the past twenty years so quickly?"
Xue Meiren's eyes were blue and black, and her eyes were dull. For a moment, her face looked painful and ferocious.
"Your Majesty," she said blankly, "have you ever seen the sun at Yin Shi (three o'clock in the morning)?"
Ying Zheng: "..."
Emperors in space: "..."
Xue Meiren: "I can see it every day!"
Ying Zheng: “…………”
Emperors in space: "…………"
Zhu Yuanzhang, a big capitalist, even lived in Bengbu: "Sister, please find an imperial doctor quickly. There is no sun at three o'clock in the morning. You probably have cataracts from working overtime too much!"
Chapter 19
Ying Zheng noticed the adjective used by Xue Meiren just now.
She said "very, very big."
Xue Meiren's mother-in-law was a wealthy businessman of this dynasty. After entering the palace, she was responsible for checking various accounts. It was not that she had never seen rich people, but even so, she used the slightly exaggerated adjective "very, very big" .
She informed Ying Zheng of her discovery: "There are a lot of rare treasures, silks and satins, leather ornaments, ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, etc., etc., etc., and the accounts record that most of them were given to Xingqing Palace, and the remaining bits and pieces were Sansan was given to the clan, or to the late emperor's favorite ministers, but I feel something is wrong no matter how much I think about it."
Xue Meiren revealed her doubts: "Those things were given to me by the late Emperor when he was seriously ill. I thought they were probably used old things, or they were suitable for the Queen Mother's status, but there were many fashionable fabrics, pearls and jade inside. It was gorgeous, and there was even a statue of Guanyin for giving away children, which was really not something that the Empress Dowager could use. As for those given to the clan and the late emperor’s favorites, I quietly asked Ding Jieyu—Yong Dingbo was among them, and she didn’t know at all. This matter."
"Your Majesty, please know what an honor it is for the Emperor to give it to you. Everyone in the government burns incense and puts it on display, but Ding Jieyu, as the daughter of Uncle Yongding, has never heard of it!"
Speaking of this, she looked at the emperor's expression carefully and continued: "At the beginning, I boldly speculated that the large amount of property that disappeared might have been obtained by Xingqing Palace, but I just checked the account books a few times and felt it was wrong. The fake part is too real. Your Majesty, please know that the royal family is always cautious about such matters. Who will handle it and when it will be completed cannot be omitted. After the matter is completed, it must be signed by the responsible official and a seal will be attached. If this matter If it was really done by Xingqing Palace, it must have been after the death of the late emperor, but if that was the case, how did Xingqing Palace complete this series of procedures while the late emperor was still alive?"
Ying Zheng looked at her and said kindly, "Tell me your conclusion."
Xue Meiren knelt down on the ground and paused: "Your Majesty, forgive me! I would venture to guess that perhaps the late emperor gave this batch of property to others in the name of Xingqing Palace when he was still alive."
Ying Zheng smiled playfully: "Isn't this even weirder? If the late emperor wants to reward people, he can justly reward people. Why should he be so roundabout and involve Xingqing Palace?"
Xue Meiren didn't seem to be angry when she heard the emperor's tone, and then she carefully expressed her guess: "If it were just some small items, the late emperor could naturally give them away at will, but this batch of property is worth nearly one million taels, which is a huge amount. , I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I feel that maybe the person who was given so much property by the late emperor is a person who cannot see the light of day..."
Ying Zheng said: "Who do you think this person could be?"
This time, Meiren Xue did not answer directly: "Your Majesty will definitely come to a conclusion on this question after hearing Sister Jieyu explain her findings."
Ying Zheng said "Oh" in confusion.
Wu Jieyu looked a little embarrassed. She hesitated for a few moments and then said: "Your Majesty, the objects buried with Princess Chongqing are very strange."
Ying Zheng was stunned for a moment before he realized who Princess Chongqing was.
Over there, Wu Jieyu lowered her head, so she did not see the emperor's expression. At this time, she continued nonstop: "As the only child of the late emperor who grew up, the princess was naturally very favored by the emperor. After her death, After that, I was even more grieved. I was buried with the utensils I was accustomed to during my lifetime. However, I found many mandarin duck pendants, jade belts, and even men's jade and related furnishings in the burial object documents, and even gold-sprinkled items used to pray for children. quilt……"
"At the same time, the situation of the chamberlains and palace people who served Princess Chongqing was also very strange. Following the old system of the country, the chamberlains who served the deceased princes and princesses either went to the imperial mausoleum to guard the tombs, or stayed where they once lived They will continue to serve the deceased in their palaces, and the remaining ones who have never served personally will be sent back to the Shang Palace Bureau and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to reassign their masters."
