Queen Mother, Brother Emperor, are you looking for me? "
As soon as the eunuch's call ended, Princess Yongning had already hurried in and saluted Empress Dowager Li and Zhu Yijun each, looking somewhat out of breath.
Queen Mother Li saw her daughter's face flushed, panting unsteadily, and even a layer of fine beads of sweat on her forehead. She couldn't help but said a little reproachfully: "Even if I am looking for you, there is no need to be in such a hurry. Why is she sweating like this? You are the eldest princess. , I am already an aunt, I have to be dignified and quiet when things happen..."
Zhu Yijun smiled and said: "Queen Mother, please stop talking about Yao. She is here in such a hurry. Isn't she afraid that you will wait for a long time? Come and give the eldest princess a seat."
In fact, there is no need to move extra stools to give a seat. Hanqingzhai has its own furnishings. The female officials just came up and put a cushion on it, and then invited Princess Yongning to sit down.
When she sat down, Queen Mother Li asked: "I heard that you left the palace before, is this happening?"
Daughters and sons are really different. Empress Dowager Li called herself "Aijia" in front of Zhu Yijun, which is a very formal title, but when it came to her daughter, it became "for mother", just like when mother and daughter talk in the folk.
Of course, it is most likely because Zhu Yijun has a special status. He is the emperor.
Princess Yongning looked surprised and asked: "Leaving the palace?"
"No?" Mrs. Li was really startled, her eyes rolled, and finally fell on Zhu Yijun's face, she frowned and said: "Emperor, what do you say?"
Zhu Yijun smiled and shook his head and said: "Queen Mother, isn't the matter already clear? If Yao Yu really leaves the palace, how can he get back this time?"
Empress Dowager Li was also a little confused. After thinking about it, she said to Princess Yongning: "Yao Lao, is anyone in your Changchun Palace leaving the palace today?"
"Yes." Princess Yongning looked very calm and replied quickly: "Wei Min and Qin Shuang left the palace today."
These two people often follow Princess Yongning. Needless to say, Wei Min, Qin Shuang is the palace maid with a round face. Queen Mother Li has seen many of them and knows these two people.
"Did they leave the palace together?" Empress Dowager Li asked: "Are they going shopping, or did they have something else to do?"
Princess Yongning shook her head and said: "There are very few purchases in the daughter's palace. The two of them went to the Baiyu Tower to check the accounts on behalf of the daughter."
Sure enough, it is still Baiyulou. Empress Dowager Li was secretly paying attention, but her face remained calm and she just asked: "You are not a pragmatic boss. What accounts does he have that you should check?"
Princess Yongning smiled and said: "The Queen Mother is joking, even if you are the emperor's brother, you are just the Lord of the High School Prime Minister. Who has so much money to be the boss of the High School Prime Minister?" She paused, and then said: "I wonder if the Queen Mother knows My daughter has a charity fund? I ask the high school prime minister to take care of the fund. Every once in a while, Jinghua will prepare the recent income and expenditure details and ask my daughter to send someone to check it. "
Queen Mother Li originally had one last doubt in her heart, that is, since inspections are required every once in a while, it can be seen that it has happened before, so why did no one come to report to her before, but someone came this time?
But Zhu Yijun had already spoken: "Mother, the matter seems to be clear. I think it's time to call out the person who made the false accusation."
Queen Mother Li thought for a while and felt that her son and daughter were more reliable, so she nodded and ordered: "Call Zhang Xin."
Princess Yongning didn't have any reaction after hearing the name, while Zhu Yijun's face visibly stiffened, the relaxed attitude just now gradually disappeared, and his brows wrinkled slightly.
Zhang Xin himself is not a big deal, but he has a godfather named Zhang Jing.
Although no matter what the eunuch was, he was just a servant in Zhu Yijun's eyes, but Zhang Jing happened to be the one he had just planned to reuse, which annoyed him a little.
Zhu Yijun secretly said in his heart: Zhang Jing, Zhang Jing, you'd better not get involved, otherwise... I will have to use you to give an explanation to Qiu Zhen. Oh, there is also Liu Shouyou...
It was quick to ask Zhang Xin to come out. It turned out that this person did not leave after "informing" him, but stayed in the pavilion opposite Hanqingzhai waiting.
This eunuch was just a young eunuch, but because of his godfather Zhang Jing, he didn't know when he was given the flying fish pattern - which meant that the clothes were still the clothes of a young eunuch, but with flying fish embroidered on them.
In fact, there were a lot of flying fish pattern clothes in the palace, but only the eunuchs had the opportunity to wear "flying fish clothes", and they usually didn't start with the four characters "big red silk". Those who can wear the "big red silk flying fish suit" are usually the eunuchs of Bingbi and above.
Zhang Xin was very young, looking like he was in his early twenties. When he entered Hanqingzhai, he saw that the emperor was there, and he couldn't help but feel secretly happy. But when I looked at it again, I almost peed my pants - why was Princess Yongning also there?
Before he could recover, Zhu Yijun had already spoken coldly: "Zhang Xin, I ask you, why did you accuse Yongning of dressing up as a palace maid and leaving the palace privately?"
Zhang Xin suddenly came back to life, fell to his knees on the ground, and shouted: "Your Majesty, you are wronged. How dare I slander Her Royal Highness the Princess? In the morning, I did see Her Royal Highness the Princess wearing a female official's clothes and walking out of the Xuanwu Gate with another female official. Get out of the palace!"
Zhu Yijun sneered: "If Yongning leaves the palace, then who is sitting in front of you now? Zhang Xin, open your dog eyes and see clearly! Do you still want to quibble?"
While Zhang Xin shouted his injustice, he remembered something in his heart and said: "Your Majesty, the guards of Xuanwu Gate also saw the eldest princess leaving the palace. If your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can summon them to come for questioning!"
Zhu Yijun's heart tightened and he thought to himself: Oops, Jin Yiwei is on duty at Xuanwu Sect today, and today's matter is inevitably related to Liu Shou. If the guard of Xuanwu Sect is Liu Shou's confidant...
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but hesitate. When Empress Dowager Li saw it, she asked, "Why doesn't the emperor speak?"
Zhu Yijun just wanted to use "Xuanwu Gate is a bit far away" to excuse him, but Princess Yongning took the initiative and said: "Brother Imperial, I also think that the guard of Xuanwu Gate should be confronted in the future. If not, how can we prove it?"
After Zhu Yijun heard this, he secretly complained: This is too bad. Yao Lao probably thinks that the guard of Xuanwu Gate is my confidant. What should I do? How can I, a majestic emperor, personally interfere with the defense of a mere Xuanwu Gate? I don't even know who the guard of Xuanwu Gate is today.
However, now that the matter has come to this, Zhu Yijun has no choice but to cough, "Then pass it on, Chen Ju..."
"Returning to your Majesty, when I went to invite Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess, I thought it would be a waste of time if the guard of the Xuanwu Sect was needed to bear witness in the end, so I have already sent someone to deliver the message in advance."
Zhu Yijun's heart moved and he nodded: "Oh, that's just right...yes, you are quite thoughtful."
Chen Ju was naturally grateful. Not long after, he saw a tall Jinyiwei Baihu wearing a flying fish robe hurried over. Zhu Yijun ordered him to come in and talk.
Seeing that the Cisheng Empress Dowager and the emperor were there, the hundred households pushed the golden mountain and poured out the jade pillars to prostrate themselves, saying: "I, Luo Bingliang, from the hundred households in Jinyiyi, kowtow to the Cisheng Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the eldest princess Yongning."
"Luo Bingliang, are you on duty at Xuanwu Gate today?" Zhu Yijun asked casually, not knowing this person at all.
Luo Bingliang said: "To return to the emperor, I will be on duty at Xuanwu Gate this morning and at Xihua Gate in the afternoon."
"Oh, since we were at Xuanwu Gate this morning, let me ask you, did Princess Yongning leave the palace this morning?" Zhu Yijun pointed at Princess Yongning and said, "You see clearly, don't admit your mistake."
Luo Bingliang just raised his head and glanced slightly, then immediately lowered his head and said, "Back to the Emperor, Your Royal Highness the Princess has not been to Xuanwu Gate this morning."
Zhang Xin was shocked when he heard this. He pointed angrily at Luo Bingliang and said loudly: "You are talking nonsense! We even saw you talking to the eldest princess at that time..."
"Presumptuous!" Zhu Yijun slapped the coffee table: "I haven't asked you anything yet, do you have the right to speak!"
This time Chen Ju rarely interjected: "Zhang Xin, you have been in the palace since you were a child, and it has been more than ten years now. You should know what kind of crime Roaring Lord is... I want our family to teach Zhang Neiguan on behalf of Zhang Xin." Teach you?"
Zhang Neiguan, referring to Zhang Jing, was the eunuch in charge of the imperial eunuch. His nominal duty was to be in charge of the purchase of utensils used by the emperor, but in fact he was also in charge of some internal funds.
"This slave is guilty of death, this slave is guilty of death." Zhang Xin quickly confessed, but immediately defended: "But this slave was just angry for a moment. Luo Bingliang clearly..."
"That's enough!" This time, Empress Dowager Li couldn't stand listening anymore and said with a look of disgust: "First you came to the Ai family to complain, but now Yongning has said that he has never left the palace, this Luo Bingliang is on duty The guard also said that he has never met Yongning, but you are still threatening the witness here in front of the Ai family and the emperor!"
Before she finished speaking, she turned to Zhu Yijun and said, "The emperor decides how to deal with this slave!"
When Zhu Yijun saw his mother, he didn't go into details. He didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy. He nodded and said: "Slandering the eldest princess is punishable by death."
But when she said this, Princess Yongning seemed a little intolerant and advised: "Brother, since the matter has been clarified, it is better not to kill anyone if you can."
Empress Dowager Li did not expect that Zhu Yijun wanted to kill someone. She believed in Buddhism more than Princess Yongning, so she immediately said: "Since Yao is kind, Emperor, look..."
"Then send it to Xiaolingwei to grow vegetables." Zhu Yijun did everything he could. He just wanted to get the matter over with quickly. It didn't matter whether he killed a little eunuch or not.
Who would have thought that Zhang Xin was so frightened that even though he had gone through hell and back again, growing vegetables at Xiaolingwei was not an easy job, as those things could kill people! As soon as he heard this decision, he immediately cried and said: "Your Majesty, this slave is unjust. I listened to my godfather and went to stare at the Xuanwu Gate specially. I really saw it..."
Zhu Yijun's face turned livid in an instant, he stood up suddenly and shouted: "Someone, pull down!"
The emperor was furious, and the people around him naturally started to move in a hurry. Several Jing soldiers immediately rushed in, held Zhang Xin down, and dragged him away without saying a word.
However, Zhang Xin's words still echoed in everyone's ears.
Princess Yongning frowned and said, "Brother Emperor, who does this slave belong to?"
Zhu Yijun's face twitched, but when his sister asked, he had to answer, so he had no choice but to say: "It's Zhang Jing."
Princess Yongning stood up and gave Zhu Yijun a blessing: "Brother, please make the decision for me."
Zhu Yijun opened his mouth and glanced at Chen Ju subconsciously. Chen Ju shook his head slightly.
Empress Dowager Li also saw this action and said with a straight face: "Why, your sister has been bullied by a slave, and you, the elder brother, still don't want to say anything?"
This charge was a bit serious. Zhu Yijun quickly put aside all his thoughts and said immediately: "What did the Queen Mother say? I just think this fact is a bit strange... But since the Queen Mother and Yao Lao both feel that the evidence of the crime is solid, That whale certainly deserves to be punished."
Zhu Yijun was about to say, "Relegate Zhang Jing to serve as the emperor to see the consequences." Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Li nodded and spoke first: "That's good. Since the emperor also said that he should be punished, let him be punished too." Xiaolingwei, I hope. If you serve him for many years, you don’t have to grow vegetables, just become a Xiaolingwei Sixiang."
Zhu Yijun was choked back a sentence, his mouth opened and he didn't know what to say. His original intention was to demote Zhang Jing to the lowest level first, then send someone to investigate and find out what happened, and then make the final decision - if he was innocent, he would naturally be reinstated. Master, I have to go to Xiaoling Guard for a visit.
But as soon as Empress Dowager Li said this, the verification was lost, and the worst case scenario was dealt with immediately.
Zhu Yijun laughed dryly and decided to follow the wishes of his mother and the emperor's sister. Although Zhang Jing was quite favored by him, it was because he had done well in the past, and today's incident... Even if he didn't know about it, he For his "godson" to do such a thing, at least he is a bad discipline, so it's not too unfair to accuse him.
That's all, Xiaoling Wei Sixiang is Xiaoling Wei Sixiang. After all, he is still a civil servant among the eunuchs. What he does is similar to that of the Ministry of Rites, so it is not too unfair to him...
Seeing that her son seemed to acquiesce, Empress Dowager Li said, "Since Yao is fine, go back and change your clothes first. Don't get sick if you return home."
Princess Yongning stood up and thanked her mother before planning to leave. Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhu Yijun stood up and planned to leave.
Empress Dowager Li frowned and said, "Emperor, aren't you here to inquire about my illness?"
Zhu Yijun then remembered that he came in the name of "asking about Wu Qinghou's illness" and hurriedly said: "Of course I'm here to ask about Wu Qing's illness. I'm not leaving, but... uh, um, Chen Ju, you give me a gift Send it to Yongning.”
Chen Ju's ability to control his expression seemed to be very good. He couldn't hold back his laughter and responded solemnly before exiting Hanqingzhai to chase Princess Yongning. Zhu Yijun began to pretend to ask his mother about his grandfather's condition.
But when Chen Ju caught up with Princess Yongning, Princess Yongning immediately asked her entourage to step back. As she walked, she whispered to Chen Ju: "I didn't kill that Zhang Xin. Wouldn't he be unhappy?"
Of course Chen Ju knew who "he" was, and smiled slightly and said: "Zhang Xin is just an insignificant chess piece. It doesn't matter whether he is killed or not. Prime Minister Gao Gao won't care."
Princess Yongning was relieved, but then she remembered something and asked, "How did he know that Baihu would help us?"
"Are you talking about Luo Bingliang?" Chen Ju said with a smile: "This man is from Huguang. In his early years, he had surrendered to the former assistant minister Zhang Jiangling, but it was only because of his place of origin that he was not taken seriously. Later, Zhang Jiangling's power The smoke disappeared, and it was not until Liang Menglong cooperated with Gao Cheng that these forces gradually began to gather again and invested under Gao Cheng, and Luo Bingliang was one of them."
Princess Yongning suddenly realized this.
----------
Thanks to book friend "Hippo Cavalry" for your monthly ticket support, thank you!
PS: 1. Zhang Jing is not Feng Bao after all. After thinking about it, I don’t plan to give him more roles; 2. Can you guess who Luo Bingliang is?
