Parked at the door of Shangshu Gao's Mansion was a rather beautiful carriage. It looked like the style of the "Beijing Cloud Carriage" that had become popular in Beijing and other places in recent years. Due to Jinghua's improved shock-absorbing equipment, this kind of carriage has no rubber tires, but it is still much stronger than the previous carriages. Therefore, it has gained the reputation of "cloud car" on the market, which means the feeling of sitting in the car. It's like "sitting on a cloud".
However, the popularity of Jinghua horse-drawn carriages in recent years is not actually how good it is according to a pragmatic understanding, but rather that on the basis of passable comfort, it has several serious "flaws". On the contrary, It became popular in the two capitals.
Can flaws lead to popularity? Yes, sometimes this is true, because the shortcomings of these "Jinghua Cloud Cars" almost all point to the same point: expensive.
The standard model is priced at two thousand taels of silver, with no carvings, no precious metal decoration, and no inscriptions on the shaft;
The elegant model is priced at 5,000 taels of silver. It can be customized with plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum carvings. The windows are covered with silver and the car shaft can be inscribed with the family hall number (such as Li's "Longxi Hall") or not. Select, but the font is not selectable, and is unified as Song Dynasty;
The pillar model is priced at 8,000 taels of silver. It can be customized with apricot, apricot, pine and cypress carvings. The windows are gold-coated and decorated. Several types of inscriptions such as family hall number, family emblem, ancestral motto, etc. can be selected on the shaft. The fonts are also optional. There are There are four types: large seal script, small seal script, official script, and Song style;
The price of the "top-end" Guoshi model has exploded, reaching as high as 20,000 taels of kuping silver. There are a total of forty-nine kinds of carvings available, not to mention the gold-coated decoration of the windows. Flowers can also be painted on the gold plaques. Of course, the inscriptions on the vehicle shafts also fully cover the first three styles, and a Taige style font is added. The Taige style handwriting is The six poems were handwritten by Gao Jingshi, the No. 1 scholar (actually they were copied from Gao Jingshi's original works)... In short, one sentence is sufficient.
In addition to being ridiculously expensive, the cost of using these carriages is also staggering, because according to Jinghua's "recommendations", you need to go to Jinghua's carriage shop to change the wheels at most every three months, and the replacement of the wheels is at the user's own expense. Depending on the model, the cost of replacing four cars ranges from 30 taels to 80 taels.
In addition, there is also the replacement of the shock absorption system, the core technology product of the "Cloud Car". From spiral wire springs to iron leaf springs and other components, they basically need to be replaced once a year. One set of replacement costs only three to five hundred taels. Silver cannot be beaten.
In short, if you are just an ordinary "possessed person", you will definitely not be able to afford this carriage. Only a family with an extremely strong family background, at least a few hundred thousand taels of silver, can be so wasteful.
Especially for the top-of-the-range "Guoshi" model, I heard that dozens of nobles in the North and South Beijing have not yet been able to get one. On the contrary, vassal princes from various places have honestly placed many orders.
For example, some wealthy princes such as the King of Zhou and the King of Shu even placed several orders at a time, and then spent a sum of money to have Jinghua deliver it to them (the carriage was only sold in the two capitals), including the parts that needed to be replaced later, which also cost extra. Qian asked Jinghua to deliver goods regularly.
Concubine Zheng's status in the harem is second only to that of the Queen (if the Queen Mother is not included), so Zheng Guotai is now a person of status, and of course she has to buy a Beijing cloud car to set off her status. However, the Zheng family rose a little late, and did not catch up with the early stage when Gao Gao was pragmatic and sent out stocks to lure people onto pirate ships. Therefore, he was not really rich. He only bought a standard car.
At this moment, he came out of Shangshu Gao's mansion and got on his carriage impatiently. This car is expensive, but the space is indeed not small. If you are slim, you can have a table of leaf cards inside.
As soon as Zheng Guotai got into the sedan, he sat down directly by the right window and said to a white-faced and beardless man opposite him: "Mr. Pang, thanks to your caution this time, if you hadn't been with me, Come on, if we can’t let the Imperial Concubine know about this important event in time today, it might be too late by tomorrow.”
"What? Gao Situ doesn't agree?" the man in the car asked.
"There is no disagreement." Zheng Guotai waved his hands repeatedly and said: "The thing is like this..." After saying that, he relayed the situation just now and the conversation with Gao Pangshi to "Pang Gong".
"Pang Gong" is actually named Pang Bao (not Feng Bao...), and he is one of the two great men from Yikun Palace in the inner court. The other one is called Liu Cheng, who did not come today.
Pang Bao and Liu Cheng were both eunuchs from Yikun Palace. Their original status was not high and they were just two minor servants. However, precisely because of his low status, he could not please Huang Mengyu and Chen Ju, or even Zhang Cheng and others.
However, it was a blessing in disguise that Concubine Zheng gained her trust when she was just a concubine. Needless to say later, the tide naturally rose with the improvement of the status of Concubine Zheng. So far, these two people have been in charge of the imperial palace and the second supervisor. They are two rising stars in the inner court.
Pang Bao is now the imperial eunuch of the imperial court, and he is also the "big companion" of the third son of the emperor, Zhu Changxun. According to the habits of the Ming Dynasty court - no, it should be said that it is the inner court - if Zhu Changxun can be the crown prince in the future and become the emperor one day, then Pang Bao's status will probably be the same as Feng Bao's status in the original history.
Concubine Zheng originally trusted him. After the emperor asked him to become Zhu Changxun's "big companion", Concubine Zheng relied on him even more, and left him to take care of a series of matters for Zhu Changxun to become the prince. After all, He is the eldest companion. If Zhu Changxun can become the prince, he will definitely be one of the most important direct beneficiaries. There is no need to doubt the issue of loyalty.
At this moment, Pang Bao's expression changed slightly after hearing Zheng Guotai's words, but he was not as shocked as Zheng Guotai. Instead, he thought hard, and until the carriage drove out for a while, he still did not speak.
Zheng Guotai became anxious and said, "Pang Gong, please say something. Do you think Gao Situ's words are just to scare us?"
Perhaps it was Zheng Guotai's identity that played a role. Pang Bao glanced at him and finally spoke, saying: "To be honest with you, uncle Guo, we are still not sure whether Gao Situ's words are alarmist."
Zheng Guotai's eyes widened and he was about to speak, but Pang Bao continued: "But the matter is very important. For us, our attitude towards this matter can only be that we would rather believe that it is true than that it is not true. "
"Hey, that's not the same thing!" Zheng Guotai rubbed his hands anxiously and said: "The palace gate has been closed now. I can't get in. I can only trouble Mr. Pang to make a trip. Please report it as soon as possible. Imperial Concubine, please make your decision early."
Pang Bao nodded and said, "This is a matter within our family, and it is our duty to do so."
Zheng Guotai breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed his back, leaned on the backrest, and said: "It's unlucky to say that I thought that Gao Mansion could form an alliance with Gao Situ this time. From now on, my nephew will be born." With the strong support from the outer court, this... matter is almost settled.
Who knew that Wang Xijue's ghost was so haunting? Seeing that Gao Situ was in a little trouble now, he wanted to take the opportunity to turn over the whole story that happened earlier in Zheng Guoben's life. He was so ungrateful! I was puzzled, he held Zhu Changluo in such high regard, surely this kid would be able to take credit for his contribution when he grows up? Concubine Wang Gong is nothing in the harem. She has no status at all in the eyes of the emperor. I'm afraid her situation will be even more worrying in the future, and I don't know how long she can survive..."
"Uncle, be careful what you say." Pang Bao reminded: "It is a taboo of this dynasty for Qi ministers to discuss the harem."
"I'm just telling you." Although Zheng Guotai replied, he still took the initiative to cut off the words, sighed, and said: "Didn't you say before that Wang Xijue and the others did this for these reasons? They think that if Zhu Changluo inherits the throne in the future, it will be easier to control... uh, influence?
However, I thought about it afterwards, and now that the emperor is in his prime, the time they are waiting for is probably still too early! Wang Xijue himself is probably invisible, so why is he jumping up and down here? "
"Even if it's not him, it might be his disciple, his disciple, or his former official." Pang Bao smiled slightly: "In short, with such a layer, if the emperor's eldest son really takes the throne in the future, the Wang family will still have some benefits. What's more, if he has such great achievements, he can be regarded as having achieved special honors for the Xin School. How can the descendants of the Xin School not remember the good things of their Wang family?
Our family remembers that Wang Heng, the son of Wangge Lao, was the candidate for the provincial examination in a certain year. If there are no other insider information on this list, there is no fear that no one with this kind of literary talents will be born in the Jinshi in the future. If his father had such merit from Longding Cauldron, do you think Wang Heng's future future would be limitless? "
"Damn, these civil servants are so fucking far-sighted that they won't let go of the benefits decades from now." Zheng Guotai cursed bitterly.
"Speaking of which, our family has remembered. Did you mention the other important matter of your visit to Gao Situ? How did Gao Situ respond?" Pang Bao asked again.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Guotai's face froze and he slapped his thigh in anger: "Damn it, I just heard that the affairs of the country have changed, and I actually forgot about Jin Yiwei."
Pang Bao's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help complaining: "You, you, how could you forget such a big thing? Now that Gao Situ has delegated power, since Wang Zhizhen recommended Li Wenquan, Li Wenquan has no chance of taking over. It has been changed, but after all, he is going to be the commander of the Jinyi Guards. If nothing goes wrong in the future, he will probably be promoted to the governor.
But although there is someone in command, the North Town governor is very likely to be replaced! Regarding Wang Zhizhen's matter, although the emperor thinks that he has good ability in doing things and still wants to keep him, the situation has reached this point and it is useless for the emperor to be entangled. Sooner or later, he will agree to his resignation.
Then what? Then Wang Zhizhen resigned and your immediate boss was gone. This was the best opportunity! If you can take the top position in Beizhen Fusi and be in charge of Tiqi and Chao Prison, will some people in the outer court dare to be as presumptuous as they are now? "
"What should I do? I was so frightened that I forgot all of a sudden." Zheng Guotai opened his eyes wide and said, "How about... you go back to the palace and report to the Imperial Concubine, and then I will fight back and find Gao Situ for support. ?”
Pang Baozhen couldn't help but rolled his eyes and said helplessly: "Go back now? Not to mention what Gao Situ will think of you, let's just say that the situation is reversed now. Gao Situ didn't ask for anything from us at all. Instead, we need to be anxious I was trying to find a way to get Gao Situ to take action early and suppress Mr. Wangge. Why do you think Gao Situ would give us such a big deal?
Besides, although Gao Situ opposed Mr. Wang Ge and refused to let the eldest son of the emperor become the prince, he never said that he would support the third son of the emperor. What reason does he have for asking you to be the envoy of Beizhen? As the governor of Beizhen, you can threaten Wangge Lao and people from the Xin School, but can't you also threaten Gao Situ and people from the Shi School? "
"That's not possible, Mr. Pang, please don't talk nonsense. How can a mere governor of Northern Town threaten Gao Situ?" Zheng Guotai shook his head and said, "Don't my sister know Gao Situ's status in front of the emperor? Even Sister... may not be able to sway him. Not to mention being the governor of Beizhen, even if I become the commander of the Jinyi Guards, or even the left governor of the Jinyi Guards, or even the chief governor, I can't sway him. Mr. Pang, please don't I forgot what happened to Liu Shouyou back then!"
Pang Bao frowned, not knowing whether he was persuaded by him or had other ideas. He nodded solemnly and said: "Uncle Guo is right. Gao Situ's status in the eyes of the emperor is indeed not a certain person. One thing can shake him. Especially since he has decisively delegated power this time, I think the emperor's trust in him will probably be even higher."
Zheng Guotai sighed: "That's the problem. Wang Xijue is our enemy now, but Gao Situ may not be considered a friend. He has always insisted on waiting for the Queen's legitimate son, and he just said frankly to me I mentioned it before... Hey, what do you think he had planned?
Wang Xijue and the others believed that Zhu Changluo's biological mother was not powerful and would be easy to control and influence in the future. But if the queen gave birth to a legitimate son, would Gao Situ have any way to influence her? "
"Well...it's hard to say." Pang Bao thought thoughtfully: "Do you remember how Gao Situ gained the emperor's trust?"
"Who in the world doesn't know about this? Of course he is so blessed because he has been the emperor's companion for more than ten years." Zheng Guotai immediately replied.
"Otherwise... Oh, we are saying that it is more than that." Pang Bao said: "In addition to the several great achievements he has made over the years, there is another point that cannot be ignored, that is, in the past, when the emperor was the prince, Gao Wenzhenggong The literary master who went out to study in the imperial court (referring to the "Knowing Classics Banquet" between Gao Gong and Zhu Yijun, the same prince as the military minister Zhu Xizhong at that time), that is to say, the emperor's first 'emperor' was actually Gao Wenzheng.
So uncle, do you think, given the current situation of the imperial court, including the status of civil servants in the eyes of the emperor, once the reserve position is determined in the future, who will be this young master's literary scholar? "
"Oh... I understand. It seems that only Gao Situ has the greatest chance of doing this. I'm afraid the rest will have to step aside."
Zheng Guotai's eyes rolled, then suddenly widened again, and said: "Oh, I wonder why he is so old-fashioned and looks like he is sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai. I bet he already knew this - no matter what Whoever becomes the crown prince in the end will be very different to him. Anyway, he must have been the first 'Emperor Master' and he didn't run away!"
"Uncle Guo has a sharp eye, and our family sees it the same way." Pang Bao complimented casually.
Zheng Guotai didn't really care about what he said. He just thought hard for a while and said, "In Pang Gong's opinion, what should we do now?"
"We are just slaves, how dare we have any opinions." Pang Bao lowered his eyelids and said calmly: "But hasn't the Imperial Concubine said it a long time ago? Unless Gao Situ changes his mind and starts to clearly support the eldest son of the Emperor, otherwise We must not go against Gao Situ.
As for what happened today, I believe that after the imperial concubine learned about it, she would have immediately thought of ways to persuade the emperor, as my uncle had thought, and issued several orders to ask Gao Situ to come out and take charge of the matter. "
"What about Wang Xijue?" Zheng Guotai was a little worried and said, "Even if Gao Situ comes to take a look at the matter immediately, after all, what happened recently will still have an impact on him. What if he is unwilling to put in too much effort or is unable to do anything? branch……"
Pang Bao's eyes flashed, and he said: "I believe that the Imperial Concubine will do her best to not let Wang Xijue have an easy time."
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Thanks to book friends "Cao Mianzi" and "klauszx" for their monthly support, thank you!
