Turning the corner of an alley, Liu Jin motioned to the young eunuch beside him to knock on the door.
After the clanging sound came out, the face of a narrow-eyed young man with a sesame seed cake in his mouth appeared from the crack in the door. He didn't look very good, but his eyes moved three times a second, and he seemed to be a smart man.
Liu Jin also accidentally heard people talk about these scandals in Uncle Nanning's family. He had met Mao Rong earlier than Zhu Houzhao, and knew that with that guy's ability, he would never win the favor of His Highness.
Who does the Crown Prince want now? Not the kind of scholar who is good at reciting poems and writing poems, but a smart and clever person who can get things done.
This Mao Yuwen was looked down upon by others because of his status, and now he only worked as a prisoner guard in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. However, if he inquired carefully, he found out that he had some reputation and was also a prison boss. He was afraid that he had seen many evil people in the world.
"Who are you looking for?" Mao Yuwen half-opened the door and asked warily.
This trip,
Liu Jin is not going to look for you secretly just in his private capacity. Firstly, he has the prince's explicit intention. Secondly, people like Mao Yuwen will not trust others and will not reveal their identity. Maybe he is playing tricks with you behind your back. , it’s really troublesome.
So before his mouth, he took off the badge hanging from his waist.
Mao Yuwen was eating official meals. He was shocked when he saw the sign in the palace. He immediately opened the door, inserted the sesame cake between the strips of cloth around his waist, and knelt down in confusion, "I've seen my father-in-law before!" "
Squeak.
Liu Jin pushed the door open and walked in. He hurriedly helped the person up. Although the two statuses were very different now, they would not be so in the future. So he took out the sesame seed cake and put it into Mao Yuwen's mouth, "Even an iron man can't bear the hunger. Let's continue eating dinner. It'll be okay."
"The villain dare not."
Mao Yuwen put on a flattering little face, even the two eunuchs following Liu Jin, and made sure to keep his smile in place. Then he walked quickly and followed Liu Jin, "You don't know your father-in-law's dignity? I'm here today. I guess there must be someone who can help me?"
Liu Jin also climbed up from the bottom. He knew that although Mao Yuwen did not look like a descendant of Nanning Bo, he could only survive if he was like him.
"Mr. Mao, you don't have to be polite. My surname is Liu and my given name is Jin. I belong to the Crown Prince of the East Palace. I am here for important matters."
Mao Yuwen's mind started to move. Looking at the sign, it was true that this person was from the palace. Since he was from the palace, it was also true that he was from the Prince of the East Palace, because the people in the palace had strict rules. Pretending to be like this Things don't come easy.
But even if it was all truth and sincerity, this Young Master Mao still made him feel very wary. After all, what was his status and what was his status.
So I can only act according to the circumstances, "I have met Eunuch Liu. I am assigned to the Ministry of Punishment as a prison guard. Did... someone in the prison... offend my father-in-law?"
"No. We are here under the orders of His Highness to give you a chance to make meritorious deeds." Liu Jin waved her hand, came closer and said, "I heard that Mr. Mao was born in the Nanning House?"
Mao Yuwen's face was horrified, and he knelt down and said: "If anything happens to my father-in-law, just tell the villain, and the villain will go through fire and water, no matter what. As for Nanning's Mansion, how can a villain dare to climb high if his life is so low?"...
"Sigh." Seeing him denying it so skillfully, Liu Jin was probably scared of being taught a lesson, so she didn't dare to say anything about her life experience when she left the house.
"Then let's get down to business. I will tell you about your life experience in front of His Highness in the future."
Mao Yuwen's mind was shaking. Did he have a relationship with the current prince? ! Will God grant him such an opportunity?
"Please...please give me your instructions, father-in-law!"
It's about my own destiny. Even though I'm proficient in Chinese, I still feel nervous. It sounds like my throat is dry.
Liu Jin didn't waste time. He had to rush back to the palace, so he introduced the background first and finally said: "You know those Tatars in Beijing. Do you know what they are buying?"
"Young man, you don't know."
Liu Jin forgave his caution and said to herself: "Ironware, not even a pot. What you have to do is to find out clearly. I, the Ming Dynasty, are
Is there anyone who meets with the Tatars and secretly trades things prohibited by the imperial court? But if he found out, he immediately reported it to the East Palace. Mr. Mao's fate immediately changed, and it was not impossible to even re-enter the Nanning Mansion. "
As soon as Mao Yuwen heard the first half of the sentence, he felt that this matter was really difficult. The best he could do as a cell leader was to make some small gains, so how could he get involved in the affairs of the court and the Tatars?
So I have already begun to think about how to evade it.
But when I heard the second half of the sentence, my heart felt like it was blown by a strong wind. I was shocked, excited, and unable to control myself.
That was a shame he would never forget for the rest of his life!
"I accept the order, but please give me some smart people! I will investigate immediately!"
Liu Jin smiled and said, "We'll be here tomorrow. I'll have people keep an eye on your house. If there's any progress, just hang a lantern at the door."
…
…
After Liu Jin left,
Mao Yuwen rushed into the house and locked his hands.
Then the man crawled under the bed, first pushed open a wooden box, revealing a movable wooden board. He opened the wooden board and took out a wooden box.
There are three things in the wooden box, one is a relic left by his mother, which is left unmoved, and the other is a beautiful short knife, extremely sharp, with a large withered pattern on it, so lifelike that you can't tell it at first glance. He stuffed the weapons that ordinary people could possess into his arms, and then took with him the money he had saved over the years, a total of three hundred taels. This time he only took out a hundred taels.
After taking this, he blew out the oil lamp and prepared to close the door and set off. Before leaving, he took another sesame seed cake from behind the door and stuffed it into his mouth.
The place he was going to was the home of his superior, the prison chief of the Ministry of Punishments, Chu Zhen.
This man is said to be his commander, or more accurately, his master. He has been taken care of by Chu Zhen for so many years, so he is still alive. He is also considered to be clever and eloquent, which makes the relationship between the two so smooth. An intimate one.
So I could walk all the way to his house with my eyes closed.
The two of them got into a room,
"...You want to know who the Tatars are buying things from?" Chu Zhen was surprised, "Why do you, a prison boss, know this?"
Mao Yuwen said with sincerity: "Master, I call you master. It's better that you don't know about this matter. It involves... too much. Do you think the prison officer who supervises you is an official?" Compared with here, it’s the size of sesame seeds and mung beans.”….
"I am a wild child in the world, with no worries. Master, you are different, so it is best not to ask me questions, just tell me."
When Chu Zhen heard this tone, he asked, "Did something happen?"
"Something happened, but it's not a bad thing." Mao Yuwen rubbed his nose, with a bit of wildness and excitement in his tone, "Okay, master, time is tight. I remember the Lianghuai salt we caught last year Li Chun, the transport magistrate of the Transportation Bureau, mentioned that some merchants in the Ming Dynasty were extremely wealthy and seemed to be doing business outside the customs. That Li Chun was later replaced by others..."
"Hey!" Chu Zhen interrupted him with a scold. Li Chun was not in the area that Mao Yuwen was responsible for. He thought that this guy didn't know, but he didn't expect that he just didn't say anything.
"Can't we find another way? Do we have to start from here?"
Mao Yuwen said: "It is said that the person who came to pay tribute to our Ming Dynasty this time is the third son of that little prince, Balsborot. Although he is a prince of the northern barbarians, he is still a prince. He lives in a place with three floors inside and three floors outside. There is a layer of protection, you want me to go to that kind of place to get information?"
"Master!" Mao Yuwen was anxious.
"Don't rush me," Chu Zhen stood up and opened the door. After looking around, he said, "My life is at stake if I tell you. Either you let me go with you, or you don't take any advantage from me." Get the news."
"How dare I do this?" Mao Yuwen was furious, "If you are with me, don't you mean that I tell you what the superiors told me? Don't talk to me then, master, you won't survive! Just believe me Once I find that Li Chun, can’t I just kill him?”
"That's okay." Chu Zhen
After thinking for a while, "You go north to Datong and ask about a man named Ning Wuren."
"Thank you, Master! If I can come back alive, I will definitely repay you for your great kindness!"
…
…
Early on the next morning, Mao Yuwen spent a lot of money to find a place close to the imperial city. He chose a location with a wide view on the second floor of Linglong Restaurant, where officials and families often went. After waiting for a long time, around noon, a high-pitched call came out!
"Think of me as a great Ming Dynasty, a kingdom in heaven, a land of etiquette! The crown prince of a country actually issued a decree to stop the use of money to entertain foreign envoys! Even the humble people know the friendship of the landlord, how about a country?!"
The people could not understand what he was saying;
The waiter who served the food put his head out to see what was going on. When he came back, he chatted with Mao Yuwen, "What are those adults shouting?"
"Just like you and me, for a few taels of silver. Didn't 500 Tatars come to Beijing recently? They used to pay for food and drink from the treasury. Now, the prince has issued an order to stop it and save this money. Come down and tell the Tatars to pay for it themselves."
The waiter was stunned for a moment, then said: "Isn't this a good thing? What are those adults called?"
"I don't understand either, maybe... I've lost face." Mao Yuwen scratched his head. He couldn't understand this part. In his concept, face is not worth much. Like him, If you must save face, you may lose your life.
But in this way, everything Liu Jin said yesterday has been verified.
In fact, His Highness not only wants to stop this money, but also wants to find out who is doing shady business with the Tatars. ….
That one... is indeed a smart man,
It's a pity that he can't see the drama here.
One of the helpless characters in this drama, Honglu Temple Minister Zhoudu, faced the stinky face of Balsborot, the leader of the Tatar mission and the third son of Dayan Khan.
When Zhou Du finished speaking, he asked incredulously: "Master Zhou, what does the Ming Emperor mean by this? I, the Great Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, wanted to have good relations between the two countries, so I sent me here. Now, you are a country of etiquette. Is this how sincerity it is?”
Zhou Du couldn't say anything.
None of this will was his original intention.
But in front of the holy book, we can only do things but not say them.
"Third Prince, this is an imperial edict. No matter how much you yell at me, it will be useless. I, Zhou Zhou, am the minister of Honglu Temple in the Ming Dynasty, so I will naturally act in accordance with the will of my Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."
"Bah!" Balsbort turned red with anger, "You are insulting me! Insulting my Great Yuan Khan! After I go back, I will tell the truth to my father Khan, and we will meet in war in the future. I hope you will His Majesty the Emperor still has the courage to issue such an edict!"
Speaking of which, the title of Great Khan of the Dayuan Dynasty is what the little prince calls himself in the table above. When this was mentioned for the first time, Manchu civil and military officials had a heated debate on it, believing that the little prince's writing was slow. Of course, at the end of the discussion, I felt that there was no need to go into details about claiming to be an enemy country.
Zhou Du felt that he was wrong and lacked confidence. In addition, Balsbroat's tone was extremely arrogant, which made him feel a little insulted, so he didn't want to continue to entangle with him, so he just stood up and left.
Anyway, I'm just passing on a message. If you're not satisfied, don't point it at me!
"I want to see His Majesty the Ming Emperor!"
Zhou Du ignored him and disappeared.
On the streets outside and in the capital, groups of soldiers came out with guns. They seemed to appear overnight, patrolling back and forth on the streets!
Balsbrot was shocked when he saw this posture.
At the same time, a girl with pigtails walked out of the room, "Third brother, what have you done? Why are there so many Ming soldiers outside?"
"You go in first." Balsbort's eyes became more worried, "I have to remind Gershu and the others that the change in Mingting should be related to their prince who has been in the limelight recently. It is said that , that person is extremely smart and resourceful. If he successfully ascends the throne, he will surely succeed in the future.
This must be a serious problem for Father Khan! "
The girl has gradually heard about this since she entered the customs. Some people say that the next emperor of the Ming Dynasty is like Renzong because he is generous and compassionate, while others say that he is like Taizong because he acts decisively. , raised his sword and dropped it. Not long after, a minister died under his sword.
In the eleven years since the present Holy Emperor ascended the throne, he has not killed a few ministers.
"I think this news is more important than no matter how much cloth and iron we buy. Third brother, we have to endure it and go back alive to tell Father Khan! If there is a conflict over these few coins, our lives and those of the warriors of the tribe will be in vain. , that prince is different from the current Emperor of Ming Dynasty! He can kill people! "….
Balsbroat clenched his fists, "Don't be afraid. Hundreds of thousands of my father's warriors are just outside Datong Pass, and they don't dare to do anything to us!"
"But Father Khan didn't even know that the Ming Dynasty had such a powerful prince! There is a saying among the Han people, which is to know yourself and the enemy and you will be victorious in every battle! Do you want Father Khan to fight without knowing that the enemy has changed?!"
"Then we can't just let them insult like this! I must meet the emperor of Ming Dynasty!"
…
Qianqing Palace has been waiting for two days.
In the past two days, reports would come from outside the palace from time to time:
After hearing the imperial edict, the Tatar envoy was angry, but did nothing. They only said that they would go to the palace to see him.
Emperor Hongzhi is now determined. This is one of his few glorious diplomatic moments. How can a young man and an emperor lose face?
He was inspired, with excitement in his heart,
But Zhu Houzhao was much calmer than him.
Even a little disappointed, it seems that these so-called warriors are worse than the northern warriors in the era of Temujin, Kublai Khan and Huang Taiji Dorgon. Therefore, in history, there have been no achievements achieved by these minority leaders.
Compared with Dayan Khan, the so-called master of the resurgence, and the founding king who really laid the foundation, he was still a little behind.
"...It seems that they can't cause any trouble." Zhu Houzhao said and looked at Xie Qian.
The Dongge bachelor was originally worried that the Tatars would make some noise as soon as the emperor's decree came out.
But Xie Qian also had something to say: Who knew you were looking for 5,000 people to watch from the outside for these 500 people? !
"I have said before that in my Ming Dynasty capital, there are only five hundred people, what can they do?"
This kind of thing originally depends on the size of the fist.
But that decree was issued by the emperor forcibly, but many people were actually dissatisfied.
Even in the Nuan Pavilion, Daishan, the imperial censor of Zuodu, made some comments.
"His Royal Highness's natural talent can certainly predict that the little prince has the ambition to invade our Ming Dynasty. However, after today's actions, some people will definitely say in the future that the reason why the little prince invaded was because we were not polite and deliberately angered him. prince."
This means that this method is really not smart.
Zhu Houzhao wondered, "Isn't the little prince always making mistakes? Why do you say it's because of me?"
Dai Shan replied: "Your Highness, you know that three years after Wang Weining (Wang Yue)'s victory at Weininghai, the young prince led more than 30,000 cavalry troops to the border. This was exactly revenge for the victory at Weininghai. Therefore, some people at that time said that this was the beginning of a great victory in Weininghai. From then on, there was no peace on the border. The soldiers and horses were exhausted, the supplies and transportation were exhausted, public money and private property were all wasted, the people on the border were cruel and unspeakable, and the military ranks were too redundant and unstoppable."
What this means is that Wang Yue was blamed for hurting the Tatars and causing them to retaliate, so he called it "opening a big quarrel with others."
Zhu Houzhao became very angry when he heard this, "Why are there such idiots? This time, no one should say such useless things, right?!"
Emperor Hongzhi opened a memorial and brought it to the prince, "Huang Wenyou, the governor of Shandong Province. Recently, he has made two remarks. What he said was also what Dai Shan said. He was worried that the imperial decree would cause disaster. It won’t even take long for the little prince to attract a larger bandit! Hey, others in Shandong are more afraid than I am in Beijing.”….
Zhu Houzhao: "..."
"Father! I request that this person be arrested!"
Dai Shan and others were shocked when they heard this, "Your Highness, no!"
"Why not?!"
Dai Shan spoke very quickly, "Huang Wenyou is a minister, and it is his duty to give advice. Why would he arrest and imprison a court official just because he said something he didn't like?"
"No!" Zhu Houzhao stood up and said seriously: "I want to treat officials like Huang Wenyou. Every great victory of the imperial court was achieved with the blood and lives of the frontier soldiers. That generation of people fought hard to win. Okay, if future generations can't win, can we say that it was the ancestors who started a big quarrel?! According to this reasoning, the late emperor made three plows to capture the court, and Emperor Taizong made five expeditions to Mobei, wouldn't it mean that Huang Wenyou started a bigger quarrel? Didn't Feng Zhezi also blame the late emperor and Emperor Taizong?! What use does the court have for such a useless official?!"
"In addition, Huang Wenyou's letter actually blamed the soldiers who had won the battle. If such officials were not cured and they were allowed to make noise in the court and spread the news, wouldn't it chill the hearts of our Ming soldiers? My father did not let him On the front line, he is still trying to undermine the morale of our troops in Shandong. What use does the court have for such a brainless official?"
Dai Shan thought to herself, can this truth be said in this way?
Zhu Houzhao didn't know why so many people had the idea that "as long as I obey, the enemy will not hit me." This evil trend must be stopped.
Last time it was Huang Wenyou who was talking about eunuchs.
This kind of stupid official will never be able to go against a prince like him, so it would be better to capture him as soon as possible.
But Dai Shan still seemed a little unable to accept it.
"Your Highness, if you arrest your ministers for this reason, then I am afraid that hundreds of officials in our Ming Dynasty will be imprisoned for questioning!"
The main point that Dai Shan wanted to say was that Prince, your reason for arresting people is really not sufficient, because everyone is like this, and it would be boring for you to be more serious.
It's quite harsh to say it, but to put it more bluntly: That is, Prince, do you understand the court? !
But maybe it was because the Zuodu Censor had few encounters with His Highness the Crown Prince that he spoke so easily.
For example, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian's hearts sank when they heard his words, and they suddenly felt quite inappropriate.
Zhu Houzhao's expression changed as expected, "Dai Shan! What do you mean by this?! According to you, what should be done in this court depends on the number of people? If a few hundred people think it is wrong, then I am wrong. ? If this is really going to happen, if hundreds of people come to force the palace, this prince will not be able to sit still?!"
Li Dongyang and Xie Qian lamented: What are you talking about?
Dai Shan was slapped with such a big hat, panicked, and knelt down and said: "I have no such rebellious thoughts in my heart! I am just saying... An official like Huang Wenyou has done nothing wrong. He is loyal to the emperor even here. If the patriots were caught like this, wouldn’t it frighten the officials all over the world?”
Zhu Houzhao said: "Then what if he shocked the hearts of the border officers? I received a military intelligence report from the border three days ago. At this time, Wang Yue was fighting bloody battles with the Tatars. Some officials in the court actually said that he had started a big provocation. Yu Bian. How to calculate this account?"
"Your Majesty," Li Dongyang said at this time, "I also believe that His Majesty's concern is the right thing to do. At a time when the war at the border is still going on, Huang Wenyou cannot escape the crime of disrupting the morale of the army. If it is not treated, it will not be enough to comfort the heroes who died on the battlefield. .”
Dai Shan's expression changed. Why did Li Dongyang say the opposite to him? !
Only Mr. Xie Ge could understand what Mr. Li Ge was thinking. "My lord, I second my proposal."
He knew that Li Dongyang was not going against Dai Shan, but to save him, because if the fight continued, the prince would probably kill Dai Shan too.
Fortunately, Dai Shan was not Zhou Jing's character and did not remain stubborn. The two pavilion elders said this, and no matter how much he said, he would go back in boredom.
When the emperor saw that it had such an effect, he felt even more proud of his son's ability to control the ministers. As soon as he opens his mouth, these people will do it even if they don't want to.
"Then let's pass on the decree and arrest Huang Wenyou, the chief envoy of Shandong Province, and bring him to the capital! We'll wait for him to be punished! In addition... Balsborough is going to the palace to have an audience..."
"Father." Zhu Houzhao took the initiative to invite him, "My son is the crown prince, and he has the responsibility of receiving foreign envoys. In addition,
That decree also came from my son, so Balsborot should let his son deal with it first. "
The emperor looked at the expressions of the ministers and found that they seemed to have no objections, so he waved his hand.
"Accurate performance!"
====
Six thousand words, the chapter at four o'clock today will be published together with this chapter.
I will update as usual for my wedding on Saturday, and I will save the manuscript for my business trip on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on Sunday. I know that compared to daily work, the update is not enough, but I have exhausted all my efforts for this book. After all, I still have it. Have a job.
The manuscripts on Tuesday and Wednesday will be returned to the hotel in the evening, and try not to ask for leave. .
The Royal Hire Cat reminds you: Remember to bookmark [] w w w..com after reading it. I will update it next time so that you can continue reading. I look forward to the exciting continuation! You can also use the mobile version: wap..com, and you can read it anytime, anywhere....
