At the beginning of the Shen Dynasty, Liu Shimin left the inner weaving and dyeing bureau and went all the way south, crossing the Jinshui River and entering the Donggongsheng Gate.
This has been his habit for many years. Whenever he can leave the palace, he likes to walk through the large yamen in front of him.
To Liu Shimin, the ministers and officials who came and went in the Sixth Department, the Hanlin Academy, and even the Qin Tian Jian were like all-encompassing characters in a palace drama, and he couldn't get enough of them.
He envied them.
Perhaps, in another world, on another stage, he, Liu Shimin, was also one of the doctors or young eunuchs with a Jinshi background, neat hair, and elegant official robes, majestically entering and leaving the threshold of the central authority.
Even if an eunuch can sit in a position known as "internal minister" such as the Chief of Ceremonies and the Eunuch, in the eyes of Liu Shimin, who considers himself a scholar, after all, he is still very different from a real civil servant.
When Liu Shimin passed the Ministry of War, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind him.
Those who can sit on the sedan chair between the various yamen and be on duty, those who are fourth grade or above, and those who can gallop on horseback between the various yamen, are Hongling messengers.
Sure enough, on the horse was a cavalryman with feathers on his head.
When he arrived at the entrance of the military department, the messenger rolled over and rushed inside.
"Fushun Guantang reported that the Ministry of Construction captured the east city of Ye Hebu."
The soldier guarding the gate of the Ministry of War, with his head hanging down, pulled the horse to the wall and threw a few handfuls of hay. The leisurely rhythm was in sharp contrast to the express knight who had just entered.
Near the Ministry of War, officials from the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry and the Yamen of the Ministry of Civil Affairs were also preparing to go home after their shift. Several of them passed by Liu Shimin and talked lightly with each other.
"The Ye He tribe is the remnant of the Northern Yuan Dynasty?"
"What? That's not Mongolian, it's Jurchen."
"Oh, so the Jurchens started fighting among themselves? That's a good thing, that's a good thing."
"Haha, brother, you are from the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry? No wonder you don't know the side affairs. Nurhaci, who founded the Ministry, swallowed up the Ye He tribe, and unified all the Jurchen tribes. After some rest and recuperation, he can attack me in Liaodong again if necessary."
Liu Shimin glanced at the green-robed official who spoke last, quickened his pace, and soon turned to Qipan Street, found the servant who had been waiting for him for a long time, and got into the carriage.
About half an hour later, in the hidden courtyard next to Fahua Temple, Zhu Qianyu, after listening to Liu Shimin's report on the recent situation in the inner court, ordered his men to bring a small box and give it to the man standing next to Liu Shimin.
That man was none other than Li Kezhuo, the chief minister of Honglu Temple.
Zhu Qianyu saw Liu Shimin's eyes glancing at the small box, and took the initiative to say: "This is different from the one used by Dr. Bo. This is the best A'Piao mother's ointment. Old Li, tell General Liu how to use it. I will also See if you remember it."
Li Kezhuo has known Liu Shimin's position in this dark world for several years, so he said in a humble tone: "General Liu, this thing can kill people. You only need to take one or two ounces every twelve hours, so if you imitate it, The red pills made by the Taoist nuns under Cheng Guifei are of the same size, two pills are enough."
Liu Shimin nodded, indicating that he understood.
"Well, there is no rush to use it now," Zhu Qianyu said in a gentle tone, "I tried it several times when I was in Nanyang. If you are weak, take it with wine and swallow four or five qian, and you will be dead. Wait for Zhu Changluo to indulge again. , if I can save one at that time, I will keep it for his son."
"I understand," Li Kezhuo said.
Zhu Qianyu stood up with a smile: "I'll take Lao Li out."
Li Kezhuo showed a flattered expression, slightly hunched shoulders, and walked out of the inner courtyard accompanied by his handsome master.
When Zhu Qianyu returned to the courtyard again, as usual, he personally cooked a cup of tea for Liu Shimin before sitting down and asking: "How is Mr. Zheng Ge's charming little granddaughter enjoying playing in the Wenhua Hall?"
Liu Shimin suffered from microbial diaphragm reaction.
Zhu Qianyu was in Wang's age and was only three or four years older than Zheng Haizhu. At this time, he was talking about "little granddaughter" and "playing", which sounded to Liu Shimin as a deliberate and clumsy intimacy.
But Liu Shimin still cheered up and prepared to give some information.
The inner court has always had eyes and ears set up by the Holy Lord. Even if he, Liu Shimin, didn't tell him, Zhu Qianyu could also find out from other hidden sources.
Liu Shimin then pretended to be disapproving and said: "That girl, a woman, is more happy to be able to enter the Wenhua Palace than to be ordered to do so. She is indeed very careful. She made all kinds of wooden gadgets and cannons. He travels by car or ship, and he tries his best to make the princes happy."
He paused and added: "Your Highness, when Zheng came to Beijing, in addition to dealing with the impeachment of Songjiang Switch and Firearms Factory by the Zhejiang Party, he also wanted to renew his friendship with Donglin civil servants and the royal family. The first one can be It is a good thing for us to continue to keep the Wusong sea route open and the guns and guns to work as usual. As for the latter incident, I think it is because she can rely on her own business, not because she has any loyalty to the family on the dragon throne. "
"Oh?" Zhu Qianyu squinted his eyes and said, "Let's not talk about the loyalty of Quanquan, but he is quite capable. I heard that the wet nurse next to the emperor's eldest son wanted to punish her. Somehow, the wet nurse was kicked out of the palace. .”
Liu Shimin was stunned. Zhu Qianyu really knew a lot.
He immediately responded: "Well, yes, that wet nurse's name is Keshi."
Zhu Qianyu fell into a brief silence, but his expression was clearly amused as he was thinking.
After a while, he asked Liu Shimin: "That wet nurse is very beautiful, and she has been in the inner court for many years. She must have a father-in-law who loves her food. What is her name?"
Deep in his heart, Liu Shimin had always had the idea of protecting Zheng Haizhu, and always wanted to block some trouble for her in front of Zhu Qianyu.
But now, he couldn't guess why the solemn master of the city asked about Ke Yinyue's food, so he could only tell the truth: "Ke family is the wife of Caihu in the Wei Dynasty. In the Wei Dynasty, she is Wang An's subordinate."
"Okay, I understand," Zhu Qianyu suddenly changed the subject, "General Liu, do you think Zhu Changluo would like this granddaughter of the Zheng family?"
Liu Shimin raised the teacup and pretended to tease: "How come, the one on the Dragon Throne is the most lustful, and the Zheng family is the one in the middle. How can it be compared with the beautiful ones that Concubine Zheng sent to Qianqing Palace? Besides, I’m getting older too…”
Zhu Qianyu took a sip of fragrant tea, curled up the corners of his lips, and said in a quiet voice: "You are not very old, and he is about the same age as Gu Zheng. Zheng Qia is my assistant minister of Jianwen lineage. He was first-class loyal back then, and he did not hesitate to take risks. The calamity of destroying the family has allowed Pujiang’s hometown to open its doors to welcome Jianwen’s ancestors. Zheng Qia’s descendants, our Zhu family, should be by our side to protect them.”
When Liu Shimin heard this, he sighed in his heart. He and Princess Miao tried to stop him in a subtle way, but it seemed that it was still difficult to dispel the Holy Lord's idea.
"Your Highness, I still want to be with Zheng..."
"I want to marry her." Zhu Qianyu glanced sideways at Liu Shimin and said bluntly.
…
In the evening, when Zheng Haizhu stepped into Wang Wenyan's courtyard, Liu Qiao, the governor of Fusi in Beizhen, immediately greeted him.
"Thank you, Mrs. Zheng, for saving the dog."
Liu Qiao bowed deeply and spoke sincerely.
Zheng Haizhu hurriedly returned the gift and glanced at Wang Wenyan who was nearby.
Wang Wenyan came over and said, "Madam, don't worry. As jailers, we have a prescription to cure the addiction to aphrodisiac. However, children's intestines and stomachs are so delicate that the antidote must not be too strong. Therefore, it is inevitable that Mr. Liu will often feel Crying.”
Zheng Haizhu followed the two of them into the room and sat down. She frowned and said to Liu Qiao with a heart-wrenching look: "Old madam and sister-in-law, you should be very distressed. Governor Liu, I am sure that as soon as I learned that the doctor was using different medicines, I just came to inform the Governor. If it could be done faster and take less medicine, it would be fine."
Liu Qiao waved his hands and said: "Mrs. Zheng, don't say that. It has only been ten days since I told you that the child was lethargic. The hands and feet of my wife and several subordinates are much faster than that of my Jin Yiwei. Following the reminder from both of you, I have also told my mother not to expose the doctor first, and then accept the medicine as usual. Although my family is a hereditary royal guard, when it comes to raiding the house and seizing people, we always act in accordance with the order, but it is a little offending. A Beijing official or a local official has nothing to do with this doctor from Shanxi. Let's wait and see why he drugged my child."
After all, Liu Qiao was the leader of the Ming Dynasty's secret service. He was calm-tempered and did not get angry because of the child's suffering. He led people to get Bo Xun directly.
Zheng Haizhu muttered: "I don't think it is seeking personal revenge. Otherwise, I would kill your wife, children, and children, right? It seems more like using so-called medical skills to approach you, and then the safety of your father and son will be taken as a priority." I'm blackmailing you to do something. Governor Liu, I'd like to ask, if you don't go through Commander Luo, how many Jin Yiwei can you mobilize?"
"Five to six hundred elite."
"Can I enter the imperial city?"
"No, our Jinyi guards are investigating the case for Long Live Lord. Guarding the imperial city is the responsibility of Jin Wu, Yu Lin, Huben and other guards."
"Then, what if there is a sudden danger and the imperial guards guarding the city cannot take care of it? Can the imperial guards enter the palace to protect it? After all, the other imperial guards are still affiliated with the Ministry of War. Only you, the imperial guards, will only listen to Long live the Lord."
Liu Qiao froze, stared at Zheng Haizhu's burning eyes, and asked in confusion: "What danger is there? The Mongolian Tatars are attacking?"
"Not necessarily, but it is also possible that the vassal king came to Beijing." Wang Wenyan said calmly.
Liu Qiao then looked at Wang Wenyan again.
He had roughly known this Donglin counselor before, but was not familiar with him. This time, he was recommended by Zheng Haizhu and benefited from him, so he naturally treated him with extra courtesy.
"Mr. Wang, which vassal king?" Liu Qiao weighed his tone and said, "Let's say something rebellious behind closed doors. Nowadays, these vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty are all Xiaoyao princes. It's very embarrassing for them to rebel and get out of their fiefdoms. Can you still enter Beijing?"
After thinking for a while, he then said: "Are you suspicious of King Fu? Do you think that although King Fu is far away in Luoyang, his uncle and Concubine Zheng's brother is the governor of the capital camp, and the concubine's close confidant, Eunuch Cui's brother, leads the patrol camp. So the noble concubine dares to rebel on behalf of Prince Fu?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "Given that Concubine Zheng's mind is not worthy of her ambition, maybe she can really do it. Governor Liu, let's keep an eye on the strange things you have caused here. There is another strange thing. I want to inform Governor Liu that your young talent from Beizhen Fusi, Gu Qingquan, seems to be keeping an eye on me."
