However, this year is the year of the Great Competition, and autumn is just around the corner, so the capital has become increasingly lively these days.
Candidates from several counties in the Gyeonggi region are coming to the capital to take part in the provincial examination in August. Therefore, the number of people in the inn and restaurant closest to Gongyuan gradually increased.
Li Yuan's carriage carrying Li Jiancheng passed by in a hurry on the street, and pedestrians and people on the roadside gave way.
"Erlang, don't sit there all day long! What's so interesting about a bunch of old men? My brother will take you to a good place today!"
In the carriage, Li Jiancheng looked at Li Shimin sitting opposite with a smile.
"That's right! Second brother!"
Li Yuanji sat next to Li Jiancheng, with a bit of childishness on his face: "I guarantee you won't regret it if you go!"
"I went there once and I can't forget the taste for a month!"
Li Yuanji had a look of recollection on his face and said with regret: "It's just a bit fast..."
Li Shimin was dressed in a dark red satin straight jacket, with a black silk jade-inlaid belt tied around his waist. His fair face had begun to show some sharp edges, but at this moment it was full of shame: "Brother, third brother, why don't the three of us go together?"
That’s great.”
"What's wrong with this!"
Li Jiancheng slapped his thigh: "Brothers fight, father and son go into battle. We brothers are of the same mind, and we are as sharp as gold. There is nothing that we cannot do together with our brothers!"
"You don't know, I've taken my third child there several times!"
"ah?"
Li Shimin raised his head in shock and swallowed his saliva, not knowing what to say.
There were so many flaws that he didn’t know what to say for a moment.
His eyes kept going back and forth between the two people, and he hesitated and said: "Isn't the third child still a little young..."
"Not small, not small!" Li Jiancheng smiled and patted Li Yuanji on the shoulder: "The third child is getting older too!"
"That's right! Second brother!"
Li Yuanji folded his hands and looked at Li Shimin dissatisfied: "I kindly took you to happiness, why do you still call me young?"
"no……"
Li Shimin's face turned red from holding back: "Eldest brother, third brother..."
"If we go like this, we won't be able to hide it from our father! If he finds out, wouldn't it be over?"
"What's this?"
Li Yuanji waved his hand disdainfully: "What's wrong with letting him know? I've seen him go there before!"
"Ah?" Li Shimin was startled.
Li Jiancheng also smiled and said: "It doesn't hurt to let dad know. The last time Lao San and I met him there, dad even asked us to go to his room together!"
"ah?"
Li Shimin was dumbfounded, feeling that his pure heart had been greatly impacted: "You two are with dad..."
Are there really father-son soldiers??
"Of course!" Li Yuanji folded his hands on his chest proudly.
Li Jiancheng also smiled and said: "The red sleeves that dad ordered last time was good, how about we order that one this time?"
Li Yuanji also nodded in recognition, with a bit of nostalgia on his face: "I still haven't forgotten that feeling, it's so beautiful!"
Li Shimin was dumbfounded, his mind went blank, his lips moved slightly, and he was still making the final struggle: "Brother, third brother, shall we just order one for the three of us?"
Li Jiancheng smiled mysteriously: "You will know when we get there."
The carriage stopped in front of a high-rise building on Dongshi Third Street, where people were coming and going. The people who came here were either rich or noble, and they all had a good background.
However, when they saw the carriage on the Duke of Tang's residence, people still gave way and cast awe-inspiring looks.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Shimin was sitting in the box next to the window, looking at the delicious and delicious dishes on the table in front of him, a big question mark appeared above his head.
???
That's it?
"Haha, let me tell you, Erlang, this Huabao Tower is known as the most popular in the capital!"
Li Jiancheng personally poured a glass of clear wine for Li Shimin and introduced it with a smile: "This dish in particular looks like a beauty's sleeve and is the most delicious. Guess what is it made of?"
Li Yuanji also smiled and said: "Second brother, take a bite first and then talk!"
"The food here is so fresh. When I first came back, I almost bit my tongue and chewed peonies to eat it. Now that I think about it, eating so fast is really a waste of resources!"
Li Shimin forced a smile on his face, not wanting to offend the two brothers, so he picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of "Red Sleeves" that they both ordered, and put it into his mouth.
As soon as he entered the mouth, his eyes lit up and he savored it carefully.
Delicious and sweet, it melts in your mouth but does not turn into mud.
It especially embodies the word "delicious", which is something Li Shimin has never tasted before.
Li Jiancheng smiled when he saw this and said with emotion: "My father was afraid that we would become arrogant and would not let us come to such an expensive place."
"Now that you, Erlang, have entered the Huben Guards, your temper has become much calmer. Dad doesn't care about us anymore. Speaking of which, the third child and I have also benefited from you!"
After tasting such delicious dishes, Li Shimin felt a little better and said with a smile: "Dad obviously saw that the eldest brother was more and more able to help him and the third brother was becoming more and more sensible, so he let us go."
"It's obvious that I took advantage of the two brothers."
Li Jiancheng picked up the jade cup and drank it in one sip, laughing.
With a creak, the door of the private room was opened, and a woman in green clothes slowly walked in. In this Huabao Building, even the work of serving dishes is done by beautiful beauties.
Of course, if you need a waiter, just ask the store owner.
The three brothers all looked at the woman serving the food, and then looked away.
After the woman walked out of the private room, Li Shimin looked at Li Jiancheng with a smile: "I heard that the eldest brother is getting another concubine?"
Li Yuanji was still busy stuffing things into his mouth, but when he heard this, he immediately said carelessly: "Second brother also knows?"
"I heard that the Zheng family in Xingyang is willing to give their eldest daughter as his concubine!"
Li Jiancheng scolded him with a straight face: "You haven't even written your horoscope yet! Don't listen to those rumors."
But he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.
"What else is this called gossip?"
Li Yuanji said nonchalantly: "Isn't it settled a long time ago?"
"I heard that Zheng Guanyin had a very beautiful life and was virtuous and virtuous. I am really lucky!"
"Say a few words first..."
Li Jiancheng reminded him in a low voice, and at the same time kept winking at Li Shimin.
Li Yuanji was stunned, immediately covered his mouth, and smiled apologetically at Li Shimin: "Second brother...I..."
In fact, the two of them had a purpose in inviting Li Shimin out for dinner today.
A few days ago, Gao Shilian, a doctor in the Ministry of Punishment, took office in Longxi, and Changsun Wuji also followed him.
It was such a big deal, so naturally I couldn't just leave without saying a word. Before leaving the capital, I had to go find my good friends and say goodbye.
Just seeing Changsun Wuji again seemed to arouse Li Shimin's bad mood again, and he spent the whole day in his room yesterday.
An eldest brother is like a father. Li Jiancheng, the elder brother, saw this in his eyes, but felt that it could not go on like this.
He must be enlightened. How can a man be bound by the love of his children? What does it look like?
That’s why we took today’s trip to Huabao Tower.
Now the eldest brother wants to take a concubine again, and the second brother has not yet married. Li Yuanji keeps mentioning this matter, and Li Jiancheng is afraid of making Li Shimin even more unhappy.
"What's wrong?"
Li Shimin looked at the two of them in surprise: "Third brother, why don't you continue talking?"
"I have heard the name Zheng Guanyin before. She is a virtuous and virtuous person, and she is worthy of my eldest brother. Isn't my eldest brother unwilling?"
"How could it be?"
Li Jiancheng looked at his expression and said with a smile: "Besides, this is not something I am willing to do."
"The affairs of the Zheng family in Xingyang are related to dad's plan. As a son, how can I cause trouble for his old man?"
"When I came here today, I was mainly worried about you, my second brother."
"Worried about me?"
Li Shimin pretended to be puzzled as he took a mouthful of food and downed another glass of wine: "Brother, I'm having a good time at Huben Guard. What's there to worry about?"
Li Jiancheng observed him suspiciously for a moment, and when he saw his calm expression, he said with a relieved smile: "A few days ago, your friend named Changsun Wuji came to see you. I saw that after you sent him away, you spent the whole day bored in your room.
, I thought you remembered the concubine named Changsun Wugou again?"
"As an elder brother, I am afraid that you will keep getting into trouble, so I want to ask you to come out and have a heart-to-heart talk."
Li Yuanji also patted the table and echoed with approval: "That's right, second brother!"
"Why should a man worry about not having a wife? What's so good about that woman? Does she make you think about her like this every day?"
Li Shimin looked at the two of them in surprise, and then said calmly: "So this is what happened?"
He put down his chopsticks in a leisurely manner, and said with a smile: "To tell you the truth, I have put down this matter a long time ago!"
"The auxiliary aircraft came to see me that day, and it was just to say goodbye. Later, I was in the room reading military books."
Li Shimin had a bitter look on his face: "You two brothers don't know that General Wang of Huben Guard recently selected five military books for me and asked me to read them before Qiu Wei. Then he will take the test for me. I have been thinking about this recently.
My head turns gray with sorrow."
"Haha! That's it!"
Li Jiancheng breathed a sigh of relief and took a bite of food with a smile: "I'm just afraid that you won't be able to get out..."
Li Shimin shook his head and said with a smile: "What's wrong with this? If you hadn't mentioned this today, I would have forgotten it."
"That's good, that's good."
Li Yuanji stood up with a smile, filled the wine for him, and said with a smile: "What kind of woman can't be found with a man like my second brother, who is both civilized and talented?"
"The eldest grandson Wugao didn't marry into our Duke's mansion because she didn't have the eyesight..."
"Okay."
Li Jiancheng frowned slightly and stopped Li Yuanji's next words.
No matter what, Changsun Wugou is a concubine in the harem. If someone with a heart listens to these words, they will inevitably make a fuss about it.
"Second brother, it's best if you can let this matter go."
Li Jiancheng looked at Li Shimin with a smile: "Stop looking at it, eat quickly! A meal in Huabao Tower is not cheap. It's hard to come here. We have to eat enough!"
Li Shimin drank a glass of wine and said with a smile: "Okay, eldest brother, third brother, you should hurry up and eat too!"
There was a happy atmosphere in the private room, except that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji kept picking up vegetables to eat, but Li Shimin kept pouring wine...
Daqian Palace.
Li Qian has been immersed in the memorial these days. In his free time, he wandered around the capital, and then went to the mirror grinder and the eunuch of the Silver Making Bureau to supervise the production of his first telescope, which was probably the first telescope in this time and space.
At present, the mirror grinding masters have completed less than half of their work, and Li Qian is experimenting with the placement order and distance of convex lenses and concave lenses.
The progress is going well and I believe it will be released soon.
However, this is not what Li Qian is most concerned about. He has been waiting for news.
News about Heshen in Xingyang County.
Counting the days, it should be within these few days...
In the political hall of Ziwei Palace, Li Qianzheng was discussing today's memorial with Wu Meiniang and Lu Pheasant, when the old eunuch suddenly ran in from outside.
"Your Majesty, a report came from Zhongmu County, Xingyang County!"
"Bring it here!" Li Qian's eyes lit up.
After opening it, I saw that it was He Shen's memorial.
Ma Jiyuan, the magistrate of Zhongmou County, has done many evil deeds, deceived superiors and deceived subordinates, embezzled money and food, harmed the people, and committed many illegal activities, which is about to lead to a civil commotion...
It listed Ma Jiyuan's various crimes, and in the end, the imperial envoy He Shen executed him on the spot to calm the people's hearts.
Wu Meiniang and Lu Zhi also came over to read the contents of the report. They were both a little worried: "Your Majesty, although I am an imperial envoy and bear the royal flag, will the adults in the court pursue this matter? "
The so-called royal flag is actually similar to a jingjie. It is a housekeeping treasure given by the emperor to the imperial envoy, which can control the local government and soldiers.
"The banners are dedicated to reward, and the festivals are dedicated to killing." Those who commit crimes against moral ethics; those who kill more than three people in a family; those who escape from battle; those who disobey orders; those who rob and rebel against prison; those who gather in groups to rebel against officials; those who rob and bandit; those who collaborate with the enemy and treason , officials below the fifth rank can be killed first and then reported!
If the imperial envoy going this time is not a powerful person like He Shen or Yan Song, but an ordinary petty official, he will rely entirely on this royal order flag to get things done.
"Of course I won't give up."
Li Qian smiled and shook his head slightly: "As far as I know, Ma Jiyuan has something to do with Cai Jing. I believe Master Cai has learned about it now."
"Let me see what he is going to do at the court meeting in the next few days? Should he swallow his anger and swallow this bitter pill, or should he criticize Heshen?"
"Master Cai's people?"
Lu Pheasant exclaimed: "Master Cai must be having a hard time lately, right?"
Recently, I can always see the imperial censors’ memorials to impeach the Ministry of Justice. It seems that they are still entangled in Song Min’s case.
"That's for sure."
Li Qian nodded: "He has too much time to take care of himself now, so he just got it done."
"But……"
Lu Pheasant hesitated: "Didn't Your Majesty say that you want to balance the civil servants? Mr. Cai has suffered setbacks one after another. If you become anxious because of this, you will have some ideas..."
She is afraid that Cai Jing will jump over the wall in a hurry.
But Wu Meiniang sneered and said: "Cai Jing doesn't want to do it, there are many people who want to be the minister Zuopushe!"
"At least Qin Hui is definitely willing to clear out all Cai Jing's gang members."
Lu Pheasant bit her red lips lightly, glanced at Wu Meiniang, but said nothing.
Li Qian narrowed his eyes slightly after listening to what the two said.
Lu Pheasant's considerations also make sense.
"If the Prime Minister of Qin were to defeat Cai Jing, it might make him bigger, which would be unsightly."
Li Qian shook his head gently. From the perspective of the stability of civil servants, he could not do this.
"Besides, if Cai Jing falls, there may be another powerful official who will come out, but it will be worse than Cai Jing, who knows everything."
In the final analysis, the generals were still too powerful, and Li Qian did not dare to let the civil servants suffer too much internal friction.
The two women on the side stopped talking, obviously hearing that Li Qian had made a decision.
Li Qian frowned and stood up with his hands behind his hands: "It seems that I have to help Cai Jing to help him get out of his current situation..."
"Will Your Majesty let Song Min go?"
Wu Meiniang said with some reluctance: "If he is not punished in a canonical manner, I am afraid that the censors will not be satisfied, and it will make officials in various counties and counties emboldened."
Li Qian shook his head gently: "I will not take advantage of him."
He turned to look at the old eunuch at the door: "Has Gao Shilian arrived in Longxi?"
"Back to Your Majesty, I arrived three days ago."
"Hurry up and send him a message and ask him to act according to my previous instructions!"
The old eunuch didn't ask any questions and just took the order and went out.
Li Qian sighed and sat back on the chair.
Wu Meiniang saw that he was upset, so she stretched out her bare hands to help him rub his temples, and asked curiously: "Your Majesty, is there anything in Longxi that can allow the Ministry of Punishment and Yushitai to close the case?"
"Almost."
Li Qian's mood improved a bit, and he chuckled and said: "At least we can fill up the Changping warehouse in Longxi, so that the stability there can be settled first..."
Today's report was quickly copied by the General Affairs Department and spread throughout the capital, causing an uproar!
How could a person like Mr. He, who has always been kind to others, do such a thing?
That's not some cat or dog, but a serious seventh-grade county magistrate!
Just cut it off?
No matter how wrong he is, it won't be like this, right?
This matter soon spread throughout the capital and became a topic of conversation among the people after dinner.
"Then He Shen must have met a more corrupt official! When Master He saw it, how could you be more greedy than me? He became so angry on the spot that he beheaded the man!"
"I don't think so, right? I heard that I and your Excellency didn't get a penny for their trip to Xingyang this time! They also helped them build a stone embankment, saying it will last for thousands of years!"
"Hey, my dear friend, are you confused? Can you please accept the payment?"
"Haha, the embankment built by you and me will probably rot in two years!"
"Don't talk nonsense, you might not be able to cultivate it at all!"
"Haha, too..."
The common people's talk and laughter quickly deviated from the topic, but in the official circles, this incident completely caused a commotion.
Three days after the report was sent back, the court held a meeting.
In the majestic Qianyang Hall, Li Qian was wearing a red and yellow robe with four dragon patterns, sitting high on a dragon chair, and hundreds of officials in scarlet robes were lined up below.
Fan Zhixu, the young minister of Taichang Temple, was the first to stand up and report: "Your Majesty, you and your Majesty went to Xingyang and rashly executed Ma Jiyuan, the magistrate of Zhongmou County. The method was violent and unreasonable."
"Ma Jiyuan's crime has not yet been tried by the judicial department, and we still don't know whether it is true or false. Please send your Majesty to send another department to verify it, and recall Mr. He. Only Prime Minister Yan will be left to provide disaster relief and repair embankments."
Li Qian ignored him, but looked at the ministers below.
Sure enough, Su Ling'a, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, spoke.
"Master He is an imperial envoy of the imperial court and carries the royal flag. It is within his authority and responsibility to kill first and then report. How can there be any deviation from the rules?"
Fan Zhixu retorted: "If Ma Jiyuan is indeed guilty of many evil deeds, why can't he be tried by the court's judicial department? He must be executed first and then punished."
"Master He rashly killed Ma Jiyuan without going through the imperial court. Who knows if he was trying to cover up the truth?"
The meaning of this statement is a bit serious.
Is the spoils being divided unevenly? Is it killing people and silencing them? Is it complicity...
As expected, everyone in Yigan and the Party was angered.
"The court's judicial department has long been in a state of chaos. Who knows if there will be people who are colluding with Ma Jiyuan?"
"Officials protect each other, and they are linked up and down to hide dirt and evil! The corruption of officialdom in my country started with the law department!"
"Song Min is just a corrupt official, but the Ministry of Punishment has shied away until today and refuses to pronounce the sentence. What is this but collusion? If Sir He hadn't been brave and courageous and killed him on the spot, such corrupt officials would have been protected by the Ministry of Punishment and transferred to him, causing harm to the people. …”
The cannons were fired at the head of the Criminal Department, and they couldn't just sit back and watch.
What's more, Fan Zhixu is just starting today, the real main force is still on the side of the Criminal Department.
"The corruption of officialdom started from the Ministry of Justice? What a big joke! Didn't it start from your Ministry of Personnel selling officials and getting titles?"
"The Criminal Department is meticulous in enforcing the law. It never misses a corrupt official or wrongfully accuses a good official. Now that it is carefully examining Song Min's case, it is treated as a cover-up by you..."
The two parties, mainly the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Punishment, started a war. The two sides were at war with each other, and the fight was inseparable.
But no one else has died yet.
Including the fierce Qin Hui who had fought with Cai Jing before, he was also on the sidelines at this moment.
Li Qian watched coldly for a moment, then raised his head and looked at the old eunuch: "Big companion."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The old eunuch immediately shouted at the top of his lungs: "Quiet!"
The two sides stopped fighting, but still stared at each other with unkind eyes.
"What does Prime Minister Qin think of this matter?"
Li Qian looked at Qin Hui, thinking that he would definitely agree with He Shen's approach.
But unexpectedly, Qin Hui raised his hand and said: "Your Majesty, I think that you should have your own thoughts, and I dare not comment on it."
All the officials in the court were startled, and even many of Qin Hui's party members were a little stunned. Apparently they did not expect this response.
Li Qian frowned in confusion.
Originally, he planned to ask Qin Hui for his opinion. Qin Hui agreed with He Shen, and then asked Wei Zheng for his opinion.
A censor had impeached Ma Jiyuan before, so Wei Zheng's attitude would not have deviated too much.
After these two people expressed their stance, the situation was almost settled, and today this matter is in the past.
But he didn't expect Qin Hui to fail his plan.
Li Qian frowned and thought for a moment, then looked at Wei Zheng: "What do Wei Qing's family think?"
Wei Zheng did not hesitate, straightened his back and went out to report: "Beheading first and reporting later is the power of the imperial envoy. The imperial court only needs to review and review according to normal laws."
Li Qian nodded slightly, which meant that he wanted to follow the normal procedure.
The imperial envoy beheads first and then reports. It is impossible to be done with the beheading. The focus is on the latter report.
After you have surrendered power in an emergency, you have to ask the court to review it again to ensure that you have done the right thing, otherwise it will be an abuse of power.
Now that the two of them have expressed their stance, Cai Jing needless to say that he must not support He Shen and may even want to transfer him back.
Li Qian thought for a moment, without asking him first, but turned his attention to the generals.
"Uncle Emperor, do you think this matter with your Excellency is a bit extreme?"
Li Yuan was obviously startled when he heard this, and many officials were also stunned for a moment. They did not expect that His Majesty the Emperor would take the initiative to ask the generals today.
Li Yuan pondered for a moment, then stood up and reported: "Your Majesty, the right to kill first and report later has not been used by imperial envoys for decades. Now that it has been announced, I am still a little uneasy."
"After all, this matter involves the lives of court officials, and only Heshen and your Excellency know the details."
"If I think it is prudent, why don't you tell your Majesty the situation first, and then continue to perform the duties of an imperial envoy."