Ye An was thinking about reform and the future of the Song Dynasty, but Zhao Zhen, the master of the Song Dynasty, was thinking about how to calm down the troubles in front of him.
The number of guards in the palace has increased. There are imperial guards from the Fourth Army on the palace walls, soldiers from the Imperial City Division at the palace gates, and even Zhao Zhen is surrounded by soldiers from the Imperial City Division acting as personal subordinates. These people are completely
Following Zhao Zhen's orders, they are an extremely elite armed force.
But even so, they are not the most powerful existence in the palace. Their main task is to prevent any more surveillance in the palace and ensure the privacy of Zhao Zhen, an official of the Song Dynasty.
The ones closest to Zhao Zhen were those with imperial weapons. They were the personal guards of the officials of the Song Dynasty and had the ability to deal with crises as soon as possible.
Kunning Palace is one of the few palaces in the imperial palace that can match the size of Funing Palace. Not only does the Empress Dowager Yang live here, but there are also several old and decrepit concubines of the late emperor. They all live with the title of concubine.
It's very appropriate to go up, but only the people here know that this is actually their prison, and they can't leave even if they die.
For the sake of the late emperor's reputation and the face of the Tian family, the emperor's concubines had no chance of leaving the palace and could only wait to die in this gorgeous palace complex.
Maybe it would be better if they had children, but if they didn't, it would be like them living a lifeless life. Visitors from outside the palace would only rarely visit, and most of the time they would be alone in the palace.
On the contrary, Queen Mother Yang of Kunning Palace lived the best, because she was nominally the adoptive mother of the official family, and she did have the merit of raising the official family, so Zhao Zhen often came to visit.
Today was no exception. Even before Zhao Zhen's guard of honor arrived, the palace officials had already passed on the news. At this time, Queen Mother Yang was tending the land in the garden.
There was a garden in Kunning Hall. Originally there were some flowers, but later crops were planted. This was still the rule Liu E had set. After Empress Dowager Yang took over, the garden was not abandoned, but continued to be planted.
With a smile on his face, Zhao Zhen handed the tea and handkerchief to the old woman who was clearing the land in front of him and said: "My dear lady, why are you clearing this land in winter? It won't be too late to clear it again next spring when the flowers bloom."
"Hey, the officials don't know this. Even in winter, the soil needs to be plowed and fertilized from time to time to protect the soil's fertility. The moisture content during the year depends on whether God is good or not, but the softness and smoothness of the land depends on whether people are diligent. You fooled me in winter.
Land, if you want to grow food next year, the land will fool you!"
Zhao Zhen nodded slightly and crossed his hands and said: "What the little empress said is that people can't fool the world, but they can fool others. Yi'er just learned today that he, Lu Yijian, was so bold that he colluded with the servants to spy on my whereabouts, and even reported it to Queen Guo without permission.
…”
"It's Concubine Jing!"
Facing Empress Dowager Yang's reminder, Zhao Zhen was slightly startled, and then said with embarrassment, "Do you think it's inappropriate for Yi'er to dethrone the empress?" Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Yang straightened up and said with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Zhen felt relieved: "That's all right!"
"What kind of propriety is there?! If it were done properly, how could it cause so much trouble?" Empress Dowager Yang asked Zhao Zhen to stand there in confusion, took the handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his face, and took another sip of tea before saying: "
The officials don’t understand?”
"Yi'er doesn't understand."
The smile on Queen Mother Yang's face grew wider, and she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay! Today, the old lady will talk to the officials, so that they can make the trip worthwhile."
Zhao Zhen was originally here to consult Empress Dowager Yang. After hearing this, he immediately said: "My dear wife, I still have a good heart for you, but when you see that Yi'er is in trouble, you loved me the most in the palace."
After saying that, he ordered Chen Tong: "Hurry up and get a charcoal basin, and send my Tang Pozi to the Queen Mother! Oh, and the furs sent by Siluo from Qingtang Corner are also given to the Queen Mother.
Come!"
"My slave, you obey!" Chen Tong was hesitant at first. After all, those furs were made of the finest furs, and there were only a few of them in the palace. But seeing the official's excitement, he could only hurry up and get it done.
Empress Dowager Yang did not refuse. She knew Zhao Zhen very well, an official she had brought up since childhood, and not rejecting his kindness would best reassure him.
Warm carbon pots are placed in the garden. There are not many flowers in the palace in winter, but in Kunning Hall there are rare flowers from various places. Even under the moisture of hot springs in winter, they can grow slowly and even bloom.
.
"The current worries of the officials are just a temporary predicament. Is Lu Yijian's case difficult? In my opinion, it is not difficult at all. If you make a mistake, you will be punished. This will never change! But how to punish, how to punish, how much to punish, these are all officials
The family is in control, and the officials should not forget that "thunder, rain, and dew are all the grace of the king." The will from you is the final outcome of everything. You must give an explanation to the demoted Qingliu civil servants, Fan Zhongyan, and Kong Daofu. They have no fault.
, as a platform admonisher, it is your duty to submit an admonishment! If they don’t have such courage and magnanimity, they are not worthy of admonishing the platform. Officials and officials should be happy to have such ministers!"
Empress Dowager Yang's words made Zhao Zhen feel much more at ease. Whether it was Lu Yijian's fault or Fan Zhongyan's, or Kong Daofu's remonstrances, he could easily resolve them. If he made mistakes, he would be punished. If he made achievements, he would be rewarded. Everything was decided by himself. What he was most afraid of was,
It is also the inaction that makes the officials most dissatisfied and criticized.
Zhao Zhen was quite emotional: "The words of the little empress made me suddenly enlightened, but the abolition of the queen was particularly turbulent. Now I am riding a tiger and it is difficult to get off. I feel ashamed again. If I regain the position of Queen of the Guo family..."
"What happened to the official family?"
Empress Dowager Yang gave Zhao Zhen a strange look and said: "The emperor has decided to act resolutely and will never act like a little girl! After deposing the queen, the officials firmly believed in their own thoughts. The Guo family was unworthy of the throne. After deposing the queen,
How can an official regret his wise move? Just choose a suitable queen. However, this time the official should be cautious and must choose the one who can shoulder the important responsibility of being the head of the Sixth Palace and the mother of the world.
Do whatever you want."
Zhao Zhen nodded slightly. He did not expect that the most troubling matter in his heart would be easily answered by Queen Mother Yang. It seems that the wisdom in the harem lies in an old man like her who is used to seeing the changes in the harem.
"I understand. I came to Kunning Palace today. The young lady has taught me a lot. I will definitely come here often in the future."
Empress Dowager Yang smiled and said: "The official family has a good heart and can bear in mind the kindness and righteousness of the late emperor's concubines like us. I am very pleased!"
After solving the troubles in his heart, Zhao Zhen was naturally in a good mood. He accompanied Queen Mother Yang for a walk in Kunning Palace, and talked about childhood memories together. Emperors are also human beings, and they also have feelings of nostalgia. When talking about his biological mother, Concubine Li Chen
I couldn't help but my eyes turned red, and coupled with the turmoil caused by the queen's death in the past few days, I couldn't help myself.
Fortunately, Empress Dowager Yang was there to comfort her and use some interesting stories to change the topic, which allowed Zhao Zhen to gradually calm down. He was an emperor and could not expose his weak side easily.
Zhao Zhen, who was in a much better mood, had lunch with Empress Dowager Yang in the Kunning Hall again. While his appetite was whetted, he also thought of the delicious delicacies made by Ye An, but there was one last knot that was still stuck in his heart.
.
He appointed Ye An as the director of the imperial city, and asked him to forbid collusion with both internal and external parties, but what if he becomes someone who colludes with internal and external parties?
Faced with Zhao Zhen's question, Empress Dowager Yang smiled: "In the official family, people have been employed without suspicion since ancient times, but how can any emperor in the past dynasties not be suspicious of his ministers? What happened to Taizu back then is considered a story of the Song Dynasty, so we have to be careful.
The only way to figure it out is the Yunzhong County Marquis Mansion. The more Ye An values something, the more the officials will hold it up. They must be kind to Yangcheng County Lord, but also trap him! Don't let the officials make mistakes in this matter.
Confused!"
Zhao Zhen's hand holding Tang Yinzi trembled slightly, but he quickly tightened it and said, "Yi'er understands."