"Jia Heng, please pay homage to your Majesty." Jia Heng saluted Emperor Chongping who was standing behind the case, and said with his hands raised.
Emperor Chongping smiled and said: "Zi Yu is of a flat body, Dai Quan is watching."
"I thank you, Your Majesty." Jia Heng quickly bowed and thanked him.
Emperor Chongping looked at the young man in python suit opposite, with a gentle expression on his face, and said: "Military Aircraft Department, we have been dealing with military affairs these days, and military information is being uploaded and distributed smoothly. There is no stagnation anymore, and I don't feel as exhausted as before."
In the past, whenever there was a major decision, Emperor Chongping would gather his ministers to discuss it and argue for a long time. The decision-making efficiency was low, and he had to worry about being rejected for the six subjects. Now he directly instructs the Minister of Military and Aircraft, issued an edict, and dealt with special matters, and the decision-making efficiency has been greatly improved. Not to mention improving, the monarchy becomes more and more powerful.
It is equivalent to starting from scratch, and the imperial power can be used more freely. If the military and aircraft minister is disobedient, then just replace him. Anyway, the military and aircraft minister does not matter where he comes from.
As time passed, the civil service group gradually came to realize that there were two teams, and whoever disobeyed would be replaced.
Jia Heng cupped his hands and said: "The purpose of the military aircraft office is to assist the wise king. If there is no saint to wear clothes and eat at night, to work early and late at night, there will be no smooth flow of military orders."
Emperor Chongping smiled and did not continue the topic. Instead, he picked up the confession after the case and said: "The first-class Shenwei General Jia She confessed to his smuggling deeds, but Cui Ling, the Ping An Jiedushi envoy, was involved in the case. , According to what Jia She said, Datong, the general of the Xuanfu and his subordinate generals smuggled people to the barbarians, how do Ziyu think I should deal with them?"
"I have said before that Jia She's smuggling and smuggling is just the tip of the iceberg. As far as I know, the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce consists of eight merchants: Qiao, Chang, Cao, Hou, Qu, Kang, Fan, and Kong. They strengthen each other's momentum. He has been smuggling to Mongolia for a long time, and then transferred to the Eastern Han Dynasty." Jia Heng said in a deep voice with a cold face.
In the later years of Emperor Taizong of the Han Dynasty, Mongolia gradually split into the Chahar, Khalkha, Horqin and other tribes.
Because of the continuous attack by famous generals during the Longzhi period of the Han Dynasty, and the rise of Lin Dan Khan after the Mingqi and Chongzhen years, the historical trajectory has undergone a huge deviation.
At this moment, among the Chahar tribes in Monan Mongolia, Ezhe, the son of Lindan Khan, is still lingering on, and has not completely surrendered to the Eastern captives. He is playing both sides of the fence between the Han and the Eastern captives, and objectively serves as a barrier between the Han court and the Eastern captives. Therefore, mutual trading has been banned and revived many times.
As for the Inner Khalkha Tribe, except for the Bahrain Tribe and the Jarut Tribe, which still maintain some independence and autonomy, the other tribes, together with Horqin, have already surrendered to the Eastern captives.
The Donglu have always wanted to unify Mongolia, but natural disasters have continued in recent years. Their strategy is to raid the south to protect themselves and wait for opportunities.
It can be said that the Han court's mentality towards the Chahar tribes was quite contradictory.
Emperor Chongping said in a deep voice: "Zi Yu, as mentioned in the previous memorial, the Linfen Kang family is the leader of Shanxi merchants and has accumulated tens of millions of taels of wealth?"
Jia Heng said: "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, as far as I know, the Kang family does have such wealth. They are all ill-gotten wealth obtained over the years. They even win over officials in the capital, but their intentions are unclear."
The Emperor most likely had the intention of confiscating the money and not putting it into the national treasury. Speaking of which, it was the money that the Sanhe Gang had ravaged the East City and the money they had confiscated, which gave the Emperor some stimulation.
But after all, we still have to take away people's property without specific charges, and the gentry and literati all over the world will definitely criticize them with words and writings.
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the Shanxi merchants are today because of mutual trade. They used the Mongolian trade route to do business with the Jurchens, selling iron tools and arms to the Jurchens. Now that the Donglu are so powerful, they have more than one share.
Help."
Emperor Chongping pondered for a long time, as if weighing the pros and cons, and said: "You are still in charge of this matter. I will ask the inner factory to assist you and arrange it secretly. We must not alert the enemy or leak the news."
Jia Heng bowed his hands and said, "Holy Lord, Holy Ming."
The Emperor was indeed moved, and no one could stop the Emperor from confiscating his family's property to make a fortune.
"Your Majesty, now the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the help of Yang Sihong, seems to be interfering in the rectification of salt affairs in the Ministry of Revenue." Jia Heng said in a low voice.
Emperor Chongping looked silent for a moment and said in a low voice: "Mr. Yang Ge did not mention this matter at all."
Jia Heng nodded and stopped worrying about the matter.
Emperor Chongping then asked again: "Since Cui Ling, the Jiedu envoy of Ping'an Prefecture, was involved in the smuggling case, how do you think he should be punished?"
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "Ping'an Prefecture is facing the barbarians directly. It is a battleground for military strategists. We should choose loyal, diligent and hard-working generals to guard it. Otherwise, there may be unforeseen events in war with the enemy barbarians. I
I think that Cuiling should be guarded for many years as a border guard. He has worked hard and achieved great results. He was promoted to Shenjing and transferred to the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army as the Governor's Tongzhi. Then he was questioned again. As for the post of Ping'an Prefecture's Jiedu Envoy, I recommended Fenwuying.
Qi Jianhui, the governor's colleague, took over."
If you look at the map of the Han Dynasty, you will find that the three major towns of Ping'an Prefecture (Shuozhou), Datong, and Xuanfu (Zhangjiakou Xuanhua) form a line of defense directly facing the Mongolian tribes. In comparison, Ping'an Prefecture is deeper
Enemy territory.
If Ping'an Prefecture is lost, the barbarians can attack Taiyuan, the important town in Shanxi. If Taiyuan is lost again, the world will be shaken.
"Cui Ling has been in Ping'an Prefecture for a long time, has 40,000 troops, and faces the Mongolian tribes. Now it is time to check the border, and it is not appropriate to cause extraneous matters. In addition, soldiers in Datong, Xuanfu and other places have heard that there are frequent smuggling incidents. I mean, at the moment
It’s not a good idea to act rashly. When King Beijing comes back from his inspection, if they understand the general situation and will not suffer any loss in the major issues, it’s not a bad idea for me to open up the net." Emperor Chongping thought about Jia Heng's "rising in the dark and descending in the dark".
I think the operability is acceptable, but it just needs to be slowed down a bit.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then he cupped his hands and said, "Holy Lord, Holy Ming."
If he followed his wishes, he would re-evaluate and replace the leading generals in Datong, Xuanfu, and Ping'an Prefecture to prevent the enemy invaders from using the Chahar tribes in Monan Mongolia to intimidate the important town of Taiyuan after being frustrated in Peiping.
.
It's just that after the emperor established his own military aircraft department, he became more and more assertive. Of course, it was also because of the priorities of things. He was afraid that he would force Cui Ling to rebel, scare Datong, Xuanfu and other generals, and cause some unpredictable things.
The truth is obvious. If the general has a pile of shit under his butt and is severely punished, who will cooperate with you in eliminating the general?
It is said that Cui Ling was a subordinate of Duke Jia Jiarong in his early years, and one of his daughters married King Beijing as a concubine. It is unknown whether the emperor took this move into consideration for King Beijing's feelings.
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment, and finally mentioned the matter of Jia She, saying: "The powerful general Jia She was interrogated in the internal police station, and his evil deeds were carefully investigated and recorded in his oral confession. His evil deeds have been revealed. As the leader of the Jia clan, I thought that I
How to deal with it?”
This is asking Jia Heng. This is a sign of respect for the important ministers of the military and state. After all, they are members of the same clan.
However, Jia Heng's expression was calm, and he cupped his hands and said: "The national law is brilliant, and the prince who breaks the law is as guilty as the common people, so he should be punished according to the law, let alone the attention of the government and the public now, and the public is angry, so the emperor will punish him according to the law."
Jia She didn't even resist, and basically confessed. The subsequent procedures completely depended on the emperor's wishes, and because the matter involved a border general, it was difficult to hand it over to a competent authority for handling.
Emperor Chongping's face paused slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "If you smuggle barbarians, you should be punished with great punishment..."
Jia Heng was heartbroken and thought to himself, then he will be punished with great punishment!
But for some reason, he had a vague intuition, guessing that Emperor Chongping would not sacrifice the butcher knife.
Without him, because Cui Ling was suppressed by Ping'an Jiedu, it seems unjustifiable to just talk about Jia She's death penalty, and it would easily scare the generals.
After all, it is still related to the rampant smuggling activities in the border towns. Ordinary people would have been killed long ago, and even their families would be affected.
After all, this is an era where people rule.
But it was impossible for him to say, execute Jia She quickly, hurry up!
Emperor Chongping thought for a while and said in a low voice: "After thinking about Jia She, he will eventually become a prosperous country...Dai Quan asked the cabinet to draft an order to deprive Jia She of the title of Divine Power General, and exile Jia She and his son to Guizhou. They were not pardoned.
"
It is worth mentioning that in the Ming Dynasty, people were mostly exiled to Lingnan, Hainan, Yunnan and Guizhou and other humid southern places. Because people from the north flowed to the south and people from the south flowed to the north, there was a sense of punishment. Only in the Qing Dynasty would they be exiled to Liaodong.
Jia Heng frowned and sighed in his heart. At the same time, he swallowed back the recent tendency of the Guizhou chieftain to revolt.
It is impossible to say that Marquis Jia En was exiled to Guizhou, realized Taoism in Longchang, and then quelled the rebellion of the chieftains and made great achievements. He could not hinder him. He was only deprived of the title. Will he be pardoned?
However, in short, Emperor Chongping still did not grant Jia pardon to death, or it could be said that this was due to the trend of "punishment does not go to the doctor".
The punishment of exile originated from Emperor Shun's exile of the four evildoers. It was mostly the next best option for a wise king and wise ruler to forgive the punishment.
"Actually, because I was leading the troops, I was given grace intentionally or unintentionally." Jia Heng thought about it.
When a general leads an army, one of his tribesmen breaks the law, but it is not a crime of treason. He kills his fellow tribesmen all at once, which makes him lose face.
But what about the title? After seizing the title, it is not clear whether the emperor will remove the title in the future. He may intend to leave room for mercy.
Emperor Chongping seemed to be thinking about the inheritance of the title. He pondered for a while and asked: "Jia Qing, from the Rongguo lineage, no one seems to be worshiping you?"
Jia Heng's face turned solemn, he cupped his hands and said, "Jia She still has a concubine, a legitimate brother."
Emperor Chongping frowned and said coldly: "Father and son are both guilty, how can they offer incense again?"
This means that this branch is all seriously ill and all members are evil, so it is necessary to change the clan branch. In other words, Emperor Chongping does not want to give Rongguo Mansion another chance.
Jia Heng was speechless for a moment, feeling that Emperor Chongping had some map guns.
For example, Jialan has a good temperament.
Emperor Chongping suddenly cast a pair of calm eyes on Jia Heng and asked: "Jia Qing, you are originally a concubine of Ning Mansion, right?"
Jia Heng was startled for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Back to Your Majesty, my ancestor Shang was originally a common branch of Ning Guogong. He was removed by His Majesty and given military service, and that's why I got the title and salary I have today. Even if I am broken into pieces, I can't repay the kindness of Your Majesty."
"
His title was all due to his own meritorious service, and it would not have been possible if the emperor did not reuse him.
Emperor Chongping looked at Jia Heng with a meaningful look in his eyes, and said: "That man is offering sacrifices to the Rongguo incense first, and the title of the Rongguo will be continued. It has no merit and no virtue... We will discuss it later."
Last time I heard what Zi Tong said, Xianning seems to have the intention of being in love with Ziyu. For example, the Ministry of Rites last time requested that "the people should also worship, and etiquette should be based on righteousness. It should be a routine etiquette and be followed by everyone." If it can be used to honor Princess Xianning.
, they are both legitimate wives, so everyone is happy.
However, it still depends on how the war against the captives goes... Let's leave an opening first.
In fact, Emperor Chongping also needed to win over Jia Heng, the general who commanded the army. What could be stronger than the relationship between Weng and his son-in-law?
Well, there is a brother-in-law relationship - brother-in-law and elder brother-in-law.
Jia Heng couldn't figure out the emperor's intentions for a while, and it was hard to say. As the patriarch, he had the original responsibility to worship his ancestors.
Emperor Chongping no longer mentioned the matter, but changed his words and said: "The rectification of the Salt Law in the south is not going well. Yesterday, Mr. Yang Ge advised me that Lin Ruhai is not prestigious and talented enough to take full responsibility for the reform of the Salt Law, so a cabinet scholar should be sent.
Qi Kun went south to supervise the reform of the Salt Law, what did Zi Yu do?"
At this point, the discussion is no longer about military and aircraft ministers, but about specific government affairs. This is also the biggest difference between Nan'an County Prince, Beijing County Prince and other military ministers and Jia Heng.
Emperor Chongping would never ask these people these questions.
Jia Heng said: "I was about to report to the Holy One that two years ago, Minister Liang from the Ministry of Household Affairs and Mr. Yu from the Metropolitan Procuratorate were ordered to go south to Huaiyang to investigate the murderers. So far, no one has been found who murdered Yangzhou Linyanyuan.
The murderer behind the scenes, because the investigation direction was wrong, had recently ordered Yangzhou Prefecture and County officials to arrest many illegal salt dealers... However, the commander of Jinyi Mansion, Lu Jingyao, acted on his own, causing heavy casualties to the Jinyi Mansion in Huaiyang.
Not long ago, we urgently mobilized the guards of Jinyi Mansion in Henan and Jiangxi to conduct reconnaissance in Yangzhou, and we found out some details. The details here have been summarized in a book, and I have asked your Majesty to take a look at it."
As he said this, he took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it over.
This is the key to his mission today. He must have a hand in reforming the shortcomings of the Salt Law.
Simply acting as an agent for military affairs will inevitably be constrained by the Qi Party and even the Zhejiang Party that will come to power later. If you can have a hand in financial power and lead the reform of salt affairs to ensure the supply of military expenditures, it will also be helpful to win the war against the captives.
But how to intervene? You cannot reach out all at once, you need to show the emperor what you can do.
Emperor Chongping asked Dai Quan to take the memorial and lowered his eyes to read it. There were many words in the memorial. Unknowingly, his face turned gloomy, with a faint evil look in his eyes. He said in a deep voice: "Yangzhou Salt Merchant, hand it over to the vassal, and connect the border with the border."
, how dare they act so recklessly?"
The memorial not only records in detail the extravagant life of Yangzhou salt merchants in Jiangnan, Huaiyang and other places, as well as their interactions with local feudal officials. These were originally recorded in the Jinyi Mansion, but there is also a record that makes the Chongping Emperor feel like it is stuck in its throat.
"The Prince of Qi County, Xu Shaozhen, a distinguished guest in the palace, had a close relationship with the salt merchant Wang Shouqi, and the Prince of Qi County received much of his money."
Seeing Emperor Chongping's face, Jia Heng thought to himself, as expected, this sentence really hit the Emperor's lungs.
He never gave up paying attention to Prince Qi.
Recently, due to the reorganization of the Jinyi Mansion, the governor replaced his own people and truly took charge of the Jinyi secret agents. He immediately increased the intensity of investigating the Qi Palace.
Jia Heng cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, merchants are cunning and treacherous by nature. In order to protect themselves, they are bound to weave a wide net. Now, I don't have much evidence about the assassination of Yangzhou Linyuan. However, Yangzhou salt merchants have extensive contacts and have many friends."
The officials of the Jiangnan feudal dynasty and the two bureaucracies worked closely together, so the emperor sent his ministers to the south to supervise the salt affairs, and I thought it was feasible."
After hearing this, Emperor Chongping looked gloomy and felt a cold feeling in his heart.
Even if Jia Heng said some things in a vague way, the emperor's mind already made it clear.
I'm afraid that the officials in Liangjiang and the salt merchants are in collusion with each other, and they have become a powerful force in the local area.
Since Liangjiang has always been the stronghold of the Zhejiang Party, it makes sense for Yang Guochang to send his general Qi Kun south to rectify the salt affairs.
Jia Heng saw Emperor Chongping lost in thought and said nothing else.
Without the courage to stir up a bloody storm, it would be almost impossible to rectify the Salt Law with great success.
Whether or not to send Qi Kun south depends on the emperor's wishes.
…
…
Just as Jia Heng was confronting Emperor Chongping, Jia Mu also put on her royal makeup and entered the palace, asking to see Empress Dowager Feng who lived in Changle Palace.
The naming of palaces in the Chen and Han Dynasties is indistinguishable from its formal system. It collects the essence of the Han and Tang dynasties and refers to the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty.
In Changle Palace, because Emperor Longzhi and Empress Dowager Feng had no relationship, they mostly recuperated in Chonghua Palace. Unless there were national celebrations, the couple basically did not see each other.
Empress Dowager Feng had just received greetings from Empress Song and Concubine Duanrong, and she was chatting and joking with some of Emperor Longzhi's old and shabby concubines, as well as the concubines of the royal family of Leshan County.
In addition, Empress Dowager Feng's sister-in-law, who was also Emperor Chongping's aunt, Mrs. Zheng Guotai, accompanied her daughter-in-law Xu to visit Empress Dowager Feng.
There was a lot of fun in the palace, chatting and laughing non-stop.
On the embroidered pier on the side, the eldest princess of Jinyang led her daughter Li Chanyue, the princess of Qinghe County, and several royal princesses such as Princess Xianning and Princess Nanyang listened to Mrs. Zheng Guotai telling jokes.
Mrs. Zheng Guotai had a loud voice and a hearty laugh. She told Empress Dowager Feng what she had seen and heard in her hometown in Luoyang.
The silver-haired Empress Dowager Feng had a faint smile on her rosy cheeks, and said with emotion: "People say that a tree is thousands of feet high, and fallen leaves return to their roots. This year is Qingming, so I have to go back to pay homage to me. I'm afraid if I don't go back, I won't have a chance in the future."
Already."
Mrs. Zheng Guotai smiled and said: "The Queen Mother has a strong body. In another thirty or twenty years, she will have a chance to see her."
The eldest princess of Jinyang took the Empress Dowager Feng's arm from the side. The gentle and mature beauty shook her arms like a little girl. On her beautiful face, her smile was as bright as a peach blossom. She said: "Mother, I told the emperor brother just now.
, this June, I want to give my mother a good birthday."
Empress Dowager Feng waved her hand and turned to look at her precious daughter. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt that her beautiful and fragrant face was becoming more and more attractive. She thought it was just because of the makeup, and said with a smile: "No, it's not possible.
My eyes are dazzled, my ears are deaf, it’s the first lunar month, and one of my teeth has moved. I’m old and useless. Your imperial brother is busy with state affairs, birthdays and so on. A bowl of longevity noodles is all."
Empress Dowager Feng said, then turned to look at Empress Song, the smile on her face unconsciously became a little dull, and asked: "Has the marriage been decided yet?"
The empress of Song Dynasty, with her beautiful skin and fair face, said with a bright smile, "It's decided, she belongs to the royal family of Nan'an County. I saw that tomorrow is the first day of February, so I asked Si Tianjian to divine it. It will be an auspicious day, so it is suitable for canonization."
"Of course I have watched you grow up, and now you have left the palace, opened a palace, and started a family." Empress Dowager Feng said with emotion.
The Princess of Leshan County, a woman in her forties, with bright clothes and fair complexion, made fun gestures with her hands and answered with a smile: "However, I was only a little tall back then, but in a blink of an eye I have already reached the age of marriage.
"
Empress Dowager Feng smiled and said: "At first, I said that your daughter, Qiongxian, was holding a gold brick and wanted to give it to Ran'er."
The Princess of Leshan County sighed and said: "That's because my Qiongxian family is not lucky. It's not because I fell in love with a poor scholar. I was quite angry at the beginning."
"Queen mother, Qiongxian married a Hanlin editor of the Hanlin Academy, and the other party's family can be considered a famous family." Empress Song explained with a smile.
Empress Dowager Feng nodded and said: "Wenhuawuying will have the opportunity to become a bachelor in the future, and it does not insult Qiongxian's character."
While they were chatting and joking, at this moment, a nun from outside the palace entered the palace, bowed and said, "The Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, Mrs. Rong Guotai handed a sign to the palace, asking to see the Queen Mother."
Empress Dowager Feng paused for a moment and said in surprise: "This is neither a new year nor a festival..."
