Chapter 504 Wait for him to take the throne, the Jia family will not stay!
Beijing Palace
It was already afternoon. Princess Zhen Xue of Beijing had just gotten up from her nap. She was lazily leaning on the huanghuali wooden chair in front of the dressing table. Two maids behind her were combing her hair. A moon-shaped star was reflected in the bronze mirror.
Beautiful eyes, fragrant skin and beautiful face.
Melon face, willow leaf eyebrows, red phoenix eyes, cherry mouth...
Not far away, Zhen Xue's daughter Shui Xin was sitting on the Arhat bed, flipping the flower rope with the little maid. The little girl's face was pink, but after turning the flower rope for a while, she pouted, looking like a baby who was unhappy.
appearance.
"Xinxin, why are you so depressed?" Concubine Zhen put on her makeup after going to bed. She turned around and walked towards her daughter with graceful steps. She picked up Shui Xin with a smile on her face.
Shui Xinnuo said: "Mom, those sisters in the Jia family are so lively."
Although the little girl is young, her words are very childish, but there are some signs of precocious wisdom.
Concubine Zhen Lidou smiled lightly and said: "Xinxin, these maids in the backyard don't play with you every day, why are they so deserted?"
Although there are no brothers and sisters playing together, there is still a little maid accompanying him in the mansion.
Shui Xin smiled and said, "Mom, I also want a younger brother and sister."
Tong Yanwuji felt that the Jia family would be more lively because of the large number of sisters, so he spoke out right now.
The smile on Concubine Zhen's face faltered, and she clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
Three years after she entered the family, she only had a daughter and nothing to do with it, let alone a son. Because of this, her mother-in-law was constantly angry with her, and she even made plans to recruit a concubine for the prince.
She didn't really want to stop him, but the prince himself didn't allow it. This made her mother-in-law think that she was seducing the prince and hindering the succession of the Shui family.
In fact, when the prince visited his concubine in the palace, he didn't see anything wrong, and he didn't know what happened to her body.
In fact, when the King of Beijing was a boy, he was fond of molesting children, and later he liked to take Wu Shi Powder. After being diagnosed by the imperial doctor, it was difficult for him to get out of this body again. The King of Beijing knew this well, but Beijing
Princess Jing and Princess Zhenxue of Beijing were kept in the dark and knew nothing.
While the mother and daughter were talking, suddenly, a nanny entered the side room and said in surprise: "Princess, Princess Chu is here."
Concubine Zhen's heart moved slightly, and she couldn't help but call out: "Go and entertain first, I'll be there right away."
With that said, he led the maid and nanny towards the flower hall in the backyard.
At that time, Chu Princess Zhen Qing, surrounded by a group of nuns and maids, had been welcomed into the hall by the nun of the inner house of Beijing Palace. She picked up the tea cup and sipped the fragrant tea. Under her willow eyebrows, her clear eyes were cold.
Quiet, jade face covered with frost.
"elder sister."
Accompanied by a group of maids, Zhen Xue entered the hall and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Why do you have time to come to my place, sister?"
Zhen Qing put down the tea cup, a smile appeared on her beautiful face, and said: "I have nothing to do at home, come and see my sister."
While the two sisters were chatting, Zhen Xue invited Zhen Qing to the pavilion room. The two sisters sat down on both sides of the Kang table, and the maid served seasonal fruits.
Zhen Xue picked up an orange and cut it into pieces with a dagger. Her skirt rolled up her sleeves, revealing her frosty wrists, as white as jade, like lotus roots.
Zhen Qing smiled and asked curiously: "Sister, I heard that you went to Jia's house at midnight?"
"How did sister know?" Zhen Xue cut the orange into small pieces and handed it over, with a somewhat unnatural look on her face.
"I was a guest at the Nan'an Prince's Mansion, and met the Nan'an Princess. I heard her talk about it, and now it has almost spread all over the Shenjing City, saying that the Nan'an and Beijing families went to the Jia family and were rejected by the Jia family." Zhen Qing
Taking the orange petals, he gently put them in his mouth and chewed them. The berry juice soaked out of the rose-red lips, making them look more and more translucent.
Zhen Xue also picked up the orange and said softly: "I was a little rash and led Aunt Wu to the house to ask for help. When she met Jia Ziyu, he said that all kindness and punishment come from the top. Although he is the governor of Jinyi and presides over the case,
But I can’t make the decision, that’s what I think.”
"He's just trying to block you with words. You still believe me." Zhen Qing chuckled, picked up a handkerchief and wiped her mouth, and said quietly: "Last time he said that the prince was attracted by the beauty of the queen's palace.
It's just an excuse to repeat the same trick, but my sister actually believed it."
Zhen Xue's beautiful eyebrows furrowed, her bright eyes were surprised, and she said: "Isn't it right, sister?"
"Officials of this class are best at speaking loudly, and what they say is better than what they sing. Those scholars, who talk so much about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, are full of men stealing women and prostitutes." Zhen Qing's voice was clear and clear, as if
Mountain spring rocks.
Zhen Xue frowned, her jade face moved slightly, thinking about Zhen Qing's words in her heart.
"This Jia family is still an old relative of ours. We don't give them any face at all. In Jinling, my father took care of them a lot, so he is blocking you with words like this." Zhen Qing said with a focused look, seemingly angry.
Zhen Xue sighed quietly and said: "Being an official in the court is not easy."
"That's because my sister is kind-hearted, empathetic and understanding." Zhen Qing said, then smiled and asked, "Where's Xinxin?"
"Auntie." At this time, Zhen Xue's daughter Shui Xin, with the support of her grandma, entered the pavilion and called Zhen Qing.
"Xinxin." Zhen Qing looked at Shui Xin with a big smile. As she spoke, she held Shui Xin in her arms and played with her. The little girl giggled and buried her head with braids in Zhen Xue's front.
Zhen Qing hugged Shui Xin and played affectionately for a while, then rubbed the little girl's hair and smiled at Zhen Xue: "Xin Xin is taller again."
"At her age, she grows very fast. She grows the same every month." Zhen Xue smiled and asked, "My sister's Chun'er has grown quite a lot during the Chinese New Year."
A few years after Zhen Qing came to the Prince of Chu's palace, she had a son, now four years old, named Chen Chun.
"She's grown too. I look at her every day but don't notice." Zhen Qing smiled, took Shui Xin's hand, and said with a smile: "I like this daughter very much. When we are older, we two will
How about a family kiss?"
"You have to listen to the prince." Zhen Xueli smiled lightly, but did not follow the trend.
Zhen Qing smiled and didn't say anything. She just said, "I have something to discuss with my sister. I want to hear your opinion."
Seeing this, Zhen Xue waved her hand and motioned for her to carry her daughter down.
"Father sent a letter the day before yesterday, saying that the imperial court is very determined to rectify the salt affairs in the south of the Yangtze River. Not long ago, a cabinet minister was sent south, saying that he was not allowed to inspect the treasury of the Transport Department over the years." Zhen Qing lowered her voice.
Zhen Xue frowned and said in a low voice: "I don't quite understand these things in the court. How can my sister tell me these things?"
Obviously I don't want to hear it, but I have to listen.
"We are sisters. If I don't tell you, who should I tell?" Zhen Qing stared at her sister, her face covered with frost, and said angrily, then she smiled and said: "Besides, my brother-in-law is now the Minister of Military Aircraft, and he went to Beijing to investigate. Bian, seeing that we are going to be put in more important positions in the palace, it is time for us to help each other."
Sometimes she thought that if she and her sister had switched, and she had married the King of Beijing, and her sister had married the King of Chu, she might not have had to work so hard. Even after passing the marriage, she would still have to help the family continue their future plans. .
However, with my sister's calm mind, she couldn't help the King of Chu even if she thought about it.
"This is also the reason for my father's choice back then." Zhen Qing thought about this, and her mood was not complicated.
When the Supreme Emperor was in power, he was very happy with his achievements. He visited the south six times. As the president of Jinling Tirenyuan, the Zhen family was in charge of the three major weaving bureaus in the south of the Yangtze River. The important task of taking over naturally fell on them.
We were picked up four times in total. For the sake of dignity and scenery, we left a lot of money.
As recorded in the original work of "A Dream of Red Mansions", the Duzhen family picked up the emperor four times, but they used the emperor's money to spend on the emperor.
As for Yangzhou salt merchants, they also donated a lot of silver, and they had many business contacts with the Zhen family. Even the remaining silver in the treasury of the Yangzhou Transportation Secretary was lent to the Zhen family every year.
This is why the water depth of the Jiangnan Salt Service is bottomless, and even Emperor Chongping is weighing and weighing it.
"My good sister, they want to audit the accounts, but these old accounts are just bad debts, how can they stand up to the investigation?" Zhen Qing took Zhen Xue's arm and whispered: "But now my father in the palace, After listening to the instigation of Jia Ziyu and those civil servants, I am going to take it seriously, but the family also suffered a loss because of the palace, so they have to admit it, right?"
In fact, this is right or wrong. Although the Jiangnan Zhen family spent a lot of money on the Emperor's southern tour, they also took a lot of money into their own pockets.
The Zhen family and the Emperor are just like the Lai family and the Jia family.
"But the prince has left the capital to investigate the border and will not be back for March or May. No matter how hard he tries, it is beyond his reach. Since the court wants to investigate the salt affairs, this is a great trend." Zhen Xue frowned, her eyebrows softened. vocal tract.
Zhen Qing said: "Sister, that's what I'm thinking. Can I ask my brother-in-law to write a letter to Fourth Uncle Yu in Jiangbei Camp?"
"Write a letter?" Zhen Xue was startled and frowned: "What does sister want to do?"
Zhen Qing smiled and said: "Sister, don't panic, where are you thinking?"
This was because Chen Han was marching from the south to the north. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he spent some years as the capital in Jinling, which was for Nanjing. In addition to garrison guards, Nanjing also had two large armies stationed in the south of the Yangtze River and two camps in the north of the Yangtze River.
The Jiangbei camp was stationed in Yangzhou, with about 30,000 soldiers and horses, while the Jiangnan camp was stationed at Xiaolingwei, Nanjing, with 60,000 soldiers and horses.
But now that the military system of Chen and Han is corrupt and decayed, it is actually difficult to say how much actual troops the two battalions of soldiers in the Jianghuai area can have.
The commander-in-chief of the Jiangbei Camp was none other than Shu Shuiyu, a member of the Beijing royal family. His official position was the Jiedushi of the Jiangbei Camp. This was also the reason why the Beijing King was one of the four princes and eight princes, and he was close to the old generals in all provinces.
As for the Jiangnan camp, there was no Jiedushi, and the military power and orders were more complicated. In addition to receiving money, food, and salaries from the Governor of Liangjiang and the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs, the generals and personnel were under the joint jurisdiction of the Nanjing Ministry of War and the Fifth Military Governor's Office in Shenjing.
"Sister, what are you writing to do?" Zhen Xue's face changed slightly and she asked with a focused look.
Princess Chu Zhen Qing smiled, stroked her sister's hand, and said softly: "Sister, don't be alarmed, Qi Kun is going south to patrol the salt. If the salt owl in the two Huaihe Rivers is to be suppressed, the camp in the north and south of the Yangtze River must be mobilized to fight in advance.
Just saying hello."
Hearing this, Zhen Xue felt a little uneasy and whispered: "Sister, I'll write to Datong in a few days and I'll talk to him before we make any arguments."
I sighed deeply in my heart. With such a huge deficit in my family, sooner or later it would have to be investigated. How could the prince get out of this muddy water?
But if something happens to the Zhen family, she, the Princess of Beijing, will also be uneasy, and the prince has some contacts with the King of Chu.
"Okay." Zhen Qing nodded, agreed, and then said: "There is another thing that I am also very worried about. The prince has been in charge of government for several years, and he only did trivial things in the Ministry of War. Some time ago, Zou Jing, the minister of the Ministry of War, followed
Scholar Li went to the north. The prince originally wanted to take charge of the ministry and asked the emperor to help him, but his father refused. Now that there is a vacancy in the Ministry of Works, the prince went to the palace and begged the emperor to help supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
I don’t know if this thing can be done.”
At this moment, the King of Chu had already gone to the Daming Palace, planning to ask himself to supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
"Supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum?" Zhen Xue frowned and said in surprise: "Will the Holy One agree to this matter?"
"There must be a vassal king who will take care of this matter. I heard that the boss is also in the palace, and I'm afraid he will steal this job." Zhen Qing said in a low voice.
"Boss, King Qi?" Zhen Xue stared hard and whispered.
Zhen Qing smiled and said: "What King Qi? He is now the King of Qi County. He has not recovered from the title he lost last time. It is said that it was Jia Ziyu's handiwork."
To put it bluntly, if Emperor Chongping died without leaving an edict, then King Xu of Qi would not be qualified to inherit the throne because of his title as a county prince.
Thoughts appeared on Zhen Xue's face, and she said softly: "I heard that there was such a thing. It seems that the last time the Jia family was exiled, Prince Qi Jun went to send it off?"
"In fact, King Zhongshun also went to see him off. I don't want to be so happy that he will be sad. Now the situation is changing, and he will personally supervise his case." Zhen Qing sneered, and then whispered: "Sister, you said Jia Heng, he and King Qi are not at odds with each other.
, and now he is not close to our family. Normally, the two families are still close relatives, so he cannot be... then the King of Wei."
Zhen Xue said softly: "Sister, I'm not Jia Ziyu, how do I know what he is thinking?"
Zhen Qing nodded and said, "Speaking of King Wei, I rushed to Gongling Mausoleum yesterday. I heard that I got a reward from Chonghua Palace early in the morning."
"He is his legitimate son." Zhen Xue said softly.
Although I don't want to involve my prince, it is somewhat interesting to hear my sister talk about these rights and wrongs.
"What kind of legitimate son? If it hadn't been for this, I wouldn't have had my turn..." Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows and said in a cold voice. However, at the end of the sentence, she had some scruples and paused.
At the beginning, Emperor Chongping, who was still in his dormitory, adopted Princess Yong, who had two miscarriages and later died in depression. So far, Prince Yong has never had a main concubine.
Because the status of King Qi's biological mother was low, she was only a wife. She died early and became a concubine.
As for the King of Chu, although his biological mother was a concubine, she died early.
Emperor Chongping supported the Queen of Song Dynasty who came from behind. In other words, King Wei and King Liang were originally concubines.
It is equivalent to the fact that all the sons were born as concubines at the beginning, but because the two princes of Wei and Liang suddenly became legitimate sons because of their mother's noble status, naturally all the sons were unwilling to accept it, and Emperor Chongping was unwilling to establish his heir as the crown prince, which made it even more difficult.
It makes people think about it.
And while the two sisters were discussing matters, the Chonghua Palace was also performing a show of loving-kindness and filial piety, which was very enjoyable.
The King of Qi, Chen Cheng, was already in the Tihe Hall, surrounding the Emperor Longzhi's bedside, and asked with concern: "Grandpa Huang, how do you feel about your body?"
"You are much better today." The Supreme Emperor sat on the bed, looked at Prince Qi, and whispered: "Cheng'er, don't suffer so much, you are already starving."
Not far away, Queen Mother Feng glanced at her eldest grandson and wondered what kind of medicine was being sold in the gourd.
Empress Song also glanced at Chen Cheng's chubby face,
I thought to myself, if I haven't eaten for a whole day, how can I still be hungry and lose weight?
Chen Cheng sighed and said sadly: "I didn't expect such a thing to happen. My uncle is so good, but he has to..."
As he said that, he looked at the Supreme Emperor's face as if he was worried, so he quickly changed his words and said, "Grandpa Huang, don't be angry. It's not worth it to make yourself so angry."
The Supreme Emperor sighed: "People are rare in their seventies. I am aware of my own body and bones, and it is time to consider what will happen after my death. Now that the auspicious soil has collapsed, I still need to step up repairs."
Chen Cheng also took advantage of the opportunity to explain his purpose of coming, saying: "Grandpa Huang, now all those who should be punished have been punished. This Xiuji soil needs to be found by a reliable person to supervise it. We can't go on business trips anymore."
When he came here, he naturally wanted to take over the job of supervising the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
Since ancient times, supervising the construction of imperial mausoleums has been a great achievement once completed. If he has achieved this great achievement, it will be easy for him to regain the title of prince.
Thinking about the reduction of rank, Chen Cheng couldn't help but think of Jia Heng, and his heart was full of anger. Waiting for him to take over the throne, the Jia family's chickens and dogs will not be left!
The Supreme Emperor was an old man, so he naturally saw his grandson's intention to raise the issue of supervising the construction of the imperial mausoleum, and said with emotion: "If you had been responsible for supervising the construction in the first place, this matter would never have happened."
"Grandpa Huang, how old was I at that time? I couldn't handle such a big thing. Now that I am getting older and becoming a father, I have gradually figured out how to do these things." Chen Cheng said in a low voice.
This naturally excludes some of the two kings of Wei and Chu who intervened to steal the job.
The King of Wei is young, has no hair on his lips, and does not handle affairs well. The King of Chu is not older than him, and does not handle matters properly.
Queen Song listened to what King Qi said, her eyes narrowed, and she glanced at Chen Cheng, feeling displeased in her heart.
She originally wanted to wait for a while and take the opportunity to ask Ran'er to supervise the construction of the imperial tomb, but she didn't expect the boss to take the lead.
He said why he came here so eagerly, it turned out that he had a plan for a long time, and he couldn't do it early if there was no benefit!
If in the future hundreds of officials ask for a crown prince, supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum, and are filial and virtuous, there will be sufficient reasons for him to be crown prince.
The Supreme Emperor smiled and said: "I can rest assured that Cheng'er will supervise the production. I will talk to your father later."
When Chen Cheng heard this, he was very happy and promised: "Grandpa Huang, you can rest assured, I will definitely handle it properly."
On the other side, Daming Palace, inner study room
Emperor Chongping glanced at King Chu suspiciously and asked, "Do you want to supervise the construction of the imperial tomb?"
The King of Chu said: "Father, Gongling was killed and Xuan Palace collapsed. My son was heartbroken. I almost didn't sleep all night last night. I was thinking that if I came to supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum, I would never tolerate such corruption."
Corruption breeds."
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at Emperor Chongping, only to see bloodshot eyes in his pupils.
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said: "You have always been serious and careful, so it is perfectly fine that you supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum."
The King of Chu was listening to "Serious and careful" below. He felt happy in his heart, but there was no trace of it on his face. He said: "My talents are mediocre, but I should keep in mind the four words of duty."
"However," Emperor Chongping said one sentence, which tugged King Chu's heart again, and said in a deep voice: "However, supervising the construction of the imperial mausoleum involves the three yamen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Works. You are young,
If you have less experience, can you turn around the three yamen?"
The King of Chu said: "Father, I am confident that I can do this well."
If we say that he is young and has little experience, then Jia Ziyu is not even older than him, and he still leads three yamen.
Besides, the older uncle Wang Zhongshun has been deposed as a commoner.
Emperor Chongping paused for a moment, weighing something, and said: "Let me think about this matter, and I will discuss it with your imperial grandfather."
When the King of Chu heard this, he was disappointed that there was no straightforward agreement, but he couldn't say anything else. He cupped his hands and said, "I'll retire there."
After King Chu left, Emperor Chongping showed thoughts on his face. After a while, he suddenly asked Dai Quan beside him, "Jinyang went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
"The eldest princess went there early this morning and was escorted by the inner guards." Dai Quan replied in a low voice.
Emperor Chongping nodded and thought silently again.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has many responsibilities. It governs the property of the imperial estate and is related to internal funds. It is not suitable for outsiders to manage it.
The person in charge of government affairs must first be related to the royal family, so as to facilitate the handling of affairs in the inner palace. In addition, he must not be a vassal king, otherwise it will be easy to cultivate the influence of party members. After thinking for a long time, it would be quite suitable to hand it over to Jinyang.
It's just that she is a female, so it is not very convenient for her to do things.
I'm searching for the right person to help me.
After thinking for a moment, he said to Dai Quan: "Go to Chonghua Palace and ask the queen to come over."
Dai Quan responded, then left the Daming Palace to invite Empress Song.
After a while, Queen Song entered the palace, saluted Emperor Chongping who was behind the case, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, do you want to call me your concubine?"
Emperor Chongping said: "Zitong, I have something to discuss with you."
As soon as these words came out, Queen Song was surprised and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, what is it that you are doing so seriously?"
"Shyu is in Honglu Temple now? How many years has it been?" Emperor Chongping asked.
This is a question for Song Jing, the younger brother of Empress Song, a sixth-grade official serving as a guest in Honglu Temple.
"Well, my concubine's brother has been in Honglu Temple for six or seven years. Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to ask these questions?" Empress Song said softly and asked curiously.
Emperor Chongping said: "He is working diligently at Honglu Temple. I have heard about him over the years, and it is time to put him to good use."
When Empress Song heard this, she was surprised and happy, but her face showed hesitation, and she sighed: "My concubine's younger brother is mediocre in intelligence. He was once a sixth-rank official, but he is already as dull as he can be. He is weak on both sides, let alone put him in an important position?"
Emperor Chongping said: "Shu Yu is still talented. I have been testing him over the past few years just for his great use."
He actually knew that the queen had some thoughts in her mind, but even as the emperor, she could not act willfully.
Empress Song frowned, her jade face moved slightly, and she asked in a low voice: "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"In the Ministry of Internal Affairs, many people are involved in the Imperial Mausoleum case. The Kuaiji Department is currently short of a person in charge. Let him be transferred to the Kuaiji Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a doctor and do some work first." Emperor Chongping said.
"Your Majesty, how can you do this?" Empress Song said in surprise: "I'm afraid there will be criticism."
I was thinking about the Kuaiji Division, which is indeed a good job to be in charge of money and food expenditure, but who is in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?
Emperor Chongping smiled and said: "Why can't I do it? He was originally a sixth-grade doctor and was transferred to a fifth-grade doctor. What's the objection? Besides, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was originally in charge of Tianjia affairs, so let's just leave it like this and let him take care of it first.
I am in charge of the Kuaiji Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If you are really capable, you can also assist Jinyang in the affairs of the prefect."
As soon as these words came out, it was basically to let the eldest princess of Jinyang take charge of the internal affairs, but she also sent the younger brother of Queen Song to take charge of the money and food expenditure.
When Empress Song heard this, she felt slightly happy and said, "I, my concubine, will thank the Lord for your kindness on behalf of my brother."
Go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs first, and then help with the affairs of the government later. Of course... you can also be of help.
Emperor Chongping turned to look at Dai Quan and said, "Send someone to Honglu Temple to summon him. I have a few words of advice."
Dai Quan bowed his hands and accepted the order, and then went to tell the eunuch to deliver the oral instructions.