Regardless of whether they are dignitaries or ordinary people, the life of a widow without her husband is the most difficult. Even though Empress Dowager Zhang is the empress dowager, she does not have a serious mother-in-law to constantly hold her in check, but she has a filial son to take care of her, but she still feels a sense of loneliness.
The days passed extremely slowly. What was even more unbearable was that Zhu Houzhao, the emperor's son, had erratic thoughts that she could not figure out at all. Therefore, after finally getting a little bit of news from Xu Xun last time, she finally couldn't bear it anymore.
, without any news being revealed in advance, he took a carriage and went straight from the Renshou Palace to the Xihua Gate to the Xiyuan.
Although Queen Mother Zhang already felt that her whereabouts were kept secret enough, how could she have expected that Rong Shangyi, the most trusted person around her, had already become Zhu Houzhao's secret agent. In addition, the eunuchs along the way were not decorations, so she had just passed by the Chief of Ceremonies.
When she passed the factory, she saw a group of people walking towards him quickly. At first she thought it was the people around Zhu Houzhao who had gained the trust, but in a moment she recognized the person in front of her, and her surprise was no small matter.
"Queen mother..."
"It's such a hot day in June. You're walking naked under the sun without even opening the umbrella, and you're only bringing a few people with you. What if the heat is over?" Queen Mother Zhang did not wait.
Zhu Houzhao, who was standing in front of him, finished the last part of his sentence and scolded her. Seeing that her son didn't take it seriously, she suddenly became angry and anxious. When she was about to put on a straight face, something came to her mind, and her eyes turned red for a moment, "How old is your father?"
If you don't pay attention at all, we will be left behind. If you make any mistakes again, what should I do?"
Seeing that Empress Dowager Zhang raised the topic to such a high level and shed tears again, Zhu Houzhao panicked. Fortunately, at this moment, Xu Xun, who was next to him, came up and whispered a few words, and he immediately woke up and relaxed.
Tone: "Mother, forgive me, I will change my mind from now on, and I will never dare to do it again! You also said that the sun is poisonous, why did you come here in person? Not to mention that there was no news from Xiyuan, and the soldiers could not avoid it.
, what if you are overheated? My son will also be sad..."
Xu Xun asked him to care about Empress Dowager Zhang and try her best to coax her. Now that Zhu Houzhao had turned his head, it was not easy to say a few sweet words, and in a moment he coaxed Empress Dowager Zhang into tears. He put his hands behind his back and shouted at Xu Xun.
Xun gave a thumbs up, and then asked more and more flatteringly: "Queen mother came to Xiyuan because she wanted to visit the lake. The lotus flowers are blooming well at Wulong Pavilion. How about I take you there to have a good time?"
Or should we go boating on Taiye Pond? It’s very sunny on the lake in this weather..."
Although Empress Dowager Zhang was in a better mood, thinking about her purpose of coming here today, how could she be fooled by Zhu Houzhao so easily? She immediately said with a straight face: "Don't try to fool me with this trick. You are here on weekdays."
Renshou Palace always does Tai Chi like this, I would have spared you all the time, but if you don’t give me an explanation today, I will go to the Fengxian Palace to cry for the late Emperor!"
Zhu Houzhao was not afraid of heaven and earth, but he was afraid that Empress Dowager Zhang would take out the late Emperor Hongzhi. He quickly grabbed Empress Dowager Zhang's hand in a flattering manner and said pitifully: "Mother, please don't do it. This is why I will take care of the bosses in the court."
People are so offended. If you go to the Fengxian Hall to cry for your father, their memorials will drown your sons and ministers... Ah, you see there are so many people around. Let's go to Wulong Pavilion to talk.
My son, I must know everything and tell you everything!"
She said she was going to the Fengxian Palace to cry to the late Emperor, but Empress Dowager Zhang was just talking. When she saw some eunuchs kneeling by the road not far away, some of them had their heads raised, so she gave up her plan to question her here and lightly
She nodded lightly and called Zhu Houzhao to get on the Luan Jia to ride with her. However, just as the Luan Jia set off again, she suddenly thought of something. She scanned the crowd with her sharp eyes and found a few people who were sneaking away with them.
Xu Xun immediately drank...
"Xu Xun, come back here. You will be indispensable for the emperor's affairs! Call me as well as Liu Jin and the others!"
Empress Dowager Zhang gave instructions together, whether it was Xu Xun who finally had some air of a powerful minister, Liu Jin who was gradually beginning to show his true nature as a powerful eunuch, or the Eight Tigers who were now gradually trembling, they all gathered in Wulong in a short while.
In the pavilion, however, facing the angry and scrutinizing gaze of Empress Dowager Zhang, everyone stared at her nose and nose without daring to say a word.
"The emperor is about to get married." After using this sentence as her opening remarks, Empress Dowager Zhang slammed the exquisite Chenghua kiln blue and white porcelain cup on the stone table next to her, not caring whether it broke any of it.
, just stared at everyone including Zhu Houzhao and said angrily, "But the emperor today postpones tomorrow, and tomorrow postpones the day after tomorrow. Until now, he has not chosen anyone! I usually don't bother to care about what you are doing with the emperor.
But if you don’t have an explanation today, no matter if you are an earl or a ceremonial supervisor, eunuch, horse driver, or eunuch, you can all go to Liaodong to herd horses for me!”
As soon as he said these words, Zhu Houzhao couldn't stand and knelt down, let alone others. Liu Jin glanced sideways at Xu Xun, who was kneeling beside him, and his teeth itched with hatred.
Although he arranged for the person to be transferred to Renshou Palace and later to Taisu Palace, in the final analysis, it was all the good deeds of Xu Xun and Zhu Houzhao, so how come he has to take the blame now too!
Zhu Houzhao saw that the eight eunuchs were all too proud to say a word, so he glanced sideways at Xu Xun. When he saw Xu Xun raise his eyes and blink at him, he was worried and raised his head and said: "Mother, this is the matter.
Even if they know, they don’t dare to tell you, so I’ll tell you the truth... I’m the one you’re interested in!”
Although Xu Xun once said this swornly in front of Queen Mother Zhang, and Queen Mother Zhang almost believed it, when it was actually said from her son's mouth, while she was relieved, she felt a little nervous. She held up her hands.
I tried to hold it to the side but was in vain. Then I remembered that this was in the Wulong Pavilion and not in the Renshou Palace. This chair had no armrests. Fortunately, Rong Shangyi next to me quickly helped her with my quick eyes. After taking a deep breath,
She then asked sternly: "You didn't want someone who gave you something in the past, but now you are doing it secretly! Who is it?"
"This..." Zhu Houzhao hesitated for a moment and said calmly, "Is it okay for me to report this to my mother alone?"
Empress Dowager Zhang kept the others, just to put pressure on her son. Now she had no choice but to obey. She nodded and motioned for everyone to retreat. When Rong Shangyi and several palace maids around her had also left the pavilion, they retreated.
From a distance, she looked at Zhu Houzhao and said, "Can you speak now?"
There was no shelter outside the Wulong Pavilion. After standing under the bright sun for a while, Liu Jin felt a little overwhelmed. After all, he was already fifty years old and could not compare to Xu, who was young and strong and often worked hard with the soldiers in the school field.
Xun, while raising his sleeves to wipe the sweat, complained to Zhang Yong half-truthfully: "The Queen Mother asked the Emperor, but she took a bunch of us with her. This is really an unreasonable disaster. God bless Your Majesty."
I said the wrong thing and made the Queen Mother angry, so she brought us together to accompany her."
On a hot day, everyone wants to put more ice basins in the house, not to mention that the Eight Tigers are now at their most proud when the rising tide lifts all boats. Now they are left in the sun. Of course, they will wither in a while. At this moment, Qiu Ju said feebly: "Who says it's not the case... Uncle Pingbei, I'd like to trouble you to give everyone a break next time something like this happens again."
"I also want to ventilate, but the Queen Mother also brought me along with her. How can I still send a message to everyone?" Xu Xun glanced at the supreme mother and son in the pavilion. Seeing that they were talking quite harmoniously, he finally did not immediately Sorry, he felt slightly relieved. He rolled his eyes and said to everyone, "Besides, the emperor's wedding is such an important matter. Not to mention that the queen will be the master of the harem in the future. If she is like the rest of us, We have no connection at all and even dislike us, so our life will be difficult. And if the emperor can get his wish, he won't have to worry about fires in the backyard in the future. Wouldn't it be a peace of mind?"...
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Dayong immediately nodded and said: "Yes, yes, yes..."
"What's right? Have you forgotten what happened to Concubine Wan Gui? Even if the Queen Mother doesn't agree, the Emperor will pamper her and make her a Concubine. The Queen Mother will not be able to do anything in the future! On the contrary, today the Emperor and the Queen Mother fell out after they talked about it. , we will all end up in trouble!" At this point, Ma Yongcheng looked at Xu Xun with a smile but said, "We don't have much benefit, but we are in trouble, so why bother?"
"When Mr. Ma said this, could he have forgotten why Wang Zhi was in charge of the Ceremony Supervisor of the Xichang Department?"
How could Xu Xun be afraid of Ma Yongcheng, who was ranked low after the Eight Tigers? Pass you guys? Well, if everyone gets through safely this time, then that’s it; if not, how about I introduce you to a profitable business to make amends?"
Intermediate officials love money, and almost everyone in the palace is exempt from it. Therefore, as soon as Liu Jin said this, even if he thought of fanning the flames, he immediately shut up, and Gao Feng, the most senior, could not make fun of Xu Xun as the God of Wealth. Zhang Yong immediately said with a smile: "Brother Xu, this is what you said yourself, and you say it as you say..."
"It's hard to chase the horse!"
As soon as these four words came out of Xu Xun's mouth, he noticed that the Queen Mother Zhang in the Wulong Pavilion stood up and coughed lightly. Everyone was alert, and there was silence for a while, and everyone stood upright. They were neatly arranged, and they didn't look as wilted by the sun as before. Queen Mother Zhang and Zhu Houzhao left the Wulong Pavilion one after another. When they passed by everyone, Queen Mother Zhang's eyes stayed on Xu Xun's face for a while, and then Scanning everyone one by one.
"The emperor's wedding is coming soon. Each of you has a job, so it's not convenient to leave them behind... In this way, Gao Feng, you will follow me back to Renshou Palace these days. You are older and more experienced. You have experienced a lot of these things." , just fill in the gaps for me!"
Empress Dowager Zhang chose Gao Feng, and everyone was not surprised. They all agreed immediately, and Gao Feng left with Empress Dowager Zhang and her entourage. After Zhu Houzhao saluted, he stretched his neck to see off the Empress Dowager Luan Jia, who immediately grew taller. He breathed a sigh of relief and saw that everyone was staring at his face. He immediately smiled and said, "The queen mother said that she must think about this matter carefully. The date is settled!"
"Congratulations to Your Majesty, Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
Liu Jin rushed to the front, and everyone surrounded Zhu Houzhao for a while to congratulate and congratulate him. Of course, Xu Xun would not compete with them for such a priority. After everyone had finished congratulating him, he said with a smile: "It's such a big deal.
It's a happy event, but we people have been left out in the sun for so long. Shouldn't the Emperor reward everyone so that everyone can feel happy and kind?"
As soon as he said this, Liu Jin and others remembered that Xu Xun had promised to introduce money-making activities, and now they had passed the test safely. This clause was obviously going to be abandoned. However, since Xu Xun took the initiative to ask for the reward from Zhu Houzhao, today's suffering
It was not in vain, everyone looked at the little emperor eagerly for a moment. In these eager eyes, Zhu Houzhao glared at Xu Xun angrily, and then waved his hand generously and said: "Okay, I agree! That's it!
, I will not treat you unfairly, and I will satisfy each of your requests... Don't be greedy and swallow the elephant, otherwise I won't recognize it!"
The emperor's reward for Liu Jin and others didn't matter. After all, no matter how generous Zhu Houzhao was, he couldn't reward them with one hundred and eighty thousand silver, which were just some good things that couldn't be sold. However, a request was different. At this moment, even if it was in his heart at first
Ma Yongcheng, who was quite unhappy, was also overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He even looked at Xu Xun with a different look.
This kid really sees that the little emperor is in a good mood, and he will even make such a promise!…
Others were happy, but Xu Xun was sweating in his heart. He didn't care about giving Bahu a little more sweetness in order to temporarily maintain that relationship, but rewards like Zhu Houzhao were different. But he said the words himself, he
He could only smile like the others, until Zhu Houzhao finally said that he was greedy and the snake swallows the elephant, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank God, the little emperor finally has some sense of proportion!
Everyone had just taken office as new officials. Now that they had been exposed to the sun and received compensation, they naturally resigned and returned to their yamen. Liu Jin wanted to stay a little longer, but there was a mountain of official documents from the Supervisor of Ceremonies, Li Rong and others.
The pick, he didn't have enough people under his command, so he had to resign as well. Before leaving, he still found an excuse to pull Xu Xun aside and whispered a few words.
"Brother Xu, while the emperor is happy, it's time to move your title. With your return to Beijing to turn the tide, shouldn't you at least make yourself a hereditary earl? Hey, if your father-in-law were not still an earl, you would be a marquis.
It’s more than enough. Besides, you and Shenying are in charge of the elite regiments in the left and right departments. He is senior to you. If your title is equal to his, how can you command someone as old as him?"
"Thank you, Old Liu, for reminding me. I'll look at the opportunity later."
Xu Xun nodded with a smile. When he saw off Liu Jin, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in confusion. To say that Shenying's visit to his home last night was not sneaky, Liu Jin should have known Shenying's attitude.
So, why would he bring this up? It should be noted that since Shenying is willing to vote for him, he probably won't care whether Xu Xun's title is higher or lower than his own.
"Brother Xu."
Xu Xun was deep in thought when he heard this sound and looked around, only to find that Gu Dayong, who should have left, appeared from nowhere. After he stepped forward, Gu Dayong grinned and said, "I saw Old Liu
I avoided talking to you for a while to avoid him thinking that I was eavesdropping on your conversation. I told you that when Ruisheng pretended to be the emperor before, I covered it up for him in front of Lao Liu, otherwise everyone would know that Xiao
This guy has such a unique skill, he will be in danger in the palace. Also, you should ask Shenying to keep a low profile. He came to your place so boldly last night, letting Old Liu know that he was doing something crazy again!"
When he learned that it was Gu Dayong who had concealed the story of Shenying's ascension to Anbo Mansion, and also covered it up for Ruisheng, Xu Xun suddenly didn't know what to say in the face of such good intentions. Although he and Gu Dayong had joined forces
Developing the south of the city, he made a lot of money from peripheral facilities such as leisure gardens, and he made a lot of money by acquiring and hoarding land. But after all, it was an alliance based on interests, so he couldn't press forward step by step like he did with Shenying.
He made a choice between left and right. Now that Gu Dayong has put aside his more than ten years of friendship with Liu Jin and worked hard for his sake, it would be too unkind for him not to make some representations.
"Lao Gu, thank you very much! It's not convenient to talk at the moment, so I'll treat you to a drink tonight! Go to Xianyuan, that's our territory, no one else!"
"That's fine. In that case, let's meet in the garden tonight!"
Zhu Houzhao persuaded the Queen Mother Zhang and was in a very good mood for a while. When Xu Xun came back, he forced him to go to Chidao to compete in riding and shooting. As a result, he defeated Xu Xun with the momentum that good things were about to happen. After this sweaty competition,
He took the towel wrung out from the well water handed over by Ruisheng and wiped his face vigorously. After taking a comfortable breath, he looked at Xu Xun and said, "I always give you a request from others, but you don't."
I'll let you go. I'll go back and ask the officials to discuss your title first. After all, those guys who moved Liu Jian to Xie Qian originally took credit for your achievements. A hereditary iron certificate is light and clever. As for everything else, you
I don’t have a son. When I have a son, I will give him a name myself and recruit him as my consort tomorrow!”….
Xu Xun was simply shocked to death by Zhu Houzhao's unfashionable thinking. Although his son had not even written a single horoscope, but the little emperor hadn't even gotten married yet. How could he know that there would be a princess? He didn't see that Empress Dowager Zhang had three children in succession, but
Did he only save one? However, he didn't dare to let this golden promise come true, and immediately smiled and said: "If the dog is lucky enough to be named by the emperor, I will naturally be happy. It's just that this prince-in-law doesn't have any confidence."
If he can be worthy of the princess, the emperor and... the talented and beautiful girl will definitely be the prince and princess of Jin Zhong Yuxiu, and the ministers will definitely fight for it."
After hearing what Xu Xun said was interesting, Zhu Houzhao burst out laughing and didn't care about Xu Xun's tactful rejection. However, when he asked Xu Xun about Wang Shouren's reply, he was immediately annoyed when he learned that Wang Shouren still didn't say a word.
"Why is he, the most cheerful person I met before, so sloppy this time!"
Whether he was dragging his feet or making a quick decision, now that the words had been spoken, Xu Xun didn't bother to come and force the unlucky Mr. Yangming. After all, he had forced away Wang Hua's two fellow villagers, Min and Xie Qian, and had no interest in talking to Wang Hua's father.
Another fight. That night he left the city and went to Xianyuan. As soon as he entered through the back door, he learned that Gu Dayong had arrived, so he happily walked in. He followed the path to the bottom of the grape trellis and saw Gu Dayong Zhengrao.
He was walking around with interest, hands behind his back, and immediately called him Lao Gu.
"Oh, Mr. Xu Da, you are finally back!" Gu Da raised his hand to say hello and Xu Xun sat face to face at both ends of the stone table. When A Bao came up to pour the wine, he was stunned when he picked it up and saw it.
He was stunned for a moment, "Is this... wine?"
"I brew it myself at home, just to make it fresh and refreshing. Of course, if you like it, there are also Shao Dao and Guizhou Gong's Huisha Moutai."
"Yes, I got very drunk at Lao Liu's place last night, so I feel a little refreshed today." Gu Dayong shook his head like a rattle, raised the cup and took a sip. Although it felt bland, there was a refreshing taste in the mouth.
Tian immediately smiled and nodded, "You still know how to live your life, but it's a pity that you are also busy, otherwise you would go to Xianyuan to stay for a while every other day. This is the life of gods."
After laughing and chatting for a while, Gu Dayong got to the point: "Brother Xu, it's so easy to drive out the eyesores from the capital. I don't want you and Old Liu to start a fight. You guys are too stupid."
I'm anxious. In such a big court, wouldn't it be good for everyone to make concessions and make their own fortunes? He and I have been friends for more than ten years. Although we don't have such a long relationship with you, we still have an extraordinary relationship.
, if you guys really start to make trouble, how will I behave if I'm in the middle? If the emperor finds out, it will be even worse."
"Not that much, Lao Gu, it's too early for you to worry."
Xu Xun laughed and saw that Gu Dayong changed from his usual carefree attitude and looked at him seriously. He pondered for a moment and then smiled and said: "To say that there is no big conflict between me and Lao Liu, it is mainly because of the court appearance."
Those seats. He has his people and I have mine. It is inevitable that there will be some small discord in this couple. I don’t want things to get serious, but think about it, I didn’t say anything when Jiao Fang entered the cabinet. This old guy I
I still have a grudge against him, but the Emperor just appointed the Minister of War, Lao Zhang, who had previously whispered to me that luckily it was Yang Yiqing, and that he might be able to make great achievements in the future, so Lao Liu suddenly made a move that caught me off guard.
He said that this time I have helped you a lot, so there are so many seats available, but he..."
Seeing Gu Da shaking his head and sighing, Xu Xun raised his neck and drank the glass of wine in one gulp, and then said lightly: "That's why I tried so hard to pull Old Shenying over. This was all to make me angry! But today
Now that you, Lao Gu, have said this, I can also explain it clearly to you. This small fight is still a small draw. After all, we are brothers. If we fight at the end of the bed and make up at the end of the bed, we will not be exposed in front of others and make people laugh.
If there is a fire in our backyard, I will just tolerate it for a long time!"….
"Oh, I also know that I am nosy, but if you think so, I will feel relieved
Gu Da filled the pot for Xu Xun, and then he said with a smile: "It is the time when we are establishing a solid foundation. When we are fighting in our own nests, there is no reason for the civil servants to keep from telling jokes, and it will be bad if someone takes advantage of the loophole.
You have helped us a lot this time. Zhang Yong and I are very grateful to you, but it is inevitable that some people are ignorant. Just like Ma Yongcheng and Qiu Ju... In short, one must maintain the good appearance of one's family.
To establish authority, you have to target outsiders!"
Xu Xun knew that Gu Dayong came to him this time, most likely because of his loyalty. Of course, he did not rule out the possibility of being entrusted by Liu Jin to come to find out. However, the two cases that Gu Dayong helped first,
And now this promise is confirmed. So, after smiling and nodding, he got the person to drink half-drunk, and then he let him stay in Xianyuan. When A Bao helped Gu Dayong to have a rest, he
He shook his slightly tipsy head and began to ponder thoughtfully.
To establish their authority... These guys want to establish their authority, most likely to target Han Wen, the leader of Fu Que! Looking at Gu Da's attitude today, if he and Liu Jin really fight with open swords and guns, even if they are like him
It's good to remain neutral for those who are so close to me, not to mention the other people among the Eight Tigers. Ma Yongcheng and Qiu Ju don't have a good attitude today. Although he can often go in and out of the palace, he can't be with these people and Zhu Houzhao
Compared with the middle-ranking officers who have been in love for more than a decade, it is even less likely that they can count on Ruisheng for everything. The little guy is still young.
He had used both soft and hard tactics to get Shenying to join the team, and then he had to think of a way to get Gu Dayong and Zhang Yong, who was close to him among the Eight Tigers, to really stand on his side, even if it was secretly! In this way, both internal and external control
, he can be invincible.
ps: Last month, the final monthly ticket exceeded 700, and the category monthly ticket award was successfully obtained. Thank you everyone! I rushed to this position at the end of the month, all because of your support. In this case, again, I will not be wordy at the beginning of the month. At the end of the month, everyone