"Is this why father is angry?" Xie Wu looked at Xie Zheng with a faint smile and asked.
"Shouldn't I be angry?" Xie Zheng frowned, and his eyes were not only a little surprised by Xie Wu's light and airy look, but also a little bit dissatisfied.
The soldiers at the border are still starving and freezing. On the one hand, Tobe complains that he can't get any money and can't pay military salaries. But on the other hand, the son of the minister of Kyobe spends a lot of money to make the oiran happy! It's really ridiculous!
"I didn't say that father shouldn't be angry. I just wanted to tell him that this kind of thing happens every day in the capital." Xie Wu looked at Xie Zheng and said calmly.
As if this was just an ordinary thing.
Xie Zheng stared. Although he was angry and dissatisfied, he also knew that what Xie Wu said was true.
"How did my father know that the man who spent a lot of money to please the oiran was the son of Duke Cheng'en? How did he know that Duke Cheng'en was now the Minister of Household Affairs?" Xie Wu looked at Xie Zheng and said again.
Xie Zheng's eyes flickered twice. He looked at Xie Wu without making a sound, but his eyes gradually softened.
"Did someone deliberately introduce the identity of Cheng'en's son to his father?" Xie Wu asked again.
She knew that Lu Zhan had set up this trap in Zuiyun Tower, but the timing of triggering this trap was too coincidental. It happened to be when her father was attending a banquet in Zuiyun Tower, which made her have to wonder if it was Lu Zhan.
She wants to drag her father into this chess game!
"Ah Wu, what are you suspecting?" Xie Zheng also began to calm down at this time.
What a coincidence indeed.
He had just returned to the capital, and for the past month or so, he had focused all his attention on Zuo Yiwei. He could be said to be completely confused about the intricate relationships in the capital. If no one reminded him, he would have known that the person who spent a lot of money was from the Cheng'en family.
Young Master, you would never have thought that Duke Chengen was the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the dynasty, let alone the younger brother of the Queen and the son of Xu Shoufu!
Someone deliberately revealed this to him.
But, who is it?
What is his purpose in doing this?
"Father, the water in this pool in the capital is muddy and fast. We won't go there if we can. You just watched the fun today." Xie Wu looked at Xie Zheng with a dark look and said.
If Lu Zhan really wants to drag Marquis Wu An into this muddy water, then she...
All we can do is try our best!
In this life, she will never allow anyone to put Wu'an Hou's mansion on the fire!
Absolutely not allowed!
"Ah Wu..." Xie Zheng was shocked by the viciousness and determination that overflowed from Xie Wu's eyes.
He had never seen such an expression on Xie Wu's face. Even when she was pressed hard by Yang and Gui'an in Ronghua Academy, and they were slandered and framed, she never showed such an expression...
"Father." Xie Wu's long eyelashes drooped, completely covering up the ferocity in her eyes.
She returned to her usual calm and self-possessed appearance.
The viciousness and determination just now seemed to be Xie Zheng's illusion.
"Ah Wu, do you know something?" Xie Zheng looked at Xie Wu attentively and said.
He knew that his daughter was not simple. She did not have the innocence and brightness of a boudoir girl, nor was she confined to a back house like other boudoir girls. Her understanding of the court situation was not inferior to those who had been immersed in the court for decades, so he
I subconsciously came to talk to her about Zuiyun Tower.
In fact, it stands to reason that it would be more appropriate for him to tell his second brother about this matter.
But the only thing that really flashed in his mind at that time was Ah Wu.
But now it seems that he was right, and Ah Wu really knew the inside story.
Thinking of this, Xie Zheng's eyes gradually became firm.
Xie Wu pursed her lips tightly.
Seeing Xie Zheng resolutely waiting for her answer, Xie Wu hesitated a little. She didn't know whether she should tell him about the trap set up by Lu Zhan and Xiao Mubei.
According to Xie Zheng's temperament, if he knew that this matter could help the soldiers at the border, he would definitely be willing! But in this way, he would just fall into the trap set by Lu Zhan. She did not want to do what Lu Zhan wanted, let alone let Wu'an Marquis
I have to wade into this muddy water!
Xie Zheng saw the hesitation and hesitation in Xie Wu's eyes, but he didn't urge her. He just kept looking at her firmly, waiting for her answer.
He believed she would give him an answer.
"It's Lu Zhan, the second son of Dingguo Palace. He and the Prince of Zhennan arranged a scheme..." Xie Wu closed her eyes, weighed it again and again, and finally decided to tell Xie Zheng the whole story.
He is her father and the eldest son of the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion. She must tell him about Marquis Wu'an's current situation, so that he can better understand how to take every step of the way.
"Father should know that the Ministry of Household Affairs is in arrears with military pay. The military pay allocated to the Zhennan Palace is only three levels of what it was in previous years. Moreover, their military pay was not fully allocated last year." Xie Wu looked at Xie Zheng and said with a serious expression.
Xie Zheng frowned.
As the deputy commander of the Ningxia Army, he naturally knows what it means to have only three levels of military pay.
This year, the Ningxia Army has not fully allocated military pay, but it still has the eight levels of previous years. Although it is indeed less, it is not something that can't be done without gritting one's teeth. Moreover, the Ministry of Revenue has a legitimate reason - who said that Anqing Prefecture suffered?
disaster.
Not to mention that when Mrs. Chen found out about this, she took 30,000 taels of money from her private house.
There is no shortage of money in Ningxia, so Xie Zheng naturally thinks that other military camps should be able to persist, but who would have thought that the Zhennan Army only allocated the third floor in previous years?
No wonder Princess Zhennan suddenly returned to Beijing!
If it had been his father, he wouldn't have been as calm as King Zhennan. He only sent the princess and the princess back. If it had been his father, he would have rolled up his sleeves and rushed back to the capital!
He guessed that Hubu had already expected this, so he didn't dare to be too deliberate and wanton on his father?
After all, King Zhennan is still very well-educated!
At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through Xie Zheng's mind.
"So, does the Ministry of Finance have any money?" Thousands of thoughts finally turned into this question. Xie Zheng stared at Xie Wu, eager to know the answer.
Although Ningxia was not short of money, he did not forget that his wife filled in 30,000 taels of silver. Although his wife was not short of money, this was not the way to fill in the money when she was rich!
Seeing Xie Zheng's impatient look, Xie Wu twitched the corner of her mouth, looked at Xie Zheng with her face slightly sideways and said softly, "Why would father ask me this question?"
Xie Zheng was stunned.
Because he suddenly realized that he had asked a very stupid question.
No matter how smart Xie Wu is, she is still a girl who has not left the government. I am afraid that even His Majesty may not know whether the household department has money. How can A Wu know it?
"However, I guess the household has some money, but..."
But it went into the prince's pocket.
The household department has always been the prince's wallet. The prince wants to curry favor with the emperor, win over the courtiers, and establish relationships. All of these require countless silver taels. But where does this money come from? It can only come from the household department!
"Just what?" Xie Zheng couldn't help but frowned when he saw that Xie Wu had finished half of her words but asked again without giving up.
However, Xie Wu just smiled and said, "This time, the news about Mr. Cheng'en spending a lot of money for the courtesan will soon spread in the capital. By then, Princess Zhennan will have to go to the palace to cry in front of His Majesty.
, I’m afraid Hube will not have a good year this year.”
Not only is the household department having a bad year, but Duke Cheng'en's Palace, the prince, and the queen also don't want to have a good year.
King Qi will not allow them to have a good New Year!
Didn't Lu Zhan choose to stay in Zuiyun Tower because he wanted King Qi to know about this matter? With King Qi secretly fueling the situation, the Crown Prince and Duke Cheng'en's Palace would not be able to suppress this matter.
After hearing Xie Wu's words, Xie Zheng nodded in agreement. Then, he gritted his teeth and said, "You deserve it! Let's see if they dare to deduct military pay casually in the future!"
Xie Wu smiled lightly at Xie Zheng's words and said nothing.
The prince will not give up the money bag of the Ministry of Finance easily, and His Majesty will not easily depose a second-rank Minister of the Ministry of Finance for these things. The Ministry of Finance will only receive a reprimand at most.
If Lu Zhan hadn't thought of this, why would he have involved the Cheng'en Palace in such a roundabout way?
Who in the Great Wei Kingdom doesn’t know that the crown prince and queen are standing behind Duke Chengen’s Mansion? If the rumors cannot be quelled, how will the border officers and soldiers stationed for the country view their future monarch and mother of the country?
Not to mention that there is a King of Qi who is eyeing him eagerly. If King Qi shows his favor to Zhennan Palace at this time...
The prince and the queen did not dare to take this risk. Although the current emperor was more afraid of King Zhennan than he trusted him, the 100,000 Zhennan troops in the hands of King Zhennan were real. If they could not hold it in their hands, then
They will never allow the Zhennan Army to fall into the hands of the King of Qi, so they will definitely force the Ministry of Household Affairs to give out money again to appease the King of Zhennan.
This is the most subtle part of Lu Zhan's game.
He didn't show up from beginning to end. With the help of King Qi and the people's mouth, he forced the prince to endure the pain and cut his flesh.
Now let’s see how the Minister of the Ministry of Finance tries to ask the prince to find some money to give him, otherwise, how can he pay the shortfall!
"That's not right!" A sudden thought flashed through Xie Zheng's mind. He raised his head and looked at Xie Wu again, and then said in confusion, "Awu, didn't you just say that someone wanted to involve me?
I don’t see how this has anything to do with me?”
Xie Wu's eyes moved, and after a long time, she slowly said in a calm voice, "Father, who do you think is deducting these military pay?"
"Of course it's the officials from the Ministry of Revenue..."
The words suddenly stopped before he finished speaking, because he suddenly realized that although the Minister of Revenue had a high and powerful position, if he dared to so blatantly withhold military pay...
Absolutely impossible.
Not to mention that there were officials watching over him, but there was also a chief minister above him pressing down on him.
So there is only one possibility, that is, someone in the court is protecting him.
Is there any word on who that person is?
Why Lu Er and Prince Zhennan started with the young master of Chengen Palace was naturally because the person behind the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue was closely related to Chengen Palace!
The answer is actually already ready to come out.
But, he doesn’t understand, he really doesn’t understand!
He is the prince! He is the future monarch of the Wei Dynasty! Whether it is the Ningxia Army or the Zhennan Army, they are all soldiers of the Wei Dynasty! They are all guarding the country for him. He should have paid more attention to and sympathized with these soldiers than others.
That’s right!
But he secretly deducted the military pay of these soldiers.
At this moment, Xie Zheng's eyes were full of loss and sadness.
He couldn't tell what kind of mood he was feeling at this time?
anger?
disappointment?
sad?
neither.
That’s all.
As if she could sense Xie Zheng's mood, Xie Wu tugged at the corner of her mouth, and her voice suddenly turned bitter, "After knowing so much, father, is the prince still a perfect prince in your heart?"
Xie Zheng stared at Xie Wu with wide eyes in shock. For a long time, he didn't speak.
Xie Wu lowered her eyes and sneered sarcastically, "This is the purpose of designing you..."
Plant a thorn in your heart to reduce the resistance for him to support King Duan in the future.
Even if she lived for two lifetimes, Lu Zhan's ability to calculate people's hearts would still be far beyond her...
So, what scares and worries her now is, is this incident at Zuiyun Tower just to plant a thorn in her father's heart? Could there be other purposes?