The Red Mansions

Chapter 504 Waiting for him to inherit the great rule, the Jia family will not stay behind!

Chapter 504 Waiting for him to inherit the great rule, the Jia family will not stay behind!

Beijing Palace

It was already mid-afternoon, Princess Zhen Xue of Beijing had just woke up from a nap, she was lazily leaning on the huanghuali wooden chair in front of the dressing table, her hair was combed by two maids behind her, and a moon-browed star was reflected in the bronze mirror Eyes, fragrant skin and beautiful skin.

Melon-seed face, willow-leaf eyebrows, red phoenix eyes, cherry mouth...

Not far away, Zhenxue's daughter, Shui Xin, was sitting on the Arhat's bed, and she was turning over the flower rope with the little maid. look like.

"Xin Xin, why are you so unhappy?" Concubine Zhen, after putting on her makeup after going to sleep, turned around and walked towards her daughter with a smile on her face, and hugged Shui Xin with a graceful step.

Shui Xinnuo said: "Mom, those sisters in the Jia family are so lively."

Although the little girl is young, her words, although full of childishness, show some signs of precocity.

Concubine Zhen Liwo smiled slightly and said, "Xinxin, these maids in the backyard don't play with you every day, why do they still feel deserted?"

Although there are no brothers and sisters playing around together, there is still a little maid in the mansion to accompany her.

Shui Xin smiled and said, "Mom, I also want a younger brother or sister."

Tong Yan Wuji felt that the Jia family had more sisters and was more lively, so he said it at this time.

The smile on Concubine Zhen's face faltered, and she clutched the handkerchief in her hand.

She has only been a daughter for three years, and has nothing to do with her, let alone a son. Because of this matter, her mother-in-law has often been pissed off by her mother-in-law, and she has even tried to become a concubine for the prince.

She didn't really want to stop it, but the prince himself didn't allow it, which made the mother-in-law think that she was charming the prince and hindering the succession of the Shui family's heirs.

In fact, the lord was visiting his concubine concubine in the mansion, but he didn't see anything, and he didn't know what happened to his body.

In fact, when King Beijing was young, he used to be a child prostitute, and later he liked to take Wushi powder. After being diagnosed by the imperial physician, it would be difficult for him to get out of this body. King Jing knew it well, but Beijing Concubine Jing and Princess Zhenxue of Beijing were kept in the dark and knew nothing about it.

While the mother and daughter were talking, suddenly, a nun entered the wing room and said pleasantly, "Princess, Princess Chu is here."

Concubine Zhen's heart moved slightly, and she couldn't help calling out: "Go entertain me first, I'll go over right away."

As he said that, he led the maids and mothers to the flower hall in the backyard.

At that time, Princess Chu Zhen Qing, surrounded by a group of mothers and maidservants, was welcomed into the hall by the housekeeper of the Beijing Prince's Mansion. She held up a teacup and sipped fragrant tea. Under her willow eyebrows, her eyes were cold Quiet, Yurong covered with frost.

"elder sister."

Accompanied by a group of maidservants, Zhen Xue entered the living room, and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Why is my sister coming to my place when you have time?"

Zhen Qing put down the teacup, a smile appeared on her pretty face, and said, "I have nothing to do at home, come and see my sister."

During the greeting between the two sisters, Zhen Xue invited Zhen Qing to the Xuan 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. The sleeves of her skirt were rolled up, her wrists were covered with frost, as white as jade, like a lotus root.

Zhen Qing smiled and asked curiously: "Sister, I heard that you went to Jia's house at noon?"

"How did my sister know?" Zhen Xue cut the orange into small petals and handed it over, with an unnatural expression on her face.

"I went to Nan'an Palace as a guest, and I met Concubine Nan'an. I heard her talk about it, and now it's almost spread all over Shenjing City. It is said that Nan'an and Beijing went to Jia's house, and they were shut down by Jia's house." Zhen Qing I took the orange petals and chewed them lightly in my mouth. The berry juice soaked out on the rose red lips, making them more radiant and translucent.

Zhen Xue also picked up the orange, and said softly, "I was a little reckless. I led Aunt Wu to the mansion to ask for entrustment. When I met Jia Ziyu, he said that all grace and punishment come from above. Although he is the governor of Jinyi, he presides over the case. But I can’t make the decision, I think it’s the same reason.”

"He was just talking to you, you still believe it." Zhen Qing smiled, 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 old tricks, but my sister actually believed it."

Zhen Xuexiu frowned, her bright eyes were surprised, and she said, "Isn't it, sister?"

"These foreign court officials are best at talking loudly, and all of them speak better than singing. Those who are scholars are full of benevolence, righteousness and morality. They are full of men and women." Zhen Qing's voice was clear, almost like The mountain spring stimulates the stone.

Zhen Xue frowned, her jade face moved slightly, thinking about Zhen Qing's words in her heart.

"The Jia family is still an old relative of our family, so they don't give any face. In Jinling, my father took care of them a lot, so he just used words to block you." Zhen Qing said with her eyes fixed, seeming annoyed.

Zhen Xue sighed quietly and said, "It's not easy to be an official in the court."

"It's my sister who is kind-hearted, considerate and considerate." Zhen Qing said, then smiled and asked, "Where's Xinxin?"

"Auntie." At this time, Zhen Xue's daughter Shui Xin, supported by her mother, entered the hall and called out to Zhen Qing.

"Xin Xin." Zhen Qing looked at Shui Xin, smiling profusely. As she spoke, she hugged her in her arms to frolick.

Zhen Qing hugged Shui Xin and played with her for a while, rubbed the little girl's hair, and smiled at Zhen Xue: "Xin Xin is tall again."

"At her age, her size is growing fast, changing every month." Zhen Xue smiled and asked: "Chun'er from my sister's family, after the New Year, I see that she has grown quite a bit."

Zhen Qing has lived in Chu Palace for several years, and she has a five-year-old son named Chen Chun.

"It's grown too. I look at it every day, but I don't pay attention." Zhen Qing smiled, took Shui Xin's hand, and said with a smile: "This girl, I like it very much. When I grow up in the future, we two How about adding more relatives to each other?"

"It's up to the prince." Zhen Xueli smiled slightly, but didn't follow the trend.

Zhen Qing smiled and didn't say anything, she just said: "There is something I want to discuss with my sister, and I will listen to your idea."

Seeing this, Zhen Xue waved her hand, signaling the nanny to carry her daughter down.

"Father sent a letter the day before yesterday, saying that the imperial court was very determined to rectify the salt affairs in the south of the Yangtze River. Not long ago, it sent a cabinet minister to the south, and it might be necessary to inspect the treasury of the transportation department over the years." Zhen Qing lowered her voice.

Zhen Xuexiu frowned, and said in a low voice: "I don't quite understand these court affairs, why did my sister tell me these things?"

Obviously some people don't want to hear it, but they have to.

"We are brothers and sisters. If I don't tell you, who will I tell?" Zhen Qing stared at her sister, her face covered with frost, and said angrily. Seeing that they are going to be reused by the palace, they should help each other."

Sometimes she thinks, if she and her younger sister had switched back then, and she had married the King of Beijing, and her younger sister had married the King of Chu, maybe she would not have had to work so hard, even if she had passed through the door, she would still have to help the family continue their plans. .

However, with my younger sister's peaceful mind, I can't help the King of Chu even if I think about it.

"This is also the reason why my father chose back then." Zhen Qing thought of this, her mind was not complicated.

When the Supreme Emperor was in power, he was very happy. He made six tours to the south. 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, so the important task of taking over came naturally.

A total of four times before and after, I left a lot of deficits for the sake of decent scenery.

As recorded in the original "Dream of Red Mansions", Du Zhen's family took over four times, but they took the emperor's silver and used it on the emperor.

As for the salt merchants in Yangzhou, they also donated a lot of silver taels, and they had a lot of business contacts with the Zhen family, and even the silver left over from the Yangzhou Yunsi treasury was regularly lent to the Zhen family every year.

This is the reason why the water depth of Jiangnan Salt Affairs is bottomless, even Emperor Chongping is weighing and weighing.

"My good sister, they want to check the accounts, but these old accounts are bad debts, how can they pass the investigation?" Zhen Qing took Zhen Xue's arm and said in a low voice: "But now the royal father in the palace, Hearing Jia Ziyu and those civil officials' slander, this is going to be serious, but the family also made a deficit because of the palace, so they have to admit it?"

In fact, what he said was 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 no different than the Lai family and the Jia family.

"But the prince has already left Beijing to investigate the border, and he won't be able to come back in three or five months. Even if he tries to use his strength, he will be beyond his reach. Since the imperial court wants to investigate the matter of salt affairs, this is a brilliant trend." Zhen Xuening frowned, softly soundtrack.

Zhen Qing said: "Sister, that's what I think. Can I ask my brother-in-law to write a letter to Fourth Uncle Yu in Jiangbei Daying."

"Writing a letter?" Zhen Xue was startled, and frowned, "What is my sister going to do?"

Zhen Qing smiled and said, "Sister, don't panic, where are you thinking?"

Because Chen Han attacked from the south to the north, and spent some years in Jinling as the capital in the early days of the founding of the country.

Jiangbei Daying was stationed in Yangzhou, with about [-] soldiers and horses, and Jiangnan Daying was stationed at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain in Nanjing, with [-] soldiers and horses.

But now that Chen Han's military system is corrupt and decaying, it's hard to say how much the two battalions in the Jianghuai area can actually have.

The commander of the Jiangbei Camp is none other than Shu Shuiyu of the royal family of Beijing, whose official residence is the Jiedu Envoy of Jiangbei Camp.

As for the Jiangnan camp, there were no military envoys, and military power and military orders were more complicated. In addition to receiving money, grain, and salary from the Governor of Liangjiang and the Nanjing Household Department, the generals and personnel were under the joint jurisdiction of the Nanjing Military Department and the Shenjing Five Army Dudufu.

"Elder Sister, what are you writing the letter for?" Zhen Xue's complexion changed slightly, and she asked with her eyes fixed.

Princess Chu Zhen Qing smiled, stroked her sister's hand, and said softly: "Sister, don't be suspicious, it is Qi Kun who is going south to patrol the salt. If the salt lords in the two Huaihe Rivers are suppressed, the Jiangnan camp in the north and south of the Yangtze River must be transferred. It's just a greeting."

Hearing this, Zhen Xue felt a little uneasy, and said in a low voice, "Sister, I will write to Datong in a few days, and I will discuss it with him before we make any fuss about it."

With a deep sigh in my heart, such a big deficit in the family will be investigated sooner or later. How can the prince make it easy for this muddy water?

But if something happened to the Zhen family, she, the princess of Beijing, would be uneasy, and Wang Yeyuan had some contacts with Chu Wangyuan.

"Alright." Zhen Qing nodded, agreed, and immediately said: "There is another matter, I am also very worried. The prince has been watching politics for several years, and he only does trivial things in the Ministry of War. A while ago, the servant of the Ministry of War Zou Jing followed Li Dashi went to the north, the prince originally wanted to take charge of the affairs of the ministry, and entrusted someone to go to Shu, but was rejected by his father. Now that the Ministry of Industry is vacant, the prince went to the palace, begging the emperor to help supervise the construction of the imperial tomb, I don’t know if this thing can be done.”

At this moment, the King of Chu had already gone to Daming Palace, intending to invite himself to supervise the construction of the imperial tomb.

"Supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum?" Zhen Xuening frowned, and said in surprise: "Will the Holy Majesty agree to this matter?"

"There must be a vassal king to take care of this matter. I heard that the boss is also in the palace, so I'm afraid he will grab this job." Zhen Qing said in a low voice.

"Boss, King Qi?" Zhen Xue fixed her eyes and said in a low voice.

Zhen Qing smiled and said: "What king of Qi, he is now the king of Qi County, he lost his title last time, but he hasn't recovered yet, it's still the work of that Jia Ziyu."

To put it bluntly, if Emperor Chongping died without leaving a legacy, then King Xu of Qi would not be qualified to inherit the great order because of his title of county king.

Thinking appeared on Zhen Xue's face, and she said softly: "I heard that there is such a thing, it seems that the last time Jia's family was exiled, Duke Qi also sent it?"

"King Zhongshun actually went to send him off too. He didn't want to be overwhelmed with joy. Now that Feng Shui is circulating, he personally supervises his case." Zhen Qing sneered, and then said in a low voice: "Sister, you said that this Jia Heng, he and Qi Wang are not on the same page. , and now he is not close to our family, and the two families are still old relatives, so he can't be... the king of Wei."

Zhen Xue said softly: "Sister, I'm not Jia Ziyu, how do I know what he's thinking?"

Zhen Qing nodded, and said: "Speaking of King Wei, yesterday he rushed to Gongling, and I heard that he was rewarded by Chonghua Palace early in the morning."

"He was originally the son of a son." Zhen Xue said softly.

Although I don't want to involve my lord, but listening to my sister talking about these right and wrong is also somewhat interesting.

"What kind of son-in-law, if it wasn't for the first time, it wouldn't be the turn..." Zhen Qing raised her brows and said in a cold voice, but at the end, she was a little apprehensive and stopped talking.

At the beginning, Emperor Chongping, who was still in the hidden mansion, and Princess Yong, who was accepted, had two miscarriages, and then died of depression. So far, King Yong has never had a concubine.

Because King Qi's biological mother was of low status, she was only a wife, and she died early, so she became a concubine.

As for King Chu, even though his birth mother was a side concubine, she left early.

Emperor Chongping straightened the Empress Song who came from behind. In other words, King Wei and King Liang were also descended from concubines.

It is equivalent to the fact that all the sons were concubines at the beginning, but because the second prince of Wei and Liang suddenly became the son of the eldest son because of his mother's dignity, the sons were naturally unwilling, and Emperor Chongping refused to stand up for the heir and the prince, which made it even more embarrassing. People think about it.

And while the two sisters were discussing matters, the Chonghua Palace also staged the grandpa's kindness and grandson's filial piety, which was very enjoyable.

Qi Wang Chen Cheng was already in the Hall of Tihe, surrounded by Emperor Longzhi's sickbed, and asked with concern: "Grandfather, how is your body feeling?"

"It's much better today." The Supreme Emperor sat on the bed, sized up Duke Qi, and said in a low voice: "Cheng'er, don't suffer too much, you're already hungry."

Not far away, Empress Dowager Feng glanced at her eldest grandson, wondering what kind of medicine was being sold in the gourd.

Empress Song also glanced at Chen Cheng's chubby face,

Secretly thought, how can you still be hungry and thin even if you haven't eaten for a day?

Chen Cheng sighed, and said sadly: "I didn't expect such a thing to happen, uncle is very good, he insists..."

As he said that, he saw that the Supreme Emperor looked worried, and quickly changed his words: "Grandfather, don't be angry, it's not worth it to ruin your body."

The Supreme Emperor sighed: "It's rare for people to be seventy since ancient times. My own body and bones are clear to me. I should also consider the things behind me. Now that the auspicious soil is collapsing, I still need to step up repairs."

Chen Cheng also took advantage of the situation to explain his intentions, saying: "Grandfather, now all those who should be punished have been punished. This Xiujiyang needs to find a reliable person to supervise it, and we can't go on business trips anymore."

He came here to take over the task of supervising the imperial tomb.

Since ancient times, once the construction of the imperial mausoleum is completed, it is a great achievement. If he has made such a great contribution, it will be easy to earn back the title of prince.

Thinking about cutting the prince, Chen Cheng couldn't help but think of Jia Henglai, and his heart was full of hostility. When he takes over the reunification, the Jia family will not leave any dog ​​behind!

The Emperor Taishang was an old man, so he naturally saw his grandson's plan to supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum, and said with emotion: "If you were to supervise the construction at the beginning, maybe this matter would not have happened."

"Grandfather, how old was I then? I can't do such a big thing. Now that I'm getting older and I'm a father, I've gradually figured out the way to do these things." Chen Cheng said in a low voice.

These words naturally exclude some Wei and Chu kings who intervened in the middle of the errand.

The king of Wei was young and had no hair on his mouth, so he couldn't do things well. The king of Chu was not as old as him, and he couldn't do things properly.

Empress Song listened to what King Qi said, her phoenix eyes narrowed, and she glanced at Chen Cheng, her heart filled with displeasure.

She originally wanted to wait for a while, and took the opportunity to ask Ran'er to supervise the repair of the imperial tomb, but she didn't want the boss to take the lead.

He said that he came here so eagerly, it turned out that there was a plan long ago, and it was too early to make no profit!

If all the officials in the future invite the establishment of the crown prince, supervise the repair of the imperial tomb, and be filial and pure, there are sufficient reasons to be the crown prince.

The Supreme Emperor smiled and said: "Cheng'er supervised the construction, I'm still relieved, I'll tell your father about it later."

Chen Cheng was overjoyed when he heard this, and promised: "Grandfather, don't worry, I will definitely handle it properly."

On the other side, Daming Palace, inner study

Emperor Chongping looked at King Chu suspiciously, and asked, "Do you want to supervise the imperial tomb?"

The king of Chu said: "Father, the mausoleum was killed, the Xuan Palace collapsed, and my son was heartbroken. I almost didn't sleep all night yesterday, just thinking, if my son came to supervise the imperial tomb, I would definitely not tolerate such greed. Corruption breeds."

As he spoke, he raised his head, looked at Emperor Chongping, and saw that there were bloodshot eyes in his pupils.

Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment, then said: "You have always been serious and careful, and it is all right for you to supervise the repair of the imperial tomb."

The king of Chu was delighted to hear "serious and careful" from below, but he didn't show the slightest bit on his face, and said: "My ministers are mediocre in intelligence, but remember the four words of duty."

"However," Emperor Chongping said in a single sentence, which stirred King Chu's heart again, and said in a deep voice, "However, the supervision of the imperial tomb involves the House of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Industry. You are young. With few things in history, it is possible to turn around the three Yamen?"

King Chu said: "Father, I have the confidence to do this well."

If you say that you are young and have few experiences, then Jia Ziyu is not as old as him, and he is still in charge of three yamen.

Besides, the older Uncle Zhongshun is now abolished as a commoner.

Emperor Chongping paused, weighing something, and said, "Let me think about this matter, and I have to discuss it with your grandfather."

When the King of Chu heard this, although he was disappointed that he didn't give a straightforward agreement, he couldn't say anything else. He cupped his hands and said, "The minister there will leave."

After the king of Chu left, Emperor Chongping's face showed thought. After a long while, he suddenly asked Dai Quan who was beside him, "Jinyang went to the House of Internal Affairs?"

"His Royal Highness went there early in the morning, and was escorted by the inner guard." Dai Quan replied in a low voice.

Emperor Chongping nodded, thinking silently again.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a lot of responsibilities, and it governs the Huangzhuang industry, which is related to internal funds and income, so it is not easy for outsiders to take charge.

The person in charge of the government affairs must first be related to the royal family, so that it is convenient to handle the affairs of the inner palace. In addition, he cannot be a vassal king, otherwise it will be easy to cultivate party members. After thinking about it for a long time, it is quite appropriate to hand it over to Jinyang.

It's just that she is a girl, so it's not very convenient for her to do things.

Searching for the right person to help.

After thinking for a while, he said to Dai Quan: "Go to Chonghua Palace, please come over here."

Dai Quan responded, and then left the Daming Palace to invite Empress Song.

Not long after, Empress Song entered the hall, bowed to Emperor Chongping who was behind Tiao'an, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, are you calling your concubine?"

Emperor Chongping said: "Zitong, I have something to discuss with you."

As soon as this remark came out, Empress Song was slightly surprised, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, what's the matter, so solemn?"

"Is Shuyu in Honglu Temple now? How many years?" Emperor Chongping asked.

This is asking Song Jing, the younger brother of Empress Song, who is now a sixth-rank official who is a Dianke in Honglu Temple.

"Well, the concubine's younger brother has been in Honglu Temple for six or seven years. Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to ask this?" Queen Song asked curiously while speaking softly.

Emperor Chongping said: "He works hard in Honglu Temple. I have heard about him over the years, so he should be reused."

When Empress Song heard the words, she was both surprised and happy, but her face showed hesitation, and she sighed: "The concubine's younger brother has mediocre intelligence. He used to be a sixth-rank official, but he is already exhausted and dull. He can't support him well, let alone reuse him?"

Emperor Chongping said: "Shuyu is still talented, and I have honed him in the past few years for the sake of great use."

In fact, he also knew that the queen had some thoughts in her heart, but even though she was the emperor, she couldn't do it willfully.

Empress Song frowned, her jade face moved slightly, and she asked in a low voice, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

"In the House of Internal Affairs, many people were involved in the case of the imperial mausoleum. The Kuaiji Division is currently short of a person in charge. Let him be transferred to the Kuaiji Division of the House of Internal Affairs as a doctor. First, do things." Emperor Chongping said.

"Your Majesty, how...how did this happen?" Empress Song said in surprise, "I'm afraid there will be criticism from my concubine."

I thought about it in my heart, it is indeed a good job to be in charge of money, food and expenditure, but it is just who is in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Emperor Chongping smiled and said, "Why can't it be done? He was originally a sixth-rank doctor, and he was transferred to a fifth-rank doctor. What's your criticism? Besides, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was originally in charge of Tianjia's affairs, so let him take care of it first." The Kuaiji Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, if it is really capable, can also assist the prefect of Jinyang."

As soon as these words came out, it was basically to let the eldest princess of Jinyang take charge of the internal affairs, but also sent the younger brother of Empress Song to take charge of the money, food and expenditure.

When Empress Song heard the words, she was slightly happy, and said: "The concubine will take the place of my younger brother, and thank the Holy Lord for his kindness."

Advance to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and then assist in the affairs of the government later, then...you can also help.

Emperor Chongping turned to look at Dai Quan again, and said: "Send someone to Honglu Temple to summon him, I have a few words of advice."

Dai Quan surrendered his hands and ordered the eunuch to pass on the oral order.

(End of this chapter)