His Majesty is in a bad mood.
All the people in the palace and court know that His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past few days, because His Majesty has even suspended the fixed programs that accompany the Queen Mother every ten days to watch a play. Apart from the daily court meeting, there are not many people present To have the opportunity to meet His Majesty. Eunuch Yao, Eunuch Hou, and Eunuch Dai, who is now in use again, have been surrounded by ministers outside the palace gate every day these days. Everyone wants to know what happened.
His Majesty did not summon any of his trusted ministers into the palace, and it seemed that he was not troubled by anything.
But people just knew that His Majesty was in a bad mood. Because at the court meeting, most of the excerpts submitted by the states were rejected, the Zhengqing of Dali Temple was severely reprimanded, and the old Qin Lord of the Privy Council was also scolded by the emperor. The Qin family is the emperor's confidant Under normal circumstances, the emperor would always save some face for the Qin family in front of civil and military officials, but now he treats them so harshly...
The complexions of Qin Heng and General Qin, who guarded the capital, remained unchanged. They still kept a clear smile when they entered and exited the middle school. It seemed that they didn't care much about His Majesty's reprimand to their family.
Seeing this scene, the officials realized that the emperor was using the reprimand to his confidants to remind some other people in Beijing.
This is a very chaotic method. No one can guess who the emperor wants to remind, but they know that the matter of reminding already exists. Sure enough, on the third day, Ye Zhong, who was far away in Dingzhou, once again sent a letter to His Majesty with great sorrow, saying that now that the world is peaceful, there is no need for Dingzhou to maintain too many troops, and some people should be dismissed.
Asking for disarmament, this is the Ye family's terrified gesture. The emperor agreed lightly, and did not allow the court to discuss the matter with the Privy Council at all. All the ministers, including the newly-appointed Hu Dashi and Shu Dashi, thought this was just a follow-up to the Hanging Temple incident last year, and they didn't think of anything else.
After the Ye family asked to be abolished, His Majesty seemed to be in a better mood. He resumed his daily greetings to the Empress Dowager, and at the same time allowed the Eldest Princess to live in the palace again. Guangxin Palace once again truly opened the door for the Eldest Princess.
Distance produces beauty and danger. A family, living together... will definitely be much safer.
The emperor must have thought so, and the old man in Chen Yuan thought so.
He sighed, knowing that things didn't go exactly according to his plan, and he needed to do something more. But now that the seeds have begun to germinate, under the cultivation of the black soil in people's hearts, poisonous vines will one day grow, unstoppably breaking through the layer of hard rock pressing on it.
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Only the people living in the palace know that His Majesty's mood has not really improved, and there is still a trace of sadness and very slight sadness on his face.
The emperor is the lord of the world, the lord of a palace, the object of everyone's attention, the entrustment of everyone's wealth and life, and the hope of everyone's future and wealth, so everyone in the palace is cautious and extremely careful. Nervously wondering what kind of thoughts His Majesty still had in his heart.
The old father-in-laws who waited closely in the Tai Chi Hall and the Imperial Study Room had already turned into human beings, and of course they refused to make any noise when they asked questions from the various palaces. Moreover, under the prestige of Mr. Hong, the nuns and eunuchs in the various palaces did not dare to ask too clearly.
After the Eldest Princess moved into Guangxin Palace, she immediately returned to her usual gorgeous appearance. She went to talk with the Queen Mother every day, and occasionally went to the East Palace to meet the Queen and the Prince. It's just that she herself was a little confused, not knowing what the emperor was thinking.
At this time, a chief eunuch in the East Palace became a very important figure.
Because his name is Hong Zhu, he has been working beside the emperor, and he is very fond of His Majesty, and he is rumored to have some relationship with Eunuch Hong, and he is familiar with the personnel and affairs of the Tai Chi Hall and the Imperial Study Room. If such a person is asked to inquire about the news, Should be the most suitable candidate.
It has been three months since Hong Zhu served as the leader of the fourth-rank eunuch in the East Palace. With his identity sent by the emperor and his own careful and appropriate service, he has already been recognized by the queen...but of course he couldn't be accepted immediately. However, the empress also gave Hong Zhu enough benefits. This time, she also wanted to see if Hong Zhu could be used, and to what extent.
The empress smiled and looked at Hong Zhu who was kneeling in front of her. She also liked the little eunuch's knowledge and interest, and she said softly: "Your Majesty is worried about state affairs, so I naturally want to share the burden for His Majesty. State affairs, but knowing His Majesty's mood, it is better to make some soup to make His Majesty more comfortable."
Hong Zhu said flatteringly, "The Empress is thoughtful."
"Go and ask." The Queen sighed and said, "If His Majesty finds out, don't lie about it. It's not something shameful. Don't hurt yourself."
Hong Zhu's face showed emotion, and he took the order and left.
Not long after, the newly popular person in the palace walked around the huge palace for a few times. After being flattered, he didn't dare to continue to accept compliments complacently, and hurried back to the queen's palace.
He leaned into the queen's ear and whispered something.
The queen frowned slightly, with a hint of worry on her noble face, and sighed: "It turned out that it was because of the emptiness of the treasury. This palace is also aware of the repair project of the great river embankment. It has been delayed from early winter years ago until now. , Is it because of lack of money... Sigh, if I can conjure up silver empty-handed, it can also relieve His Majesty's worries, what a pity..."
Hong Zhu laughed and said, "The empress is the mother of the world, so why worry about these things? As for the national treasury, isn't there Fan Shangshu who manages the household department?"
The Queen's eyes lit up when she heard the word "Household Department", and asked unintentionally: "Fan Shangshu has worked hard to manage the Household Department for many years. The empty treasury...is a problem of income. What can he do?"
Hong Zhu was slightly taken aback, but hesitated to speak.
Seeing his expression, the queen gave a contemptuous smile, and said, "Children have so many things on their minds."
Hong Zhu was taken aback, quickly knelt down, and said with a bitter face: "I don't dare, it's just that in the imperial study... I heard that His Majesty lost his temper yesterday, saying that the Ministry of Finance is incompetent, and..." He lowered his He raised his voice and said: "I heard that... there are officials in the Ministry of Households who are short-lived, secretly adjusting the state funds, and the amount is still very large, so Your Majesty... is furious."
The queen's heart skipped a beat, but she immediately covered her expression and said with a smile, "Don't tell me about these affairs of state. How is your majesty feeling recently? Where do you often go shopping in the palace?"
Kuzhu looked around, knew that this was a taboo in the palace, gritted his teeth, crawled to the queen's side and said something in a low voice.
The Empress raised her brows, then softened powerlessly, her lips trembled slightly, her cheeks were pale, and she said coldly: "Small building... it's a small building again."
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After Hong Zhu left the palace gate full of anxiety and fear, a young man flashed out from behind the screen. This young man was dressed in a light yellow robe, with soft facial lines and clear and energetic eyes. In the palace, other than the emperor, empress dowager and queen, the only one who can wear this kind of clothing is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
His Royal Highness Prince Qing is in much better health than the previous two years. At least the unhealthy whiteness on his face has faded a lot. This is of course because the Empress strictly disciplines him and does not allow him to spend too much on matters between men and women. The reason for the extra energy is also because of getting older, facing the complicated situation, and the step-by-step pressure of several royal brothers... a change made as a last resort.
For the crown prince, the biggest enemy in the past was naturally the second prince, but when the second prince was successfully beaten and crippled half of his body by Fan Xian, he was shocked to find that Fan Xian, whom he thought to be his greatest help, was also the son of his father. He is still the son of the royal father and that banshee star!
As far as the East Palace is concerned, it has already formed an insoluble enmity with the Ye family, so the Prince's most vigilant right now is of course Fan Xian who is far away in the south of the Yangtze River.
Everyone knew each other well that after Fan Xian's background was revealed, if the crown prince ascended the throne, Fan Xian must have died well, and if Fan Xian took power alone, it would be...impossible to allow the crown prince to ascend the throne!
"Empress Mother, it seems that the matter of the household department can be dealt with." The prince had been listening to the conversation between the empress and Hong Zhu from behind the screen, and said.
The queen closed her eyes and thought for a while, then said, "How much credibility does Hong Zhu have as an eunuch?"
"Seventy percent."
The queen smiled and said: "I think so too. Hong Zhu was originally working in the imperial study and was by your father's side, and his success is just around the corner. Now, although he was transferred to the East Palace and promoted two levels, he became the chief eunuch. It’s far worse than it was a year ago.”
The crown prince said: "If Fan Xian hadn't reported Hong Zhu's extortion of bribes to the royal father... the royal father would not have been angry and kicked Hong Zhu out."
Everyone in the palace knew about this matter, and they all knew the story in the imperial study that day, and they all thought that the reason why Hong Zhu left the imperial study was because he had offended Fan Xian, the Chief Commissioner of the Overwatch Council.
The queen sighed and said, "It depends on His Majesty's handling. He really likes the little eunuch Hong Zhu... The problem is that I don't know whether this matter is true or not."
The prince frowned thoughtfully and said, "It should be true that Hong Zhu remembers hating Fan Xian. The eunuchs and maids in the palace have all heard him say that through gnashing teeth. I think I haven't made any mistakes in the past six months."
The queen nodded, with a murderous intent flashing in her phoenix eyes, she sneered and said, "As long as the reason for His Majesty's anger is true... the Ministry of Household affairs can be investigated. Fan Jian can no longer stay in the Ministry of Households. Otherwise, if Fan Xian is in charge of the internal treasury in Jiangnan and Fan Jian is in charge of the state treasury in Kyoto, you will have a very difficult life in the future."
The crown prince nodded and replied: "The child has always kept the father's teachings in mind, and only does what the father is willing to do."
The queen frowned and said, "I'll go to Guangxin Palace later and ask your aunt what she means."
Hearing the name of the eldest princess suddenly, a strange gleam flashed in the prince's eyes, but he immediately covered it up very well, and said hesitantly: "Is it better to invite aunt to come forward this time?"
The queen shook her head and said with a sneer: "She is not easy to get along with... Besides, now that His Majesty let her live in the palace, is it not for the purpose of monitoring nearby? She is in the deep palace, and she wants to be with those in the court. It's not very convenient to contact the minister. Although your father's work often seems simple, in fact, his mind is very ruthless. You need to learn more about this... Sigh, your aunt, it's really inconvenient to think about how to move recently. .”
The titular mother of the country sighed, but there was an inescapable sense of gloating between her brows. The eldest princess was too dazzling among the women of the Qing country, and she had always obscured the queen's demeanor. How could she be happy? Now my husband is getting more and more displeased with my sister-in-law. Although the queen knows that it is not a good thing intellectually, she still can't help but feel a little bit of relief emotionally.
That shameless little fox!
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…
"I'm just going to inform her." The Queen sighed and patted the Prince on the shoulder, "You have to endure the relationship between your aunt and the second child for the time being, and don't remember the past. As for the deficit of the household investigation department this time, I'll get someone to do it...don't worry."
There was a slight chill in her brows: "Although my mother and mother's family have been killed by those gods, there are still some people hiding in the court. As for Fan Jian... he transferred so much money from the treasury to Jiangnan, did he think it was a secret?" Do you think you can hide it from His Majesty? No matter how much Your Majesty likes Fan Xian, you can't allow this kind of thing to happen right under his nose!"
The prince was slightly startled, no wonder the household department was in such a shortfall, it turned out that Fan Jian was so courageous! Only then did he know that his mother and aunt had already grasped the root cause of the household department's disease, no wonder they were so confident.
The Queen smiled and said: "After the Ministry of Household Affairs, the world will be peaceful for a few more days, and it is impossible for Fan Xian to jump around like he is now. Think about it carefully, in His Majesty's heart, as long as you don't make any outrageous things, even if you have nothing to do with those If someone fights for a fight, he will just pretend he didn't see it, in the final analysis, you are the crown prince after all, and it is known to all the world."
The prince sighed: "In all dynasties, perhaps only the son, the prince, is the most useless."
The queen sneered and said: "I don't know how many princes in history lived worse than you before they ascended the throne! What are you afraid of? As long as you survive until the day you ascend the throne, sometimes you will be proud."
She then said coldly: "The reason why the Queen Mother concluded that His Majesty still wants you to succeed to the throne is naturally justified by me."
The prince said anxiously: "But... the second child is broken, but the third child went to the south of the Yangtze River, and was taken by Fan Xian all the time."
This is one of the things that has been discussed secretly in the palace recently. At a young age, the third prince went to the south of the Yangtze River with the imperial envoy to inspect affairs. He was called to study. Could it be that he wanted to learn how to govern the country? So the third prince's biological mother, Concubine Yigui, became the center of discussion, but this woman from the Liu family remained silent and reserved.
The queen glared at the prince, gritted her teeth and said, "Even a yellow-mouthed child is afraid of this, what are you doing?"
The prince said sullenly: "My son really can't tell... Father means what you said."
"I don't mean that, I'll destroy you soon!" The queen seemed to hate iron for being weak.
The prince smiled bitterly and said, "Perhaps, father is just looking for an opportunity."
The queen shook her head, and said calmly: "You are wrong, you have the biggest advantage over the other brothers, but you yourself... still can't understand it."
The prince was surprised and asked: "What's the advantage?"
The queen's face was calm with a hint of desolation, and she said slowly: "The eldest prince has a Dongyi background, and the second prince's biological mother, Concubine Shu, is quite powerful in Beijing, and the third prince's biological mother, Yigui, is from the Liu family, and even more powerful in Beijing A big family, and Fan Xian thinks that they can rely on... Among all the princes, you are the only one... Only our mother and son are lonely, and there is no family power to use."
"After all, Your Majesty and I are a couple who have lived together for so many years." The queen said with a contemptuous smile, "Your father is good at everything, but he is too suspicious. If the throne of the Qing Dynasty is to be passed on, he is of course afraid that the imperial power of the Li family will fall to his relatives." ... So when choosing the successor, he must not accept that the successor stands behind an overly large family power."
"So the second child can't do it, and the third child... let alone!" The queen's cold eyes pierced the prince's heart like two knives. The evil Banshee, on the other hand, isn't she clearing obstacles for you in the future?"
"Don't be afraid, my child." She gently stroked the prince's cold cheek, sighed and said, "If there are no major problems, no matter how many methods His Majesty uses, they are actually promoting you to grow and become stronger. Years ago, he had already picked you, and he never doubted his own choice."
The queen laughed nervously, "Even if his choice was wrong."
She suddenly looked stern, and gritted her teeth and said, "So do you understand? You can have the position of crown prince, and you can secure your position in the future... It's all because your mother clan paid more than 3,000 lives! That's your elder , dear ones! They are all dead, and with their blood and corpses, they paved the way to the imperial chariot for you! So you must endure until the day you succeed!"
There is a spring breeze in the palace, but this spring breeze is so cold, so chilling.
The prince couldn't help shivering, because the empress dowager's grandmother was strict in controlling the harem. In fact, he only learned the truth about the bloody night in Kyoto from his mother's mouth in the past few years, and knew that his grandfather and uncle all died in the During that political turmoil.
It turns out... the emperor wanted to get rid of his relatives...
His heart began to tighten, and he didn't know how to react. If his mother's analysis was correct, then as long as he behaved calmly enough, and as long as there were no major problems in the world in the future, the dragon chair... would still be his own!
Prince Qing's eyes gradually hardened, he looked at his mother and nodded emphatically.
The mother and the son seem to have forgotten the sentence they said in the conversation - the premise of the crown prince's succession is that there are no major problems - and everyone in the world knows that both Chen Pingping and Xiao Fan are the best at finding big problems from no problems. The insidious character of the problem.
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The palace and the court are actually two in one. Through the role of the emperor, which cannot be ignored, the two power fields are perfectly and harmoniously unified. If the courtiers want to curry favor with the emperor, they must curry favor with the nobles in the palace, and if the nobles in the palace want to extend their hands outside the palace, they need to rely on the courtiers outside to do things for them.
That's how the so-called interest groups come about.
So when the emperor lost his temper in the imperial study about the deficit of the household department, after it spread outside the palace through countless channels, the whole officialdom began to stir. The highest purpose of being an official is that if His Majesty does not like things, the official must quickly follow up. Even if the person standing opposite the emperor is a legendary figure like the Taishi, the officials still have to be brave and take the lead. .
Because the emperor's mood is used as an indicator, such things can never go wrong.
However, there is obviously a time lag between the news in the palace and the reaction at the court meeting. The officials are more calm and cautious than before.
One reason is that, to investigate the deficit of the household department, Fan Jian, the minister of the household department, must inevitably be involved, and everyone knows that Fan Jian is extremely old-fashioned, not to mention that he has an inseparable relationship with Prince Jing, and even more so with His Majesty. The officials didn't know what kind of affection the emperor still had for Fan Jian.
The second reason why the officials are cautious is very simple - because Fan Jian's son is surnamed Fan, his name is Xian, and his style name is Anzhi.
Although everyone knows that Fan Xian is the emperor's illegitimate son, but... everyone also knows that Fan Xian's loyalty and filial piety are well-known throughout the Qing Kingdom. I don't know how many stories are circulated among the people, such as He refuses to recognize his father even if he dies, so he will go to Fan's ancestral hall with all his might...
If Fan Shangshu was found, no one knew how Fan Xian would react. The officials only know that the Second Prince once thought of taking advantage of the Second Young Master of the Fan Mansion... but he offended Fan Xian. At both ends, the army was defeated and embarrassed.
In the end, Fan Xian successfully beat the second prince to house arrest... This brilliant victory is enough to deter most officials who want to speculate in politics.
This Mr. Fan doesn't even care about the second prince, let alone officials like himself
But the pressure from the palace is increasing, and the news from various sources has also confirmed that His Majesty does intend to take the Hubu into action. The real source of His Majesty's unhappiness these days is also in the Hubu. Ever since, the officials who were ready to move finally suppressed their temper and began to go home and write the memorial.
Among these officials, there are honest ministers who sincerely serve the country and hope that the court will withdraw and investigate the deficit of the household department. Fan Xian was a ruined minister, but more of them were political opportunists who spent years trying to figure out the will of the court in order to climb the ranks.
In short, for many different reasons, the court officials in Kyoto rarely unified their opinions and asked the court to thoroughly investigate the rumored deficit of the household department, and to give an explanation to the people of the world and to His Majesty.