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After the court meeting, it was almost noon and Qin Mu returned to the backyard to have dinner. Han Zanzhou followed behind him with a whisk in his hand, slightly bent over. The shadows cast by the green tiles and flying eaves were slightly slanted. A bunch of golden chrysanthemums under the Xuelang Stone were blooming. The carved railings of the gallery were wiped clean by the maid in the backyard.
Han Zanzhou lowered his head and found that he was stepping on the shadow cast by Qin Mu. He quickly moved half a step away. He quietly glanced at Qin Mu's back. Qin Mu's steps were steady and his back was straight. The black royal robe gave him an inexplicable sense of oppression, forcing him to unconsciously bend his body lower.
Recalling the scene when he first met Qin Mu, Han Zanzhou felt both relieved and uneasy. Qin Mu was no longer the young man he once was. If he got angry now, he could kill millions of people.
With just one decision from him, countless powerful people had their property confiscated and their houses demoted. Those fat and arrogant young men, those rich ladies with luxury cars and horses, and those daughters of wealthy families who lived in luxury all became prisoners.
Although Han Zanzhou has done a lot for Qin Mu in the past few years, he has always had a knot in his heart that is difficult to get rid of.
Qin Mu set up a cabinet but not eunuchs. Government affairs were handled by the cabinet's proposals, but they did not need the eunuchs' approval. All memorials were reviewed and approved by him personally with his seal, and eunuchs had nothing to do with it at all.
Since arriving in Beijing, the only thing Qin Mu asked him to do was to plant trees, but that had to wait until spring. Having nothing to do and no power or position made Han Zanzhou feel uneasy, fearing that Qin Mu still remembered the grudge they had in the past.
Outside the back hall, green bamboos swayed gently, leaving a patchwork of shadows. Yang Zhi stood in front of the hall, waiting for him, wearing a purple velvet dress with dark patterns. She looked noble and beautiful.
Standing behind was Li Xiangjun, with a pair of affectionate eyes under her dark brows, rippling autumn waves, slightly open nose, and small lips, all of which were delicate and moving. The most beautiful thing was her petite body, which looked like a lovable scented fan pendant.
"Thank you for your hard work, husband." Yang Zhi and the other woman bowed, with a faint fragrance in the air.
Han Zanzhou didn't dare to say anything about the fact that the people in the backyard were still using the common people's name. All he could do was to rush forward and salute Yang and Li.
Qin Mu walked in and said with a smile: "Get up. Let someone bring lunch up. Where's my son?"
"Ye'er... is taking a nap." Yang Zhi answered helplessly. She also hoped that the father and son could have more contact to strengthen their relationship. But the child is sleepy. He will cry even if you force him to be held. It would be bad for his father if he was annoyed.
"Where are Xiaowan and Qiaoer?"
"Xiao Wan went to Bao En Temple to burn incense, and Qiao Er, the girl who couldn't sit still, followed her."
Li Xiangjun brought him some water to wash his face and hands. The three of them chatted about family matters and had a great time.
After dinner, Qin Mu went to the study to review memorials. Han Zanzhou, who followed behind him, saw that he was in a good mood, so he asked carefully: "King Qin, regarding the selection of concubines, does the King Qin have any other instructions?"
"The daughter of Doctor Bian Di from the Ministry of Rites is one of them. You can look for another person. Remember, try to be low-key and don't make a big fuss."
"Yes, King Qin." Han Zanzhou glanced at Qin Mu quietly and said hesitantly, "King Qin, Xu Yongshun has a younger sister who is just coming of age. I have seen her with my own eyes. This girl is both talented and beautiful..."
Before Han Zanzhou could finish speaking, Qin Mu gave him a sidelong look, which frightened Han Zanzhou so much that he immediately shut up and his body became even more hunched.
Han Zanzhou was very close to powerful families such as Xu Yongshun. Apart from Xu Yongshun's family (Duke Dingguo), there were also seven or eight other families including Xu Wenjue, Duke of Wei, Liu Changzuo, Marquis of Anyuan, Tang Guozuo, Marquis of Lingbi, Fang Yiyuan, Earl of Nanhe, Jiao Menglong, Earl of Dongning, and Guo Zuoyong, Earl of Cheng'an. Given Han Zanzhou's friendship with them, it is not surprising that he had the chance to say a good word for them.
However, Qin Mu was secretly dissatisfied with the political donations from these dignitaries. In the Chongzhen Dynasty, they were descendants of meritorious officials, and even if they were stingy, Chongzhen could not do anything to them. But in the Qin State, they were not meritorious officials.
This time, the homes of Liu Kongzhao, the Marquis of Chengyi, and Zhu Guobi, the Duke of Baoguo, were raided. I hope they can be more alert. Firstly, there is no grudge between them in the past and in the present, so Qin Mu does not want to be too drastic. Secondly, these people can still be useful if they are kept.
"When I was in Jiangyin, I received a letter informing me that the King of Zhao rose in Taihu Lake, the King of Gui rose in Guangxi, the King of Baoning rose in Jiangbei, the King of Luochuan and the King of Yongning also rose in Hudong. The descendants of the Zhu family are restless. Have Xu Wenjue and the others heard about these things?" Qin Mu asked indifferently.
Han Zanzhou wanted to slap himself a few times, he knelt down with a thump, kowtowed in panic and said: "King Qin, I don't know, I haven't been in contact with Xu Wenjue and others for a long time."
"It's best not to know. I'm afraid you know everything."
"Please forgive me, King Qin. Please forgive me, King Qin. I dare not, I dare not..." Han Zanzhou was sweating profusely and looked dazed under Qin Mu's gaze.
Qin Mu stared at him for a long time before he said expressionlessly, "I am not a ungrateful person. I remember all your past contributions and will not treat you unfairly. But if you don't recognize your position, go to Zhongshan Mountain and plant trees first."
"I deserve to die. Please forgive me, King Qin. Please forgive me, King Qin."
"Get up." Qin Mu ignored him and buried his head in reviewing memorials.
Han Zanzhou climbed up exhausted, almost unable to stand. Qin Mu's beating woke him up completely. It seemed that Qin Mu was not only dissatisfied with the powerful people in the Xu family, but also even more dissatisfied with his continued contact with these people.
Indeed, this is a different time. Qin Mu would not care about her close relationship with those powerful people in the past. But now that she is following Qin Mu and continues to maintain close relationships with those people, Qin Mu will inevitably worry that he will leak the secret. If a king does not keep secrets, he will lose his country.
Han Zanzhou secretly decided to immediately draw a clear line between himself and Xu Wenjue and others and make himself clear.
Although Qin Mu did not raise his head, he seemed to see through his thoughts and suddenly said, "Before you cut ties with them, tell them about the rebellion of King Zhao, King Gui and others."
Han Zanzhou hurriedly replied: "I obey your command."
"You should leave first and call Huang Lianshan to me."
"yes."
After Han Zanzhou left the study, Huang Lianshan came in a hurry after a cup of tea. He bowed and asked, "King Qin, may I know what you want from me?"
Qin Mu stopped writing and asked calmly, "I heard that Suzhou Prefecture is quite lively."
“This…” Huang Lianshan didn’t know what Qin Mu was referring to for a moment, and felt a little uneasy.
"Wu Weiye, also known as Jungong, also known as Wu Meicun, have you heard of him?"
When Huang Lianshan heard that Qin Mu was asking about this person, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Wu Meicun was the champion in the fourth year of Chongzhen, and was known as the "Three Great Masters of Jiangzuo" together with Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingzi. He was also the founder of the Loudong School of Poetry. However, Huang Lianshan didn't know why Qin Mu suddenly asked about this person. Could it be because Bian Saisai had admired this person
Huang Lianshan didn't have time to think about it, and asked hesitantly: "I wonder why the King of Qin asked about this person?"
"Why do you ask? Huang Lianshan, Wu Weiye held a rally at Huqiu and reopened the Fushe Society. Haven't you heard about it?"
Huang Lianshan was shocked. Ye Bushou had always been Qin Mu's eyes and ears. Huang Lianshan himself had just received the news about this matter and did not take it seriously, so he did not report it. Unexpectedly, Qin Mu also got the news so quickly.
If the local government reported it, the news would not be transmitted so quickly. So, from what channel did the King of Qin get the news
Huang Lianshan was puzzled by this question and was shocked. He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I just received the news that Wu Weiye indeed gathered hundreds of Fushe members in Huqiu. However, a man named Jin Cai in Wu County wrote a poem to satirize Wu Weiye and Fushe members. The poem goes: Thousands of people sit on the stone, half of them are from the Qing Dynasty and half from the Ming Dynasty. I send a message to the scholar Wu in Loudong. Two emperors and one minister. Because of this poem, the people who attended the gathering left in shame. Seeing that the matter was left unresolved, I did not rush to report it. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"It's over? Lianshan, except for a few people like Lu Daqi, I hardly use Donglin Party members. Do you know why?"
"I know my crime." Huang Lianshan was overwhelmed and knelt on the ground to plead guilty.
"This time, Wu Weiye gathered hundreds of Fushe members. You didn't report this. This is a serious dereliction of duty! Although the Fushe members were dispersed by Jin Cai's poem, Wu Weiye's call for hundreds of people to respond is very telling. This king does not want our Great Qin to perish in party struggles like the previous Ming Dynasty. Do you understand?"
"I know my crime, please punish me, King Qin!"
"This time I will fine you three months' salary. If this happens again, you will have to step down as the commander."
"Yes, thank you King Qin for not punishing me." Huang Lianshan's back was already sweaty.
"Go ahead. From now on, we must strengthen monitoring of Fushe members. I don't want this kind of thing to happen again."
"Yes, King Qin."
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ps: May was very difficult for me, but I finally made it to the end of the month and maintained two updates a day. I don't know why, every time I ask for votes, I always feel speechless. I admire people who can say those touching words to ask for votes, but I can't say anything, so I can only say weakly: Please give me a monthly ticket!
.(To be continued..)
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