Jiangnan's money was sent back.
However, there is a big gap with the expected number, tens of thousands of taels less.
Liu Yi said a lot in the letter. To sum it up in one sentence, there is only so much money, not because he is incompetent, but because there are too many difficulties. He has done his best.
King Ning looked at the ledger with a gloomy expression.
Pei's persuasion said: "The fourth child has already tried his best, so don't criticize him too much."
King Ning snorted, "This king didn't say a word, so you said that this king scolded him?"
Pei was embarrassed, "I also saw that you were going to be angry, so I persuaded you."
"Don't try to persuade me again, this king has his own decision on this matter."
King Ning took the ledger and prepared to leave.
Mrs. Pei hurriedly called people to stop, "My lord, how much money can I leave for the inner courtyard? The inner courtyard has a lot of expenses, and it has long been unable to make ends meet."
King Ning said: "I have other uses for this money. You need to find a way to overcome the expenses of the inner courtyard."
"How to overcome without money?" Pei cried, "It's tens of thousands of taels, the prince should leave some for the inner courtyard anyway. If you don't give a tael of silver, there are nearly a thousand people in the palace, do you want to drink the northwest wind?"
King Ning was upset, "Okay, I'll ask the accountant to allocate 10,000 taels to the inner courtyard."
Pei thought that ten thousand taels was too little and wanted more.
However, King Ning left without giving her a chance to speak.
Pei's heart was annoyed, and she ordered her servant Wen Zhong, "Write to the fourth child and ask him what's going on, why he sent such a small amount of money back."
She wondered in her heart whether Liu Yi was greedy for money.
According to estimates from previous years, even if there is no one hundred thousand taels this year, there should always be eighty to ninety thousand taels. As a result, only less than 40,000 taels of silver were sent back. It was less than half of the expected number.
Wen Zhong reminded Mrs. Pei, "Madam, the prince may send someone to Jiangnan to investigate. Do you want to remind the fourth son?"
Pei's face was stern, "You also suspect that the fourth brother is greedy for money?"
Wen Zhong quickly lowered his head, "This old slave dare not."
Pei frowned, "Is the fourth child so courageous that he dares to covet half of Mo's money?"
She thought about it carefully, and immediately ordered: "Send someone to check on Xiao Qin'er, and the fourth child also wrote to her. You ask someone to check in private, whether Xiao Qin'er has received the bank note."
Wen Zhong took the order, and asked again: "In case the fourth son really sent a bank note to the fourth madam, how should we deal with this matter?"
Mrs. Pei warned: "You must not say anything, and you must not let the prince know. You can handle the rest of the matter."
"The old slave understands."
Wen Zhong took the order and left.
King Ning returned to Bixi Pavilion, called Liu Zhao, and threw the ledger to him, "See what's wrong with this ledger."
Liu Zhao opened the account book and carefully checked page by page, and said, "There are a few incorrect amounts, and this may be the problem."
King Ning leaned on the Luohan couch, "In your opinion, are the people below fooling the fourth child, or the fourth brother is fooling the king?"
Liu Zhao bowed his head and smiled, closing the ledger. Then he said with a blank face: "Didn't the father already have the answer in his heart?"
King Ning snorted, "In the past, you were in charge of Jiangnan, at least you can send one hundred thousand taels of silver back to Beijing from Jiangnan every year.
For the first time this year, the fourth child took on a heavy responsibility, but in the end he only sent less than 40,000 taels. With such a gap, I don't believe that the fourth child has no brains at all and dares to make such a big mistake.
Either the people below are fooling the fourth child, or the fourth child and the people below are fooling the king together. "
Liu Zhao said with a cold expression: "Two months ago, my son received a letter from Jiangnan, saying that this year's harvest is not very good, and the production has been reduced by about 20%."
King Ning sneered, "It's hard for you, but I still say good things for the fourth child."
"My son is just telling the truth." Liu Zhao was expressionless, and no one could guess what was going on in his heart.
King Ning said with a straight face, "Even if the production is reduced by 20%, plus losses, there will be at least 70,000 to 80,000 taels. If it is less than 40,000 taels, the fourth brother dares to send it back. Will he dismiss me as a beggar?"
Liu Zhao said: "The fourth younger brother is going to Jiangnan for the first time, and he is not familiar with the place where he was born. It is possible that he will be fooled by the people below."
King Ning looked dissatisfied, "Don't act like a brother and brother in front of this king. You and the fourth child have always been at odds, so what's your intention in helping him speak?"
Liu Zhao smiled softly, "The son is dedicated to goodness, and the father is not satisfied?"
King Ning narrowed his eyes, stared at Liu Zhao, and laughed again in a blink of an eye.
He mentioned another matter, "This month, the old man summoned the King of Chu three times. He really loves the King of Chu."
King Chu is the eldest grandson of the emperor, the eldest son of Prince Renxuan. He is Liu Zhao's cousin.
Liu Zhao smiled, "Are those people in a hurry?"
King Ning nodded, "Can you not be in a hurry? For so many years, the King of Chu has been favored for the first time. Some people in the court are already discussing whether the old man wants to make the King of Chu the grandson of the emperor."
Liu Zhao said loudly: "Beyond the prince and establish the grandson of the emperor, it is simply a way to bring disaster. I would like to know how to deal with so many uncles when the grandson of the emperor ascends the throne in the future. Unless the grandfather was alive, Lock up all of you, father, and kill all possibilities of rebellion."
King Ning bared his teeth, "The old man has been shrewd all his life, so he won't be confused when he gets old. Does the old man really want to use the knife against us sons?"
Liu Zhao thought for a while and suggested a solution, "It's better to test the emperor's grandfather's mind."
King Ning stared at Liu Zhao, "You mean to ask someone to honor the grandson of the emperor?"
Liu Zhao nodded.
King Ning laughed loudly, "It's time to test the old man's mind. It's not a problem to hang around like this all the time."
At this time, someone was asking to see him outside.
Chang En quietly went out to deal with it.
After a while, Chang En hurried back to the side hall, "My lord, there is news from the palace that Li Zhaoyi is two months pregnant."
"What? Are you sure Li Zhaoyi is pregnant?"
Chang En nodded, "This is absolutely true."
King Ning exchanged glances with Liu Zhao, then waved his hands, telling Chang En to back down.
King Ning frowned, walking up and down the side hall with an irritable expression on his face.
"Hmph, the old man is really fierce. At this age, he can still make Li Zhaoyi pregnant. If he didn't know that there is no man near Li Zhaoyi, this king would have wondered if she was pregnant with someone's bastard."
Liu Zhao frowned and said, "Li Zhaoyi is pregnant, and the emperor's grandfather is fierce, so naturally he refuses to admit his old age."
If people don't recognize old age, they won't be in a hurry to establish a prince.
There is no way to talk about the emperor's grandson's statement.
Now it seems that Li Zhaoyi is pregnant, and the most disappointed ones are the King of Chu and the concubine Sun.
The eldest grandson of the emperor was established as the Queen of Chu, and the crown princess Sun also changed her body and became a concubine.
Liu Zhao said again: "Father, we should hurry up and choose a Sheren who is close to the King of Chu, and invite him to be the emperor's grandson."
"You want to blame the King of Chu?"
Liu Zhao nodded.
King Ning laughed, "Li Zhaoyi is pregnant, and the King of Chu sent someone to ask for the emperor's grandson. If nothing happens, the old man will be furious.
This king knows a little about the old man's temper. He refused to accept old age many years ago, and Li Zhaoyi was pregnant, which made him even more unwilling to accept old age.
At this time, whoever dares to go up to the book and ask for the establishment of a prince or grandson is courting death. If it wasn't for King Chu being favored and gradually gaining momentum, this king would definitely take this opportunity to punish King Zhao.
King Zhao escaped a catastrophe, he should thank King Chu for stealing his limelight. "
Thinking of being able to plot against King Chu, King Ning's mood improved.
He said: "The king is going to send someone to Jiangnan to investigate, do you have someone to choose?"
Liu Zhao said: "Anyone around my father can take on important responsibilities."
Ning Wang laughed, "After going out for a few months, I became able to speak, not bad, not bad. The fourth daughter-in-law is pregnant. As the eldest, you should hurry up. If the fourth daughter-in-law wants to give birth to the eldest grandson , I see what you do."
Liu Zhao raised his eyebrows, "Even if the fourth brother leads the husband to give birth to the eldest grandson, so what, has the son ever been afraid?"
King Ning looked at Liu Zhao with a half-smile, "You'd better never be afraid."
Liu Zhao smiled, "If the father has no other orders, the son will leave."
King Ning waved his hand, "Go and do your work. Take advantage of your free time and spend more time with your wife. It is best to get pregnant as soon as possible."
"I don't need to worry about this matter."
Liu Zhao got up and left.
King Ning arranged for people to go to Jiangnan.
…
It has been more than a month since Prince Renxuan's family moved in from the East Palace in the newly decorated Chu Palace.
The news of Li Zhaoyi's pregnancy flew into thousands of households in the capital as if she had grown wings.
Some people are busy singing praises and flattering the emperor.
Some people were elated, especially Li Zhaoyi's family.
Some people are worried, and they are headed by the family of the king of Chu.
Concubine Sun sat on the ground, King Chu sat on her lower head, and Fang Shaojian sat opposite her.
The King of Chu looked gloomy, "Mother, Li Zhaoyi is pregnant, what should I do with my son?"
Grand Concubine Sun Zhi looked at Fang Shaojian, "Fang Shaojian, tell me what you think."
Fang Shaojian bowed slightly, "My lord, it is better to be still than to move at this time. Continue to be a filial son and grandson, and enjoy yourself in front of His Majesty.
As for the child in Li Zhaoyi's womb, it may not be the prince, even if the prince grows up enough to be able to run and be happy, it will be at least a few years.
The prince can take advantage of these few years to plan carefully. In addition, the old slaves in the palace will also make arrangements in advance.
It is very difficult to train an excellent prince, but it is easy to teach a bad prince. "
The King of Chu nodded secretly when he heard the words.
Concubine Sun said: "The people around Li Zhaoyi are all personally arranged by His Majesty. In the future, when the prince is born, His Majesty will definitely intervene in person and arrange trustworthy servants. Are you sure that the people you arrange can get close to the prince and bring the prince with you?" Bad?"
Fang Shaojian smiled mysteriously, "I may not be sure about other things, but I am completely sure about arranging someone to serve Li Zhaoyi."
Oh
Concubine Sun stared at Shaojian Fang suspiciously. How many hands did this old slave hide
But when you think about it, it's not surprising.
Fang Shaojian served Ruizhen Empress Cui for 20 or 30 years, and the time of 20 or 30 years was enough for him to take root in the palace and form a dense network.
Looking at the irrelevant person, he might be a pawn in Fang Shaojian's network.
Concubine Sun said: "Since you are sure, I will entrust this matter to you. This time, don't let me down."
"Your Majesty, don't worry, this old servant dare not disappoint Your Majesty's high expectations."
…
Jiang Yan stood anxiously in the center of the hall, very at a loss.
She didn't know why the imperial concubine wanted to see her.
She looked around, and there were several people who were called together with her. Without exception, all were outstanding in appearance.
There was movement in the hall.
The imperial concubine appeared with Zhao Wang.
Zhao Wang sat at the bottom, his eyes swept across everyone's faces inquiringly.
"Mother and concubine, do you really want to dedicate all these beauties to the father? The father is getting old, why don't you give these beauties to your son."
Concubine Xue glared at King Zhao, "Look at your promise. Is your palace short of women?"
Zhao Wang chuckled, "My son is just joking."
Concubine Xue Gui snorted, "Li Zhaoyi is pregnant, you are still in the mood to joke."
The emperor loves the eldest son, and the common people love the youngest son.
However, this sentence has not been fulfilled here by the emperor.
Prince Renxuan is the eldest son, but the emperor does not love Prince Renxuan, and even regards Prince Renxuan as an enemy.
If Prince Renxuan hadn't blocked the knife for the emperor and died, the family in the East Palace would have been imprisoned long ago, how could they be granted the title of King of Chu.
Now that Li Zhaoyi is pregnant, if there is no accident, she must be the most beloved son of the emperor, and no one can steal the limelight.
All the princes, the youngest has grown up.
All adult princes, in the eyes of the emperor, all look hateful.
Because the adult princes are no longer well-behaved, they only want to compete with the emperor for power.
No one likes someone who robs him of his position, and the emperor can't wait to kill all the grown princes, it's an eyesore.
However, the little prince who is soft and childlike is not the same.
The little prince is so innocent and cute, so pure and innocent. Opening his innocent eyes wide, he hit the emperor's hard heart.
May I ask, can the emperor resist the charm of the little prince
cannot!
Thinking that Li Zhaoyi is very likely to give birth to the most beloved little prince, many people inside and outside the palace couldn't sit still.
In case the emperor can live another ten or twenty years, when the little prince grows up, wouldn't he be the next emperor.
At that time, before the emperor dies, he will definitely remove all obstacles for the little prince to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, and imprison all those adult princes who stand in the way.
Certainly!
Don't doubt the ruthlessness of the emperor.
Maybe, in order to reduce the obstacles for the little prince to ascend the throne, even the concubines in the harem will be disposed of.
Li Zhaoyi and her son monopolize the power, just ask, who can be reconciled.
Concubine Xue Gui has been in the harem for many years, how could she sit still and wait for death.
The first thing she thought of was to present a beauty to the emperor.
Li Zhaoyi is pregnant and cannot sleep with her. At this time, it is time to step in.
Jiang Yan was beautiful, so her name came into the eyes of Concubine Xue.
Concubine Xue Gui coughed lightly, and scanned the crowd, "I intend to promote you and let you serve His Majesty, are you willing?"
The five people looked at each other in blank dismay, the good thing that happened to be a pie in the sky, unexpectedly fell on their heads.
"Willing, willing!"
Several others chanted yes.
Only Jiang Yan hesitated.
Among the five people, she is the only one who reads books.
Before she came to Beijing, Gu Jiu gave her many books. She had kept those books with her all these years, and never thought of selling them during the most difficult times.
She read each book no less than ten times.
There is no golden house in the book, but there are reasons for being a man.
How old is the emperor
Sixty-three, or sixty-five
How many years are left to live
In case the emperor dies in two years and they have no children, the rest of their lives will be worse than being a court lady.
Concubine Xue Gui asked them to serve the emperor, she must have wanted them to compete with Li Zhaoyi for favor.
Li Zhaoyi is now crowned in the harem. At this time, he is competing with Li Zhaoyi for favor, and there is a half chance of dying in Li Zhaoyi's hands.
Should she agree, or should she refuse
Just can she refuse
She is a maid of the Ganlu Palace, she has no right to refuse Xue Guifei's arrangement at all.
She could only kneel down and take orders with the others.
Concubine Xue nodded in satisfaction, "In the next month, I will arrange someone to take good care of you. I hope you will be more energetic and don't let me down."
"The servant obeys!"
Jiang Yan secretly glanced at her hands, they were indeed rough. The skin on the face, exposed to the sun, is not as delicate as before.
If you want to serve His Majesty, you must take care of yourself first, at least remove the dead skin on your hands, and keep the skin on your face tender.
Afterwards, they were taken away from their original residence and lived together in a side hall, where they were taken care of by special personnel.
There are also nuns who explain to them about men and women, how to please them, and how to serve them.
The content is novel and jaw-dropping.
It turns out that there are so many particularities between men and women.
Jiang Yan has been looking for opportunities.
Finally got in touch with Zhou Miao.
The two made an appointment to meet in the Imperial Garden.
As soon as Jiang Yan saw him, she hurriedly said: "The imperial concubine asked me to serve Your Majesty, I am very scared, I don't want to go, please help me."
Zhou Miao asked: "You don't want to go to such a good thing as serving His Majesty? Didn't you enter the palace just to climb high? Now that the opportunity is in front of you, why are you shrinking?"
Jiang Yan looked distressed, "I'm not shrinking back, but I don't want to die. And your Majesty is so old, what can I do if one day... at that time? Do I have to spend my whole life in the nunnery with green lanterns and ancient Buddhas?"
Zhou Miao gritted her teeth and said, "I have a way. I can serve His Majesty and fly up to a branch to be a phoenix. In case of an emergency in the future, I can still save my life. I'm afraid you won't dare."
－－－－－Off Topic－－－－－
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