Empress Dowager Qi lived in the rear hall of the Qianqing Palace.
At first she lived in the Cining Palace. Considering that the emperor was still young when he ascended the throne, the cabinet asked Empress Dowager Qi to move to the Qianqing Palace to take care of Emperor Yuanyou's daily life.
The late emperor had only two sons, one of whom had already been enfeoffed as a vassal. There was only one little emperor in the palace, and he was extremely precious. Of course, the empress dowager had to take care of him to be at ease.
Empress Dowager Qi indeed took good care of her son. In the past few years, Emperor Yuanyou had barely caught a cold or a cough.
After leaving the imperial study, Emperor Yuanyou went directly to the back hall.
Empress Dowager Qi was reading Buddhist scriptures, with only two palace maids standing quietly on both sides. The room was quiet and peaceful.
"Your son greets your mother." Emperor Yuanyou walked in and bowed with a smile.
Empress Dowager Qi had already put down the Buddhist scriptures and looked at her tall and handsome son. He not only had the same upright figure as the late emperor, but also inherited the good looks of both her and the late emperor. He was truly a handsome young man with a graceful and elegant demeanor.
"sit down."
Emperor Yuanyou sat next to Empress Dowager Qi. The mother and son looked at each other, and Emperor Yuanyou took the initiative to say, "Mother, I just summoned you and Lord He to the Imperial Study."
Empress Dowager Qi: "About tax reform?"
Emperor Yuanyou: "Yes, I would rather use Lord He's method, and you just agreed."
He told his mother exactly what Chen Tingjian had said.
Empress Dowager Qi silently turned the sandalwood Buddhist beads on her wrist and looked at her young and frivolous son. She said, "As Lord Chen said, this road is extremely difficult. I am very relieved that you are not afraid. However, they still dare not explain the risks too clearly. If there are rebels in various places, if one of them becomes powerful and really threatens the court, if the clan members, officials, common people, and officials in Beijing all scold you, will you be afraid and regret it?"
Emperor Yuanyou: "I'm probably afraid. As for whether I regret it or not, it depends on whether they win or I win in the end. If I win, no matter how difficult it is in the beginning, I will be happy in the end. If I lose, the worst that can happen is that I will give up the world. Anyway, even if I don't reform, and indulge relatives, officials and gentry to bully the people, the country of our ancestors will eventually become someone else's. From ancient times to the present, dynasties have always changed like this."
Empress Dowager Qi: "You make it sound so easy."
Emperor Yuanyou: "I understand your mother's concerns. I also know that I am young and fearless, but the throne has been passed down to me now, and I am the only one who dares to give it a try. When you and Mr. He are gone, who else can I count on to advocate such a reform? Mother, I don't want to be cursed by the people of the world like my grandfather, and I don't want to be addicted to the harem like my father. Even if I lose in the end, future generations will only regret my frivolity, and will not criticize me for being wrong."
Empress Dowager Qi: "The ancestors will scold you for losing your kingdom."
Emperor Yuanyou: "My ancestors would not scold me, but they would scold those greedy princes and relatives, and those corrupt officials and gentry who exploited the people."
Empress Dowager Qi: …
I have to say that our ancestors did have such a temper. Not only that, they would also scold those unfilial descendants who had ruined the ancestral foundation.
Empress Dowager Qi thought of Chen Tingjian again.
She didn't know how long her son's frivolous righteousness could last, but she believed that Chen Tingjian would not joke about state affairs. If Chen Tingjian agreed, he would definitely use iron-blooded tactics to stabilize the country for his son. The most difficult two years would be the two years before her son took power, so at this time, the reform and the infamy would be borne by Chen Tingjian, the assistant prime minister, for her son. Even if the reform failed in the future, her son could push the cabinet out and let the princes and officials vent their anger. Her son only needed to change the cabinet, and he could continue to be a carefree emperor who was helpless with the princes and officials, but lived a life of luxury.
Chen Tingjian will understand the truth even better than she does.
But Chen Tingjian still agreed to his son's request.
Empress Dowager Qi raised her head slightly, and after a while she told her son this, every word weighing heavily: "If you really take this step, you actually still have a way out, but Chen Tingjian and He Qingxian are like arrows that have been shot and cannot be retrieved. Once you retreat, they must die."
Emperor Yuanyou thought of Chen Tingjian, the old man who was like a teacher and a father to him. He would discipline him strictly and also take great pains to pave the way for him.
He also thought of He Qingxian, who was loyal to the emperor and loved the people with an iron will, but was imprisoned by his grandfather and despised by his father. It was not until his reign that he finally had the opportunity to realize his ambitions.
The two old men can disregard themselves for the sake of the court and the people, so he will stand firmly behind them.
"I will not retreat. I would rather die in glory than live in disgrace."
Empress Dowager Qi smiled and said, "Then do it boldly. Regardless of the merits and demerits, we mother and son will bear the responsibility together."
.
After the Little New Year, officials had another holiday.
Huayang took Chen Jingzong back to the Chen Mansion.
Chen Tingjian was not there.
Sun: "I don't know what he is busy with. He goes to the palace before dawn every day and comes back after dark. I think he doesn't even care about the New Year."
How could Huayang believe that his father-in-law hadn't told his mother-in-law anything? The implementation of the new policy next year would be a thousand times more difficult than the performance evaluation system and the national land survey. Not to mention the cabinet, officials from the six ministries have also been working hard to revise the new rules. Including his younger brother, Huayang only saw his mother when he entered the palace in the morning. He heard that his younger brother was also in the cabinet and had to eat three meals a day with the cabinet.
Huayang noticed that Luo Yuyan was in a low mood.
The sun was shining brightly today. When the three sisters-in-law went to stroll in the garden, Luo Yuyan finally had the opportunity to tell the princess her worries: "The third master said that he will be sent to Songjiang Prefecture in Southern Zhili next year."
The court wanted to implement new policies, and the local areas might not have received the news yet, but there were already some rumors in the official circles in Beijing. So even though Chen Xiaozong was vague about the details, Luo Yuyan guessed that it was too difficult to implement the new policies and some officials did not dare to do it. So the father-in-law let her son go, and he went to the wealthy Jiangnan area where the gentry were deeply rooted.
When corrupt officials arrive in the south of the Yangtze River, they will naturally be treated with respect and pampering by the officials and gentry under them, and they will be well-fed and well-fed.
Chen Xiaozong wanted to confront these local tyrants, but the risks involved were…
Luo Yuyan was about to cry.
She wanted to go with Chen Xiaozong, but Chen Xiaozong kept saying something indecent and promised that he would never have affairs with other women outside. In short, he just refused to agree.
Yu Xiu took out a handkerchief and half-hugged Luo Yuyan's shoulders, but her own tears also flowed down.
Huayang remembered that in his previous life, both Chen Bochong and Chen Xiaozong were sent out to remote areas. Chen Xiaozong was the magistrate of Huating County in Songjiang Prefecture, and Chen Bochong was the prefectural magistrate in Guangdong.
She had no idea how many risks the two brothers encountered outside. She only knew that the "One Whip Law" was implemented quite thoroughly in the two places at that time. Until the death of their father-in-law in August, the two brothers had to put down their jobs and return to Beijing to mourn.
My father-in-law was buried in August. In October, Prime Minister Zhang Pan led the court officials to impeach my father-in-law. In November, Chen Bochong died in prison. In December, the entire Chen family was exiled.
Huayang walked away.
Luo Yuyan sniffed twice and asked Yu Xiu worriedly, "Is the princess angry? Is she upset that we've ruined her fun?"
Yu Xiu: "The princess is not that kind of person, but let's not be like this. The court is in need of people, so we should be considerate."
Huayang didn't let Chaoyun and Chaoyue follow him, and came to the lotus pond in Chen's garden by himself.
She sat on a stone on one side of the arch bridge, looking at the ice surface reflecting the sunlight to calm herself.
I don’t know how long it was before a small stone suddenly flew by and slid a long way along the ice.
Huayang stared blankly at the small stone that slowly stopped.
Chen Jingzong's voice came from the bridge: "Why are you hiding here? You're like a young wife who's been bullied."
Huayang looked up and saw him lying on the railing with his back to the sun. His handsome face was bright and his posture was nonchalant, like a dandy young man.
Huayang glared at him.
Chen Jingzong: "Will your eldest sister-in-law and third sister-in-law bully you?"
It was totally impossible, Huayang didn't even bother to answer.
With a "bang", Chen Jingzong actually jumped over the bridge railing and jumped straight down, which made Huayang tremble all over. The next moment, he was afraid that he would break the ice and fall down!
"Come up!" she urged unhappily.
Chen Jingzong stepped on the ice and said, "This is a small pond at home. The water is not even as deep as my waist. I am not afraid of falling in."
Huayang just stared at him.
Chen Jingzong then came in front of her, half-knelt on one knee, held the stone she was sitting on with one hand, and lifted her chin with the other hand.
Huayang knocked his hand away.
Chen Jingzong looked into her eyes and asked, "Did you drop gold nuggets again?"
Huayang pursed his lips.
Chen Jingzong: "I saw that the eldest sister-in-law and the third sister-in-law were crying too. Is it because of the eldest brother and the third brother being sent out after the New Year?"
Huayang: "You went out to play with Dalang and the others, why are you spying on our women?"
Chen Jingzong: "I didn't do it on purpose. I saw it on the way back."
Huayang was silent.
Chen Jingzong: "It is natural for the eldest sister-in-law and the third sister-in-law to be reluctant to part with their husbands. Why would you, a younger sister-in-law, be reluctant to part with them?"
The familiar sarcasm and the familiar sourness.
Huayang: "Why don't you say something else?"
Chen Jingzong: "Seriously, the old man has arranged ten guards for each of them, so they will be safe. It just takes some brains and words, which are what civil officials are good at. You really don't have to worry."
Hua Yang lowered his eyes: "I am not worried about them. I admire my father. He could have let my eldest brother and third brother go to the six departments for training, but he sent them to do the most difficult and offensive tasks."
Chen Jingzong: "You know I am the most jealous old man, but you still insist on saying that."
Huayang pushed him hard.
Chen Jingzong then sat on the ice.
Suddenly, there were a few giggles above their heads. The couple looked up at the same time and saw the three brothers Wanyi, Wanqing and Dalang had sneaked over at some point. Five heads of different sizes were lined up on the guardrail, like five chubby sparrows.
Huayang: …
Chen Jingzong patted his pants and stood up, raising his hand to shout at them: "You are disrespectful, get out of here!"
Wanyi saw that the eldest princess's aunt blushed, as if she was worried that they had heard her words, so she smiled and explained, "We just arrived and didn't hear anything. We just saw that the fourth uncle had fallen down."
Chen Jingzong: …
Fourth Aunt’s face is important, so his face doesn’t need to be taken into consideration, right
"Let's go, or Uncle Si won't give you any New Year's money this year!"
Wanyi winked at her fourth uncle and took her brothers and sisters away.
Chen Jingzong watched his nephews and nieces walk away. Just as he was about to squat again, Huayang stood up and said to him in a bossy tone, "Let's go to Hongfu Temple to celebrate New Year's Eve this year."
Chen Jingzong: "Why?"
Huayang: "I want to burn the first stick of incense of the New Year."
So many things happened in the third year of Yuanyou. Huayang had to pray for his brother's new policy to go smoothly, and also pray for the Chen family to have everything go well and for the whole family to be safe.
(End of this chapter)