"Your Majesty, we have found out that there was an explosion in a barren mountain on the outskirts of the city!"
In the palace, a chamberlain hurriedly walked in, prostrated on the bluestone floor, and said respectfully.
"barren mountain?"
The saint frowned slightly, today is the Lantern Festival, and the whole capital is playing and admiring the lanterns.
Even the curfew that exists on weekdays has been canceled tonight.
Because of the lantern festival, there will be some accidents every year during the Lantern Festival.
However, it is basically caused by water leaks, stampedes due to too many people, or explosions in a certain workshop.
But like today, the movement outside the city can even be felt inside the city, and the ground is shaking slightly, the situation is a bit serious.
"Yes, I ordered someone to check. This barren mountain was bought by Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion a few months ago. It is said that it was used by his father Jia Jing to practice Taoism and rest in peace." The chamberlain replied carefully.
"Ningguo Mansion?"
The saint's face was not very good-looking. As a new king, he did not like the old ministers of the Supreme Emperor very much.
Especially parasites like the Four Kings and Eight Dukes who lie on the court and suck blood. In such a large family, there is no one who knows how to make progress.
Instead, he spends his days living in extravagant pursuits, fighting cocks and lackeys, enjoying extravagance in his own house, but still owes money to the Ministry of Household Affairs.
After the saint ascended the throne, he looked at the empty treasury and was extremely angry.
He had so many political ambitions, but they failed because of the word "money".
I want to recover the debt, but the emperor is still there. For the sake of filial piety and the final military power, of course the saint cannot disobey.
The Supreme Emperor was already very tolerant towards his old ministers. After abdication, he increasingly wanted to be known as a "benevolent king" and was even more unwilling to be too harsh on his courtiers.
so-
If the saint remembers correctly, both Ningrong and Rongfu also owe money to the Ministry of Finance.
The two mansions add up to a million taels.
He owed money to the court, but he still built villas for relatives.
Now, someone is reporting back and forth, saying that Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion actually bought a mountain enclosure to build a Taoist temple for his father.
The saint himself wanted to build a hot spring palace but had no money!
"It's said to be Ningguo Mansion, but it's actually a third-grade mighty general. It's just that the wife of Rong Mansion is still here, and the old sage gives special treatment to senior ministers, so -" the chamberlain explained in a low voice.
Strictly following the laws and regulations, both Ning and Rong Mansion must have seriously exceeded the rules.
Jia Zhen was only a third-class general, while Jia She was slightly better, but only a first-class general.
On the plaque at the front door of the two houses, there is a plaque for the Duke's Palace, and the buildings, furnishings, etc. in the mansion are seriously beyond their proper grade.
Everyone is even used to calling them the Duke of the State, but in fact, they are not the Duke of the State for a long time.
Sage: ...Of course I know this.
If he hadn't been concerned about the Supreme Emperor, he would have cleaned up these unruly things in accordance with the law.
"Jia Jing? I remember that he was a Jinshi in Yimao Branch, but later he went to practice Taoism?"
The saint didn't want to think about those unruly nobles, so he brought the topic back to normal and continued to ask about the loud noise just now.
"Your Majesty, that's exactly what happened. I heard that Jia Jing likes to make elixirs -"
Before the servant could finish speaking, the saint seemed to have thought of something, "Lin Hai mentioned last time that he had taken a pill refined by Jia Jing. Is this true?"
The chamberlain was stunned for a moment, and after a moment, he hurriedly said, "It is true, but the effect of that elixir was too weird. Master Lin got pustules all over his body. After the pustules receded, there were almost scars on his face."
"But he survived!" The saint pointed to the core of the problem.
The saint may not know how serious Lin Hai's condition was at that time.
However, later I heard that the Lin family's daughter, who was fostered in Rongguo Mansion, had traveled thousands of miles to Yangzhou. From this, it can be concluded that Lin Hai's condition was very serious at that time.
The sage's eyeliner placed beside the Supreme Emperor once reported something: when Lin Hai was seriously ill, he sent a secret message to the Supreme Emperor.
It's just that the Supreme Emperor burned the secret fold after reading it, and the spy did not find out the details.
However, the saint had some guesses as to what Lin Ruhai said in the secret book.
Perhaps the Salt Patrol Censor, whom the Supreme Emperor trusted, realized that he was not going to die soon, and wanted to ask for a favor from the Supreme Emperor.
However, it is true for the Supreme Emperor to miss old friendships, but it is also true to hold grudges.
Lin Ruhai was loyal to the Supreme Emperor, and he also valued the deposed prince, the orthodox heir, very highly.
Therefore, for a long time, Lin Ruhai was the money bag of the deposed prince.
Later, something happened to the deposed prince. The emperor did not want to regard the son he had raised as a rebellious son, so he thought that someone had led the deposed prince into evil.
Lin Ruhai was not of high rank, but he had always delivered money to the deposed prince.
And if the deposed prince dares to plot rebellion, sufficient money is his confidence.
Rounding things off, at least in the eyes of the Supreme Emperor, Lin Ruhai had something to do with the Prince's rebellion.
Lin Ruhai: ... I died unjustly, is there any reason? !
It's not a big deal to hold grudges, but the Supreme Emperor left Lin Ruhai in Yangzhou and allowed him to struggle in the dangerous and treacherous Jiangnan officialdom.
Jia Min's death may have something to do with those crazy and intricate salt merchants.
Lin Ruhai himself was exhausted and almost died in office.
The Supreme Emperor and the Emperor may not be unaware of Lin Ruhai's injustice and grievance, but they still chose to ignore it.
The Supreme Emperor was getting older and abdicated the throne, and he became more and more willful.
As for the current emperor, he wants to take Lin Ruhai under his command, but he is also afraid that he was once an old minister of the Supreme Emperor.
This time, Lin Ruhai almost died of illness, but somehow survived.
Perhaps he experienced this disaster and had a profound enlightenment. He handed over some of the information he collected to the saint in a secret form, and repeatedly begged to resign.
The information sent by Lin Ruhai was very valuable. Following the clues he provided, the saint quickly found out about the Zhen family in Jiangnan.
As soon as the Supreme Emperor closes his eyes, the saint will completely liquidate him!
For the sake of this information, the saint also saw that Lin Ruhai was really pitiful - he was over fifty years old, had lost his wife and son, and only had a sick daughter at his knees!
Oh, forget it!
Lin Ruhai didn't do anything that harmed the country or the people, he just did his own thing, there was no need to drive everyone away and kill them all!
The sage agreed to Lin Ruhai's request to resign and rewarded him with returning to Beijing for recuperation.
After Lin Ruhai returned to Beijing, the saint carefully inquired about the circumstances of his serious illness.
Hearing Jia Jing's name from his mouth, the saint paid some attention.
Today, there was a loud noise outside the city on the night of the Lantern Festival, and it was actually related to Jia Jing. The saint had to pay attention to it.
After dismissing the chamberlain, the saint replaced the secret guard: "Go, check it out and find out what's going on?"
Jia Jing knows how to make elixirs, and it seems normal to blow up the furnace when making elixirs.
You know, the gunpowder of China was first discovered by Taoist priests when they were refining elixirs.
At that time, the court also had gunpowder and fire blunderbuss.
However, the explosive is not very powerful and has poor stability.
Fireguns and the like are not safe either. Their range and power are average, and they cannot be used in a war.
"What exactly do you want to do, Brother Jing?!"
In fact, not only the saint was curious, but the entire Jia family was also very surprised.
Especially Jia's mother, she finally looked forward to coming to see my mother-in-law for her wedding, and the Jia family finally had a moment of glory.
As a result, the lady here had just entered the Grand View Garden, and before taking in the sights, she heard a loud noise in the distance.
The servants and maids who came from the palace were afraid of causing trouble outside and bumping into the nobles, so they quickly urged the virtuous concubine to return to the palace.
Jia Yuanchun: ... I just entered the house, and before I walked around, I called my family members to come and talk, and the result was—
Even though Jia Yuanchun was well-educated, he couldn't help but scold his mother in his heart.
After suffering in the palace for more than ten years, she finally had the opportunity to return to her hometown in glory.
The stage was set up and her people came, but they told her: My dear, there is danger, please return to the palace quickly!
Jia Yuanchun was probably furious. Before leaving, he took Jia's mother's hand and warned her repeatedly: "Grandma, you must find out what happened today!"
She wanted to see who was making her uncomfortable.
If it were really bad people outside who were causing trouble, that would be fine. If this was what people who knew the Jia family were talking about, well, Jia Yuanchun would definitely not let it go!
Jia Yuanchun was angry, and Jia's mother secretly hated him.
There was no need for Jia Yuanchun to specifically explain it, and he respectfully sent Feng Jia off. Jia Mu just ordered people to investigate.
Soon, there were results—
"Master Cong set off fireworks in the mountains and accidentally blew up a mountain!"
Hearing the news, Jia Mu, Jia She, Jia Zheng and others were furious.
It's really the fault of my own family. This, this is even more hateful than outsiders.
But they tried to find someone to settle the score but couldn't find the rightful owner, so they had to target Jia Zhen.
Jia Zhen: ... Who did my mother-in-law mess with
By the way, he also hates Jia Cong, okay? !
In the past, her father was cultivating in Xuanzhen Temple, and no one cared about him. Jia Zhen was left free.
But now, my biological father would make a request from time to time, and he would be brought to him at every turn.
It's okay to witness her own father's preference for Jia Cong, the cheap younger brother. The key point is that Jia Zhen will be trembling and fearful in front of Jia Jing.
Because of her father's recent behavior, Jia Zhen didn't dare to act like she did in the past.
First, I was afraid that my biological father would want to "discipline" me on a whim again.
Secondly, after adopting Jia Cong, Jia Zhen is no longer the "only son" of Ningguo Mansion.
In Jia Zhen's view, Jia Cong is no longer an insignificant stepson (adopted son), but a potential competitor.
Although it is unlikely, Jia Zhen also wants to prevent everything in Ningguo Mansion from being taken away by Jia Cong one day!
After all, the person who accompanies his biological father day and night is Jia Cong. He is not a tree, and Jia Cong is a smart and lovable child.
Over time, feelings will inevitably arise—
Oops, I don’t dare to think about it, I don’t dare to think about it.
With these scruples, Jia Zhen became more and more disciplined, and he did not dare to offend even the beautiful and coquettish You sisters.
Activities such as riding, shooting, and playing with the noble disciples have basically stopped.
Jia Zhen even began to restrain her servants to prevent them from causing trouble to her.
In addition, Jia Zhen would run to another courtyard on the outskirts of the city when she had nothing to do, regardless of her father's words "I don't want to see you".
He is his biological father's biological son, so he must not let that little brat Jia Cong take advantage of him.
He Tiantian did not deliberately discipline Jia Zhen, but she invisibly put pressure on Jia Zhen.
Jia Zhen is not stupid. He was so unscrupulous in the past because he was confident.
Now, "Jia Jing", the living ancestor, wants to show his presence from time to time, which shocks Jia Zhen.
And the presence of Jia Cong also made Jia Zhen not dare to be too presumptuous.
Jia Zhen did not dare to hate her own father, so she put all the debts on Jia Cong.
However, before he could think of a way to settle the score with Jia Cong, he was asked to bear the consequences of Jia Cong's mistakes.
Jia Zhen is almost frustrated!
"Perhaps there is some misunderstanding. Brother Cong is ignorant, and I will also look at him!"
What else can Jia Zhen say
I can only keep a smile on my face and apologize to Xifu on behalf of my careless and cheap brother.
"Hmph, I think they are quite compatible as 'father and son'. One makes elixirs and the other explodes mountains!"
When Jia She heard Jia Cong's name, he felt disgusted and said something strangely.
He definitely has reason to sneer at the word "father and son". Jia Cong is his biological son.
As a result, with Jia Jing's words, Jia Zhen, the patriarch, changed the family tree completely, even if Jia She didn't agree.
Jia She doesn't care about a bastard like Jia Cong at all, but he can don't want it, but he can't be snatched away!
Now, Jia Cong has become Jia Jing's son, and he has gotten into trouble with Jia Jing's connivance. Jia She really wants to look up to the sky and laugh - he deserves it!
Jia Cong blew up the mountain. Although it was his private property, the whole capital was shaken, which was obviously very dangerous.
Jia She didn't believe it. Would the court ignore such dangerous behavior? !
However, what happened next made Jia She even more angry.
The imperial court did inquire about the explosion in the Jia Family Courtyard, but learned that the youngest child in the family accidentally created a more powerful explosive after seeing his father making alchemy. Instead of punishing him, he was rewarded.
"Give me three hundred acres of land and one hundred taels of gold!"
Jia She: ... Could it be that the saint was confused by the explosion
Little did he know that Jia Cong took the opportunity to hand over all the secret recipes for the "bomb" and also handed over the blueprints for the improved version of the fire gun.
With these recipes of his, the combat effectiveness of the imperial soldiers and horses can instantly increase by several levels!
Jia Cong also said that when he was following his father in alchemy, he accidentally discovered a way to purify colored glaze, which was more exquisite and beautiful than those imported colored glaze products.
saint:…
Gunpowder improved the combat effectiveness of the imperial troops, and glass could earn the Ministry of Household Affairs a lot of money.
To be honest, if someone else made such a contribution, the saint would not hesitate to reward him with a title or a honorary title.
But the Ningguo Mansion of the Jia family—
Alas, Qin Keqing died less than a year ago.
No matter how embarrassing her status is, she is still of royal blood.
The royal family would not allow her to recognize her ancestors, but it also would not allow her to be trampled and harmed like this.
Even today's saint, who didn't get along well with the deposed prince, heard that the Jia family had the audacity to kill the deposed prince's illegitimate daughter. His first reaction was also angry.
Jia Yuanchun betrayed Qin Keqing, but the saint could still allow it.
Jia Zhen's dirty tricks made the saint angry.
Jia family, let’s atone for our sins first.
Gunpowder and glass were used as life money for Jia Zhen and others in Ningguo Mansion.
While everyone in the Jia family was still scolding Jia Cong as the troublemaker, he had already helped the Jia family eliminate some troubles.
At least, the saint will no longer use the Jia family as the chicken to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey".
He Tiantian doesn't care about this, she only pays attention to one thing -
When Jia Cong came up with some new gadgets again, the consciousness of the small world did not send out a warning signal.
He Tiantian felt relieved: Very good, my plan is indeed feasible!