The Red Mansions

Chapter 921 Jia Heng Ye Returns to Shenjing (Ask for a monthly ticket!)
Jinyang Princess Mansion, near noon, the New Year in the south is much warmer than that in the north, and the temperature has also risen a lot.

Accompanied by the sound of light footsteps, a rich and delicate fragrance came, Yuan Chun and other maidservants carried various dishes and entered the hall of the back house, their faces were full of joy.

Jia Heng took a sip of tea, looked at Yuan Chun curiously, and asked with a smile, "Big sister, what did you cook?"

Seeing Tian Ran's smile on Yuan Chun's plump and beautiful face, he said softly, "Brother Heng, I cooked you some hometown dishes."

Yuan Chun is not only good at female celebrities, but also good at cooking. She was originally trained according to the standards of palace concubines. These are all necessary skills.

Jia Heng said: "Big sister."

At this moment, Yuan Chun saw Princess Jinyang beside him, and said softly, "Your Highness, it's time for lunch."

Everyone sat down to eat, Princess Jinyang said softly: "Ziyu is going back in the third year of junior high school, there will be war in the north."

Yuan Chun looked at the boy with concern, and said, "Brother Heng, is there going to be a war in the north?"

Jia Heng said: "That's not true, I just need to go back earlier to take precautions, okay, let's not talk about this, let's celebrate the big sister's birthday first."

Yuan Chun let out a "hmm" and sat down.

Princess Jinyang also handed over the secret letter and said, "Do you want to go to Chahar Mongolia yourself?"

Jia Heng said: "Ezhe probably doesn't trust other officials of the Han court, so I might as well go there."

"It's too risky, just send a special envoy, no one knows what Chahar Mongolia thinks." Princess Jinyang reminded.

Jia Heng said: "At that time, I will definitely bring some subordinates, and then I will check the situation first, and I may not go to Mongolia myself."

In fact, he still wants to solve the problems of Taiyuan and Datong military town first.

Seeing this, Princess Jinyang stopped mentioning it.

"Big sister, it's been a year, but it's one year older." Jia Heng took Yuan Chun's plain hand and said with a smile in his eyes.

Princess Jinyang smiled and said: "I said yesterday that you are not too young, and you will not be lonely if you gave birth to a child earlier and put it under your knees."

Yuan Chun: "???"

Jia Heng nodded, and said softly: "Big sister should have one too."

In fact, during this period of time, he and Yuan Chun didn't avoid it very much. Yuan Chun probably had a child in a few months.

Thinking of the verdict about Yuanchun in the original book, "In the past 20 years, right and wrong have been distinguished, durian flowers bloom to illuminate the palace, three springs compete for the early spring scene, tigers meet and return with a big dream", this life should not be like this.

Yuan Chun's plump cheeks with a little baby fat flushed slightly, and said softly: "Brother Heng, what are you talking about?"

Princess Jinyang smiled and said: "Then you have Zhen Qing and Zhen Xue who were close friends with you back then, and you should have one too."

Jia Heng: "..."

Yuan Chun: "???"

Glancing at the boy in the python suit next to him, a strange feeling arose in her heart. Is there something between Brother Heng and His Highness that she doesn't know about?
After Jia Heng had lunch with Yuan Chun and Princess Jinyang, in the afternoon, a female official came from the outside and told: "Hou Ye, Li Shu from a hundred households in brocade clothes, Xu Shikui, the governor of Jiangzuo, went to Ningguo Mansion to look for it. Master Hou is talking."

Jia Heng nodded, waved his hands and said, "Just say I'm too busy, see you."

Xu Shikui wanted to see him, but he still wanted to stay in Jiangzuo, but according to his opinion, it would be best for him to be transferred away from Jiangzuo, otherwise Li Shouzhong would be hindered in the future, and he would suggest that the emperor transfer a northern official from the four provinces of Shanhe Served as the chief envoy.

The female officer held a letter in her hand and said, "This is a letter from Xu Shikui."

Jia Heng paused when he heard the words, took the letter paper, and read it, it contained Xu Shikui's compliments, and also recorded some black material about Shen Bing, of course it was not about corruption and bribery, But regarding grain transportation, Shen Fang responded negatively and perfunctorily to the court.

In fact, it has the meaning of bringing a gun to shoot, and of course it is more of a test.

Jia Heng stared deeply, put the letter away, with a thoughtful look on his face.

Princess Jinyang narrowed her beautiful eyes, looked at the boy quietly, smiled lightly, and said: "If you want to go and see, you can't go to see him now, there is nothing in this palace."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said: "I said to accompany you, I will come when I go."

As he said, he returned to Ningguo Mansion under the escort of Jinyi Mansion Guard Li Shu.

At this moment Xu Shikui had been waiting in the hall for a long time, when he heard that Jia Heng was coming, he got up quickly, with a hint of anxiety on his chubby face.

It turned out that Xu Shikui had heard some news that Jia Heng had completed the inspection of Jiangnan who was suitable to be an official of the third division, and would return to the capital today.

"Master Hou." Xu Shikui walked a few steps quickly, and saluted the boy in the python suit with a flattering look on his face.

Jia Heng frowned and said, "Master Xu, what are you doing?"

The letter just now mainly said that Shen Fang had shoddy the food delivered to the imperial court, and also complained many times, but in fact there was still a lot of food in the Jiangnan granary.

Xu Shikui said: "Master Hou, I'm here to abandon the dark and turn to the bright."

Jia Heng looked at Xu Shikui, and said, "What's the meaning of the letter Mr. Xu just sent?"

Xu Shikui looked around and said, "Master Hou, can I take a step to speak?"

Jia Heng frowned, and said: "Master Xu, let's talk in the study."

As he spoke, he led Xu Shikui to the study, and this time there were only two people left.

Xu Shikui gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice: "Master Hou, do you know that Mr. Shen has always been critical of Lord Hou? Has he frequently tripped over some things?"

Jia Heng looked gloomy, put down the teacup in his hand, and said coldly: "Master Xu, I didn't listen to what you said."

If Zhang Yongchuan sees a feminine politician, then Xu Shikui sees a duplicitous villain, which even makes people feel uncomfortable.

"Master Shen and that Gao Bin are brother-in-law, and Gao Bin is greedy for Mohe workers' money. Although he has never heard of Master Shen sharing the stolen money, he mostly covered up his faults, and the Ministry of Industry Survey also covered him up and deceived the court." Xu Shikui lowered his voice. , said.

Jia Heng's eyes flickered, and he asked softly: "Besides squandering Gao Bin's greedy money, who else did it go into?"

He was curious about the case of punishing the corruption of Hedao Yamen back then. Gao Bin's family didn't confiscate too much money, so whose pocket did the money go into?

A certain vassal, or a certain important figure in the court?
Jia Heng's thoughts were racing for a while, is Han Huang really as clean as he appears on the surface?
Xu Jie still has many grain fields in Songjiang Mansion.

The main impression that Han Huang gave him was that although he was quite selfish, he didn't seem to be too concerned about corruption. It probably belonged to Secretary Yuliang.

These politicians are after power.

Xu Shikui shook his head, and said: "The lower officials don't know about this either, perhaps only Mr. Shen knows such core secrets."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said: "Since Mr. Xu is an official under Mr. Shen, why is that so?"

This Xu Shikui betrayed Shen Bing because he saw that Shen Bing couldn't keep his chief envoy and wanted to be a second or fifth boy.

Xu Shikui lowered his voice, and said softly: "To tell you the truth, the lower officials have never been direct descendants of the Zhejiang Party, but people who are under the eaves and have to bow their heads. The lower officials are officials of the imperial court, not officials under Mr. Shen. .”

Apart from Han and Zhao, who are at the center of the Zhejiang Party, among the local officials in Xinjiang, they are divided into Jiangxi, Jiangnan, Zhejiang, and Nanjing. Many of them are Confucian masters. There are also some political ideals mixed in.

For example, the way of encouraging private merchants, alleviating the heavy taxation in the southeast, reducing the frontier army, and suppressing the scholars in the north, and another is to strike down the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the mine supervision bureaus, introduce private capital, and not compete with the people for profit, even in the southeast The land opened up the sea and trade.

And when Yang Guochang was in power, they all had the opposite policy. There was no bottom line to make concessions to the imperial power in the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

This is also the reason why Jia Heng advocated the opening of the sea ban in the past, and the Zhejiang Party did not attract opposition from the court.

Among the Zhejiang Party and other high-ranking officials in Xinjiang, Zhang Yongchuan, governor of Jiangnan, Liu Zhen, governor of Zhejiang, Chu Yun'e, governor of Jiangxi, and Shen Fang, governor of Liangjiang, were rising stars, and they themselves had a competitive relationship.

And Xu Shikui is more like a peripheral who was recruited by Shen Fang. Although he is also a scholar from the two rankings, he does not belong to the core circle. He belongs to Shen Fang's faction.

Jia Heng took out the letter from the sleeve, and said indifferently, "My Lord Xu, this letter alone can't help you."

He never wanted to deal directly with Shen Fang, otherwise he would easily anger Han, Zhao and others in the cabinet, causing discord between generals and prime ministers, and political turmoil.

The current situation is like this. He, Han Zhao and the others have maintained restraint for the time being, and are waiting for the result of the first war against the captives.

Therefore, Zhang Yongchuan made great efforts to bring down Shen Fang, and he was happy to see the internal faction disputes.

Xu Shikui carefully observed the young Marquis Wu, and said, "Master Shen, Mr. Shen's official voice is fine, and there is not much to criticize."

To put it bluntly, people like Shen Fang cherish their feathers very much. It is not easy to find evidence of corruption from these people.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, looked aggressively at Xu Shikui, bowed his head slightly to show respect, and then said coldly: "Master Xu, let's do this for now. After the new governor of Anhui takes office, you will be in the cloth The political secretary will cooperate with the governor and assist in civil affairs."

When Xu Shikui heard the words, he quickly said: "Don't worry, Lord Hou. The next official will cooperate with Futai well. If there is a letter from Jiangnan, I will deliver the letter to Lord Hou."

Jia Heng's face was indifferent, noncommittal, he brought tea to see off the guests, and watched Xu Shikui leave.

This kind of behind-the-scenes stabbing in officialdom is actually not uncommon. These people are only responsible for the black hat on their heads.

Xu Shikui must have a way to deal with Shen Bing's anger.

However, if Xu Shikui was transferred to be the political envoy under the governor of Anhui, after Li Shouzhong took office, he could help Li Shouzhong to stabilize the situation a little.

If one is transferred from the north rashly, it may not be able to maximize his interests.

However, Li Shouzhong, a clean and streamlined official, has done a lot, and he may not be proficient in government affairs.

It's just that, once he is weak, Xu Shikui will probably go back and forth again, but from the perspective of the current stable situation, it is inseparable from such a capricious villain to help Li Shouzhong suppress the situation.

The so-called emperor's technique does not necessarily mean that a gentleman should make full use of it, but a villain should also use it sometimes.

This is what Jiajing said about the turbidity of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Whoever floods will be punished.

Time flies, and before you know it, the second day of the first lunar month in Chongping's 16th year has quietly arrived. Jia Heng also stayed with Zhen Qing, Zhen Xue and Shui Xin who arrived for a while, and after that, he didn't spend more time in Jinling, and immediately let people Inform Nanjing, and then ride a fast horse to Shenjing, ready to deal with side affairs.

At this moment, in Shenjing City, Daming Palace, inner study

The thin middle-aged emperor, lying behind the imperial case, holding a tube of ink pen in his hand, was reviewing a memorial. Although it was the third day of the first lunar month, this emperor had already started reviewing the memorial, and received the imperial court who came to Beijing from other places to report on his duties. important minister.

"Your Majesty, Master Lin is asking to see you." Dai Quan, the Minister of Daming Palace, entered the palace with small steps, and whispered to the middle-aged emperor.

"Xuan." Emperor Chongping raised his head, his face majestic and solemn, and said softly.

In a short while, Lin Ruhai, the inspector of Yan and Huaihe Rivers, dressed in a scarlet robe official uniform and a black black gauze hat, walked quickly into the hall, bowed to the emperor behind the case and said: "My minister Lin Ruhai pays homage to the Holy Majesty, long live the Majesty Long live."

Emperor Chongping put down the vermilion pen in his hand, looked at the middle-aged official with an elegant face and handsome appearance, smiled and said: "Lin Qing has worked hard in Jiangnan for several years, get up quickly, and Dai Quan will take a seat."

Lin Ruhai bowed his head again, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you my lord."

Emperor Chongping said with emotion: "After a few years, Lin Qingqing has decreased a lot."

At the beginning, he pointed at the scholar in front of him to go to Jiangnan to inspect the salt, and eight years have passed in a blink of an eye. The high-spirited Lin Yushi at the time now also shows some signs of aging.

Lin Ruhai clasped his hands and said: "I have been in Yangzhou for eight years, seeing the holy face again today, I also feel emotional and can hardly hold myself."

Emperor Chongping sighed, and said: "Lin Qing worked tirelessly to organize the salt affairs in Lianghuai. In the past seven or eight years, it is not that I have not thought of transferring Lin Qing to Beijing, but Lianghuai is an important source of wealth for the country, and I cannot leave Lin Qing for a while. , so it was postponed to today.”

Lin Ruhai said: "Your Majesty is painstaking, and I know that I have been inspecting the salt affairs in Lianghuai and Huaihe Rivers for several years, and I dare not slack off, lest it affect the treasury."

Emperor Chongping had a rare kind expression on his face, and said with a smile: "The new salt law in Lianghuai has achieved remarkable results. Now that Lin Qing has returned to Beijing with a high reputation, I am about to entrust Lin Qing with a heavy responsibility to make Lin Qing live up to what he has learned."

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai's heart moved slightly, and he cupped his hands and said, "I am overwhelmed with gratitude for being entrusted with the task of patrolling salt by the Holy Majesty. I dare not expect anything else."

Emperor Chongping looked at Lin Ruhai, his eyes were secretly satisfied. This Lin Ruhai was appointed by him personally as the inspector censor. To great use.

After thinking for a while, he said: "Nowadays, in the Ministry of Household Affairs, Yang Qing is in charge of the affairs of the Ministry, but he also handles the affairs of the world's finances, taxes, and expenditures in the cabinet. There are many things that the Ministry does not take care of. .”

The Ministry of Households is the place of money and food in the world. Because Qi Kun is a cabinet minister, the official who handles the affairs of the Ministry is still Lin Ruhai.

When Lin Ruhai heard the words, he left his seat and bowed, saying: "My minister will work hard, do my best to be blunt, and not make the affairs of the department complicated."

Emperor Chongping nodded, and while exempting Lin Ruhai, he got up from behind the case, walked to the carved glass window, and said, "According to what Ziyu said, next year there will be a big battle, a tough one. What is fighting is money and food, and the military affairs are handed over to Ziyu, and the court and the central government still have to do a good job in the matter of money and food."

Lin Ruhai followed step by step, and said in a low voice, "What the Holy Majesty said is true."

Listening to the emperor's tone of mentioning Zi Yu, he said he was a nephew rather than a monarch. This kind of favor is far beyond the ordinary monarch and minister, and he doesn't know whether it will be a blessing or a curse in the future.

After he arrived in Beijing, he heard rumors that the Son of Heaven wanted to betroth Princess Xianning to Zi Yu, but Zi Yu had already married her first wife, and the rumors were not groundless.

It is worth mentioning that many of Lin Ruhai were in the same year, and some of them were still officials in the Sixth Ministry of Central Beijing, Kedao, and Imperial Academy.

Emperor Chongping looked at the sky outside, and said: "According to the preliminary decision on the subdivision of Jiangnan provinces, Ziyu should be back. Dai Quan, order someone to send Feige, a detective from Jinyi Mansion, a letter to remind him."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Dai Quan responded quickly, then walked to the gate of the hall, and ordered an inner eunuch to go.

Emperor Chongping looked at Lin Ruhai, and said in a gentle voice: "In the past two days, the old general Li Ge from Beiping will go to Beijing. If Ziyu is here, we can talk about the border affairs together. Ziyu is still in the southern province."

Lin Ruhai nodded in agreement.

Emperor Chongping said again: "When Lin Qing came to the capital, it was not easy to live in Shenjing. Dai Quan chose a good mansion from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to settle Lin Qing's family."

The emperor bestows houses on his ministers, which is the foundation of winning people's hearts.

Lin Ruhai hurriedly cupped his hands to thank Shengen.

The two monarchs and ministers were talking, until around noon, Emperor Chongping left Lin Ruhai to give a banquet. Not long after, the imperial decree regarding Lin Ruhai's promotion to the household minister came down, and the palace report spread to the world, and the dust settled.

However, the special decree of the chief minister of the cabinet still did not come down, and the horse-drawn carriages of the University of Martial Arts Hall, Shao Bao, and Li Zan, Minister of the Ministry of War, also gradually arrived in the capital.

……

……

Years go by, seasons flow, and before you know it, it is the thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the 16th year of Chongping. The noise and enthusiasm of the new year is even more lively after Rongning and Ningfu confirmed that Lin Ruhai was promoted to be the servant of the household department.

The two mansions of Rongning and Ningxia sang big plays for half a month, from the masters of the houses to the maids and nurses, all of them were beaming with joy.

Afterwards, the cabinet issued a decree about granting Li Shouzhong the governor of Anhui, which added fuel to the noisy and festive Rongning and Ningfu.

The Lantern Festival is approaching, and the two prefectures of Rongning and Ningxia should say that flowers are blooming, and cooking oil is burning.

The night was dark, and the full moon above the sky was as bright as silver. The cold moonlight fell on Liao Kuo's Guanzhong land, reflecting a layer of cool light on the blue brick eaves and tiles.

The sound of "da da" sounded on the official road outside Shenjing City, and it spread far away under the frosty moonlight. Dozens of cavalry wearing flying fish suits and embroidered spring knives came galloping from the southeast official road , gradually approaching Shenjing City.

"Sorry..."

As the horse's reins were stopped, the horse's hooves raised and snorted, and the speed of the horse team gradually slowed down. A group of knights headed by them looked up at the majestic city wall, and the lanterns hanging above the gatehouse swayed in the wind. The circle of red light and shadow also made the deep eyes under the firm eyebrows under the wings of the mountain character crystal clear.

"Captain, we're here." Li Shu, the guard of Jinyi Mansion, said in a low voice.

After rushing all the way, I finally arrived at Shenjing City before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

"Into the city."

Because the Shangyuan Festival is approaching, the city is quite lively. Even though the gates of the city wall were not closed at Xushi, and even if the gates were closed, Jia Heng, as the commander of the Beijing camp and the governor of Jinyi, could open the gate and enter after handing over the sign.

Li Shu beside him responded, surrounded Jia Heng, and entered Shenjing City under the frosty moonlight.

In Ningguo Mansion, the night was dark and everything was silent, except for the hoarse rustling of the two Lantern Festival lanterns hanging under the eaves in the cold spring breeze, which made the whole Ningguo Mansion even more quiet.

　It needs to be brewed, and everyone can vote for the monthly ticket.

　
(End of this chapter)