The emperor is embarrassed

As soon as the team going to Yunnan and Guizhou to investigate and collect evidence left the imperial capital, the courtiers of the imperial family asked the Queen Mother Wei to choose the crown prince on the grounds that "the emperor has been ill for a long time, the emperor is in danger, and the country is considered".

And the words are beautiful, "The safety of the emperor is unpredictable, and it is not easy for your majesty to be happy in the near future. However, if you can choose a prince, it will not only stabilize the foundation of the country, but also your majesty loves the emperor's nephew like a son. If your majesty knows, you will be gratified. "

Empress Dowager Wei said lightly, "First clarify the matter of the Supreme Emperor. As for the matter of setting up the crown prince, you should discuss it first, come up with a plan, show it to me, and bring it up before it's too late. Besides, I am alone It cannot be arbitrary. But if there is any possibility, it is better for the Supreme Emperor to designate it."

Due to the pressure from the officials, the Empress Dowager Wei finally revealed her words, and the eyes of the people in the imperial capital suddenly shifted from the matter of the emperor's distress to the matter of establishing the reserve.For a while, the officials seemed to have swallowed an aphrodisiac alive, and they became excited every day.

Not to mention that the threshold of the Lin and Wei families was almost crushed, even Wei An, a broken sleeve, suddenly walked out of countless peach blossoms in this ever-changing imperial capital.Thousands of families with daughters are asking if they want to remarry. Even if your Wei family is broken, there are still a lot of girls who are willing to marry the uncle of the little emperor's nephew.

Wei An was so annoyed that his brain hurt, and he talked to Wei Yingjia, "Whether there is any reason for the establishment of the reserve, I think the clan ministers are all crazy."

Since doing a big event for Queen Mother Wei, Wei Yingjia has become more and more indifferent to the outside world.However, when facing Wei An, he still has some popularity.Hearing this, his complexion softened a little, and he said in a gentle voice, "Who knows."

"Tch, the empress dowager didn't tell you anything."

"Do you think the Empress Dowager can take charge of this kind of thing?" Wei Yingjia asked back.In addition to the busy traffic of the little emperor's nephew's mother's house, the Yongning Hou Mansion is also extremely lively now.Even Wei An inevitably wanted to ask Wei Yingjia for some inside information.

Wei An sighed, "At least the queen mother can be half of the master." Looking at Wei Yingjia, "Originally, the emperor was the most secure when he returned to the emperor, but this kind of thing happened again. gone."

Wei Yingjia put her arms around Wei An's shoulders, her eyes were deep, her handsome features were cold and indifferent, and she didn't say anything.

"Yingjia, don't worry too much." Wei An said.

"Ah."

Accidents happened one after another in the imperial capital, so that the silk embroidery exhibition in Lin Yongshang's hands did not enter the eyes of the cabinet members. Considering that Lin Yongshang is the governor of Huaiyang, a big official in the frontier, he always wants to give face, so let him pass. up.

In fact, the courtiers and the clan were concerned about the Taishang Emperor's distress and the appointment of the crown prince. Of course, the imperial merchants of the House of Internal Affairs were also concerned.However, ordinary merchants, even if they care about it, they can only watch the fun.

Based on their identities, they usually feel that they have good hands and eyes to buy a parent official, and they definitely can't participate in such high-level political activities.

Therefore, for them, it is natural that this time the investment promotion conference led by the government and the chamber of commerce is more important.This time the Merchants Fair was not held in Yangzhou City, but in Suzhou City.

Lin Yongshang's move made Zheng Ershi, the prefect of Suzhou, very grateful.

Lin Yongshang said, "Su embroidery is famous all over the world. However, I hope to take this opportunity to raise the reputation of Suzhou embroidery silk to a higher level, so that people all over the world can realize the exquisiteness of Su embroidery. Before, I heard Your Majesty say 'no Merchants are not rich’. Mr. Zheng is an official in agriculture and industry, merchants are the last, but the common people can only be peaceful when they are rich and have enough money to eat.”

At this moment, Zheng Ershi is only grateful to Lin Yongshang.Even if Lin Yongshang farts, I am afraid that he will think it is fragrant, so he quickly echoed, "Yes, after hearing what your lord said, the lower official suddenly understood. The lower official heard that after the Huaiyang salt merchants handed over the salt field, the court gave compensation. , has not cut off their way of life. Your Majesty loves the people like a son, and does not despise merchants. The next official will definitely work hard and live up to your expectations."

For a fat job like the magistrate of Suzhou, to be able to sit in this position, he must not only have a background, but also have skills.Lin Yongshang said lightly, Zheng Ershi already knew the elegant meaning after hearing Xiange, and what he said naturally fit Lin Yongshang's thoughts.

Lin Yongshang smiled and nodded.

Zheng Ershi said again, "Your Majesty has been ill for a long time, and the officials have even sent several greetings, hoping that His Majesty will be safe forever."

The imperial capital is already a sign that the mountains and rain are about to come and the wind is full of buildings. The changes in the imperial capital are related to the future of everyone in the officialdom.Zheng Ershi has his own source of information, but at this time he still couldn't help asking Lin Yongshang about it.

Regarding Ming Zhan's illness, at the beginning, Lin Yongshang was quite sure, and felt that the illness was strange.Now that the Supreme Emperor was going back to the imperial capital, he encountered danger on the way, and thinking back, Lin Yongshang was also a little more worried about Ming Zhan.

However, in front of his subordinates, Lin Yongshang would not show his signs, and said with a smile, "I heard that the real son of heaven, Bailing protects his body, and there is an empress dowager in the palace. You and I just need to be loyal. Bai has been the parent official for the past few years, and he has lived up to His Majesty's expectations. In the future, His Majesty will be safe and see the beautiful scenery of Huaiyang, and there will be no one who is not happy."

Regardless of whether Ming Zhan is dead or alive, Lin Yongshang will not get involved in the establishment of the reserve.The Fan family was so prosperous back then, but because of participating in the battle for the throne, they ended up being ransacked and exiled, the family was ruined and everyone died.

It is the principle of Zhongzheng to bury your head in doing things.

In this way, no matter who is on the throne, at least there must be people who work.

Of course, Lin Yongshang hopes that Ming Zhan will be safe.Even though the Taishang Huang attached great importance to him and promoted him repeatedly, Lin Yongshang had a hunch in the dark.

The ancients said that a thousand-mile horse often exists, but a bole does not often exist.

For a courtier to meet an emperor who believes in him and is willing to use him is like meeting a thousand-mile horse with Bole.

Lin Yongshang felt that only in Ming Zhan's hands would he be famous for a day.

Although he was worried about the emperor's safety, Lin Yongshang refrained from inquiring about the inside story with Fan Wei.

Naturally, it is taboo to inquire about the emperor's dragon body, especially when the emperor is critically ill.

Although Fan Wei may not know it, but Fan Wei has been with Ming Zhan for the longest time, at least Fan Wei's guess is more reliable.You can't ask, you can't guess.

Lin Yongshang relied on observation.

The same close minister who used to be by Ming Zhan's side, Feng Zhi looked haggard, but Fan Wei still had a gentle and calm appearance.Only in this way can Lin Yongshang feel a little more at ease.

What reassures Lin Yongshang is not only Fan Wei's calmness, but also the care from Xu Yingyu.

Xu Yingyu had already said, "If something happens to His Majesty, and the new emperor ascends the throne, we will get married right away."

It's not that Xu Yingyu hates marrying to such an extent, it's that Lin Yongshang has many enemies, and Lin Yongshang is a serious Fan family.When Ming Zhan was in power, some people still used this to talk about things, thanks to Ming Zhan's willingness to take care of Lin Yongshang.

In case Ming Zhan Longyu dies, Lin Yongshang occupies one of the best fat jobs in the world, how enviable it is.

Once the emperor and the courtiers, the next emperor may not be willing to use Lin Yongshang.Xu Yingyu made this proposal for Lin Yongshang's safety.In any case, Xu San was the second assistant in the court. If Lin Yongshang became Xu San's son-in-law, even if someone wanted to deal with Lin Yongshang, he had to weigh it first.

With Xu Yingyu's heart and soul, she was precise in the timing and proportion of her speech.

Now Lin Yongshang, apart from his admiration for Xu Yingyu, is not without gratitude in his heart.

Fuzhou City.

Ming Zhan also heard the news of the Huaiyang Silk Embroidery Merchants Association. He weighed the bronzing post and said with a smile, "Lin Yongshang is 35 years old now, and he has become a big official in the frontier. How many people in the court are dissatisfied. Because of this , I heard a few cylinders of sour words"

Petal-like plump lips evoked a bright smile, and Ming Zhan's eyes rolled, "In terms of this intelligence alone, Lin Yongshang is considered the best among them. It's even more rare to mention that he doesn't get involved in the bad things of the emperors, and he is devoted to Huaiyang. Go up. This way you can be both an official and a human being, so it’s no wonder that you can get promoted step by step.”

Ruan Hongfei said, "Lin Yongshang is pure-hearted, it's rare that he is not pedantic, and he is better than Fan Linxi. However, he has not avenged his blood and blood. When he recognizes his ancestors and returns to them in the future, it will be even more difficult." Ruan Hongfei always takes one step and sees three steps. The greater the merit, the higher the possibility of revenge and recognition of the ancestors in the future, so he had to give Ming Zhan a vaccination in advance.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if he's surnamed Lin now. Twenty years have passed since the Fan family's lawsuit. It's not easy to overturn the case." Ming Zhan said with a smile, "I never care whether his surname is Fan or Lin, as long as he has Talent, as long as he has a righteous heart, I will use him, as the saying goes, no matter where a hero comes from."

Ming Zhan's heart is wider than that of Feng Jingqian, perhaps because his mother is the Empress Dowager Wei, and he has never disliked and tabooed people from the Prince Li family.

And those who died back then were not necessarily unforgivable.

There are many people who stand in the wrong place.

They died not because of guilt, but because of the situation and had to die.

Now that Ming Zhan is the emperor, he ordered the Marquis of Yue's mansion to succeed him on the same level, which in itself is a hint.

In fact, this is also the current situation of Queen Mother Wei.

In addition to those able-bodied generals promoted by Ming Zhan himself, there were also families who shrank their heads and became turtles for decades because they supported Prince Li at that time.They pinned the rise of their family on Ming Zhan's ruling.

These families are first represented by the Empress Dowager Wei's mother family, Yongning Houfu.

The imperial capital is so lively, but the old Marquis of Yongning closed his door and claimed to be sick for a long time.

In fact, the old man was very strong and tough.

The old Marquis Yongning survived Emperor Renzong's battle for the heir apparent in his last years and Feng Jingqian's 20 years of ups and downs in power.Now that his daughter is acting as the government, the old Marquis of Yongning naturally didn't pay much attention to the situation in the imperial capital.

On the contrary, Wei Yingjia's face was haggard day by day. The old Yongning Hou called Wei Yingjia and didn't ask Wei Yingjia why he was so haggard. Ascending to the throne, he was only the crown prince, and Empress Fang was only the concubine. At that time, the Yongning Hou Mansion and the Jingguo Mansion were good families. Emperor Dezong loved Concubine Quan, and Concubine Quan's son, His Royal Highness Shun Wang, was also favored by Emperor Dezong. Heart. Later, His Royal Highness Shun Wang accidentally fell off his horse while riding in the racecourse, so he injured his leg, fell lame, and missed the throne."

"You might say, His Royal Highness Shun was not the Prince of the East Palace, so how could he have anything to do with the throne?" The old Yongning Hou showed a gentle look on his old face, "In fact, Emperor Renzong has a gentle temper and a soft heart, and his civil and military skills are not as good as the young one's." His Highness Prince Shun for several years. The advantage of Emperor Renzong is that he is the son of the prince and has a capable princess. Right here in the East Palace."

"However, in the harem, the empress died young, Concubine Quan acted as the agent of the Sixth Palace, and Emperor Dezong loved the youngest son. Life in the East Palace is extremely difficult." Old Yongning Hou said softly, "It is not accidental that His Royal Highness Shun went to ride a horse, and he was immediately passive. Hands and feet, as well as the imperial doctor who consulted later, were bribed. Therefore, His Royal Highness Shun became disabled and could no longer threaten the status of the Eastern Palace. Then, Emperor Renzong's nanny, Mrs. Shunci, risked her life and took poison to discredit Concubine Quan. Therefore, Concubine Quan loses the power of the Six Palaces."

"Prince Shun is the most beloved son of Emperor Dezong. If this matter leaked out at that time, it would be a catastrophe for the whole family." Old Yongning Hou said, "I was very young at the time, even though I did it, I was still afraid. Nightmare haunts me every day, and I have no peace."

"Yingjia, there is no absolute pure minister in this world. If it were not for King Shun, I would not be able to gain the trust of Emperor Renzong, and naturally I would not have the prosperity of the Yongninghou Mansion for the next 20 years." The old Yongninghou sighed, "We and Jingguo The relationship between the government is too close, no matter how hard it is to break away from the relationship with Prince Li. When the queen mother was young, she was sent to Kunning Palace to be raised when she was just one year old. Back then, I didn’t know that the Supreme Emperor and Zhennan King tabooed Queen Fang. But marriage is imperative. Do you think the empress dowager has lived well in Yungui these years?"

"The marriage between our Yongning Hou Mansion and Zhennan Prince's Mansion is purely a marriage of interests. In order to drag Yongning Hou Mansion out of the quagmire of Prince Li, the Empress Dowager must make sacrifices. At that time, Yongning Hou Mansion can use Only the Empress Dowager is the only prostitute who comes to get married." The old Yongning Hou Jingjing said, "Marriage is only the first step, and the next step is to hide our strengths and bide our time for 20 years, so that we can have today."

"Our Yongninghou's mansion today is the bloodbath of our ancestors on the battlefield. It is managed by the Yongninghou of all generations, and it is also the result of countless sacrifices made by all the descendants of the Yongninghou's mansion." The old Yongninghou's voice was calm, "In this seat, you can do it. There are countless decisions. However, there are only one or two most important decisions. Some decisions, if you make them, don’t regret them. Otherwise, your hesitation will kill countless people.”

"I understand, father." Wei Yingjia is not ignorant of world affairs and power tactics. He understands that standing in line countless times is actually an investment in imperial power.Although the Empress Dowager Wei is a female generation now, the Empress Dowager Wei firmly controls the three little nephews in the harem, even the cabinet clan, and she did not dare to be presumptuous in front of the Empress Dowager Wei before.

The old Yongninghou said, "The empress dowager is your majesty's biological mother, and allegiance to your majesty is allegiance to the empress dowager."

People are not without compassion, but when a person's survival is threatened, his own son can be eaten raw, and all morals and ethics are bullshit.What's more, in the royal family, it is even more normal for father and son to fight each other.

Their defense of the family is nothing more than a royal knife.

Why feel guilty?

No need to feel guilty!

Still too young, the old Yongning Hou took a look at his son, sent Wei Yingjia down, packed up and went to the palace by himself.

In fact, even the brothers of the Feng family were troubled by Ming Zhan, and the situation of the old Marquis of Yongning was not much better than that of the brothers of the Feng family.Anyway, the Feng family brothers and Ming Zhan sent letters to ventilate. The old Yongninghou's eyes were dark, and he relied entirely on guessing.To stabilize his son, he had to go to his daughter for an idea first.

Over the years, Empress Dowager Wei has gone through wind and rain, and she has already practiced to be calm and calm.

When the old Yongning Hou came, he happened to meet An Guogong and his party going out.They were all discussing life in the imperial capital, saying hello to each other, and the old Yongning Hou followed the servant who led the way to the side hall of Xuande Hall.

Empress Dowager Wei said softly, "Father, excuse me."

The old Marquis Yongning insisted on completing the ceremony, and Fang got up with the support of his servants, sat on the embroidered stool brought by the maid, and said with a smile, "The old minister hasn't come to the palace to pay his respects for a long time. I am thinking about your mother's well-being. Now, affairs inside and outside the palace are all on your mother's shoulders, so you must take care of yourself."

The Empress Dowager Wei smiled, "In the palace, the Empress Dowager is an old ancestor with high morals. The rest of the emperors don't have many concubines, and the rest are all concubines of the Supreme Emperor. Recite Buddha, so there are not many affairs. State affairs are handled by the cabinet, and Xiao Guicao follows, so it doesn't take much effort."

"That's good, that's good." Although the Empress Dowager Wei seemed to be in charge of the administration without any merit, but for a female class, it was already a kind of thing that she was able to handle things in a smooth and stable manner for the first time. A rare skill.The old Marquis Yongning smiled and twisted his beard, took the warm tea from the court lady, sipped a few sips after thanking him, and said, "Just now when I entered the palace, I happened to meet Mr. Ango and others going out. Nowadays, the old minister doesn't move around very much. At first sight, they are all bearded people."

Empress Dowager Wei showed a smile, "August [-]th is coming soon, and there are many things to do this year. I thought, so I won't do much. They are all old relatives. I remember seeing them in Kunning Palace in the past. I haven't seen them for many years. Sure enough, I am old." Not only are people getting old, but they are also becoming less courageous.

The failure of Prince Li in the last years of Renzong led to the depression of these families for 20 years. An Guogong and the others would rather die than get involved in the establishment of a reserve.

Whether it is the Empress Dowager Wei who continues to be in power, or chooses to appoint the emperor's nephew as the crown prince, these old things just pretend to be confused.

The old Yongning Hou said, "Yes, everyone will grow old one day, and they will be old. Even the old minister, now he wants to be lazy to meet people. The old minister heard a rare thing." Not waiting for the Queen Mother to speak Asked, the old Marquis Yongning said, "Didn't Qifeng Mountain collapsed in a small place earlier, exposing a piece of divine iron, which is unknown to astronomy."

"At that time, everyone in the court thought it was an oracle from heaven. However, I don't know how it was passed on, and the old minister heard that that thing was faked by someone." The old Yongning Hou didn't believe it. To be honest, this It is a kind of fairy auspiciousness, and there are countless fake things.Emperor Dezong liked it back then, and Emperor Renzong also fell in love with it. The old Marquis Yongning did a lot of work. From time to time, he made auspicious offerings of a crane and a white deer to the emperor to please the emperor.It is not surprising that the current avalanche and the auspicious appearance of the old Yongninghou have the same path.

Wei Yingjia was ordered to investigate when this incident first happened, but nothing was found.

It's just that there are so many rumors and suspicions in the imperial capital, so the old Yongning Hou naturally guessed that there was something wrong.However, I still have to mention a word to Queen Mother Wei, so that Queen Mother Wei won't be caught blind at that time.

The old Yongning Hou said warmly, "Someone outside said that the reason why the mountain collapsed was because of the explosives buried underneath. It is the unrecognizable iron and the astronomy on it, all of which are artificially fake. It’s just bewitching.”

Empress Dowager Wei has suspected this for a long time, and now that someone is spreading such words, the intention is not for Empress Dowager Wei, but for...

Sighing, Queen Mother Wei said, "The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop."

"The wind knows the strength of the grass, and the minister is open and knowledgeable." The old Yongning Hou smiled.Before the Empress Dowager Wei entered the Shouan Palace, people like An Guogong and others were somewhat cautious, thinking that once the emperor and the courtiers, the Yuehou Mansion would have grace.Those people who were used by Empress Fang in the past, their recovery is just around the corner, and they are eager to try in the court.Now it's just the emperor's illness, so they put on a cowardly face, for fear of getting involved, so as not to have to show their previous favor to ask for favor in the future.

"What father said is true." Queen Mother Wei said, she didn't take these people seriously at first, but she just took this opportunity to give it a try.

Zisu, the female official of Empress Dowager Wei, suddenly came from outside the palace, saluted, and said in a low voice, "Go back to Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager Hui just took her maid to Jin'an Palace to visit the second emperor's nephew. The servant girl looked at the maid Seeing it strangely, it doesn't seem to be used by the Empress Dowager Hui, so she stopped it. The Empress Dowager Hui was annoyed by her servant, so she wanted to go to the Empress Dowager to judge. The servant was thinking, the Empress Dowager has always told the Empress Dowager Already high, I don’t need to disturb the Empress Dowager’s quietness, so I decided to stop the Empress Dowager Hui, and sent her back to the Fuxi Palace. Now I ask the Empress Dowager to show me.”

Empress Dowager Wei said indifferently, "First restrain Concubine Hui's feet, go and find out the origin of that strange maid, and then come back to me."

"Yes." Zisu took the order and stepped back.

There has just been a shadow of the establishment of the crown prince, and even the concubine, who has been worshiping the Buddha all the year round, can't sit still, so you can see how impetuous people are!