Survive in the world of Red Mansions

Entering June of this year, in the political center of the dynasty, the battles among several princes are becoming more and more intense. It is no longer like before, and they are somewhat secretive. They have put their struggles on the table. The officials of several factions, If you refer to me today, tomorrow I will impeach you once.

In this fiery summer, an unprecedented number of officials have been impeached, transferred, demoted, or even ransacked and exiled.The officials following these princes seem to have embarked on a road of no return. It's not that they don't want to turn back, but they have no way to turn back. This is on the road to Conglongzhigong.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter, making people more and more irritable. The whole officialdom is fighting openly and secretly, and the undercurrent is raging, making this summer hotter and suffocating.

Lin Hai is also in this fiery June, and in the scramble of several parties, he has become a fish in the pond. The first person to deliver the news was Li Min, Prince of Yicheng.

When Lin Hai was discussing official affairs with two of his staff, Li Tuo and Zhao Ze, Zhou Tao approached him.

"I just received bad news from the prince, Mr. Lin was impeached!"

"What? Master Lin was impeached, what's the reason?" The two aides were taken aback and hurriedly asked the reason.

Lin Hai was shocked when he heard that he was impeached just now, and his heart was horrified, but Lin Hai has always been a steady person, and besides, he has been through a lot, and his emotions are never easily leaked, so he is not as anxious as these two aides.

Furthermore, Lin Hai also noticed that Zhou Tao didn't show any signs of impatience at all, so Lin Hai asked what was going on after he stabilized his emotions.

"May I ask if the fourth prince said why I was impeached? Which faction proposed it?"

Zhou Tao waited for several people to calm down before saying: "This matter was first brought up by the people on the side of the third prince, saying that Brother Ru Hai was in office, embezzling tax money, accepting heavy gifts from salt merchants, etc. Later, the first prince and The prince’s people all followed suit.”

"Private tax and silver. My Lin family was also born as a lieutenant. It has been passed down for several generations, and I have never had a prodigal son. I only have one son and one daughter. How can my Lin family lack gold and silver? As for the gifts sent by those salt merchants , I have also told the emperor.”

Lin Hai's words are really correct, the Lin family has never been short of money, and the family has a lot of property, so they can do things like embezzlement of tax money, how stupid, Lin Hai cherishes his life very much.

"What does Prince Yicheng say?" Zhao Ze also asked from the side.

Listening to Zhao Ze's questioning, Zhou Tao smiled and said: "Brother Ruhai is still stable. The prince said that he has tried his best to find someone to deal with. It should be that the problem is not big. According to the emperor's intention, he should let you go to the court. Debate, so in a few days, an angel will come to announce the decree, and the prince asked Brother Ruhai to make preparations."

Sure enough, two days later, two angels came to visit Yan Yushi's mansion. One of them seemed to be of high grade, and the grade was not too low. Seeing Lin Hai, the two angels were also very polite.

"Greetings to Mr. Lin, Mr. Lin is ready to receive the order!"

Although Zhou Tao said a few days ago that the fourth prince, Li Min, would ask someone to help him deal with it, but in the end, he still felt uneasy. Now seeing that the eunuch who delivered the decree was still very polite to him, he calmed down.Angels like these are usually close to the emperor, and they basically know the emperor's likes and dislikes towards officials.If you are not polite when you see the official who delivered the order, it must be because the official who received the order has been rejected by the emperor or will be punished in some way.

"The emperor's edict said: Today there is a doctor of Lantai Temple, and Lin Ruhai, who is also the inspector of salt in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River... hereby!"

It's been a long time, the main meaning is, Lin Hai, some people say that you have been corrupted and accepted bribes in the position of Xunyan censor, but because you have always been diligent and loyal to the emperor, now you should make an account yourself and explain clearly what happened.

"Thank you Lord Long En, I accept the order!" After Lin Hai finished his salute, Fang stood up.He also asked the big butler who was waiting at the side to invite the two angels to go down to wash and rest, and then prepare the banquet in the evening.

The two aides were also very happy that Lin Hai passed the border safely this time. According to the emperor's intention, the self-defense should be a process this time, and the heart that has been raised for a few days can finally be let go.

"Your Majesty, Brother Ruhai can finally rest assured!"

"Yes, this matter can finally be resolved!"

As aides, they certainly hope that the masters they follow will be safe and sound, and at the same time they will be promoted all the way, especially since they are all preparing to take the imperial examination, and they will also enter the officialdom in the future.The official luck of the main family is smooth, and it will be a strong reliance and foreign aid for them in the future.

Commonly speaking, if there is no one at the top, it is difficult to get an opportunity. Sometimes even if you have made a contribution, there is no guarantee that it will fall on you. Because of this, it is much more difficult for a child from a poor family to be promoted than a child from an aristocratic family.

Zhao Ze and Li Tuo came to serve as Lin Hai's staff, on the one hand, because they felt that they were not knowledgeable enough, so they didn't take the Jinshi examination early, and on the other hand, they wanted to find contacts and rely on themselves. Learn some ways of being an official with the master.

After eating and drinking, everyone entertained the group. When they left, everyone gave a gift, especially the angel who proclaimed the decree. Lin Hai asked someone to send a large amount of money.Bank notes are not perforated and easy to carry, which is definitely the best choice for bribery.

A few days after this incident, Lin Hai and the others received the news that the prince had been deposed.At that time, Lin Hai was sitting in the study with two of his staff, Zhao Ze and Li Tuoju, discussing official affairs.

Lin Hai had known for a long time that the crown prince would be deposed sooner or later, so although he felt a little sudden when he heard the news, he didn't have any major reaction.

"How could this be?"

"impossible?"

"..."

Li Tuo and the others were absolutely shocked by the news that the crown prince was deposed, and kept talking about the impossibility.Although I already knew that the dispute between the princes was very fierce, but now I heard the news, I still feel that it was too sudden, how could this happen, and it took me a long time to come back to my senses.

"Have you two noticed?" After Li Tuo calmed down, he sorted out the mansion newspapers for June, and said to them, "I specially counted, just one month in June, the officials above and including the third rank, There are a total of 11 officials who have been transferred, demoted, and exiled from their homes, including both Beijing officials and external officials."

"Yizhi, didn't you say it was impossible just now? You recovered so quickly? Now we are going to talk about the deposed prince?" Zhao Qinghe looked at Li Tuo and said helplessly.

"I know, what I mean is, no matter what, the fight between several princes has affected so many officials, and it is a good thing to end it early. Brother Ruhai, do you think this will happen after the prince is deposed? There have been changes, I don’t know how the fourth prince is doing now? If this continues for a long time, how can there be anyone in the court? Sigh!”

"Yizhi looked carefully. Last time I was impeached, the emperor let it go lightly. I don't know if I will have such good luck next time? This time the crown prince was abolished, and I don't know how many people are in the prince line. Unlucky for the officials? But now that the First Prince and the Third Prince are still around, the fight will not end so soon.

Now I just hope that the fourth prince can get a result sooner. If this goes on endlessly, who among the officials below will have the mind to do things?I am worried every day, worrying about my family, my head, and my official position, how can I put my mind on official duties? "

However, Lin Hai knew that there would be no peace in the near future. With the fourth prince fanning the flames, the prince was abolished, which made the first prince and the third prince more confident, especially the arrogance of the third prince.

But it won't be long, the dissatisfaction with the power of the third prince is too great today, which affects the power in his hands. In order to balance the power of several parties, he will re-appoint the abolished prince as the prince.

"Brother Ruhai is indeed right. If this continues, the neutral faction will start to suffer. There are still the eldest prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince. I don't know if the situation will get better in the future. Just like Yi As I said, if things go on like this for a long time, the imperial court will not be able to find anyone who can do things."

"The emperor has his own opinions on these matters, and we just discuss them. The people who were sent to Zhenjiang Mansion a few days ago should come back in a few days. It is very likely that someone manipulated the price of salt, otherwise there would be no reason for the price of salt. There are fluctuations, thanks to Brother Ru Hai who let them pay attention to this early."

The price of salt will definitely not fluctuate for no reason. Only a large change in the quantity of salt put into the market can cause changes in the entire market price.What Lin Hai is thinking now is, if it is really like what he thinks, the price rise is caused by the shortage of salt supply in the market, then what is the reason for the people who do it?What do you want to achieve?

If the salt shortage problem cannot be solved immediately, and the common people have no salt to eat, it will cause chaos in the entire market. Is this the purpose of the perpetrators?In the end, it will inevitably cause commotion in Zhenjiang Mansion. The magistrate of Zhenjiang Mansion is the prince's man. Is the prince having a fever?But now that the crown prince is abolished, I don't know what will happen?

A few days later, the spies reported that there was no problem with Zhenjiang Mansion. They had inquired with the salt merchants and said that it was only because of the wind and rain during the transportation that the shipment was delayed for a few days. Now the problem has been solved.

Lin Hai thought about this matter, and felt that it was not so simple after all, and felt a little wrong. The distance between Zhenjiang Mansion and the salt field was not too far, so could this problem arise?

It’s a good thing that the problem hasn’t happened now, but Lin Hai still asks his spies to keep a close eye on the prices of salt and grain in various places. If there is any change, report it immediately. Don’t miss it. , I, the censor who inspects salt, can't blame him, maybe it's time to go to the Zhenjiang mansion?

The old emperor's move to abolish the crown prince not only did not stop the fighting in the court, but also made the eldest prince and the third prince seem to see hope, so the battle for the reserve position between the two became more intense.

In the next few months, there were scenes of thrilling court dramas. The emperor was really tired of watching the eldest prince and the third prince fight each other. The prince's favorability increased greatly, and some ministers turned their attention to Prince Yicheng.

However, because the power of the fourth prince is not enough in the eyes of many people, the mother clan and wife clan are not strong enough, and he is not like other princes, and he has not attracted many courtiers, so even if the emperor starts to praise him now, the eldest prince and The three princes still only regard each other as rivals for the throne.

Now that the crown prince has been abolished, only they have the ability and possibility to succeed. At this time, how can they give in and let go, let alone themselves, and the supporters behind them will not allow them to slack off and give in!

In October of this year, the old emperor proposed to re-establish the prince, and the re-established prince was neither the third prince nor the eldest prince, but the original prince.

This is not only beyond everyone's expectations, but also within the expectations of many people.The first prince himself is powerful in the army, and in recent years he has also attracted some civil servants to support him; the third prince has the influence of his wife's family in the army, and the support of the Zhen family, a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River. The imperial concubine helped to deal with it, and at the same time, there was also the support of a group of veteran noble families and court officials. It can be said that there are many supporters.

Seeing that the emperor couldn't suppress the two sons anymore, he had no choice but to bring out the fourth prince. However, because the fourth prince has always been very low-key, he is still not enough in the eyes of many people, and he can't compare with the third prince and the eldest prince.

Every day he looked up at the officials below, under the signal of his two sons, they fought every day, slandered and suppressed each other, and the emperor thought more and more of his other son.

Because the prince lost his mother when he was young, he took pity on this son and kept him with him since he was a child.When he was a child, the prince was intelligent and studious, with both civil and military skills, and he took great care of his brothers. No one in the court would boast that the little prince had the demeanor of a prince. Since when did this son change?Is it when other sons are getting older and older, and I also give importance to other sons?These reuses have made the other sons more and more interested, and they are also eyeing the position of the prince, right? !

This son was established as the prince at a young age. I was afraid that his road would go too smoothly, so that I would not be able to bear any setbacks in the future. I wanted to let his brothers grind him a lot. It's getting more and more outrageous?As a result, some time ago, he had to issue an edict to abolish this son's position as the crown prince.

Now the boss and the third child are fighting each other every day, regardless of whether it is beneficial to the government, they only see their own interests, and don't care about other things at all. After going on like this for a hundred years, how can there be anyone available in the court?Did I make a mistake in some places, and now I have verified that the charges against the prince are many false, maybe I should give my second son another chance?

Did the old emperor really reflect on himself? Now that he thought about the charges he had made against the prince, he thought it was not that serious. Thinking about the bad things going on in the court, he felt that it might indeed be a good idea to release the second child.

In order to suppress these two sons who were increasingly out of control, the deposed prince returned to the court after being imprisoned for four months.And when the crown prince was re-established today, he was established as the prince again. Today, he hopes that these forces will re-establish a balance so that he can control it conveniently.But it's hard to say whether the final thing will really develop as it thinks today!

Although Lin Hai has been paying attention to these changes in the capital every day, but after all, the distance is far away, and it is really beyond the interference of local officials like Lin Hai.

However, there was nothing Lin Hai could do if he didn't want to take care of the affairs of the Jiangnan Salt Administration.After the incident in Zhenjiang Mansion a few months ago, it calmed down silently without waiting for Lin Hai and the others to make any moves.Now a similar situation occurs again, is it still the same as last time?

The current prefect of Zhenjiang is still a member of the prince. Is it because of a few months ago, but is it useful?Not to mention one Zhenjiang mansion, but the entire Jiangnan market is in chaos. Is there any benefit for him?Could it be that the prince really intends to win amidst the chaos, thinking that the more chaos the better?Is this prince so brainless?

The prince in the early years was definitely capable of both civil and military skills, wise and courteous, and was highly praised. He was a qualified prince of the country, but since the distribution of the prince, the power of the prince has been greatly weakened. This is definitely a test for the prince Li Wei. was a big hit.This made the prince even more disorganized in doing things, and he was in exactly the same situation as the deposed prince Aixinjueluo Yinfeng in history, and he became a tragic figure in the same way.

After the prince became king, the conflict between them and the prince also intensified. The common targets of the eldest prince, the third prince and their followers were the prince and officials of the prince's faction.At the same time, the conflict between the prince and the present day is also deepening due to the distribution of power. Under the attack of several parties, the prince has gradually lost the calmness and rationality that a prince should have!

After the restoration this time, it will be more difficult for the crown prince to be the crown prince, and I don't know how long the crown prince can last?

However, these are not Lin Hai's concern. Recently, spies from several places have reported that the situation is a bit delicate.They are mainly looking for news, and there is really no good way for how to deal with it.After repaying the emperor, Lin Hai is destined to go to Zhenjiang mansion in person before the end of the year.