The Emperor was not in a good mood.
Everyone in the Palace and court knew that the Emperor had not been in a good mood these few days. The Emperor had even stopped his regular program of watching plays with the empress dowager every ten days. Other than the daily court conferences, not many people had the opportunity to see the Emperor. Eunuch Yao, Eunuch Hou, and the now reinstated Eunuch Dai had been surrounded by officials outside the Palace every day. Everyone wanted to know exactly what had happened.
The Emperor also did not summon his trusted officials into the Palace. Looking at it, it did not seem that he was worried about something.
Everyone knew that the Emperor was not in a good mood. In the court conference, most of the memorials from various provinces had been rejected. The official of the Supreme Court had been harshly scolded. Old Qin of the Bureau of Military Affairs had also been scolded by the Emperor. The Qin family was the Emperor's most trusted aide and an important official in the military. Under normal circumstances, the Emperor would always leave the Qin family some face in front of the civil and military officials. Now, he had treated them harshly.
The expressions of the Jingdou Garrison Qin Heng and General Qin did not change. When they entered and left the Hall of Governmental Affairs, they still maintained their bright smiles. It looked like they did not care much about the Emperor's scolding of their family.
Seeing this, the officials understood that the Emperor was using the scolding of his trusted aide to remind some other people in the capital.
This was a very chaotic method. No one could guess who the Emperor wanted to remind, but they knew that the matter of reminding already existed. As expected, on the third day, Ye Zhong, far away in Dingzhou, once again sent a pained memorial to the Emperor saying that now that the world was at peace, there was no longer a need for Dingzhou to maintain too many military forces and that some people should be dismissed.
Asking to be dismissed was the Ye family's fearful stance. The Emperor lightly allowed it. He did not allow the court conference or the Bureau of Military Affairs to debate this matter. The officials, including the newly appointed Hu the Scholar and Shu the Scholar, all thought this was a follow-up to last year's Hanging Temple incident and did not think of anything else.
After the Ye family asked to be dismissed, the Emperor's mood seemed to improve slightly. He resumed his daily greetings to the empress dowager. At the same time, he allowed the Eldest Princess to once again live in the Palace. Guangxin Palace once again truly opened its doors for the Eldest Princess.
Distance made beauty, but it also made danger. A family living together would certainly be much safer.
This was probably what the Emperor thought, the old man in the Chen Garden thought.
He sighed, knowing that things did not go according to his plan. He still needed to do something. However, since the seeds had begun to sprout, under the cultivation of the black soil in people's hearts, there would be a day when poisonous vines would grow and break through the layer of hard rock that was pressing on it.
— —
Only the people who lived in the palace knew that the Emperor's mood had not truly improved. His face still carried a trace of worry and slight sadness.
The Emperor was the master of the world and the master of the palace. He was the object that everyone needed to look at. He was the object that everyone entrusted their lives to. He was the hope of everyone's future and wealth. Thus, everyone in the palace was carefully and nervously guessing what other thoughts the Emperor was hiding in his heart.
The few old eunuchs who served in Taiji Palace and the royal study had long become shrewd people. Of course, they refused to make a sound when the various palaces probed. Furthermore, under Eunuch Hong's accumulated power, the nannies and eunuchs of the various palaces did not dare to ask too obviously.
After the Eldest Princess moved gloomily into Guangxin Palace, she immediately recovered her usual beautiful appearance. Every day, she went to the empress dowager's side to chat with her. Occasionally, she would go to the Eastern Palace to see the empress and Crown Prince. However, she herself was a bit confused. She didn't know what exactly the Emperor was thinking.
At this time, a head eunuch in the Eastern Palace became a very important figure.
He was called Hong Zhu and had always worked at the Emperor's side. He was deeply liked by the Emperor. Furthermore, it was rumored that he had some sort of relative relationship with Eunuch Hong. He was also familiar with the people in Taiji Palace and the royal study. If such a person was sent to scout for information, he should be the most suitable candidate.
Hong Zhu had already been the head of fourth-level eunuchs in the Eastern Palace for three months. Relying on the identity that the Emperor had sent and his own careful and appropriate service, he had already received the empress' approval. Of course, he could not immediately be accepted. However, the empress had also given Hong Zhu enough benefits. She also wanted to see whether or not Hong Zhu could be used and to what extent he could be used.
The empress smiled slightly as she looked at Hong Zhu kneeling in front of her. She somewhat liked this little eunuch's knowledge and tactfulness. His features were delicate and pretty. In a quiet voice, she said, "The Emperor is worried about national affairs. Naturally, I also want to share the Emperor's burden. Although the back palace cannot recklessly interfere in national affairs, knowing the Emperor's mood can make some soup for him to make the Emperor more comfortable."
Hong Zhu flatteringly said, "The empress has thought of everything."
"Go ask," the empress sighed. The Empress sighed and said, "If His Majesty finds out, there is no need to hide it. It is not a shameful matter. Don't harm yourself."
Hong Zhu's expression was moved. He accepted the order and left.
Not long after, this newly popular person in the palace walked a few laps around the huge palace. After being flattered, he didn't dare to continue accepting compliments and quickly returned to the empress' palace.
He leaned close to the empress's ear and quietly said something.
The empress furrowed her brows slightly. A hint of worry appeared on her noble face. She sighed and said, "So it is because of the matter of the national treasury being empty. I also know about the repair work on the river banks. It has been delayed from the beginning of the year until now. It is all because of a lack of money … ah, if I could make silver out of nothing, I could also resolve the Emperor's worries. What a pity …"
Hong Zhu chuckled and said, "The empress is the mother of the world. Why do you need to worry about these things? As for the national treasury, isn't there Minister Fan managing the Ministry of Revenue? "
Hearing the words "Ministry of Revenue," the empress's eyes lit up. She pretended to ask carelessly, "Minister Fan has managed the Ministry of Revenue for many years. It can be said that he has worked hard and performed a great service. The emptiness of the national treasury is a problem of income. What can he do?"
Hong Zhu was slightly startled. He wanted to speak but stopped.
The empress looked at his expression and smiled disdainfully. "You are just a child, yet you have so many things on your mind."
Hong Zhu jumped in fright and quickly knelt down. With a pained expression, he said, "I wouldn't dare. It is just that in the royal study … I heard that the Emperor flew into a rage yesterday and said that the Ministry of Revenue is incompetent. Furthermore …" He lowered his voice and said, "I heard … there are officials in the Ministry of Revenue who are in deficit and secretly diverting national funds. The amount is also very large, so the Emperor … is furious."
The empress's heart jumped, but she immediately hid the expression on her face. Smiling slightly, she said, "Don't tell me about these court matters. How has the Emperor been feeling lately? What places do you often visit in the Palace? "
Hong Zhu glanced around and knew that this was a taboo in the Palace. Gritting his teeth, he crawled to the empress's side and lowered his voice to say something.
The empress's long, shapely eyebrows furrowed and immediately softened. Her lips trembled slightly. Her cheeks were pale. In a cold voice, she said, "Xiao Lou … it's Xiao Lou again."
…
…
After Hong Zhu left the Palace with a heart full of unease and fear, a young man flashed out from behind the screen. This young man was wearing a light yellow robe. The lines of his face were soft, and his eyes were clear and spirited. In the Palace, other than the Emperor, empress dowager, and empress, only the Crown Prince could wear this kind of clothing.
Presently, the Crown Prince's body was much better than it had been two years ago. At least, much of the unhealthy whiteness on his face had faded. This was, of course, because of the empress' strict discipline and not allowing him to waste too much energy on matters between men and women. It was also because he was gradually growing older and faced with complicated situations, as well as the pressure of his royal brothers step by step. This was a change he had no choice but to make.
For the Crown Prince, in the past, his greatest enemy was the Second Prince. However, after the Second Prince was successfully beaten half of his body by Fan Xian, he suddenly discovered that Fan Xian, who he had thought was his greatest help, was actually also his father's son. Furthermore, he was the son of his father and that demoness.
For the Eastern Palace, there had long been an unresolvable grudge with the Ye family. Thus, the Crown Prince was most wary of Fan Xian, who was far away in Jiangnan.
Everyone knew that after Fan Xian's past was revealed, if the Crown Prince took the throne, Fan Xian would certainly not have a good end. If Fan Xian held power alone, he would certainly not allow the Crown Prince to take the throne.
"Mother, it seems that we can act on the matter of the Ministry of Revenue," the Crown Prince said as he listened to the empress and Hong Zhu's conversation from behind the screen.
The empress closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She then said, "How trustworthy is this eunuch Hong Zhu?"
"Seventy percent."
The empress smiled slightly and said, "I also think so. Hong Zhu was originally an errand boy in the royal study at your father's side. His meteoric rise was just around the corner. Although he has been moved to the Eastern Palace and has risen two ranks to become the head eunuch, his power is far less than it was before. "
The Crown Prince said, "If Fan Xian had not reported the matter of Hong Zhu asking for bribes to father, father would not have angrily chased Hong Zhu out."
Everyone in the Palace knew about this matter. They all knew the story of that day in the royal study. They all thought that the reason Hong Zhu left the royal study was because he had offended the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian.
The empress sighed and said, "Let's see how the Emperor deals with it. He truly likes Hong Zhu, that little eunuch … the problem is, I am not sure if this matter is true or false."
The Crown Prince furrowed his brows in deep thought and said, "It should be true that Hong Zhu holds a grudge against Fan Xian. The eunuchs and serving girls in the Palace have all heard him speak of this matter through gritted teeth. As for father … even if he uses Hong Zhu to monitor me, I have not made any mistakes in this half a year."
The empress nodded. A murderous intent flashed through her phoenix eyes. She smiled coldly and said, "As long as the reason for the Emperor's anger is true … the matter of the Ministry of Revenue can be investigated. Fan Jian cannot remain in the Ministry of Revenue. Otherwise, with Fan Xian in charge of the palace treasury in Jiangnan and Fan Jian in charge of the national treasury in Jingdou, your future days will be difficult."
The Crown Prince nodded and replied, "I will always remember father's teachings and only do what father wishes to do."
The empress furrowed her brows and said, "In a moment, I will go to Guangxin Palace and ask for your aunt's opinion."
Suddenly hearing the Eldest Princess' name, a strange light flashed through the Crown Prince's eyes. He immediately hid it well and said hesitantly, "Should we ask my aunt's side to step in?"
The empress shook her head and smiled coldly. "She is also not easy to get along with. Besides, now that the Emperor has her live in the Palace, isn't it also with the intention of monitoring her closely? If she is deep in the Palace, it will not be easy for her to communicate with the officials in court. Although the way your father does things often looks simple, he is actually very clever. You have to learn more in this area … ah, it has been very difficult for your aunt to move around recently. "
The nominal mother of the country sighed, but there was a sense of schadenfreude that could not be hidden between her brows. The Eldest Princess was too dazzling among the women of the Qing Kingdom and had always faintly overshadowed the empress' elegance. How could she be happy? Now that her husband was becoming more and more displeased with her sister-in-law, although logically, the empress knew it was not a good thing, emotionally, she still couldn't help but feel a glimmer of joy.
That shameless little vixen!
…
…
"I'm just going to let her know." The empress sighed and patted the Crown Prince's shoulder. "For now, you have to endure the relationship between your aunt and the Second Prince. Don't remember what happened in the past. As for the matter of investigating the deficit in the Ministry of Revenue this time, I will find someone to do it … don't worry. "
A faint coldness surged between her brows. "Although mother's paternal family has been completely wiped out by those wretched people, there are still some people hidden in court. As for Fan Jian … did he think he could hide it from the people of the world by moving so much silver from the national treasury to Jiangnan? Did he think he could hide it from the Emperor? No matter how much the Emperor likes Fan Xian, he would not allow this kind of thing to happen under his eyes! "
The Crown Prince was slightly shocked. No wonder the deficit in the Ministry of Revenue was so great. Fan Jian was so daring! Only now did he know that his mother and aunt had long grasped the root of the Ministry of Revenue's problem. No wonder they were so confident.
The empress smiled slightly and said, "After the Ministry of Revenue, the world will be peaceful for a few more days. Fan Xian will not be able to be as lively as he is now. Think about it carefully. In the Emperor's heart, as long as you don't do anything out of line, even if you fight with those people, he will just pretend he didn't see it. In the end, you are still the Crown Prince. This is something everyone knows. "
The Crown Prince sighed. "Throughout the history of dynasties, perhaps only I, the Crown Prince, have been the most useless."
The empress smiled coldly and said, "Who knows how many Crown Princes in history lived worse than you before they took the throne! What are you afraid of? As long as you endure until the day you take the throne, there will be times when you can hold your head high. "
She continued coldly, "Mother has concluded that the Emperor still wholeheartedly wants you to succeed the throne. Naturally, I have my reasons."
The Crown Prince anxiously said, "But … although the Second Prince has fallen, the Third Prince has gone down to Jiangnan and has always been taken by Fan Xian."
This was the matter that had been discussed the most in the Palace recently. The Third Prince was young, yet he had followed the imperial envoy down to Jiangnan to oversee affairs. It was called learning, but was it to learn how to rule a country? Thus, the Third Prince's birth mother, Yi Guipin, became the center of the discussion. However, this woman of the Liu family remained silent and reserved.
The empress glared at the Crown Prince and gritted her teeth. "You're even so afraid of an ignorant child. What kind of future do you have?"
The Crown Prince gloomily said, "I really can't see … father has the intentions you speak of."
"If he didn't have those intentions, wouldn't he have destroyed you a long time ago?" The empress had a tone of exasperation.
The Crown Prince forced a smile and said, "Perhaps father is just looking for an opportunity."
The empress shook her head and calmly said, "You're wrong. Compared to the other brothers, you have one great advantage, but you yourself … still can't see it."
The Crown Prince asked in surprise, "What advantage?"
There was a chill in the empress's calm expression. She slowly said, "The Great Prince has Dongyi background. The Second Prince's birth mother, Lady Shu, also has some power in the capital. The Third Prince's birth mother, Yi Guipin, comes from the Liu family, which is a large family in the capital. She also has Fan Xian to rely on. Of all the princes, only you … only we, mother and son, are alone without any family power to use."
"After all, the Emperor and I have lived together for so many years," the empress smiled disdainfully. The empress smiled disdainfully and said, "Everything about your father is good, but he is too suspicious. If the throne of the Qing Kingdom is to be passed down, of course, he is afraid that the Li family's royal power will fall to an outsider. Thus, when choosing a successor, he cannot accept the successor standing behind an overly large family power."
"Thus, the Second Prince can't, and the Third Prince even more so!" The empress's cold gaze was like two knives digging into the Crown Prince's heart. "Only you … the Emperor had that old cripple kill your mother's family. One, it was for that evil demoness. Another, wasn't it to clear away obstacles for you in the future?"
"Don't be afraid, my child." She gently stroked the Crown Prince's cold cheek and sighed. "If there are no major problems, no matter how many tricks the Emperor uses, it is all to urge you to grow and become strong. Many years ago, he had already chosen you, and he has never doubted his own choice."
The empress smiled nervously and said, "Even if his choice was wrong to begin with."
Her expression suddenly became severe. She gritted her teeth and said, "So, do you understand? The reason you can have the position of Crown Prince and be able to ensure your future position … is all because your mother's family paid with 3,000 lives! Those were your elders, your family! They are all dead. Their blood and corpses were used to pave this path to the imperial chariot for you! So, you must endure it until the day you succeed! "
A spring breeze floated through the Royal Palace, but this spring breeze was very cold and made one shiver in fear.
The Crown Prince couldn't help but shiver because the empress dowager's great-grandmother was strict in managing the back palace. In reality, he had only recently learned the truth of the night Jingdou bled with blood from his mother's mouth. He knew that his grandfather and uncle had all died in that political turmoil.
So, his father wanted to get rid of the relatives by his side …
His heart began to tighten, and he didn't know how to react. If his mother's analysis was correct, then as long as he behaved calmly enough, and as long as there were no major problems in the world in the future, that dragon throne would ultimately … be his!
The Crown Prince's gaze gradually hardened. He looked at his mother and nodded his head heavily.
Mother and son seemed to have forgotten what they had once said in their conversation. The prerequisite for the Crown Prince to succeed to the throne was that no major problems occurred. Everyone in the world knew, regardless of whether it was Chen Pingping or Sir Fan junior, they were both sinister and ruthless people who were best at finding major problems from no problems.
— — — —
The Palace and the court were actually two existences of one. Through the Emperor, who could not be ignored, the two fields of power were perfectly and harmoniously united together. If the officials wanted to curry favor with the Emperor, they had to curry favor with the nobles in the Palace. If the nobles in the Palace wanted to extend their hands outside the Palace, they had to borrow the officials outside to do things for them.
The so-called interest groups all came about this way.
Thus, when the matter of the Emperor losing his temper in the royal study regarding the Ministry of Revenue's deficit spread outside the Palace through countless channels, the entire officialdom began to stir. The highest principle of being an official was that if the Emperor did not like something, the officials had to quickly follow. Even if the person standing opposite the Emperor was a legendary figure like the Grand Preceptor, the officials still had to bravely take the lead and not be willing to fall behind.
With the Emperor's mood as an indicator, this kind of thing would never go wrong.
However, there was a clear time difference between the news from the Palace and the reaction from the court conference. The officials were more steady and cautious than usual.
One reason was because investigating the deficit of the Ministry of Revenue would inevitably involve the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian. Everyone knew that not only was Fan Jian extremely shrewd and ruthless, but he also had a close relationship with Imperial Prince Jing and a brotherly relationship with the emperor. The officials didn't know what kind of affection the Emperor still had for Fan Jian.
The second reason the officials were careful was very simple. It was because Fan Jian's son was named Fan Xian, and his courtesy name was An Zhi. He was the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council and the imperial envoy with full power in Jiangnan Road.
Although everyone knew that Fan Xian was the Emperor's illegitimate child, everyone also knew that Fan Xian's loyalty and filial piety were famous throughout the Qing Kingdom. There were countless stories circulating among the people, such as refusing to recognize his father even when he died in the Palace and risking his life to enter the Fan ancestral hall at the annual meeting.
If the investigation reached Minister Fan, no one knew what kind of reaction Fan Xian would have. The officials only knew that the Second Prince had once wanted to use the second young master of the Fan manor. In the end, he had angered Fan Xian. Fan Xian had used countless vicious and sinister moves to arrogantly beat the Second Prince, who had already become a powerful force, into two ends. He had been utterly defeated and cut a sorry figure.
In the end, Fan Xian had successfully beaten the Second Prince into house arrest. This glorious battle result was enough to intimidate most of the officials who wanted to take advantage of politics.
Sir Fan junior didn't even care about the Second Prince, much less these officials.
However, the pressure from the Palace was growing stronger and stronger. Furthermore, news from various sources had confirmed that the Emperor indeed had the intention of taking action against the Ministry of Revenue. The true source of the Emperor's unhappiness these days was the Ministry of Revenue. Thus, the restless officials finally suppressed their impulses and began to go home to write memorials.
Among these officials, there were upright officials who sincerely served the country and hoped the court would stop investigating the Ministry of Revenue's deficit. There were also officials who had received the orders of nobles in the Palace and wanted to use this matter to bring down the Fan family. They wanted to play a game of hitting a bull across the mountain and make Fan Xian, who was far away in Jiangnan, lose his reputation. Most of them were political opportunists who spent many years in the court trying to figure out the Emperor's will in order to climb up.
In short, for many different reasons, the Jingdou court officials had a rare unified opinion. They asked the court to thoroughly investigate the rumored deficit of the Ministry of Revenue. They had to give the people of the world and the Emperor an explanation.
…
…
It is difficult to guarantee that it will be within an hour, such as 12 o 'clock or 1 o' clock. I hope everyone can understand. Thank you.
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