Xu Guan was shocked and said, "The Qi of the Earth is leaking in the Mystic Palace and the Golden Well is spewing water. This is an ominous sign. We should report to the Emperor immediately and move to a better location." He had just turned around when he suddenly thought of something. He stopped and thought for a while before saying, "The Ministry of Rites is in charge of supervising the construction of the Tailing Mausoleum. What do the officials from the other ministries think about this?"
Li Duo said, "I am in charge of the construction of Luocheng. I heard that the Golden Well is spewing water. When I rushed over to take a look, the mouth of the spring was already blocked. The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the Deputy Supervisor of the Observing Sky Officials and Eunuch Dai were reprimanding a few soldiers. They even whipped a Centurion, saying that the water spewing from the Golden Well is nonsense and spreading rumors.
I saw that they looked flustered and wanted to personally go down to the Golden Well to see what was going on. However, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites found an excuse to stop me. I only found out about this after I asked the whipped Centurion in private. "
Xu Guan asked curiously, "What? They deliberately covered it up and did not report it? Why is that? … Ah! I understand now. "Xu Guan suddenly understood and could not help but smile coldly.
The exploration of the Emperor's mausoleum was initially handled by the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites and the Deputy Supervisor of the Observing Sky Officials. As early as the Emperor was seriously ill at the beginning of the year, the Emperor's mausoleum had already been selected and the construction of the underground mausoleum had begun. If it was discovered that the exploration was wrong and the Fengshui was not good, the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Deputy Supervisor of the Observing Sky Officials would inevitably lose their positions. Naturally, they wanted to cover up this matter.
And the eunuch of the Ministry of Rites, Dai Yi, was in charge of the Tailing Mausoleum project. Such a lucrative job was not easy to come by. If there was a new exploration site, it would take a long time. When the Emperor's mausoleum was selected again, he might not be the one supervising the construction. Therefore …
Seeing Xu Guan muttering to himself in silence, Li Jie continued, "This lowly official is supervising the construction of the outer perimeter. The mausoleum is under the responsibility of the soldiers of the Shen Ji Battalion. This lowly official has tried several times to sneak in and investigate, but those soldiers have received orders from Dai Gonggong and have repeatedly prevented this lowly official from entering. It was this lowly official who found an excuse to rush back to the capital to report to Daren.
"Shenji Battalion?" When Xu Guan heard this name, he suddenly thought of Yang Ling. Wasn't Yang Ling in charge of these conscripted soldiers? He seemed to have understood something. After thinking for a while, he suddenly smiled and said, "Li Jie, you did well in this matter. However, this matter involves the Ministry of Rites, the Deputy Supervisor of the Observing Sky Officials, and the Shenji Battalion. Moreover, Dai Yi is the trusted aide of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Eunuch Wang. Since it is only a rumor, we can't just report it to the Emperor. Otherwise, if the situation is not true, we will offend too many yamens."
Li Jie heard this and said anxiously, "Your Excellency, a lot of money flows into the Tailing Mausoleum every day like water. If we don't find out now, who knows how much money we will waste …"
Xu Guan stretched out his hand to stop him. His tone softened and he said confidently, "Li Jie, you are only thirty-two years old, but you have already been promoted to a second-rank assistant minister. You are young and promising, with a bright future ahead of you. This old man has always favored you.
You must know that the career of an official is dangerous. These yamen officials are not easy to deal with. If we can't find concrete evidence and offend many people for no reason, it will greatly affect your career. This old man will not be able to stay in the imperial court for many years, but you have a bright future ahead of you. May I ask, how could this old man be so impulsive and delay your future? "
Assistant Minister Li cupped his hands in gratitude and said, "This lowly official will always remember Your Excellency's kindness in cultivating this lowly official."
Xu Guan chuckled and said, "Hmm, then listen to this old man. Hurry back to the mausoleum immediately and investigate this matter in secret. Once we have conclusive evidence, we will report this matter to the Emperor."
Seeing that Official Xu was so cautious, Li Jie could only cupped his hands and bid farewell. Xu Guan twirled his beard and looked at his back with a slight smile. His heart was full of pride. The Golden Well in the underground palace was the most important place in the mausoleum. In order to prevent the internal mechanisms from being leaked, the Shenji Battalion soldiers were sent to build it.
If what Li Jie said was true, and the people of the Shenji Battalion also knew about it but did not do anything, then Yang Ling could not escape responsibility for the crime of deceiving the Emperor. Yang Ling, Yang Ling, you are deeply favored by the Emperor. It is really not easy to bring you down. But now I have worn out iron shoes in fruitless searching, and now I have found it without any effort.
※ ※ ※
At noon, Zhengde first received the first batch of envoys to the capital in the Golden Hall. By now, the envoys of Prince Dai, Prince Jin, Prince Lu and Prince Ning, the four princes, have arrived at the capital to congratulate the new Emperor on his ascension to the throne. Other than the monotonous congratulatory reports, the other gifts were mostly gold toads, jade ruyi and the like. Although they were expensive, there were not many gifts. Only King Ning of Jiangxi, in addition to the ordinary gold, pearls and jade, carried a total of thirty boxes into the hall. For a moment, all the civil and military officials in the court were surprised.
The local vassal kings did not have such wealth. Even if Jiangnan was rich and the vassal kings were as rich as a country, how could they be so stupid as to dare to show off in front of the Emperor? Were they not afraid of violating the Emperor's taboo? The ministers were a little curious for a moment. They did not know what gifts King Ning presented.
The officials had to announce the valuable gifts presented by the vassal kings one by one and announce them to the officials. But these boxes were not announced on the gift list and did not look like valuable items. Zhengde sat on the dragon chair and took the gift list presented by the little eunuch. He could not help beaming with joy after only a few glances.
Gu Daeyong saw that the Emperor only looked at the list and hurriedly came closer to remind him a few words. Zhengde came to his senses and appeased the vassal kings' envoys. He had the Chamberlain of Hong receive them well and then impatiently said: "Dear ministers, do you have a memorial? If there is nothing important, Zhen will go and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager."
The Minister of the Ministry of Works, Xu Guan, immediately made a memorial: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I have a memorial."
Zhengde glared at this ignorant thing and anxiously asked: "What memorial? Dear minister, quickly say it."
Xu Guan bowed and said: "Your Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, the Observing Sky Officials, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Shenji Battalion to be responsible for the Former Emperor's Tailing Mausoleum project. Now all the officials are loyal to their duties, but the Shenji Battalion's General Yang Ling has been delayed in the capital and has disappointed Your Majesty's expectations. The Tailing Mausoleum is the Former Emperor's mausoleum. The Shenji Battalion is responsible for the construction of the underground palace and the layout of the mechanisms. It is the most important part of the Tailing Mausoleum. I believe that General Yang Ling should be dispatched as soon as possible to avoid any delays. "
Emperor Zhengde absent-mindedly said: "Hmm, Zhen understands. In the next two days, Zhen wants Yang Ling to take over the Imperial Plantation. There are too many chores to be done. In the next day, Zhen will order him to go to the mausoleum. Dear ministers, do you have a memorial? Since you don't … court is dismissed! "
As soon as Emperor Zhengde returned to the back palace, he anxiously said to Gu Daeyong: "Quick, quick, bring the colorful lanterns and fireworks that Uncle King Ning has presented to Zhen." Gu Daeyong promptly ordered a little eunuch to bring in two chests. He opened the lid of one of the chests and saw neatly stacked lanterns inside.
The gifts to congratulate the new Emperor's ascension to the throne could be decorated with happy colors, but the lanterns presented by King Ning were not bright red. Instead, the lanterns were exquisitely designed, multicolored and exquisite. They were all made of bamboo and silk, in the shape of flowers, insects, and fish. Their appearance was vivid and lifelike. It was unknown how many skilled craftsmen were required to make these exquisite lanterns.
The silk on the lanterns was light in color. Some of the lanterns that were not tied into the shape of birds or beasts were instead painted with characters and stories. The ideas were exquisite and ingenious. Looking at them, Emperor Zhengde's hands danced and his feet danced. For a moment, he was unable to close his mouth.
Another chest was opened, but there were all kinds of fireworks and firecrackers, which were separated by soft cotton paper. Although he could not see the ingenuity at the moment, the colored paper wrapped around the fireworks was painted with this kind of fireworks when they were set off and exploded. After seeing it, Zhengde was even more tempted. He could not help but repeatedly praise, "Among the gifts from the vassal kings, only King Ning's is the most suitable for me. It's really a good thing."
When Zhengde was very happy, Liu Jin accompanied Yang Ling in. The two had just gone to see Eunuch Jing, the supervisor of the Musical House. This Eunuch Jing was less than thirty years old. He was white, fat, and rich. When he saw that the two favored people in front of the Emperor of Zhengde jointly asked for help, and the request was only a small matter like temporarily delaying the punishment of the family members of the criminal officials, he immediately agreed. In order to show his respect for the two, Eunuch Jing immediately took the dental plate and personally went to the Musical House. Only then did Yang Ling feel relieved.
As Yang Ling walked to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, he was thinking about how to speak to Zhengde according to Liu Jin's plan. Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped into the East Warm Pavilion, before he had time to speak, Zhengde grabbed his arm and said happily, "You came at the right time. Come and see the good things that King Ning has presented."
"King Ning?" Yang Ling was startled. Since he came to the capital, he had considered the limited information he knew about this dynasty. He knew about King Ning, but this King Ning was too incompetent to rebel. According to the development of history, he was not a scourge at all, so Yang Ling had never paid much attention to him. But when he suddenly heard his name, he could not help but be surprised.
Zhengde happily carried a heavy tube of large fireworks and said, "Come on, let's go to the Imperial Garden to set off the fireworks!"
Yang Ling saw him walking around like he was carrying a rocket launcher and quickly went forward to snatch the fireworks down, saying, "Your Majesty, be careful, there is gunpowder in this thing. You must not be careless."
Only after hearing Yang Ling's words did Gu Daeyong remember the danger of this thing. Just now, in a moment of carelessness, he carried the entire box in front of the Emperor and even let him personally move it. If he accidentally ignited one, even if the Emperor was unharmed, if he was only frightened, it was enough to chop off his head. Gu Daeyong was so scared that his face turned pale. He hurriedly took the fireworks from Yang Ling's hands and placed it in the box, then called the little eunuch to quickly move the box away.
Zhengde impatiently watched as they carried the box away and said reluctantly, "It's a pity … a pity, it's still early and it's not the right time to light the lanterns."
Yang Ling poured another bucket of cold water on him, saying, "Your Majesty, right now it's still the time of mourning. If the Imperial Garden is lit with colorful lanterns and the officials found out, it would be a troublesome matter. Moreover, the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager, those two elders, would definitely not agree."
Zhengde had the temperament of a child. Even though he often missed his Imperial Father, but when he saw such a new and interesting thing, how could he not touch it? But after hearing Yang Ling's words, he knew that he could not do as he pleased and couldn't help feeling dejected.
Liu Jin saw that Emperor Zhengde's face was full of disappointment and suddenly had a bright idea. He couldn't help chuckling, "If Your Majesty wants to see these fireworks and lanterns, it's not that there is no way. But if I say it, Your Majesty will inevitably be scolded by the three scholars."
Zhengde quickly said, "What good idea does Old Liu have? Quickly say it, quickly say it! "
Liu Jin grinned and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty has circled seven farmsteads, but you still haven't had the time to take a look. If you use the excuse of going to the Imperial Plantation to take a look, even if the scholars have some complaints, they probably won't be too harsh on you. When we get there, we can just go into the valley and light the lanterns and set the fires as we please."
Zhengde's eyes lit up and he immediately clapped his hands, saying, "Good, zhen will go to my own farmsteads to take a look. Will they still come and talk nonsense? Yang Ling, quickly go back and make some preparations. zhen will go to the Imperial Plantation to take a look in the afternoon. "
Yang Ling saw Liu Jin give him a meaningful look and suddenly understood, "Liu Jin is indeed amazing. This idea of his can kill two birds with one stone. Not only does it fulfill your Majesty's wishes, but it also helps me." Yang Ling gave up on the idea of dissuading the Emperor from leaving the palace and immediately said, "Yes, this official will immediately go and do it."
* * *
Yang Ling returned to the Discipline Commission and led four of his bodyguards back to Gao Lao Village. He didn't even return home and went to the Shenji Battalion's tent first. At this time, the soldiers were cutting down trees and weeds in the back of the mountain to build a few barracks. These 500 bodyguards were led by Yang Ling to Liu Biao. Yang Ling rushed to the mountain and found Liu Biao. He told him that the Emperor was going to set off the fireworks and carefully instructed him. Liu Biao immediately gathered the bodyguards and personally led them to the mountain to make arrangements.
After everything was arranged, Yang Ling hurried back home. He didn't return for the whole night. Although Han Youniang and the others didn't believe that something had happened to him, they couldn't help but worry about him and didn't sleep well that night.
At this time, several people were enjoying the cool air under the grape trellises in the garden. It was almost June, and the weather was hot and humid. In addition, they didn't sleep well last night, so they were in low spirits and a little drowsy.
Han Youniang supported her lower body and inadvertently looked up. She saw Yang Ling walking along the winding corridor. She immediately jumped up and said happily, "Husband is back!" The others turned around and saw Yang Ling and happily greeted him. Yang Ling looked around and saw only Young-niang, Zhang Shi, Su San, and Sheridan. That Miss Gao Wenlan wasn't next to them, so he said, "Is Miss Gao not here?"
Sheridan said, "We invited her to the corridor to drink tea, but Miss Gao said that she was already a servant of the mansion, so she insisted on serving us like a maid. Young-niang Jiejie couldn't bear to see her like that, so she had to send her away."
As soon as Youniang saw her husband sweating profusely, she quickly pulled him to the veranda and sat him down. "Xianggong," she said, "Look at you sweating profusely. Drink some tea to quench your thirst. Miss Wenxin … how is she now?"
As soon as Young-niang mentioned Miss Wen Xin, several women were a little nervous. Four pairs of beautiful eyes couldn't help but look at him. Yang Ling looked around and saw that there were no outsiders, so he lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, Miss Gao is fine for the time being. I have asked the people of the Musical House to take care of her."
When Young-niang and the others heard this, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Shi couldn't help but put her hands together and said happily, "Thank God, such an innocent and good girl. Fortunately, God has eyes."
Yang Ling sighed and said, "You guys, is it so easy to save a criminal? His Majesty did not pardon her status as a criminal, so whoever brings her home will be punished with the crime of confiscating the family property and exterminating the whole family! "
Young-niang Zhang Shi came from the countryside, and Su San and Sheridan played the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting all day long, so they didn't know the pros and cons of this matter. As soon as they heard Yang Ling's words, several people's faces changed. Su San worriedly said, "Is this matter that serious? Then … then this girl can't be saved? "
Yang Ling shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. I did find a way, but I didn't have time to tell His Majesty. Now that His Majesty is coming to the Imperial Plantation, he must have dinner here tonight. On the way here, I thought about it again and again. If Young-niang accompany me to see His Majesty tonight, maybe we can succeed. "
Young-niang was surprised and said, "What? Husband wants me to see His Majesty?! "
Yang Ling nodded and said with a smile, "According to His Majesty's temperament, I have a sixty percent chance of getting His Majesty to pardon Miss Gao. If … you show yourself in front of His Majesty and pretend to be sick, then there is at least a ninety percent chance of success. But … I am worried that you will be so scared when you see His Majesty that you can't even speak. If he sees through you, then it won't be good. "
Han Youniang listened seriously and thought for a moment, then said resolutely, "Husband, even if I see His Majesty … I am not afraid of seeing His Majesty. Tell me what to do, I will definitely be able to do it."
Yang Ling comforted her, "Don't worry, this Emperor doesn't put on any airs and is very easy to talk to. You have seen him before."
Han Youniang was surprised and said, "What? When have I seen His Majesty? "
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Don't you remember those Eastern Palace Scholars who came to congratulate us on moving to the capital? That fellow with a hoarse voice, one moment calling you sister-in-law, the next moment calling you youniang jiejie, is the current Emperor. "
※ ※ ※
The Shenji Battalion had firearms, and the soldiers were good at using guns and cannons. Now the officers and soldiers were holding the giant fireworks that King Ning of Jiangxi had offered. As soon as Yang Ling returned to the village, the first thing he thought of was to prevent the mountain fire, so he ordered Liu Biao to go into the mountains to find a place with sparse vegetation.
Liu Biao first looked for the village's land protector and asked about the surrounding terrain. Following the land protector's directions, he quickly found a canyon. There was very little vegetation here, and the few hundred or so trees that Liu Biao had sent people to cut off their branches and drag them away, leaving only bare tree trunks.
It was dusk when Zheng De finally arrived at Gaolao Village under the protection of the royal guards. The general of the Great Han Dynasty behind him was carrying fifteen chests. Other than ten chests of fireworks, there were also five chests of colorful lanterns.
By the time the large group of people and horses entered the canyon along the mountain path, it was already dark. Yang Ling saw that he had brought five boxes of lanterns, so he simply asked someone to take them out and hang them on the hundreds of tree trunks. Once the five boxes of lanterns made of bamboo and colored silk were lit, it was like a sky full of stars. The dark and desolate valley was immediately filled with a mysterious and romantic atmosphere, making people feel as if they were in the Milky Way.
Not only had Zhengde never seen such a beautiful night scene, but even Liu Jin, Gu Daeyong, and the officers and soldiers who came with him were relaxed and happy, afraid to disturb the fairyland-like atmosphere.
When the first firework rose into the sky with a bang, it was like the silver threads of a golden chrysanthemum blooming all over the sky. One moment it was like a meteor shower, the next moment it was like a fire tree and silver flowers, and the next moment it was like thousands of fire dragons and silver weeping willows. The colors were scarlet, azure blue, and golden yellow, and it was incomparably beautiful.
Yang Ling stood next to Zhengde and looked up at the beautiful night sky. He only regretted that he did not bring Young-niang with him to enjoy this rare beautiful scenery.
Brilliance was always short-lived. Who knew how many skilled craftsmen and how much silver had been spent to create the fireworks, but they finally burned out, and the valley was filled with the smell of gunpowder. Yang Ling took a deep breath of the choking smell of gunpowder and swore in his heart that before he left this world next year, he would definitely let Young-niang enjoy an incomparably beautiful firework. The scene must be bigger than this, and the atmosphere must be more romantic, so that Young-niang would always have a romantic dream in her heart.
Until he excitedly stepped into the Weiwu Mansion, Emperor Zhengde was still very excited. For a child who had lived deep in the palace for a long time and was full of romance, such a scene was an irresistible impact. During the sumptuous banquet, he excitedly talked about the fireworks.
If the emperor's father didn't eat, how could other people eat? Everyone could only stand there and endure. Zhengde was excited for a while before he smiled at Yang Ling and said: "Yang Ling, Young-niang jiejie... cough cough, where is your wife? Why didn't zhen see her? "
Yang Ling was secretly happy and quickly stood up to say: "Replying to Your Majesty, my wife was also very happy when she found out that Your Majesty was coming, but she is a woman and it's not good for her to come out and see you."
Zhengde waved his hand and said: "There are no such rules. Ask her to come out and see me. Haha, if you knew it would be so fun, you should have brought her along. That's right, you still haven't told her my identity, right? "
Yang Ling quickly said: "How could this subject dare to disobey Your Majesty's orders? She still doesn't know that you are that little gongzi. "
Zhengde was overjoyed, as if he had found something fun. He quickly said: "She will come out soon. Haha, when she sees zhen, she will definitely be shocked."
When Young-niang came out, Yang Ling, Zhengde, and Han Youniang were all shocked. Young-niang pretended to be shocked, but although she already knew that this emperor was the little gongzi she had seen before, she was still very nervous. Although it was fake, it was seventy percent real.
Yang Ling and Zhengde were really shocked. Although Yang Ling wanted her to look like she was sick in bed, he never thought that Han Youniang would look like this. Her hair was a mess and her face was sallow, as if she had just dragged her sick body out of bed. Zhengde couldn't help being shocked when he saw her appearance. He pointed at her and said: "You … … You … … Why do you look like this?"
Han Youniang nervously touched her face. She didn't know if the ginger sauce that Su San had applied would be seen through by others. Yang Ling saw that Young-niang was still a little nervous and quickly answered for her: "Emperor, my wife has not fully recovered from her previous illness. Her body is getting weaker and weaker, this subject is really … … ai! With her illness, if there was a doctor by her side to take care of her, she would slowly recover, but … … cough! "
Zhengde disapprovingly said: "Then you should find a good doctor. Could it be that you can't even afford a doctor?"
Yang Ling said with a distressed expression: "Your Majesty doesn't know, my wife is suffering from a woman's illness. Furthermore, she needs someone to take care of her at all times, so it's really inconvenient for a man. This subject looked around but couldn't find a suitable doctor. Later, I finally found a doctor with great difficulty. Not only was her medical skills superb, she was also a woman. She was the most suitable candidate, but she … … cough! Let's not talk about it! "
Zhengde was baffled when he heard this and asked: "Since you found a suitable doctor, why didn't you hire her to treat your illness? Is there something you can't say? "
Liu Jin looked at Yang Ling and moved closer to Zhengde to say in a gentle voice: "Your Majesty, Sir Yang would rather let Madam be sick than find that woman. It's really because … … that woman is Gao Tinghe's daughter."
Zhengde was stunned when he heard this. It was a while before he asked in surprise: "Gao Tinghe? Who is Gao Tinghe? Is his daughter that amazing? Since he's a doctor, why can't he treat Young-niang jiejie … … Madame Yang? "
Liu Jin almost had blood rush to his head when he heard this. He took two deep breaths and then said with a strange expression: "Your Majesty, Gao Tinghe is … … is the doctor who treated the Former Emperor's illness."
Zhengde's expression instantly sank. He looked at Yang Ling and the sick and weak Han Youniang. He was silent for a while before he slowly asked: "It's his daughter? I remember that his daughter seems to have also been punished. Where is that woman now? "
Liu Jin hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Doctor Gao was beheaded due to negligence of duty and misdiagnosis. His daughter … … the Ministry of Punishments sentenced her to be a slave of the Musical House forever."
"Oh? The Musical House? " Zhengde naturally knew about the Musical House, but no one had ever mentioned to him what the Musical House had in addition to court etiquette, music, dance, and dance. He could not help but feel strange and said: "Become a slave of the Musical House? What do you do there? "
Liu Jin smiled apologetically and said: "Accompany people to drink, dance, and make men happy."
Liu Jin was eloquent, and this sentence could not be found any fault. First of all, the Musical House did have this kind of musicians. Who knew whether the Musical House arranged for Miss Gao was this kind or not. As for the other more humble one, if someone really found fault, it was enough to deal with it by saying that the Emperor was young, so as not to pollute the emperor's ears.
As expected, Zhengde was very dissatisfied. Putting aside the chastity solar term that he still could not understand, this punishment made him feel as if there was no punishment. "This kind of servant is too happy. Is this a slave or a happy life?"
Zhengde unhappily flicked his sleeves and said: "Hong Zhong is an old fool. What kind of punishment is this? Liu Jin, tomorrow you go to the Musical House to pass my oral order, transfer the daughter of Gao … … something He to the Weiwu Mansion as a slave, specializing in treating Madame Yang! "
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