Emperor Que Shaohua

Chapter 35

On the night of the eighth day of July, Kong Shangye, Yin of Luocheng Prefecture, was probably the most prominent and busiest person in the entire capital. He fell in the Canglang Pavilion, not only fell out of the treasure that had been stolen from the Luocheng Gongqing’s home for several days, but also There is a book that makes Qian Chongyi, the servant of the household department, reduced from a third-rank official to a private account of the imperial court in a short time.

The matter spread like wildfire the next day, and various speculations and statements spread like wildfire, and were constantly interpreted and exaggerated in people's discussions.The speculation mainly focused on two aspects: why those treasures appeared in Qian's mansion; was the fall of Confucian man who touched the secret cabinet mechanism by mistake or intentional?

As for the former question, Qian Fu categorically denied any connection with the robbery, which was completely framed; as for the latter, Kong Shangye repeatedly explained that he was just listening to the music at that time, and his feet were numb, but people who heard it believed it or not. Unknown.In fact, if he hadn't been sane and knew that he was really innocent, he would have suspected that the fall was premeditated.

If finding the lost treasure was an unexpected joy, then in the eyes of Mr. Fu Yin, the private account of the household department that appeared at the same time can only be said to be a shock.How could he dare to bring this account book back to Jing Zhaoyin? He didn't delay at all that night. After leaving Qian's mansion, he invited Shen Ling and Li Pinglan to go with him, and went directly to Chonghua Palace to hand over a sign to ask to see Emperor Tianyi. The matter does not belong to Jing Zhaoyin's jurisdiction, so we can only ask the emperor to issue a decree to decide it.

Emperor Tianyi was calm when he first heard about this matter, but when he looked through the account books, there was a burst of anger in his heart, which became more and more intense.It is not uncommon for court officials to take advantage of their powers to get oil and water. He usually turns a blind eye to it. After all, when the water is clear, there will be no fish. However, the amount of money and officials involved in this account book is far beyond his tolerance. , the small half of the household department linked up and down to deceive the bottom and hide the top, just like ignoring the laws and regulations of the country.Taicang and Chencang are both important warehouses in Gyeonggi, and they are so arrogant under the eyes of the emperor, but it is not known how far they will go when they reach the local state capital.

What annoyed him even more was that whether it was Qian Chongyi or the head of the household department under him who was in charge of granary affairs, the evaluation results of the official department in recent years were all top-notch. One can imagine.

He suppressed his anger, and said coldly: "It turns out that my salary is to raise a group of Taicang rats."

The emperor ordered the Ministry of Punishments to take charge of the case, and Jing Yuwei assisted in the investigation, and found out the crime according to the law.Qian Chongyi went to jail the next morning, and the busy Qian's mansion was turned back yesterday.The Ministry of Household Affairs followed with turmoil and panic, and the officials involved were afraid that in a few days, the servants of the Ministry of Punishment would come to the door with chains.

Prince Luo Wenxiao's mood has been gloomy for days since Qian's return. In the fatal private account, food, silver, names, and time are all available. It is enough to verify the crime without Qian Chongyi's confession.He is indeed very powerful in the Ministry of Punishment, but he can't use it at the stalls, so he can only stand by and watch.

Min Wenwen was not involved in it, but as Emperor Tianyi's trust in the Ministry of Households fell to the lowest level, Xu Jinxiu, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Households, had written twice in a row to plead guilty and to sue the old man. To appease, it should be still waiting for the Ministry of Criminal Investigation to finish the investigation before releasing it.

As for the Shao'an tax that was already so loud, not to mention asking for approval, the Ministry of Household Affairs has no confidence to even raise it, so it has just been put on the shelf and ended hastily.

After King An handled the hunting in Wulan, Emperor Tianyi gave him a few words of praise, and sent him to inspect Huangzhuang Yutian, so Luo Junping was not in Beijing these few days.Luo Wenxiao was not in the mood to see him either, and locked herself in the inner hall of the East Palace, thinking about the recent series of troubles.

Ji Tinghui, Sheng Ruhong, Liu Kedu, and this time Qian Chongyi, each of them was very useful to him, but now they are all in prison.It's very disturbing that things happen so often.He hasn't found the inner connection yet, there are accidents, coincidences, and tricks to lose. What makes him most suspicious is this summer banquet.

When the accident happened, everyone was engrossed in listening to the piano and didn't notice anything unusual, but how did it happen?In the crown prince's perception, Qian Chongyi didn't have the ability and motivation to lead martial arts masters to steal treasures, and Kong Shangye didn't have the ability to arrange such a big scene, so who on earth hid the ledger and the treasures in the Canglang Pavilion.

It's not that Luo Wenxiao doesn't believe in coincidences in the world, but it's impossible for things to happen by chance to this extent.How much of the whole thing was accidental, or did it all come from someone's deliberate planning.If the latter, what is the purpose?

Luo Wenxiao walked back and forth slowly in the hall, gradually clarifying where the faint chill and sense of threat came from.Maybe Qian Chongyi has enemies of his own, and this accident was not aimed at him, but no matter who it is, for what purpose, it is possible to expose that green cloth bag to the eyes of many people in Canglang Pavilion without warning , There is no room for dealing with it afterwards, and the ability and calculations involved are enough to make him feel terrified.

There was only one thing that made him feel at ease. At that time, there was Li Pinglan, the commander-in-chief of the imperial family, among the guests. It should be impossible to hide any troubles or doubts from him.Over the years, Li Pinglan has never been partial to anyone other than his allegiance to the emperor, or said a word that is unfair. With his martial arts and status, he does not need to disdain such a thing.

But Luo Wenxiao always thinks of King Jing unconsciously. Since returning to the court, what is Luo Yanhua doing? He didn't hesitate to drink a glass of Bihai Chengxin. Could it be that all he did was just stand in the court hall without saying a word , or go out to dinner occasionally to relax?Thinking back to King Jing seen in the Biluo Garden, what Luo Wenxiao hated the most was the kind of tranquility that seemed to be born with him. There was no hostility in his eyes, only a clear silence, as if he could Seeing through every inch of his foundation, the modesty and grace that belonged to the prince that I have carefully maintained will always fall apart under this kind of gaze.

Wen Yu came in, and carefully whispered the message that the Crown Princess personally cooked a few dishes tonight, and set up a table of wine and dishes in the inner courtyard, and invited His Highness to come over and have a meal together.

Only then did Luo Wenxiao realize that it was past the usual time for dinner.He waved his hand absently: "Let her eat first, don't wait for me."

When he pointed out the marriage back then, before he could be crowned prince, Concubine Han chose for him the daughter of the Minister of Industry at that time. This in-law has real power, but not too much, and it will not make the emperor taboo like wooing the Ministry of Officials or the Ministry of Households. .From appearance to personality, the princess is a standard lady, gentle and gentle, but after a long time, Luo Wenxiao doesn't like the strictness and gentleness in her, which is portrayed according to the virtues of women, especially in recent years. , the other party is more and more focused on how to maintain the bearing and demeanor of a princess or even a future queen.Although he said marrying a wife and virtue, he really found it very boring.In contrast, although the concubine married by King An was a bit more aggressive, and I heard that she would sometimes cry at Luo Junping behind closed doors, but it was still more lively than her side.

It was not yet dark outside, and half of the moon could already be seen in the eastern sky.He walked back and forth in the palace twice, and it was only a few days before the fifteenth day of the full moon. It was rare that Luo Pingyuan went to Yuzhou and was not in the Jing Palace. How much strength does Wang have left, is he able to survive July [-]th.

Thinking of this, he raised his voice and said, "Wen Yu, ask Dai Shifa to come see me immediately."

The corruption case of the Ministry of Household Affairs was a big deal. Shen Ling, as the deputy commander, did not dare to neglect after receiving the order, and sent someone to fly to report to King Ning who was dealing with the aftermath of Liu Kedu's case.

When Luo Pingyuan first arrived in Yuzhou, the situation was a bit chaotic. The poor masters who heard that they could recover their wealth came to ask for help. All the officials were no exception, and the post house where he lived was crowded.

Luo Pingyuan didn't want to spend much time in Yuzhou, except for accepting invitations from the magistrate, the rest of his time was mainly used to supervise specific matters.With him sitting here, all the processes of checking the property were very fast and smooth.In addition to the bank and gambling shop, the Liu family also has many business outlets in the local area. Luo Pingyuan made a charter and ordered the accounting office to check it out, and return the shop that was seized by others to the original owner.

On the day of ransacking the house, he went to see the Liu family's mansion. The main courtyard had seven front and rear entrances, covering an area of ​​nearly [-] acres, and many side courtyards were built.It is said that the Liu family has gradually bought all the nearby real estate over the past few years and continued to expand and repair it.The houses are decorated with carved beams and painted buildings. The tables, chairs and beds in the house are mostly red sandalwood or rosewood.Having spent so much thought and money running the house, one can imagine why Liu Kedu was so reluctant to escape.

Yuzhou's local commerce and trade are well developed, and the local wealthy households used to store silver in cellars. Jing Yuwei found five cellars in Liu's garden, three of which were empty, and two of which were half-filled with snowflake silver ingots and fine gold. Ingots, after counting, are worth about two hundred thousand taels.

Luo Pingyuan took a breath when he heard the news. An ordinary family spends only two or three taels a month, and a chicken only costs a few tens of pennies. .

A sergeant hurriedly reported that a box of loan sharks was found in the bedroom of the main courtyard.

When Luo Pingyuan walked over to look at it, he charged a quarter of the interest in one month after releasing the silver, and there were monograms and fingerprints on each sheet.He ordered: "Take this box out and burn it in the street."

Chu Huan also came to Yuzhou with him, and he came over and said to Luo Pingyuan in a low voice: "Your Highness, I just found out that the surname Liu has a secret room in the back house, in which are hidden some antique calligraphy and paintings, as well as medicinal materials, do you want to go to it? have a look?"

Luo Pingyuan understands what he means, he is not interested in curios, calligraphy and painting, Shizun and Jing Wang both like it, but today he probably doesn't have time to look at the selection carefully, thinking of Jing Wang's poor health, what he is most excited about is The medicinal materials followed Chu Huan to the back house.

Liu Kedu's secret room is not small, it is full of treasure pavilions, full of utensils, Luo Pingyuan didn't bother to look carefully, he went to the innermost, and he saw a row of wooden frames, ginseng, poria cocos, ganoderma, various products The medicinal materials with good looks are packed neatly in the box, and there is a ginseng that seems to be hundreds of years old.Luo Pingyuan opened a small box casually, inside was a piece of light yellow medicinal material the size of a fist, he couldn't identify what kind it was for a while.These are not so rare that they cannot be found, but it must have taken a lot of time and money to search a room.

Luo Pingyuan then said: "Chu Xiaowei helped me put away the medicinal materials here, and I may give them to Master in the future." In terms of his status, this matter is trivial, and Chu Huan quickly agreed. Get someone to pack it right away.

Luo Pingyuan picked up a few scrolls of calligraphy and painting at random, thinking that he might give them to King Jing to enjoy them.Being busy in Yuzhou for a few days has indeed relieved the backlog of heaviness in his heart. He sometimes thinks unexpectedly that the emperor who doesn't drink alcohol should only rely on playing the piano and planting flowers to relieve worries and calm down. Only then can he survive the nine years I hope these calligraphy and paintings can bring him a moment of relief.

After returning to the posthouse that night, King Ning saw the subordinates sent by Shen Ling.Only a few days after leaving Los Angeles, another major event unexpectedly happened.After listening to the report, he waved his hand to let the messenger go. There was only one thought in his mind, whether it was intuition, this matter probably had nothing to do with the emperor's brother. Bai Ruohan, who is superb at playing the piano, and Guan Ling, who is good at lightness kung fu and tricks, King Jing really didn't think about it. Hiding it from myself, just still not saying anything beforehand.He couldn't help but began to suspect that King Jing was deliberately looking for an opportunity to send himself to Yuzhou so that he could do things conveniently.Among other things, the Ministry of Household Affairs was exposed to such a major case, so it should be ashamed to raise the Shaoan tax again.

He looked up at the half moon hanging in the sky, and suddenly wanted to go back to Los Angeles quickly.However, since we have already arrived, we have to finish the work. Some of the officials who posted for an interview were some who had been told by the emperor that they might as well get to know each other. Obviously, he had to stay for a while longer.

Recently, there have been a lot of incidents in the capital. Several grain depots in Taicang, Chencang and nearby state capitals are being closed for inspection. Seven or eight officials of the household department have been taken away by the Ministry of punishment for interrogation.

King Jing didn't go out again, when he was free in the mansion, he would teach Qingming Guyu and several of his attendants to read and write, or watch Guan Ling supervise them to practice martial arts.There is Yang Yue inside the mansion, and Qin Shuang outside.Qin Shuang went to meet Xie Feng almost every day. After more than two months, he bought a small house behind the Xieji Teahouse on Qipan Street, and built a tunnel leading to the teahouse inside. Come plant flowers.Ordinary people walk around the courtyard, if they look in curiously, they will see the greenery, the courtyard is full of potted flowers and plants of different heights and sizes, and two or three pretty girls are busy watering and pruning the branches. A few words, you know that it is a flower garden that supplies potted plants to nearby shops.

At noon that day, Qin Shuang came back from the outside with a serious expression on his face: "My lord, since yesterday, there have been a few hidden piles around our mansion. Do you want to find out where they came from, or just pull them out?"

"What kind of hidden stake?" King Jing asked.

"The burden-carrying peddler, the resting porter, and Fang Langzhong are all veterans. They changed shifts after staying outside the mansion for an hour or so. When they reappeared, they all changed their clothes and outfits. It's just that their gait is not so easy when they walk. Changed, recognized by Zeng Hao." Zeng Hao was one of several secret guards that Qin Su had set up in the mansion before he left.

King Jing said: "You don't need to investigate, just pull it out. In Luocheng, the only one who would deliberately stare at us and send out such a manpower is the prince." I got suspicious here, and wanted to take advantage of Ping Yuan's absence to find out our reality."

"He will pick the right time. Many people followed my brother to the border," Qin Shuang's expression turned cold.When he put away his smile, he could see the same sense of oppression as Qin Su, "It's too early to come and threaten, and it's because I waited too briefly, and I haven't been courteous to His Royal Highness for several years. If the Lord allows But, how about this subordinate take someone to the East Palace?"

Prince Jing smiled slightly, and made an agreement with Emperor Tianyi seven years ago, to go out of the palace and live in seclusion in Prince Jing's mansion, and Langhuan to withdraw to the south of the Yangtze River. Send Jane.Luo Wenxiao hadn't entered the East Palace at that time, but he also had a mansion. As a result, for several days in a row, sharp knives were inserted in the bedroom, either when he woke up in the morning, or when he was about to go to bed at night, every time he inserted it into the pillow accurately, It was so close that when he woke up and opened his eyes, the blade was about to cut his eyelids.It is said that he was disturbed, he could not sleep at night, and it was useless to change several bedrooms.I was able to survive these years, and the deterrence at the beginning should have played a role.

After that, it may be as short as half a year or as long as a year, and His Royal Highness will still receive the same greeting for a day or two.He can really bear it, knowing that there is no benefit in spreading it out, but he secretly strengthens the guards in the mansion and cultivates his own power in the world.

In the past three years, Luo Yanhua did not let his subordinates do this, mainly because the crown prince's focus gradually shifted to King Yun, and his own situation improved slightly with the subtle change in Emperor Tianyi's attitude.

"No need," he said, "although I am still living at home now, but since I have returned to court, I will face the crown prince head-on, and no one will hold back. After watching this for a while, he probably couldn't bear it anymore. Even if there are more knives beside the pillow, they will not stop, and the attack will only become more ferocious."

"Today is the thirteenth day of the seventh month," Qin Shuang said, "To be on the safe side, how about letting Xie Feng bring someone to stay in the mansion for a few days?"

King Jing saw that there was a faint layer of worry on his face. Every time the middle of the month was approaching, several subordinates who knew about it were extremely tense mentally.With Concubine Han Gui in the palace, Luo Wenxiao may have already found out the inside story of Bi Haicheng's heart, so the [-]th of this month is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for the prince to take part, and the hidden stake sent to watch may be the prelude to taking action.

"Xie Feng can't come, and try not to use Qibi. You have to be extra careful when you go in and out, so as not to be discovered by outsiders about Mr. Xie's connection with the mansion." He thought for a while, and said: "Xuan Shuang has a dark spot in Luocheng. Just transfer a few more hidden guards tonight. There are still Director Yang and Xiao Ling in the mansion."

His expression and voice still had the usual tranquility, and Qin Shuang's mood also stabilized. Thinking that Yang Yue was the deputy commander of the Yulin Guard at any rate, there was no reason to rest on the sidelines, and said: "This subordinate will do it now." , transfer the people here first, and then discuss with Manager Yang about deploying defenses." He said again: "Xiao Ling has set up several organs in the mansion these days, and I will ask him to set up a few more."

King Jing smiled and said: "That's it. The prince used five dead men to attack Chu Huan. If he doesn't come, let's see how many people he plans to use to fill this Prince Jing's mansion."