Start with detective Li Yuanfang

Chapter 1132 Chen Hong: It's a pity that Long Live Lord loves me so much, I can only work hard for the new master
Xiyuan.

Located to the west of the Forbidden City, it mainly refers to the area around the Three Seas of Qiongdao, with pavilions, terraces, halls, halls and boats, dotted among the lakes and mountains, and is the most beautiful place in the capital.

The history of this place has a long history. As early as the Liao Dynasty, the Khitan people built palaces here, and it became a holy place for princes and nobles to escape the summer. There is also a legend about the dresser of Empress Dowager Xiao of the Liao Kingdom on Qiongdao in the North Sea. , the tiles have been destroyed, but the Jue still exists, and it is said that it is a dressing building after the Liao and Xiao Dynasties."

In the Jin Dynasty, Jin Shizong built the Taining Palace here, and the entire garden layout was the "one pool and three mountains" model of the traditional royal garden, which became the embryonic form of Xiyuan.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the surface of the lake was expanded to form Taiye Pool, and scenic spots such as Longevity Mountain and Yuandi were added.

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di excavated the South China Sea here, allowing the water of Taiye Pond to expand southward to the line of Chang'an Street, forming the pattern of the North, Middle and South Seas in later generations, with an area equivalent to two Forbidden City, and then piled up artificial There is a small island named "Nantai", which is Yingtai in later generations, and the excavated soil is piled on the north side of Miyagi to build a Zhenshan Mountain, which is called "Long Live Mountain", which is Jingshan Mountain in later generations.

Since then, Xiyuan Garden has become like a paradise in Beijing.

But in the beginning, the people living in this place were not good. Often in political struggles, defeated vassal kings, concubines who fell out of favor, and even emperors would be imprisoned here.

However, after the Renyin Palace Change, Jiajing completely moved to Xiyuan, and the picturesque other courtyard replaced the fortified Miyagi. The political center of Ming Dynasty was transferred, and it has been 12 years.

That night, Chen Hong returned to Xiyuan.

"Ugh!"

Looking at the extremely familiar pavilions and palaces, Chen Hong sighed.

He had imagined many times how he would recast the glory of Dongchang and return in a majestic manner, but he never expected that he would come back by floating.

However, the experience in the leech stomach and the ghosts in the night map made Chen Hong fortunate that at least he could still float, instead of being unable to be reborn forever, or being tortured in the [-]th hell.

"Finish the mission entrusted by Her Royal Highness!"

Chen Hong made up his mind and started to float along the edge of the lake. Seeing guards patrolling ahead, he hid in the darkness and arrived in front of the Longevity Palace without any danger.

When they arrived here, there were many people coming in and out, especially the familiar eunuchs and eunuchs. Chen Hong floated in cautiously.

When Xiaoqian sent him out, she explained the danger clearly. Whether it was the protective measures of the royal Taoist temple or the legendary treasures that protected the real dragon emperor, they could cause fatal damage to this little ghost.

What Chen Hong could rely on was that he was extremely familiar with Xiyuan, so he could avoid the area where Jiajing was active and reduce risks.

"It's a pity that our family is so favored, but separated from the Long Live Lord..."

Chen Hong couldn't help sighing again, feeling extremely regretful, and then encouraged himself: "Now I have to curry favor with a new master, to gain a different future, maybe one day, I can return to life, long live How happy are you to see me?"

With such a lofty goal in mind, Chen Hong went around into the Longevity Palace from the side, and moved towards the place where the Supervisor of Ceremonies was working.

The real supervisor of ceremonies is located in the north of the Forbidden City, far away from Xiyuan, and it is very inconvenient to come and go. Therefore, in the Longevity Palace, there are also temporary office places for eunuchs, and there are many small eunuchs who can write and count. Prepare to check accounts.

Chen Hong knew very well that regardless of the fact that Long Live God had not been in court for 12 years, the entire Ming Dynasty's economic income and expenditure were always in his hands.

Apart from cultivating sacrifices and alchemy, the master was most concerned about money, so he was a little talkative, saying that the Minister of the Household Department was actually carried by Wan Sui himself, and Jin Yiwei also arrested a few, but no one dared to say it later.

It's just that no matter how tight we are, the deficit of the national treasury has become more and more serious in recent years, and there are more and more eunuchs who settle accounts. Before Chen Hong came, he knew that the Dragon King Temple and the Real Man's Mansion would be built again. Where did he get the extra expenses? Also prepare to care about one or two.

In fact, this matter was not included in the task entrusted by Xiaoqian, but Chen Hong knew that in order to please a master, he could only do what the master told him to do. Only then can I take advantage of the trend.

He was able to emerge from among the one hundred thousand eunuchs and become the top five eunuchs, so of course he was also capable. At this time, he took advantage of the situation and floated outside the palace, listening to the crisp sound of the abacus inside.

However, before the account was settled, the movement on the other side attracted attention: "Fifth Ancestor! It's time to eat!"

In the palace, Lu Fang was called the old ancestor, and the remaining four eunuchs followed one by one. The five ancestors used to call him Chen Hong, but now...

Chen Hongpiao looked closely by the window, and saw a tall and thin eunuch wearing a python robe sitting in front of the case, and a group of eunuchs were serving, full of respect and flattery.

Chen Hong's eyes widened, and he suddenly became furious: "Yang Jinshui... You took my place so quickly and became the eunuch of Bingbi?"

This is actually not surprising. Among Lu Fang's godsons, Yang Jinshui's ability to handle affairs is the most appropriate. If not for his lack of qualifications, he would have been able to take the position long ago.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Hong, who was ranked last among the five eunuchs in the Supervisor of Rites, was so hostile to Yang Jinshui, fearing that one day his position would be taken away by him.

Now the worrying thing finally happened. Once Chen Hong died, Lu Fang took advantage of the opportunity to recommend Jiajing when he was in a good mood, and Yang Jinshui's position was a matter of course.

Thinking of this happy man who somehow hid under the covers and laughed secretly at night, Chen Hong felt worse than losing his life.

Naturally, Yang Jinshui didn't know that there was a ghost lying on the window staring at him viciously. After roughly reading the expenditures of the imperial court in recent years, he pressed his brows with a headache: "Long live this money is in a hurry, but all ministries have paid for it." If you can’t even out the money, it’s hard to handle!”

When a court began to owe even the salaries of Beijing officials on credit, it is conceivable how severe the finances would be. The key is that the salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were very low.

During the Hongwu period of the founding of the country, the Taizu was not harsh on the salary. According to the 20-year regulation of Hongwu, the officials of the seventh grade can get 40 tans of rice every year, which is converted into [-] taels of silver. Life.

The problem is that for nearly 200 years, the salaries of Ming officials have not increased but decreased.

Prices are rising, and the cost of living is rising sharply. However, the salaries of officials have not only not increased at all, but have been deducted in various forms. Now a seventh-rank official, even if he has enough pitiful salary, how does it compare with the folks?

Yang Jinshui didn't think much of it when he was in the palace, but he had seen it when he went to the south of the Yangtze River. two silver.

In other words, the regular income of a seven-rank county magistrate or censor of the Ming Dynasty in one year is roughly equal to that of a folk storyteller speaking five or six times.

Just like that, it doesn't come out every now and then...

He usually laughs at the head of Qiu Baga in the army, but if given a chance, those civil servants can't wait to rush up to his head!
"The treasury is empty, and the master is troubled, so he must think of a way!"

Putting on the python robe, Yang Jinshui pondered, put down the account book, and mentioned something: "A few days ago, Zhang Jing and Li Tianchong from Zhejiang, did they have a book to play?"

A eunuch hurriedly replied: "Yes, it seems that it is proposed to restart the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and sell silk overseas..."

Yang Jinshui's eyes lit up: "This method is not bad, the Japanese pirates have been suppressed, and it's time to do business!"

Another eunuch reminded in a low voice: "The man sent by the sea merchant Wang Zhi to meet the saint is still suppressing..."

Yang Jinshui waved his hand: "What kind of maritime merchant! That thief is arrogant and arrogant, and the officials of the Ministry of War are worried, so let's just consider where the money comes from!"

The eunuchs around understood that their mission was to help the Lord Long live to raise money, and they immediately became very excited about the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau and started to work.

Chen Hong saw it with jealousy and cursed silently: "The eunuch holding the pen just now wants to carry out administrative affairs and fill the deficit of the national treasury? The ambition is not small, and sometimes you Yang Jinshui stumbles!"

After cursing in secret for a long time, wishing that Yang Jinshui could float by his side tomorrow night, Chen Hong left angrily, and floated towards the palace house where the documents were stored.

The construction of the Dragon Temple and the Real Man's Mansion has been roughly clarified. The court has no money and is wrangling, so it is time to do official tasks.

Collect the things left by Concubine Cao Duan and Princess Chang'an.

It's not simple.

Because Concubine Cao Duan was executed in the Renyin Palace Incident, it has become a taboo in the palace, and her belongings have been destroyed long ago.

Princess Chang An died of illness four years ago. Without her concubine mother, she has no care. Life is not good, and there are probably very few items left.

Fortunately, Princess Changan, as the eldest daughter, is different from other children after all. In addition, Jiajing knew very well that Concubine Cao Duan was wronged and killed. Chen Hong remembered very clearly that Concubine Cao Duan had been rewarded with a priceless Topaz Ruyi.

Yu Ruyi itself is nothing, there are many around Emperor Daojun, but Huang Yu is different.

Everyone in the world knows that mutton fat is good, but topaz is even more difficult to find. Topaz is a tribute from the Western Regions. After being carved into Yu Ruyi, there is only one pair. Pass it on to your daughter to help her live a long life.

As a result, the princess died of illness in the second year, and Jiajing was very sad. The topaz Ruyi was buried with him, and Lu Fang put the other one away, so that His Majesty would not think about others and lose his temper.

Chen Hong's goal this time is to find Huang Yuruyi, take it back to Xiaoqian, help her remember what happened before she was alive, and enter the treasury with ease.

There are several royal treasuries in the Forbidden City, and this one in the Longevity Palace is dedicated to storing personal belongings for easy access. Chen Hong is so familiar with this place that he can enter it with his eyes closed, the reason cannot be explained to outsiders.

"found it!"

Following his memory, he quickly shuttled across the shelves, quickly locked the brocade box, made sure that the label was correct, took a deep breath, and reached out to explore it.

With Chen Hong's yin energy, he couldn't touch the real thing at all. It was Xiaoqian who gave him a pure magic power of Taiyuan before leaving, which gave him the ability to open the brocade box.

However, as the dust on it dispersed and the lid opened with a creak, Chen Hong was stunned suddenly.

It was empty inside, nothing.

Chen Hong gasped: "Do you dare to steal?"

Unlike ordinary tributes, Huang Yuruyi is priceless, if one day Long Live Lord thinks of this rare thing and asks Lu Fang to fetch it, it turns out to be an empty box, how many people in the palace will lose their heads!
"Hey, good death!"

In the past, Chen Hong would also be scared to death, but now he is really a dead pig and is not afraid of boiling water. After being surprised, he began to gloat: "It's best to get Yang Jinshui down, I must laugh at him !"

After laughing, his face became ugly again: "But without Huang Yuruyi, how can I explain to Her Royal Highness the Princess?"

After much deliberation, Chen Hong looked in the direction of the Forbidden City and gritted his teeth: "Let's go find Princess Ning'an!"

……

Jiajing moved to Xiyuan, but a large number of harem concubines did not follow, basically still living in the palaces in the Forbidden City.

Yes, there are a large number of concubines in the harem. Compared with other emperors in the Ming Dynasty, this Taoist emperor loves female sex, and there are more than 80 concubines with titles.

But compared to another Taoist emperor, who was not only lustful, but also very fertile, Jiajing can be said to have grown a lot and harvested a lot. During his 45 years in power, he only gave birth to eight sons and five daughters.

The lifespan of these children is generally short, most of them died when they were one or two years old, and only three sons and two daughters were adults. When Jiajing died, only one son and one daughter were left for him.

It’s okay to have fewer children. The age of concubines in the harem is much younger than Jiajing, and most of them died before him. If you sort out the chronology of Jiajing’s harem, you will see that it is full of words such as "Gong Yu Bao's death, chasing Yi Concubine" "Gongyu Chen's death, chasing Concubine Jing", "Imperial Concubine Wang's demise", "Wan concubine Zhao's demise", all died in groups. In Jiajing's later years, more than 80 died, and there were not many people left.

In view of the fact that the death of Concubine Cao Duan involved Empress Fang and Concubine Wang Ning, there must have been unnatural deaths. Of course, there is also the possibility that Jiajing was so selfish that he only cared about his own enjoyment and reduced the expenses of the harem.

In fact, if we follow the history, one of the most able to make palace fighting dramas in the Ming Dynasty is the undoubted Concubine Wan Gui. The real queen, one of the two real queens was a widow at the beginning of their marriage, and the other was a puppet for a lifetime, which can be called a legend in the harem.

The other is the Jiajing harem. Most of the concubines of the Ming Dynasty were born in the middle and lower classes. They did not have a prominent mother's family influence. What they showed was a real palace struggle. Unfortunately, the scriptwriters couldn't write it, and the actors couldn't act it...

In Chen Hong's memory, there was no Gong Dou, and no woman could play tricks in front of the Long Live Lord, but the goal of this trip to the Forbidden City made him a little embarrassed. It was Princess Chang'an's direct sister, Princess Ning'an Zhu Luge.

When Concubine Cao Duan died tragically, the youngest daughter was only three years old, and she was brought up by concubine Shen Guifei.

In history, a son and a daughter were sent to Jiajing's death. The son was naturally King Yu, who was later Emperor Longqing, and the daughter was the Princess Ning'an. She lived longer than Longqing. She lived until the 35th year of Wanli and was 68 years old. died of illness.

Chen Hong didn't know this. He was a ghost after all, and he was counting on the eldest princess to survive in the world. If he scared the little princess out of his mind, it would be futile.

With this in mind, he floated all the way to Concubine Shen's palace in the night wind, lingered for a while before entering cautiously.

Compared with the bright lights in Xiyuan, the treatment here is obviously far inferior. Most of the servants have already gone to bed, and Concubine Shen Gui who lives in the main house has also rested, but Princess Ning An has not rested yet.

A 15-year-old girl is sitting in front of the case, reading a book. There is only one maid serving in the room, and the furnishings are extremely simple.

"This little Highness, whose mother died tragically since childhood, has a strong personality and never smiles. Such a peaceful person should be able to... accept ghosts floating in front of him, right?"

Chen Hong went around twice, but he still didn't dare to bet his own ghost life. His eyes turned and fell on the table in the outer room, where there happened to be a pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

"Juan'er, get ready to rest."

Half an hour later, Princess Ning An just finished finishing a book, put it down gently, closed her sore eyes, and ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The maid responded and went to the outside room to wash up. Princess Ning An was just about to get up when she felt that there was an extra piece of paper in front of her.

When she saw clearly what was written on it, Princess Ning An was stunned for a moment, then she stood up abruptly, with horror in her eyes, she blurted out: "Sister?"

Chen Hongyi, who was watching secretly from the window: "What kind of reaction is this?"

In order not to scare the little princess, he chose to write step by step.

The content on the first piece of paper is very simple, that is, Princess Chang An has returned as a dead soul, and she hopes to simply recount the past, and she doesn't even expect the other party to believe it.

It is human nature not to believe, after all, the handwriting is different, and he died of illness for four years, even thinking about it, he finds it unbelievable, how could a good princess turn into a ghost?
But now Princess Ning An's expression seems to be believed, but instead of the joy of the sisters' reunion, it is full of fear?
"hiss!"

Chen Hong stepped forward subconsciously, and then suddenly felt a creeping fear.

In the night walk of the ghosts, when he occasionally saw ghosts wandering past the novice area, he would feel a similar sense of threat, but this time it was ten times and a hundred times stronger!
"Sister, run!"

Princess Ning'an also seemed to realize something, and screamed, a brocade box on the shelf behind her suddenly opened, and a short pestle with a golden glow flew out of it, aiming at the outside of the house, flying out of the window, and hitting over.

puff!
All this happened so quickly that Chen Hong had no time to dodge, so he was hit straight.

He let out a silent scream, and his whole body immediately turned into black air and dissipated. Seeing that his soul was flying away, a line of faint golden words emerged.

"All karma is destined to bear fruit. If you do pure good karma in one life, you should always experience peace and happiness, and if you do extremely heavy evil karma in one life, you should also experience great distress forever."

That is the Sanskrit text of the "Nirvana Sutra", and all the ghosts included in the picture of the night walk of the ghosts will carry this breath invisibly.

But the golden light on the short pestle touched the Sanskrit characters and blended in an instant. The light was so bright that it no longer had the intention of killing, and flew back into the box in the house.

The black air lingering outside the house reunited and turned into Chen Hong, but it had faded to the point where he was almost invisible. The Governor of Dongchang, who had survived a near death, didn't dare to stay any longer, wishing to roll and crawl outside.

"Is it sister? If you are free, don't come back..."

Princess Ning'an put away the paper on the table, threw herself to the window, looked into the night, tears rolled down her eyes, until the voice of the court lady Juaner sounded from behind: "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

Princess Ning'an lowered her head, wiped her tears, and managed to return to her usual serious appearance: "It's okay... I was startled by a raccoon slave... It's late at night, let's rest!"

(End of this chapter)