Emperor Kangxi sent me to marry

"The stone lion outside Zhengyang Gate was broken again."

"What did Uncle Cheng say?"

"Oh, nothing."

The eldest son of Zhang Penghie, Zhang Maocheng, inadvertently confided a sigh that should have quickly disappeared in the spring breeze of March 39, Kangxi year.

Unfortunately, another person in the carriage heard him.

Opposite him was the staff member who was organizing official uniforms for Shaanxi Governor Bei Henuo that day.

"Uncle Cheng seems to be very familiar with the capital."

"Just these two years, after returning from Anhui."

Zhang Maocheng kept his father's warning in mind and did not dare to trust Bei Henuo's men too much.

He suffered too much from speaking out.

The carriage stopped briskly in front of Wufanglou.The double-skin milk that was unveiled at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet has been popular in the capital for half a year through word of mouth among the family members.The apricot yellow cloth sign has faded slightly, and the three characters "Double Skin Milk" are embroidered with black silk thread, dancing in the wind.

Business here is incredible.Haifeng asked them to open a separate window and specialize in taking away Shuangpi Nai, but they still couldn't satisfy the fashionable residents of the capital.Among the long snakes lined up, there were 50 or [-] people standing, which was considered a small number.

The staff was so envious that they couldn't help but sigh to Zhang Maocheng:

"No wonder the Fourth Princess is so rich. This business is booming, isn't it just sitting there counting money?"

Zhang Maocheng has never been able to accept the fact that his father is following a woman. Hearing this sentence, he was a little stung.

"You'd better take a look inside. One tael of silver a portion of double-skinned milk is not enough for the fourth princess to raise cattle. Her cattle only eat grass from the Horqin Grassland. The Ministry of War helped transport them."

When he said the last seven words, Zhang Maocheng could no longer restrain his anger.

Even though it was a public item for private use, the whole capital still held the fourth princess in her early twenties and rushed to send money to her home.

Just one tael of silver to buy a few mouthfuls of steamed milk!
How much food can be bought with one tael of silver, and how many bowls of rice porridge can be cooked?Ordinary farmers work so hard in the first year that sometimes they can't save even a tael of silver.

The two of them had just sat down by the window when a fresh, smart, fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy came up to say hello to Qian'er and handed him a tea order.

"You two look strange, are you coming back?"

The staff member saw Zhang Maocheng's ugly face, so he took care of everything on his behalf, took the order, and held it in his hand to read.

This glance didn't matter, he knew what Zhang Maocheng meant when he said 'look inside'.

Just coming in and sitting there, without eating or drinking anything, costs 60 Liang per person; the cheapest honey chrysanthemum tea costs [-] Liang or [-] yuan per pot, but fortunately you can refill it with unlimited hot water; the top few refreshments are all The price is five to sixty taels.

Is this drinking tea or drinking jade liquid and golden juice?
When the staff was having trouble ordering what grade of tea, Zhang Maocheng asked the waiter to invite the chief shopkeeper. Without saying a word, he only pulled his hands in his sleeves twice, and the chief shopkeeper invited them to sit upstairs. .

After sitting down in the private room upstairs, the staff began to feel restless and murmuring.

There are only five or two people living downstairs. There is a complete set of carved chicken wing wood furniture, tea bowls made in the official kiln, and incense on the table. How much does it cost?
Bei Henuo knew that Zhang Penghie could barely make ends meet because he did not accept bribes. Before going out, he gave his staff 80 taels of cash and told him not to let the eldest son of the Zhang family pay for expenses when he encountered them.The staff originally wanted to enrich their own pockets, but looking at the situation, they were lucky not to betray them.

"Uncle Cheng, I heard that the fourth princess never accepts heavy gifts. Is it all recovered from the seat fee and tea fee?"

"If you think this place is expensive, before you return to Shaanxi, take your family to Ruixiangfang. A custom-made silk and satin dress can cost tens of thousands or ten thousand. That's it. What else do you need to do to make a reservation? Bought it. During the Chinese New Year this year, her family hired a new master to paint flowers, which no other family has. Those princesses, princesses, and Fujins have all kicked down the threshold of Ruixiangfang. "

The staff was so shocked that they almost spilled the tea and tried to change the subject.

"Just now on the carriage, Uncle Cheng talked about the Five-Fang Building and explained the doorways here to me."

"Oh, yes. I brought you here today. If you need anything in the future, please come and ask the Fourth Princess. You can come here yourself. Later they will prepare a sign for you with a number written on it. My home number is nine. "

Zhang Maocheng took out his own brand. It was made of mahogany and inlaid with a few pieces of jade, forming the character '[-]'.

The staff looked at the sign over and over again, disapproving of it.

"This doesn't seem to be anything special. The wood and jade materials are both good, but if you want to imitate them, you only need a skilled master."

"Didn't you see Gao's Antique Shop when you came in?"

"Yes, I saw it. I heard it was Gao Shiqi's business and the emperor rewarded it."

"His family has top jade craftsmen. I heard from my father that when making this brand, they deliberately select jade with flaws. There are no exactly the same flaws in the world, so there are no two identical pieces of jade. The imitations are from his family. The master can see through it at a glance."

The staff then felt at ease and waited patiently.

There were footsteps on the stairs, and some polite words from the big shopkeeper drifted in when seeing off guests.When the staff arrived for the first time, they were inevitably curious. They tiptoed to the window on the side of the private room near the corridor and looked out.

Coincidentally, the person the big shopkeeper wanted to send out was known to the staff.

"Uncle Cheng, this young man is the eldest son of General Sun Sike. I was lucky enough to meet him once when I was helping the governor handle the seed planting case."

"Oh, no wonder, I have never met No. [-]. His family rarely comes to the capital once."

"General Sun Sike is seriously ill, and the emperor even sent the imperial doctor. Why isn't his eldest son at home to take care of his illness?"

"Then, General Sun probably got through this. In the spring, the weather has warmed up, and the illness has eased. But if this happens, I'm afraid he will have to resign to recuperate. He is still the admiral of Gansu, which is very important. Position. Whoever takes over must discuss the candidate with the Fourth Princess."

After they finished talking, the chief shopkeeper came over and said that Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess had summoned him.

Zhang Maocheng stood up and left immediately, while his staff straightened their collars and cuffs before following him up to the attic.

While Haifeng was busy packing and moving, he also had to deal with the requests of these officials. At the same time, he was trying to find every opportunity to look at the Ministry of Internal Affairs to organize the wedding of the fifth princess and the sixtieth birthday of the Queen Mother. He wished he could break it into eight pieces and use it.So even though she was tired, she still seamlessly called No. [-] in after the people from the Sun family left, because she knew that it would probably be done soon.

Sure enough, Bei Henuo just wanted to get in touch with her, and the matter was simply trivial.

"When Khan Ama came to Ningxia last year, the price of horses did go up. You don't want to suffer this dumb loss. With the money you put in during the Northern Patrol, a list was made and sent to the Ministry of Revenue. Anyway, they also went to the Southern Study Room to request orders. If Khan Amma forgets, I can just ask anyone to help."

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness, Fourth Princess. Then, my lord, I would like to ask Zhezi to cut the sacred wood roads and repair the Han Dynasty's new roads."

Haifeng was deeply impressed by Bei Henuo's self-defeating operation.

If you want to promote a subordinate to a higher position, you must also see whether the subordinate is worthy.How could he be so rash as to ask Kangxi for an official position?

"Don't think about it. Li Jie had no political achievements when he was the prefect of Xi'an, but he still wanted to get promoted. Under the rule of Shenmudao, the people suffered from hunger. Last year, Khan Ama saw it during his northern tour. But he was so busy that he didn't Take care of the matter. Bei Henuo also wants to make arrangements for Li Jie to go to Hanxing Road, and specially remind Khan Ama. I am watching, maybe Bei Henuo is tired of being the governor of Shaanxi and wants to go home to retire? "

"No, no, Your Highness Princess, please speak kindly to the Emperor for my lord."

Hai Feng noticed that Zhang Maocheng was a little angry since he entered the room, and felt baffled by this.

The few times they met before, this person didn't even look at her.

"Governor Zhang, have you heard about this? What does he mean?"

The staff member had found a savior, so he pulled Zhang Maocheng and begged him to help him.

"Uncle Cheng, Governor Zhang just praised my master for his careful handling of matters in front of the emperor. If something goes wrong with my master, wouldn't Governor Zhang's face look bad?"

Zhang Maocheng ignored the sick staff who rushed to the hospital, looked straight at the fourth princess and said:
"Below the governor is the Taoist platform, and below the Taoist platform is the prefect. Her Royal Highness the princess wishes she could hold the whole of Shaanxi in her hands. If Li Jie is not under the princess's sect, of course he is not worthy of promotion."

Haifeng did not get angry on the spot and ended Bei Henuo's matter quickly.

"This is a first-time offender to be the governor of Shaanxi. Khan Amma does not intend to punish him severely. However, Li Jie, the prefect of Xi'an, will be dismissed from his post. My lord, he will be demoted to three levels and will remain in office for inspection. There will be a clear order in a few days."

The chief shopkeeper came up to see off the guests, and the staff had no choice but to leave and follow him down to get the sign.

With no one else around, Zhang Maocheng stared at the fourth princess more intently, making Axiang and Shutai stamp their feet in anger.

Haifeng was also angry, but she was more curious.

"I don't seem to have offended the Zhang family very much. You should know that I am married to a prince, and I have a noble prince under my knees. My husband-in-law has a bad temper. If you continue to stare at me so rudely, then I have no choice but to ask him to go to Zhang Mansion to ask for an explanation."

Zhang Maocheng suddenly realized that the woman in front of him was a married woman, and he should have ignored her.

Although he looked away, Zhang Maocheng did not feel that his anger was wrong, so his tone was even more aggressive than before.

"Since Your Highness the Princess knows that she is a woman who has left the palace and has a young daughter to take care of at home, why do you still frequently travel between Ruixiangfang and Wufanglou to interfere in the promotion of officials in the DPRK?"

"Oh, you ask this. Dare you ask the eldest young master of the Zhang family, have you married a wife and had children?"

"I am already over thirty, of course I have a wife and children."

"Then why don't you take care of them at home and instead come to Wufanglou to drink a pot of chrysanthemum tea? If I remember correctly, in the 36th year of Kangxi's reign, you were dismissed from your post as magistrate of Huaining County, Anhui Province. Three years have passed, and you are still waiting for a job. You should have a lot of leisure every day. You have no errands, so of course you have no salary to receive; your wife and children, what they eat and use now, should be the meager portion of Mr. Zhang Pengye, and what are you doing? Yes, I send you gifts every month, right?"

Every time Haifeng said something, Zhang Maocheng's face became uglier. In the end, his face turned purple like a piece of pig liver, and he couldn't think of a reply, so he had to turn to Confucius for help.

"Only women and villains are difficult to raise. Farewell!"

Fortunately, he hadn't completely forgotten that he had something serious to do here today. He took out a memorial from his sleeve, handed it to Axiang next to him, and then strode across the threshold.

Shutai was eager for him to leave, so he closed the door behind him and spat softly.

"Bah! I couldn't even pass the Jinshi exam, and I only had the honor of being a civil servant. Because of Governor Zhang's face, I didn't get promoted to a higher level after being a county magistrate in Anhui for ten years. Instead, I learned to sit in a well and watch the sky!"

Haifeng was just about to open the booklet and read it when he heard Shutai curse and smiled slightly.

"Shu Tai has been paying more and more attention to his homework recently. He can even use 'sitting in a well and looking at the sky'. Don't get tired of him, and don't let people from the Princess Mansion run against him. Zhang Maocheng has been a poor county magistrate in Anhui for ten years. He doesn't care about the people of Li, but he also builds bridges and roads, and asks for orders for the people. He is a rare good official. If I don't care about this, why would I need to take out my brother-in-law? I should have taught him a lesson."

Axiang went to comfort Shutai, while Haifeng took matters into his own hands and opened the outer cover of the folder.

Zhang Penghie wanted to close the Shaanxi seed case and then submit a closing report to Kangxi.I wrote a draft first and asked her to help me read it before sending it to Nan Study.

In fact, 39 taels were dispersed among the people, and 26 taels were returned; a certain official committed a serious crime and was sentenced to life in prison; a certain official readily confessed his crime and cooperated smoothly, so he was given a lighter sentence and dismissed.

So many things, written eloquently and clearly and in detail.

After reading it, Haifeng couldn't help but feel emotional.

"As a father, if Zhang Penghie had half the intention of being an official, Zhang Maocheng wouldn't be so outspoken and offend others at every turn. It's difficult to solve this problem in ancient times. If he had spent more time with his son, he might not have been so meticulous as an official. Watertight."

Shutai and Axiang spend time with Haifeng day and night, how could they not see what she is thinking at the moment?

The two of them quickly sang together to make Haifeng happy.

"Master came out to do things and didn't neglect Lian Gege!"

"That's right, how can Zhang Maocheng compare with the master? This morning, the master met with seven or eight groups of people. Mr. Li Guangdi was sent to control the flood. The emperor was going to inspect in April. The master gave him some advice; Guo Xiu went to Huguang to take office. , recommended three of his officials to follow him, and the master also gave him an idea. It would be very difficult for others to do just one of these things, but the master could get rid of it in a few words. This is called, "There are many capable people." labor'."

Haifeng was persuaded by the two of them for a while, and his mood gradually improved.

The stack of official documents stacked thickly on the desk at hand also encouraged her to pay less attention to these onlookers who didn't know the whole story and spoke casually.

"How much else do you have to do in the afternoon? Let's move it to tomorrow. I'm going to Ruixiangfang for a walk. Ah Xiang goes home and takes Lian'er over. I miss her so much. You guys should take half a day off to rest. Just leave. , tell the stable to prepare the carriage right now."

Axiang and Shutai smiled happily and went to make arrangements separately.

When Haifeng heard their brisk footsteps, the corner of his mouth raised.

Why should we conclude that if we are busy with government affairs, we will neglect our daughter?

She will be both a wise queen and a loving mother!

Let’s wait and see, Zhang Maocheng and others!

Oops, I really received a lot of monthly tickets, so happy!
It’s a bit too late today, I’ll update more tomorrow!Thank you!

That stone lion looks too much like the word "water" in the text. Let's briefly talk about it here.

The Qing Dynasty allowed people to sue officials, but it was difficult to attract the attention of the government.The people have no choice but to destroy some public property and make their demands louder, so that more attention will be paid to them.

The stone lion at Zhengyang Gate was broken several times during the Kangxi Dynasty.Later, the imperial court had to issue a ban stating that stone lions were not allowed to be smashed.