serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 21 The Power Game
The air seemed to freeze!

Qiu Liang gritted his teeth, he had no choice but to dodge, all the guards dodged to the sides, and let the door open.

Xu Yao and Chen Lin looked at each other with a smug smile, raised the booklet in their hands above their heads, and said loudly, "Madam Tai, please take Dazhou's country and society as the most important thing!" Everyone knew that Jia's mother was in Ningguo Mansion.

All the people said in unison: "Madam Tai, please put Dazhou's country and society as the most important thing!"

There was a commotion among the people watching.

In the crowd, several Qing people wearing tiger hats showed complacent expressions.

At this time, there was a sound of horseshoes in the distance, and a group of cavalry appeared at the corner of the street. Their cotton armor was covered with dust, and their faces were tired and haggard after a long journey.

The leader was Li Chengyang, general of Shanhaiguan and Marquis of Ningyuan, and beside him was Lieutenant General Cao Yi.

Cao Yi's face turned blue, and he turned his gaze to Li Chengyang again.

Li Chengyang looked unusually calm, and said lightly, "Enter the palace."

The imperial palace was the power center of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and almost all decisions on military and state affairs were made here and announced to the world.

As the power center of the world, the Great Zhou Palace has three most noble places: the first is the Longshou Palace where the Supreme Emperor lives; the second is the Qianqing Palace where the emperor lives; the last is the Daming Palace located in the southeast of the palace. , where lived the highest ranking member of the Great Zhou royal family, the foster mother of the Supreme Emperor and the aunt of Concubine Zhen—the old concubine.

Emperor Gaozong passed away suddenly in the second year of his succession. It was the old concubine who joined forces with the four kings and eight princes to push the Taishanghuang to the throne. In order to make the Taishanghuang sit firmly on the throne, the old dowager also put a lot of thought into it. Respect and filial piety, as long as she asks, he will not refuse.

This old concubine is the backer and backbone of the Zhenjia family in the palace.

The main hall of Daming Palace.

It was broad daylight, and the lights were still on here.

In the bedroom, an old woman with silver hair on her temples was sitting on the couch, counting beads in her hands, and silently chanting Buddhist scriptures.

The door curtain was lifted, and a woman dressed as a court lady came in. Her facial features were thick and bright, her face was broad and round, her chin was full, and she looked rich. She didn't wear an official hat, and she wore a phoenix hairpin on her temples.

She is Jia Zheng's eldest daughter, Jia Baoyu's direct sister, Jia Yuanchun.

There was a copper censer in the middle of the bedroom. Yuan Chun went to the censer and opened the lid, added some agarwood to it, lit the fire again, then took out the copper pot from the compartment, poured hot water into the gold basin, twisted After grabbing a hot towel, she walked to the old woman and said, "Toffee."

The old concubine still had her eyes closed: "Does your grandmother have a letter?"

Yuan Chun lowered his eyes: "No."

The old concubine opened her eyes, sighed first, and then said: "The Supreme Emperor is still here, these people can't turn the sky up, nor can the sky fall down!"

After a pause, he continued, "I don't have a few years to live, so it's time to find you a home." After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes again.

A complicated light flashed in Yuan Chun's eyes, and he looked at the old concubine who was muttering something.

Dragon Head Palace, a small garden.

Although the Taishanghuang has gray hair, but his spirit is still good, he is slowly practicing Tai Chi in the small garden.

A large group of eunuchs and court ladies served from a distance.

Xia Shouzhong, the chief eunuch of Longshou Palace, walked quickly and silently, and stopped at a distance.

The Supreme Emperor felt it from the corner of his eye, and closed his palms together.

The eunuchs and maids of honor rushed forward, those who put on cloaks, and those who offered scarves.

Xia Shouzhong came over in a hurry and whispered something in Taishanghuang's ear.

With a wave of the Supreme Emperor's hand, the eunuchs and court ladies bowed and retreated.

"He is a decisive person."

The Supreme Emperor walked on the stone path with his hands behind his back, "However, compared with his grandfather Jia Daihua, he is still much worse. Eight families only killed two, which is too conservative!"

Xia Shouzhong smiled: "This is his tact."

Taishang Huang said quietly: "What do you think?"

"The old servant only heard about it, but he didn't see it with his own eyes, so he didn't dare to speak nonsense. However, the spies said that he trained soldiers very well."

The Supreme Emperor was walking, suddenly stopped and asked: "What did Shui Rong tell you?"

Xia Shouzhong was startled, and quickly replied: "Going back to the saint, it is a filial piety to ask the concubine about her health."

The Supreme Emperor snorted coldly, and said lightly: "Hypocrisy." He walked away and said as he walked, "I was indeed wrong about what happened back then, and I was too obsessed. I'm sorry for the prince, but also for Daishan and the others I don't want to, but her surname is Liu, and the ancestral system cannot be violated!"

Xia Shouzhong bowed his body slightly, and followed behind him cautiously. Emperor Zhaowu set up an ancestral precept back then that the Wu and Liu families would never intermarry, not to mention that woman might be a descendant of Liu Zongmin.

A descendant of an enemy became the prince's favored concubine, and even gave birth to the emperor's granddaughter. This is a shame to the royal family, it damages the dignity of the royal family, and it also affects the pure blood of the royal family.

Under the instigation of someone with a heart, a estrangement formed between father and son. The death of Concubine Liu completely destroyed the relationship between father and son. The death of the imperial granddaughter in the fire directly turned father and son against each other, which eventually led to tragedy.

"I heard that she looks like Concubine Liu?"

"Except for temper, they are exactly the same."

The Supreme Emperor changed the subject: "Last year, there were a few accounts that were not reconciled in the Tirenyuan, so let people check it carefully."

Xia Shouzhong was also smart, he was taken aback for a moment, and replied loudly: "Yes. The servant will definitely investigate and find out!"

The Supreme Emperor nodded in satisfaction, "Tell the emperor to ask Jia Hu to send a round of firecrackers to Beijing, and escort those belongings along the way."

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and a big eunuch hurried over and reported: "Prince Zhongshun has gone to the Qin residence."

The long eyebrows of the Supreme Emperor slowly gather together
The capital is not too big, if there is a slight disturbance, it will spread throughout the streets and alleys, and the story of Ningrong Street has already spread a lot.

The news quickly reached the prime minister's residence.

Song Chengliang has been the chief assistant of the cabinet for 20 years. His disciples and old officials are all over the court and the public. He has a very high prestige and influence among the gentry of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, under the acquiescence of the Supreme Emperor and the current suppression, he has lost control of the government. First, he mishandled the Ningyuan matter, and then caused a salt shortage. Fortunately, Li Mingbo saved his face in the end.

The emperor's indifference and the emperor's pressing every step of the way made him aware of the crisis. Just last night, Song Chengliang rejected the advice of the imperial envoy Pei Yan and did not sign the public document.

Staying out is the best way to protect yourself.

So he called in sick.

Li Mingbo's letter has been placed on the big case in the study.

Song Chengliang threw his glasses on the desk. Jia Hu's actions were within his expectations. He even took the opportunity to avenge the Lin family. He also expected it. No matter how many people he killed and how many properties he seized, he was not interested. .

A few lines in it aroused his interest. Yangzhou Fucheng is related to the eldest son of the Zhen family, and the Zhen family and Jia's family are relatives. Jia Hu killed the Yangzhou Fucheng's family, which is interesting.

What is Jia Hu covering up for the Zhen family?
"Master Xiang!" The housekeeper's voice came from outside the door.

"what's up?"

"The news came from the Meridian Gate that Marquis Ning Yuan has entered the palace."

Song Chengliang froze, then smiled wryly, he couldn't help admiring today's skill, the way of civil and martial arts, one piece and one relaxation, he played it clearly.

Next, as long as Wang Hetang is successfully taken down and replaced by the emperor's men, he will be able to hold the military power of the frontier army in his hands.

He naturally knew what the emperor was thinking. Now that Jia Hu had sent money to the emperor, the only thing he needed was food.

There was no shortage of money and food in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but it was not in the hands of the court.

Thinking of this, Song Chengliang's heart felt hot, and his eyes turned to the direction of Jiangnan.
(End of this chapter)