serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 383 The decision of the monarch and his ministers

Heavy snow is falling down one after another.

The snowy ground in front of the Qianqing Palace was crowded with officials. Officials from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, as well as officials from the Metropolitan Inspectorate, Hanlin Academy, Imperial College, and officials of the fourth rank and above from the Six Ministries were all here.

The deputy general manager of the Qianqing Palace stopped at the door. Although he was polite, he was not accommodating: "The imperial doctor said that your Majesty needs to rest. Sir, please go back."

Mei Changwen bumped Wang Rulin with his elbow.

Wang Rulin understood and shouted loudly: "The king and his ministers are responsible for the relationship between father and son. There is no way in the world that a son is not allowed to visit his father. This is not the case in the world! No! Let us in quickly!"

All the officials were talking:
"That's right, why are all the officials not allowed to meet the emperor at this moment?"

"Does the cabinet want to block the news? This is an ulterior motive!"

"Step aside!"

"presumptuous!"

Li Shouzhong walked over covered with snowflakes, "What are you doing? Are you planning to rebel?" His eyes slowly searched the crowd and fell on Jia Yucun and Mei Changwen: "The emperor has his own decision on who to see and who not to see. Besides, the Emperor needs to rest. He is a second-ranked Jinshi, don’t you know these rules?"

At this point, he glanced at other officials: "I have something to say beforehand. No one is allowed to come to the Qing Palace to cause trouble, let alone disturb His Majesty's rest. Anyone who violates the order will be immediately dismissed and investigated!"

After saying that, he said to the deputy general manager: "If anyone makes trouble again, just take off his robe and send him to prison." After saying that, he turned around and walked into Qianqing Palace.

Deputy Manager: "My lords, please go back." He raised his hand.

The eunuchs and eunuchs who were waiting in line at the palace gate came out.

Deputy General Manager: "Please!" He said and gave up his hand.

The officials looked at each other, then dispersed in confusion.

In the heavy snow, Jia Yucun and Mei Changwen were in front, followed by several censors, Wang Rulin, and Deng Hanlin, and the group walked out of the imperial city.

Jia Yucun suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at the dark palace gate, and then sighed deeply. Then he spoke: "It seems that it will be difficult for the emperor to survive this winter."

Mei Changwen looked at him: "What should we do?"

Jia Yucun walked away again and said as he walked: "The Seventh Prince can't compete with the Ninth Prince. Five years and two years old doesn't make much difference."

Mei Changwen nodded.

Jia Yucun: "Our only chance to make a comeback lies with the Emperor. I just inquired and found out that there is no serious problem with the Emperor. The emperor's intention is very obvious, that is, he wants the Emperor to assist the little emperor. What I am most worried about is Jia Hu. , the Supreme Emperor just had someone assassinate him, if he connects the infantry yamen and the imperial army, even if the Emperor leaves a legacy, the Supreme Emperor will not be able to sit still."

Mei Changwen nodded fiercely.

Jia Yucun then said: "There are still old men from the previous dynasty in the Forbidden Army. As long as they have the holy decree, there is nothing to worry about. The most important thing is Zhongyi Hou Fengtang. His [-] soldiers and horses are in charge of the nine gates. If he lets the brave guards Once the camp enters the city, it's all over."

Having said this, he looked around and said, "Let's go see the Emperor now, get the Emperor's handwriting, and bring Feng Tang over."

Mei Changwen: "But, the Emperor has been imprisoned by the Emperor."

After hearing this, Jia Yucun sneered: "The eunuchs in this palace are the most attuned to the situation, and they will flatter you at the first sign."

Mei Changwen: "Okay. This matter is up to you."

Jia Yucun smiled and walked towards Longshou Palace with his head held high.

The imperial doctor said that the emperor could not see a breath of wind, and the curtains and windows in the palace hall were tightly closed. The two eunuchs on duty lit candles, and Li Shouzhong came in wearing a cloak.

The two eunuchs on duty hurriedly greeted him: "Mr. Li Ge."

Li Shouzhong: "Your Majesty is awake?"

The two eunuchs on duty said, "Yes." One of them came over and took off his cloak, and the other opened the door.

Li Shouzhong walked in quickly.

The door to the palace was open, and a high-pitched voice came out. Li Shouzhong stopped and listened carefully. Then his expression changed. It was Li Zhong, the eunuch in charge of Fengzao Palace, and he was talking about Jia Hu.
At this moment, Dai Quan stretched out his head and nodded to him.

Li Shouzhong took a deep breath and walked in quickly.

In the bedroom, Li Zhongzheng, the eunuch in charge of Fengzao Palace, was kneeling in front of the bed.

Wang Hetang was also there, standing by the bed with his hands down.

Emperor Jianwu, who had a sallow complexion, lay on the bed with his eyes slightly closed, stretched out his thin hand from the quilt and waved it.

Dai Quan said to Li Zhong: "Step back."

Li Zhong: "Yes." He kowtowed, then got up, bowed and walked out.

Dai Quan stepped forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, Mr. Li Ge is here."

Emperor Jianwu's Adam's apple moved and he struggled to say, "Is it Li Shouzhong?"

Li Shou felt sour in his heart and replied, "Yes, I am."

Emperor Jianwu then opened his eyes and looked at him: "How is it?"

Li Shouzhong was in a dilemma and looked at Wang Hetang.

Emperor Jianwu: "Speak."

Li Shouzhong: "The price of food has risen to one or two yuan." "When will the food from Nanyang arrive?"

"The first batch of grain was transferred to Jiangxi. Zhejiang and Fujian also need grain."

"Push out two boats first to let the people of Zhili breathe a sigh of relief."

"Yes. Just now, Cai Chen went to the Ministry of Household Affairs and did a detailed calculation. It turns out that the military rations calculated are not that much at the moment. We can save [-] dan to supply the people of the North and South City."

Wang Hetang spoke: "The Navy is working hard to clean up Nanyang. After this winter, grain and rice from Nanyang will be continuously transported to Beijing."

Dai Quan continued: "With Nanyang as a grain-producing area, the imperial court will not have any more grain shortages in the future."

After hearing this, Emperor Jianwu forced a smile: "That's good, that's good." After saying that, he looked at Dai Quan again.

Dai Quan understood, bowed and retreated, closing the door from the outside.

After a period of silence, Emperor Jianwu spoke: "I am dying."

Wang Hetang and Li Shouzhong knelt down quickly.

Emperor Jianwu: "In this life, I have to calculate and fight, but in the end it is all in vain. For the sake of the country and the country of my ancestors, I have to hand over power to the person who wants my life. I am not willing to do anything, but I say goodbye. No choice!”

Having said this, he took a breath and said, "Tell me, who should this throne be passed on to, the seventh prince? Or the ninth prince?"

How could the two of them dare to answer?

There was silence.

After a long time, Emperor Jianwu couldn't bear it anymore and asked by name: "Chief Assistant?"

Unable to escape, Wang Hetang had no choice but to reply: "According to the current situation, the Ninth Prince is the most suitable. However, the Ninth Prince is only three years old after the Chinese New Year, and he is not in good health. As the saying goes, 'If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight.' This may not be a good thing for the frail and sick Ninth Prince."

Emperor Jianwu turned his attention to Li Shouzhong.

Li Shouzhong: "My daughter is married to the brother of Concubine De. I should avoid this matter."

Emperor Jianwu looked at him: "I believe in you."

Li Shou sighed in the center. The moment he walked in, he guessed that Shi Guangzhu, who was the military representative, and Zhao Zixun, who was close to Jia Hu, were not there. This was already obvious.

Thinking of this, he said: "Jia Hu and the noble army hope that the ninth prince will inherit the throne."

Emperor Jianwu sighed: "I am worried that the Ninth Prince will not grow up!"

After a pause, "You have heard about the Supreme Emperor, right? I originally planned to summon Jia Hu to the palace to talk about the matter, but he deliberately refused to shirk it. He is just to guard against me!"

Li Shouzhong hesitated for a moment: "The Beijing camp is not here. Please think again, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jianwu trembled deliberately, then gritted his teeth: "I understand. You all should go back and let me think about it again."

"Yes."

Wang Hetang and Li Shouzhong looked at each other, stood up and retreated.
The days in winter are short, and it’s snowing heavily and it gets dark earlier.

Lanterns have been lit inside and outside the Beining County Prince's Mansion, and it is brightly lit.

In the outer study, Jia Hu was sorting out various information sent by Jiao Da under the lamp.

After reading the last secret report, a sneer appeared in Jia Hu's eyes.

Jia Hu guessed wrong, Jia She did not take action, Lin Daiyu guessed it, and the Supreme Emperor directed and acted a painful trick.

Jia Yucun and Mei Changwen went to Longshou Palace and stayed in the Emperor's Palace for more than half an hour, plotting some shady thing!

These are not what Jia Hu cares about. What he cares about most is the awakened emperor.

Suddenly a gust of cold wind blew through the thick door curtain, and Lin San panted and almost stumbled in.

As soon as he entered the house, Lin San said anxiously: "The prince was right! After dark, three teams of ceremonial officers left the city from Deshengmen and Andingmen, heading north."

After listening to his words, Jia Hu slowly let out a breath he had been holding for a long time. Then he pulled out three cowhide envelopes from the case file and shouted: "Here comes someone!"

The two officers who had been prepared for a long time came in.

Jia Hu stood up, picked up a cowhide envelope, and walked to the first officer: "You set out immediately and must deliver this to General Yunguang, the commander-in-chief of Shaanxi Province within ten days!"

The officer took the envelope and replied loudly: "No!" He turned around and strode out.

Jia Hu picked up the second envelope and looked at the other officer: "You also set off immediately and must deliver this to General Wang Zhenbang of Yanshan Fortress within three days!"

The officer took the envelope and replied, "No!" He turned around and strode out.

At this time, only Jia Hu and Lin San were left. Jia Hu handed him the last envelope, took out a token from his arms, and said in a deep voice: "The emperor must have sent a secret order to Liu Kun. When you arrive in Sheng Jing must not go to see him, go directly to the camp. Liu Kun's deputy is the person I arranged. You use this token to control the [-] cavalry.

If Liu Kun behaves strangely, kill him directly, then lead [-] cavalry into the pass, and cooperate with Wang Zhenbang's Liaodong Army to intercept the border troops of Xuanfu and Datong. "

Lin San took the token with both hands and responded loudly: "No!" After saying that, he turned around and strode out.

Jia Hu opened the cotton curtain and walked out. A gust of cold wind carried snowflakes and slapped him on the face. Looking at the falling snow, he murmured: "What is supposed to come will eventually come and there is no way to avoid it."

(End of this chapter)