Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 692: Can I Go to Court Tomorrow?
Luoyunhou Mansion,

The main hall in the east courtyard.

The eunuchs from the palace dropped color at the cry of surprise. Marquis Luo Yun was actually sick. How was it possible? He was fine before, so why did he have a fever and a cold now?

The emperor also specifically instructed that he must see Marquis Luo Yun in court tomorrow. What should we do? The eunuch asked anxiously;

"How is the Marquis now? Can he attend the court meeting tomorrow?"

Ning Bian seemed a little hesitant. The Marquis had instructed that he must not be absent tomorrow, but how could he go considering the Marquis's condition? It seemed that he even had difficulty getting up now, so he did not answer, with a look of hesitation on his face.

When the eunuch who delivered the message saw this, his heart skipped a beat. It seemed that Marquis Luo Yun's condition was not optimistic. He decided to go and take a look in person. He waved his hand, led the eunuch he brought with him, and walked towards the mansion. Ning Bian did not dare to stop him and followed behind him, walking together towards the East Garden. He was still wondering why the Madam and the others had not come back yet.

Soon, everyone arrived at the East Garden and came to the main hall. Ning Bian knocked carefully on the door.

"My Lord, someone is coming from the palace."

In the hall,
The guards on duty outside came in in a panic and passed the message through the screen.

Zhang Jinyu was lying on the bed, knowing with his eyes closed that it was about the grand court meeting tomorrow. Thinking about the fierce confrontation in the court tomorrow, he couldn't help but feel a headache. What good could come from a bunch of people who had nothing better to do, scolding each other? Also, he must have caught a cold from the wind by the lake today, commonly known as catching a cold, so why make a fuss about it.

"Let him in,"

"Yes, my Lord."

The personal guards took the order and went outside to pass on the message.

"Eunuch, the Marquis invites you."

Ning Bian received the letter, opened the door, and led the eunuchs from the palace into the inner hall.
The leading eunuch was anxious, but he did not lose his manners. He entered carefully, walked around the screen, and saw Luo Yunhou leaning on the bed in a sickly manner, with a wet brocade covering his head and a blanket wrapped around him. He must have caught a cold.

Ask immediately.

"My Lord, how are you? Do you want me to go to the palace and find a doctor to see you? You must be feeling very uncomfortable."

Zhang Jinyu looked up at the person who came and found that he was one of the eunuchs in charge of the Yangxin Palace. It seemed that His Majesty had something to tell him and he could not neglect it. He asked;
"You are too polite, eunuch. I am bothering you to come here alone. I am fine, and the doctor has come. I don't need to bother the imperial physician. But you, eunuch, why are you here in my mansion when you are not busy with His Majesty?"

Zhang Jinyu asked knowingly but pretended not to know.

The eunuch in charge was still a little worried, but he had to tell the truth. Seeing that the Marquis didn't know about it, he asked about it and started talking.

"Your Majesty, you are joking. I have been serving His Majesty all the time. Today I am here to pass on a message to you. You can dispatch personnel for the special examination, and you don't need to report to the palace. There is also a grand court meeting tomorrow, so you must not be late. His Majesty has instructed that the main issue to be discussed tomorrow is the deficit of the Ministry of Revenue over the years. The account books of the cabinet's draft bills last year have not been signed by the Ministry of Revenue."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch in charge immediately lowered his head and dared not say any more. This matter was of great importance. What was terrible was that the old ancestor actually asked him to deliver the message. He felt a little panicked. The more he knew, the less safe he felt. It would be better for him to live a quiet life in the cold palace.

Zhang Jinyu squinted his eyes slightly, feeling dizzy. When he heard that it was because of the deficit of the Ministry of Revenue, he felt overwhelmed. Deficit, deficit, isn't it just that too much money was spent? However, the court collected so much debt, how could there be no money?
"That's not right. I remember that not long ago, the officials in the capital city repaid the money they owed to the Ministry of Revenue. How can this be the case now? I also heard that the annual tax silver has increased a lot. How can there be a deficit? Could it be that someone took the money and put it into their own pockets?"

Zhang Jinyu was not in a good mood when he replied. He felt uncomfortable and amused at the same time. Damn, the imperial court only has so much tax silver every year, and there are so many officials working together. You take a little, I take a little, but no matter how much silver we take, it is not enough.

Moreover,
Your Majesty has been reluctant to take it. The money in the treasury is all provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as more than half of the salt tax in Jiangnan. The expenses of the retired emperor are all on the account of Changle Palace, supplied by the inner court and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is said that many nobles also make tributes every year.

If you calculate it this way, in the end, the money Your Majesty saved all went into their pockets. Anyone would be angry.

"My Lord, please don't ask me any more. I don't dare to get involved in these issues. It seems that there are many bills in the cabinet, which involve many departments. So, I can't explain it in one or two sentences. I don't know what's going on inside."

The eunuch standing beside him looked embarrassed. Fortunately, it was Luo Yunhou who asked. If it was anyone else, he would not dare to say anything.

Zhang Jinyu also lost his patience. There was no need to talk about those trivial matters. Those who could touch the silver were the ones who handled it. As the saying goes, when a goose passes by, its feathers are plucked, and when a beast leaves, its skin is left behind. Who wouldn't want to make a profit from it?
"Just tell me, of the money that came in last year, the money that was spent with the bills drawn up by the cabinet, all the ministries and halls should have bills. How many of them were signed by the Ministry of Revenue?"

This question made the old eunuch beside him look up and look at Marquis Luo Yun in disbelief. The Marquis knew clearly what was going on inside. Whoever paid the bill needed to settle it. After thinking for a while, he decided not to hide it and replied;

"My Lord, the Ministry of Revenue only gave the Ministry of Rites the signature of the cabinet's draft bill, and also gave part of the signature to the Ministry of Works. The renovation of the houses in the capital this year was also signed early. I heard that the Ministry of Works thought that it would cost money in the early stage because of what my Lord pushed. Who knew that as soon as those houses were announced, they were rented out before they could leave the government office that announced them. Not only was the money for the renovation not spent, but they also made a profit. Therefore, the money is still owed to the Ministry of Revenue."

At this point, the old eunuch was amazed, he had never seen anything like this before, and continued;

"My Lord, it doesn't matter if it's hanging there. It's all cash, so I don't know how it got out, just, just..."

I was hesitant and couldn't say anything. There were too many people involved, so I didn't dare to speak.
Zhang Jinyu was in a state of confusion, but after getting angry, he became much more sober and cursed;
"What's there to be ashamed of? It's just this silver. Who has coveted it again? The silver is there, and everyone wants it. It's really interesting. Okay, it's hard for the eunuch to go back and forth. Ningbian, take some silver and buy some tea for the eunuch. Please report back to His Majesty, so that His Majesty can rest assured. I will definitely not delay the morning court tomorrow. I have a headache, so I won't keep you here."

"Yes, Lord Marquis,"

Ning Bian understood and took out a hundred taels of silver notes from his pocket and handed them over. To be honest, these silver notes were also ordered by the Marquis. He had to keep them with him at all times, as he never knew who would need them. Therefore, Ning Bian always carried a stack of them with him, enough for the Marquis' emergency use.

The old eunuch's face lit up with joy, knowing that it was a reward from the Marquis. Everyone in and outside the palace knew that the Marquis was generous. He stretched out his hand, pinched it, and quickly put it into his sleeve.

"Don't worry, my Lord. I will tell you the truth. My Lord, please take a rest first. I will go back now."

The old eunuch took a step and was about to say goodbye. Before leaving, he emphasized that he was leaving truthfully. Zhang Jinyu didn't hear clearly, so he nodded and waved his hand.
"Please, eunuch. Please go slowly. Ningbian, please see the guest off."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

Ning Bian responded, led the eunuch in front, and walked out of the house.

inside the house,

Zhang Jinyu was left lying there alone. When he was about to fall asleep, his mouth was dry and he shouted;
"Baozhu, bring me a bowl of water. I'm so thirsty."

"Yes, uncle."

A charming voice sounded, and Baozhu came over with a teapot, poured a bowl of tea for the Marquis, and carefully brought it over. Before it reached his mouth, footsteps were heard outside, and Madam Wang led the ladies into the inner hall.

Qin Keqing's face turned pale and she was terrified. The others, especially Yue Shu and the other two girls, directly carried the little girl Zixiang over.
"What's going on? You suddenly got sick. Zixiang, hurry up."

"Yes, old lady."

Gu Zixiang didn't even take the medicine box, but the servants behind him were holding a lot of oilcloth packages in their hands. It was obvious that they had bought a lot of cakes.

Zhang Jinyu was a little helpless as he didn't get to drink the water that was right next to him. He said,
"It should be around noon. I drank a lot of wine and caught a cold. I'll be fine after a night's sleep."

"My dear, please don't say anything. Let Zixiang feel your pulse."

Qin Keqing was obviously worried and anxious. She stopped Zixiang and told her to hurry up. Zixiang, with her two pigtails sticking up like a fighting cock, put her hand on Zhang Jinyu's wrist, but after a moment, she took her hand back.
The people around were confused, especially Zhang Jinyu, whose eyes widened. If he didn't know the girl's medical skills, he would have thought he had encountered a quack doctor who was trying to cheat him out of money.

"How is it, Zixiang,"

Mrs. Wang was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked;

"Madam, the Marquis is fine. He just ate cold food and drank cold water, and caught a cold. He must have vomited just now. Drink hot water, and then I will prescribe a calming prescription for you. He will be fine after a good sleep. Please be more restrained in the next few days, Marquis."

Hearing the little girl say this, the girls looked strange and a little embarrassed. This little girl had no idea how to speak in front of the old lady.

But Mrs. Wang didn't think about these things at all. She was only concerned about her son's health. If we talk about these things, the brothel girls trained in the White Lotus Sect in the past bribed high-ranking officials. Isn't it even more disgusting?

Hearing Zixiang's answer, she felt relieved and suddenly felt a little tired. Seeing this, Lan Yue'er quickly moved a stool over and helped Mrs. Wang sit down.

"Okay, since everything is fine, Zixiang, you lead the guards and go get the medicine yourself. You can't rely on others. Shu'er, you go with us."

"Yes, old lady."

Shu'er immediately understood the old lady's intention, agreed, and dragged Gu Zixiang away. Qin Keqing wanted to ask, but didn't know if it was appropriate.
"My dear, you were having a drink there today, how could you be so careless? How can you eat cold food?"

What this means is that you should not drink alcohol that you shouldn't drink, which would cause you to catch a cold and ruin your health.

Zhang Jinyu couldn't help feeling thirsty, so he picked up the tea bowl on the small square table beside him and drank it in one gulp. He felt much better, as if he wasn't as uncomfortable as before. When he talked about the wine, he felt that he had drunk it unhappily. At that time, he felt that there was something wrong with the wine, or that it had been stored for too long.
"Where else could it be? I was just drinking at the Prime Minister's residence. What a coincidence. I wanted to go back to the residence to rest, but I met Xiangyang Hou on the way and chatted with him. Then I saw a wedding in the northeast of Qinghu Lake. Out of curiosity, I went to see the excitement. Who knew that it was the Prime Minister's eldest son marrying a concubine, and a concubine. They were both from Jiangnan. The concubine was the legitimate daughter of Xu Delin, the Jiangnan Transport Envoy. Don't you think it's a coincidence?"

Zhang Jinyu was so depressed. If she had known, she would not have joined in the fun. What she saw was a performance of Jiangnan Kunqu Opera. The key was that it was the eldest princess's people. They were very powerful. There was also a layout in Jiangnan. Lu Wenshan was the leader of the southern party and the prime minister. It would not be good for him to interfere so blatantly.

Then he said;

"I've already arrived at the place, how can I not go? After entering, I met Shen Zhongxin, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and later Jia Zheng from Rongguo Mansion also went. There were so many people, so I drank too much. I also listened to Jiangnan Kunqu Opera, some kind of Shuimoqiang, but I didn't understand it at all."

Zhang Jinyu even suspected that the so-called daughter's red wine might have gone bad after being buried underground for too long.

The women who were gathered around obviously didn't understand what was going on. What was the Prime Minister's son getting married and drinking? Only Mrs. Wang found something strange. The Prime Minister of Dawu, Li Chonghou, was him. She remembered her master's evaluation of him, the cunning Li Chonghou. Why did he marry his son at this time? His son Li Chaosheng already had a wife. She remembered that at that time, the White Lotus Sect seemed to have given him a big gift.

The Li family has been dormant for so many years. Could it be that they want to return to the court and take power? It is not impossible.

"Everyone knows that during the time of the Emperor, the Li Party was everywhere in the government and controlled the court. But everyone thinks that the Li Party is the most powerful. In fact, it is not the case. All the power is tied to this 'ghostly schemer' Li Zhonghou. This person is not simple."

It sounds like advice and also like a warning. Rumors may not be groundless.

Zhang Jinyu was lying there listening, and something in his mind moved him, so he took this opportunity to tell the cabinet what he had heard.
"Mother, there is a grand court meeting tomorrow. It is said that there is a conflict between the cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue. I think the Prime Minister has also come up with a solution. It's nothing more than that little tax silver, which is scrambled for by various departments and halls, and there is also corruption, which requires deficits. It's nothing more than uneven distribution of spoils."

Zhang Jinyu’s words were very thorough. For what else could it be? Someone was jealous of what he did.

Mrs. Wang smiled. How could she not know the nature of the imperial court? The imperial court was relatively good, but the local officials were lawless. Not to mention the money in the treasury, even the money and food for disaster relief were embezzled. What else would they not dare to do?
"The government's business is the government's business, and the people's business is the people's business. The taxes you mentioned are all paid by the people. The gentry and dignitaries have never had to pay taxes. In this way, the heavier the taxes, the more miserable the people will be, and those who cause chaos will have an opportunity to take advantage of it. From ancient times to the present, the court has known this, but unfortunately, it has never changed.
I think it will not change in the future, so you should take good care of yourself. These things have nothing to do with us. The more they fight, the more comfortable we will live."

Mrs. Wang sighed. The more this happened, the more the White Lotus Sect would thrive. Senior Sister's eloquence was rare in the world. Who knows, if Senior Sister persuaded Wei Xiangping, the governor of Runan, to open the city gates, the whole world would be shaken. The imperial court in Xihe County and Jiangnan would not be able to protect them.
"I understand, mother,"

Zhang Jinyu lay down again, and Qin Keqing silently covered her husband with the quilt. Then, Mrs. Wang drove everyone out, told Zhang Jinyu to have a good rest, and then she left.

Zhang Jinyu was left alone and fell asleep in a daze.

Meng's House,

As a carriage slowly stopped, Miss Meng Yueyun and Granny Meng got off the carriage one after another. As soon as they landed, Granny Meng suddenly grabbed her young lady and said;
"Miss, today it seems that Master Bao of Rongguo Mansion is not as rumored by the outside world. The so-called young talent is just an average person, but he is not a bad person. Relying on the power of Rongguo Mansion, it will be no problem for him to be rich and noble for the rest of his life. It will be difficult to go further, unless, as the master said, Miss takes control of Ningguo Mansion, but the twists and turns are not something we can control."

After hearing what Granny Meng said, Meng Yueyun had many doubts in her heart. She didn't see anything outstanding about Jia Baoyu, the second wife of the Rongguo Mansion. He even looked a little silly. Or maybe he was younger. After all, he could study and take the special examination. He shouldn't be as bad as she thought. But she should wait and see. After all, what Granny Meng said was absolutely right. The housekeeper's daughter from the Wang family was extremely powerful. She was considerate of everything she said and did. She couldn't compare to her. Without being the mistress of the house, her life might not be easy.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shake my head.

"Mother-in-law is right, but what if Jia Baoyu doesn't have the chance and can't go to Ningguo Mansion?"

Meng Yueyun thought about it and realized that being a concubine was out of the question. At the very least, she would be like her mother, a mistress of the household, in charge of the family's livelihood and living under someone else's roof. That was not an option. She could still vividly remember the lives of her father's concubines.
Granny Meng seemed a little hesitant. The young lady was attracted, but the second wife's legitimate son also needed to show some outstanding qualities, otherwise, the young lady would be wronged in the future.

"Miss, the son of the second wife is, after all, the favorite son of the old lady of the Duke's Mansion. This is the foundation. If Jia Baoyu is an ambitious person, these are nothing. Since he participated in the imperial examination, he should have passed the provincial examination at least. Moreover, as I just said, he will be adopted by the Ningguo Mansion and inherit the title. This is the most important thing for Miss to settle down."

Granny Meng had a sharp eye and saw the key point at a glance. She had the same idea as Meng Yueyun: she couldn't marry a foolish man.

"What my mother-in-law said is that men from wealthy families should do more, just like Marquis Luo Yun, who ruled the border areas at a young age and was well-known."

"Oh, young lady, this is incomparable. In all the years since the founding of Dawu, how many Marquis Luo Yun could have emerged? Besides, Marquis Luo Yun is lustful, and all his wives and concubines are stunningly beautiful. He also caused so much trouble because of those women.
Not long ago, Marquis Luo Yun was fighting in Yanchunlou, jealous of each other. Yanchunlou is the number one brothel in the capital. Why else would he go there? Isn't it just for women? There are many gossips in noble families. "

Granny Meng also sighed and comforted her, saying that it would be better for the young lady to have her own household. A family with too high a social status would not necessarily lead a comfortable life. Although there were also conflicts between the first and second wives in the Rongguo Mansion, which she had seen, there was one thing: the housekeepers in the Rongguo Mansion were all women, and in this respect, the young lady might not be worse than them.

(End of this chapter)