King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 407 Xue Baochai speaks well
On the third day of October, it took only eight days for news of Jinling to reach the capital one after another.

The current situation in Jinling can be regarded as triggering a civil uprising. It depends on how the court responds.

The so-called how the court responds is, to put it bluntly, how the cabinet responds. In political affairs, the emperor now respects the opinions of the cabinet.

In the next two days, more news came from Jinling, and when the situation became more complicated, there were more impeachments against Jia Yucun, the prefect.

A large number of officials jointly submitted a memorial, hoping to remove the prefect Jia Yucun and hold him accountable, so as to calm the public's anger and resolve the crisis.

However, as before, all the memorials were like a mud cow sinking into the sea, without causing any waves at all.

Wenyuan Pavilion is located on the east side of the palace, not far from the Qianqing Palace, so it is used as the cabinet duty room.

At this moment, in the east hall of Wenyuan Pavilion, two cabinet ministers were discussing matters.

Faced with the situation in Yingtian Mansion, the two cabinet ministers did not have the same opinions.

The chief assistant, Zhao Yushan, wanted to let Yingtianfu and the Jinling Police Department investigate the case in detail and make the truth known to the public so that the people could return home. In the process, the Jinling Capital Department was placed on strict alert.

Chen Jinyun, the second assistant, disagreed with this. He preferred to dismiss the officials involved now and wait for the court to send personnel to investigate clearly.

Obviously Chen Jinyun has no good intentions. Once Jia Yucun and others are removed from their posts, many things will become unclear.

Zhao Yushan expressed firm opposition to this, and then personally exerted pressure as the chief assistant and voted alone to draft the opinions.

He is now very trusted by the emperor, so he would behave like this. Normally, few chief ministers would do this.

"Mr. Zhao Ge, if you do this... I'm afraid it will cause even greater trouble!" Chen Jinyun sighed, as if he was really worried about Zhao Yushan anymore.

"Mr. Chen Ge...your method may not be a good one!"

"Then we'll see... I'm doing it for your own good too!"

With a smile on his face, Chen Jinyun said slowly: "Since I am in a high position, I should have the determination of a strong man to cut off his wrists. If the little prefect Yingtian can calm down the public anger, it is okay to let him suffer some grievances for the time being. We can just compensate him after the situation calms down!"
Picking up the tea cup, Zhao Yushan said with a smile: "I'm just afraid of taking one step back, step by step... I think Mr. Chen Ge also understands that things in the world are unpredictable, and I can only take one step to see what will happen next." I can explain it clearly!”

"That makes sense, makes sense!" Chen Jinyun replied.

At the moment, he is the only two ministers in the cabinet. The newly appointed third assistant, Zheng Zhiqing, has reported illness and is at home. He has not participated in the storms in recent days.

This third assistant was previously the Minister of Household Affairs. He himself was not opposed to Zhao Yushan's reforms, but he definitely had no intention of supporting them.

Zheng Zhiqing felt that it should be changed, but now the time was not right. He had to wait until both internal and external decisions were made before starting the change.

But if we follow his line of thinking, I'm afraid there won't be a chance in another 50 years, because peace and stability are relative, and absolute peace is basically hard to come by.

Let's say that Zhao Yushan's ticket was intended to be handed over to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and it was naturally forwarded to the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Xianming had also been thinking about how to deal with this matter in the past two days, but as more news came back, his thoughts gradually changed.

Now Zhao Yushan gave his opinion. Although it was somewhat different from his opinion, he still decided to respect Zhao Yushan's intention.

In fact, the so-called processing method, at this level, it is difficult to distinguish between right and wrong. The key is just a choice.

Zhao Yushan chose to protect Jiayu Village because he was actually protecting the spirit of the New Deal and the world's view of the New Deal.

Jia Yucun is a banner of the New Deal. If he is stained or torn down or even falls down, it will greatly enhance the arrogance of the opposition.

However, the risk of protecting Jiayu Village is also very high. Once the situation in Yingtian Mansion gets out of control and turns from a civil unrest to a rebellion, it is very likely to set off a storm both inside and outside the government, enough to nip the New Deal in the bud.

So at this moment, by choosing to respect Zhao Yushan's opinion, Zhu Xianming also chose to take risks.

"When necessary, Jia Hua can be used to vent public anger. Although this is not good for the New Deal, it can also avoid greater disasters..." Zhu Xianming thought secretly.

"You just have to seize the opportunity and wait until the last moment to take it!"

To win him at the last moment is to make the most of Jia Yucun, and only abandon him when it is no longer possible.

Zhu Xianming thought it was a good deal to let Jia Yucun suffer a little injustice for the sake of the imperial government.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here!"

Sitting down from the rocking chair, Zhu Xianming said slowly: "Well... let him in!"

A few breaths later, Prince Zhu Jingyuan walked into the palace and happened to see his father drinking tea.

"My son kowtowed to the emperor!"

"Get up, what's the matter?" Zhu Xianming put down the tea cup, and then lay back on the rocking chair.

After getting up, Zhu Jingyuan took out the memorial in his arms and said, "This is my son's recent realization!"

The prince reads old chapters and comments every day, and he doesn't just pass by after reading them. Every once in a while, he has to give his insights, and he has to say something meaningful.

Taking the memorial from Zhu Jingyuan, Zhu Xianming briefly read it and put it aside, and then asked: "Do you know everything about the recent affairs of Jinling Yingtian Mansion?"

This matter has great influence in the imperial court now, and the scholars in the East Palace are naturally discussing it, so Zhu Jingyuan not only knows about it but also thinks about it.

When the emperor asked, it was obviously another "teaching test". Zhu Jingyuan cheered up and replied: "I know something!"

"How do you think this matter should be handled?" Zhu Xianming asked directly.

Zhu Jingyuan did not hesitate and answered according to the countermeasures proposed by the bachelors, but Zhu Xianming frowned.

If Zhu Jingyuan opened his God's perspective, he would find that his method was similar to Chen Jinyun's, both of which were to capture Jia Yucun first to calm the situation.

It is normal for the scholars of the East Palace to think this way. They are speaking on behalf of the interests of the scholar-bureaucrats. This is also the basis for the prince's wide support.

Zhu Xianming also understood this, so he asked again: "Is this your opinion or the opinion of those under you?"

"Yes...it's the opinion of the bachelors!"

"You don't have any opinions of your own?" Zhu Xianming said dissatisfied.

Not to mention, Zhu Jingyuan really had his own opinions, so he replied: "My son thinks that it is possible to send an imperial envoy from the court to investigate the case. This will, on the one hand, convince the government and the opposition, and on the other hand, it can coordinate all parties as soon as possible and calm down the matter! "

Objectively speaking, Zhu Jingyuan's idea is quite sound, which shows that he himself is by no means useless.

But unfortunately, even though his idea was quite satisfactory, he still showed a lack of confidence when he said it, which made Zhu Xianming particularly dissatisfied.

It has been more than ten days since the civil uprising broke out in Yingtian, and the news has been delayed for at least seven or eight days. The court has no idea what the situation is now.

Regardless of whether the imperial envoy is sent by the imperial court or according to Zhao Yushan's opinion, the day lilies may be cold by the time the arrangement reaches Yingtian.

So this means that the court must take various situations into consideration and then make adequate arrangements.

"Since the prince has this idea, then you will recommend someone to go to Jinling and be fully responsible for handling this matter!"

Last year, Zhu Jingyuan went to Jinling and made a mess, which showed his lack of ability to do practical things.

But being an emperor is more important than learning how to employ people. At this moment, Zhu Xianming was testing the prince's ability to employ people.

"You don't have to rush to answer. We'll tell you the results tomorrow...tomorrow!"

"Yes!" Zhu Jingyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay...if you have nothing to do, just step back!"

"Son...there's still...something else to do!"

It was rare that the prince was busy, so Zhu Xianming asked, "What's the matter?"

"The thirteenth brother is busy with farm work, and my son wants to visit him!"

Even though the prince has many shortcomings, his love for his brothers is a rare shining point.

So when he made this request, Zhu Xianming just thought about it for a moment and nodded in approval.

…………

The civil uprising in Yingtianfu broke out on September 25, but actually lasted only five days.That is, two days before the news was sent back to the court, these people had various reasons such as food, and the good words of the government represented by Jia Yucun, the matter was resolved in a confused way.

In the final analysis, the gentry dared to cause a popular uprising, but they may not dare to actually rebel.

If they do that, no matter how much pressure the court puts on them, they will all be held accountable.

But even if the people retreated, they still gave Yingtian Mansion an excuse. Opponents from both the government and the public took this as an opportunity to start an impeachment storm against Jia Yucun.

After enduring it for more than half a year, this destined political storm was unavoidable.

It's just that these nonsense have nothing to do with Zhu Jinghong.

At this moment, he was sitting in the ground, watching Zhu Jingchun and his two men hoeing and plowing the ground in the distance.

In the past ten days, he had done very little work, and he played the role of supervisor. All tasks were assigned to Zhu Jingchun and the other two.

After working exhaustingly every day, what Zhu Jingchun and his wife looked forward to most was for Baochai to come bring them tea, so that they could feel more relaxed.

Normally, Baochai would have arrived at this time, but there was no one there today, so they looked at their residence at this time.

Although they are only a hundred meters apart, the situation in the small courtyard cannot be seen clearly because of the trees in the middle.

"Lazy again?" Zhu Jinghong scolded.

After being scolded by him, Zhu Jingchun and the two immediately started doing it again. During this period, they were frightened by Zhu Jinghong's scolding.

Seeing these two people busy, Zhu Jinghong also looked towards the direction of the hut and muttered: "It's time for Baochai to come too!"

However, at this time, the eunuch arrived at the hut and informed that Prince Baochai and Prince Rui were coming.

It was originally a favor that the prince asked for, but King Rui came with him after learning about it. No one can accuse him of loving his brother.

"Fourth brother, it's just ahead!"

On the carriage sedan, Zhu Jingyuan stood up and looked ahead. Not far away were two alternative huts.

"Yeah!" Zhu Jingyuan responded. He didn't want to talk to Zhu Jingyuan at the moment.

They were followed by two carriages, namely Yuan Chun and Chen Zhi. This time they were two families coming over, and there was a vague sense of competition.

When Baochai came out of the thatched hut, Zhu Jingyuan and his entourage were already approaching, so much so that they had already gotten out of the sedan.

Looking at Baochai dressed as a peasant woman coming out of the distance, although the few people present were mentally prepared, they were still a little surprised when they saw it with their own eyes.

Baochai was a princess married to the royal family, but now she looked so embarrassed, which made Zhu Jingyuan and others feel like they were hurting others.

Although they are princes and princes, if they fail to inherit the throne, they will end up worse than Zhu Jinghong and his wife.

"Meet the fourth brother and the fourth sister-in-law, meet the sixth brother and the sixth sister-in-law..."

Although Baochai was a commoner, all the eunuchs and maids present recognized her, so naturally no one dared to stop her from coming forward.

Baochai's address here is also very delicate. He calls brother and sister-in-law to close the relationship, but the prince wants to be more respectful, so he says "goodbye".

"Ouch...my sister, why are you dressed like this? The slaves here are too presumptuous to dare to treat you with such contempt!"

At this time, the person who called Baochai "sister" was not Yuan Chun but Chen Zhi. The latter had already been prepared to take the lead at this moment.

Not to be outdone, Yuanchun immediately stepped forward and took Baochai's other hand, saying, "Baochai...you have been suffering recently!"

Before Baochai could answer, Chen Zhi went on to say: "Sister-in-law Fourth...we live outside the imperial city and are unable to do many things. You and Brother Four should take care of more errands. Baochai is your aunt and cousin." !”

Yuan Chun knew Chen Zhi's purpose, and Baochai, who was caught in the middle, knew even more.

"Sixth sister-in-law... Your Majesty and I have received great grace for being able to return to farming for our father-in-law!"

Baochai resolved the fight between the two sisters-in-law with just one sentence. The person involved didn't think it was a big deal, but it surprised Zhu Jingyuan and others who were watching.

With this woman here, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to seduce the thirteenth brother into doing stupid things... Zhu Jingyuan thought this way.

Unlike his hurtful mentality, the prince only felt at ease for Lao Shisan and was glad that he had married a beloved and intelligent woman.

"Why is Thirteenth Brother not here?" Zhu Jingyuan suddenly asked.

"Reporting to Fourth Brother, Your Majesty, he is working in the fields at the moment. I will call him back now!"

Baochai was about to turn around and leave when he heard Zhu Jingyuan say: "No need... I'll go to the fields to see where he is?"

"This……"

"Speak!"

"The prince is over there in the woods!" Baochai could only say.

"it is good!"

Zhu Jingyuan went to the ground, and Zhu Jingyuan could only follow him. It was impossible for him to be absent at this time.

After the two brothers left, Baochai was thinking about how to deal with it next, when he heard Yuan Chun say: "Baochai... you guys live here?"

"Exactly!"

Before Yuan Chun could answer, Chen Zhi said from the side: "The thatched eaves are swept clean and moss-free, and the flowers and trees are planted by hand... Although this place looks simple, it has the elegance of Mr. Banshan!"

You are obviously talking to Baochai, why do you, a bitch, interrupt me?Are you the only one who knows Wang Jinggong’s poems?You appear to be knowledgeable, right?

Pulling Baochai towards the thatched house, Yuan Chun said with a smile: "This is a humble house, but I am kind to my virtue... With Baochai with such a noble character living here, even though it is a thatched cottage, it is still shining!"

"Two sisters-in-law, please stop boasting. I am a stupid person... how dare I compare myself to the sages!"

"I will be satisfied if I can take good care of these lands with the prince so that the crops can be harvested smoothly..."

While Baochai was speaking, the three of them had arrived outside the small courtyard, which was now occupied by eunuchs and maids, who were placing chairs, furnishings and other items.

Entering the yard, the ground was full of mud. Both Chen Zhi and Yuan Chun found it difficult to get down, but Baochai was already living as usual.

"It's really shabby. The two sisters-in-law should stand outside...it's even harder to see from inside the house!" Baochai was a little embarrassed.

"What's the matter? Although we can't live together, we should still take a look at your difficulties..."

After walking to the door and glancing at it, Chen Zhi turned around and said, "After I go back to the palace, I'll report it to my mother and let him know how difficult it is for you!"

At this time, Yuan Chun was not to be outdone, and immediately replied: "Baochai... In order to save you, the prince has begged his father for mercy. The fact that we can come to visit you today is the grace that the prince asked for alone!"

"Thank you, Prince, and thank you, Sister-in-law Four!" Baochai saluted and thanked her.

I actually lost a bit... Chen Zhi said secretly.

Then Chen Zhi said: "Baochai... I heard that you all are living in ordinary life. Today I specially brought the chef here and brought all kinds of fresh ingredients. Tell me what you want to eat!"

This time she brought eight cooks, along with stoves, chopping boards and other items, so she could cook eight dishes at the same time.

"Come on, come on... let's take a seat first!"

While talking, Chen Zhi "snatched" Baochai from Yuan Chun's hand and pulled her to sit on a chair nearby.

At this moment, the tables and chairs for dining have been placed. Curtains have been placed around them to prevent wind, and the ceiling has been raised above to prevent snow.

"Come... have a cup of tea first!" Chen Zhi personally handed the tea to Baochai.

As a princess, Yuanchun could not be so courteous to Baochai. At this moment, she felt that she was at a disadvantage.

"Thank you, Sister-in-law Six!" Baochai took the tea cup.

Although it was a symbolic sip, Baochai couldn't help but sigh that she hadn't had such good tea in a long time.

(End of this chapter)