King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 453
After coming out of the emperor's office, Zhu Jinghong walked outside the palace. On the way, he was thinking about how to make the play more realistic next time.

As soon as he walked out of Donghua Gate, he saw several officers gathering together in the corner of the palace wall to chat, and there were frequent angry words and sighs.

It can be seen from the attire of these people that they are the general banner of the Imperial City Yiwei Division, and they are relatively low-level officers.

"What's going on?" Zhu Jinghong stepped forward and asked curiously.

Normally, the officers and soldiers of the Yiwei Division who are on low duty will return to their bases and will not stay within the palace walls to "be an eyesore".

Everyone turned around and realized that Zhu Jinghong was coming. They were so frightened that they knelt down to worship.

"See Your Majesty!"

"Get up!"

After everyone stood up, Zhu Jinghong asked again: "I heard that you are angry and angry. What's going on?"

During the questioning, Zhu Jinghong looked at the burly man in the middle. From the clothing patterns, it could be seen that this man was the general banner of Yiwei Division.

Such a mighty man looked a little aggrieved at this moment, and Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but notice it.

When they heard the question, everyone just looked at each other, but no one came out to explain.

"Your Majesty, these are all trivial matters!" Another flag officer replied carefully.

But when he opened his mouth, he seemed to be hiding something, which made Zhu Jinghong even more curious.

"What kind of trivial matter is this?"

Although he didn't know the inside story, he could guess that this mighty man was in trouble.

Just like Zhu Jingyuan's display of righteousness and wealth, Zhu Jinghong also had the intention of resolving people's disasters in order to win people's hearts, but he mainly targeted the military.

Especially for these low-level officers, it is very beneficial to win their favor, at least when they are neutral, they will be biased.

Under Zhu Jinghong's questioning, the general manager who had just answered could only reply: "Reporting to the prince, it is Mr. Xu's family who has encountered some trouble!"

"When you encounter difficulties, just speak up and solve them. How can a grown man just complain and behave like a child!" Zhu Jinghong looked at the general banner named Xu.

"Your Majesty taught me that this is a trivial matter at home, so I don't dare to offend your Majesty's ears!" Zong Qi, surnamed Xu, replied.

"Mother-in-law...what on earth is going on?"

Seeing that Zhu Jinghong insisted on listening, the general bannerman named Xu could only explain the situation.

It turns out that this person is the eldest son of Xin'an Guard named Xu Qianshi, and the one who is married to the Zhang family is his younger brother.

Cui Xiuqing came to Baochai to beg Baochai for this matter. After Baochai told her to go down, the Li family stopped threatening her. However, in order to save face, they did not say clearly that she would not marry. They wanted to deal with the matter coldly and let it go.

However, the Zhang family asked someone to find the Jia family. The next person the Jia family found was Yun Tongzhi, who tried to pressure the Xu family to resign, and even moved out of the Rongguo Mansion to intimidate the Xu family.

The Rongguo Mansion is nothing to Zhu Jinghong, but the Jia family has two dukedoms and now has a crown prince, which is undoubtedly a huge thing to the people below.

Under such oppression and coercion, the Xu family had no choice but to resign even if they were unwilling to do so.

Then, just like in the original work, the girl from the Zhang family thought it was the Li family that was causing trouble, and chose to commit suicide again to clear her mind.

Fortunately, the servants arrived in time and rescued the Zhang girl who had hanged herself.

It happened that the second son of the Xu family was also a very affectionate person. After learning about this incident, he went to the Yun family to argue and was directly beaten and seriously injured.

The news only reached the boss of the Xu family today. When he learned about the situation, he was extremely angry, but he also knew that he could not defeat the Yun family, let alone offend the people who stood behind the Yun family.

After hearing this, Zhu Jinghong finally understood why these people had been reluctant to say that it turned out that the matter also involved the Jia family, and the Jia family had a close relationship with the prince.

"It's just such a small thing, what's the big deal... Then since the Yun family beat someone, why not just let them apologize!"

"There is also your brother's marriage. Since both families are willing and both have paid the betrothal gift, the marriage should be completed as soon as possible!"

Zhu Jinghong said these words naturally, which surprised everyone present.

Zhu Jinghong is the younger brother of the prince. He does not favor the Yun family in this matter, which is quite upright in the eyes of everyone.

But now, this man really speaks impartially and has the intention to support the Xu family. How can everyone present not be surprised.

"Xin'an Guard... I remember the Xin'an Guard commander's surname is Zhang, right?" Zhu Jinghong looked at the boss of the Xu family.

At this time, a small flag officer next to him replied: "It is... the eldest son of the current commander of Xin'an Guard, Captain Zhang Lin of Dragon Guard!"

When they were talking just now, they were not only complaining about Xu Jiaming's injustice, but also thinking of ways for them.

One of them was that they wanted to follow Commander Zhang's path, so they mentioned Zhang Lin.

"Go and call Zhang Lin!"

"Yes!" The little flag officer who had just answered immediately responded.

Donghua Gate is not far from the Dragon Guards. Zhang Lin happened to be on duty at this time, so he rushed over a few minutes later.

"Thirteenth Master, what are your orders?" Zhang Lin didn't know what was going on.

Zhu Jinghong asked: "Do you know what happened in Xin'anwei recently?"

"This...I haven't been back for a long time, so I don't know!" Zhang Lin replied.

Although his father is the commander of the Xin'an Guard, he is sent to be the commander of the Beijing camp. He should be leading troops for training now.

"Tell him about the situation!" Zhu Jinghong looked at the eldest son of the Xu family.

The man repeated what he had just said and let Zhang Lin know what was going on.

"We are all in the same health center, but peace is still the most important thing. The Yun family has really gone too far. Tell your father... and tell him to handle this matter properly!"

In fact, Zhang Lin didn't want to meddle in these nosy matters, but since it was Zhu Jinghong who ordered him, he could only answer: "Yes!"

Zhu Jinghong continued: "Then if the Yun family is dissatisfied, or if someone moves out, just say this is my intention. If they are dissatisfied, let them come to me!"

These words were the finishing touch, highlighting the height of his personality, Zhu Jinghong.

"I understand!"

"Get this matter done as soon as possible. If you have nothing to do, go ahead and get busy!" Zhu Jinghong waved his hand.

"I will send someone to give my father a message right now!" Zhang Lin gave a guarantee.

"Ok!"

After Zhang Lin left, Zhu Jinghong looked at the eldest son of the Xu family and said, "How...isn't this the end?"

"Thank you, Thirteenth Master!"

In a few words, the family's disaster was solved, and the eldest son of the Xu family was extremely grateful to Zhu Jinghong.

Next, Zhu Jinghong encouraged him a few more words, and then left with his hands behind his back.

The boss of the Xu family is quite straightforward. He has the important task of guarding the Donghua Gate. Maybe he can be put to use in the future... Zhu Jinghong thought to himself.

After he left, the discussion among the people at the scene did not stop, and they all praised Zhu Jinghong's wisdom and uprightness.

They used to hear that he was like this, but now the legend has become closer to reality, which has a huge impact on them.

And this matter, with their spread, will at least be spread in the Imperial City Yiwei Division, giving Zhu Jinghong another wave of reputation.Seeing his benefactor leaving, the eldest son of the Xu family secretly vowed to repay Master Thirteenth's kindness if he had the chance.

When Zhang Lin returned to the palace, he immediately went to his father's residence to deliver a letter and convey Zhu Jinghong's message to him.

The Zhang family's original officer is the commander of the Xin'an Guard, but he can also serve as the actual commander of the Beijing camp, so there is basically no problem in suppressing the Yun family.

…………

A few more days passed, and Zhu Jinghong went into the palace every day. The queen was so annoyed that he had no choice but to avoid seeing her at all.

Every time he entered the palace, Zhu Jinghong's language and mental state changed in stages.

To sum up, he looked more and more lost and desperate, and even the prince and Prince Rui could see this.

Of course, Zhu Jinghong's personal changes have basically no impact on the government.

There are two biggest hot spots in the imperial court at the moment, one is in the light and the other is in the dark.

What is hidden in the dark is the fight between the crown prince and Prince Rui. The two sides have secret meetings in private, and the court officials are somewhat aware of it.

The only thing that makes everyone anxious is that they don't know when this round of fighting between the two sides will break out, and at what point it will break out.

This kind of top-level political struggle will oust many officials in each round. Even if they are not involved in the matter, they may be affected and suffer.

What is further explained is the large-scale personnel adjustment in the land of Jinling that is currently being presided over by Zhao Yushan.

Although this plan has been adopted, there are still problems in the implementation. Many appointed officials have been impeached in one way or another.

Some of them wanted to incriminate others, but some of them had solid evidence, which made the senior officials of Zhao Yushan's group very embarrassed.

In Zhao's house, after discussing with several comrades, everyone said goodbye and left, except for his disciple Mei Jingwen who stayed.

"Sir, the student has something to say!" Mei Jingwen said solemnly.

After getting up and walking to the window, Zhao Yushan looked at the sunset outside and said tiredly: "You don't want to go to Jinling?"

Mei Jingwen was ranked first among the top two in the second year of orthodoxy, and was elected as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy as usual. After two years of disbandment, he stayed in the academy for review.

Later, he successively served as reviewer and editor of the Hanlin Academy, and now he is the editor of the sixth grade. Such a noble resume can be regarded as a model for joining the cabinet and worshiping the prime minister.

Therefore, Mei Jingwen did not want to leave the Hanlin Academy and get involved in the mess in Jinling.

Zhao Yushan knew exactly what his students were thinking, so he asked this question.

"The students are not talented enough and need to study more in the Hanlin Academy. They are really frightened to be entrusted with such an important task this time!" Mei Jingwen said solemnly.

Zhao Yushan smiled indifferently, saw him turn around, and said slowly: "I let you go to Jinling for three main reasons!"

"First of all, you will be promoted fastest if you leave through meritorious service. If you do your job well in Jinling, you will naturally be indispensable. At least it will not be worse than staying in the Hanlin Academy!"

"Secondly, you are my student. Whether you like it or not, we will both prosper and suffer. If the Jinling incident fails and they push me down, you will have no way out if you stay in the Hanlin Academy!"

"Thirdly, the fight between the two princes and Prince Rui will become more and more intense. Officials like you, a noble official, will definitely be affected. At that time, good fortune and misfortune will be unpredictable. We can avoid these by going to Jinling!"

Zhao Yushan's three considerations were all about putting himself in the students' shoes, so Mei Jingwen was completely speechless at this time.

Arriving in front of the student, Zhao Yushan patted him on the shoulder and said slowly: "If you insist on staying in the Hanlin Academy, I will not force you!"

After saying that, Zhao Yushan returned to his seat and sat quietly waiting for Mei Jingwen's decision.

After a few breaths, Mei Jingwen turned to face the teacher and said slowly: "Sir, the student is willing to go to Jinling!"

Nodding, Zhao Yushan said in a deep voice: "The duty of the censor of the capital is to supervise the civil and military officials in Jinling. You must take good care of the officials in various prefectures and counties and let them implement the national policies of the imperial court honestly!"

The imperial censor of Jinling's patrol capital is a post of the fifth rank, which is two ranks higher than that of Mei Jingwen, the sixth rank of editor. Such a leapfrog promotion is beyond the reach of most officials.

"Students understand!"

Zhao Yushan continued: "Zheng Xianlin, who is the governor of Jinling, and He Gujin and Jia Hua, the inspectors, you can trust and rely on them, but you must also beware of them!"

Next, Zhao Yushan talked a lot with Mei Jingwen, which was regarded as the last lesson for the students before leaving.

And just as Zhao Yushan expected, the prince and Prince Rui were already gearing up to start a fight, and sporadic impeachment memorials had already flown into the palace.

Zhu Xianming was well aware of the fight between his two sons, but he did not take the initiative to intervene this time.

As long as it does not affect the balance of the government, he feels that such a fight is not a bad thing and allows the two to play politics through practical operations.

Of course, judging from the current situation, the prince is indeed very poor in this aspect, while the sixth child can only be said to be slightly better.

In the past, Zhu Xianming had a high opinion of Lao Liu, but his opportunistic attitude towards the court's new policies, as well as his short-sightedness and smartness in major matters, greatly lowered Zhu Xianming's evaluation of him.

Putting aside a pile of insignificant memorials, Zhu Xianming asked Cheng Ying beside him: "Is Old Thirteen still the same decadent person?"

Cheng Ying replied cautiously: "I heard from people from Dongchang that the Thirteenth Master has indeed become... much more negative. He drank a lot in the past two days and complained and committed suicide many times!"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming couldn't help but sigh. He was very worried about his youngest son.

But to make this boy happy, he had to talk to the queen, so Zhu Xianming naturally wouldn't find it unpleasant.

"Well... just go to Prince Xiang's Mansion and say... forget it!"

The child was having a tantrum, so Zhu Xianming thought for a while and decided to ignore it, so as not to get entangled with Old Thirteen again.

The emperor didn't want to take care of it, but the prince and Prince Rui didn't have time to take care of it. Their wives were not idle either.

The two of them invited Baochai as a guest respectively, but it was only for enlightenment and comfort, and it was impossible for them to really intervene in this matter.

The relevant inside information was also spread to the inner residence of Rongguo Mansion through Mrs. Wang who was accompanying guests in the East Palace.

In Jia Mu's courtyard, after learning about the affairs of Prince Xiang's Mansion, Jia Mu said slowly: "His Royal Highness Prince Xiang wants to go to the northwest. That place is very dangerous now. It is only natural for the Queen to refuse!"

"That's right!" Mrs. Wang replied.

While the two of them continued chatting, Miaoyu, who was sitting aside, listened carefully and thought about how to use it.

She entered Jia's Mansion a few days ago and won the favor of Mrs. Jia during her sermons. Now she can enter and leave Rongguo Mansion freely.

After hearing about the East Palace and Prince Xiang's Mansion today, she felt that her trip was fruitful, and she only had to wait for the opportunity to approach the East Palace.

But before "colluding" to go to the East Palace, she planned to go to Prince Xiang's Mansion first to achieve the purpose of approaching the East Palace from another angle.

Although she had been invited, Miaoyu would not take the initiative to go to Prince Xiang's Mansion, but planned to go with someone from Rongguo Mansion.

According to the rumors she heard in the mansion, the ladies of Rongguo Mansion would go to Prince Xiang's Mansion to visit the princess in the next few days, and it would not be conspicuous if she went along with them.

Miaoyu is fully confident that with her knowledge, she can conquer the princess Baochai.

Then it would be a better choice for Miaoyu to open the way to the East Palace through Princess Xiang.

Yes, whether approaching the Jia family or Prince Xiang's palace, it is Miaoyu's way of getting in touch with the East Palace, and her purpose has always been to get close to the East Palace.

This is a task given to her by the chief instructor. As for the task after approaching the East Palace, Miaoyu is still unclear about it so far.

But no matter what kind of task it is, she will follow her master's will and risk her life to get it done.

(End of this chapter)