King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 583: The source of good fortune and misfortune

Yang Qingyin praised the good name, and then said: "The sixth son of Taizu, King Chu, was named with the character 'Zhen', and the name of the emperor's grandson..."

Zhu Xianming immediately replied: "The name of an emperor should be avoided. Is it possible that a Chu king who has eliminated his heirs still wants to occupy the word 'Zhen'?"

The reasons given by the emperor were very sufficient, and Yang Qingyin had nothing to say, so she replied: "You have made up your mind, then let's arrange it this way!"

The emperor and empress agreed that the matter was settled, and Zhu Jinghong and his wife did not participate in the whole process.

The next thing was simple. The emperor and empress sent envoys to Prince Xiang's Mansion, bringing some basic rewards to express their condolences.

As for the official reward, it will take a few days until Baochai recovers and can at least walk.

Speaking of Prince Xiang's Mansion, Baochai had already woken up when the people in the palace arrived, and he still looked tired.

Listening to the congratulations of the palace lady, Baochai's eyes kept falling on the child. At this time, the baby had been groomed and looked a little better.

"Zhu Muzhen..." Baochai whispered the child's name.

It was obvious that he had given birth to the eldest son of King Xiang, and that Zhu Jinghong had made great achievements in the north, but Baochai kept his attitude to the lowest level. It would be an understatement to say that he was groveling.

If it were in the past, Baochai would not have made it so obvious, but now that the power of the East Palace Supervisor has increased greatly, she cannot adjust the attitude of Prince Xiang's Palace.

"As I said, if you need anything...just ask!"

In comparison, those nonsense things in various governments are undoubtedly more lively and interesting!
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was late August, and news of Jinzhou reached the capital.

Yuanchun looked easy-going, and showed grace when talking and laughing. She was worthy of being a crown princess who was extremely courteous to a foreigner's wife.

Her position as a princess is definitely no easier than that of Zhu Jinghong.

At this time, the two sisters were sitting in the back garden of Prince Xiang's Mansion, chatting with each other about past events.

"I don't know what your father... is doing now!"

Speaking of this, Baochai even stood up and said: "My sister is talking nonsense today, but please think twice!"

"The prince has a destiny, and we shall serve him. I only hope that in the future... His Highness the prince, please bear with me and forgive him for his reckless actions!"

Yuanchun said this in a different way. Now she and the prince are extremely afraid of Zhu Jinghong and have treated him equally with Lao Liu.

In this world, there is another person who worries her.

There are so many factors that need to be weighed and considered, which leads to the fact that the two sisters who are having a heart-to-heart relationship are actually engaged in a higher-dimensional intrigue.

"I couldn't help but say a few words just now when I recommend myself to others. Please don't blame me, sister!"

Yuanchun is not stupid. She knows that the smart sister in front of her does not want to be the target of public criticism...

Of course, Baochai, who was sitting opposite her, was not bad at all. Although her complexion was poor, her appearance was extraordinary.

"What are you talking about? It's the hardest thing to hear the truth these days. Loyalty is offensive to your ears... My sister is not a chicken-hearted person!"

While raising her son, caring about her husband, and dealing with the people in the palace, it was less than an hour before she gave birth to the child.

Looking at Yuanchun holding up the tea cup, Baochai continued: "Sister said that our two families are as close as one family. That's because she thinks highly of us... but sister doesn't dare to overstep our bounds!"

"If you say that again...I'm going to be unhappy!"

The love between sisters is deep, but they get tired of acting too much. After chatting for a while, the two Baochai turned the topic to "gossip".

"You and I say we are two families, but they are brothers and we are sisters...it is not an exaggeration to say we are one family!"

Loyal and loyal... Prince Xiang's Mansion is loyal to the East Palace.

"Look...he said this out of touch. They are brothers who support each other, so there is no need to say anything like tolerance!"

Yuanchun stood up and approached Baochai, pulled him back to the chair and sat down.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Baochai had almost returned to normal. Crown Princess Yuan Chun came to visit her house first.

"What you said is so obvious..."

As cousins ​​and sisters-in-law, Yuanchun and Baochai have a close relationship, at least on the surface.

"Sister thinks I am being polite, but what I want to say is that since I am a crown princess and a role model for women in the world... I must not look down on Tsunasa!"

I really have to admire Baochai. Even in the two days after giving birth, she never forgot to act with Yuanchun.

But fortunately, Zhu Jinghong is a straight man, and Baochai and Yuanchun are sisters, so although the threat from Prince Xiang's Mansion is great, it is controllable in a sense.

"From now on, the prince... will have to rely more on his thirteenth brother!"

The things that ordinary people strive for throughout their lives can be taken lightly by these sisters. The beautiful memories of their childhood are something they rarely cherish.

"Sister, you know, because the one in my family has always caused trouble, he is happy and happy outside, but I have to be careful..."

"What you said...I remember it!"

"Now that my sister has said this...if I really need help in the future, I will definitely speak up!"

"He is a capable person and has the ability to stabilize the country, but he just does whatever he wants!"

Having said this, Yuanchun said with a smile: "But you said... the thirteenth brother is causing trouble, I don't agree with that!"

However, before Yuan Chun could finish his words, Baochai said: "Sister, the prince is the crown prince of the country, and we are the ministers... We must never ignore the principles of the monarch and his ministers!"

But on the other hand, the more something is lacking, the more attention is paid to it.

Wealth, status, power, fame...

The prince oversees the country and takes care of all ordinary affairs. Major military and state affairs, as well as the promotion and demotion of officials, are still decided by the emperor alone.

Therefore, the current prince essentially plays the role of a cabinet minister, and he is also the one with the least power.

Let us say that at this time in the Qianqing Palace, the emperor was reading the report sent back by Liaodong.

Zhu Xianming had already known about Zhu Jinghong's plan for the military parade in advance, but he was not sure of the final effect.

Three days ago, he received an express delivery from Liaodong. The main content was the military parade plan, which detailed the military forces involved in the military parade, as well as the ammunition and other items that would be consumed.

Even if you have not been to the scene in person, you can tell from the report that the on-site effect is absolutely shocking...

But it was shocking. Zhu Xianming was not sure whether it could achieve the effect of defeating the enemy without fighting.

Even North Korea dares to rebel. If this is not suppressed, Ming Dynasty will lose its prestige in the future, and he will not be able to see his ancestors!

So in fact, Zhu Xianming had made up his mind that the military parade in the palace could not achieve his goal. He would deploy a large army to attack North Korea and kill Li to achieve the goal of killing chickens to scare monkeys.

In order to achieve this goal, he has decided to allocate a budget of five million taels specifically to support the Liaodong war...

Zhu Jinghong knew nothing about this and was still trying to save money for his father.

If he understood the emperor's bottom line, he would definitely find ways to stir up trouble and expand his power by presiding over a war.

"North Korea pleads guilty... humph... they are considered sensible, and insisting on going their own way will only lead to death!" Nowadays, the war in the northwest has made no progress, and the Ming army has suffered losses in some aspects, and there is a sense of twilight in the court.

So now, there is an urgent need for good news to boost the confidence and morale of the ruling and opposition parties.

Liaodong surrendered its troops without fighting, which made Liaodong submit, which seemed very appropriate to Zhu Xianming.

In other words, Zhu Jinghong's taming of North Korea has been given a more important meaning by the emperor, which means that things will go beyond the former's expectations.

"In two days' time, on the first day of September...this matter will be announced during the Great Court Meeting!"

"We must issue an edict to warn North Korea, and we must also give rewards to show our grace. We must also reward Old Thirteen heavily!"

Zhu Xianming was in a good mood when he visited the memorial. When he took one of the memorials, he found that there was also a greeting card from Zhu Jinghong.

"This guy... his handwriting is also very straight!"

Now that Zhu Jinghong had made a great contribution and saved the emperor a lot of money, the latter saw that he was doing a lot of good things, so he did not hesitate to praise him.

"My son, Zhu Jinghong, would like to express my condolences to my father, the Emperor..."

Except for the first sentence, the rest is completely in vernacular. Zhu Jinghong first praised his father for his sage, then praised his soldiers for their bravery, and finally talked about how much Koreans now admire Tianen...

The personal statements of the parties concerned served as supplementary explanations to the military parade report, which made the situation in Liaodong more three-dimensional.

This memorial should be presented to the Imperial Court...but the language is too crude, so it has to be sent to the Hanlin Academy for polishing! "

Thinking of the last thing, Zhu Xianming shook his head again, and then muttered in a low voice: "Those people in the Hanlin Academy are so self-righteous that they laugh at me for letting them polish up the old Thirteen, so I'd better send him to the Supervisor of Ceremonies..."

The cultural level of the ceremonial supervisors and the eunuchs who served in the hall were not much worse than those of the Hanlin officials. The effect of using these people to polish the pens was good and reliable.

After confirming this matter, Zhu Xianming continued to read other reports.

The emperor is like this. If he wants to grasp the situation of the empire, he can only rely on reports from various quarters. Which of them are true and which ones are watery, all have to be grasped by himself.

The time of reading the memorial was slow and fast, and the whole morning went by in a blink of an eye.

Originally, according to Zhu Xianming's arrangement, he was to have lunch as soon as possible, then look at the map and deduce the northwest battle situation.

But after all, he was getting older and his energy was not as good as before, so he postponed the matter and went to Kunning Palace for dinner.

It wasn't just for dinner. He went to see the queen to discuss rewards for Baochai and Zhu Jinghong, and secondly, to talk about Zhu Yunsheng's marriage.

In a few months, it will be the 14th year of Orthodoxy. Zhu Yunsheng will turn 15 and is indeed of age to get married.

Zhu Xianming attached great importance to his precious daughter's marriage, so he had to make serious preparations.

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed, and the time came to the first day of September.

The DPRK meeting was held as scheduled. With the momentum brewing in the first two days, the news about North Korea announced at the DPRK meeting did play a certain inspiring role.

The emperor's benevolence influenced the world by subduing the enemy's troops without fighting... How prosperous the Ming Dynasty was.

The first meritorious service belongs to the emperor, and the second meritorious service belongs to Zhu Jinghong.

Most of the courtiers agreed on this point, so the emperor wanted to reward Zhu Jinghong, and no one had any objection to this matter.

At noon on the first day of September, the emperor and empress came to Prince Xiang's Mansion with a decree to commend Baochai for his contribution to the royal family.

On the morning of the second day of September, the emperor's second decree was sent to Prince Xiang's Mansion. This time it was to reward Zhu Jinghong for his contribution to peace and stability of the country.

There are two copies of the edict. In addition to reading this one at Prince Xiang's Mansion, the other one will be sent to Liaodong. In addition to praising Zhu Jinghong, he will also reward Yan and Liao officials.

It can be said that where Zhu Jinghong is, there will be opportunities, which is very commendable.

Of course, for Baochai who listened to the order, she only felt fear and uneasiness in her heart.

Baochai was especially frightened by the edict's comment on Zhu Jinghong's "pacification and stability of the country".

Yesterday at the court meeting, the emperor praised Zhu Jinghong to the heavens. He issued successive decrees and rewards yesterday and today. The rise of Prince Xiang's Mansion was too obvious...

Good things came one after another, and everyone in the house was very happy, except Baochai who forced a smile.

After finally seeing off the imperial envoy who had delivered the imperial edict, Baochai returned to Tongxin Hall and first summoned a group of women in the inner house to discuss matters.

But Qing, Yinglian, who is about to give birth, and Qiqige, who has a bold personality... are sitting in front of Baochai.

It has been ten days since the birth of the child. Baochai's body has recovered well and she can act normally.

"Did you understand what I just said?" Baochai asked solemnly.

"I understand!" several women replied.

"I understand!" all the girls replied.

"The impeachment proceedings against the prince have never stopped. Nowadays, too much limelight in the palace may not be a good thing. Good fortune and misfortune depend on it... You must understand the reason!"

"Yes!"

After finalizing the matter, Baochai paid a few more words of concern to Yinglian, and then let the women disperse.

Then she summoned the palace manager and female officials, and demanded in a stern tone that everyone in the palace must keep a low profile.

If something happens to one of that person's subordinates and someone takes advantage of it, that person will have to bear management responsibilities and be punished along with it.

Zhu Jinghong was not at home, and Baochai had the power of life and death as the princess. This time he gave such strict instructions to the palace, and the stewards and female officials present did not dare to neglect, and they all sounded the alarm in their hearts.

After saying these things and asking everyone to retreat, Baochai sat alone in front of the window and thought deeply.

The emperor's extra favor will inevitably push Prince Xiang's palace to the forefront, which will easily become the target of public criticism.

Every day that follows, major changes may occur as a result. Although Prince Xiang's Mansion may be knocked down from the altar of clouds.

Baochai has already imagined the worst case scenario, so the next thing she has to consider is how to get through the difficulty... She already has plans for this.

It is indeed dangerous to be at the forefront of the storm, but a dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist. All you need to do is bring others to the forefront of the storm and use the waves behind to cover up the waves ahead...

So how to create a new wave?
Thinking of this problem, Baochai showed a smile. She actually had a trump card that she couldn't use.

Jia Rong of the Ningguo Mansion coerced his stepmother into incest. If this matter was revealed... the attention of the government and the public would shift to the Ningguo Mansion, and then the Jia family would be implicated and eventually go to the East Palace.

Baochai already understood the whole story of this matter, including the witnesses and physical evidence, but he was just waiting for the opportunity, so he did not make any move.

"Sister Yuanchun... I'm really sorry for you!" Baochai thought secretly in her heart.

When people are in the temple, they are unwilling to be mediocre, and many things happen out of their control!
Just as Baochai was thinking about this, suddenly the sound of a child crying came from the side hall, and no matter how the maid tried to comfort him, it had no effect.

So Baochai sighed and walked towards the side hall.

"In this life... I will have to suffer for them!"

(End of this chapter)