King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 626 You are just greedy for my body
Ni Er followed Deng An and walked around in Prince Xiang's mansion, and finally arrived at the parade ground.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong had already sat on the chair, sipping tea from the cup.

Ni Er quickly calmed his mind, made sufficient preparations mentally, and then came in front of Zhu Jinghong.

"I...kowtow to Your Highness!"

Although Ni Er joined the Jinyiwei, he is now just an ordinary captain and is not qualified to call himself "minister" in front of Zhu Jinghong.

"Get up and talk!"

"Yes!"

Ni Er didn't dare to make any unnecessary movements. After he stood up tremblingly, he stood with his hands hanging down and lowered his head, ready to be questioned.

"All of you retreat!" Zhu Jinghong said, looking around.

"Yes!"

After the eunuchs left, only Zhu Jinghong and Ni Er were left in the parade ground, which made the latter even more nervous.

"Are you working for the Northern City Thousand Households Office?"

"Thanks to the prince's kindness, I was able to be admitted to the North City Police Station!"

Ni Er got his job through the Prince Xiang's Mansion, but on the surface he was connected to the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion. In order to show that he would never forget his roots, Ni Er responded in this way.

"How's the surveillance going on that matter? Are there any gains?" Zhu Jinghong asked again.

From the beginning to the end, Prince Xiang's Mansion only assigned Ni Er one task, and that was to keep an eye on who Miaoyu came into contact with.

Of course, Chen Yuntai is also responsible for this matter.

However, the intelligence collected by Chen Yuntai was reported to Ni Er by the Prince Xiang's Mansion, but Chen Yuntai was unaware of this.

Now Chen Yuntai went to Beicheng to serve as a deputy captain. Under Zhu Jinghong's arrangement, he had already packed up and handed over all the information in the investigation of Miaoyu, which was then handed over to Ni Er by Zhu Jinghong.

Chen Yuntai still didn't know about this. He only knew that Ni Er had something to do with Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Zhu Jinghong asked Ni Er to come over today, mainly to ask about Miaoyu.

Ni Er naturally took his only job very seriously, and he even thought about it while eating and sleeping.

After almost a year on the job, Ni Er has indeed achieved great results with the help of existing intelligence.

"Following the instructions of the respected prince, I have not been negligent for the past year and have been keeping a close eye on this matter. Now I have indeed reaped the rewards!"

"Tell me about it!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

"Miaoyu was accompanied by four nuns. It has been basically confirmed that two of them are members of the White Lotus Sect. The other two may not be known to the public, but I am still keeping a close eye on them!"

Zhu Jinghong nodded. Ni Er was a thoughtful person, not as rough as he looked. Of course, he was very satisfied with this.

"There are fifteen eunuchs who have been confirmed to be her men. They are scattered throughout the palace and the city, and there are thirteen who are more suspicious..."

"In addition to these people, there are seven palace maids who are confirmed to be his accomplices, and six soldiers from the Guards Division..."

While listening to Ni Er's introduction, Zhu Jinghong was also doing some calculations in his mind.

Eunuchs, palace maids and soldiers, the number of confirmed White Lotus traitors has now reached thirty, and these are the ones who have already been discovered.

How many have not been discovered? This is even more difficult to say, perhaps dozens or even hundreds.

"Have these people been hiding in the palace for a long time?" Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but ask.

The East Depot is watching all the time, and yet so many people have infiltrated. Doesn't that mean the palace is leaking information everywhere? This result is too outrageous.

Although there are makeshift teams everywhere in the world, this is still hard for Zhu Jinghong to accept.

"Of the thirty people we have identified, only three grew up in the palace, and the remaining twenty or so entered the palace in the past two years. Of these, more than half came through the Eastern Palace!"

Although they said they went through the East Palace, Zhu Jinghong knew that it was Miaoyu who was behind this, and the prince and his wife were most likely kept in the dark.

Zhu Jinghong then asked: "How many of those eunuchs and palace maids are in the Forbidden City? And how many are on duty in the Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace?"

Ni Er replied, "None of the people we have checked out are real, only eleven of them are servants in the outer court!"

This made Zhu Jinghong feel relieved. Only in this way could people accept this.

Most of the slaves and maids in the inner court entered the palace at a young age. They are well-known and extremely reliable.

In important places like Qianqing Kunning, the people serving there are the best of the best, and they have to pass the most stringent screening, so it's a matter of course not to be infiltrated.

Afterwards, Ni Er talked about the specific situation of these people. Although Zhu Jinghong was listening, it was impossible for him to remember everything.

But after listening to it, he could at least be sure of one thing, that is, Ni Er was a very capable person, otherwise he would not be able to know so many people and things so well.

In fact, to investigate the affairs of the White Lotus Sect in the palace, you only need to follow the clues after finding a breakthrough. The difficulty lies in being attentive and careful over a long period of time.

Based on Chen Yuntai’s previous achievements, Ni Er achieved such results alone in less than a year, which fully proved his ability.

"How old are you this year?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

"Reporting to the prince, I am thirty-one this year!"

Zhu Jinghong praised: "31... in the prime of life, there is a lot to be done!"

"This matter is top secret. You still need to investigate carefully in the future. I have already informed them... No one from the Northern City Thousand Households Office will disturb you!"

"Yes, I will definitely get things done for the prince!"

Nodding, Zhu Jinghong continued: "Although you have made contributions, the matter you investigated is very special, so I can only let you be a lieutenant for the time being!"

"After I finish my work, I won't treat you unfairly!"

Zhu Jinghong would certainly not forget such a thing as drawing a pie in the sky, and he just mentioned it casually at this moment.

"It is my blessing to be able to serve the prince!" Ni Er kowtowed quickly.

"Get up, if there's nothing else...just go back!"

"Yes...I'll take my leave!"

After Ni Er saluted, he took a few steps outside when suddenly Zhu Jinghong's voice came from behind him.

"How old is your son?"

This question confused Ni Er, but he immediately answered: "Reporting to the prince, I married my wife last year, and she is now three months pregnant!"

He is 31 years old and just got married last year, which is very late in this era.

Actually, Ni Er is not short of money. The reason why he has wasted so many years is because he has no proper job to make a living, and the people he respects are looked down upon by others.

Now that he has become a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ni Er's life has settled down and he can naturally get married and have children.

"Since you're pregnant... don't just focus on your errands, you have to take care of the family too!"

"If you have any difficulties or need money, just tell Deng An directly!"

These words were certainly meant to win people's hearts, but coming from the mouth of a prince like him, they still had extraordinary power.

Ni Er was deeply moved by such care, so he turned around and kowtowed again to express his gratitude.

After he left, Zhu Jinghong frowned and began to think.

Miaoyu stuffed so many people into the imperial city with the intention of causing chaos. Does the prince know about this?
Is it possible that the prince himself is happy to see this happen? Is he planning to kill someone with a borrowed knife?
Zhu Jinghong discarded the second idea after a brief thought because the risk of the prince doing so was too great.

Therefore, at least until now, the prince should not know about it... Zhu Jinghong made such a guess.

However, speculation is just speculation, and Zhu Jinghong still cannot confirm the truth of the matter.

But no matter what, the outcome of this matter is already determined.

Lao Liu already knows Miaoyu's identity. No matter whether the prince is related to Miaoyu or not, Lao Liu can bind them and kick them off the clouds!

I did something with Miaoyu today, and I have something to do with her. Will Lao Liu frame me? Zhu Jinghong had new doubts.

If the two legitimate sons were deposed at once, the sixth son would be the only legitimate son, and the throne would naturally fall on him.

Thinking of this, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but feel a little regretful, secretly cursing himself for allowing the small boss to control the big boss, which resulted in him colluding with the White Lotus Sect.

I have suffered such a huge loss, I have to make up for it...

Thinking of Miaoyu who was still living in the palace, Zhu Jinghong became jealous again. Today he decided to be more ruthless...

In fact, the fact that he still had the mind to think about these trivial matters at the moment meant that the so-called collusion with the White Lotus Sect was not a big problem for him.

The prince, a role model of morality, could be brought down by colluding with the White Lotus Sect, but Zhu Jinghong, a man without moral integrity, would not be very effective in slandering her with this thing. He could just say that he was just lustful and never thought that this woman was a bad person.

Waiting, lying in wait, watching, I still need to keep calm... Zhu Jinghong thought secretly.

Finally, he rubbed his hands, then stood up and walked out of the training ground. He planned to talk to Miaoyu again, after all, she had rested for several days.

There were no twists and turns in this matter, and a few days passed in the blink of an eye.

…………

The twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong period.

The spring hunting in Shanglin Garden has finally officially begun, and the emperor himself will also set out from the palace.

At this time, on the imperial road outside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Xianming was walking slowly forward, and beside him was the Queen Yang Qingyin.

"Don't be too arrogant. It's okay to have fun when you're old. Don't hurt yourself..."

The queen was nagging beside him, and her words were meant to warn the emperor that he should not act recklessly as he was old.

If someone else said these words, the emperor would never be able to listen to them with peace of mind, so the queen is a different matter after all.

"By the way, I heard that the Thirteenth Prince has been studying Buddhism recently, and the Miaoyu invited by the Fourth Prince's wife... has been giving lectures in Prince Xiang's mansion these days!"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming laughed twice and did not comment any further.

Walking all the way to Qianqing Gate, Zhu Xianming finally stopped, turned to face the queen and said, "It's windy outside, go back and rest if you're fine. I'll come back to the palace to see you in two days!"

“Take care!”

Zhu Xianming smiled and said, "It's not that far. It's less than ten miles to Shanglin Garden. Why bother saying these things?"

At this time, outside the Qianqing Gate, the Crown Prince and Prince Rui were already waiting. Of course they had to show up on such an occasion.

After glancing outside the palace gate, Zhu Xianming looked at the queen and said, "Look... Old Thirteen is not here again. If you want him to improve, it will be harder than climbing to heaven!"

Sighing, Yang Qingyin said: "No matter how useless he is, he is still your son, what else can I do!"

When she said this, she was looking at the Crown Prince and Prince Rui. It was obvious that these two people disappointed her even more.

"Okay, I'm leaving!"

The emperor walked out of the Qianqing Gate, and Yang Qingyin stayed inside the palace gate. She didn't want to go out to see her two sons.

When Zhu Xianming walked out of the palace, his two sons surrounded him.

"Dad, the military heroes and envoys from various countries have all arrived at Shanglin Garden!" The prince stepped forward to report.

"Ok!"

Zhu Jingyuan continued, "The Junggars have requested to participate in the hunting party. The Ministry of Rites does not know how to deal with them. I would like to ask for your advice!"

On the 16th day of the first lunar month, the Dzungar delegation arrived in Beijing, but the imperial court treated it coldly and did not even send anyone to contact them.

On the 19th day of the first lunar month, these people could no longer hold back and finally revealed their intention to negotiate, but the court still treated them coldly.

So this group of people found a place for themselves and have been living in the capital for ten days. Today, they took the initiative to ask about participating in the hunting trip.

Zhu Xianming sneered: "They are no longer the ministers of the Ming Dynasty, how can we allow them to participate in the hunt!"

At this time, Zhu Jingyuan interrupted and said, "Dad, since they are here to negotiate, there must be an explanation for this matter. We can't just keep dragging it on, right?"

"Peace talks... not seeking peace. These people are still arrogant, so we have to wear them down a little longer!" Zhu Xianming said coldly.

Translated, this means that we should continue to leave the Dzungars alone and wait until the time is right to talk about peace talks.

The father and his two sons strolled along the way, accompanied by guards, eunuchs and other attendants, and walked towards the main gate of the palace.

At least for now, the Crown Prince and Prince Rui did not quarrel with each other and maintained superficial harmony between the brothers.

When walking out of Fengtian Gate, even if Zhu Xianming did not feel tired, he had to ride in a sedan chair to maintain the emperor's dignity, while the Crown Prince and Prince Rui rode horses.

To go to Shanglinyuan, you have to walk north, so after exiting the Meridian Gate, Zhu Xianming went east and then north, finally leaving the imperial city from the Bei'an Gate and entering Shanglinyuan from the Anding Gate.

While on the journey, Zhu Xianming sent people to look for Zhu Jinghong, and at the same time openly cursed this guy a few times.

Shanglinyuan is a large royal private garden with forests, lakes, gardens and military camps that can meet various mission requirements.

At this time, the emperor's throne had been set up in the east of Shanglin Garden, and the military heroes in the capital and envoys from various vassal states had lined up to welcome the emperor.

As the music sounded, everyone knew that the emperor was about to take the throne, and their expressions became more solemn and dignified.

Then the emperor appeared, accompanied by the crown prince and Prince Rui on his left and right. This seemed to explain a lot.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

Ministers from both inside and outside the court paid homage together, and shouts of "Long live the emperor" echoed throughout the scene.

Zhu Xianming then asked everyone to stand up and began today's speech.

"From the time Taizu drove out the Tartars and conquered the world, to the time Shizu conquered the world and rebuilt the nine provinces, the Ming Dynasty has always advocated martial virtues for more than 300 years. Today, the world..."

Zhu Xianming spoke solemnly and the people below listened attentively, which was like moving the court to the wilderness.

Fortunately, he himself did not like to nag, so he finished his speech quickly and then announced the start of the hunting in Shanglinyuan.

This hunting trip lasted a total of three days and two nights.

The first day is free hunting, the second day is hunting competition, and the third day is a celebration banquet, and then the hunting in Shanglin Garden ends.

When the emperor had finished speaking, everyone went hunting in groups of three or five according to the predetermined directions.

The Crown Prince and Prince Rui also went there with their entourage, and they both wanted to be the first today.

Even if they themselves are not capable, the guards they bring with them are all capable.

"Old Thirteen hasn't come yet?"

Zhu Xianming had already put on military uniform and armor, and his tone was extremely impatient, just because Zhu Jinghong was too late.

In order to prove his bravery, Zhu Xianming planned to go tiger hunting himself. For this purpose, he also brought several painters with him to paint today's hunting trip as a souvenir.

Although he was accompanied by many guards, he still felt uneasy, so he really wanted Zhu Jinghong to stay with him.

Zhu Xianming still highly recognized Zhu Jinghong's personal fighting ability, and he felt at ease with this guy around.

After getting dressed, Zhu Xianming began to adjust the bowstring, then tidy up his armor, and then wipe his sword...

Zhu Xianming was delaying time, and he waited for nearly half an hour.

"Your Majesty, Prince Xiang is here!"

Zhu Xianming's eyes widened with anger, but when he thought that he would need this kid later, he could only suppress his anger.

A few breaths later, Zhu Jinghong appeared in the tent, knelt down beside the emperor, and kowtowed, saying, "Dad...some things in the mansion have delayed me, please calm down!"

Of course, being late was intentional, and he had thought of an excuse in advance.

Zhu Xianming wiped the knife, sneered and asked, "Delayed? What delayed you?"

"Yes……"

"Are you busy chanting scriptures?" Zhu Xianming asked, putting down his sword.

"You know that too?" Zhu Jinghong was slightly surprised.

Then he continued, "My son has been studying Buddhism intensively recently, and he suddenly realized that life..."

"There are countless great monks and virtuous people in all the major temples in the capital. Why are you only asking for advice from a little nun?"

"You mean Miaoyu? She is truly a person of high cultivation. I really admire her..."

Zhu Xianming immediately slammed the table, and then shouted angrily: "Asshole, are you bowing down? You are obviously greedy for my body..."

Standing up, Zhu Xianming walked around the desk, came in front of Zhu Jinghong, and kicked him directly.

"You little bastard! You actually had the guts to kill a person who is practicing asceticism. You are nothing!"

Zhu Jinghong raised his head, looking unashamed, and said calmly, "Since you said so... then I won't pretend anymore!"

"My son is a lecher, so what?"

(End of this chapter)