King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 641: Painting and Poems
After receiving the eunuch's reply, Zhu Jinghong entered the Qianqing Palace and then came to the warm room.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw the scroll next to it.

He originally came to report on the peace talks, but he changed his mind at the moment and walked towards the scroll.

"Dad... this painting..."

“What a beautiful painting!”

Knowing that he couldn't hold back any good words, Zhu Xianming asked, "What's good about it?"

"Everywhere is good!" Zhu Jinghong turned around and replied.

The scene in the painting, that of a loving father and a filial son, was an opportunity for Zhu Jinghong to make use of the topic.

So before the emperor could ask any more questions, he continued, "Hunting is still interesting. If you have time to go again, your son will lead the horse and hold the reins for you!"

After saying this, Zhu Jinghong turned around and asked, "Dad, has the skin of the lion we killed that day been skinned and made into a robe?"

The lion was only shot in the eye that day, and its fur was intact, making it very suitable for making a robe.

"That's something you'll have to ask the Shang Gong Bureau!"

Zhu Xianming responded, and then asked, "How did the talk go?"

When it came to business, Zhu Jinghong came to the emperor, bent his waist and answered: "We haven't reached any conclusion yet, and the Junggars are still threatening us..."

Then, Zhu Jinghong recounted the negotiation process.

In fact, before he came, Zhu Xianming already knew the result, and he also knew how Zhu Jinghong suppressed the two assistant ministers before the negotiations began.

As a monarch, you may not understand specific affairs, but you must be able to use the right people and keep them under control.

Now it seems that Zhu Jinghong did not make any mistakes in employing people, and he was able to suppress both civil and military ministers, which is indeed an excellent quality.

Zhu Jinghong would not know that as he explained the pros and cons, the emperor became more and more satisfied with him.

"So my son thinks that they came here just to paralyze the court!"

"Once they have recovered their breath, they will definitely go to war with our dynasty, and then we will be in a passive position!"

Picking up the teacup, Zhu Xianming asked, "So what do you think should be done?"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "It depends on what you think. If we must pacify the Dzungars, we can just take every step carefully to quell the rebellion. In the meantime, we can talk to them to paralyze the Dzungars!"

"If Dad feels that the war to quell the rebellion is a waste of money and manpower, then we can negotiate with them!"

Regarding the war to quell the rebellion in the northwest, there are actually many voices of opposition, including from military generals.

After all, war is a costly and life-threatening thing, so it's normal for people to dislike it.

Zhu Xianming said in a deep voice: "The Junggars have evil ambitions and are colluding with the Russians. Of course, we must completely pacify them!"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "Then the matter is simple, it is nothing more than improvisation in tactics!"

"so what……"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "If we can get them to withdraw from Turpan, we can temporarily stop the war!"

"As for the conditions we have agreed upon, my son, they seem too harsh. The Junggars will never agree to them!"

After nodding slightly, Zhu Xianming said nothing more, but ordered: "Then go back to the mansion!"

"Yes!"

After Zhu Jinghong paid his respects, he was about to go out but was stopped by the emperor.

"If you like the painting just now...you can take it back!"

The emperor's sudden remark was completely beyond Zhu Jinghong's expectations.

At this time, he did not know the emperor's intention and thought that he was testing him from some angle again, so he answered instinctively: "Dad... This is specially painted for you, how dare your son take it without permission!"

Zhu Xianming smiled and said, "After all, it's just a painting. You have made a lot of contributions in the past two years. What's the big deal if I reward you with a painting?"

"You warned me yesterday, and today you're giving me a painting... the stick and the carrot?" Zhu Jinghong thought to himself.

"This……"

"What a fuss, don't you think so?" Zhu Xianming asked with a frown.

"My son doesn't dare!"

Zhu Jinghong then took the scroll, but he was very confused because he was not sure about the emperor's new idea.

He is at a loss as to what to do and is in a dilemma. This is exactly what he is experiencing now.

Just as he was about to thank the emperor, he heard the emperor say, "This painting is just missing a poem. Go back and think about it!"

"Dad...are you asking your son to write a poem?" Zhu Jinghong asked uncertainly.

"What? No?"

Zhu Jinghong looked embarrassed and said, "You know, my son is good at marching and fighting, but he knows nothing about studying. It is really difficult for him to write poetry!"

Picking up the teacup, Zhu Xianming said in a dissatisfied tone: "It's not like you are taking the imperial examination, how difficult can it be?"

"I'm confining you to my mansion as a punishment, not letting you play with women for a few months. It just so happens that Wang Pei'an has returned to Beijing, so you can let him teach you!"

These words made Zhu Jinghong dumbfounded. He thought he could rest for a few months, but he didn't know that the emperor had already prepared to increase the intensity of his attack.

"This……"

"Are you going to disobey my order again?" Zhu Xianming put down his teacup and looked up at his son in front of him.

"Of course not... I dare not lie to you. My son actually likes reading, but he just hasn't met a famous teacher before!"

"Especially when the princess and the ladies in the inner palace were feasting, reciting poems and writing essays, discussing the past and the present, my son always yearned for it, so..."

"Okay, okay, you sound like it's true!" Zhu Xianming interrupted impatiently.

"Nothing, just go back!"

"Yes!"

Holding the painting in his arms, Zhu Jinghong turned and left.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, he did not go directly back home, but went to the Kunning Palace to visit the queen.

The queen fell ill these two days, so even though he had something unpleasant with the emperor, Zhu Jinghong never went to complain to his old mother.

When he entered Kunning Palace, he found out that the queen had just gone to bed, so Zhu Jinghong just took a look outside the bedroom and left after waiting for about half an hour.

The queen was still so haggard, how could he bear to make her upset again.

After leaving the palace, Zhu Jinghong went straight back to the prince's mansion, where Baochai was comforting the child.

Looking at his son who had already fallen asleep, Zhu Jinghong just realized that he seemed to spend too little time with him, of course this also included his daughter.

Staying at home during this time is also a good opportunity for him to fulfill his duties as a father.

After putting the child back in the cradle, Baochai went to the front hall with Zhu Jinghong, and then she discovered the painting bestowed by the emperor.

"This is?"

"It was a reward from the old man!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

"What are you drawing?"

"What happened during the previous hunting trip!"

Nodding, Baochai said, "Open it and take a look!"

All the maids in the room were sent away, so the two of them had to unfold the scroll themselves.

Looking at the scene depicted in the painting: "Didn't the emperor say anything?"

"Keep me confined to the mansion for a few months!"

"What else?" Baochai raised her head.

Sitting on a chair nearby, Zhu Jinghong complained: "You asked me to study hard and write a poem for this painting!"

Just as he finished his sigh, he heard Baochai say in dissatisfaction: "Oh... lift it up a little, the painting is wrinkled!"

So Zhu Jinghong had no choice but to straighten the scroll again, and at the same time began to think about the emperor's intentions. Of course, a painting is not just a painting, it certainly represents the emperor's attitude, but what it is specifically is something that he has to understand for himself.

He originally thought that the reward represented comfort, but when he calmed down and wrote, and then observed the contents of the scroll, he gradually changed his mind.

Is the first theme of the scroll the emperor's bravery? At this moment, Zhu Jinghong didn't think so.

At this time, Baochai had already spoken: "What a scene of a loving father and a filial son!"

Facing Baochai's gaze, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Do you think the painting depicts a loving father and a filial son?"

"What else?"

"So this is a warning for me to be filial?"

Baochai nodded, took the scroll from Zhu Jinghong, walked to the desk in the side hall and said, "That should be the meaning!"

Zhu Jinghong stood up and followed him, asking, "What else do you mean?"

Spreading the painting on the desk, Baochai carefully observed the details and then said, "Perhaps it is nostalgia!"

"Miss?" Zhu Jinghong was very surprised. The appearance of this word made him feel uncomfortable.

Turning to look at her husband beside her, Baochai pointed at the father and son in the painting and said, "Don't you think... this moment is beautiful?"

Zhu Jinghong did not look at the painting, but directly called up his memory. He admitted that the day was indeed harmonious, and the father and son were like ordinary people.

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong nodded slightly, but in fact he was not willing to admit it.

Baochai sat on the chair and said more confidently: "So... Your Majesty should be hoping that you and your son can reconcile!"

Zhu Jinghong continued to ponder. If he were a bystander, he would be able to tell what he had just analyzed. It is difficult for him to see things for himself because he is in the middle of the situation.

"Is this really what you mean?" Zhu Jinghong asked uncertainly.

Baochai then replied: "Whether it is true or not, at least if we follow this line of thought, we won't go wrong!"

"Ok!"

Zhu Jinghong just responded when he heard Baochai say, "Help me grind the ink!"

"What to do?" Zhu Jinghong asked subconsciously.

"Help you write a poem...do you have to do it yourself?" Baochai asked unhappily.

"Your handwriting is a little more beautiful after all. I'm afraid..."

"I'll write it down, and you can just copy it!"

"Alright!"

So Zhu Jinghong started doing the work of a servant, while Baochai picked up a pen and frowned as she began to think.

After Zhu Jinghong ground the ink, Baochai dipped the ink and started writing on the white paper. She actually wrote three poems in a row.

After a cursory reading, Zhu Jinghong was amazed at Baochai's talent, who was able to use the rhythm of a poem written to eulogize the emperor to describe the loving father and filial son so vividly.

Who would have thought that the next moment, Baochai would snatch the paper directly, crumple it into a ball and throw it into the wastebasket.

"What are you doing? You write very well!" Zhu Jinghong asked back.

Baochai stood up, walked to a chair nearby and sat down, then said, "It's because it was written well that I threw it away!"

"Why?" Zhu Jinghong asked puzzledly.

Baochai answered casually, "You are not going to take the imperial examination, so why do you write so well?"

Although it was a joke, it also explained the reason.

Walking in front of Baochai, Zhu Jinghong stretched out his hand to pull her up, and said, "Then you should rewrite it!"

She slapped his hand away and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? You have to stay at home for a while anyway, so why not write again after a while?"

"Okay, okay... I'll do as you say!" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

"There is something I am extremely anxious about. Please help me, Princess!"

"What's the matter?"

Looking up at Zhu Jinghong, Baochai realized what was going on just by seeing the smirk on his face.

Seeing Zhu Jinghong rushing towards her, Baochai dodged and said, "It's broad daylight, you have no shame, but I still have it!"

"You and I are husband and wife, who dares to say anything nonsense?"

After saying this, Zhu Jinghong picked up Baochai by the waist without waiting for her to explain and walked towards the bedroom.

There is no need to elaborate on the affairs of the lovemaking world.

In a blink of an eye, a few days passed, and Zhu Jinghong really stayed in the mansion obediently, listening to Wang Pei'an giving him lessons every day.

And during these few days, several major events occurred in the court.

The first were the generals involved in the case. Their treatment results were determined. Seven of the more than 30 people were dismissed, thirteen were demoted, and the remaining thirteen were demoted and sent to remote places.

Compared with the crime convicted by Zhang Rulin, such punishment was the result of Zhu Xianming's forgiveness, which made him win the support of the people.

As for Zhang Rulin, he was impeached by the Eastern Palace and accused of being greedy and reckless. Finally, after the Rui Wang faction tried their best to save him, he ended up being sent to be a county magistrate in a remote area.

Two days after this incident, the emperor issued another decree to commend Prince Rui for his rapid progress in the ceremony, and all the rewards were extremely generous.
What made the Eastern Palace most uncomfortable was that all the dozen or so officials recommended by Zhu Jingyuan for national selection had received the emperor's approval.

For a time, the prestige of Prince Rui's Mansion soared, and it even threatened to overshadow that of the Eastern Palace.

March 1st, evening, East Palace.

"Your Highness, what Elder Chen meant is that we need to revise this list so that he can present it to His Majesty!"

In a side hall of the East Palace, a scholar was explaining carefully.

After Shen Jinxun and others were dealt with, Wang Pei'an set off for Nanjing, after all, his mission was still there.

Looking at the revised list, Zhu Jingyuan could only agree to all of them until he saw the last change.

To be precise, it was not a change, but the two words "Jia She" were crossed out.

Zhu Jingyuan knew very well how important it was to control the army, so he thought of relying on the Jia family, and then he thought of the mighty General Jia She.

Jia She was a first-rank official, so theoretically he could be a governor, but Zhu Jingyuan knew that this was unrealistic.

In order to reduce the emperor's suspicion as much as possible, Zhu Jingyuan did not let Jia She serve in the imperial army and the Beijing camp, but planned to send him to Guangxi as the commander-in-chief.

Guangxi is so remote that it will not arouse the emperor's vigilance, and he can gain military merit by pacifying Nanyue. The most important thing is that the position of the commander-in-chief was vacant years ago, which is the most suitable position for Jia She.

However, Zhu Jingyuan's brilliant idea was rejected by the Second Assistant Minister Chen Jinyun.

As a cabinet minister, Chen Jinyun has always kept his distance from the three legitimate princes, but the situation has changed recently.

For example, right now, this university scholar actually took the initiative to give suggestions to the prince.

After folding the list, Zhu Jingyuan said slowly: "Tell Chen Ge Lao that I agree with everything else, but Jia She must take a military post!"

Here he has changed his words, requiring only a military position without specifying the specific position.

"Yes!" the scholar replied helplessly.

After this man left, another eunuch entered the hall to report to him about Zhu Jinghong's situation.

Naturally, he had spies in Prince Xiang's mansion, so he knew some basic information.

The content of today's report was basically the same as in previous days. Zhu Jingyuan asked a few questions and then let the eunuch leave.

"Does the emperor really want to put the Thirteenth Prince on ice?" Zhu Jingyuan murmured in a low voice, his tone still uncertain.

Then Yuanchun came in. She heard what was said just now, so she said, "Your Highness, let's just do our job well!"

Zhu Jingyuan raised his head and saw his wife standing in front of him, so he stood up with a smile: "You are right, as long as we are getting stronger, we are not afraid of threats from others!"

"Old Thirteen broke a taboo, had his salary cut and was confined to his house. Now he's not a big threat..."

Hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan shook his head and said, "As long as he is not crippled, the threat will not be small!"

(End of this chapter)