King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 764 Arriving at Jinling
In March, it was officially announced that the Crown Prince would travel east to Yingtian to worship his ancestors.

Carrying out the Eastern Tour in the name of ancestor worship can be considered a sleight of hand, which can separate Zhu Jinghong from right and wrong.

The Crown Prince's departure from the capital was a major event, and careful preparations were made both inside and outside the court, especially by the officials of the Eastern Palace.

Now that Zhu Jinghong is the crown prince, he of course has his own team. The officials from the Zhanshi Palace and the Zuo and Zuo Chunfang officials together have a total of twelve people.

This is the result of streamlining, and some of them are part-time. For example, the highest-ranking position, Eastern Palace Chancellor, is concurrently held by Deputy Chief Censor Wang Pei'an, but last year he was ordered to go on an inspection tour to Yunnan.

On the eighth day of March, Wang Pei'an returned to the capital. After reporting to the emperor at the palace, he came to Zhu Jinghong's mansion.

Wang Pei'an was very lucky to have been serving as the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Xiang's Palace. He really didn't expect that after Zhu Jinghong was named the Crown Prince, he would still be the Chancellor of the Eastern Palace.

Although he is honest and upright, this alone is of no importance. The key to his being able to accomplish so many things over the years lies in his relationship with Zhu Jinghong.

Therefore, Wang Pei'an was grateful to Zhu Jinghong and was glad that he had met a wise leader, who would surely become a wise ruler in the future.

So when he met Zhu Jinghong a few years ago, he no longer regarded himself as this gentleman's teacher, but put himself in the position of a subject.

He is a proud man, and if you want him to submit willingly, you have to have a strong personal charm.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"

"Please stand up, sir!" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

"Give me a seat!"

Among the ministers, Wang Pei'an was the only one who was qualified to be granted a seat by Zhu Jinghong.

It's because everyone has selfish desires, but Wang Pei'an is selfless, which is unique, at least for now, so he deserves Zhu Jinghong's respect.

After Wang Pei'an sat down, Zhu Jinghong asked about the situation in Yunnan. It was not very peaceful there at the moment, and several neighboring vassal states were in turmoil.

Wang Pei'an answered clearly and listed a series of current problems in the southwest to Zhu Jinghong, which would affect the court's major policies in the southwest.

After finishing talking about these serious matters, half an hour had passed. Zhu Jinghong followed Wang Pei'an's topic and continued, "Officials all want to be high-ranking officials. There is nothing wrong with this. The key is to be an honest official and a capable minister!"

"Do you agree, sir?"

"What His Highness said is absolutely true!"

Zhu Jinghong continued, "Over the years, you have been promoted step by step. Now you are the deputy chief censor. You can do more and more things, and the people and the court will benefit more!"

"It is all because of the favor of Your Majesty and Your Highness that I have this good fortune to be able to do something for the court and the people!"

Others may say this to flatter, but Wang Pei'an means it sincerely.

"This time, His Majesty ordered me to go on an eastern tour. In name, I am going to pay homage to Taizu, but in reality, I am going to check on the land surveying in several provinces in the southeast. If I find any evildoers, I will punish them severely!"

Zhu Jinghong did not hold back on telling Wang Pei'an the truth about the Eastern Tour, because what he was about to say was related to it.

The emperor recommended two people to him, either Jia Yucun or Wang Pei'an. The former is very likely to weigh the pros and cons when doing things, but only the latter can deal with the matter at hand.

So objectively speaking, Wang Pei'an is more suitable to accompany the trip.

But doing such a thing is not a good thing for Wang Pei'an personally. The more people he offends, the greater the danger, and it may even be so serious that his family will be broken up.

So from a personal emotional point of view, Zhu Jinghong actually didn't want him to go. After all, he had already contributed enough to the Ming Dynasty.

"I am willing to accompany Your Highness on the eastern tour to deal with all illegal matters!" Wang Pei'an immediately stood up and asked for orders.

"Sir, you know that land is the lifeblood of many people. If you touch their lifeblood... these people will fight to the death!"

After hearing this, Wang Pei'an understood what Zhu Jinghong meant. He was worried about his safety and that's why he didn't want to go alone.

But when he was about to explain, Zhu Jinghong spoke first: "Sir, you need to protect yourself. In the future, you can make further progress and become a prime minister... and you can do more things!"

If Wang Pei'an stopped now, kept a low profile, and then transferred from the Inspectorate to a noble government office like the Ministry of Rites, and waited a few years until Zhu Jinghong became emperor, it would be natural for him to enter the cabinet and become prime minister.

Entering the cabinet and becoming a prime minister to govern the country and bring peace to the world is the highest pursuit of scholars all over the world, and Wang Pei'an is of course no exception.

But at this time he did not hesitate at all, and heard him say: "Your Highness means that if I follow the Eastern Tour this time, I will definitely die?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Since I cannot die and can still serve the court in the future, what should I fear?"

With a smile on his face, Wang Pei'an continued, "Besides, for me, whether or not I am the prime minister is a matter of indifference!"

"As a prime minister, I feel that I am not talented enough to govern a province, and I am not capable of governing the country. Being a censor to correct officials' mistakes is actually a better way to make the best use of them!"

Wang Pei'an was a true imperial tutor. When Zhu Jinghong became emperor, it would not be difficult for him to enter the cabinet, and he might even be able to become the chief minister.

The position of Chief Minister is the highest pursuit for civil officials. He is the head of all civil and military officials, second only to the emperor and above ten thousand others.

Wang Pei'an gave up this position that combined power, glory, prestige and even wealth very calmly.

In a horizontal comparison, Zhu Jinghong felt that he was more suitable to be a general, so he gave the throne to his other brothers.

This is indeed a pure person... Zhu Jinghong sighed secretly and respected Wang Pei'an even more.

Seeing Wang Pei'an's calm and determined expression, Zhu Jinghong knew that he had made up his mind, but he still asked, "Have you thought it over?"

"I beg Your Highness to grant my request!"

Nodding, Zhu Jinghong said: "Okay...you can submit a petition to His Majesty, asking to accompany me on the Eastern Tour!"

By beating around the bush like this, Zhu Jinghong was actually trying to distance himself from the matter and to show the outside world that it was Wang Pei'an who took the initiative to go, rather than him, Zhu Jinghong, who brought a knife.

"Yes!"

Next, the two conducted a detailed analysis of the situation in the southeast and determined the focus of the next inspection.

Another half an hour later, Wang Pei'an said goodbye and left. Next, he was going to see his family whom he had not seen for more than a year.

Wang Pei'an is worthy of everyone except his family, especially his wife who helps him with housework.

Back in the Yin'an Palace, after watching Wang Pei'an leave, Zhu Jinghong sighed in his heart.

Using Wang Pei'an instead of Jia Yucun was a way for him to make the best use of his talents, and it was a rational decision that a superior should make.

At this moment, Baochai came out from behind the screen and said softly, "He is indeed a gentleman!"

Everyone in the world claims to be a gentleman, but how many people can truly be called a gentleman? People like Wang Pei'an are indeed rare.

After a few moments of silence, when Baochai walked to the desk, Zhu Jinghong sighed, "I am a hypocrite, even worse than a real villain!"

"Why does Your Highness say that?" Baochai asked back, although she knew that it was right to say so.

"If I really didn't want him to go, I shouldn't have mentioned this to him. Advising him to find a job just now... was just hypocrisy!"

This is of course true. The couple have reached their current position, with more dirty deeds on their hands than each other. They can no longer be called good people, let alone gentlemen.

Recalling what had happened over the years, Baochai also sighed and replied: "One general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers, let alone this magnificent empire!"

After another silence, Baochai finally spoke: "From now on... no matter how much criticism Censor Wang receives, as long as you protect him, you will have a clear conscience!"

"Um!"…………

Ten days passed in a blink of an eye, and it was March 18th. Zhu Jinghong set out on his eastern tour. In addition to Baochai, the female relatives accompanying him included Zhang Xiaoyue and Nuomin.

According to the emperor's instructions, Zhu Jinghong walked very slowly along the way, especially when he arrived at a provincial capital, he would stay there for more than ten or twenty days.

During his stay, he mainly did two things: one was to inspect the military equipment of the local military commanders, and the other was to meet with local civil and military officials.

Especially when meeting with officials, Zhu Jinghong explained the major policies of the court and guided the officials to adapt to the times from the perspective of interests, and to look forward instead of heading towards a dead end.

While he was meeting with officials, Baochai also met with ladies of noble birth. Her perspective was very different from Zhu Jinghong's, but her meaning was to persuade officials to be more sober.

He and his wife were of noble status, and this combination of soft and hard tactics did have a very good effect, triggering the officials to weigh their options.

The fence-sitters have begun to waver, and those who are making mistakes are considering calling it quits. These can be considered gains.

It took nearly six months of stopping and starting all the way east from Luoyang to finally arrive at Luzhou Prefecture, and then go east to enter the territory of Jinling.

Along the way, Wang Pei'an was indeed very powerful. He investigated and handled more than 30 cases and dismissed more than 70 people from their posts.

The investigation of these more than 70 people was actually nothing. He tore off the fig leaf that some people used to whitewash the truth and exposed the shameful things happening in various provinces, which was more conducive to the government's major policies.

The Prime Minister Zhao Yushan, who was far away in the imperial court, cooperated very well with Wang Pei'an this time. He sent several groups of censors to investigate the affairs of various provinces, and also sent more censors to other provinces that were not involved.

These censors were Jinshi who had passed the imperial examinations in the previous two years. They did not have a deep foundation in the officialdom, so they were relatively reliable.

It can be predicted that a large number of officials will fall, and the vacant positions will be filled by officials who have just entered the government.

Zhu Jinghong was of course in control of the court and local situations. He did not interfere and everything was under control.

As for Nanjing, the officials had long known that Zhu Jinghong was coming, so they had already made preparations to welcome him.

The palace in Yingtian Prefecture was cleaned inside and out, and the Jinling garrison and naval forces from all over the country also began to prepare for assembly in advance.

The news that the prince was going to Nanjing had spread as early as a month ago. Such a thing could not be kept secret, so Zhu Jinghong simply did not keep it secret.

Yingtian Prefecture City, Xue Family.

Xia Yuegui walked into the back garden of the mansion and came to a pond, where she saw Xue Pan and his two-year-old son fishing with a fishing rod.

"All of you go down!" Xia Yuegui ordered the maids on both sides.

She had great authority in the mansion, at least not less than Xue Pan, so everyone retreated after hearing this.

When Xue Wen saw that it was his mother who came, he left his father and ran towards Xia Yuegui, calling her "Mom" several times.

After picking up her son, Xia Yuegui came to Xue Pan's side and said, "You still stay here, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived in Luzhou!"

"Ok!"

"You still have the time to fish at this time?" Xia Yuegui looked dissatisfied.

Turning back, Xue Pan said in surprise: "Do you want me to go and greet him now? He is three hundred miles away!"

"I got the news that the Lin family... set out to welcome him three days ago!"

Seeing Xue Pan's surprised look, Xia Yuegui continued, "Her family has a concubine, and everyone knows to go and greet her in advance. Your biological sister is the Crown Princess, so you should have gone earlier!"

"What should I do?"

"It's not too late to go now. Anyway, you don't have to stay at home anymore. Go and serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince these days!"

Although so many years have passed, Xue Pan is still extremely afraid of Zhu Jinghong. He is more afraid of him than a mouse is of a cat.

Asking him to serve Zhu Jinghong would be almost like asking for his life.

"I have asked people to prepare the carriages and horses. Do you want to leave now or after lunch?"

Although there were two options, Xue Pan knew that he could only choose the former, otherwise he would just be scolded more.

"I'll be leaving right away!"

"There is one more thing I need your advice on!"

"What's the matter?"

"The Crown Princess is here too. If she wants to come back to her parents' home to visit, we should make preparations early!"

"Prepared early? She has already prepared. The place she lives in is exactly the same as before. She has also tidied up the garden and everything else at home!"

It is true that the Xue family had made preparations a long time ago, but Xia Yuegui always felt that it was not good enough, so she planned to take advantage of the last ten days to equip the mansion with everything else.

This involves money, so Xia Yuegui naturally has to ask Xue Pan's opinion.

After he expressed his idea, although Xue Pan felt it was a bit too extravagant, he agreed without much hesitation.

With his nod, the Xue family would have to spend tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Unlike the thriving Xue family, the Jia family was in a state of panic because they belonged to the line of the former crown prince and had previously been in opposition to Zhu Jinghong.

The whole Jia family was in unrest, but there was one person who remained calm, and that was Jia Baoyu, who had been home for nearly a year.

After such a long period of recuperation, his health has recovered. He dresses simply and does not care about worldly affairs. He spends his days reading and writing.

He used to be surrounded by many maids, but now only Qingwen is left, and the latter is now an "old maid" of over 20 years old.

The reason why the word "also" is mentioned is because there is another person like this in the mansion, and that is "Tanchun" who has not yet married.

The reason why she didn't get married was the same as when she was in Beijing before. The one the Jia family liked was not liked by other people, and the one that others liked was not liked by the Jia family, so they couldn't afford to lose that person.

Therefore, Tanchun's marriage has been delayed until now and can be said to be hopeless. I wonder how many people in the mansion are talking about it.

The final result is that Tanchun chose to become a nun in order to pray for the blessing of her family, and now she is practicing in Nanjing Temple outside Yingtian Prefecture.

"Second Master, the master sent someone to tell you that he wants you to go with him to Luzhou to welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on his eastern tour!"

After hearing Qingwen's report, Jia Baoyu raised his head and asked, "Who in the mansion is going?"

Qingwen reported: "Master, Master, Second Master Lian, Third Master Huan, and Little Master Lan!"

"Go tell the master that I'm still not feeling well and I won't go this time!"

Qingwen said in embarrassment: "Second Master, if you don't go, the master won't agree!"

Jia Baoyu knew this, so he sighed and replied, "Tell the master, I will prepare it immediately!"

The Jia family wanted to go to greet him, inspired by Xue Pan's departure. They planned to catch up with Xue Pan and then meet Zhu Jinghong together with the Xue family.

There was no other way. Without the help of the Xue family, they couldn't even get close to the headquarters, let alone meet the prince.

The purpose of the Jia family is very simple, mainly to show loyalty to Zhu Jinghong and cut off ties with past events.

From then on, the Jia family just wanted to live a peaceful life and no longer had any other unreasonable wishes.

(End of this chapter)