King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 812 Baoqin's Music

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed and the latest batch of reports from the southwest arrived.

A total of five memorials were placed in front of Zhu Jinghong, including those from the Southwest Governor's Office, the Southwest Military Inspectorate, the Xi'an Military Inspectorate, the Northern Pacification Office, and the Southern Pacification Office.

He had already read the content. Although each article talked about its own things, Li Ziheng was mentioned in them.

As early as half a month ago, Zhu Jinghong received a memorial from Li Ziheng, requesting a thorough investigation into the corruption case involving the Southwest Governor's Office.

Zhu Jinghong did not approve Li Ziheng's memorial, but in fact he tacitly allowed him to conduct a brief investigation, but on the premise that it would not affect the morale of the army.

Now that several underground memorials had come together, all saying that Li Ziheng was affecting the overall situation, Zhu Jinghong knew he had to pull him back.

Of course, he couldn't do this kind of thing personally, otherwise the people below would only think that the emperor condoned their meddling.

Zhu Jinghong actually always knew about the corruption among low-level generals. It was impossible to completely ban such a thing. After all, there would be no fish in clear water.

In fact, tolerating corruption was a necessary means for the emperor to rule his people.

After all, if everyone was as upright as Wang Pei'an, the emperor would not only be unable to control his subjects, but would be attacked by his subjects instead, standing on the moral high ground.

After becoming the emperor, Zhu Jinghong's mentality continued to change, and his perspective on issues was indeed different.

"Your Majesty, the Chief Censor Wang Pei'an is here to see you."

"Well...let him in!" said Zhu Jinghong.

After a few breaths, Wang Pei'an entered the hall, raised his official robe and saluted Zhu Jinghong.

"Your Majesty, I... Wang Pei'an pays homage to you. Long live your Majesty!"

"Sir, please get up!"

Even after becoming emperor, Zhu Jinghong still called Wang Pei'an "Sir" as a way of showing gentleness to the outside world.

At Zhu Jinghong's signal, the eunuch picked up the memorial from the imperial desk and presented it to Wang Pei'an.

"Let's see!"

"Yes!"

After receiving the report, Wang Pei'an read it one by one, and soon he understood the emperor's intention.

"His Majesty……"

"He did his job very well, let him come back first!" Zhu Jinghong said.

Wang Pei'an, who was in charge of the Inspectorate, knew what Li Ziheng had done in the southwest, and he helped him bear the pressure many times.

In the current southwest, generals have caused countless people from vassal states to become homeless in order to make a little money, and eventually turned against the imperial court. Wang Pei'an cannot sit idly by and watch this happen.

But now, when the emperor came forward to put pressure on him, he felt a little embarrassed.

But Wang Pei'an did not respond immediately. Instead, he planned to reason with Zhu Jinghong, especially pointing out the harm of corruption among officials in the southwest.

But Zhu Jinghong knew all these, and he also knew things that Wang Pei'an didn't know.

"There are corrupt officials in the imperial court, but they only get superficial benefits. The real people who benefited from the establishment of the Annan Xingdusi are the powerful officials in the four countries!"

He signaled the eunuch to send over another report, which contained statistical data about how the local dignitaries in the four southwestern countries took the opportunity to increase taxes and enclose land.

Officials in the Ming Dynasty had to cover up even the practice of corruption, and they cared about saving face, but the powerful people in foreign vassal states were not so particular.

Wang Pei'an fell silent after reading it. According to this statement, the powerful people in the southwestern vassal states themselves are the main factors hindering the stability of the southwest.

"Britain and France fanned the flames everywhere, which was also a major factor in inducing civil unrest."

Standing up from the throne, Zhu Jinghong walked towards Wang Pei'an and said, "We must prioritize things... The current 10,000-strong army of the Annan Xingdusi will be the key to stabilizing the southwest. Everything else must give way to this matter."

Standing in front of Wang Pei'an, Zhu Jinghong said slowly: "Sir, you must not embarrass me!"

Under tremendous pressure, Wang Pei'an's thoughts raced, and he answered: "Your Majesty, if the southwest is settled, how should these old cases be dealt with?"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong laughed, thinking that this guy had a really stubborn temper and did not forget to ask for a promise at this time.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Jinghong replied: "When the southwest is stable, we must investigate!"

We still have to investigate. There is a lot of water in this statement. Who to send to investigate, how to investigate, and what to do with the results of the investigation will all be decided by him.

But as an emperor, it was already rare and precious for him to make such a promise to his subjects, so Wang Pei'an didn't say anything more.

"Your Majesty, I will send an official letter when I get back, asking Li Ziheng to return to Beijing to report on his work!"

"Well, he is talented. Let him have a good rest this time. I plan to send people to patrol the border next year, and I will have to make use of him then!"

The so-called border patrol means inspecting several border towns north of the Ming Dynasty. The case of looting cattle and sheep herders was just closed a few months ago, and Zhu Jinghong dealt with dozens of generals involved in the case.

The northern border towns are very peaceful, and domestic and foreign trade is very frequent. Where there is profit, there will naturally be darkness, so Zhu Jinghong plans to patrol the border again.

After Wang Pei'an stepped down, Zhu Jinghong began to read other reports. He had to process a large amount of data every day.

A few days later, in the forest in the mountains north of the palace, Zhu Jinghong drew his bow and aimed at a elk in front of him.

Although they were more than a hundred steps apart, his arrow hit the deer's left eye as expected. After jumping for a while, the deer died.

"Your Majesty is still as majestic as ever, and your archery skills are unrivaled in the world!"

"Your Majesty, we have been learning from you for so many years, but we haven't even learned the basics. It's obvious that we are the ones who are stupid!"

"You are wrong. It's not that we are stupid. It's that His Majesty is gifted with heroic spirit. We mortals cannot compare to him!"

The two people who said this were Lu Yuxin and Zhang Lin.

"Alright, you're almost going to be grandfathers, stop talking nonsense to me!"

Ten years later, Lu and Zhang were both in their thirties, their sons were married, and they were indeed about to become grandfathers.

As Zhu Jinghong's trusted generals, the two of them were in charge of the left and right Dragon Guards respectively, and it can be said that they were doing very well.

The three were talking and laughing when they heard Yu Hai come to report: "Your Majesty, General Hou Jing is here!"

Zhu Jinghong wanted to shoot again, but he put down his bow after hearing the report, then walked to a chair nearby and said, "Call him over!"

When Hou Jing rushed over, he saw the emperor wiping his sweat with a towel, so he couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

It was summer now, and Hou Jing came here fully dressed and climbed several hundred meters of mountain road on foot. It would be strange if he didn't sweat.

"I, Hou Jing, the deputy commander of the Fenwu Camp, kowtow to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!"

In the first half of the 20th year of the Zhengtong period, Hou Jing was promoted from the commander of the Huben Zuowei to the deputy general of the Fenwu Camp, a third-rank position.

"stand up!"

"I called you here because I want to ask your opinion on something!" Upon hearing the emperor say this, Hou Jing immediately replied, "Your Majesty, if you have anything to say, I will go through fire and water and die without hesitation!"

"It's like this. The Anxi Xingdusi Commander has a vacancy. I plan to let you take charge of the relevant affairs. What do you think?"

The commander-in-chief was of the third rank, but the commander-in-chief of the executive commissioner-in-chief was also the deputy governor-general, so he was assigned as a third rank official.

Moreover, there are rules among military officers. Only those who have served as the commander-in-chief of the Xingdusi can be promoted to a higher level of governor-general.

At present, Hou Jing is a third-rank military officer. Normally, he should be promoted to the third-rank first, and then be granted the title of deputy governor of a certain military governor's office. After being in charge of a camp in the capital for a few years, he will be qualified to be in charge of the mobile military governor's office.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong directly asked him to go to the northwest to take charge. Even if he was just taking charge of the power, it could not be regarded as an extraordinary promotion.

"Your Majesty, I am afraid that I have not handled the matter properly and have delayed your Majesty's important affairs!" Hou Jing looked terrified.

His fear was not fake. The reason why the Xingdusi was given a high position was because the situation he faced was complicated and much more difficult to handle.

Hou Jing was afraid that he might not handle the situation well and cause trouble, so it was normal for him to feel panicked.

"The Northwest is still relatively stable at the moment, you don't have to worry too much. How can someone who has been through swords and guns be afraid before the battle?" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

Although he actually controlled the military and political power, he lacked his own direct descendants among the senior generals, so of course he had to make changes.

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The first one is Hou Jing, followed by Shi Chong, Wang Jie and other confidants. All of these people are currently in key positions, managing the army for Zhu Jinghong.

After teaching Hou Jing a lesson, the latter obeyed the order and accepted the task of taking charge of the Anxi Xingdusi.

The formal appointment will take some time, and Zhu Jinghong will make further explanations at that time, especially regarding some matters concerning foreign vassal states and enemy countries.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed. On the first day of August, Zhu Jinghong held a court meeting in the temporary palace. It was supposed to be a grand court meeting, but due to the limitations of the on-site conditions, it was changed to a regular court meeting, and it only discussed routine affairs.

Of course, it was not quite conventional, and an important matter was still discussed at the court meeting.

At the suggestion of Feng Yuan, the new number one scholar and current editor of the Hanlin Academy, Zhu Jinghong formally issued an order to establish the Royal Tiangong Academy to house craftsmen who had made great contributions to the country.

Zhu Jinghong asked Feng Yuan to formulate relevant internal arrangements, such as the classification, grade and salary of the craftsmen, in order to encourage the craftsmen to make new achievements.

In recent years, under the promotion of Zhu Jinghong, these craftsmen have made considerable progress and development in the manufacture of gunpowder, muskets, cannons, and some other tools and utensils, which has supported the Ming Dynasty to be as technologically advanced as the West.

However, there is no institutional guarantee for the treatment of these people, and Feng Yuan’s proposal has filled this gap.

The name "Royal Academy of Craftsmanship" sounds impressive, which will greatly improve the social status of craftsmen and make them more passionate about research.

The reason for adding the word "royal" was to shut up the civil servants, after all, all the expenses came from the inner treasury.

Feng Yuan, who was supposed to be compiling books and reserving talents, quickly got his first proper job, which allowed him to temporarily escape from the cage of the Hanlin Academy and do something practical.

That's right, the Hanlin Academy, which was regarded as a sweet dew by the civil servants, was like a den of dragons and tigers for Feng Yuan. The main reason was that he was selected as the top scholar out of exception, and his unorthodox articles offended all his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy.

It is really a torment to do something you don't like in a place where people around you are not happy with you.

So after leaving the court, Feng Yuan chanted the famous line "After being in a cage for a long time, I can finally return to nature."

Feng Yuan was busy at this time, and Zhu Jinghong, who had just left the court, was also busy playing with his concubine and sister-in-law.

"Shout again!"

"no!"

In the pool inside the palace, Zhu Jinghong held Baoqin in his arms, feeling the coolness of the water with a satisfied smile on his face.

"If you don't call me, I'll leave and won't come for the next two months!"

"No, the Queen will be unhappy if she finds out about this!"

Holding Baoqin, Zhu Jinghong comforted her: "Why is she unhappy? Besides, even if she is unhappy, you are still her sister. At most, she will say a few words to you. Can she eat you?"

"But……"

"Don't say but, just listen to me... just shout once!"

"Are you going to disobey my order?"

Baoqin twisted her body. She was really helpless, so she could only lower her head and said with a flushed face: "Sister...Brother-in-law!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong's face instantly broke into a smile, and he hugged Baoqin tighter. After playing around for a while, he pressed her under him.

After a while, Baoqin, who had been shy just now, started shouting "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law".

About half an hour later, the two of them hugged each other on the bed, and Baoqin snuggled in Zhu Jinghong's arms.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the concubines have been selected, and they are all beauties that are hard to find in the world!"

"Have you seen them all?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

"I went to see it a few days ago!" Baoqin nodded.

So Zhu Jinghong asked: "How beautiful is it? How is it compared to you?"

"Well... not much different!" Baoqin answered seriously.

Zhu Jinghong laughed when he heard this, and then he replied: "Your sister Bao is very considerate and knows how to please me!"

Zhu Jinghong was of course happy, but for the concubines in the harem, the arrival of a new person would take away their favor, which was definitely not a good thing.

Zhu Jinghong certainly couldn't understand these things, so when he saw Baoqin looking sad, he felt very confused.

"Baoqin, what's wrong?"

"Your Majesty, now that these people have entered the palace, will it be even more difficult for me to accompany you?" Baoqin's voice was filled with sadness.

"Back then, I only wanted to have a status, thinking that I could stay with Your Majesty forever. Now it seems that it would be better for me to give up this status and be Your Majesty's maid!"

"Your Majesty, why don't you exchange Xichun and Zhenying with me? I will do their job!"

Jia Xichun and Park Jin-young were the leading female officials of the Qianqing Palace, and each accompanied Zhu Jinghong half of the time.

Zhu Jinghong was stunned for a moment, then said: "Baoqin, what nonsense are you talking about? How can you take the title lightly? Don't let your imagination run wild!"

Baoqin was feeling depressed. When she heard the warning, she could only nod in agreement. However, tears rolled down her eyes and fell right into Zhu Jinghong's heart.

Realizing that he seemed a little unkind, Zhu Jinghong hugged Baoqin even tighter. At this time, he didn't care about the hot weather.

After a while, Baoqin bravely stood up, then climbed onto Zhu Jinghong and said in a weak voice: "Your Majesty, I really want to give birth to a child for you!"

At present, most of the concubines have given birth to children. For example, Baochai has given birth to three sons. However, Baoqin has not given birth to any children, which makes her feel very stressed.

Moreover, for her, having a child would give her more concerns and ties, and could divert her attention from having to focus only on the emperor.

Reaching out and grasping Baoqin, Zhu Jinghong said, "Permission granted!"

(End of this chapter)