The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 173 The Patriarch's Wife
Seeing that no one objected, Emperor Taiqi breathed a sigh of relief.

After receiving the order, the young man took two steps back and stood back to his original position, holding the wat board in his hand. He kept looking around with the corner of his eyes, looking curious and not nervous about the counter-insurgency issue.

If it had been anyone else, Emperor Tai Qi might have felt that he was being entrusted with an unfair task. However, Jia Cong had just returned from the battlefield in the southeast and used his iron fist to bloodbath the wealthy people in Jiangnan. Emperor Tai Qi only felt that he was confident and confident. So, no rush.

Next, the court discussed spring plowing, disaster relief in various places in the northwest and central plains, the situation in Liaodong, and the border town issues that were urgently sent from [-] miles yesterday. On the last topic, Zhao Song went out to discuss the situation in Jiangnan.

"Your Majesty, Prince Zhongshun is an imperial envoy who went to Jiangnan to inspect and escort the five Jiangnan thieves and their family members to Beijing. It has been one month since he left. Although the property confiscated by the five families has not been escorted back to Beijing for the time being, it should be I have an approximate number, but I don’t understand why Prince Zhongshun has not sent any notes to the capital so far.”

As soon as Jia Cong heard about Jiangnan, he became energetic. He quickly stood up straight and looked at the old man wearing a green official robe embroidered with golden pheasant patches. He wore a black gauze hat on his head, because he was standing with him. From a row of seats, Jia Cong could only see half of his thin side face and the beard hanging down his chin and chest.

As if aware of Jia Cong's scrutinizing eyes, Zhao Song glanced sideways at Jia Cong. A pair of old but not dim eyes met Jia Cong's, and soon fell to the ground again, cursing in his heart: Ignorance. Child!

Jia Cong didn't know most of the people in the main hall, and his identity could only be judged from each person's position and the theme of his performance.

Jia Cong guessed that this person should be Zhao Song, the chief assistant.

Zhao Song was born in Wuxi County, Changzhou Prefecture, with the courtesy name Changqing. His son Zhao Hedeshang was the eldest princess of Yongchang. In the tenth year of Yongjia, he was selected as the number one scholar by Emperor Sejong. He was promoted to the Minister of Rites and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.In the 13th year of Wanqing's reign, he entered the cabinet. In the 22nd year of Wanqing's reign, he was reorganized into the Jidian University and served as the first assistant.

Just when Jia Cong was carrying Zhao Song's resume in his mind, Emperor Taiqi had already looked towards Jia Cong. He glanced at Jia Cong and asked Song Hongdao, "Does Prince Zhongshun have a secret report to enter the palace?"

Song Hong said hurriedly, "I have no words to return to the Emperor for the time being!"

Emperor Taiqi was a little dissatisfied with Zhao Song. He said, "Now, the accounts of various ministries have been settled, and all the funds that should be allocated have been allocated. Why does Zhao Aiqing ask about this?"

Zhao Song did not shy away from it, "Back to the emperor, the 20 taels of hairpin money from the Daming Palace this year has not been allocated yet. Yesterday, Dai Quan had already asked his ministers to ask for it; there is currently no extra money in the warehouse, and the Daming Palace has Waiting for the silver, I will discuss with several cabinet ministers. If there is silver from the south of the Yangtze River, I will temporarily allocate part of this silver to meet the urgent needs of the Ming Dynasty Palace."

In fact, their thinking was, shouldn't the emperor appropriate the money from the inner treasury?But it’s not easy to just say that directly.
Emperor Taiqi sat on the throne, holding two layers of dragon robes and twisting them gently with his fingers, restraining the anger in his heart. The Daming Palace provided 20 taels of silver hairpin money a year. It has been five years since he ascended to the throne. No matter how difficult it is in court, there is never less than one or two on the other side.

Until now, none of his own concubines had ever worn jewelry.

Zhao Song is really good at Tai Chi. After the last time he struck, Zhao Song is no longer obviously facing the Daming Palace. However, he also adheres to the principle of not helping each other. Raising the issue at this meeting is equivalent to dumping him. To Emperor Taiqi.

His actions were very clever, and it seemed that he had helped Emperor Tai Qi to think up a solution to the problem. In fact, he was clearly going to give the money to the Daming Palace, which made Emperor Tai Qi even more uncomfortable.

The current political situation is so difficult that the emperor and his ministers cannot work together as one. Instead, they dig holes in each other and undermine each other, which will only increase internal friction.

The ministers should have raised objections to this matter, and Emperor Taiqi should have symbolically fought for the Daming Palace. In the end, Emperor Taiqi must have lost. The 20 taels of silver hairpin money can be saved as much as possible. .

The emperor wants to rule the world with filial piety. No matter who sits on it, no one can speak against it for any reason.

Emperor Taiqi was silent when Jia Cong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think what Zhao Fu proposed is feasible!"

Ok?
Emperor Tai Qi was stunned for a moment, and Zhao Song was also puzzled. What does this kid want to do?
Jia Cong said, "Zhao Shoufu is loyal to the Supreme Emperor, and I am very moved. Although now, the Five Rebellious Clan in Jiangnan have not announced the official punishment, and although the family property has been sealed, because the court has not convicted it, it cannot be misappropriated for the time being. But now that Zhao Shoufu has said this, , I thought that for the sake of Zhao Shoufu's loyalty, the emperor would be extra kind and send someone from Jinyiwei to send 20 taels of silver to Beijing and present it to the Daming Palace as rouge and gouache money."

Although they were childish words, they were quite reasonable. Emperor Taiqi was amused after hearing this. He glanced at Zhao Song with half-smiling eyes, then faced the ministers and asked, "What do you think of Marquis Ning Guo's opinion?"

No one in the whole hall answered. Obviously, everyone had seen the hole that Jia Cong had dug for the chief minister. It was just a child's words to listen to, but could it be taken seriously?

But, from another perspective, is Zhao Song's proposal reasonable?

Emperor Taiqi took a deep look at Zhao Song, and the idea of ​​changing the chief minister had arisen in his mind more than once. However, at the moment, there was no one in the cabinet who could replace him, and the other people were all the same in Emperor Taiqi's eyes. , Zhang Qilin is a sincere person, but his qualifications are not enough at the moment.

"Your Majesty, I think it is inappropriate. Although the homes of the five major criminal clans have been confiscated and their properties have been sealed, they cannot be used until they are convicted. Otherwise, it will cause criticism!" Chen Ning, the doctor of Lantai Temple, came out to report.

"Marquis Ning Guo, I have something unclear. Since the evidence of the crimes committed by Marquis Ning Guo against the five major criminal groups is conclusive, and all their personnel have been imprisoned, and their homes have been ransacked, why do you now oppose the allocation of a mere 20 taels of silver?" Lantai Temple doctor Zhan Huidao.

This is asking Jia Cong, if there is no solid evidence, why would you imprison people and seal their homes?Since the evidence is conclusive, he is guilty and his property must be confiscated. Why can't he disburse a mere 20 taels of silver?

Jia Cong squinted his eyes and looked at this person. Seeing that he had a sinister look on his face, he didn't know which year this Zhan Hui was a Jinshi. During the palace examination, all the emperor's ministers were blinded and ordered such a thing. Come on, don’t you think you’re being insulting?

"When did I object to appropriation of funds? Who are you? Since you can be a doctor in Lantai Temple, you must have studied, right? Don't you know the procedures of the court? Even if there is evidence of what I have committed against the five major criminal clans, Is it true that I can convict people at will and take over the work of the Ministry of Punishment?"

Jia Cong was extremely rude in his words. After all, he was a martial artist, and domineering should be his nature. If he flirted with a group of civil servants, Emperor Tai Qi would not be able to sleep.

Zhan Hui was stunned for a while. He had not yet adapted to Jia Cong's way of speaking. Is it so... unreasonable?
When he went to court for the first time, Jia Cong's arrogant, domineering and unreasonable personality left a deep impression on the civil and military officials of the court.

Zhan Hui was so angry that he almost jumped up and was about to point at Jia Cong's nose and scold him when Emperor Tai Qi spoke from the throne and asked, "Zhao Aiqing, what do you think?"

Zhao Song wanted to throw the blame away, but did not throw it away, but it was impossible to admit his mistake at the court meeting, saying, "The Ministry of Revenue cannot allocate the 20 taels of powder money for the Daming Palace at the moment. I really don't know how to raise it!"

Emperor Tai Qi sneered in his heart. This was none of his business. These so-called scholars, what they said when they were studying hard in Han Chuang, established their hearts for the heaven and earth, and established their lives for the people. After they stood in the court, their eyes There is no king, and there are no living people in the heart. All he cares about is his own honor and disgrace.

If Jia Cong knew what Emperor Taiqi was thinking now, he would feel that Emperor Taiqi's current thoughts were somewhat similar to those of later Chongzhen.

Emperor Taiqi sighed, "I cannot support the Emperor and the Empress Dowager with filial piety, and I cannot appease the common people. My ministers, I and you, the emperor and my ministers, still have to work hard!"

"I deserve to die, long live the emperor, long live, long live the emperor!"

After the court, the officials walked out, Jia Cong walked at the back, followed by the Prince of Beijing County and the Prince of Nan'an County. In the past, Liu Fang would wait for these two people and humbly let them go in front, together. When Er went out, it gave people the impression that the five military governors' offices were integrated into one, but Jia Cong didn't need to be particular and ignored them. He walked steadily and slowly in front, as if he was strolling in a leisurely garden.

The Prince of Beijing County and the Prince of Nan'an County looked at each other, and they both saw hatred and resentment in each other's eyes. This kid almost made Liu Fang angry to death on the first day he went to court. No wonder he turned Jiangnan upside down.

At the moment, this boy is so well-loved that it is difficult to touch him for the time being. However, asking for help to quell the rebellion is an opportunity in itself. Rebellion is not easy to put down. If they guessed correctly, the Ningxia Guards and Hungry Soldiers rebelled. It was probably because he had eaten too much with his free salary. When Jia Cong passed by, the non-rebellious officers and soldiers over there might not cooperate. Can the four thousand flying bear guards in Jia Cong's hands alone quell the rebellion?

As for the Three Thousand Camp, the number of people is said to be 7000 or [-]. Based on the water-soluble urine properties of the current Beijing Camp, it would be good to have four to five thousand old, weak, sick and disabled people.

After thinking about it, the two of them also felt that if they wanted to kill Jia Cong, it would be better to take this opportunity. The longer this kind of disaster is left, the more disadvantageous it will be.

As for the civil servants, Zhao Song, Gu Mingchen, and Yan Weiyong were walking slowly outside. The three of them could not help but cast their eyes on the people walking in front, walking in the middle of the path of civil servants and generals. They seemed to be neither adjacent to each other, but also seemed to occupy both sides.

For the civil servants, they were not afraid that the civil servants could lead the troops, but that the military generals would study. All along, as long as the early days of the founding of the dynasty passed and the world was at peace, the military generals would step aside.

At this time, the scholars came out to pick peaches. In the court, how could the rude military generals compete with the civil servants with seven orifices and exquisite hearts.

But Jia Cong's scheming and adaptability just now shown in the court were different from those of previous generals. At this time, Zhao Song and others remembered that Jia Cong was still a scholar.

Doesn't he still want to take the exam?
The three of them walked out silently. When they left the main hall, they saw the chamberlain coming in a hurry and blocking Jia Cong's way. "Master Marquis, please stay!"

When Jia Cong heard about Emperor Taiqi's meeting, he hurriedly followed the chamberlain. When he passed in front of Zhao Song and others, he didn't look sideways.

Still in the Dongnuan Pavilion, there was no one else in front of Emperor Taiqi at this time. After Jia Cong saluted, Emperor Taiqi pointed to the embroidered pier in front of him a little tiredly, "Sit down, this time I am going to Ningxia, is there anyone?" grasp?"

After Jia Cong sat down, he still looked calm and said, "Returning to the emperor, from the imperial reports in the past six months, I did not know that the Tatars had invaded the Ningxia Guard. I don't know whether there were any minor conflicts, but There is definitely no major conflict, so there will be no mutiny caused by military discipline and general orders."

Another meaning that Jia Cong did not say is, which of the generals in the military camp is still training soldiers?It is estimated that they will not care about it, and there will be no mutiny caused by harsh training.Except for the Jingwei who are still of some use, the entire Dashun army is in a state of disrepair, and taking empty pay is just the most routine operation.

Whether Emperor Taiqi knew this or not, Jia Cong couldn't tell.

"Then there is another possibility. The food and salary allocated by the imperial court were not sent to the soldiers, and they were forced to mutiny due to hunger and cold. In addition, I have another idea."

Emperor Taiqi nodded, "Say!"

"I heard that Ningxia's deputy commander-in-chief, Kuaibai, was originally a small chief of the Mongolian Tatar tribe. He had a conflict with the tribal chief Yingtaiji, and when his father and brother were killed, he led his troops to join the Ningxia army. Because of his repeated military exploits, he was punished. Hereditary commander of the capital, now serving as deputy commander-in-chief of Ningxia."

Jia Cong only mentioned this person, and Emperor Tai Qi came back to his senses. He couldn't help but be shocked, "Do you mean to love me?"

"Your Majesty, if it is true as stated in the memorial, the rebels are dragging the refugees all the way south. By this time, they should have arrived near Shenjing. However, there are no urgent reports from nearby prefectures and counties. I believe that the truth needs to be investigated. I plan to send a vanguard today to investigate the situation, and then lead the army out early tomorrow morning."

"How confident are you, sir?"

Looking at the frightened Emperor Taiqi, Jia Cong did not dare to feel any contempt. Instead, he looked into Emperor Taiqi's eyes, his eyes full of admiration, "Your Majesty, if the rebels kidnap the refugees, Those refugees have not received formal training and are vulnerable to attack. What should they fear if the rebel army is an unjust force? If, as I guessed, it was the Mongolian deputy general who rebelled, not everyone under his command wants to be a rebel. Rebellious thieves, as long as they are handled properly, I think it is not a big concern."

When fighting, you need to know yourself and the enemy. Even if you want to lose, it may not be easy.

The reason why Jia Cong dared to lead his 5000 men to Ningxia Guard was because of his own considerations. During this period, the Shenbing Camp had accumulated some guns and cannons, and he also wanted to test the power of these weapons.

Emperor Taiqi was silent for a moment, nodded and said, "You go ahead. I will still be of great use to you after you return to Beijing!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

After coming out of the palace, Wang Lang and others came to greet him at the door. Just as he was about to speak, Jia Cong said, "Let's go back to the house first!"

In the Ningguo Mansion, Daiyu woke up a little late in the morning. She had originally planned to go to the three buildings in front of Conglutang to attend to matters at three o'clock every day. Early this morning, the housekeepers, wives and mothers-in-law had all arrived, and they had been waiting for about a while. It took a cup of tea, but Daiyu hadn't come yet.

Huaping had no choice but to ask Youshi to go and deal with it first. It was just an ordinary matter. Daiyu would often talk to Youshi about household matters, so it was not troublesome for Youshi to deal with it.

On the way from Conglutang to Ningxitang, Youshi was a little worried.

When entering Ningxi Hall, Daiyu was walking out in a hurry. Seeing You coming, she hurriedly stepped forward and shouted shyly, "Sister-in-law?"

You looked at her carefully and saw that her dark eyebrows were like mist and the knot between her brows was still there. She was obviously still a virgin. She breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Get up early and draw a screen to invite me to attend. There is nothing going on in the house just now, you." There’s no need to rush.”

Seeing Daiyu's embarrassment, Youshi didn't know it yet and thought she was embarrassed because she got up late. She patted Daiyu's hand gently and said with a smile, "Brother Cong just came back yesterday. It must be a good time for you and your wife to meet again after a long absence." I have a lot to say, so I woke up late today, which is normal."

The two of them entered Ningxi Hall and sat down. Daiyu had not eaten yet, and it happened that Youshi had not eaten either, so they sent someone to call Xichun. The three of them gathered around a table in the open room and had their meal slowly. Moving to the next room, Daiyu and Youshi were sitting on the kang, while Xichun was sitting on a chair, and the other was drinking a cup of fragrant tea and chatting.

"Did Brother Cong go to court again this morning?" Xichun asked.

Daiyu smiled and nodded, "I should be going to the court meeting today."

Xichun was young and didn't know much about the affairs of the court. He tilted his head and thought for a while, then said, "In the past, I only went to court on the day of the new moon. Today is the tenth day of February. How come Brother Cong is still going to court?" Woolen cloth?"

When Daiyu was with Jia Cong in the past, she often read the imperial newspaper. She also asked Jia Cong some questions, and she knew more about some common sense in the court.

Although Mrs. You is a woman in the back house, she is now a widow and does not have much to do on weekdays. She is very interested in hearing about some court affairs and can't help but look at Daiyu.

After Daiyu got married, all the bangs in front of her forehead were combed up, revealing a smooth and white forehead. Under her eyebrows, a pair of mist-like eyes, a smile overflowing, "The former Taizu Emperor Gao established the imperial system. Chaohui is divided into Dachao, Shuowangchao and Changchao. Dachao is usually held on New Year's Day, Winter Solstice and Wanshou Festival, and it is always very grand.

The Shuowang Dynasty is a court meeting held on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Nowadays, it is usually called the Great Court Meeting. Officials of the fifth rank and above in the court, officials of the sixth and seventh rank, such as the Sixth Ministry Minister and the doctor of Lantai Temple, all enter the palace to pay homage to the emperor. Worship; as for the regular court, it was held every day. It was mostly a meeting between the emperor and some ministers to deal with some military and state affairs. They always had to communicate with each other, and government orders were also issued through the court meeting. "

Xichun opened her big eyes, flickering, and listened in fascination. When Daiyu finished speaking, she asked, "Sister-in-law, just tell me, what is the meaning of the dynasty system established by Emperor Taizu Gao?"

Daiyu didn't expect that Xichun was actually a caring person, and said, "In the past, when the Supreme Emperor was in power, he did not follow the ancestral system, but we can only talk about this at home, and we are not allowed to say it outside. Today's Emperor Yuji Later, I picked up this ancestral artifact again."

Youshi suddenly understood and said with a smile, "You are usually in the backyard with us. You probably like reading, so you know so much. How could you know that there are so many ways to do things in this court?"

Daiyu's cheeks were slightly red, and she couldn't help but think of that person. She didn't know what happened to him in the early morning, and said, "When I accompanied Brother Cong in Jiangnan, we sometimes talked about some things in the court, and we only knew more or less. "

Suddenly, Zicuckoo lifted up the curtain and came in, saying, "Madam, please report from the second door outside that the Fifth Grandma from the West Corridor is here and wants to see Madam."

After Jia Cong called Daiyu his wife in front of Zicuckoo, Zicuckoo changed her name. At this time, Daiyu heard this and couldn't help but look at You. Daiyu didn't know who the fifth grandmother was in the west corridor. .

"She was originally a member of the clan, the same generation as Brother Cong. The man left a long time ago and lived with a son. Her son's name is Yun'er. He is four or five years older than Brother Cong, and he doesn't have a son for the time being. To make a living, I heard in a daze a while ago that his son went to Lian Er's place to ask for help. This time he came, maybe it was also about making a living. "

Daiyu understood what was going on and said, "Since you are the sister-in-law of the clan, Zijuan, please go and invite her in on my behalf."

Zicuckoo left in a hurry. When Youshi saw this, she told Daiyu what she knew, "I have heard that Yun'er is not good at literature or martial arts, but she is not like other children." As smooth as he is, he still looks steady."

While he was talking, Jia Yun's mother also came in. Daiyu looked at her and saw that she had a long face and a tall figure. Although she was not young, she could tell that she must have been a beautiful person in her youth.

"The fifth sister-in-law is here!" Daiyu and Youshi hurriedly stood up to greet us. Zheng was quite flattered. She immediately wanted to give a blessing, but Youshi stopped her and said with a smile, "Why are you so polite to us?" Already?"

After sitting down for a while, Daiyu ordered someone to serve tea.

Zheng took a sip casually and glanced at Daiyu. Seeing her young age, she had some tears in her eyes and complained, "I just came over there too. After Yun'er's father died, , we orphans and widowed mothers have no hope of getting a big family to take care of them. I am no better than Qin'er. I am always diligent and fawning, and I have constant errands all day long. The family has income, and my days go by day by day. The sun and the land are good. They are all passed down from one ancestor, and we can't always rely on others to order the food. It will make life difficult for us honest people, right?"

Are you talking about the Xifu side?Daiyu thought.

Mrs. Zheng took the crotch on her body and showed it to Daiyu, "Cong'er-in-law, you are the patriarch's wife. Look, I don't even have a whole body on my body, inside and out. Yun'er is getting bigger by the looks of it." , let alone the matter of saving money to marry a wife, they even ran out of overnight food. People still didn’t believe it when I told them. After all, they are the descendants of Ning Rong’s second Duke. A little leakage from the fingers of both sides of the house is enough. We have full stomachs.”

Only then did Daiyu remember that she was originally the wife of the patriarch of the Jia clan. She thought for a moment and couldn't help but say, "They say brothers are brothers in fighting tigers, and father and son fight in battle. Yun'er is no one else. Logically speaking, she should call her Marquis." Uncle. It happened that the Marquis returned to Beijing yesterday, and it would be time to go to court soon. When Yun'er was free, he asked him to come over to his Uncle Cong to see what he could do, and let them discuss it. Why would my sister-in-law bother with these things? Are you upset?"

Youshi couldn't help but glance at Daiyu. What she said was so beautiful and appropriate. Sure enough, Zhengshi held back her tears and wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief, "I shouldn't have said this in front of you, either. I feel extremely depressed today. Since Cong's daughter-in-law has said this, I have to thank her in advance. How can I say that Yun'er doesn't have time now? Tiantian'er is just idle and doesn't have anything serious to do. I feel really anxious. "

Daiyu hurriedly advised, "Sister-in-law, why aren't you in a hurry? But it's useless to be anxious now."

When Daiyu said this, she called Qingwen and asked, "Go ahead and ask if the Marquis is back?"

Qingwen came back not long after she left and said, "Madam, the Marquis just returned home after going to court. He said he was talking to several thousand households in the study. He heard that Madam had something going on here, so he came over. "

"Huh?" When Zheng heard this, she stood up in a panic.

She couldn't help but look at Daiyu. This Madam Hou was so young and good-looking. She had also been angry at the Xifu just now. She couldn't get angry anymore, so she came over to complain. Now she saw Jia Cong. After hearing Daiyu's question, she came over in person, inevitably feeling fear in her heart.

(End of this chapter)