A Thousand Hills

Chapter 153

Although the Fifth Prince's work has gained a good reputation, it has attracted many people's scolding. Of course, there are more people who want to follow his footsteps and beg him to show his respect.The fifth prince then put on his usual stern face again, pretending that his six relatives did not recognize him.

On the contrary, Yu Yao, the daughter of Mrs. Xie, came to the Fifth Prince's Mansion. Yu Yao brought her husband Li Silang along. Li Silang was on the list. The couple came to announce the good news. They said that my article was not hot enough, and it was still in between, and I thought I would try it this year, and I was lucky enough to be on the list."

Xie Moru had an excellent memory, and said, "Since you are on the second list, it's not just luck."

Yu Yao smiled, "Sanggong studied hard, we really caught up with good luck, otherwise, if those who marked the paper early were put on the list, Xianggong would not know where he would be squeezed."

Xie Moru smiled, "It can be seen that it is better to be down-to-earth."

"Yeah, Mr. Xiang is also a foolish man with a foolish blessing." Yu Yao has always been quick to talk, Xie Moru has always liked her, and left the young couple to have dinner at the palace at noon.

Jiang Xingyun came back at the end of spring and early summer, and brought Xie Moru a lot of Nan'an specialties. Jiang Xingyun smiled, "I heard about the earthquake in the imperial capital last year. I thought you would be fine. I was still worried for a long time."

Xie Moru smiled, "Everyone has their own destiny, this is not something to worry about, but people are not grass and trees, I also worry about you from time to time when you are outside." Ask Jiang Xingyun, "Winter in Nan'an is really as warm as spring Is it?"

Jiang Xingyun came back from a long journey. She was originally a high-spirited character, but now she is more cheerful and lively. Jiang Xingyun said, "Cold is not cold, but warm is not warm, like in Xining, the capital of the emperor, it is cold in winter. , It’s nothing more than sitting in the house and warming up. Although Nan’an is warm, it loves rain too much, and it doesn’t change one after another. I have to be careful about the furniture in my house, otherwise it will get moldy.”

Xie Moru smiled, "Is it so wet?"

"Absolutely." Jiang Xingyun changed the subject, "However, I also suspect that the reason why the women there are so beautiful may be related to the climate."

"It's also reasonable, the water is beautiful, the water is beautiful, these two words have a five-point watery meaning."

Jiang Xingyun first talked about the local conditions and customs of Nan'an Prefecture, and then said back to Su Buyu, "Master Su is so fair and handsome, and the women in Nan'an Prefecture are generous and tight, and there are often girls who express their love to Master Su in the past. At first Mr. Su didn't understand that when a girl gave him flowers, he would happily accept them, but someone who knew the customs reminded him that a girl's flowers are not given for free, and when Mr. Su returned them, it made him burst into tears."

Xie Moru said, "Buyu has always been a bit flirtatious." I don't know how Su Xiang's upright temperament can raise a son who is as unrestrained as Su Buyu.

"He has to dare." Jiang Xingyun smiled, "Su Buyu is not stupid, women in Nan'an are strong-tempered, but they are not as gentle as women in Middle Earth.

Xie Moru thinks so, not to mention Mrs. An, the senior who skinned her ex-husband by herself, but the Marquis of Nan'an looked majestic and stern, and after marrying his wife, there is no concubine, it is the fourth prince's mansion, the fourth prince's concubine has always been careful With a soft voice and good temper, the fourth prince sent away all the concubines who were around him in the past.Xie Moru couldn't help laughing, "It's true that the customs are different."

Jiang Xingyun went there and learned a lot, and had a good chat with Xie Moru, "Nan'an Prefecture is really a good place. Although it often rains, flowers and fresh fruits are constantly available in four seasons, and fish and shrimp are abundant. It's not like our Xining In autumn, there are no fresh vegetables to eat. Moreover, I have seen many people say that Nan'an is a place where foreigners live together. It is because these people don't know that Nan'an is rich in products. There are too many things to eat in the mountains. It’s not uncommon for us in the Central Plains to suffer from hunger when the year is bad. Nan’an is different. I think they go to the mountains to find some game. If it’s not good, it’s the culture. Learned, although they have their own characters and the historical records accumulated by the clan over the years, but in terms of cultural development, they are far behind us. Farming and weaving was only slowly learned after Mrs. An defected to the court. However, Nanan women Their hands are extremely skillful, and their embroidery is extremely fine. Men are born good hunters, and the most famous guard around Mrs. An is to choose strong men from the clan, and their combat power is extraordinary."

For lunch, Jiang Xingyun brought back Nan'an specialties. Jiang Xingyun regretted, "It's a pity that Nan'an is far away. Fresh food tastes better."

Xie Moru smiled, "Fresh has a fresh way of eating, and dried has a dried flavor. If things like mushrooms are suitable for eating fresh, they are generally tasteless after being dried. And some are On the contrary, fresh taste is tasteless."

"However, there is a kind of white mushroom in our grassland in Xining. It is a really good mushroom. Whether it is fresh or dried, it is extremely delicious. The best white mushroom can grow as big as a palm, and its color is like mutton fat. It is also called Jade Mushroom, the whole body is snow-white, like a rare treasure. Some people call it Jade Jade Mushroom because it sounds nice. This kind of Jade Jade Mushroom is not only very fresh in soup, but also stewed with pigeons, nourishing yin and nourishing lungs. If someone in Xining I have a cough and asthma, and I can eat the stewed pigeon soup with jade mushrooms for several months, and it will have a miraculous effect.” Jiang Xingyun smiled, “In Nan’an Prefecture, I also saw a kind of mushroom, which looks very similar to jade mushrooms, but the taste It is less than one ten-thousandth of the jade mushroom, and even cattle and sheep don’t like to eat it, so the locals call it the beauty mushroom.”

Xie Moru said, "This name is interesting."

The two talked and had a meal, and continued to talk until the evening, when Jiang Xingyun got up to say goodbye, and Xie Moru sent her out all the way, saying, "This one came back from a long way, let's rest for a few days first."

Jiang Xingyun smiled, "Although I came back from a long journey, I don't feel tired. I would like to take advantage of these few years to visit each other."

Xie Moru sent her to the gate, Jiang Xingyun got on his horse and said goodbye, and left with his entourage, Xie Moru stood in front of the gate for a while, a group of guards behind him did not dare to disturb her, but saw an ebony carriage from a distance Come on, Xie Moru's eyesight is very good, he saw that it was the fifth prince's carriage, so he continued to wait for a while, when the fifth prince got off the carriage, seeing Xie Moru, his face couldn't help but his face turned happy, he got off the carriage and held his wife's hand, smiling , "How dare you greet me personally, it's still a bit cold in the evening."

Xie Moru smiled, "Xingyun is back, I just sent her away."

"I'm pretending to be sentimental when I'm co-authoring." The fifth prince joked, "Miss Jiang has been here for a long time, probably more than half a year."

"Yeah, we've been talking all day. Although we can't go to Nan'an Prefecture, it's interesting to hear it." The two returned to Wutong Courtyard arm in arm. The fifth prince also washed and changed the majestic prince's clothes and changed into homely clothes. After dinner, the fifth prince said to Xie Moru, "Brother asked me to intercede today."

"Who are you talking to?"

"Yu Xiang."

"Yu Xiang?" This name is unfamiliar to Xie Moru, but he knows the Yu family. The imperial capital Beichanghou is surnamed Yu. The Yu family started from Beichang Mansion, and there are still children who hold important positions in Beichang Mansion. Thank you Mo Ru asked, "I heard that Concubine Zhao's mother was from the Marquis of Beichang. Could this Yu Xiang be a relative of the eldest prince?"

"It's the eldest brother's cousin, and he is also the reading companion of the eldest brother. Last time, the elder brother asked people to gossip about Miss Jiang, and Yu Xiang ordered them to do it." It's an air, after all, it's not hard-hearted, the eldest prince personally asked him to show mercy, this is really...

The fifth prince is busy with only one thing right now, Xie Moru guessed it right, and asked, "Has Yu Xiang also joined Chunwei?"

The fifth prince said, "Isn't that right. He used to be the companion of the elder brother, but because of that incident, the father ordered the elder brother to expel him, and he was not allowed to be by the elder brother's side. He is also. It is not easy to become an official. It is not difficult for him to find a real vacancy on the road. He just did such a sneaky thing, and the elder brother interceded with him while holding his sick body. I should not offend the elder brother. What about the errand of cheating in the examination room?"

Xie Moru asked, "Then how does His Highness answer the First Prince?"

The fifth prince said, "I said it depends on what the father wants, the face of the eldest brother is not to mention how ugly it is."

Xie Moru didn't take it seriously, "The folks also say that the new official has three fires, and it's the first time His Highness investigates such a big case, so be careful everywhere, and someone will find fault with you. If you are really partial to Yu Xiang Tomorrow, you must have a copy of the censor’s history to let His Majesty know, and His Highness’s job will not be long. If you are really afraid of wolves and tigers, then you really shouldn’t do anything.”

"That's right. I'm not worried that the job will not last long. I just think that I haven't done anything truly selfless for the country and the people in the past few years in the Ministry of Rites. Although this offends people, I don't want to just do it like this He gave up halfway due to favors." The fifth prince said, "It is natural for a child of a noble family to be able to take the imperial examination, but even if he does not take the imperial examination, there are still ways to get a job. If all the selected Chunwei masters are in the hands of officials and nobles, the road to poor families will become narrower and narrower. What's more, Chunwei was originally a grand ceremony held by the father to select talents from the world. Manipulated by these people, then what are the Jinshi selected by these crooked ways! If things go on like this, they will definitely develop a heart of fraud, hey, how many dynasties have corrupted officials and caused the world to be corrupted, so we must guard against it.”

The fifth prince was quite touched, mainly because he had a deep admiration for his father in his heart. Furthermore, the fifth prince honestly believed that the world belonged to his father, and what belonged to his father was their old Mu. Damn, someone poached the corner of old Mu's house, can this be tolerated!
It must be unbearable!
The fifth prince felt for a while, and felt that his elder brother was getting more and more confused.

The fifth prince has been disowned by his relatives, and even Xu Shangshu, the newly appointed Ministry of Rites, was implicated by the Chunwei case and failed to join the cabinet like his predecessor, Feng Shangshu. Therefore, after the death of Feng Shangshu, the cabinet assistant was made a minister early And Xie Shangshu, who had not been in the cabinet for many years, made it up.

However, when Xie Shangshu joined the cabinet, Xu Shangshu didn't have any intention of jealousy. The main reason was that Xie Shangshu was also one of the officials who risked his life to accompany the eldest prince back to the imperial capital when it came to last year's earthquake prevention. Like Feng Shangshu, who is not very old and has contracted the epidemic, Xie Shangshu, who also participated in the epidemic prevention work, is safe and sound. After Feng Shangshu died of the epidemic, according to Xie Shangshu's merits and qualifications, no one can compete with him for the position of the cabinet .

What's more, although the matter of Chunwei has nothing to do with Xu Shangshu, Chunwei itself is the most involved in the Ministry of Rites, and it is an inescapable responsibility no matter what.

For the great event of Xie Shangshu's entry into the cabinet, Xie's house must have wine, but the fifth prince did not go to Xie's house for a drink. Zhongzheng is busy, so there is no need to waste time for these trifles. Besides, there must be a lot of people going to the wine setting this time. His Highness is at the cusp of the storm, and it would be a lot of thought to go there. Wouldn't it be bad luck to meet someone who begs you to intercede again? "So, the fifth prince sent Xie Moru there, and then went to the yamen of the Ministry of Rites without entering Xie's house.

The concierge of Xie's family knew that there must be many visitors today, so he changed into new clothes early and waited at the door energetically. Yinghou, in the end, they had just greeted the fifth prince Xie Moru, and the fifth prince left without entering the door, but someone inside quickly went in to report, "The fifth prince, the concubine, is here!"

Of course, these words were reported separately, because the guests at the banquet, the officials and the guests naturally had to sit separately, so this news was reported by two people. Report back to Madam, the concubine is here." Then, the wife of the second sect sent a message inside, and then the female relatives knew that Concubine Xie was here.The other servant ran directly to the hall where the officials and guests were sitting, and reported directly, "Master, the Fifth Highness is here." If you don't come if you don't come, if you don't come, if it's not in your own house, Xie Shangshu will be able to think about what happened to His Royal Highness.The housekeeper, Xie Zhong, was clever, so he ran to the second door to ask his wife, and Xie Zhong's wife boldly told Mrs. Xie quietly. Mrs. Xie had just welcomed Xie Moru to take the main seat, and the whole family had just sat down. Mrs. Xie asked naturally. The main reason is that Xie Moru is her granddaughter. There is nothing that cannot be asked. Mrs. Xie said, "I heard from them that His Highness the Fifth Highness has also come, but your grandfather didn't see His Highness the Fifth Highness." .” What about people?
Xie Moru said, "His Royal Highness is busy with things now, and His Highness's current errand, which has been praised and slandered, is at an urgent time. Today is such a lively day, with many people coming, His Highness simply did not come in."

Mrs. Xie obviously also knew that the fifth prince was going to thunder now, and she smiled, "That's true, but it's not from outsiders. Since His Highness has an errand, it must be important." No need for Mrs. Xie's instructions, Xie Zhong's daughter-in-law also knows how to answer her husband up.

Xie Shangshu got the letter from there, and said to all colleagues who came to congratulate, "Your Majesty the Fifth Highness is strict, and you don't show favoritism." Therefore, anyone who wants to go his way should be avoided.

In Xie Shangshu's place, everyone naturally praised the Fifth Prince one after another.In fact, it is not in front of Xie Shangshu, as long as in front of the world, few people say that the fifth prince is wrong. The key is that everyone knows that what the fifth prince did is right, and it is a matter of great light. Of course, this It must be when your own interests are not involved.

It was Ning Jijiu, who had previously advised the prince not to speak out for the court case, but now Ning Jijiu is also ashamed.If not for anyone else, the ones who made the marks on the rolls were the students of Guozijian.

The prince regrets his wrist, just like Xu Shangshu lost his position in the cabinet. Ning Jijiu's official position is only from the fourth rank. Ning Jijiu's part-time prince Zhan Shi is the fourth rank. Not for anyone else, because of the winter blight last year, high-ranking officials such as Feng Shangshu unfortunately died of illness. Feng Shangshu's senior officials are naturally obvious, but in fact there is still a servant vacant in the Ministry of Rites, and this servant is not the former servant. He died, but the former servant Qin Chuan was promoted to the Imperial Academy to be the head of the academy, which vacated the position of the left servant, and then the right servant moved to the left servant, and the vacant right servant was vacant.The crown prince fell in love with this deficiency, and originally wanted to add strength to Ning Jijiu, but in the end, before the crown prince could speak, the Guozijian was also implicated in the fraud case of the examination room.Of course, Ning Jijiu didn't tell them to cheat, but, if your students cheat, can your principal shirk responsibility?
Even if Ning Jijiu wanted to shirk it, he still had to lose face in front of his colleagues and officials!
Ning Jijiu knew that he had missed this golden opportunity, so he said, "Since the case in the examination room has been revealed, I don't care about the assistant servant, I need someone who is honest and honest."

The prince said, "There is really no suitable candidate for a while."

Ning Jijiu said, "What do you think of Xue Baihe, Master Xue?"

"Xue Baihe?" The prince frowned, he had never heard of this person.

The crown prince has never heard of this person, but Ning Jijiu is familiar with him. Ningjijiu said, "Xue Baihe is of the same family as the minister, and his age is also similar to the minister. He was born as a noble scholar in the Imperial Academy. After editing, editing, and then appointing the head of the Ministry of Rites, he is now a doctor in the Ministry of Rites. His Highness the Fifth Highness cleared up the fraud cases in the examination room. Thinking about it, I will also value the wishes of His Highness the Fifth Highness."

The crown prince frowned again, "The doctor is no more than the fifth grade, and the servant is the third grade. Although the court is simple and eclectic, Xue Baihe has not seen high merit. With such a generous reward, I am afraid that the officials will be dissatisfied."

Ning Jijiu said, "I haven't seen Gaogong now, and it will be ready-made Gaogong after the case in the examination room."

The crown prince didn't like Xue Baihe, who had never had any impression of him. He said, "There is no rush for this matter. The cabinet must draw up a list first."

The prince thinks about himself, there is really no suitable person to replace the right servant of the Ministry of Rites. In fact, there is no suitable candidate among the officials who are close to the prince, but it is not lack of relatives who are suitable for official positions, but that would be too much How could the prince bring up the obvious selfishness in front of Emperor Mu Yuan?

The crown prince is not very happy here, and he can't help but feel that the fifth prince's battle is getting too big. If this continues, how many faces will the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty have to protect?
The prince wanted to persuade one or two, but this matter is in the hands of the father, he is not the eldest prince, knowing that he can't do anything, he has the cheek to run into a wall.

The eldest prince who had hit a nail was not very happy, it was not because of the nail that his head was swollen because of the nail. Compared with the position of Minister of the Ministry of War, the dust of this nail was finally settled, and the pain of the nail was not worth mentioning.

The eldest prince really didn't understand what his father was thinking. Just as a member of the Hu family was implicated in the imperial examination case, he rewarded the vacant minister of the Ministry of War to the Marquis of Nan'an!

This!This!This is the Minister of the Ministry of War!

The Eldest Prince has been working in the Ministry of War for these years, and he got along very well with the former Minister of the Ministry of War. Who knew that the former Minister of the Ministry of War had a short life, and his life was lost in the earthquake, so the post of Minister of the Ministry of War became vacant. It sounded fine, but who knew that his father had parachuted into the Marquis of Nan'an.

With such qualifications and status as Marquis of Nan'an, if he became Minister of the Ministry of War, wouldn't it be a hindrance to the First Prince!
The First Prince's feeling can no longer be described as "unsatisfactory", he almost wants to vomit blood now.

It's not just the eldest prince who wants to vomit blood, but the fifth prince who is being nagged by many people also feels the same way. He has been working until late at night, and even eats dinner at the Yamen. After finally returning home, he just had a sip of hot tea. He almost jumped up in shock from his wife's words.

Xie Moru didn't open his eyes wide open like the fifth prince. Xie Moru was always calm, so Xie Moru repeated, "Your Highness, Ling Shi is pregnant."

The fifth prince didn't respond for a full three seconds, but kept staring in surprise. Xie Moru was surprised and asked, "Your Highness, what's the matter?"

The Fifth Prince dismissed his maid and asked his wife, "Does she really have one?"

"Can this be false?" Xie Moru said, "What's wrong with you?"

The fifth prince rubbed his hands together, "Isn't that accurate, it will happen in one go."

"What time?"

Seeing his daughter-in-law pursuing the matter, the fifth prince felt a little uncomfortable on his face, and said vaguely, "It's nothing. Oh, it's getting late, let's rest too." The embarrassing fifth prince never wanted to do that in his life Again.

To say that taking Ling Xiao as a side concubine is one of the things that the Fifth Prince would most reluctantly do in his life.Although Ling Xiao was kind to him for saving his life, when the fifth prince was threatened by Ling Xiao, he only thought of it as repaying his life-saving favor, but he was unwilling in his heart.

Not to mention the bridal chamber that night, the fifth prince really wanted to go back to the Indus Courtyard to sleep, but Ling Xiao stopped him with a single sentence, "Your Highness is emptying my room, so everyone in the world will know that His Highness is lying when he says he likes me." what?"

So, the fifth prince didn't leave, but he didn't want to do that either.

Then, Ling Xiao said, "If Your Highness doesn't touch me, won't everyone in the world know that His Highness is lying when he says he likes me."

The Fifth Prince was about to say, "Don't repeat the same sentence twice!" In the end, Ling Xiao seemed to know what he was thinking, and added, "The maids and mothers are all waiting outside to serve you? "

You said you were angry with the Fifth Prince, and the Fifth Prince said, "Women should be more reserved."

Ling Xiao smiled lightly, the fifth prince is a person who takes responsibility, and Ling Xiao saved his life again, the fifth prince felt that, since this is the case, Ling Xiao wants to find a place to live in his backyard in peace, that's all. However, what happened next, the fifth prince would never want to recall it again in his life, and he really did not expect that Ling Xiao would really be pregnant.The fifth prince lay on the bed and sighed, "This child, alas, this child, this child must be more than three months old?"

"Almost four months."

"Then why didn't the imperial physician ask for the Ping'an pulse before?" The nobles in the palace all get the Ping'an pulse once every three days, the prince's residence dare not compare with the palace, and the masters and masters also get the Ping'an pulse once a month.Ximai is not a difficult pulse to diagnose, it can usually be diagnosed within two months.It is not the first time for the Fifth Prince to be a father, so there is still some common sense.

Xie Moru said, "Ling Xiao's body is a little weak, and he couldn't diagnose it before."

The Fifth Prince said, "Don't tell anyone about Ling Xiao's pregnancy."

"What's the reason for this?"

The fifth prince didn't want to say it any more, so he had to say it now, and said softly, "You don't know, she's not that, that, do you understand?"

"Which one?" Xie Moru really didn't understand.

Because he was talking under the covers, the fifth prince still lowered his voice, "Virgin. She is not."

Xie Moru never expected such a thing, said, "Isn't it?" Could it be that Ling Xiao had been with His Majesty before... Then what is this...

The fifth prince frowned, "Anyway, let's not talk about her pregnancy."

Xie Moru said, "You must be thinking too much, no matter how impossible it is like that. It is quite painful to see her, she must have gone through some things in the past."

"That's not what she told us before."

Xie Moru said, "At that time, she was only unwilling to enter the palace, and she did not hesitate to threaten His Highness with the favor of saving her life. Even if she told a few lies, it was nothing. Don't worry, Your Highness, I have ordered someone to investigate her details. It's time for people to come back."

The fifth prince didn't say anything here. Up to now, he would rather Ling Xiao had some ups and downs before, and he didn't want another guess.

(End of this chapter)