A Thousand Hills

Chapter 184

Even though the fifth prince burned the evidence presented by the Xu family in the style of a feudal lord, Governor Tang also felt that the fifth prince was a charismatic, considerate subordinate, and worthy of following and serving.Therefore, Governor Tang asked for an interview in private, intending to explain to the young vassal the political situation that affects the whole body. We have to be cautious before we are cautious.

The governor of the Tang Dynasty is old, and when a person is old, there are many things that have happened. Speaking of ancient times, it is endless. Joy, "It's a big event, His Majesty ordered the world to be exempted from taxes for one year. Even if His Majesty ascended the throne, he didn't have this kind of grace. The veterans are old, they have years, and there are grandsons, because it is still useful, an old bone It is also a blessing for veterans to be loyal to His Majesty and the prince. After all, there is an old saying among the people that if you don’t raise children, you don’t know your parents’ kindness. Parents, what do you hope for? They're too peaceful."

If the fifth prince can no longer understand what Governor Tang means, then he has a problem with his IQ. The fifth prince said, "Father is the one who decides, and I'm just talking about our Fujian affairs with my father. The old man Tang, you are sympathetic to your father, but I think that when your father is in the imperial capital, all you know and hear is from our memorials. My father sent us down to govern a place, if we are all different because of affection, my father To tell you the truth, what is the feeling in the father's heart? Even we have failed the trust of the father. Regardless of whether we have managed the place well, there are all capable people in this world, and we are not necessarily Top-notch, but you have to tell Father the truth, even if Father thinks we're not suitable, he knows what's going on in this place, so he can arrange suitable people."

After a pause, the fifth prince continued, "How can I not know your good intentions, Old Tang? I also know that I will offend people as soon as I write this secret booklet. But, I have to write and tell the truth." The fifth prince has Persistence of young people.

Governor Tang said softly, "It's easy to talk about other things, but the same thing, the old minister must persuade the prince, does the prince think that your majesty doesn't know about the closure of the household department?"

"Officials from other places go to the household department to ask for money, and they always have to get one or two at the household department. This is a common practice in the officialdom, and I know it. How can the father not know it. But they withhold 20 of the [-] silver, and this will not happen. .Not only that we can’t do it here, but even if we change it to another place, it won’t work. If they don’t do things like this, their hands are too dark.” The fifth prince didn’t feel sorry for himself, he felt sorry for his old Mu’s family.

Governor Tang thought, King Min is really a child at heart, and what's more rare is that most people with a heart of child are stunned, but King Min is a man who can advance and retreat well and has a good sense of proportion.However, such a well-measured King of Fujian will inevitably commit the same problem as a stunned head. Governor Tang said earnestly, "The Ministry of Households is nothing more than a villain's troubles. If His Highness uncovers this matter, won't it implicate Dong Gong? The relationship between Your Highness and Dong Gong It's not something ordinary people can compare with!" Governor Tang tried hard to persuade the fifth prince, although the fifth prince is good, after all, he is only a vassal king of one place, and now he is in power, even if the fifth prince says something inappropriate, it doesn't matter .But when the East Palace ascends the throne in the future, it is inevitable that he will have a grudge against the Fifth Prince.Of course, Governor Tang's persuasive persuasion also meant that he didn't want to offend Donggong.After all, it is impossible for the fifth prince to talk about the Ministry of Household affairs with empty words, and he will definitely be required to attach a document as proof.Governor Tang can achieve the high position of governor, not for himself, but also for his children and grandchildren, so naturally he doesn't want to offend Donggong.

The fifth prince disagreed, and the fifth prince said, "Others will think that I offended him. The prince will never do this. Think about it, my lord. In the future, when the prince ascends the throne, the country and society will belong to the prince. How can the prince not look forward to it?" What about Jiangshan Changlong? I have been brothers with the crown prince for many years, the crown prince is a very good person and considerate of his subjects, so he was deceived. If this happens, the crown prince will not tolerate it."

Governor Tang is dying of anxiety, alas, this stupefied young man!There are some things that Governor Tang can't say. Of course, the crown prince will take care of the country, but the crown prince has not yet ascended the throne!

The fifth prince said, "Old Tang, please write down the matter of transferring the money first, and I will make a secret document and pass it up. Don't worry, the emperor can see this matter. Besides, we don't have any actual evidence, and The prince is not involved in the matter. It’s just that if the Ministry of Households really has this matter, they must not let them continue. If there is no such matter, it’s not bad to be vigilant. I’m not doing it for Fujian, I’m thinking, in this world, Except for the imperial capital, they are all other places, and this trend cannot grow. I am not doing it for myself, so what good does it do me. It’s just that I know that I can’t do it and I don’t know.”

Governor Tang sighed, "My lord understands everything, but this old minister is timid and ashamed."

"Everyone has a family. Old Tang, if you can tell me this, you are quite courageous." The fifth prince said seriously, "You are a good official, I know it."

Governor Tang's old heart honed in the officialdom for decades was touched by the fifth prince once. Governor Tang saw that he couldn't persuade the fifth prince. to the position of governor.But it is clear that Governor Tang is not lacking in determination. Governor Tang said, "The prince is dedicated to the people, and the old minister is willing to follow him."

Because the two were talking in private, Governor Tang said softly, "My lord must explain this matter to the East Palace carefully."

"Ah."

In fact, although the fifth prince didn't want to admit it, the prince probably didn't know about it.But the prince has been in charge of the household department for many years, even the fifth prince can only excuse one or two things for the prince, if he says that the prince does not know, even the fifth prince will not believe it.The prince is not an idiot, how could he not know!

However, the fifth prince didn't understand. He said to his wife, "At the beginning when the mansion was divided, we brothers all had the same division. The royal mansion and property are the same. If our family can live well, the prince's life will certainly be too. Yes. I really don’t understand, if this matter is related to the crown prince, what does the crown prince want the money for?” The fifth prince works in the Ministry of Rites, if he says he never took a tael of silver from the Ministry of Rites, that’s not true.Zilai Bing respect charcoal respect is also a common practice in the yamen, he is in charge of the Ministry of Rites, if he does not take these filial respects, the subordinates dare not take them.So, he also took it, but that's all.

The fifth prince's daily life is not extravagant, except for the exchange of favors, the family spends money, and money is enough.The nobles in Tianhuang are not short of money, what are they doing with this money?what's the point?
"Silver naturally has its uses. The affairs of the world are mostly related to money." Xie Moru whispered, "Actually, let me tell you that the Crown Prince is not necessarily the one who wanted the money. The Crown Prince was in charge of the Household Department at the beginning. , how can we win people’s hearts? For example, at first the household department’s oil and water was 1000 taels, but when the prince took charge of the household department, the household department’s oil and water increased to 3000 taels. This is a real benefit. If so, who would not What are the benefits of thinking about the prince?"

"How can there be such a foolish thing!" The fifth prince said anxiously, "Jiangshan was brought down by grandfather's hard work!" They belonged to the old Mu's family!Prince, isn't the prince allowing others to dig the corner of his own house!

Xie Moru calmly reminded, "The prince was not a prince at that time." Not to mention the prince, no one needs the support of others, Emperor Mu Yuan also needs the loyalty of his courtiers.

For the rest, Xie Moru didn't say anything, the fifth prince would know it too, and if the prince was not the prince, if he used this method to gather the people in the household department, it would be impossible to change it when he became the prince.On the contrary, to set this precedent, I am afraid that the people in the household department think that with the acquiescence of the prince, they will intensify their efforts.And the local officials, waiting for the Ministry of Households to release the money, naturally have to arrange it, even if the cost of handling it doubles, because the Ministry of Accounts is the prince's territory, no one wants to offend the current prince or future emperor.I'm afraid that the local officials are only paying tribute to His Highness the Crown Prince. Of course, it is impossible not to pay tribute to the East Palace because of the benefits the Ministry of Household has gained.

Who would think too much money?
However, the fifth prince still couldn't help sighing, "I always feel that the money of the imperial court should be taken from the people and used for the people. The collapse of the previous dynasty was all due to the corruption of the court. Everyone said that the last emperor of the previous dynasty was so stupid In fact, to be honest, he is not particularly stupid. The previous dynasty had this fate, one was that the government was corrupt, and the other was that the power of the feudal town was too large, and the king was overpowered by his ministers. The monarchy did not exist. These two were not caused by the common people. Yes, from the previous dynasties to this point, the reason lies in the officials. So I feel that governing the country and the vassal state is not only about governing the people, but also about governing the officials. Especially officials, they must carefully consider their own character and ability. Officials Well, send them to the place, and the place will be good. If the officials are bad first, and they only know how to steal the land, how can the world not be chaotic."

The fifth prince sighed once, and went to bed early.

The fifth prince could still sleep, but Emperor Mu Yuan couldn't sleep well after receiving his fifth son's secret booklet and family letter.

The fifth prince actually wrote quite euphemistically, but no matter how euphemistic, as he said, since he knew it, he had better not tell his emperor father.For an emperor, the truth is a thousand times more important than whitewashing the peace, as long as the emperor is not too stupid.

Emperor Mu Yuan was not self-deceiving, since his fifth son said a few days ago that most of the ordnance given to us by the Ministry of War in Fujian was unqualified, and there were also things like replacing old ones with new ones.This is not just what the fifth prince said by himself, and the secret statement of the generals of Fujian was sandwiched between them. In particular, the fifth prince did not hide anything for Fujian. The prince talked to Emperor Mu Yuan.Fortunately, Emperor Mu Yuan got old, and when people got old, their temper eased.Faced with this incident, although Emperor Mu Yuan couldn't help being angry, but after being angry for a while, Emperor Mu Yuan didn't say anything, and first ordered someone to investigate quietly in the Ministry of War.Now the Marquis of Nan'an is the Minister of the Ministry of War. Of course, the Marquis of Nan'an has been in charge of the Minister of the Ministry of War for a short time. The former Minister of the Ministry of War was unfortunately killed in the earthquake the year before last. Emperor Mu Yuan ordered Marquis Nan'an to fill in the vacancy of the Minister of the Ministry of War.When Emperor Mu Yuan checked, Zhen Nima was furious.Because Emperor Mu Yuan considered himself a peerless good father, since his sons had grown up, in order to train them, he assigned his sons to the six divisions for training.When the prince is in the Ministry of War, it is equivalent to placing an immediate boss on the head of the Minister of the Ministry of War.

The First Prince had been in the Ministry of War longer than the Marquis of Nan'an. The fat and water department of the Ministry of War, such as the Military Selection Department, was in charge of the selection, promotion, succession, and bestowal of military officers. Just hearing this function, you can tell what a fat and watery government office it is.There is also the Department of Arsenal, which is in charge of the country's military registration and military affairs, and it is a fat and oily department.Therefore, the First Prince firmly held these two departments in his palm, and no one could touch them.Although the Marquis of Nan'an has a high title, he is not comparable to the status of the First Prince.Therefore, the Marquis of Nan'an seldom took care of the affairs of the Wuxuan Division and the Arsenal Division. He was in charge of the Staff Division, the Vehicle Driving Division, the Jifu Office, and the Huitong. It sounds like four places, but the oil and water of these four places add up. It can't compare to a military selection department.

To say that Emperor Mu Yuan didn't know that his eldest son was keeping a close eye on the key departments of the Ministry of War would be to open his eyes and talk nonsense.Emperor Mu Yuan was his own father, so it was inevitable that he had some selfishness, and naturally favored his son.Emperor Mu Yuan didn't know if Hou Xiao of Nan'an knew about this idea, but no matter whether Hou Xiao of Nan'an knew it or not, Hou Nan'an was not stupid anyway, and he didn't argue with the eldest prince.Eldest prince, you can do whatever you want, anyway, Wanli Jiangshan's surname is Mu, not Hu.

The Marquis of Nan'an was able to become a Marquis as a young man, so naturally he would not be a fool.

They don't fight for anything, and Nan'an Hou is the cousin of Emperor Mu Yuan, and he is a rare person who understands, so now Emperor Mu Yuan really can't let his cousin take the shit out of the Ministry of War for his son.

The fifth prince handed over the secret book, mainly because he considered that this matter was related to the face of the royal family. The fifth prince was very loving as a father and son. , the fifth prince used the secret book very cautiously.This move gave his father plenty of room to investigate, and kept the matter within a controllable range without embarrassing the First Prince too much.Although the eldest prince was sprayed by Emperor Mu Yuan for more than half an hour, his waist was swollen from his knees, and his military post was taken away, but it must be said that it was the fifth prince who was merciful and secretly told his father with a secret book, Only the eldest prince can save his face.

Well, all the errands were taken away, face and so on... Even if Emperor Mu Yuan didn't show up publicly, but the Military Selection Department and the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War were purged one after another, as long as they were not blind, they would know what was going on.

The eldest prince, it is even more impossible for the eldest prince to be grateful that his fifth younger brother handed him a secret booklet. At this moment, the eldest prince wished he could swallow the fifth prince alive.This damned old fifth thought he was a good person, but who knew that when he arrived in Fujian, he would bring out all the old things from thousands of years ago and sue him for crimes!what!The prince's dog leg!

The first prince hated the fifth prince so much that his teeth were itchy, and he preached to Zhao Lin, Zhao Shi, who never left him, "The fifth thought he was so good, when he built the Tangquan Palace for his father, he spent 100 yuan in three months. Wan Yinzi, I don't believe there is nothing tricky here!"

Zhao Lin was shocked when he heard the tiger's body. Of course, Zhao Lin was born tall and tall, not a tiger's body, but what the first prince said shocked him so much that Zhao Lin lost his former composure and blurted out, "One million taels of silver? Who did Your Highness hear?"

"The fifth prince said it himself!" The eldest prince consciously grasped the fifth prince's handle, and said, "I have ordered someone to investigate, and he didn't use gold to practice the palace. If he didn't get greedy ink from it, I can't believe it anymore. of!"

No one knows Zhao Lin's inner feelings at the moment, because Zhao Lin quickly regained his composure, and then told the first prince, "Your Highness, please immediately withdraw the manpower. The Fifth Prince only used [-] silver to build Tangquan Palace. Your Highness, don't give it to others." Lied! If you pin this nonsense on the fifth prince's head at this time, what will His Majesty think!"

"What! Ten thousand silver coins!" The eldest prince was taken aback, and blurted out, "What is that enough for?" At that time, Tangquan Palace was dilapidated, so even ten thousand silver coins would not be enough!
Zhao Lin was extremely calm, "I have already inquired about this matter. Tangquan Palace was just a little old at the time, that is, there were palaces to be rebuilt, and the existing wood, stone and jade materials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were used, as well as some craftsmen. It was true that only [-] yuan was used at that time." His majesty rewarded the five princes and craftsmen for the money in their early years, and the total amount was no more than [-] silver."

The eldest prince hated it even more, and gritted his teeth and scolded, "Fifth son of a bitch! You lied to me!"

(Heaven and earth conscience, the fifth prince knew that he had to complain for himself. He just stretched out a finger at that time. Who knew that his elder brother was so imaginative, he thought it was 100 million!)

Zhao Lin looked at the eldest prince in silence for a while, then he lowered his head and picked up the delicate white porcelain tureen, and took a sip of tea leisurely and calmly. The eldest prince said, "Don't just drink tea, Shi Yu, you should think of a way for me." .”

Zhao Lin said, "Your Highness is so indeterminate, the minister has the best method, I'm afraid His Highness won't be able to use it well, so it's better not to say it."

The First Prince really trusted Zhao Lin, and said quickly, "Who said that! As long as you say it, I will do anything!"

Zhao Lin sighed softly, and Fang gently put down the white porcelain tureen, his voice was neither high nor low, revealing a kind of confident elegance.Zhao Lin said, "Your Highness, forgive me. The situation is not very good for His Highness now. His Majesty knows about the matter of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and the Crown Prince will not let go of the opportunity to hurt His Highness. If His Highness is not cautious, the consequences will be disastrous. Just like Your Highness sent someone to investigate the Fifth Prince's restoration of Tangquan Palace, if His Highness rashly went to His Majesty to expose this matter, what would His Majesty think of His Highness? Your Highness, you are so impulsive!"

The eldest prince was dejected, "I can't sit still. The Cui family can't say anything now, and now the emperor has rejected me, what can I do? As you said, the prince still doesn't know how to speak ill of me."

Zhao Lin smiled slightly, "Your Highness is wrong. If the crown prince is smart, he would not go to blame His Highness right now. Instead of saying it, he should persuade His Majesty. You and Dong Gong are brothers, and Your Majesty is a father. How would you like to see brothers fighting each other! So I said, Your Highness don't have to worry about the prince, if the prince hurts you, it will definitely cause your majesty's dissatisfaction with the prince, so your highness can take this opportunity and use the strategy of mourning soldiers to go Your Majesty admits his mistakes and repents in front of him, His Majesty will be sympathetic."

"So I still have a chance!" For the first time, the eldest prince hoped that the crown prince would quickly throw stones at him!
Zhao Lin sighed softly, "The prince also has advisers, how could he let the prince do such a wrong thing. As far as I know, the prince has been serving His Majesty these days, and he has said good things for His Majesty a few times, and it is also true. charged His Highness."

The eldest prince's face became more and more gloomy, and he sighed, "If it were me, I would not let this golden opportunity go."

"Your Highness, please don't be blindly depressed. Please listen to my analysis for Your Highness. Your Highness is in such a situation. Right now, there are three things that His Highness must keep in mind: First, His Highness must seriously reflect in the mansion. , but you must not make any unnecessary moves! Second, Your Highness must not say a word about the fifth prince, and you must be grateful to the prince! Third, let the noble concubine in the palace take good care of Su Concubine, and you must not be negligent in the slightest!" Zhao Lin said in a deep voice, "These three things can make His Majesty understand that His Majesty is truly repentant!"

The First Prince is not generous, but his IQ is still within the normal range. Although he is annoyed at the Fifth Prince for putting him in this situation, he knows what Zhao Lin said is right.The eldest prince said, "Si Yu, since you said so, I will do as I wish."

Zhao Lin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Highness, bear with it first, so we can plan other things."

The First Prince said, "I just don't understand why the Fifth Brother would harm me like this. Although we had some disputes in the past, it wasn't a big deal after all. He harmed me like this. Apart from pleasing the East Palace, what good will it do him?"

"The Fifth Prince is not necessarily trying to curry favor with the East Palace." Zhao Lin said, "The situation in Fujian must be more severe than what we have seen. Your Highness, don't think that what the Fifth Prince and His Majesty are talking about is just about weapons. If it wasn't revealed to the Fifth Prince, how would they dare to say that the Ministry of War is wrong. The things in the army, the weapons, food and grass, are the easiest to tamper with, and the easiest to cause accidents. Your Highness is now being punished by His Majesty, but the matter of Fujian, It is definitely not a star and a half. The military department is not clean, His Highness guesses, is the household department clean?"

The eldest prince was shaken, and Zhao Lin said in a low voice, "The matter of the household department has been criticized by local officials for a long time, and remote and impoverished areas in Fujian are the hardest-hit areas for embezzlement by the household department. There is no need to be urgent, Your Highness, now is the time to cultivate one's morality."

The eldest prince whispered, "Old Fifth is the hard-core dog leg of the Eastern Palace, even if the Eastern Palace is not clean, he will definitely hide it for the Eastern Palace."

Zhao Lin smiled, "It depends on our means."

Zhao Lin's method is that there are indeed some people who are afraid of the status of the East Palace and dare not speak up, and officials in Fujian do not dare to speak up, and they will let the Fifth Prince know.There is a problem with the ordnance, yes, the Ministry of War is not clean.Alas, the world is as black as crows, fifth prince, if you want to be a white crane, you can get a bowl of water to be flat.

The eldest prince listened to Zhao Lin's advice, and the Xu family was also panicking about the fifth prince's investigation of the military affairs in Fujian, so the eldest prince pointed out a "clear way" to Boss Xu, "The fifth younger brother is the most clear, and this king can't speak now." , It’s just that the fifth brother is not a heartless person, he won’t blame you too much if you make atonement.” It means, you should turn yourself in.

The Xu family didn't know what kind of thinking it was. His family was close to the emperor's eldest son's mansion recently, and his business directly touched the northwestern Jin region from his hometown in Fujian.Anyway, patriarch Xu wanted to show a high profile from the capital, but the fifth prince didn't play his cards according to the routine.result……

result……

It turned out to be exactly as Zhao Lin said, after the fifth prince got his elder brother into the hole first, the crown prince was full of good words about the fifth prince, thinking that the fifth brother was really a good brother, and he was being filial to his former father, and he followed suit. I fell into the pit.

As far as the First Prince is concerned, Emperor Mu Yuan was angry, but it was far less than the anger that the Ministry of Household Affairs gave Emperor Mu Yuan.Emperor Mu Yuan was so annoyed that even Prime Minister Su called for a reprimand, annoyed that Prime Minister Su, as the chief assistant, was unaware of the affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs.Apart from pleading guilty, Su Xiang didn't say a single word of defense, and even wrote his resignation paper when he returned home.

Fortunately, Emperor Mu Yuan might approve Prime Minister Su's resignation letter.

Emperor Mu Yuan was furious, just like the five princes who wanted to be the boss. The eldest prince, who will be a local vassal in the future, has some selfish intentions. It is understandable to take advantage of digging the corners of the imperial court in the imperial capital. After all, the eldest prince has always been a little confused.But prince, why are you!

Emperor Mu Yuan couldn't figure it out to death, the crown prince of a country, in the future thousands of miles of land and mountains will be yours, why do you let these bastards withhold money from the court!It is said that it was embezzlement from the local government. Isn't the money given to the local government from the imperial court?The local officials are not your servants?Are the local people not your people?

Alas, you are still divided into three, six, and nine grades. You will pay a lot for those in the imperial capital, and those who are related to you and who can speak to me here, just take care of it a little.Those who are not close to you and are not very conspicuous here, you will take the lead. What do you mean?
Since the emperor was good at making up brains, and Emperor Mu Yuan was good at making up brains, the consequences...

Not so serious!

Regarding the fact that the Fifth Prince cheated the First Prince and the Crown Prince one after another, those who are well-informed feel, oh, what's wrong with you, Your Highness, King Min?Did you eat something unclean in Fujian?How can you not think about it!

(End of this chapter)