A Thousand Hills

Chapter 303

Xie Moru sent someone to her mother's house at night, Mrs. Xie was quite worried, wondering if there was something important, otherwise, according to Xie Moru's heart, she would rarely send people over at night.But the nanny in charge who came over to deliver the message said, "Whenever the old Shangshu is free, I will go over there." Obviously, this is not too urgent.

After dismissing the nanny who sent the message away, Mrs. Xie discussed with her husband, "What's the matter, Ma'am?"

Xie Shangshu was not deaf and blind, so after a little thought, he made a guess and said, "It's about Yuxi."

The wife of Mrs. Xie's family, the news was a bit slow, and she was startled when she heard the words, "Yuxi?" The fifth prince has not yet sat on the crown prince, so why did Yuxi happen again?
"Oh, there are some rumors in the emperor's capital that the fifth prince found the Jade Seal of Chuanguo in King Jingjiang's treasury." Xie Shangshu told his old wife.

Mrs. Xie asked, "Really?"

Xie Shangshu frowned and said, "At first I thought it was real, but since my mother told me to go over, it seems to be fake."

Mrs. Xie was very worried, and said, "It's like this before His Royal Highness comes back. It's really not good for people to live. You can go tomorrow, don't make your empress anxious."

Xie Shangshu comforted his old wife, "Don't worry."

Xie Shangshu is an important minister of the cabinet, it was already late that day, and the next day he had to go to the court to govern, so he couldn't get away, so he went to the fifth prince's mansion after leaving the office in the evening.Xie Moru asked Xie Shangshu to go to the study to talk, the grandparents and grandchildren were divided into guests and hosts, and when the maid came to serve, Xie Moru dismissed the maid in the room, Fang said, "It must be rumors about the jade seal of the country, grandfather also knows about it?"

Xie Shangshu didn't hide it, and said, "If the empress hadn't sent someone over yesterday, I would have thought it was true."

Xie Moru was quite puzzled, "Could it be that King Jingjiang really has the Imperial Seal?"

Xie Shangshu was silent for a moment, as if he was wondering where to speak. He pondered for a while, collected his thoughts, and then slowly opened his mouth, saying, "The theory of passing on the jade seal of the country did not start from the Jingjiang Palace. Back then, when the British government rebelled, there were It is rumored that the British Crown Prince presented the long-lost Jade Seal of the Kingdom."

Even though she had guessed earlier, Xie Moru still couldn't hide her astonishment when she suddenly heard about it, she said, "Is this really true?"

"I was in a small job at the time, so there were rumors, but whether the British government has obtained the Jade Seal of the Kingdom, I don't know if it is true." Xie Shangshu said.

Xie Moru has always been perceptive, she said, "But after the British government's affairs were ruined and the family was wiped out, the family ransacked their homes. If they copied the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom, the imperial court would not keep it in secret." Imperial jade seal?
Xie Shangshu sighed, "Your Majesty, when the British government confiscated the house, His Majesty was not yet in charge." At that time, it was Princess Fusheng who was in charge.

Xie Moru's eyebrows jumped, "Grandfather said that if there is a jade seal passed down to the country, it may fall into the hands of Fu Sheng? However, after the death of Fu Sheng, I don't believe that His Majesty has not searched Fu Sheng's mansion. I still say that, if Your Majesty Copying the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom from the Fusheng Mansion, it is absolutely impossible not to reveal it to others. At that time, His Majesty had just taken charge of the government, and if he had the Jade Seal of the Chuan Kingdom in his hand, he would be able to prove that he was orthodox. "

Xie Shangshu appreciates Xie Moru's calm attitude and rational thinking very much. An outstanding politician must have such qualities. most correct leads.Xie Shangshu said, "Let's talk about the death of the Fusheng first. It's not like the British government was ransacked and wiped out. The Fusheng died very suddenly at that time. Many people suspected that it was related to His Majesty. I don't think so. Of course the Fusheng had his own fault, but His Majesty is willing to respect her after her death. Your Majesty and the Assistant Saint also have aunts and nephews. Including the old minister who taught His Majesty homework back then, and Xue Emperor who was able to get close to His Majesty. If the Assistant Saint insisted on not allowing it, Your Majesty There is no way around it. The assistant saint passed away at night, and her female officer only found out at Maochu on the second day, and when she reported to the palace, His Majesty found out that it was Chenchu."

Xie Moru couldn't help asking, "Why did you delay for so long?" The female official Maochu was not surprised to find out about this, probably because she noticed something was wrong when the assistant saint woke up, but why did she delay for an hour before reporting to the palace?Even if Princess Fusheng returned to Emperor Mu Yuan at that time, it was not just a matter of cats and dogs. She passed away suddenly, and the people in Princess Fusheng's mansion would not dare to delay reporting.

Xie Shangshu concealed, "The female officials from the Fusheng Mansion reported to the palace, and the queen mother was in charge of the palace at that time."

Xie Moru knew that even if he didn't want to, Emperor Mu Yuan was a famous filial son. As soon as this filial son took office, he immediately helped his biological mother to the throne of the Queen Mother. Fan's.As for those who are not pleasing to the eye, it is simply the lowest trick in the palace.The corner of Xie Moru's lips curled into a sneer, and he commented, "It's really not enough to accomplish anything, and it's more than a failure."

Xie Shangshu sighed, "The empress dowager lost the phoenix seal of the harem." At that time, Emperor Mu Yuan had no match, and Empress Chu was dead, and Empress Hu was the queen after her death, which meant that there was no queen in the harem.The back seat is empty, and the Phoenix seal is supposed to be in charge of the queen mother, but the cabinet is very dissatisfied with the empress dowager Hu's delay in the funeral of the assistant saint. Emperor Mu Yuan must have realized that his old mother is not capable of taking charge, so he handed over the Phoenix seal to the two noble concubines Zhao Xie hand.

Xie Moru has no sympathy for Queen Mother Hu at all, such a confused and incompetent person is a burden wherever he goes.Xie Shangshu continued, "It's already the middle of the day when His Majesty sends the Marquis of Beichang and Master Li to attend the funeral at Fusheng Mansion. I don't know if anything happened or was lost in Fusheng Mansion during this time. Or, before Fusheng committed suicide, no one knew if he had made any arrangements. That is, where did the rumored Royal Seal of England go? The home is the home of the duke. If one gets this thing, who would dare to hide it in the mansion? If it is in the Jingjiang King's place, it is not surprising at all. You know, the British grandparents were originally from Fujian. The Duke of England may not have made some arrangements. Back then, there were collateral children who fled to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to take refuge with King Jingjiang. Even Princess Fusheng, King Jingjiang is also her mother's brother. Did she suddenly think about something wrong? What……"

"If Jingjiang had this thing, why didn't Jingjiang show it to the world when he rebelled and became king?" Xie Moru raised doubts again.

Xie Shangshu smiled wryly, "Madam, the first issue of passing on the Imperial Seal was in the British government. Most of the senior officials like the old minister knew about it. If Jingjiang said that the Imperial Seal was in his possession, then he would be a thief of the British government. Otherwise, it is confirmed that Jingjiang colluded with the British government in the rebellion."

"It's strange that my grandfather didn't come to ask me after hearing the rumors about the imperial capital." It seems that Xie Shangshu really thought that the Jingjiang Palace had the Imperial Seal.

"I thought this rumor was released by the empress." Xie Shangshu said, "The rumors originated from Wendaotang, and everyone in the world knows that Wendaotang has a great relationship with His Highness the empress. It can be seen that the man who devised this rumor is very scheming."

Even an old fox like Xie Shangshu would think that it was the rumors that the Fifth Prince's House invited him to spread... Xie Moru temporarily pressed the rumors, and said, "Grandpa, think about it. Back then, it was said that the British government had passed on the imperial seal. How did I know? If I were a British Duke, I would not be able to keep this thing as a secret? How could it be known to outsiders?"

Xie Shangshu obviously has a good memory, and for the sake of his descendants and family, he has nothing to say in front of Xie Moru.Xie Shangshu said, "This matter involves a lot. Your Majesty also knows that when the first emperor passed away, he was still young. On the top, the Empress Dowager Cheng was in control, and on the bottom, King Jingjiang was watching. Because of their high merits, they are all hereditary duke titles. In order to protect His Majesty's position, the late emperor married the auxiliary saint to the British prince to have three sons. This marriage was also to consolidate the authority of the auxiliary saint. It was Empress Dowager Cheng who was afraid Due to her own selfishness, Empress Dowager Cheng abolished the establishment and sent Jingjiang to the throne. When Empress Dowager Cheng passed away, Princess Fusheng relied most heavily on Duke Ying and Duke Ning, both of whom founded the country together with the late emperor. The heroes, although there were occasional quarrels, but under the mediation of Princess Fusheng, they lived in peace. The change of the matter was caused by the death of Ning Guogong. When Ning Guogong died, His Majesty was 14 years old. Ning Guogong was in very bad health. Before he passed away, he said that His Majesty had grown up and could begin to choose a concubine. Princess Fusheng agreed to this and ordered the selection of ladies to prepare for concubines and fill the harem for His Majesty. But, Duke Ning passed away before the matter of concubine selection started." Hearing this, Xie Moru couldn't help but smile, Duke Ning's move was obviously to sell to His Majesty for the sake of future generations.Seeing Xie Moru's expression, Xie Shangshu couldn't help but smile, such political means are of course not worth mentioning in the eyes of the grandfather and grandson, and it is hard to say whether Ning Guogong's step is right or wrong.Of course, the political direction is naturally correct, but the Ningguo government offended the British government because of this, and the entire family was wiped out, leaving behind Liu Fufeng's grandmother, the current Mrs. Wang.Xie Shangshu continued, "Mr. Ningguo's move is to allow His Majesty to take charge of the government as soon as possible. During the years when Princess Fusheng was in power, it seems that Princess Fusheng's skills are rarely matched by others. The dynasty has been at each other's horns for many years. Once Ning Guogong died, his son's talent was quite insufficient, not to mention that there is still three years of filial piety, and the Ningguo Duke's mansion is bound to decline. Fusheng Princess has begun to let His Majesty learn how to handle government affairs. The British government is extremely dissatisfied with the government of Pingguo and Weiguo, who believe that Princess Fusheng is deliberately suppressing the Fang family."

Xie Moru said, "Princess Fusheng is probably to protect the British government."

"The authorities are obsessed, and the bystanders are clear. It's always like this." Xie Shangshu nodded, "There was a battle at Xining Pass back then. The reason why Wang is young and abrupt is probably because of the British government. I was also young at the time, and I mostly heard about it later. Let me say that the rift between the British government and the Fusheng was caused by one incident. She married the third son of the old British duke, and the old British duke had the eldest son, but the eldest son died suddenly, and in the end, the title of the eldest son fell to the second son. In this way, the succession of the British dukedom is not the turn of the assistant saint But at that time, the secondary saint was very important, and the prince of the British prince was paranoid."

Xie Moru was shocked, "Fu Sheng still has a son?"

Xie Shangshu said, "The assistant saint has one son and one daughter."

Xie Moru said, "Could it be that the Prince of England only suspects that the Fu Sheng wants to grab the title of Duke of England for his son, not that the Fu Sheng wants to seize the throne?"

Xie Shangshu shook his head, "If you don't know the children of Fusheng, you may think so. Fusheng is very talented. In fact, the second son and daughter of Empress Dowager Cheng, except for Princess Ningrong, are all very talented. However, The Fusheng's children are not like the Fusheng, but more like Fang's son-in-law. Speaking of which, Fang's son-in-law is really a good person. Fang's son-in-law is very proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but he doesn't like worldly affairs, but he often treats others with care It won't interfere with government affairs. Your uncle and Fang's son-in-law carved it out of the same mold. He listens to the piano and composes poems all day long. It's enough to be a talented person." With this kind of temperament, being an emperor is nothing.

Xie Moru didn't like to hear this very much, and asked, "How did the Duke of England get the Imperial Seal?"

Xie Shangshu said, "This matter, as far as I know, was originally mentioned in a testament to His Majesty by Duke Ning Guo."

"It's so vicious!" Based on this matter, Duke Ning's family is not wronged by the British Duke's death, Xie Moru said, "Even if it is a legacy, your Majesty will not believe it all?"

"It's more than that." Xie Shangshu said, "It is said that not only this incident was written in the relic, but also the British government's private opening of gold and silver mines, private money, smelting weapons, and training private soldiers. Gold Both the silver mine and the private soldiers have been proven to be true." From Xie Shangshu's point of view, it is not injustice for the British government to be wiped out, and it is not a case of courting death.

"Is it possible to infer that the jade seal of the country is true?" It is also a routine method to put lies in the truth, true and false.

Xie Shangshu sighed softly, "At that time, His Majesty was still young, and he trusted his uncle's family very much. Originally, Your Majesty showed the Fu Sheng privately about the legacy of Ning Guogong, and the Fu Sheng discussed with His Majesty for a while. His Majesty trusted his uncle's family and told the matter to the former Marquis Cheng En. Who would have known that such snobbish people would not think of His Majesty's grace at all, and they secretly joined the British Duke when they heard that the British Duke had passed down the imperial jade seal. The matter was leaked to the British government. Otherwise, the British government might not have rebelled, and Princess Fusheng might not have turned against the British government. Most of the world’s affairs are broken in the hands of villains. In the matter of breaking up, she immediately launched an attack to destroy Duke Ning's family. Afterwards, the Duke of England stepped up every step of the way. Then select a daughter from a famous family for His Majesty, marry into the Duke of Chu, and choose a concubine to fill the harem. After a few years, His Majesty has successfully taken charge of the government, and no one expected that the Fusheng would suddenly commit suicide."

Xie Moru looked down on the matter of Fu Sheng's suicide, she said indifferently, "It is impossible for people to predict everything."

Xie Shangshu sighed, "You don't know about the old things back then, that's about it." After finishing speaking, the old fox felt a sense of relief.

Xie Moru raised his hand and took out a piece of plain white paper from under Chen Xiang's ruler, took out a small wolf pen from the pen holder, listed several important events one by one, then asked Xie Shangshu the year when each event happened, and finally gave Xie Shang Shu looked at the table corresponding to the year and events, Xie Shangshu nodded, "It's all right." But he didn't know what Xie Moru was going to do.

Xie Moru asked, "Grandfather, what is the origin of Master Xue, does grandfather know?"

Xie Shangshu said, "He was originally a native of Qingcheng Mountain. When he was young, his parents died due to the war. He grew up in the Taoist temple of Qingcheng Mountain. He was very talented since he was a child. He had read Taoist classics at the age of 12. The real master of the Taoist temple intends to train him to take over. In the Taoist temple, by chance, I met the old Yongyihou who went to the temple to offer incense. The old Yongyihou is the grandfather of the current Yongyihou. At that time, the old Yongyihou was training in western Sichuan. Although he was a general, his favorite meeting in his life People who study. Seeing that the little Taoist priest is extraordinary, he said it was a pity to be in the Taoist temple. At that time, Emperor Xue was also young, and he thought he had a youthful heart, so he followed the old Yongyihou down the mountain. The old Yongyihou He invited a famous teacher. He won three yuan in a row in just six years, becoming the youngest champion since the founding of our dynasty, and thus won the emperor's heart. He was still young at that time. Speaking of it, Emperor Xue is only older than this year Four years old, much younger than the old man. At the time, the old man was also conceited that he had no talents, and it was almost embarrassing to argue with him. Only then did he know that there are people outside of people, and there is God outside of heaven."

"Emperor Xue is four years older than His Majesty. In other words, the year that Emperor Xue became the number one scholar was the year that Duke Ning died. I wonder when Duke Ning died?"

Xie Shangshu said, "It was the twelfth lunar month of that year." Because Ningguo Duke's funeral was extremely grand, Xie Shangshu remembered it very clearly.

"I don't know what year Emperor Xue was appointed as the emperor?"

"It was also in this year that he won three awards in a row in the [-]th high school, stunning the imperial capital. His Majesty had a great chat with him. At the beginning, he often asked him to talk about poetry and painting together. It was around May or June. Lin, who taught His Majesty Confucian classics, The scholar of the University became an official due to illness, so His Majesty named Emperor Xue to fill the vacancy. Probably because Emperor Xue was young, and many people in the court were dissatisfied, so there was a debate in the Xuanwen Hall, and the old man was also debating the scriptures with Emperor Xue at that time It’s a pity that one of them lost to him.” Many years later, Xie Shangshu mentioned this matter with a lot of emotion, “After the incident of the Xuanwen Palace debate, Master Xue’s reputation became even better. Eloquence and learning are first-class in the world. Today's people call him the same name as Jiang Beiling, but it is not an insult to Jiang Beiling."

Xie Moru asked very carefully, "Aside from giving lectures to His Majesty, has Emperor Xue held any other official positions?"

"His official positions are all in the Imperial Academy. In fact, until Emperor Xue became an official, he was only a fifth grade. However, His Majesty trusts him very much. If the empress suspects that he has made great efforts in His Majesty's personal administration, there is no need to doubt it. For sure, although I don't know how Emperor Xue planned for His Majesty, His Majesty still has never forgotten him since he took office for many years, and the rewards are generous, which shows that he is in His Majesty's heart." Although Xie Shangshu is not as good as Xue Dishi , but the old fox who can sneak into the cabinet should not be underestimated.

Xie Moru asked, "When did he become an official?"

"One month after His Majesty came to power, he accepted the invitation to become an official. His Majesty tried to keep him, but refused to allow him to take up the official position. He finally hung up the crown and went back to Mount Qingcheng. Since then, he has never set foot in the imperial capital."

Xie Moru said indifferently, "Flick off your clothes when it's over, and hide yourself and your name."

After a pause, Xie Moru asked again, "How is the relationship between Ning Guogong and Emperor Xue?"

Xie Shangshu said, "Back then, Emperor Xue's demeanor overwhelmed the entire imperial capital. He had a certain quality. For example, the government of Ningguo and the British government could be regarded as rivals, but both Dukes of Ningguo and British were very appreciative of his talents. At that time, Duke Ning's birthday was on the seventh day of June, and Duke Ying's birthday was on the eighth day of June. Both of these two Dukes were important officials in the court, and their birthdays were close to each other. In China, half of the people must go to Ningguo Mansion for a drink, and half of them go to the British Mansion to celebrate birthdays. When Emperor Xue entered the imperial capital and won the first prize, he went to Ningguo Mansion on the seventh day of the lunar new year, and went to England on the eighth day of the lunar new year. The Duke's mansion. If it were someone else, the two Dukes would probably be incompatible with each other, and neither of them said that he was a bad word. Moreover, the empress also knows that every big family's birthday is definitely not For a day's business, those who start serving wine three or four days before the official day, those who can entertain guests on the official day are all distinguished guests favored by the master. The two princes are both military generals. Back then, Emperor Xue was a As a civil servant, although he was a big hit at the Xuanwen Palace Debating the Classics, and he is also good at learning, but without the support of the two Dukes, I am afraid that he would not be able to be the emperor's teacher."

Xie Moru smiled slightly, "From what my grandfather said, it's true that he doesn't look like a mortal, but looks like a god."

Xie Shangshu did not hesitate to praise, "Emperor Xue became famous at a young age, and the demeanor of Emperor Xue at that time was comparable to that of a god."

(End of this chapter)