A Thousand Hills

Chapter 315

Regarding the selection of candidates for the Ministry of Justice, the fifth prince even asked the governor of Zhili, He Bohe, the governor. When Jingjiang went north, He Bo blocked Jingjiang from Zhili. Being the governor of Zhili is also meritorious.It's not that He Pu has any personal friendship with the fifth prince, but the fifth prince feels that He Pu, the governor of Zhili, is obviously more important than Mr. Li's governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. There is no reason to choose Governor Li over Governor He.

Of course, Governor He has been serving outside the country, while Governor Li has the experience of being a prime minister in the cabinet.

On this matter, Xie Moru reminded that the fifth prince pondered a thing or two, thinking that the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment is no small matter, and it will be years, and the two governors will come to the imperial capital to report on their duties, so there is no need to rush.

When the governors take up their duties before the new year, one is to summarize their local work, and the other is to congratulate His Majesty on the new year in advance.Anyone who can be a governor is a confidant of Emperor Mu Yuan.However, before the two governors arrived at the imperial capital, the fifth prince sent Zhang Changshi to send away the new governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Su Yusu. The Su family was pleasing to the eye, so Governor Su stayed in the imperial capital to attend the grandson's grand wedding before going to his post.Today, the grand grandson's wedding is over, and Governor Su will go to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to take up his post.

The fifth prince and Governor Su have also worked together for many years, but as a prince, he couldn't go to see him off in person, so Zhang Changshi did it for him.

Xiao Tang wanted to take his father's place, but he didn't want his father not to have to take his place, so Xiao Tang said that when his father was old, he would serve his father so that his legs would not be sloppy. In the end, being kicked by his father finally proved The fact that his father's legs and feet are very neat.Xiao Tang saw that his father only said some words about Su’s brother taking care of himself all the way, he felt that it was not kind enough, so he told Uncle and Aunt Su to take good care of him, and it was cold now, he knew that Governor Su was always very clean, although There will be no shortage of silver envoys, but there will be no luxury enjoyment.Therefore, Xiao Tang did not have any other presents, but gave Governor Su a newly installed carriage instead. The inside of the carriage was bound with furs, the couch was covered with cotton mattresses, and there were hidden compartments in the carriage for tea sets, fruit and other food. The small book box is built together with the carriage, and can store books inside and serve as a desk.Therefore, a small carriage can be called a small sparrow with complete internal organs.Xiao Tang said, "It's freezing cold here, so you need to prepare a good carriage. I took a taxi according to the little uncle's carriage, and it's very unremarkable outside, which fits your vision, Uncle Su. I also took a taxi. Give it to my dad."

Governor Su usually doesn't accept gifts from others, but Xiao Tang sincerely sent them, and he gave them in an aboveboard way, Governor Su said, "Thank you, nephew." He accepted it with a smile.

Governor Su gave a few more instructions to his nephew Su Fang, and then he left at the Ten Mile Chang Pavilion to bid farewell to everyone, boarded the car and left.

Su Fang is the eldest grandson of the eldest son, the grandson's concubine's father, and this time the grandson is getting married, the father-in-law will naturally come over.Xiao Tang didn't know Su Fang very well, seeing Su Fang looking at his uncle's leaving convoy with a worried expression on his face, he warmly comforted Su Fang a few words.

When Xiao Tang came here, he came with his father, but when he returned, he was in the same carriage as Zhang Changshi, and went to the Prince of Fujian's mansion together as an errand.Zhang Changshi asked how Xiao Tang's marriage preparations were going, and Xiao Tang smiled happily, "I'll just wait for my wife to come over." He also asked Zhang Changshi whether the wedding dress he sent to Zhang Sanlang still fit well.

Zhang Changshi smiled, "You have a good suit for nothing."

"It's not in vain. It's all thanks to Saburo to give me makeup reminder poems." When people get married, they have to match makeup reminder poems. Moreover, the makeup reminder poems must be written in a novel way. disgusted.Therefore, Xiao Tang specially invited two friends who are good at literature to deal with it. Although Zhang Sanlang is only a scholar, his literary talent is not inferior to that of Xiao Tang. Jun, so Xiao Tang asked him to be one of the eight envoys to welcome the bride.They are all working in the Prince of Fujian's mansion. Although Zhang Changshi is the head of the officials, he will not underestimate Xiao Tang. Xiao Tang has a background and can speak in front of the five princes and his wife. There is also an old man who is a minister. The brothers in the family are all officials, and the sisters all marry into the family of officials.In terms of family strength, Zhang Changshi's Zhang family committee really cannot compare with the Tang family.However, Zhang Changshi was lucky. He was accused of being the chief historian of the fifth prince's residence back then.Even for the sake of his descendants, Zhang Changshi is also happy that his son and Xiao Tang are of such good backgrounds, they are straightforward, their thoughts are never bad, and they are not such flashy dudes who have frequent contacts.

The two of them were talking, passing by the flower market in Nancheng, and when they heard the cries outside, Xiao Tang opened the car window and looked out, Zhang Changshi asked, "Are you here to buy flowers?"

Xiao Tang said, "It suddenly occurred to me that winter is the time for daffodils to bloom."

Zhang Changshi thought, not to mention the big family like the Tang family, even his family has a few pots of narcissus and wintersweet as bonsai in winter.Seeing Xiaotang looking at the flowers, Zhang Changshi, although old, is also a person who has been here, and he can understand what it means after a little thought. Zhang Changshi smiled and said, "Although this narcissus is good, it is not caring enough."

Xiao Tang hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by Uncle Zhang?"

Zhang Changshi asked first, "This is absolutely indispensable in your family. If there is no mistake, you think you want to buy it as a gift for the girl of the Tie family?"

Xiao Tang was quite impressed, "Uncle Zhang, you are really a genius." He praised Zhang Changshi's IQ very much.It is said that there are too many capable people around the fifth prince, such as Liu Fufeng and Li Jiujiang, who all became famous at a young age. Compared with these people, Zhang Changshi is famous for being safe, but in terms of IQ, he only has a sense of superiority in front of Xiao Tang. .Therefore, Zhang Changshi was very happy to give Xiao Tang an idea, "Instead of choosing from the flower market, why not just choose two from the bonsai in my nephew's house?"

Hearing this idea, Xiao Tang praised him greatly, and said straightly, "Uncle Zhang, this idea is really great." Immediately closed the car windows tightly, and when he was going home at night, he picked out a few pots of narcissus to give to his fiancée.He also teased Zhang Changshi, "Uncle Zhang, you are hiding your secrets. Back then, Aunt Zhang probably just liked Uncle Zhang because you were considerate."

"Back then? Not to mention back then, even now, your Uncle Zhang is as charming as back then." Zhang Changshi stroked his beard and blew on it.

Xiao Tang giggled, "Succeed, then tell Aunt Zhang to me that you were showing off your charm with the little girl outside."

Zhang Changshi almost choked, and said repeatedly, "Don't ruin my reputation, boy Tang."

Xiao Tang laughed straight away.

Zhang Changshi also made him laugh.

Xiao Tang would send things to his fiancée from time to time. Although it had been several years, every time Xiao Tang sent someone, Mrs. Tie felt indescribably at ease.Mrs. Tie's three girls, after the eldest son-in-law and the sixth prince's crimes, the second son-in-law Pingyuanhou Li Yu went to the front line after getting married, and they have not returned since the end of the battle.In contrast, the third son-in-law Xiao Tang has become Mrs. Tie's heart treasure.Seeing that her son-in-law brought four more pots of narcissus, Mrs. Tie also said that the two pots were for the mother-in-law. Mrs. Tie covered her mouth and smiled, looked at the narcissus first, and then sent the eldest maid to give them to her daughter.Turning around, she said to her husband, "Our son-in-law is considerate, our daughter-in-law is the most blessed thing."

There is no father-in-law who doesn't like a son-in-law who treats his daughter well.Although I feel that Xiao Tang's temperament is not material for making meritorious deeds, both the Tang family and his own family are well-established families. As long as the son-in-law is of good character, he can be a stable official at the time, and he will be harmonious and beautiful with his daughter for the rest of his life. A good match.Tie Yushi nodded, "He is a sensible person. Just look at it and pass the door. Don't always give things away."

Mrs. Tie annoyed her husband, "Look at what you said, it's not a valuable thing. The son-in-law is willing to give it away. It's a considerate person. Can we stop it? The young couple get along well, so life will go smoothly in the future. Hey, Otherwise, no matter how noble you are, I'm afraid you won't be able to follow your wishes." The second girl plans to go to Jiangnan to reunite with Marquis Pingyuan next spring, although Marquis Pingyuan is far away, Mrs. Tie is not worried, she knows that Marquis Pingyuan Yunu A very pale person.It is the eldest son-in-law and the sixth prince, who did the things first, which means that the eldest daughter is given a marriage and the royal family has nothing to do. Otherwise, if the second family is changed, Mrs. Tie will have to marry her daughter and divorce. Go away.Fortunately, now that the sixth prince is a little more sensible, and his daughter is open-minded, she is in charge of the inner chamber of the sixth prince's mansion, otherwise how would she live.In comparison, Little Tang is not as noble as the Sixth Prince, and Li Yu is not as capable as a young man to be a Marquis. When it comes to being considerate, the Sixth Prince and Li Yujia are no match for Little Tang.Mrs. Tie is the mother-in-law, whoever does not love Xiao Tang.

Even when the second daughter, Mrs. Pingyuan Hou, went back to her natal home to help Sister Zhang Luo's marriage, Mrs. Tie couldn't help mentioning something to her second daughter. Mrs. Pingyuan Hou laughed, "It can be seen that the elder sister is a matchmaker."

Mrs. Tie smiled and said, "That's right, after your sister passes through the door, all my worries for the rest of my life will be settled."

The eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lin, personally brought back tea for the second sister-in-law, turned around and sat down and said with a smile, "The third younger sister is going to marry her grandson and daughter-in-law, and she will marry her granddaughter. I'm afraid my wife will still have endless troubles."

The second daughter-in-law, Fang Shi, has been in the house for a short time and is also a smart person, so she joked, "After the grandson, there is a great-grandson, and after the great-grandson, there is a great-great-grandson." Madam Tie laughed again.

Mrs. Tie is happy that her son-in-law Xiao Tang is a caring person, but Mrs. Tang is slightly jealous. After all, Mrs. Tang is the most sensible person, and she hopes that her son and daughter-in-law will be well, but Xiao Tang is the youngest son. He was born in the forties of the general, and he was the most worried about him, and the second person was older, and his temper was unavoidably stubborn.Mrs. Tang saw her son delivering things to his daughter-in-law every now and then, and she sighed with her husband, "I think Xiao Wu would like to send himself to the Tie family."

Tang Ji listened to his old wife's chatter, and smiled patiently, "Delaying the girl's youth for several years, if Xiaowu doesn't hurry up, who would be willing to ask the girl to wait like this. Besides, it has been settled long ago, With the status, it's not bad to move around more, Xiaowu is in her twenties, this marriage, the two of us can live well, and we should give birth to a grandson."

When her husband said this, Mrs. Tang immediately became happy again, saying yes again and again, and said, "I also hope that they will get along well." When it came to Miss Tiesan's dowry, Mrs. Tang discussed with her husband, "I condemn it." The matchmaker went to ask, and the in-laws said that it looked like thirty to forty thousand silver." Not too little, but not too much.It's not that they are jealous of their daughter-in-law's dowry, it's just that, as parents, the Tie family has a very good family background. Mrs. Tang hopes that the daughter-in-law's dowry will be generous, so that it can be passed on to her grandson in the future, and her son will also benefit from it.

Tang Jidao, "The in-laws have always been officials in the imperial capital, and the eldest girl was the concubine at first. Compared with the dowry of other concubines, it can't be too little. The dowry for a daughter-in-law is also quite a lot, so let's use the amount of [-] silver A dowry."

Mrs. Tang also agreed, thinking about subsidizing her younger son more in the future.

Just after Xiao Tang passed the engagement ceremony, Governor He of Zhili and Governor Li of Shaanxi and Gansu arrived in the imperial capital one after the other to report on their duties and pay respects.Both of them were Jane's ministers in the emperor's heart. After seeing His Majesty that day, Emperor Mu Yuan kept meals, and it seemed that he couldn't make a decision for a while.

When the fifth prince was with the imperial court, Emperor Mu Yuan first asked the prince about the candidate for the post of Minister of Justice. In the past few years, Ximan invaded the border every year, and Governor Li also made great achievements in the war in Xining. Jiang Shilang has been in the Ministry of Criminal Justice for many years, and he is most familiar with the affairs of the Ministry of Criminal Justice." Although the crown prince asked Governor Li, the imperial court replied, but It is very fair and without any bias.

Emperor Mu Yuan knew what he was thinking, so he asked the fifth prince. The fifth prince had already had his own ideas in his heart, and he was not a smooth-faced person. Said, it is the old man of the Ministry of punishment. Governor He and Governor Li are both capable ministers, no matter who is the Minister of the Ministry of punishment, it is very suitable. To say what is different, Governor He has always served outside, and Governor Li has always served in the court. He was an official, and he had served as a minister at that time, and he had been in the cabinet as a minister, and then he was released as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu."

The fifth prince spoke for Governor Li, and the prince couldn't help but look slightly sideways.

Emperor Mu Yuan didn't say much at the time, and five days later he decreed that Li Jun, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, should be promoted to minister of the Ministry of punishment.

Now that the matter has been settled, He Pu has little regrets, but his four-year term as Governor is coming to an end, and Emperor Mu Yuan has allowed him to stay on as Governor of Zhili, which is also a kindness.If there is a vacancy for the emperor within four years, He Bo still has a great chance to make a further step.

Since Li Jun was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Su Yan, the eldest son of Prime Minister Su, assumed the vacant post of governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. In this way, the Su family has one family, one prime minister, and two governors. It goes without saying that the lintel is prominent.

The Su family is so famous, the crown prince has nothing in common with Su Xiang, and now that the two families are related by marriage, they should try their best to get as close as possible to Su Xiang.It's just that Su Xiang is busy with state affairs, even if the prince wants to get closer, Su Xiang doesn't have much time.

The fifth prince said, "It's not easy for the Su family." The fact that his emperor's father rewarded the Su family so much had something to do with the loyalty of the Su family in the chaos in the south of the Yangtze River.The Su family is a big family in Huizhou. During the chaos in the south of the Yangtze River, other families can surrender Jingjiang, but other families cannot.If the Su family doesn't surrender, King Jingjiang will inevitably take advantage of his family. Except for the Su family who are officials outside, the Su family has suffered heavy losses in Huidi.Therefore, the fifth prince didn't have any objections to rewarding the Su family so much.What's more, the fifth prince was thinking that the prince's wife's clan, the Duke of Wu's mansion, is not doing well now, so his emperor's father should find a capable wife for the grandson to help.

Thinking about it this way, the fifth prince felt a little depressed again. He murmured to his wife, thanking Moru, "The defeat of the Wu family is due to the positioning of the family that Wu Guogong gave to his family. It can be said that Wu Guogong's methods are not bad. Since ancient times, There has never been a reason for the crown prince to go on tour when he is still alive. Wu Guogong forcibly accomplished this, and his means can be seen. But such means are still death and war, and the family is in ruins. The title is still vacant, what is the reason, has your Highness thought about it?"

The fifth prince said, "It's not that Duke Wu is fighting for power with the Marquis of Nan'an. If he hadn't been too ambitious, there would be no chaos in the south of the Yangtze River." Speaking of Duke Wu, regardless of the political stances of the two parties, the fifth prince doesn't want to see him for the things that Duke Wu has done.Daughter-in-law, don't you ask this knowingly?

Xie Moru, on the other hand, poured a cup of hot milk tea and handed it to the fifth prince, and continued, "But why Duke Wu wanted to fight for power with the Marquis of Nan'an, isn't it because he was eager to let the prince do meritorious service? Forgive me To be honest, this Duke Wu didn't put his heart on the court from the beginning, he put his heart on the prince, and was anxious to let the prince make meritorious deeds and consolidate the reserve, otherwise, with the methods of Duke Wu, he would not be able to cast This is a big mistake. Your Highness feels that what I said is reasonable."

"Of course it makes sense." The fifth prince sipped the mellow milk tea, and then heard Xie Moru continue, "Wu Guogong forgot that although he is the father-in-law of the prince, he is also a minister of the court. Therefore, he died and lost his reputation. Family. Your Highness must not treat Su Xiang and Wu Guogong as equals. Su Xiang is no different. Su Xiang has been the crown prince and tutor these years. He is not trying to persuade the crown prince to take the grand road. Therefore, although the Su family has a daughter as the grandson concubine, But I believe in the Su family, first as His Majesty's loyal ministers, and then as the in-laws of the Eastern Palace."

The fifth prince was only on the edge of his horn for a while, and after hearing his wife's explanation, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Yes, Prime Minister Su is different from that foolish man like Duke Wu after all."

Xie Moru said to the fifth prince again, "Your Highness, don't forget that Xiao Su from Governor Su's family is still our Shiro's companion, and His Highness has also worked with Governor Su for many years, so what?"

That's right, his family has long been related to the Su family.The fifth prince finally opened his mind and said with a smile, "Hey, a big family has many relationships. You're right, it all depends on people's hearts."

Speaking of the dazzling variety of relationships in the imperial capital, Xie Moru suddenly thought about Xie Lan's release, so he told the fifth prince, and the fifth prince said, "Now there is a lot of shortage in the south of the Yangtze River, why doesn't Alan go to the south of the Yangtze River?" There are few people and the weather is not very good.

Xie Moru said, "This is exactly what I want to discuss with Your Highness. Originally, the Marquis of Beichang also asked Alan to go to the south of the Yangtze River, but later changed his words, saying that there is a vacancy in Jinyang County under the Beichang Mansion. I was thinking , Beichang Hou’s Mansion originally started from Beichang Mansion, and the Yu family is now a Wang family in Beichang Mansion. This suddenly sent Alan to Beichang, could it be that there is something wrong with Beichang Mansion?”

The fifth prince thought for a while, "I haven't heard of it? Could it be that the Marquis of Beichang felt that there are quite a lot of people in Beichang Mansion, so they can take care of Alan."

"All the promising members of the Yu family are either in the imperial capital or sent out to be officials. Those who stay in their hometown are mostly mediocre children. Who will take care of whom? Let me tell you, Your Highness should pay more attention to the affairs of Beichang Mansion. If you don't It's good for Alan, I'm afraid the Marquis of Beichang won't instruct Alan to release him to Beichang Mansion."

The fifth prince knew that his wife was more careful than himself, so he responded sternly, intending to find some official documents from the Beichang Mansion to read, and said, "I remember that every year the old lady of the Xie family would send someone to give a New Year's gift. Is anyone coming?"

Xie Moru smiled, "I come here every year, but this year's annual ceremony hasn't arrived yet. When the people over there come, I'd better ask."

The fifth prince bowed his head and said to Xie Moru, "Yesterday, my father asked about thanking my son-in-law. I think what my father means is that he intends to thank my son-in-law for returning to the imperial capital to take over Honglu Temple."

Xie Moru's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is there any vacancy for the Minister of Honglu Temple?"

"Li Siqing is in his seventies, and he takes sick leave for half a year. Right now, Ximan, Beiliang, Nanyue, Zhennan, Sihai and other countries have a lot of affairs. It's impossible to have no capable person. Princess Yi'an I have been released for many years with Xie Consort, and it is appropriate to serve as the minister of the temple."

Xie Moru said, "It's good for my second uncle to come back when my grandfather is retired."

While the couple were talking, Governor He came to visit. The fifth prince smiled and said to his wife, "That year I went south secretly and was almost stopped by He Pu in Zhili Mansion. Somewhat Buddha-like."

Xie Moru thought of He Bo's name, chose a Bo word, afraid it was related to his appearance, couldn't help laughing, "Then let Uncle Zhongyong meet Master He."

The fifth prince waved his hands again and again, got up and said, "That's all, lest Uncle Zhongyong live in the Taoist temple again."

Xie Moru had another laugh.

(End of this chapter)