Emperor's Trophy

"Master Hou returned to Beijing with Zhou's caravan. It turned out that the king of Qingyang County happened to go there to handle some family affairs. He heard that Master Hou was training there in winter, so he invited him to dinner. Knowing that he was going back to Beijing, Lord Hou invited him to dinner." Yang Zhuo went back to the capital with him, the caravan had guards, the county king was afraid that it would be unsafe, so he specially invited escorts from the Yangwei Escort Bureau, and the journey was safe."

"I heard that Hou Ye saw fresh fish transported by other convoys on the road, and he deliberately paid a high price to buy them for His Majesty, but they didn't sell them."

"Ask what's wrong along the way, Simo next to Lord Hou said that the fox fur that Lord Hou was wearing was gone, and it was newly made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it was only worn this winter. I didn't dare to ask in detail, I just guessed that Lord Hou usually doesn't like to wear outer robes and thinks it's cumbersome, maybe he was pulled on the Qingyang County King's car, so it's not easy to ask. There is also a bottle of Baohe pill missing, so asking Lord Hou I just said it was given to someone else. The condition of the inn on the road is not good, Lord Hou probably didn’t have a good rest, and the car that followed King Qingyang fell asleep all the way.”

Mo Ju lowered her hands, and reported to Ji Bingyuan carefully.He had been with Ding Dai for a long time, and he knew that the emperor would not tire of bothering about Zhao Xinhou's matter. The report must be detailed. Don't think that you don't report it because it is a trivial matter. No matter how small it is, if you know it, you should talk to the emperor. report.

Ji Bingyuan's expression remained unchanged: "Got it." He took the unapproved note on the table, came over, and flipped through it. It was Cheng Enbo's greeting note. He just arrived in Beijing today, so he hurriedly handed over the note to the emperor, and then Pleading guilty for the two grandchildren, admitting that the housekeeper is not strict, and the supervision of the descendants is not enough.In addition——I brought the silver perch, which was the emperor's favorite food in the past, and hoped to send it to Guanglu Temple for the emperor to taste.

Ji Bingyuan counted the days, then turned to ask Mo Ju: "Did the Marquis of Xining treat guests at his own house today? I remember he was at Lianhua Hutong, right?"

Mo Ju hurriedly said: "Yes."

Ji Bingyuan nodded and circled the booklet, then turned her head and said: "Words have passed to Cheng Enbo's mansion that I will go to the uncle's mansion to have dinner tonight. Uncle Guo's intention to send fish from thousands of miles away cannot be taken lightly."

Mo Ju quickly complied, and Ji Bingyuan downplayed: "The family banquet doesn't need to be fanfare, just a modest service. Let Gao Xin bring a few people to follow. After dinner, I happened to drop by to Xining Hou Mansion to pick up Zhao Xin Hou back to the palace."

Mo Ju knew that eating fish would be the way to go, and that it would be serious to take Master Hou back to the palace, but he still responded neatly: "Yes."

Sitting in the flower hall, Cheng Enbo asked the housekeeper, "Have the booklets been delivered to the palace?"

The housekeeper laughed along with him: "Early in the morning, he ordered people to guard the gate of the palace. As soon as the eunuch who collected the papers came out, we handed them in."

Cheng Enbo nodded, and said to the three brothers and sisters Tan Wenwei, Tan Wenbao, and Tan Zhen in front of him: "Everything that happened since you entered Beijing, from the loss of the birthday gift, is ten to five, tell me in detail. once."

Tan Wenwei was ashamed, stood up, and began to talk about saving the woman, and then started from the beginning in detail.

When it came to Zhao Xinhou who brought Long Xiangying to investigate the case, he suddenly interrupted: "According to what you said, Zhao Xinhou was actually quite polite to you before, and Commander Gao handled business as usual. Later, when you were anxious to question, instead It's Zhao Xinhou who turned cold, and Commander Gao has been smoothing things over?"

Tan Wenwei said: "Yes, we misunderstood before, thinking that Commander Gao is really here to handle the case... Zhao Xinhou is here to sit in the town, a son of an aristocratic family, but his resume is gilded."

Cheng Enbo's face was unwavering: "You guys are thinking wrong, Long Xiangwei only listens to the order of the Holy One, and when Zhao Xinhou can command them, it has already explained that Zhao Xinhou is the main one to handle the case."

Tan Wenwei felt ashamed, and said a few more words, Cheng Enbo asked again: "Cheng Enbo has no successors, is this what Zhao Xinhou said?"

Tan Wenwei nodded.

Cheng Enbo nodded: "This is speaking from the perspective of the emperor. It is a pity that you, as the mother of the emperor, should be the emperor's best help and most trustworthy subordinates. Unexpectedly, you are so incompetent and ignorant. You will not be able to do so in the future." To share the emperor's worries, you think he is deliberately embarrassing and satirizing you, he is indeed narrow-minded."

The faces of the three brothers and sisters were red and white, and they were very embarrassed. Cheng Enbo asked Tan Wenwei to continue talking.

After finishing the case and returning to Beijing, the emperor gave him a banquet, but he didn't come out in the end.

Cheng Enbo said: "You didn't tell me about this. The emperor is not such a casual person. Even if he doesn't come, he will at least let Gao Commander and Zhao Xin wait. It is not difficult for the clan to accompany the guests."

Tan Wenwei said: "Afterwards, I was rewarded with some compensation." Then he talked about being reprimanded for participating in the literary conference, and asked King Hejian and Zhao Xinhou to inquire.

Cheng Enbo said: "The King of Hejian is not wrong about this matter. It is indeed the emperor's usual style. It is called reprimand, but it is actually protecting you and deterring other people who want to attack you. Zhao Xinhou did not scold you wrong, Lu After the duke confiscated the house, I also ordered you to keep a low profile and keep a low profile, you just don't listen to me."

Tan Wenwei explained in a low voice: "We went to Beijing for a few days, and we didn't even meet the higher officials, and we didn't see any errands. We also felt busy and didn't know what to do next."

Cheng Enbo said: "The sage's oral instructions are very clear, so you should study hard. It's a pity that you still have official faults."

Tan Wenwei looked ashamed: "It's the children's fault. At that time, it was a common practice to give each other printed poems and essays after the literary conference. I never thought that they would be so careless and never hide it. Under the feet of the emperor, they can still make such a mistake... ..."

Cheng Enbo reprimanded: "It's all like this, and you still think it's just such a simple matter that you haven't evaded? The whole process of secret interrogation, no confession, all 23 books were destroyed, [-] people were hanged by the chief envoy, and more than [-] people were exiled." , All the craftsmen were enslaved by craftsmen households. The King of Qin wrote a letter to cut down the vassal and withdraw the army, and abolished a county prince. Do you think it's just because you haven't avoided it?

Are you a fool when you think that old fox, king of Qin?Self-folding wings for no reason?There must be something terrible and fatal behind that book of poems!At the time when the envoys from various countries were present on Longevity Day, the King of Qin would cut off his tail to survive!You are lucky enough to be able to elute, you really have to thank the emperor, thank Zhao Xinhou! "

The faces of the three brothers and sisters all changed slightly.

But Cheng Enbo suddenly asked again: "Then Zhao Xinhou, is he already eighteen years old? Have you ever been married?"

Tan Wenwei shook his head: "Never married."

Tan Zhen stepped forward and said, "Granddaughter heard from the granddaughter of Duke Lu's family that Taifu Qu intends to betroth his granddaughter to Zhao Xinhou, but after entering the palace, Miansheng never mentioned it and only said that the child is still young."

Cheng Enbo's face was slightly surprised: "Teacher Qu? That's the emperor's teacher, and the emperor didn't agree?"

Tan Zhen said: "I have met that granddaughter of Taifu Qu, she is very talented and has a very good appearance, I heard that Taifu Qu loves like a pearl, because of this, no one who knows anything about it dares to tell Zhao Xin Hou Ti kissed."

Cheng Enbo was thoughtful, and then said: "The case of the disappearance of the Marquis of Xining's daughter was first handled by Zhao Xin, but in the end it was Ding Dai, who is next to the emperor, sitting in the Dali Temple to try it himself. Do you understand this?"

Tan Wenbao said: "Because the matter is top secret, the emperor trusts Eunuch Ding more?"

Cheng Enbo shook his head: "You are wrong. The literary prison has never been regarded as benevolence in all dynasties. The emperor refused to let Zhao Xinhou get the name of cruelty, and the servant took charge of it. Afterwards, Zhao Xinhou was asked to come forward to intercede for the dignitaries and civil officials involved in the case, which is to give Zhao Xinhou a good person again."

He glanced at the three grandchildren, and said meaningfully: "Including before, when Zhen'er disappeared, the emperor was smart, so he must have guessed that what you encountered was not a simple matter of losing a birthday gift, but a matter involving the mother's clan. He sent Zhao Xinhou to bring the emperor Jian went to deal with it because he trusted him the most. Sure enough, he dealt with it very well. The gangsters were killed without trial. No matter how the court criticized him, there was nothing they could do about him, because everyone knew that the emperor was standing behind him. .”

"Marquis Zhaoxin handles any case at random, and King Qin can withdraw his vassal. King Xunyang was abolished. King Hejian was the most popular candidate for the crown prince. He kicked him dizzy and injured him. When he woke up, he wanted to write a letter to cover all his crimes. Come here, you should also know that Marquis Zhao Xin can't be messed with, yet you still look down on him again and again."

"Your majesty treats us with deep affection and righteousness. Zhao Xinhou's words and deeds are actually the emperor's warning to you. You haven't seen it yet, and you think it is Zhao Xinhou's arrogance. You are too stupid. .”

Tan Zhen suddenly stepped forward and said, "Grandfather, my granddaughter has something to say."

Tan Zhen stepped forward, repeated what she said to the two brothers the day before yesterday, and said, "My granddaughter thought to herself, now that our family is in decline, why should we bet on these decades? I think the Holy Majesty It seems that there is no special favor for the King of Hejian. Thinking about it, he is in his prime, and he will only suppress doubts about the Crown Prince. If we are really in a hurry to get married, in the heart of the Holy One, we will become more and more estranged with us. Listen today It was only after my grandfather spoke that I realized that since we came to Beijing, the emperor has loved us deeply and is responsible for us, since the holy family is still here, why not seek more?"

Cheng Enbo looked Tan Zhen up and down for a while, he didn't expect her to have such ambitions, Tan Zhen looked back at her grandfather with burning eyes, ever since she knew that she would die of illness if she lost her virginity, she had lost her illusion about his grandfather's old warmth.There has always been only benefits. If she can't get enough benefits, if the Hejian County King can't be the heir, grandfather will just regret marrying for nothing and get a good bargaining chip. As for what will happen to him in the future, who will care?

She had to seek greater benefits for herself and make her bargaining chip even heavier.

Cheng Enbo pondered for a while and said: "Will An Zhezi come back and see what the emperor has to say."

The grandfather and grandson were only halfway through their conversation, when suddenly the butler trotted in from outside, with a happy expression on his face: "Uncle, there is a letter from the palace that the emperor will come to the uncle's mansion in disguise tonight, and have a family banquet with the uncle."

Cheng Enbo and the brothers and sisters of the Tan family were overjoyed instantly, and Cheng Enbo's eye circles turned red in an instant, he suppressed it forcibly, and his voice trembled slightly: "Quickly, please tell the cook, if you cook the fish, you must show me the menu first."

"There is still the hall to be cleaned up. Later, internal servants and internal guards will come to check the security of the station, arrange money and rewards, and fully cooperate."

Cheng Enbo turned his head and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. Your Majesty, you really still have nostalgia for your mother clan!

All the people in the uncle's house were happy and honored, and they all rushed to get busy immediately.

Sure enough, not long after, Gao Xin brought his bodyguards over to step on the site and set up security. Cheng Enbo came out to greet him in person: "Commander Gao."

Gao Xin hurriedly greeted with a smile, Cheng Enbo took Gao Xin's hand and said, "Last time my granddaughter was rescued by Commander Gao Zhou Quan, and I haven't been able to thank you in person, but today I have to trouble you to come and run this time in person. "

Gao Xin smiled and said, "No matter how thank you, I'm just doing my job according to the order, and it's all thanks to Marquis Zhaoxin."

Cheng Enbo said: "I was about to say that I should also thank Zhao Xinhou, but my grandsons are dull and young, and they bumped into Zhao Xinhou at that time, and now I have no idea, and I want to inquire with Commander Gao. , if I sincerely want to invite Zhaoxin Hou Yuanyou, I don't know how to do it best, what preferences does he have?"

He is the emperor's mother-in-law, and he is very old. Gao Xin said with a smile, "Marquis Zhaoxin has a straightforward temper, but he is actually very soft-hearted. He has a thin skin and looks like the emperor. Come on, I will definitely not embarrass you in person." The tone seemed to feel that it was very logical for Cheng Enbo to make a small fu for Zhao Xinhou.

Cheng Enbo understood, and asked someone to reward Gao Xin with a generous gift. Gao Xin was very polite and refused to accept it. Cheng Enbo persuaded him again and again, and then he reluctantly accepted it. He said with a smile: "More uncles."

In the evening, as expected, Ji Bingyuan came in wearing a straight jade-colored gown and a white fox fur coat. Cheng Enbo and his three children knelt down to greet him. You have come from thousands of miles, full of travel and dust, I should have held a banquet in the palace, but I think you are old, there are many rules in the palace, and you will have to work once you enter the palace. Your body is inconvenient, and your stomach is not good. After the palace banquet, I was afraid that it would be uncomfortable to go home, so I came here in person. Anyway, I am not an outsider, so I will treat it as a family banquet, and there is no need to be strict."

Cheng Enbo saw that Ji Bingyuan was in high spirits, his appearance was somewhat similar to that of his younger sister, he spoke modestly, and he was still thinking about his stomach problems. He had mixed feelings for a moment, and even burst into tears: "Old minister, thank you for the emperor's concern...Old minister...Old minister I didn't expect to be treated so kindly by the emperor in this life, I'm really ashamed..."

He was old and had just been ill. Ji Bingyuan felt a little soft-hearted when he shed tears, so he ordered Mo Ju to come forward to help the old uncle to sit down, and he also took the seat. Divided, when I wrote calligraphy and learned poetry, it was my uncle who enlightened me, so there is no reason for me not to read it. Did your journey to Beijing go well?"

Cheng Enbo wiped his tears and said in shame: "Your Majesty laughed. His Majesty was thinking about it. The water route I took first was also smooth. When I arrived at Jinhai City and turned to the land route to Beijing, the journey was quite smooth."

Ji Bingyuan took a look at the feast and it was really hot and served a steamed fish and fish sticks, and said with a smile: "Please trouble uncle, who has traveled thousands of miles all the way, and still thinks that I like this silver perch. It's not easy to send it to Beijing in this cold weather. It’s also too costly.”

Cheng Enbo said: "Your Majesty's lesson is that you would never dare to do this on weekdays. It's just that the old officials rarely come to Beijing once, and there is nothing rare for the Emperor to bring. I think there is only this home-raised silver perch, which was your favorite food in the past, Your Majesty. So send it all the way to Beijing, warm it with charcoal, keep it fresh, I just hope that the emperor can taste a bite of his favorite food."

Ji Bingyuan said: "Uncle's kindness, I am very grateful."

Cheng Enbo said: "Speaking of this fish, I met two young masters from the Zhou family's caravan on the road. When they saw this fish, they even asked me to beg for it. They wanted to pay a high price to buy it. The old minister thought that the emperor left Jiangnan. I haven’t eaten it for many years, and I’m still not willing to let it go.”

Ji Bingyuan smiled and said: "The Zhou family caravan? But the Zhou family of Jin who is related to King Jin?"

Cheng Enbo smiled and said: "Yes, I heard that the Zhou family in Jin is the most wealthy in the world, and it is true. Those two sons are young, but they behave politely and treat others very generously. , I'm afraid I won't be able to maintain that level of tolerance."

Ji Bingyuan nodded: "The king of Qingyang County is from the Zhou family in Jin. He is also sensible, intelligent, calm and experienced."

Cheng Enbo said: "The emperor said yes, it must be good to think about it. His young master lived next to me in the station. At that time, my stomach was cold and painful in the middle of the night. I thought that the station would be troublesome in the cold night. I never called anyone. I didn't expect that Hearing this, the young master came over to feed me medicine and water, comforted me with good words, and even gave me needles. I loved it very much. I also thought that after I arrived in Beijing, I would ask King Qingyang to inquire about this young master. name, I will thank you then.”

He saw the fox fur the emperor was wearing, and said with a smile: "The young master even took his fox fur to cover me and keep me warm. It was very expensive afterward, so he didn't care about giving it away, at such a young age. Don't talk about being considerate and careful, it's rare to have this kind of pride, this kind of loyalty, it's really extraordinary, the fox fur is still here with me, just thinking about returning it to him after the investigation."

The corners of Ji Bingyuan's mouth curled up slightly: "I should reward such a kind-hearted young master."