Five-year enthronement three-year simulation

Guangyang Palace, the main hall.

"Snapped--!"

There was a sharp cracking sound of the teacup, and the precious white porcelain became worthless fragments in the blink of an eye, scattered all over the ground.A young court lady was kneeling beside her, crying out of breath, but she still kowtowed, ignoring that her palm was already dripping with blood from broken porcelain pieces.

"The maidservant knows she's wrong, please forgive me! The maidservant doesn't dare to neglect her duty anymore!"

"……Useless things."

Concubine Wan glanced at her expressionlessly, picked up the handkerchief at the side and wiped her hands, and lightly reprimanded: "Today I dare to pour cold tea for this palace and His Royal Highness Qianwang, do you have the guts to wait until tomorrow?" Pour some milk into the dinner, and turn yourself over to be the master of Guangyang Palace?"

"No, no! The maidservant dare not, the maidservant has absolutely no intention of offending the empress or His Highness!"

The court lady was so scared by Concubine Wan's words that her face turned pale, she trembled like a sieve, her big and black eyes were like deer, she looked timidly and panicked at Minghui who was silent, and begged: "His Royal Highness , you just saw that the servant girl entered the palace for the first time, and she had no idea that the tea was cold, I beg you to testify to the imperial concubine and save the servant girl!"

Ming Hui lowered his head when he heard the sound, looked at the delicate face of the palace maid with pear blossoms and rain, his fingertips holding the teacup tightened, his Adam's apple couldn't help but move slightly, he turned his head and said: "Mother Concubine..."

However, Concubine Wan didn't even look at her son, she sneered and said: "What a shameless foxy thing! I'm still sitting here, and you dare to seduce. To ask His Highness to intercede for you? It seems that when I really think my life is too long!"

After she finished speaking, she didn't give Minghui a chance to speak anymore, so she raised her voice and ordered: "Xinxue, drag this lowly maidservant to Ben Gong, and deal with it according to the rules!"

"Yes."

The palace maid Xinxue, who was quietly watching the changes, blessed her body, and quickly walked to the side of the palace maid who was even more frightened than before and completely bewildered. She reached out and clasped her shoulders, and lifted her up from the ground. , Respectfully said: "The servant girl dares to ask the empress, is it 'red' or 'black' this time?"

Concubine Wan thought for a moment, a smile appeared on the corner of her lips, and she said slowly: "Ineffective in handling things, coupled with being seductive and seductive... I will give her a 'black' punishment and let her learn the rules of Guangyang Palace for the last time."

When she suddenly heard the word "black punishment", the maid's eyes widened immediately, almost as if her eyes were about to burst.While struggling to get out of Xinxue's grip, she screamed incoherently: "No! No! Ma'am, I know I was wrong, I don't dare to do it anymore, please don't, don't—"

"Yes. The servant girl respectfully obeys the orders of the empress."

With a sullen face, Xinxue gave a deep salute, as if she hadn't heard the miserable begging for mercy at all, and mercilessly pushed the maid out of the palace.

After the two left, the palace room immediately returned to its original calm.

The cold tea in the cup was still shaking slightly, but Minghui felt his whole body was stiff at this moment, and the woman's terrified wailing seemed to be still in his ears; the chill slowly climbed up from the spine, and flowed through the whole body little by little. It made him suddenly lose his courage, and he didn't dare to look at Concubine Wan who was staring at him quietly.

"Mother, concubine mother..."

"Hui'er, do you still remember what I said to you?"

Seeing her son's dodging eyes, Concubine Wan couldn't help but become more depressed, and her tone became much sharper.

"Those who have achieved great things in ancient times, remember not to be greedy for beauty! Now you have a princess and two concubines, but why are you still confused by these vulgar fans?" She frowned, her original gentleness His face has long since disappeared, and even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes are full of meanness and sharpness, "Do you still remember the great cause that the concubine mother planned for you!"

"Of course my son remembers!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Ming Hui hurriedly stood up, walked up to Concubine Wan, and slapped her on the shoulder flatteringly, "It was just because of my son's fault, I was confused by that woman for a while, so I almost made a fool of myself, I beg my concubine to calm down..."

After all, Concubine Wan loves this bright-minded elder son who can read eyes the most. Seeing him admitting his mistake now, her anger is half gone, and she just stared at Minghui with hatred, and then said: "Xinxue I just asked about the 'red' punishment and the 'black' punishment of this palace, do you know what they are?"

Ming Hui paused for her action of hammering his shoulders, and said in a daze: "I don't know..."

"That is a unique punishment in my Guangyang Palace."

Concubine Wan Guifei paused, turned her eyes, and smiled at Minghui.Obviously his expression was full of tenderness and softness, but on the contrary, it made the latter feel the wind blowing on his back, and he couldn't help but shudder.

"'Red' punishment is to use a knife; it is necessary to cut the wounded person's wrists, ankles, neck, and knees in seven places, and send someone to squeeze the surrounding area continuously to collect the blood flowing out. into a small urn, until the victim bled to death—hence the name 'Red'."

Concubine Wan flexed her knuckles, and explained to her son in a slow manner: "The 'black' punishment is medicine; mix poisonous poison, danhongshuang, and common wood turtle into a medicinal juice, and pour it into the Broken Throat Soup. , the poisonous soup will turn black, and if it is poured into the victim, it will cause unbearable abdominal pain, itchy throat, and black blood from all seven orifices. Died by choking his throat... the slut who was dragged down by Xinxue just now. Maid, this is the punishment, what does Huier think?"

"..."

After listening to this description, Ming Hui was already dumbfounded, his chest felt sick again and again, completely shocked by the imagined situation, how could he care about answering?

He looked at Concubine Wan in astonishment and horror, and after being dumb for a while, he finally recovered his voice, "But, imposing capital punishment on the palace servants, isn't this against the palace rules...?"

"There are countless ruthless hands in every palace, as long as His Majesty doesn't find out, why would everyone take the palace rules seriously?" Concubine Wan Gui sneered, narrowed her eyes, and said mockingly, "Oh, I'm afraid that in the end , and only the Kunning Palace...is the most well-behaved boundary."

Minghui subconsciously swallowed his saliva.

If the women become cruel and vicious, how terrifying is the lethality, and how can they be compared with men?

"Anyway, Hui'er."

Before he could finish thinking, Concubine Wan interrupted her son's thoughts, and said lightly: "Until now, His Majesty has not decided to settle the East Palace... Then, for the great cause, you must know how to be cruel. I understand. ?”

Ming Hui was startled, and frowned as if he had realized something. He was silent for a long time before he nodded and said: "Yes, concubine mother. I understand."

On the afternoon of the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, when there was not much time left before the New Year's Eve, the two imperial envoys from Yuanzhou finally returned to the capital, and returned to the palace as soon as possible.

As the recommender of the two at the beginning, Ming Tan was naturally on the side of the emperor, and was qualified to attend the work report in Tianhong Hall.

"Your Majesty, the disaster in Yuanzhou is over now, and the people can live as usual. Although the fields are still not very fertile, it is still enough for sweet potatoes to grow, and the problem of food shortage is greatly solved..."

Zhong He, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, whom he had not seen for several months, was standing in the hall, still wearing the dusty robes of an imperial envoy, talking eloquently: "Besides, there have been several heavy snowfalls in succession this winter. The weather in Yuanzhou is smooth and the life expectancy is good..."

Mr. Zhong is indeed a veteran minister who has been valued for many years, and his temperament is relatively loyal and straightforward.This report was brief and comprehensive. It seemed that they didn't say much, but it played all the important points that the emperor wanted to hear. What did Wen Chao, who was also an imperial envoy, say?

If there is such a colleague, it really makes people wonder what to do.

Ming Tan secretly sighed in his heart, and when he was expressing sympathy for Mr. Wen spiritually, he saw the latter suddenly raised his head, glanced at him, and cupped his hands with a smile on his face as usual: "Mr. Zhong, don't forget, this time It is also thanks to His Highness the Ninth Prince who sent Miss Bai to assist Yuanzhou, otherwise the cultivation of sweet potatoes would not have been so smooth."

After hearing the words, Zhong He was taken aback for a moment, and then he clapped his hands and echoed: "Master Wen reminded you! It's all because the old minister was confused, and almost forgot Miss Bai's achievements!"

Wen Chao smiled kindly, turned his eyes slightly, and observed Ming Tan's expression without any trace, "Miss Bai is really ingenious and has a strong affinity. When I waited for Fang to arrive in Yuanzhou, many local people were very fond of the imperial envoy. The team was quite hostile, and refused to talk to the officers and soldiers. Fortunately, later, a white girl volunteered to go deep among the people, teach them how to plant plants, and help them improve farm tools. The prejudice of the imperial court made the farmers not hesitate, so they agreed to pull out the wheat seedlings and replant sweet potatoes, which had never been heard before..."

"I have to say," Zhong He stroked his long beard and thought of the plant that sprouted from the soil in a few days, and then sighed, "Although Miss Bai is a woman, she is really an ancient agricultural genius ah!"

Even though Wen Chaofang could tell that Bai Lu was mentioned on purpose, as the latter's immediate superior, Ming Tan was extremely satisfied with these obedient words, and couldn't help but smile a little.

As expected of Mr. Wen, who is known for being shrewd and tactful, in such a short period of time, he was able to find another way, find other ways to please the superiors, and reverse his disadvantage just now. He can be called a role model for his subordinates in the workplace.

Alas, it's no wonder that the kings of all dynasties are always easily bewitched by courtiers. Just this lip service is really hard to hate!

not to mention……

According to Mr. Zhong, Yuanzhou's disaster relief situation seems to be very good, better than their previous psychological expectations?

Ming Tan paused for a moment, and his gaze towards Wen Chao gradually became a little inquiring.

According to her father's and her predictions, despite the best plans, the progress of Yuanzhou's disaster management is far worse than it is now.

Because Wen Chao, who served as the imperial envoy, was a well-known turbid official in the court, it was impossible not to be tempted by the considerable amount of money and food for disaster relief.Even if he is a smart person who understands the principle of accepting as soon as he sees it, he will not stuff it in his pocket at all...

But right now, the situation in Yuanzhou has been completely brought under control, and the most worrisome civil unrest has been successfully killed in the cradle. As we all know, there are only two keys to appease the people. One is to feed them and the other The second is to let them have hope for the future - the latter can be easily accomplished with the help of Bai Lu, but the former...

Unless the two imperial envoys work together and generously open granaries to release food, otherwise, it will be very difficult to make those overly hungry people give up making troubles and rekindle their trust in the court.

Therefore, judging from the present report, if Zhong He had never concealed or exaggerated, then Yuanzhou could return to normal without almost any time to recuperate?

——Even the emperor couldn't help but turn his head and look at his daughter after thinking about this level.

Could it be...Wen Chao is really doing disaster relief with all his heart?

Except for the necessary management of some officials in Yuanzhou City, did he not greedy for other money at all?

This is too inconsistent with Zhuo Liuguan's character design!

...But if this is not the case, how can we explain Yuanzhou's current achievements?

Ming Tan could hardly control his gaze towards Wen Chao's face.

No, no, no...

Could it be that this time, her father and her really misjudged the person?

However, Lord Wen Chao, who suddenly became the focus of the Ninth Princess's heart, still lowered his head deeply at this moment, not giving the other party the slightest chance to see his expression.

"——The two lovers have worked hard this time, and the disaster relief has achieved remarkable results. They have really relieved the urgent need of the imperial court and made great contributions!"

Seeing that nothing could be seen for a while, the emperor also gave up on continuing to explore the Wen Dynasty, but Longyan praised happily: "These achievements are not trivial, and they should be recorded in the annals of history! Zhong He, as an imperial envoy, you Master, you have a good way of disaster relief, and I want to entitle you as the second rank Marquis of Jingyuan, and give you a mansion, a piece of fertile land of 3000 mu in the suburbs of Beijing, and [-] taels of silver—is Aiqing satisfied?"

Zhong He's rank is the Minister of the Household Department, and then he is the phase. Naturally, the emperor can't add an official to him, so he can only enter the rank to show his grace.

But since the title of the second rank is already big enough, plus houses and fields, and such a considerable amount of silver... Zhong He was startled immediately, and hurriedly kowtowed to the ground, and said in a rare anxious tone: "Think twice, Your Majesty! The old minister received the order As an imperial envoy, disaster relief is a matter of duty, it is a matter of course, it should not be rewarded so generously by His Majesty, please take it back!"

In fact, although this reward sounds a bit much at first glance, it can't find any faults under the great achievements of drought relief and civilian chaos; It is common to be unwilling to accept the reward, it is better not to force the reward.

Ming Tan on the side watched quietly for a long time, saw the emperor's expression hesitated, and Zhong He's attitude was also firm, so he smiled and opened his mouth to smooth things over for the two of them: "Master Zhong is a minister of the arm and leg, and he is dedicated to the country, so naturally he would not accept it." This reward...in my son's opinion, my lord now has a peaceful family and enough houses to live in, so why should I reward him again? It might as well just add a noble and grant land and reward money, and there is no need to do any more construction work——Now, Zhong Should adults accept it?"

"His Royal Highness, old minister..."

Zhong He was hesitant and wanted to continue to refuse, but the emperor had already nodded and made a final decision, "Just do as Long Lin said! Zhong Aiqing, you deserve all these rewards for your efforts for the country this time, and Keep it safe!"

The words have come to this point, even if Zhong He has no intention of accepting them, he has no choice but to swallow all the words, and deeply kowtowed to the emperor, "Thank you for your kindness, the old minister deserves it."

"Stay flat." The emperor nodded, and after asking the other party to excuse him, he turned his eyes to the smiling Wen Chao, his eyes gradually became a little inquiring.

"Wen Aiqing, your contribution to assisting Mr. Zhong in disaster relief is also indispensable," he said slowly, "I want to make you Ding Anbo from the third rank, transfer you to the household department, and serve as a second-rank doctor, and give you two hundred acres of fertile land, 2000 taels of silver, how about Aiqing?"

——From the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, he was promoted to the Doctor of the Household Department...

Wen Chao paused, keenly aware that this was not a simple promotion and transfer, but another deep meaning was hidden.

Today is different from the past, no one in the court knows now, if most of the officials in the Ministry of Officials are brought under the command of the Second Prince, then the Ministry of Households is the headquarters of the Third Prince and the Ninth Princess.

Is His Majesty's sudden reassignment a test to see if he will choose another master to be used by the Ninth Princess?

"..."

Wen Chao lowered his eyes, and after thinking for a long time, he finally knelt down and bowed down, and said firmly: "I am ashamed of the Holy Grace, and I know that I can't take on this important task because I don't know how to go to the household to save the gold warehouse. Holy Fate!"

——As soon as these words came out, Ming Tan narrowed his eyes for an instant, clasped his fingertips tightly on the carvings of the armrest, and looked at Wen Chao, who had his head bowed deeply, with a strange expression.

The emperor sitting in the main seat also paused, stared at the other party, frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice: "Wen Aiqing, are you sure you have thought it through?"

"I have been in the Ministry of Officials since I entered the court. Even if I aspire to work for the Ministry of Households, I have to bear the grace of God because of my lack of talent." Wen Chao said slowly, "In this way, the minister is the most A good choice is not to transfer to another place, but to stick to the Ministry of Officials and continue to act as an official..."

While talking, he raised his head, looked at Ming Tan calmly, and continued to complete the unfinished words: "However, no matter where I am, I will be sincere to Your Majesty and His Highness Nine, and I am willing to let you Two sent."

"—!"

After he finished speaking, Ming Tan's eyes widened slightly, and he clenched his fingertips subconsciously. Only by clenching his teeth hard could he keep his expression from being so shocked that he lost control.

Even she could hear the charades in Wen Chao's words clearly, and the emperor must also know it well.

It is so, it is so.

No wonder the results of Yuanzhou's disaster relief this time were so unexpected, because among them, there was actually a person who hid so brilliantly that he almost deceived everyone... a person with a circle on the outside and a square on the inside.

"Alright. Since Wen Aiqing is determined not to be promoted, then I won't force it."

After a moment of silence, the emperor nodded, and said meaningfully: "Aiqing's title, fertile land, and silver certificates are all right, but the official position... There is no need to change, you can still be the Minister of the Ministry of Officials."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

After deeply bowing his head to thank her, Wen Chaohu remembered something again, and added again: "In addition, Miss Bailu has made great contributions to this disaster relief, and I want to be bold enough to ask for a reward for her. I wonder if Your Majesty can..."

"Miss Wen has a heart. Miss Bailu was temporarily sent to the imperial envoy, and she is not included in the imperial court's rewards." Ming Tan curled his lips and said with a slight smile, "Her rewards are given by the princess herself. Yes, thank you for your reminder, sir."

"His Royal Highness Nine has a plan, it's my minister's presumptuousness." Wen Chao nodded as if suddenly realized.

After the reward was over, the emperor didn't keep them any longer, but waved his hand and said: "Okay, it's late now, you two can leave the palace and go back to reunite with your family."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After the two imperial envoys left, the Tianhong Hall immediately returned to its previous emptiness.Ming Tan's original serious sitting posture suddenly became swaying, and he turned his head to look at her smiling father, the corners of his lips twitched involuntarily, and he rolled his earth-shattering big eyes.

"Did you already know that Wen Chao..."

"No, how could it be possible," the emperor denied without waiting for her to finish, "I only confirmed it today, not long before Long Lin!"

"..." Ming Tan widened his eyes, "I still want to pretend to be stupid! At that time, the selection of the imperial envoy had not yet been decided, and Longlin felt strange. Why did you imply that I recommended Wen Chao? It turns out, it turns out that it is here to set the overall situation!"

"Oh, no matter how you say it, I will eat a few years longer than you girl."

The emperor coughed twice, rolled his eyes, reached out and patted his daughter on the shoulder, and hurriedly changed the subject: "Today I specifically asked Wen Chao if he wanted to be transferred to the household department, in order to expose his position to the public; unexpectedly, , but he still insisted on staying in the Ministry of Officials, so he said..."

"That's why," Ming Tan picked up both hands, and said calmly, "Ming Hui's confidant has buried another sharp sword that can be used by me."

"...Longlin, my father said before that you should call the second child the emperor's brother." The emperor put on a serious face and said seriously, "No matter what, the rules must not be forgotten, don't tell others Just hold on to the wrong place."

"..."

Ming Tan rolled his eyes again, jumped off the chair and turned his head, made a big face at the emperor, turned around and ran out of the hall in a hurry.

"As punishment for keeping my father secret, I won't have dinner with you today!"

"Hey! Dragon scale!"

The emperor wanted to stop him or not, but could only helplessly look at his daughter's back as she ran away, and shook his head angrily and amusedly, "This stinky girl..."

Seeing Princess Ninth leave, Sheng An at the side finally stepped forward, put the medicine bowl still hot in his hand on the table, and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha, "His Highness Ninth Prince has always been like this, please be more lively."

"You, you will speak for her all day long," the emperor raised the medicine bowl, blowing his beard and staring, "I really should transfer you to Kunning Palace!"

"Oh, your majesty just transfer the slave away." Sheng An nodded with a smile, "the slave wants to serve His Highness the Ninth Prince!"

The emperor who lifted a rock and hit himself in the foot: "..."

He became angry from embarrassment, while glancing at the old eunuch who had been serving him since he was a child, he shook his head angrily, and drank the soup in his hand.

"Diao Nu, what a Diao Nu!"