turmoil

When Yang Fan woke up, it was already bright outside the window.

He turned over on the arhat couch, and subconsciously stretched his arms... but it was empty.Dingbian Hou was shocked, turned over and sat up suddenly, but saw that half of the bed was empty, and the quilt had already been completely cold, as if no one had ever been there.

Yang Fan opened his sleepy eyes, and sat on the couch for a while, the memory of the previous night came back to the cage belatedly.He was startled, and quickly turned over and got out of bed, when he heard a crisp sound, something was brought to the ground by him.

Yang Fan bent down to pick it up, and saw that it was a broken bamboo fan. The fan was painted with high sky, clear clouds and vast expanses of pine valleys. objects.

Yang Fan: "..."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, Ding Bianhou held his needle-like head and said weakly, "Come in."

Hearing a "Yiya", Liang Yi walked in, holding a bowl of hot soup in his hand: "Master Hou, are you awake? What's the matter, is your head still hurting?"

Not only did Yang Fan have a headache, but his temples also twitched wildly. He saw everything with double images, and said half-deadly, "Where is Commander Zhang?"

Liang Yi: "I got up before dawn, saying that Beizhen Fusi had business to do and had to go first... Before he left, he specially ordered that you drank too much last night, let us prepare hangover soup .”

Yang Fan's downhearted heart seemed to be breathed out by someone, and he suddenly became active.He raised his head, and asked half expectantly and half anxiously: "Look...how did Commander Zhang feel when he left? Was he furious, or gloomy, as if he was going to kill someone?"

Liang Yi frowned and thought about it for a moment, then shook his head: "It's not... Commander Zhang left in a hurry, but his expression is okay, there is no sign of anger, but he doesn't look at people very seriously."

He paused, and suddenly thought of a certain possibility, his eyes widened suddenly: "Master Hou, it could be that you drank too much last night..."

Yang Fan immediately tensed his heart, fearing that Liang Yi would see something.

Just listen to Liang Yi's next sentence: "...drinking crazy in the middle of the night, using Commander Zhang as a human sandbag, and beating him up, right?"

Yang Fan slapped his heart heavily on his chest, and said in his heart: A waste of my feelings!

However, from Liang Yi's words, Ding Bianhou was finally sure of one thing - Zhang Jingche didn't take the oolong last night too seriously, at least he didn't care to the point of getting angry and screaming for death.

"That kid surnamed Zhang looks cold-hearted, and he is not too heartless to me," Dingbianhou thought with a smile on his face when he got a bargain, "What I thought...maybe it will come true! "

Zhang Jingche really didn't take it to heart. Although it was awkward being dragged by Marquis Dingbian to share the couch, and he was forced to listen to drunken talk and nonsense, he didn't feel offended, and he didn't intend to draw a knife to cut people.

It may be because Dingbian Hou Shi was really drunk, and Commander Zhang didn't want to be as knowledgeable as a drunk.

It may also be because...he heard Yang Fan's careful attention and cherishment from Yang Fan's babble.

After all, this was just a small episode. Although Commander Zhang was tossed and turned for several days, he soon forgot about it, because the news from the palace came one after another——the new emperor and the queen mother finally drew up the status of the sixth palace of Dafeng In addition to the concubine Jian's being the sure queen, there are two first-class concubines, one is the concubine Xu and the other is the concubine Zhang.

There are four first-rank concubines in the harem, namely Guishu Xiande, Xu is the daughter of Pei Guogong, and it is understandable to occupy such a high position, but Zhang was originally a female official next to the Queen Mother, who came from a humble background and had no support from her mother's family.Even though looking at the face of the Compassionate Ning Palace, she is extraordinarily flattering, occupying the position of a concubine of the first rank, and even stabilizing the daughter of the Duke of Pei, it is somewhat unreasonable.

However, the position of the sixth house was discussed by the new emperor and the empress dowager. No matter how dissatisfied others were, they dared not comment. For a while, the Jiaolan Palace where the concubine Xian lived and the Changchun Palace where the concubine Shu lived were full of worship, and people from the congratulatory palace came and went.

The performance of the two first-rank concubines is also very intriguing: Concubine Shu pretexts that she is pregnant, and she lives in seclusion on weekdays, and the entertainment and entertainment are passed by the maids given by the Queen Mother.Concubine Xian never refused anyone who came, she greeted everyone with a smile on her face, and when the palace door was closed in the dead of night, she swept across the table with a flick of her sleeve and knocked down the newly given sweet white tea set to the ground.

The priceless sweet white glaze was smashed to pieces, and in the huge palace, only the heavy breathing of Concubine Xian could be heard.

"It's just a lowly court lady, she married into the Eastern Palace a few days earlier and became pregnant again, so she dared to climb on top of my palace," Xian Fei gritted her teeth, "Very...very good!"

The female official who was serving at the side didn't dare to take a breath, and stood there like a clay-made wooden model.

At this time, after all, it was the confidant maid who was married into the palace who was more courageous, and poured hot tea into the hands of the concubine Xian: "My lady, don't be angry. I'm just proud of that piece of meat for the time being, how can I compare to you, with Duke Pei's mansion behind you?"

Concubine Xian drank two sips of tea to moisten her throat, and the anger on her face eased slightly: "This Concubine Shu is also... like duckweed in the wind, helpless, but she was born with good luck. First, she won the grace of the Empress Dowager and married into the Eastern Palace , became the first side concubine, and this time sealing the Six Palaces took advantage of her again—you said, apart from the empress dowager's blue eyes, does she have some reliance that others don't know about?"

The confidant maid looked at both sides, Concubine Xian understood, waved her hand to push back the palace servants who were serving beside her.Then the confidant maid said in a low voice: "I heard that this Concubine Shu was picked up by the Queen Mother from the people. She has no parents or relatives, just..."

Concubine Xian glanced at her, and Danfeng's eyes slanted sharply: "What is it?"

The confidant maid murmured: "I heard that Concubine Shu and Mr. Zhang of Jinyiwei are from the same township. They used to live next to each other when they were young, and they were quite friendly. Before Mrs. Zhang celebrated his birthday, Concubine Shu specially made a pair of new shoes to congratulate..."

Before she finished speaking, Concubine Xian's heart moved, and she suddenly said: "Master Zhang of the Jinyiwei? But the newly appointed commander of the Jinyiwei?"

The confidant maid responded: "Exactly".

Concubine Xian had her nails that were inches long, and they scratched across the red sandalwood tabletop, making a "cracker" sound: "I remember that the Commander and Concubine Xian have the same surname, and their names are also similar. ...Is it a relative who turned the corner?"

The confidant maid hesitated and said: "This... the servant is not clear."

Concubine Xian thought about it carefully for a moment, and vaguely remembered that when she was still the side concubine of the Eastern Palace, she glanced a few times from a distance, and saw a tall and tall figure among the staff, with only half of her face in profile, already gorgeous, called Liugong Fendai Overshadowed.

Her heart skipped a beat: "I vaguely remember that the commander was born very well, and His Majesty...seems to be very fond of him?"

The maid was taken aback, and hurriedly covered her mouth: "Your Majesty, can you say this nonsense? If someone with a heart hears it and tells the Holy One before you, I'm afraid you will be overwhelmed and walk away!"

Concubine Xian then stopped, pondering for a while, the more she thought about it, the more worried she became: "No...Since ancient times, the Tian family has tabooed the harem's collusion with the former dynasty most. Needlework? These two people must be more than just fellow countrymen... You should send a message to your father and brother, and make sure to check it out!"

The maid responded, got up and turned the curtain.

The turbulent undercurrent in the harem did not disturb the new emperor in the Palace of Qinzheng. He didn't care about female sex at all, and he had just ascended the throne, with a lot of thoughts in front of him. Sometimes he got busy and didn't enter for ten days and a half months Harem is also normal.I go there once in a while, but it's just to sit in the Queen's Palace, or to visit Concubine Shu who is pregnant with Liujia.

Even though Concubine Shu's family background is not high, this baby is the first child of the new emperor after he ascended the throne. The Empress Dowager Wu was very concerned, and sent rare and precious supplements to the Changchun Palace, and ordered Qin Tianjian to do a fortune telling. The result is that the sky is peaceful, and the women in the main harem are blessed with good fortune and pregnant with a noble baby.

The Empress Dowager Wu was overjoyed, and led the palace people to rummaged through the boxes and cabinets for a while, and found her dowry back then—a red gold long-life lock that a unicorn gave birth to a child, and ordered people to send it to the Changchun Palace to show her favor.

The news spread to the Jiaolan Hall, and there were movements like pushing gold mountains and falling jade pillars inside. The eunuchs guarding outside the hall were used to it, watching their noses, noses, and hearts, and dared not speak out loud.

The new emperor in the Palace of Qinzheng is even more irritable than the concubine Xian. From the beginning of his ascension to the throne, he has gathered all kinds of troubles in his hands. All kinds of troubles can be summed up in one word, nothing more than two words: no money!

"...Since the first emperor's dynasty, the treasury has been unable to make ends meet. Last year, 20 taels were used to renovate the three major halls, and another 34 taels were used to dispatch the Imperial Army and the Royal Forest Army. At the beginning of the year, Jiangnan was hit by a disaster, and the relief money allocated was still squeezed out of the salaries of officials in the capital. Yes, there is really no food left.”

The new Minister of the Household Department is named Guo Chen, and he is the right minister of the Household Department who was imprisoned wrongfully.The former Hubu Shangshu was single-handedly promoted by King Ping, but the new emperor found a mistake and was demoted from the capital, replaced by this Mr. Shizhong who worried about the country and the people.

Guo Chen originally thought that if he was sent to prison, he would definitely die, but who knew that not only did he come out in full, but also the new emperor valued him, he took charge of the most important household department in the court, and his gratitude goes without saying.He secretly made up his mind that he would be loyal to the new emperor and make some achievements in the new dynasty, but in just a few days, he had already found out the situation of the treasury, and now he spoke freely, and everything hit the point.

Liu Yanzhao frowned: "Although there was a peach blossom flood this year, in the past few years, the country's courts were considered to have good weather, and many places reported a bumper harvest of grain... How did you come to this field?"

Guo Chen sighed: "Your Majesty doesn't know. Since the previous dynasty, the aristocratic families in Beijing have used the treasury as their own pockets—it's like renovating the three main halls. It didn't cost that much, but the Ministry of Industry is in charge of this errand. Zhou Zhe, the left servant, wiped away a lot of oil and water every time he went in and out, and the fat is not in his own pocket?"

Xu Qian didn't hear right, so he quickly winked at Guo Chen: "Master Guo, be careful with your words!"

Guo Chen was taken aback for a moment, seeing that Liu Yanzhao's complexion was not good, and then he belatedly remembered that Zhou Zhe, the left servant of the Ministry of Industry, was the legitimate son of Zhou Mao, the Duke of Pei, and also the elder brother of the virtuous concubine in the palace. He is the brother-in-law of the new emperor.

He hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, pleading guilty: "Your Majesty made a mistake, please come down!"

Liu Yanzhao was silent for a moment, bent down to help Guo Chen, and patted him on the shoulder meaningfully: "Guo Qing is so sincere, how can I not know the reason? It's just that I have not been on the throne for a long time, and I have just started government affairs. Many things still need to be relied on by Beijing." Zhongshi family, you can't tear your face apart for a while..."

Although Guo Chen is upright, he is not ignorant of world affairs. He has tasted the warmth and coldness of human relationships during his stay in prison.Seeing the side face of the new emperor was tense, all the resentment and unwillingness melted into the cold eyes.

He suddenly felt the new emperor's grief, indignation and helplessness, and sighed lowly: "It's the minister who said something wrong... Your majesty, it's not easy for you."

Liu Yanzhao read the memorandum submitted by the Ministry of Household Affairs again, and asked, "Last year was a good year, and many prefectures reported good harvests. Why is the tax payment less than the previous two years?"

The words were full of blood and tears, Guo Chen sighed heavily before opening his mouth.

Even Xu Qian put away his smile and frowned deeply: "Your Majesty doesn't know something. Now that land annexation is prevalent, many fertile lands have been plundered by aristocratic families. The common people have no livelihood and can only be displaced, or They became tenants of the gentry, and as for those lands that were taken away...naturally, they would not be included in the tax payment category."

The more Liu Yanzhao heard it, the angrier he became: "It's really unreasonable!"

He couldn't hold back any longer, walked around the hall with his hands behind his back, and said angrily: "I'm going to order people to investigate the embezzled fields of the people in various places, re-measure the fields, and check the population, and I will definitely not let the powerful squires take advantage of it! "

Xu Qian and Guo Chen looked at each other and smiled wryly at the same time.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy," Xu Qian sighed, "These powerful squires are more or less connected to the capital, and the families are married to each other. It will move the whole body... Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and many things are not clear, and it will only be counterproductive to forcefully investigate."

Liu Yanzhao picked up the tea bowl and moistened his throat, and the storm was about to come between his brows.

"Furthermore, so what if the land is taken back?" Xu Qian continued, "It's not a family that encroached on the people's land. Even if you recover some of the people's land, when the situation subsides, they will lose their fear and go back to their old ways."

Liu Yanzhao opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly closed his mouth again, only to see the eunuch Yuezhao beside him entered the hall with a tea tray, bowed and respectfully said: "Your Majesty, Commander of Jinyiwei, Master Zhang Jingche, please see me."

Liu Yanzhao suppressed his anger, and put on an amiable tone: "Hurry up!"

Yuezhao removed the remaining tea, and exited as quietly as when he came. After a while, Zhang Jingche rushed in and saluted on the ground: "Minister Zhang Jingche, I greet Your Majesty."

Liu Yanzhao ordered him to avoid the ceremony, looked up, saw Zhang Jingche with a knife on his waist, wearing a big red python suit, his face was like a crown of jade, his eyes were full of ice and snow, the world was full of colors, but he had [-]% of it to himself.

Zhang Jingche lowered his eyes, indifferent to the meaningful scrutiny of the new emperor, and leaned over to present a roll of official documents: "Your Majesty, this is the related files on the embezzlement and annexation of land from various places since the previous dynasty. I have sorted out the entries, please have a look. "

Liu Yanzhao took the file and handed it to Guo Chen.Xu Qian and Zhang Jingche are used to seeing each other. Even Guo Shangshu has a good impression of the new commander of Jinyiwei - he knows well that he can save his life from the imperial prison, and he will also win the favor of the new emperor. Soaring upwards, the person in front of him has made great efforts.At this moment, his thoughts moved slightly, and he suddenly said: "Your Majesty, the case of embezzling people's land involves criminals and prisons. You may wish to ask Commander Zhang to see what he has to say?"

Zhang Jingche was stunned for a moment, seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Monk Zhang Er couldn't help but puzzled: "What embezzlement case?"

Guo Chen briefly explained the ins and outs of the future, and then said: "Nowadays, the national treasury is not abundant, the people's livelihood is dying, and the local tyrants have annexed the people's fields, enriching their own pockets, but harming the people of the world... Commander Zhang is flexible, but there is a solution. ?”

Zhang Jingche lowered his eyes and said to himself: What does this have to do with me?

However, it was inconvenient for him to speak out in front of the new emperor and two important ministers, so he pondered for a moment and said: "The annexation of the people's land is a long-term ailment, and it cannot be eradicated overnight. It is a good thing for your Majesty to care about the people's livelihood, but you can't act too hastily. Slowly plan." , thin water can flow long."