turmoil

Han Xun hesitated for a moment: "That little maid... was originally from the conservatory palace. She usually helps deliver flowers to the various palaces. It's nothing important."

Zhang Jingche didn't speak, but just looked at him coldly.

Han Xun sighed, and finally said: "...But, she has a distant cousin, who is a respectable maid in the Jiaolan Palace. She used to grow flowers in the greenhouse, and her hands were covered with sores every winter. In exchange for a lighter job."

Zhang Jingche closed his eyes, there was not much surprise on his face, he just muttered three words: "Jiaolandian..."

Han Xun felt uneasy for no reason, and tried to persuade him: "My lord... all matters in the harem are decided by the emperor and the queen mother. Even if we want to, we can't help it. People can't be resurrected after death. You have done your best, and you still have to do more for yourself in the future." Think about it."

Zhang Jingche chuckled, unable to tell whether it was ridicule or sneer: "If you can find out, the emperor and queen mother will not ignore it. What do they say?"

Han Xun looked sad: "There is no real evidence for this matter. Behind the Jiaolan Palace... there is a big tree like the Duke of Peiguo. The Holy Majesty has not long been enthroned, and he has not yet grasped the government. At this time... naturally, it is better to have more things." One less thing."

He paused, and then said as if to make amends: "However, the emperor and the empress dowager were so clear-eyed that they called the concubine Xian to admonish her the next day, and punished her to stay in the palace and not leave for three months. Great punishment."

Zhang Jingche sneered, "So, her confinement for three months is worth my sister's life?"

Han Xun was as silent as a cicada, not daring to say anything.

Zhang Jingche leaned back on the pillow and said exhaustedly for a long time: "...you go out."

Han Xun turned around to leave, but retracted his raised footsteps. He looked at Zhang Jingche worriedly, always feeling that this man's fatigue and calm suppressed a deep madness: "My lord... the matter is over, don't think about it anymore." It's useless, you still have a long time ahead, you have to look forward."

Zhang Jingche was silent, leaning on the pillow quietly, as if he had fallen asleep.

Han Xun then backed out, and before leaving, he did not forget to close the door, and there was a soft "click", and the room fell into silence.Zhang Jingche opened his eyes, looked at the curly grass embroidery on the bed curtain, and curled up the corners of his mouth coldly.

"The days are still long?" He thought calmly and sadly, "No... I'm not going any further."

Zhang Jingche recuperated at home for a day, then forced himself into the palace the next day, and sent a memorial together with the account book copied from Fan's mansion into the Hall of Qinzheng.The memorandum lists various crimes such as embezzlement of fertile land, smuggling of sea salt, embezzlement and perversion of the law by the Peiguo government, and the confessions of the prefect Fan and a group of refugees are appended below.

Even if Liu Yanzhao didn't want to severely punish him, his expression changed when he saw the total amount of profits from sea salt smuggling by Pei Guogong and his son over the years.What he didn't expect was that Shuduan, the head of Duke Peiguo's mansion, married his daughter-in-law to him, and started a business of smuggling sea salt through Fan Cheng, the prefect of Jinan, and Prince Heping's mansion in an attempt to please both parties. When shuffling the cards, be a standing weed.

How could Liu Yanzhao not be shocked or angry?

"Pei Guogong... What a Pei Guogong!" Liu Yanzhao gritted his teeth, "I thought he was a coward, even if he encroached on the people's land, it was just for some small gain. Unexpectedly, he hooked up with King Ping early in the morning! Well... ...Excellent! I really underestimated him!"

Zhang Jingche stood in silence, silent.He knew very well that the two crimes of "smuggling sea salt" and "annexing civilian land" alone may not hurt the government of Peiguo.However, "colluding with King Ping" was exactly Liu Yanzhao's Nilin. If he continued to forbear, this emperor would no longer be an emperor.

Sure enough, I heard Liu Yanzhao say angrily: "Declaration of my decree, Zhou Mao, the Duke of Pei, embezzled people's fields, smuggled sea salt, corrupted the law, and had no king! I will send his father and son to prison and set a date for strict trial!"

Zhang Jingche responded with a low eyebrow and pleasing to the eye: "Minister, lead the order."

With the order of the Ninth Five-Year Supreme, Jin Yiwei invited the Ministry of Punishment to drive him, and went to the Peiguo Mansion with great fanfare.Although Pei Guogong and his son heard the news of Zhang Jingche's safe return, they didn't expect him to strike so quickly. Before they could discuss the reason, Jin Yiwei kicked open the gate of the Duke's mansion and rushed in like a wolf.

Zhou Mao of the Duke of Pei's mansion turned pale with shock, and snapped, "Presumptuous! Who dares to behave wildly in the Duke of Pei's mansion!"

Jin Yiwei stood with a knife, and separated to the two sides in a solemn and orderly manner. Zhang Jingche, wearing a big red python suit, walked forward unhurriedly: "According to the emperor's order, I invite Duke Pei and his son to stay in prison for a while."

You Yunwei blocked the news. Zhou Maodan knew that Fan Cheng had been arrested, but he never expected that this person had the audacity to keep the account book and implicate his father and son in it.Hearing this, he was filled with shock and anger: "What crime have my father and son committed? The surname Zhang, relying on the emperor's favor, turned black and white and killed Zhongliang! This old man will definitely meet the emperor and give you a book!"

Zhang Jingche tilted his head and looked at him, with a kind of innocent cruelty in his expression: "Meet the emperor? You treat the emperor like a ball of mud in your hand, round and flatten it at will, do you think the emperor still wants to see you?"

Duke Pei's heart skipped a beat, he had a premonition of imminent disaster for no reason.Before he could speak, Jin Yiwei had already rushed forward, locked him involuntarily, and dragged him out of the door.

Soon, the news that "Pei Guogong and his son were taken into prison" spread in Beijing, and the aristocratic family was shocked, fearing that this was a harbinger of the new emperor's attack on the "time-honored brand", and people panicked for a while.At the court meeting the next day, all the aristocratic families scrambled to jump out, speaking convincingly and heartbrokenly, nothing more than impeaching Jin Yiwei for not discriminating between loyal and traitorous, and for killing loyal and good people.

Liu Yanzhao on the Dragon Throne almost laughed angrily. He personally issued the command to take the man, and the officials of the aristocratic family mobilized to impeach him. Are they dissatisfied with Jin Yiwei, or dissatisfied with him, the Ninth Five Supreme?He didn't say a word, but left the memorial presented by Zhang Jingche together with the ledger and confession, and let the officials of the aristocratic family pass it on for them to read.

At the beginning, the officials of the aristocratic family had the idea of ​​huddling together to keep warm. When they saw the crimes of "smuggling sea salt" and "colluding with King Ping", they knew that the Peiguo government was really screwed. Whoever came forward at this time would most likely be regarded as a criminal King Ping and his party were thrown into prison together.

Liu Yanzhao was still angry, and ordered people to search the Peiguo mansion. The copying was very serious. It turned out that the back wall of the Peiguo mansion was hollowed out, and a secret room was opened inside, filled with real gold and silver. No less than several million taels.In addition, there are countless antiques, rare curiosities, calligraphy and paintings, all of which are converted into cash, which is worth more than one year's income of the national treasury!

Liu Yanzhao knew that the aristocratic family was corrupt and perverted the law, and also knew that the Pei Guo government had obtained a lot of bonuses by smuggling sea salt, but he was still surprised by how rich the money was.Boxes of gold and silver were sent to the treasury to fill the bottomless pit of the household department, but they could not satisfy Liu Yanzhao's anger. He lingered in the Palace of Qinzheng for several times and was so angry that he ordered Zhang Jingche to be summoned.

"It's really unreasonable!" Liu Yanzhao was so angry that he threw the confiscated property list on the ground, "Pei Guogong is so courageous! I dare say that the people of Great Yin have worked hard for a year, and they have fattened up these rats. Feng... Hubu actually has the face to cry with me about being poor!"

Zhang Jingche stood underneath without saying a word, allowing Liu Yanzhao to explode.When the new emperor had enough anger, he said expressionlessly: "Your Majesty, the evidence of Pei Guogong embezzling public funds and corrupting the law is conclusive! This is the first case after the Holy Majesty ascended the throne, and it also involves Yipin Guogong's mansion. Be cautious. I ask His Majesty's will, how should I deal with it?"

Liu Yanzhao's chest heaved violently, just looking at his expression, he really wanted to skin Pei Guogong and his son and cramp.He was about to speak, when the voice of eunuch Yuezhao suddenly came from the entrance of the hall: "My Majesty, Xian Concubine please see me!"

Liu Yanzhao was furious, and said angrily: "Didn't I let her shut up in the Jiaolan Palace to think about her mistakes? Are all the guards dead? Who let her out!"

Before Yuezhao could answer, a woman's mournful cry came from outside the hall: "Your majesty... the father and brother of my concubine would never dare to deceive the king and disobey the emperor! They... they were just greedy for a while, and wanted to save more money for my concubine." Private money! The concubine's father and brother are loyal to you, please forgive them for the sake of the Zhou family's hard work and no credit over the years!"

Liu Yanzhao didn't say a word, turned around and sat down after the case, his face was cloudy and uncertain.

The woman's crying became weaker, and gradually there was a muffled sound of "bang bang". After a while, the moonlight said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the concubine Xian couldn't kneel at the entrance of the hall, and her head was smashed. Look... ..."

Liu Yanzhao held back his impatience. The reason why he didn't express his anger was not because he felt pity for Concubine Xian, but because Concubine Xian fainted in the palace yesterday. pregnant.An unborn emperor's heir had just died in the palace, and the new emperor and the empress dowager took a close look at Concubine Xian's fetus, even if it was for the Dragonborn, they would not pursue Jiao Landian too much.

Similarly, he will think twice about how to deal with the Pei Guo government behind the concubine Xian.

The former dynasty and the rear palace have always been intertwined and inextricably linked.

"Find someone to wrap up her wound, and then send her back," Liu Yanzhao said in a deep voice, "Tell Concubine Xian, I have handed over this matter to the Tribunal for trial. How to convict and punish her is the law of the country, not me. If you want to be merciful, you can be merciful."

Zhang Jingche quickly raised his eyelids, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

The joint trial of the three courts means that the dominance of this case is not with Jin Yiwei, but with the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple.It sounds nice to say "Joint Trial", but it doesn't sound good. The aristocratic families in Beijing and China are married to each other, and everyone is related to everyone. Zhang Jingche alone knows that the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment and the Duke of Peiguo are in-laws who have turned a corner. Relatives, what tricks can you find out?

Even if the evidence is solid and the crime cannot be punished, in the hands of the aristocratic family, they can find a scapegoat and choose Duke Pei and his son from the case.Even if he can't be reinstated, it's not a problem to survive.

This is a tacit understanding between the aristocratic families, supporting each other and sharing weal and woe.It doesn't matter if the Duke of Pei is defeated, the key is, who is next?

If the new emperor is allowed to dispose of Pei Guogong, wouldn't everyone be at risk?

What Liu Yanzhao wanted was "power", not "fate". He dealt with Mr. Pei Guo heavily, firstly to fill the hole in the treasury, secondly to frighten the rats in the court and China, and thirdly to pry into the impenetrable relationship network of the Beijing-China aristocratic family Open a hole and seize the power of the government.The aristocratic family can understand that if they are willing to take the initiative to give in, the new emperor does not need to be aggressive - he has not been on the throne for a long time, and the situation in the court has not yet stabilized, and he really does not want to make too much noise.Now that you have what you want, you can take a step back and everyone will be happy.

Zhang Jingche could see Liu Yanzhao's thoughts very clearly. As expected, at the court meeting three days later, the officials tested the new emperor's tone and found that he was not as vigorous and resolute as he was at the beginning, and he was much more courageous.Some even tried to go to Shushu, enumerating the meritorious deeds of Duke Pei's mansion, and their words were quite sincere.The new emperor was noncommittal on the surface, but when he returned to the harem, he sent a lot of rare tonics to the Jiaolan Hall to show his importance.

At this point, the princes of the court breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the fate of Pei Guogong and his son was saved.

Zhang Jingche was in the Hall of Qinzheng when the courtiers went to the memorial. He knew what was written in the thick stack of memorials, but he didn't intend to comment.

The calmer he was, the more guilty Liu Yanzhao felt, and there was no reason for a tinge of guilt: "Pei Guogong... Although the evidence of the crime is convincing, he is an old minister who was trusted by the late emperor when he was in power, and he has made great contributions to me. ...I have to take into account the material affairs of the court and the concubine Xian in the palace. Especially the concubine Xian, who already has my own flesh and blood. Because of the case of her father and brother, she has had trouble sleeping and eating for several days, and her fetal image is not stable. This is my As the first emperor's son after ascension to the throne, the Empress Dowager was very anxious, and she asked me several times in the past few days, all asking me to close the case as soon as possible, so that Concubine Xian's heart will be relieved."

He explained a long list of reasons, and felt that he was sincere and sincere enough, but it was a pity that he gave the blind man some pretty winks.Zhang Jingche was expressionless, and waited until Liu Yanzhao had finished speaking before bowing and saluting: "If Your Majesty has no other orders, I will leave."

For no reason, Liu Yanzhao felt that there was a sarcasm in his tight lips, and he wanted to explain a few more words, but felt that everything he said was useless, so he said after a while: "Minghuang, you have to understand my painstaking efforts... Even the emperor can't do whatever he wants .”

Zhang Jingche didn't say a word, and lowered his eyes carefully. Liu Yanzhao couldn't figure out his thoughts, so he suddenly reached out to lift his chin, trying to see his expression at the moment.

But Zhang Jingche took a step back at this time, opened the distance respectfully and restrainedly, and repeated: "If Your Majesty has no other orders, I will leave first."

Even though Liu Yanzhao had thousands of words to say, he couldn't speak them right now, so he could only wave his hand wearily, signaling him to take it easy.

Zhang Jingche left the Forbidden Palace expressionlessly, and went straight back to Jinyiwei Beizhen Fusi.Han Xun had already been waiting at the door, seeing him get off the car, he rushed forward to greet him: "Your Excellency, you can count him back, and he was just here in Dingbianhou."

Zhang Jingche paused and said calmly, "What did Yang Hou say?"

Han Xun shook his head: "Master Hou didn't say anything, he just said to send him a letter when you come back, he has something to say to you."

Zhang Jingche was silent for a moment: "If Master Hou comes again, just say that I'm not here, and I won't be free for a while. I have something to talk about when I am free."

Han Xun understands his subtext, the so-called "let's talk later" means "don't talk anymore".He has followed Zhang Jingche for many years, and he can see clearly that Zhang Jingche's attitude towards Marquis Dingbian is unusual, but for some unknown reason, he has intentionally or unintentionally alienated Yang Fan these days, as if to draw a clear-cut fence between the two .

Zhang Jingche said calmly: "Today, His Majesty and the princes have come and gone, and it seems that they have reached an agreement...Pei Guogong's life can probably be saved."

Han Xun suddenly felt his hair stand on end, and cautiously did not speak.

"The Holy Majesty has not long since ascended the throne, and the court situation has not yet been stabilized. It is reasonable that he does not want to turn against the aristocratic family in Beijing," Zhang Jingche said to himself, "Pei Guogong is lucky...but guess, can he continue to be so lucky? "

Han Xun felt the danger intuitively, so he dared not say anything more.

Zhang Jingche suppressed his smile, and said lightly: "The emperor has made up his mind, and he will hand over Duke Pei and his son to the Ministry of Punishment in a few days... In that case, I will give Duke Pei a big gift!"