Emperor Que Shaohua

The Shao Mansion is located in the east of Jinling City, with continuous ridges and row upon row. Due to the age, every brick and every tree has an old charm, and moss marks are looming in the cracks between the bluestones on the ground.

The Shao family originally lived in Runan, and was once prominent in the previous dynasty. Later, they moved to Jinling during the war and built a mansion and ancestral hall.In the past 20 years, there has been a co-government and two Lingyange bachelors from this mansion. Although there have been no particularly outstanding talents in the past [-] years, there are still two Jinshi, who are the sons of officials in various places. There are no less than a dozen, and old friends and old friends are all over the government and the public.

The main house is towering and majestic, and the interior layout is exquisitely crafted. When you step into it, you can see the vases, stoves, calligraphy and paintings in the middle hall, all of which are of great origin.At this time, Shao Qingchi, the patriarch of the Shao family, was sitting on the upper hand, talking with his second brother Shao Qingyang.

Shao Qingchi was in his late forties, wearing a well-tailored muslin robe, with a fair and clean face, and because of his good living conditions, he looked much younger than his actual age.In his early years, he would try out the first place in the second class, and he was elegant and elegant. He was famous in Jinling and even in the south of the Yangtze River. Like Xie An, he practiced self-cultivation among the Jinling people, wrote books and painted paintings, and educated his children.

Shao Qingchi focused on the life of celebrities, and Shao Qingyang was in charge of most of the family's external affairs, so he rarely needed his elder brother to intervene, but recently, the number of times he pulled Shao Qingchi to make plans has increased significantly.

"You mean, the fifth prince's subordinates have already arrived at the Yangzhou mansion, and they even visited Sun's mansion?" Shao Qingchi looked at his brother's dignified expression, and said slowly, "It's always coming, just send someone to stand in front, it's time to prepare It's ready, you just have to hold your breath."

"If it's just standing in the front, I don't need to rush to discuss with you, brother," Shao Qingyang said, "After the Deputy Commander Shen left, Sun Fuyin immediately became angry and pushed the official, and let the tank boat that was detained at Huaiyang Ferry Let them all go. I'm afraid I made a mistake in my previous guess, I thought it would take some time for King Ning's official ship to arrive, but looking at the situation in Yangzhou Mansion, the Five Highnesses have already arrived."

Shao Qingchi flipped the floating leaves on the tea with the lid of the cup, took a shallow sip, his face was calm, but his heart was very displeased.

King Ning will go to Jiangnan in person, which shows that the imperial court is determined to clear the land, and there is a faint rumor in Los Angeles that the emperor has long been dissatisfied with the local clans. He used to prevent wars from happening, but now he intends to take the opportunity to gain power.

These days, not only in Jinling City, but also scholars from all over the place who had contacts with each other came to the door one after another, and sent messages to inquire about the attitude of the Shao family either directly or sideways. Respond together in the agreed charter.

Everyone said that they were concerned, thinking back to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, when the gentry assisted the government, the heyday was like the kings of Taiyuan and the Xie scholars of Kuaiji. The situation in the border war was peaceful, and the emperor couldn't wait to take the sword of the world's gentry and achieve the great cause of Mingjun.

Qingzhang's land per mu is the responsibility of the Ministry of Households, and has nothing to do with gentry or peasant households. The land in the world is re-checked as a whole.But the last time Zhangdi was still in the reign of the first emperor, it is also a tacit fact that in recent years, the gentry have relied on the reputation and popularity accumulated over several generations or even dozens of generations to expand their family business, taking countless benefits for nothing.Now that there is a sudden and equal investigation, it is nothing less than a thunderbolt on the ground.

The imperial decree has been issued, and Jinling and Yuhang are the first to bear the brunt of the sharp direction. It is clearly intended to capture the thief and the king, and kill the chicken to warn the monkey.Shao Qingchi had to put down the metaphysics manuscript he was revising for school, and thought twice.

He asked Shao Qingyang to verify the situation of the acres of land in the family. The land occupied by the Jinling family is not amazing, only a few thousand acres, but several clansmen in nearby counties have obviously done it well, and some of the excellent river beaches The paddy fields were forcibly declared as abandoned land, and they were half-buy and half-occupied at a very low price, and the two connected hills were also designated as their own. There was no land deed and no taxes were paid.As for concealing property, defaulting on payment of taxes, and reporting high-quality paddy fields as inferior dry land, there are countless things, even more numerous. Seven out of ten land properties of the whole family cannot be checked carefully, and more than [-]% of them are afraid that they will be taken back by the officials.

"Our Shao family has a strict family style, which can be regarded as abiding by the rules. If it were the Xu family in the north of the city and the Geng family in the southeast of the city, people would hang the land deeds in the clan, and even manage and occupy them. Shao Qingyang said with a bitter face, "I don't want to disturb my elder brother's hearing with such mundane affairs, but those uncles and nephews below are closely related, not everyone can read good books, so there is always something to do. In the final analysis, no matter how many shops are opened, silk and tea are sold from the fields. Now it is too late to clear the land lease, and the state government dare not act rashly when they know that King Ning is going south to supervise it. , it is also unfair, just like Qingyan's [-] mu mulberry field by the river, which was abandoned five years ago, but now it has been cultivated into mature fields with great difficulty, is it just handed over for nothing?"

Seeing that Shao Qingchi didn't open his mouth, he couldn't hold back his anxiety, and said: "The northern border is thousands of miles away, and when there is a war at the border, the imperial court allocates grain from the south of the Yangtze River, and the state government wants to raise grain and grass. When has my Shao family not Be the first to set an example, and took the lead in pledging [-] shi of rice last year. Who wants to turn his face like a book in a blink of an eye, and send an evil star to harvest the fields out of thin air. No one in Beijing knows that Luo Pingyuan is the king of Ning who copied his house. Not a single blade of grass grows everywhere, even princes, princes and ministers can copy it, but he came here on order, so how can you not feel chilled to teach people?"

"Don't talk nonsense." Shao Qingchi scolded, knowing that his younger brother was not willing to surrender, indeed, who would want to spit out the meat?But things are by no means as simple as Tianmu.He was a little annoyed by Shao Qingyang's behavior, and every family owned a lot of land, but he did it too blatantly, which would damage the family's name, and he had to rely on his own reputation to restore it when things came to an end.But now is not the time to blame, the only way to make a decision is to advance and retreat.

Both the Shao family and the Min family are well-known families in the south of the Yangtze River, and they have become the purlins in their early years. The aristocratic families in other state capitals know that this is a division and attack them, and they must be cold-hearted. Weighing the pros and cons, watching from the sidelines, hoping that the water in Jinling and Hangzhou would be deep enough for the Fifth Prince to be stuck in it and unable to get out;Only a few well-informed friends can see clearly that Qingzhang’s land may be just the beginning. As early as the middle of last year, the household department was still under the control of the prince. Min Wenwen, the servant of the household department, proposed to increase the Shao’an tax. King Ning once strongly opposed it, and even criticized the court directly, thinking that the gentry evaded paying taxes by virtue of their fame, but lightly increased the tax and made the people's burden even heavier. Min Wenwen was once speechless and shameless.

Who would have thought that in just one year, the crown prince was already in a precarious situation, but King Ning's reputation was growing day by day, and his future was bright.If he is allowed to supervise effectively, his status will inevitably rise, and the future national policy may be further tilted in a direction that is not conducive to the gentry, but this is unacceptable.

When Luo Pingyuan boarded Zheng Tong's small passenger boat in Huai'an and went down the Huai River with his brother, the Shao family had already gotten along with the most powerful and influential families in the south of the Yangtze River. The Xu family in Jiangning and the Wen family in Huizhou naturally had the most in-depth and detailed discussions with the Min family.

Shao Qingchi noticed that the Min family in Hangzhou seemed to be still supporting the prince, and Min Huaiwen faintly revealed that the capital had sent envoys to send a message that his identity was related to the East Palace.He just pretended not to understand the other party's suggestion to win over. The Min family used to get close to the crown prince, so maybe they still didn't give up and wanted to continue gambling; but Shao Qingchi always thought that there was a difference between monarchs and ministers, and deliberately befriending the prince was not the best way , and now he is even more unwilling to get involved in the open and secret fights between the princes.

It's just that if you want to be alone at present, you can't get it. It's not appropriate to confront each other, and you can't give in lightly.It is said that King Ning is only twenty years old, and has spent many years in the mountains. No matter how talented he is, he lacks experience; It's best, if not, at least let the other party understand the strength of the nobles, so that they will not attack lightly in the future.If the Shao family didn't even dare to fight, they would submit immediately, not only would they not be respected by the court, but they would also be ridiculed by everyone as lacking in character.

It so happened that at such a critical moment, the second uncle's family in Pangzhili came to ask for help, saying that his cousin Shao Qingquan was considered a traitor by the Cao Gang and was to be executed according to gang rules.This kind of thing is usually taken care of by Shao Qingyang. Shao Qingchi has solemnly instructed him to be cautious and slow, and to strictly restrain the relatives of the second uncle's family. Water transport is of a special nature, so don't wait too long when King Ning is approaching. Branches.

Who would have thought that Shao Qingyang would be so impetuous that he would force the state government to detain Cao Chuan. Such an eye-catching method would be met by King Ning, who had just arrived in the south of the Yangtze River. Wouldn't it disrupt the overall plan.

"You guys are making haste and waste." He suppressed his anger and said, "Let Qingquan go beforehand. After this incident, no matter how much you negotiate, the Cao Gang will not buy it. But His Royal Highness is going to leave after all. Yes, they can't do too much. You prepare some gifts and explain it yourself, clarify to Caokou that it was just a misunderstanding, and then send someone to send a pen and silver. First, Qingquan's life is saved, and the rest will be discussed later. "

Shao Qingyang nodded, but his forehead was still sweating uncontrollably. It was not without reason that he was anxious to ask the Cao Gang to release him. After days of investigation, the mistakes Shao Qingquan committed were confusing and weird, although he could only piece together a Probably, but there seems to be a very important relationship behind it. The invisible line not only faintly leads to the East Palace, but also involves the traitors that the court is arresting, and even more unfathomable inside stories.If the Cao Gang is allowed to hold people tight, it may bring disaster to the entire Shao family.

Shao Qingyang has been handling foreign affairs for many years, and he can handle things calmly on weekdays, but in extraordinary times, he gets a little out of order.The Shao family has really had some disgraceful things in recent years, and it’s too late to remedy them. They can’t afford to be dragged down by Shao Qingquan’s misfortunes again. He exerted pressure on the Cao Gang, just to suppress this unfortunate disaster before King Ning arrived. Who would have thought that it would be self-defeating? .At this moment, the fifth prince may have noticed the conflict between the Cao Gang and the Shao family, so he must decide a countermeasure with his brother as soon as possible.

He faltered for a moment, and had no choice but to briefly describe the inside story of Shao Qingquan's betrayal of the Cao Gang that he had inquired about, together with a few troubles caused by the clansmen, and finally said: "Brother, it's all about my inability to manage the family well, and now I have made mistakes. A few went to the northern counties to avoid the limelight, and made some arrangements for the sufferer, and it should be no problem, only Qingquan... we still need to think of a safe countermeasure."

Shao Qingchi's closest follower, Shao Yun, has been guarding outside the hall, guarding against anyone approaching. The Shao brothers were talking in a low voice in the hall, their voices were indistinct and inaudible at all.He was drowsy in the warmth of late spring, when there was a sudden "pop" inside, like a teacup being smashed to pieces, followed by an angry scolding sound from the Patriarch.

Shao Yun was taken aback, Shao Qingchi was very well-bred, and he hadn't shown any signs of anger for many years.I don't know what happened.He hurriedly called his servants to go in, and carefully cleaned up the fragments and remnants of the tea cups and water on the ground.

The two brothers with the highest status in the Shao family sat in their seats in silence. Shao Qingchi's face was particularly ugly, a little grayish in the ashes, and he waved his hand and sighed: "Forget it, Shao Yun, go to the side courtyard , Mr. Zhuang, please come here to talk."

Shao Yun didn't dare to be negligent, and went away at the sound, wondering in his heart, he knew that because the household department wanted to clear up the land, there were countless mistakes in the clan that had to be clarified as soon as possible. How about inviting an outsider to come and see for details?

Speaking of Mr. Zhuang, who looks so handsome, there is indeed a sense of mystery.This distinguished guest came from Los Angeles, and he just arrived a few days ago. He was a friend of the same age as Shao Qingchi made during the examination, but he hadn't seen any correspondence for many years, but now he is staying in the side courtyard.Shao Qingchi's attitude towards guests was also a bit unusual, not only seemed to be respectful, but also showed some kind of respect and distance, as if there was fear.

Zhuang Shijing was wearing a half-new Songjiang cloth robe and azure cloth shoes. He walked into the lobby behind Shao Yun, bowed his hands to Shao Qingchi and Shao Qingyang, and sat down safely in the guest seat.Compared with when he was in the Eastern Palace with layers of curtains, he looked much more relaxed, as if he had lifted a heavy burden, and his attitude was very free and easy.

Luo Wenxiao entered Chonghua on February [-]th, and he never returned. It seemed that he was going to be imprisoned in the palace for a long time. People inside and outside the East Palace were panicked, and it was all maintained by the Crown Princess and a few stewards.In the midst of speculation and apprehension, Zhuang Shijing also seemed to have suffered a heavy blow. At first, he only felt a cold and cold, but after seven or eight days of hard work, the medicine was ineffective, and he became terminally ill.After seeing it, several doctors shook their heads again and again, implying that they were preparing for the funeral.

It is too late for the prince's mansion to avoid the incident, so how dare he invite an imperial doctor for a counselor.Seeing that Zhuang Shijing couldn't bear it, he struggled to hand over the letter of resignation to the concubine. He was so ill and powerless that it was difficult for him to repay the prince's kindness, and it would be useless to stay.

The concubine Cheng's family has lost her mind. If Zhuang Shijing died in the mansion, the already gloomy East Palace would be even more chaotic and desolate. She agreed to resign immediately.Three days later, the former first staff member of the Eastern Palace left Los Angeles under the care of his family.

Zhuang Shijing, whose ancestral home is Huizhou, or because his mind has become more open after leaving Beijing, may be Jiang Feng benefited from his illness. When he traveled all the way to the south of the Yangtze River, he recovered from a serious illness that was almost fatal. He told his family to go back to his hometown first. I stopped by to Jinling to visit friends and relax.

Shao Qingchi was dubious about the illness that he said in the same year. It is human nature for the tree to fall and the monkeys to scatter, but after Zhuang Shijing managed to get away, why didn't he hide his name and come to visit him first? Fifteen years ago, he and Zhuang Shijing lived in the same inn when they took the same subject examination. Besides the same year, they even had a friendship with each other for papers.At that time, he felt that although this talent was highly educated, he had a high spirit, and his thoughts and discussions might deviate from the normal track.After that, as expected, when the rankings were released, he was a high school biography, but the other party's ranking was respectfully accompanied by the bottom.After this setback, Zhuang Shi did not go to the Ministry of officials to wait for election, so he left in a huff.Over the years there has been very little news, the last time I heard about him was a private rumor that Zhuang Shengyu might have entered the East Palace in Los Angeles.

The rumors have been confirmed, Shao Qingchi didn't dare to be slow to wait, and he was wary. He felt that Zhuang Shijing's resignation was most likely a deception, but he was still working for the fallen prince, and there might even be a secret order to use the current opportunity to further win over the Jiangnan gentry , use this power to fight against King Ning, and help the prince to restore the decline in Beijing.

But he couldn't be sure of his guess. Besides, although Shao Qingquan was only a collateral descendant, if he was too deeply involved in the struggle between the government and the opposition, the Shao family would probably face more than clearing Zhang Tianmu, and they had to make decisions and rely on them.Zhuang Shijing is well aware of the situation in Luocheng, and his understanding of the prince and King Ning is beyond the reach of anyone. Since he was left to live in the side courtyard, he had talked about it several times, but it was meaningless. It seems that today he can only speak out and ask for advice.

Zhuang Shijing listened to Shao Qingchi talk about the Jiangnan gentry's resistance and worries about the new policy of the Ministry of Households in roundabout and cryptic words, he just sipped tea and smiled slowly, not in a hurry to answer.It wasn't until Shao Qingchi politely inquired about the fifth prince's character and behavior that his expression became more serious.

"Ning Wang is a man with a firm mind and strict laws. He has little distractions and no scruples. He cannot be stopped by ordinary methods. You must not take him seriously." He asked the Shao brothers to wait for a moment before slowly saying, "The fifth prince is now in full swing, and he wears the sword bestowed by the emperor. No matter whether you go to the Jinling Mansion or Hangzhou Mansion, you are all scholars and soldiers, and it is difficult to beat them. But what..." The last few words, the ending As it dragged on, it seemed more and more profound, "If it's impossible to imagine, it's not that bad."

"Sheng Yu, for the sake of the fact that you and I were in the same department in the past, if you have a good plan, you might as well speak up." Shao Qingchi didn't like his pretending to be profound, and said with a frown, "The Fifth Highness will be here soon, and you are not far from Luocheng After returning from thousands of miles, I just chose this time to visit me, so I don’t think it’s completely irrelevant to me, right? Why don’t I open the skylight and speak honestly.”

Zhuang Shijing saw that Shao Qingchi put away his temptations and asked bluntly, so he smiled: "Brother Shao Nian, don't worry too much, I have indeed resigned from the Eastern Palace staff, and now I am a wandering cloud and a wild crane. I didn't visit you in Jinling to be a lobbyist for someone, but After all, the crown prince and I are at the same time as a monarch and a subject. You have heard about the situation in the court. I have been assisting for several years. This time he is supervising Zhang’s land, and it’s another act of gaining fame. I intend to plan from the sidelines to help you, so that King Ning’s success in this trip will be defeated, and it will be regarded as the end of the relationship between the prince and the prince. I wonder what Brother Shao’s intention is? "

"I would like to hear the details," Shao Qingchi said lightly, Zhuang Shijing is indeed not a broad-minded person, since he confessed his selfishness frankly, he fell to the ground with a stone.

"The reason why King Ning left his entourage and rushed to the south of the Yangtze River in low clothes is because besides being a prince, he also has another status in the martial arts world. He is the fourth disciple of the Hanshan School." Zhuang Shijing said, "Before I left Beijing Judging from the information we have received, before the fifth day of May, His Highness the Fifth Highness will not be interested in taking care of the government affairs of the Household Department, because on that day, he will take the pure Jun sword bestowed by His Majesty to participate in the sword test meeting at Wanjian Villa."

"Sword trial meeting?" Shao Qingchi frowned slightly again, Wanjian Villa is also in Jinling, but the affairs in the world of martial arts are completely irrelevant to him, and he rarely cares about them.

"There is such a thing. Qingyi mentioned it a while ago, and she heard about it from Miss Nangong." Shao Qingyang said at the right time, "Mr. After he finishes participating in this sword test meeting, the situation is still difficult to change."

"It is said that the place where Wanjian Mountain Villa is located is the place where Wu Wang Fuchai ordered the famous casting master to forge the Wu hook sword during the Warring States period. It is because of this that the current owner Mu Shaoqing is qualified to invite masters to hold this triennial It is a great martial arts event." Zhuang Shijing said leisurely, "It is said that in the Wanjian Villa, there are not only tens of hundreds of famous swords of different shapes and origins, but also a sword pool. In three days, young disciples competed sword skills , the directors of each exhibition, and then judged by the masters and masters of each school. Discussions on martial arts are as good as papers, and can be a good story. But if it stops at this point, it is not enough to attract the world's sword sects to go all the way and come here Yes. The Sword Trial Conference is famous because it has another rule."

These allusions are quite interesting when he said them out of his mouth, but on this occasion, it is unavoidable to have a sense of digression.The Shao family brothers looked at each other, they didn't understand why he wanted to describe a martial arts conference, so they could only listen patiently.

"In addition to judging the swordsmanship at the meeting, we also tasted the magic weapon carried by the guests. If the sword worn by everyone is recognized as the best this time, you are eligible to propose a match with the sword on the third day, which is the last day of the meeting. The owner of the villa competes with swords." Zhuang Shijing said, "For generations, Wanjian Villa has always kept its promise. As long as you can beat the owner with one and a half strokes with swordsmanship, you can choose any one from the famous swords hidden in the village. Go, or make a request that does not violate the morality of martial arts. However, if you lose this sword competition, the challenger must leave the sword he is carrying in the sword pool of the villa, unless he wins in the same way at the next meeting Otherwise, it will be impossible to take it back. Everyone present is a witness. Speaking of which, the Chun Jun Sword of the Fifth Highness is naturally a famous sword through the ages. Young and vigorous, he proposed to compete with Master Mu Shaozhuang, but he didn't know the outcome?"

Shao Qingchi understood what he meant for a while. If King Ning was at a disadvantage in sword competition and lost the pure Jun sword bestowed by the imperial court, his spirit would be greatly frustrated, and he would probably not be in the mood to deal with government affairs. blame. "

"The imperial bestowed sword is so important, how do we know that King Ning will definitely fight with swords and lose?" He thought about it and asked, "Furthermore, my Shao family is not a family of martial arts. If there is no contact, what role can it play in it?"

"Competing swords has its own rules and regulations. On the territory of Wanjian Villa, Master Mu Shao does not want to lose, so he is more than nine points sure." Zhuang Shijing smiled with his beard, "Qingchi, you are too hands-off, no Look at the face of the monk and the face of the Buddha. On the boundary of the Jingling, who will not sell you three-point thin noodles, how can you let go of this opportunity? As far as I know, the Nangong family mentioned just now has a close relationship with Wanjian Villa. Nan Gongchen is also the best friend of Master Mu Shaozhuang. His Highness the Fifth Prince left the sword in Wanjian Villa, and because of his bad reputation, he forcibly asked for it. Take back the sword and give it back, this kind of favor, do you think he will accept it or not?"

Shao Qingchi couldn't help being moved. If things were as Zhuang Shijing said, it would be a strategy to defeat the enemy without bloodshed. No matter how sympathetic King Ning is, he would have no arrogance in front of the Jiangnan gentry, and he would have no face against the Shao family.He pondered for a moment, and the brilliance of this method lies in the fact that no matter whether it is successful or not, the Shao family is not damaged at all, and he can't help but eliminate half of his wariness against Zhuang Shijing. After traveling around and entering the East Palace, her vision and temperament have improved a lot now, and she can come up with such a harmonious idea.

He was restrained, and only nodded his head slightly to express his agreement. Shao Qingyang clapped his hands and smiled and said, "Mr. Zhuang has a wide range of knowledge and comprehension. It's really a good strategy to follow the trend!" But he also had the same doubts, and asked: "I heard It is said that His Highness the Fifth Highness acts prudently. He is not an impulsive and competitive person, and he is not lacking in fame. Since the Chunjun sword is so important, why is Brother Zhuang so sure that he would rather take such a big risk and compete with Master Mu Shaozhuang in public? What's the matter? Did he have to go through Wanjian Villa to do it?"

This is what Shao Qingchi was most puzzled by. If King Ning didn't take the initiative to seek a fight, no matter how hard he tried, it would be in vain.

Zhuang Shijing's smile gradually subsided, and he seemed to be lost in thought. He sighed after a long while: "You are in the south of the Yangtze River, and you don't know much about the situation in Beijing, China and Wulin. As I see it, it is not bad. There is a relationship with His Royal Highness King Jing. Ning Wang will definitely compete in this match."

Shao Qingchi didn't expect King Jing to exist in the already complicated situation. Based on what he knew, no matter how he could piece together the clues, Zhuang Shijing refused to continue.

The three of them discussed secretly for an hour. In the evening of that day, Shao Qingyi, the youngest sixth lady of the Shao family, wrote a small note to her best friend Nangong Ying, asking if she could be invited to stay at Nangong's house for a few days and make tea together flower.