Survival countdown

Chapter 16

The civil and military officials walked out of the palace, looking at the three ministers and the crown prince walking in front from time to time.

Lu Zhiyuan: "Zhao Zaizhi has a good son. In order to save his benefactor, he beat the Dengwen drum, entered the Chuigong Palace, and met the Holy One. He valued love and righteousness, and was sincere. How come he has never heard of it before? He is still studying in the Imperial College? Do you have fame?"

Zhao Zaizhi behaved indifferently: "Nizi is stupid and reckless, and I can't bear Lu Zhiyuan's praise. I still have a case that His Majesty has given to me, so forgive me for taking the first step."

After saying that, he bowed his hands to the prince, and left with a straight sleeve.

Lu Zhiyuan snorted coldly, looked at the prince and changed his amiable expression: "Is Wan'er all right?"

Lu Wan, Lu Zhiyuan's youngest daughter, was frail and sickly, and was regarded as the apple of her eye. Lu Zhiyuan especially loved her, and did not agree to marry her into the East Palace until she was raised in her twenties.At this time, it was the third year that Lu Wan married into the East Palace, and she was not yet pregnant. So far, no grandson was born in the East Palace, and the queen became more and more dissatisfied. Fortunately, there was a prince to help Lu Wan speak.

Therefore, Lu Zhiyuan was quite satisfied with the prince.

"Some time ago, I asked the imperial physician to change the prescription. Wan'er's health has improved, and she said that she will be ready to conceive after taking it for a few months." The prince smiled softly.

Lu Zhiyuan was overjoyed: "Okay! My mansion has recently obtained some good medicinal materials, and some novelties from overseas, and will be sent to the East Palace later."

Prince: "Wan'er will be happy."

While talking, the imperial army led by Zhao Changfeng walked by and bowed to the prince.

The prince lost his mind and was in a trance for a moment. Zhao Yuzheng, who was clattering in red and whipping his horse, flashed in his mind, and the conversation with Lu Zhiyuan became a bit perfunctory, but no one saw his perfunctory.

The civil and military officials who were left behind talked about Zhao Baiyu as if they were commonplace: "This Zhao Wulang is really absurd. His actions are too outrageous. He even went to the emperor's gate to sue his mentor. Does he deserve the teachings of the most holy teacher? Behavior is perverted." , out of the ordinary, and insulting to the gentleman!"

"Well said! Even if the intention is good, why don't you report to Dali Temple first and then let Dali Temple find out the truth and ask His Majesty for instructions? Isn't he and Lin'an County King a marriage bestowed by the Holy Majesty?"

"I'm afraid I will find another way to show my face in front of His Majesty."

"I heard that I have no fame."

"That's not it!"

Between the words, he kept speculating about Zhao Baiyu's intentions, and suddenly a person walked by, sneered and said mockingly: "Is Zhao Wulang sincere and sincere, or has ulterior motives and apostasy, why didn't he report to Dali Temple through the king of Lin'an County?" , do you adults really not know in your heart? You adults are all winners from the Toad Palace, extremely intelligent people, how can you not see through the character of a mere seventh-rank official?"

This person walked in front, turned sideways and looked at everyone coldly, wearing red court clothes with whitebait bag, he was Fan Wenming, the most straight-tempered servant of the Ministry of Industry.

"Among you, there are some who have been the chief examiners. They personally select students for the purpose of spreading the net and forming a network of relationships. Even if there are no students, there are old officials and friendships of the same year. It can be said that friends and students are everywhere. The world, but the trees are falling and the monkeys are scattered. The hearts of all colleagues are like mirrors. Do you dare to think that one day you will be imprisoned, and there will be a colleague, student, and friend running around calling for grievances for you, and risking offending gods and Buddhas to save you? The great man of your life, went to the Chui Gong Palace, knelt in front of His Majesty, did not seek to live, did not fear death, just to repay your innocence?"

"I'm afraid I dare not think about it. I haven't thought about it. It's hard to imagine."

Fan Wenming sneered: "Ask yourself, don't you envy?"

-

Silent.

Everyone was disconcerted and embarrassed by being poked in the center, but no one showed it, but no one ridiculed Zhao Baiyu for the rest of the journey, because Fan Wenming was too right.

Don't you envy?

How could you not be envious!

Their eyes were bleeding with envy!

Zhao Baiyu ran around, and the Beijing officials heard about it. In order to prove Chen Shilang's innocence, he regarded death as home, and he was not afraid of offending the prince and King Qin, so he argued in front of His Majesty.

If such a person who values ​​love and righteousness, and is so affectionate and sincere, if he is their protégé, official or friend, he will definitely be a confidant who can treat each other honestly!

Although he sued his teacher in front of the emperor, he praised his teacher every word and every word.

Is Chen Shilang lax in his rule and tricky in his servants?

It is clear that he is lenient, benevolent and harmonious!

Is Chen Shilang mean and ungrateful, treating his servants harshly?

That's because he was a poor official. After three dynasties, he was an official for more than forty years.

As soon as this incident got out of the palace, it would definitely spread among the people. Chen Shidao's reputation of being upright and upright in the three dynasties might spread throughout the north and south of the river.

And this is Zhao Baiyu's name for his mentor!

So how can they not be envious?

***

Zhao House.

Zhao Sanlang slapped the table angrily: "Showing up the crowd! He, Zhao Baiyu, an unknown person, can know so many inside stories of the case? Can he think of suing his mentor before the imperial court? He is clearly instigated by someone!"

Zhao Yuzheng: "Third brother, you mean that Wulang was used by someone with a heart to deal with Donggong?"

Zhao Sanlang was still angry: "Otherwise?" He looked at his eldest brother Zhao Changfeng, and said in a very aggressive tone, "Cheating in the scientific examination is a major case, how could the details of the case be known by outsiders? Why did you happen to meet Liu who stole the test questions, and pick him up?" I saw the dropped Da Nei tooth card, and used it to interrogate the servants who colluded with Liu's betrayal of the master's house... Tell me, is there such a coincidence? Zhao Baiyu is not a permanent resident of Chen's residence, and it is so coincidental that he bumped into someone once in a while during a visit And figured out the tricks so quickly? Not to mention anything else, he is a seventh-rank official, not an employee of the Ministry of Punishment or Dali Temple, how did he know that the key witness who missed the question is the Liu family?"

Zhao Sanlang sneered again and again: "I'm afraid that idiot was used as a spear by the King of Lin'an County!"

"Speak carefully!" Zhao Changfeng scolded, and glared at Zhao Sanlang: "There is no proof, stop talking nonsense!"

Zhao Sanlang: "There is no one around, and at home, can't you say a few more words?"

Zhao Changfeng frowned.

Zhao Yuzheng hastily tugged on Zhao Sanlang's arm: "Third Brother, partitions have ears." Before Zhao Sanlang lost his temper, he quickly changed the subject: "King Qin was abolished, the imperial concubine suffered a lot, handed over the reward, now the queen and the East Palace benefit , the limelight is the same. Even if it is... used as a spearman, it is still a bad move if it fails to hit the East Palace."

Zhao Sanlang: "I just can't understand Zhao Baiyu's hypocritical appearance. With a vicious mother like Changping, how can he have good character? He really has no face and skin to hang out with the king of Lin'an County. Could it be that he is really waiting for the wedding in June? As soon as you arrive, you will marry into the county prince's mansion with eight sedan chairs?"

Zhao Changfeng: "Otherwise, what do you want Zhao Baiyu to do?"

Zhao Sanlang: "A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!"

Zhao Changfeng: "You want him to commit suicide, so that everyone in the world will scold the king of Lin'an County for forcing his good into prostitution, and scold His Majesty who gave the marriage for helping the evildoers?"

"I—" Zhao Sanlang choked, and said dissatisfiedly, "Brother, why are you helping Zhao Baiyu?"

Zhao Changfeng: "Because the matter of Li Daitao's stiffness is that we are sorry for Zhao Baiyu! No matter what he is doing in front of the palace, the result is that Chen Shidao is saved! He is hypocritical, grandstanding, collaborating with the king of Lin'an County, or being used Forget it, it is indeed Gao Yi who is running around to save the benefactor."

"This..." Zhao Sanlang felt unwilling, knowing the truth was one thing, but asking him to admit it was another.If it were someone else, he would immediately come to make friends with them, and he admired the most righteous people in his life.

But this person is Zhao Baiyu!

His mother, Princess Changping, murdered her many times back then, and even wanted to kill three of the boys from the Zhao family. She almost killed both her mother and younger brother, but after being demoted, she was able to live a prosperous life in the south of the Yangtze River. How could Zhao Sanlang Can you bear this bad breath?

Zhao Yuzheng: "Third brother, we are indeed sorry for Zhao Baiyu." His expression was gloomy, and the radiance of his face also dimmed a lot. "If I hadn't offended the King of Lin'an in a moment of anger, I wouldn't have been given a marriage, and my father, mother and brothers wouldn't have pushed Wulang out for me."

Zhao Sanlang quickly comforted him: "Thinking about it from another angle, if Zhao Baiyu is not the one who bestows marriage, he would have no chance to get acquainted with the Prince of Lin'an, so how can he save his mentor? After all, we helped him by mistake. "

Zhao Yuzheng couldn't help laughing: "How can there be such a calculation?"

Zhao Sanlang stared: "Why not? You don't know how much Zhao Baiyu used this marriage to extort money. The listed dowry includes Pearls of the South China Sea, antique collections, not to mention how many boxes of gold and silver jewels are there, and how many dowry shops are there?" Tens of hundreds! Father and mother promised him a generous dowry earlier, but this move cost half of the treasury, and he earned it!"

Zhao Yuzheng: "After all, the marriage was bestowed by His Majesty, so you can't lose face. I'll also get in later, just treat it as my own heart."

Zhao Changfeng looked at Zhao Yuzheng with soft and relieved eyes: "Silang is still sensible."

Zhao Sanlang shook his hands: "Okay, okay, I'm the only one who is not sensible. I'll go to Biezhuang and pick some good horses to send to Zhao Baiyu, okay?"

As soon as the words fell, a servant came to spread the word, saying that Mrs. Xie asked them to have dinner in the main courtyard, and the three brothers went to the main courtyard together to have a family reunion with their parents.

***

East Palace.

The crown prince and the fifth prince had a secret conversation in the study, and when they talked about the thrills of the early court, they were all in a cold sweat.

Fifth Prince: "This Zhao Baiyu ran into Mrs. Liu, and found out the truth about Chen Shidao's being framed from the dental plaque that fell from her body... Is there such a coincidence? Why do I feel that there is something weird in it?"

Prince: "I was also thinking after I came back. I couldn't figure it out. Zhao Baiyu suddenly appeared in a case that had been settled. He is not just a random person... If he really happened to meet Mrs. Liu, it would be too evil. "

Fifth Prince: "I'm afraid it's not a coincidence."

Prince: "How to say?"

The Fifth Prince: "The marriage between Huo Jingtang and Zhao Baiyu was the result of the joint efforts of you and me to order the household department to change the birth order of Zhao Baiyu and Shiro, and change the marriage partner from Shiro to Zhao Baiyu. This matter is ours. They teamed up to play Huo Jingtang, it's hard to guarantee that he didn't take advantage of Zhao Baiyu's eagerness to save people, and instruct him to go to the imperial court to make a statement against you, second brother!"

The prince was startled, and thought deeply at the moment.

Fifth Prince: "After all, Huo Jingtang became famous at a young age, and he was famous in the army. When he was famous in the capital, you and I had to stand aside. But now that he has no military power, he is hiding in the capital as an idle king. I really don't feel aggrieved at all." Second brother, don’t forget, Huo Jingtang’s father is our eighth uncle, King Jing who almost won the battle for the throne with his father! If the winner of the imperial throne was the eighth uncle, now Huo Jingtang is the prince, he may not have Ideas to replace it!"

The prince was thoughtful.

Fifth Prince: "Fortunately, Father was dissatisfied with Huo Jingtang's errand this time, and removed him from the position of Minister of the Dali Temple, and handed over the power of Cha Qin's clique to Zhao Zaizhi."

The prince's face was solemn: "You're wrong, the father is not dissatisfied, on the contrary, he is very satisfied with the job that Huo Jingtang has done. It was done beautifully, and the shady scene in the Jiangnan examination room was also uncovered, so that the father had a reformation. Officialdom, an excuse to suppress the cronies of Duke Zheng’s government.”

Fifth Prince: "Since you are satisfied, why did you withdraw Huo Jingtang's job?"

Prince: "Building a big prison, killing cronies, what do you think is a good job? This is an job that offends people! Officialdom, officialdom, a circle where you can't get out of reincarnation, which family doesn't have a protégé? Which one has nothing to do with which one?" Some kind of relationship? Kill this one today, and wait to be united to death tomorrow!"

He faced Junzizhu outside the window, and sighed with his hands behind his back: "Father is protecting Huo Jingtang, abandoning Zhao Zaizhi."

"Forget it, let's put this matter aside for the time being. The most important thing right now is this year's autumn tax. The time for appropriation in various places is approaching. The taxation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is well paid, and you should pay more attention to this year's flood disaster. You are in charge of the household department. , Work hard and watch more, with the lessons learned from the third brother and the Jiangnan examination room, let the people below restrain themselves."

"Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion. By the way, the end of September is the [-]th birthday of the emperor's grandmother. I specially asked someone to bring back a Taishan stone with auspicious omens, and prepared to present it as a birthday gift."

"The imperial grandmother's heart of worshiping Buddha is very pious. Taishan stone is auspicious, and if there are auspicious omens to accompany her, she will definitely win the favor of the imperial grandmother."