Jin Yi Kill

In August, the emperor climbed the Chunde Mountain in Chengtianfu, inspected the Xianling Mausoleum, and repaired Wudang. The emperor ordered the expansion of the Xianling Mausoleum, and then ended the southern tour and set off back to Beijing.

In September, the emperor led the crowd back to the capital. This southern tour took two months, with more than 10,000 followers, the momentum was huge, and it was a fulfillment of the emperor's wish. After the emperor returned to the palace, he set about arranging the co-burial of Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng Jiang and King Xingxian. After the parents' coffins were finally arranged, the emperor freed up and began to settle accounts in the autumn.

The first to bear the brunt is naturally the Zhang family who offended the emperor's successor because he pleaded with Zhang Heling's brothers. The emperor wrote an edict to the Ministry of Rites, saying: "I only have yin and yang, and it is like the earth's inheritor of heaven. The husband is the guide for the wife, and the wife's way is just reverence and obedience. Since the Yuan pair was lost early, it was because there was no one to help the sacrifice. Lie Yu couldn't be unruly, so he promoted Mrs. Zhang as the empress. The time was very near when the grace and li were added. There are many people who are disobedient, disrespectful and inferior, and they are being treated with kindness. Yesterday, I was insulted and arrogant. Such a woman, how can you resist Qian? Now, I will withdraw from the office, and collect the treasure of the queen's book. The world will stop the paper, and follow it like an edict."

After the emperor is determined to abolish, who will the courtiers fight against the emperor for a powerless successor? After the abolition of the imperial edict, the process was quickly completed. On September 16, Zhang was abolished and moved to another palace.

A country cannot live without a ruler for a day, nor can a harem be without queens. Empress Zhang was deposed, so naturally a new empress should be established. At this time, it was a well-known secret that Yan Libi was pregnant. I heard that the due date was in October. Everyone was wondering whether the emperor would appoint Yan Libi as the queen, but in the end, the emperor named Debi Fang as the third empress.

Fang entered the palace in the same year as Yan Liconcubine, Cao Duanconcubine and others. Because of her dignified and upright conduct, she was registered as a virtuous concubine and the head of the nine concubines. Wang Yanqing was a little surprised when she first heard the news, but she was expected to think about it.

The court is about checks and balances, as was the case in the previous court, and the same is true in the harem. If Yan Liconcubine was registered as a queen, and a prince was born later, there would be absolutely no restrictions. Therefore, the emperor did not canonize the concubine Li who had heirs, nor the concubine Duan who was the most favored, but chose the concubine who was well-behaved and had the most seniority.

You can see the emperor's mind.

The harem has probably never been so lively. Not long after Fang's conferring ceremony ended, Yan Libi gave birth prematurely and gave birth to a prince at the end of September. Twelve years after the emperor ascended the throne, he finally had his first son. Both the emperor and his courtiers breathed a sigh of relief, and the court and inside rejoiced.

Immediately afterwards, there was good news from the harem. Concubine Cao Duan was diagnosed with a two-month pregnancy, and Concubine Wang was also diagnosed with Huamai, but because the month was still shallow, it was uncertain for the time being.

The emperor was pleased, and immediately promoted Yan Li to be Concubine Li and Concubine Cao Duan to Concubine Duan. Because the pulse condition is still unstable, Zhao Concubine did not have the right to be promoted, but he received a large reward. When she gives birth to a child, there should be a reward.

In the sound of congratulations, no one still remembered Empress Fang who had just been canonized.

It was obvious that the emperor was very interested in the morning. At this time, Lu Heng handed over a letter, and someone - Nanjing Jinyiwei to be precise, reported the Zhang brothers Zuo Dao Zhucu. The emperor was waiting for this sentence, and immediately ordered people to go to Nanjing to arrest Zhang Heling's brothers and send them to prison.

The emperor is a man who pays for money. He is willing to take action on his wife, not to mention the Queen Mother Zhang? Lu Heng was also ready, the emperor spoke in the morning, and Jin Yiwei rushed out of the city in the afternoon.

When Lu Heng came back in the evening, Wang Yanqing asked, "Brother, is it true that Brother Zhang Heling's private Wu Zhu is true?"

Lu Heng didn't care: "Is it true or not, no matter what evidence is presented, the emperor will believe it."

Wang Yanqing frowned: "But I heard that the Empress Dowager Zhang was begging for mercy, and she couldn't bear the illness. The minister was very critical about this matter and did not agree with the Zhang brothers. You handed the book, if you can't find out the exact details in the end. Will the evidence implicate you?"

Lu Heng smiled, and as soon as he stretched out his hand, he pulled the person into his arms, and pinched her face lovingly: "Qingqing is worried about me?"

Wang Yanqing was pulled down by him, and the hairpin rings on his head collided with each other, making a clanging sound. Wang Yanqing opened his fingers and glared at him angrily: "Don't do anything."

But he didn't deny what he just said.

Lu Heng was very worried. He was used to walking on the tip of a knife, and it was usually more dangerous than this situation, but no one ever worried that he would miss. It turns out that someone cares, that's the feeling.

Wang Yanqing didn't let her pinch her face, so Lu Heng played with the delicate hairpin in her hair and said, "If you can't find it, just leave it there. There is a place in the prison, and if you imprison them for ten or twenty years, you can always find evidence. "

Wang Yanqing was stunned, but Lu Heng lowered his eyes to see her expression, and asked with a smile, "Why, are you scared? Do you think your brother is not acting like a good person?"

Wang Yanqing shook his head, then nodded: "It's really not a good person."

Lu Heng couldn't help laughing, the more he looked at him, the more he thought Qingqing was cute, and even the appearance of calling him not a good person was very cute. Lu Heng said: "If they dare to do something, they should be prepared to be liquidated. The emperor had already forgotten about them, but they wanted to dance by themselves, and they dared to bribe the people in the palace. This is because a prince was born in the harem, and the emperor was in a good mood. Otherwise, the Zhang family would not only be imprisoned."

Speaking of this, Wang Yanqing asked, "Has the first prince's name been decided?"

"It's settled." Lu Heng glanced at Wang Yanqing, and said with an unclear meaning, "The cabinet presented several names, and in the end the emperor hesitated between Ji and Yan. The emperor also asked me which of these two words should I choose, and I said I don't even have a wife, so I don't know how to name the child. The emperor had to decide the foundation himself."

Lu Heng's words were full of hints, and Wang Yanqing should not understand them, and said solemnly: "Zhu Zaiji, great virtue, the foundation of the state, and a good name. Other concubines in the harem also reported that they were pregnant. This is a good omen."

Lu Heng felt that it was too difficult for him. His own life-long affairs had not been resolved, but he was worried about other people's concubines getting pregnant and giving birth to children. Lu Heng sighed and said, "Yeah, I don't know if I can get this joy."

Wang Yanqing was a little embarrassed and said, avoiding his gaze, "There has been no movement for more than ten years before, why are the concubines and concubines in the harem suddenly pregnant collectively these days?"

Chaotang was also secretly curious about this question. However, the supervision of the harem is strict, and the emperor is a very careful person. If it weren't for his children, the children and their biological mothers would definitely not live to dawn. The emperor did not respond, which means that it is indeed the emperor's heir.

Lu Heng raised his eyebrows meaningfully and said, "I think it's because the emperor is traveling south, climbing mountains and lakes. The emperor is in a good mood and is in high spirits, so it is easy for his concubine to get pregnant. But the emperor seems to think that it is Tao Zhongwen. The elixir is useful."

After he finished speaking, as if he just remembered that Wang Yanqing was still in his arms, he lowered his head and asked, "I accidentally said something wrong just now, do you mind?"

Wang Yanqing was blocked for a while, but he couldn't if he wanted to have a seizure, so he could only blink his eyes ignorantly and ask, "What?"

"It's fine if you don't understand." Lu Heng wrapped his arms around Wang Yanqing's waist and tapped his fingertips, with an undisguised smile in his eyes, "Tao Zhongwen didn't know where he heard the recipe, but he was whimsical, saying that he used a woman's recipe. Yuexin alchemy can nourish yin and yang, strengthen the body, and after taking it, it is guaranteed to make a woman pregnant and give birth to a son. The emperor was very convinced and asked Tao Zhongwen to continue to donate this pill. The emperor also gave me one, but unfortunately, I don’t think I will use it. superior."

Wang Yanqing suddenly felt that the hand he was holding on his waist was extremely hot, and even the movement of rubbing the fabric seemed meaningful. Wang Yanqing's ears instantly turned red, and he pushed his hand with pursed lips: "Let go, I'm going back."

Lu Heng's palm was empty, he rubbed his fingertips reluctantly, and said slowly to Wang Yanqing, "I mean I'm not married yet, so it's inconvenient to take this medicine. Qingqing, did you misunderstand?"

He even had the face to ask, Wang Yanqing didn't believe what he meant by his original words! Wang Yanqing finally couldn't bear it anymore, glared at him angrily, turned and walked quickly.

·

After the emperor had a son, some sweet troubles also followed. Pedestrian Sizheng Xue Kan sparsely mentioned the establishment of the crown prince. The prince has always been a major event in the society. Now that the emperor has his own son, the minister reminded the emperor to consider establishing the crown prince. It is a normal thing. Unexpectedly, the emperor was furious after reading the memorial, sent Xue Kan to prison, and ordered people to track down the mastermind behind the scenes.

Otherwise, how could Xue Kan, a small Sizheng, dare to talk about the establishment of the reserve?

However, Xue Kanjie was a literati, but his bones were very hard. No matter how the torture instrument was used, he would not confess. He insisted that the memorial was written by himself. Seeing that the interrogation has been inconclusive for several days, the case has come to a stalemate. One day at night, a sedan chair stopped in front of the prison gate, and the jailer came to stop it. The boy took out his waist badge and said to the gatekeeper, "My lord is the servant of the Ministry of Personnel, Mr. Peng, who was entrusted by Xue Kan's family to come to give to an old friend. Bring some warm clothes."

When the jailer heard the official minister, he didn't dare to say anything else, and immediately let him go. Peng Ze, the minister of staff, changed into his regular clothes and walked into the gloomy prison in a low-key manner. The officials in charge of the case, Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian, hurriedly greeted them and saluted: "Master Shilang."

Among the six departments, the personnel department is the most expensive, and the minister of the personnel department is the second-in-command after the Shangshu. Historically, only the first assistant's cronies could sit in this position. How could Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian offend the minor officials. Seeing them, Peng Ze raised his hand lightly and said, "I'm here to meet my old friend today in my personal capacity. You don't need to be polite, get up."

When Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian heard it, they knew that Peng Shilang was beating them to keep secrets and could not spread the news of tonight's events. Although the officials involved were not allowed to see outsiders during the investigation, the rules were dead, people were alive, and they were officials from the same dynasty. The death rules of the court were far less important than the likes and dislikes of Lord Shilang. Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian were not unsophisticated people, they repeatedly said yes, tacitly leading the way.

Soon, he arrived at the prison where Xue Kan was being held. Peng Ze put his hands on his sleeves and said, "It's been cold recently, and the prison is damp. You two have worked hard. I'm watching here. You can go out and have a cup of hot tea to warm up your body."

This is to support Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian. Sun Yingkui hesitated, but Cao Bian had already complied, and he took Sun Yingkui and went out.

Sun Yingkui was staggered, and after walking past the corner, Sun Yingkui asked in a low voice, "This is a case that the emperor personally ordered to investigate.

Cao Bian quickly glared at Sun Yingkui, motioning him to be quiet. Cao Bian looked back and forth and made sure that no one saw them, so he pulled Sun Yingkui to hide behind the wall: "Why don't you understand! Peng Shilang came to see the prisoner, but he was wearing normal clothes, and he deliberately chose to go after dark. , why did he come to see his old friend, he was clearly going here for someone else."

Sun Yingkui blinked and suddenly reacted: "You mean, the first assistant?"

"Yeah." Cao Bian only reacted when he saw his companion, and his forehead was sweating with anxiety, "Also, Peng Shilang and Xue Kan are Jinshi in the same year."

"What happened to the Jinshi in the same year..." Sun Yingkui murmured incomprehensibly. The Jinshi on the same list brought three points of closeness and friendship. In the future, he joined the official and Hanlin at the same time, and many friends in the DPRK and China became connected because of this. Peng Ze also said that he and Xue Kan are good friends, which is very reasonable...

Suddenly, Sun Yingkui's eyes widened and he couldn't believe it: "Jinshi in the same year... Didn't Xia Ge also go to high school that year?"

Cao Bian hurriedly hissed and motioned for Sun Yingkui to whisper. Sun Yingkui was so terrified that he couldn't speak, and the messy fragments quickly formed a line in his mind.

Xue Kan submitted a letter to propose the establishment of a prince, and the emperor was unexpectedly furious; the minister of officials came to see Xue Kan late at night. Xue Kan and the cabinet scholar Xia Wenjin were born in the same year, and I heard that their personal friendship was acceptable; and Xia Wenjin repeatedly contradicted Zhang Shoufu, it is said that Zhang Shoufu did not like Xia Wenjin long time...

Sun Yingkui's mind was blank and sweaty, and he was caught up in the cabinet struggle without any precaution. He knew that the court struggle was fierce, but he was only a small contributor, and he never thought that the court struggle would come to him one day. Sun Yingkui's hands and feet were sweating, and even his voice was hard: "Then what are we going to do, do you pretend you don't know?"

Peng Ze let them out just now, and Sun Yingkui thought that maybe they could follow Peng Shilang's words and leave, so that what happened later would have nothing to do with them. Cao Bian reprimanded "confused" and said anxiously: "We were ordered to investigate the case, and it would be dereliction of duty to leave midway.

Sun Yingkui was also anxious: "Rejecting Lord Peng is death, not rejecting is also death, what else can we do?"

Cao Bian gritted his teeth and glanced back. Seeing that Peng Ze had no idea, he said, "Stay and eavesdrop."

Peng Ze didn't know that among the two little things he didn't pay attention to, he actually dared to play the trick of Escape from the Shell with him. Seeing that there were no outsiders in the prison, Peng Ze walked in and sighed, "Brother Xue, you have suffered these days."

However, Xue Kan was unmoved and looked at him coldly: "Peng Ze, you and I are on the same rank as Jinshi. We have been friends for ten years. I have always attracted you as a close friend. I didn't expect you to act like this."

It was already October in the capital, and the night was cold, and the prison was even more gloomy. Peng Ze rolled up his sleeves and smiled lightly: "If you lose your horse, how can you know that it is not a blessing. From now on, you are suffering from prison, but in the long run, is this not your springboard?"

Xue Kan sneered, not minding his bloodstains and embarrassment at all, and still looked at Peng Ze with contempt: "What's the meaning of this?"

Peng Ze approached, put the quilted clothes that Xue's wife and daughter entrusted him to bring to Xue Kan's side, patted it lightly, and said, "You and I are friends, I can't bear to see you full of talents and learning but always in the end. If your job turns around, I will give you a knocking brick. If you seize the opportunity, the sky will rise up in the future, and you will be at your feet.”

Xue Kan is a small person, not as beautiful as Peng Ze, but not without a sense of smell. Xue Kan's eyes moved slightly, thinking of something.

Seeing that Xue Kan was ready, Peng Ze said, "You are just an ordinary civil servant, how can you participate in the establishment of the reserve? I heard that Xia Ge admires your literary talent and asks you to go to their house for banquets many times. The words were mentioned by Xia Ge at the banquet, and you didn't intend to remember it, so you wrote it down."

Xue Kan understood, he fully understood what his good friend wanted to do. Seeing that Xue Kan was silent, Peng Ze thought he was persuaded and was about to give specific details. Unexpectedly, Xue Kan suddenly turned his face, stood up and said coldly to Peng Ze, "I am a soft-spoken man, and I was lucky enough to be appreciated by the old Xia Ge, but a gentleman. The friendship was as light as water, and Xia Ge and I only talked about heart and study, not about the political affairs. It is nonsense to say that we were instructed. One man does the work and one person is responsible. The memorial is indeed written by me alone. I have no complaints."

Peng Ze didn't expect Xue Kan to be ignorant of praise, and his face changed, and said, "Xue Kan, you can think clearly, this kind of opportunity is not for everyone. If you miss this time, don't regret it later."

Xue Kan looked at the person in front of him and felt extremely unfamiliar. A friend who had known him for more than ten years turned out to be such a person, and he felt cold and disappointed in his heart. For a moment, he thought that if the court and the court were all such people, what was the point of his actions as an official?

Xue Kan was extremely disappointed. He couldn't control his inner excitement, and blurted out: "Opportunity? If I really follow your instructions and bite the old Xia Ge, I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for Qingyun to go straight, and I'll just be kicked away by you as a scapegoat. , I once showed you the draft of the memorial. You kept the draft overnight for an excuse. The next day, you told me that the memorial was well written. After reading it, Mr. Zhang praised it again and again. He also said that this is a national event, so I can submit it with confidence. , Zhang Shoufu will give his full support when the memorial is handed over. However, what I am waiting for is the emperor's anger, and he was sent to prison. Have you ever said a word to Zhang Shoufu? If this is the so-called opportunity of Zhang Gong, I am sorry for the poor officials. accept."

Xue Kan was furious, and even his private affairs came out. Peng Ze is right, Xue Kan is just a trivial official, how can he dare to talk about the establishment of a prince? It wasn't that he showed the memorial to a friend who was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel. The friend urged Xue Kan to hand over the memorial, and said that after he handed the memorial, Zhang Shoufu would also help him, so Xue Kan was relieved.

Unexpectedly, the emperor was furious after seeing his memorial. Zhang Shoufu and Peng Ze, who had promised to support him earlier, remained silent. Xue Kan thought that Zhang Shoufu and Peng Ze were afraid of getting burned, and it was human nature to protect themselves. Xue Kan did not blame his friends, and even when he was tortured, he never mentioned Peng Ze's name.

It was not until today that I met Peng Ze, and Peng Ze hinted that he could bite Xia Wenjin inside and out. Xue Kan just woke up like a dream. It turned out that he had been used by his friend and Zhang Shoufu.

Xue Kan didn't want to look at the person in front of him anymore. He pointed to the cell door and said indifferently: "Master Shilang, thank you for sending me winter clothes today, but there are different ways of doing things, please go out."

When Peng Ze saw Xue Kan stomping his nose on his face, he was also angry. He said coldly, "I don't know what's wrong," and threw his sleeves out.

When going out, Peng Ze vaguely heard a rustling sound in the prison and passed by. Peng Ze thought it was a mouse, but neither he nor Xue Kan cared.

Peng Zegui was the second-rank official minister, and he was also a figure who stomped the ground and shook when he stomped his feet in the courtroom. But Sun and Cao were the officials in charge of the case, and they knew more about prisons than Peng Ze. Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian originally stayed to eavesdrop just in case, but how could they have imagined that they had heard such a terrifying inside story.

Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian were almost scared to death, so they wrote a report overnight. They did not dare to follow the normal process, knowing that the cabinet only covered the sky, and officials from all over the country had to go through the first assistant before they put them on the imperial case. If the documents of Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian fall into the hands of Shoufu, then wait for their heads to move.

Fortunately, the emperor also knew that the cabinet had too much power, and opened up another way to contain the cabinet. If officials were in a hurry, they could send a letter from Zuo Shunmen, and the **** would send the book directly to the emperor. The cabinet and eunuchs check and balance each other, so that the emperor can sit firmly on the throne.

Therefore, the emperor saw the documents of Sun Yingkui and Cao Bian. The more the emperor looked at, the darker his face became. Zhang Zuo served on the side, and his heart couldn't stop beating.

After the emperor finished reading it, he handed out the book without saying a word. Zhang Zuo quietly stepped forward to change the tea and asked, "Your Majesty, you have approved the discount for a while, do you want to take a break?"

The emperor waved his hand, but still did not speak. Zhang Zuo understood, put down the tea cup, and retired lightly.

The emperor remembered what happened a few days ago, and Zhang Jinggong brought him a draft, saying that Xia Wen would like to instruct his subordinates to support the prince. Zhang Jinggong didn't say the rest, but the emperor was a very suspicious person. The emperor couldn't help thinking that he was still in his prime, but Xia Wenjin advocated the establishment of a prince. What did he want?

The more the emperor thought about it, the more angry he became. Zhang Jinggong lowered his head and spoke as if he didn't notice the emperor's face, saying that the emperor could hold his troops and wait a few days to see if anyone would submit a memorial.

The emperor agreed, and there was no attack. After waiting for a few days, I waited for the same memorial. The emperor was furious at that time, and ordered the people of Shangshu to be arrested and interrogated severely. In the past few days, the emperor's anger has dissipated, and he gradually felt that the events of the previous days were suspicious. As a result, just today, Sun and Cao sent the overheard conversation between Xue Kan and Peng Ze.

If it is said that the emperor's fire was the most superficial fire a few days ago, now, he is really angry. The emperor thought for a while, called Zhang Zuo in, and said, "Let Lu Heng enter the palace."

The author says:

Emperor: I am so angry, you are finished.

***

I only have yin and therefore opposite to yang, like the earth's inheritor of heaven. The husband is the guide for the wife, and the woman's way is to be respectful and obedient. Since Yuan Pei was lost early, because the helper and priests must not be unmanned, and the royal family must not be without lineage, Zhang was elected as the empress. The time of grace and courtesy is very near. Those who do not think well, are disrespectful and are not inferior, are being treated with kindness. Yesterday, I was arrogant and arrogant again, looking at me. Such a woman, how can she be able to inherit Qian? Today, I will withdraw from the office, collect the treasures of the Queen's book, and stop the writing in the world. - "Records of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty"