Chapter 50 Checks and Balances
For later generations, "宅" is not a derogatory word, but a neutral word.
Eating, drinking, defecating and urinating, food and drinks can be delivered.
What about spiritual emptiness?
I have a mobile phone in my hand.
Turn on the computer and feel as happy as a god.
For future generations, staying at home is just a life attitude... I have no interest in socializing. If I have that much time, I might as well play some games.
Unlike the later era with the explosion of entertainment and everything being available for takeout, in the Ming Dynasty, staying at home was considered a disease.
What can you do at home?
Reading?
You are retreating from the world.
But as an emperor, his subjects were most worried that he would not stay at home.
For example, the late emperor, Emperor Zhengde, was a man who refused to calm down.
He would set up a royal store or something, and he would give himself an official position and lead the army to war.
The ministers were so overwhelmed that they only hoped that this master could live in peace and play with women in the palace.
When Emperor Jiajing succeeded to the throne, this gentleman was a real otaku.
Don't leave the palace unless necessary.
If something happens...try not to leave the palace.
So, when Emperor Jiajing appeared in the Jiang family's kitchen, Jiang Qingzhi almost flew over with a spatula.
Am I dazzled?
Jiang Qingzhi blinked.
"His Majesty."
"Hmm!" Emperor Jiajing held his frost-browed face, "How much?"
"Meow!" Emperor Jiajing turned around when he heard the sound, and saw Duoduo baring his teeth at the girl in his arms at the kitchen door.
"Go play!" Emperor Jiajing put down his brows.
"Meow!"
Frostbrow rushed over like the wind, Duoduo also slid down from the door, and the two cats disappeared in an instant.
Jiang Qingzhi came back to his senses at this moment and quickly introduced: "This dish is called Pot-Boiled Pork..."
Emperor Jiajing listened with great interest.
"What dishes will be served today?" Emperor Jiajing looked quite tempted.
"Uh!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "There are five more dishes."
"Not a small amount." Emperor Jiajing was simple and not extravagant when eating.
"There are many people in the family." Jiang Qingzhi scooped out the sweet and sour pork and picked up a piece with chopsticks for Emperor Jiajing.
"Your Majesty." A eunuch stepped forward and prepared to take the sweet and sour pork.
This is for testing poison.
Emperor Jiajing naturally reached out to take the sweet and sour pork and put it into his mouth.
"Hmm!" Emperor Jiajing's face showed a more comfortable look.
“Sweet and sour.”
The eunuch glanced at Huang Jin, who waved his hand, signaling him to get out.
After the next few dishes were prepared, Jiang Qingzhi asked someone to get some fruit wine and started eating.
"dinner time."
someone shouted.
Then, there were hurried footsteps.
Emperor Jiajing smiled and said, "Other families have bells and drums and food, but you are shouting at the top of your lungs."
Emperor Jiajing was very satisfied with the meal and burped at the end, "I ate too much for breakfast."
Ha ha!
I believe you.
Jiang Qingzhi did not expose it either.
After dinner, Emperor Jiajing "inspected" the Jiang family and expressed satisfaction with the simple lifestyle of the elder Wilbur, but...
"There are no rules." Emperor Jiajing shook his head. "There should be rules for who does what, who can enter where, and who cannot enter where. Who is in charge of the household?"
Fu Cheng came out sweating profusely, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"From the palace?"
"Yes." Fu Cheng said, "I left the palace in the 21st year of Jiajing."
That year, several palace maids almost strangled Emperor Jiajing to death. In the subsequent purge, Emperor Jiajing released many people from the palace.
"Since you are a member of the palace, why are there no rules at home?" asked Emperor Jiajing.
Fu Cheng glanced at Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "It's not his fault. I'm used to being casual, and I can't handle a life with strict rules."
Emperor Jiajing glanced at him and asked, "Why?"
"Some people like to see others treat them with respect, and that makes them feel that life is meaningful. I prefer to be free."
"Freedom!"
This word was a luxury for Emperor Jiajing.
Looking at the young man in front of him, he couldn't help but think of himself when he first entered the palace.
At that time, he was also so ambitious and high-spirited.
In a blink of an eye, I’m over forty years old.
"There is no one to pick up the trash at home," Emperor Jiajing became more and more dissatisfied as he looked at it.
Jiang Qingzhi laughed dryly.
"Your family is short of people." Emperor Jiajing said with his hands behind his back.
"No!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "I am alone, and the servants I have are more than enough."
"I'm not talking about servants, I'm talking about women!"
Are you talking about kissing?
Jiang Qingzhi thought of Lu Shan'er, and extended it to think that most of the young ladies from powerful families also have this kind of personality, right?
This kind of noble lady is not his type.
"Your Majesty, I am not in a hurry." Jiang Qingzhi quickly declined.
Emperor Jiajing had a dark face.
Then, he suddenly asked, "I heard that you met Xia Yan outside Tongzhou City. What do you think of this person?"
The angle of this topic change was so big that Jiang Qingzhi was stunned for a moment before he reacted.
Is the Taoist going to weigh the pros and cons?
Jiang Qingzhi said: "I only spoke to Xia Yan briefly, but I felt that this person... was a bit arrogant."
This is the beginning!
Jiang Qingzhi knew that Yan Song and others should start planning their actions.
Only by getting rid of Xia Yan could Yan Song live in peace. Otherwise, as long as Xia Yan was around, Yan Song would have to worry.
"Arrogant!" Emperor Jiajing said coldly, "I have suppressed him twice, but he remains the same."
This is the mentality of an emperor!
Jiang Qingzhi remained silent.
"go back!"
Emperor Jiajing suddenly lost interest.
"Where is Shuangmei?" Huang Jin asked.
Someone went to look for her, and soon Shuangmei came back on her own.
"Meow!" Frosty eyebrows looked a little wilted.
"What happened?" Emperor Jiajing felt distressed when he saw his beloved pet like this, and he bent down to pick it up.
At this moment, Frost Eyebrow tensed up and looked back.
Emperor Jiajing looked in the direction he was looking and saw Duoduo coming out from the corner.
That step was extremely domineering.
Covet.
The M pattern between the eyebrows makes people think of something under such momentum.
"It looks like a tiger." said a eunuch.
"Very wild." The Taoist priest tried to save face for his beloved pet.
After seeing off Emperor Jiajing, Fu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, "Sir, I'm afraid His Majesty's coming today is not simple."
"This is a letter of favor!" said Dou Jialan.
woman!
Your hair is too long.
Fu Cheng sighed, "There are spies around our house. Your Majesty's coming here today cannot be hidden from those who are interested."
"So what?" Sun Chonglou said, "If they have the guts, they can let His Majesty go home."
"Silly boy!" Fu Cheng smiled bitterly, "Your Majesty has not been to the homes of ministers for many years. This time you go out and come to the Jiang family, what do you think those people will think?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked out the door with his hands behind his back, "Jia Lan."
"Son."
Jiang Qingzhi said: "Checks and balances are an instinct engraved into the bones of the emperor. Do you understand?"
Dou Jialan was stunned and thought, "Young Master, this is giving me some advice?"
Checks and Balances…
She raised her head suddenly, "There must be Yan Song's party among the spies outside. Your Majesty's coming here today will arouse their vigilance..."
"Yan Song is very good at making friends. If I am persuaded by him and become close to him, what do you think His Majesty will do?"
"I am alone." Dou Jialan was shocked, "Then why doesn't Your Majesty arrest Yan Song?"
Ha ha!
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "After we take down Yan Song, who will take over the government?"
Dou Jialan thought of the outside world's evaluation of Yan Song: an old dog crawling in front of His Majesty.
"Xia Yan!" Dou Jialan suddenly thought of Xia Yan.
"Xia Yan is arrogant and rigid. Your Majesty no longer needs such a Prime Minister." Jiang Qingzhi pried into some of Emperor Jiajing's thoughts.
There were too many opponents and the conflicts were too intense. If Emperor Jiajing confronted them directly, the battle between the emperor and his subjects would get out of control. However, by using Xia Yan as a buffer and using Xia Yan's uprightness to face those opponents directly, Emperor Jiajing only needed to watch the show in the Western Garden.
The mind of an emperor!
Emperor Jiajing learned it by himself and mastered it to perfection.
"Xia Yan is like a sharp sword, indestructible. Even Yan Song, who seems to have great power in the court, can only tremble under his breath."
"But now that Your Majesty is in control of the situation, Xia Yan has become a waste. If we continue to use him, there will be uncontrollable dangers." Jiang Qingzhi smiled.
outside.
Those eyeliners are a bit messy.
"Your Majesty has not left the palace for many years, and this is the first time he has come to the Jiang family."
"It shows how much favor he has for Jiang Qingzhi."
"If Jiang Qingzhi and Yuan Fu are enemies..."
"Have the guards left?"
"gone."
"Hurry and report to Yuan Fu."
"Quick, report to the commander."
Inside the Jiang family's gate, Jiang Qingzhi suddenly ordered, "Stone."
"Master."
"Do you know where those spies are?"
"It's right at the entrance of the alley. Also, the house across the street has been bought by someone, and there are a few spies hiding inside."
"Beat him." Jiang Qingzhi walked out and several men smiled at him.
"They were beaten so badly that even my mother couldn't recognize them."
"Order!"
What followed was a one-sided beating.
When the people from the Five Cities Army arrived, they saw more than ten people lying at the entrance of the alley.
"Who did it?" The general leading the team knew that he was in trouble.
No matter who did it, it was none of his business.
But we can’t just sit back and watch, right?
The general, who was caught in a dilemma, looked worried.
"It was me...I waited for myself to fall."
A man struggled to get up, glanced into the alley, and whispered with a resentful look, "Sooner or later, I will make sure you die without a burial place."
Did you fall by yourself?
The generals were happy to ignore it.
The news reached Yan Song and his son.
Yan Shifan, who was eating, put down his chopsticks.
"Your Majesty, are you trying to establish checks and balances?" Yan Song frowned. "The first time I've visited a minister's home in many years is to visit the Jiang family. This is clearly saying that Jiang Qingzhi is my confidant. Your Majesty is... trying to completely sever Jiang Qingzhi from us!"
Yan Shifan had a different opinion, "Dad, your Majesty's checks and balances are perfect, how could it be so easy for people to see through it."
"Then..." Yan Song was old and his reactions were much slower.
Yan Shifan said, "Dad, think about the ministers and relatives who have been trusted by His Majesty for decades. How many of them are still loyal to him in the end?"
"Lu Bing..." Yan Song thought of Lu Bing first.
"Lu Bing is playing both sides. He joined forces with us to protect himself. Dad, do you think Your Majesty doesn't know?" Yan Shifan smiled proudly, "However, if you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat grass."
"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish!" Yan Song nodded, "If Your Majesty does not want to be isolated and helpless, you can only turn a blind eye."
"But your majesty's personality." Yan Shifan guessed the Emperor Jiajing's thoughts, "Your majesty values love."
"You mean..." Yan Song thought of a possibility, and his eyes became more fierce.
"I heard that Your Majesty intends to act as a matchmaker for Jiang Qingzhi. Dad, Your Majesty turns a blind eye to the two princes in the palace, but is so caring towards Jiang Qingzhi." Yan Shifan smiled proudly.
"Your Majesty left the palace without concealing it. This is a warning to me not to win over Jiang Qingzhi!" The thought became more and more vigorous, and Yan Song's eyelids were twitching.
Yan Shifan suddenly burst into laughter.
He laughed so hard that he fell backwards and backwards, until he was out of breath, then he took a deep breath, looked at Yan Song with his one eye, and said:
"The two dragons cannot meet, and His Majesty is forced to distance himself from the prince, but he values friendship, so..."
Yan Song's old eyes were cold, "In your majesty's eyes, Jiang Qingzhi..."
"It's the son I can meet!"
……
I have been away from online writing for too long. Jazz is like a newcomer now. Let's start from scratch. Brothers, a new day has begun. Remember to read and vote!
Monthly ticket, recommendation ticket.
(End of this chapter)
