Chapter 592 The Fox and the Old Hen
"Wang Ji held out for an hour before he confessed. An hour later, when Ye Bushou arrived at the carriage house, the spies had already fled."
The place where the Taoist master practices has been redecorated, and it looks even more… how should I put it! Originally there were some jade articles and so on, but now it looks almost entirely in solid wood style.
People in the future will surely treasure those precious woods.
But they were everywhere in the palace.
The Taoist priest was dressed in a Taoist robe and said, "It seems that Altan is restless."
"If Altan stays content, he will soon step down." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Almost all leaders of the foreign tribes on the grassland are like this. When they are enterprising, they can win the hearts of the people. When they are not enterprising, they will cause dissatisfaction among the tribes under their command, and it won't take long for them to be deserted by their friends and relatives."
"Why do you think this is?"
"I think that's because...the tribes are willing to bow down for the sake of profit. When the leaders are enterprising, they will always benefit from it."
This explanation was quite novel. Emperor Jiajing thought about it carefully and said, "That's right."
Jiang Qingzhi went to the palace specifically to report this matter in order to remind the Taoist priest that Altan Khan should pay attention to it.
Jiang Qingzhi left, and Emperor Jiajing stopped him, "Altan's secret agents are all wandering around the capital of the Ming Dynasty, where are the Jinyiwei people?"
Jiang Qingzhi said: "The secret agents of the Imperial Guard have followed the caravans into the grasslands many times, but no important news has been reported so far."
"inability!"
In the eyes of the emperor, there is no process, only results.
But Jiang Qingzhi knew that this was the correct attitude.
He then took his leave.
There was still a festive atmosphere in the palace. Jiang Qingzhi saw Chen Yan and couldn't help but sigh, "But what about the fourth brother?"
Chen Yan squatted down and looked at the young nobleman with complicated eyes, "Your Majesty, please ask the uncle to come over."
I remember the first time I saw him, the boy had a pale face and a calm smile. Even when he saw a majestic palace, his eyes remained calm, as if he had seen even more majestic buildings.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than two years had passed. The young man had become the leader of a powerful faction in the court, a great figure of the Mohist school, and a famous general of the Ming Dynasty...
Chen Yan couldn't help but sigh at the changes in the world. When she saw Jiang Qingzhi looking back, she hurried forward to lead the way.
It’s not that Jiang Qingzhi doesn’t know the way. When walking in the palace, you have to follow people. In this way, even if you go to the wrong place, it’s not your fault.
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the scenes in the later romantic dramas, where the palace fighting methods made men stunned. But after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, he realized that the so-called palace fighting was just a way to suppress others with power.
It's like a business war, except it's just about grabbing things.
What kind of means are used? The one with the most powerful means is Empress Dowager Zhang.
Even after she was gone for so many years, the people who stayed behind still almost strangled the Taoist priest to death. Empress Dowager Zhang could be said to be a master of palace fighting.
Unfortunately, his excessive stubbornness not only brought death to his two brothers, but also turned his own later years into a tragedy.
Concubine Lu was talking to a noble lady when Chen Yan came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Chang Wei Bo is here."
The imperial concubine's eyes lit up, and when she saw Concubine Lu Jing standing up to greet her, there was more surprise in her eyes.
Concubine Lu Jing was the uncrowned ruler of the harem. Apart from Emperor Jiajing, the noble lady felt that there was no one else worthy of her standing up to greet.
So, that Chang Wei Bo really is just as rumored by the outside world, and he also has an extraordinary status in the inner palace.
Concubine Lu Jing glanced at the noble lady, and the noble lady stood up and said, "In this case, I will take my leave."
"Come back next time when you have time." Concubine Lu nodded.
The noble lady walked out slowly. When she saw Jiang Qingzhi standing tall outside the palace, she couldn't help but secretly praise him as a good Jade Young Master. Then she bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Wei."
Chen Yan introduced, "This is the wife of the Earl of Liyang."
Liyangbo...
Jiang Qingzhi bowed with a smile.
He felt that the lady was a little strange and the way she looked at him was particularly passionate.
What's wrong with this guy?
"Uncle, please."
Jiang Qingzhi walked into the hall. The noble lady deliberately slowed down her pace and vaguely heard Concubine Lu Jing say, "...I always have to trouble you...but we are a family..."
This young nobleman is indeed... extraordinary!
Inside the palace, Concubine Lu Jing sighed, "The fourth son is stubborn. If it were my opinion, he should be made a vassal..."
Ha ha!
Jiang Qingzhi just wanted to laugh it off.
He believed it to some extent when others said it, but when Concubine Lu Jing said it, he just ignored it.
What he was thinking in his heart inevitably brought a hint of coldness to his expression.
When Concubine Lu Jing saw this, she couldn't help but smile bitterly and waved her hand. The palace maids left, leaving only Chen Yan to accompany them.
What is this old woman trying to do?
Jiang Qingzhi was not only worried about the assassin, but also worried that Concubine Lu would suddenly entrust her son to the care of others.
Concubine Lu drank her tea slowly. Seeing Jiang Qingzhi was still calm, she said, "I once heard someone say that His Majesty praised you as our family's best horse, the champion marquis of the Ming Dynasty. No one else in the younger generation has this honor."
Jiang Qingzhi remained silent.
"After the death of the Crown Prince, there is no one in the East Palace. Well, I'll tell you the truth, the fourth one... is not bad!"
Concubine Lu stared at Jiang Qingzhi with a sharp gaze, "To be honest, if the fourth son lives a good life, although I am reluctant to give up that position, I can accept it. But do you know what the situation of the vassal king of the Ming Dynasty is, Chang Wei Bo?"
The first person Jiang Qingzhi thought of was the beloved son of Emperor Wanli and Concubine Zheng, Prince Fu. Emperor Wanli and Concubine Zheng joined forces, but still could not make Prince Fu succeed in his counterattack. In the end, he was made a vassal in Luoyang. After Li Zicheng conquered Luoyang, he executed the prince.
"A vassal king may seem honorable and have a fiefdom, but what can he do in his fiefdom? He cannot leave even a step. It is like being imprisoned. If Long Wilbur had a child, would he be willing to see his child imprisoned?"
Jiang Qingzhi remained silent.
Of course he didn't want to.
"A mother must be strong. Naturally, I have to make plans for the fourth prince." Concubine Lu Jing said frankly: "But as the fourth prince said, if you want to fight, you should fight openly." Jiang Qingzhi admired Concubine Lu Jing for this. Although she wanted to seize the throne, she never used her convenience in managing the harem to trip up Prince Yu or stab him in the back.
Of course, if he took action, Jiang Qingzhi would naturally not stand idly by.
"Please ask Chang Wei Bo to help the fourth brother!" Concubine Lu bowed.
Jiang Qingzhi jumped sideways and successfully avoided it.
He put down the teacup and said, "I will take my leave, sir."
Jiang Qingzhi walked away.
Chen Yan said dissatisfiedly: "How could he be so rude?"
Concubine Lu looked calm, "He is expressing his stance and not taking sides!"
"What a pity." Chen Yan felt a little regretful.
"Why is it a pity?" Concubine Lu Jing smiled.
Chen Yan said: "Chang Wilbur didn't agree to anything."
"I just want this one and he didn't agree to anything!" Concubine Lu sat down and picked up the teacup, "Don't forget, the third child is the eldest!"
The eldest son is the heir, this is the rule.
But today Jiang Qingzhi did not say that Prince Jing was the fourth child and it was not his turn.
"With what we said today, Chang Wei Bo will not be able to side with the third brother from now on. Today..." Concubine Lu smiled as proudly as a female fox.
……
Damn, I got fooled!
Jiang Qingzhi slapped his forehead.
The eunuch leading the way turned around, and Jiang Qingzhi waved his hand to indicate that everything was fine.
Concubine Lu's words seemed to be a plea, but in fact she was leading him astray step by step into a trap.
As the teacher and instructor of the two princes, Jiang Qingzhi should have insisted on establishing the eldest son as the heir, that is, supporting Prince Yu.
But today, when Concubine Lu asked him to express his opinion, he remained silent.
This means: I don't take sides.
Hey!
The old woman actually showed a look of regret, but Jiang Qingzhi dared to bet that at this moment Lu Jingfei must be smiling as smugly as an old hen that had just laid an egg.
If you walk by the river often, you will get your feet wet!
Jiang Qingzhi comforted himself.
At this moment, the noble lady had already returned to the mansion.
The Liyang Marquis's mansion is considered average in the capital, and the contemporary Liyang Marquis Zheng Qin is also average, neither high nor low.
The noble lady hurried into the house, "Where is the uncle?"
"In the backyard," said the servant.
The lady arrived at the backyard and saw Zheng Qin reading a book. She stamped her feet and asked, "My husband, do you still have the heart to read a book?"
Zheng Qin looked up. He was in his early forties, with a fair complexion and a calm expression. He looked like a wealthy man.
"What's the matter?"
"My husband has no real job in the court now. If things continue like this, by the time Dalang inherits the title, the Liyang Earl's Mansion will probably become a ruined family."
Zheng Qin smiled and said, "Da Lang is a good student. I will find a job for him later."
"But I have a better idea!"
"Oh!" Zheng Qin put down the book, "What method?"
The lady sat down and moved closer to Zheng Qin. "Do you still remember my niece's husband from my mother's family?"
"Ling'er?" Zheng Qin remembered, "Your niece is extremely smart and seems to be very opinionated. A woman like this..." Zheng Qin shook his head. She is too smart and too strong. How many men can stand her?
"My brother asked me to find a husband for Ling'er. Ling'er is so talented that she can be a crown princess. But the East Palace is vacant..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zheng Qin didn't like getting involved in that vortex. "If you rashly get involved in the fight for the throne, you will either succeed or die!"
"I know." The lady smiled proudly, "But I have already picked someone for Ling'er."
"Who?" Zheng Qin knew his wife would not do anything without profit, so the man she had her eyes on must be someone important.
"Chang Wei Bo, Jiang Qingzhi!"
Bah!
Zheng Qin slammed the teacup in his hand on the table. He pointed at his wife and scolded her, "He is a married man. Are you going to let Ling'er be his mistress?"
The nobleman said with a smile, "The Lady of Huating County has no children so far, so she should be divorced. The Lord Changwei is reluctant to let her go... But if Ling'er can enter Xin'an Lane, as long as she gets pregnant... Will the Lady of Huating County still have the nerve to steal the position of the Lady of the Earl?"
"You!" Zheng Qin was startled, "That's the Princess of Huating County!"
"A wife's status depends on her husband. If there was no Chang Wei Bo, how could Li Tian become the county lord? It's just that Your Majesty loves the whole family."
"This matter..." Zheng Qin hesitated.
"My husband, if we can form an alliance with Xin'an Lane, don't forget the trust His Majesty has placed in Chang Wei Bo. Once successful, what real job will my husband have to worry about?
Think about Xianzhang Hou Du He, who was originally poor, but later by chance he joined Changwei Bo, and now he is famous... All this was given to him by Changwei Bo. If Changwei Bo can give it to a stranger, then what about his own relatives?"
The lady's voice was full of temptation, "Li Huan is just an ordinary person, but he can manage the Taichang Temple with the help of Chang Wei Bo... Husband, think about it..."
Zheng Qin was silent for a long time, then stood up and said, "I am tired. Madam, please take care of the affairs in the mansion recently."
"Husband...don't worry!"
The lady smiled as proudly as an old hen that had just laid an egg.
(End of this chapter)
