Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 316: Father and son are brothers-in-law, and are given the title of princess!
Zhu Houcong glanced over.

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang looked embarrassed and they immediately knew that something must have gone wrong with their father-in-law.

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty, the father-in-law and the uncle were arrested by the Left Censor-in-Chief Yan Jing of the Metropolitan Censorate two days ago. They are now imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. As the charges have not yet been determined and the Empress is about to give birth, in order to avoid disturbing Your Majesty, the Cabinet has temporarily suppressed the case and will report it to you later. I am guilty!"

Gao Gong knelt down along the chair.

Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang also knelt down along the chairs.

Obviously, this is the common idea of ​​the three cabinet elders.

Zhu Houcong frowned, not targeting the Third Elder. He raised his hand to signal the Third Elder to stand up and asked, "What happened?"

Yan Jing, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was a loyal and upright minister like Hai Rui. Over the past year or so, he had been reviewing past files and redressing countless unjust cases without any wrongful convictions. In the capital, he was known as "Yan Qingtian" and together with Hai Rui's "Hai Qingtian", they were collectively known as the "Qingtian Brothers."

Once action is taken, it means that the person being arrested has serious problems. Obviously, the father-in-law, the uncle, his old Taishan, and the eldest brother-in-law have violated the law, and it is not a glorious thing.

Under the holy question.

The embarrassment on the Third Elder's face became even stronger. He was silent for a long time, then chose his words carefully and said, "Your Majesty, after the Empress became pregnant, many ministers tried to curry favor with the Emperor's father-in-law and uncle-in-law. However, the father and son of the Lin family are in Beijing, and they have received many gifts from the Emperor and the Virgin Mary, so they have everything they need, except for the lack of female companions..."

After the queen became pregnant.

All the subjects in the world believed that the legitimate son of the Ming Dynasty would be born and the sacred weapon would be inherited.

Therefore, some smart people thought of "warming up the bed" in advance. The emperor has lived in the Western Garden for a long time, and the empress has lived in the Forbidden City for a long time. They rarely leave the palace. Even if they leave the palace, there are state affairs. Ordinary court officials don't even have the opportunity to get close to them and say a flattering word.

But although he could not get close to the Queen, he could get close to the Queen's father and brothers, that is, the father-in-law and uncle-in-law of the emperor.

When their daughter became the queen mother of the Ming Dynasty, the Lin father and son came to Beijing and specially selected a house in the inner court to serve as the residence of the queen's father-in-law.

Lin's mother died of complications during childbirth after giving birth to the emperor's uncle. Lin's father remained a widower for many years, raising his two children.

Now that his daughter has become a phoenix, the father-in-law's mind has gradually become more active. Life is nothing but eating, drinking and having fun.

When Zhu Houcong and the Queen were not paying attention, the father-in-law would follow the officials, nobles, wealthy businessmen, and tycoons, and would gladly go whenever they invited him.

It is difficult to buy people's hearts with food and drink, but it is possible to have fun, especially since the father-in-law has been a widower for more than ten years. When it is late at night and everyone is asleep, he can't help feeling empty, lonely and desolate.

Anyone who can make a name for himself in the capital must be a shrewd person. Among those who heat the kangs, there are powerful, rich, and all kinds of people. How can you find people who can warm the bed for the emperor? What kind of people can you find?
If the father-in-law was not so fond of men, those men would even offer themselves to him for sex. This is a joke, but it also reflects the real life of the father-in-law over the past six months.

As the saying goes, like father, like son.

There are so many people who want to heat the kang. If the father-in-law is heating it, the uncle-in-law's can't be left cold.

The uncle of the emperor, who was only twelve or thirteen years old, was curious about everything. Although it was impossible for those officials and nobles to come in person to explain the world to the uncle of the emperor, every family had children of the right age.

The father-in-law of the emperor is served personally by officials, nobles, wealthy merchants and tycoons, while the uncle of the emperor is served by the children of officials, nobles, wealthy merchants and tycoons.

The first two types of people were taken to have fun, while the latter two types were focused on paying. The father-in-law and the uncle of the emperor, father and son, integrated perfectly into the capital.

The father and son each play their own games, and neither interferes with the other. It can be said that "the silver gun is stained with green blood, good things happen every day, and they are bridegrooms every night."

But there are only so many beauties in the capital, and it is inevitable that "father and son" will eventually become "brothers-in-law".

Besides, with those cunning people hiding the truth, the father and son would not share their daily entertainment experiences. Even if everyone knew that the Lin father and son were brothers-in-law, it would be fine as long as the Lin father and son themselves didn't know it.

The days passed one by one, and nothing went wrong. No one took it seriously. As long as the father-in-law and the uncle were happy, it was enough.

As more and more people heated the kang, there would always be some people with ideas. Among those who heated the kang in front of the king's uncle, there was the son of a wealthy businessman from Jinling. Seeing that the king's uncle was a little tired of the beauties in the capital, he couldn't help but think of his hometown and some of its traditional arts.

He gritted his teeth and made up his mind, and spent 60,000 taels of gold to buy the most beautiful courtesan on the Qinhuai River's pleasure boats, and came to the capital.

In front of the Qinhuai River, the so-called Eight Great Hutongs are just leftovers, which is the reason for the rumor that "Jinling becomes famous and Beijing makes money".

As soon as the Qinhuai courtesan arrived in Beijing, she immediately became a sensation in the capital. In order to win the heart of the emperor's uncle, the wealthy businessman's son even staged a play, in which he had someone pretend to be a playboy to tease the Qinhuai courtesan, and the emperor's uncle "happened" to see it.

At one glance, just one glance, the king's uncle fell in love with the pitiful Qinhuai courtesan with her charming eyebrows and eyes.

I think I have met the love of my life.

What happened next was very simple. The king's uncle immediately took action and personally drove away the dandy actor, "the hero saved the beauty."

Afterwards, many scenes such as "gambling father", "seriously ill mother", "study brothers" and "helpless beauty" were staged one after another.

The emperor's uncle, who was in his teens, had never been exposed to such a Qinhuai opera and was inevitably immersed in it.

Happy for the Qinhuai courtesan and worried about her, the king's uncle kept helping. The "gambling father" stopped gambling, the "seriously ill mother" recovered, the "study brothers" became rich, and the "helpless beauty" naturally "fell in love".

For the sake of the Qinhuai courtesan, the emperor's uncle even ignored other women, and was determined to get married after informing his father-in-law.

But something unexpected happened at this time. The news of Qinhuai's courtesan's arrival in Beijing could not be hidden from the father-in-law of the emperor. Naturally, someone was ready to do it.

Everyone was busy with their own business and had no idea that anything could go wrong. The father-in-law, the uncle-in-law, and the father and son of the Lin family all sent sedan chairs to pick up the Qinhuai courtesan. Unexpectedly, the sedan chair sent by the father-in-law was in front, so the Qinhuai courtesan was picked up by the father-in-law's sedan chair.

When the king's uncle learned that the beauty had been taken away, he became furious and chased after her. But by that time, the Qinhuai courtesan had already met the king's father-in-law in the Qingfeng Tower, the best building in the capital.

As the saying goes, "Whores are heartless, and actors are disloyal."

Girls of worldly affairs are always frivolous. Besides, when she was bought, the son of the wealthy businessman did not tell the Qinhuai Courtesan who she served. So the Qinhuai Courtesan thought that it was just a casual affair. Seeing that the emperor's father-in-law was more powerful, she reluctantly agreed to do it.

When the king's uncle arrived and rushed into the room despite any obstruction... everything was self-evident.

The young and hot-headed uncle of the emperor, who knew nothing, thought that his "beloved wife was humiliated". In his rage, he didn't care about anything else and dared to touch anyone, even the king.

The king's uncle beat the king's father-in-law.

Coincidentally, this time it was really a coincidence that Yan Jing, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, encountered this incident on his way back home.

Not to mention anything else, bullying the father by a son is a serious crime of unfilial piety in all dynasties, so he ordered his attendants to arrest the man.

When people who knew the truth arrived, they wanted to persuade Yan Qingtian to release the people, but Yan Jing, who knew more about the situation, had them all captured, including the Qinhuai Oiran who had just put on her clothes.

After hearing everything, Zhu Houcong looked very embarrassed. Although the father-in-law and the uncle of the emperor were not full-time officials in the court, they were also relatives by marriage, and such a scandal had happened.

What a shame!
Gao Gong stopped talking and did not dare to ask why the emperor dealt with the Lin family father and son in this way. Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang stood still, watching the nose and the heart, calming down. If such a father-in-law were granted a title, and a high-ranking marquis, not only would it be difficult to convince the world, but even the emperor's reputation would be damaged.

The emperor and his ministers were silent for a long time. Zhu Houcong could only eat his words and said, "I was rash in granting the title of marquis."

The cabinet did not dare to respond to this, Gao Gong bowed and said: "The Queen has made great contributions to the court, and she gave birth to a little princess, so she should be rewarded."

A subtle reminder.

Since the credit belongs to the Empress, the reward should be given to the Empress or the little princess. Even if the reward is slightly out of line, the cabinet will not have any doubts as long as it is not linked to the Lin family father and son.

The emperor and his subjects had a tacit understanding. Zhu Houcong nodded again and said, "I have a daughter in my old age. As parents, we care a lot about our children. You are all great scholars of the current dynasty and have profound knowledge. Please think of a suitable title for my daughter."

The title of princess is usually granted when a princess reaches adulthood. It can also be granted when she is young, but it is rare for it to be granted on the day of birth.

After all, the title is not granted for nothing. One title means that the national treasury has to spend an additional 30,000 taels of silver a year. Looking back at the 200 years of the Ming Dynasty, an empty treasury was the norm, and successive emperors would avoid it whenever possible.

But there is no problem today. It's only 30,000 taels of silver a year. Even if the princess can live to be a hundred years old, it will only be 3 million taels of silver. The national treasury can afford it.

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian, and Li Chunfang gladly accepted the order and said in unison: "I obey your order."

Instead of granting her the title of father-in-law, she was granted the title of princess. However, the issue of father-in-law and uncle-in-law could not be avoided. Zhu Houcong asked, "How many people know about the Qingfeng Tower incident?"

"Your Majesty, the whole city is in uproar." Gao Gong replied.

There were so many people who kept the emperor's father-in-law and his uncle warm, so this matter could not be kept secret at all, not to mention that the father and son had a fight, which caused the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate to arrest them. There would inevitably be people who were quick to speak, and the news had already spread throughout the streets.

Zhu Houcong looked at Huang Jin who was standing with his head bowed beside him and said, "Then the Queen and I don't know."

Although Huang Jin was looking at the ground, he immediately knelt down after hearing what His Majesty said.

Such a huge scandal happened in the royal family. The Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot found out the cause and effect immediately, but what could they do?

The Cabinet hid it, and the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot also hid it, just waiting for the Empress to give birth. If it was a prince, they would take advantage of the celebration to reveal a little to the Emperor. With the legitimate son in sight, the officials in the court might be able to show favoritism to the Emperor's father-in-law and his uncle.

But she turned out to be a dragon girl. His Majesty was happy, but the civil and military officials were afraid that they would not be able to accept and forgive the Lin father and son so easily.

Seeing the state of his ministers and servants, Zhu Houcong did not know what to say, so he said, "Forget it, it's not your fault."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang then slowly straightened their backs, and Huang Jin also stood up.

"According to the Great Ming Law, what should be done for disobedience and unfilial behavior?"

"Your Majesty, this is high treason. According to the law, you should be beaten with eighty sticks!" Gao Gong replied.

Throughout history, except for the Jin Dynasty, all dynasties have governed the country with "loyalty and filial piety". Although the Jin Dynasty was not loyal, it also "governed the world with filial piety."

Filial piety is recognized as the first of all virtues.

On the contrary, disobedience and unfilial piety became the root of all evils. It was the same as disobedience and rebellion. If the case was brought to court, the son would either be killed or seriously injured.

No matter what mistakes the father made, when the son hits his father, he has already committed a sin.

This is arguably the crime that local officials least want to see.

Because as long as there is an unfilial son under the rule, the entire jurisdiction will be disgraced. Not only that, the local official will be demoted two levels.

The father-in-law's mansion was located in Daxing County, which in turn belonged to Shuntian Prefecture. The incident at Qingfeng Tower also happened in Shuntian Prefecture. Therefore, not long after the father-in-law and the uncle were arrested, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture and the magistrate of Daxing submitted a petition of plea for punishment and awaited their sentencing, but the matter was temporarily suppressed by the cabinet.

"I won't say more about the tricks behind the caning and the board."

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty all liked to punish their subjects. As an emperor, Zhu Houcong knew all about this. He said, "Lin Hai, exile him to Jiuquan as a soldier!"

Lin Hai is the emperor's uncle.

When the Ming Dynasty was founded, thirteen great frontier kings were appointed to govern the garrisons south of the desert, using mountains and rivers to fortify the territory.

Emperor Taizu Gao was quite proud of this, declaring that "our country has driven out the Hu Yuan and unified the world, stretching from the Liao Sea in the east to Jiuquan in the west, a vast expanse of thousands of miles."

Jiuquan is exactly the end of the old Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. Being sent there as a soldier with no return date, one will suffer a lot.

"The minister obeys the order."

"As for the father-in-law..."

Zhu Houcong really couldn't find the right words to evaluate his father-in-law. He couldn't pin any crime on him, so he could only say, "Although he is not a regular official in the court, he is also a royal relative. He should follow the official law and keep himself clean. He indulges in prostitutes and is guilty of a crime that cannot be forgiven. Gao Gong, according to the Ming Dynasty law, what should be done to officials who have prostitutes?"

"Your Majesty, according to the Great Ming Code and the Imperial Edict of Emperor Taizu Gao, all Ming officials, from the ministers of the six ministries to the police officers in the government offices, are not allowed to visit prostitutes. If an official is caught visiting a prostitute, he will be punished with 60 strokes of the cane in the court."

Or the caning in court.

"Let's migrate instead."

Zhu Houcong thought for a moment and said, "Exile to Lingnan."

The father is in Lingnan and the son is in the northwest. If they are not pardoned, we may never see each other again in this life. This punishment is neither too heavy nor too light.

"The minister obeys the order!"

"As for those who seek personal gain, officials will be dismissed from office, nobles will be stripped of their titles, and wealthy merchants will have all their property confiscated. Then they will be replaced and forced to follow the father-in-law of the emperor and Lin Hai into exile."

Heat the kang.

They all burned down, and the sins they deserved were punished.

Let the officials, nobles, wealthy merchants and tycoons follow the emperor's uncle to exile to Jiuquan; let the children of officials, nobles, wealthy merchants and tycoons follow the emperor's father-in-law to Lingnan. It would be strange if there was no fighting along the way.

"The minister obeys the order."

Gao Gong received the order and paused before saying, "Your Majesty, who should the Qinhuai courtesan follow?"

(End of this chapter)