The Red Mansion.

Chapter 67 Emperor Taishun: This child brings me good luck
March 17, morning.

Changchun Garden, Danning Residence.

Ambergris curled into green smoke from a bronze incense burner in a corner, as if rising with the sunlight slanting through the window lattice.

Emperor Taishun, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat cross-legged on a rosewood Arhat bed. He tapped a memorial on the table with his finger and said to Prince Zhongyi, "Take a look at this memorial."

After saying that, he picked up the memorial and handed it to Prince Zhongyi.

Prince Zhongyi opened the memorial curiously and became even more curious when he saw that it was a memorial submitted by the new governor of the Beijing Camp, Lukodo, to the retired Emperor Jingning.

He read it word by word, and his expression became strange.

The memorial contained the imperial edict of Emperor Jingning, the retired emperor. The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, with cinnabar soaking through the back of the paper:
"I read this memorial with indignation! Jia Zhen has received the emperor's grace for generations. If he really attempted to seize Qin Ye's daughter during his mourning period and assaulted his loyal servant, it would be a complete violation of moral principles and a disregard for the law.

That is:
1. Command the Jingying Jiedushi Lu Kodo to personally lead the soldiers of the Infantry Battalion to arrest the prisoners of Ningguo Mansion and bring them to the Ministry of Justice for trial;

Second, Wang Tingyu, the Minister of Rites, who was acting in charge of the Ministry of Justice, was ordered to take charge of the overall adjudication of cases; Lu Keduo, the governor of the Beijing camp, was ordered to assist in the criminal investigation;
There should be no partiality in this case. Report immediately after the trial without delay!
"I admire this"

Prince Zhongyi closed the memorial in his hand and said to Emperor Taishun, "Brother Yi is quite kindhearted. He actually stood up for his neighbor, the Qin family, so bravely."

Emperor Taishun snorted coldly, his brows revealing displeasure: "This boy is truly restless! He's only been in the capital for ten days, and he's already causing trouble."

Prince Zhongyi smiled and said, "It is similar to my younger brother's behavior when he was young, but he is not being unreasonable. He is fighting for a reason."

When Emperor Taishun heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he wanted to laugh but held it back.

Yes, wasn't this Thirteenth Brother before him a troublemaker when he was young? He made trouble for himself, and for his Fourth Brother...

During those years, his thirteenth brother caused countless troubles.

Thinking of this, Emperor Taishun's expression softened.

Prince Zhongyi added, "Besides, I previously asked Brother Yi to help with Qin Ye's funeral, but I didn't anticipate this follow-up. Brother Yi is standing up for the Qin family this time, and he is also following my orders."

Emperor Taishun nodded.

Neither of the brothers had ever seen Qin Keqing, nor did they know that she was a stunning beauty. They also did not know that Jiang Nian had led Peng Jizhong to sue Jia Zhen mainly because of Qin Keqing.

Prince Zhongyi's expression grew serious. "Brother Yi wouldn't have falsely accused Jia Zhen. Jia Zhen must have acted as Lukodo reported, defying human ethics and defying the laws of the land. And judging by the emperor's imperial edict, if the charges are proven true, Jia Zhen will most likely be severely punished."

Emperor Taishun raised the corner of his mouth, smiled slightly, cleared his throat, and said, "My father has already told me that if Jia Zhen truly violates human ethics and violates the laws of the country this time, he will be severely punished. This will deter the royal family and officials, especially the nobles. This will also help the Examination Office to investigate the deficit!"

During the late Jingning reign, the government suffered from severe fiscal deficits and widespread corruption. Upon ascending the throne, Emperor Taishun launched a vigorous and comprehensive review of financial resources, establishing the Imperial Examination Office, a specialized agency responsible for reviewing and approving financial reports. The Imperial Examination Office was overseen by Prince Zhongyi, who also managed the three treasuries of the Ministry of Revenue, in an effort to rectify the finances.

At this moment, Prince Zhongyi couldn't help but burst into tears upon hearing this. His voice trembled with emotion, "Father, after all, is sympathetic to Your Majesty and me. He understands the numerous obstacles you and I face in investigating the deficit, and has offered his full support."

Prince Zhongyi wiped away the tears from his eyes and smiled: "So, this time, Brother Yi'er's disturbance against Jia Zhen is beneficial to His Majesty."

Emperor Taishun said nothing, but nodded slightly with a deep look in his eyes.

Prince Zhongyi laughed again and said, "Brother Yi and Wang Ziteng had a quarrel recently, which resulted in Wang Ziteng being punished by imperial decree, which also benefited His Majesty. It seems that Brother Yi can bring good luck to His Majesty."

Emperor Taishun remained silent, but a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

In fact, he had already agreed with Prince Zhongyi's statement in his heart.

This is really amazing!
Jiang Nian had first quarreled with Wang Ziteng, and now with Jia Zhen, both times alarming Emperor Taishun and even the retired Emperor Jingning. Furthermore, he was about to take the imperial examination. Emperor Taishun had already accused him of being "restless" more than once.

However, at this moment, Emperor Taishun actually felt that this "restless" son of the common people seemed to bring him good luck! At this moment, Emperor Taishun actually wanted to meet Jiang Nian.

Just a little bit.

He knew that he would have to meet Jiang Nian in the future, but he didn't know when...

……

……

Huifang Garden is the back garden of Ningguo Mansion.

This garden is neat and spacious, with mountains and waters complementing each other, springs and rocks scattered around, lush trees, and pavilions dotted around, and it has the exquisiteness of Jiangnan gardens.

The most eye-catching building in the garden is undoubtedly Tianxiang Tower. This luxurious two-story pavilion, with carved beams and painted rafters, and elegant pavilions and flowing red, was often used for banquets and performances, and was also the place where Jia Zhen enjoyed his leisurely life of debauchery.

Near noon, the windows on the second floor of Tianxiang Tower were half-open, and the sound of stringed instruments and the aroma of wine could be heard.

Jia Zhen was holding his beautiful concubines on each side, drinking and having fun, with laughter all over his body.

The beautiful concubine in a pink shirt on the left was feeding him pickled duck intestines, while the beautiful concubine in a moon-white silk skirt on the right was holding an agate wine jar close to his mouth.

These two beautiful concubines were bought by Jia Zhen at a high price several months ago. They originally pleased Jia Zhen very much. However, today, when Jia Zhen was drinking and having fun with them, his mind was always wandering elsewhere.

Floating towards the small house of the Qin family in the eastern suburbs...

Jia Zhen was thinking in his mind that he would call Peng Jizhong back in the afternoon to ask him whether he had persuaded Qin Keqing to become his concubine. If so, what was Qin Keqing's attitude...

Just then, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps.

A young man with a handsome face, a charming figure, wearing a light fur coat, a precious belt, and beautiful clothes and a gorgeous crown, came running hurriedly.

He is Jia Zhen's legitimate and only son - Jia Rong.

Jia Rong looked like a wealthy young man, but at this moment, his face was full of panic, and there seemed to be cold sweat on his forehead, as if he was experiencing a nightmare.

Jia Zhen angrily scolded, "You are a suicidal bastard! You are so flustered! What a disgrace!"

Jia Rong ignored his father's scolding and said in a trembling voice, "Father...Father, something terrible has happened! The governor of the Beijing camp, Lu Kodo, has led the soldiers of the infantry camp, following the order of the retired emperor, to...to take you..."

When Jia Zhen heard this, he was struck by lightning. The agate wine bottle in his hand fell on the table with a "bang", and the wine splashed everywhere, flowing onto the scarlet carpet under the table, leaving hideous dark marks.

Jia Zhen's eyes widened and his face turned pale, like a clay or wooden sculpture.

After a long pause, he murmured, "What's going on? Why did the Emperor order me to be arrested out of the blue?"

The two concubines were dumbfounded with fear.

Inside Tianxiang Tower, the originally joyful and licentious atmosphere suddenly froze, and even the air seemed to become heavy.

There was a slight error in the previous article, which has been modified. I apologize to everyone.

Jiang Nian was going to take the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination, not the Zhili provincial examination. Because Shuntian Prefecture was the capital, the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination was primarily open to candidates from within the Shuntian Prefecture. The Zhili provincial examination, held in Baoding, the provincial capital, was primarily open to candidates from within the Zhili provincial area.

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(End of this chapter)