Summer wraps autumn, water keeps wind

In the Compassionate Ning Palace, Aunt Baizhe brought a plate of lucky oranges and placed them on a small table made of Fushou eight-treasure mahogany. She took one, peeled off the skin and took out the small petals, put it in a small blue and white Shou character dish, and handed it to the Empress Dowager before she said, "The Empress Dowager." , since you intend to promote Concubine Rong as empress, why don't you tell Concubine Rong about Concubine Ning so that she will be more careful."

The Empress Dowager smiled slightly, took an orange slice and put it in her mouth, and then slowly said after swallowing: "In the harem, there is a balance, and the most taboo is dominance by one person. Concubine Ning is a person cultivated by the Ai family, but she is too smart and not of the same family." She cannot be allowed to gain power, so the Ai family has to find her own family to be at ease. Although she wants to praise Concubine Rong, she cannot be allowed to succeed too easily. "

Bo Zhe nodded and said yes: "In the end, it's you who have far-sightedness, and this servant bows down."

"Actually, whoever is the empress is good. Concubine Ning has a handle in the hands of the Ai family. No matter how she pretends to be, she has to let the Ai family handle it. Besides, she doesn't have a woman in her heart who can be cruel if the emperor really comes to an emergency. Rouyan is closely connected with the Zheng family, and her succession is beneficial to the Zheng family and Qingyang, but she is only a little clever and has no overall situation. Although Rouyan is easy to control, she admires the emperor and fears that she will not be able to be fully used by the Ai family in the end. .”

Bai Zhe said: "Actually, as long as His Highness can point it to King Yi, the empress will feel at ease."

The Empress Dowager said: "The emperor must be willing to use the marriage alliance to restrain the Yi family, but Qingyang's child is stubborn. If she doesn't love Liji, it's useless, and she will turn good things into bad things."

The queen mother said again: "Speaking of it, it is indeed better for Rouyan to be the queen, so that everyone will benefit. But don't let Wanzhao's child die. If Qingyang has grievances in the future, Wanzhao will also be satisfied with Qingyang's past favors." I can fight for her in front of the emperor."

Bai Zhe said: "You still have a far-reaching plan."

A few hibiscus branches in the Yonghe Palace are blooming just right, Wanzhao has light makeup and simple clothes, only the South China Sea pattern snails and rice beads on the bun on the temples have a special charm.Qin Huan walked in from outside the palace with a few young ladies in the palace, saw Wan Zhao sitting on a bluestone round stool in the yard, blessed him, sent the palace leavers away, and stood beside Wan Zhao.

Wan Zhao said leisurely, "Did you see that bright purple peacock wearing a cloud brocade shirt with a hundred birds densely woven with gold thread?"

"I saw it from a distance in the imperial garden. It's really stupid. The poor lady is wise. A little trickery will make her feel ashamed by the emperor."

It turned out that the steward of the Jiangning Weaving Mansion was really good at being a man, hoping that when there was a shortage of brocade in the palace, he would send that fine piece of brocade to Concubine Ning, to please the palace, and Jinling would also be taken care of by the Liu family.After Wanzhao learned about it, he asked Jiangning Weaving Mansion to send it to Rouyan, pretending to please Yi's family.Who would have thought that a piece of cloud brocade would offend the emperor, and instead be charged with extravagance.

Wan Zhao flicked the onion-like nails that were painted with drunk rouge and said, "That piece of brocade is indeed a good thing, no wonder she hurriedly dressed it into clothes after getting it, for fear that others would not know that what she had in Yi's family even belonged to the emperor. nothing."

"If it wasn't for her family background, why would she compete with the empress? Now that the emperor has the trust of the emperor, she can easily overwhelm her."

Wan Zhao stared at Mu Furong in a daze, and changed his mind for a long time: "After all, she has such a family background, and I can't touch her for a while. If I'm not sure, I can't confront her head-on."

Naturally, Wan Zhao knew that when the national funeral was over, what he had to face would no longer be these small winds and waves, but the extremely cruel battle for the position of the phoenix.The so-called favor and power, family background and lintel are not the most important thing, even children are just chips, and the one who can decide the outcome is only the emperor's thought, and the only one who can really determine the successor is only the emperor.

However, the only people who can affect the direction of the emperor are those who he really cares about, those who can really walk into his heart, those who are called "the emperor's top people".It's not the unsightly hypocrisy that is so friendly on the surface like others, but the foundation has long been dilapidated.Does the emperor care about concubines?Up to her, down to Juanli, etc., they are all indifferent. Concubine Rong's so-called favor is nothing more than a reward. How can there be any kindness between husband and wife?Or those courtiers?That would be even more ridiculous, the emperor's mind is always on guard against those ministers who are respectful in the court and disobedient in the court, even King Yi can't help being suspicious.

The mother-child relationship should be the deepest, but the current empress dowager is the successor of the first emperor. The emperor's biological mother, Empress Yao Jia Shenxiao, died of blood collapse when she gave birth, and she was not raised by the empress dowager since she was a child. at all?And he is the only one, only he can change the emperor's mind.Recalling all the past, in this deep palace is the most beautiful and unattainable, such as the short-lived astonishment, which only blooms in the middle of the night, and only half a wisp of fragrance lingers in the morning.The corners of Wan Zhao's brows twitched, she really didn't want to involve him, even though she tried her best to make friends, she never thought of using him to hurt him.

Wan Zhao hissed for a long time, she only hated herself for being in the emperor's house, and she couldn't help herself anymore, she dared not love and couldn't love, she lived only for the prosperity of the family, and only for the women in the family to live for herself.

Wan Zhao went into the bedroom, dismissed the irrelevant attendants, and only called Xiao Dongzi in.Wan Zhao said: "Today, I'm also planning to release the shade and reduce the number of cases. Many of them are errands that offend others. You and Huixu should be busy and be careful. Besides, since the news outside the palace has recovered a lot It’s easier to get things done.”

Xiaodongzi saluted and said: "This servant obeys orders. Your Majesty is very scheming, and this servant also inquired about Prince Xuan. Prince Xuan and Prince Yi have a good relationship. Although the Emperor is dissatisfied with the Yi family and seems to be divided into rival courts, it is not difficult to take care of Prince Xuan. Yi family."

Xiao Dongzi continued: "Recently, Yizhou and other places reported that this year's harvest is not good. It was not a big deal, but Prince Xuan was very concerned. He wrote a document to read whether the people have food and grass for the winter this year. According to my mother's order, our family My lord is close to Prince Xuan, so I wrote a letter to a few acquainted gentry in Yizhou to open a porridge factory in winter to donate to the poor." Wan Zhao nodded, feeling a little comforted in his heart.

Xiaodongzi said again: "Prince Xuan is really a different person. He protects the poor and the weak, is kind and friendly. He used to be considerate of the palace people in the palace. Now even his tenants are paid [-]% of the land rent. He used to be subdued to In Gyeonggi, if the empress did not tell the Liu family to pay close attention to Prince Xuan, others would never have known about giving money to the poor in secret. It's a pity that such a character is criticized for being unworthy."

Wan Zhao gave a wry smile, and said, "Xiao Dongzi, you have also studied for a few years, but back then you had to enter the palace because of your low status and no way out. Do you think the world is impermanent?"

Xiao Dongzi said: "It is a slave's blessing to be appreciated by your mother, and I don't ask for anything." Wan Zhao closed his eyes and said, "Begging for the pity of others is worse than fighting for the world by yourself."

"There really is such a thing?" Bi Xin frowned, and he sighed deeply, trying to comfort the person in front of him, but he was also full of resentment.

Liu Fu suppressed his anger and said: "If I hadn't asked for a while, how would I know that this would be involved?"

"I also hate them for deceiving the court and doing such a thing. But the local government has already taken action, so don't panic too much."

Liu Fu clenched his fists and said, "Brother Huang, do you know that when the locusts first appeared in Yizhou and other places, the food had not yet been harvested, and the local officials were afraid that the locust plague would affect their performance, so they reported that this year's autumn harvest would be fine, and even ordered the people not to catch the locusts, saying What if catching locusts is a curse for the bad luck of the country, but in fact, it is afraid that the people above will find out the clues. The people and tenants are suffering, watching the grain being eaten up, and the grain collected is not enough to pay the rent, and some even cry. The door was hung on the owner's house."

Liu Fu calmed down and said coldly: "This time the locust plague is just like the last flood, and they have to hide it to prolong the matter. It can't be done. Those parents and officials are coy and say that this year's autumn harvest is not good. I really hope that the imperial court will allocate some food and salary, if it wasn’t for the ministers who sent people to ask about these things, how would they know about these things?”

Bi Xin also regretted: "The locust plague is like a plague, and it would be better to contain it earlier, but it's a pity that the treasury is tight and there is no extra food and payment to go down." Liu Fu said: "This locust plague is not small, so we must not take it lightly. My brother wants to go and see." Bi Xin shook his head and said: "The locust plague is different from the flood. During the flood, the treasury still has food and grass allocated. It may be inconvenient to raise food and grass now. Although the autumn harvest has already been harvested, it will take time to allocate food and grass. Food and grass on the frontier cannot be cut off and must be provided for them first. So if you are sent there, what do you give for disaster relief?"

Liu Fu said: "It's better to have someone watching than to let them go."

Bi Xin said: "Locust plagues have been common since ancient times. If there is an outbreak, there is no solution. The imperial court has no better way except to allocate food to settle the victims. If it is really a locust plague this time, it will be useless for you to go. If it is not a locust plague, you don't have to." Go here."

But Liu Fu was thinking about the disaster, and frowned slightly, Bi Xin knew that he still wanted to go, so he said: "There are still many important matters in the court, if you are not here, who can help me?"

Liu Fu said to Bi Xin: "There is still auspiciousness in all affairs in the court. He has just finished his work on the flood and he has to deal with the aftermath in Beijing. It is not good to send him to Yizhou."

Bi Xin said: "It would be the best if I sent you last time. Although it will be a little difficult, I know that it will be possible in the end, and I can use this to stabilize your position. But the king of Weiyi put pressure on me, so I had to send Jin Fan is going forward. But this time I don't know what to do, not only may things be difficult, but even if things are done, everyone will only think that you are not good for your official career if you learn from Jin Fan."

Bi Xin sighed and said: "I plan to let the local people save themselves first, and send imperial envoys to help the disaster after the food and grass are raised for the border and there is still some leftover."

Liu Fu's eyes turned red and he said: "Could it be that His Majesty only cares about securing power and position, and doesn't care about the people?"

"what for?"

Liu Fu said: "Since the emperor's brother came to the court, he has been mediating and fighting with the officials in the court hall. The ministers know that the emperor's purpose is to stabilize the imperial power, so I personally think it's okay. But every time it involves people's livelihood, the court often seems to be putting the cart before the horse. Like the flood in the Yellow River, did Brother Huang really care about whether the people have enough food and clothing? Isn’t he just staring at the east and the west to fight for power and profit. The ministers live outside the palace and often go out of Beijing in modest clothes. Everyone has to pick up leaves and wild vegetables to make a living. It can be seen that the people's life is not as peaceful and happy as in the memorial. Brother Huang, we should focus more on people's livelihood and suffering, why fight for power and profit. If he wants to change his family, he will fight for it. If the army destroys him, the other aristocratic families will suffer even more, so why bother with them?"

Seeing Liu Fu holding back his tears and turning his head away from him, Bi Xin said anxiously: "Do you know that if I don't consolidate the imperial power, how can I secure the people? If I really hold the real power, the officials below will never dare By concealing and not reporting, many disasters can be dealt with early, and will never lead to a catastrophe. Moreover, it is naturally easier to allocate food and supplies at that time than it is now, even if the officials are asked to donate their pockets, they dare not refuse. Only I can control it In the world, only my benevolent government can reach out to the common people. Liu Fu, think about it, do the aristocratic families control the common people when they are in power? They are not their subjects, so how can they really love them? Those corrupt officials who deceive the upper and lower will not have any The slightest thought is on the common people. It is true that I want to consolidate my power and position, that is also my benefit to the world!"

Liu Fu flicked his sleeves and said: "Brother! Don't you know the four words that the people are more important than the emperor? The people's well-being is the foundation of the country, and the people are governed first before talking about court politics."

Bi Xin held Liu Fu and said: "I know that you care about the people, don't you? But now, all kinds of things are really helpless."

Liu Fu said: "If there is helplessness, can't you let me go? Even if there is no merit and it is difficult to accomplish something, I still want to do my best."

Bi Xin stood up, turned his back and said, "I don't want you to go!"

Liu Fu also stood up and asked, "Why?"

Bi Xin said sincerely: "Actually, you don't know that Jin Fan's trip was not very smooth. When he was building the embankment, he did it himself. When he was inspecting the bank, he caught up with a flood peak and almost swept him into the waves. He never I didn’t mention this matter to me, but I got the news from the spies.” Bi Xin turned around and said, “It’s his honesty and kindness that made me make up my mind to become king, not just because of the ancestral system and influence. I know you have the heart, but you don't have to take the risk."

Liu Fu calmed down a bit this time: "This time it's different, it's not that dangerous, it's just a plague of locusts, there's no storm and no disease, nothing to be afraid of."

"This time the officials dared to lie to the top and the bottom, and acted more arrogantly than in Bianzhou and other places. Last time, they dared to burn food and grass. If they can't handle it properly this time, I'm afraid it won't be good. You are so afraid of being counted."

Liu Fu smiled inwardly, it turned out that he was still afraid of something happening to him, this time he was really worried too much.Liu Fu smiled and said, "If you want to worry about me, you don't have to worry about it."

Bi Xin held Liu Fu's wrist tighter and said, "Why don't you bother?"

Seeing Bi Xin like this, Liu Fu hurriedly begged for mercy: "Good brother, Fu Er is reckless, don't blame me." Liu Fu turned his eyes firmly, and also held Bi Xin's wrist and said: "I have made up my mind."

Bi Xin could only reluctantly nod his head and said, "I will try my best to arrange it."