Chapter 28 Chapter Twenty-Eight

After a new year, the tense situation that was turbulent years ago has at least slightly relaxed on the surface.In the palace, Concubine Yue made enough gestures to show weakness, and the Queen's main energy was to focus on the stability of the Sixth Palace, and the two of them hadn't had any major conflicts for a while.In the court, although the Prince and King Yu still had political disagreements, since there were no new sparks for the time being, the situation of confrontation between the two had lessened after all.Since the Sixteenth Emperor returned to the dynasty and opened the seal, the two have not had a formal face-to-face confrontation, which makes people feel very peaceful, even a little too peaceful.

Sure enough, the leisurely days can't last for a few days.On the twenty-first day of the first lunar month, a loud noise shook half of the capital. Mei Changsu, who was basking in the warm winter sun by the window at that time, felt a slight tremor that was almost imperceptible. About half an hour later, he learned that the tremor was not an illusion. "The gunpowder stored in the private gun workshop accidentally exploded?" After hearing the news reported by Li Gang immediately, Mei Changsu closed his eyes and muttered to himself, "King Yu is indeed more ruthless than me...he can Make things so big..."

"It is said that it was caused by sparks falling from the snowless sky recently. After the explosion, the entire private cannon workshop was razed to the ground. It is estimated that more than 90 households were involved in the surrounding areas. Most of them were destroyed by subsequent fires. , burned most of the neighborhood, and suffered heavy casualties. Now because the bodies are not complete, the exact number of people who died is temporarily uncertain, but there are dozens of people in the private artillery workshop alone, plus the civilians who suffered indiscriminate disasters, there are more than one hundred at least. ..."

"Where's the wounded?" "Nearly 150 people, about 30 people were seriously injured." "How's the fire going now?" "Fortunately, there was no wind today, and it didn't spread to the next neighborhood. It was barely extinguished now. However, the fire was too big at that time, and there were only a few people in the Jingzhao Yamen who rushed to it first. The residents fighting the fire couldn't control it at all. Neighbors were busy transferring property, and some treacherous gangsters took advantage of the opportunity to loot. The patrol battalion arrived at this time, and while suppressing it, they groped for it by themselves. The scene was very chaotic, and finally His Highness King Jing led his own soldiers to the scene to settle down. Later, His Highness King Jing spent part of the tents in the army to house the victims and the wounded temporarily. The doctors and medicines in the Imperial Hospital were all official records, and they could not be allocated for a while, so His Highness paid for them. As for folks, my subordinates have already activated the medicine cousins ​​in the capital to go to support them."

"Well done." Mei Changsu praised, and added, "The burns are not curable. Xunyang Yun's family has a good plaster. You can send someone to get some quickly and give it to King Jing." "yes." Mei Changsu's eyes flickered slightly, and he said again: "Now that the first month is almost over, private cannons are not the most dangerous time, but such a tragic accident happened, the timing is too coincidental... Pass me If so, we must focus on the thorough investigation of Prince Yu, and try to find evidence that he intentionally triggered the case. With so many lives, how can they die silently... Once there is any progress, report it to me immediately."

"yes." After Li Gang bowed and retreated, Mei Changsu got up slowly, went to the desk and unfolded a piece of snow-white rice paper, and began to moisten the ink to paint, trying to stabilize his mind.Fei Liu also came in, took a pen, and lay beside him silently, drawing, silently accompanying him.The feet of the sun outside the window moved slowly, and Mei Changsu's mood gradually settled.After the painting was finished, when he stopped writing and got up, he felt a little sore in his waist, and the young man next to him also raised his head, his beautiful big eyes were full of concern.

"Fei Liu go out to play?" "No!" The boy shook his head. "Then... go out for a walk with Brother Su?" "it is good!" Mei Changsu picked up a large fur coat with mink fur lapels from the hanger next to him, put it on, and walked out of the room.The guards guarding the courtyard saw that he was dressed to go out, and hurriedly prepared the sedan chair.After the group left the gate, they followed Mei Changsu's instructions and walked through the streets and alleys until they came to a corner where the lingering smoke still remained. Although there is no clear card, the police officers of the Jingzhao Yamen form a team in twos and threes, still preventing idlers from entering and leaving at will.Looking from a distance, half of the neighborhood is in ruins, filled with a smell of scorching, and occasionally there are residual open flames, which are poured out by patrolling officers and soldiers.Mei Changsu got out of the sedan chair and walked in along the messy street. The policeman in charge of security saw that he was well dressed and didn't know where he came from. Although he still had to follow his duty to ask, his attitude was still kind.

"I am..." Mei Changsu was thinking about what to say, when he suddenly saw Lie Zhanying coming out of a corner from Prince Jing's mansion, raised his head, and greeted him. In fact, Lie Zhanying hadn't talked to Mei Changsu at all, but he was still very impressed with this Mr. Su who directly led to the internal rectification activities of Prince Jing's mansion. When he saw someone take the initiative to greet him, he immediately gave a polite reply. The policemen stared blankly at the two waving at each other, thinking that they were all from Prince Jing's mansion, they hurriedly stepped aside to make way.Mei Changsu walked over quickly and asked, "Where is His Highness Prince Jing?"

"Inside..." Lie Zhanying indicated the direction with hand gestures, but suddenly felt that it was not particularly appropriate, and asked, "Did your Highness ask Mr. to come?" Mei Changsu glanced back at him, and said intentionally, "No, Your Highness has been hiding from me all this time, but today I heard that he is here, so I came here." "Ah?" Lie Zhanying was stunned, and Mei Changsu had already left.When he reacted and rushed to catch up from behind, Prince Jing happened to be patrolling from inside with his own soldiers, and the three of them met face to face.

"Mr. Su?" Although Prince Jing was also a little surprised, he immediately understood, "Sure enough, no major event in Beijing can escape Mr.'s eyes." Mei Changsu wandered around, and although there were still wailing sounds in his ears, there were no people living on the street.Tents were set up next to each other along the road, and officers and soldiers were holding pots of steaming food and distributing them tent after tent.The smell of herbs wafted from the other side of the street, and stretchers covered with white cloths were being carried out at the same time.

"It's nothing if it's a battlefield, but this is the prosperous imperial capital of Daliang Kingdom, so the scene is a bit tragic." Mei Changsu sighed, "Your Highness has really worked hard." "They are all hard-working ordinary people. No one knows that the next door to their house is a gunpowder depot." Prince Jing also sighed, and signaled Lie Zhanying to back down, "Maybe it's just a matter of time, and it can be more than that." Just one day…” Mei Changsu raised his eyebrows, "What does Your Highness mean by that?" "Shen Zhui was very happy to tell me yesterday that he finally found out the fact that the crown prince and Lou Zhijing of the Ministry of Households set up a private cannon workshop to make huge profits, but he has no right to seal it up immediately, so he has already reported it to the sage and requested His Majesty graciously approved Jingzhao Yin's House to assist in the confiscation of this private cannon workshop, confiscate the stolen money, and apprehend the suspects. He said confidently at the time that Zhu would approve it within a day or two. Unexpectedly... the booklet was handed in only a day ago, To have such a tragic accident that wiped out hundreds of lives in the blink of an eye...and for most of them, it was a disaster that was justified." Mei Changsu gave him a deep look, "Your Highness thinks this is an accident?" Prince Jing's eyes froze for an instant, and he slowly turned his head to look directly at Mei Changsu's face, and said in a cold tone, "What is Mr. Su implying?" "As Shen Zhui's successor, he is committed to impeaching his predecessor. No matter how many people testify, it is nothing more than a corruption case. The prince is a prince after all. No matter how His Majesty reprimands him, the punishment will definitely be wrong. It doesn't hurt. But now that a cannon fires, the matter is known to everyone. After all, it is hundreds of lives. The people's feelings and grievances will soon become a turmoil. I'm afraid the punishment the crown prince will receive will be worse than It was much more serious before. Your Highness, please think carefully, if this case becomes serious, the crown prince will definitely suffer, so who will benefit?" "Just to increase the weight of beating the prince, Yu Wang regards human life as nothing?" Jing Wang's complexion was tense, and the anger under his skin gradually filled, and his lips were drawn into lines like iron.After muttering bitterly to himself, he suddenly turned his doubtful gaze to Mei Changsu, "Is this Mr. Su's conspiracy for King Yu?" At first, Mei Changsu thought he had heard wrongly, turned his head to look at Prince Jing, and then slowly realized that what he said was indeed what he had heard.Although it was misunderstood, and in terms of the situation, it was not too much to be angry about, but for some reason, Mei Changsu felt a surge of anger in his heart, and he forced himself to endure it for a while before he said coldly: "No. After the incident happened, I investigated and speculated." King Jing saw that his face was gloomy, and his tone was very harsh. He knew that he had said something wrong, and he felt apologetic, and hurriedly said: "I misunderstood, sir, don't worry." Mei Changsu calmly turned his head to one side, looked at the collapsed houses blackened by the thick smoke, and did not speak.Prince Jing had always been aloof and arrogant, and after he apologized, he was ignored and refused to say another sentence, and the scene immediately turned cold. At this moment, an official in Prince Jing's mansion ran over and reported, "My lord, my subordinates have been ordered to investigate. In addition to the supplies in the mansion and the inner courtyard, a total of two hundred tents and four quilts were spent on the military account. One hundred and fifty beds. These are all military resources, do you want to report them to the Ministry of War?" "Thanks for your reminder, otherwise I would have forgotten. Although this is not a big deal, it's better to report to the Ministry of War." "Yes." Just as the internal official was about to salute and leave, Mei Changsu suddenly whispered something.Because of the low voice, even Prince Jing, who was only a step away from him, was a little unsure whether he heard correctly at first, so he turned his head and glanced at him, seeing that the other party's eyes were lowered and his expression was quiet, and he didn't intend to repeat it. I couldn't help but feel a slight movement in my heart, and said to the internal official: "You have a lot of things in your hands, just pretend that this king has forgotten it, and you have forgotten it, so there is no need to report to the Ministry of War for the time being." For such a strange order, the internal official really couldn't think of the reason, and opened his mouth in surprise for a long time, until Prince Jing frowned, then hurriedly agreed with "Yes", and left quickly. When he walked away, Jing Wangfang slowly asked: "You know, sir, although this batch of military funds has been allocated to me, but it is used for resettling these victims, and it is considered to be used for him. According to the rules, the Ministry of War should be notified. , why did you say no to the report?" "Is it wartime?" "no." "Is this a large batch of military funds?" "It's almost nothing in terms of numbers." "Can't tents and quilts be recycled after use?" "Of course it will be taken back in the end?" "When it's not a war, borrowing a few tents and quilts to go out is such a big deal?" "Although the matter is small, it should be informed according to the system..." "So what if you don't tell me?" Prince Jing's eyes narrowed slightly, "Sir, you should know that the Ministry of War is the Crown Prince's sphere of influence. Although this fault is small, once it is caught by the Ministry of War, I'm afraid it will still have its roots in me." "I want them to join you." Mei Changsu turned sideways, facing Prince Jing head-on, "His Highness shows mercy to the disaster victims, is this a bad thing?" "of course not……" "His Royal Highness has done good deeds, but the mistakes he made are only small and not worth mentioning. The Ministry of War can clearly understand His Highness's negligence, but they insist on holding on to it. When this lawsuit is brought to the cabinet, the courtiers will think that Is it your highness that you are unforgivable, or is the prince using the hands of the Ministry of War to suppress you?" Mei Changsu had a sneer on his lips, "It is far from the crown prince who can cover the sky with one hand, the Ministry of War wants to join you, you just need to admit your mistake, Admit that the matter is urgent and complicated, just be negligent for a while. Even if King Yu doesn't show up at that time, there will naturally be Geng Jie's courtiers who will come out to speak for you, why worry about it?" Prince Jing proudly said: "I'm not afraid of what the Ministry of War will do to me. No matter how strict the father is, I don't take this little crime seriously. It's just that this omission can be avoided. Why do you have to make such a fuss?" out?" Mei Changsu's smile was even colder, "How can we not make trouble? Now that there are so many courtiers, most of their eyes are fixed on the Prince and King Yu, how many people will really notice what His Highness is doing? Although it is doing more things and talking less , but if you don’t say it yourself, let others say it. It’s okay to let others say it. When the Ministry of War’s complaint is filed, the emperor and courtiers will notice that when the crown prince and King Yu are biting and tearing each other, who is controlling the scene? Stability among the people? Who is going to be attacked despite being silent and uncontested? Everyone has a scale in their hearts, and there will naturally be a public opinion on what is right and what is wrong. On the other hand, if Your Highness reports to the Ministry of War now, although things are done seamlessly, But the effect is just the opposite, and His Highness's good deeds are buried in vain, like a night walk in brocade, no one knows." King Jing frowned with two handsome thick eyebrows, and said: "This king does not do these things for others to see." Mei Changsu sneered a few times, and said: "If you think it is for others to see before you do it, it is a matter of His Highness's virtue, but if no one knows after you have done good deeds, then I am useless as a counselor. ...Even if it is for Su, please feel wronged, Your Highness." King Jing heard his sarcasm, but his words were very sharp. Knowing that his temperament was not calm just now, he was not annoyed, and said indifferently: "Mr. Well, let’s do everything as you say.” At this time, if someone who knows the situation is watching, they should feel that the situation between these two people is strange.The ruler had no intention of making words to win over, and the subordinates did not want to be soft-spoken. From time to time, they would sneer at each other, and the words they said were extremely sharp.But if there is hostility between them, they are both open and frank, saying everything they have to say, and they don't hide suspicions from each other. But fortunately, the two of them still feel good about the current way of getting along, and they don't feel disgusted. "May I ask, Your Highness, how is Tingsheng recently?" Mei Changsu asked calmly with his hands behind his back. "Very good, both literary and martial arts have improved, and his temperament has become more and more stable. Everyone in the house likes him very much." Prince Jing's eyes flickered a few times, and finally he couldn't help asking, "I have always wanted to Let me ask you, you love Tingsheng so much, did you know my big brother before?" "I love Tingsheng, of course because I want to please Your Highness." Prince Jing was a little annoyed by Mei Changsu's non-salty tone, and he emphasized his tone: "I'm asking you seriously!" "His Royal Highness King Qi..." Mei Changsu's eyes drifted at the black smoke rising from the side. At this point, he stopped suddenly, gave King Jing a wink, turned around and left quickly. King Jing was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look in the direction Mei Changsu was looking at just now, and saw a thirty-seven or eighteen-year-old official walking through the top tents, raising his hand to beat King Jing as he walked. Say hello. "See, see Your Highness..." Because of his fat body, the official was a little out of breath when he approached, and said with his hands clasped, "It's such a tragedy, thanks to His Highness who came forward in time. I happened to be out today, so I came here at this time. The household department will take over the aftermath work as soon as possible, please rest assured, Your Highness." "It's all about the common people, what's the difference." Prince Jing smiled, and secretly glanced in the direction where Mei Changsu disappeared.Did he leave when he saw Shen chasing him?Don't you want these loyal officials you are making friends with to discover the contacts between the two? "I seem to have seen His Highness talking to someone just now. Why did you leave? Who is it?" Shen Zhui asked casually because he was related to the clan, and because he had a friendship with Prince Jing, the two of them got along relatively easily. , I never thought about whether I should ask. Prince Jing hesitated for a moment, but finally said calmly: "That man is Su Zhe, you must have heard his name, and he has become very famous in the capital recently." "Oh?" Shen Zhui stood on tiptoe to look around, but of course he couldn't see anything, "That's the famous Qilin talent? It's a pity that I didn't see clearly just now. I heard that he is offering advice to His Highness Yu Wang recently, why? Your Highness, do you know him too?" "Not only did he know each other, he also came to my house before." Prince Jing said indifferently, "This person really lives up to the name of a talented man, and his behavior and knowledge are above ordinary people. You have always loved talents, if you have the opportunity to meet him in the future Intersect, and you will definitely be heartbroken." "It's just that I don't know what's in his heart other than his talent?" Shen Zhui persuaded him sincerely, "It is said that most of this person's talent lies in his cunning. Your Highness should be on guard when dealing with such a person." "Well, I will be careful." Prince Jing nodded without saying much. "What is he doing here on such an occasion?" Shen Zhui looked around, "Could it be that he came to check the situation for His Royal Highness?" "You don't know, this Mr. Su has always been familiar with the situation in the capital, so it's not surprising that he came to see such a big commotion." Prince Jing's expression became serious, "Don't be curious about him, this matter Things will startle Sheng Ting tomorrow, have you thought about what to do?" Shen Zhui's expression also became solemn, and he said: "There is nothing to think about, just report it. I have already settled Lou Zhijing's accounts over the years, and I have already settled the secret account of the profit sharing between him and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." It was also tracked down. To tell you the truth, there were assassins in my house yesterday." Prince Jing was slightly startled, and grabbed his shoulder, "Then are you injured?" Shen Zhui was moved in his heart, and he quickly smiled and said: "I was born with good luck, and I always turn dangers into good luck. But that assassin is extremely powerful. Those three-legged cat guards in my mansion are no match at all. Fortunately, a master amulet came from nowhere. It’s just that he beat the assassins away and left without leaving a name, and I don’t know who saved me until now.” "Can you see the face clearly?" "He covered his face, but his eyes are big and bright, and he should be very young." "Then this secret account in your hand..." "I handed it over to the Xuanjing Department early in the morning to ask them to present it directly to the emperor. As long as the evidence is good, it's useless to kill me now." Shen Zhui smiled optimistically, "That's why I dare to walk around like this." "Don't be careless, even if you don't want to silence your mouth, revenge is a terrible word." Jing Wang said solemnly, "The household department has been tossed like this by Lou Zhijing, and it is all up to you to set things right, this is a major matter related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. Such a heavy burden, if something happens to you, who can take it easy?" "Your Highness's love, I am really grateful." Shen Zhui sighed, "As a minister of the country, I should not be afraid of difficulties, and I will not give up my life lightly. It's a pity that the general situation in the court is all about scheming, It is difficult for a person who is loyal to the country to stand out, and it is you, Your Highness..." "Okay," Prince Jing cut him off, "We said we wouldn't talk about this. Finding out the case is not only a great achievement for you, but also the beginning of a catastrophe. Don't worry, it's just that it's not appropriate to directly transfer people from my house, do you mind if I recommend a few people from outside? Don't worry, they must be trustworthy heroes." "What did your Highness say, can I not tell the good from the bad?" Shen Zhui thanked him gratefully.The two chatted a few more gossips, because they had a lot of things to do, so they broke up. Prince Jing went back to the mansion first, and Shen Zhui took a few officials to deal with the follow-up affairs on the spot. The loud noise from the private cannon workshop had an astonishing aftermath.Although the part related to the prince is slightly obscured, the facts are the facts.Emperor Liang was furious and ordered the prince to move to Guijia Palace for self-examination, and he was not allowed to intervene in court affairs.Since nearly 30 officials were imprisoned in this case, Shen Zhui was officially appointed as Minister of the Household Department. In addition to daily affairs, he was also ordered to revise the money and food system to stop omissions. It took only five days from the outbreak to the end of this incident. Due to the conclusive evidence, even the prince himself could not refute it. Naturally, other courtiers could not find a reason to explain it to him.Except for concubine Yue who cried a lot in the harem, no one dared to intercede for the prince.However, during the whole process, there was one person whose attitude was memorable, and that was the crown prince's deadly enemy Yu Wang.Logically speaking, he was obviously the one who was most happy that the prince fell into such a big somersault, and it would be inconsistent with his usual temperament if he didn't chase after him to make up a few words.But what is surprising is that this time he did not know what he was instructed to do. He was uncharacteristically, not only did he not say a word from the beginning to the end, he even restrained the officials of his own faction, so that the court did not take the opportunity to madly attack the princelings. .The wisdom of this move is that the case has nothing to do with party disputes at least on the surface, and it is all dirty things done by the prince's own virtuous government. Therefore, Emperor Liang didn't doubt whether King Yu had done anything to make a case out of it. All the anger was directed at the prince. Who taught him such a brilliant move, everyone can only secretly suspect.Only a few people know that on the day when the crown prince moved, King Yu happily chose many new and ingenious gifts himself, and ordered people to deliver them to Su Zhe's residence, although they did not accept them in the end. This ugly private cannon case made Emperor Liang feel extremely bad, but at the same time, it also made this old man who was over sixty years old very tired.So much so that when Meng Zhi returned to him at the end of the month to plead guilty, saying that he failed to find out the murder case of the inner prisoner before the deadline, he had no emotional fluctuations. After being appointed as the deputy commander, the matter was not mentioned. Sure enough, King Jing received accusations from the Ministry of War that he had embezzled military funds and failed to report in time.On the second day after he pleaded guilty, Shen Zhui, an upstart from the household department, delivered an impassioned speech in the court hall, angrily defending Prince Jing.Although Xiao Jingyan has a stubborn temper, he has always kept a low profile, and his recent performance has been very good. The number of people in the court who like him is increasing day by day. Even Emperor Liang is not as disgusted as before because the father and son have not mentioned the past for many years. he.In this matter, Emperor Liang thought that Prince Jing was not wrong. Not only did he not convict him, but he also praised him as "making a decision in case of trouble, which really helps the court to share the worries", and ordered him to submit a supplementary document to settle the matter.The Ministry of War didn't grasp the direction of the wind, not to mention the loss, and let the opponent show a big face in vain, which made the prince's camp even worse.