Chapter 21 The twentieth round of playing the toad play, the emperor punished him by kneeling and slandering the interior of the relic beads

Behind the East Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, there is a draped eaves.Because it is covered by the east wall of Qianqing Palace, the back corner of the draped eaves is very hidden.In the middle of the day, Sun Hai and the little emperor Zhu Yijun sneaked here from the East Nuan Pavilion to play.At the same time, another servant came with him. This servant was none other than the guest who performed "Ant War" for Zhu Yijun in the old eunuch Wang Fengchi's room that day.Although this guest Yong was born in a poor family, he is very likable because of his delicate features and cleverness.He lived in the capital and was tricked into selling him to Lianzi Hutong.On the first day, he was spotted by Meng Chong, and he and three other little prostitutes were disguised as servants and secretly led into the Forbidden City.Besides, after this incident was exposed, although the four little boys were innocent, they could not be spared lightly according to the provisions of the "Law of the Ming Dynasty".It was lucky to meet the guest, Zhu Yijun has always been concerned about the game of "Ant Wars", so he secretly told Feng Bao that he asked him to use the guest to perform.In order to please the ten-year-old new master, Feng Bao privately eunuched the guest without telling Concubine Li Gui.Since then, the fake eunuch has become a real eunuch, and the guest use has become Dongnuange's promise.This Dongnuan Pavilion, also known as Zhaorenxuan, is the emperor's study.Opposite Dongnuang Pavilion is Xinuang Pavilion, also known as Hongdexuan, where the emperor reviewed memorials.Dongnuange promised to be a book boy, but the status of this book boy is not comparable to that of ordinary eunuchs.Sun Hai and Ke Yong became imperial servants, and among the eunuchs, they could be regarded as powerful upstarts.To Zhu Yijun, it is not happiness but pain to pretend to be an emperor and pretend to be an emperor.His happiest thing is to play freely with Sun Hai and Ke Yong.Zhu Yijun knew in his heart that his mother would not allow him to play around.So he exhorted his guests thousands of times to hide the two bamboo tubes containing toads and ants.But at noon this day, the guest took advantage of Sun Hai's hint, and like a thief, he took out the two bamboo tubes from under the bed in his residence, came to the back corner of the place, and played games for Zhu Yijun again.

Zhu Yijun looked very excited every time he watched it.It's all because he couldn't understand the mystery of it, and when he asked the guest, he only knew what it was and didn't know why.On more than one occasion, he took away the guests and directed the toads and ants by himself, but all failed.Even though he imitated Ke Yong's actions, it didn't help, these little spirits didn't listen to him at all.He tried it again today, and it was still the same. He couldn't help saying angrily: "This toad, doesn't he know that I am the emperor?" Sun Hai smiled and said, "Long Live Lord, this toad doesn't have human ears and doesn't understand human language, so it's useless to get angry with it."

Zhu Yijun glared at Sun Hai: "It doesn't understand human language, how can it listen to customers?" This stopped Sun Hai from asking.He immediately asked the guest: "Did you keep a hand and didn't teach it to the Lord Long Live?" "How dare a slave?" Ke Yong said aggrievedly, "My grandfather helped train these toads and ants, and I don't know how to do them." "Where's your grandfather?" Zhu Yijun asked. "It should still be in my hometown." Ke Yong answered uncertainly. "I announced him into the palace and asked him to help me train."

Zhu Yijun immediately put on the posture of the little emperor again, looking omnipotent.Sun Hai shook his head and said, "Long Live Lord, this cannot be done." "Why can't it be done?" "The queen mother will not agree." "Oh?" Immediately, Zhu Yijun was like a deflated ball, stunned for a while, and said with a frustrated face: "Being the emperor is not fun." As soon as the words fell, he suddenly heard a sharp shout: "Bold!" The shock made Zhu Yijun tremble all over, and when he looked up, his face turned pale with fright.I saw his biological mother Li Guifei standing in front of him angrily.It turned out that after Concubine Li Guifei had finished copying the Buddhist scriptures, she walked to Dongnuang Pavilion to see her son's study, but there was no one there.Later, under the leadership of Qiu Deyong, the steward of the Qianqing Palace, he found this back corner.

Sun Hai and Ke Yong knew that a catastrophe had occurred, they all knelt down in front of Concubine Li Gui, shaking their heads and not daring to speak. The Queen Mother looked at the two toads squatting on the ground and the two teams of entangled ants, and asked Qiu Deyong in disgust: "The cracks in the bricks of the Qianqing Palace are all bright, where did such dirt come out?" Qiu De looked at it with a bow, and he understood eight or nine points in his heart.He wanted to help Little Long Live Lord cover up the past, but he was afraid of the majesty of Concubine Li Gui, so he had to ask Sun Hai and Ke Yong two servants:

"Tell me, where did this dirt come from?" Sun Hai stared at Ke Yong without saying a word, Ke Yong dared not hide anything, and told the truth. Before Li Guifei entered the palace, she had also seen this kind of beggar's trick. Thinking of Zhu Yijun, the king of Wancheng, who was seduced by two servants to play this kind of bad game, she was even more angry, pointing to kneeling on the ground to sieve chaff. Sun Hai and Ke Yong ordered Qiu Deyong to say: "These two slaves are lawless, and they will beat thirty boards each!" "Follow the order." With a long bow, Qiu De ordered the attendants who followed to carry the two away.

Concubine Li Gui glanced at Zhu Yijun and said, "Follow me." Zhu Yijun followed his mother back to Dongnang Pavilion.Concubine Li ordered her servants to take a brown futon wrapped in yellow satin and put it on the brick floor, then she scolded Zhu Yijun who was standing aside with downcast eyes: "Kneel down!" Zhu Yijun didn't dare to disobey, he didn't even dare to look at the queen mother, he just bent his knees and knelt on the futon.The two tears in the eyes could not be held back anymore, and big drops fell on the brick floor. Concubine Li Gui, who was sitting on the embroidered couch, felt her heart soften when she saw her son like this. She wished she could immediately reach out and hug her son into her arms, but a sense of responsibility for her son's success prevented her from doing so.

Concubine Li Gui's strict discipline on her son won unanimous praise from inside and outside the court, and they all called her the most capable and responsible mother.Ever since Zhu Yijun left the pavilion to give lectures at the age of eight, he had never slept in late. His mother woke him up at dawn, and he read and practiced calligraphy all day long.After becoming emperor, Zhu Yijun worked harder than before. Every three, six, and nine morning mornings, Li Guifei would get up immediately as soon as she heard the sound of "Watch, Watch, Watch" outside the palace. Wake up Zhu Yijun who is still sleeping soundly in the dreamland.It was still dark at this time, and it was the best time for a child to go to bed, but when Zhu Yijun saw his mother's stern face, he didn't dare to neglect for a moment.After Gong'e dressed him and washed him, the sedan chair was carried to the gate of Qianqing Palace.Zhu Yijun went to court surrounded by many eunuchs.Concubine Li Gui sat upright in the abode in the Qianqing Palace specially rebuilt for her, holding the string of "Bodhidharma beads" in her hand, twirling them and chanting sutras.In the meantime, the sound of the son's salute came, and the chants of the class of hundreds of officials entering the hall came. Although her mood was disturbed, she was still able to hold her nerves and read a volume ten times over and over again. .When Zhu Yijun returned from the court, the first thing he did was to pay his respects to the queen mother in the abbot.At this time, Concubine Li would inquire about the situation of the early court in detail in front of Feng Bao, and even asked clearly about every sentence of the conversation with the officials, and then asked Feng Bao whether the emperor's answer was wrong.If wrong, what should be the answer.The little emperor Zhu Yijun practiced political affairs under the strict supervision of his mother, and he himself was quite diligent. After being the emperor for more than ten days, he was able to cope with the general etiquette of visiting the court and receiving ministers.But the child still has a playful nature after all, as long as he fails and avoids Li Guifei's eyes, he will find ways to have fun.No, he was caught by Concubine Li Gui just after sneaking out today, and now he is brought back to Dongnuan Pavilion for punishment.

The East Nuan Pavilion was eerily quiet at this moment.Seeing the emperor knelt down, none of the servants, big or small, dared to come in.Half an hour has passed like this, and suddenly there is a shout outside the door: "Reporting to the imperial concubine, Feng Bao, my servant, asks to see you." "Come in." Li Guifei said. Feng Bao asked Concubine Li Gui about something today, and when he entered the Qianqing Palace, he was shocked when he heard that the Long Live Lord punished him by kneeling, this is an unprecedented miracle.If it gets out, where will the face of the Long Live God be put?After thinking about it, Feng Bao decided to bite the bullet and go in to persuade him.He hastily stepped into the East Nuan Pavilion and saw Zhu Yijun kneeling in the middle of the room, staggering and unable to hold on any longer, so he fell on his knees behind Zhu Yijun with a plop, and begged for mercy: "I report to the imperial concubine, what happened today It is entirely the fault of Sun Hai and Ke Yong, the two slaves, the Lord Long Live was wronged, the imperial concubine Wanwang is pitiful to the bones of the Lord Long Live, please don’t let him kneel down again.” Feng Bao was emotionally moved and sobbed stand up.

Seeing Zhu Yijun kneeling profusely, Concubine Li Gui felt extremely distressed.Feng Bao interceded, and she took advantage of the situation to turn around and said to Zhu Yijun, "Get up." Zhu Yijun stood up, his knees were sore, and he couldn't support himself, so he staggered a bit.Feng Bao quickly supported him from behind.Zhu Yijun glanced at Feng Bao gratefully, walked to another embroidered couch beside his mother and sat down. Concubine Li Gui motioned Feng Bao to sit on the opposite chair, and said to him, "Eunuch Feng, you are the great companion of the Long Live Lord. You have to worry about the progress of the Long Live Lord's learning."

"The servant obeys the order." Feng Bao replied respectfully. "Eunuch Feng, what else do you want to play?" Concubine Li Gui then asked. "Yes." Feng Baozou said: "Today, a servant who worked in Concubine Gong's residence went out of the palace. The doormen saw that his arms were bulging, and his expression was not quite right, so they stopped him. A golden teapot was found in his arms. He was immediately taken to the Inner Palace Supervisor for questioning, and he confessed that it was Concubine Gong who asked him to send him out of the palace." "Where are you going?" Li Guifei asked. "Send it to Concubine Gong's natal family. The servant said that Concubine Gong's family asked someone to bring in a letter, saying that her father was seriously ill and that the family had no money to see a doctor, so she asked Concubine Gong to help. The imperial concubine has not received a reward for a long time, and the monthly money is limited, so she was in a hurry, so she took the golden teapot and asked the servant to send it out." After Feng Bao finished speaking, he called someone to bring in the golden teapot.Concubine Li took it over and looked at it repeatedly, and couldn't help but recall the old things: In the first year of Longqing, when Mu Zong ascended the throne, he ordered the Silver Work Bureau of the Inner Palace to make 20 gold teapots to reward concubines.Concubine Gong was one of the eight concubines conferred by Mu Zong for the first time, so she also got a golden teapot.Now, just after Mu Zong was the guest of honor, Concubine Gong was going to take this golden teapot out to pawn to treat her father's illness.Concubine Li Gui felt very uncomfortable.She didn't complain that Concubine Gong was ungrateful and didn't cherish the rewards from the late emperor and husband, but she expressed her deep sympathy for Concubine Gong.After Mu Zong ascended the throne, there were very few rewards to all kinds of people in the palace.The concubines had some discussions in private, but they didn't dare to bring it up to the emperor, not to mention that they saved private money, even head jewelry, and they hadn't bought more for more than two years. For this matter, there were many conflicts between the palace and the government.Thinking of these past events, Concubine Li Gui couldn't help sighing, she gave the golden teapot to Feng Bao, and said, "Concubine Gong can't be blamed for this matter, she is too poor, this golden teapot is still Let her take it back to her natal family, her father's medical treatment is important." "The Empress Dowager is really the reincarnation of Avalokitesvara. She has a heart like a Bodhisattva. This servant will do it now." As Feng Bao said, he was about to leave Dongnuan Pavilion. Zhu Yijun spoke at this moment: "Big companion, I'll leave later." "What orders does Long Live have?" Feng Bao sat back on the chair. Zhu Yijun turned to Concubine Li Gui, and said cautiously: "Mother, I have other ideas about how to deal with this matter." "Oh, tell me." Seeing Master Zhu Yijun's expression, Concubine Li Gui was overjoyed and cast an encouraging look at her son. Encouraged, Zhu Yijun became more courageous. He lifted up his sleeves and wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of his eyes, and asked softly, "Excuse me, mother, is family law or human relationship more important?" Concubine Li Gui was startled: "Of course it's family law." "I think Concubine Gong's actions violate the family law," Zhu Yijun said with sparkling eyes, and his tone became decisive, "According to the rules, the items in the palace, no matter how big or small, have not received the emperor's favor." Yes, it is not allowed to take it out of the palace, Concubine Gong wants to send this golden teapot to her natal family, and as the emperor, I don't know about it. This is a violation of family law." "Jun'er makes sense." Concubine Li Gui immediately burst into a smile, what she wanted was such a son with brains and courage, "Jun'er, what do you think should be done?" "Just now, after listening to the mother and the eldest companion, I know that the life of the concubine in the palace is so difficult. Therefore, the concubine Gong did not deliberately violate the family law. But no matter what, the imperial gifts of the first emperor and father are determined not to flow into the family. Folks. According to my son, family law is also important, and human affection is also important. Family law comes first, and human affection comes second. The servant who gave the golden teapot should hit 30 boards. This golden teapot is still returned to Concubine Gong. Then, one hundred taels of silver was allocated from the inner palace treasury, and delivered to Concubine Gong's home by the servant who was boarded." When Zhu Yijun said these words, his usual childishness and naughtiness were restrained, and his face was replaced by a serious face.What is particularly commendable is that he is well-organized, and his handling opinions are not contrary to human feelings and maintain the dignity of the royal family.Concubine Li Gui was not angry because her opinion was rejected by her son.On the contrary, she looked exceedingly happy.At this time, her eyes were shining brightly, and she asked Feng Bao in an appreciative tone: "Eunuch Feng, do you think it is appropriate for Long Live Lord to do this?" Feng Bao was also wondering why the ten-year-old emperor, who was punished to kneel just now, could handle the matter so gracefully.Seeing Concubine Li Gui's question, she quickly got up and answered: "Reporting to the noble concubine, the Lord Long Live is wise and wise. With this treatment, Concubine Gong will definitely understand the love, benevolence and filial piety of the Lord Long Live." "Okay, then you will handle it according to the will of Long Live God." "yes." Feng Bao bowed and retreated. Feng Bao left the Dongnuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace and returned to the office of the Supervisor of Rites. He had just given orders to deal with Concubine Gong's golden teapot incident when he saw Xu Jue rushing in.Although Xu Jue is a retainer, if he usually wants to see his master, he has to notify him in advance.Right now, he forced his way in without even saying hello, Feng Bao suddenly lowered his face, and reprimanded sharply: "Look at you stupid bear, you treat this place as a theater?" Don't look at Xu Juewu's short figure and face He looked fierce, but when he met Feng Bao, his bones were not heavy. After being scolded, his face immediately became ashamed like a piece of purple pig liver. He retreated outside the door in panic, and sang: "Master, my slave Xu Jue I need to see you." "Come in." Feng Bao greeted angrily. Only then did Xu Jue step back into the door and knelt down on the brick floor in the middle of the duty room.Feng Bao squinted at him and asked, "What's the matter?" The master didn't speak, and Xu Jue didn't dare to get up, so he had to kneel on the brick floor and answer: "The slave just checked the papers sent by the Secretary of the General Administration today, and among them is a manuscript written by Nanjing Engineering Department for Jiang Jiakuan in the matter, which is to impeach Hu Zigao." "Oh, where's the notebook?" "it's here." Xu Jue took out the notebook from his arms, Feng Bao raised his hand and made a gesture, Xu Jue dared to get up, and handed the notebook up with both hands.Feng Bao shook it open to look, and saw that the handbook was not long, only two folded pages, but the contents written were not trivial. It was to reveal how Xu Jue asked Hu Zigao, the director of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, to pay 30,000 taels of silver to buy the bunch of bodhisattvas. Dharma Beads.One of the paragraphs "Zha Hu Zigao, as an official of the imperial court, did not want to serve the country. He spent a lot of time in the camp, and he did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to bribe the insiders. He bought Bodhidharma beads with 30,000 taels of silver and gave them to Xu Jue, the minister of Feng Bao's family. It is still ridiculous. The Buddhist beads are fraudulent frauds, and the pearls purchased for thirty thousand taels of silver are really worth nothing more than a string of copper coins." After reading this, Feng Bao couldn't help being furious, and threw his hand on the desk heavily.Xu Jue knew what was interesting, and he had already knelt back to the original place, Feng Bao gritted his teeth and cursed: "Xu Jue, Xu Jue, I asked you to go to Nanjing for a while, who knew that you caught me a handful of shit and came back." "Master," Xu Jue rubbed Yu's eyes, and said with a sad face, "this slave is guilty." "Why didn't there be any news about this at first?" "Yes, it's the servant who dared not tell the master." "Bold, dare to hide this kind of thing." "I really don't dare to hide it," Xu Jue replied with his forehead pouted on the ground in fright, "I want to settle the matter before I report to the master." "Say, what's going on?" Unable to withstand Feng Bao's questioning, Xu Jue told the follow-up story of buying Bodhidharma beads. However, after Xu Jue returned from Nanjing that time, he has been in hotline contact with Hu Zigao.One day, I received a letter from Hu Zigao, telling me that the string of Bodhidharma beads might be fake.In the city of Nanjing, there were already some masters who made fake antiques. They imitated ancient porcelain and paintings, which were almost fake, not to mention the string of Bodhidharma beads that no one had seen before.Xu Jue was shocked when he heard this, and quickly sent two people to Nanjing, together with Hu Zigao, to find the master who sold the Buddhist beads.Where else can I find it?According to the people around, the master rented Ouxiangzhai for less than a month, so no one in the neighborhood can tell the origin and trace of this person.Only then did Xu Jue feel that the appearance of "Master" in Nanjing was originally to set up a scam to sell "Buddha beads".He knew that if this matter was revealed, Feng Baoding would not spare him lightly, and the only solution was to find the "Master" and recover the 30,000 taels of silver.In such a huge Nanjing, it is not easy to find a person, not to mention that this person may have escaped.Jiangnan is so big that finding this "Master" is like looking for a needle in a haystack.Thanks to Xu Jue's boldness and carefulness, he dared to rely on Feng Bao's influence to use Dongchangbu's eyes and ears in the south of the Yangtze River to sneak out the "Master" who was hiding in Zhizhi Town, Suzhou Prefecture through red and black methods.It is inconvenient to go to the government for such a matter, so Xu Jue's subordinates took the "Master" to a deserted temple beside Shenhu Lake for interrogation. "Master" was stubborn at the beginning and insisted on refusing to admit the fraud. After the punishment was over, "Master" couldn't stand it anymore, so he had to admit that the string of "Bodhidharma beads" was indeed made by him.The so-called one hundred and eight relics are all specially made by grinding sheep bones.Fortunately, after the 30,000 taels of bank note was cashed out, nothing was moved.Xu Jue's subordinates took the 30,000 taels of silver and exchanged them for bank notes in Suzhou Mansion.Then the "master" was escorted to the boat, rowed into the sinking lake near Suzhou, tied stones and threw it into the bottom of the lake to feed the fish.The two clerks rushed back to the capital last night. After listening to Xu Jue's narration, Feng Bao felt that the matter was useless on the one hand, and on the other hand felt that Xu Jue was still a good slave who was willing to do things. He frowned for a while and asked, "Where's the bank note?" "Where is it?" Xu Jue took out the banknote from his cuff again and handed it over. Feng Bao only glanced at it, but didn't accept the banknote, and said, "Take it back to the house and put it in the account." "Yes." Xu Jue put the silver bill into his sleeve and hid it. Feng Bao motioned Xu Jue to find a chair to sit down, and he leaned on the grand teacher's chair covered with a yellow satin cover, closed his eyes for a while, then picked up the notebook and read it again, asking: "Who is Jiang Jiakuan?" Xu Jue replied: "The servant checked it out. This person is a Jinshi in the second year of Longqing. Although he has no teacher-student relationship with Gao Gong, he is from Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province, and Gao Gong is from the same hometown." Feng Bao nodded, and asked again: "How did he know about this?" Xu Jue couldn't tell from Feng Bao's face that he was ugly and Yinmao, so he was always nervous, so he replied cautiously: "I heard that this incident was caused by a man named Shao Daxia." "Hero Shao?" Feng Bao's eyes flashed, he was familiar with the name, "How did he know?" "Hero Shao is very powerful in Nanjing, and he can enjoy both red and black. It can be said that there is nothing he doesn't know." "Is that really the case?" Feng Bao asked solemnly.Seeing that Xu Jue was about to answer, he waved his hand to stop him, and asked again, "What's the important thing about the notebooks sent in today?" "The cabinet sent another document to urge those two memorials." "Understood, you go back first." After Xu Jue left, Feng Bao stayed alone in the duty room, sitting on the Taishi chair, staring at the painted beams in a daze.At this moment, he was in a state of disarray, and his scalp was swollen badly.Seeing him raising his hand to cover his forehead, the little fireman who had been serving him brought in a basin of cold water, wrung out a towel and wiped his face, Feng Bao regained consciousness and picked up the dish on the table again. Books to read. Since he became the eunuch of Bingbi nine years ago, and also served as the hand seal of Dongchang seven years ago, Feng Bao has actually become the second most noble person in the inner court, and he has always coveted the position of the hand seal of the ceremonial supervisor.After several years of painstaking struggle to keep a low profile, now finally got his wish.But he knew in his heart that Gao Gong, who was still in the chief assistant position, would definitely not let it go.On the second day after the new emperor ascended the throne, he gave the new emperor a "Chen Wu Shi Shu" in the form of the official cabinet. For government affairs, he, Feng Baodai, approved six words: "Got it, inherit the ancestral system", and returned it to the cabinet.Almost at the same time, the Ministry of Punishment asked Dongchang to hand over Wang Jiusi's inscription and the Ministry of Rites requested to transfer 200,000 taicang silver from the Ministry of Households to the emperor's concubine in the harem to make head jewelry. Feng Bao knew it at a glance. The purpose of the two scriptures is to win over Concubine Li Gui, and give him the seal of the newly appointed Supervisor of Ceremonies to draw a salary from the bottom of the pot.Gao Gong is worthy of being a fighter in the officialdom and a veteran of chopping wheels.This series of memorials really touched Concubine Li Gui's heart.According to the usual practice, the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Rites should return the proposals to the cabinet, but Concubine Li Gui was still not sure what Gao Gong's intentions were, so Feng kept the pressure for two days.Feng Bao didn't know how to deal with this matter properly, so he sent Xu Jue to Tianshou Mountain overnight to ask Zhang Juzheng for advice.One wave was not settled, another wave started again, and the matter of the two excerpts had not yet been concluded, and the Nanjing side sent Jiang Jiakuan's manuscript of impeaching Hu Zigao.This is more and more like "drunkards don't want to drink." The impeachment of Hu Zigao is false, and the real purpose is to burn this fire on Feng Bao.It doesn't take much research to know that Jiang Jiakuan's move was originally a ruthless move called killing by Gao Gong.Just now Xu Jue mentioned that Shao Daxia was also involved, which aroused Feng Bao's vigilance even more.He had heard about the fact that Shao Daxia came to the capital for activities in order to reinstate Gao Gong and join the cabinet.Last month Shao Daxia came to Beijing again to have secret contacts with Gao Gong, and was also detected by Dongchang.Feng Bao originally wanted to arrest Shao Daxia, but he didn't expect this kid to slip away without anyone noticing, and now he is making waves in Nanjing, continuing to work for tigers, and wholeheartedly working for Gao Gong.Without him, it would be impossible for Nanjing to have this arrow shot in the dark.According to the rules of the imperial court, all the official titles are divided into originals and copies.Good things don't go out, but bad things spread thousands of miles.The content of Jiang Jiakuan's handwritten manuscript may have already been circulated in all major yamen in the capital through the mouths of the unsealed officials of the General Administration Department.Thinking of this, Feng Bao wished he could peel Jiang Jiakuan's skin.On second thought, although Jiang Jiakuan is hateful, Gao Gong is the most hateful. "Father Qing is not dead, and the disaster of Lu is not over." Feng Bao dipped his finger in the tea in the teacup and wrote these eight characters several times on the desk.A bold conspiracy formed in his mind.He put Jiang Jiakuan's manuscript into the notebook box, and ordered the little firemen beside him: "Prepare the sedan chair!" The palm seal of the Supervisor of Rituals is on the right side of the Huangji Hall, separated by a corridor.Feng Bao sat in a Chengyu carried by four people, walked leisurely up the corridor, entered Youchong Tower, and meandered towards Qianqing Palace.In the Forbidden City, eunuchs were not allowed to ride in sedan chairs.According to the rules set by Taizu, no matter how high your rank is or how old you are, as long as you are an eunuch, you can only walk with your hands in the Forbidden City.In other words, before Taizu's imperial court, the eunuch's status was extremely humble.This situation changed a little in the hands of Cheng Zu, because before and after he raised his troops to seize the throne, many eunuchs in the palace city of Nanjing supported him and passed on important information to him.Therefore, after he seized the throne, he changed the Taizu's ban on eunuchs from reading and writing, and set up an inner study hall in the Forbidden City to select smart and young eunuchs to study in the palace, and often sent eunuchs whom he trusted. Served as a supervisor.The eunuch's status has been improved a lot, but not to the point where he can sit in a sedan chair in the Forbidden City.It was Zhu Qizhen, the sixth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who actually opened the ban.He was only nine years old when he came to the throne, one year younger than the current emperor Zhu Yijun. At that time, there was a eunuch Wang Zhen who was in charge of the chief of ceremonies. Sitting in sedan chairs in the Forbidden City has become a rule since then.Before Feng Bao became the chief inspector of ceremonies, although there were means of transportation, it was only a shoulder sedan carried by two people, and its specifications and grades could not be compared with those carried by four people.Now that he is sitting in this sedan chair, he feels very good in his heart when he sees the nobles and nobles that he encounters occasionally run away quickly.But the manuscript of Hu Zigao's impeachment from Nanjing disturbed his mood after all.The mountain rain is about to come and the wind is all over the building - he knows that the battle between him and Gao Gong is just the beginning, and the real fighting tactics are yet to come.In order to bring him down, Gao Gong must have racked his brains.Although Feng Bao hated Gao Gong deeply, he never dared to underestimate him.This tall bearded long-time official occupies a high position, and now he is full of civil and military affairs in the court, from the ministers of the ministries, officials from all walks of life, down to the governors of various places, the governors of the state government, all of them are old disciples, relatives and friends.These people are twisted into a rope, and spitting can drown people. "I want to shoot down this goose, but I can't let it peck out its eyes." Feng Bao was thinking like this, and he didn't realize that the sedan chair had already been carried to the gate of Qianqing Palace. Concubine Li Gui and Zhu Yijun, mother and son, were still staying in the East Nuan Pavilion. For more than half an hour after Feng Bao left, Concubine Li Gui was still sitting on the embroidered couch, fiddling with the string of "Bodhidharma Rosary Beads" in her hand, While listening to my son reciting the newly learned verses in the past few days, I watched my son practice calligraphy.He just said to rest for a while, and just after eating two slices of iced watermelon, he heard the Dongnuange steward sign playing Feng Bao to ask for an audience, so he let him in. Feng Bao came in and kowtowed, Concubine Li Gui asked him to sit down in his seat, and asked, "Concubine Gong's business, are you done?" "It's done," Feng Bao put his hands on his knees, with a serious attitude, "according to the order of the emperor and the imperial concubine, the slave took a hundred taels of silver from the imperial prison and sent it to the imperial concubine. .In addition, the slave even dared to be a master for the imperial concubine, and paid fifty taels of silver from the slave's salary, counting it as the private money of the imperial concubine, and giving it to the imperial concubine." "Why are you doing this?" Concubine Li Gui asked. Feng Bao hesitated for a moment, and then answered carefully: "Nowadays, inside and outside the palace, it is widely rumored that the imperial concubine is the reincarnation of Guanyin, and even the birth mother of the current emperor. Bodhisattva heart. Concubine Gong's mother's father is sick, Long Live God remembers the late emperor, has a great filial heart, and allocates one hundred taels of silver from the imperial prison for relief. It is the virtue of a mother who saves the suffering. This servant thinks so, so he has the courage to do this. If there is any inappropriateness, I hope that the imperial concubine and the emperor will forgive me." Feng Bao's words are clear and sincere.Concubine Li Gui was greatly moved when she heard this, she thought to herself that there is nothing untrustworthy about such a considerate slave of her master!What's more, Feng Bao mentioned that she is "the reincarnation of Guanyin". On the day his son ascended the throne, the eight maids around him, headed by Rong'er, also said so, and gave them a self-embroidered image of Guanyin.Since there are such public opinions outside, it seems that I should do more good deeds to save the suffering.After thinking about it this way, Concubine Li Gui smiled gently, lifted the rosary in her hand, and said: "Eunuch Feng has done a great job on this matter, but I always cost you money. I feel very sorry. If the people who work for the emperor inside and outside the court are as loyal and diligent as you, Jun'er's throne will be much easier to sit on. gone." As Concubine Li Guifei spoke, she looked affectionately at the little emperor who was sitting on the other side of the embroidered couch. At this time, Zhu Yijun was also listening to the conversation between the two of them attentively.The empress mother's praise of Feng Bao added to his trust in this "big companion" who has been with him for a long time.Feng Bao saw the emotional expression of the mother and son and was delighted in his heart.He felt that the time had come, so he quickly cut into the theme of this visit: "Reporting to the imperial concubine, I have one more thing to ask, should I ask?" "Speaking." "Is it the Bodhidharma rosary that is twisted in the mother's hand?" "Exactly," Concubine Li Gui looked at the string of rosary beads emitting a faint blue light in her hand, and guessed whether Feng Bao wanted to ask for credit for mentioning this matter at this time, so she spoke more affectionately, "Eunuch Feng sent me I haven't thanked you enough for such an expensive gift." "Your Majesty, what you say is really a disgrace to a slave," Feng Bao deliberately pretended to be uneasy, and then said, "At these times, I was always thinking about the death of the first emperor and the ascension of the new emperor. This event can also be regarded as a change of dynasty. Although there are three or two people in the court who want to take advantage of this accident and create some disasters, it will be nothing in the end. According to the slave's humble opinion, all of this depends on the empress's devotion to the Buddha. At this juncture, the Buddha beads of Bodhidharma have reappeared in the sky and are in the hands of the empress, this is really God's will!" Feng Bao flattered his master, and he always had the skill of peeling cocoons and silk when speaking. After his reminder, Concubine Li Gui also really realized the "God's will" behind the string of beads in her hand, didn't she?Since she got this string of Buddhist beads, people inside and outside the palace began to call her "the reincarnation of Avalokitesvara".What made her especially satisfied was that her son succeeded to the throne in a safe and sound way without any disturbances.Thinking of this, Concubine Li Gui twisted the Buddhist beads in her hands louder. "Eunuch Feng, you are also a person with Buddha roots," Concubine Li said with emotion, "Without you, how could this string of Bodhidharma beads be in my hands." "The empress is the reincarnation of Avalokitesvara, without slaves, this string of Buddhist beads will still be in the hands of the empress." Feng Bao paused, his face slightly gloomy, and then said, "but now in the Nanjing yamen, it has come out. If one person grabs this matter and creates something out of nothing, it will disappoint the empress." "Ah, is there such a thing?" "Yes," Feng Bao opened the mahogany box containing the notebooks that he brought with him, took out Jiang Jiakuan's manuscript, and handed it to Concubine Li respectfully, "Please have a look at it with the Lord Long Live." Concubine Li Gui took it and only looked at the title, then returned it to Feng Bao and said one word: "Read." "The slave obeys the order." Feng Bao took back Jiang Jiakuan's manuscript and read it word by word to Concubine Li Gui and Zhu Yijun's mother and son.The book is not long, so it doesn't take a while to read it.As she listened, Concubine Li Gui's fingers twirling the Buddhist beads slowly stopped, and the brows that she had lightly drawn frowned.Before this happened, Zhu Yijun didn't know about it, but now he looked at his mother's expression and asked Feng Bao what was going on.Feng Bao told the ins and outs of this matter.After Zhu Yijun heard this, he put down the finger he was biting in his mouth, and shouted, "Big companion, that Hu Zigao really paid you thirty thousand taels of silver?" "Back to Lord Long Live, this is pure nonsense," Feng Bao said with an aggrieved face, according to the lie he had planned in advance, "The thirty thousand taels of silver for buying this string of Buddhist beads was originally a reward from the late emperor to the slaves. In the second year of Longqing, the late emperor rewarded the slave with a farm in Cangzhou, and this time, the slave sold the farm to make up for the money.” "If that's the case, why did Jiang Jiakuan frame you?" Zhu Yijun just fell into Feng Bao's trap when he asked such a question. He calmly replied: "Return to the emperor, forgive me for speaking rashly. How could Jiang Jiakuan, a small Nanjing engineering department, have the courage to falsely accuse the slave on trumped-up charges? It’s all because of the support behind him.” "Ah, who supports him?" Zhu Yijun's eyes widened in surprise.Concubine Li Gui twitched her eyebrows that had been locked all the time, as if she was also interested in listening.Feng Bao swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and was about to continue, when he suddenly heard a crisp cry from outside the carved wooden window with a light moonlight curtain: "Prince!" Then, the sound of small footsteps stopped in the corridor outside the window lattice, and a voice came in: "Hey, little beast, I have taught you so many times, why can't I remember, it's not the prince, it's the long live, Wan-year-old Lord-shout." It turned out that Qiu De, the steward of the Qianqing Palace, was using it to tease the big maid who brought the white parrot from the Palace of Compassion and Peace.Li Guifei angrily pushed the blue and white porcelain footrest in front of the embroidered couch, and shouted out of the window: "Qiu Deyong, didn't you see the Long Live Lord talking about something? Take the eldest maid away!" "The servant obeys the order!" Hearing a sound on the brick floor outside, Qiu Deyong kowtowed, took down the bird cage hanging on the corridor, and tiptoed away.After this small episode, Feng Bao vaguely felt that Concubine Li Gui was disturbed, which he had expected, so he didn't panic, and still answered Zhu Yijun's question: "Jiang Jiakuan's background is none other than the current chief assistant, Gao Gong." "It's him?" Concubine Li Gui blurted out this time. "My lady, when the late emperor was around, slaves were the thorn in Gao Gong's side. He recommended Meng Chong to be the head of the ceremonial supervisor. What good deed did Meng Chong do? From the slave Huahua to the demon king Jiusi, he led the late emperor to the evil way... ..." "Stop talking," Concubine Li Gui interrupted Feng Bao, worried that Feng Bao would slip up and tell the late emperor's ugly deeds in front of Zhu Yijun, "Stop talking, let me ask you, this string of bodhisattvas达摩佛珠，到底是真是假？” “肯定是真的！”冯保斩钉截铁地回答，那口气硬得叫人不容置疑，“不瞒娘娘说，这串佛珠买来不到一个月，南京方面就有一些风声，说这串佛珠是假的。其实奴才买它之前，已专门请了数位得道高僧鉴定过。他们都一致肯定，这一百零八颗舍利佛珠，颗颗都是含蕴佛光的无价之宝。谣言出来之后，奴才又专门派人去了南京查证落实。差人前几天从南京回来，一是证明佛珠来路光明正大，的确是梁武帝留传下来的菩提达摩佛珠，二来也找到了谣言的源头，说出来又会让娘娘大吃一惊，造这个谣言的人，名叫邵大侠。” “邵大侠是谁？”李贵妃问。 冯保又加油添醋把邵大侠的生平介绍一番，特别渲染了他和高拱的特殊关系。李贵妃听罢，如释重负地长出一口气，感叹说道：“人心隔肚皮，世上事果然难得预料。就这么一串佛珠，居然还有人利用它来做大文章。可恶，可恶！钧儿承继大统登皇帝位，我一直放心不下两个人，怕他们欺钧儿年幼，不肯同心同德辅佐圣业。这两个人，一个是孟冲，另一个就是高拱。孟冲已经撤换，剩下这个高拱，一直是我的心病。他一直深得先帝信任，又是先帝临危时的顾命大臣，没有十足理由，也不好撤换他。钧儿登基第二天，他上了一道《陈五事疏》，虽然针对的是你冯公公，要遏制司礼监的权力，但所陈五事，却也无懈可击。后来刑部和礼部上了两道折子，依我来看，倒觉得这位高胡子没有辜负先帝的嘱托，所作所为，具见忠诚，很有点顾命大臣的样子。折子已经压了两天了，方才你走后，我还与钧儿商量，且把这两道折子发还内阁，让高胡子看详，票拟准行。不知冯公公你意下如何？” 李贵妃这番话极有主见，让冯保至少听出了三层含义：第一，高拱的《陈五事疏》虽然针对的是你冯保，但对皇上练习政体还是大有裨益；第二，蒋加宽这份弹劾胡自皋的手本，李贵妃虽然厌恶，却也不肯轻易牵连到高拱身上；第三，李贵妃对刑部礼部这两道折子十分赞赏。应该说，高拱这些时的努力没有白费，李贵妃对他的态度由猜忌变为欣赏。这正是冯保最不愿见到的局面。此时，他面对朱翊钧困惑的眼神以及李贵妃凛然不可亵渎的目光，心里头一阵惊悸，他感到若不当机立断，抖出个“杀手锏”来，听凭眼前这位贵妃娘娘对高拱的好感发展下去，后果将不堪设想。愣怔了一会儿，他鼓足勇气说道： “启禀皇上，启禀贵妃娘娘。关于刑部与礼部那两道折子，奴才看过，也觉得这是出自高拱的精心安排，但有一点，叫奴才百思不得其解，这个一贯盯着皇上的钱口袋，生怕皇上多花了一个铜板的高胡子，为何一反常态，变得如此体贴皇上了？奴才悟不透这里面的蹊跷，前日专门派人去天寿山请教了张居正，张先生一番剖析，奴才这才恍然大悟，明白了高胡子的险恶用心。” 冯保这席话，多少有点让李贵妃出乎意外，她惊诧问道：“张先生怎么讲？” 冯保说道：“这两份折子，张先生分析周详。先说刑部公折，这折子说妖道王九思淫邪进妄，惑乱圣主，所造'阴阳大补丹'，导致先帝血气两亏，元气大丧，终至失元丧本，龙驭上宾。先帝之死，王九思罪责难逃，因此，应将王九思交由三法司鞫谳，拟定谋逆罪，凌迟处死。” 冯保一口气说完折子内容，话音刚落，李贵妃紧接着说道：“刑部这道折子，句句都是实话，王九思合该凌迟处死，这难道还有什么不妥吗？” 冯保抬眼审量了一下李贵妃的表情，又悠悠说道：“奴才初看这道折子时，也像娘娘这么想，觉得像王九思这样的妖道，凌迟处死也还便宜了他。但张先生的看法却不一样。他认为如果按刑部这道折子鞫谳定罪，虽则大快人心，却将先帝陷入不仁不义之中。” “啊，这两者有何联系？” “先帝驾崩之日，朝廷早已诏告天下，先帝是因久病不治而龙驭上宾，生老病死乃人之常情。先帝病死，这是正终，设若审判王九思，这妖道从实招来，说先帝是因吃了他制的春药而死，先帝岂不是死于非命？天下岂不耻笑先帝是个色魔？千秋后代，昭昭史笔，又该如何评价先帝的为人呢？” 冯保这一连几个反问，顿时把李贵妃问得目瞪口呆。她没有想到如此清楚明白的一桩案子的处理中，竟隐藏了这么深的阴谋。设若她的夫君——隆庆皇帝死后令名不保，那么后人该以何等样的眼光看她？她的刚登皇帝位的儿子，岂不成了色魔的后代？如此想来，李贵妃心中打过一阵寒战。不由得十分敬佩张居正的深沉练达，洞察秋毫。她接着问道： “关于礼部这道公折，张先生又有何见解？” “礼部的这道折子，据张先生看，也是包藏了祸心的，”冯保一边说一边思索，那样子看上去好像要尽量说出张居正的原话来，“张先生说，据他所知，由于近些年赋税督催不力，军费、漕运等费用开支又每年递增，户部太仓银已所剩无几。而蓟镇二十万兵士过冬的棉衣，打通京畿潮白河的漕运等等大项开支，户部都难以拨付。这种时候，若硬性从户部拨二十万两银子给后宫嫔妃打制头面首饰，这种做法，在天下士人看来，就会说咱们新登基的万岁爷，是个只要家而不要天下，只图自身享乐而不管社稷福祉的糊涂君主。娘娘，此事要三思而行啊！” 李贵妃点点头，但心里头却如同倒海翻江烦躁得很。如果真的如同张居正分析所说，那么高拱就是死不改悔，以“顾命大臣”自居，专权干政，威福自重。但这样下去，对他高拱又有何好处呢？ “张先生的分析，句句都有道理。”李贵妃既像喃喃自语，又像是对冯公公述说，“现在看来，刑部礼部两道折子，确有挂羊头卖狗肉之嫌，高拱久居内阁，应该知道其中的利害。他究竟是不是存心而为，一时还难以结论。” 针对李贵妃的疑虑，冯保说道：“启禀娘娘，要想弄清楚高拱是不是存心而为，一试便知。” "How to try?" “把这两道折子发回内阁，看高拱如何票拟便知。” 李贵妃点点头，答道：“好，就这么办。”