Chapter 119 The twenty-eighth round of disaster relief

In the morning of the next day, Zhu Yijun had just finished his breakfast when Feng Bao went to Qianqing Palace to ask for an audience.In Xinuange, he briefly reported to the emperor the situation of the beggars making trouble in the city last night.As soon as he heard that people were killed, Zhu Yijun hurriedly asked: "Was it a soldier or a beggar who died?" Feng Bao replied: "One soldier died, and he was the head of the post. Two beggars died, one middle-aged man was killed in a fight, and the other was an old man who was trampled to death in a panic." "The beggar looted the shop, so he's not a beggar, he should be a robber. Companion, don't you think so?"

"What the emperor said is very true," Feng Bao replied, "The little devil's rebellion against the tortoise turned over the pool, although it will not accomplish anything, it will be boring after all." "This matter will be dealt with by the Ministry of Punishment." Zhu Yijun said, remembering the loss of the dragon robe from the Jiazi library yesterday, and then asked, "Dear companion, have you found out about the brands of the Jiazi library?" "The emperor is talking about the dragon robe?" "Yes." "It hasn't been tried yet. The old slave asked Zhang Jing to try the case according to the emperor's order. He detained five signs and tortured him for a whole day, but he still didn't find out Ziwu Maoyou."

"Has Zhang Jing ever handled a case?" "It's never done before." "If he hasn't done it, he doesn't know how to deal with it. As the saying goes, if you can be a thief, you are a smart person. If you whip a whip like Zhang Jing and ask a question, no one will admit it casually." "These five brands are now in custody in Dongchang." Feng Bao wanted to take the opportunity to say a few words to Zhang Jing, but it was inappropriate to think about it, and said, "In the opinion of this old slave, to investigate such theft cases is to torture them blindly." In the end, it’s not the law, and we have to follow the clues to find the real thief.”

"What my friend said is that I think you have to handle this case yourself." Zhu Yijun paused for a while before saying this, "My friend, yesterday I was impatient and yelled at you a few words, don't take it to heart .” Hearing the emperor's apology for yesterday's anger, Feng Bao's heart became hot, and he replied: "What is the emperor talking about, there is such a big theft case in the palace, don't just scold the old slave, just disturb the family law , and it should be." The two were talking, when suddenly a servant from Qianqing Palace came in to report that Zhang Juzheng was asking for an urgent visit.Zhu Yijun straightened up all of a sudden, and asked:

"What, Mr. Zhang, where is he?" "He's waiting at the gate of Huiji." "Is he well?" "No, I heard that he was half lying in the sedan chair, and it was difficult to get off the sedan chair." "Please, go to the platform, no, the platform is too far away, if Mr. Zhang can't walk, go to the Gongmo room in the Wenhua Palace." After Zhu Yijun finished speaking, he asked Feng Bao to follow him and hurried towards Gongmo's room.As soon as Zhu Yijun sat down, he saw a shoulder car carried by two people stop at the door of Gongmo's room.Two eunuchs on duty in the Wenhua Palace stepped forward and helped Zhang Juzheng down from his shoulders.Because sedan chairs are not allowed in the palace, under Feng Bao's arrangement, Zhang Juzheng changed to a two-person sedan chair dedicated to the inner court to come.Seeing that he was walking hard, Zhu Yijun got up quickly, went to the door and helped Zhang Juzheng in.

Since Zhang Juzheng listened to Feng Bao's advice and moved home to recuperate, almost half a month has passed, and his condition has not improved.In addition, he had to draft all the important chapters in person. The habit of doing everything by himself developed in his ten-year career as the chief assistant cannot be changed for a while now.Even though he was seriously ill, he was still worried about the big and small affairs of the court. Even if he was lying on the hospital bed, he had to deal with official duties every day, ranging from a few to as many as a dozen.Usually he was on duty in the cabinet, and if he encountered a difficult matter, he could write a post to the emperor at any time to ask for an interview and communicate face to face.Since the illness, it is not easy for the monarch and his ministers to meet each other. Even if they have different opinions on some matters, they can only express their opinions through letters and others.Both Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng feel deeply inconvenienced by such letters and discussions.Let’s talk about the incident of beggars looting the store last night. He Weijiao, the official of Wucheng Bingma Sitang, went to Zhang Dashi’s mansion in Shamao Hutong overnight to report to him.As soon as he heard it, he felt that this was definitely not an ordinary fight, so he ordered He Weijia to bring two beggars to his house. He was sick and asked about it for more than an hour, but he didn't realize that he had already handed over the time.At this time, I went to bed to rest again. After lying down for more than two hours, I couldn't sleep.When it was almost dawn, he managed to squint for a while, but had another nightmare, dreaming that the streets and alleys of the capital were full of beggars wielding guns and sticks all over the world, which shocked him into a cold sweat.Although his whole body was sore and limp and his legs seemed to be filled with lead, he still struggled to get up, wash and wash as usual, dressed neatly, and asked his family to prepare a sedan chair for the Forbidden City.In his view, the beggar's disturbance is a very serious emergency, and if it is not handled properly, it will leave a disaster.He was worried that the emperor would not think carefully and deal with it indifferently, and the last statement was difficult to describe, so he decided to come here in person.

But it was almost two months since they broke up on the Meridian Gate Tower on the Lantern Festival, and this was the first time Zhang Juzheng saw Zhu Yijun.As soon as he entered the silent room, he struggled and knelt down to give Zhu Yijun the gift of audience.Zhu Yijun couldn't help it, so he had to accept the gift, and then personally helped Zhang Juzheng to sit on the chair.At first sight of Zhang Juzheng's haggard and sickly face, Zhu Yijun was greatly stimulated, tears rolled down his eyes, and said: "Yuanfu, you are so seriously ill, why do you need to enter the palace?"

Although the chair Zhang Juzheng was sitting on was covered with a brocade mattress, he still felt pain in his buttocks, but he resisted it, tried to straighten his waist and replied: "I haven't seen the emperor for almost two months. I miss you very much. It just so happens that I have something important to report to the emperor in person, so I entered the palace today without an appointment. I beg the emperor to forgive me for the abruptness." Zhu Yijun wanted to say a few more greetings to express his condolences, but seeing Zhang Juzheng's distress, he had to ask quickly:

"Yuanfu, what do you want to play?" Zhang Juzheng said: "Last night, what happened inside Deshengmen, the emperor must have known about it." Zhu Yijun nodded, glanced at Feng Bao who was sitting sideways, and said, "Eunuch Feng already reported it early in the morning." "Haven't read the emergency notice from He Wei, the patrolling censor?" "No." Zhu Yijun explained, "The papers from the Tongzheng Secretary are first sent to the Supervisor of Rituals, and then sent to the Xinuang Pavilion by the Supervisor of Rites. Even if it is urgent, it will take a while on the way, and it must be here by now. Does He Wei frame the excerpt also refer to beggars making trouble?"

"yes." "Or, I will order someone to go to Xinuang Pavilion to bring the booklet." "No need," Zhang Juzheng replied after a moment of contemplation, "He Weijia's excerpt is about the process of beggars making trouble. This, I think Eunuch Feng's account is also very detailed. What I want to say here is how to deal with this matter .” "I am about to issue an order to arrest all the beggars who are leading the trouble and punish them severely. I will then order the military commanders of the five cities to drive all the beggars out of the capital within three days, and no one will slip through the net."

Zhu Yijun's words were clean and neat, and he thought he would win Zhang Juzheng's praise, but unexpectedly Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid that you will deal with me like this when I am sick and begs to see you!" Zhu Yijun's face darkened, and he asked, "Yuanfu, is there anything wrong with this way?" "It's not wrong, it's wrong!" Zhang Juzheng returned to his headstrong nature when he talked about government affairs. At this moment, he raised his brows and said simply, "If the beggars are strictly suppressed according to the emperor's order, it will inevitably trigger a civil uprising. " "Is it so serious?" Zhu Yijun asked in amazement. "Yes." Although Zhang Juzheng was ill, he still had a stern and intimidating demeanor. He said slowly, "After the incident last night, He Weijia came to the minister's house to report, and the minister asked him to find two beggars to ask face to face. Knowing some facts, therefore, I couldn't sleep all night." "What did the beggar say?" Feng Bao interrupted and asked. Zhang Juzheng replied: "Those two beggars, one is from Daming Prefecture and the other is from Zhending Prefecture. The one from Daming Prefecture is an old man. He said that since the eighth year of Wanli, the rainy and sunny seasons do not follow the sequence, and spring and summer are suitable for rain. However, there has been drought, and in autumn Yiyang has been raining endlessly, resulting in poor harvests and meager harvests, and some fields even have no harvest. However, the government does not take into account the real situation of the people affected by the disaster, and urges the payment of land taxes as in the past. Farmers have almost no sleep overnight How can we still pay taxes and grain? The government is not accommodating. If they don’t pay the land tax, they will arrest people. The farmers can’t resist the government, so they have to sell their property and pay the taxes to redeem the hostages. For two consecutive years, the farmers in Daming Mansion almost went bankrupt. , couldn’t survive in his hometown, so the whole family had to leave their hometown and rely on begging for their lives. Just as the old man finished speaking, the middle-aged man from Zhending Mansion was crying bitterly. Asked the reason, he said that what the old man said It is true that his own family property has been sold out, and his eighty-year-old mother is dying. He has no choice but to sell his thirteen-year-old daughter in exchange for a little food to support his mother. The situation is famine, and rice nobles are cheap. The girl who sells her daughter uses a scale to measure that a catty of people can only exchange one catty of wheat. The middle-aged man’s daughter weighs fifty-four catties, so he can only exchange for fifty-four catties of wheat. The middle-aged man left the wheat to his old mother. I took my wife and children out to beg. Hearing the cries of these two beggars, I was heartbroken. Your Majesty, Tang Dufu once wrote a poem "The wine and meat of the Zhumen stinks, and the bones are frozen to death on the road." In troubled times, now it is a time of peace and prosperity where sedan chairs and horses are crowded on the road, silk and bamboo can be heard endlessly, and there are such tragedies of starvation and death happening under the chariots in the capital. Your Majesty, how do you feel after hearing this?" Zhu Yijun was silent for a long time, then Fang said solemnly: "I never thought that a simple beggar would cause trouble, and there would be such a tragic story behind it. Yuanfu, from the tone of those two beggars, it seems that the government forced them to leave their hometowns, Is this true?" Zhang Juzheng heard Zhu Yijun's implication, and it seemed that the beggar incident was related to the tax policy implemented by the imperial court, so he immediately argued: "Your Majesty, I insist on clearing up the land and acres in the whole country, and implement the "one whip" law. The meaning is first to manage money for the court; The local officials collect taxes for the imperial court, acting according to the law, and no one let them fish and meat the common people to exploit the common people!" "What Mr. Zhang said is true." Seeing Zhang Juzheng's aggressive posture made Zhu Yijun a little embarrassed, Feng Bao interjected, "However, as long as there is no additional collection of taxes by the government, there is nothing wrong with it:" "My husband's words are wrong." Zhang Juzheng was unreasonable, and he refuted Feng Baodao, "The farmers have no income, so why should the officials collect taxes?" "What if we don't expropriate? The imperial court has set a quota." "It is true that the quota is fixed, but in case of natural disasters and man-made disasters, local officials should report to the court in time and ask for rent exemption." "Yuan Fu's words are very true." Zhu Yijun came to his senses suddenly and said, "In the past two years, officials from Zhending, Daming and other prefectures have never seen a note about the disaster." "This is the crux of the matter." Zhang Juzheng said sternly, "The people below can't see the emperor: officials collect taxes and treat them like wolves like tigers. It is natural to vent your anger on the emperor. The ancients said that 'officials force the people to rebel'. This is the reason. The water that carries the boat can capsize the boat. I hope the emperor will think twice about the truth contained in this." "Yuan Fu doesn't need to say anymore, I understand very well." Zhu Yijun finally realized Zhang Juzheng's good intentions to enter the palace due to illness, and said emotionally, "The local officials concealed the disaster and did not report it, because they were afraid of delaying their political achievements. There are clear regulations in the examination law If the local officials fail to collect taxes effectively, some officials will picket and impeach them. Therefore, in order to meet the law and protect their own future, these officials completely disregard the life and death of the common people. Rong. Yuansuke, tell me, how should we deal with this matter now?" Zhang Juzheng heard that the emperor agreed with his analysis and had some scruples, but he no longer has the energy to talk about this issue today, so he only replied in terms of facts: "Last night, the situation was brought under control because a thousand soldiers from the Beijing camp were dispatched to suppress it." , but now there are at least tens of thousands of beggars and refugees who gather in the capital. These people don't intend to make trouble, they just want to have something to eat, and it is unethical to use force against them. I suggest not to forcibly drive them away They first opened a few more porridge factories in the city to help them calm down, and then immediately posted a notice to reduce or exempt the taxes, money and food of the disaster-stricken prefectures in Gyeonggi for two years, and all those that have been forcibly collected will be returned. In addition, the emergency decree The Ministry of Households, transport the grain stored in the Tongzhou warehouse, and send it to the above-mentioned state capitals for relief and pensions." Zhang Juzheng said the idea he had thought up long ago, and Zhu Yijun nodded in agreement.He replied: "I immediately decreed that each department should have its own office, and do what Yuanfu said. In addition, in order to show my love for the people, I also allocated one hundred thousand taels of silver from the inner court supply treasury for relief." Zhang Juzheng was greatly moved by Zhu Yijun's generosity and willingness to use his private money to comfort the victims.Tears overflowed from his dry eye sockets, and he choked up and said: "Your Majesty, once the victims of the disaster know about your generosity, they will definitely spread the word. Long live the mountain." "Yuanfu, you have taught me the art of herdsmen many times, let me understand the truth of 'the people are not afraid of death, why should they be afraid of death', and also let me know the way of governing the country that the ruler despises the people and puts more emphasis on the people, which is just right now As long as the common people live and work in peace and contentment to survive the disaster, what does it matter if I spend less than one hundred thousand taels of silver!" According to Feng Bao, Zhu Yijun's confession seemed to be to please Zhang Juzheng.He knew that Zhu Yijun had always been a bit jealous of Zhang Juzheng, and the two of them discussed the important decisions of the government together. Although Zhu Yijun was sometimes dissatisfied in his heart, he obeyed on the surface.But today's words, it is difficult to distinguish Feng Bao from the truth.It's true, he was complaining about the lack of money in the treasury yesterday, how could he get so mad today that he gave out 100,000 taels of silver to help the victims? It's false, the seriousness of the emperor makes you Can't see any flaws.After thinking about it again and again, Feng Bao didn't know what kind of medicine Zhu Yijun sold in his gourd.But one thing he can be sure of is that once the one hundred thousand taels of silver is withdrawn from the inner court supply treasury, the emperor will definitely pester him to find a way to make up for the expenses.Thinking that instead of swallowing a bucket of Huanglianshui by himself in the future, it would be better to speak out here now, dragging Zhang Juzheng to try to make up for the shortfall, so he said: "The emperor is sympathetic to the victims, and it is a great kindness to use money from his own house to help the victims. As slaves and courtiers, we are really happy for the people of the world. However, since the emperor ordered the closure of seventeen mines last year, The money in the supply and use warehouse has been reduced by almost half, and many expenses cannot be met. Now that I have taken out one hundred thousand taels all at once, how can I fill this big hole.” When Zhu Yijun heard this, he was very happy, but he said: "Brother, don't talk about these things today." "Yes, this old slave shouldn't talk too much," Feng Bao put the teacup in his hand on the coffee table, smiled apologetically at Zhang Juzheng, and said, "Mr. little income." Zhang Juzheng was like being generalized by Feng Bao, so he could only answer the question: "This is what it should be:" Feng Bao went on to say: "I heard that the emperor wanted to buy copper coins from Yunnan, but Qian Pu, the right servant of the household department, said no." "It's true." Zhang Juzheng replied, "Qian Pu once came to ask my opinion on this matter, and I said that this matter is related to the imperial court's money law, and it must not be lightly lit." "That's what Qian Pu said." Zhu Yijun had always been concerned about the casting of coins, and took the opportunity to complain at this moment, "Although I agree with Qian Pu and stop buying copper, I still feel that Qian Pu is making a fuss out of a molehill." After talking for a long time, Zhang Juzheng couldn't sit still anymore. He really wanted to lie down on the back of the chair, but he was afraid of losing the courtesy of a courtier, so he straightened his back and asked, enduring the growing pain. road: "I don't know why the emperor has such an idea?" Zhu Yijun pursed his lips and muttered, "I just want to cast some copper coins for rewards in the palace. How can I ruin the money method?" Zhang Juzheng propped himself up with his hands so that his butt could breathe and reduce the chance of defecating. Painful, he replied with difficulty: "There are three kinds of money in circulation in the world: gold, silver, and copper. There is less silver and less gold, and most of the market transactions are copper coins. But how much copper coins should be minted is a full-time job for the Bureau of Treasures and Money of the Ministry of Households. The price comparison between copper coins and silver ingots depends on the amount of copper coins. If too many copper coins are minted, they are contemptuous and worthless. Since the Kingdom of China, when the court strictly followed the money law, the prices were cheap, otherwise they were expensive. Like Emperor Yongle At that time, five copper coins were worth one tael of silver, and one coin could buy five chickens, or a load of rice. In the Yingzong Dynasty, due to the excessive coinage, copper banknotes depreciated, and one coin could only buy one chicken. Change, it is still one tael of silver to buy five dans of rice, but the copper bills for buying a dan of rice have increased from one sling to five slings. Such a comparison, it is equivalent to twenty-five slings of copper coins worth one or two silvers, the invisible difference Among them, copper banknotes depreciated five times. In this way, the most disadvantaged are the citizens and civil and military officials who rely on their salaries. The common people rarely have silver taels, and they use copper coins for daily buying and selling. Officials Salary has always been divided into two types: real salary and discounted salary. The real salary is rice, and the discounted salary is divided into two types: silver and copper. In other words, the money that used to buy a chicken can only buy a handful of shallots now. In this way, middle- and lower-level officials with low salaries, and more officials with no rank at all, don’t say that there are On a good day with wine and meat, even if you only want to have a full meal, you have to plan carefully. Therefore, the money law is actually the fundamental law that affects the national economy and people's livelihood, and the emperor, as the king of a country, must take the lead in obeying it." "I also understand what Yuanfu said. But I worry that 20,000 catties of copper won't make a lot of money, and it won't cause the depreciation of copper banknotes." Zhu Yijun is obviously not in charge of the family and doesn't know how expensive Chai Mi is, so what he said contained a bit of anger.Zhang Juzheng originally wanted to patiently explain the principle of "a dike of a thousand miles collapses in an ant's nest", but he couldn't hold on any longer, so he loosened his hands and collapsed on the chair like a puddle of mud.Both Zhu Yijun and Feng Bao turned pale with shock.Seeing the sweat dripping down the master's thin forehead, Zhu Yijun shouted in horror: "Yuansuke!" Zhang Juzheng was conscious, he still wanted to hold on tenaciously, but his whole body was as weak as cotton, he moved his eyelids, and he didn't even have the strength to speak.Feng Bao hurriedly stretched out his head and shouted outside the door: "Doctor!" The imperial physician who entered the palace with Zhang Juzheng was waiting in the next room. Hearing the shouts, he hurriedly ran into the Gongmo room, before saluting to the emperor, he frantically rescued the pale-faced Zhang Juzheng. At this moment, Feng Bao invited Zhu Yijun, who had no master, out of the Gongmo room, and escorted him back to Qianqing Palace. That afternoon, after lunch, Zhu Yijun had just sat down in the Xinuang Pavilion, and was about to send someone to visit Zhang Juzheng's home, when suddenly the eunuch from the Palace of Compassionate Ning came in to deliver a message, saying that the empress dowager invited the emperor to go over and talk. Zhu Yijun didn't dare to neglect, he hurriedly put aside the work at hand, and took the shoulder car to the Compassionate Ning Palace. Since moving out of the Qianqing Palace, Empress Dowager Li's life has become more and more leisurely, and she spends her time copying scriptures, chanting Buddha, listening to music and watching operas every day.On the surface, she seems to be leisurely and careless about everything, but in fact, the emperor's every move is still under her surveillance. Under Feng Bao's arrangement, her ears are everywhere in Manda.After the Wanliu Pavilion incident in the sixth year of Wanli, although Zhu Yijun, who was almost abolished, always remembered his hatred, he never dared to act recklessly. At least he remained cautious in front of Queen Mother Li and did not do anything beyond the standard. Even if he was so cautious, As long as Queen Mother Li said that he saw him, he would still feel uneasy, and would habitually review his recent actions, for fear of committing any crimes. But when Zhu Yijun walked into the Palace of Compassion and Peace, Empress Dowager Li was already waiting for him in the flower hall.In the warm sunshine of March in Yangchun, Empress Dowager Li took off her winter clothes early and wore a thin jade-white silk dress with a wide velvet skirt on the outside. It is just a jadeite moth inserted obliquely on the Su-like hair bun that is held high.This attire made people feel friendly, and Zhu Yijun felt relieved when he saw it, knowing that his mother was in a very good mood today, and there would be no such thing as "invoking the teacher to ask the crime".Sure enough, as soon as he sat down after greeting his mother, Queen Mother Li smiled and said: "Jun'er, how do you wear your clothes? The hem of the dragon robe is wrinkled. How are the brands around you prepared?" Zhu Yijun tilted his head to see that the dragon robe on his body was really ruffled, and said: "After lunch, we took a nap, maybe it's crepe." "You should pay attention to this kind of thing. When you are an emperor, you must be decent." The queen mother said, and then asked, "I heard that you met Mr. Zhang in the Gongmo room this morning?" "Yes, Mr. Zhang urgently asked for an interview." "Is he getting better?" "Where is it getting better, there was another accident in the morning." As Zhu Yijun spoke, he gave a general report of the meeting in the morning. After hearing this, Empress Dowager Li sighed and said: "Back then, Zhuge Liang assisted the young master of the Kingdom of Shu, saying that he would 'devote himself to death and die'. Since then, he has become a role model among the prime ministers through the ages. We can see Mr. Zhang's worrying heart as Zhuge Liang's rebirth." "What the mother said is true. After leaving Gongmo's room, my son immediately issued an order to thoroughly investigate the disaster situation in all the prefectures in the capital. All officials who concealed and did not report will be severely punished." "If you do this, the people in Gyeonggi will say that you are a good emperor, and Mr. Zhang will be happy for you," said Queen Mother Li, frowning, and then said worriedly, "Mr. Zhang's illness is not getting better. Not a good thing." Zhu Yijun felt awkward seeing his mother showing too much concern about Zhang Juzheng's condition.For Zhang Juzheng, his feelings have always been very contradictory. He cannot do without this teacher in governing the country. Without Zhang Juzheng to solve his worries and problems, how many worries will not suppress him? But he also thinks that Zhang Juzheng is restraining him too much. There is always a curse on his head, which makes him unable to relax.Therefore, for Zhang Juzheng's illness, he was afraid that he would die, but also that he would come back to life, and he dared not express this feeling in front of his mother.At this time, he had no choice but to follow his mother's wishes and say: "Mr. Zhang became sick from overwork, according to my son, it is rare to recover for a while." "What's wrong with him?" "According to Eunuch Feng, the imperial physician told him that Mr. Zhang suffered from hemorrhoids, and a section of his small intestine fell out from the mouth of his stool, and he couldn't shrink back." "This kind of disease should not be life-threatening." "It's hard to say," Zhu Yijun deliberately pretended to be serious, "Mr. Zhang was tortured by his illness, he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, and he had to work for state affairs every day. Even a man made of copper and cast iron couldn't stand such torture." "Yes, you have to send someone to greet you often." "My son sends people there every day," Zhu Yijun pretended to be obedient, and suddenly added casually, "I heard that Mr. Zhang intends to resign." "Really?" Empress Dowager Li widened her eyes and asked. "Has he handed over the paperwork?" "No, he told Eunuch Feng." "We can't let him resign, the court can't do without him." "However, he is so seriously ill, like a beggar who made trouble last night. He was sick and stayed up all night. Today in the Gongmo room, he was so painful that he almost passed out. Seeing my son, I really couldn't bear it." "Oh, why don't good people..." Empress Dowager Li wanted to say "good people don't live long", but after thinking about the unlucky words, she swallowed it again and said, "As long as Mr. Zhang lives for one day, this prime minister can't be replaced people." "Son, remember what your mother said." After this test, Zhu Yijun found out what his mother was thinking, and said, "Think about it, Mr. Zhang's illness, how many people have delusions again, coveting the position of chief assistant." "Among the ministers, who has this ability?" Empress Dowager Li pursed her lips and said disdainfully, "Can a sparrow lay a goose egg?" Zhu Yijun was amused by a witty remark, and said jokingly: "Among the ministers, most of them are petty." Speaking of this, both mother and son will laugh heartily.At this time, Empress Dowager Li ordered the maid to bring some refreshments.After eating, Empress Dowager Li ordered all the servants serving in the flower hall to retreat, and then said to Zhu Yijun: "Jun'er, I just mentioned Mr. Zhang's matter just now, but I just mentioned it in passing. Actually, I came to you today, and my mother has something else to ask you." Zhu Yijun thought that he had finished talking about the business, and was about to chat a few words to say goodbye. Hearing what his mother said, his heart suddenly rose to his throat, took a deep breath, and asked nervously: "I don't know what the queen mother wants to ask?" "The queen lives in Kunning Palace, how long have you been there?" "Probably... three days." Zhu Yijun hesitated while blushing. "Three days, three or three days." The Empress Dowager Li stared at her son and said angrily, "The young couple have been married for more than three years. As a mother, I can't hold a grandson even if I want to. What's wrong with your empress? No, you just want to be awkward and refuse to make out with her." It was no secret in the palace that Zhu Yijun didn't like Queen Wang.Empress Dowager Li has always protected the Queen, and has called the young couple to the Ciqing Palace for mediation many times. Zhu Yijun is obedient and obeys his mother's orders. When he returns to a clean and honest official, he still does his own way and refuses to have sex with the Queen. Method.At this moment, Empress Dowager Li mentioned this matter again, Zhu Yijun answered bravely: "The Queen's temperament is too cold." "You look so hot that she can't get hot even if she wants to." Empress Dowager Li retorted her son, and then asked, "Today, if you tell the truth to mother, do you have another lover?" This sudden question made Zhu Yijun tremble all over, and hurriedly replied: "No, really... yes, no." Seeing her son's embarrassment, Empress Dowager Li smiled and said sarcastically: "No, look at your face, it's as red as a lantern, tell me quickly, who do you fancy?" "Look..." Zhu Yijun's tongue was stiff. "In front of mother, what do you want to hide?" Empress Dowager Li knew her son's heart knot, so she softened her tone and said, "Jun'er, as mother, I don't mean to embarrass you, but I just want to hug my grandson." "Mother, my son really doesn't have a good relationship." Zhu Yijun still denied it. "Since you refuse to confess, Mother has no choice but to find someone for you." Empress Dowager Li shouted out the window, "Rong'er." "Hey!" Someone outside the door agreed. "Bring her." After a while, Rong'er, a female official from the Shangyi Bureau, led a maid in.When Zhu Yijun saw that this maid was Qiaolian whose hair was cut by him in Quliu Pavilion that year, he immediately wished he could find a crack in the ground and slip in.Empress Dowager Li motioned for Qiaolian to sit next to her, and then asked Zhu Yijun: "You're not going to say you don't know her, are you?" "I know." Zhu Yijun shook his head and dared not look at anyone. However, after Qiao Lian was humiliated at the Quliu Hall, she got a blessing in disguise, and was favored by Empress Dowager Li and transferred to the Palace of Compassion and Ning to be her personal maid.Empress Dowager Li changed her name to Ying'er. The name sounded joyful and indirectly reflected a certain state of mind of Empress Dowager Li.Ying'er is dexterous, has a bit of a lady's charm, and is a good female celebrity, so Empress Dowager Li likes her very much.Every time Zhu Yijun went to the Palace of Compassion, whenever he saw Ying'er, he would think of Quliu Pavilion, so it was very unnatural.Yinger is well-behaved, but it seems like nothing happened. Every time she sees Lord Long Live, she always smiles and squats like a blessing. If she avoids the eyes of Empress Dowager Li, she will have nothing to say to chat with Zhu Yijun .Back then in the Quliu Hall, Zhu Yijun saw two court ladies, Qiaolian and Yuezhen at the same time.Qiaolian is not only talented, but also has a pretty melon-seeded face that is also lovable.Zhu Yijun originally had a heart for her, but she couldn't let go for a while, so Zhu Yijun empathized with Yuezhen.Seeing Qiaolian "letting go of the past" and becoming more and more lovely, Zhu Yijun inevitably revived his old love, and developed a little love for Ying'erjing again, but because the Empress Dowager Li took care of her closely, Zhu Yijun, a greedy cat, couldn't find a chance to steal her. food.One day last winter, Zhu Yijun visited the Palace of Compassion and Ning, and it was suitable for Empress Dowager Li to visit the Palace of Ciqing, chatting with Empress Dowager Chen, while Ying'er sat alone in front of the window embroidering.After Zhu Yijun asked about the situation, he guessed that the queen mother would not come back for a while, and after a long time, the burning desire burst into flames all of a sudden, and he didn't care about the dignity of the king, so he undressed in Ying'er's simply furnished bedroom. some.After the incident, Zhu Yijun sneaked out of the Palace of Compassion and Ning like a thief, and he was restless for several days, for fear that the matter would be revealed and the Empress Dowager Li would pursue it again.Later, seeing that Queen Mother Li didn't realize it, I concluded that the affair was successful. The panic all over my body was replaced by a face full of pride. When I saw Ying'er, I couldn't help but flirt. Pinch on the top, grab on the chest.Seduction is seduction, but you can't catch the opportunity to go to bed.In the past month or so, he has been to Ciqing Palace many times, but for some reason he seldom sees Ying'er, and when he sees Ying'er occasionally, Ying'er also runs away like a frightened deer.He was wondering what happened, but Empress Dowager Li led Ying'er to him. Zhu Yijun had an affair with Ying'er, but Empress Dowager Li didn't know about it.The day before yesterday, she accidentally found Ying'er hiding in a corner and vomiting, she asked Ying'er to stand up, and found that something was wrong with her figure, based on the sensitivity of a woman, she judged that Ying'er was a pregnancy reaction, so she asked sternly what happened.Ying'er knew that she couldn't hide her love, so she recruited truthfully.Upon hearing the news, Empress Dowager Li launched a secret investigation, convinced that what Yinger said was true, and sent a letter to find her son.Seeing her son's embarrassment now, Empress Dowager Li smiled and said sarcastically: "Looking at you, you are exactly the same as your dead father. You refuse to eat the meat that rots in the pot, and you are looking for wild food all over the world." Zhu Yijun heard his mother's words were a bit harsh, and suddenly felt that a catastrophe was imminent, he hurriedly knelt in front of his mother, and said: "Mother, my son was just confused for a moment, please don't punish me." Empress Dowager Li was startled, and immediately realized that her son had misunderstood her meaning, so she said to Ying'er: "Go, help the emperor up." Ying'er obeyed, and Shanshan stepped forward to help Zhu Yijun back to the original seat and sat down.Empress Dowager Li looked at her son with loving eyes and asked: "Jun'er, do you see any changes in Ying'er?" Zhu Yijun didn't dare to raise his eyes, he just faltered and said: "Zhen... I didn't see Yinger's change." "You really can't tell?" "Ah, Ying'er is getting fatter and looks better than before..." "Little confused, are you watching or guessing?" Empress Dowager Li cursed with a smile, and said with a more emphatic tone, "Since you are playing sloppy with mother, mother will tell you clearly that Ying'er is pregnant." "Ah?" Zhu Yijun's body trembled violently, his mouth was so startled that he couldn't close it. "Ying'er, tell me, whose child are you pregnant with?" Ying'er was blushing all over her face, she was shy and excited at the same time, she hesitated for a long time before she murmured: "Yes, it belongs to the emperor." Zhu Yijun got anxious when he heard that, he stood up abruptly, and shouted hastily: "How is this possible, I only once..." "There is news once, which means that the two of you are destined." Zhu Yijun felt incredible, but he couldn't explain it, standing there like a log.Empress Dowager Li signaled Rong'er to help Ying'er out.In the flower hall, there were only mother and son left.Empress Dowager Li looked at her son's desperation, and comforted her: "Jun'er, don't be so lost. Mother doesn't blame you for this matter." "Then..." Zhu Yijun's mind was still blank. "Mother has wanted to have a grandson for a long time," said Queen Mother Li emotionally, "Since Ying'er is pregnant with your child, you have to give him a title." "For what?" "When Ying'er's child is born, if it is a boy, he will be the crown prince. What title do you think should be given to Ying'er?" "What does the queen mother mean by conferring Ying'er as a concubine?" "What do you say?" "Ke Ying'er was born as a court lady." "What's the matter with the palace lady?" Empress Dowager Li's complexion changed suddenly, and she said angrily, "Don't forget, when your mother was pregnant with you, she was also a palace lady!" "Mother... I said the wrong thing." Zhu Yijun realized that he had hurt his mother's self-esteem, and tears filled his eyes.After the Empress Dowager Li was in a stable mood, she told her son: "Tomorrow, you will send an order to the Ministry of Rites to quickly handle the matter of welcoming the concubine." "I obey." As soon as Zhu Yijun finished speaking, she saw Rong'er knocking on the door again, begging to see her. Empress Dowager Li asked her what was the matter, and she replied: "Eunuch Feng has been here for more than a while, and has been sitting on the porch waiting, saying that he has something urgent to report." "Please come in." Turning around, I saw Feng Bao hurried in.Before he could report the matter, Empress Dowager Li informed him about Concubine Ying'er Ji. Feng Bao actually knew about Ying'er's pregnancy a long time ago, but if Empress Dowager Li didn't mention it, he didn't dare to make nonsense. After hearing this, he smiled all over his face and congratulated the emperor.Zhu Yijun felt that the incident was too sudden, and the more he congratulated him, the more embarrassed he was, so he stopped Feng Bao and asked: "What urgent matter do you need to report?" Feng Bao hurriedly put away his smiling face, and said: "The old slave sent someone to Mr. Zhang's home in Shamao Hutong to go to Mr. Zhang's home for his nearsightedness. The hospital staff was guarding there, and secretly told our signboard that Mr. Zhang's illness may not be cured. gone." After hearing this, Empress Dowager Li's expression changed drastically, and she said, "I've never heard that hemorrhoids are terminally ill, why can't they be cured?" Feng Baodao: "It is true that the words of the Taiyuan Hospital cannot be taken seriously. But if his words are spread, won't they shake people's hearts?" "That's true." Empress Dowager Li thought for a while without asking Zhu Yijun's opinion, and said to herself, "From today onwards, all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital will be guarding the yamen, and none of them are allowed to go home." "Mother, is this too much?" Zhu Yijun asked cautiously. "What is too much, if you want not to leak the wind, you can only do this!" Empress Dowager Li made it clear.Feng Bao left quickly, and he wanted to send someone to the Tai Hospital to pass the decree.