Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2484 Reconciliation 26.0

"She never attacks the people around her?" Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin, then at Xue Ruitian and Bai Meng. "Second Grandfather means that the palace maids and eunuchs around her are not members of the Qinglian sect, right?"

"The maids and eunuchs around her, including the musicians and dancers she likes, are not members of the Qinglian Sect. The reason they have the mark of the Qinglian Sect is because they have to pledge allegiance to the Grand Empress Dowager. They believe that this is the symbol of the Grand Empress Dowager. Anyone who has this symbol is the Grand Empress Dowager's confidant and the person she values ​​the most." Master Jiang sneered, "I don't like her, and even disagree with many of her ideas and methods, because she understands the thoughts of the people around her and knows how much effort they have put into gaining her attention, but she never dissuades them. She even enjoys it to see who is truly sincere to her."

"I've heard about this, too." Xue Ruitian sighed. "There was a rumor in the Eastern Palace that the female officials and eunuchs around the Empress Dowager had a fight, all because of a word from the Empress Dowager. They both said that they were praised and rewarded, so the two of them quarreled and fought until their heads were broken and bloodied. In the end, no one benefited. They were both beaten with a stick and then thrown out of the palace. In the end, no one had a good ending." He looked at Master Jiang. "Moreover, such things are not uncommon in the Empress Dowager's palace. Every now and then, there will be palace maids who make mistakes because of fighting. At the very least, they will be banished from the palace, and at the worst, they will be imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment, and eventually they will be thrown out of the palace."

"This is why I hate her. She treats life as worthless. She doesn't care how many people die. She only cares about whether she is happy or not." Mr. Jiang sighed, "I don't know how her family raised such a daughter. Even the officials and the worst-reputed families in Xijing City can't raise a child who completely disregards human life."

"Maybe it's not because he was raised at home, but because of the Qinglian Sect." Shen Cha sighed softly and said, "Isn't the Qinglian Sect's style of behavior exactly the same?"

"That's true." Master Jiang nodded. "However, no matter what, the people around her had no idea about the Qinglian Sect. After she passed away, the Internal Court and the Dali Temple jointly interrogated the eunuchs, palace maids, and all the people who had close contact with her. They knew nothing about the Qinglian Sect. Of course, they also searched their homes, questioned people who were closely related to these people, and read their private letters. All of this proves that there were no real and fanatical Qinglian followers around the Empress Dowager."

"So, this Mian Bai is not a member of the Qinglian sect, but his attitude is very arrogant. He clearly knows that the Empress Dowager and Concubine Hui have passed away many years ago, so why does he still say that he has a backer? Is he hysterical?"

"Don't ask me about this. You need to go and interrogate him." Mr. Jiang yawned. "After what happened today, Mr. Ke may never have a chance to perform on stage again, right?" Seeing Shen Cha nod, he raised his eyebrows slightly. "That's a pity."

"Why does Second Grandpa like Mr. Ke? He sings really well."

"At least he is very talented. I have listened to his plays for so many years, and his voice and singing style are still unmatched. Moreover, I have been away from the capital for many years, and I really haven't listened to Mr. Ke's plays very often. In addition, we all like this, so we thought of going together. I didn't expect such a thing to happen."

"Second Grandfather, my brother, Xiaotian and the commander-in-chief have all said that he got drunk and crazy at the palace banquet, and also molested the relatives of the important officials invited by the Empress Dowager in the harem. Even if such a person has a better singing voice, is it worth spending so much money on him?"

"Well, listening to an opera is just listening to an opera, don't add anything else to it. He does have a bad reputation. As for the incident of molesting the wives of officials, I know a little bit about it. It's not easy for him to be misunderstood by so many people and bear so many insults." Mr. Jiang took a sip of tea and said slowly, "When my brother and the late emperor were alive, all kinds of opera troupes performed on stage in Xijing City. It was really lively. But amid the liveliness, there were a lot of troubles." "What kind of troubles?"

"For the top star of a troupe, jealousy and fighting have become the norm. Every day, this theater was smashed, or that young master of the Bo Mansion came out of the troupe with bruises all over his head. During that period, the whole capital was in chaos." Jiang Erye sighed softly and said, "This is nothing, and no one took it to heart. After all, the older people have all been through this and have been young, so it is understandable. But the only thing that makes them feel unacceptable and ridiculous is that some young ladies from official families actually fell in love with the boys in the troupe and ran away with them without telling their families. Not only did they run away, but they also took away a lot of gold, silver, and jewelry from the family. As a result..."

"Cheated?"

"These are all good ones. They cheated people of their money and eventually lost their lives. For a period of time, some girls who ran away from home could always be found outside Xijing City."

"Is he alive or..."

"All of them." Master Jiang sighed. "There was nothing we could do. The family members warned him repeatedly, but he was still disobedient and wanted to run away. Then, he was locked up at home and caused a huge disturbance in the family. Later, someone came to the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother and asked them to help. After the two of them discussed it, the Empress Dowager came forward to find Mr. Ke."

"Why did the Queen Mother come forward?"

"It's well known that the Empress Dowager doesn't like drama, so the Empress Dowager, who likes drama, had to go to find Mr. Ke. Mr. Ke was still a young man who had just started out. The disadvantage of becoming famous at a young age is that he hopes to reach a higher level. Therefore, he would definitely accept any tricks, not to mention that he could get so many rewards. Why not? As for the reason for getting drunk at the palace banquet, it's the same. Once such a thing happened, it would spread throughout Xijing City the next day. Those girls who were obsessed with the so-called love in their hearts would know that even Mr. Ke, who is the most perfect in everyone's mind, would lose his composure like this, let alone other people."

"Is it really like this?" Shen Cha shook his head in disbelief. "Did things get so chaotic during that period?"

"Yes." Master Jiang sighed, "If this method can't stop them, then your Majesty will have to issue an order to force those troupes to leave the capital."