After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1006: Eunuch Ji

The Laba Festival had just passed, and the national mourning was about to end. The capital city was already in the mood for the New Year, but it was only slightly restrained due to the national mourning. However, the Jinyiwei Yamen had less work to do, so Haijiao was basically free this afternoon, and did not have to work overtime. When it was time to leave the Yamen, he took his leave early and went home.

When he got home, it was still early for dinner. He went to the main courtyard to greet his grandmother Ma, then went back to his room to change his clothes.

Haitang waited for a while, and guessed that he had changed his clothes and was free, so she knocked on his door, went in and told him the news that Jin Jiashu mentioned when he came home today.

Hai Jiao listened and thought: "Mammy Ma's idea is not bad. With Xiao Jin's situation in the capital, no one would offend him for no reason. As long as Shopkeeper Feng does business honestly and does not commit any crime, he will not be in trouble. I have heard of Shopkeeper Feng's character. He is a shrewd and steady person, and he is also very measured in his actions. If Xiao Jin participates in his business, he can immediately get a large sum of money, and Shopkeeper Feng's business can also be protected. Ordinary officials and dignitaries will no longer come to make things difficult for him. This is a good thing for both parties."

As for Eunuch Ji, he had heard some rumors in his previous life, but had never come into direct contact with him. He was just familiar with Eunuch Xin of the Imperial Guard, and most of the news about Eunuch Ji came from Eunuch Xin and his apprentice, which was at least 90% true.

He told Haitang: "This eunuch Ji's name is Ji Neng. He claims to be the chief eunuch in the imperial court of the Longding Dynasty, but that's not quite accurate. He was the last chief eunuch in the imperial court of the Longding Dynasty. When Emperor Longding died, he was serving in the imperial court. Later, when the late Emperor Deguang ascended to the throne, he stayed in the Qianqing Palace and served as the chief eunuch in the imperial court for more than half a year. Therefore, strictly speaking, he was the chief eunuch in charge of two dynasties, but because the late emperor didn't like him, he tactfully didn't mention that half a year and only said that he was the chief eunuch in the imperial court of the Longding Dynasty."

Haitang raised her eyebrows when she heard this. "If the late emperor didn't like him, why did he let him be the chief eunuch in the Qianqing Palace? Originally, these imperial attendants were appointed by the emperor in a new dynasty. When the emperor changed people, he should have changed the people around him as well. There is no reason to keep the late emperor's old people. Is there any special reason for this?"

Haijiao smiled. What other special reason could there be?
When Emperor Deguang was the crown prince, he was indeed not as favored by his father as Prince Ji and Prince An. In the days before Emperor Longding's death, he indeed said more than once that he wanted to change the crown prince. He died suddenly, and did not leave any will to change the heir. Emperor Deguang, who was the crown prince at the time, succeeded to the throne according to the ancestral family law. But it was not that no one questioned this at the time, especially Prince Ji and Prince An, who both thought they had a chance to replace him. How could they accept the result of their hopes being dashed? But among those who served Emperor Longding and saw him die, everyone denied that he had left a will to change the crown prince. Prince Ji and Prince An had no reason to make trouble and could only accept the reality. Even Concubine Chang, who had once been in great glory, had to choose to be buried alive in exchange for the safety of her son and her family.

Among those who testified for Emperor Deguang at that time were Empress Dowager Zhou, the then Prime Minister, Sun Ge Lao, two concubines in the harem, and a group of imperial attendants, including Ji Neng, who had just taken office as the chief eunuch in front of the emperor. Although the latter did not play a unique role, he did contribute and make meritorious contributions to the smooth succession of Emperor Deguang. Afterwards, Empress Dowager Zhou kept him in the Qianqing Palace to continue to be the chief eunuch in front of the emperor, which was also a reward for the meritorious officials. After all, as an eunuch, Ji Neng had already reached the top in the palace and could not be promoted to a higher position. At that time, he was in his prime, only in his thirties, and it was far from time for him to leave the palace for retirement. Keeping him in the Qianqing Palace as the chief eunuch was the best arrangement for him.

Who would have thought that Emperor Deguang would be so mean and unkind, and would discard the meritorious officials who had helped him ascend to the throne. He could not even endure for a year, and after only half a year, he found a reason to "grant" Ji Neng to leave the palace to retire, and also rewarded him with 100 taels of silver, and nothing else.

One hundred taels of silver is not enough to buy a small house in the capital, and even if you rent a house, you can't last for a few years. What can you do with this little money? No matter how nice the Emperor Deguang's edict sounds, it can't change the cruel fact that Ji Neng was kicked out by him. At that time, Ji Neng had been in power for a short time, and he was not greedy. He was not as keen on making money as other eunuchs, so his savings were only the rewards he received over the years. He also helped his fellow countrymen and friends from time to time, so that when he left the palace, he only had two or three hundred taels of private property left except for the one hundred taels of reward. Fortunately, after hearing the news, although the Empress Dowager Zhou failed to stop the emperor from issuing an edict, she asked the palace servants around her to rush to the palace gate to see him off in time. A group of palace servants who were familiar with him collected a sum of money for him, and among them was Eunuch Xin.

Ji Neng left the palace with the money, and the Cheng'en Marquisate rented him a house at a price far below the market price, allowing him to settle down in the city. He spent the winter in Beijing, and in the spring of the following year, he cleaned up his residence and left without a word.

It was more than ten years later when he reappeared. He returned to the capital with a large fortune and several adopted sons and daughters. He bought the house he once lived in from the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion, and also acquired the surrounding land and converted it into Jiyuan. He sent his adopted sons and daughters out to open shops and do business, and he himself stayed in Jiyuan. When he was only in his early fifties, he began to live a retirement life.

Haijiao whispered to Haitang: "According to Eunuch Xin, this Eunuch Ji was very strong at first, but when he returned to Beijing, his body had completely collapsed. I don't know how much he suffered during those ten years outside. He sent his adopted sons and daughters to open shops and do business, and they made a lot of money, but most of this money was used for his medicine and health. If he hadn't been supported by money, he probably wouldn't have survived to his current age. If the late emperor hadn't insisted on him leaving the palace, it wouldn't have mattered if he didn't work in the Qianqing Palace. He could have been accommodated in any palace. He had no worries about food and clothing, so naturally he didn't have to risk his life outside. Don't think that he is living a life of luxury and seems to be living a good life now, but in fact he is full of resentment in his heart, but he just doesn't dare to say it out loud."

He was not liked by the emperor, and even with the title of the chief eunuch in front of the emperor during the Longding Dynasty, he could not get a good reputation in the capital. In the early years, Empress Dowager Zhou and the Cheng'en Marquisate had to keep a low profile, so naturally they could not protect him. He was able to do business safely in the capital with his adopted son and daughter, thanks to an old friend - a fellow eunuch he had helped, who later became a celebrity in front of Emperor Deguang and had a say in front of Concubine Sun, who was still in favor at the time. By distributing dividends to this fellow eunuch, Eunuch Ji successfully established himself in the business community of the capital. When the fellow eunuch lost power and was expelled from the palace, he took him back to Ji Garden for recuperation.

He helped many old palace maids and eunuchs who were in dire straits, and he had a very good reputation in the palace circle. The powerful female officials or eunuchs in the palace, even if they didn't know him originally, hoped to spend their old age with him when they were old and lost power in the future, so they took care of him more openly or secretly. With these, and the protection of the Zhou family, Eunuch Ji saved his own property and that of his adopted sons and daughters. Now, the throne has changed, power has changed hands, and he has to look for a new backer again.

Hai Jiao said, "In his previous life, Eunuch Ji failed to find a reliable new backer, and the second branch of the Jin family almost swallowed up his property. Fortunately, Queen Mother Xu woke up in time and did not wrongly accuse a good man. However, due to this shock, Eunuch Ji's condition worsened and he died within a year. His adopted sons and daughters probably didn't feel well either, and they left the capital to make a living. Ji Garden has since declined, and the old palace servants have lost their place to live. In this life, the second branch of the Jin family is gone, and Xiao Jin is an honest man. I think Eunuch Ji and his old friends should be able to spend their old age in Ji Garden?"

Haitang couldn't help but sigh: "I will definitely do that."

Starting from today, Monday, I have to go to the hospital for a minor surgery, which is expected to take five days. If everything goes well, I can go home on Friday. I have only three chapters saved in the past few days. I plan to release them regularly over three days, one chapter a day. However, after the three chapters are released, Thursday will be a day off. If I go home early on Friday, I may be able to write a chapter. I can't guarantee anything now. I apologize to everyone first and ask for a few days off.