Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 292: The Holy Will is Hard to Disobey
The next day was April 3rd.

Zhu Jianshen personally went to Qingning Palace to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Zhou, and also invited her to Fengtian Hall to prepare for the appointment of the imperial emblem.

"Mother, the ceremony has been arranged early this morning, and all the ministers are waiting, just waiting for you to take your seat."

Zhu Jianshen went forward to help Empress Dowager Zhou to stand up, but was blocked by Empress Dowager Zhou with her hand.

"Mother, what are you doing...?"

Zhu Jianshen looked confused.

Queen Mother Zhou asked, "My son, are you really ready for everything?"

Zhu Jianshen smiled and said, "Yes, the bells and drums have already rung in the morning, and all officials are wearing court robes and waiting to perform the ceremony. I think everyone has gathered in front of the Fengtian Hall. Originally, I was supposed to go to the Huagai Hall first and wait for the imperial guide to come and meet you, but I missed my mother, so I came to greet her in person."

"It's really thoughtful."

Empress Dowager Zhou said, "There is still some time, my son, please sit down and I will tell you something."

"This……"

Zhu Jianshen looked confused.

The old mother actually wants to teach her son at this time?
But he was truly a filial son, not someone who was just trying to save face. Even though he was impatient, he had to obey the Queen Mother Zhou's instructions and sit down to listen to his mother's teachings.

So...

Queen Mother Zhou repeated to her son roughly what she had said to Li Zisheng the day before, but this time she was not dressed as a nun, so her story was less credible.

But the problem is that Zhu Jianshen believed it without a doubt.

"I'm afraid this dream of yours, mother, is a bad sign," said Zhu Jianshen.

"I think so too... Why did the Buddha statue fall down for no reason? And the Buddha statue is clearly made of gold, so why is there only mud inside when it cracked?"

Queen Mother Zhou looked distressed.

Qin Chang, who was listening nearby, came over and explained, "To answer your question, Queen Mother, in fact, Buddha statues are basically made of clay, but they are just covered with a golden body."

Queen Mother Zhou glared at Qin Chang and said, "You mean... the golden statue in my dream is actually made of clay, just like the real thing, right?"

"No...I don't mean that."

Tan Chang retreated in disgrace.

Queen Mother Zhou said, "My son, I just can't figure it out. How about this, you ask Li Zisheng to help interpret the dream? I really can't figure this out. I can't even calm down after getting the title. I'm afraid your father is still alive and reminds me not to do this."

"Will not……"

Zhu Jianshen was helpless at this time.

The ceremony has been prepared, matters have been notified, and all civil and military officials have arrived. Why aren't you going at this critical moment?
As a mother, you are so willful.

"Go and ask. I just want to have peace of mind."

Queen Mother Zhou waved her hand, meaning, "Don't come back to see me until you have figured it out."

……

……

Zhu Jianshen originally didn't want to go to the Huagai Palace, but now he had to go.

He quickly asked someone to call Li Zisheng over.

When Li Zisheng arrived, he said happily, "Your Majesty, the hour of Si is almost here, and auspicious signs will soon appear. We are just waiting for the Queen Mother to come in person."

"Just wait."

Zhu Jianshen frowned and asked, "Li Qing, can you interpret dreams?"

Li Zisheng thought to himself, I really couldn’t do that before, but now I have to learn it even if I don’t know how to do it.

Li Zisheng bowed and said, "I know a little bit."

Zhu Jianshen then repeated Empress Dowager Zhou's words to Li Zisheng.

Li Zisheng's face changed drastically: "Your Majesty, this seems to be related to the Queen Mother's visit to Wanhe Temple to worship Buddha in the next few days."

"Oh?"

Zhu Jianshen asked curiously, "You said this dream has nothing to do with what happened today, but is related to my mother's visit to the Buddhist temple tomorrow?"

Qin Chang listened and felt a little anxious.

Your way of interpreting dreams, Li Zisheng, is really unique, but it sounds so unreliable.

"This dream is about a golden exterior but rotten inside. Wanhe Temple was previously in a dilapidated state, and the Empress Dowager once proposed to repair it. I wonder if Your Majesty remembers this?"

Li Zisheng asked.

"It seems to be the case. Is it repaired?" Zhu Jianshen asked.

Li Zisheng said: "I'm afraid we can only find out by asking the relevant person in charge."

Zhu Jianshen was very angry after hearing this and frowned, "Ask quickly."

Tan Chang said: "Your Majesty, this matter seems to be the responsibility of the Imperial Household Department, and the affairs of the Imperial Household Department are currently led by Chen Xi."

"Call Chen Xilai."

Zhu Jianshen said angrily.

Someone immediately went to summon Chen Xi, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

When Chen Xi arrived, Zhu Jianshen was sitting not far from Qingning Palace, completely disregarding the emperor's dignity.

"His Majesty."

When Chen Xi saw this scene, he suddenly felt unprecedented pressure.

Zhu Jianshen didn't even bother to look at Chen Xi.

Li Zisheng stepped forward and asked, "Eunuch Chen, the Queen Mother dreamed that the Buddha statue in Wanhe Temple fell down... May I ask if the reconstruction of Wanhe Temple has been completed now?"

"This……"

Chen Xi stammered, "This matter... is under the responsibility of... Wei Xing, and..."

"how?"

Qin Chang also came over to ask.

Chen Xi was stared at by several people, and his expression was quite helpless. He could only tell the truth: "Liang Fang did not allow the Imperial Household Department to interfere in this matter. He designated Wei Xing to be in charge, and no one else was allowed to ask about all matters."

"What do you mean?"

Zhu Jianshen finally turned his head and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Chen Xi was speechless.

"What's the matter?"

Zhu Jianshen asked again, then turned his head to look at Tan Chang, frowned and said, "Renovation of Wanhe Temple is the job of the Imperial Household Department. What does it have to do with Liang Fang, a eunuch from the Imperial Horse Department?"

"This……"

Qin Chang didn't want to answer.

"Say!"

Zhu Jianshen said angrily.

Qin Chang gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, now all the affairs in the palace, big or small, that involve the use of money, are coordinated by Liang Fang. To put it bluntly... he is the one who is fully responsible. Whoever he tells to do it, can do it."

Zhu Jianshen's face flushed red and he flew into a rage: "Who gave him the power?"

Qin Chang was at a loss for words.

I thought, wasn’t it you who gave it to me?
Of course, that was when Lady Wan was alive. Who could blame Liang Fang for being so good at flattering people and making you two feel so comfortable?

"Call Wei Xing."

Zhu Jianshen shouted sternly.

Li Zisheng reminded: "Your Majesty, the auspicious time is coming soon. Should we ask the Empress Dowager to go to Fengtian Hall first? Or you can tell the Empress Dowager that you already know about this matter and have sent people to investigate thoroughly. It would be better not to delay the auspicious time today."

Zhu Jianshen stood up and walked towards Qingning Palace, saying coldly: "How many shady plots are there in Wanhe Temple? Find out for me!"

……

……

Zhu Jianshen returned to Qingning Palace.

At this time, Queen Mother Zhou was still sitting there, not even changing into her formal dress. She looked calm and composed, as if she was not in a hurry at all. "Mother, I have checked your dream. It said that someone took advantage of the reconstruction of Wanhe Temple to do some illegal activities, but the details still need to be checked in detail."

Zhu Jianshen said, "I have sent someone to investigate. You should prepare first. How about we go to Fengtian Palace?"

Queen Mother Zhou said angrily, "Are you saying that the Wanhe Temple that I will visit in a few days has been tampered with? Is someone trying to harm me?"

Zhu Jianshen didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and shook his head and said, "My mother, that shouldn't be the case. Maybe someone was not good enough in the building materials when they were rebuilding Wanhe Temple. It won't endanger your safety."

"Then I don't understand. Even Buddha has appeared in my dreams, and you said that this matter will not cause any harm? Does that mean that next time Buddha will take me to heaven to ask about the situation, then you will think that this matter has something to do with me?"

Queen Mother Zhou was also a stubborn person.

I don't believe that you won't solve my problem and just want to get rid of me with some polite words.

I want to solve the problem.

Qin Chang came over and said, "Grandfather, it's not that we won't do it now, it's just that we haven't investigated it clearly yet, and we don't know what the situation is. If we find out that there is no such thing, then..."

"Hooho."

The Queen Mother Zhou sneered in a strange voice, "So, I am just making trouble out of nothing? Emperor, I think you should stop giving me any titles. As a mother, I can't even do such a small thing as worshiping Buddha. How can I be qualified to see the late emperor and our ancestors?"

Zhu Jianshen clearly felt the pressure from his mother, and immediately said, "Come here, pass on the imperial decree to have Wei Xing, who is in charge of the reconstruction of Wanhe Temple, imprisoned immediately. Before the matter is investigated, no one is allowed to speak for him, and no one is allowed to visit him. This matter... I want to get to the bottom of it!"

"Yes."

When Qin Chang heard this, he felt happy but still a little regretful.

It was always a pity that only Wei Xing was imprisoned without arresting Liang Fang.

"Mother, do you think this arrangement is good?" Zhu Jianshen asked, "If you think it is not okay, I will send people to severely punish those who have evil intentions. Please consider your son's face and the eager waiting of the court officials and go to the ceremony first."

Having said this, Zhu Jianshen had already knelt down in front of his old mother.

Queen Mother Zhou quickly helped her son up and said, "Look at you, why are you like this? I am not deliberately giving you trouble, I just have some doubts in my heart.

"But my son is so filial, how can I still insist? I will go change my clothes now, please wait for a moment."

……

……

The ceremony in the palace is finally about to begin.

On the other side, Wei Xing was meeting guests from all over who came to give gifts at home, when he encountered people from the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard coming to his house to arrest someone.

"What are you doing?"

When Wei Xing heard that someone from the factory guards was coming, he left his guests behind and hurried out to greet them.

He thought it was just a small matter, but when he saw Wei Tai, the commander of the Eastern Depot, and Zhu Ji, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, both coming, he instantly felt that something was wrong.

Wei Tai smiled and said, "Today is a good day... The Queen Mother is going to be crowned today, and Li Tianshi also said that there will be auspicious signs today. None of us have time to look at them, so we came to you instead."

Wei Xing asked, "Why, are you here to invite me to the palace to attend the ceremony?"

"Take it."

Wei Tai waved his hand.

Zhu Ji then personally led people over and pinned Wei Xing to the ground.

Wei Xing shouted loudly: "You are so good, Wei Tai, you are seeking revenge for your personal gain."

"This is an order from His Majesty himself."

Wei Tai bowed in the direction of the Forbidden City, and then shouted, "You'd better not complain. If His Majesty knows about your treasonous words, your crime will be even more serious. Take him away."

At this time, people from Wei Xing's mansion hurried over to stop them.

The Jinyiwei took action directly, drawing their swords and confronting the group of people.

Wei Xing shouted, "What's going on? Explain clearly! Why are you arresting me?"

Wei Tai sighed, "It's not that I won't tell you, but someone will tell you when we get there... All of you servants of the Wei Mansion, listen carefully. His Majesty has issued an order that no one is allowed to visit the prison. If anyone disobeys, they will be punished as if they were the emperor. Take him away!"

"Order."

For some reason, Zhu Ji was full of energy when he was working.

When Zhu Ji was ordered to search for the escaped and hiding Jing troops, he suffered a lot from Liang Fang and Wei Xing. Now he finally has the chance to take Wei Xing back for punishment. He is eager to do a good job to vent his anger.

……

……

As soon as Wei Xing was captured, Liang Fang got the news.

At this time, Liang Fang was standing in the yard, looking up at the distant sky. The clouds around the sun in the east were forming a special red glow, as if the surface of the sun was coated with a halo, dazzling.

"The rising sun is bright red in color. Li Zisheng's cultivation is indeed profound and he lives up to his reputation. Even his predictions came true." Liang Fang looked emotional. She half-squinted her eyes at the sun and talked to herself.

Just at this moment, a servant from the Liang Mansion came over and said nervously: "Master, something happened, something serious happened!"

"What's the matter?"

Liang Fang seemed nonchalant.

The servant said, "Someone just came to Eunuch Wei's mansion and said that Wei Tai, the commander of the Eastern Depot, personally brought people from the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guards to arrest Eunuch Wei. He has now been imprisoned."

"what?"

Liang Fang frowned. "There is a celebration in the palace today, how can there be so many troubles? Did they hear it from outside and spread rumors?"

"No, no... The Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guards went to his house to arrest him. Many people saw with their own eyes that Eunuch Wei was tied up and taken away. Eunuch Wei Tai also threatened that no one would be allowed to visit him in the imperial prison."

The servants were also very anxious.

Wei Xing and Liang Fang have been almost like brothers in recent years. If anything happens to Wei Xing, Liang Fang will most likely be implicated.

Liang Fang was usually arrogant, and didn't realize the seriousness of the problem at this moment. He waved his hand nonchalantly: "I know, it's just a trivial matter. I don't believe they can do anything to Wei Xing... Go quickly, have someone prepare a sedan chair, I want to go to the Northern Pacification Office in person."

……

……

Liang Fang took the official sedan chair to the Jinyiwei Beizhenfusi Yamen.

When they arrived at the place and the sedan chair landed, Liang Fang got out, surrounded by a large group of people.

As a eunuch in the Imperial Stables, Liang Fang's status in the palace was second only to Tan Chang, but because he controlled the financial power, to some extent it could even be said that he was more prominent than Tan Chang. After all, the only one who could suppress Liang Fang before was Huai En.

Huai En was only superior to him because of his high moral character and prestige.

"Eunuch Liang?"

When Zhu Ji heard that Liang Fang was coming, even though he was reluctant, he still obediently went out of the gate of the Northern Pacification Office to welcome her.

Liang Fang said, "I heard that you arrested Wei Xing, so I came to take a look... Please release him first."

When Zhu Ji heard this, he was surprised. This guy was so arrogant. The emperor ordered to arrest someone, but you, Liang Fang, came directly to ask for him? This guy doesn't take the emperor seriously at all!

"Eunuch Liang, this matter has been issued by the imperial decree. Please forgive me for not being able to follow your wishes." Zhu Ji bowed and replied.

Liang Fang frowned and stared at Zhu Ji for a long time before saying, "Let him go first. I will go to the palace to meet His Majesty and tell him about this matter. No matter what misunderstanding there is, we can put it aside. After all, Wei Xing still has a lot of things to do. If the mission entrusted by His Majesty is delayed because of this, can you afford it?"

"Even if you can't afford it, you can't let him go!"

Zhu Ji answered straightforwardly, "Unless there is an imperial decree, Eunuch Wei must stay at the Beisi Yamen... Eunuch Liang can go to the palace to ask for the emperor's will first, and then it won't be too late to come back to ask for the person."

"you……"

Liang Fang was a little annoyed and said in a cold voice, "It seems that after Shang Ming left, you began to ignore our family. Well, let's go to the Beisi prison first and discuss important matters with Wei Xing."

As he spoke, Liang Fang was about to walk towards the Northern Pacification Office.

"No!"

Zhu Ji continued to block him.

When this happened, all the guards behind Liang Fang drew their swords.

At the same time, the Jinyiwei at the gate of the Northern Pacification Office and inside the main gate all drew their swords.

The two sides confronted each other and the atmosphere became tense.

Liang Fang sneered: "You are using chicken feathers as a token of authority, do you really think you are a big shot, Zhu Shangde? Wei Xing is responsible for so many things, do you think you can arrest people without any instructions?"

Zhu Ji's calloused hands also pressed on the handle of his own sword, and he took two steps back. He said to Liang Fang with a firm face: "It is difficult to disobey the emperor's will. Eunuch Liang, please respect yourself. If you want to go in today, you can only step over Zhu's corpse. Please!"

(End of this chapter)