The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

"Ah, what?" Xue Pan was shocked when he heard this. How could Xiangling be brought back after being sent to Prince Beijing's mansion? What a joke, he has always been thinking about Xiangling.

Seeing that Xue Pan was about to make a scene again, Baochai said, "The prince knows about Xiangling's affairs and will make a decision for her. If you don't want to be blamed and suffer in prison again, you'd better stay quiet."

Xue Pan, who was angry at the time, stopped talking immediately when he heard the words and thought of the suffering he had endured in prison during this period. That prison was not a place for human beings to stay.

Seeing Xue Pan stopped, Aunt Xue felt relieved. Xue Pan couldn't make any more noise at the moment, so Aunt Xue comforted him and said, "Pan'er, it's just a maid. If you like, I'll buy you a few more tomorrow."

Xue Pan didn't care when he heard this. What kind of maid could compare to Xiangling? If it weren't for her mother's restraint, the hoof would have been in its own shape long ago. Now, it was given away without even tasting the deliciousness. What a pity!

Chapter 68 Emperor Yongkang grants marriage?

Imperial City, Qianqing Palace, West Warm Pavilion.

Emperor Yongkang, dressed in a bright yellow apricot robe, leaned on the brocade couch and looked at the memorial in his hand.

After a while, Emperor Yongkang said with a slightly satisfied look: "The accounts of the Ministry of Revenue are not bad. The national treasury finally has some surplus this year."

King Zhongshun, who was sitting opposite, nodded slightly when he heard this. The national treasury had a surplus, so it would be easier to deal with emergencies.

In the past, the national treasury was mostly in deficit. Fortunately, this year, the Beijing Prince's Palace took the lead in paying the silver owed to the Ministry of Revenue, and many nobles responded. The accounts now look much better and are not so unsightly.

Emperor Yongkang looked at Prince Zhongshun and saw that he looked tired and a little out of spirit. He immediately understood that it was the end of the year and the affairs were very busy, especially the clearing of accounts receivable and payable by the Ministry of Revenue, which required careful attention to every detail and would inevitably require more effort.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongkang comforted him, "Thank you for your hard work, eighth brother."

King Zhongshun felt a little warm at the words, and smiled and bowed, saying, "This is my duty. If you can understand me, please let me rest for a few more days during the New Year holidays."

Emperor Yongkang chuckled upon hearing this and said, "You are so lazy that you just go to hide away for some quiet time."

Emperor Yongkang seemed to recall something and said with a smile, "He is just like that kid Xiao Shiliu, lazy by nature."

King Zhongshun felt bad when he heard this. He was devoted to state affairs and seldom complained, while Shui Rong was truly lazy. Comparing him with Shui Rong was like a dwarf compared to a giant, which seemed a bit disparaging.

However, King Zhongshun knew that Emperor Yongkang was just joking, so he didn't say much. He just mentioned Shuixun. King Zhongshun turned to ask: "Brother, how about the selection of concubines for Xiao Liu?"

I remember that Emperor Yongkang promised Shui Rong to choose the Princess of Beijing County from among the concubines. Now the concubines have entered the palace one after another to wait for selection, and the arrangements have been almost made.

Emperor Yongkang's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He played with the tea bowl in his hand but did not answer.

Seeing this, Prince Zhongshun understood something, thought for a moment, and asked carefully: "Does my brother have a candidate in mind?"

Although Emperor Yongkang agreed to Shui Rong, it was an arranged marriage after all, and as the emperor he still had the final say.

Emperor Yongkang raised his eyes and glanced at Prince Zhongshun. He groaned for a moment and said in a clear voice, "I do have some ideas in my mind, but I haven't made up my mind yet. It's a good opportunity for you to help me with some advice."

Originally, Emperor Yongkang planned to let Shui Rong choose, but Shui Rong's performance made him have other plans.

Hearing this, Prince Zhongshun was not surprised at all. After all, with his understanding of Emperor Yongkang, it was not surprising that he could guess the emperor's intention. However, even Emperor Yongkang had not made a decision. It seemed that the girl who was to be married to Shui Rong must be extraordinary.

Thinking of this, Prince Zhongshun said seriously, "I wonder which girl my royal brother wants to marry to Little Sixteen?"

Emperor Yongkang was silent for a moment after hearing this, and said in a deep voice: "Jia family."

"Jia family?" Prince Zhongshun was surprised when he heard that. The only Jia family that could make Emperor Yongkang hesitate was the family with two princes.

After a pause, Prince Zhongshun reminded, "Brother, as far as I know, there is no suitable candidate for the daughter of the Jia family."

Prince Zhongshun also knew the Jia family. There were three girls in the family. The second girl, Jia Yingchun, and the third girl, Jia Tanchun, were both concubines and were not suitable. The fourth girl, Jia Xichun, was the legitimate daughter of the Ningguo Mansion, but she was too young to be married.

Suddenly, Prince Zhongshun realized that there was another girl in the Jia family, that was Jia Yuanchun, the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion, who was now working as a female historian in Shou'an Palace.

It’s not that Prince Zhongshun forgot about Jia Yuanchun’s existence, but that he never thought about it at all.

Although Jia Yuanchun is a few years older than Shui Rong, this is not a problem. In the Daqian Dynasty, "old wife and young husband" was a common thing. As for her status, although she was the second wife, she was also the legitimate daughter, so she could barely make do.

Although it was a makeshift move, what was the intention of Emperor Yongkang's move? It should be noted that it was extremely inappropriate for the daughters of the Jia family, especially for Jia Yuanchun, who was born in the Rongguo Mansion, which was even more inappropriate.

The Rongguo Mansion has been in charge of the Beijing Camp since the founding of the country. The Beijing Camp is different from other armies. It belongs to the emperor's personal army and is related to the safety of the capital and the emperor. The importance of the position is unquestionable.

The Beijing Prince's Palace has an exclusive status and high prestige in the military. It would be inappropriate for these two families to form a marriage alliance.

Thinking of this, Prince Zhongshun asked softly, "Brother, do you want to take back the military power of the Beijing Camp?"

When Duke Rong Jia Daishan was in charge of the Beijing Camp, he performed his duties conscientiously and was highly regarded by the retired emperor. After Jia Daishan passed away due to illness, his descendants seized the position of governor of the Beijing Camp and used it as a private army, which was not tolerated by Emperor Yongkang.

Moreover, in the dispute over the crown prince, the four princes and eight dukes were loyal to the retired emperor and generally maintained a neutral attitude. However, there were also many people who bet against him. The Jia family was one of them and stood on the opposite side of Emperor Yongkang. Therefore, Emperor Yongkang always despised the Jia family. If he had not been afraid of the old ministers, how could the Jia family survive?

At this time, the current governor of the Beijing Camp is Wang Ziteng of the Wang family. He has close ties with the Jia family and supports and protects the Jia family, which means that the Jia family still controls the military power of the Beijing Camp.

As the right-hand man of Emperor Yongkang, he knew that Emperor Yongkang was trying to win over Wang Ziteng, but the other party was wavering and it was difficult to deal with him.

Shui Rong's recent behavior clearly showed an attitude of self-preservation. In his estimation, Emperor Yongkang wanted to use Shui Rong to take back the military power of the Beijing camp.

Emperor Yongkang nodded slightly upon hearing this, but did not deny it. He said in a clear voice, "You know what kind of people the Jia family are. They are like hawks teasing dogs, bullying men and women, and are extremely corrupt. They only know how to rely on the legacy of their ancestors and suck the marrow out of people. There is not a single sensible person in the whole family. And that bastard Second Young Master, who was born with a jade in his mouth, is so arrogant and presumptuous that he really doesn't know what to do. Since they are ignorant, I will give them a sensible son-in-law to prevent them from acting foolishly and going astray again."

The Beijing Camp was related to the safety of the imperial city, so Emperor Yongkang naturally attached great importance to it. However, the Jia family was ignorant and made Emperor Yongkang quite upset.

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhongshun remained silent. The purpose of Emperor Yongkang granting the marriage was to make the Jia family follow Shui Rong's steps. After all, Shui Rong's status was there. If they were to become relatives, the Jia family would certainly have to remain consistent with Prince Beijing's Mansion.

Although he also felt that Shui Rong was very reliable, the risks were too great. He was afraid that if he was not careful, the currently stable court would be disturbed again.

"Brother, have you thought this through?" Since Emperor Yongkang had this intention, he must have thought about it for a long time.

Emperor Yongkang understood Prince Zhongshun's worries. After a pause, he said, "Most of the nobles in the capital have their own care. Although the Prince of Beijing's Mansion is not related to the Jia family by marriage, they have been friends for generations, so there is no difference in becoming relatives by marriage."

Prince Zhongshun could not help but deny what he heard. It was true that Prince Beijing's Mansion had been on good terms with the Jia family for generations, but there was a difference between in-laws and generations of friendship.

Since the founding of the country, the Jia family has no marriage relationship with the Beijing Prince's Mansion, but they are worried that the emperor will be suspicious. This time, they made this decision, probably because Shui Rong's current performance made Emperor Yongkang feel that there is hope for something to be done, but...

"Royal brother, if Little Sixteen is bewitched by someone, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles."

The Jia family has two dukes. In addition to having many old subordinates in the army, the Rongguo Mansion also controls the Beijing camp. If the Beijing Prince's Mansion is to form an alliance with the Jia family, it will certainly form a considerable force. If it is used by someone with ulterior motives, it will be a disaster.

Even though King Zhongshun believed Shui Rong, he couldn't stop worrying.

Emperor Yongkang was relieved to hear this. He knew that Prince Zhongshun had a good relationship with Shui Rong, but Prince Zhongshun still considered things from his perspective, which warmed his heart.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongkang did not hide it and explained, "Little Sixteen is a smart man. Once he knows that the Beijing Palace is marrying the Jia family, he will definitely cut off the branches and keep the trunk like urging the household to pay the silver. This is a good thing for the court. Moreover, I cannot simply condemn the merits of the founding lineage. I still need to use them. Isn't it a good thing to let Little Sixteen take the lead?

If Little Sixteen pretends to be confused, I will help him. As for your worries, just relax. Not to mention whether those nobles will be confused, even our father will not watch the Great Qian Dynasty shake the foundation of the country. "

After hearing what was said, Prince Zhongshun thought about it carefully and suddenly realized that Shui Rong must understand the significance of the marriage between Prince Beijing's Mansion and the Jia family. With his self-protective character, he would definitely choose to keep the main thing.

And what Emperor Yongkang said was right. If all the heroes who made great contributions to the founding of the country were wiped out in one fell swoop, the huge Daqian Dynasty would be left with no one to use its power.

The Beijing Prince's Mansion is a lineage of founding heroes. Since he has formed an alliance with the Jia family, it is equivalent to raising a big banner. The other nobles will certainly move closer to it. It seems that Emperor Yongkang wants to convey the emperor's attitude to the outside world by raising Shui Rong, and intends to win over the hearts of the founding heroes. After all, even the Beijing Prince's Mansion and the Jia family are not shy about it, so how can they be on guard against others?

As for Shui Rong's ill intentions, Emperor Yongkang's statement of "helping him" was intended to suppress him and clip his wings.

Moreover, those nobles were all sticking together for warmth, not a monolithic entity. Emperor Yongkang had been on the throne for several years, and it was not without results. Once things became impossible, the emperor who sat firmly in the Daming Palace would not sit idly by. Even if their father loved little Sixteen, he was nothing in front of the king.

If you think about it carefully, the worst outcome is that the government will return to the chaos of the struggle for the throne, but Emperor Yongkang's throne will remain safe and sound.

Although there are risks, the benefits are huge. Considering this, King Zhongshun has nothing to say. After all, Emperor Yongkang is the emperor.

When Emperor Yongkang saw that Prince Zhongshun had come to his senses, he said no more. In fact, the reason why he allowed Prince Beijing's Mansion to become a marriage alliance with Duke Rong's Mansion was actually to test Shui Rong and put it out in the open. If Shui Rong behaved himself, it would be a good thing for everyone. But if he was not, "If you want to take it, you must first give it," how could he not know this truth.

Poisonous snakes are not scary, hidden poisonous snakes are the most deadly, and the court should also be balanced.

As the Son of Heaven, since he dared to make such a decision, he must have thought about it for a long time in his mind, but he was not in a position to tell King Zhongshun these things.

Prince Zhongshun saw that Emperor Yongkang knew what was going on, so he had to remind him, "Ms. Jia is from Shou'an Palace. I'm afraid you need to ask the grandmother for permission on this matter."

Emperor Yongkang understood after hearing this. Although the female historians and palace maids in the palace were all the emperor's people, Jia Yuanchun, as a person from Shou'an Palace, still needed to ask for permission. This was also a sign of respect for the emperor's grandmother.

"I just have this intention, but I haven't decided yet."

Emperor Yongkang only had this idea in his mind, but he had not made a decision. After all, this matter was of great importance and still required more consideration.

Prince Zhongshun remained silent upon hearing this. Based on his understanding of Emperor Yongkang, since he was asked, he basically agreed.

But based on his understanding, Shui Rong just wanted to stay out of the matter, and Emperor Yongkang's move was like pulling Shui Rong into the muddy water in the court, and he couldn't get away even if he wanted to.

Chapter 69 Yuanchun: I am old, fat and ugly?

Imperial City, Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Yongkang sat behind the imperial desk, holding a red pen, and concentrating on reviewing memorials.

Not long after, light footsteps were heard, which made Emperor Yongkang frown slightly. For a moment, the eunuchs and palace maids who were standing in the hall in silence held their breath.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Beijing requests to see you." The eunuch reported carefully.

Emperor Yongkang looked a little surprised. Little Sixteen never took the initiative to enter the palace, so what was the purpose of entering the palace now?

"Xuan."

Regardless of Shui Rong's purpose, since he asked for a meeting, Emperor Yongkang would naturally not refuse.

After a while, Shui Rong, dressed in brocade, walked into the hall. Seeing Emperor Yongkang sitting at the imperial desk, he immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Originally, Shui Rong called himself a vassal in order to show his attitude, but the situation was different at this time. Emperor Yongkang always called him "Little Sixteen" to show his closeness. If Shui Rong emphasized it too much, it would be inappropriate, so Shui Rong called himself "minister's younger brother".

When Emperor Yongkang saw Shui Rong, a slight smile appeared on his stern face, and he said jokingly, "Little Sixteen, you never come to the palace without a reason. Is there something you need to do when you come to the palace today?"

Shui Rong could sense the kindness in Emperor Yongkang's voice. It seemed that he was very satisfied with the fact that the Ministry of Revenue owed him silver, so he spoke to him as if he were talking to a brother.

Seeing this, Shui Rong smiled and said, "Brother Emperor, you have a keen eye. I admire you."

Emperor Yongkang's eyes darkened when he heard this, but he didn't say much. Instead, he said generously: "If there is anything between us brothers, just tell us directly. If it is reasonable, I will agree to it."

Things that are reasonable don’t matter, but things that are unreasonable are another matter.

Shui Rong didn't care about it, and said, "Brother, I heard that the concubines have entered the palace one after another to be selected, so I want to ask you about the situation."

Shui Rong didn't need to say much about what was to come. Emperor Yongkang understood it clearly in his heart. He had promised Shui Rong to let him choose a princess from among the concubines.

Emperor Yongkang thought it was something else, that he was anxious to get married. Thinking of this, Emperor Yongkang paused and said calmly: "The girls are still being selected. When the list is submitted, I will let you choose from them. Don't be anxious."

The selection of concubines requires screening layer by layer, and the family background of those who are finally qualified will be compiled into a book. Besides, there is no need to rush this matter.

Shui Rong's eyes turned slightly when he heard this, and he said with a slightly embarrassed expression: "Brother, I have set my eyes on the daughter of the Xue family in Jinling, but I heard that she was not selected. I would like to ask you to show me your grace and allow her to enter the palace to wait for selection. When I choose the princess of the county, I will bring her to the palace to serve."

The daughter of the Xue family is naturally Xue Baochai. Shui Rong entered the palace today in order to allow Xue Baochai to enter the palace to serve.

Shui Rong admired Xue Baochai, whose clear mind was in line with Shui Rong's wishes. He even planned to marry her as the princess of a county. However, apart from her royal merchant background, Xue Baochai was not suitable for the position of princess of a county because of her heat poison and the crimes committed by her brother. Therefore, she could only be an attendant. However, because she was selected from the beautiful girls, her status was not comparable to that of ordinary concubines, and she could even be a concubine.

Emperor Yongkang looked up at Shui Rong thoughtfully, and asked meaningfully, "Why do you like the daughter of the Xue family?"

When Shui Rong saw Emperor Yongkang asking about this, he immediately told him about the quarrel between him and Xue Pan. After that, Shui Rong said with longing in his heart, "Xue Baochai is very beautiful, and I am delighted to see her, so I ask my brother to show me some mercy."

It is true that Baochai's beauty and charm are pleasing to the eye.

Emperor Yongkang chuckled when he heard this. He also knew about the situation of the Xue family. The Xue family was related to the Jia family, and his uncle was the current governor of the Beijing camp. Shui Rong came to ask for mercy this time, which simply meant that he was attracted by the appearance of the daughter of the Xue family and had no other intentions.