Fourth Master Jiang: “…”

He coughed lightly and looked at the little girl in front of him with a frown.

It was such a coincidence that she came here.

A few days ago, he made up his mind to rectify the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, only to find that although his elder brother seemed to have a clean style, he actually had close contacts with some corrupt officials and sycophants.

He had been somewhat aware of these things before, but had never thought about them in detail, and was unwilling to question them and ruin the harmony between the brothers.

Now that the roots have been uprooted, the ugly things hidden beneath the ground are clearly seen, and all that is left is fear and headache. He took drastic measures to cut off relations with officials he should not have had any dealings with, but he also encountered some resistance. Those who had been on good terms with his elder brother and had benefited from his elder brother's favor naturally did not want to see him take office.

I have encountered some minor troubles recently, and Pei Songyu, who works in the Dali Temple, can help me, so I invited him to come to my house today.

We had originally intended to discuss some business matters, but as we chatted, we found ourselves getting on very well with each other and didn't even notice that night had fallen.

Pei Songyu was in his early 21s and his eldest daughter was 7. Apart from his poor family background, there was nothing wrong with his character and knowledge. Fourth Master Jiang admitted that he did have some thoughts of taking him as his son-in-law.

His brief silence gave Jiang Rao some clues. She looked depressed and begged, "Dad, don't splash me."

"I don't want to get married." Jiang Rao was a little unhappy and repeated, "I don't want to get married."

Fourth Master Jiang looked at her and smiled gently. Look at this disobedient look. If he were in someone else's home, he would definitely be scolded. But what can he do? It's not that he raised it.

With infinite indulgence and helplessness, he said slowly: "I didn't say I would spill it on you. Did you hear some nonsense from others?"

His gaze vaguely swept over the maid behind Jiang Rao, his sharpness was hard to conceal, and Ming Shao was so guilty that she broke out in a cold sweat.

Jiang Rao protected her maid and said, "I had a dream. I dreamed that I was getting married and would have to leave my parents and brother. I felt sad."

Fourth Master Jiang said in a deep voice: "All I want is for you to be safe and happy. If you don't want it, I won't force you. Just be at ease."

Fourth Master Jiang seemed to remember something, and the smile on his face was particularly deep. He said with the tone of an experienced person: "You say you don't want it now, but if you meet someone you really like in the future, you may come to me for help again."

That's how he got here back then.

But when Jiang Rao left, he felt worried again as he watched his daughter's dazed back walking away.

If she brings someone he thinks is unsuitable

Coming back, should he agree or object?

It's really uncomfortable no matter how you think about it.

Fourth Master Jiang called the servant over and said, "Find out where Pei Shaoqing often goes and tell me."

The servant asked, "Master, what are your plans?"

Fourth Master Jiang wanted to know what kind of person Pei Songyu was. After what happened to Jiang Xingchuan, he dared not judge people arbitrarily and was as cautious as walking on thin ice. "I just want to see if he is as noble as people say outside, and whether he is a trustworthy person."

…

The ninth day of the seventh month is an auspicious day. There was a plaque in Rong Ting's courtyard, with the words "Bei Shen" engraved on the mahogany plaque.

Octagonal colored glaze lanterns were hung on the eaves of the corridor, and camellias and cypresses were newly planted in the yard. The lush and green potted plants were pleasing to the eye at first glance. Most ordinary people would feel relaxed and comfortable when seeing them. Huai Qing glanced at Rong Ting, but saw that his eyes were as dark as ink, and he did not feel the slightest bit of joy at the new look of the yard.

Huai Qing said to Rong Ting, "The fourth lady said she asked someone to calculate it. The feng shui of this house is not good, but it is not impossible to change it. The word '申' has three fires in it, which is just right to drive away the negative energy in this yard."

He had just begun to speak, saying only three words, "Fourth Miss", when Rong Ting's eyes moved slightly. He waited until Huai Qing finished speaking, then asked in a deep voice, "Why didn't you come today, Niannian?"

Huai Qing said: "I heard that there was something going on at home that delayed him."

Seeing Rong Ting's eyes dim, Huai Qing sighed, "The fourth lady treats His Majesty the Ninth Prince differently from how she treats others."

Huai Qing thought for a long time and gave an example: "When she was in Bailu Academy, she could only write on the palm of your Highness's hand. When she met others, she would use a small wooden stick to gesture on the ground."

The gloomy young master in the wheelchair, with a thin quilt covering his legs, didn't care at all and chuckled softly.

Huai Qing only saw her writing on his palm, but did not see his deliberate intentions.

Before she wanted to write something, he would usually grab her wrist first.

…

Jiang Rao had something going on at home, so she came to the palace to see Concubine Yun.

Concubine Yun complained that the days were long and boring in summer, so she asked Jiang Rao to come to the palace to accompany her for half a month.

Concubine Yun was sitting on the swing set up under the flower shed in Shuxiang Palace, holding a pomegranate. However, she was lazy and didn't swing high. She just spun slowly on the spot and talked to Jiang Rao about which concubine was crying and which concubine was laughing in the palace recently. As they chatted, the topic gradually turned back to Jiang Rao.

Concubine Yun looked like she was just watching something interesting. "I heard your father is looking for a husband for you. How's that going? Has he found any result?"

Jiang Rao didn't know how her aunt knew this, it was as if the whole world knew that her father was worried about her marriage. As she shook her head, she recalled the dream she had in the carriage that day, and complained to Concubine Yun, "I don't want to get married so early."

"I don't want to either. I just want to be an old maid. Now..."

Or maybe she wanted to leave the palace and become an old maid.

However, if these words were heard by someone with ulterior motives, it would be easy to sow discord in front of Emperor Zhaowu. Concubine Yun knew what to say and what not to say. She smiled faintly and shook her head, and stopped talking. Looking at the sky outside the palace, a hint of loneliness and melancholy revealed in her eyes.

She was not interested, but her tone was serious. "If you marry, marry someone you like. If not, then be an old maid for life. Anyway, you have a fortune that you can't spend in several lifetimes."

Jiang Rao hesitated, "But what counts as liking someone?"

Concubine Yun thought for a long time, and seemed to be a little embarrassed about how to answer. Finally, she said slowly: "At least you should not feel disgusted when doing intimate things with him."

These words were so straightforward that even a little girl like Jiang Rao blushed.

When she blushed, Concubine Yun loved to tease her. "When I entered the palace, the head nanny gave me a lot of booklets. They are all in the small study in the west wing. Since Niannian is curious, I'll ask someone to get them for you to see..."

"No." Jiang Rao interrupted him neatly and decisively.

She covered her red ears.

How embarrassing, look at this.

Concubine Yun looked at her with a lazy smile and tapped her forehead, "Little wooden lump."

…

Splendid Palace.

For several years, Xu Guozhang had only a rare opportunity to enter the palace to visit Empress Jiahe.

He talked with Empress Jiahe for a long time. In order to ensure that the throne of the Seventeenth Prince would be absolutely secure, all the princes except the Seventeenth Prince were thorns in their eyes and thorns in their flesh. Even though Xu Guozhang could not enter the palace to visit them, they exchanged secret letters with each other. After entering the palace, they dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs and had private conversations. When talking about Rong Ting...

Empress Jiahe frowned, "When he left the palace, I had found a spy so that I could know what he was doing, but the spy is still missing."

Xu Guozhang also frowned slightly, looking unhappy. Rong Ting was neither dead nor alive, dragging his two broken legs to live. Even though we knew that he would not be able to achieve anything great, it was indeed unpleasant.

"It's your fault that you were too soft-hearted in the past and didn't kill him when he was little."

Empress Jiahe gnashed her teeth and said in hatred: "I have

Never been merciful. ”

"The emperor has been asking about him more and more recently, and he cares about him even more than my little Seventeen."

"He has relieved the emperor's worries, so the emperor will naturally value him more and more."

A few days ago, he was invited to a meeting of court officials, and saw that they were all discussing the disaster in Nanzhang. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory said that there would still be floods in Nanzhang next year, and there might be no harvest at all. He was just about to pretend to say a few words of concern for the country and the people, but he heard from others that there was already a solution.

Canals were built to divert water westward, plank roads were built to open up trade routes, and the land on the high slopes was reclaimed, with different crops planted in both high and low areas.

When he first saw the drawing, he thought it was the idea of ​​the resourceful Chen Bing in the Ministry of Industry. However, Chen Bing was standing beside him, looking at the drawing with a look of amazement. After a while, he slapped his thigh and shouted several times, "Why didn't I think of this?"

He then realized that the person who made the blueprint was not Chen Bing, but Rong Ting.

Because of this incident, Emperor Zhaowu has intended to transfer Rong Ting to the Ministry of Works. If Nanzhang can really revive next year because of the measures advocated by Rong Ting, Emperor Zhaowu will probably value him even more.

Xu Guozhang felt a little regretful, "I shouldn't have asked you to treat him harshly at that time."

If this kind of talent can be used for one's own benefit, it will be a rare help.

"Do you think he's really a good guy?" Empress Jiahe seemed to have heard a joke. "When he was four or five years old, he began to suspect that his biological mother's death was related to me. Maybe it was even earlier. Did I treat him too harshly at that time? He has been gloomy and suspicious since he was a child. Sooner or later, he will be unable to hide it. I just hate that he is so lucky. He should have died when he was born, but he dragged on to live."

Emperor Zhaowu was heartbroken by the death of his favorite concubine at that time, and was extremely concerned about his newly born ninth son. Among all the princes, only Rong Ting received personal care from Emperor Zhaowu.

If she had not taken the initiative to adopt Rong Ting and let Emperor Zhaowu live with him day by day, Emperor Zhaowu would definitely unconsciously favor this poor ninth son in the future.

Fortunately, after Rong Ting was adopted, Emperor Zhaowu would ask a few questions about her in the first two years, but later he gradually became more confident in her care and stopped asking.

When there was a new favorite concubine in the palace and Emperor Zhaowu had a new child, Rong Ting became even more insignificant in his heart.

"But he is really too smart." It was as if he didn't drink the bowl of soup when he passed through the underworld in his previous life. He is so smart at such a young age that he can think of ideas that Chen Bing, at the age of 32, could not think of. Xu Guozhang said fearfully, "Be careful recently and don't let other princes win him over. In the future, we must find a way to eradicate the root of the problem."

Queen Jiahe was a little anxious.

Xu Guozhang glanced at her and said, "You don't have to panic. He is just a cripple. We can always find a way to deal with him."

He suddenly remembered something, "Shen Que has been looking for an opportunity to see me recently. I heard that his second daughter also wants to see you. Do you know why they want to see you?"