Chapter 83: He must be tired of this...

Zhao Changning felt that the emperor seemed to have more trust in her. In the past, he had been vague about some things, but now he was much more direct.

She couldn't hide her uneasiness, not knowing whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

At the end of February, when Yujing was still cold, Yu Meiren was promoted to Yu Zhaoyi. The emperor did not show favoritism and promoted all the women brought into the palace from the prince's mansion to a higher rank.

However, this Yu Zhaoyi is really eye-catching and very aggressive. I heard that Yonghe Palace has been avoiding her attention recently and has been quite quiet. The harem is really peaceful.

March has finally arrived, and it is time to select this batch of beauties.

Since there was no empress dowager, all matters were arranged by the empress. She informed Zhao Changning in advance, and Zhao Changning discussed the specific time with the emperor, and then went to Kunning Palace to make the selection.

Finally, after selection by the emperor and empress, only seventeen were left, each of them had excellent looks, well-proportioned figures, and graceful figures.

Unfortunately, the flowers in the imperial city are so gorgeous and beautiful that when these women enter, they are just like rivers flowing into the sea, and are not very conspicuous.

As for the remaining unsuccessful concubines, the emperor arranged marriages for some of them to royal sons, and for others to some outstanding new scientists.

Among them, four were left alone by the Empress, who said that they were well-versed in poetry and literature, gentle and intelligent, and very suitable for the job of female officials.

Naturally, these people were given the position of female official of the ninth rank, and their families were exempted from corvee labor, which brought honor to their ancestors.

The remaining twenty or so people were given silver and sent home to marry on their own. Each person received one hundred taels of silver. When they returned home, they also received rewards such as twenty pounds of meat, twenty pounds of eggs, and ten pieces of cloth distributed by the government. It was not a wasted trip.

Just after Qingming Festival, Fang Wenhai from the Maritime Customs arrived with a rosy face.

He didn't want to see the emperor, he just wanted to see Zhao Changning.

Zhao Changning had already received news that the voyage was well prepared, the porcelain was of high quality, and there were even dragon jars that went out to sea, bringing back nine million taels of silver in one fell swoop.

"Nu Shu Ling, can you please ask the Emperor to approve a few more ships for the Maritime Customs?"

Zhao Changning said gently, "You also know that the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works are guarding us like thieves, and the Ministry of Revenue is even more stingy, only allocating so much money a year. It's difficult for the emperor."

Fang Wenhai has worked in the Maritime Customs for many years and is most aware of all the tricks involved. It's a pity.

"Nanyang is great, but if we dump so much of it in such a short time, we'll definitely run out of supplies. Furthermore, those merchants in Nanyang will also sell our porcelain further overseas to make a profit. But since we have ships, why should we keep guarding these small countries near the coast?"

He muttered quietly, "There are also goods coming from Zhejiang now, and there will be more and more. We can't just focus on the present. Nv Shu Ling, warships are not merchant ships. They have much more advantages when sailing on the sea. Even pirates would be suspicious if they saw them."

Zhao Changning pondered, "You're right, but can our ships and the Maritime Customs withstand long voyages?"

I heard that the war at sea is also extremely terrifying, with pirates and bandits appearing in endless numbers. If there are too many casualties, it is inevitable that people will criticize it.

Fang Wenhai said with high spirits, "Nüshu Ling, I heard that Fujian and Zhejiang are working together to suppress bandits and Japanese pirates. I think the ports of Fujian will also be able to flourish in the future, which will save us a lot of money. And Zhejiang, if we can unite and let the Maritime Customs send people to garrison there, we will be able to make more than just porcelain in the future. Nüshu Ling, this is a very profitable business."

Zhao Changning has never been someone who is unwilling to listen to opinions.

"Well, you go back first. I'll find time to talk to the emperor about this. If we can come to a conclusion at the small court meeting, I'll let you know immediately."

Fang Wenhai nodded repeatedly, "Nu Shu Ling, everything depends on you."

After he left, the newly appointed deputy director laughed, "Sir, look at your smile. Did the female secretary agree? It's so quick. I thought it would take a lot of effort."

Fang Wenhai even showed him his cuffs, proudly saying, "I told you, this banknote is useless. The female secretary is no one else, she is the one who really gets things done."

The deputy supervisor was also surprised. "It seems that the Nv Shu Ling is not as those people say."

Thinking of the unpleasant words those people said, he couldn't help but curl his lips.

Fang Wenhai walked side by side with him and said loudly, "Of course not. If it weren't for the Nv Shu Ling, our Maritime Customs would still be cowering and being manipulated. We wouldn't have any ships. Don't listen to what those people say. If the Nv Shu Ling knew, wouldn't it be sad?"

The deputy director thought for a moment and said, "Although we don't need to send silver notes, we still have to send something. We can't let the female secretary feel disappointed."

Fang Wenhai fell into deep thought upon hearing this. "You're right. Our brothers at the Maritime Customs are all well fed and well-drinking. There's no reason to let the female secretary go hungry. We should pick out some goodies and send them to her home."

The silver brought back by the Maritime Customs this time once again filled the national treasury and the Ministry of Revenue.

The emperor promoted the Armoury Bureau without hesitation. Gunpowder and firearms both required large investments, and the Ministry of Revenue was finally able to make up for some of its losses in earlier years. For a time, the court was filled with joy.

Song Huan, however, was very contemptuous.

"This money should be used for good purposes, even for building water conservancy projects and roads for the people, but those people are treating it like the wind blowing in. How shameless!"

Zhao Changning smiled and said, "It's like a strong wind blowing here. I hope I can do good things for the people in the future."

She just listened to these things and got angry at first, after all, it was the path she had worked so hard to find, but gradually, she didn't care so much.

There was too much greed, and she knew she couldn't fight it, so she faced the reality and knew when to face the challenge.

However, if she could pull some people down on the way up, she could still do it.

Although nothing major has happened recently, Zhao Changning can feel the calm before the storm. Even the emperor has become a little more restless and frequently goes to the Armory.

Soon, there were sporadic voices in Yujing talking about things in Prime Minister Gao's family. They said that his old family used the Prime Minister's title to bully the local area. Because they were the Prime Minister's family, this after-dinner gossip spread instantly.

It is widely circulated and has a great influence.

The censors of the Censorate are naturally no pushovers, but the relationships among them are also very complicated. Although they are ready to make a move, no one has actually spoken up yet.

Fortunately, Xu Jiawen was promoted from a local position and was not anyone's disciple, so he directly and severely reported Gao Yun.

This move caused a huge uproar in the court.

Prime Minister Gao is now old. He is a veteran minister of two dynasties and the person entrusted by the late emperor. The number and breadth of his disciples are immeasurable.

Naturally, Xu Jiawen was also criticized by those people.

There were undercurrents in the court, and many people were watching, but some people began to dig deeper into the matter. The emperor was right, with interests involved, someone would naturally stand up.

But they were all minor fights, and no one even dared to mention the issue of land enclosure.

Until this day, Song Zongheng reported the incident of Gao Zhan's son killing his mother, which completely ignited this matter.

"Prime Minister Gao adopted a son, Gao Zhan, to his brother back home. Gao Zhan had a concubine who gave birth to a son, Gao Shen, who married a woman named Wen. The couple were vicious and had beaten countless maids to death. They were disrespectful to their mother-in-law. Gao Shen treated human life as if it were pigs, and Wen was even more disrespectful to her mother-in-law. Gao Shen allowed his wife to kill his biological mother, hoping to use her mother's death as an excuse to avoid his assignment in a remote area. If it weren't for the Gao family's maidservant who couldn't bear the humiliation and secretly went to the authorities to report the case, this matricide would have been almost covered up. The Gao family is a local evil, always using the name of Prime Minister to oppress others, and the surrounding people are suffering..."

In just a few words, without a word of nonsense, he told the whole story, starting with the biggest and most brutal part.

A single stone stirs up a thousand ripples. This is not just the matter of Mingxuan having to hide the death, this is the crime of matricide. In the eyes of the world, there is no crime more serious than this.

Dayong has always attached great importance to filial piety. If this is true, I am afraid it will be condemned by thousands of people.

Zhao Changning stood in the queue, listening to the people around him whispering to each other, and secretly curled his lips.

She looked at Gao Yun's old figure standing still in front of her, and for a moment she didn't know whether to be happy or what.

It was really because his adopted son in his hometown was too troublesome and had no idea of ​​his place. The Prime Minister probably knew his character, so he took the little boy to his side to educate him.

Unfortunately, Gao Zhan remarried and gave birth to another son, Gao Shen, who looked exactly like him. He had done all kinds of bad things over the years. If it weren't for the Prime Minister, he would have been tortured to death by slicing for all those crimes.

After hearing this, the emperor became furious and said that they were as evil as animals. He ordered his men to escort Gao Shen and his wife to Yujing and sent people to investigate the matter thoroughly.

"Lord Gao, what do you think about this matter?" He asked Gao Yun with concern, even though he was murderous and heartbreaking.

Gao Yun was already numb with age, but he still knelt down tremblingly and pleaded guilty, "If this is true, I will never cover it up."

Zhao Changning was also very curious, did Gao Yun know about this?

Perhaps he didn't know, how could those people dare to tell him about matricide? Even if they did, it would be embellished, right?

Yujing was almost surrounded by this matter. At this time, Yunsheng returned to Yujing, late.

The weather has become a little hot, and the thicker spring clothes have been taken off. The entire Yujing City is covered in green shade.

Zhao Changning immediately went to see him. Seeing that he seemed much stronger, he smiled and said, "Were you the one who instigated this?"

Yunsheng's face was filled with anger. "Aunt, those Gao family members are really worthless. If I hadn't arrived in time and happened to run into them, and if I hadn't been there, those people would have thought I was following the emperor's orders, so they didn't dare to hide it. All these coincidences led to the discovery of the matricide."

He scratched his head and said nervously, "Don't worry, auntie. I just pretended to reveal it accidentally. With the Nanchang Prefecture governor fanning the flames, no one will suspect us."

Zhao Changning nodded when he heard this. It didn't matter even if he suspected her.

Besides, how could Yunsheng's little tricks be hidden from those old guys? His disciple Zhao Zhao alone was already exposed, otherwise how could Gao Yun be so calm?

"Have a good rest. It's up to others to take care of it. Don't spread the word about this."

Yunsheng suddenly said, "Aunt, that maidservant is also going to be taken to Yujing. Can you save her? She is really pitiful."

But he didn't get an answer from his aunt.

Zhao Changning felt that the time was almost right, so he returned to Shuier Lane and took Yunqiu to retrieve the evidence left by Mingxuan.

The emperor looked at the thick stack of evidence and sneered, "He really has served as an official for decades and protected his descendants for generations."

As the Gao Shen case escalated, Xu Jiawen, who was initially criticized, suddenly got to the bottom of the matter and reported the case to the main culprit Gao Yun.

Zhao Changning listened to the so-called evidence of land enclosure he mentioned, all of which were provided by Mingxuan, and could not help but look up at the emperor.

When did he start planning this? Xu Jiawen was not someone the emperor knew well, but she was transferred back to Beijing because of her gratitude.

Perhaps he had no plans, but just endured it secretly. In the past four years, he sent the right people to the right positions, and happened to have the right self, so he was able to expose the matter in one fell swoop, and it was not obvious that he had put in any effort.

But this is really not like an emperor who rules the world. He has too many constraints and concerns, and is forced to use imperial tactics to check and balance court officials. There are many things he cannot express in this.

He must be tired of such days.

He wanted to be a unique emperor. This idea suddenly popped up in Zhao Changning's mind. After all, the emperor was young and promising, and had great talent. He would never be willing to be controlled by a group of old men.

She felt inexplicably confused, but her feeling was soon interrupted because Gao Yun fainted.

But the matter has already fermented. Even if Gao Yun died at this moment, the people's anger over the matricide would never stop.

I heard that someone was throwing rotten vegetable leaves and eggs at the door of Gao's house, and at this time Gao Shen and Wen were still on the way to Yujing.

Zhao Changning has been entrusted with tasks by many people, and they all want to ask her for help and say a few words of plea to the emperor.

The Wen family is not an unknown small family. Her family members are also trying desperately to clear her of the charges. After all, once the charges are established, the entire family will probably be implicated.

But the matter is not just about murder and matricide. It involves the struggle between the old and new parties, the struggle for interests, and the struggle between law and human feelings.

Zhao Changning did not feel scared, but excited.

The power struggle is actually not a complicated thing. It is the result of people from all sides fighting for their own interests.

Who says friends and enemies can't live in the same room? Even in the officialdom.

As the initiator, she felt an extremely happy feeling when she saw those people working hard and fighting with each other. Fighting against the sky and against people was an endless joy.

No wonder these people are reluctant to give up power and leave. The feeling of being in control of everything is surprisingly good.

I really hope more female officials will participate and see what these men do every day. After a deeper understanding, they will find that it is nothing more than that.

Along with the hot wind of June came the evidence of the crimes committed by Gao Shen and his wife. I heard that even the murder weapon had been found. This was just the tip of the iceberg. As for the number of people killed by the couple, it would take time to investigate in detail.

Three days later, the much-watched Gao Shen couple finally arrived in Yujing, along with the maidservant who had complained about her master.

When the wall falls, everyone pushes it down. At this time, it suddenly happened that Gao Yun's eldest grandson forcibly abducted a married woman and took her as a concubine. He even did not let her go even though she was pregnant, and also imprisoned her family.

After hearing this, Zhao Changning finally became interested.

The emperor would naturally be concerned about the enclosure issue, but she wanted to see for herself the legal issues. If she could achieve both, Gao Yun would have no chance of escaping this crisis.

It just so happened that the maid was imprisoned in the same place as that family.

Zhao Changning suddenly thought of Yunsheng's plea, his heart moved slightly, and he turned his head to look at the maid first.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she reached the fence, the maid looked at her fiercely and started spitting at her.

"Dog official, bah."

Zhao Changning: “……???”

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The author has something to say: This incident actually happened in history, but I changed it slightly. The real incident was cruel and horrifying, and it was completely out of human nature.

Sometimes when I read history books, I always feel that the world at that time should have been destroyed long ago, but when I look at it now, it is not the case at all.

Judging from recent events, as long as the benefits or certain impulses are sufficient, they will kill not only their wives but also their mothers.

What I feel most sorry for is this maid who reported her master. She is the perfect victim, but no one will plead for her, and the law will not forgive her. She will only leave behind a vague name and a cold death.

The history books record that a small person overturned the verdict and it ended up in a big fuss. In fact, if we study it carefully and in depth, we can see the struggle for interests behind the matter from all parties. The small person is really a consumable.

Considering current events, our ancestors are truly timeless. Humans, too, are constantly reincarnating. [Crack]

Hahahaha, I've said too much and forgot to wish you all a Happy Chinese Valentine's Day yesterday! Love you all!