The actors didn't follow the script

Yinreng set the tone for the three weaving factories. The Hangzhou weaving factory was a separate case, and he issued a secret order to him: pay back the deficit. This job will still be done by your other two people. Yinreng did not want to waste any time with them, so he called them all back to Beijing.

The newly appointed Thirteenth Prince said something about Cao and Li: "Although they are servants, they have been doing business in Jiangnan for decades. Now that they have returned to the capital, what plans should they make? If they remain silent, I'm afraid it will be embarrassing."

"They were originally bondservants. Their masters needed them, gave them privileged positions, and for decades, they've been seeking fame in Jiangnan and marrying into the imperial family. How can they look good?!" Yinreng refused to budge. "They're more comfortable and prestigious than any of the red-belted and yellow-belted officials in the capital. How can we make them look good? Does the Imperial Household Department still have money to let them go short?"

Yunxiang lowered his head: "I was mistaken." No matter how good a person's character is, the people who don't know the truth will feel sorry to see him fall from a great height, not to mention that Cao and Li are still respectful enough to their master.

Yinreng breathed a sigh of relief. "They shouldn't be managing the money! Don't mention the imperial welcome to me. Didn't the Hangzhou weaving factory come to welcome the emperor? They were the late emperor's former servants. I don't want to kill them all. I just hope they'll know what's best for them."

"Then - there are vacancies in these two weaving areas." Who do you think is suitable?

Yinreng frowned and said, "Give Li Kai the title of Jiangning Weaving Supervisor, and let Jiang Ting go in Suzhou Weaving Supervisor!"

It is true that a new emperor appoints new ministers. The Thirteenth Master muttered to himself as he obeyed the order and left.

Jiang Ting, I believe everyone already knows who he is. This Li Kai, however, is a newcomer. Li Kai, courtesy name Tiejun, was a Han Chinese from the Plain Yellow Banner. His grandfather, Li Hengzhong, was the Vice-Governor. His father, Li Huizu, was the Governor-General of Huguang. That wasn't all; the most devastating thing was that his wife was the daughter of Suo Etu. While this man might be considered a man of noble descent, he was indifferent to fame and fortune, and was quite talented.

He was not mentioned in the previous article because he was too low-key. However, this low-key person was quite famous. Yinreng dug him out with good intentions.

First, he was a kind person, not concerned with fame or wealth, and his family was relatively wealthy, making him less likely to commit corruption. Furthermore, Cao Yin enjoyed a much better reputation in Jiangnan than Li Xu, his strengths stemming from his connections with scholars and his own greater cultural sophistication. In terms of talent, Cao Yin was still far behind Li Kai. Cao Yin could write poetry, but Li Kai was more versed in Confucian classics.

Replacing Cao Yin with Li Kai was also intended to eliminate negative public opinion. As for Jiang Ting, he was an honest man, and that was enough. In reality, the two textile manufacturers didn't need to be particularly talented; simply being willing to do their job well would suffice. Furthermore, the two new appointees came from families with generations of officials. Even if they were incompetent, their wives were knowledgeable. Ahem, I misread the phrase, "Even if they were incompetent, their families would still support a few of their staff."

The salt administration that Cao and Li held concurrently was also cancelled. Yinreng gave the salt administration to Li Chenchang, asking him to repay Cao Yin's debt and settle Li Xu's debt at the same time.

After the Jiangnan situation was settled, Yinreng felt that he had done his duty to Kangxi. At least, he did not use a knife, did not force the old minister to repay the debt, and did not confiscate the property - he gave Kangxi enough face.

Then, he met with the Jiangning and Hangzhou weaving supervisors who were about to take up their posts, and sternly ordered them: "Do your job diligently and don't emulate the incompetence of Cao and Li!" Everyone had heard about the experience of Cao and Li being chased for debts by the Fourth Master, and the two had no intention of being greedy (they could gain a lot under the unspoken rules, and they would be fools to ask for more), so they agreed readily.

"You guys go ahead, don't let me down." He had other things to do.

Officials on assignment outside the capital had to meet with the emperor, pledge their loyalty, and receive instructions. Similarly, their wives also had to say goodbye to the empress.

After Yinreng met Jiang and Li, Shujia was about to meet Hesheli and Shuxian. Shujia had not met Hesheli many times, because Li Kai was famous for his literary talent, but he was too lazy to enter the officialdom and resigned after working for a while. Hesheli was not a woman of high rank before, so she could not meet him, whether as the Crown Princess or the Empress.

However, Hesheli's upbringing was excellent. Although she was no longer young, she had a noble air. Shujia's advice was just to "cultivate the inner self" and assist her husband well.

There is a lot to say about Shuxian, and it happened to be in front of Hesheli, uh, a few more reminders: "The prosperity in the south, don't let him be blinded. The emperor is very grateful for the losses suffered by Cao and Li, and must not repeat the same mistakes. Cao and Li are the former emperor's old ministers, but Jiang Ting is not. Do your job well, don't suffer losses, and don't slap the emperor in the face." Whoever makes the emperor lose face, the emperor will make him lose his head! Cao Xueqin's experience was too miserable, and Shujia didn't want her sister to end up like that.

Finally, let me say that if there is anything you think is wrong but cannot be stopped, just "write to me" and I will do it behind the scenes for you.

After the instructions, Hesheli understood. If the first half of what was said to Shuxian was a warning, the second half was a kind reminder. Hesheli could still hear this, especially the "don't hit the emperor in the face".

The two wives took note of it and went back to supervise their husbands.

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After meeting with Li and Jiang, and then with several other officials, Yinreng said to Wei Zhu, "Call Dai Zi."

Dai Zi was known as a member of the Southern Study, but he didn't stay there permanently. He was simply assigned to the Southern Study. If the emperor was in the palace, he would actually be working there, teaching the princes. If the emperor was in Changchun Garden, he would follow him there.

As his living conditions improved, Dai Zi's health continued to improve, and he walked without any hesitation. After entering the house, he greeted Yinreng and said, "Your Majesty has summoned me. What are your instructions?"

Of course, Yinreng had something to do. Early this morning, Li Guangdi, who had just returned from sick leave, came to report that the provincial examination was imminent and the examiners had to be appointed. After meeting Li and Jiang, he was busy with this matter. Among the officials he had just met was the newly appointed examiner, and then he remembered Dai Zi.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Dai Zi served in the Southern Study and later in the Yangxin Palace. He never took the imperial examinations, but he was well-educated, and his son's academic performance was also good. However, Dai Zi suffered the loss of his position and was exiled. The whole family was exiled and listed as criminals. No matter how good their academic performance was, they were not allowed to take the college entrance examination.

Now that he has been pardoned, Yinreng’s meaning is: Your son’s academic performance is not bad, and this is a big thing I have done after taking office. Aren’t you going to come out and support me?

"I heard that your students are all well-educated. I will make sure they don't end up returning home." His tone was firm.

Yinreng admired him more, and Dai Zi knew this and was touched, but he still had a wary eye. Hadn't Kangxi admired him back then? "I never thought I could be pardoned and come to the capital. My son's literary studies weren't for the imperial examinations, and I was afraid they would be embarrassing. Besides, my son hasn't achieved any academic success yet, so he wouldn't be able to take the provincial examinations."

Yinreng smiled and said, "I have read Dai Heng's poems." Dai Zi's son Dai Heng was quite famous in the Liaodong literary world.

Dai Zi coughed with a feeling of pride and embarrassment.

"A scholar has integrity, that's right, and I won't force him. If I give him the title of Jinshi, people will gossip about him. I just give him the title of Xiucai and ask him to take the exam. If he passes based on his own ability, there will be no problem." Yinreng had already thought of a way out, so how could he let Dai Zi refuse?

Dai Zi said in embarrassment: "My son has already arrived in the capital, Qiantang, which is a thousand miles away..."

"Just ask him to take the exam in Beijing."

Who among the scholars doesn't want to seek fame and tell the world: I am a good scholar, I am talented! Dai Zi gritted his teeth. He originally planned to let his son pass the exam all the way up from the scholar level, but now... well, he also wanted to support the emperor.

Yinreng finally smiled happily: "Finally, I can hear some good news these days."

Dai Zi said sternly, "Your Majesty, why do you say that? The world is not corrupt, and I, your son, do not deserve such praise."

Yinreng coughed and said, "I spoke out of turn, I spoke out of turn," and then sighed, "There was a severe drought in Fujian, and the people of Quanzhou turned into bandits. I sent people to pacify them and not to wipe them out. Today I received a memorial that the bandits have come out of the mountains and become the people." Isn't this bad news?

Dai Zimo couldn't help but say, "Can't a commoner even withstand a season of famine?" Has he been plundered so severely?

Yinreng was silent, and after a while he gritted his teeth and said, "Exempt the tax for another year." Damn! The national finances can no longer bear it.

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Just as Yinreng faced a country in need of "a great deal of work," Shujia faced a harem in need of a great deal of work as well. The first thing to be rebuilt wasn't the population, but the rules. Since the death of Kangxi's second empress, Nianhulu, the Qing harem had been practically without an empress. The third, Tong Jia, served as empress for only half a day, a consolation prize before her death. Naturally, no rules were established.

The Qing court had been without an empress for over thirty years. Consequently, concubines went to see the empress dowager on their own (without a leader), wives of concubines met with concubines instead of the empress (who could only visit the empress's mausoleum and pay respects to her tablets), princes and princesses had no pressure to interact with their mothers, and the concubines could vote collectively on resolutions. Thus, a host of other democratic practices emerged.

Consort Mao and Consort Qian inherited this tradition somewhat. Originally, they held no official title as mistresses in the Eastern Palace. Now, having received letters of appointment as mistresses of the First Palace, they naturally had to learn from the old rules. Consort Mao, in particular, had previously only been allowed to interact with her son, a gesture of grace. Her daughter-in-law treated her with respect, but she didn't "serve" her. Now, with her daughter-in-law by her side, the mother, deeply distressed by her son, naturally nags her endlessly. The two spend significantly more time together, and at first glance, they truly seem like a family.

Yinreng's harem was now relatively empty, but rules were still necessary, especially since Hongxi had already married and there were four daughters abducted from the royal palace. No matter how considerate and sympathetic Shujia was to Concubine Mao, she couldn't just let Gegentana impose rules on her. Wouldn't that be singling Concubine Mao out and placing her on a level with the empress? There wasn't any threat at the moment, but it could create a false impression in public opinion, and as illusions continued, trouble was brewing.

This trend cannot be allowed to continue.

Gegentana wasn't someone who didn't know the rules; even if she didn't, the maids would remind her. Gegentana also reported to Shujia daily, and Shujia was quite satisfied with her: it didn't matter if she was a little soft-tempered, as long as she knew what to do.

On this day, something happened. More than half of the year had passed, and another matter was on the agenda.

Gao Sanxie, the head steward of the inner court, came to report to Shujia: "This year, we released some palace maids who were over 25 years old. Later, due to the shortage of people selected by the Imperial Household Department, we have been ordered by the Majesty to release them according to age from oldest to youngest. Some who are over 25 but under 30 have not been released. Starting this year, the Imperial Household Department will select palace maids from the bondservants starting in the autumn of the previous year. After the selection is completed, they will be taught the rules and regulations, and they will be ready for service in winter. At the beginning of spring, the palace maids who have reached the age of 25 will be released again. I have prepared a list of palace maids who have reached the age of 25, and I would like to ask the Majesty to tell me which ones to release and which ones not to release. Once the number of people is calculated, the Imperial Household Department can make the selection."

Shujia thought for a moment and said, "Put the list down. I'll take a look at it slowly." Then she turned to the women who were gathered around her and talking, "I remember there are still some people of age at Concubine Mao and Concubine Qian's places. Go back and take a look. Who to keep and who to leave, and report back tomorrow. Go now. I'm waiting for the news."

Concubine Mao and Concubine Qian stood up to take their leave. Concubine Mao was just waiting to take a look at her daughter-in-law, motioning her to follow along so she could teach her some tips on choosing a suitable partner. Then she heard the Queen say, "The maids from the second daughter-in-law and the princesses' houses are all over the age limit. I know this. You two should stay and help me think about this."

The concubine has no say in household affairs, but the daughter-in-law can.

Concubine Mao had no choice but to leave with Concubine Qian.

Shujia added, "There are probably some people of advanced age at the hands of the Grand Empress Dowager and the imperial concubines. I'll go talk to them myself tomorrow," motioning for the eldest princess to come up. "Come and read out who's here."

The eldest princess stepped forward, took the book, and read out the names of the people working in a certain palace, such as surname So-and-so, age So-and-so, and who his father was...

Shujia listened, commenting occasionally: "This one, judging from her father's title, her family should be well off. If she is released early, it will be easier to find a suitable marriage. If she is released later, it will be difficult to say." "This one, her family is very tight, and she may not marry well even if she goes out. If she is willing to stay, she can stay and receive a share of the money to help support the family."

Finally concluded: "Law is not beyond human nature. If you can take care of everything, just take care of them for a while, it is not a difficult thing. As long as they abide by the rules, there is no need to make things difficult for them. Why not be a good person?" It is also a way to avoid making enemies in the future to prevent the collapse of a thousand-mile dam due to an ant's blood.

Gegentana mentally compared the differences between the Empress and Concubine Mao. She was also the legal wife, so her perspective was different. Concubine Mao's approach was more focused on her son's concern, and her approach was driven by the interests of her small courtyard. Twenty years of habit were hard to change. Comparing the two, the Empress's approach was more in line with Gegentana's own development.

The princesses listened attentively, the older ones taking note and absorbing the advice. Wu Yunzhu, who only half understood, nodded along. Shujia smiled. Even if it was feudal despotism, it still had to consider the feelings and interests of those below it. There were palace maids in this world who dared to strangle the emperor, let alone betray the concubines. Give everyone hope, set an example, let them know that following you will lead to a good outcome, and even those who weren't completely loyal will side with you.

I hope they can figure it out.

The day after Gao Sanxie submitted his name list, Shujia reported this to the Grand Empress Dowager while paying her respects. The Grand Empress Dowager became increasingly listless, squinting her eyes as she enjoyed the massage service of the palace maids. "Just handle these matters as you wish. Why tell me?"

Shujia said, "That can't go beyond you."

"I am always at ease with you doing things." The Empress Dowager was even more lazy to think.

Shujia continued with a smile, "Well, just tell me who you absolutely must keep, and I won't have to replace them later."

The Empress Dowager thought for a long time and counted on her fingers. Shujia heard it very clearly. The old lady almost mentioned everyone around her.

Okay, then don't change any of them.

Next, Shujia asked the imperial concubines and imperial concubines to draft a list of those who absolutely had to stay. These people were smart. In the past, when the age limit was thirty, staying was a privilege, saving them from being left with nowhere to go. Now, at twenty-five, they were allowed to return home, allowing them to seize their youth and marry relatively well. For most, staying would simply make them enemies.

All the imperial concubines and imperial concubines said, "Those who have reached the age will be released." Except for one or two people, who knew that someone's relatives outside were unreliable, they requested to keep a certain palace maid until she became a nanny and could take on other tasks.

Due to the age difference, significantly more maids were destined to be released over the past two years than in previous years. The Imperial Household Department also had to expend considerable effort selecting replacements while preparing for the various ceremonies related to the late emperor's funeral. Even though Shujia implemented a contract responsibility system, whereby whoever worked in the palace was responsible, the remaining personnel still took considerable time, and by the time the list was finalized, it had already taken nearly half a month.

Then, the bondservants who had daughters to be selected began to take action again.

Because there are more people seeking to fill the position, the chances of being selected are higher. This is common sense. If your daughter is destined to be a servant, many families would probably not want her. Those with connections and a comfortable life would try every possible means to seek grace to be exempted from the selection process.

But! The palace is no longer like the Kangxi era, when there were so many masters, no one was superior to the other, and everyone had a say. Now that there is a legitimate master, the Empress, you want to plead for mercy? It's useless to talk to the concubines (there are so few concubines). When the Empress says something, you're done.

This was truly a frustrating situation. Originally, visiting the Empress's family would have been a good option, but they were in mourning, making it difficult for them to enter the palace. Hesheli could also seek help, but the results were uncertain. Another option was to try the connections of the concubines, but the chances of success would likely be even lower.

What should we do? Just when everyone was worried, someone took a shortcut to the Queen and successfully persuaded her.

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Concubine Mi, however, was a cautious person. Having been in the palace for over twenty years, she enjoyed considerable favor, yet remained honest and dutiful. This was partly due to her temperament, and partly due to her understanding of the situation—even though Kangxi favored her, she had three sons, and her position remained stable. Therefore, she sought to maintain a minimum level of security when doing things, and was reluctant to publicize it.

On Concubine Mi's birthday, the vanguard of Li Xu's family, who had been recalled, arrived in Beijing, naturally offering birthday gifts. Leading the group was Li Xu's son, and while outsiders were barred from seeing the late emperor's concubine, the family members came in to kowtow and make a request to Concubine Mi: "The girls in our family have been spoiled and don't know the rules. I'm afraid they might offend you, Master Mi. Please take care of them."

Before leaving, Li Xu ordered that his granddaughter not seek a magistrate's exemption from the selection process, but rather that she enter the palace, but request that Concubine Mi look after her. Concubine Mi's daughter-in-law was the Empress's sister, so she would definitely have to use the Empress's connections. This would most likely succeed. If the Empress took action to keep her, she wouldn't treat her too harshly, and the child's future would be bright.

When Concubine Mi heard that it wasn't a request for exemption from the selection, she was relieved: "Prince Yong is in charge of the Imperial Household Department now, and he has strict control. If you want to be exempted, I won't be able to say anything. If you want to be taken care of, I'm in the palace and I can always find a way."

Receiving a relatively easy request, Concubine Mi breathed a sigh of relief. She had feared the problem was too difficult and she wouldn't be able to help. The next day, she approached her daughter-in-law for advice: "I'd like to have this child come to serve me, without causing trouble for others. What do you think?"

Shuhui thought to herself, "When she's in your presence, it's not just serving you. No matter what kind of person she is, she's already half a guest. I'm your daughter-in-law, and I have to follow some rules when I'm in your presence. I don't have to stand all the time, but it's still annoying, isn't it? What if you take care of her and then, seeing that she's in her twenties and it's hard for her to get married, give her to my husband? I'll have no place to cry."

Thinking of this, Shuhui smiled: "Mother, you are too cautious. I think the children of the Li family are also treated as precious treasures and pampered at home. To serve in the palace? The young lady will be reduced to a maid, which is too unfair to her. Although the rules have been changed now and she can be released at the age of 25, let's be frank. At the age of 25, she may not marry well even if she is released. Mother, if you want to take care of her, you might as well not let her enter the palace."

Concubine Mi said, "You say that so easily! Even though we are in the palace and have seen the master and his wife frequently and are somewhat familiar with each other, we should not use all our honors. It's not just me, even though you are the master and his wife's sister, you should also be frugal."

Shuhui bowed her head and acted respectfully, "My wife, don't bother with that." She continued to try to persuade Concubine Mi, "Mother said we should be frugal with our pride, but... one sentence is enough, two sentences are enough. Isn't asking for the child already a sacrifice of pride? Since we already owe a favor, we might as well see it through to the end. What do you think?"

Concubine Mi was a little tempted, but Shuhui added fuel to the fire: "We don't know what the child will look like yet. The Li family is mostly modest. How could a girl from such a family not know the rules? But if there is something wrong with her, the palace has strict rules, and you can't protect her all the time."

Concubine Mi was finally persuaded: "I'll do as you say. But... I don't have many opportunities to meet the master alone." You have to do this.

Shuhui answered readily, "I'll go see her tomorrow. It just so happens that Prince Yu's wife and Prince Jian's wife are coming tomorrow too. They're all acquaintances, so it's easy to talk to them."

Concubine Mi was quite pleased. Her daughter-in-law had stepped forward to help someone, which earned her a lot of face in the Li family. After all, she owed them a favor. Her daughter-in-law was kind and thoughtful, and her attitude towards her was also correct. She was very considerate of her. Concubine Mi smiled and asked, "How has our eldest prince been these days?" She was asking about Shuhui's son, the fifteenth prince's eldest son, who was not even a month old.

Talking about her son, Shuhui became more talkative: "He babbles all day long. I don't know what he is mumbling. I can't hear a single clear sound."

"He's not even a year old yet, how can he speak so soon?"

…

…

…

Shuhui did what she said and raised the issue at Shujia's "sisters' gathering".

Also present today were Shuyi and Ninghui. Ninghui's illness had healed, though she looked thinner. Shuyi, on the other hand, was enjoying a comfortable life. Now that she had a son, she no longer had to worry about Baotai's eldest son and his wife getting into trouble with her. Her main focus now was cultivating good relations with the palace and securing a good future for her son. It would be ideal if the child could study at the palace when he grew up.

When they met Ning Hui, the three of them first asked about her health. Ning Hui said, "I feel a lot better now that I'm better now."

Shuhui said: "Sister-in-law, this is not just feeling, it also looks lighter."

Everyone laughed. Shujia said, "It seems that Imperial Physician Fang is quite capable." He cured the patient. Shuyi said, "Everyone in the Imperial Hospital is one in a hundred. The last time our eldest prince was sick, the prescription prescribed by Imperial Physician He was also effective."

After a few words about the imperial physician, Shuhui turned to the main topic and talked about the issue of Li Xu's granddaughter. There was no need to be shy about it, so she hinted that it would be better not to allow some maids from bannermen families to enter the palace.

At the mention of this, the three "sisters" all turned serious. Shuyi said, "That's what Fourth Girl is thinking." Ning Hui was even less cautious and said bluntly, "These families have always been begging for grace to be exempted from the selection process, but this time they're willing to send their daughters in. It's simply bizarre!"

Abnormal things are monsters, and abnormal people are calculative.

The four of them exchanged glances. What other intentions could there be? They couldn't help but think about it. Think about it, with all the luxury out there, who would want to come to the palace to be a servant unless they were a little bitch? That meant someone had something bigger in mind.

Shuyi said decisively: "No."

Ning Hui also said, "Give them some grace."

Shuhui was a little nervous: "There are so many men in the palace, what if one or two are careless?" Actually, it wasn't carelessness, but rather good conditions. Think about Cao Jiashi, the iron-hat royal wife, who had done it, and done it successfully, which shows that some girls from bondservant families are quite capable. Such a girl entering the palace would be a destabilizing factor.

Not to mention any negative impact on the emperor, Shujia would not be happy even if it entertained the prince.

Mothers have a lot on their minds, and Shujia is no exception. With so many women from the imperial household entering the palace, the honest and obedient ones are fine, but if any of them have ulterior motives or family troubles, and if they were a bit more virtuous and got involved with the princes, they would be a "pig-like teammate." Look at Hongxi, he was caught in the crossfire even when he was lying down. His father-in-law had committed a crime, and in the eyes of many, he was no longer valuable.

Shujia didn't want her son to fall in love with a palace maid before marriage. What if he ended up with a bastard son, and then his grandson's grandfather was found to be an embezzler? That would be worse than eating a dead fly. Or, if her son was still young and in love, and she got a palace maid, and they made a vow of eternal love, her legitimate wife would become the third party.

"The emperor and I are both in filial piety, so let's be frugal." Shujia made the decision.

Ning Hui said, "If there are one or two girls who are good-looking and have good personalities, they might as well stay. Well, I heard that Master Qian has quite a few clever girls."

Shujia smiled and said, "Princess Qian is so lucky to have such a good maid serving her."

The three of them felt a chill wind blowing through them and stopped talking about the matter.

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Despite strict mourning, sexual intercourse was prohibited, but the emperor and empress still met once or twice a day. For Yinreng, walking to see his wife was a welcome respite from his heavy workload. Furthermore, as the head of the household, while excessive attention to the harem was undesirable, he could not remain completely oblivious, especially since many matters within the harem were connected to those of the previous dynasty.

When they arrived at Shujia's residence, Yinreng took off his hat. Shujia took the wrung handkerchief from Hongxiu's hand and wiped his face: "It's not hot outside today, you didn't sweat much."

Yinreng turned his neck and asked: "What do you have to eat?"

"There's some delicious soup, would you like some?"

"Great kindness."

A little sour bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup was quite palatable in the summer. There was no need to worry about overdosing; Yinreng was working non-stop, so a little supplementation wouldn't matter. After drinking two bowls of soup with steamed buns, Yinreng breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, walking slowly to help digest the food.

The couple took a walk after dinner. The sun had slowly set and it was no longer hot outside. The mosquitoes had not yet come around, so it was a perfect time to take a slow walk and chat.

Shujia then talked about the palace maids: "We are short of manpower now, so we should just hire those who can work. It would be hard to train these delicate girls."

Yinreng said, "I don't want to give them this grace." Yes, exemption from selection is a grace. "They receive money and grain but refuse to serve, and after taking on the duties, they harm the public and enrich themselves. Do you think I'm being taken advantage of?"

"Then ask her to come in? Put her in the care of Concubine Mi? When Concubine Mi sees her, she'll think of the Li family and remember their kindness. Wait until the fifteenth and sixteenth princes come to you and beg for mercy. Then see what you'll do."

Yinreng snorted, "They got it for free!"

Shujia said, "It's a good thing for me. I can have peace of mind now."

Yinreng was itching for a moment: "Don't say anything yet, just choose as you wish, and then leave at the end."

So cruel... It's not exemption from selection, it's elimination.

"Okay." Anyway, the goal has been achieved.

After agreeing, Shujia laughed again. Yinreng asked curiously, "What's so funny?"

"You're pretending to be so fierce, but you're just trying to save them for the sake of the late emperor, right?"

Yinreng made another ferocious expression to Shujia, which made her laugh even louder: "Don't be shy."

Yinreng, who was being fucked by his wife, raised two fingers and quickly poked his wife's armpits twice. Shujia quickly jumped away and almost fell: "Don't be shameless."

After laughing for a while, Yinreng felt a little relieved and sighed, "It's been almost a year. Next month, those who are supposed to get married will still get married, and those who are supposed to watch a play will still watch a play."

"My relatives may be sad, but others are already singing." Shu Jiaman chanted.

Yinreng continued, "What is there to say about death? My body will be buried in the mountains."

Their eyes met, then they both withdrew. Yinreng took his wife's hand and said, "No matter what, Khan Ama will always be in my heart. I will live up to his expectations and create a great and prosperous era."

Shujia tightened her grip: "You can do it. I believe you."

Yinreng said, "You're too confident. There are many difficulties..." He talked about the various recent changes, famine, banditry, corruption, and incompetent officials...

Shujia was speechless as she listened to Yinreng recite many solutions. Finally, she said, "Aren't you already doing it? It's never too late to start. There's no road longer than your feet. I'll just wait and see."

"I will definitely teach you to see it!" Yinreng encouraged himself again, "I will transfer the fourth son to the Ministry of Revenue tomorrow."

Shujia nearly choked on her saliva. Was he going to ask the Fourth Brother to collect the debt? "Now? The late emperor's anniversary is approaching. Shouldn't he finish his work at the Imperial Household Department first?"

"Old Thirteenth will get the hang of it quickly, so there's no need to worry." The main reason was that Fahai was too efficient in offending people in the Ministry of Revenue. If we waited another month, he might be covered with sacks and hit with bricks. If we sent Old Four over, the first thing he would do would not be to collect the debt, but to communicate with Fahai.

Shujia didn't understand much about what was going on outside, so she could only say, "Old Thirteen is a meticulous person."

Yinreng said, "That's right. I'll feel at ease if I leave it to him."

It was too early to be relieved. Within two days, Hongxi, who had learned his lesson from the beating he received last time, came to tell Yinreng: "Third uncle and thirteenth uncle are arguing with each other."

It’s understandable, very understandable. To Yunxiang, Yunzhi is not only his third brother, but also the jerk who lost his temper at his mother’s funeral. To Yunzhi, Yunxiang is not only his thirteenth brother, but also a lunatic who rolled his eyes at him the whole time.

The anniversary of the late emperor's death required the cooperation of the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites. Essentially, many major imperial events and rituals were handled through collaboration between these two departments, though occasionally, the Ministry of Revenue and other departments would also get involved—to allocate funds.

Originally, the fourth and third brothers worked together quite well, and whenever the third brother occasionally slacked off, the fourth brother would pick up the slack. The fourth brother was diligent and would point out any omissions, so the third brother would just follow his instructions, which was worry-free. Now the thirteenth brother had taken over, and he was also a meticulous person. He pointed out any omissions, but not only did he point them out, he also offered a little sarcasm. The sarcasm would be fine, but he also added, "You're worse than a child." This child was Hongxi, who was already married.

When Hongxi saw that the situation was not good, he ran to complain to Yinreng: "My third uncle and thirteenth uncle have been at odds for a long time. They quarrel all day long. I am afraid that it will delay... the anniversary sacrifice of the late emperor." Please don't beat me when the time comes.

Yinreng thought about it and realized that the anniversary ceremony had been almost completed when the fourth brother was in charge. All that was left was to finish it off so as not to cause any delays. However, it was not a good idea for this family of brothers to continue to quarrel like this.

It just so happened that both the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites were due to report on the anniversary of the sacrifice, and Yinreng wanted to seize the opportunity to reconcile the two of them, so that their friendship and respect for each other would become a beautiful story. This was a forced reconciliation, and Yinreng's idea was simple: your personal grudges cannot interfere with my work. Now you must adjust your attitude and cooperate with my work, rather than making me rack my brains to separate you two every time I assign a task to avoid a fight.

The Thirteenth Brother was not grateful, very much not grateful, and the Third Brother was also very depressed, extremely depressed.

Yinreng had a beautiful idea: the third brother apologized again, and the thirteenth brother accepted the apology. Yinreng had written a script for a happy ending, but his two younger brothers were too individualistic and did not follow his script.

Yunzhi: I lost my title and got scolded for shaving my head, and even kowtowed to Concubine Min's tablet to apologize. I've already paid the price, and now I have to pay a second time?

Yunxiang: If your mother died and was still humiliated like this, would you let it go? You'd never forgive her even if you died! If I forgave her, wouldn't that be unfilial?

You still have to give face to Yinreng. In front of his second brother, he can call him "Third Brother" and "Thirteenth Brother", but he can still pinch him as he pleases later.

Fortunately, Yinreng saw the opportunity this time and sent his beloved son Hongxi to the fourth uncle, under the pretext of rotational training. It was easy to get ahead with one uncle, but now, caught between two uncles, Hongxi's young body was left with nothing but complaints. Complaining was not a good thing.

It should be said that Yinreng was extremely foresighted in this matter, otherwise, after what happened next, he would have punished even his own son.

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Yunxiang himself didn't know how to deal with his third brother. Killing him was unrealistic, and he didn't have the heart to do it. He couldn't forgive him, either, and was furious at Yunzhi's prosperity. He hurriedly finished his work and went to find his fourth brother. His reason was clear: to learn from him how to overhaul the Imperial Household Department.

His fourth brother was suffering, so he wasn't afraid of having Prince Yong do some work, but he was daunted by the prospect of mediating relationships, especially when one of the parties involved was Fahai. Fahai, his half-uncle, was highly educated and sharp-tongued. Unless he could slap him to death, he was a headache for everyone.

At this moment, a savior appeared from nowhere: Old Thirteen. Thirteenth Master was considered Fahai's student, and the two of them had some topics to talk about. Prince Yong breathed a sigh of relief: "You two can chat." He still had to teach his nephew, and only had time now. In a few months, the investigation would begin, and he would have no time to teach Hongxi.

This conversation caused trouble. Tong Guogang's family tradition was to kick the tree three times. The law teacher said to the student, "He often makes mistakes. Why don't you just not remind him? Why are you arguing? It will only make people think you are too narrow-minded. Those who do evil will eventually fall. The Second Prince is no longer in the Ministry of Rites. There is no need to be cautious and let him make mistakes."

Yunxiang's face darkened: "I can't ruin Khan Ama's anniversary."

Fahai curled his lips and said, "My Thirteenth Master, can't you quietly make up for his omissions? When the superiors are angry with him, you can come up with a remedy and the difference will be immediately apparent!"

The idea was not bad, and Yunxiang was tempted. Unexpectedly, Yunzhi made mistakes all the time, and most of his mistakes happened at funerals. Yunxiang discovered another problem during another communication session: Yunzhi had omitted a step!

Anyone who has done preparatory work knows that the most stressful part isn't the beginning, but the end. At the beginning, everything you do is focused on perfection, but by the end, all that's left is finding the missing pieces, a task that can easily lead to failure.

The Imperial Household Department was primarily responsible for staff deployment and the preparation of equipment, while procedural matters were the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites. Yunxiang's heart skipped a beat, and he quietly checked for the missing steps. He then quietly prepared the necessary personnel and equipment, waiting to launch the attack.

Even more unfortunate was that the Thirteenth Master, who was already a government official and had some connections, accidentally heard about his third brother accepting bribes. If you pay attention, you will find that there are actually quite a few people in their family who do such things, but who made Yunzhi unlucky enough to be targeted by his Thirteenth Brother?

Once people pay attention to something, they will find that there is actually a lot of information about it.

The impeachment memorial against Yunzhi was placed on Yinreng's desk.

Yinreng clenched his fists and said, "I'll endure it for now. My brothers often break the law, so this isn't too much." The anniversary of the late emperor has arrived, so we must be friendly and fraternal.

Or two days before the anniversary, he complained to his wife: "Old Thirteen is that little bastard!"

"Speak slowly."

Yinreng couldn't help but pound the table. "He watched Third Brother make a mistake without saying a word. When I realized he'd made a mistake, he apologized to me in person, went out for a walk, and came back to tell me everything was ready. 'I'm sure Third Brother's negligence won't delay the late emperor's important work.'" A feeling of being fooled filled Yinreng's every cell. "He's using the late emperor's important work to pawn me! What a disloyal and unfilial man!"

Shujia said hurriedly: "You are being too harsh. Don't jump to conclusions before you understand the situation clearly."

Yinreng snorted coldly, "I'm still holding onto the memorial implicating the Third Brother! Whose disciple do you think is the one who submitted the memorial?"

"The anniversary is the day after tomorrow."

"I save it."

Yinreng really endured the anniversary, performing the necessary rituals and offering sacrifices.

On the anniversary, the whole family was still together, but after the anniversary, he began to hold people responsible. After the anniversary, almost everyone happily took off their plain clothes, started talking about marriage, matchmakers and boatmen, and thunder sounded upwards.

Since the anniversary celebration was jointly hosted by the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites, the chief officials of both departments had to attend.

Yunzhi might seem like a victim, but he deserved punishment for his inattention to the late emperor's important work. His part-time position at the Ministry of Rites was revoked, with Yinreng's original words being, "I'm a mess in my work. I'm only reasonably knowledgeable in poetry and prose. I'm ordered to write a letter with Chen Menglei." At the same time, his title was demoted from Prince to Duke of a County, and he was stripped of two of his assistants as a punishment.

Yunxiang's punishment was even more severe. Yinreng had originally wanted to use the anniversary celebration as an excuse to promote him to the rank of Beile, but now that was no longer possible. He was stripped of his Beizi title, and was only given the title of "Beizi rank", and was then sentenced to guard the mausoleum.

As for the Ministry of Rites, Yinreng transferred Hongxi there to take charge, and as for the Imperial Household Department, Yinreng asked his honest fifth and twelfth brothers to jointly take charge.

When the decree was issued, the entire court was shocked. Some people speculated: These two have always been at odds, and putting them together will only lead to internal strife, won't it?

And in the Thirteenth Prince's residence, there was a sound of weeping. The Thirteenth Prince's concubines cried at that time, guarding the mausoleum, when can they come back? When they cried, how could the young children not cry too?

The Thirteenth Lady remained calm. She distributed the purses to the eunuchs who had come to deliver the imperial edict and asked her husband three questions: "Is this true?", "Do you regret it?", and "Do you feel happy at all?"

"Yes." "Yes." "Yes." Yunxiang was bewildered by the punishment he received. He had not expected such a severe punishment, and even more so, his plan had been discovered. He was momentarily bewildered, but after answering his wife's three questions, his consciousness returned, his eyes firmed, and he looked intently at Zhao Jia.

Zhao Jia also looked at him: "I understand, pack your luggage now, no matter where you go, I will accompany you."

The background sound of the concubines' sobbing seemed to fade away, so vague that it could no longer be heard clearly. Yunxiang curled his lips and said, "Okay."

The gaze was interrupted: "Thirteenth Master, Fu Jin, the Fourth Master is here."

"You... take care of the children. I'm going to go see Fourth Brother."

Prince Yong was very anxious. He had a good relationship with the Thirteenth Brother and hurried to see him. Yunxiang remained calm and said to the anxious Prince Yong, "Fourth Brother, I'm fine. I tried my best and I feel better now."

Fourth Brother wanted to slap him! "Do you really need to sacrifice yourself?" He said very literary, "Will Concubine Min be happy if you act like this? She wants you to live a good life the most!"

Yunxiang chuckled, "If I don't do this, I won't be able to get over it. Fourth brother, I don't want to mess up Khan Ama's plans."

"If you had really messed up, things wouldn't be like this now. You should think about it seriously. I'll figure out the rest." He left with a sigh.

Later, many of his brothers and sisters came, but they only said that he was "confused" and asked him to seriously reflect on himself. Yunxiang was numb to them. Finally, he packed his bags and took his wife and children to reflect on his mistakes.

The Thirteenth Master was punished, and thus freed from the turmoil, but his troubles at court were far from over. The chief censor, Zhao Shenqiao, perhaps feeling derelict in his duty by not impeaching the emperor for such a serious matter, was deeply offended and began to diligently find fault with others.

The author has something to say:

[1] After the "night watch in the tent palace" recorded in history books, the Thirteenth Prince was neglected. Even when the Crown Prince was reinstated, he had no role to play. Therefore, many people speculate that he played an ignominious role in the process of deposing the Crown Prince. After that, Yongzheng deleted many records after he came to power.

TT, I just can't believe the Thirteenth Master would do such a thing. What good would he gain from the Crown Prince's downfall? Is he a member of the Zhiwang Party? Absolutely not!

I can only speculate that it's because of his conflict with the Third Brother, who at least appears to be on the Crown Prince's side. From the Crown Prince's perspective, the Third Brother is more important than the Thirteenth Brother. If he were to express his stance, he might even be on the Third Brother's side. Thirteenth Brother would absolutely not be able to swallow the humiliation of having his own mother scorned (I wouldn't be able to swallow it either). By being so stubborn, the Crown Prince has become the bad guy. He might not proactively set a trap for the Crown Prince to fall into, but he'd be fine with setting one up if he could, but he wouldn't offer any help anyway.

The above, welcome to discuss.

PS: I actually just want to make Thirteenth Master unlucky for a while, so that he can live with Thirteenth Lady.