Chapter 182: Be close to villains and stay away from wise ministers?
"Your Majesty, I have let go of everything in the past. I have rejected Your Majesty many times, but Your Majesty is stubborn and will not change his mind. Now that I have come to Your Majesty today, I beg Your Majesty to make the decision."
Jiang Rumin came to Jun Liluo and knelt down. "Your Highness always comes uninvited and keeps saying that he wants to compensate me. I want to say that if Your Highness can stop bothering me from now on, it will be the best compensation for me."
Jun Tianyi's body stiffened. He looked at Jiang Rumin and moved his lips.
He had a lot of things he wanted to say to her, but in front of so many people, some private words could not be said.
Thinking back to every little thing they had experienced in the past, he was unwilling to believe that Jiang Rumin really disliked him.
Has she really forgotten all those romantic times they had?
"Uncle, did you hear everything? Your request for peace is just a nuisance to her. Many people know about the farce in Ruihe Hall. Several ministers have impeached you. If I don't punish you, others will think that I am biased towards my uncle and that I am not fair and just."
Jun Tianyi came back to his senses and took over the conversation, "Your Majesty, I am willing to accept the punishment for offending Miss Jiang, but what explanation should Prime Minister Song give for the beating of my followers by Prime Minister Song's concubine? Your Majesty cannot just listen to their one-sided words."
"The situation was chaotic at the time, and there were no outsiders present. Miss Jiang's two maids could not serve as effective witnesses. After all, Miss Jiang and Prime Minister Song were friends, so it was reasonable for her maids to side with the Song family."
The quarrel between him and Minmin had come to this point, and he had no choice but to give in first.
Even the emperor has stepped in, and if he still refuses to give in, he will undoubtedly be asking for trouble.
Everyone accused him of trespassing into Ruihe Hall, and he found it difficult to argue, so he simply admitted his mistake. However, Hu Siniang dared to act wildly in front of him and beat Du Zhong half to death, so he could not expect to keep quiet.
Seeing that he was pointing the finger at him, Song Yunchu raised his eyebrows slightly, "Your Majesty has already admitted that he broke into a private residence, what else do you want to ask me for an explanation?"
"Regarding whether Du Zhong molested Si Niang, apart from our two people, there is indeed no other outsider who can testify. The prince thinks that Yingchun and Shaoyao's testimonies do not count. Similarly, the prince recognizes Du Zhong's character out of personal selfishness. As masters, we all protect our subordinates, so it is useless for you to vouch for him. You insist on saying that Si Niang wronged him, where is the evidence?"
Song Yunchu said, glancing at Du Zhong: "I just heard from Fourth Lady that he dared to yell at Miss Jiang in Ruihe Hall? It shows that he was spoiled by the prince and felt that he was superior. Maybe there was a misunderstanding between him and Fourth Lady, but he was frivolous and domineering and lost his sense of propriety. I think it is not unfair for him to be beaten."
"I don't have much to say to you, but I want to remind you, Your Highness, that as the emperor's uncle, you should be careful with your words and actions and maintain the dignity of the royal family. You should also discipline your subordinates and not let them go too wild outside, otherwise you will lose face."
"How dare you teach me a lesson?" Jun Tianyi glared at Song Yunchu, his eyes as sharp and cold as a sword.
"What Prime Minister Song said is what I want to say as well."
Jun Liluo did not give Jun Tianyi a chance to continue to defend himself, and said indifferently: "Uncle, from now on you are not allowed to trespass into Ruihe Hall. There is a plaque granted by me in that place. Jiang Rumin has the final say on who she wants to receive and who she wants to drive away. She has made great contributions to the country. If she does not even have this privilege, it is too unreasonable. It is a fact that you offended her. I will fine you one year's salary as compensation. In addition, you will stay at home for half a month and you are not allowed to leave the house without my permission."
When Song Yunchu heard this, a smile appeared in his eyes.
[The annual salary of the prince of this dynasty, plus the miscellaneous subsidies during the holidays, is at least 20,000 taels of silver. Well, Jiang Rumin really made a lot of money this time. ]
[For the scumbag, this salary fine to Jiang Rumin would not make him too angry, the key point is to confine himself to reflect on his mistakes for half a month. With the speed at which the people in the imperial city spread the news, within three to five days, it would not take half a month, and everyone in the streets and alleys would know that Prince Yi failed to harass a decent woman and was put in solitary confinement by the emperor.]
[Tsk, it's really hard for the Concubine Dowager. She has worked hard for the reputation of Prince Yi's Mansion for so many years, and now it is about to be ruined by a scumbag. The dignified prince was punished to be put in solitary confinement for being a hooligan. It's really laughable. ]
[Look at the scumbag's facial muscles twitching... he's really broken. ]
"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept the salary deduction. I beg Your Majesty not to confine me for half a month."
Jun Tianyi pleaded with Jun Liluo, "The Flower Goddess Festival is coming soon, and my mother has to go to the temple to burn incense and pray for blessings. I want to accompany her, otherwise I will be worried."
"It's not like the palace doesn't have experts. Why should the emperor's uncle be worried?"
Jun Liluo was unmoved, and said slowly, "If the emperor's uncle is really worried, I can send more people to protect the concubine. I have to give an explanation to those ministers who impeached you."
Jun Tianyi: “…”
The reputation of Prince Yi's Mansion has always been good, and no minister has the luxury of impeaching him. This time, it was because he was caught making a mistake that people had the opportunity to impeach him. It goes without saying that those memorials must have been submitted by Song Gouze's followers.
No one knows how many times Song Gouzei has been sued throughout this year. The impeachment memorials against him could pile up into a mountain, but the emperor has never given him any actual punishment.
Why should he be put in solitary confinement in the mansion just for a few memorials?
People in teahouses and taverns loved to gossip. He couldn't imagine how much discussion he had received during the half month he was locked up in the mansion.
The emperor often said that he was a relative, but in reality, how could he treat him as his own family? He punished him without mercy.
Being close to villains and distant from wise ministers... It is really sad that Tianqi's kingdom fell into the hands of such a foolish monarch.
"As for your subordinate, uncle, it is a fact that he is arrogant and domineering. He can't blame anyone for being beaten. Uncle, you must control your people well in the future."
Jun Liluo said, turning to Song Yunchu, "Song Qingjia, you too, should control your concubines and don't act rashly outside, so as not to bring trouble to the reputation of the Xiangfu."
"Your Majesty, I will follow your instructions." Song Yunchu bowed and said, "Although Du Zhong is domineering, Si Niang did hit him too hard. I will punish her when I return home."
Hu Si Niang also quickly bowed her head and responded, "I know I was wrong, and I will be careful with my words and actions in the future."
She didn't dare to look up, for fear that someone would see that she couldn't hold back her laughter.
Lord Song said that he would punish her when he returned home. No one else could see whether she was punished or not, so it was just a matter of his word.
Even though Jun Tianyi was unwilling, he could only respond respectfully, "Your Majesty's admonition will be remembered in my heart."
The emperor's partiality was so obvious that it was useless for him to say more.
After leaving the imperial study, he suppressed his emotions all the way, not wanting others to notice that he was acting strangely.
It was not until he got on the carriage back to the palace that he released the anger in his heart. He swept away everything on the small table, and scattered fruits and snacks everywhere.
Recalling that when the late emperor was still alive, he was quite appreciative of his younger brother, and he once swore in front of the late emperor that he would assist the prince well.
Unexpectedly, the accident came too suddenly. The prince fell off his horse while hunting and became disabled. From then on, he gave up on himself, became insane and erratic, and finally died of depression in less than half a year.
Afterwards, the late emperor fell ill and other princes also suffered accidents one after another.
The fourth prince was killed by a falling plaque while out of the palace for fun, the fifth prince fell into the water and died after drinking, and the second prince was kidnapped by a prisoner who escaped from prison and his whereabouts are unknown.
Jun Li Luo, the Sixth Prince, suffered from frequent heart attacks and became increasingly weaker. It looked like he was about to die. All the civil and military officials in the court were extremely worried, for after all, he was the last living descendant of the previous emperor.
During that period, all kinds of rumors were circulating in the streets. The most ridiculous one was that the late emperor had committed too many killings, angering God, so that the princes were punished one after another. If the last Sixth Prince could not be saved, he would have to choose the most virtuous one among his brothers to be appointed as the Crown Prince to inherit the country.
The late emperor certainly didn't want to give the kingdom he had built to his brother, and God didn't seem to be too cruel to him. Jun Li Luo actually survived, and after being treated by a group of imperial doctors, although his heart disease was not cured, he was not bedridden all day.
It is said that the Sixth Prince escaped death because he was blessed by God and he is a blessed man.
A blessed person? Jun Tianyi thought: He must be the most vicious, despicable, cold-blooded and ruthless person.
Were the princes' seemingly unexpected deaths really a punishment from heaven? He didn't believe such nonsense. In his opinion, Jun Liluo's victory didn't seem like luck or blessing, but he had no evidence and couldn't investigate it openly.
Jun Li Luo's so-called "turn danger into safety" might be a self-torture tactic. If he remained safe, the death of the princes would make him bear a lot of talk in the court. But when he also became a victim and was on the verge of death, the first thing the ministers thought of was to preserve the last bloodline of the late emperor. Some people searched everywhere for famous doctors in seclusion, and some prayed day and night. Until Jun Li Luo showed signs of improvement, they seemed to have taken a reassurance pill and recognized that this prince who survived the disaster was the future emperor.
The three families of Shen, Zhao and Ye hold heavy military forces and are Jun Li Luo's most loyal supporters. Anyone who questions Jun Li Luo is suppressed by them. After Jun Li Luo succeeds to the throne, he also makes use of these people.
Song Gouzei was originally one of the Twelve Scholars. When Jun Liluo was regent, the late emperor ordered Prime Minister Liu to assist him. However, Prime Minister Liu was over sixty years old and in poor health. Jun Liluo was not close to Prime Minister Liu, and ordered him to rest more on the grounds that Liu was old and weak. Gradually, the political power was taken over by Song Yunchu.
Although Prime Minister Liu was not well-received, he was a veteran after all. Jun Liluo gave him some face and did not shake Liu Xiang's official title. Instead, he directly set up left and right prime ministers, saying that the two prime ministers were equal. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Prime Minister Song had already surpassed Prime Minister Liu. It was heard that Liu Xiang was sick at home and coughed up blood, and it was not known whether it was due to illness or anger. After that, he kept claiming to be sick and recuperating at home.
Jun Tianyi just found it ridiculous.
This seemingly gentle and frail Majesty is actually darker and more cruel than the late emperor. He does whatever he wants, is shrewd but unwise. He does not want the veterans left by the late emperor, but instead favors a notorious villain. If this continues, he will only become more and more foolish.
Jun Tianyi stared at the wall of the car in deep thought, a secret idea slowly emerging in his mind.
Until a voice came from outside the carriage -
"Your Majesty, we're here."
Jun Tianyi came back to his senses at this point, and when he opened the curtain he saw that he was already outside the palace.
Without realizing it, he had been in a trance for so long.
He was unwilling to be buried. If the new emperor could value him as much as the previous emperor did, he would definitely be a widely praised wise minister and would not be full of resentment.
The emperor has no children yet. If something unexpected happens...
The next successor can only be the emperor's uncle.
…
"Sir, you told His Majesty in the Imperial Study this morning that you would punish me for my recklessness when I returned home. How do you plan to punish me?"
In the courtyard of the Song Mansion, Hu Siniang asked Song Yunchu while feeding dried fish to the civet cat under a tree.
Song Yunchu stroked the fur of the white cat on his knees and said leisurely, "I'll punish you by eating two less meat dishes for dinner."
Hu Si Niang cried out, "This punishment is really too harsh for me. I am such a big eater, but you deducted two dishes from me. That's too cruel."
The two were talking and laughing when Bai Zhu came over and reported to Song Yunchu, "Sir, the brothers in Prince Yi's Mansion said that after Miss Jiang left Prince Yi's Mansion, she returned to the Duke's Mansion and took Duke Jin out. They went to Ruihe Hall."
Song Yunchu narrowed his eyes when he heard this.
Ever since Jiang Rumin left the Duke's Mansion, the old man Duke of Jin seemed to have forgotten his daughter. Not only did he not allow her to visit Ruihe Hall, he never even sent her a tael of silver.
After hearing that Jiang Rumin had returned after making meritorious service, the Duke of Jin sent a servant to deliver a gift of congratulations. The servant hinted that Jiang Rumin should go home for a visit, but Jiang Rumin ignored it.
That old man is an absolute scumbag in the original novel. Now that he has gone to Ruihetang in person, he must have bad intentions.
And Jiang Yuxi also went along...
Could it be that they were thinking of bringing Jiang Rumin back home? After all, Jiang Rumin had only run away from home and had not severed ties with her father. According to the thinking of Jiang Yuxi and her daughter, they could not stand Jiang Rumin's carefree life outside, so they could continue to suppress her by bringing her home, and they might even be thinking about her rewards.
"Bai Zhu, send someone to deliver a message to General Zhao's mansion and tell him about Miss Jiang's predicament."
Bai Zhu was puzzled. "Sir, Duke Jin and Miss Jiang are father and daughter. It would be difficult for outsiders to interfere in the Jiang family's affairs. Even if General Zhao went, there would be no reason for him to stop Duke Jin, right?"
"General Zhao certainly wouldn't be so reckless. I just want him to know this."
Song Yunchu said, "Miss Jiang is treating General Zhao's leg disease. This disease cannot be cured all at once. It will take a long time. Miss Jiang will visit him every now and then. You know that General Zhao does not have only one son, Zhao Jingheng. He once had a daughter, but the little girl had tuberculosis and died at the age of nine. If she were still alive, she would be about the same age as Miss Jiang."
As long as Jiang Rumin is willing to break up with her scumbag father, is she still afraid of not being able to recognize her new father?
She still has too many enemies both in the government and in the opposition, and she needs more friendly forces to replace the individual cancers in her own camp.
Jiang Rumin is already a member of her camp. If General Zhao adopts Jiang Rumin as his adopted daughter, she will have no worries about not being able to win over the Zhao father and son.
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