Chapter 184: Salary Deduction
The snow has not stopped, but the capital city seems to be bustling again.
Not only were there more yamen runners from the Wucheng Bingmasi and Shuntianfu, but even on the streets, there were always some people staring at passers-by with unfriendly eyes, as if they would suddenly jump up and grab someone at the next moment.
Fortunately, they never revolted.
But being stared at like this is not a big deal, all the pedestrians hurried to finish their business as quickly as possible in order to go home earlier.
The first thing Dong Xiaoquan did after leaving court was to ask about the mysterious Mr. Liu.
"The people from Prince Jin's Mansion have been looking for him. Now we can only be sure that Mr. Liu was prepared and escaped ahead of time."
The chief constable has been out watching the Prince of Jin's mansion since last night. "If we want to find this person, I'm afraid we have to search every house."
But they can't do that without a particularly good reason.
In a place as good as the capital, accidents happen one after another... which will cause panic among the people.
The Emperor Retired and the Emperor were not happy either.
“…That’s all!”
Dong Xiaoquan thought for a long time and could only sigh, "You should investigate this person secretly first!"
He knew why Mr. Liu was hiding.
If he is found by the King of Jin, he will die. If he is found by them... he will die either.
Once it is confirmed that some of the prince's letters were false, the consequences would be unimaginable.
When the emperor gets angry, millions of people will die. This is not an exaggeration.
When the imperial court and the royal family are in turmoil, no one knows how many people will suffer and how many people will be implicated.
The balance that the Emperor and the Retired Emperor had worked so hard to achieve will inevitably be broken.
The good situation of Dazhao would be ruined if something goes wrong.
"No matter what, we have to find the person first before we can talk about anything else."
Dong Xiaoquan made up his mind, "As for the skinny monkey, you must also ensure his safety."
At this point, he added, "Let the patrol officers go to Ning and Rong streets more often. When the King of Jin cannot find Mr. Liu and is sure that we cannot attack him, he may still make plans to target the Jia family, especially the Ningguo Mansion."
"yes!"
"When a dog is pushed, it will jump over the wall; when a rabbit is pushed, it will bite. What's more, he is a prince."
If the Prince of Jin dares to set his sights on the Crown Prince, then the tiny Jia family is even less of a problem.
Dong Xiaoquan looked at his chief constable and said, "Let's find a few people to talk to the Jia family!"
"...The Jia family should have been on guard against Prince Jin."
Chief Constable Lu said, "This morning, several people from the Prince of Jin's Mansion who were hanging around the Jia family were put in sacks and beaten."
Dong Xiaoquan: “…”
I was shocked! But, I felt relieved.
"Their legs were broken."
Captain Lu was speechless. "And the way he knocked it out was very special. Even if a skilled doctor helped to connect it, it would be difficult for him to walk like a normal person in the future."
"Hmm~"
Dong Xiaoquan stroked his beard and asked, "Did anyone from Prince Jin's Mansion report the case?"
"They did report it, but they reported it in their private capacity. It's just that they didn't see the person's face clearly, so we have no way to investigate."
Chief Constable Lu smiled and said, "We only arrested a few local thugs and troublemakers, but they all had alibis, so up to now, we could only investigate their enemies and ask them who they had offended, where they had offended, and when, but they couldn't tell us. We had no choice but to ask them, so they all withdrew from the case one by one."
Well done! Dong Xiaoquan smiled and said, "Okay, you don't have to report such trivial matters to me in the future."
"yes!"
Chief Constable Lu and he looked at each other and smiled, and everything was said without words.
The prince has been handling state affairs for the emperor for many years and has been praised by many in the court and even among the people.
Originally people thought that the crown prince that had never been found since the Qin Emperor, Han Emperor Wu, and even Tang Emperor and Song Emperor would ascend to the throne smoothly in their Da Zhao Dynasty. However, they did not expect that he would end up in such a situation. Who would not sigh?
now……
Even if they can't do anything to Prince Jin for the time being, it won't stop them from disgusting him.
So, wherever people from the Prince of Jin's Mansion went, the yamen runners from Shuntian Prefecture would go there.
This matter cannot be concealed.
What if they find out that Liu...
I wanted to report it to Prince Jin, but Prince Jin had already entered the palace.
He could only run around outside in extreme agony.
In the palace, the retired emperor still didn't know what kind of person his son, whom he had loved like a treasure for so many years, was. He only knew that if he doted on Prince Jin more, the court would not be one-sided.
"...Father, you don't even know how confused the princess is."
After asking about the old man's sleep, diet, etc., the King of Jin, who seemed happy that the old man was in good health, sighed at the end, "Several treasures were lost some time ago, and she actually reported it to the police."
Hmm? The emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's missing?"
"A painting by Tang Bohu, a Geyao ornament, and a double-sided flower and bird embroidery that you admired back then."
King Jin had no choice.
He had to first tell the old man about the princess losing something in a joking way.
This is called striking first.
If Dong Xiaoquan said it first...
Even without evidence, the old man would suspect that what happened to the prince back then was related to him.
"If this is reported to the authorities, my Jin Palace will become a big joke in the capital."
He seemed to be complaining: "So, as soon as I heard about this, I had someone arrest the nanny who reported it to the police."
“…Are these things really lost?”
"It must have been lost."
King Jin said: "My son checked later and found that someone vaguely saw a dark shadow, but he didn't expect that a thief would dare to steal things from the palace."
"We still have to check it out!"
The emperor had already given Dong Xiaoquan a light punishment in his heart.
This man was too loyal and methodical in everything he did. Since he had abdicated, he was more inclined to the emperor.
At the same time, because of the leadership he set, the emperor had more say in the court.
This was something the emperor could not tolerate.
According to historical records, the powerless emperors never had a good ending.
He has been a hero all his life, but he doesn't want to become a pitiable guy in the end.
"Dong Xiaoquan of Shuntian Prefecture failed in his duty in this matter."
The emperor was very satisfied with the reason his son gave him. "Dai Quan, tell the emperor that I said that all kinds of major and strange cases happened frequently in the capital, and Dong Xiaoquan was derelict in his duty and was fined one year's salary."
"……yes!"
Dai Quan secretly glanced at Prince Jin, bowed hurriedly and responded, then went to inform the emperor.
"Father!"
King Jin smiled and said, "If you do this, then old man Dong will definitely suspect that his son has given him maggots. Later, he will be petty and will definitely cause trouble for his son again."
"He dares! I support you."
Both father and son laughed.
He also talked about the meritorious personnel from the north who would be returning in turn.
"Shi Ding has made great contributions. My son heard that the emperor intends to confer a title on him again."
The old man from the Jin Dynasty inquired, "You said, he..."
"Well~, his father was a capable man back then."
The emperor was concerned about his old minister, "I have decided to confer the title of Marquis of Zhongjing on Shi Ding."
"Marquis Zhongjing?"
The King of Jin smiled and said, "This is a good name." He then suggested, "Will you still let Dai Quan announce the decree later?"
The emperor wanted to get Shi Ding to work for him, but unexpectedly, the old man was more cunning. With just one move, both Shi Ding and he had to accept it.
"nature!"
The emperor has already written the imperial edict to confer the title of nobility.
Shi Ding was a capable minister.
As long as he was alive, he certainly didn't want to be taken away by the emperor.
The emperor also knew this.
The old man is wary of him, but as long as he is not confused, everything else is a small matter.
As long as the old man wrote the imperial edict, he would stamp it.
To show that they are of one mind as father and son.
With two dragons in power, father and son are of one mind, and they are also a model for spreading education to the people.
As for Dong Xiaoquan being fined, what a small matter it was. The emperor didn't care at all.
He is poor anyway.
He would also feel jealous if his ministers were too rich.
"Mr. Dong has most likely offended the King of Jin."
The queen glanced at the emperor and couldn't help but sigh, "Why don't you ask."
"What is there to ask? If you ask too much, Father will feel uncomfortable, and then Old Dong will be even more unlucky."
As they were a monarch and his subject, he would not cause trouble for him. "If he doesn't ask, Old Dong will be able to do what he wants."
Who is Dong Xiaoquan? If the King of Jin is behind his back, then he should be prepared to be targeted by him.
The emperor was willing to watch Dong Xiaoquan criticize the people of Prince Jin in the court, "I will find another opportunity to reward him with something later."
It is definitely more valuable than salary.
The emperor taught him this.
Poor officials, as well as capable officials, need to be pressured into using them. The more you pressure them, the more capable they become.
No matter what reward you give them later, they will be loyal to you.
"…Just keep it in mind."
The queen felt that the emperor had been doing too well recently and was a little too proud.
But it was rare for them to have such a smooth life in recent years, and she didn't want to spoil the mood.
"Yes, there are."
The emperor smiled and took out another piece of paper from his bosom, "Look what this is?"
"Banknotes?"
It’s still a large bill of 50,000 taels.
The queen was surprised, "Did it come from Prince Zhongshun?"
"yes!"
The emperor stuffed the banknotes into the queen's hand and said, "Those salt merchants in Jiangnan are really rich. You can use these later."
It’s the New Year, so he and the queen don’t have to worry about rewards.
"become!"
The queen accepted it with a smile, "The north is basically over, and the south... won't fight anymore, right?"
This? The emperor frowned.
Now is actually a good opportunity.
The south started jumping up.
Dazhao has a legitimate reason.
Get rid of them first, and then go to the north, so you don’t have to worry.
only……
Thinking about what title his father would bestow on someone, the emperor felt a little unhappy.
Don't miss this opportunity...
"I need to think about this matter carefully."
The Rakshasas in the north are becoming more and more rampant.
According to the Ningguta General's report, the Jin army was badly defeated.
"In fact, it's not bad to fight now and treat it as a training exercise!"
Once the Tatars and the Jin people are dealt with, Dazhao will probably have to face the Russians head on.
The emperor stood up and said, "Lu Huaizhong of the Honglu Temple said that the Jin people are seeking cooperation with our Dazhao."
Queen: “…”
She didn't dare to interrupt such a big matter.
"Forget it, I'll go talk to my father."
Passive waiting is not a good idea.
The emperor said to the queen, "Father has some delicious food. You don't have to wait for me today."
"Um!"
The queen straightened his clothes and said, "Speak to the emperor nicely. If the prince of Jin doesn't leave for the time being and you eat together, you should also speak to him nicely."
"Haha, I'm not the kind of person with a bad temper."
The emperor left with a smile.
The queen, however, frowned.
Although I got a large sum of money again, I was too busy this year and I'm afraid I won't be able to make money next year.
While the Queen was carefully putting away the banknotes, Shen Ning was rewarding those who had made contributions today in Ningguo Mansion.
She had never thought of beating Prince Jin's men, but she felt quite relieved when Jia Zhen had them beaten, so of course she had to reward them.
It can be said that when the skinny monkey fell, all the guards and reserve guards of Ningguo Mansion made a fortune.
Even Tang Fu and Tang Gui were rewarded with a roast duck and two taels of silver today because they followed Rong Ge'er to learn martial arts.
As housekeeper You, of course she would focus on her own business.
Besides, the roast duck restaurant she and her wife run has long been famous in Beijing.
Don't be too nice to others.
"Mother, this is your dividend for this month."
As the weather gets colder, the roast duck restaurant's business is relatively slower.
Fortunately, my wife asked the staff to improve the food boxes and wrap them with quilts to ensure that the roast duck was still hot when it was delivered to each household.
"Two hundred and thirty-four taels."
“Good job!”
Shen Ning waved at Qing Zhu, who immediately took the silver and said, "I'm afraid there will be a few heavy snowfalls today. Tell the guys to prepare more rice and go outside the city to distribute porridge later."
"Everything is ready."
You said hurriedly, "It is said that the Charity Bureau has sufficient winter supplies this year."
Shen Ning nodded, "The steamed buns from the Mantou Temple..."
"I'm still doing it. I donate 400 every day."
Youshi smiled, "But because the steamed buns are delicious and many people buy them, the income and expenditure of the Mantou Temple have been balanced."
“How many people have been taken in?”
"Seven!"
Youshi said, "They are all homeless women. Now they have made a living by selling the steamed buns from the Mantou Temple."
The mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law were chatting about family matters and business here. Back at Rongguo Mansion, Jia Zheng was very annoyed because he no longer had Baoyu to scold.
He thought that the child had been spoiled since childhood and would definitely not be able to endure the hardship of practicing martial arts, but he didn't expect that the child would pass away early in the morning.
"Master, please read the letter from Mrs. Xue of Jinling..."
Wang Xifeng finally delivered the letter from her aunt.
Aunt Zhou followed Jia Zheng and looked at it first, "Should we send it to the Madam?"
"Give it to me, I'll give it to you!"
The Xue family is in Jinling and is considered an old relative of the Jia family.
Jia Zheng took the letter and followed Aunt Zhou, watching her open the door of the small Buddhist hall.
Mrs. Wang, who was beating a wooden fish, raised her eyelids when she heard the noise, but did not stand up.
Anyway, that's how she does everything now.
Jia Zheng will not change his attitude.
Come here now...
"There's a letter for you in Jinling."
What? Mrs. Wang's heart moved.
My sister replied? She...
Mrs. Wang did not dare to show any anxiety.
"There is faith, then there is faith!"
If I can give it to her, I will definitely give it to her. If I can’t give it to her, then I won’t give it to her.
"Will you let me write back in this state?"
"Of course not."
Jia Zheng felt like he had nowhere to start talking to her. "Don't even think about writing a letter to anyone in your life."
So scared? Mrs. Wang started beating the wooden fish again.
"Your sister is going to Beijing, and she said she wants to join you."
Jia Zheng threw the letter on the ground and said, "When we return to the capital, tell her clearly that she should not think of anything else. My Jia family will not be a supporter of any of your relatives."
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