"Big brother, please tell me about the powerful people in Beijing, so that I won't accidentally offend someone if I don't recognize them when I meet them in the future." The Liu family was destined to have dealings with the powerful people in Beijing in the future. Yu Jiao wanted to know more, so she pulled Liu Ziqi's sleeve and said.
Liu Ziqi chuckled. He originally didn't intend to say much to Yu Jiao, but after what happened with Cheng Ying, he felt that there was no harm in Yu Jiao knowing more.
The servants came in and cleared the dishes from the table. Yu Jiao and Liu Ziqi sat down on chairs in the main hall. A maid brought some snacks up, "Miss, try it. Do you like it? This is the water chestnut powder and osmanthus sugar cake that I just learned to make from Jiangnan."
Yu Jiao picked up a piece and brought it to her mouth, taking a small bite. The lotus root powder and water chestnut powder had a soft and glutinous texture, was sweet and delicious, and had a light aroma of osmanthus.
Yu Jiao loves sweet snacks. She smiled and said, "It's delicious."
The maid saw her pair of bright and clear almond eyes smiling into a crescent moon, and said happily, "Young Master has always remembered that you like to eat snacks, so I learned a lot of new ones. If you like them, I will make them for you in the future."
"Thank you for your concern." Yu Jiao said.
The maid smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. As long as the third young lady likes it, it's fine."
After the maid left the room, Liu Ziqi spoke, "The several princely mansions that are more popular in Beijing are all in Zanmao Hutong. You should have seen them in and out these days. This is a baronial mansion. The Qin family is the last of them. The Qin family is now attached to the Feng family and is the prince's party. They are closely related to the Feng family. The Xue family has the favored Concubine Xue as a backer, and Shen Tian's support in secret, so they are even better than the Feng family. However, Concubine Xue did not give birth to a prince, so it is hard to say what will happen in the future. But now it is more prosperous than the Zhongyong Marquis's Mansion. Concubine Xue asked for the title of County Master for her sister Xue Qingshang. Even the Zhongyong Marquis's Mansion with its great military exploits does not have such an honor."
Thinking that Yu Jiao was a female relative, it was inevitable that she would meet the Princess of Changle County in the future, so Liu Ziqi said more, "Xinglou is the property of the Xue family. Princess of Changle County Xue Qingshang often goes to Xinglou. She is also a very famous talented woman in Beijing, and she has a somewhat arrogant temper. If you meet her in the future, avoid her limelight."
Yu Jiao nodded obediently, feeling a little regretful. She had originally wanted to use Xinglou to promote the reputation of Caijian, but the Xue family had such a good relationship with Shen Tian that she was afraid she would not be able to take advantage of it.
"What about the Annan Marquis Mansion?" Yu Jiao asked.
Liu Ziqi had a complicated expression on his face, as if he was considering how to use words. He did not speak, and Yu Jiao did not urge him. After a long while, Liu Ziqi finally said, "Do you know how the current emperor got the throne?"
Yu Jiao shook her head.
Liu Ziqi looked at her confused expression and sighed softly. He had to tell Yu Jiao about these things. Liu Ziqi was also a little worried that Yu Jiao would look more and more like her aunt in the future. It would be better to tell her some things as early as possible.
The most ridiculous thing is that after Emperor Mingzheng ascended the throne, he named himself Mingzheng, as if he wanted to tell the world that his throne came in a legitimate and aboveboard manner.”
Yu Jiao noticed that there was a heavy sorrow on Liu Ziqi's face. Although the sorrow only flashed by for a moment, Yu Jiao still felt that he seemed to have some special feelings towards the late crown prince and Princess Huaiyang's Mansion.
There were no servants in the house, and the only sound was the occasional crackling sound from the burning charcoal in the charcoal basin. It was extremely quiet.
Liu Ziqi took a sip of tea and suppressed the emotions in his heart. He then said, "The Annan Marquisate was one of the forces that helped Emperor Mingzheng seize power."
Yu Jiao was horrified. She had read too many history books, so although she was not shocked by the power struggles in the royal family, she was surprised that the Annan Marquisate would actually help Emperor Mingzheng to usurp the throne. After all, Gu Yun was a sincere, honest and upright person.
Could it be that the former crown prince was not as capable as Emperor Mingzheng, so the Annan Marquisate chose to be loyal to Emperor Mingzheng and help him seize the throne? No wonder Gu Yun acted so unruly. In this way, the Gu family had the merit of following the emperor, so Emperor Mingzheng's tolerance would naturally be higher. Yu Jiao guessed secretly in her heart, not knowing that the reality was completely different from what she thought.
"Brother, why are all the princes and dukes nowadays granted titles to people of the opposite sex instead of royal family members?" Yu Jiao noticed this problem and asked in confusion.
Liu Ziqi smiled, thinking that Yu Jiao was very clever. He explained, "Emperor Mingzheng killed his brother to seize the throne, so he was naturally worried that someone would covet the throne. The remaining princes died one after another within a few years. I'm afraid only Emperor Mingzheng knows what happened. After Emperor Mingzheng ascended the throne, not only did he not promote those who helped seize the throne, but he suppressed them to the utmost. Even Concubine Yuan's family, who had always helped him, ended up hiding in a corner of the countryside, barely able to survive."
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