Xue Shu was summoned to the Qianqing Palace.
Ambergris was burning in the hall, and the rich aroma filled the air. Emperor Longfeng was leaning on the Arhat bed, with two young palace maids kneeling beside him and massaging his legs.
Seeing Xue Shu coming in, Emperor Longfeng looked up at him and asked: "What did you gain from accompanying the Crown Prince to investigate the case in Tianjin this time?"
He asked in a tactful way, but both of them knew that Xue Shu's purpose in this trip was to serve as the emperor's eyes and ears in order to control the prince.
Xue Shu then briefly described his trip to Tianjin, and took out a copy of the confiscation account from his sleeve and presented it to him: "Here is the confiscation account, Your Majesty, please take a look. The confiscation was handled by me personally, and the criminals and their families were interrogated one by one to ensure that there was no hidden possession or omission."
Emperor Longfeng flipped through the account book, looked at the numbers on it and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad."
He sent Xue Shu to Tianjin Wei, firstly to guard against the prince, and secondly to test him.
Such a young eunuch who is quite capable and has no foundation in the palace is exactly what he needs. Gao Xian and Gao Yuan, who have been with him for a long time, have become arrogant and wild. He is not even old yet, but he has been busy making friends with the prince, and he really thinks he doesn't know.
The promotion of Xue Shu now serves as a wake-up call to these people.
Emperor Longfeng put the account book aside and squinted his eyes as he looked at Xue Shu: "You came at the right time. I am undecided about something and want to find someone to ask."
"I know everything and I will tell you everything." Xue Shu bowed his head.
Emperor Longfeng then told him about the debate in the study: "You have been to Tianjin. What do you think of this policy of paying off the crime with a fine?"
Xue Shu thought for a moment and said, "Since you can pay several times the fine, you must have some money left."
He did not say who was right or wrong, but his words touched Emperor Longfeng's heart.
Several times the fine may sound like a lot, but for the wealthy merchants and nobles in the south, it is just a drop in the bucket. It is said that the wealthy families in the south are extravagant, and the wealth of those little rats combined is probably more than the national treasury.
Emperor Longfeng suddenly had a bias in his heart. But he did not show it, and continued: "If we really investigate, those good-for-nothings in the court are really useless. Moreover, if we really start a war, I'm afraid many people will be killed..." He sighed and said: "I'm afraid people will say that I'm cruel."
"According to my observations during this trip, Fang Yushi is a man of integrity and is very familiar with the salt policy. Even the crown prince relies on him." Xue Shu did not avoid the question, but faced the test of Emperor Longfeng directly: "But Lord Fang is a scholar, and he has no power to control chickens. Your Majesty can send the Jinyiwei of Dongchang to accompany him. In this way, who dares to cause chaos in the south? Rebellious officials will be severely punished. Your Majesty is a wise monarch who is corrupt and corrupt, cleans up the salt policy, and is discerning. How can you be accused of being cruel? If there is such a rumor, I am afraid it is also caused by villains and evil people."
His words won the heart of Emperor Longfeng.
Emperor Longfeng was increasingly satisfied, but still had some doubts: "Your opinion is similar to that of the Crown Prince. We have been together in Tianjin for nearly a month. What do you think of the Crown Prince?"
"I dare not speak rashly of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Xue Shu bowed his hands and lowered his eyes, hiding the fierceness in his eyes in the shadows: "But I have something to report to Your Majesty, which is related to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Emperor Longfeng sat up slightly, a look of interest appearing on his face.
Xue Shu then told him about the battle against the pirates at Dagukou.
"On the day of the Dagukou battle, the Crown Prince did not report to the Ministry of War, but directly sent a letter to Xiao Tongguang, the commander of the Guangning Guard, and dispatched a thousand men to support the Tianjin Guard. Later, when the pirates were captured and the loot was counted, the Crown Prince did not let me take charge. The pirates had two 500-ton warships and three 400-ton cargo ships, and the cargo on them was divided between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Commander Xiao."
According to Dayan law, these thieves and robbers should also be registered and put into the national treasury.
However, the losses suffered by the garrisons in fighting against pirates were so great that they often had to pay off the stolen goods to make up for the losses. This had almost become a routine practice. The imperial court turned a blind eye to this, and the people would not report it and the officials would not investigate it.
Now that Xue Shu had reported it, Emperor Longfeng felt that although Xue Shu did not understand the ins and outs of it, he was still able to report such a small matter to him, which showed that he and the prince had not been getting along very well in the past month.
In other words, she was not controlled by the prince.
Emperor Longfeng was relieved immediately and said, "Although the Crown Prince's action is against the rules, it is not excessive."
Seeing that he didn't care, Xue Shu lowered his head and said no more.
Emperor Longfeng liked his tactful approach and gave him some sweet treats: "You have been in Tianjin for a month. I have seen that the system of the West Factory is lax and the staff are lazy. Zhao Youwen, the governor of the West Factory, is already old and I am afraid he is not capable enough. In the future, I will still rely on you to handle the affairs of the West Factory."
The West Factory had been abandoned for many years, and Emperor Longfeng's words now were tantamount to his intention to reuse the West Factory.
Xue Shu, however, did not show any joy on his face, but thanked him calmly.
He added: "I have one more thing to report to Your Majesty."
"say."
"When I ordered people to count the accounts, the gold and silver items seized totaled more than 20 million taels, but the deficit that Fang Yushi found was as high as 26 million taels. In order to find out where the difference went, I interrogated the criminal Wan Youliang and others. After interrogation, I learned that in the past two years, Wan Youliang sent tributes to Chen He, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, every quarter in the name of "ice tribute and charcoal tribute", and the total amount was as high as 2 million taels. Some of the money also went to other places. I have listed the names and please review it, Your Majesty."
He took out a list and several letters from his sleeve and handed them over.
The letter was naturally forged by the old Taoist priest. It must be said that the old Taoist priest's forgery skills were superb. Even when he compared it with the files with Chen He's handwriting and seal, he could not see any difference.
After reading the letter, Emperor Longfeng slammed it on the table and said angrily, "Go, arrest all these people. Interrogate them carefully! A minister of the Ministry of Revenue actually accepted bribes of two million taels in two years. How bold!"
After receiving his order, Xue Shu bowed and curled his lips slightly: "Yes. The West Factory is short of manpower. Can I borrow manpower from the Four Guards Camp and the Imperial Guard?"
Emperor Long Feng naturally didn't care about these trivial matters. He waved his hand and said, "It's up to you."
Xue Shu accepted the order, bowed and walked out.
When he reached the palace gate, he ran into Gao Xian, the eunuch who held the seal. Gao Xian looked at him with a fake smile and said, "Eunuch Xue is young, so don't bite off more than you can chew. You'll end up hurting yourself."
Xue Shu glanced at him coldly, didn't say anything, and strode away.
Seeing how arrogant he was, Gao Xian frowned and stared at his back with gloomy eyes.
At this time, Yin Chengyu was talking to Queen Yu in Kunning Palace.
Queen Yu was still in confinement after giving birth and was recuperating in the warm room. The newborn Yin Chengqin was placed in a small wooden bed next to her.
Yin Chengyu was talking to Queen Yu while teasing Yin Chengqian.
After a few days, the little baby had grown up a little, with a round body, pink skin, and a pair of big eyes like obsidian. Yin Chengyu teased him with his fingers, and he stretched out his arms like lotus roots to grab.
The gloomy and violent mood that Yin Chengyu had previously held in his heart completely dissipated, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
In his previous life, Yin Chengqin was already six years old when he returned to the palace.
When he was just born, he was taken away from the palace by Madam Zhao and lived in a remote countryside under an assumed name. Madam Zhao fled in a hurry and did not bring much money with her. She raised him by doing embroidery and washing clothes for people everywhere.
Yin Chengqian grew up in the countryside until he was six years old and could not even read a few words. Because orphans and widows were always bullied in the countryside, his temper became perverse and extreme.
At that time, his health was not very good. In order to make Yin Chengqin grow up to be a qualified crown prince as soon as possible, he was so cruel that he punished him severely with a ruler and finally changed his temper.
But he never had the chance to see what he would look like when he grew up.
Fortunately, in his new life, with the protection of him and his mother, Yin Chengqin no longer had to suffer the pain of displacement.
Yin Chengyu pulled his fingers out of Yin Chengqian's mouth, wiped them clean with a handkerchief, and asked about the full-moon banquet again.
Empress Yu said, "The full moon banquet will be held on the fifth day of April. We should keep it simple. I heard that there has been little rain in various places this spring, and some places have been hit by locust plagues. I will send the money saved to the relief hall as a way to accumulate merit for your brother."
"That's good." Yin Chengyu frowned when he thought of the disaster reported from below. He sat with Queen Yu for a while and then returned to Ciqing Palace.
After Xue Shu came out of the Qianqing Palace, he went to the Yumajian to collect the people.
Thanks to Xue Shu, Wei Xihe had already been verified, got his ID card, and successfully entered the palace. However, he was ill and could not walk in front of the emperor, so Xue Shu took him back to Xichang and made him the head of the Xichang Prison in the future.
After settling the people, it was already late, so Xue Shu rested at the West Factory.
He habitually wanted to light some snow plum to help him sleep, but then he remembered that the fragrance might attract attention if it touched his body, so he restrained himself and just pressed the handkerchief under the pillow, tossing and turning for a while before falling asleep.
I saw Yin Chengyu again in my dream, but this time he was different from before, tossing and turning on the bed. It was a completely different scene.
Yin Chengyu was wearing a coarse linen shirt that didn't suit him at all. He sat silently in the corridor with a dull expression. His face was still sickly pale, and his lips, which used to be rosy, were bloodless. After coughing twice, he turned his face to Zheng Duobao and said, "When the wall falls, everyone pushes it. When the tree falls, monkeys scatter. Now I have no one to rely on. It's only natural for them to do this."
Zheng Duobao said angrily: "But at that time——"
"Why are you still talking about the past?" Yin Chengyu raised his hand to interrupt him, coughed twice, and said in a calm tone: "No one else can be trusted, don't think too much. As long as I am alive, there will always be a chance to turn things around."
Zheng Duobao wanted to say something, but he held it back. He turned his head and secretly wiped his tears, choking and saying, "Then I will go and boil the medicine for His Highness."
Yin Chengyu said "hmm" and continued sitting in the corridor without turning back.
The rustling autumn wind blew up the fallen leaves and swirled past. His long hair was untied and fluttered in the wind, and his warm eyes were now filled with loneliness.
Xue Shu wanted to get closer to him, but as soon as he moved, he woke up.
Only that pair of cold eyes remained in his mind, making his heart clench into a ball and feeling indescribably sad.
Even though he knew it was just a dream, Xue Shu still couldn't control his anger when he recalled it.
Such a noble person shouldn't be sitting in the corridor in a shabby state.
He should sit on a high throne, with unparalleled honor, and be worshipped by thousands of people.
Something was stirring in his heart, and he suddenly wanted to see Yin Chengyu.
But the palace is not like Tianjin Guard, there are many spies, and his current identity makes it even more inconvenient for him to enter and leave the East Palace.
Standing up to check the clepsydra, Xue Shu found that it was not yet three o'clock in the morning. He stared at the cold moon outside the window for a long time, and finally left the West Factory quietly and went towards the Ciqing Palace.
He did not show up, but avoided the patrolling imperial guards and went to Yin Chengyu's bedroom.
To his surprise, the lights in the bedroom were still on, the windows were half open, and the candlelight was flickering in the breeze.
Xue Shu moved to hide under a big tree facing the window, so he could clearly see the figure buried in the case.
Yin Chengyu was wearing a black cross-collared robe with his long hair half draped behind his body. He was reading files and letters, occasionally picking up a pen to make a few notes.
In the occasionally raised brows, there was a clear breeze and bright moon, untainted by years of frost and snow.
The anger in his heart dissipated, and Xue Shu hid among the trees, quietly watching him handle his official business.
He watched for as long as Yin Chengyu was busy.
At four o'clock in the morning, Yin Chengyu was still working without a rest, and most of the files and letters piled on the desk had been processed.
He seemed a little tired. He raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, but accidentally fell asleep with his forehead in his hand. His long hair fell to his chest, and his delicate face was hidden in the shadows, with only his delicate jaw exposed.
Xue Shu watched for a while and saw that no one came in to help him rest, so he guessed that he must have specifically instructed not to disturb him.
So my heart began to stir.
He waited patiently for a while, and seeing that Yin Chengyu still hadn't woken up, he finally couldn't hold back any longer, and stepped on the shadow of the cold moon, sneaking into the bedroom silently.
The person who is fast asleep is unaware of this.
Xue Shu walked behind him, leaned over and stared at him intently, as if he wanted to engrave him in his eyes. After a long while, he stretched out his hands and lifted him up.
His movements were so gentle that they did not wake the person in his arms.
But his rapidly beating heart was roaring wildly, and his blood was rushing like a river, making his whole body warm.
But he did not make any unusual movement. Instead, he held the person in his arms steadily and walked step by step towards the bed in the inner room.
When he put the person on the bed, Xue Shu felt a strong reluctance in his heart, as if a hole had been dug out in his heart that had finally been filled.
He tightened his jaw and slowly pulled his hand back under the command of reason. However, the beast in his heart kept shouting and holding onto his wrist.
In the tense body, reason and animality are pulling each other.
Just as he was hesitating, the slender hand he was holding suddenly moved.
Yin Chengyu grabbed his wrist with his backhand, used the force to sit up, squinted at him, and his face was emotionless: "You bold thief, sneaking into the East Palace in the middle of the night, what do you want to do?"
The author has something to say:
Gou Gou: I had a nightmare. I want to be closer to His Highness.
Your Highness: