Chapter 104: Divorced in the previous life
Ning Fu thought for a moment and said, "The safety of King Xuan is a matter of national importance. I don't want to watch him get into trouble. And I'm sure the prince will keep this a secret for me."
"Besides me, who else knows about this?" Zong Si asked after pondering for a moment.
Ning Fu naturally couldn't tell Meng Yuan, and said, "Only the prince knows."
Zong Si paused slightly.
Nymph met his eyes.
"Your mother doesn't know either?" Zong Si asked with some surprise.
"Who would normally believe this? If I tell them, they would probably think I'm hysterical." Ning Fu said with a wry smile, "As for the prince, he is so calm. I'm afraid he has already guessed something."
Originally, she had prepared herself to be questioned, but Zong Si had no intention of asking any questions. If it were someone else, he would probably ask openly or secretly who had ascended to that position.
However, she could also understand why Zong Si didn't ask her. If she knew who it was, she would not allow her father and brother to support Meng Che, and she was close to Meng Ze.
Zong Si said, "I had already guessed something from your horseback archery earlier. Playing chess with you was also to test your chess skills. You are too similar to me, and I clearly never taught you in this life. I can't help but be suspicious."
That was a long time ago.
Ning Fu actually knew what was going on in her mind, but hearing him say this, she still felt a little creepy.
"The prince is indeed perceptive." Nymph smiled.
"It's not just because of this. I also dreamed of you." Zong Si paused for a moment and said, "In the dream, you called me Langjun."
Ningfu was stunned, but then she felt that everything made sense. Why didn't he like her, but had a possessive desire for her and was not opposed to marrying her? If she felt that the dream might be true, anyone would easily put themselves in the position of "husband".
Zong Si thought of Lu Xingzhi. He didn't completely trust him, so he said calmly, "So what is the relationship between you and me?"
Nymph was silent.
If she told Zong Si that they were husband and wife, it would not be so easy for Meng Yuan to break up with her. Admitting it was not a wise move. But if she denied it, it would be impossible to explain her chess skills and archery skills.
Ning Fu thought for a moment and said, "The prince and I were once married, but he was in the north for most of the year, so we were rarely together and apart from each other. In addition, we had no feelings for each other, so we divorced after three years of marriage."
In fact, it's almost a divorce.
If she hadn't fallen to her death, divorce would have been a foregone conclusion.
Zong Si asked, "Who suggested that?"
"The prince mentioned it. He has other women in the north. But I don't know who she is. I am not familiar with the prince." Ning Fu could only say this.
"In my dream, we were not so unfamiliar with each other. I thought that you and I were a couple who were in love with each other." In Zong Si's opinion, although the relationship between the two was not very good, it was definitely not that distant, otherwise the two would never be so harmonious in sex.
In the dream, he was willing to sleep with her and be bewitched by her. Otherwise, he would not have thought of taking her as a concubine and protecting her.
Ning Fu lowered her eyes and said, "Perhaps it is because we are still harmonious on that matter that we gave the prince the illusion that we are in love with each other."
"Do you and I have any children?"
"The prince and I don't have a harmonious relationship, so naturally we can't have children." Ning Fu said.
Zong Si asked: "After the divorce, did you get married?"
"Yes, I'm married." Ning Fu said without thinking.
This barely matches what Lu Xingzhi said, but Ning Fu obviously didn't know that Lu Xingzhi might also be reborn.
Zong Si didn't ask any more questions.
Nymph was also quiet for a while.
"Where is the food and grass you mentioned?" After a while, Zong Si asked.
Ning Fu couldn't help but look more serious. In the previous life, when all the prefectures in the capital had to save money due to food, some people in the states below were still extravagant. Later, the Fourth Prince investigated corruption in the name of the Emperor. It turned out that the grain embezzled by these people was more than one-tenth of the annual output.
Meng Che made great contributions in this matter and won the heart of Emperor Jingwen. That year, Meng Che's glory surpassed Meng Ze far behind.
And his achievement in this matter was inseparable from the great help of the Duke of Qing, Xie Du Yushi. The Duke of Qing was responsible for supervising all officials, and there was no official at all levels who did not flatter him. If he wanted to know which officials of which states were corrupt, there would be people willing to provide him with evidence in order to protect themselves.
The Fourth Prince found out about this after King Xuan was injured and the North was defeated.
It was obvious that Meng Che had chosen this time point specifically to prevent King Xuan from having backup supplies. And when Meng Ze's group was seriously injured, he had made a great contribution, which was very gratifying to Meng Che.
Ning Fu told Zong Si everything.
If Prince Xuan's Palace seized the initiative in this matter, Meng Che would have no chance.
"Without evidence, there is no way to easily investigate the states." Zong Si pondered for a moment and said, "And to collect evidence, until His Majesty appoints officials to go, and then to conduct a thorough investigation, I'm afraid there won't be enough time."
If the war in the north was only four months away, and we have to take into account the time required to transport food and grass, time would be a bit tight, and Meng Che would probably try to stop it. With Duke Qing as his father-in-law, the subordinate states, although wary of Prince Xuan's Mansion, would not necessarily act against Duke Qing's arrangements.
"Unless Lord Ning handles this matter." Zong Si said again.
Ning Fu's heartbeat quickened. The person she thought of was naturally her father. In Meng Che's opinion, her father was on the same side as him. Even if they were not on the same side, with the conflict between Princess Kangyang's Mansion and Prince Xuan's Mansion, it was impossible for him to be on the same side as Prince Xuan's Mansion.
In this case, if his father came to handle this matter, although Meng Che would be suspicious, he would not be as fierce as when facing Meng Ze's faction.
Ning Fu said: "If Liangzhou can first thoroughly investigate the grain corruption, they can write a letter to request an imperial decree to investigate the matter thoroughly." And once this start is made, Emperor Jingwen will certainly order a thorough investigation of the other states. Even if Meng Che wants to stop it, he dare not act rashly.
Zong Si stared at her for a moment and asked, "Afu, would you like Lord Ning to get involved?"
"As long as Prince Xuan is fine, my father will certainly be fine too. Besides, the grain corruption in Liang Province was planned by the Crown Prince. My father was just trapped by the Crown Prince. Meng Che will only blame my father at most." She said.
Father only needs to play the role of "victim". Now his brother is still working for the Fourth Prince. Even if Meng Che blames his father, he will not punish him. What's more, in the eyes of Emperor Jingwen, this is a great achievement. Even if Meng Che has some ideas, he should not act rashly.
And since her life was not in danger, Ning Fu did not mind doing the favor of selling Prince Xuan's Mansion, and it was also to fulfill Meng Yuan's instructions.
As for why Meng Yuan was so obsessed with keeping Prince Xuan's Mansion, maybe he was considering Dayan, or maybe he had some intentions towards Prince Xuan's Mansion. Ning Fu didn't know the details.
"Since Afu is wholeheartedly caring about me, I will naturally not let anything happen to Lord Ning." Zong Si assured her with a smile.
Nymph responded softly.
He seemed to be too tired and dozed off for a while while sitting beside her. Ningfu sat there without moving, looking at him from opposite him. King Xuan was injured, what would be the ending of Zong Si? Not long after King Xuan was injured, he and Zongduo guarded the north, and then for a whole year, Ningfu only knew that he seemed to have been in the north, but there was no news of him in the capital.
After he returned to Beijing a few months later, the Ningguo Mansion began to discuss his marriage. It was not smooth at first, but then one day, he suddenly agreed.
After that, her marriage to Zong Si started a farce that lasted for three years.
Perhaps because of the rebirth, Ning Fu always thinks of her previous life today. She liked Zong Si so much at that time that even during the year when he was gone, she was still trying to find out about him.
Later, I heard from somewhere that the Crown Prince was seriously injured and on the verge of life and death. There was already an injured Prince Xuan in Prince Xuan's Mansion, so it was not convenient to disclose this matter to the outside world.
Nymph was worried about this for a long time.
Fortunately, he finally returned with military merit, and Prince Xuan's Palace got back on track and prospered.
Ningfu remembered that her father was demoted in her previous life. For her and her mother's safety, Ningfu and her mother moved to the old house of the Ning Mansion in the countryside. There, Ningfu saved the life of a young man.
However, before the young man could thank her, he disappeared.
Thinking back to the past, it seems like a lifetime ago.
…
Zong Si woke up after just a short nap.
The moment he woke up, Nymph looked up at him, then stretched out her arms, as if she was afraid of waking him up.
He couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth.
"My Lord, would you like to eat something?" Ning Fu knew that he would be too busy to eat.
"I should go now." Zong Si stood up and said.
Nymph said nothing.
"Will you send me off?" He looked at her, and his tone was not as condescending as usual.
Nymph thought about it and did not refuse.
The two of them were silent along the way until she was no longer able to send him off. He then said, "Afu, what happened in your last life? That was your last life. The paths of each life are different. I will not be as ruthless as I was in the last life. Don't think too much."
Nymph paused and just smiled at him without saying anything.
If she still believed in a man's verbal promise, she would be a fool. Moreover, since she had chosen Meng Yuan, she would let Meng Yuan rest assured that working for the Duke's Mansion was much more important than love.
Ning Fu only knew that if the Duke's Mansion grew stronger, there would be countless outstanding men in the world waiting for her to choose. But once the Duke's Mansion declined, all men would stay away from her.
This is human nature, to seek benefits and avoid harm.
…
In April, Ning Zhenyuan thoroughly investigated the corruption of the magistrate of Heshan County, a subordinate of Liangzhou. The news of tens of thousands of taels of gold and twenty carts of grain reached the capital, and Emperor Jingwen was furious.
"He is just a county magistrate, but he can be so corrupt. What will happen if it spreads to other states? I wonder why it is difficult for Dayan to become a prosperous place again. It turns out that these people have taken advantage of their greed. I think all those wealthy people should be investigated!" Emperor Jingwen said angrily.
But it is a difficult question to decide who to send to investigate.
Meng Che and Meng Ze naturally hope to place their own people in, otherwise if the other party uses this as an excuse to purge the hostile parties, it would be a loss.
Meng Che had already made preparations for this matter. He wanted to wait until the Hu people invaded the north before taking action. Although he was tricked and had to act in advance, he still had some advantages over the unprepared Meng Ze.
"Father, I am willing to share your worries. If you send ministers from the capital, they may be afraid of the forces in the various states and may have to turn a blind eye. Only if I go, we won't be afraid of the local governments shielding each other." Meng Che said earnestly.
"Father, although Fourth Brother has Lord Xie, the Censor-in-Chief, as his future father-in-law, it will indeed be much easier for him to investigate this matter, but I also want to share your worries. However, I agree with whoever you want to send. As long as they work for Dayan, I will be happy no matter who is a meritorious official." Meng Ze, who arrived, also said hurriedly.
At first glance, his words seemed to be made with Emperor Jingwen in mind. The scope of his words was so grand that there was no need to elaborate. It was clearly a retreat in order to advance. What Emperor Jingwen always cared about most was someone whose achievements surpassed his own.
Meng Ze deliberately mentioned Censor Xie in order to grasp the Emperor Jingwen's thoughts. Originally, Emperor Jingwen had concerns about the marriage between Meng Che and the Duke's Mansion, so how could he be willing to see the Duke Qing's Mansion make another achievement?
In this way, Meng Ze gained the upper hand in Emperor Jingwen's heart.
Meng Che cursed Meng Ze in his heart as an old fox. Ning Zhenyuan's thorough investigation of corruption in Liangzhou was designed by Prince Xuan's Mansion. Was Meng Ze trying to use him as a scapegoat?
Meng Che cupped his hands and said, "Father, the most important thing right now is to resolve this matter. In my opinion, the sooner the better. The later they are, the more chances they will have to transfer the corrupt items. If we continue like this, I'm afraid there will be more trouble."
Meng Ze then said, "Fourth brother, do you mean that with Censor Xie here, this matter can be handled faster? I don't know if Censor Xie's face has gone beyond that of my father."
In fact, Xie Du Yushi's face was naturally useful. Emperor Jingwen seldom faced officials from various states directly, while the Censorate often came into contact with subordinate officials. No matter what position they held, they were most afraid of the upper level, never the highest level.
Emperor Jingwen sneered twice.
Meng Che saw that things had come to this and was afraid that he would not be able to grab the opportunity, but he could not let Meng Ze grab the opportunity, so he said: "I remember that my sixth brother has a good relationship with the governors of Danzhou and Youzhou. If my sixth brother goes, I am afraid that people will think that I am biased, and then it will be a loss of face for the royal family. It is better to let the third brother go."
"When has your third brother ever asked about the affairs of the court? There is no need to embarrass him." Emperor Jingwen was also worried about Meng Ze. Among his sons, his thoughts were the most obvious. If he was allowed to do the work, he might have to deal with all the connections of the fourth son.
This was not what he wanted to see. At the moment, he was in good health and the situation in the court could not be unbalanced.
Because Emperor Jingwen doted on Concubine Zong, he actually preferred Meng Ze in his heart. However, Meng Ze was not suitable for the position of crown prince. He was too vicious and was eyeing his throne every day. How could Emperor Jingwen feel at ease?
If it weren't for the fact that these two sons were the only ones who could inherit the throne, Emperor Jingwen would have looked down upon everyone.
Meng Ze also noticed Emperor Jingwen's thoughts and was shocked. He would not feel at ease if anyone else came to investigate the corruption case, so he decided to let his third brother do it.
In Meng Ze's opinion, although Meng Yuan was also cold to him, they were born from the same mother after all, so he would not side with Meng Che.
"Father, I also think that the third brother is suitable. Although the third brother never cares about state affairs, he has no factions in the court and there is no possibility of him shielding anyone. On the contrary, he is the most fair." Meng Ze said.
"As for the thorough investigation of corruption, Third Brother only needs to give the order. As long as it is fair and honest, there is no need to look back and forth or consider countermeasures." Meng Che also said.
How could Emperor Jingwen not know what the two were thinking? They simply wanted to find someone who would not harm their interests to take on the task since they would not be elected.
But Emperor Jingwen also felt that Meng Yuan was suitable. Although his son was eccentric and not very talented, he was the most honest one and was definitely not a calculating person.
It was already afternoon when Meng Yuan entered the palace.
"I have been waiting for you for a while." Emperor Jingwen said with a smile. Only when he saw Meng Yuan, there was a bit more kindness between father and son in his eyes. It was not that he was partial to Meng Yuan, but this disabled son had no intention of fighting for power, and no power disputes, so the feelings were naturally much purer.
Of course, even if he wanted to fight, Emperor Jingwen would never consider him. Otherwise, wouldn't it make people laugh at Dayan and laugh at the fact that he had no successor and needed a disabled son to succeed him?
"My leg disease has relapsed, and I walk slower." Meng Yuan said coldly.
"Hurry up and give the third brother a seat." Emperor Jingwen said to the people around him.
Meng Yuan sat down.
Emperor Jingwen thought for a while and told him his plan.
"I am not good at handling court affairs, so Your Majesty should look for someone else. It is not convenient for my son to leave the capital in this condition." Meng Yuan said.
"I think you see it too clearly. No matter who becomes the crown prince, the fourth or sixth son, it will not make things difficult for you in the future. You may even become a leisurely prince." Emperor Jingwen pointed out to him.
Meng Yuan did not deny it.
"Father envies you for playing chess every day." Emperor Jingwen sighed, "Since I became the emperor, I have never had such a leisurely day. Third brother, you should help father."
Finally, Emperor Jingwen used the word "father", and Meng Yuan could no longer refuse.
Meng Yuan naturally knew that although he said this, he did not regret it at all. If it happened again, Emperor Jingwen would still be willing to kill countless people for the throne and let the blood stain thousands of miles.
"Since your Majesty has said so, I have no choice but to obey your orders," said Meng Yuan.
Emperor Jingwen said: "Since you are in the palace, go see your mother. She is also thinking about you."
"Yes." Meng Yuan said.
When Concubine Zong saw him, she was more enthusiastic than usual. This son was not raised by her personally, so she was not close to her. Meng Yuan was four years older than Meng Ze, and Meng Yuan had no hope of competing for the position of crown prince due to his disability. Concubine Zong was anxious to have another prince, so she gave Meng Yuan to Concubine Wan to raise on the grounds of poor health.
Later, when Meng Ze was born, Concubine Zong devoted herself to raising him and had no time to care about Meng Yuan.
It was not until Concubine Wan died of illness that Concubine Zong began to interact more frequently with her son. Although she was not close to him, he was her son after all, and it was impossible for her to not care about him at all.
"Did your father send you to investigate the case this time?" Concubine Zong asked him intentionally or unintentionally.
Meng Yuan understood her thoughts. She was asking questions on behalf of Meng Ze, but he still didn't care and said, "Yeah."
"Third brother, you should know that Sixth brother is your younger brother no matter what. Mother's future is tied to your brother. Do you understand what mother means?" Concubine Zong said meaningfully.
Meng Yuan neither said yes nor no. He just sat for a while and then walked away with his crutches.
The Queen was not worried either. Although Meng Yuan was the son of Concubine Zong, she ignored him when he was young, and when his adoptive mother, Concubine Wan, passed away, Concubine Zong did not lend a helping hand.
Instead, he asked someone to check on Concubine Wan, and Meng Che was quite caring towards him. No matter what Meng Yuan was like, even if he cared about Concubine Zong more, he would not harm Meng Che.
However, the Queen's visit to see Concubine Wan was not out of kindness. It was just that she was the Queen and she had to put in enough effort to show off.
This matter fell on Meng Yuan's head, but Ning Fu was the least surprised. He was probably prepared to handle the matter himself, and the recommendation of Meng Che and Meng Ze was also planned by him.
When Ningfu went to the teahouse again, Jingcheng seemed to have long been accustomed to the life of this tea girl, and had already sorted the tea that was sent to her into categories.
"Afu." Jingcheng said with a smile, "I've been alone these past few days. I can't tell you how bored I am."
Ning Fu thought to herself, she wasn't the only one, Uncle Song was there, and there were many secret guards nearby.
"I see you are very adaptable to this kind of life." Nymph said with a smile.
"When Divine Doctor Mu was here, I still liked him very much. It was fun to do nothing around him." Jing Cheng said, "But he went out to collect herbs, and it will take a long time for him to come back."
Ning Fu also knew that Meng Yuan would not tell Jing Cheng the specific matters. Instead of making her worry, it would be better to let her stay carefree.
It would naturally be best for Meng Yuan to handle this matter. Even Zong Si would not be suspicious. After all, although Meng Yuan was "unfamiliar with state affairs" in the eyes of outsiders, he was an upright person. If the matter of military camp food and fodder was to be discussed with him privately, it would certainly not be difficult to handle.
However, Ning Fu also felt that Zong Si would definitely discuss the matter with Meng Yuan in private. After all, no one knew whether Emperor Jingwen would turn a blind eye to King Xuan's affairs and let it happen.
After all, in the previous life, King Xuan's power had weakened a lot since then, and although the Hu army had seized part of the territory, it did not harm the foundation. By the time Zong Si gained power, Emperor Jingwen was already seriously ill and no longer cared about state affairs.
In fact, Zong Si began to hold great power after Emperor Jingwen became critically ill, while Meng Ze was not very powerful at that time.
Ning Fu had to speculate maliciously that the reason Prince Xuan's Mansion supported Meng Ze was because Meng Ze was easy to manipulate. After all, he was from Concubine Zong's maternal family, and Meng Ze had to rely on the military power of Prince Xuan's Mansion.
Even if Meng Ze became the new emperor, he would not be able to surpass Prince Xuan's Palace in a short period of time.
However, when Ning Fu saw Zong Si again, she realized that he had already placed his men in Meng Yuan's entourage.
Ning Fu thought to herself that perhaps Meng Yuan deliberately let him succeed.
“If the Crown Prince mentions this to the Third Prince, I’m sure the Third Prince will be willing to compromise with the Crown Prince,” Ning Fu said.
Zong Si said: "Afu, don't you think he is not simple?"
Ning Fu was a little shocked, but she didn't show it on her face. She said: "Why did the prince say that?"
"If not, why did Afu approach him at that time?" Zong Si looked at her and said.
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