Chapter 82: Cruel Emperor vs. Deadly Sister (8)
Zhao Jinyuan became emperor at the age of fifteen, the youngest monarch in the Jin Dynasty. And the nineteen-year-old Wei Shiyi became the only female prime minister in the history of the Jin Dynasty. The
new emperor was young, naturally had little qualifications and experience, and was inevitably treated as a fool by the ministers.
The queen was not able to fulfill her wish, so she naturally refused and always sent people to sing the opposite tune in the court, forming a party to manage her own power.
But no matter what, the youngest monarch always kept silent while sitting in the high position, allowing those people to "speak freely".
He was not in a hurry.
He had already passed the most difficult days. Now he had plenty of time.
But he could not hide his depression in his heart, and his eyes were a little more decadent.
In early summer, the tall willows were full of new cicadas, and the breeze was gentle with rain.
Wei Shiyi led his attendants out of the palace and returned home. When passing by the imperial garden, he saw Zhao Jinyuan sitting in a pavilion not far away, and several old ministers in the court were standing in front of him and scolding him.
Shi Yi had good eyesight and recognized those people as Lord Zhang, Lord Li and Lord Li, who were closest to the queen's family. It should be about the queen's relocation of the palace.
Zhao Jinyuan listened to the reprimands of these old ministers quietly, without saying a word, with an indifferent look on his face.
He wanted to give a title to his deceased mother, but was opposed by all the ministers. Why should a woman who had never given birth to him be relocated to the best palace in the harem?
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is your mother. It is really unfilial not to relocate the palace!"
"Your Majesty, you are so tolerant, how can you be a qualified king!"
"Your Majesty, I am really ashamed of your behavior!"
Shi Yi stood behind the rockery and watched the ministers leave after reprimanding.
The fifteen-year-old boy just sat in the pavilion for a long time. The garden was very quiet, and the setting sun was magnificent, which made the boy's back look even thinner and more lonely.
Zhao Jinyuan stood up and was slightly stunned when he looked up and saw Shi Yi.
He had never thought that she would see him in such a state of embarrassment.
But it was not the first time that she saw him in such an embarrassment. She laughed at herself and turned away.
Shi Yi suddenly felt sad.
The young man was wearing luxurious royal palace clothes and was the most honorable person here, but now he had to look at other people's faces.
Secretly, he made up his mind.
That night, he returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion and summoned the shadow guard.
"My lord, the people on the list are all ministers who are close to the Rong family."
"Don't leave any of them." She said in a flat tone, and the peony under her pen was full of charm.
"Yes." The shadow guard disappeared without a trace.
She paused, and the peony stamens mixed into a ball and became waste.
In March, murders occurred one after another in the court. Officials above the third rank died strangely at home, and the homes of officials below the third rank were looted, with heavy losses. The forces related to the queen were basically eliminated.
The people in the court were in a panic.
In April, heavy rains poured for half a decade, almost submerging the entire Kyoto, and floods broke out again in the south of the Yangtze River. After the court session, Zhao Jinyuan left Shi Yi alone.
In the empty hall, Zhao Jinyuan sat in a high position and looked at Shi Yi. Outside the hall, there was a heavy rain that never stopped and covered the sky.
"I know..."
Shi Yi smiled and shook his head, signaling him not to say anything.
"Your Majesty and I just need to know it in our hearts."
"The flood in Jiangnan has caused the people to suffer. Now there is no one available in the court. What should I do?" he asked.
"Zhang Cheng, the son of the former Dali Temple Minister." Shi Yi answered.
Zhao Jinyuan then remembered the Zhang family that was framed by the queen.
Promoting people with merit and talent will definitely give positive encouragement to capable people in the folk.
There will be no worries about not having capable people and loyal ministers to use in the future!
Once you understand, you will understand everything. Zhao Jinyuan swept away his previous decadent spirit.
The queen's family is just a grasshopper crossing the river, while he is like the rising sun, at the peak of his power.
As expected, Zhang Cheng lived up to his expectations. The flood relief in Jiangnan was completed properly, and the people in Jiangnan were grateful to the new emperor.
Taking advantage of the people's hearts, Zhao Jinyuan hurriedly promoted a group of young and upright ministers, preparing to observe and cultivate them into his confidants. Shi Yi knew his thoughts and found many scholars with upright personalities and good means to enter the court and let him choose.
In this way, Zhao Jinyuan slowly accumulated the hearts of the people.
On the day when Zhang Cheng was promoted to a third-rank minister, he went to visit the female prime minister on purpose.
At the prime minister's residence, he was stopped by the doorman.
"The prime minister said that Mr. Zhang's wealth and glory today are all within his ability. He is willing to devote himself to the new emperor in the future and die for the great Jin Dynasty, so as to live up to the name of the Zhang family's loyalty and heroism." The doorman has many relatives in Jiangnan. Knowing that Zhang Cheng is a real capable person and a person who truly benefits the people, he has long admired him.
Seeing him coming to visit today, although he was not wearing gorgeous clothes, he was dressed in a simple blue shirt and looked like a free and easy person. He secretly suppressed his inner excitement and conveyed the meaning of the female prime minister.
Being rejected behind closed doors was what Zhang Cheng expected.
In his impression, she was indeed such an indifferent person.
He remembered the first time he met her in the market. He was abducted by human traffickers because of his playfulness. He was sold at a low price after pressing the acupuncture points on his body, smearing his face with straw tags on his body, and she reached out to help him when he was out on the street with the princess. But she was such a person who didn't want others to owe her a favor, and she even spent more money to hire someone to rescue herself. If he hadn't met the princess from a distance at home, he would not have recognized her.
The first time he was recommended by the princess to go to Jiangnan for disaster relief, he encountered countless difficulties. It was she who secretly sent people to help, and they were all safe.
Even this time, Jiangnan almost had a riot, and he and other ministers who were doing disaster relief were trapped in the mob and almost died. It was thanks to her that she sent troops to suppress it. Only then can they return safely.
I thought that she would be rewarded for her contribution to the flood relief in Jiangnan, but who knew that the people in Kyoto were completely unaware of the riots in Jiangnan. All the credit was actually taken by him alone. How could he be so worthy!
"Thank you for the message, young man. Zhang Cheng will definitely live up to the trust of the Prime Minister." The thin young man bowed and left.
Since she wanted the Jin Dynasty to be stable and wanted him to do his best for the new emperor Jinzhong, he would do as she wished.
The doorman leaned against the crossbar and watched her go far and far.
The setting sun was long and slanting, and the streets were deserted, and the shadows were dragged very long.
Zhang Cheng never thought that this would almost be the last time he and her met.
Although they didn't meet this time.
In the courtyard, the tea was thick, and Shi Yi and the new emperor sat facing each other. The clear and slanting light divided the two into two, Shi Yi in the sun and the new emperor in the dark.
"Why don't you see me?" Zhao Jin asked, knocking on the cup. In the dark, his expression could not be seen, only the sound of his cup knocking on the edge could be heard.
"Your Majesty wants me to see you?" Shi Yi sat upright and sniffed the tea. His hair was fragrant and his face was as swaggering as snow. He had already looked like a charming daughter.
Zhao Jinyuan's eyes darkened, and he had a desire to monopolize her.
"You are not allowed to see her." He said in a hoarse voice.
Shi Yi's originally calm face suddenly became lively, like a thousand flowers blooming, dazzling his eyes.
Beauty is a disaster, this is the first feeling that suddenly burst out in Zhao Jinyuan's heart.
(End of this chapter)
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