"Do you remember the secret code I told you about the meeting?" Chongzhen asked while hugging Shen Peiqing's shoulders.
"I remember," Shen Peiqing's eyes began to become moist again, "I am Baiyun... I am Heitu."
"Yes," Chongzhen nodded, "I will disguise myself and go find you when I miss you in the future. As long as the code is correct, you will open the palace gate and let me in."
"I've got this in mind!" Shen Peiqing couldn't help but shed tears again.
Chongzhen had no choice but to comfort her again.
After an unknown amount of time, peace finally returned to the Qianqing Palace.
"My beloved concubine," Chongzhen said to Shen Peiqing seriously, "In a month, you will have a direct conflict with Queen Zhou, and Queen Zhou will accidentally push you to the ground."
"In order to save face, you announced to the public that you were pregnant before, but Queen Zhou pushed you and caused you to miscarry. Please punish me."
"I will order a thorough investigation of this matter, and the result will be that you will be banished to the cold palace for lying to the emperor."
"Within two to three months after the incident, your fourth uncle Shen Shouyue will lose a battle on the sea! At that time, officials will impeach Shen Shouyue and accuse him of deliberately losing the battle to express his dissatisfaction with me for banishing you to the cold palace!"
"In a moment of rage, I will remove Shen Shouyue from his post and never employ anyone else except him."
"All we can do now is wait until Zheng Zhilong takes the bait." Chongzhen told all the plans in one breath.
Logically speaking, Shen Peiqing is a concubine in the harem and shouldn't know too much.
But this matter requires her and the Shen family's deep involvement, so nothing can be concealed.
"Your Majesty, does my fourth uncle know about this?" Zhao Fei Shen Peiqing asked with some doubt.
"He doesn't know yet, so I need my beloved concubine to write a letter home and tell him the whole plan. I will order the Jinyiwei to deliver it personally. As for whether he will act according to the plan, it depends on my beloved concubine's ability." Chongzhen said.
"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will definitely convince Fourth Uncle to act according to the plan." Shen Peiqing said with determination.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, my beloved concubine!" Chongzhen let out a long sigh.
Sooner or later he will have to face the trouble of Zheng Zhilong.
Since we have to face it, we must prepare in advance.
If I remember correctly, he had three chess pieces in Zheng Zhilong's army.
First is the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
They are omnipresent and have informants everywhere.
But the people he came into contact with were all low-level figures, and he did not come into contact with the middle and senior generals in Zheng Zhilong's army.
It’s not that there is no way to contact them, but the risk is too great and it is very easy to alert the enemy.
The second chess piece is Yin Hongsheng and his men.
This was the news Chongzhen learned through Shi Kefa.
Through Shi Kefa, these people could be used by Chongzhen at any time.
But Chongzhen would not let them come forward until the critical moment.
After all, they are buried the deepest.
Although the third chess piece is not the Jinyiwei, it is strictly speaking also related to the Jinyiwei.
Take He Shun, the former garrison commander of Qufu, as an example. After Chongzhen issued a general amnesty, he ordered the Jinyiwei to send a group of people like him to Fujian to join Zheng Zhilong's army.
Although it is unclear what official rank those people hold, whether they are still alive, and how loyal they are, they are still considered pawns.
The next piece to be deployed is the fourth chess piece: Shen Yourong’s fourth son, Shen Shouyue.
As long as Zheng Zhilong takes the bait, Shen Shouyue can directly become a middle-level general based on his previous experience.
This chess piece is the most important and Chongzhen also attaches the most importance to it.
The next morning, Chongzhen got up and went to court, holding his old waist.
no way.
Although Zhao Fei Shen Peiqing was just a concubine.
But Chongzhen needed her help.
When asking someone to do something for you, you must have the right attitude.
He performed very well last night and got things done perfectly.
When he arrived at the court, the Minister of Revenue Xie Sanbin submitted the official document on the proposal to donate money for an official position.
We are all respectable people. Selling official positions cannot be called selling, it must be called donation.
Just like the stealing of books in "Kong Yiji", can it be called stealing books?
It's called book stealing!
After Chongzhen confirmed that the official document was correct, he handed it over to various government offices for approval. Finally, the inner court stamped it and sent it to Nanjing by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Wang Zhong," said Gao Shiming, the head of the Imperial Household Department, coldly, looking at the Jinyiwei in front of him, "I have two things to do when I go to Nanjing."
"Please tell me, sir. I will keep it in mind."
"The first is to convey the imperial court's will and let the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel fully cooperate with the Salt Inspector Song Quan to donate official positions."
"Yes," Wang Zhong, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, bowed and saluted.
"The second thing..." Gao Shiming deliberately dragged out his voice, "is to protect Song Quan. The salt inspection only affected the interests of some people. If the interests are lost, they can be earned again, so they will not do anything to Song Quan."
"But the subsequent sale of official positions will slap some people in the face. No one can guarantee that they will not do something extreme to save face."
"Don't worry, eunuch. I will never let Song Quan make any mistake even if I die," Wang Zhong promised.
"Yes," Gao Shiming nodded, "Remember, Song Quan means money! The money for the Liaodong war and the money for governing the Mongols in the northwest are all in Song Quan's hands. Whoever has a problem with Song Quan has a problem with money and the Ming Dynasty!"
"I will keep it in mind." Wang Zhong assured again.
"Alright," Gao Shiming yawned, "Hurry up and go to Nanjing to convey the imperial edict. The whole court and His Majesty are waiting for the result."
"I'll take my leave." Wang Zhong turned and left.
He rode out of the capital with a dozen men on horseback and headed towards Nanjing along the canal.
Just as Wang Zhong and others left the capital, the servant of the chief minister Fan Jingwen also left the capital on horseback.
His destination was not Nanjing, but Gucheng County, Huguang, more than a thousand miles away from Nanjing.
Fang Yuegong, former Minister of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty, was from Gucheng, Huguang. After resigning from office, he was idle at home.
Now that Chongzhen has agreed to let him teach the prince, Fan Jingwen has to tell him the news.
Time passes quietly amid the sound of horse hooves.
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