Chapter 203: Pushing the Building to Collapse
When the two sisters got together, it seemed as if they were back to a year ago. A few days ago, Xi Qingmian was a little reserved in front of Xiao Ji, but after a few days, her true nature showed.
At first, Xiao Ji was afraid that he would be on duty all day. Qingwu was bored as he only had a few things to do all day in the palace. After a few days, he just came home late, and his wife went to her sister's bed. Hearing Baozhu's report that the princess and the third lady were sleeping today, he sighed helplessly.
But he had been busy lately and hadn't had time to accompany Qingwu. The situation in the court had become increasingly turbulent. Previously, the kings had only engaged in clandestine struggles, but now the throne was vacant, and Xiao Ji had been reinstated, directly adding fuel to the fire.
King Ying's achievements on the frontier had already weakened King Wu's prestige. King Wen also "made friends" with Marquis Zhenbei and tried to use the situation to reach into the army. As the eldest son of the emperor, King Wu felt unprecedented anxiety. At this time, news came out that King Ning was having an affair with the Minister of the Chancellery.
King Wu immediately dropped his sword with a loud "bang", which frightened his guards so much that their eyeballs trembled.
"What a great King Ning!" King Wu felt that it was not enough, and kicked over the weapon rack, and the weapons made of fine iron fell to the ground with a clatter.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he paced back and forth in the martial arts arena like an enraged beast. "First, Prince Wen hooked up with the Marquis of Zhenbei, and now Prince Ning is hooking up with the Minister of the Chancellery—what are they trying to force me to do?!"
The guards were silent, no one dared to step forward. Suddenly, King Wu stopped and grabbed his trusted general by the collar: "Go! Prepare a carriage for me to go to the old place. I want to see Qi Xin!"
Qi Xin used to be a captain of a thousand men in the army he led. A few years ago, he was transferred to the position of General of the Imperial Guards, responsible for guarding the palace gates and city gates. Although his position seemed insignificant, it was actually very useful in critical moments.
At the same time, in Prince Wen’s mansion.
King Wen had to be somewhat anxious. Although he sipped his tea leisurely, his brows were furrowed. After a while, he put down the teacup and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "I don't know what kind of ability this third brother has to have, to actually make the Shangshu Ling waver. The Shangshu Ling is such a fox..."
At this moment, he finally understood how others had looked at him some time ago. They just couldn't understand why the Shangshu Ling had been playing it safe for so many years, and was clearly a dog that obeyed his father's every command. How could this dog suddenly become disloyal?
"Something's wrong..."
"Your Highness means..."
"Could it be that the Emperor deliberately ordered this? To infiltrate the inner circle... Third Brother hasn't been very honest in the Ministry of Revenue these past few years."
If King Wu had the confidence from his military achievements and King Wen attracted a group of civil officials, then King Ning's advantage lies in the treasury. He has been in the Ministry of Revenue for many years, and even if he did not do much, he should have made a lot of money.
King Wen thought of this, and King Ning naturally thought of it too. Although he had been cautious enough in his contact with the Shangshu Ling, there were still too many eyes staring at him, and he was simply unable to guard against them. However, he was discovered after two encounters, so he didn't dare to make any moves now.
Look, the Minister of the Chancellery has been summoned to the Purple Palace by my father. Who knows if he will still dare to stand on his side after he comes out?
Shangshu Ling Shen Yushan, who was on his way to Zichen Palace, had a calm expression. If you looked closely, you could even see a faint smile on the corner of his lips. He had expected this day a long time ago.
He was different from Xue Chen. Xue Chen, because of his illustrious military achievements, had never been servile to the emperor. Over the years, he had also been at odds with the emperor, rarely attending court, and was a man of great pride. Xiao Yuancheng would consider anything such a man did normal, let alone support his son's ascension to the throne.
But Shen Yushan was different. Because the princess was gone and his former colleagues died one by one, he lost interest in work. Later, when he became the Shangshu Ling, he almost obeyed Xiao Yuancheng in order to be able to resign safely and return home. As long as it was not against the law, he would do it. So his act of getting close to King Ning was very eye-catching in Xiao Yuancheng's mind.
Inside the Purple Palace, wisps of ambergris rose from the gilded incense burner. Xiao Yuancheng half-leaned on the dragon-patterned throne, his cloudy old eyes slightly narrowed, the wrinkles at his corners as deep as if carved by a knife. His bony fingers tapped the armrests intermittently, deliberately making Shen Yushan, who was kneeling in the hall, prostrate himself for a long time.
"My dear Lord Shen..." The old emperor suddenly spoke in a low voice, "I heard that you have been in close contact with Prince Ning recently?"
Shen Yushan pressed his forehead against the cold gold brick and said, "Your Majesty, I have indeed had some dealings with His Royal Highness Prince Ning."
"Bang!" Xiao Yuancheng slammed his hands on the table, causing the teacups to clink. His eyes widened, and veins popped out of his forehead. "How dare you! I haven't even closed my eyes yet, and you guys are already rushing to find a new master?!"
Shen Yushan stood up calmly, took out a letter and a thin account book from his sleeve, bent down and raised his hands above his head: "Your Majesty, please understand. This old minister did it all for Your Majesty!"
His calm demeanor slightly calmed Xiao Yuancheng's anger. He took the letter and account book handed over by the attendant with suspicion. Shen Yushan secretly observed, and when he saw Xiao Yuancheng's expression change slightly, he said loudly:
"I have served Your Majesty for many years, and I have always wanted to share Your Majesty's worries. Your Majesty's birthday is in three months, and I know Your Majesty wants to celebrate it with great fanfare.
There is an ancient record in "Wanshou Yannianlu": When the holy ruler's birthday comes, all the people celebrate together, then heaven and earth will communicate, dragon energy will gather, and the life span can be increased.
"I have consulted the ancient texts and found that Emperor Renzong of Zhao and Han always celebrated his birthday with the ceremonies of nine tripods and the congratulations of the people, which is why he lived to the age of eighty-eight. If Your Majesty can now show the world the magnificent sacred texts, you will surely enjoy a long and healthy life!"
As he spoke these words, Shen Yushan silently prayed for forgiveness from the gods and Buddhas. Organizing banquets had always been a waste of money and labor, and he had always followed Xiao Yuancheng's instructions and handled things with care. But this time, he had taken the initiative. Another scratch was left on the already rotten dragon throne, pushing the crumbling edifice to sway.
This was exactly what Xiao Yuancheng wanted. The older he got, the more he valued his life. He really wanted to hold a grand birthday banquet, firstly to show his imperial power, and secondly to pray for blessings.
Seeing that His Majesty was showing signs of interest, Shen Yushan feigned grief and said, "This is only a portion of the money Prince Ning has secretly embezzled during his years in charge of the Ministry of Revenue... I had kept it a secret because he was Your Majesty's own son. But a few days ago, when we were discussing the birthday banquet in the court, the Minister of Revenue said that the treasury was not well-off. I know there is indeed war on the border, but Prince Ning actually joined in the discussion and did not share Your Majesty's worries... I really can't bear it."
"The money Prince Ning embezzled should have been turned over to the national treasury! The embezzled money in this account book alone is enough for His Majesty to hold two high-profile birthday banquets! If he could invite thousands of elderly people to celebrate his birthday, His Majesty would surely live a long and healthy life."
"I approached Prince Ning this time only to find out how much silver he had embezzled and to persuade him to return it to Your Majesty."
Xiao Yuancheng was very satisfied with this fight. The anger on his face melted away like ice and snow. Regardless of whether Shen Yushan was sincere or not, he felt relieved, but of course he was also very annoyed.
The amount of embezzled silver in the account books alone was as much as 50,000 taels. You should know that some time ago, the King of England only brought 30,000 taels of food and fodder when he went to war.
Xiao Yuancheng knew that his son would not be able to resist taking action once he entered the Ministry of Revenue, but he did not expect it to be so much. Fifty thousand taels was just a dime.
"My dear, your intentions are good!"
Shen Yushan bowed his head deeply and said humbly and gratefully, "I, your Majesty, have been so kind to me and appointed you as the Minister of the Chancellery. It is my duty to help you, your Majesty, with your worries."
Xiao Yuancheng just liked Shen Yushan's extremely tactful appearance. He couldn't say that he was servile or fawning, but he was very good at getting things done. In this way, he had both dignity and substance.
However, this was not enough to reassure Xiao Yuancheng. He joked, "Are you trying to scare me, my dear? This is a speech for the King of Baoning."
Shen Yushan immediately gave a wry smile and knelt down, pretending to be heartbroken. "Your Majesty, I am the same age as you this year, already fifty-three, and childless. What's the point of choosing another master? Above the position of Shangshu Ling, what else can I ask for?"
These words completely dispelled Xiao Yuancheng's doubts, and he personally stood up to support Shen Yushan.
"Hurry up! I have wronged you, my dear." He patted the back of Shen Yushan's hand and sighed, "Of all the civil and military officials in the court, you are the one who understands my heart the best..."
The ticking of a copper clock in the corner of the hall reflected the hypocritical scene of "harmony between the monarch and his subjects." As Shen Yushan bowed his head and bowed his head, a barely perceptible sneer crossed his lips.
King Channing was real, and choosing another master was also real, but he was not a man.
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