Chapter 190: Zhu Mianzhu's Thoughts
Princess Kunxing Zhu Mianzhu's disturbance at the manor had spread widespread public awareness of the Zhao brothers' sudden disappearance. Initially, people had only assumed they'd taken leave from court, but their sudden disappearance sparked a flurry of speculation. Everyone had their own thoughts.
Li Banghua, Ni Yuanlu, Zhang Huangyan, and others representing the imperial court were now worried that the two brothers were planning to establish their own army. However, Zhang Huangyan immediately sent people to the Kenan Army camp and found that everything was normal, with no signs of mobilization. The equipment was also there, which made Zhang Huangyan and others feel relieved.
What Ni Yuanlu and Li Banghua feared most was that the Zhao brothers would surrender to Li Zicheng or the Jianlu. However, this possibility was very small, because the strength of the Kenan Army was there, and Zhao Xiaofei would not surrender to them. It would be more likely for them to surrender to Zhao Xiaofei.
The remaining ministers and nobles hoped that something unexpected would happen to the Zhao brothers, giving them a chance to rise to higher positions. Zhao Xiaofei and his men had been promoting officials from their own faction, or officials from the Ministry of Works, officials with expertise in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering. This infuriated some traditional civil servants, who were deeply dissatisfied with the faction's promotions and the way it would influence their decisions.
Zhao Xiaofei considered that future Ming officials must become more technically competent, away from those who only knew how to talk. At the local level, with Nanjing as a pilot, officials could be interchangeable. Officials who made mistakes could be demoted to clerks, while clerks who made meritorious contributions or offered valuable advice could be promoted to officials. This policy delighted the clerks and resented the scholars. Zhao Xiaofei's current approach was pragmatic, away from empty-talking civil servants. He wanted to discover more officials like the Three Heroes of Jiangyin.
Feng Dunhou, Chen Mingyu, and Yan Yingyuan have essentially reorganized the cities along the Yangtze River. They've repaired what needed repairs and renovated what needed renovations. They've also optimized personnel and supplies. Such individuals will undoubtedly be prime ministers in the future.
Princess Kunxing Zhu Mianzhu also agreed with Zhao Xiaofei's views. Zhu Mianzhu had been learning from Zhao Xiaofei for the past two years, including military, politics, economy, and the Ming Dynasty's official assessment reform.
But after thoroughly reading history, Zhu Mianzhu's mindset changed. Let history be a mirror! Just look at the reformers, how many of them met a good end? Shang Yang was indeed a formidable figure, strengthening the Qin State, but he himself was torn apart by five horses. Wang Anshi's reforms ultimately led to his exile and death in Zhongshan. And what about Fan Zhongyan, or Zhang Juzheng of our own dynasty? Did anyone have a good ending?
Zhu Mianzhu was a married woman with a child soon. She didn't want to end up like those families who had undergone political reforms, with their wives and children torn apart and their families torn apart. So she was now trying her best to protect Zhao Xiaofei, even if he was wrong. She had to protect him even if it was his private life, including the fact that he had left with Concubine Yuan and went to the manor together. Putting all these things together was a huge matter. So she decided to have Liu Gongzheng kill the maid who had witnessed all this. Then she would go to the manor and make a scene.
So everyone saw the scene where Princess Kunxing, Zhu Mianzhu, with her big belly, pointed a whip at Xiao Si. Xiao Si didn't know that Zhu Mianzhu was acting, and he begged the princess not to embarrass him. One was the young master, the other was the wife of the head of the family and the Princess Daming.
When Zhu Mianzhu saw someone coming from the palace, she shouted, "Xiao Si! I want to ask you, I heard that the prince took a prostitute away with him. Is that true? Yes!"
Xiao Siduo is quite astute! Having spent so much time in the palace, he naturally understood what the princess was saying. That means: I know about the prince's affairs, and I'm afraid others will see, so I'm just playing along! Just cooperate!
"Your Highness, I...I..." Xiao Si said in embarrassment.
"What do you mean by 'I'? Tell the truth! Otherwise, I won't let you off!" Zhu Mianzhu said.
"Yes! I only saw a silhouette, but the woman was very charming! I believe that as a prince, you would not be attracted by such a woman!" Xiao Si said.
"You are so loyal! You are still thinking about saying good things to your master at this time!" Zhu Mianzhu said angrily.
"I am just a dog in the palace and I only listen to my master. You and the prince are both masters, so please don't make things difficult for me!" Xiao Si said.
"Hmph! Then you should tell me, where did the prince go?" Zhu Mianzhu said.
"The prince went on a secret visit! He said he wanted to inspect the river and military preparations to see if the city defenses in various places could stop the Jianlu and Li Zicheng from moving south! In addition, there has been no news about General Fang Xinyu. I heard from the prince that he would also go to Sichuan to look for him. What if he finds him?" Xiao Si pretended to be forced into a corner and confessed everything!
"Who is that woman?" Zhu Mianzhu asked.
"I heard her name is Lu Siniang! She's a martial arts expert, and more than a dozen people can't get close to the prince!" Xiao Si said. In fact, he made up all this. He just knew that there was a poor woman named Lu next door to his house, and now he was using her as an emergency measure.
"Just be quiet and see how I'm going to deal with you! Come on, prepare the sedan chair! Go to the palace!" Zhu Mianzhu said.
The play had to be performed with sincerity, and it couldn't be finished here and then ignored. Otherwise, others would see that it was fake, so Princess Kunxing Zhu Mianzhu immediately ran into the palace to discuss with Queen Mother Zhou how to ensure the stability of the Kenan Army and let Li Sihong and Kou Baimen enter the barracks to calm the soldiers.
Zhu Mianzhu, with tears in her eyes, came to Queen Mother Zhou and complained to her that Zhao Xiaofei had ignored the overall situation and secretly gone out for a private visit. He also brought a woman with him who was said to be a martial arts master.
Empress Dowager Zhou had naturally heard that Zhao Xiaofei and his brother had gone out with a woman, and that some people said the woman looked like Concubine Yuan. Empress Dowager Zhou thought this was pure nonsense. Concubine Yuan had been dead for several months, so how could she be resurrected? Who could be so bold as to set their sights on the late emperor's woman?
So Empress Dowager Zhou naturally didn't believe this. She said, "Okay! Women have to accept their fate! Zhao Xiaofei is a prince now. Which prince doesn't have ten or eight women around him? How many does Zhao Xiaofei have? And it may not be what you imagine! Let's wait until Zhao Xiaofei comes back! You are in poor health, let Zhang Shulan take a good look at you. You might have a miscarriage after all this trouble today! This is the future prince, who will inherit the title!" said Empress Dowager Zhou.
Zhu Mianzhu pretended to be reluctant to agree to Queen Mother Zhou's request and returned to the palace. However, once she returned to her room, her expression changed. She was very proud of her performance and thought she had done a great service to the family.
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