Chapter 334: The Debtor Brother-in-Law
"Let me do this! I don't want others to say that you are mean and ungrateful, and that you inherited Taizu's cruelty. You are my wife, and I hope that when others mention you, they will only think of your virtue, your gentleness, and your talent and beauty!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"How can there be such perfect people and things in the world?" Princess Kunxing said. She was very happy after hearing this.
Zhao Xiaofei smiled and said, "You are the most perfect in my eyes! Okay, I have to go to the palace to find your brother to discuss how to go north!" She left the palace and went to the palace to find Zhu Cijiong. They also had to discuss going north to the capital. As soon as Zhao Xiaofei left, she ordered someone to call Xiao Si.
Princess Kunxing took a sip of her tea, then put it down and said, "The prince told me what happened. Originally, I shouldn't have intervened, but the prince is kind-hearted, and I'm afraid he might hesitate. So if any of these three make any moves, regardless of whether there's evidence or not, kill them. Pick some martial arts experts and place them near them. I don't want the Battle of Xi'an to happen again, understand?"
Princess Kunxing's tone was so cold that Xiao Si felt cold sweat on his back.
"I understand! I will make sure to take care of this matter!" Xiao Si said hurriedly.
"We can't rush this matter. Don't let them find out. Otherwise, with their abilities, the world will be in chaos!" Princess Kunxing said.
"Yes!" Xiao Si said.
"Go away!" Princess Kunxing drove them away directly.
Zhao Xiaofei entered the palace, preparing to have Zhu Cijiong go north ahead of schedule. The inner guards of the capital had sent word that the Empress Dowager was gravely ill, and he couldn't let them miss their last moment together.
"Brother-in-law, let's go now! Someone, come here! Pack my things for me, I want to leave tomorrow. Let Ni Yuanlu come to the palace to see me!" Zhu Cijiong wanted to go to the capital immediately after hearing that the empress dowager was ill.
"Don't panic! You are the emperor, why are you panicking?" Zhao Xiaofei said.
"How can I not be panicked? Although many things my mother did made me feel inappropriate, when I was a child, she loved me the most besides my eldest brother. Now that she is ill, how can I not be anxious?" Zhu Cijiong said.
"What about Lu Ling? She is pregnant, and the boat can't go too fast! Moreover, the Queen's ceremony hasn't been held yet. What if something happens to the Queen Mother? The ceremony can't be held." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"I will first issue an edict to announce to the world that Lu Ling is the queen. The ceremony will be held when we arrive in the capital. In case something happens to my mother, the title will be retained." Zhu Cijiong said.
If the Ministry of Rites knew about this, they would probably be furious. Zhao Xiaofei had led Zhu Cijiong to disregard etiquette and laws, prioritizing practicality over everything else. As for etiquette, it was for his own use, so why let it constrain him?
Zhao Xiaofei nodded. It seemed the emperor's brother-in-law was becoming more and more pragmatic. He was worried that Zhu Cijiong would become old-fashioned if he stayed with those old stubborn people for a long time. He didn't want Zhu Cijiong to become another Chongzhen.
After a while, Ni Yuanlu came in. Zhu Cijiong told him what had happened, and Ni Yuanlu said, "Your Majesty! We are almost ready. In that case, how about we set off the day after tomorrow?"
"No! We must leave tomorrow! All officials who can leave must follow me. Inform them in all places that I will try my best not to get off the ship. Also, draft an edict immediately to confer Lu Ling as the queen. I will also grant amnesty to the world, and pardon all death sentences except those who commit treason, unfilial behavior, murder, and adultery!" Zhu Cijiong said.
"Yes! I obey your order!" Ni Yuanlu had no choice but to agree.
Zhao Xiaofei saw that Ni Yuanlu agreed so readily, and it seemed that the cabinet and the court had become a stamping machine.
Yes! The Donglin Party was killed by the Queen Mother, and there are no big leaders in the Chu Party, Zhejiang Party, and Lu Party. Isn't the emperor the one who has the final say in the court? Now, apart from himself, no one in the court can influence the emperor's decision.
After leaving the palace, Zhao Xiaofei returned to the prince's residence. He gathered all the wives and said, "The emperor is going north tomorrow. The princess is pregnant now, so she shouldn't go with him. Everyone else, come back to the capital with me."
"I'll stay and accompany the princess too, so I can take care of her." Shen Yunying said.
Zhao Xiaofei had never expected that she would be the one to stay with Kunxing. But it seemed like it was a good idea for her to stay.
"I'll stay too. Qingcheng is still too young to travel in a hurry." Kou Baimen said.
Zhao Xiaofei thought about it and realized that his daughter was only a few months old, so it was indeed inconvenient for her to go out these days. So he nodded.
Originally, Princess Zhaoren also wanted to stay, but Zhao Xiaofei and Princess Kunxing disagreed.
Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself: This is a big deal, returning to the capital! A princess can just not come, but you have nothing to do, so how can you not come?
Princess Kunxing, however, thought that while she might not be by her husband's side, her younger sister had to be by his side to prevent other women from becoming too favored. This was especially true of Li Sihong, who had spent the longest time with her husband and had nearly become his legal wife. Therefore, she had to be on guard against Li Sihong.
Just like this, the emperor was in a hurry, while Zhao Xiaofei was calm and unhurried. The two people were in completely different states.
Zhao Xiaofei brought everything with him, even the ceramic toilet brought from modern society.
His brother-in-law was much more hurried. Although he had palace maids and eunuchs to take care of him, he was not as comfortable as Zhao Xiaofei. Before the boat had traveled 20 kilometers, he got off his dragon boat and ran to live on Zhao Xiaofei's boat.
Zhao Xiaofei's boat is equipped with air conditioning and solar-powered electricity. Furthermore, he also uses modern products for bathing and sleeping.
Zhu Cijiong said to Zhao Xiaofei while lying on the bed, "I must have these from now on! You pay them as tribute to me!"
"Will you give me money?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"No! I have no money! My treasury doesn't have as much money as your family! What's wrong with you, my brother-in-law, spending some money on me?" Zhu Cijiong said.
Zhao Xiaofei saw that there were no eunuchs or palace maids around, so he said, "Hey! Little Sanzi, you've fallen! You're actually competing with the people for profit!"
Zhu Cijiong wasn't angry at all when Zhao Xiaofei called him "Little Third Son." This showed that his brother-in-law still occasionally treated him like a brother-in-law. So he said, "Are you a commoner? Now, besides me, you're the highest-ranking official in the world. Who else should I compete with if not you? Ni Yuanlu and the others? They're still counting on you for their salaries!"
"Don't talk nonsense. Don't think I don't know that the court can now start collecting taxes normally. I heard that Ni Yuanlu checked the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue, and found that the Ministry of Revenue received more than 30 million taels of silver in half a year. It is much more than the period of the previous emperor." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"That's money from the national treasury! Not my money! If I want to spend some money, I have to ask the Ministry of Revenue. Do you know how much my underwear costs?" Zhu Cijiong asked.
Zhao Xiaofei shook his head and thought to himself: What does your business have to do with me?
"Let me tell you, it's less than 100,000 taels of silver. Your palace's monthly expenses must be more than that, right?" Zhu Cijiong said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
