325: Prince Rong Is Repairing the City Wall
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The queen felt that this matter had great potential, and although it was somewhat difficult, she could give it a try.
After calming down, he looked at Su Xinyi and said, "I already know about this. You can go back and wait for the news."
"Thank you very much, mother, and my daughter-in-law will take my leave." Su Xinyi smiled and stood up to greet her, then turned and left.
As soon as Su Xinyi left, the queen looked at Nanny Zhao and said, "Prince Xiang is going to be in trouble."
Aunt Zhao didn't understand for a moment, so she listened to the Empress sighed and said, "Didn't the Crown Princess scare King Rong in the hunting ground?"
Aunt Zhao immediately remembered that such a thing had happened and that she had saved His Highness at the hunting ground.
"Your Majesty, even if this is the case, does the Crown Princess still want to attack Prince Xiang in the hunting ground? This is impossible, there are so many people." Aunt Zhao said hesitantly, the Crown Princess is not stupid, such a thing is to give someone a hand. How to do it.
The queen sneered, "Since she dares to speak, she must have a way. Don't forget, she has been with the mountains and wild beasts since she was a child. It's not like she wanted to kill Prince Xiang, she just wanted to frighten him and make him lose face." not easy?"
Aunt Zhao:......
What the empress said makes sense, and it seems to be true. Then Prince Xiang is really going to be in trouble.
Aunt Zhao suddenly became happy. She looked at the queen and said, "If it can really be done, the empress can also vent her anger. When His Highness Prince Rong was frightened by the Crown Princess, Concubine Li was still laughing."
Aunt Zhao was not very happy when she mentioned this matter. The reason why the empress was not happy with the Crown Princess was not because it was Concubine Li who fanned the flames. The relationship between the Empress and the Crown Princess was not good before.
Now that she sees that the empress and the crown prince are becoming more and more harmonious, Aunt Zhao is actually relieved. His Highness, Prince Rong, seems to have a bad temper, but he is actually kind-hearted and has no ambitions for the crown prince's position. How can he still follow her like this? His Highness the Crown Prince fights, but His Highness doesn’t want to fight at all.
Since there is no fight, the only choice is to win over each other. Finally, the relationship between the empress and the crown prince has eased a lot. Aunt Zhao naturally hopes that it can continue.
"Your Majesty, how are you going to facilitate this?" Aunt Zhao felt that if she went directly to His Majesty to talk about this matter, her wish might not come true.
The queen said: "In the battle at Zhangping Mansion, Prince Xiang did not have any credit. Concubine Li is probably more anxious than anyone else. As long as there is an opportunity for Prince Xiang to stand out, Concubine Li will not let it go. If you let the news out, then It was said that the palace hunt could not be held this year, so someone suggested that it be held at the capital hunting ground.”
After hearing what the empress said, Aunt Zhao said suspiciously: "Empress, can this be all right?"
"You have to give it a try if it works. If it doesn't work, I'll go see your Majesty again. However, Concubine Li is more anxious than us now. She is even more looking forward to the opportunity for Prince Xiang to show off his style and overpower the Crown Prince." The Queen said coldly. He opened his mouth and missed his son very much at this moment. If his son was still there, he would just go to His Majesty and ask for help. There was no need to act on his own.
His son is used to doing this kind of eating, drinking and having fun, and His Majesty is not surprised.
It's a pity that no one is here.
Without the son, the mother has no choice but to take over.
Aunt Zhao thought about it carefully and felt that Yuzhao Palace could not let Yuzhao Palace think it was Yuan Hui Palace's idea, and she had to avoid the Empress to avoid Concubine Li becoming suspicious.
Aunt Zhao thought over and over again and asked someone to deliberately reveal the news in front of Concubine Qi Xian. Concubine Qi Xian had always been a wall-riding person who would fall wherever the wind was blowing. With such news, it was to give Concubine Li If you sell well, you will also talk about it.
Su Xinyi didn't know that Aunt Zhao had her mind set on Concubine Qi Xian. As soon as she returned to the East Palace, Zhang Jian came with the book from the former Queen's warehouse.
"Crown Princess, the things have been put into storage. Your Highness asked the Crown Princess to take charge of it, so my subordinates sent the booklet." Zhang Jian said respectfully.
This was left by the late Queen to His Highness, but His Highness gave it to the Crown Princess without even touching it.
Zhang Jian originally knew that the Crown Princess held a heavy weight in His Highness's heart, but now it seemed that it was even more important than he thought.
Su Xinyi was not surprised. Neither she nor His Highness told them where these things were, but now that His Highness had sent them to her, she actually felt as if His Highness would do this.
Delphinium handed the booklet into the hands of the Crown Princess, then bent down and stepped aside.
Su Xinyi took the book and flipped through it. It was quite thick. She flipped through a few pages at random and saw that there were many good things on it. She didn't expect that the late empress's personal wealth was so rich.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhang. Since the things have been put into the warehouse, let's seal them first." Su Xinyi has no intention of using these things. His Highness will just open the warehouse when he needs them.
Zhang Jian agreed and then excused himself. He smiled when he left the Deyang Palace. The Crown Princess was really open-minded. She just put the things in storage and sealed them up, but she was not moved at all. You must know that when the things were put into storage, he felt his heart pounding just looking at them. Jump.
No wonder His Highness trusts the Crown Princess so much.
Zhang Jian returned to Mingguang Hall and reported back. Yan Junchu nodded casually, waved his hand for Zhang Jian to step aside, and continued to discuss the follow-up matters of Zhangping Mansion with Wang Ce and others.
"Your Highness, His Royal Highness King Rong's letter said that the damaged city walls at Zhangping Mansion were repaired, and the damaged ordnance was replenished and repaired. In addition, the border troops were replenished. These are not small matters. Over at the Ministry of War, We have already recruited military households from all over the country and headed to Zhangping Prefecture, but the newly recruited military households still need to practice, which also takes time..."
Although Wang Ce's voice was neither fast nor slow, a hint of anxiety could be heard.
Although the Tatars were defeated and retreated, they didn't know when they would come back again. Zhangping Mansion, Yulin Guard, Yunxiang Guard and other war-torn guard cities would cost a lot of money just to repair them.
In addition, the damaged farmland needs to be cultivated again, the people need to be appeased, and the grain and grass need to be replenished. Each of these is no small matter.
It cost a lot of money, but the Ministry of Accounts didn't allocate that much, so we didn't know how much time it would take to go back and forth.
The national treasury is not full, and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is simply picking at an iron rooster. It is harder to pull out a hair than to climb to the sky.
July is about to enter, and the summer farming season is about to pass. I don’t know how much farmland has been replanted in Zhangping Prefecture. If the replanting is not timely, I am afraid that this year’s winter rations will be in question.
Wang Ce was so ugly recently that he was almost bald, but he couldn't think of a better way. There was nothing he could do if the weather didn't help.
Huang Zhongsheng looked at His Highness the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, this matter is big or small. I think the minister of household affairs should handle this matter."
Asking for money and spending money has always been the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. Now the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is shrinking his neck and keeping silent, wanting their highness to stand up. Is this a human thing?
At this time, Jiang Jun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, was sighing in his study room. There was a half-written booklet spread out on the desk, and the remaining half could not be written.
Why.
Mrs. Jiang came in with snacks, looked at her husband, and said, "Are you still worried?"
Jiang Jun watched his wife come in, cheered up and said, "Why are you here? Ruo Lan is getting married, and you have to prepare for her marriage."
Mrs. Jiang opened the food box and took out a cup of ginseng tea and several plates of snacks on the table. "Master, please have something to eat first. Ruo Lan's dowry is almost ready, so don't worry."
Jiang Jun was indeed a little hungry. Although he had no appetite, he still sat at the table and ate slowly.
Mrs. Jiang sat with her and said softly: "Is it still about Zhangping Mansion?"
Jiang Jun nodded slightly, "Two years ago, the war with the Tatars almost bottomed out the household. In the past two years, natural disasters have continued in various places. Your Majesty pursues a benevolent government and reduces taxes. In fact, the national treasury has not been filled much. This year's battle has almost reached the bottom. It’s all empty. Now the Zhangping Mansion needs money for all the subsequent repairs and maintenance, but the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money left.”
From the position of Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, you can look at the scenery. Whoever sits will know how hot his butt will be.
Jiang Jun had long wanted to change his job, but His Majesty did not agree.
Mrs. Jiang saw that her husband was so worried that he couldn't even eat. She thought for a moment and said, "I heard from Mrs. Yue that the salt-trading land in the south of the Yangtze River is very rich..."
Mr. Jiang interrupted his wife, "No, have you forgotten about Li Ji?"
Didn't Li Ji just fall on Yan Yin?
"You are really getting more and more angry. You should listen to what I have to say." Mrs. Jiang said angrily, "I heard from Mrs. Yue that salt is rare. Many businessmen can't get it even if they struggle to get it. They get it for nothing." There is nowhere to spend the money.”
"After Li Ji arrived, the imperial court became more strict on salt management. If anyone could buy salt with money, wouldn't it be a mess?" Jiang Jun said in a deep voice.
"You said that Yan Yin also has sales. Do you think it would be feasible to sell salt from the northwest to salt merchants in the South?" Mrs. Jiang didn't understand this, but she had heard Mrs. Yue say it a lot, so she thought it would be feasible. I also have some ideas of my own.
Jiang Jun was stunned, looked at his wife and said, "What did you say?"
"I mean, wouldn't it be enough to let the salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River get the salt from the northwest and transport the salt to the northwest?"
"Transporting salt to the northwest?" Jiang Jun frowned and repeated.
Mrs. Jiang just said it casually and said with a smile: "I only came up with this idea after listening to Mrs. Yue, and I don't know if it can be done."
"The road to the northwest is far away. The cost of transporting salt used to be more expensive than salt. Who can be an ordinary businessman?" Jiang Jun said. Those who don't have a rich family will not even have enough money to go back and forth. Even if they can scrape together the capital, they have to be careful on the way. If someone plots against you, you have to hire someone to escort you. Not everyone can do this business.
How could Mrs. Jiang know this? After hearing what her husband said, she had no other choice, "Then there is nothing we can do."
Jiang Jun always felt like something was flashing in his mind, but he couldn't catch it for a while. He got up and walked around the room with his hands behind his back.
When Mrs. Jiang saw this stubbornness coming back, she quietly packed her things and went back.
Jiang Jun was like a donkey pulling a mill. He turned around countless times and stopped. He went directly to Prime Minister Wang's Mansion without changing his clothes.
Prime Minister Wang was discussing his daughter's marriage with his wife. Her daughter's marriage had a lot of twists and turns, and she saw several times. Either there was something wrong with this or that, and Mrs. Wang was very worried.
Su Xinyi, who is about the same age as her daughter, is already married, Jiang Ruolan is also waiting to get married, and Han Wenyin's marriage has been decided. She is her father's student. Although she is only an Imperial Academy editor now, she will follow the path of the Imperial Academy. As long as you keep going steadily and well, your future will not be bad after more than ten years, but it will just take time and qualifications.
Mrs. Wang looked at her husband and said, "Second Mrs. Su asked someone to deliver the message. Do you think our family should marry the Duke of Qi?"
Civil and military affairs are different. Mrs. Wang doesn't know what her husband means, but her daughter's marriage really gives her a headache.
"Who are you talking about?" Prime Minister Wang frowned when he heard that the Duke of Qi's Palace had a princess. Marrying a princess from the Su family was naturally beneficial, but the corresponding risks were also extremely high.
"It's the second young master of the Su family, Su Qi." Mrs. Wang had seen Su Qi. She thought he looked like a handsome scholar before, but she didn't know that this time he had made meritorious service and had become a householder.
Of course, a centurion is not a high-ranking official, but Su Qi was able to get a centurion in his first expedition. It must be said that the children of the Su family really lived up to the reputation of their ancestors.
Mrs. Wang had a good impression of Su Qi, but she didn't know what her husband was thinking.
"Why did the Su family want to tell us this?" Prime Minister Wang looked at his wife and asked.
Mrs. Wang said, "The old lady is the niece of Mrs. Su Si's maiden family. Have you forgotten this?"
Prime Minister Wang really didn't remember it for a while, and his face was slightly stiff.
Mrs. Su Si has been very low-key in recent years, and has almost no sense of existence. People have forgotten that her maiden family is the Gao family. The only thing that people can remember is that she is the legitimate mother of the Crown Princess. If you don't think about it carefully, you can't remember that her father is the Grand Secretary Gao.
Prime Minister Wang was silent.
Mrs. Wang is very optimistic about Su Qi. He is good-looking and capable. The key is that he used to study and has a little reputation in the college. He is good at both literature and martial arts, has a family background, and his brothers and sisters are all very competitive. Such a good marriage, the only thing that makes people a little regretful is the difference between civil and military.
She was afraid that her husband would not agree.
"Master, I think Su Qi is a good kid. Although he has given up literature and joined the military, he earned a hundred households in his first expedition. His future will definitely be good. Moreover, this kid has a good character and his family is strict. There are no messy people around him. Yingyao is a little arrogant. This marriage has not been smooth. I am afraid that she will have wild thoughts..." Mrs. Wang really thinks this marriage is good. What's the difference between civil and military? The Crown Princess is good at wielding spears and sticks, but she was chosen by His Majesty to marry the Crown Prince.
If it were in the past, who would dare to believe that a Crown Princess is so tough?
His Majesty has such a clear vision in choosing a daughter-in-law. His family has to stick to the rules when choosing a son-in-law, so naturally they prioritize their daughters.
"Let me think about it." Prime Minister Wang was also upset. This marriage is a big deal. If it is not done well, the whole family may lose it.
At this time, someone came to report that Lord Jiang had arrived.
Prime Minister Wang was quite surprised. Why did Jiang Jun come to him at this time?
Mrs. Wang got up and went back to the backyard. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this marriage was possible. She turned and went to her daughter's yard.
Wang Yingyao had not gone out recently. She was reading in the house. She got up and went out to greet her mother when she heard her mother coming.
"Mother, why are you here?" Wang Yingyao asked with a smile as she welcomed her mother into the house.
Mrs. Wang felt bitter when she saw the smile on her daughter's face. She didn't want her daughter to think too much, so she said, "I came to see you. Are you reading again?"
"I have nothing to do, so I just read a few pages." Wang Yingyao said.
Mrs. Wang looked at her daughter and tried her best to sound normal. "Your sister-in-law came back from her parents' home today and said that the second young master of the Su family was awarded a hundred households. Have you heard about it?"
Wang Yingyao shook her head, "Why did your sister-in-law tell me this? But the second young master Su was awarded a hundred households. Xinyi must be happy."
"Don't call the princess's name outside." Mrs. Wang said hurriedly.
"I know, it won't happen." Wang Yingyao smiled and nodded. She hadn't seen Xinyi for a long time. After becoming the Crown Princess, she was not as comfortable as before.
"What do you think of the Second Young Master Su?"
"What do you mean by that?" Wang Yingyao asked inexplicably, "I'm not familiar with him. How can I know if I haven't met him a few times..." She paused here and looked at her mother, "Mom, what do you want to say?"
Madam Wang:...
Knowing that her daughter is smart, she must have thought of it when she said that. She coughed lightly and pretended to be natural. "It's nothing. It's just that Madam Su likes you very much. She asked someone to pass on the message that she wants to marry into our family."
Wang Yingyao was stunned. Her mind was a mess. The face of the Second Young Master Su, who she didn't have much impression of, was completely blank at this moment.
"How is this possible? Dad will definitely not agree." Wang Yingyao said.
"What do you care about your father? Just say what you think." Madam Wang looked at her daughter and asked.
Wang Yingyao was stumped by the question again, and after a long while she said, "My daughter doesn't know either, and I'm not familiar with the second young master Su."
Mrs. Su thought so too, and said after thinking, "Why don't you find a chance to meet him?"
"Mother." Wang Yingyao shook her head, "You should discuss it with Dad first. Besides, he is the brother of the Crown Princess. If our family marries the Su family, it will be like getting on the boat of the Crown Prince, and my father may not agree. In this case, it is better not to meet him."
Don't let it end up like this, her friendship with Xinyi will change, and they can no longer be friends.
Mrs. Wang felt even more sad when she heard her daughter's words. She patted her hands and said slowly, "Okay, mother knows, I'm not in a hurry, just wait until your father discusses it."
Her daughter is both talented and beautiful, why is her marriage so bumpy.
In the study room in front, Prime Minister Wang was stunned when he heard what Minister Jiang said.
"Salt exchange?" Prime Minister Wang looked at Minister Jiang in astonishment and asked.
Jiang Jun nodded, "Brother Wang, to be honest, the Ministry of Revenue is really out of money. The army's expedition costs a lot, and the rewards for the three armies after the war, as well as the subsequent post-war affairs, are not free. The Ministry of Revenue can't afford to spend all this money."
Prime Minister Wang knew that Jiang Jun was a stingy person. He had been keeping a tight rein on the Ministry of Revenue for so many years, so His Majesty had never thought of letting him move. Now he came to complain to him that he was poor, which showed that the Ministry of Revenue really had no surplus food.
"This matter cannot be easily brought up. It is of great importance. I am afraid that if something goes wrong, the Salt Commissioner will turn against you." Prime Minister Wang frowned.
Jiang Jun looked at Prime Minister Wang. They had known each other for many years. Although they had their own conflicts in the court, they were all for official business. At this time, he whispered, "Have you forgotten what Prince Rong did when he went south?"
"I don't know what Prince Rong did when he went south. He is now repairing the city wall in Zhangping Prefecture." Prime Minister Wang was quite impressed by Prince Rong when he talked about this. He never thought that such a tyrant who walked sideways in the capital would be able to do such a thing one day.
-------Off topic------
The third update.