Chapter 237 Dark Cloud Pearl & New Moon (XIX)
Xiaozhuang knew what happened in E Shuo's house the next morning.
Although Nanny Fang and Dong Qing, who served Xinyue, didn't care much about her, they still watched her carefully. They kept snooping around E Shuo's yard at night. When Fei Yanggu was angry, they happened to hear one ear. Seeing that they had sealed the door, the two did not dare to delay and sneaked out from the back door at night to find the house where Xiaozhuang's men passed on information. E Shuo and Xinyue were in the same room and it was very likely that they had done something illicit. This news reached Su Moer in the middle of the night, but in Su Moer's eyes, it was just a trivial matter and not worth disturbing Xiaozhuang's rest, so she didn't tell Xiaozhuang until the next morning before going to court.
Xiaozhuang stretched out her arms to let the maids tidy up her clothes, and said with a smile: "At the beginning, Xinyue and the mighty general Nudahai were unclear. I separated them just because I didn't want to make a fuss and let others laugh at them. Now, she is mixed up with E Shuo again. Didn't she always call him 'Amuqi'? I remember she also said that she felt at home again?"
Su Moer put the court beads on Xiaozhuang, turned them and placed them in the middle, and said with a smile: "Master, Xinyue Gege is sentimental. E Shuo may often go to comfort her, and the two of them became familiar with each other. I heard from the people below that E Shuo often drank because of losing his job in the past few days. Gege was worried about him and wanted to take care of him personally last night, so this incident happened."
Since Xiaozhuang ascended the throne, Su Moer changed the name. She no longer called Xiaozhuang "Gege", but "Master". Xiaozhuang once said that she didn't care about these things, but Su Moer believed that when you become an emperor, you must have dignity, and you can't be careless even with a small name.
Seeing that she had been dressed neatly, Xiaozhuang lowered her head and adjusted her cuffs, and asked, "So, it was E'shao who lost his moral integrity after drinking?"
"Yes, Xinyue Gege is just a little girl after all, and she didn't have any previous behavior of admiring E'shao."
Xiaozhuang nodded, "So, bring them here secretly, kneel in the Buddhist temple to reflect first, and wait for me to review the memorials before dealing with them." After that, she got on the dragon sedan and went to the morning court. After becoming an emperor, she really couldn't live a leisurely life. She had to get up early every morning to discuss matters with the ministers, and review the memorials after the court. If she wanted to reform the policy, she had to be comprehensive and consider all aspects. Her current life can be said to be very busy.
Shunzhi was in a manor at the foot of Mount Wutai, guarded by layers of guards, and watched by the secret guards of the sticking pole sent by Xiaozhuang. He was definitely unable to escape, which indirectly cut off the thoughts of some ministers. For example, Yue Le, who was extremely talented, was a good match for Shunzhi. If Shunzhi still had hope of restoration, he would have some ideas in his mind, but now Shunzhi could not be counted on, so he could only reconsider his way out.
Yue Le was Shunzhi's confidant. Most of the ministers under Xiaozhuang advised her to cut the grass and weaken Yue Le's power, but Xiaozhuang admired him very much. She was in charge of the sticking rod and could know Yue Le's movements at any time. Naturally, she would not be suspicious of him. Yue Le was a man of both civil and military talents. He was a representative of the reformists in the court. Xiaozhuang needed him to lead the reformists to confront those stubborn conservatives, achieve a balance, and then slowly implement policies that benefit the country.
Yue Le had his own ideals. After several long talks with Xiaozhuang, he had to admit that only by following Xiaozhuang could he realize his ideals and implement a series of reform strategies he formulated. He was highly valued by Xiaozhuang, which was like a shot of adrenaline for those who were once capable under Shunzhi. It meant that as long as they were capable, they would not be suppressed for no reason even if the dynasty changed!
Recruiting Han people to ease the contradictions with the Han landlord class; stopping land enclosure so that people could engage in normal production activities; appeasing the people and gradually reducing ethnic differences... Xiaozhuang moved towards her goal little by little. She quickly revived the Central Plains economy, quelled unrest in various places, and cracked down on corrupt officials who wanted to take advantage of the fire. Facts have proved that with a stable life, not so many people would think about rebellion, after all, everyone has to take care of their families.
Of course, she also encountered a lot of resistance. The reform touched the interests of many clansmen. After finally reaching the top of the world, no one was willing to give up the power and benefits in their hands. In their eyes, they were royal relatives and should be superior to others. The clansmen under each banner should also enjoy preferential treatment. If they were treated equally by the people, how could they reflect their superiority?
After thinking about it, Xiaozhuang first appeased Mongolia. The Mongolian tribes had not entered the Central Plains, and the sense of gap was not that great. Some tribes that Wu Keshan had befriended received Xiaozhuang's promise that trade between the Central Plains and the outside of the Great Wall would be the main development direction. A trade department was built in Shengjing, and food, medicine, clothing and other things that were lacking on the grassland would be continuously transported there, and goat milk, fur and other things on the grassland would be transported back to the Central Plains as trading items. In addition, if there were herdsmen willing to live in the Central Plains, they would be given many conveniences.
The Qing Dynasty had just become a climate, and people like Wu Keshan who were in power on the grassland were not willing to enter the Central Plains. On the grassland, the entire tribe was their power and they were free. If they entered the Central Plains, even if they were given an official title or a king, they could not raise their own troops. It felt like their power was weakened and they had no sense of security. So after getting Xiaozhuang's promise, they supported Xiaozhuang's decision. As long as the benefits to Mongolia were not small, her reforms had little to do with them.
The people trained by Xiaozhuang have been traveling secretly all over the country, using various methods to make money, including some trade at the customs, and have made a lot of money. Therefore, she will not be bound by the empty treasury when doing things. Now that she has the power, she has only firmly won over a few people with military power to deal with the backlash from the royal family. For the others, she has used both kindness and force, and then given them some sweet treats.
Many capable ministers have always wanted to get a wise monarch, swear to follow him to death, and realize their ambitions. Xiaozhuang recruited talents widely and did not care about their identity and background. For a time, the atmosphere in the court became more and more positive. Although she was a leader in her fifties, her ministers were very active, which made many old ministers who were watching secretly lament that they had missed a good opportunity.
As the sun sets in the west, Xiaozhuang has dinner with Fuquan and Xuanye in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace. The official meals in the palace are only breakfast at chenshi and dinner at weishi, but you can have breakfast and dinner every morning and evening, so Xiaozhuang did not change anything. She just had some snacks or soups with her two grandsons every night after dealing with memorials, and cultivated their feelings and learned about their academic progress.
Xuanye finished a bowl of egg custard, wiped the corners of his mouth, looked at Xiaozhuang and asked: "Grandma, are you still telling your grandchildren about Zizhi Tongjian today?"
Xiaozhuang glanced at the sky and smiled: "Grandma still has things to deal with today, you can go back and read the book. Zizhi Tongjian is still a little difficult for you. Don't worry, just read it slowly as a storybook. In two years, Grandma will ask a master to teach you specifically."
"Grandma, can't you rest so late? You should pay more attention to your health." Fuquan, who was eating snacks, raised his head and said after listening to their conversation.
Xiaozhuang touched his head and smiled, "Okay, the Royal Mama will pay attention. You should also rest early when you go back. It is the time for growth. If you don't sleep well, you will not grow tall."
She chatted and laughed with the two children for a while before sending them back. After she ascended the throne, she let the prince and princess return to their biological mother. She stayed in an orphanage for two years when she was a child, so she couldn't bear the separation of mother and child. Shunzhi had been imprisoned by her. There were only a few children in the palace, and there was no trouble. She abolished the rule that concubines could not raise their own children.
Some changes in life were really insignificant compared to the reform of the court, and no one was unhappy with her because of this, so many inappropriate places in the palace were abolished by her, especially the fact that the Xinzheku ancestors were inferior to others for generations, so that the harm would not affect future generations. She was subtly improving human rights.
After sending the two children away, Xiaozhuang stood up and put her hand on the raised arm of Chang Gonggong, and said casually: "Let's go and see what trouble Princess Xinyue has caused us."
"Huh!"
There was nothing in the Buddhist hall except a tall Buddha statue. It was cold and dark all around, and only a row of small holes on the wall could let in some light. E Shuo had sobered up from the alcohol. He knelt in front of the Buddha statue with a decadent face. Before dawn, he was woken up by Fei Yanggu and was very irritable. As a result, he found that the woman who served him last night was Princess Xinyue. At that time, he almost fainted when he saw the purple marks on Xinyue's body. He shivered for a long time before he remembered to ask when it happened.
Who knew that he and Xinyue were taken into the palace just after they put on their clothes. The guards threw them into this dark room and told them to reflect on themselves. In the dark, he could only estimate the time from the strength of the few beams of light. He was not summoned for a whole day. He went from being uneasy at the beginning to being desperate. This time, perhaps no one could save him.
Xinyue couldn't keep silent in this depressing environment. She looked at E Shuo and asked timidly, "Amu... E Shuo... What are you thinking about?" She was also very scared. A woman who suddenly had such a thing on her was much more panicked than others. Originally, she was a little shy besides being scared. She even thought that it was not so awkward to change from Amuqi to E Shuo. Since E Shuo did that to her, he naturally loved her. But before she could say what she thought in her heart, she was locked up by Xiaozhuang. E Shuo didn't talk to her all day. She didn't wait for comfort or care, which made her uneasy. E Shuo didn't move, didn't even look at her, just immersed in his own thoughts, thinking about the words to get rid of the crime over and over again. Xinyue asked twice more. E Shuo's silence made her feel wronged. At this time, she could no longer care about how Xiaozhuang would deal with her. She just wanted to know whether E Shuo and her were in love and whether he would always treat her well in the future. While she was daydreaming, she heard the footsteps of many people outside, and then the door of the dark room was slowly opened, and a shrill voice shouted: "The emperor has arrived!"
The author has something to say: I was stunned when I saw a deep-water torpedo as soon as I went online, and even forgot that my cervical spine hurt!
Xueyue Liuli, come out and let me hug you\(￣︶￣)/~
I will definitely work hard to write 300 chapters! mua!!