In a blink of an eye, it’s the fourth watch day.

In the Daqing Hall, everyone was kneeling on the ground and feeling sleepy. Only Kou Ji was in high spirits and knelt upright.

He was also sleepy, but he had to pretend to be energetic.

He was frightened by the note just now.

In the Daqing Hall, most of the people kneeling were concubines, eunuchs, and maids. They only appeared in the hall when they were refueling the lamps or delivering meals. Most of the time, they waited outside the hall.

Therefore, the note handed to Kou Ji was probably secretly given to him by a concubine in the palace.

Kou Ji didn't find out who this person was, but he probably guessed the purpose of the note she handed to him.

According to the rules of the palace, after Zhao Heng's death, except for the few concubines who were granted the title, most of the remaining concubines would be sent to the Guzi Temple to be imprisoned for the rest of their lives.

Some of them were unwilling to accept such a fate, so they wanted to get themselves out of the palace through Kou Ji.

With Kou Ji's current status and Kou Zhun's power, it would be easy to get a concubine out of the palace.

But once it is known to outsiders, it will be a big trouble.

Although this kind of trouble is not fatal to Kou Ji now, Kou Ji still doesn't want to get into this kind of trouble.

Once this kind of trouble is involved, subsequent troubles will come endlessly.

Kou Ji regained his energy and knelt in the Daqing Hall until daylight. When he saw that no one was writing him any more notes, he relaxed a lot.

As soon as he relaxed, sleepiness swept over his body.

He knelt there, lowered his head, and fell asleep.

It wasn't until the eunuchs and maids brought breakfast that Zhao Zhen shook Kou Ji's arm and woke him up.

"Eat something..."

When Kou Ji was in a daze, Zhao Zhen gave Kou Ji a piece of cold meat and two vegetable cakes.

It's not that the royal chef in the palace can't make delicious food, but it's just that when he is keeping vigil for Zhao Heng, he can't eat big fish and meat.

Kou Ji woke up faintly, looked at the cold meat and two vegetable cakes in his hands, and said with disgust: "You can obviously eat it well..."

Zhao Zhen chewed the vegetable cake in his hand and said with a satisfied expression: "It's already very good..."

Hearing this, Kou Ji shook his head and sighed.

Zhao Zhen is now the Supreme Being in the world, but he has no self-consciousness about being the Supreme Being. Instead, he is like a child next door. He can eat a hard vegetable cake as sweet as delicacies from the mountains and seas. Kou Ji doesn't know that.

How to talk to him.

Kou Ji picked up the vegetable cake in his hand, took a bite, and muttered to Zhao Zhen: "If you want to drink mutton soup in the middle of the night, you must ask the imperial chef to kill ten or eight sheep and make a big pot of it.

Drink one bowl, pour another bowl."

Zhao Zhen held the vegetable cake, stared at Kou Ji blankly, and said seriously: "Wouldn't that be too wasteful... The master said that every bit of my food and clothing expenses in the palace is the people's wealth, and it cannot be wasted.

.”

Kou Ji curled his lips disdainfully and said, "Sir taught you to be frugal, so have you asked him if he has done it?"

When Zhao Zhen heard this, he held the vegetable cake in his hands and froze on the spot.

In the past, what the teacher said was what he listened to.

He never questioned his husband, nor did he think about whether he could do what he said.

Kou Ji saw that Zhao Zhen was stunned. He looked around and saw that Liu E, Concubine Yang, and Concubine Li were not paying attention, so he gave the vegetable cake to Zhao Zhen and took the meat from Zhao Zhen's hand.

Take it and eat it.

When Zhao Zhen saw this, he opened his eyes and looked at Kou Ji in astonishment.

While eating Zhao Zhen's meat, Kou Ji said: "Eating too much of this cold meat is not good for your health, so I'll help you eat it... Your gentlemen always tell you the truth. But

They can't even do what they say.

Who told you that your food and clothing expenses are all based on the people's wealth and the people's wealth?"

Zhao Zhen stared at the meat in Kou Ji's hand and whispered: "Mr. Li..."

Kou Ji was stunned for a moment, clicked his lips, and said, "Who else is there?"

Kou Ji originally wanted to tell Zhao Zhen about the extravagant spending of the gentlemen outside the palace, but Zhao Zhen opened his mouth and told Li Di.

Kou Ji really couldn't tell.

Among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, no one could compare to Li Di in terms of ruthlessness.

Li Di is not only cruel to others, but also to himself.

Basically, all the principles he told Zhao Zhen can be implemented.

So Kou Ji couldn't find fault with Li Di.

Zhao Zhen watched Kou Ji swallow his piece of meat whole, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes. His eyes fell on Kou Ji's own piece of meat, and he murmured: "Mr. Ding also said...

…”

Kou Ji was happy when he heard this, "Then let's talk about Ding Wei. Do you know what kind of life Ding Wei leads outside the palace?"

Zhao Zhen shook his head blankly.

Kou Ji said seriously: "Let's talk about food first. Ding said that there are twenty dishes for each meal, and they are different every day. Not only are there treasures such as bear paws and bird's nests on the dinner table, but there are also many dishes from remote Yongzhou.

Curiosities produced in the region.

More importantly, Ding Wei only ate one bite of each dish and gave the rest to his servants.

Ding said that the cost of each meal is probably hundreds of dollars. Three meals a day, that is three to four hundred dollars.

That's tens of thousands of dollars a month.

Let’s talk about clothes…”

Kou Ji told Zhao Zhen about Ding Wei's luxurious life in terms of food and clothing.

Zhao Zhen listened, and his little mouth grew bigger.

After Kou Ji finished speaking, Zhao Zhen said blankly: "Ding Wei's salary is not enough to support him in such expenses, right?"

Kou Ji stuffed the last bit of meat into his mouth and sighed: "That's why he is corrupt!"

"Nonsense!"

"Ding Aiqing is the humerus of the country. How come you have become a corrupt and bribery person?"

"..."

Liu E's voice rang in Kou Ji's ears.

Kou Ji wiped his mouth with his sleeve and saluted Liu E, "The Queen Mother, as Ding calls her, is good or bad. You and I know very well. What purpose does the Queen Mother want to use her to achieve, I don't know. But I know."

, as long as he exists in the court, he will corrode the court.

If there are too many traitors like him in the court, the country and the country will be in danger."

Liu E narrowed her eyes slightly, stared at Kou Ji, and said, "That's just alarmist talk. Although Ding Aiqing is a little greedy, he is decisive and capable in managing politics. He is a rare talent.

Compared to his talent in governance, his little greed can be ignored."

Kou Ji said calmly: "The empress is talking about Ding Wei before entering Bianjing City."

Kou Ji looked at Zhao Heng's coffin and said to Liu E: "If Ding Wei was really as good as the empress said, the late emperor would not be lying here. Although the late emperor burned the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace with fire, he wiped out those demons in one fell swoop.

Dao. But Ding Wei is still at large.

Although the late emperor believed in Taoism, he also had a bottom line.

If Ding Wei hadn't been there to beguile him, how could he have given up on his bottom line step by step, and ended up being poisoned all over his body?

If I hadn't appeared, I'm afraid the lives of the empress and the officials would have been in danger."

Liu E glared at Kou Ji and said coldly: "The Ai family owes you a favor. The Ai family has remembered it and doesn't need your reminder."

Kou Ji shook his head and said: "I have no intention of asking for favors from the Queen Mother. I just want to say that Ding Wei is not suitable to stand in the court anymore."

Liu E looked Kou Ji up and down and snorted: "Is this your advice to the Ai family?"

Kou Ji pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "So..."

Liu E said coldly: "What if the Ai family doesn't accept it?"

Kou Ji stared at Liu E and said seriously: "I have fulfilled my duty as an minister. Naturally, it is the Queen Mother who makes the decision whether or not to accept advice."

After a pause, Kou Ji added: "But the imperial court is now facing internal and external troubles. The empress should not leave Ding Wei behind and start another dispute."

Liu E's eyes fell on Kou Ji, and she said with a deep look, "Why do the Ai family feel that the government and the public are now peaceful?"

Kou Ji said in a deep voice: "After the death of the late emperor, the Liao Kingdom is watching eagerly and may take this opportunity to go south at any time. Xixia is very ambitious and may take this opportunity to stand on its own feet at any time.

Where did the Queen Mother see such peace?"

Liu E snorted coldly: "The Liao Kingdom is an ally to our Song Dynasty. Our Song Dynasty pays hundreds of thousands of coins as tribute to the Liao Kingdom every year. If the Liao Kingdom gets the benefits, how can it raise troops and move south again?"

As for Xixia, they are a vassal of the Song Dynasty. The imperial court gives generous gifts every year and comforts them. It is impossible for them to stand on their own."
To be continued...