After dinner at Cining Palace, Zhu Youxiao separated from the queen.
Now is not the time for us to be friends with each other, there are still many important matters waiting for him to decide and deal with.
He remembered the Queen's abnormality in Kunning Palace today. After returning to Qianqing Palace, he couldn't wait to ask Wang Chaofu.
"I saw the letter from the father-in-law to the queen today in Kunning Palace, but the queen didn't open it and read it. Do you know the hidden meaning in it?"
"Back to Lord Long Live, I do know something, but I don't dare to lie!"
"Just tell me, I won't blame you."
Wang Chaofu then informed Zhu Youxiao of all the information that the Xichang gangsters had gathered these days.
When Zhang Guoji was blocked by the guards at the palace gate, he also told the truth exactly as it was.
After Zhu Youxiao finished listening, he was speechless for a long time.
Zhang Guoji knows a little bit about his character, but he doesn't seem to be very good.
In history, even Emperor Tianqi looked down upon him. If Ye Xianggao, the chief minister of the cabinet at the time, and the Minister of Punishment had not led hundreds of officials to stop him, he would have been punished with a title.
Wang Chaofu said that he loves money and is greedy for money, which is completely correct.
Zhang Guoji is not only greedy for money, he is also greedy for power and status. As long as it is beneficial to him, he will be greedy for anything.
If he remembered correctly, in history, not long after Zhang Yan was canonized as queen, he was conferred the title of Taikang Bo as the head of the state.
Logically speaking, for a man who had no meritorious contributions and only relied on his daughter to reach the position, being made an earl was the pinnacle of his life.
But he was not satisfied at all. Within two years, he couldn't bear it any longer. He wrote a memorial and submitted it to Qianqing Palace, asking the emperor to make him a marquis.
Perhaps it was because of his insatiable greed that Emperor Tianqi felt extremely disgusted with the Zhang family.
One time, a member of the Zhang family broke the law and was impeached by the censor. Zhu Youxiao immediately punished the whole family with the heaviest punishment.
Although they were saved by hundreds of officials in the end, they were completely at odds with the emperor. Emperor Tianqi angrily issued an edict and drove their family back to Henan.
Later, Emperor Chongzhen succeeded to the throne. Because he was grateful for the help given to him by his sister-in-law, he also treated the Zhang family members with special preferential treatment. Therefore, Zhang Guoji regained his official title and became active in the capital again.
For such people, Zhu Youxiao, who came from time-travel, very much agreed with Emperor Tianqi's approach. Although he had personal grudges and took the opportunity to make a fuss, at least he did not treat his ministers like Emperor Chongzhen did.
Especially when he heard that Zhang Guoji was still asking about the child in Chun Fei's belly, Zhu Youxiao also became angry.
Wang Chaofu felt the emperor's anger and said quickly:
"Long live my lord, my people have been monitoring the palace maid and the king. Do you want me to go and secretly arrest the palace maid and interrogate them?"
Unexpectedly, Zhu Youxiao took two deep breaths to suppress his anger, and then said calmly:
"No need, let's put this matter aside for now. Now is not the time. Just let your subordinates keep an eye on them. I have more important things to deal with. You go ask Yang Huan and Wei Zhongxian to see me. !”
It is difficult for an upright official to stop family affairs. Although Zhu Youxiao is an emperor, he is still a human being after all.
If he wants to use this matter as a reason to deal with Zhang Guoji immediately, he will definitely have a quarrel with the queen.
He didn't want to cause unpleasant things with the queen during this extraordinary period because of such an insignificant person.
The most taboo thing in the palace is the discord between the emperor and the queen.
Once someone discovered that the emperor and empress were not one and the same, they would never let go of this opportunity to operate secretly.
And even if there were no external factors, the palace would still not be peaceful.
Which of those concubines is not hoping in their hearts that the emperor will be deposed and then they can take his place?
Except for a person like Tai Fei Liu who lives in peace with the world, who wouldn’t want to ascend to the throne and become the emperor’s wife and the mother of a country?
Why did Zhu Youxiao protect Zhang Yan in every possible way, even cleaning the palace thoroughly before the wedding?
Isn't it just paving the way for Zhang Yan to successfully control the harem?
He just wants everyone to know that the emperor and the empress are one and the same, and that the relationship between them is solid and unbreakable, so that those who have ulterior motives can give up their thoughts as soon as possible.
If he had a conflict with her now, wouldn't all the efforts of the past six months be in vain? He would not ignore the overall situation just because of temporary anger.
Since the emperor left the palace, Wei Zhongxian and Yang Huan lived in the military camp of the imperial army a few miles away from the imperial city.
In less than half an hour, the two of them hurried into Qianqing Palace.
Now both of them are confused. Why did His Majesty come back suddenly?
After meeting the emperor, they first reported clearly on the large and small affairs that had occurred in the capital in the past few days and how the Prime Minister's Yamen handled them.
Zhu Youxiao listened and listened, and now there are only two problems. One is that this year's tax and grain are not right, and the other is that Shandong's disaster relief is not ideal, and can even be described as terrible.
"Where's Cui Yingyuan? I didn't send him to Shandong just for fun. One year has passed. How come he hasn't replied at all about the Kong family and the White Lotus Sect?"
Facing the emperor's question, Wei Zhongxian swallowed hard, and then replied in a weak voice:
"Long live Lord Qi, I have lost contact with Cui Yingyuan. He has not sent any news back to Beijing for almost three months."
"What did you say?"
Zhu Youxiao, who had always been confident, felt unbelievable at this time.
He knew Cui Yingyuan very well. Among the Five Biao, Xu Xianchun was the most vicious and cruel, and was the leader of the Five Biao.
And Cui Yingyuan is famous for his scheming in the city, and he has a sharp mind and is very good at adapting to changes. This is why he can send him to Shandong with such confidence.
"What exactly is going on? Tell me in detail. Don't miss a word!"
"Long live my lord, before Cui Yingyuan disappeared, he sent a letter to this slave."
"The letter said that he has already mastered a lot of evidence and clues about what Long Live Master told him, especially the details of the Kong family. He has dug up a lot."
"Cui Yingyuan also mentioned the generals in Liaodong in his letter. It seems that the Kong family has some interests in dealings with them."
"He reported to his slave that he was preparing to arrest a person from the Kong family branch and wanted to conduct a more in-depth investigation and obtain evidence."
"At that time, Lord Long Live had left the capital and headed to the southwest to conquer the rebel chieftains. I thought this matter was important, so in order to avoid Lord Long Live being distracted, I did not send flying cavalry to report it."
According to Wei Zhongxian's oral account, Zhu Youxiao also placed the Kong family as the cause and biggest suspect of Cui Yingyuan's disappearance.