Chapter 492: Palace Fighting Is Better To Rebel (29)
disgust?
not at all!
Speaking of which, there was no direct grudge between her and Wang Shijiu.
They will be discussed together, just for a dog man who is not worthy of it.
envious?!
This seems to be the case!
Queen Tao didn't want to admit it, but when she saw Wang Shijiu, who was dressed in official uniform and exuded confidence and pride in her bones, she felt very envious.
The words of "Queen Mother He" just now echoed in my ears at this moment.
"You are fifteen or sixteen years old, and you are as beautiful as a flower... you are really a 'horse in bright clothes'!"
Yes, they are all young ladies, and they were once high-spirited ladies in the capital!
Today, Wang Shijiu is still young and cheerful.
But she, Tao Youwei, was forced to become a resentful woman by this deep palace.
During these days of confinement, Queen Tao just couldn't go out, but she could still hear the noise outside.
For example, the Dog Emperor Zhao Gui caused a big mess for the salt policy reform, but Queen Mother He stepped in at the critical moment and helped clean up the mess.
Wang Shijiu, one of the maids promoted by the Empress Dowager He, walked in from the front of the court openly and openly.
A woman, standing proudly in the court reserved for men, talking eloquently and actively discussing politics...
Empress Tao felt envious just thinking about that scene.
Both are women, and both are delicate girls who were raised by nobles and nobles since childhood.
I am trapped in a deep palace because of a dog man, like a flower drowned in cow dung.
As for Wang Jiuniang, she has already walked out of the back house, participating in political discussions with the men, and guiding the country together!
envious!
She is really envious!
She wished she could turn back time. She would never covet the position of queen, but would continue to live happily like a showy noblewoman.
She knew that with her ability, she could not reach Wang Shijiu's height.
However, with the power of the Duke's government and the family name of her mother's family, she can still live as she pleases.
Instead of being like now, with no favors and no children, and being treated as a "hostage" by the ruthless dog emperor who threatens the Tao family!
...When she thought of this, Queen Tao felt extremely regretful!
"The Queen?"
Wang Shijiu held something in her arms and kept bending her knees to salute.
But she never heard a response, so she quietly raised her eyelids and looked at Queen Tao secretly.
Queen Tao was not angry, nor did she appear to be provocative. She was actually distracted!
Wang Shijiu was puzzled, but she didn't show it. Instead, she called out at a slightly too loud volume.
Her cry did not wake up Queen Tao.
However, the nanny who was following Queen Tao realized that her master had "gone off" and hurriedly tugged on Queen Tao's sleeve.
Mammy mistakenly thought that her master was still angry with Wang Shijiu. Now that she met him, she deliberately used her status as queen to suppress her.
Oops, this is not good!
Not to mention that Wang Shijiu is the daughter of the Wang family and the eldest concubine of the Nanping Palace, but that she is now a female official of the Queen Mother, and the Queen cannot easily offend her.
When beating a dog, it still depends on the owner.
The Queen Mother was outside the Queen Mother's palace, deliberately embarrassing the Queen Mother's female officials... Anyone who heard this would think that Queen Tao was dissatisfied with the Queen Mother He.
The Queen was already isolated and helpless in the palace, so Empress Dowager He missed her old friendship and showed her kindness to the Queen.
As a result, the queen did not express her gratitude, but still——
Grandma didn't dare to think any more, so she hurriedly pulled Empress Tao hard again.
Queen Tao finally came to her senses and looked up to see her wet nurse looking anxious and worried.
Then, Queen Tao suddenly remembered that there was Wang Shijiu in front of her.
"king--"
Empress Tao originally wanted to say "the royal concubine", but she immediately thought that the Wang family not only had the honor given by her husband's family.
People have official positions on their heads.
This is not a false position, but a real official of the imperial court.
But, wait a minute, what is Wang Shijiu’s official position in the Bowen Museum? It seems to be a bachelor?
"No courtesy, please get up, Master Wang!"
Queen Tao said tentatively.
Seeing that Wang Shijiu thanked him respectfully and showed no strange expression, Queen Tao knew that she was not wrong.
Wang Shijiu really became "Scholar Wang"!
"Master Wang is here to report government affairs to the Queen Mother!"
Glancing at the pile of documents Wang Shijiu held in her arms, Queen Tao lowered her eyelids slightly and lowered her complex eyes.
She said softly, "The Queen Mother is in the side hall, go and get busy!"
"Thank you, Queen, for the tip!"
Wang Shijiu bowed politely again, then held the document in his arms and walked slowly towards the side hall.
Looking at that slender figure with inexplicable power, Queen Tao stood blankly for a long time.
And she also experienced a battle in her heart.
Finally, a flash of perseverance flashed in her eyes.
…
"Auntie, please think about this carefully!"
Zheng Nian'er told Mrs. Hu everything about her plan.
Mrs. Hu was shocked at first, her eyes filled with disbelief.
It was as if she knew for the first time that her daughter was such a bold and resourceful person.
This kid is so bold, he actually came up with such a ridiculous plan.
But... Hu is an extremely ambitious woman.
She is selfish, she is cunning, and she is full of little schemes.
Otherwise, she would not have provoked the little emperor like that over the years.
In her heart, she always wanted to compete with Queen Mother He.
Although her daughter's plan sounds absurd and full of dangers, once it succeeds, the benefits it will bring are also very objective.
She, Mrs. Hu, would most likely really trample Queen Mother He under her feet, and then replace her as the most noble woman in the Dayuan Dynasty!
Or, just, give it a try?
When it is completed, it means wealth and glory.
Even if it fails, with the emperor here, it won't end so miserable.
Mrs. Hu bit her lower lip hard and used the pain to calm herself down.
I can't rush or panic, I have to think carefully!
Mrs. Hu did not agree in a hurry, but knelt down on the low couch, groping for the embroidered patterns on her skirt with her fingers, and thinking hard.
She thought about her daughter's plan again.
Every detail, possible flaws, and everyone’s reactions and counterattacks.
Hu sorted everything out in detail.
Finally, her eyes were full of determination——
OK! Done!
Wealth and honor are sought in danger. If we don't work hard, the Zheng family will always be slaves.
Mrs. Hu has had enough of being bullied!
She didn't want to be like last time, when her children were beaten, but she still had to apologize to them with a smile on her face!
"Nian'er, let me prepare for this matter. Don't let your Majesty know about it!"
Mrs. Hu raised her head, looked at Zheng Nian'er, and said extremely seriously.
call!
Zheng Nian'er breathed out, great, mother has agreed!
With the help of her mother, the emperor's wet nurse, her plan will go more smoothly.
…
Emperor Yongcheng didn't know what his women were planning. His thoughts were all on government affairs.
The Salt Administration Department has been established. Originally, Emperor Yongcheng was not that enthusiastic about the Salt Administration Department because of the compass of "Queen Mother He".
However, the official selection system of the Salt Administration Department was the "examination selection" proposed by him and was the first step in his implementation of the imperial examination system.
Therefore, Emperor Yongcheng still paid enough concern and attention.
Emperor Yongcheng tried to squeeze in a few poor students.
These students from poor families are truly from poor families.
They are the children of some ordinary people's families specially selected in the capital by the confidants of Emperor Yongcheng (that is, the Zheng family).
They do have some talent and learning, but because of their background and family status, no one recommends them, so they can only stay in the capital to find ways to work.
Some of them may have suffered too much contempt and blows, and have begun to become cynical and hate the aristocratic family.
What Emperor Yongcheng wanted was this kind of "warrior" who did not admire the aristocratic family but dared to make the aristocratic family his enemy.
In addition to stuffing such "talents" into the Salt Administration Department, Emperor Yongcheng also took advantage of the opportunity of the official examination to send people to local places.
For example, there was a man named Meng Qin among them, who was the most radical.
He hated aristocratic families and the privileged class even more than Feng Shou did back then.
In his words, those high-ranking aristocratic family members are all deadbeats and old thieves.
They only care about the interests of their own family and have no regard for the world or the people.
They monopolize everything, they are overbearing and arrogant, and they deserve death.
Emperor Yongcheng personally summoned Meng Qin and listened to his impassioned denunciation of the family's various crimes. He felt that he had found his own horse.
So, after finally getting several official positions where he could place his cronies, he left the best one to Meng Qin - the Salt Patrol Censor.
Well, this is a position derived from the Salt Administration Department.
Originally, Emperor Yongcheng wanted Meng Qin to be the censor, but if he wanted to become an official, Meng Qin fell short in both qualifications and knowledge.
Not only the aristocratic family, but also other courtiers in the court did not want Yongcheng Emperor, a reckless little emperor, to get involved in the Yushitai.
Meng Qin and his ilk are even more depressed little people. If such people can become censors, do they really think that their Dayuan Dynasty has no talents?
However, the little emperor had to give him some face, so he simply asked Meng Qin to be the salt patrol censor.
The Salt Censor is also a Censor.
And he can also go on inspection tours to local areas, help the little emperor go deep into the people, understand the people's sentiments, and kill two birds with one stone. What a good arrangement, right?
Emperor Yongcheng: ...Although it sounds awkward, it is not unreasonable.
What Emperor Yongcheng lacked most was local ears and eyes.
He lives in the imperial palace, and even the capital city can't say he knows it very well.
Dayuan Dynasty had a vast territory, with more than 30 counties in the country, and each county had more than 20 counties.
Counties are also divided into upper, middle and lower levels. They have a large population and complex areas. With so many jurisdictions, Emperor Yongcheng simply cannot cover them all.
In addition to wanting to know about the implementation of local government decrees and the hardships of people's livelihood, Emperor Yongcheng also wanted to know about the situation of several vassal kings and generals stationed on the border.
Yes, lord!
Emperor Yongcheng had only one older brother, Prince Liang, and his fiefdom was in Liangzhou.
Logically speaking, if the queen is granted the title of vassal, the Liang King should be granted the title of vassal.
However, the Queen Mother He was afraid of the Queen of Liang and her son, and refused to let him go, so she wanted to trap him to death in the capital.
Although Emperor Yongcheng had a "deep brotherhood" with King Liang, he didn't really "let the tiger go back to the mountain" foolishly.
Instead, he built a luxurious palace for him and allowed his family to live as wealthy and idle people in the capital.
The late emperor only had two sons, and in this dynasty of Emperor Yongcheng, there was only one vassal king, King Liang.
But there were brothers in the late emperor's generation.
In addition to his biological brother Zhao Shuo, King of Han, he also has several cousins.
When the late emperor launched an army, the whole clan gave their full support.
More than a dozen of his cousins of the same generation were killed in the battle.
When the Dayuan Dynasty was established, there were only five people left.
These five are all meritorious officials with outstanding military exploits.
Whether it's for blood or for the original promise - to share the world!
Even though the late emperor was reluctant to give up, he generously conferred several brothers as vassal kings.
Of course, being crowned a king does not mean that you can truly share the wealth.
In the following ten years, some vassal kings rebelled, and some vassal kings caused trouble to the local area, and the late emperor "reluctantly" executed them.
As of now, only two of the six feudal lords are left.
One is the late emperor's younger brother, King Zhao Shuo of Han, and the other is King Zhao Yan of the South.
Although Zhao Shuo is the vassal king, he has been staying in the capital.
The late emperor still trusted his younger brother, and before his death, he listed him as one of the three major ministers.
The late emperor was not afraid that his younger brother would become regent, or even rebel against his nephew.
However, the late emperor was even more afraid that the Zhao family would one day change their surname to "He".
No matter how bad Zhao Shuo is, he is still his biological brother and a bloodline of the Zhao family.
Even if Zhao Shuo conspired to rebel, after he came to power, he would still worship the ancestors of the Zhao family and recognize his brother as the founder of the country.
The late emperor made Zhao Shuo an assistant minister just to contain the Queen Mother He.
Although Zhao Shuo did not become a vassal, he was still powerful in the capital, and he had 30,000 personal guards left by the late emperor.
Another vassal king, Nanwang Zhao Yan, did not have Zhao Shuo's good luck.
His fiefdom is in the wild Nanzhou, full of insects, snakes, poisonous miasma, and mountain people with tough folk customs.
And even in this place, Nanwang's family is not the only one.
Near him was a king with a different surname, King Nanping.
King Nanping said he came to guard the southern border, but in fact he also wanted to contain and monitor the southern king.
In the eyes of the imperial court, Nanzhou was remote and lacking in supplies, but there were many salt wells within the territory.
Relying on these well salts, a small state and county can actually support the two palaces of Nanwang and Nanping, as well as the 200,000 soldiers and horses under Nanping Wangfu.
After Emperor Yongcheng came to power, although he did not think of withdrawing from the vassal, he still couldn't let go of Nanzhou.
There are two royal palaces there, as well as several large salt wells.
The well salt produced is enough to radiate more than ten surrounding counties.
Nowadays, with the "new method of making salt" introduced by Queen Mother He, Emperor Yongcheng is not short of that little well salt.
However, since it all involves salt, it is related to Emperor Yongcheng’s salt reform.
As the salt inspector appointed by the emperor, Meng Qin's first stop was Nanzhou, thousands of miles away.
"Meng Qing, your mission this time is very important. In addition to finding out several major salt wells in Nanzhou, you also need to find out the movements of Nanwang and Nanping Wangfu!"
Before leaving, Emperor Yongcheng specially summoned Meng Qin into the palace, stood aside, held his hand, and explained carefully.
Meng Qin was originally a frustrated scholar. He worked in Beijing for many years but failed to get the appreciation of "Bo Le".
Now I have finally met the "Mingjun". He is so passionate that he would rather risk his life to repay the kindness of the king.
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely be in a mess..."
