Chapter 4: Gao Ju

Although Shi Jingqi was only a fourth-rank Taoist when he returned to Beijing to report his work, his house was quite magnificent, and the place was also outside the Donghua Gate where high-ranking officials gathered in the capital, which made other officials envious. Shi Jingqi naturally could not afford such a family business. However, he assisted Feng Wuhen in the royal palace and the East Palace for many years. After Feng Wuhen ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to reward his house and Jinshi, and then promoted him step by step, which was a typical "chicken and dog ascend to heaven". However, Shi Jingqi did not care about the criticism of outsiders. The so-called talent and virtue were only decided by the emperor. As long as he could act cautiously, being at the center of the court in the future would not be a dream.

On this day, Zuo Jinhuan left the palace and hurried to the Shi Mansion. He visited the housekeeper for a long time, and then arrived at Shi Jingqi's study. As soon as the two met, Zuo Jinhuan praised him and said, "Brother Xuchang is such a blessing. Not to mention a small Taoist priest, even a territorial official in the founding house may not be blessed. Look at the situations of entering and leaving outside, I don't know what luck you have left!"

Shi Jingqi was a person who knew Zuo Jinhuan's temper and was too lazy to joke with him. After the two of them sat down, he explained: "This is the house left by an official who had clinged to the master. It's a pity that the emperor saw it was idle, so he gave it to me so that others could not talk about it. After all, he was a chaotic minister." Although his words were vague, Zuo Jinhuan would not know the details. The so-called official simply refers to the former Nine Gate Admiral Zhang Qian. Since Zhang Qian had made up the matter, the mansion was naturally empty, and he didn't expect that Shi Jingqi would be cheaper.

"No matter what, Brother Xuchang is a blessing." Zuo Jinhuan shook his head and said. Suddenly, his eyes became sharper, and he focused his mind and looked straight into Shi Jingqi's eyes. "This time I didn't expect that Brother Xuchang went to Shandong to work as a niche. You and I can partner again. But, thank you for your words, what is the emperor selling in this gourd? Please remind me of it."

Shi Jingqi couldn't help laughing. Perhaps only Zuo Jinhuan would say such words so directly. If it were outsiders, as long as they were heard by the emperor, they might be guilty of disrespect. "Brother, you are really too impatient." He shook his head and said, "The emperor just wants to train you, and there is no other intention in it. Let me go to Shandong with you, but for the sake of the time when Min Zhiyuan was appointed as the governor of the government, there were more bandits in Shandong and the public security was not stable. You are a person who wants to be very useful. Be careful in speaking in the future. If someone catches you, the emperor will be embarrassed."

Zuo Jinhuan smiled apologetically and then calmed down. He could not see the emperor's aggressive momentum at all times. However, he was not very interested in entering the center. He was a magistrate in the local area, but the emperor was far away, so he didn't have to tremble in all day long. However, in the center of the court, it was very different. People said that the seventh rank official in front of the prime minister and the official in the capital, even if he was of high rank, he was in a lot of constraints, and he acted like an abyss, walking on thin ice, and was very boring. However, the only son of the Zuo family, for his deep saintship, his mother burned so much incense, and his father was nagging all day long. Even the emperor's expectations were not disappointed.

"Oh, every family has a difficult sutra, so just live it first!" Zuo Jinhuan said helplessly. The two of them knew the opportunity to not talk about the serious matters, but just chatted and ate their teeth there, which was rare for a while.

As an aide, Nian Jiacheng's experience was much more difficult. After all, he was still young and had been with Feng Wuhen for a short time. Therefore, after being granted the Jinshi, Feng Wuhen first sent him to work in the Ministry of Revenue. However, the fifth-rank doctor of the Ministry of Revenue was a few ranks higher than those of the Jinshi who came from the imperial examination. He was already paying attention to these matters, so the evaluations in the past two years were outstanding, but Feng Wuhen deliberately suppressed him, but the official rank was still not moved.

Nian Jiacheng was also a smart person and did not dare to have any resentment on this matter. He just tried his best to do his duty. Who would have thought that the emperor had another decree on this day, which made him go to Huai'an with Prince Feng Wushang of Jia to investigate the case of corrupt officials in Heguan's corruption and abuse of power, which made him wonder. In addition to the head of the Ministry of Revenue, the officials in the Ministry of Revenue were the most experienced accountants in the Ministry of Revenue, and the leading Prince of Jia, the imperial envoy was really huge.

Nian Jiacheng was full of thought that the emperor would summon him alone before leaving, but there was no news until he was on the way. It was not until he left the capital that Feng Wushang smiled and handed him a secret letter, saying that it was something the emperor asked him to hand over, which made Nian Jiacheng confused. When he was a staff member in Xiao Yunchao's mansion, he also knew some inside information about the princes in the capital's battle for the throne. How could he not know Feng Wushang's nature and cunning nature. However, the emperor not only chose the Prince Jia as an imperial envoy this time, but also handed the secret letter to this person. The depth of the inside was really unpredictable.

The content in the secret letter is very simple. In addition to instructing Nian Jiacheng to carefully check the accounts of the He Governor's Office, he also instructed him to prevent someone from leaking the secret. Finally, there were a few words of encouragement. However, these things could be clearly pointed out at the time of summoning, so why should they be conveyed through Feng Wushen's hand?

Nian Jiacheng was worried about the intention of the letter, and Feng Wushang was also thinking about the purpose of the letter. He was a cautious person. After obtaining this item from the emperor, he carefully opened it and checked it, for fear of any fatal intention. However, after really reading it, he hesitated. The words inside were irrelevant. It was actually a very ordinary letter. Just in case, he even copied one as it was and took it out from time to time, but he still didn't see any name. But he considered that Nian Jiacheng was the emperor's person, so he became more cautious about it.

Feng Wuhen from Qinzheng Hall had long expected other people's ideas. Although he was not sure why Feng Wushang was so proactive, he was not going to go into it. They were brothers, and he could not restrain him too much now when he was using this ninth brother in the future. He sent Nian Jiacheng to follow him because he was very cautious and had a good manner in his actions, but to help Feng Wushang when necessary. If someone really wanted to send someone to monitor him, he would never use a striking role like Nian Jiacheng. As for the secret letter, it was just a trick of doubting the military, and I'm afraid Feng Wushang would have to hurt it.

Feng Wuhen on the imperial throne couldn't help but gently rub his temples. In the past, he saw that the late emperor was very organized in everything, but he thought that it would be extremely easy to sit in the position of emperor. Unexpectedly, it was a hard work of hard work. If it weren't for the supreme authority He Zunrong, there would be no so many people in the world who would rush to sit in this position. He remembered the previous Tiaochen of the Concubine De Lan, and his face became gloomy. Since he ascended the throne, the Lan family has never stopped harassing and intends to let Feng Wuyan get out of house arrest. However, not to mention that the ban of the late emperor cannot be easily changed, even for the holidays that year, he could not easily forgive Feng Wuyan's sins.

Feng Wuhen was thinking, but suddenly glanced at a figure outside the hall looking around, and frowned. Xiao Fangzi, who was beside him, saw that his master was unhappy and quickly looked over. He also felt something was strange. He rushed out without waiting for instructions. When he saw the person clearly, he couldn't help but be stunned again. The man was Yue Qiyan's personal palace maid Xianer. When she saw Xiao Fangzi coming out, she hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Consort Xun asked me to report to the emperor, saying that she had something important to report, so she asked the emperor to go to Zhonghe Palace once."

Xiao Fangzi was surprised when he heard this. It must be known that after Feng Wuhen ascended the throne, Yue Qiyan has always been a regular step, and there are few such times of transcendence, so he couldn't help but wonder in his heart. However, since it was related to the concubines in the harem, he did not ask much questions. He agreed and signaled Xian'er to wait outside and hurried into the palace to report.

After listening to Xiao Fangzi's retelling, Feng Wuhen felt a little confused. He happened to be a little tired, so he immediately stood up and said, "Since that's the case, you can go to Zhonghegong with me." Before leaving, he seemed to remember something again, and then shook his head in disbelief. For some reason, Feng Wuhen always had a strange premonition, and seemed to have some strange meanings when he invited him more and more.

In the main hall of Zhonghe Palace, Yue Qiyan was sitting there alone, his face was extremely pale, with a little loneliness and helplessness on his head. There was a vague sound of greetings from outside, but it seemed to be meaningless when it came to her ears. Looking back on the relationship of more than nine years of marriage, it seems as if it was as thin as paper. Maybe she is a good confidant, but whether it is intimate, in terms of affection, feelings, or in terms of heart, she cannot match the other three. Hai Ruoxin has Feng Wuhen's obsession and love at the time; Hongru has the fate and feelings of being with each other for many years, and the relationship between honor and disgrace; as for Hai Ruolan, who seemed the most inconspicuous, at least she had followed Feng Wuhen to Fujian and loved her without hesitation. Only she seemed honorable but had nothing.

Feng Wuhen did not see the figure of Yueqiyan among the people who were welcomed, so he was a little concerned. Whether in front of or behind, Yueqiyan was understanding, and he always kept his duties, was not arrogant or impatient, and rarely relied on his identity. At this time, he came at her request, but she had no reason to be arrogant. The reason was really thought-provoking. He waved his hand to send Xian'er who wanted to go in and inform him, and then let Xiao Fangzi stay outside the door, and then walked in alone.
Chapter completed!