Chinese New Year's Eve.

Forbidden City, Kunning Palace.

Chongzhen made an exception and did not review the recital in the warm pavilion, and went to the queen's bedroom with a simple luan, waiting for the prince to come and ask for peace.

According to the rules, the prince Zhu Cihong was going to come over to say goodbye to the queen mother at the beginning of the morning, and now it was the end of the hour, and he still didn't see the shadow of the prince Zhu Cihong when he was about to have lunch.

Chongzhen couldn't help but feel a little unhappy in his heart, if this was spread out, it would be against filial piety, and it would be very bad for the prince's reputation.

Chongzhen could even imagine that after this matter spread, the Donglin Party would be like a group of long-tongued women who seized the handle of widows and did not abide by women's ways, arguing in the court that it was difficult for the prince to inherit the throne.

After waiting for another half pillar of incense, the eunuchs of the twelve yamen were already preparing to pass the meal, and the crown prince Zhu Cihong still did not come to greet him.

Chongzhen asked expressionlessly, "Where did the prince go?" ”

It seems that there are no mood swings, but the surrounding eunuchs and palace maids subconsciously want to stay away from Chongzhen's side, and the eunuchs and palace maids who have served in the royal palace for so many years know that the emperor is already angry.

Fortunately, no matter how angry Chongzhen is in his heart, he will never be angry with the eunuchs and palace maids like those emperors in the past, but it is not Chongzhen's bodhisattva heart.

Just because.

He was poor.

The eunuchs and palace maids in the Forbidden City have been streamlined, and the number is much less than in the past, and it has reached the point where it can no longer be streamlined.

As long as it kills a eunuch and fills another eunuch, it will cost dozens of taels of silver, where is Chongzhen willing to do it.

Chongzhen took the initiative to ask, and Wang Chengen, who was standing next to him with low eyebrows, had to answer: "Your Majesty, the prince is in the coal kiln in western Beijing." ”

"Bang!"

Chongzhen really got angry this time, the prince didn't come to greet his mother, he didn't study hard in Zhan Shifu, but went to the coal kiln in western Beijing.

The official kiln dragon and phoenix teacup in his hand was thrown directly to the ground and smashed to pieces.

The surrounding eunuchs and palace maids didn't dare to breathe in an instant, and with the emperor's slashing temperament, the clothes were torn and mended, and then worn, and a piece of silver was eager to be broken into two halves.

Not to mention breaking a valuable official kiln dragon and phoenix teacup, even the tea leaves are reluctant to drink, only drinking light white water.

With the emperor's temperament of picking the door so much, he actually took the initiative to break an official kiln teacup, which shows how bad the emperor's mood is at this time.

Wang Chengen's afterglow just caught a glimpse of Chongzhen's face, and saw the corners of his eyes twitch a few times, he was amused in his heart, but he was a little sad: "Your Majesty, the prince may have a reason." ”

It is difficult for Qing officials to decide family affairs, and at this time, they must not be involved in the family affairs of the emperor's father and son, but Wang Chengen took the initiative to help the prince speak, which is obviously unwise.

This time it was the opposite, Wang Chengen was not an ordinary courtier, but Chongzhen's house slave, and this was the time for him to speak for the prince.

wants to take the initiative to exonerate the prince, no matter how angry Chongzhen is, he doesn't want the emperor to be grabbed by the Donglin party.

"There's a cause!" Chongzhen's face was still obviously expressionless, but the tone of his voice was obviously a little heavier: "What can be the reason!" ”

"From today onwards, the prince is not allowed to take half a step out of the capital, and if he goes to the west of the capital, he will break his legs!"

Wang Chengen wanted to laugh, and the emperor was afraid that he would break his promise again this time.

Wang Chengen didn't want to talk about this matter himself, but for the sake of the Ming Dynasty's Jiangshan Sheji, he handed a Dongchang eunuch a look.

The eunuch of Dongchang understood that he was ready to report to the crown prince Zhu Cihong why he went to Jingxi, and what great things the industrial marquis and the Zhenyuan marquis did during this time to benefit the country and the people.

Before he could speak, Chongzhen himself shifted his attention: "Chengen, the price of river firewood in the capital is a load of silver." ”

Wang Chengen was also full of anger when he thought of this incident, and the Donglin Party usually scavenged the people's fat and ointment, but now it has intensified to the point where it is difficult to make a fortune for the country.

But no matter how angry it is, it's useless, Wang Chengen is not a military attache with heavy troops, and there is no way to die with those Donglin Party members: "It has risen to one penny and five cents of silver." ”

"One penny and five cents of silver!" Chongzhen heard this shocking number, he didn't know that his voice had raised a lot when he repeated this sentence, and he was a little incredulous, and he tried to keep his face expressionless and said, "But it's true." ”

Not only Chongzhen couldn't believe it, but Wang Chengen couldn't believe that Wang Chengen got the reward of Dongchang Fanzi, and he couldn't believe that the Donglin Party dared to raise the price to one dollar and five cents of silver.

On weekdays, the price of a load of river firewood is only three cents of silver, that is, this price has made many people unbearable, in this cold winter, the Donglin Party actually increased the price of river firewood by five times.

This is no longer looting the people's fat and people's ointment, it is clearly forcing the people to die.

Wang Chengen was born in poverty, he knows the doorway here, Chongzhen has been worry-free about food and clothing since he was a child, and he rarely goes out of the palace, and his understanding of these most basic people's feelings is not as good as that of the prince Zhu Cihong.

Now I am so concerned about this issue, it is because on the day when the price of the bureaucrats and squires increased, Yin Song Yingjing of the Shuntian Mansion braved being demoted and broke into the Forbidden City at night and told the emperor about it.

Since then, Chongzhen has been concerned about this matter, and he can't help but care, this is about the life and death of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Chongzhen picked up an official kiln teacup again, just picked it up, and put it down gently, after all, it was the official kiln that was very valuable.

If the teacup is broken, Chongzhen can still vent a lot of anger in his heart, but he is reluctant to break at least seven or eight taels of official kiln teacups.

That anger could only be kept in his heart, which made Chongzhen's face more and more ugly, and he began to anger the prince Zhu Cihong again: "Come on, go and call the prince over!" In the future, you are not allowed to step out of the palace gate for half a step! ”

Before a few burly Han generals walked out, the crown prince Zhu Cihong hurriedly walked in, wearing a winged crown and a red robe with a lot of black ash.

Especially his pair of brocade boots with a white background, which have become black, and his face is also a little black and gray.

Chongzhen's mood was already extremely bad, and when he saw the prince's appearance, his face was already obviously ugly, and his disheveled appearance had reached the point of no etiquette.

The crown prince Zhu Cihong didn't come here to ask for peace, because he had already forgotten about it: "Father, Xu Jixin, a disciple of the Industrial Marquis, invented the flotation coal washing method, which can wash out refined coal in large quantities, and now the refined coal realm in the capital has been reduced to a penny of silver." ”

Wang Chengen had known about this for a long time, and raised his eyes to look at the emperor to see what the emperor's expression would be.

Chongzhen suddenly stood up: "Chengen, drive Jingxi, let's go and see this flotation coal washing method." ”

Just as Chongzhen was about to leave, Queen Zhou, who was sitting next to her and had not spoken, suddenly said.

"The emperor seems to have just said that whoever goes to Jingxi will break someone's leg."