Ten days after the Dragon Boat Festival, that is, the fifth night after the princess received the decree, the head of the Shu Palace, Shi Sizheng, the left chief Shi Qin Wenjian, and the right chief Shi Zheng Anmin walked behind Zhu Pingjin in despair, and entered the palace of Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, in the northeast corner of the royal city. The prince personally killed the Changshi Division and insisted on pulling them together to meet the king of Shu. The two couldn't resist the world, so they had to follow.

Adapting to the three major systems of civil officials, military positions, and eunuchs, the Ming Dynasty palace had three main functions: the Long History Division, the Escort Command Division, and the Chengfeng Division.

The Changshi Division was transformed from the prince and the prince of the original vassal palace, and was in charge of the affairs of the palace and the auxiliary minister, and was the foreign minister of the palace;

The guards are in charge of the royal palace and the protection of extraordinary things;

The duty of handling and counseling the specific affairs of the palace is to serve as the minister of the palace.

The left and right long histories of the Long History Division are all positive five grades, which are much lower than those of the Guardian Command Division, but due to the practice of the Ming Dynasty emphasizing literature over military force, the left and right long histories of the Long History Division have undoubtedly become the highest officials in the palace.

The royal officials in the Long History Division are the bitter persecutors among the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, it's not that the dynasty is built, they are just hard. In the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties, the imperial court still attached great importance to the royal officials. For example, Zheng Wei, the long history of the Shu Palace, was transferred to Beijing to participate in the compilation of the Yongle Canon. But since Orthodoxy, this dependence has degenerated into blatant discrimination. With the formation of the ban on Tibet, scholars who excelled in learning were not allowed to be awarded royal officials, and the promotion and surrender of royal officials were expressly restricted to the palace by the imperial court. Once a scholar is elected as a royal official, he will be imprisoned for life, like an abandoned thing, "forever thank the Qing Dynasty", no longer turn around, and since then he has lost the opportunity to be promoted to an enterprising official, and finally has to die of old age in the country. Of course, there are exceptions. Individual palace officials also have precedents of successful counterattacks, such as some palace officials in Yongle and Jiajing dynasties, all of whom became important ministers of prominent courts because of their "promotion from the dragon".

The old man's voice sounded behind Zhu Pingjian.

"Shizi! Shizi! You walk slowly, the old man is old, rheumatism, and his legs and feet are inconvenient......"

It turned out that Zuo Changshi Qin Wenjian couldn't keep up with Zhu Pingjin's pace, so he supported his body with a cane and called out. Before he finished speaking, Zheng Anmin, the right elder Shi Zheng Anmin, who was behind him, had already fasted forward a few steps and held Qin Wenjian up.

Qin Wenjian is a native of Yanzhou, Shandong, born in the Wanli Dynasty with Jinshi, and has passed several governors in Zhejiang. may have offended Shangguan during his tenure, and then he was thrown into the Shu Palace, where he worked for more than 30 years. The imperial court allowed those who were over 65 years old to be allowed to follow the regulations of the prefecture and county officials, and to increase their ranks. Qin Wenjian will be sixty-five at the end of the year. He has submitted an application to the King of Shu and the imperial court, and the King of Shu has also approved, but the imperial court has not yet approved it.

Right Changshi Zheng Anmin is much younger than Qin Wenjian, and he just turned thirty-five this year. His ancestral home is Guangzhou Mansion, Guangdong, but he grew up in Chengdu since he was a child, and he was a second-class jinshi in high school in Tianqinian, and he became a general judge in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province in his early thirties. It's a pity that if you climb fast, you can also fall hard. Soon, he was impeached for embezzlement, and was thrown to the Shu Wangfu by a letter of order from the Ministry of Officials in the middle of last year, only a few months before Zhu Pingjin crossed. If nothing else, he will enjoy the same fate as Qin Wenjian. In the following thirty years, he did nothing in the palace of the king of Shu, and even died of old age in the country.

"It's that the son of this world is young and frivolous, and he forgot that Old Master Qin is old and weak!"

Zhu Pingjin's figure turned around a rockery, ran back, and hugged Qin Wenjian like Zheng Anmin. Qin Wenjian was on both sides of his body, the left prince and the right long history, he was proud in his heart, and it was not good to show it on his face, so he had to stomp on the cane and said:

"Son, this is a family affair of the palace, why do you need the old man and Lord Zheng to come forward!"

Zhu Pingjin walked towards the palace of the King of Shu with Qin Wenjian in his arms, with a solemn expression.

"What's the family in the emperor's family? Family affairs are state affairs! Lord Qin, Lord Zheng, the father and the princess are not in harmony, but it is due to their differences in temperament. The sage of the father and the king is known, and the ability of the mother and concubine is also known. If the father, the queen and the mother turned against these trivial things, wouldn't the officials and gentry of Shu laugh at it? If this son is abolished because of this, won't it shake the national capital of Shu? If it ends up in the court, the two adults have the responsibility of counseling and admonishing King Kuang, and the court will punish the crime, won't it affect the two adults? ”

When Zheng Anmin heard this, he couldn't help but laugh.

"I didn't expect that at the age of the son of the world, he had an iron mouth! These three 'ifs' actually made Lord Qin and the lower officials speechless! Anyway, the lower official accompanied the prince to go around, took out the majesty of the king, and persuaded the prince. This husband and wife, the way of heaven and earth! The matter of divorce from his wife must not be allowed! But ah, Shizi, we have to say it: the 150,000 stone grain transported to Chongqing Mansion can be explained to the prince yourself! ”

Zhu Pingjin hurriedly thanked: "Thank you Lord Qin and Master Zheng for saving each other!" The mother concubine and the son of this world will be rewarded in the future! ”

The conversation between Zhu Pingjin and Zheng Anmin made Qin Wenjian shake his head helplessly. One left and one right, he was carried alive to the bedroom of Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu.

The dormitory of Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, is hidden in a piece of flowers and stones, which has both the grandeur of the palace and the elegance of the courtyard. The calm and waveless water surface reflects the dotted palace lights; The refreshing fragrance of flowers made Zhu Pingjian's beating mood gradually subside.

The two chief officials of the Shizi and the Changshi Division suddenly came together, making Chen En, who was in the dormitory, shout that it was not good. However, he didn't dare to stop it, so he had to report it to the prince. The prince was discussing the rhyme of poetry with the king of Taiping, and when he heard his son and the two long historians arriving together, he hurriedly announced it.

"Sons knock to see their father!"

Zhu Pingjin respectfully kowtowed to Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu sitting on the throne. Hearing his father shout, he got up again and bowed to Zhu Zhilu, the king of peace.

"My nephew has seen the fourth uncle king!"

The two long histories also performed the courtesy of the monarch and the minister, and the prince gave him a seat.

The eldest son was humble and polite, which made the prince very satisfied. Since having dinner with the princess and the prince on the night of the Lantern Festival, he had not seen his legal heir. In less than half a year, his son has obviously grown taller, and his round face has a heroic look. Like all fathers, he couldn't help but feel very complacent.

"Jin'er is here, but it's for Zhuang Ding's defense?"

"Father, mother, concubine occasionally felt cold and unwell. My father had a decree and didn't dare not answer, so I wrote a good note and asked Mr. Qin and Mr. Zheng to forward it together. ”

Zhu Zhishu looked at his son, then at Qin Wenjian and Zheng Anmin, hesitated for a moment, and then gave Chen En a look. Chen En hurriedly came over and presented the fold in Qin Wenjian's hand.

Zhu Zhishu flipped through the princess's recitals, and suddenly couldn't help laughing. When he handed the fold to his fourth brother Zhu Zhilu, he still had a smile on his face.

"The two adults don't need to say more! Lone and the princess just had some misunderstandings, and now they have released their suspicions. Zhu Zhishu knew the intention of the two long histories, and decided to strike first. Seeing Qin and Zheng, he had already realized that when it came to a major matter that violated the patriarchal law of the court, such as the divorce of his wife and the abolition of his heir, the Changshi Division would most likely have to intervene. In the final analysis, the long historians are the courtiers of the emperor, and they are here to keep an eye on the vassal kings of various places for the emperor. If there is a serious violation of law and etiquette in the feudal palaces of various places, they will have to take the cylinder.

"Little brother said, this sister-in-law is not a person who eats inside and outside!" There is no fundamental conflict between Zhu Zhilu and the princess, as long as he can get a little benefit, he might as well come out and be a good person.

"My sister-in-law transported the grain to Chongqing Mansion this time, and she earned 100,000 taels of silver more than selling it in Chengdu Mansion. Ah! Why can't the younger brother marry such a daughter-in-law who can make money? ”

"That's because you have a high vision, you have to be beautiful, and you have to be born in a family." In addition to being proud, Zhu Zhishu did not forget to say a word about his brother's black history in the past, "If you are looking for a daughter-in-law, you must find a capable one." As for the side rooms, you can choose whatever you want. ”

"Father, my mother said that the amount of silver is too large, and there are often water thieves on the rivers in Luzhou, Xufu, Jiading, Meizhou and other places, so it has not been transported back to the house for a while. The retainers are preparing their ships these days, preparing to bring back the silver in a few days! ”

"Good! Hurry up and do it! "Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, was on the rise, and he agreed without thinking about it. However, he quickly thought of another question, "Jin'er, I heard from your mother, you have a good friend in Yazhou?" ”

Heard? Mom has never told you about Luo Yuhong's arrival in Yazhou! I'm afraid you know it from Wang Sizhong's intelligence! Zhu Pingjin thought.

"Exactly! This woman has a young family, smart and capable. The mother has already seen it and likes it very much. The son is looking for an opportunity to report to his father......"

"To marry the princess of my palace, there must be two things!" The prince interrupted Zhu Pingjin and said impatiently: "One is to be able to give birth and raise, and the other is to be ......."

"You have to make money!" Zhu Pingjin answered first.

Hahaha! The father and son looked at each other and laughed, and the Taiping King, Chen En, and Zheng Anmin also laughed, along with Qin Wenjian's old faces, all with smiles.

"Father, this daughter has earned nearly 100,000 taels of silver from Yazhou last month, and she will be shipped back to her home in a few days!"

"Good!" The prince slapped the table and stood up, and the tea splashed. However, the prince quickly realized the gaffe, so he slowly sat down again.

"Where are you going to pull the silver?" The prince asked kindly.

"Wherever the father tells the son to pull, the son will pull him!" Zhu Pingjin looked so innocent and innocent, looking scheming, "My son is still young, so he doesn't need so much silver." Besides, as long as his son's Zhuang Ding is staring at Yazhou, this silver will continue to be transported back to the palace. ”

When Zhu Zhishu heard his son's first words, he was very happy. When I heard the second sentence, my heart began to calculate. If you have received your son's money, it will not be good to receive your son's soldiers. If you don't accept your son's soldiers, whether this silver can really be obtained depends on the face of the tigress. If the two quarrel again one day, the prince may give the silver to his own mother. So where Concubine Liu and Chu'er are, how do you explain yourself?

Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, thought for a while, and then said generously to Zhu Pingjin: "Jin'er, you are fifteen this year, and you should get married." You keep this money for yourself, the wedding should be more grand, and you can't lose the grandeur of my palace in front of the people! ”

Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, carefully instructed the long history, the marriage proposal of the prince's wedding, and other things.

When the left and right chief Shi Qin Wenjian and Zheng Anmin saw each other, the father and son were completely typical of the filial piety of the father and son, and the husband and wife were also reconciled as before, and the concerns when they first entered the door were completely thrown to Java, so they hurriedly agreed.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, said to Zhu Pingjin again: "The Zhuang Ding of this palace is still in charge of Liu Quanzhong." Anyway, he is the commander of the guard, and he is justified in his reputation. Last year, thieves were rampant, and they even knocked on the provincial capital. This year, the chaos has risen again, and the palace must have a few soldiers who can fight, just in case of unforeseen events! ”

At this time, Zhu Pingjin did not hesitate, took a step forward and knelt down to the King of Shu and said, "Father, please let Rong Erchen say a word." ”

The King of Shu suddenly turned gloomy and snorted: "Tell me!" ”

Erchen thought that the various kings of the palace were all over Chengdu, Meizhou, Yazhou and other places, and they were hundreds of miles from east to west, north and south. The dealers also have their own affairs, some of them are in the Wangzhuang to prevent thieves, and some are taxed at the customs office. Erchen wanted to ask his father to postpone the decree for a few days, so let Erchen and Lord Liu discuss first, which Zhuang Ding can enter the guard first, and which Zhuang Ding can enter the guard slowly. In this way, Zhuang Ding's entry into the guard can not only fulfill his father's wishes, but also do not affect the income of the palace. ”

Not? Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, was surprised by his son Zhu Pingjin's words. I thought that my son would jump out and oppose it, but who knew that he was so governor and knew how to do things!

"Wu'er, this is Lao Cheng's words for the country!" The king of Shu stood in the way of everyone, and Zhu Pingjin praised it. After calculating his son, he felt a little guilty again, and felt that he should give Zhu Pingjin some compensation: "Jin'er, my father wants to reward you with something, what do you want to order?" ”

This is the purpose of Zhu Pingjin's visit today. Even if the King of Shu doesn't mention it, he will take the initiative to speak later.