After the Dragon Boat Festival Palace banquet, Shangguan Wan became a celebrity in front of the saint, and the twenty-four divisions of the six palaces followed the meritorious deeds, and naturally treated Shangguan Wan quite favorably. In the palace, he treated her respectfully.

A few large vats have recently been moved to the courtyard of Weiyang Palace, and some lotus flowers have been transplanted by Shangguan Wan, which has a cool breath under the scorching sun. When the Empress saw it, she also felt very refreshed. Praise her ingenuity.

The second prince didn't go to Weiyang Palace to ask for peace very often, but in recent days, he has been going more often.

For the sake of Jizhou's thorn history hoarding.

Shangguan Wan also got some news, the ancestors of Jizhou Thorn History originally started in business, and somehow embarked on a career in the official career, but he became an official and became a state Thorn History. should not be able to escape the responsibility of buying officials, but they exploit the people and hoard land for their own use. Now that this situation has been handed over to the capital, the entire court advocates severe punishment and no loans, and the other faction advocates small punishment and big commandment.

In the past few days, the empress has been quite troubled by this, a few years ago, Xu Jingzong and Wu Hang have been lost, and there are not a few courtiers who have been implicated.

On that day, the second prince came to Weiyang Palace as usual to ask for peace, and by the way, he brought the form handed over by Dali Temple.

Cao Huanzhi handed the form up.

The Empress looked at it a few times, then slammed it on the table.

"I didn't expect that this Jizhou Thorn Shi Hoarding Land was also involved in the matter of buying officials and entering the knighthood, and it was actually involved with the Zhongshu Order, if it was uprooted, would the entire court still have Ning Ri?"

The second prince looked up at the empress's face was not good, but still said: "Mother Emperor, if you inquire carefully, you will definitely find more big fish, a Jizhou Thorn History can bite out the Zhongshu Order, and I don't know how many Thorn Shi magistrates in our dynasty are inactive people who go to harm the people." ”

The Empress pondered for a moment. The second prince then said: "Mother, this matter can be handed over to Erchen and Dali Temple to investigate, if you don't find out these people, I'm afraid it will really endanger the society in the future." ”

The empress waved her hand: "That's it, this matter still has to be considered in the long run, you go back first, and I will understand that I am calling you"

The second prince still wanted to speak, but saw Cao Huanzhi shaking his head at him, so he bowed and left.

Shangguan Wan received a message from Mama Chang from outside the palace a few days ago. The empress is so undetermined about the case of Jizhou's assassination, it is nothing more than that most of the existing three provinces, six departments, nine temples and five prisons are her people, if they are eliminated one by one, then I am afraid that the real impact is the supremacy of the empress. If you let the second prince investigate, then find out a large number of people, and then install people, and the entire court will change blood, which the empress can't accept no matter what. What's more, Song Lin was promoted all the way up from the time of the empress when she was the queen.

Because of the ingenuity of the last Dragon Boat Festival Palace banquet, the empress rewarded a small courtyard in the palace for Shangguan Wan to live in. This small courtyard is not far from Weiyang Palace, although it is not as big as the palaces, it is small and exquisite, but it is a sparrow inside, although it is small, and it has all five organs. Because Qi Xin and Qi Qing had a good relationship with her, they also moved in together.

Shangguan Wan was in the room reading the information brought by the carrier pigeon. Yangzhou Lin Pavilion has found out the ins and outs of the future.

It turned out that Yan Wu, the assassin of Jizhou, trusted 100,000 taels of silver and ordered Song Lin to buy the official position of the assassin of Jizhou, but Yan Wuxin did not act as an official after becoming the assassin, but exploited the people everywhere. This incident, it was the local farmers in Jizhou who escaped the surveillance of the officials, came to Beijing, and stopped Wei Ruye's sedan chair. And this Song Lin, as a Zhongshu Ling, has a faction behind him, and there is also the Imperial Historian Lin Cong, and no one pickets them, and the five prisons of the Nine Temples are the majority of them.

Qi Xin entered the door: "It's easy to wait until the little girl in Qi Qing falls asleep, and I will come over quietly, and the second prince seems to be unhappy with the empress today."

Shangguan Wan said: "Sit down first, the empress will naturally be troubled, after all, Song Lin, as a Zhongshu Ling, is also a courtier promoted by His Majesty since the time of the queen, plus Song Lin and the imperial historian Lin have always been friends, and the adults of the supervision organs can have a relationship with this case. Naturally, the Empress did not want her wings to be damaged. Besides, the second prince is the most popular among the princes, if the second prince is sent to investigate, I am afraid that the empress's wings will be broken, and if the second prince fills the vacancy with his own people, it will be a threat to the empress. She wouldn't answer. ”

Qi Xin asked, "Then we can intervene in this matter?" ”

Shangguan Wan looked at the paper in front of her and rubbed it with her hand, threw it into the candle and watched it burn out, before she said: "This Song Lin relies on his own support of the empress and is a minister, but he is doing a nest of snakes and rats with the people below, if you keep them, it will be bad for my dynasty, the empress is afraid that others will shake the foundation of her rights, so she will do something to let the empress know that these people will shake her foundation if they don't get rid of them, after all, the tree is very popular, if they are pampered and arrogant, and do these rotten things in the name of the empress, I think the Empress was the first to want to get rid of them. ”

Qi Xin scratched her head: "Then we are cooperating with the second prince?" ”

Shangguan Wan shook her head: "The second prince looks at me a little abnormally on weekdays, if I cooperate with him now, although I secretly have you in this palace, but on the surface I am just a female envoy next to His Majesty, if I rashly go to get close to the prince, I am afraid that it will cause criticism." ”

Qi Xin nodded suddenly in understanding.

Shangguan Wan wrote a note with a pen, tied it to the pigeon's feet, and watched it circle a few times and fly away.

"Wan'er, but what news is it to the outside world?"

"He Zhou is on an errand beside Wei Ru in Dali Temple, and he is deeply trusted, if some words are said by his mouth, it will be much more credible than the rest of us. That Song Lin and Lin Cong often take people to Chonglou to eat and drink, and let He Zhou also take some people to eat and drink these days, and the speaker has no intention of listening. Let them know for themselves that the empress will not do them again, then those noisy magistrates will naturally relax their vigilance, and it is not difficult for our people to escort some refugees into Beijing, if there are people from several states who come to hand over the petition, and the petition must mention that these magistrates have the support of the empress behind them, then this matter is a matter of strict investigation. ”

"The young pavilion master is so smart."

It wasn't until she woke up and came to the courtyard to look for Qi Xin that Qi Xin quietly went out and took her back.

It's just that Shangguan Wan looked at the hints between Cao Huanzhi and the second prince today, and guessed that Cao Huanzhi was probably the second prince's person.

On the second day, after Qi Xin and Qi Qing served the empress and went to the court, Shangguan Wan stayed in Weiyang Palace, pretending to gossip with Cao Huanzhi and said: "Father-in-law Cao, the empress was angry with the empress last night, and I guess that the second prince took the initiative to invite Ying and may provoke the empress."

Cao Huanzhi's eyes turned before he said: "Wan'er, don't talk to others about Your Majesty and the prince, otherwise it will be heard by others, and it will not have a good impact if it is spread out." ”

Shangguan Wan pulled Cao Huan's way: "Gonggong Cao, you don't know, Wan'er treats you as a brother, and you have taken care of me a lot these days, but last night the empress was angry, it must have been the second prince's words that provoked her, if the second prince still has to take the initiative to ask for help in front of all the ministers, I'm afraid the empress will be even more angry."

Cao Huanzhi nodded thoughtfully, and Wan'er excused herself to go to the tea room to make tea.

It's just that not long after leaving, at the corner, I saw Cao Huanzhi instructing a little eunuch named Fengde in Weiyang Palace to go out.

When the empress came back, Shangguan Wan asked Qi Xin outside the palace: "Can the second prince take the initiative to ask for help in the palace today?" ”

Zhen Xin replied, "No."

Shangguan Wan smiled: "Sure enough"

Qi Xin asked, "Why does Wan'er ask that?" ”

"I deliberately told Cao Huanzhi today that the second prince made His Majesty unhappy, and Cao Huanzhi sent someone to inform the second prince that Cao Huanzhi was the second prince's person."

Qi Xin was shocked, and Shangguan Wan took her into the hall to serve.

In the past few days, Jizhou Thorn Shi has been imprisoned in Dali Temple, and no one has mentioned this matter again.

That night, Shangguan Wan freshened up for the empress. The empress held her hand and said, "Wan'er, now you are the closest female official by my side, are you willing to do things for me?" ”

Shangguan Wan immediately knelt down: "The slave is willing to smear your majesty's liver and brain"

The empress combed her hair and said: "It's not necessary to smear the liver and brain, go to Dali Temple for me to get rid of the Jizhou Thorn History, this matter is over, I will never allow my rights to be compromised."

Shangguan Wan knelt down and agreed, and returned to his house after serving, counting the time, tomorrow should be the time for refugees from several states to collectively hand over the petition.

On the second day, before Shangguan Wan left the palace, Cao Huanzhi had already come in in a panic and told the empress: "Back to the empress, Dali Temple received a letter from refugees from five or six states today, all of which are local thorns hoarding the people, and there are still ......."

The Empress shouted angrily, "What else?! ”

Cao Huanzhi knelt on the ground and his voice trembled: "They also said that the local assassin history said that the backer behind them was the empress, the sky was high and the emperor was far away, and Her Majesty the empress protected them, and they could do whatever they wanted..."

The empress angrily smashed the inkstone on the table on the ground, the hall was silent, and the empress said loudly: "Pass the second prince to come"

The second prince was summoned in.

"The sons see the mother, I don't know what the mother is doing urgently to summon the sons?"

"I order you and Shaoqing Wei of Dali Temple to try the case of Jizhou Assassination together with the Criminal Department, if there is a high-ranking minister involved, it will be investigated directly. Doing these disgusting things in my name. ”

"The retainers take the order."

The second prince stepped out of the hall and saw Shangguan Wan on duty outside the hall: "You are Shangguan Wan?" ”

Shangguan Wan said: "The slave is exactly"

The second prince smiled: "You are a person with a delicate heart, and now the people sitting in the hall are the people who offended your whole family at the beginning, and you are also loyal."

Shangguan Wan looked at the second prince impartially: "The slave and maid are the family members of the criminal ministers, and they came out of the court by the grace of Your Majesty, so they are naturally loyal to Your Majesty."

The second prince said in his words: "This Wu Dynasty used to be Li Tang, and Shangguan's family was also Li Tang's loyal ministers, you must not forget this." ”

Shangguan Wan lowered his head, and the second prince left in stride.