Just as the case of Yan Maoqing's disappearance gradually spread in the capital, and countless versions were derived.

The sky is getting dark, the Forbidden City, the Manna Palace.

It has been almost half a month since Zhu Zaiyuan was born.

At this moment, in the bedroom, Jiajing was holding Zhu Zaiyuan in his arms and teasing him twice from time to time.

And the imperial concubine Shen was not far away, watching all this with a loving face.

Subsequently, I saw Jiajing hand Zhu Zaiyuan back into the care of the Shen family, and asked softly: "How is Concubine Ai's health lately?" ”

When Shen heard Jiajing's words, he lowered his head, looked at Zhu Zaiyuan in his arms, and responded with a smile: "Thanks to Your Majesty's care, the concubine feels that her body has recovered a lot compared to before!" ”

Jiajing took in the expression on Shen's face, nodded, and then said: "At present, the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites are ready, and after you have recovered your body, I can officially canonize you as the queen!" ”

When Jiajing's words fell, I saw Shen holding Zhu Zaiyuan in his arms, leaning on Jiajing's shoulder, and muttering: "Well, the concubine understands!" ”

Shen looked at Zhu Zaiyuan in his arms, his face was full of loving smiles, and then, he turned around and asked Jiajing beside him: "By the way, Your Majesty, when Yuan'er reaches the age of enlightenment, who do you plan to let teach him?" ”

When Jiajing heard Shen's words, he couldn't help but laugh dumbly, and responded with a smile: "It's still too early to discuss this matter, you know, Yuan'er has only been born for less than a month!" ”

When Shen heard this, his face couldn't help flashing a touch of red, and then, he saw him carefully put Zhu Zaiyuan on the bed not far away, and then buried the head in Jiajing's chest, and said timidly: "Your Majesty, you can tell the concubine!" ”

Jiajing took in the expression on Shen's face, and after a moment of silence, he saw him caressing Shen's hair and speaking unhurriedly.

"As for the candidates who will enlighten Yuan'er at that time, at present, in my heart, there are three people who meet the conditions, one is Zhang Juzheng, the second is Li Chunfang, and the third is Zhao Zhenji."

After Jiajing finished speaking, without waiting for Shen to respond, he continued to add: "These three people are all from Shujishi, and they are not too flawed in terms of talent and conduct, so it is very suitable to choose one of them to be responsible for teaching Yuan'er!" ”

When Shen heard Jiajing's words, after thinking for a while, he looked directly into Jiajing's eyes and said slowly: "Could it be that Your Majesty wants Yuan'er to follow these people to learn how to govern the country?" ”

Jiajing did not respond to this question, but smiled silently.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Shen raised his head, looked at Jiajing's face, and asked: "By the way, Your Majesty, the concubine heard that you personally selected a large number of clans and noble sons to serve in Banzhou?" ”

Facing the Shen family's curious gaze, I saw Jiajing nodding and responding: "Well, exactly, this group of clans and noble children who have been selected by me have been on their way for a while!" ”

After Shen learned the news from Jiajing's mouth, an expression of sudden realization appeared on his face, and he muttered to himself: "I see, no wonder ......"

When Jiajing heard this, he supported his chin with one hand, a look of interest appeared on his face, and he asked, "Oh, what's the wonder?" ”

After perceiving Jiajing's gaze falling on him, Shen organized the language in his mind before he spoke: "Your Majesty, not long ago, the British princess, on the grounds of celebrating the successful birth of Yuan'er, sent people to send many gifts to the concubines!" ”

"The concubine was wondering if something had happened to make the British princess desperate to have a good relationship with the concubine."

"At that time, if something happens, it will be convenient to start with the concubine, and now it seems that this is most likely the case!"

After listening to Shen's narration, Jiajing shook his head imperceptibly, and said with emotion: "Well, this is also excusable! ”

Then, I saw Jiajing turn his words, looked at the retraction of his gaze from Shen's body, and then ordered: "Well, since it is a gift from the British princess, you can take it well!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After that, Jiajing chatted with Shen for a long time, until Shen's personal maid pushed the door in with the decoction, and then gave up.

……

When Jiajing walked out of the imperial concubine Shen's bedroom, Lu Fang, who had been waiting outside for a long time, immediately greeted him, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty! ”

When Jiajing heard this, he replied imperceptibly, and then, I saw him withdraw his gaze from Lu Fang's body, and commanded: "Well, Lu Fang, let's go, accompany me back to Qianqing Palace!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Lu Fang responded, he hurriedly followed Jiajing's pace, and the master and servant walked in the direction where the Qianqing Palace was located.

Soon after returning to the Qianqing Palace, Jiajing received a report from the eunuch, saying that Zhao Zhenji had sent someone to Jiajing to send a handwritten letter, and at present, the person who sent the letter was waiting outside the Qianqing Palace.

After Jiajing learned the news from the eunuch's mouth, he quickly reacted that Zhao Zhenji should have discovered something important before taking this method.

Then, I saw Jiajing come back to his senses, waved his hand, and commanded: "Well, I know, let him in!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Soon after this, the people came to enter the Qianqing Palace under the guidance of a eunuch in charge of teaching etiquette.

The face of the person who came was full of anxious and uneasy looks, and after entering the Qianqing Palace, he saw him kneeling on the ground with a 'plop', and said in a deep voice: "Weichen knocks on Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live!" ”

When Jiajing heard this, after looking the people up and down, he waved his hand and commanded: "Well, get up!" ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

When the visitor heard this, a look of gratitude suddenly appeared on his face, and he slowly got up from the ground.

After this, I saw the visitor carefully take out the envelope and two account books from his bosom.

Then, I saw the visitor leaning down, holding the envelope and the two account books high above his head, and looking in the direction where Jiajing was, and reported in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, here is the personal letter sent to you by the governor, who commissioned the little one, as well as two account books!"

When Jiajing heard this, a little curiosity couldn't help but appear on his face, raised his eyebrows, and said to himself: "Oh, account books? ”

When Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, saw the two account books in the hands of the visitor, he couldn't help but 'chuckle' in his heart, and an extremely bad premonition flashed in his heart.

Immediately, without waiting for Jiajing's orders, I saw Lu Fang step forward and take the two account books and envelopes from the hands of the comer.

"Your Majesty!"

"Hmm."

After Jiajing took the account book and envelope from Lu Fang's hand, he looked at the person who came, and then said, "Well, I have received the letter, you go down and rest first!" ”

As soon as Jiajing's words fell, a eunuch soon stepped forward and brought the person to a special room to rest.

After Jiajing put the account book in his hand aside, he opened the envelope and began to browse the contents on it, only to see that it was written.

"Your Majesty, in recent times, in Zhejiang, there are many businessmen under the banner of the Weaving Bureau, vainly trying to buy raw silk from the hands of the people at a low price, these businessmen in order to buy raw silk, do everything they can, so that the people's resentment boils."

"In order not to further deteriorate the situation, in desperation, Wechen chose to arrest Pang Qian, the chief eunuch of the Weaving Bureau, and related people related to this case!"

"I only need to give Weichen a while longer, and I will definitely be able to wipe out those businessmen!"

"In addition, Wei Chen also found two account books in the secret compartment of Pang Qian's room, one of which is an open account and one is a dark account, and the things recorded in these two account books are very different, only in July, there is a difference of more than 12,000 silks!"

"At present, in the treasury of the Weaving Bureau, there are 420,000 pieces of silk, this matter is very important, Wechen does not dare to make a decision, and now Wechen has handed over the two account books of the Weaving Bureau, together with this letter, to Your Majesty!"

After Jiajing finished reading the contents of the letter, the expression on his face became extremely gloomy, and then, I saw him put down the letter in his hand, picked up the two account books on the bookcase, and began to compare them carefully.

According to Zhao Zhenji's letter, among the two account books in front of him, one of them is an open account and the other is a dark account.

In the open account, there are currently 320,000 pieces of silk in the Weaving Bureau, and 420,000 pieces of silk in the Weaving Bureau are written in the dark account, which is a full 100,000 pieces of silk!

At present, the price of silk is rising all the way, according to the current market price, a good silk can easily be sold for more than ten taels of silver!

In other words, on the side of the Weaving Bureau, at least one million taels of silver were greedy!

Thinking of this, Jiajing couldn't help but be furious, and then, I saw him come back to his senses, slam the table, and said in a deep voice: "Hmph, this group of bastards, one is an open account, one is a dark account, and there is a difference of 100,000 silks in between!" ”

Jiajing said this, subconsciously clenched the two account books in his hand, and looked hideous: "My money!" ”

Seeing this situation, Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, was suddenly frightened, and knelt on the ground with a 'plop', and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty...... Your Majesty, please calm your anger! ”

When Jiajing heard this, he immediately turned around, and after looking Lu Fang up and down, he asked in a cold voice: "Lu Fang, this weaving bureau is under the supervision of your celebrity, let's talk about it, what should I do?" ”

After perceiving Jiajing's gaze on him, Lu Fang only felt that the whole person was like falling into an ice cellar, for a long time, only after he had organized the language in his mind, did he say as if walking on thin ice: "Your Majesty...... Your Majesty, the slave will send someone to investigate and find out all the people who are related to this matter! ”

When Jiajing heard this, he waved his hand and commanded in a deep voice: "Well, you will send someone to check on me now!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Hearing this, Lu Fang slowly got up from the ground, leaned down, and responded respectfully.

Just as Lu Fang was about to leave, he was stopped by Jiajing: "Wait, bring these two account books of the Weaving Bureau with you!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, he immediately stepped forward and took the account book from Jiajing's hand.

Because he was too frightened, at this time, it could be clearly seen that Lu Fang's hand taking the account book trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Then, I saw Lu Fang bow to Jiajing, and then leave the Qianqing Palace without looking back.

Jiajing looked at the back of Lu Fang's departure, and unconsciously thought of what Chen Hong, who had already died, said to him.

"Inside the Weaving Bureau, there are two kinds of ledgers, one is the open account, the other is the dark account, the open account is specially shown to Your Majesty, and the things recorded in the dark account are the real accounts of the Weaving Bureau."

"And through this method, most of the silver obtained by embezzlement fell into Lu Fang's pocket!"

"In addition, before the imperial court officially lifted the sea ban, the smuggling families in the southeast coastal area also had an unclear relationship with Lu Fang, the eunuch who was in charge of the seal......

Subsequently, I saw Jiajing suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, and gently rubbed the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, his face was full of inexplicable looks.

After a long time, I saw Jiajing come back to his senses, sighed, and said to himself silently: "Alas, it's just that, what is it to be greedy for some silver......"

……

When Lu Fang walked out of the Qianqing Palace, he realized that his back had already been soaked in cold sweat.

Lu Fang looked at the two Weaving Bureau account books in his hand, he knew that Jiajing chose to turn a blind eye to this matter in his old feelings, and handed over the disposal of the matter to himself.

"This damn Pang Qian, how dare he be so bold, this is 100,000 pieces of silk, according to the current market price, it is worth at least one million taels!"

"If Feng Bao hadn't strongly recommended this person to me at the beginning, I wouldn't have ...... in front of His Majesty."

Thinking of this, the expression on Lu Fang's face suddenly turned cold, and then, I saw him put away the two account books of the Weaving Bureau and walked straight in the direction where the master of ceremonies was.

When Lu Fang first came to the celebrant eunuch, two sharp-eyed little eunuchs greeted him and saluted him respectfully: "I have seen the old ancestor!" ”

Hearing this, Lu Fang bowed slightly, then glanced over the two little eunuchs, and asked, "Who is on duty today?" ”

When the two little eunuchs heard Lu Fang's words, they thought for a moment before they responded: "Back to the words of the ancestors, today is the turn of Gonggong Feng!" ”

Hearing this, Lu Fang nodded, and then walked in the direction where the duty room was located.

In the duty room, at this moment, Feng Baozheng was holding a red pen and approving the music sent from the cabinet.

Perhaps feeling sleepy, just as Feng Bao put down the brush, got up from the seat, and was about to move his limbs, the afterglow of his eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of Lu Fang not far away.

Seeing Lu Fang's sudden arrival, Feng Bao was stunned for a moment, and then immediately greeted him, his face full of flattery.

"Dry ...... Godfather, why are you here? ”

Hearing this, Lu Fang glanced at Feng Bao and asked with a smile: "Why, can't my godfather come?" ”

When Feng Bao heard this, he immediately waved his hand and hurriedly explained, "What do you do...... Godfather, you misunderstood, that's not what the child meant! ”

When Lu Fang heard this, he was not moved, but came to the main seat in the duty room and sat down without saying a word.

Seeing this, Feng Bao knew that something big must have happened, and then, he saw Feng Bao pick up the teapot on the table, pour a cup of hot tea, come to Lu Fang, and respectfully serve the tea.

"Godfather, you came all the way from Your Majesty's side, you must be a little tired, come, have a cup of tea first!"

For Feng Bao's cup of tea, Lu Fang did not choose to reach out to take it, but took out two account books of the Weaving Bureau from his sleeve, sneered, and slammed it to the ground.

"Look at the good things you do!"

When Lu Fang's words fell, Feng Bao's face was full of panic, from the time Lu Fang didn't choose to take his cup of tea, he knew that something big must have happened.

Thinking of this, I saw Feng Bao put the teacup in his hand aside, plucked up his courage, and asked Lu Fang anxiously: "Godfather, what do these two account books mean?" ”

When Lu Fang heard this, he just glanced at Feng Bao coldly, and then said, "Take a look for yourself!" ”

As soon as Lu Fang's words fell, Feng Bao leaned down and picked up the two account books from the ground, but when he saw the contents recorded in the account books, his face was full of shock.

"Dry ...... Godfather, this ...... This is clearly the books of the Weaving Bureau, how can you ......"

Before Feng Bao finished speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Lu Fang: "Is it very surprising, these two account books of the Weaving Bureau were given to me by His Majesty!" ”

When Feng Bao heard Lu Fang's words, he seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and his face was full of fear that he couldn't hide: "Your Majesty...... Your Majesty, could it be that Pang Qian, the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau, has ......"

Lu Fang took in the expression on Feng Bao's face, snorted coldly, and immediately reprimanded: "You guessed right, right now, this Pang Qian has been imprisoned by Zhao Zhenji, look at the people you recommended to your godfather, who are they?" ”

"You can't make a thing, my godfather was almost killed by you!"

When Lu Fang said this, his face was full of hatred for iron and steel.

Seeing that Lu Fang had already said this, Feng Bao didn't dare to hide anything, and immediately told everything he knew.

"Dry ...... Godfather, the child was also blinded by lard, so he believed this Pang Qian's nonsense! ”

Godfather, don't hide it, this Pang Qian personally sent 100,000 taels of silver to the child, saying that as long as he became the chief eunuch of the Weaving Bureau, there would be a steady stream of benefits in the future, and the child didn't expect that he would dare to ......"

Then, I saw Feng Bao kneeling on the ground with a 'plop', hugging Lu Fang's thigh, and crying with shame on his face.

"Godfather, the child knows that he is wrong, you can spare the child this time, the child assures you that there will be no next time!"

"Godfather, you just spare the child this time, if the child loses his life, who will give you a pension in the future, godfather!"

Under Feng Bao's bitter pleading, the coldness on Lu Fang's face also dissipated a lot.

After a long time, I saw that Lu Fang's heart was soft, and he sighed helplessly, got up from the seat, took a pen and paper from the bookcase on the side, and ordered in a cold voice: "Write, write out all the people related to this case!" ”

"Yes, godfather, thank you godfather for sparing the child's life, godfather's kindness, the child must remember it, and he will definitely take care of your old age in the future!"

After Feng Bao finished speaking, without the slightest hesitation, he immediately picked up the brush and wrote down one name after another on the paper.

After a long time, I saw Feng Bao put down the brush in his hand, and came to Lu Fang with a list full of handwriting, and said respectfully: "Godfather, here is the specific list, please take a look!" ”

"Hmm!"

After that, I saw Lu Fang take over the list from Feng Bao's hands.

After going through it roughly, he nodded, and then ordered: "In addition, spit out all the benefits that you received before, only in this way can you give your majesty an account!" ”

When Feng Bao heard Lu Fang's words, a trace of pain flashed on his face, and then, he lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Yes, godfather, the child will definitely do it!" ”

……

On the other side, the capital, Yanfu study.

At this moment, in the room, I saw Yan Shifan leaning down, handing over a list in his hand to Yan Song, and said respectfully.

"Father, the people on this list are all asking for us!"

When Yan Song heard this, he opened his cloudy eyes, glanced over Yan Shifan's body, and commanded, "Well, show it to me!" ”

When the words fell, I saw Yan Song stretch out his thin right hand and take the list from Yan Shifan's hand.

After Yan Song finished browsing all the candidates on the list, he nodded and expressed his approval to Yan Shifan: "Well, good job, when the time comes, let's pick some people from this list and go to investigate Yan Maoqing's case!" ”

Seeing that the list he had listed had been recognized by Yan Song, Yan Shifan couldn't help but feel overjoyed, and replied in a deep voice: "Yes, father!" ”

After that, I saw Yan Shifan pause for a moment, and then continued: "By the way, father, Zheng Michang sent a message from there, saying that the raw silk in the hands of the people has been saved, and in the hands of Zhao Zhenji, there is the right to cut first and then play again!" ”

"With the right to cut first and then play again, Zhao Zhenji personally led the troops to surround the Weaving Bureau, and put all the people such as Pang Qian, the chief eunuch of the Weaving Bureau, into the prison, waiting for the fate!"

Although Yan Song was scheming and did not easily show his emotions, when he heard that Zhao Zhenji had the right to cut first and then play in his hands, a slight shock appeared on his face.

Perhaps because he was afraid that he had heard it wrong, he saw Yan Song look in the direction where Yan Shifan was and confirmed to him: "You mean the right to cut first and then play?" ”

"Yes, father, the news sent by Zheng Michang mentioned that it was said that before Zhao Zhenji came to Zhejiang to take up his post, His Majesty gave him the right to cut first and then play!"

After this news was confirmed, I saw a look of amazement on Yan Song's face.

After a long time, I saw him come back to his senses, and said with emotion: "Hmph, this Zhao Zhenji is really not simple, he actually hid it from everyone!" ”

After sighing, such an idea suddenly appeared in Yan Song's mind.

"Could it be that Your Majesty had expected all this a long time ago, so he gave Zhao Zhenji the right to cut first and then play?"

Yan Song thought along this line of thought, and the more he thought about it, the more he shuddered. (End of chapter)