"Don't worry, slave and maid." Naturally, Xiao Yanxing didn't have to tell him personally, Mama Yuan had actually prepared it for a long time. However, with the master's personal instructions, Mama Yuan and Mo Sui glanced at each other, and they glanced at Wang Shu in their hearts.

Not to mention that Xiao Yanxing washed up in Wang Shu's house and went back to his room. Mama Yuan and the others left, and personally cleaned up the bed for Wang Shu. I was so happy that I didn't close the corners of my mouth all day.

At the same time, on the side of the capital, the Jiangnan disaster relief money embezzlement case caused a shock in the imperial court.

The case of the disappearance of Jiangnan water control officials has involved many things. In addition to the uncontrollable natural disasters, the main culprit of thousands of deaths and injuries is man-made disasters. Several of the culpables were listed, causing widespread resentment among the people.

Now the court is questioning the new prince's ability and mind to set an example for the world.

One of his sins, the floods in the south of the Yangtze River could have been cured in the shortest possible time, but the partial prince interfered indiscriminately, so that he missed the best period. Regardless of the situation, after the disaster spread, local officials took a close look at the granary and did not immediately open the warehouse for disaster relief, but instead drove out the displaced people, causing the displacement of the people. This is the second one. The imperial court received the report and immediately allocated funds for disaster relief, and the money was left before it left Luoyang. And then the third.

Fourth, when the matter is too big to end, the prince does not want to remedy it, but only wants to hide the facts. Not only did he not support Cheng Mingsi, the squire of the Ministry of Works, to unite with local wealthy businessmen to turn the tide and save the people from fire and water, but instead made trouble from it. When the crown prince of the dynasty disregarded the overall situation so much, he was afraid that the matter would be exposed and tarnish his reputation, so he was mad and killed the insiders and heroes. It's really narrow and superficial.

It is outrageous to be so vicious and arrogant, and not to put the lives of the people at ease. Up and down the court, there was a voice of condemnation. There were more radical scholars who simply asked the court to depose Xiao Yanxing as the crown prince.

The excerpts and petitions were handed into the imperial study like snowflakes, and the common people jointly wrote a letter demanding that the emperor punish him severely.

The emperor also didn't expect that his beloved son would make such a big mistake when he was entrusted with a heavy task for the first time. Angry and annoyed in my heart. Angry that he didn't know how to restrain himself, he acted recklessly, annoyed that these courtiers grabbed a little bit and bit it like a mad dog, and the angry people were dizzy.

But although he was annoyed that the second son was useless, he didn't think it was all the prince's fault.

This is the first time that the prince has gone south to take over such a big thing. In order to prevent mistakes, he deliberately sent so many water control ministers to accompany him. If something happens, it is a group of people who are not doing well, and you can't just blame one of them. Besides, although thousands of people have been damaged, the flooding in the south of the Yangtze River can be regarded as being solved. The people need time to recuperate, just wait.

Something went wrong in the process, and it can't erase the fact that things were resolved. Now these people are deliberately making a fuss, insisting that the prince be an incompetent hat, they are deliberately disgraced the prince and the court, which is really hateful.

The emperor always thought that the second son was intelligent. The heart is a little arrogant, and that is also because he is still young and has too little experience. If you had been in contact with the court since childhood like the abolished prince, you would not have today's mistakes. After all, the second son was raised by himself on his lap, and the emperor was also the prince he personally helped up, so naturally he was not allowed to say that Xiao Chenghuan was at fault.

Otherwise, wouldn't it's a joke for him, the father who taught the crown prince by hand?

Wrong, naturally, it can't be the prince's, it can only be someone else's fault.

However, the lives of thousands of people cannot but be explained, and such a big thing happened to the prince in the south, so naturally it can't be completely wrong. The old emperor made a final decision, and on the grounds that the crown prince was ineffective in supervising and being deceived by the people below, he withdrew the right of the prince to enter the court and listen to the government. punished the prince for half a year, and thought about it behind closed doors. The auxiliary ministers around the prince were all beheaded for public display.

Now that the matter has come to this, it is not allowed to go any further. If anyone still holds on to it, he will be punished with the same sin.

Not to mention that this storm was in the end, and only got such a result. Many people saw many things clearly at once, and also understood the weight of the current crown prince in the emperor's heart. Some radical courtiers seemed to have been splashed on their heads by the old emperor's scoop of cold water, and their blood was cold, and they all calmed down.

I don't know when the gossip spread in the capital, and the deposed prince who was far away in Liangzhou seemed to have regained his senses, and now he can defend himself.

This news exploded in Beijing, and some people were happy and some were worried.

Xiao Chenghuan, who was locked in the East Palace, heard the news and smashed many objects, so angry that he almost didn't jump. Many courtiers who were cold-hearted because of the Jiangnan case seemed to see hope, and they all sent people to investigate in private.

Meanwhile, the Miyanaka draft began in mid-May.

This draft is indeed a good match for the prince and the children of the clan. As soon as many noble-born daughters entered the palace, they were recruited by the ladies of the harem for various reasons. Those who were favored by the superiors changed their places of residence when they returned. The people who served around him were all replaced. A folk woman like Wang Ruyi, who is not from an obvious background, naturally does not have that blessing, so she can only stay in Chuxiu Palace honestly.

However, Wang Ruyi is not envious, she wants to climb high branches and be a master. Naturally, you have to hug the biggest thighs.

This is full of courts, whether it is the prince, the prince, or the children of the clan, they are not honored by the emperor. Since they are all concubines, she doesn't have the patience to wait for the prince and the crown prince to come out. It's better to catch the best at the beginning and stammer to death. Otherwise, maybe one day these children of the prince's clan will fall to the bottom like the abolished prince.

Wang Ruyi knew that if he got the same, he had to give up the same. She had seen this long before she decided on the draft. She doesn't ask for the affection of the girl Mu Ai now, and she doesn't care about her husband's appearance and age, she just wants to be a noble.

Other women like this Chuxiu Palace are waiting to be appreciated by the master and given into the prince's mansion. She didn't want to, she wanted to stay. If you want not to be disgusted by the masters, it's best to stop at first. If you want to be arrogant, you have to wait for her to find the right time to give birth to the prince.

With this idea, Wang Ruyi behaved as much as he wanted. Even in order not to be eye-catching, she performed the honest Mu Ne to the fullest. The other sisters of Chu Xiu Palace invited her to go out and walk around, and she was always able to push and push. Don't think she doesn't know what these people think, she dresses up every day and goes around the garden, isn't she just looking forward to meeting one of them, so that she will be selected early and hand over the luck.

She had seen this trick many times in the past in the abandoned prince's mansion, and the Liu family tossed all day long. Not only did he not hand over the luck, but he was almost killed by the housemother because he was too presumptuous.

The masters and ladies above are like mirrors in their hearts, and they can see through some small actions at a glance. Wang Ruyi has no background, and before he has a firm foothold, he will not be annoyed by waiting for leisure.

Sure enough, there are eyeliners in all palaces in Chuxiu Palace. There are those who are in a hurry to take the lead and make small moves, and within a few days, they were dragged away by the palace people and grandmothers for various reasons. Some of them are extraordinarily jumpy, and they are sifted down before the first level is passed. In just a few days, there were many fewer people in Chuxiu Palace.

Speaking of which, there are four levels of screening for this draft. Wang Ruyi relied on honesty and passed the edge with non-outstanding and not bad results.

When it was the last round, the battle was a bit bigger. In addition to the two maidens who presided over the draft, the emperor and Ye Guifei were present at the same time.

Along with the two of them, there were also the crown prince and the three princes. The crown prince has actually passed the age of the crown princess a long time ago, and he should have had a wife. After all, the difference between the current prince and the abolished prince is only one and a half years old, Xiao Yanxing was drafted at the age of sixteen, and Xiao Chenghuan was able to choose together at that time. But when Empress Xiaoxian was alive, Ye Guifei was just a third-grade Jieyu. Although she has the princess and princess by her side, she will never dare to compete with the concubine of the middle palace.

At that time, the nobles of several major families were all selected by Empress Xiaoxian, and it was the turn of the prince to be born.

Empress Xiaoxian ordered four noble girls with good identities and family backgrounds in one go, and after ordering the good ones, there was nothing left at all. Ye Guifei was high-spirited, and she didn't want to pick up the rest of her wronged son. On the grounds that the second son of the emperor was not in good health and could not get married for the time being, he dragged it out and did not choose. Later, the court was turbulent several times, and the death of Empress Xiaoxian was encountered, and the election of filial piety was suspended. insisted on delaying the marriage of the second son of the emperor.

However, although Concubine Zheng did not choose, Ye Guifei would not have wronged her son. The side room and the concubine room have long been sent to the prince's mansion, and the East Palace is now lacking a concubine.

Now that Xiao Chenghuan is choosing a concubine as the crown prince, he naturally chooses the noble girl with the best background, appearance, talent, and conduct. Originally, Ye Guifei took a fancy to the selection of three girls for the crown princess, each of whom was from a noble background and had a very thick family background. But the crown prince can only have one concubine. There can only be two side concubines, and they have already occupied. Who should be decided now needs to be decided.

The emperor loved the second son, and specially allowed the prince in confinement to come and see it in person.

Now in this courtyard, the first row standing is the noble girl of the family who participated in the draft.

Outside of this time, the second row was also an official girl. It's just that the background is worse. Those from folk origin stand in the last row. The original 300 show girls selected from the people have been screened layer by layer, and now there are less than 20 left. There are less than twenty show girls, and some of them have to be sent to the prince's mansion. The rest, favored by the emperor, left cards on the spot. Those who don't like it will either stay in the Ministry of Internal Affairs or be sent back to their hometowns.

Wang Ruyi stood in the last row as a merchant girl and didn't dare to move forward.

Patiently wait for the matter ahead to be resolved, and listen to the masters in front of you with pricked up ears. Although Wang Ruyi did not go out of the house during this time, she spent a lot of silver and two dozens. She knows a little about the things in the palace. The emperor's preferences can't be inquired, but which lady is the most favored and what background, she is clear.

Wang Ruyi inquired around, and she vaguely felt a little sign. Although the emperor's favorite concubines are not quite the same, he pampers such weak women who are not obvious in origin and have a somewhat stubborn temperament.

For such a woman who is extremely prosperous and has a noble birth, he is not very fond of it. The most typical is Empress Xiaoxian, who captivated the country many years ago, and Concubine Liang, who is now beaten into the cold palace by him. These two are noble daughters who have had a relationship with the emperor, and he has no pity for him, and favors Ye Guifei, who is not too outstanding in appearance. and two little Jieyu who are also weak willow and windy.

Wang Ruyi made up his mind in his heart, thinking about all the gossip he had heard from the palace people. I heard that Ye Guifei's background is also very poor, and she was born as a slave. But he can talk and sing. In addition to this, she is also very good at female workers. Even the emperor often hangs a small pendant on his body, all of which are from her.

Wang Ruyi quietly glanced at the first seat, not daring to be too obvious, only seeing the hem of the nobleman's clothes.

I heard that Ye Guifei is also here. She glanced at it quickly when she heard the palace people singing. That Ye Guifei is about thirty-five years old, and she is very well maintained. The skin is really not good, and the most delicate makeup is only medium to high. The only thing that stands out is probably the gentle and watery bearing around her and her voice as crisp as the tinkling spring water in the mountains.

pursed his lips, no wonder so many people were unconvinced. It's her, and she's not convinced.

After choosing almost an hour, the people below also stood for an hour. Wang Ruyi's legs were sore, and he restrained himself from moving. The weak body beside her was already staggering. I don't know how long it took for the first few masters to finally determine the candidates.

The prince chose the eldest daughter of General Anguo's mansion, and Concubine Ye Guifei directly took off a bracelet with an excellent head on her wrist and put it on the girl's hand. Several other princes also decided to marry, and the first row of nobles were picked up.

Several masters began to gossip about their mother's sons and nephews. laughed and said that His Majesty happened to be present, so it would be better to point them to a marriage.

That style seems to not allow these noble-born girls to miss a single one, and send them away all by marriage.

The old emperor's gaze fell on the girls' faces, but he was not too interested. Although he is narrow-minded and jealous of meritocracy, he has not been too indulgent in women for so many years. There are not many drafts, and in the end, the concubines who sit on the top are still those old men. At this time, when Concubine De mentioned her nephew, she let her pick up the most beautiful of these show girls, and agreed to marry on the spot.

Among the remaining show girls, the official girls did not give flowers, and all stayed. The folk woman in the back was called to the front row, and Wang Ruyi's heart was about to jump out of her throat. Only half of them, the women of the people, can be left behind.

One by one, the women were named, and Wang Ruyi was the second.

Her appearance is not outstanding, she can only be regarded as superior. looks like a delicate person who doesn't provoke annoyance, and her voice is good. However, the appearance and voice of the show girl who can be selected are not bad, she is really ordinary in it. Originally, Concubine De wanted to ask casually and gave flowers, but who knew that she opened her mouth, and the emperor, who had not spoken all the time, suddenly opened her mouth and asked Wang Ruyi.

"What's your name?"

The old emperor is not old, only thirty-seven. Plus the good maintenance, it looks mighty and handsome.

His appearance is naturally excellent, otherwise he would not have been picked by Empress Xiaoxian Han Lingsu at a glance. Xiao Yanxing's bones are like the emperor. As soon as the voice as low as fine wine opened, the show girls who lowered their heads and didn't dare to look up all jumped violently.

Wang Ruyi also didn't expect it, she thought it would be an old man with a fat brain, so she subconsciously raised her head.

When she saw the appearance of the person sitting on it, her face turned red all at once. Shy and ashamed, very delicate. But before she could say anything, the concubines sitting next to the emperor became angry and scolded her with their heads and faces. Wang Ruyi suddenly panicked and was at a loss, like a frightened deer: "Back to Your Majesty, the people know their mistakes." The surname of the folk girl is Wang, and the small character is wishful. ”

"Wang Ruyi?" The old emperor raised his hand, and the people around him immediately quieted down, "It's a good name." ”

Wang Ruyi's face became more and more red, and he twisted it with both hands on the hem of his clothes. That jerky and immature appearance was different from a room of women who were already dignified and generous, and the old emperor laughed.

"Where?"

"Back to Your Majesty, my ancestral home is Liangzhou, and I grew up outside the Guan."

"Oh? Look, it's not like that. The old emperor was rarely interested, and asked more, "How old are you?" ”

"Ten, seventeen." In fact, he is already eighteen, but for the sake of the draft, he is one year less old. Thinking of the fact that Liang was killed because he underreported his age, Wang Ruyi couldn't help but get stuck.

"That's it, don't panic, don't panic, I won't eat people." The old emperor raised his hand and motioned for her to be quiet, "Leave the card." ”

Wang Ruyi has a good voice, which happens to be crisp and sweet. If she wants to be delicate and deliberately pinch her throat to speak, she is much more delicate than Ye Guifei, who is over thirty-five years old. Wang Ruyi took the sign with a panicked and ignorant look, and knelt to the side again. After lowering his eyes, regardless of the gaze around him, he looked at his nose and nose.

The folk women in the back really only left less than half. Wang Ruyi was arranged to live in Fang Shuge that night. Together with three show girls who are not much different from her, they became nine-grade beauties after the draft.

Let's not mention this matter, just mention the draft. Ye Guifei seemed to inadvertently mention the rumors from the outside world, and seemed to kindly ask if she wanted to leave one for the abolished prince: "...... After all, the Liang family has been executed, and now the abolished prince's mansion does not even have a master mother. Although the eldest son of the emperor has been abolished, in the end, it is His Majesty's own blood and blood, and he can't really ignore it. “

The old emperor himself had this plan, and when she mentioned it, she also carefully looked at a few official girls.

When Ye Guifei mentioned this, her eyes glanced at the folk women. But after thinking about it, he quickly withdrew his gaze. She had the intention of humiliating Xiao Yanxing, but she couldn't ignore the emperor's face. As she herself said, no matter how much the emperor dislikes Xiao Yanxing in his heart, the emperor's eldest son is the emperor's own blood after all. The emperor himself can do it, but others must not do it.

She was a little resentful in her heart, but she still mentioned the daughter of a fifth-grade official: "What does Your Majesty think of the Hua family?" ”

The Emperor glanced at Hua's face. It's not outstanding, but it's not ugly either. Official women have not gone through the first round of screening, and their appearance is much worse than that of civilian women. But fortunately, his background is not bad, and Xiao Yanxing, who is now a concubine, is not humiliated. It's just that the bones of the body are very thin, and it looks like it will fall down when the wind blows.

He asked Hua a few words as usual, and listened to her articulate, but her eyes were not very clear.

After thinking about it, he clapped the board: "That's it." ”

Chapter 83

Outside the northern suburbs, Wang Shu had just gone to the test field to inspect it. Before she noticed anything, she heard the peony on the ridge calling her. She quickly packed up the utensils in her hand and landed on the ground with one foot deep and one foot shallow. Just finished wiping the mud on her hands and feet, I heard her say that Lin Er had important things to do.

She then handed over the things in her hand to Lily of the Valley, and hurriedly returned to Zhuangzi with the peony.

Lin Er had been waiting for a long time. As soon as he saw Wang Shu, he hurried up to meet him, and said very quickly: "Master, I have found the missing shopkeeper Fu." When the shopkeeper Fu saw the people of the Wang family, he recruited everything. The death of the old man is really strange. ”

Wang Shu's face changed when she heard this, and she immediately stopped, "What do you mean?" What about the other people? ”

"The person is still locked up in the dungeon of the Jiangnan Branch."

"He confessed that many years ago he had befriended Wang Chen, a close attendant of the master's side, and the two often drank together." After Lin Er received the news, he immediately rushed over, "The old man likes to eat fish and tart, he invited Wang Chen to drink and drink a lot by chance, and he heard about it from Wang Chen. Later, after getting on the line with Chen Liangsheng, in order to resell silk fabrics for the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau, the two often wrote letters. He also informed Chen Liangsheng of this matter. ”

"So after all, this matter is Chen Liangsheng's idea?" Wang Shu's brows furrowed tightly, and her face became whiter and whiter.

As soon as the words fell, Lin Er was heard nodding: "Chen Liangsheng's private conspiracy with the two shopkeepers in Jiangnan was discovered by the master. The lord was furious about this, and ordered a thorough investigation of the accounts of the two places. Not only to take back what has been given to them all these years, but also to put them all in prison. After Chen Liangsheng received the news, he didn't stop doing anything, bought off the cook who gave the old man a slice of fish, and sent the dead man's fish to the old man's back kitchen......"

"When the master was in the Jiangnan Investigation Bureau and shops, he would eat fish every three days. They used the flesh of the fish that ate the dead. ”

Lin Er said: "These people can't stand the investigation, and all the pickled things they did in private were found out by the master." The lord was very disappointed and angry, so he drove Liu Wangshan and Fu Jiabao out of the Wang family. Except for Chen Liangsheng, there are people behind him, and he can't move. Liu Wangshan was kicked out early, and there was not much dirt on his hands. The man was released after a year in prison. Before last year, people were in prison. Some time ago, the Fu family had just spent all their money to redeem him. After the old man rushed to the capital, he fell ill within two days. ”

"How dare he!" Wang Shu's head was buzzing, her blood was surging, and her eyes were uncontrollably red.

"Master, master is angry." Lin Er knew that Wang Shu would not be able to stand it, "The dart bureau has already strictly looked at the Fu family. Liu Wangshan's family is also in the dungeon, and the master can do whatever he wants. ”

…… What can be done? Can she rush over and kill these people?

Although it has been a long time, now that she thinks that her father's death was man-made, Wang Shu still finds it difficult to accept. She felt guilty that if she had been able to devote more attention to her father's unhealthy eating habits, his father would not have died young. There are too many hidden dangers in eating raw fish, and she should have known about it. Uncomfortable emotions rolled in my heart, and the more I thought about it, the more guilty I became......

In fact, intellectually, Wang Shu also knew that it was wrong to think like this. Whether or not he urged his father to change his dietary preferences. If someone really has evil intentions and wants to harm others, even if her father is a person who does not eat fireworks in the world, those wicked people will always have a way to harm him.

But reason and emotion pulled, Wang Shu locked herself in the study that day.

……