Return to the Qing Dynasty (2o)

After seeing the three concubines away, the empress dowager's spirit was a little bad. I think it was understandable that these women may have more time to meet each other than to meet the late emperor. At least when the old lady was there, she could always meet each other every day when she greeted her. If you squeeze me, I will bury you. Speaking of which, they say more than to say to their children. In the lonely palace life, they are rivals, but they are also companions.

As long as they are all here, it is like when the late emperor is still there. Now that they are all gone, I really feel that the late emperor is really gone.

Lin Yutong felt uncomfortable when she looked at her. "In the coming New Year, it is inevitable that she will come back to stay for two days. She just needs free time, so she invites people in a place to talk..."

But how could it be the same? All the identities have changed. Originally this was their home, but what is it when I come back? For the sake of my children and grandchildren, I have to be a low-key person in front of me. The queen mother waved her hand, turned to look at the Fourth Master, "The Fourth..."

She called out this, and the Fourth Master put the half-peeled banana back, sat upright, looking as if he was listening carefully.

The Empress Dowager reached out and took the Fourth Master's hand. This was the first time in more than 40 years. "The late emperor... he has done his best to you children..." Otherwise, they would not have been able to do all of them. In fact, no one would be foolish when he sat on the throne. This is the ability! There is no need to worry about no successor in the inheritance of the country. But what about the Fourth Brother?

She had passed these words more than once in her heart, and now she said it out loud, "You have to learn these things from the last emperor..." As she said that, she pulled Lin Yutong again, "Mom has no intention of blameing you, don't be too careful... It doesn't matter how many children are, but everyone has to be careful..."

The fourth brother originally seemed to have the intention of choosing Hongli, but now he looks coldly and doesn't. Hongshi has grown up again, and Hongzhou is just kidding cats and dogs and knows how to play around with him. Fuhui followed Nian and never showed up for several months. How can these princes not worry about it?

Both of them were silent when they left Cining Palace. The Fourth Master was even reflecting that from the heart, these children had never regarded them as their sons. Especially Hongli, in his eyes, he was eliminated early. In addition, when there were too many things, he was lazy to ask. But the Empress Dowager's words were right! Whether they were willing or not, these children were his. If there were no Tongtong, all this would be what he should have encountered.

After all, the Empress Dowager was worried about the fact that there was no successor.

The two walked back silently. The Fourth Master looked at Lin Yutong's belly from time to time. The child was about to give birth. But he couldn't ignore the evil deeds he had given birth to.

The next day, Nian received an oral order, and the sixth prince Hongsheng was sent to Cining Palace for upbringing.

Nian was stunned.

What is this saying? Why do you suddenly send the child away? Fuhui is only two years old this year. How can such a older child leave his mother?

But do you dare to say this? At that time, the late emperor had a few concubines who could raise their children by themselves. Not to mention anything else, even the brothers above Fuhui were raised by their own mothers. Hongshi was more educated by the legitimate concubine at that time, while Hongli and Hongzhou were raised in a different way. Now she dared to thank him if she didn't carry Fuhui to other concubines.

But I still couldn't help but feel cold. My brother always said it was okay, is it okay to see that Master Long lived like this?

No! You still have to send messages to your brother quickly.

The Empress Dowager said that the concubines had a lot of trouble when they went out, so they didn't go out, so their son caused such a big trouble for themselves. He stuffed a child quietly. But what should we do? After all, he can really ignore the grandson.

Madam Ping settled the child down and came over to rub the empress dowager's shoulders. "Looking at the sixth prince, I think there is nothing I can do about it..."

Isn't there any way? Nian is a concubine. Her children are not as good as her concubines. The only thing they can raise is the queen. However, the queen's identity is special, and the empress's adopted son has a few advantages over others. Even if he and the empress don't think too much, what about others? Especially the empress is still a favored queen, which is difficult for others to guess. This will only cause chaos in the previous dynasty and harem. But it is different to carry it to yourself. At most, it is just that the emperor is sympathetic to the loneliness of the empress dowager. What's the point? No one will think about it. Especially Nian is lying in bed for thirty days in a month, and the child cannot take care of it at all.

Erlin Yutong knew that the Fourth Master was thinking about Fuhui in the future. The Nian family must have fallen. Nian's broken body is not a long-lived person. What should I do if this child is? If I really put it in the hands of others, I guess this child may not be able to live to adulthood. It will be different if I go to the Empress Dowager. With the amulet of the Empress Dowager, no one will be slow to treat him, and I will not underestimate him.

The Fourth Master sighed, "If he could learn two points from the Empress Dowager, he would not have to worry about this life."

The Empress Dowager was in the harem of the late emperor and the emperor, so she did not dare to teach the prince. What she could do was to do was to do. If a concubine from a guitar did too much, she would be to exceed the rules. But now it was different, and her identity changed. She was the most noble woman in the world. No one could not teach her.

As long as Fuhui learns duty and self-protection, he will benefit endlessly in his life.

As he was talking here, Zhang Qilin came in with a tray in his hand, "Empress, someone has caught it, this is something that was found..."

Lin Yutong reached out to take the purse from the tray. The purse had been cut open, revealing a white lining full of handwriting. She raised her to the Fourth Master, "Look, I know that this order was not enough to sit still last year..." The letter was written to Nian Gengyao.

In fact, there is no need to be such trouble. What will happen if this matter is heard in Nian Gengyao's ears? Are you still afraid of alerting the enemy?

If you raise your grandson for your grandmother, you can't say that you have any objections to the Nian family. What's more, this grandmother is the empress dowager of the dynasty, which is a way to equip your identity.

But Nian still thought too much.

The Fourth Master took it and took a look, and threw it directly on the tray. Now that Tongtong has been cured in this palace, even a mosquito can tell the male and female when entering and leaving. "You can do these things. It's almost..."

Zhang Qilin shrank his neck and retreated. What's going on? He didn't dare to think about this at all.

The Sixth Prince's affairs did not cause any trouble. Whether it was Fuhui or Hongsheng, they were all replaced by the Sixth Prince. Whether it was the Nian Concubine or the Empress Dowager, there was no big difference. The emperor was so old this year, but the Sixth Prince was still a furious child. Even if the emperor lived as long as the late emperor, at that time, the Sixth Prince was only a young man in his twenties. There were several older brothers on it, and they were almost the same age as Wansui Master now. Wansui Master would never choose him no matter how he chose. I didn't see the fourteenth jumping around, but did the late emperor still give the throne to the fourth brother in the end?

Not only do people outside the palace not take it seriously, but people inside the palace can only say "good fate".

My dear mother is not favored, but who dares to underestimate this when she is raised by the Queen Mother?

In the past, when Hongzhou went to Cining Palace to pay his respects, he would turn around and go to play by himself. Now there is an extra procedure, which is to go and see Fuhui after the invitation, which looks like a brother.

The Queen Mother thought that this kid wanted to play ball here for half a day, and said, "...I asked someone to cook jujube tea and eat this if I'm thirsty..."

Hongzhou immediately felt bitter and now he couldn't play. The emperor didn't know what happened in the past two days, so he kept his brothers very tight. If he hadn't come here to greet the queen mother at this time, it wouldn't be easy to come up with it.

The poor girl didn't get the slightest sympathy of the Queen Mother. She walked back alone, but no matter how far the road was, there were times when she walked.

The Fourth Master was writing a memorial, and there was a long table not far away, sitting with three brothers.

Hongshi is actually quite busy, really! It’s not easy to promote crops. He was so busy that he hit the back of his head. He finally took a day off, but was caught by Emperor Ama to write his experience! What experience? The experience is so tiring! Body and heart are tired all over.

The Fourth Master ignored his resentment, holding the "work report" written by Hongli today.

Hongli was a little nervous. This was the first serious job. He hoped to do the same as Emperor Ama.

The Fourth Master put down these pages and looked at Hongli seriously for the first time. If this kid was not an unfilial son or a prodigal son, to be honest, some of his qualities are really suitable for that position.

For example, he and Hongwang were asked to take people to investigate corruption. Hongwang rushed to the front line, but this kid mediated in the middle. It was okay for the manager to mediate in the middle, but he did this...is not wrong.

How good is it?

These kids all went for the big fish. No wonder they didn't receive a single note for such a long time. If they were looking for the big fish, it would not be so easy.

"What do you think?" The Fourth Master asked faintly, turning the ring on his finger.

Hongli looked carefully at the Fourth Master's face, and couldn't tell anything, so he quickly said, "There are three reasons..."

The Fourth Master nodded, looking patient, and listened to him in detail.

Hongli then relaxed, "First, it is clear that the punishment of the canon. As long as people have selfish desires, there is embezzlement. This is human nature, and it is impossible to eliminate it. Which dynasty does not have corrupt officials? Therefore, these corrupt officials cannot be arrested. What can be done now is to catch typical examples first, kill a few high-ranking officials to correct the court atmosphere and warn people's hearts. Second, the court needs. The national treasury is empty, Qinghai is about to use troops, and the Thirteenth Uncle is busy with food and grass, and the money is long stretched. Apart from the high-ranking officials, how can we find so much money quickly? Third, manpower, material resources and financial resources are limited, and the subsequent talent reserves are insufficient. If the big fish and shrimp are caught in one hand, the sons will not dare to think deeply about the chaos. There are large vacancies in the officialdom, but the Ministry of Personnel has no talent to select, who will guard the side?"

After he finished speaking in one breath, he lowered his head and took a step back slightly, bowed to listen to the instructions of Emperor Ama.

The Fourth Master leaned against the back of the chair and looked at Hongli, "Raise your head!"

Hongli's heart was thrilled. Emperor Ama's voice was not very harsh, but he became nervous for no reason. He raised his head and met the Fourth Master's eyes. What kind of eyes were that?

It is as dark as a deep pool, and the bottom cannot be seen at first sight.

With just one glance, he quickly lowered his head and did not dare to look again.

The Fourth Master frowned: "I asked you, have you finished your words?"

Hongli felt guilty for a moment, but nodded, "Return to Emperor Ama's words, my son has finished speaking."

"Okay!" The Fourth Master held a few pieces of paper on the table again and raised it, "You said you were finished, but I think you still have something to say. In this way, I will help you tell me what you can't say and you can't say."

Hongli knelt down with a thud: "Son doesn't dare?"

Don't dare?

The Fourth Master closed his eyes and completely ignored his defense, saying, "Fourth, it is easy to get credit. Especially in Qinghai, the battle to raise money, solved the urgent needs of the court, demonstrated your ability, and obtained no less than military merits. Fifth, the risk is small, and the trouble is small. Although the official position is large, the official position is good for a large official position. A large official position means that once you provoke these people, Hongwang and others can't resist it at all. What will happen if you can't resist it? Naturally, you uncle Wang and Wang and others deal with the troubles you cause, you don't have to bother with anything, but you can get the biggest contribution. Sixth, popularity. You don't want to be a prince of the charity who everyone is afraid of! Therefore, you are hidden behind people..."

"Emperor!" Hongli's face turned pale. That's right, that's what he thought. The Emperor's Ma saw every plot in his heart clearly. In front of the Emperor, it seemed that his clothes were stripped off in an instant, shy, annoyed and scared... But was he wrong? So far, he didn't know what had done wrong. Could it be that the Emperor's Ma wasn't it?

The Fourth Master sighed, "That's right! You did nothing wrong with this."

Hongli raised his head in surprise and stared at the Fourth Master with wide eyes.

The Fourth Master's face became serious, "Because of the first three reasons you mentioned, these private calculations are not that important. But Hongli... If we wait for the future, we have the power, financial resources, and energy, we have accumulated talents. We must investigate the lower-level officials from the root and the corrupt officials closest to the people. They are not high and have no power, and even their actions will not have any impact on major affairs in the court. What would you do? Without so many high-sounding reasons as excuses, what would you do? Are you worried about your reputation? Will you feel dispensable and indifferent?" As he said, the Fourth Master's tone became stern, "Hongli, tell me now, what would you do?"

Hongli raised his head and wanted to deny it or defend himself, but the moment he met the emperor's eyes, he could not say anything.

The father and son looked at each other, and neither spoke.

After a long time, Hongli said: "The people are noble and the king is gentle, and my son understands this."

The Fourth Master's expression calmed down a little, and he waited for him to continue.

Hongli pursed his lips. He knew that in front of Emperor Ama, there was still something better to say. So he looked very stubborn, "The people are noble and the king is gentle, but you have to be the king before you can say anything else."

This is a confusing word, but the Fourth Master understood. What he wanted to say was that as a monarch, what he should do first should be to consolidate his position. Only when the monarch's status is stable can he say anything else.

Is this wrong? That's right. In fact, this was what the late emperor did in his later years. It was not that he didn't want to rectify it, but that he had the will but lacked strength. The internal friction between the party almost exhausted his mind. And these were exactly what Hongli saw later being taken to the palace to raise him.

Of course, he only saw one side, saw the way the late emperor handled these things, but did not see the helplessness behind it.

At this time, the Fourth Master understood that the difference between him and Hongli was the idea.

The issue of political philosophy is almost a problem with no remedy. The existence of this problem means that the policies you have issued have no possibility of continuing, and that you may have been in vain for decades.

Lin Yutong looked at the four rock candy pears on the tray in her hand, sighed and turned back. She had just listened outside for a while, and she knew that the Fourth Master was actually trying to give Hongli a chance. She was just a thirteen-year-old boy and had a lot of room for growth. It was really suitable for other aspects. At worst, she could just try to get some of her problems over her body. Even if she was reborn, it would be fine if she was a man or a woman. Who knows what her qualifications were? If she was really not good at it, what would she do then?

In this trial, the Fourth Master probably gave up. Hongli was very good at doing things. As long as he thought, he could do things beautifully. It was not wrong to have a plan and selfishness. If he didn't have such means and mind, the Fourth Master would not bother to point him out. In the Fourth Master's mind, he could not care about many things. Filial piety or not filial piety is a trivial matter. Liu Bang was the one who smiled and asked for a bowl of soup when he caught his father and wanted to eat meat. It was different that he created the Han Dynasty. But some things could not be cared about, but some things had to be cared about.

Inheritance and continuation, this is what he wants.

He sighed silently in his heart, turned around and sat back, waved his hands at his three sons, "Let's go back."

Hongshi and Hongzhou were so scared that they could not shrink back. Now, when they heard this, they almost trotted out of the imperial study room.

Hongli couldn't explain what he felt and didn't understand what Emperor Ama meant, but he calmly withdrew.

I thought about it all the way back and forth, but I still didn't feel that I had done something wrong. If I was wrong, wouldn't it mean that the late emperor was wrong? He saw clearly what the emperor had had feelings for the late emperor. How could he say that the late emperor was wrong as a son? Then how could he be wrong with himself, who took the late emperor as an example?

But today, the Emperor Ama was still unhappy. It seemed that the next errand had to be done more beautifully. Thinking of this, he quickly asked Wu Shulai who was following him, "How long have they been out?" As he said that, he turned around without waiting for the other party to answer, "Let's go, where is the fifth prince?"

"How long have we been out?" Hongxu turned his face and asked Hongxuan.

Hongxuan scratched his head, "It's been more than two months." He has never been out for so long.

Hongxuan was the eldest son of the Jiuye family. Although he was born in a vassal family, he was Jin Gui without a legitimate son. Hongxuan was the legitimate son of the Tenth Master. Although he was not the first son of the Tenth Master, all the ones in front died. He was only one younger brother, Hongsan, which was enough to say, but when the emperor summoned him, Hongsan happened to be sick and Zhe's son, Zhe was afraid of being called out. In this way, he was one of the tenth Master's mansion.

Also with them were Hong Tzu's from the Thirteenth Master's family.
To be continued...