270. Chapter 270

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==Chapter 270==

Xue Tingyan left, resigned from the post of Minister of Revenue, and went home to his wife and children.

She lived a very comfortable life. In addition to accompanying Zhaoer, she also gave Xue Yaohong a lot of guidance on his studies.

"So you are like this? This is killing the donkey after it has done its work. You didn't get promoted, and you were also dismissed from your official position." Zhaoer said.

"You can't bear to see your man idle, right?" Xue Tingyan, who was wearing a casual dress and half leaning on the kang, glanced at her and said.

"That's not the case. I feel like these things keep happening. I was afraid that you would be harmed. Later, His Majesty was assassinated. I was afraid that our whole family would be involved. It was not easy for the Yang Party and Feng Party to fall. Now it's your turn to be angered by His Majesty. I haven't seen the court give you much salary. Why is your official position so uneasy?"

"What is stable about being an official?" Xue Tingxuan sighed.

"Then just sit idle. I can worry less."

As she said that, Zhao'er got off the kang and planned to meet the managers in various places.

She couldn't leave Beijing now, and the business in various places depended on Gao Sheng and others to support it outside. As for her, the shopkeepers and managers in various places would come to her place three times every year to report on their work.

This idea was given to her by Xue Tingxuan. In addition, Tailong Trading Company also set up a special inspection team to go to various places for inspection.

This is the first trip for shopkeepers from all over the country to Beijing, and Zhao'er has been busy with this matter these days.

Watching Zhao'er's back as he left, Xue Tinglan picked up a book on the kang and lay down with a smile.

Before he had read two pages, he heard Ningning's chattering voice coming from outside.

"Dad, I'm telling you that my second brother bullied me again."

Then came Tai Ge'er's slow voice: "I didn't bully you, you bullied me."

"Ningning, why did you bully your second brother again? Dad has spoiled you to be more and more lawless, right?"

In the past few years, Xue Tinglan has also recognized the nature of his daughter and will not be fooled by her pretending to be pitiful. He found out with a conscience that the second son was the most pitiful in the family, and he began to favor his son from then on.

From then on, Ningning's life at home became sad, making her feel that the eldest brother still loved her the most in the family.

"It was obviously my second brother who bullied me, how come I bullied him?"

"How did your second brother bully you?"

"I asked him to let me play with his golden abacus, but he refused..."

How long can he be free?

Listening to the fast and slow quarrels of his children, Xue Tingxuan thought of some things that happened in the court recently, and thought that this trivial and leisurely life would probably not last too long.

Thinking so in his heart, he began to act as a peacemaker to mediate for his children.

"You know that your second brother's golden abacus was a birthday gift from your mother to him, and it is extremely precious. Your set of nine linked rings, you are reluctant to give it to your second brother to play with."

"That was given to me by my eldest brother."

"You are reluctant to give your treasure to your second brother to play with, so can't your second brother be reluctant to give up his own treasure? Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you..."

*

With Emperor Jiacheng's order to close the case, the purge finally came to an end.

A group of civil officials headed by Yang Chonghua and others were all beheaded for public display. Depending on the severity of the case, some were executed with their entire families, while others had their families exiled and were not allowed to serve as officials within three generations.

Although this situation was a bit tragic, it was much better than the expected result. At that time, the mad Emperor Jiacheng really made people think that these people would end up with the nine clans being executed.

After the execution of the main culprit, other officials involved were dealt with if there was real evidence, and those without real evidence were released.

The court gradually calmed down, and everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Xue Tingyan, who was temporarily dismissed from his official position for angering Emperor Jiacheng, also came into people's sight.

Everyone thought that he would be back soon, and it was very likely that he would go further, but there was no movement.

Not only did Emperor Jiacheng not move, but Xue Tingyan also did not move, and even the court officials who were on good terms with him did not move.

Could it be that the meritorious officials who welcomed the emperor back to the court were like this?

But no one spoke, so naturally no one dared to interrupt.

Some ministers in the court were discussing privately, but they didn't know that the man in the Qianqing Palace had already been angry because of someone's lack of tact.

"I told him to get out, and he really got out. He also took the initiative to resign and go home. Did I allow him to resign?"

"He doesn't know the current situation at all, and he doesn't know how to be a second-rank official!"

"I was angry with him, so he didn't come to beg?"

Recently, this kind of curse always sounded in the Qianqing Palace, without signs and without reason.

Maybe the moment before, Emperor Jiacheng was still ordering people to serve food and was about to eat, and then he cursed without thinking. After cursing too much and for a long time, everyone knew that he was cursing Lord Xue.

Li Shun carefully held the bowl of soup and served Emperor Jiacheng to drink it.

He was another chief eunuch promoted by Emperor Jiacheng after Zheng Ancheng. After being betrayed by someone around him, Emperor Jiacheng was not close to Li Shun, and was even quite strict. Therefore, Li Shun was cautious in everything he did.

After Emperor Jiacheng finished drinking the medicine, Li Shun took the medicine bowl and thought about the second prince kneeling outside, and a worried look appeared on his face.

"What are you worried about? I am not as worried as you are." Emperor Jiacheng glanced at him and said.

Li Shun was an honest man. Emperor Jiacheng saw that he was honest, so he promoted him to serve at his side. Seeing His Majesty ask this, he immediately knelt on the ground in fright and whispered: "The second prince is here again, kneeling outside."

Since Emperor Jiacheng returned to the palace, the second prince would come to Qianqing Palace to kneel for a while every day.

The time is uncertain. It's also that Li Shun is an honest man and can't hide things in his heart. If it were the former Zheng Ancheng, he knew that Emperor Jiacheng didn't want to see anyone, so he would never mention that person, so as not to cause trouble for himself. But when it comes to Li Shun, he usually doesn't hold back for long before he reveals everything.

Emperor Jiacheng knew about it, and sometimes he would let the second prince kneel, and sometimes he would tell him to get out.

But today is gone, tomorrow will come again, day after day.

The second prince came here to ask for forgiveness. The fate of the third prince really frightened him. He had thought that the third prince would be a dragon no matter how bad he was, and at most he would end up being imprisoned. Unexpectedly, Emperor Jiacheng had him killed after returning to the palace.

Not only was the third prince sentenced to death, but also Ma Shi, who had been promoted to the queen mother and later became the sinful concubine. Of course, Zheng Ancheng is indispensable. Zheng Ancheng was ordered to have his car broken apart by Emperor Jiacheng, which was considered the first torture he suffered since the founding of the Dachang Dynasty.

The tragic deaths of these people frightened the second prince and Concubine Zhong.

Although he knew in his heart that his father would not attack him because of his previous efforts, the second prince was still afraid.

Not only was he afraid that he would end badly, but also since Emperor Jiacheng returned to the palace, Duke Dingguo's mansion had been ransacked. Now everyone in the Zhong family is imprisoned in the clan's mansion, and their fate is uncertain.

"Let him go away, I won't see him!"

Li Shun was not surprised by this answer and hurriedly went out to deliver the message.

Outside, when the second prince heard these words, his face turned pale, but he didn't say anything. He just kowtowed on the spot, stood up and left.

Looking from a distance, the originally tall and straight back turned into a little rickety.

Looking at his retreating figure, Li Shun, who was holding Fuchen in his arms, shook his head and sighed.

If I had known what would happen today, why would I do it in the first place?

…

Li Shun did not dare to stay outside for long and quickly entered the palace.

Unexpectedly, just when he went out, Emperor Jiacheng, who was leaning on the heated kang, suddenly had a new idea.

"Xue Tingyan's wife has done meritorious service in escorting her. She has been granted the title of Madam of the State of Zhao. She will be crowned and dressed according to the rank of the duchess. You go and send a message and let the cabinet draw up an edict."

Hearing this, Li Shun didn't have time to think too much, so he hurriedly obeyed the order and went out again.

After I walked out of Qianqing Palace, I thought about it carefully and couldn't help but sigh.

His Majesty had a bad temper with Mr. Xue, but he sealed Mrs. Xue. Now Mr. Xue is idle at home, but his wife has been named the first-class wife of the country. This makes the husband lose face.

To put it bluntly, he is actually forcing Mr. Xue to come back. He says clearly that he can't do it, but he has to come this way.

*

When the imperial edict arrived at Xue Mansion, Xue Tingyan and Zhao'er were taking Ning Ning and Tai Ge'er to look after the puppies.

Last winter, Heizi passed away and died.

Heizi is very old. Very few dogs can live to his age. He could play with a few children in his early years, but in the later years he could no longer walk and all his teeth had fallen out.

Even though they knew that this was reincarnation and it was normal, Zhao'er and the children still shed tears. Especially Xue Yaohong, among the three children, he and Heizi had the deepest relationship, and he was depressed for many days in a row.

The key point is that he calls himself the eldest brother. Even if he is depressed, he still has to smile, which makes Zhao'er feel distressed.

In order to make the children happy, and they were used to having a dog at home, Xue Tingyan specially asked someone to get a dog from Yuqing Village.

That's the chubby little puppy in front of me.

He looks exactly like Heizi when he was a child, with black eyes and a black nose, as black as a small piece of charcoal. If calculated by seniority, he should be Heizi's great-grandson. He was the seed left on a little bitch in Heizi's harem when he was still in Yuqing Village.

It was a coincidence that Xue Tingyan sent someone back to deliver the letter this time, and a dog in the village had just given birth to puppies. After careful calculation, it turned out to be related to Heizi, so I sent him the one that was most similar to Heizi.

When a puppy is over two months old, it’s time to be naughty.

The kennel made of fine silk by Chunlan and the others was torn to pieces by it. This bitch didn't have any consciousness of doing anything bad, and he rushed forward ferociously to bite the corner of Xue Tingyan's robe.

Xue Tingyan pushed it away with a kick, and it refused to let go. It made Zhaoer laugh out loud, saying that when Heizi first brought him back, he didn't want to see Xue Tingyan in the same way.

Although Xue Tingyan's baby name is Gouzi, he has not been treated like a dog in the village since he was a child.

At this moment, a servant came to the palace to report the imperial edict.

Everyone thought it was Mo's imperial decree to summon Xue Tingyan back to the court, so Zhao'er rushed him back to his house to change his clothes.

Xue Tingyan was a little reluctant, Zhao'er didn't even bother to look at him. Although she couldn't tell, he was actually very happy.

The two finally packed up and went to the front yard. It was Li Shun who came in person with the imperial edict.

As Li Shun emerged next to Emperor Jiacheng, this eunuch who had been silent for the first half of his life finally became a famous person in the palace, from being ignored by everyone to being unknown to everyone.

Li Shunneng came to announce the decree, which represented Tianda's face, and therefore everyone in the Xue family was beaming with joy.

"According to the emperor's edict, Xue Tingxuan's wife, the Wang family, has done a good job in protecting the emperor. She is not allowed to be a woman... I am now named Mrs. Zhao. Her crown, dress, and color are in accordance with the rank of the duchess. I admire her!"

Zhao'er couldn't react for a moment, but Li Shun glanced at her with a smile, and she knelt down to receive the order and thank him.

"Madam, please get up. Madam, this is the first time since the founding of the Dachang Dynasty. Your Majesty has been busy with government affairs since he returned to the palace. No, as soon as he took some time out, he remembered Madam and even dragged his old age. It would be nice for me to ask Miss Ning. I can go to the palace to play when I have time."

Zhao'er's face was full of smiles, but there was still a lot of surprise behind the smile.

She thought that this imperial edict was for men, but she didn't expect that it was for her.

Li Shun said that this was the first time in the world, and she could understand what it meant.

Since the beginning of the previous dynasty, the rank of the wife's imperial edict has followed that of her husband. In other words, the husband's official rank is the same as the imperial edict of the wife.

The wife cannot cross her husband.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, this lady was awarded to a meritorious woman alone, independent of her husband. That is to say, being separated from the husband, no matter what grade the husband is, it will not affect the wife.

Especially this Mrs. Zhao Guo, because she has an official title, she is one level higher than the first-grade Gaoming wife. She is considered to be above the first grade. It is the commanding heights that a foreign-born woman can reach. Some lower-ranked inner-ming women may not be as good as it.

To put it in vernacular terms, among the concubines, the rank of empress and empress dowager is higher than that of Mrs. Zhao. But under normal circumstances, it certainly cannot be calculated like this. If you, the wife of a minister, compete with the emperor's family, you are looking for trouble.

"I really deserve it." Zhao'er said politely.

"Why do you deserve it? Madam, you deserve it, you deserve it." Li Shun smiled with a smile on his face.

After the main event has passed, it is natural to invite the chamberlain to sit down and drink tea. It is also necessary to seal a big red envelope before leaving.

However, when the Xue family reaches the status of the emperor, and Jane is in the heart of the emperor, even if the Xue family gives Li Shun benefits, he may not dare to accept them.

After sitting for a while, Li Shun said goodbye, and Xue Tingyan sent him out of the door.

Before leaving, Li Shun quietly said to Xue Tingyan: "Master Xue, just be gentle with Your Majesty. His Majesty's body is not good, so why are you so stubborn?"

This is a line added by Li Shun himself. Originally, Emperor Jiacheng granted Zhao'er the title of Mrs. Zhao Guo. Firstly, it was because of her merits, and secondly, it also meant she was angry.

Because his superfluous words made Emperor Jiacheng's angry behavior look both childish and ridiculous.

Emperor Jiacheng didn't know about this, and if he knew it, he would probably eat Li Shun alive.

Xue Tingyan smiled and said nothing. Li Shun could not say more and could only sigh and leave.

*

When Xue Tingyan turned around and went back, he realized that Zhao'er, who should have been very happy, didn't seem so happy.

It's not that he's unhappy, he's just calm.

Not only Zhao'er was calm, but the maids around her were also calm. It seemed that there was nothing surprising about Mrs. Zhao's royal decree.

Thinking about what Li Shun said before, Xue Tingyan touched her nose awkwardly.

It's just that Zhao'er didn't say anything. As a husband, he couldn't explain with a sullen face that he was actually not unhappy or anything. If it were explained in this way, I'm afraid it would be superfluous.

In the end, Zhao'er didn't lose his composure. After eating, he took a break to persuade him a few words.

"How about you give in to His Majesty? He is the king and you are the minister. You will suffer from being so stiff."

"What's the disadvantage for me? I have no official position and I'm light-hearted. I'm happy and leisurely." Who said Master Xue doesn't care anymore? He does care more or less. Look at what he said, it's sour.

Zhao'er knew him very well. Hearing this, he glanced at him and said: "Don't say anything to save face. I don't know that even if you are idle at home, you often go to Mr. and Ajian's place. Could it be that you go They are just drinking tea and gossiping? Your Majesty is your Majesty after all, and your health is not good. Isn't it just for your sake to grant me this imperial edict? ”

"You don't understand." Seeing Zhao'er's wide-open eyes, he sighed and said, "I know this well, don't think too much about it."

"Really?" Zhao'er looked at him and then said, "Well, then you can count."

*

This stalemate did not last long, because Liaodong ignited a war and finally broke the situation.

Ever since Taizu drove the group of Jin people out of the pass, they have been eyeing Dachang with eager eyes over the years, and from time to time they want to go south to cause trouble.

The Jin people are brave and good at fighting, while Dachang values ​​culture over martial arts. Although it has changed a lot over the years, it has always been in a stalemate with the opponent. It can only block the opponent from the Liaodong border, but cannot eradicate the opponent.

The Jin people established their country as early as the previous dynasty, also known as the Later Jin Dynasty. Heituala is the capital of the Jin people. Over the years, when Dachang was rectifying the cancers in the country, the other side also accumulated national strength.

They probably felt that they could finally have a fight with Dachang, and maybe they could break through the border defense line in one fell swoop and march south. At that time, they will not repeat the mistakes of their ancestors, but will occupy the entire Central Plains. This time the Jin people's offensive was quite fierce, and the war in Liaodong became increasingly tense. Several acropolis had been lost along the Liaodong border.

When the battle report was sent, everyone in the court shared the same hatred of the enemy, so naturally they had to unanimously report it to the outside world.

On this occasion, Xue Tingyan took the initiative to enter the palace. I don't know what he said to Emperor Jiacheng. In short, the old resentment between the emperor and his ministers was put aside.

In fact, it wasn't a big deal in itself. It was just that the emperor was embarrassed, and as a minister, he deliberately tried to give him face. But while giving face to the emperor, he also wanted to save some face as a minister, so it caused such a fuss.

After Emperor Jiacheng reorganized the court, the candidate for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue has been undecided, and he is obviously waiting for Xue Tingyan.

This is a statement. Whenever there is a war, food and grass must go first, and these need to be prepared by the Ministry of Revenue. This war is a good opportunity for the monarch and his ministers to step down.

After some discussion, the court selected several brave and combative generals and rushed to Liaodong.

And at this time, the fifth prince Qi Zhan suddenly asked for troops to fight.

The third prince's conspiracy was exposed, which implicated him. Although he did not get involved in the whole thing, he had a good relationship with the third prince, which was a taboo for the emperor.

Among the adult princes now, the second prince persevered every day to seek forgiveness from Emperor Jiacheng, and the fourth prince changed his previous high-profile style and was extremely low-key.

The only one who made a big splash was Moga, who was the oldest prince except the deceased prince in terms of age.

According to the order of age, he should be the eldest prince, but unfortunately he has foreign blood, and a wave of succession was blowing in the court a while ago. Emperor Jiacheng directly appointed him as the King of Lu, which was considered to completely deny Moga's qualification to inherit the throne.

In fact, it is easy to imagine that the Central Plains dynasty has always attached great importance to orthodoxy and bloodline, so how could it be possible to choose a prince with foreign blood as the crown prince. Even if Emperor Jiacheng agreed, the court officials below would not agree.

Maybe in some matters, they are each on their own and always like to fight to the death, but when it comes to the succession of the great throne, they attach great importance to it and have a consistent attitude.

This is why after Emperor Jiacheng appeared that time, there was a one-sided situation. A great rebellion and usurpation of the throne were enough to kill the third prince on the spot.

It is obvious that Emperor Jiacheng has no plan to establish a crown prince for the time being. The fifth prince cannot let himself be in such an embarrassing situation forever. He can only find a way out for himself, so he will ask for troops to fight this time.

Emperor Jiacheng agreed, and the fifth prince packed his bags and left Beijing.

His departure from Beijing did not attract much attention. People only thought that he was implicated by the third prince and was exiled.

In fact, it is better to leave, maybe there is a wider world waiting for him outside.

*

As time goes by, the war in Liaodong has been in a stalemate.

Dachang has won and lost, but it has not suffered any big losses, but it has not gained any big advantages.

Just when the autumn wind blew, the fifth prince suddenly led his troops to defeat Guangning City occupied by the Jin people. From then on, he was out of control and recaptured three lost citadels in succession.

The court ushered in a great victory, and Emperor Jiacheng was very pleased and named him the King of Zhenbei.

For a time, the fifth prince became famous, and the court officials who had given up on the crown prince were ready to move again, and asked to make the fifth prince the crown prince. Now that there is no legitimate son, and the other princes are either unknown or still young, the fifth prince seems to be a very good candidate.

Unfortunately, this matter was rejected by Emperor Jiacheng, and he also changed his earlier arbitrary attitude and claimed that he had left a secret decree. When he died, it would be the time for the future heir of Dachang to be revealed to the world.

In order to win the trust of the ministers, he even pulled out Ye Ju, Lin Miao and others as witnesses, and had hidden the secret decree under the plaque of "Zhengda Guangming" in the Qianqing Palace.

In fact, this was just a delaying tactic. Xue Tingxian knew that there was nothing behind it anyway.

A great victory in the war naturally requires rewards according to merit. It's fine in Liaodong, but in the capital, Xue Tingxian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was ordered by Emperor Jiacheng to enter the Wenyuan Pavilion for his contribution in preparing military rations.

When the imperial edict was issued, the court officials were not surprised, but felt that it should have been so long ago.

However, although the 33-year-old cabinet elder deserved the title, it was enough to make people jealous.