frightfiction Chapter 693: Renovation of Jingren Palace
Chapter 693: Renovation of Jingren Palace
The emperor glanced at the bulging purse, frowned slightly, and did not take it.
"Come and count, how many rewards did Concubine Zhen give?"
"Yes, I obey."
Xiao Xiazi carefully opened her purse and poured the gold coins onto the table. Five bright yellow gold ingots fell one after another, making crisp sounds.
Judging from its size, it should be a gold ingot weighing one or two taels.
Xiao Xia Zi secretly exclaimed in his heart: Thanks to the Imperial Noble Consort for giving him some advice earlier, otherwise if he had rashly accepted this eye-catching gold, once something happened, it would definitely arouse the Emperor's suspicion.
He didn't dare to look up at the emperor's gloomy face, but just stood respectfully aside, waiting for the emperor's orders.
The sound of the gold ingots colliding with the table struck the emperor's heart. Concubine Zhen had been fined by him one after another. Where did she get so much money?
She spent five taels of gold, a sum only comparable to that of Concubine Hua during the heyday of the Nian family.
Zhen Yuandao and his wife were able to return from Ningguta thanks to the support of Concubine Zhen. Where did she get so much gold?
The emperor's first reaction was that Zhen Huan accepted bribes.
As soon as she gets better, she can't wait to hand the gold to Xiao Xiazi. Her purpose is self-evident.
The emperor's sharp gaze lingered on Xiao Xiazi. "This is a gift from Concubine Zhen. What are you going to do with it?"
Xiao Xiazi responded calmly.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Zhen gave me this reward because she values you. I have benefited from your kindness and the favor of the harem master. How could I shamelessly accept the silver sent by Concubine Zhen?"
"I heard from the recuperating Steward Su that the buildings at the orphanage have fallen into disrepair, and many children and elderly widows have fallen ill. I would like to ask the Emperor to send the reward from Concubine Zhen over there to alleviate their urgent needs."
"Su Peisheng has taught you well."
The emperor snorted softly, "You can go down."
He took the half-read memorial and found that the prefect had indeed written a memorial about the orphanage.
This little Xia Zi is quite sensible.
He dealt with memorials for half an hour and then waved behind him.
"Xia Qian, send someone to investigate the origins of the money in Concubine Zhen's hands."
"Yes, Wei Chen obeys your order."
Xia Qie had been busy lately dealing with the collapsed or blocked secret passages in the palace, and just in time he had come up with some results.
He knelt on the ground and reported.
"Your Majesty, we have thoroughly investigated all the secret passages in the palace. The secret passage in Zhongcui Palace does lead directly to the Cold Pond, but there is another, less noticeable secret passage in the rockery near the Cold Pond that leads directly to Kunning Palace."
"The secret passage leading directly from Zhongcui Palace to the Cold Pond must have been hastily dug within the past one or two years. It can only accommodate one person. The explosion of black powder will cause it to collapse."
"The servants dug up the palace maid Yu'er and the guards who followed her into the secret passage. None of them survived."
This was the result the emperor had anticipated after the loud noise.
Now, hearing the bad news brought by Xia Qie, he still felt heavy-hearted.
"Is there anything else?"
Xia Qi held up a pamphlet.
"Your Majesty, the secret passage from Yuqing Palace to Kunning Palace contains a large amount of gold, silver, and jewelry. This is a book compiled by my subordinates. Please review it."
The emperor took the booklet and was shocked by the numbers on it.
In terms of the most intuitive gold and silver, it was even richer than the national treasury he had just taken over.
The deposed crown prince had been deeply loved by his father since he was young, and countless rare treasures were given to the Yuqing Palace like water.
Moreover, the emperor personally led three campaigns against Galdan and left the deposed crown prince in the capital to handle government affairs, which made it easier for him to accept bribes and plunder the people's wealth.
When Yunreng was deposed for the first time, the emperor, who still had illusions about him, simply ordered the Yuqing Palace to be sealed off and forbade anyone to touch any plant or tree inside.
All the things in this booklet must have been hidden by him out of fear when he regained power.
In order to enrich the national treasury, he was so anxious that he could not even afford food, while the children who were loved by the emperor...
No wonder the emperor was unwilling to pass the throne to that group of selfish people.
The emperor sneered in his heart. He was actually the royal father's only choice.
His brothers are a bunch of parasites.
"Xia Qie, have the things in the secret passage carried in... carried into the Qianqing Palace and placed there. I'll have the Minister of Revenue come later to collect all the gold and silver and return them to the national treasury."
"If you have the energy to spare, look for Little Eleven's remains. It's cold in the secret passage, and I'm worried he'll get cold."
"Yes, I will do it right away."
The national treasury suddenly had an extra sum of silver, so Zhang Tingyu followed him after court the next day.
"Why are you following me?"
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Ministry of Revenue received a large sum of money. Is this true?"
Zhang Tingyu pretended not to know and looked at the person sitting on the couch.
The emperor's eyelids twitched, and he dug out some silver from the secret passage. What did he want to do?
The emperor was silent for a moment, not understanding Zhang Tingyu's purpose.
"what do you want to say in the end?"
Zhang Tingyu bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Jingren Palace where Concubine Li was imprisoned caught fire a few years ago, and the main hall was burned to the point of being uninhabitable."
He ignored the emperor's gloomy face and continued.
"Your Majesty is merciful. Although Concubine Li made mistakes, her family is powerful and she is also under the care of the late Empress Dowager. Please put the renovation of Jingren Palace on the agenda."
"Zhang Tingyu, you're here to speak for Concubine Li. I'm the ruler of the world, why should I care about the opinions of one or two families?"
The emperor looked at him deeply.
"I know you're a meticulous person. I'm afraid your request to renovate Jingren Palace is just a pretext."
"Your Majesty, please understand. I have no other ulterior motives. In the capital, water freezes in winter, and the spring winds linger. I am worried that Concubine Li's health will not be able to withstand it. If Concubine Li gets into trouble due to the cold, it will probably cause unnecessary criticism!"
Zhang Tingyu wanted to find out in a roundabout way whether the Imperial Noble Consort had any involvement in Concubine Zhen's drowning before the New Year and the incident in Zhongcui Palace a few days ago.
But thinking of the emperor's excessive preference for the Sixth Prince, he simply swallowed his words.
My old friend is right. The Imperial Noble Consort was of humble origin. Even though the Emperor bestowed upon her the surname Fucha, there was still an insurmountable gap between her and the noble ladies from large families.
With the support of ministers from the previous dynasty, the country will not be as chaotic as the Wu family.
Zhang Tingyu kept talking about the renovation of Jingren Palace.
The emperor was so annoyed that he reluctantly gave in.
"Zhang Tingyu, the renovation of Jingren Palace will be paid for by the Ministry of Revenue. I will not pay a penny from my own treasury."
"Wei Chen understands."
Zhang Tingyu knew that the emperor was chasing people away, so he quickly and tactfully withdrew.
The Imperial Noble Consort is in charge of the affairs of the harem, so she still has to be informed of major events such as the renovation of Jingren Palace.
When An Lingrong heard Xiao Dongzi relay the emperor's words, she smiled.
"After all, Concubine Li was once the Empress of the Central Palace. It is only fitting that the Emperor assign Eunuch Dong to oversee the work."
"Eunuch Dong, if you encounter any difficulties, please come to me at any time."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Dongzi smiled and bowed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding. I would like to ask you, do you have any ideas for the renovation of Jingren Palace?"