allendalepharm Chapter 419: Red Book and Iron Certificate, which government office do you want to go to?
Chapter 419: Red Book and Iron Certificate, which government office do you want to go to?
"If it was me, would Father still show such mercy?"
The second prince drank the tea in the bowl in one gulp, a look of unwillingness flashing across his eyes.
"It all depends on the relationship. The Queen and the Queen are the first couple."
Jiang Youzhen sighed, but in his heart he was thinking, why did the Fourth Prince show mercy? If the collusion with the foreign vassal was exposed, the prince would not be able to survive.
How can one achieve great success with such a soft-hearted heart? Jiang Youzhen felt that there would be endless troubles whenever he thought that the prince was still alive.
"What do you mean married couple? My father has feelings for the Queen and the deposed Crown Prince, but he loves me the most. If the Queen didn't have the imperial edict, do you think he would let the Crown Prince go so easily?" The second prince snorted coldly!
"Red seal and iron certificate? How come I have never heard of it?" Jiang Youzhen was stunned. She really didn't know about this.
"This matter is a secret from the previous emperor's time. It's normal that you don't know about it. Duke Zhan made great contributions to the previous emperor, so the previous emperor privately rewarded Duke Zhan with a red-lettered iron certificate."
The second prince was in a good mood at the moment, and there was something that Jiang Youzhen didn't know.
"Not many people know about this. If it weren't for the Queen wanting to protect the Crown Prince and the Zhan family, she wouldn't have been willing to give it out!"
The second prince said with a tut-tut sound, "It's just pitiful for the relatives of the Zhan family. Those who have close contacts with the deposed crown prince will have their property confiscated and be exiled, or become official slaves. And those who are related to him or are just superficially acquainted with him will lose their positions at the worst, or be demoted at the least. And these are the consequences of standing on the wrong side."
At this point, the second prince did not look gloating, but rather solemn. In fact, he could not help but feel grief for the people who followed him, because those who followed him would rise and fall with him.
Jiang Youzhen was also silent for a while. She finally realized deeply that this was not the society ruled by law in her previous life. This dynasty emphasized collective responsibility.
Those innocent people were implicated by the prince. She suddenly felt guilty because she was the one who manipulated all of this.
"What about the Queen and Duke Zhan's Mansion?"
The Second Prince was a little surprised to see that Jiang Youzhen's mood suddenly became depressed. He thought Jiang Youzhen would be happy.
"The queen was imprisoned forever in the small Buddhist temple of Kunling Palace. The Phoenix Seal fell into the hands of Concubine Hua, and my father ordered her to take charge of the Phoenix Seal. As for Duke Zhan and the male members of the family, they were all dismissed from their official positions.
The current Duke Zhan has lost his military orders and official seals, and has been demoted to a marquis. Now he only has a title, but no official position, and is just an idle marquis. The emperor only gave him a lighter sentence because of the hard work and contributions of the Zhan family, and Duke Zhan has served the court for most of his life. The only person in the Zhan family who is still an official is the Jiangnan Salt Inspector, the second master born out of wedlock. "
In fact, even though it was a crime of treason, the emperor still showed some mercy, but the red seal and iron certificate played a big role.
Jiang Youzhen was just wondering why the Fourth Prince didn't strike while the iron was hot, but now he finally understood.
With the red seal and iron certificate, the emperor would spare their lives even if the prince was convicted of colluding with foreign vassals. It would be better to keep the evidence, which might be useful in the future.
"What's wrong? I see you're in a bad mood! Shouldn't you be happy? You avenged Qian Chongen."
Jiang Youzhen suddenly saw an enlarged face in front of him, and he leaned back in fear, "What's wrong? Why are you getting so close?"
The second prince stroked his chin thoughtfully, "You weren't feeling guilty just now, were you?"
"Why should I feel guilty?" Jiang Youzhen coughed lightly, "Isn't this the fault of the deposed crown prince himself? Why does he keep an army? If it's not for rebellion, why would he keep the army?"
"Yes! His motives were not pure, so you don't have to feel guilty. In fact, I think he is quite stupid. Father was originally undecided, but at least he would not abolish his position as Crown Prince out of consideration for their relationship. Who would have thought that he would be so worried every day and eventually bring about his own death."
"Yes, he hurts others and himself in the end. How could those officials who followed him have expected that he would really raise troops at the border? Those women in the harem, weren't they implicated by him? How could they know what was going on in the court? How could they know what was going on at the border?"
Jiang Youzhen was filled with emotion, everything is fate!
The fate of the Crown Princess and her family can be imagined. Just now, the Second Prince mentioned that the Crown Princess and her family had been confiscated and exiled.
The Second Prince snorted when he heard this, "He already shoulders a heavy responsibility, and with so many people relying on him, won't he think twice before doing anything?
As for the women in the harem, they are indeed innocent. But while they enjoy the splendor and wealth, they must also shoulder some responsibilities. Otherwise, how can they enjoy the splendor and wealth? "
The Second Prince shook his head and said, "Besides, don't the princelings know anything about the border affairs? Who do you think helped him do those things? Can he raise the army himself? Most of them are not innocent."
Jiang Youzhen nodded, what he said did make sense.
"I hate those who are indecisive the most. Being in the officialdom is a matter of power struggle. Killing people without bloodshed depends entirely on strategy. Therefore, if you make a mistake, there is no way back. Being cautious is the most basic thing. Otherwise, you can only blame yourself for not being as skilled as others."
The second prince said this as he walked towards the window. He turned around and looked at Jiang Youzhen who was sitting at the round table.
At this moment, her eyebrows and eyes were very calm. She sipped her tea lightly, and her manners were elegant and calm.
He suddenly thought, what should he do if Jiang Youzhen stopped cooperating with him and became his enemy in the future?
At that time, would Jiang Youzhen be so cruel as to kill them all? Or would he feel guilty and reluctant for a moment like he did just now?
And what about him? Could he do it himself?
He suddenly thought of his past life, where Jiang Youzhen had ruined his plans more than once. He still couldn't understand why a person could change so much.
Perhaps, this life is different from the previous one after all? Many things have changed. He can only regard the previous life as a dream, a dream that warned him.
"With this major replacement of officials in the court, Your Highness must have gained a lot of benefits, right?" Jiang Youzhen changed the subject.
"Why? Do you want one too? Then I'll leave one for you. Which government office do you want to go to?"
Jiang Youzhen immediately sneered, "How come all those positions that His Highness mentioned are in His Highness's pocket? Aren't you afraid that if it gets out, the Emperor will suspect you of treason?"
"Then will you spread it? There is no one else here." The second prince's eyes sparkled with a faint light.
"How can a mere scholar like me become an official? I think you just don't have any sincerity." Jiang Youzhen snorted coldly.
"Then wait until you enter the officialdom!" The second prince stood up with a smile and prepared to leave.
"Ahem! Your Highness, have you forgotten something?"
The second prince was stunned. "What's the matter?"
Jiang Youzhen immediately looked at him with disdain, "You are really a noble man who forgets things easily. Let me remind you, one hundred thousand taels of silver."