The Red Mansions

Chapter 1509 King Chu: This matter is indeed damaging to the reputation of the royal family

Chapter 1509 King Chu: This matter is indeed damaging to the reputation of the royal family...

Chongping 19th year, New Year's Eve -

During the entire 19th year of Chongping, a series of major events took place in Chen Han, from the pacification of the Eastern Tartar in Liaodong, to the attack on the Taimiao, the death of the emperor, and the succession of the new emperor. It was a period of political turmoil, with many major events happening one after another.

On New Year's Eve, every household replaced their ornaments with peach wood charms, silently creating an inexplicably festive atmosphere.

Although it is a period of national mourning, it is impossible for ordinary people not to celebrate the New Year.

Palace Garden, Hanyuan Hall, Inner Study Room——

The King of Chu was sitting behind a lacquered wooden table at this moment, looking at the memorials delivered by the six ministries and hundreds of government offices. In fact, there was nothing big going on. They were just memorials of loyalty to the new monarch delivered by the governors of various provinces with fast horses that could travel 600 miles per day.

At this moment, the eunuch chief, Sang Yao, came closer and said in a shrill voice, "Your Majesty, Jinyifu commander Qiu Liang is outside asking for an audience."

As for Dai Quan, the former Prime Minister of Daming Palace, he had been assigned the task of guarding the tomb of the late emperor.

As the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers, and the same goes for eunuchs.

The King of Chu put down the brush in his hand, called out, and said, "Xuan."

After a while, a Jinyifu guard wearing a black and red satin and gold silk flying fish uniform, with an embroidered spring sword on his waist, came out from outside. The man was Qiu Liang.

Qiu Liang took a few quick steps, bowed to the King of Chu, and said, "Your Majesty, long live the emperor."

"Commander Qiu, please stand up." The King of Chu looked at Qiu Liang, then turned to Sang Yao, the chief eunuch, and said, "Give Commander Qiu a seat."

Qiu Liang bowed to the King of Chu and thanked him, then sat down on the embroidered cushion that Sang Yao had brought, facing sideways to the King of Chu to show his respect.

The King of Chu put down the brush in his hand, looked at him fiercely, and asked, "What is the purpose of Commander Qiu coming here this time?"

Qiu Liang sat upright and said, "Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report to you regarding Prince Wei."

The King of Chu raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise, "What about the Prince of Wei?"

"I have previously reported to the late emperor that Prince Wei and Princess Jinyang have a son." Qiu Liang said in a deep voice with a deep gaze under his sword-like brows.

King Chu: “???”

How could this happen?

No, how could Zi Yu do such a ridiculous thing?

Yes, the reason why Zi Yu met the emperor was inseparable from the introduction of Aunt Jinyang. Perhaps as a result of this and that, they developed a love affair.

The King of Chu really didn't know about the affair between Jia Heng and Princess Jinyang, because when Emperor Chongping found out about it, he ordered the inner guards to suppress the matter and not spread it to the world.

Qiu Liang was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor knows about this matter."

The King of Chu frowned, his eyes flashed coldly, and he asked in surprise: "What did the late emperor say at the beginning?"

With my father's temper, how could he tolerate having his own sister and daughter serving the same person?

Qiu Liang nodded and said, "At the beginning, Liaodong was not settled yet, and the late emperor relied heavily on the military strategy of Prince Wei, but he still forbeared and did not take action, perhaps because he was concerned about the face of the royal family."

The King of Chu's expression changed constantly, and he said in a deep voice: "This matter is indeed damaging to the reputation of the royal family..."

It is really horrifying that an aunt and nephew serve the same person.

No, how could Jia Ziyu treat his aunt like this? He was simply... not a human being.

At this moment, the King of Chu felt a surge of negative emotions, such as jealousy and resentment, which were about to drown and swallow him like a surging tide.

After all, the emperor was amazed by the charm of Princess Jinyang when he was young, and he had been thinking about her for many years.

He originally thought that after becoming emperor, he would have the opportunity to be intimate with her, but unexpectedly Jia Heng got there first. He felt extremely complicated and inexplicable emotions.

Qiu Liang frowned, his eyes flashing with coldness, and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Wei is really ridiculous."

The King of Chu was silent for a moment, his eyes flashed fiercely, and he said, "Let me think about this matter."

This matter concerns the reputation of the royal family. Moreover, the late emperor had not committed any crime before. It is obviously inappropriate for him to rashly bring up old issues.

Qiu Liang's eyes flickered under his thick brows, but he didn't say anything else.

After all, alienating the relationship between the monarch and his subjects is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

The King of Chu calmed down, looked deeply, and whispered: "The Jinyi Mansion needs to send more people to control the troops and horses to prevent the previous incident from happening again."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Liang cupped his hands in response and said, "Your Majesty, I will select a new group of investigators, but many people in the Jinyi Palace were promoted by Prince Wei in the past, so there are many constraints on my actions."

At this moment, Qiu Liang was undoubtedly asking the King of Chu for power.

The King of Chu nodded and said, "Prince Wei is only honored with the title of Jinyi Dudu, and does not interfere in Jinyi affairs. You just need to do it with great determination. You previously led Jinyi Fu to quell the rebellion and made contributions to the country. I will confer you the title of third-class earl. After the new year, the cabinet will draft an edict."

Jia Ziyu has been in control of the Jinyiwei for five years. His cronies and confidants are spread throughout the Jinyiwei offices. Now is the time for Qiu Liang to clean up the mess.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Liang knelt down with a plop and said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. Even if I die, I cannot repay you."

The King of Chu thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "In addition, the Jinyifu must also do its best to investigate Chen Yuan, the remnant of the former King of Zhao, and arrest the relevant criminals. There must be no mistakes."

At that time, his eldest son died at the hands of Chen Yuan and other White Lotus rebels, and he had not yet avenged his death.

After Qiu Liang left, the King of Chu's fair and jade-like face suddenly became gloomy, and under his sword-like brows, a cold light flashed in his eyes.

This Jia Ziyu is so romantic and lustful that he even had an affair with the eldest princess and made her give birth to two children for him. This is simply outrageous!

The King of Chu was filled with inexplicable anger and could not help but slam the table.

However, he had just ascended the throne and still relied on Jia Ziyu. These matters could only be left for later and they would be settled later.

Jia Ziyu is proficient in both civil and military strategies. With his talent and intelligence, he should stay in the Grand Council as an advisor and consult on state affairs, but should not lead troops.

In fact, this is how the King of Chu positioned Jia Heng, that is, the role of a national policy advisor, and Jia Heng was no longer in charge of the real power.

The King of Chu had a gloomy look on his face and suppressed his chaotic thoughts. Then, without saying much, he left the inner study and headed towards the harem.

In the palace——

Zhen Qing was talking to her son. After becoming the queen, this beautiful lady began to exude a graceful and bright aura.

Zhen Qing stretched out a slender hand, pinched her son's chubby face, and said with a smile: "After the New Year, I will hire a teacher to teach you. Maybe you should be able to read and write."

"Your Majesty is here." Just then, an eunuch came in and bowed to report.

Zhen Qing put her son down, and her plump and round face left the chair. When she stood up, she looked up at the King of Chu and said, "Why is your Majesty here?"

"I came to see you and Jie'er." The King of Chu said softly with a smile on his fair face.

Zhen Qing's face was filled with the gentle smile of a good wife and mother, and she said, "Your Majesty, have you finished taking care of the previous matters?"

"It's almost done. Today is New Year's Eve, so there will be fewer people worshipping." The King of Chu spoke in a gentle voice with a clear and shining gaze under his sword-like eyebrows.

Zhen Qing responded softly, then raised her beautiful head with long black hair, looked at the King of Chu, and said, "Your Majesty, the palace has prepared all the New Year's goods."

Because it is a period of national mourning, there cannot be any grand celebration, and the festive and lively atmosphere will be much weaker.

The King of Chu paused for a moment, stared at Zhen Qing, and called out, "Zitong, I have something to tell you."

It is worth mentioning that in the novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Zi Tong was the name used by the emperor to address the empress, and it was not a name exclusive to a particular empress.

When Zhen Qing heard this, her beautiful and bright face was slightly surprised. She turned to look at the female official beside her. Then, the female official bowed and slowly retreated.

Zhen Qing's heart was slightly moved, and she asked, "Your Majesty, what happened outside that made you so solemn?"

The King of Chu was silent for a moment, then he got straight to the point and said, "How come Princess Jinyang also had an affair with Zi Yu, and had a child with her?"

Zhen Qing: "..."

This... She had heard some rumors in the palace before, that the bastard seemed to have captured the eldest princess.

After all, it was through the eldest princess that she was met by the emperor.

The King of Chu frowned, and said in amazement, "This is unbelievable."

Zhen Qing's beautiful eyes were as bright as water. She was surprised for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty, where did you hear this?"

"Jinyifu commander Qiu Liang just came into the palace and mentioned this matter. When I first heard about it, I was really shocked." The King of Chu frowned, his eyes deep, and some anger was still surging in his heart.

Zhen Qing said: "Jia Ziyu has always been a playboy, so this is not unusual."

The King of Chu frowned and said in a deep voice: "But we can't do that so recklessly..."

Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows and said, "Didn't the royal family spread rumors before that Chanyue is not the eldest princess' daughter? It's not a big deal, right?"

"What about Xianning?" The King of Chu said in a low voice with cold eyes and a gloomy look under his sword-like brows.

If we start from Xianning, it would be quite absurd.

Zhen Qing said: "Your Majesty, the incident has already happened. Does Your Majesty still want to hold Jia Ziyu accountable for deceiving the emperor?"

The problem is that when the two of them were in love, the King of Chu was not yet the emperor, so there was no question of him being guilty of deceiving the emperor.

The King of Chu's eyes flickered darkly, and he said in a deep voice: "After my father knew about it, he still acquiesced to it. I can't say anything more now, but this matter is a disgrace to the royal family."

Although there is no such thing as laws not being retroactive, it is obviously inappropriate for the King of Chu to bring up something that the previous emperor had "tacitly approved" and made a fuss about.

Perhaps when we settle accounts with Jia Heng in the future, all of this will be written down in the evidence.

Zhen Qing said, "Your Majesty, now that Jia Ziyu has the merit of protecting the emperor, it is not a good idea to bring up the past again, so as to avoid creating grudges."

It can be said that the King of Chu ascended the throne with the support of Jia Heng. Now that he has just succeeded to the throne, his prestige has not yet spread throughout the court and the country. It is actually inappropriate for him to rashly conflict with Jia Heng.

The King of Chu raised his eyebrows, his eyes flickered, and he said in a gentle voice: "Yes, this matter can only be left at this point."

Zhen Qing called out and advised, "Your Majesty, Jia Ziyu is just such a person. If he had no flaws, he would be difficult to control."

She even gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, for that bastard.

The King of Chu sighed and said, "That's true."

If someone is neither greedy for money nor lustful, then he or she will indeed be difficult to control.

At this moment, the nanny carried Zhen Qing's daughter Yin Yin into the palace and called out to Zhen Qing and the King of Chu in a soft voice, saying, "Mother, Father."

Zhen Qing smiled and said, "Yinyin, come here, come here and let your mother hug you."

The little girl Yin Yin responded sweetly, and then, in the arms of the nanny, she moved closer and hugged Zhen Qing in her arms.

"Baji..."

While the little girl was talking, she leaned close to Zhen Qing's rosy face and kissed her, her sweet and soft breath filling the air, and her action was quite intimate.

The King of Chu stared at his delicate daughter with a hint of love in his eyes, and said, "I told the cabinet to come up with a good title for Yinyin. It's time to make her a princess. She can be given the title after the New Year."

Zhen Qing smiled and said, "Then Yinyin is really lucky."

The emperor and the empress snuggled together and talked in low voices. It seemed that on this New Year's Eve, there was a rare warm and harmonious family atmosphere.

……

……

On the other side, Jia Heng and Chen Xiao left the mansion together and went to a house located in the street.

It was Gu Ruoqing who came to the place where she had agreed to meet Jia Heng through Chen Xiao.

This is a vast house with rugged rocks. In the side room, Gu Ruoqing sat behind a lacquered wooden desk, playing a guzheng.

As the slender fingers of the hands pluck the strings, the melodious sound of the piano can be heard, like the sound of a mountain spring, clear and pleasant.

At this moment, two figures appeared on a brocaded screen. They were Jia Heng and Chen Xiao.

Gu Ruoqing paused for a moment, then said in surprise, "You're here."

Jia Heng nodded, sat down nearby, looked at Gu Ruoqing's beautiful face, and said softly, "Ruoqing, long time no see."

Gu Ruoqing stopped stroking the strings of the zither in her hand, raised her beautiful face, and said with a clear gaze under her brows, "It was Qiu Liang. It was Chen Yuan who rescued Qiu Liang earlier."

Upon hearing this, Jia Heng was surprised and asked, "Did Chen Yuan rescue Qiu Liang?"

This matter sounds interesting.

Gu Ruoqing said: "Chen Yuan originally sent people to assassinate Qiu Liang, but Ruan Yongde, who was in charge of this matter, may have changed his mind after seeing Qiu Liang being assassinated."

Chen Xiao frowned, her bright eyes flickered, and she said, "Chen Yuan probably wants to keep a hidden chess piece."

Jia Heng said: "Because of his previous merits in supporting the new emperor outside the palace, Qiu Liang is now the new emperor's confidant. It is impossible for him to collude with outsiders and murder the new emperor."

Chen Xiao frowned, her beautiful eyes sparkling like water, and said, "It is possible that the two parties will collude and deal with you together."

Jia Heng smiled to himself and said, "This is basically obvious."

After the death of Emperor Chongping, Chen Yuan achieved his revenge, but because of him, Chen Yuan basically lost the possibility of successfully usurping the throne.

Gu Ruoqing nodded and said, "Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, Chen Yuan seems to be waiting for you to turn against the new emperor so that he can reap the benefits."

Jia Heng said: "Chen Yuan has a good plan. He has been making it since he was in Liaodong, and it has not changed now."

During this process, Liaodong was pacified, and Chen Yuan also lost the White Lotus's manpower. Without support, even if the situation really collapsed, there would be little chance for him to benefit from it.

Gu Ruoqing looked at the young man in the python robe with a gaze as bright as dew under her beautiful emerald eyebrows, and said, "How will the new king treat you after he ascends the throne?"

Jia Heng said: "It's actually okay at the moment, but suspicion and vigilance in the future are inevitable."

As he spoke, Jia Heng came forward and immediately grasped Gu Ruoqing's delicate hand, saying, "Ruoqing, after coming back this time, don't go back. It's too dangerous to stay with Chen Yuan after all."

As Gu Ruoqing spoke, she uttered an "hmm" sound. When the young man held her in his arms, a faint blush appeared on both sides of her jade-like face.

Jia Heng immediately embraced the beautiful woman's plump body, his eyes showing a hint of lingering longing, and said, "Ruoqing."

As he spoke, he gently pulled Gu Ruoqing's slender hand, pinched the beautiful woman's smooth and round chin, moved close to the beautiful woman's slightly moist lips, and moved closer all of a sudden, trying his best to plunder the sweet and fragrant breath.

Gu Ruoqing's beautiful and bright face was flushed, and her delicate body almost collapsed into a pile of mud, allowing the young man in the python costume to be intimate with her.

After all, she and Jia Heng had fallen in love in Korea, and now the two of them were reunited after a long separation.

Chen Xiao snorted coldly, and a hint of sneer appeared on that beautiful face.

As the two of them talked, they hugged each other and started chewing the food again.

Jia Heng gently put his arm around Gu Ruoqing's slender shoulders, stared at her blushing face, and said in a gentle voice, "Ruoqing."

While the two were talking, they went inside.

Gu Ruoqing raised her beautiful eyebrows, her sparkling eyes were as clear as water, rippling silently, and she said softly, "Your Highness."

Jia Heng held the beauty in his arms, sniffing the scent of powder under his nose, and whispered in her ear: "Ruoqing, I met your master some time ago."

Gu Ruoqing's pale face was as red as fire, and she said in a trembling voice, "Master? What did he say?"

Jia Heng lowered his head and ate heartily from the beauty's front, feeling the fragrance of her powder and rouge. He said in a slightly unclear voice, "She told me something."

Gu Ruoqing's slender and bright body trembled slightly. She stroked Jia Heng's shoulders with both hands, and her slender neck as white as jade was like a swan, and she hummed softly.

While Jia Heng was speaking, he gently lifted the beauty's skirt.

Gu Ruoqing snorted softly, and the tassels of the golden hairpins between her lush hair swayed gently.

Soon, it was as if she was walking in the clouds, one step high and one step shallow, and Xiang Pei Yuzhuan's face was a charming rosy red.

It was not known how long they had been entangled, but Jia Heng suddenly hugged Gu Ruoqing's plump, fragrant and soft body. His eyes were like condensed dew as he looked at the beautiful face with sweat on the temples, and his heart was filled with pity.

Jia Heng paused for a moment, stared at the beauty, and said in a gentle voice: "Ruoqing, it's getting late, let's go back together."

Gu Ruoqing's beautiful eyebrows were curved like ink, and she snorted, and her snow-white face turned red with shame.

Jia Heng and Gu Ruoqing cuddled together for a while. Jia Heng did not linger any longer. He stood up and left the room. He looked at Chen Xiao intently and said, "Xiaoxiao."

"It's dark now." Chen Xiao glanced at the sky outside and said unhappily.

Jia Heng said, "Wait a minute, let's go back home."

We also need to find time to resolve Qiu Liang’s issue.

He couldn't just let it keep biting him.

(End of this chapter)