Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 324 Troubles (asking for guaranteed monthly ticket)

In the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Jianshen dragged his exhausted body back to the inner hall of the Qianqing Palace early in the morning, sat on the edge of the soft couch, supported his legs with his hands, his face pale and he was panting.

Tan Chang came in holding the memorial. Seeing this situation, he could not help but avoid it, but he quickly asked with concern: "Your Majesty, is your body okay?"

"fine."

Zhu Jianshen sighed and said, "I just walked a few more steps, so my breathing is uneven. Even if you are sick, you still have to move around, otherwise your bones will rust. By the way, you came at the right time, I have something to ask you."

Qin Chang quickly leaned over to listen to the instructions.

Zhu Jianshen asked, "What happened in Kunning Palace the day before yesterday?"

Qin Chang asked in confusion, "The day before yesterday was the Queen's birthday, and the ladies from Kunning Palace came to celebrate, and Your Majesty personally delivered a gift... I wonder what Your Majesty is asking about?"

"I heard that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess also went to Kunning Palace to celebrate the birthday?"

Zhu Jianshen asked with great interest.

"This one……"

Qin Chang hesitated and said, "It seems that he has gone."

Zhu Jianshen continued to ask: "Did they also give gifts when celebrating the birthday? It is said that they gave a glass mirror, which was quite large. The queen even put it in a conspicuous place for all the concubines in the six palaces to see?"

When Qin Chang heard this, he was surprised to find such a thing?
Others don't know, but Qin Chang has been going in and out of the Qianqing Palace frequently recently. Of course, he knows how much the emperor cherishes the glass mirror he got from the empress dowager.

It’s not that the emperor likes to show off.

Probably because the emperor was seriously ill and afraid of death, he liked to study the whites of his eyes in the mirror when he had nothing to do. Ordinary bronze mirrors, due to their yellowing, could not provide detailed observations, so only this kind of glass mirror was useful.

Now some people say that the Queen has a large mirror, which was given by the Prince and his wife! ?
Tan Chang said in panic: "I...I don't know either. Maybe I need to ask others."

"Then go and ask."

Zhu Jianshen waved his hand and said, "I am also puzzled. Yesterday morning, my beloved concubine mentioned something about the glass mirror to me. Last night, Concubine Shao even cried to me, saying that she was being bullied and that others laughed at her. After asking, I found out that it was because of the effect caused by the glass mirror. Hey, look at what happened."

Qin Chang asked hesitantly, "Then...if it really was sent by the prince, what should we do?"

"Uh?"

Zhu Jianshen was stunned for a moment.

The queen was showing off the mirror, and many people saw it, so much so that the concubines in the harem were jealous.

Now, because Concubine Shao is the biological mother of the Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Princes, and is deeply favored by the Emperor, and is in charge of the Six Palaces, she sees that the limelight has been taken away by the Empress, so...

The emperor's concubines were actually jealous of each other because of a glass mirror!
Tan Chang asked: "Should we... ask the prince to... prepare a few more mirrors?"

"Tsk, tsk."

Zhu Jianshen sighed, then asked, "I guess that thing wasn't made by the Crown Prince, right?"

Qin Chang thought about it and nodded: "The prince lives deep in the East Palace, it is indeed impossible..."

Zhu Jianshen raised his chin and said, "You should first check what is going on. I really don't understand the situation... And these women are the same. When they see someone has something, they blindly pursue him without considering their own conditions. Isn't this making it difficult for me?"

As the emperor and his ministers were talking, Wei Tai came in from outside and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Master Li is outside seeking an audience."

"Li Qing is here? Let him come into the hall. I just happen to have something to ask him."

Zhu Jianshen ordered.

"Yes."

Wei Tai immediately went out to pass on the message.

……

……

Li Zisheng appeared in the inner hall of the Qianqing Palace with a list of newly appointed officials in his hand.

"Li Qing, this is the third batch, right?"

Zhu Jianshen just glanced at it and asked.

"Yes."

Li Zisheng answered seriously, "Besides these, there is only one last batch left."

Zhu Jianshen did not continue the topic. He closed the appointment list in his hand and asked, "Li Qing, do you know what a glass mirror is?"

Li Zisheng was stunned.

Because of the precautions Pang Qing had given him before, he could roughly guess what situation the emperor was facing.

"Your Majesty, I have seen it. Isn't it the round mirror you often fiddled with before? It is said to be made of colored glass, and the reflection of a person is extremely clear..."

Li Zisheng answered respectfully.

Zhu Jianshen then waved his hand and asked someone to bring his glass mirror.

Zhu Jianshen played with it and asked, "Where did this thing come from?"

Li Zisheng said cautiously: "It seems to be obtained from the folk."

"So this thing is out there, right?" Zhu Jianshen said, "To be honest, I'm having a headache over this recently. Can you help me get some?"

When Li Zisheng heard this, he thought, wow, this is really new.

My family’s backyard is in chaos because of this damn mirror. It turns out that Your Majesty is experiencing the same thing as me?

Zhu Jianshen saw that Li Zisheng looked a little hesitant, so he couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter? Is there any difficulty?"

Li Zisheng said, "It's not difficult. I just thought that the women in my family went to the palace to attend the birthday banquet of the Queen Mother in Kunning Palace a few days ago. After returning... they often mentioned the glass mirror to me, and they were quite envious of it. They also wanted to have a similar one. I was a little... anxious these two days, and I didn't dare to go back home."

Zhu Jianshen smiled and asked, "Is there such a thing?"

Li Zisheng said helplessly: "I am also worried about this, but I already know who sent it, and I am preparing to... go to his house to talk to him."

"Haha, Li Qing, we are all men, and the things in the backyard should be roughly the same." Zhu Jianshen seemed to feel that he and Li Zisheng were in the same boat, and smiled to comfort him, "Relax and find a solution. Oh, by the way, Li Qing, who made this glass mirror?"

Li Zisheng said: "I don't know who made it, but I do know that it was presented by Zhang Laizhan, the Minister of the Honglu Temple."

"Oh?"

Zhu Jianshen was a little surprised, "Why is it him again?"

"Hey! Your Majesty, the one in your hand should also be given by him. How about I help you get a bigger one?" Li Zisheng asked tentatively.

"This……"

Zhu Jianshen looked at the mirror in his hand, a little hesitant, "Since ancient times, rulers have directly asked their subjects for things. Is this really a good idea?"

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "I will let him offer it on his own initiative. I just need to give him some hints."

"Li Qing, you still have a solution."

Zhu Jianshen said, "Then I'll leave this matter to you. Get as many pieces as possible as soon as possible. It's best if they are of average size, so that there is no distinction between good and bad. My harem is in a mess, and everyone is watching me. If I give this and not that, or give a big one or a small one... it's not good."

Li Zisheng felt the same way and said with a smile: "It is the same in my backyard, but I can wait and satisfy the needs of the ladies in the harem first."

Zhu Jianshen was pleased to hear this and nodded in approval: "Then I'll leave everything to you."

……

……

With the matter of making a mirror for the emperor, the list of officials submitted by Li Zisheng was successfully approved.

When he came out of the Qianqing Palace, the smile on his face quickly disappeared and he started cursing. He was cursing Zhang Luan, but he couldn't help but want to run and ask this guy what was going on. Besides, he was going to find Zhang Luan on the emperor's order.

"Finally, I don't have to go through the back door anymore, like a thief."

After leaving the palace, Li Zisheng saw Pang Qing and couldn't help but say something.

Pang Qing asked curiously, "Master Dao, what are you talking about? Has His Majesty approved the list of officials reported by the local authorities? Many people are eagerly waiting... Well, I am also waiting to get the first-hand information so that I can report back to them."

Li Zisheng threw the list directly to Pang Qing and said impatiently: "You tell them that His Majesty has approved all of them without missing a single one."

"Damn it, Master Dao, you are really awesome. In the previous two batches, His Majesty and the Ministry of Personnel found many problems and dismissed many people who were not worthy of their positions. How come this time..."

Pang Qing found it incredible.

Because there were a lot of officials reported this time, and many of them were appointed to their positions in exchange for money, the degree of inconsistency was much more serious than the previous two times.

How can this be a list of local officials reported?

It's basically a list of local corrupt officials! In the future, we will arrest people based on their names, and it won't be too much to cut them into pieces if they are caught.

"Isn't it because of that unfortunate mirror?" Li Zisheng said angrily.

"what?"

Pang Qing looked puzzled and asked, "You mean... the mirror provided by Zhang Banxian's mansion?"

Li Zisheng said, "I met the emperor today. Guess what he told me? He said that the concubines in the harem have been making a fuss these past two days. Even Concubine Shao is restless."

"..."

Pang Qing widened his eyes and seemed speechless.

"At the birthday banquet, the queen placed the mirror in the most conspicuous place, so that not only the ladies who entered the palace could see it, but also the ladies in the harem could see it.

"The most taboo thing in this palace is that she has it and I don't. What's more, Queen Wang has never been favored. Do you think those favored concubines will not make trouble with Your Majesty?"

Pang Qing burst out laughing.

Li Zisheng said unhappily, "Laugh, laugh, you just stand there and watch the fun. It seems like you don't have this kind of trouble in your backyard. Are you gloating over other people's misfortunes?"

Pang Qing smiled and said, "If I could bring back one or two glass mirrors, I'm sure my family would be peaceful. I'd be treated the same as the queen in the palace, wouldn't that be..."

"Wait a minute."

Li Zisheng quickly reminded, "I haven't done anything here yet, and you're already thinking about your own backyard? I have to take care of His Majesty's side first!
"Why did Zhang Laizhan cause such unrest in the inner house of the emperor and his ministers? Wasn't it just to make him sell tribute? Why do I feel like... I built a big boat and pulled Zhang Laizhan on it, but he kicked me into the water?"

Pang Qing said: "Master Dao, you are right about one thing. You brought this trouble upon yourself."

After being glared at by Li Zisheng, Pang Qing stopped talking.

"What are you studying?"

Li Zisheng was about to get on the carriage when he suddenly thought of an old friend. He asked curiously, "Why haven't I seen him recently?"

Pang Qing said, "Recently, Mr. Shen has been going to the Yintaisi to report for duty every day. It has been a long time since you have stepped into the gate of the Yintaisi official residence, right?"

"Uh... that's true."

Li Zisheng felt a little ashamed and shook his head, "Come to think of it, Ruxue is also an honest man. Why didn't you give him a promotion this time?"

Pang Qing smiled and said, "Master Dao, you have been interacting with Zhang Banxian recently. Do you still need someone to introduce you? Didn't you go directly to his house? What is going on with Shen now?"

"Ugh!"

Li Zisheng sighed, and then made a self-examination, "One should not be without conscience. How about this, you send me something to your school, preferably something expensive, you decide. After all, I can't let people think that I am just marrying a young wife and throwing the matchmaker over the wall."

"Haha."

Pang Qing grinned and laughed.

I thought your metaphor was really clever.

It turns out that in your eyes, Zhang Laizhan is just a young bride getting into a bridal sedan. With Zhang Laizhan, you can forget about all those beauties, right?

"Why are you standing there like a wooden stake? Let's go, let's go find Lai Zhan. I want to ask him for the mirror... Even His Majesty said he was asking for it. I think His Majesty is also losing face for the sake of the ladies in the harem, just like me."

……

……

Zhu Jianshen went to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Zhou that morning.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the gate of Qingning Palace, he saw the huge cabinet placed in the center of the hall, especially the full-length mirror installed on the cabinet. He couldn't take his eyes off it after taking a look at it.

"My dear, what are you looking at?"

Queen Mother Zhou came out holding Buddhist beads and saw her son looking at the cabinet there. She couldn't help but ask curiously.

Zhu Jianshen looked somewhat embarrassed, but he still replied respectfully: "Mother, I was looking at that cabinet. Why is it placed here? It's so out of place."

Queen Mother Zhou said casually: "It's better to put it in a conspicuous place, maybe it can drive away evil spirits..."

"Exorcism?"

Zhu Jianshen frowned.

I thought to myself, mother, your starting point is really strange.

Queen Mother Zhou said, "I'll put a mirror here. If an evil ghost with disheveled hair comes in, she will see her own miserable appearance in the mirror and will be scared away in disgrace."

Zhu Jianshen couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this.

Good man, you are cursing without using any dirty words.

Wouldn't it be better if you just reported the name of your deceased daughter-in-law Wan Zhen'er?
However, Zhu Jianshen had long known that his mother disliked Concubine Wan, and he was no longer surprised.

"Son, don't you like mirrors? I put it here because I thought it would be convenient for me to give it to you when you come."

Queen Mother Zhou's eyes flashed with a strange light, and she waved her hand and said, "Find someone to move it away."

When Zhu Jianshen heard this, he thought to himself, is there such a good thing?

Mom, you really understand me as a son.

Just as I was about to say thank you, I suddenly thought, oh no, that’s not right, I was probably testing me.

If I take such a big mirror back and use it myself, it would be fine. But if I give it to Concubine Shao, wouldn’t I be so angry that my nose would be crooked?
The next time I use the mirror to make fun of someone, I’ll probably say something like “let that woman look at herself when she comes to pay her respects.”

Zhu Jianshen suppressed his excitement and hastily refused: "Mother, I just use a small mirror to look at my eyes and see the changes in my condition. It's best to leave this mirror with you so that you can compare it when you wear something."

"My son is still filial."

When Queen Mother Zhou heard this, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

Zhu Jianshen thought to himself, Fortunately, I, your son, know your character.

Otherwise I would have really fallen into your trap.

Queen Mother Zhou said, "My son, you usually don't like the Crown Prince, how about now? Look at how filial the Crown Prince is. He will always remember whatever I say to him. You always said he was cowardly and incompetent, but I think he is very mature now and knows how to do everything."

"Ah."

Zhu Jianshen responded but was thinking in his heart, why does my nominal wife have a half-length mirror, and you have a bigger full-length mirror, but his old father has nothing?
And you still say he is filial?
Proper?
His action is clearly putting his old father on the spot. He doesn't even think about how his mothers and concubines would be jealous over this thing.

"You two, father and son, should interact more to reduce misunderstandings. My son, please stay for lunch. I want to talk to you more."

Queen Mother Zhou said.

Zhu Jianshen immediately said, "Mother, I have some court affairs to deal with. I'm sorry I can't stay with you. Please forgive me."

Queen Mother Zhou could tell that her son had some complaints, but she didn't take it too seriously. She smiled and nodded, "Go ahead. Remember to go out more often. You look much better recently."

……

……

After Zhu Jianshen left Qingning Palace, he immediately asked someone to call Wei Tai over.

"His Majesty."

Wei Tai looked puzzled.

Zhu Jianshen asked, "Does the prince usually interact frequently with people outside the palace?"

Wei Tai was stunned. What did the emperor know?

Why...I don't know anything?

Wei Tai answered cautiously, "As far as I know, the Crown Prince does not usually interact with people outside the palace. Only occasionally will the servants of the Eastern Palace go to the Crown Princess's residence, mostly to get scripts, and occasionally to get some daily necessities."

Zhu Jianshen originally wanted to take this opportunity to make trouble and scold the prince, but when he heard this, he was stunned.

I thought to myself, damn, the prince and his wife are so busy, it seems like they are working for me?

"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."

Wei Tai bowed.

"Okay, no more."

Zhu Jianshen suddenly felt embarrassed and waved his hand, "Go down. I will call you if there is anything else."

The evil fire in the emperor's heart quickly disappeared.

(It’s November before I know it. Everyone should keep warm, otherwise you will catch a cold. Finally, I would like to ask for a guaranteed monthly ticket. Thank you!)
(End of this chapter)