Fu Shanhe

Chapter 438 Naughty Child

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

"Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine!"

Xu Zhongen stepped forward to remind him.

The emperor's poor health was a great concern to these eunuchs.

The saying "a new emperor, a new court" is most evident in the palace.

Those eunuchs who held immense power during the reign of the late emperor are now all buried under graves.

Although they did not harbor as much hatred as those powerful eunuchs, they still offended quite a few people both inside and outside the palace.

If something were to happen to the emperor, the best outcome for these close eunuchs would be to guard the imperial tombs.

"Why should I take medicine? I'm not sick!"

Emperor Yongning immediately rebuked him.

At just over twenty years old, he was in the prime of his life.

In his personal life, Emperor Yongning was also very restrained.

There was only one empress and four concubines in the imperial harem, which is considered a small number among all emperors throughout history.

Logically speaking, his body should be very strong.

Unfortunately, Emperor Yongning was too diligent in his duties, often reviewing memorials until late at night.

It's bad enough that staying up late is bad for your health, but the real problem is that you often suffer indignities in the court and have nowhere to vent your frustrations.

In the eight years since he ascended the throne, he has never fully controlled the court.

Unfortunately, the Great Yu Dynasty was known for producing tough and unyielding individuals.

Most of the high-ranking officials are stubborn and inflexible.

Once someone has made up their mind, nothing can change it.

When it comes to matters of principle, even the emperor, everyone argues their case based on reason.

The previous cabinet of civil officials was like this, and the current cabinet of nobles is still frequently at odds with the emperor.

This situation was clearly not what Emperor Yongning wanted to see.

In his quest for power, he frequently clashed with the cabinet.

Without a doubt, as a political novice, he was no match for those political elites most of the time.

Even if you win once, a new opponent will come and take your place to continue your struggle.

Imperial power is supreme, but it is not omnipotent.

As the relationship between the emperor and his officials deteriorated, instances of officials outwardly complying with the emperor's wishes while secretly defying him became increasingly common.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"The imperial physician said that your current physical condition is not suitable for getting angry."

Xu Zhongen said honestly.

As someone close to him, he knew Emperor Yongning's temperament very well.

The emperor hates being deceived the most; once it happens, he will hold a grudge for a lifetime.

If you speak the truth directly, even if the emperor gets furious on the spot, he won't take it to heart.

Of course, this only applies to trivial matters; those critical matters should still be kept secret.

"Humph!"

"Bring it over here!"

Emperor Yongning said in an annoyed tone.

Despite the anger, your body is ultimately your own.

If something really goes wrong, no one outside of those close to me will care.

For the officials, it didn't matter who the emperor was.

Given his standing among the officials, many of them might even be secretly celebrating.

The more this is the case, the less he can allow these people to have their way.

If something were to happen to him, the young crown prince would be a natural puppet.

Having experienced the bitterness of wresting power from the regent, he didn't want his son to go through it again.

After taking the medicine bowl and drinking it all in one gulp, Emperor Yongning turned his gaze back to the mountain of memorials piled up before him.

This is all the workload for today; he must review it all and give his approval.

As soon as he picked up a book and glanced at it, Emperor Yongning's expression changed drastically.

"The Yunnan governor died of natural causes, and this is the conclusion of the investigation?"

Faced with the emperor's questioning, the eunuchs were speechless.

How could they possibly know what was happening thousands of miles away?

The imperial envoys sent by the court said that the governor of Yunnan had died of natural causes, and they could only forward the report to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, you should ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard about this matter. They have also sent people to participate in the investigation."

Xu Zhongen decisively chose to shift the blame.

Anyone with eyes can see just how outrageous this investigation report is.

Even if it were said to be the work of Burmese people, it would be more convincing than a natural death.

"Your Majesty, when our people arrived in Yunnan, six months had already passed since Governor Liu's death."

The crime scene was in Myanmar, and by the time we arrived, it had already been captured by the Myanmar army.

All of Governor Liu's associates mysteriously disappeared during the army's retreat, presumably to be silenced.

All the evidence has been destroyed; the information gathered from the official investigation is simply insufficient to determine whether Governor Liu died of natural causes.

Zheng Yingyi hurriedly explained.

The investigation in Yunnan targeted the Duke of Qian's residence, but without any evidence, who would dare to convict them out of thin air?

However, the imperial court was pressing them hard, so in order to complete the task, they had no choice but to let Governor Liu die of natural causes.

Despite the fact that this outcome could not satisfy the Qingliu Party and the emperor, the officials in charge of the investigation had no other choice.

When it involves top nobles, the officials investigating the case cannot possibly bring the person in for torture.

"What a fine natural death!"

"It seems that some people have completely disregarded the imperial court and are willing to do anything!"

Seeing Emperor Yongning's anger, everyone lowered their heads.

We know it was the Duke of Qian's mansion that did it, but without evidence, we can't just make things up.

If the imperial court is powerful, then they can simply find an excuse to seize the Duke of Qian's mansion and find all sorts of evidence.

Unfortunately, the Great Yu Dynasty is currently too fragile to withstand internal turmoil and must prioritize stability.

Even if the emperor wanted to deal with the Duke of Qian's mansion, he would have to find a more suitable opportunity.

Deep down, Emperor Yongning suddenly had the idea of ​​abolishing the feudal lords.

The reason why the Duke of Qian's mansion dares to be so arrogant is entirely because they have been local tyrants for too long and have lost their respect for the imperial court.

Once they left their stronghold in Yunnan, the Duke of Qian's mansion was just an ordinary noble family, unable to cause any real trouble.

Despite his thoughts, Emperor Yongning did not immediately voice them.

Because of the leak that caused his plans to fail, he has been through too much, and now he can't trust anyone completely.

"Your Majesty, perhaps this was an accident."

Wang Yifeng offered a tactful reminder.

Regardless of whether the Yunnan governor died unexpectedly or not, it must now be considered an accident.

Without any evidence, the imperial court could not possibly take action against the Duke of Qian's mansion.

"Ok!"

"The imperial edict states that the Duke of Qian's government has failed to strictly manage its subordinates, and has privately developed mineral resources, which has triggered a war with the Burmese."

The family should have been stripped of their property and title, but considering that the current Duke of Qian was still young and had not yet taken control of the household, the punishment was lenient.

The Duke of Qian's government was ordered to provide compensation to the soldiers who died on the front lines and was fined 300,000 taels of silver.

All other perpetrators involved in the crime shall be executed on the spot.

All privately operated mines will be nationalized.

Cao Xingwen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was transferred to the post of Governor of Yunnan. All personnel investigating the case were to return to the capital immediately after completing their current duties.

Emperor Yongning coldly gave the order.

He could understand if the truth couldn't be found.

However, the perfunctory attitude of the imperial envoy still greatly displeased him.

The transfer from Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice to Governor of Yunnan seems like the most normal lateral move.

However, their political statuses are worlds apart.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was a high-ranking official in the capital.

They were also entitled to listen in on important decisions made by the imperial court. If they could advance further, they would enter the heart of the decision-making body and control the fate of hundreds of millions of people in the Great Yu Dynasty.

The governorship of Yunnan Province was no less powerful.

After the Duke of Qian regained military and political power, the power held by the Governor of Yunnan was greatly reduced.

To put it bluntly, without the approval of the Duke of Qian's mansion, the governor's orders cannot leave the yamen.

Anyone could tell at a glance that this appointment was tantamount to exile.

Unless you can achieve something, you can forget about returning to Beijing for the rest of your life.

The emperor's revenge was blatantly naked.

The imperial envoy was exiled, and the Duke of Qian's family, the protagonist of this case, also paid a heavy price.

Confiscating mineral resources, imposing fines, and paying pensions are punishments that at most cause a slight financial pain but have little impact on the Duke's mansion.

The imperial mines also needed management, and in Yunnan, the Duke's Mansion was indispensable.

The truly effective punishment was to bring the issue to the forefront, ensuring that the court would keep a close eye on their every move from now on.

Such an event can only happen once.

If this happens a second time, even the accumulated merits of the ancestors of the Duke of Qian's family will not be able to protect them.

Whether the warning had any effect is unknown, but the emperor clearly put thought into handling this matter.

……

Looking at the case closure document in his hand, Fei Xinyuan, now in the Ministry of Justice, felt a surge of anger.

He had to stand up to the Grand Secretary to secure this opportunity for the Qingliu Group.

The final investigation concluded that it was a natural death.

All the previous efforts were in vain.

As for the other charges in the case file, Fei Xinyuan simply chose to ignore them.

The instigation of the border war was done by subordinates; the Duke of Qian's government at most bore supervisory responsibility.

At the time, the governor of Yunnan was in charge of military affairs. If we were to assign blame, it would be the deceased Governor Liu who failed to manage his subordinates properly.

Operating mines illegally is even less of a problem.

Let alone the current Duke, every influential family owns a few private mines!

Even his family, which was the Minister of Justice, had several mines under development.

If the powerful and wealthy are all doing it, then it's as if nobody is doing it.

The Duke of Qian's mansion simply made a bigger commotion, which allowed the imperial envoy to catch them in the act, but this was not fatal.

The emperor has already imposed punishment; to continue making a fuss about this issue would seem petty.

"Someone's coming!"

"Send invitations to Minister Lü and Minister Yue, I will be hosting a banquet for them at my residence tonight."

After a moment's thought, Fei Xinyuan reacted quickly.

He couldn't figure out exactly what had happened in a short time.

The only certainty is that the Qingliu Party's plan has failed again.

In times like these, it is all the more necessary to strengthen internal cohesion in order to cope with subsequent political shocks.

Judging from the outcome, it is clear that Vice Minister Cao, who was in charge of investigating the case, betrayed the Qingliu Group.

Not only did they fail to smear the Duke of Qian's mansion as agreed, they also helped them extricate themselves through their actions.

In politics, traitors are often more hateful than enemies.

Cao Xingwen, who was originally a prominent official in the Qingliu faction, suddenly became a thorn in his side.

In order to stabilize morale, they also had to take action and give him a hard time.

While they may have these thoughts, they must consult with other upright officials before taking any concrete action.

Even a high-ranking official like him, the Minister of Justice, couldn't do anything to a governor who had been transferred to Yunnan in the short term.

If the targeting is too blatant, it's easy for other factions to find fault with it.

……

The Marquis of Hanshui's Residence.

At a time of turmoil in the capital, he was at home taking care of his children.

At the beginning of the year, the Marquis's mansion welcomed another member, and now he is the father of two children.

The younger son is alright; he does nothing but eat and sleep, and the maids do the diaper changing, so he's relatively easy to take care of.

The eldest son is different.

Perhaps it was because of his strong military genes that he had inexhaustible energy and caused a great disturbance in the mansion every day.

"Li Sheng, get over here!"

Hearing his wife's roar from afar, Li Mu smiled slightly.

Only one's own son could break the defenses of a refined young lady like that.

Without exception, Li Sheng, covered in mud, immediately ran towards Li Mu, hoping to seek help.

Unfortunately, this time, Li Mu did not plead for him.

With a burst of wailing cries, this round of the mother-child battle came to an end.

"Madam, please calm down."

It's normal for kids to be lively.

Li Mu said with a smile.

For the safety of the children, any potential safety hazards in the house must be checked every few days.

Ever since Li Sheng learned to walk, the water in the pond has never been allowed to exceed one foot, and the steps in the mansion have been covered with carpets.

"My husband, I'm not angry."

It's just that the fish you kept in the pond were all killed by him.

And that old tortoise almost lost its life too.

The ivory mat that was presented as tribute below has now become waste.

Three vases were broken, a tea set was damaged, and two pieces of graffiti and calligraphy were destroyed.

If I hadn't discovered it early and arranged for someone to move your antique collection in time, it probably wouldn't have escaped your clutches either.

By the way, the ancient books you left outside also couldn't escape this fate.

They even searched your study three times during that time. If the maids hadn't stopped them, I'm afraid…

Before Jing Yaqing could finish recounting her son's great achievements, Li Mu's anger was ignited.

This isn't lively at all; it's clearly professional home-destroying.

In the blink of an eye, the women's singles match turned into the men's singles match, and then another cry rang out.

A childhood without being beaten is incomplete.

You can only know how destructive a naughty child can be by witnessing it firsthand.

"Husband, calm down."

It's normal for kids to be lively.

He returned the words to Li Mu, leaving him speechless and unable to express his bitterness.

Sure enough, the brat got a beating without any ulterior motive.

"Xiao Cui, take the young master downstairs to change his clothes."

From now on, someone must be assigned to follow him at all times!

Li Mu angrily gave the order.

Deep down, he had already begun to reflect on his own parenting style.

In order to ensure his son's healthy growth, he ordered that his servants be forbidden from interfering with Li Sheng's activities unless there was danger.

The effect was very obvious; Li Sheng's body was indeed very healthy, and she almost never got sick.

The aftereffect is that she became overly lively and incredibly destructive.

“Husband, the wind is so mischievous, it must be because of you.”

Jing Yaqing said firmly.

The Duke's family had strict discipline, and she was certain that she had never been this mischievous as a child.

If it's not my responsibility, then it's Li Mu's responsibility.

"Nonsense!"
My husband has been steady and reliable since childhood; how could he be so unrestrained?

"That brat Li Sheng, it must be because we spoil him too much that he developed such bad habits."

Li Mu said, lacking confidence.

The eldest son is now playing with things that were already left over from when he was a kid.

However, since the conditions weren't so favorable back then, the destructive power was limited.

(End of this chapter)