Chapter 403 Gifts
The Queen Mother's family had arrived in the suburbs of Beijing three days ago, where the Ministry of Rites taught and performed etiquette, including when to cry, when to cry, and when to stop.
The Wang family are all honest and dutiful village farmers, so they naturally have no problem with the demands of the imperial court.
The assassin chose to make trouble the night before the Wang family entered the capital, which really caused a headache for the Ministry of Rites. Shang Shuyuan Jiuding entered the city an hour earlier to discuss countermeasures with the prime minister, Shen Mingzhi went to see the emperor, and the emperor sent someone into the palace to ask the queen mother. After going around in circles, the final decision is that it is business as usual, and good things cannot be postponed because of the harassment of assassins.
The messenger rushed to the outskirts of the city to inform the Wang family.
Han Ruzi also had to prepare early. First, he ordered Jing Zhaoyin to suspend the large-scale search. Before noon, the merchants who had no direct contact with the assassins were to be released. Then he entered the palace to join the Queen Mother and the Queen, and prepare to go to the future king. home mansion.
The Empress Dowager Shangguan said she was ill and did not participate in the event.
The palace has not returned to calm.
A palace gate Sima actually colluded with an assassin. This was another major blow to the palace guards who had already been riddled with loopholes. The eight battalions of the guards were all panicked. After arresting them and waiting for their release, Liu Jie, the supervisor of the Central Division, also conducted a major combing of the palace staff, guaranteeing each other that no one would be allowed to walk alone at night from now on.
After seeing his mother and the queen, Han Ruzi took the time to summon the generals of the eight battalions, a total of eight captains and sixteen deputy captains, and praised them equally, praising them for their quick response, not letting the assassins approach Qiuxin Palace, and even the traitors. Sun's famous boss is no exception.
The generals were grateful and released the soldiers of the headquarters after returning, but they still had to be monitored and they were not allowed to go home.
Han Ruzi must first stabilize the military's morale, and not allow several assassins to disrupt the capital. The Holy Army Division is a hopeful person, and the assassination planned by him must be more careful.
After seeing the generals, Han Ruzi went to see the queen alone again. Cui Xiaojun had not heard of Sun Ming's confession, and was shocked that his father and himself had been assassinated one after another.
Han Ruzi didn't tell her the truth, but only comforted her for a while, "The assassins have almost all been arrested, and there will be no more accidents. The news from the Tai Hospital said that the general has been able to speak, and there should be no worries about his life. Tomorrow Let's go to Cui Mansion to visit him together."
Cui Xiaojun smiled reluctantly, "The Cui family deserves this disaster, and Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about it."
The streets outside had been cleared, and the Su Wei army lined up along the street to keep the people out. Liu Jie came in to announce that the emperor, queen mother, and queen could leave the palace.
The journey is very close, and the provincial house has been redecorated. It still belongs to the emperor, and will soon belong to the new owner.
Empress Dowager Cining was relatively indifferent to the arrival of her mother's family at first, but when it came to this day, she showed a bit of excitement, and summoned Mrs.
The eunuch Zhang Youcai just came back from the suburbs of Beijing. He has been with the Wang family, and found Wang Cuilian, who originally called the queen mother "little sister", and brought her family to Beijing. He is a trusted eunuch by the emperor's side. He doesn't say why, and no one else asks.
Zhang Youcai met the emperor and was immediately called to the Empress Dowager Cining's side. He knew more details than Mrs. Ping'en Hou, and he explained it in a succinct manner. Mrs. Pinnhou, who was standing on the other side, was envious.
It was still a while before the Wang family entered the city. Han Ruzi was not idle. He accompanied his mother for a while and went to a cross-courtyard to summon several cronies.
He got a string of confusing messages.
Qiao Wanfu had seen several business leaders an hour ago. They did not come to collect debts or delay the deadline, but handed over all the IOUs in their hands as gifts for the Queen Mother to save her relatives.
This is a great gift. In exchange for Emperor Wu, it can only be collected by the most severe imperial decree. The current emperor did nothing but sent someone to intimidate a little. .
Qiao Wanfu was taken aback, he didn't dare to take it like this, and immediately asked to see the emperor, because the matter was more urgent, so he was ranked first.
Han Ruzi was also surprised, "What do they ask for?"
"I don't have any requirements. If I hadn't stopped them, they would have burned all the IOUs on the spot." Qiao Wanfu briefly recounted his previous visits to Han Chou and Shen Mingzhi, "Could it be that these two convinced the businessman? ?"
Han Ruzi was still puzzled and called Jin Chunzhong from outside.
Jin Chunzhong has also been waiting for a while. He was ordered to go to Han Chou's mansion to arrest the holy army division under the pseudonym Yunxiong, but he returned empty-handed.
"Han Choutian went out before dawn. The servant doesn't know where he went. As for the holy army division, someone in the mansion did see him, but he left last night. Lian Danchen has already arranged to arrest people, and the two of them won't be able to escape much. Far away, you will be caught before dark." Jin Chunzhong was very sure of this.
Han Ruzi asked Jin and Qiao to jointly investigate the reasons for the businessman's change of attitude. Until the truth is revealed, he will not accept the businessman's flattery.
Everything went so smoothly, but Han Ruzi was even more vigilant.
The deputy commander of the Sword and Halberd Battalion, Wang He, came in with a guard and had only one request: "Please allow the two of us to stay by your side."
"Are you still worried about the 'the person next to me'?"
Wang He nodded, "I interrogated Luan Kai again. Although this person speaks out of the blue and doesn't know much, he will not lie. I think he is just a bait, and the upright assassin has not yet arrived." Wang She paused. , "It is a great event for the Queen Mother to save her relatives, but there are more than 40 members of the Wang family, so it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no problems."
"Donghai Kingdom and the relevant ministries have thoroughly investigated these people. They are all native farmers... Well, the two of you stay." Han Ruzi changed his mind and kept two more guards by his side.
Wang He bowed, stood behind the emperor with another guard, and glanced at Meng E on the other side.
The target he really guarded against was this palace maid.
The emperor trusted Meng E, and Wang He had no choice but to trust her, but when Meng E and the assassin Luan Kai competed, Wang He was there.
Even though Luan Kai was seriously injured and faced the enemy with one arm, he was still a first-class expert. Wang He felt that he was not his opponent, but Meng E won, barely, but the skill he showed exceeded Wang He's expectations.
Wang He then transferred the highest and most trusted guard in the battalion to stay by the emperor's side with him to guard against Meng E.
Meng E didn't seem to notice that glance. Now she is just an ordinary palace maid, and outsiders can't see that she has a stunt.
Liu Jie, the supervisor of the Central Division, came in to report that the Wang family had entered the city and would soon enter the mansion.
This is not a formal court meeting, but a family banquet. The rules can be relaxed. The Empress Dowager Cining and the Emperor sit on the soft couch in the main seat. The Empress sits on the stool on the other side of the Empress Dowager. There are many female officials and eunuchs on both sides. It looks like There are a lot of people, a little crowded, but the location is not chaotic at all. Not only are officials from the Ministry of Rites supervising all this, but Liu Jie and other eunuchs in charge also pay attention to everyone's words and deeds, and everyone must agree with the empress dowager and the emperor's sorrows and joys.
To Han Ruzi's surprise, he saw Zong Zhengqing Han Chou in the hall.
Instead of running away, Han Chou brought a group of officials from Zongzheng's mansion to the residence of the relatives.
Jin Chunzhong and Lian Danchen are both cautious people, and it is a strange thing to miss the most important place.
Han Ruzi asked Zhang Youcai next to him in a low voice, "When did Han Chou arrive?"
Zhang Youcai had just returned, and he didn't know much about what was going on here, so he was stunned for a moment and couldn't answer.
The Empress Dowager Cining heard the emperor's words and said, "Han Chou was guarding outside the palace early in the morning. I asked him to accompany him. Didn't your majesty see him at that time?"
Han Ruzi became more and more surprised. After thinking for a while, he said in a very low voice, "Mother..."
"I know what Your Majesty wants to say." Empress Dowager Ci Ning sighed softly, "All things will be discussed after saving relatives. Although Han Chou is not a worthy minister, he has no second thoughts about His Majesty. I can guarantee it."
Han Ruzi wanted to talk about the fact that Han Chou hid the Holy Soldier, but in the end he kept it in his heart, "Okay, mother."
It was his mother's day, and the assassin had ruined the atmosphere, and he didn't want to add to it.
Before the Wang family arrived, a group of people could not be in the hall. The Ministry of Rites had already made arrangements. Many children of the clan and relatives came to congratulate them. At this time, they were called in by turns and said some auspicious words.
Cui Teng came on behalf of the Cui family, and everyone else spoke strictly according to the requirements of the Ministry of Rites. He was the only one who had to be special. After kneeling on the ground to congratulate, he got up and smiled and said to the Queen Mother: "I also wish the Queen Mother to hold the emperor's grandson early. Mao."
The ceremonial officials at the scene were very dissatisfied, but could not say anything, but Ci Ning smiled and said to the queen who was sitting next to her, "It's still your Cui family who can talk, the queen still needs to work hard for the harem."
The queen blushed slightly, and said yes in a low voice.
Cui Teng stepped back with a smile, thinking he was decent.
Zongzheng's mansion is also in charge of relatives. Han Chou has already congratulated once, and then he came forward again, and also said a flattery saying that he hoped that the empress dowager would hold the emperor's grandson soon.
At the entrance of the hall, Jin Chunzhong was probing his brain. He was not a high-ranking relative, so he could only come in with the crowd to congratulate him, and he was not qualified to come in alone.
Han Ruzi noticed that Jin Chunzhong had something to say, and winked at Zhang Youcai.
Zhang Youcai hadn't seen the emperor for a while, and he still understood the emperor's thoughts. He took two steps back, walked around the door from behind the crowd, disappeared with Jin Chunzhong, and came back soon, quietly handing the emperor a piece of paper strip.
Han Chou stepped back, and the next group of ladies came in. They congratulated them honestly, and they didn't even dare to raise their heads.
Han Ruzi took the opportunity to glance at the note.
There are words on the back, Han Ruzi turned it over and recognized that it was Qiao Wanfu's handwriting, and the content was also related to Han Chou: Zhongshang admitted that the gift was instructed by Zong Zhengqing.
Han Ruzi looked at the smiling Han Chou, completely confused.