Zhu Houzhao just lost interest in Concubine Hua and found feelings in a new woman.

This woman was like a lotus that he carefully selected from the sludge and washed away all the dust and bloomed with beauty, giving him an inexplicable excitement. The smartness, ability and wisdom revealed by the woman were incomparable to even the Concubine Hua.

Although Hua Fei is smart, she is not very knowledgeable. The new woman is proficient in poetry, books, rituals and music, and is also outstanding in terms of talent. In addition, she has a unique charm formed by both beauty and grace and the conciseness of time, which makes Zhu Houzhao unable to stop.

For several days, Zhu Houzhao summoned the woman to the title and gave her the title to the woman, named Concubine Li.

As for the original name of this woman, Zhu Houzhao didn't know. In fact, many women of this era did not have names. Zhu Houzhao liked to give names to the women around him, so as to satisfy his abnormal control. After that, Zhu Houzhao would take Concubine Li with him no matter what he did.

For a moment, Concubine Hua was left alone and was not cared about.

It's the twelfth lunar month in a blink of an eye.

Chen Xi's injury did not continue to worsen, and Zhu Houzhao did not visit him after hearing this. As for the case of Hou Ning and Hou Jianchang, it was dragged on. Empress Dowager Zhang sent someone to mention it several times to Zhu Houzhao that she wanted her younger brother to come out of the cell as soon as possible, but she failed to get Zhu Houzhao's permission.

According to Zhu Houzhao's words, it depends on Chen Xi's injury in the end. If Chen Xi dies, Jianchang Hou will be buried with him.

In addition, Zhu Houzhao and Concubine Li had a hot fight during this period, so he no longer cared about the affairs of the palace.

If you want to talk about the easiest and most comfortable period of this period, Xie Qian is the one who can talk about it.

Chen Xi did not sing a counter-topic with him in the court, and Liang Chu was also summoned back to Beijing. As a result, Xie Qian had the right hand and no one in the court could disobey his wishes. In addition, Zhang Yuan, the chief supervisor of the Sili, had no ability, and he almost completely copied the votes made by the cabinet, so that Xie Qian could basically make a decision in the court affairs, and he would decide everything in the Ming Dynasty.

Every day, Xie Qianghuo had to face all kinds of people, especially those in the six ministries, and would ask him for advice whenever he encountered any problems.

This is a state of operation of the court that Xie Qian is very much looking forward to, that is, the cabinet is the government's operation, and the influence of the Sili Supervisor has been reduced to the lowest point. In addition, Zhu Houzhao does not care about the matter at all, so Xie Qian actually hopes that such days will last longer.

On the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, He Jian took the Ministry of Personnel officials to meet Xie Qian. After discussing the matter, they arranged wine and had dinner in the room.

Although it was cold outside, there was a stove in the room, which was as warm as spring.

Xie Qian had someone boiled the wine, and added it to the side dishes such as pastrami, braised pork ears, peanuts and other side dishes. His life was very comfortable. Xie Qian had not been home for many days. He walked around the cabinet every day and would go back to his yard and wait for others to come and ask about it. This place has become the center of the Ming Dynasty.

He Jian said: "I went to visit Zhihou's injuries yesterday. It was fine. I could walk down the ground... Your Majesty has not stopped the case of Zhang's relatives. It should be just waiting for Zhihou to recover. I guess the case should be settled before the end of the year."

The thinly sliced ​​pastrami was fragrant. Xie Qian picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, smashed it a few times, and then said, "It's a blessing that the boy is not dead. Isn't he still so reckless in the future... Have you told him something else?"

Seeing that Xie Qian had a good appetite, He Jian knew that the Prime Minister was in a good mood and shook his head and sighed: "I talked about the case of a relative in the foreign country. He said that the case was the responsibility of Lao I. He was inconvenient to interfere, and he would not put pressure on me. In my opinion, Zhihou was not the kind of villain who would revenge the vengeance."

"snort!"

Xie Qian was a little disdainful, "Can he compete with his relatives? Even if his relatives do not follow the rules, what if they are careless about human lives? He is hitting the stone with eggs, and it is good to be able to save his life now... Come on, eat more. This is the local government in the suburbs of Beijing who dealt with more than ten old, weak and sick cows, and slaughtered them in a concentrated manner. I asked my family to buy some bacon, which I can't eat normally."

For Xie Qian, the Prime Minister, the beef is still a rare thing. With the cooking method, the slag in the mouth is softened and the aftertaste is long. He ate it so fragrant, and it is stuffed into his mouth one by one, which is very enjoyable.

He Jian tasted the same as chewing wax, and he could barely swallowed it and shook his head and sighed: "I'm old, I can't chew it anymore, or I'm worried about the court, and I don't have the appetite. Bingde's side... the situation is not very good. Recently, he always claims to be sick. I went to visit him and found that his physical condition was indeed worrying."

He Jian is talking about Bai Yue, the Minister of Rites.

Last time the court discussed the issue of commercial taxes and military expenditures, Bai Yue came up and begged her to return to the land, but was rejected by Zhu Houzhao. At that time, Xie Qian felt that Bai Yue was whining without any illness, but now after seeing He Jian's sigh from the bottom of his heart, he couldn't help but feel moved, saying, "What kind of disease is Bingde?"

"All diseases are plagued by, and they are all common geriatric diseases. After all, Bingde is already at the age of knowing destiny, so it's not surprising that there are any problems... Yu Qiao, you are in good health. I went to visit Binzhi before, and he has been in bed for several months." He Jian sighed.

After Li Dongyang abolished the Grand Scholar, he stayed in the capital and stayed in the capital's house... Although this former assistant grandson was from Chaling, Changsha Prefecture, Huguang, his family was born in the army for generations. His father went to the capital to guard it and belonged to the Jinwu Left Guard, so the capital was considered his home.

"Ahem!"

Xie Qian couldn't help but cough violently when he heard this. He touched his chest for a long time before he finally recovered.

He Jian said: "Look at you, you are anxious about everything you do, and now you are even like drinking..."

Xie Qian sighed: "Look at what Shiguang, what does it have to do with me if both of them are not in good health? I have become a sin to be strong in love? Binzhi has retired for some time. I went to see him at the beginning of the year. He has had many radical words about the affairs of the court and has many dissatisfaction with His Majesty today... Now that Liu Jin is dead, the affairs of the court are basically peaceful, can't he be obsessed with you and have a few days to live a peaceful life?"

He Jian looked at Xie Qian and said, "Yu Qiaoke has a plan to increase the candidates for cabinet ministers? The cabinet is busy now, is there enough people in just a few people?"

Xie Qian's face was not very good-looking. Although he was the leader of the cabinet now, most of the votes were basically planned to be handed over to Liang Chu and Yang Tinghe. He was only responsible for major events. Although Xie Qian knew that Liang Chu and Yang Tinghe were very busy, in his opinion, it was much easier than when he and Yang Tinghe were in the cabinet at the time, so he did not have the intention to add people to the cabinet anymore.

"Shiguang, why did you suddenly mention this matter? Do you want me to propose to Your Majesty that Binzhi will return to the court to continue to serve as the Grand Secretary?" Xie Qian asked.

He Jian shook his head: "Isn't this for you? I also know that it will be difficult to come back after leaving the cabinet. The conflicts between His Majesty and Guest are known to the court, and I will naturally not cause trouble for you... However, some old Hanlin officials are unable to handle affairs in the court, and they may still be able to use their remaining energy to the cabinet."

Xie Qian thought about it and Bai Yue was the second best in the imperial examination in Chenghua in the 20th year. In that year, he was promoted to the Hanlin Academy as an editor. In the ninth year of Hongzhi, he was promoted to the Hanlin Academy. He was promoted to the Hanlin Academy and became a bachelor of the post of the Ming Dynasty. He was qualified to enter the cabinet. Of course, Chen Xi was also from the Hanlin Academy and is currently popular with Zhu Houzhao and is even more qualified to enter the cabinet.

Xie Qian couldn't help but ask, "Do you mean Bingde or is it so kind?"

He Jian smiled and said, "You have never forgotten to transfer Zhihou to your office. In this way, you can look at him and not let him cause trouble. But you don't think about it. Even if you want Zhihou to the cabinet, will he agree? The person I am talking about is Bingde, and he is unable to support him in the Ministry of Rites. It is better to go to the cabinet for a few days."

Xie Qian shook his head and waved his hand: "You take cabinet affairs too simply. There are at least hundreds of court affairs that need to be handled every day, and sometimes there are even thousands of them. It is not a brisk job to be a servant there."

He Jian looked at Xie Qian. Although he didn't say anything, his eyes seemed to be saying, aren't you brisk enough?

Xie Qian thought about it and said, "If you have time, I will visit Bingde. With his qualifications, he can indeed enter the cabinet. I have always wanted Dehui to return to the court before, but it seems that it is difficult to achieve for a while. Many things are different from those of the former emperor. Now, Your Majesty almost ignores the affairs of the court, and the Silis and Supervisors do not have much opinion. Everything depends on the support of the cabinet. Appropriately increasing the candidates for cabinet ministers will help improve the efficiency of the court."

He Jian poured a glass of wine for Xie Qian and said, "Since Your Majesty has no intention of the court, the seals of the ceremonial supervisor will not change for a while. In this way, the court can be stable for a period of time. However, after the New Year, Zhihou will have to return to the court to serve. Yu Qiao and Zhihou...ah!"

When it comes to Chen Xi, the atmosphere between He Jian and Xie Qian will become subtle.

He Jian is a good-looking man and always wants to talk about the conflicts with Shen Xi and Xie Qian, but they never work.

Xie Qian grabbed the braised pig ear and chewed it in his mouth, as if he was thinking: "He did his business, and I did my business, what can I do with him? As long as he followed the rules, don't do it randomly, don't always want to make a big splash, can my old bones not tolerate him?"

He Jian said: "It seems that the time when I am recuperating, I have not stopped raising military expenses."

"What?"

Xie Qian was immediately shocked, "Isn't this kid willing to give up?"

"Look at you, what did you say just now? You made a statement to Your Majesty, saying that the court could not afford military expenses, so why not raise the money by itself now? He has no stock in the movable government, but he is just donating it among the people... I just heard someone mention it by chance, and you'd better not object to this issue."

He Jian has a clear attitude and supports Chen Xi on key issues, and does not want Xie Qian to sing the opposite tune with Chen Xi, especially when he believes that Chen Xi is doing the right thing.

Xie Qian put down his chopsticks and said angrily: "I thought he would be able to calm down for a few days after being injured and see what he did! How long has he been back to Jing? First, it was Liu Jin and Zhang's relatives. Next, he wouldn't step on you and me, right?"

He Jian smiled bitterly, didn't say anything to Xie Qian, and picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

Xie Qian realized that saying bad things about Chen Xi in front of He Jian was useless. He Jian was far more powerful towards Chen Xi than him, and couldn't help but say angrily:

"I had suspected before that he was targeting Zhang's relatives in this way because he wanted to monopolize the government and overthrow the obstacles on his path to power. Now he has succeeded. The Zhang family is now just a short marquis and has no actual military power. Shen Zhihou's power has been further consolidated. In the next step, he will not use military power as the second Liu Jin, right?"

"hehe."

He Jian said, "Why are you talking about this again? Yu Qiao, can't you look at Zhihou with your eyes? He was completely forced by the court officials to make suggestions to His Majesty. I still regret going to find him that day."

Xie Qian sighed: "Shiguang, how many days have you known Zhihou? I know this kid's character better than anyone else. He is justified in his work. It seems that you were going to encourage him to enter the Leopard Room to make suggestions that day, but maybe he had long expected this, and even if you went to see him, it was within his expectations. As for the real reason why he met His Majesty, it goes without saying that the Zhang brothers were in the way. With his age, he had such high achievements and such deep cunning, could you cure him?"

He Jian smiled bitterly and shook his head, not wanting to argue with Xie Qian because it had no meaning at all.

...

...

In the cold winter, there is a harmonious atmosphere in the Shen Mansion.

The previous incident of Chen Yi'er offending the emperor came to an end. The emperor did not pursue the matter, so the Shen family naturally would not mention it. As Chen Xi's injury improved, the number of ministers coming to visit the hospital decreased sharply, and the Shen family could finally see the backbone of the Shen family.

Chen Xi often goes to the inner courtyard, but after lunch, he will definitely go back to his ward to rest and always stay alone.

Occasionally, Chen Xi would leave the house when others were not paying attention.

Things in the court are temporarily inseparable from Chen Xi, which is similar to the days when he claimed he was sick, which helped him to abandon distracting thoughts and think about some problems.

"...Sir, during your recovery period, the military situation in the Jiubian border has not deteriorated. However, the troops of the Dayan tribe have begun to attack the Yibula tribe in the west of the Mo. After the beginning of winter, the war has continued. Unfortunately, there are very few news from the grassland and it is very lagging behind. Many news were from a few months ago..."

It is still an inconspicuous courtyard in the west of the city, but it has been changed to another place, adjacent to Jishui Pond, and the scenery is much worse than the previous courtyard. Chen Xi is listening to Yunliu's report in the main hall with a charcoal furnace.

In front of Yunliu, Chen Xi did not have to disguise his injuries at all, because in this assassination, he was only slightly injured, and those scary wounds were all forged by him.

Until now, Yunliu, Xier and others cannot understand why Chen Xi was so seriously injured but healed so quickly. Chen Xi would not explain to them how to use blood bags and mud to forge wounds, and then supplemented with drugs that make the bloodline weakened to create a thrilling assassination.

Chen Xi looked calm when he listened to the report. It was the afternoon when he was in a daze. He was a little absent-minded when he heard it. He turned around and looked at the sky outside the window. When he turned around, he waved his hand: "I don't want to hear about the military situation in the north. Just tell me the situation around the capital."

Yunliu said: "Do you want to ask about the rebellion around Gyeonggi?"

Chen Xi nodded: "Let me tell me what I can say, I want to know more about inside and outside the capital."

Yun Liu Gongji replied: "After the winter months, the Qima area in Zhili has been transferred to Henan and Shandong, mainly because under the arrangement of the adults, the court has begun to mobilize large troops to encircle and suppress the enemy. There are not many troops stationed in Henan and Shandong, and there are also many room for riot troops to move. Although the troops in the Beijing camp have moved south, it is expected that it will take some time to completely quell the thieves and chaos..."

Chen Xi thought about it and probably understood the situation in the capital.

Although this was not the Liu Liu and Liu Qi uprising in history, the nature was similar. They were all forced by the ills of the court's horse politics and the corruption of foreign relatives and forced buying and selling. In addition, local disasters caused the people to reduce their land and food and not fill their stomachs, so they could only gather to resist the government. The historical rebellion Zhu Houzhao mobilized the northwest border troops to suppress the rebellion, probably because the court lacked enough people around the capital.

Even though Chen Xi had transferred a large number of troops from the local area to change to the capital, in the late period of Liu Jin's reign, this part had been divided and disintegrated, partly followed Wang Shouren to Xuanfu, and the other part followed Yang Yiqing to the northwest to rebel, and more were dismissed back to his hometown.

Shortly after Chen Xi and Yang Yiqing led their troops back to the capital, their troops were quickly repatriated by the court, which is also a microcosm of Xie Qian's military high-pressure policy against Chen Xi.

Chen Xi asked, "Can the south be peaceful now?"

Yunliu hesitated for a moment before replying: "I have never heard of civil unrest in the south, and there may be small-scale chaos, but the local government has not reported it to the court."

Chenxidao: "If there is any chaos in the local area, I don't need to ask you anymore. Just ask the Ministry of War directly. You should pay attention to the situation in the southwest. When I was in charge of Huguang, the chaos in the southwest had not completely subsided. In recent years, disasters and chaos in Sichuan and Guizhou have been reported one after another. On the contrary, Zhengde has not reported it for two years, because I am afraid that local officials will deliberately conceal their achievements and do not report them."

"Yes." Yun Liu bowed.

Chen Xi yawned and said, "I have become a little lazy after recovering from injuries these days. Many things have not been dealt with in time... I asked you to raise military pay before, but what happened?"

Yun Liu replied: "After the adult was stabbed, he had not been able to meet local merchants. He could not give orders on behalf of the adults. However, some merchants used the power of the court to oppose your donation policy. Behind it, it seemed that the cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue were supporting them."

Chen Xi asked with a stern face: "Who?"

Yun Liu lowered his head: "It should be the chief assistant Xie Ge Lao and the Ministry of Revenue Yang Shangshu secretly informed the merchants around the capital, saying that they would not increase their taxes in the next few years."

Chen Xi sighed: "I didn't expect that I was injured for justice in the court. When I was recuperating at home, some people who claimed to be clear-minded and fair were blocking me from raising military funds and stabbing me in the back..."

Yun Liu said respectfully: "However, many merchants are still waiting and watching, looking forward to meeting with adults. In the past few days, Zhou Laosan had not contacted Beizhi again. Before Beizhi tried to find him, he was shirked and said that he was not in the capital."

Chen Xi smiled and said, "Overy merchants can use the power of the court to fight against me. Is Fatty Zhou qualified? He is just a gangster, and it is not difficult to deal with him... I look back and search hard. If I still can't find it, I will take several of his branches before the end of the year to see if he comes to see me on his own initiative!"

"Yes, sir!"

Yun Liu seemed to have been extremely hostile to Fatty Zhou from the beginning. Now with Chen Xi's order, as long as Fatty Zhou dares to betray her, she is very sure to pull out Fatty Zhou's power.

Chen Xidao: "Before the end of the year, we must implement the military expenditure. I will not go back to the Ministry of War to work in the next few days. I will meet the representatives of the chambers of commerce in the capital in private and make it clear to them that if they don't come to meet, they will be my enemy in the future and will not have any room for negotiation. Let them choose to stand by themselves... If the people from the Ministry of Revenue come forward to obstruct, you will ignore it and just tell me what I said in the original form!"

"When will the lord see them? Where are they?" Yun Liu asked.

Chen Xi thought for a while and said, "I remember there is a Fujian Chamber of Commerce Hall in the capital. Although the Fujian Chamber of Commerce is weak in recent years, it is still an extension of the Tingzhou Chamber of Commerce. Just set it there. I also want to meet some old friends."

"After the job is low, I will make arrangements." Yunliu said skillfully.

Chen Xi yawned again: "I'm so tired... I'm going to send a message and call Ma Ang. I want to discuss something with him. I will leave here before dark. If anything happens, you can go directly to my mansion. As long as you enter the mansion in men's clothing, Ma Jiu will assist you."

Yunliu rarely goes to Chen Mansion, or it is a forbidden area for her. When she heard Chen Xi’s words, she felt that this was a recognition of her, and immediately saluted with respect, without more answering language, and went out.
Chapter completed!