Chapter 594: Management and Management
Zhao Yulin told them: We can't let these people be too shabby. Since Old Lady Xie refuses to repent and is still plotting a restoration, she is guilty. Just stop her expenses, pay her servants as employees hired by the Ministry of Personnel, and give Feiyan's father some gifts for the New Year and other festivals.
Shunzhidi understood immediately and exclaimed: "Great, great kindness."
The little woman hated the Lin'an court for persecuting Zhao Yulin in the past, and didn't want to spend a penny on the empress dowager and the emperor. Now, due to Zhao Feiyan's face, she couldn't take action against the old emperor, but she could play a trick on Old Lady Xie and immediately started to plan according to Zhao Yulin's ideas.
Chen Chen told Zhao Yulin that she would also go there in two days. The case of the fishing tyrant in Huojing reminded her that no matter how far away the prefecture and county were, they could not be left behind and must be strictly controlled.
Zhao Yulin nodded and told her to manage, manage, and manage. Otherwise, the people below would act recklessly.
He thought that Chen Chen had to strengthen the guards when he went on a border patrol, so he habitually called Liang Chen to come over to give instructions, but it turned out to be the new guard captain Jing Gang. He smiled apologetically and said that he was used to calling him that and couldn't change it for the time being.
Jing Gang immediately said: The third young master keeps mentioning Brother Liangchen, and the brothers all know that the young master is grateful.
He ordered Madam Chen Chen to reorganize the guards and equip them with a total of 100 people, and no less expenses should be spared.
Jing Gang agreed noisily, asking the Third Young Master to rest assured, and that everything would be fine.
At Cao's residence in the city, Cao Youwen was having a drink. His wife said enviously that Lord Meng had sent Madam Qian to Wenjiang to take up her post today. The new Song State established by Brother Yulin was great. We women are as good as men and can do the same things.
Lao Cao nodded proudly and drank, telling his wife that men and women were equal in the New Song Dynasty. Lao Cao's two sons and one daughter all worked in the court, and the youngest daughter followed Ma Ling to work as an auditor in the Transportation Department and was promoted to the level of deputy envoy.
The lady regretfully asked Lao Cao to educate his little daughter. She was already grown up and still hadn't gotten married, which made her, as a mother, very worried.
Lao Cao's drinking action froze.
This was also his concern. His daughter had long been at the age of marriage, and matchmakers had been knocking on her door to propose marriage, saying that there were many tall, rich and handsome young men, but she didn't like any of them and was busy with official duties all day and never went home.
The lady hesitated for a moment and asked him tentatively: Why don't we ask Yulin to talk to her about it? Ezi admired him very much and kept praising Yulin.
Lao Cao drank the wine in his glass and told them to stop. How could he bring up such a thing?
As soon as Zhao Yulin, Shunzhidi and Chen Chen left Huaxi Village, the emperor and the empress dowager in the villa knew about it. The soldiers guarding the gate saw the king's procession on the village road, and listened carefully to the villagers' rumors, and immediately knew that their third young master and his two wives had come to Huaxi.
These loyal fans of Zhao Yulin quickly gathered together to chat, and the news reached their ears immediately to the attendants and old maids inside.
The emperor was depressed. Since his good son-in-law had come to Huaxi, why didn't he invite him to have a drink? Although the new year was over, it was still the first month of the year.
The empress was very intelligent and saw through the emperor's thoughts at a glance. She said with a smile: Feiyan is breastfeeding her baby in Xinshi, and I heard that the rape flowers there are in bloom and are very beautiful. Why don't we go to Xinshi to see Feiyan and our lovely grandson?
The emperor was feeling irritated and wanted to find a place to relax. He immediately agreed and asked him to talk to Wuhui tomorrow.
The next day, before Xie Wuhui went out, Shunzhidi arrived with the Minister of Rites Li Liang. After greeting them with a smile, she said: Uncle Zhao has been devoted to writing books and biographies, and has worked hard for the state affairs of the New Song Dynasty. The court rewards Uncle Zhao with 4,000 strings of cash. If you need anything, just let me know.
The emperor was still feeling depressed, but he was delighted to hear Zhidi's praise. As soon as Zhidi arrived, he gave him 4,000 strings of cash, which was much more than his annual salary last year.
When the queen saw several large boxes of gifts in the hall, she looked at the emperor with joy and praised Zhidi for her thoughtfulness and filial piety.
Shunzhi Di then changed the subject and said: Grandma Xie is not so good. She often spreads restoration rhetoric in Huaxi and encourages ministers to seize power and usurp the throne. Although it will not shake the new Song Dynasty, it has set a very bad precedent for those who are plotting evil. The court is not convenient to deal with her because she is an old man from the previous dynasty, and it cannot let her go. Please Uncle Zhao take care of her.
The Ministry of Rites will no longer provide her with financial support, and the servants around her will be paid five strings of cash each. If she continues to behave badly, the Ministry of Rites will dismiss the servants around her and ask her to fend for herself.
Then he called Li Liang over to read the official document.
The emperor was stunned at first, then his face showed joy.
Shunzhidi has brought Old Lady Xie completely under his control.
He had just received 4,000 strings of cash, and Huaxi Villa had enough for him to spend without worrying about food and clothing. The court had cut off the empress dowager's expenses, but had issued salaries for her attendants and maids, so he didn't worry about these trivial matters at all.
On the contrary , the Queen Mother has nothing to use and has no money to spend. She has to rely on her adopted son, hehe.
Zhidi saw the constantly changing expressions on the emperor's face, and told him with a smile: The public servants working for Uncle Zhao are also paid. Please ask the eldest and second ladies to weigh the pros and cons and decide on a person in charge and report to the Ministry of Rites for the record. The court will also pay them an additional half year's salary.
The Queen and the Imperial Concubine were delighted to hear this.
The servants around them also received salaries, and were public servants sent by the court to serve them.
Zhidi continued: Brother Yulin said that the eldest and second wives should have money, just like Madam Danfeng. For now, fifty strings of cash are temporarily set as the monthly allowance to cover food and clothing expenses.
If Uncle Zhao has any other needs, please feel free to let me know.
The emperor and the two women were all stunned and surprised. They kept saying "no, no, it's already good enough".
Xie Wuhui, who was standing nearby, suddenly remembered that the emperor had said he wanted to go to Xinshi to visit Feiyan, and immediately took two steps forward to report.
Shunzhi Di asked her to contact the Ministry of Rites to arrange the trip. She said that there were often idle official ships docked at the South Gate Wharf, and as long as there was a ship, Uncle Zhao could set off at any time.
The emperor felt as if he had fallen into a jar of honey, feeling so sweet and happy.
On the Queen Mother's side, it was a world of difference.
After reprimanding the empress dowager according to the official document, Li Liang completely deprived her of all her expenses, ordered the servants to collect their respective salaries, and supervised Mrs. Xie to behave herself. If she committed any more misconduct, she would be dealt with according to the law.
The empress dowager was so surprised that she stood there in a daze. Seeing Li Liang turn and leave, she opened her mouth and cursed Zhao Qi'er, Zhao Feiyan and Li Liang who had just stepped out of the door. The old nanny hurried over to cover the empress dowager's mouth.
After the servants on both sides came together and whispered, the empress dowager knew that the emperor's book only had a rough draft outline, so Shunzhidi came over and rewarded him with four thousand strings of cash. The two wives also received many new and valuable gifts, and the future expenditure of fifty strings of cash was confirmed. The emperor was watching the imperial concubine counting the money with great interest.
The Queen Mother was furious and heartbroken. She had suffered so much and endured so much pain just to help her son regain the throne and power.
Now her son’s family is happily counting money, but she has been stripped of all her wealth in the cold palace and has nothing. What does this mean?
At this time, news came that the emperor decided to go to Xinshi to visit his daughter Zhao Feiyan and his beloved grandson.
Once the emperor left, she was isolated and helpless here, which was equivalent to being under house arrest. It would be even more dangerous if Zhao Qier took the opportunity to deal with her.
The old nanny looked at the empress dowager helplessly and said: Go find the emperor quickly, we must go with you.
The eunuchs standing nearby looked around as if it had nothing to do with them. These two guys knew that as long as they didn't follow the empress dowager's lead, good things would come of it, so they didn't get involved in these messes.
However, the empress dowager, supported by an old nanny, came before the emperor and said that she wanted to accompany him to Xinshi. However, the emperor refused and did not agree to let her go with him.
The reason was that the Empress Dowager was always talking nonsense, and the Emperor was afraid that he would be implicated and the court would not give him this treatment, so he was determined not to let the Empress Dowager go with him.
The Queen Mother was furious and hysterically scolded him for being ungrateful. How much benefit did Zhao Qi'er give him? He even refused to acknowledge her as his mother. It was just a reward of 4,000 strings of cash. Back then he had rewarded Zhao Qi'er with thousands or tens of thousands of coins.
If my son were still on the throne, he would have everything he wanted. Would it be necessary for him to be so servile?
The emperor's heart erupted like a volcano, and he roared at the queen mother: "Everything in the past was caused by my mother, and you still have the nerve to bring it up? Now my life is ten times and a hundred times better than before. Please go back quickly and don't disturb us again."
The emperor angrily ordered the empress dowager to expel him, which was like pouring a bucket of ice water on her head. The empress dowager looked at the emperor with his back turned stupidly and went back crying.
Not long after, the empress dowager's maid and attendant came to the study to ask to see the emperor. The emperor weakly asked them to sit down and talk, reciting the old friendship where they had both escaped death in the desert. He lamented that the New Song Dynasty advocated equality for all, and that equality was a good thing.
He truly felt the good of equality for all. When he was the emperor in Lin'an, he was second only to the emperor. However, the empress dowager made him feel uneasy and he never had a comfortable life. After returning to Chengdu and living in Huaxi Village, he felt much more relaxed. Especially when he traveled around casually and witnessed the great changes in Sichuan and Shu, he was happy all the way.
He no longer cared whether he became emperor or not.
The Queen Mother, on the other hand, could not let it go. Seeing such a prosperous and powerful country, the old woman regretted her decision to return to power. She knew that the people of the New Song Dynasty were rich and the country was strong, and the court was stable, but she was still unwilling to try to restore the dynasty. This was not only annoying to her obedient daughter.
The emperor said that he wanted to remind everyone because they were all in the same boat, that things had changed. This was the new Song Dynasty, a republic where everyone was equal. It was no longer a confused court where anyone could do whatever they wanted. We all had to abide by the law.
Several servants sat on their chairs, trembling all over, and kept nodding in agreement.
The emperor told them: If they stay in Huaxi Village, no one will come to cause trouble. This time, he and his two wives will go out, and no one else will be brought along. He asked the old men in the palace to keep a close eye on the queen mother and remind her not to talk nonsense again, otherwise she would be caught by the court and would have to go to jail.
When the servants heard that the emperor had made up his mind, they had no choice but to leave with a few people to guard Huaxi Village with them.
