Uncle Lai in the Red Chamber

Chapter 325 Aftermath
Although Mrs. Wang is over forty years old, she is well-maintained and has the blessing of being the biological mother of Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu, so Lai Shangrong does not dislike her.

If it was said that with Aunt Zhao, he could barely survive the second master's addiction, then this time he felt truly happy.

Coupled with the fact that he was first implicated by Yuanchun and then plotted by Mrs. Wang, his revengeful emotions were fully vented.

Of course he couldn't help but torture Mrs. Wang as to why she plotted against him like this.

However, Mrs. Wang did not dare to tell the truth and claimed that she had taken Jia Zheng's medicinal wine by mistake. After finding out, she hurried to the side hall and happened to meet Lai Shangrong coming out.

For a moment, I didn't know how to explain it, so I chose to evade in a hurry.

Lai Shangrong didn't believe this explanation, but he could only give her small punishments and big warnings.

Since she had concealed something and had not revealed anything, Lai Shangrong didn't bother to care about how she would deal with the aftermath, how she would explain to Aunt Xue, and how she would leave the two of them in the side hall without returning.

After all, it was her fault, and he was just a victim.

Of course, revenge was a temporary pleasure, but it was not without its sequelae. After all, he didn't know Mrs. Wang's true thoughts.

Although Mrs. Wang repeatedly asked him if he had calmed down, how could he possibly guess such metaphysical things.

Just because he couldn't figure out Mrs. Wang's true attitude, he didn't go to Rong Mansion again for more than ten days.

Even for Xing Xiuyan's birthday, he only took a day off to spend time with her, and even Lin Daiyu from the Rong Mansion was not invited.

It's not that he treats them differently, but the trend has been a bit biased recently, which makes him feel worried and not in the mood to celebrate.

Most of the concubines in the harem came from the families of courtiers and nobles.

And as the two visits by Jiao Fang's family members passed, the news that the virtuous concubine Jia Yuanchun was ordered to reflect behind closed doors inevitably spread to the ears of interested people outside the palace.

Although, this is just a trivial matter in the harem, and there are even many concubines in the palace who have experienced this.

But it also depends on the situation. There is no small matter in heaven, and everything is related to the world. This is not an empty statement.

If the concubine who was punished had no background, it would naturally not be taken seriously.

Although the Rongguo Mansion is not as good as before, Lai Shangrong, who was born in the Rong Mansion, is a holy family member, and he also holds the Salt and Iron Company and the State-owned Second Company, all of which are full of oil and gas.

Although the courtiers did not know the specific reason why the emperor punished Yuanchun, in their view, Lai Shangrong was born in the Rong Mansion and was not unrelated to Yuanchun's punishment.

In particular, the rumors spread by Mei Gong when she broke off the engagement and left, inevitably made the courtiers think that Emperor Zhenglong was suspicious of Lai Shangrong.

As a result, things inevitably continued to ferment.

The first person to take action was the Yushitai. Yan officials had the right to report rumors and would not be punished for their words, so they seized on the rumors and impeached Lai Shangrong for his misconduct and disrespect for the country.

The Ministry of Rites also followed suit, questioning Lai Shangrong's disregard for the interests of the court and making various promises that were not in line with the interests of Daxia when he met with Korean and Japanese envoys and handled diplomatic matters.

Finally, the Right Minister of the Ministry of Revenue even publicly impeached Lai Shangrong in the morning court for embezzling state treasury revenue without authorization to build houses for workers to win over people's hearts with ulterior motives.

If he hadn't caught a glimpse of Yuanchun's happy couple in the harem, Lai Shangrong wouldn't have speculated.

After all, he would either report everything first, or he could be regarded as taking the blame for the emperor.

But at this juncture, he had to think more and even doubt whether these impeachments were ordered by the emperor.

However, it is not all without gain. In the past few days, Yuan Chengtao, Sun Yun, Chen Wu and others have been busy making plans. He has seen them all and can use people's hearts.

But the more times this happened, the less he dared to act rashly. He suspected that every move he made was under the surveillance of Jin Yiwei, so he forcibly stopped their impulsive actions.Also troubled by this was Emperor Zhenglong.

The reason why he only gave Yuanchun small punishments and big admonitions was that on the one hand he was really angry, and on the other hand it was to appease Lai Shangrong.

Unexpectedly, it caused such a huge reaction from the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.

In fact, the courtiers had different purposes. Yushitai wanted to get rid of him as a rat, but the Ministry of Rites really believed that he was against the interests of the court.

The Ministry of Revenue and other civil servants and generals were jealous of the benefits of the State-owned Division.

Because Lai Shangrong founded the State-Owned Division by himself, he could not throw water into the operation of the State-Owned Division. Once he loses power and collapses, the vacant position will always be able to get a share of the pie no matter what.

The civil and military forces of the entire dynasty worked together, which not only proved from the side that Lai Shangrong was a lonely minister, but also made Emperor Zhenglong wary.

Is King Zhao Xiaocheng really stupid who tried to use Zhao Kuo against everyone else?
actually not.

Zhao Guodu staged the general and prime minister, which king can rest assured?

Moreover, Zhao Kuo is not without merit. In the battle of Changping, Lian Po will definitely be able to defeat Bai Qi?
The gap in military strength is a reality before us.

Many people only saw the annihilation of the Zhao army, but did not see the casualties of the Qin army. They also ignored the fact that behind the annihilation, how many were killed after the war.

The Qin army could only be described as a miserable victory in the Battle of Changping. Perhaps it was because the casualties were too great that Bai Qi could not accept it, so he killed them to vent his anger.

Emperor Zhenglong, who was familiar with history books, knew all of this.

Nowadays, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, including Lai Shangrong and others, use the topic to follow the trend and set a precedent. Who will dare to be a solitary minister without any distractions in the future?
Under the sorrow of the rabbit and the fox, it was only a matter of time before Li imperial power was emptied.

After retiring from the court, Emperor Zhenglong was also upset and unknowingly came to the Queen's Fengzao Palace.

While Queen Tian welcomed Emperor Zhenglong into the palace, she asked with concern: "The Emperor seems to be restless?"

Emperor Zhenglong said angrily: "What kind of ideas do these people have? They really can hide it from me... If I go along with their wishes today, I'm afraid I will have to go to Longwangshu tomorrow!"

"I don't dare to discuss the affairs of the government, but I can still say a few words about the affairs of the harem. Although the virtuous concubine behaves badly, her original intention is good after all. Small punishments and big warnings serve as a warning, so that's all!"

The affairs of the harem may be hidden from the emperor, but the queen knows everything in detail.

Why Yuanchun was punished was no secret to her.

She is familiar with the emperor's temperament, and she doesn't mind helping a concubine who has no chance of turning around.

What's more, it can also be used to win over Lai Shangrong.

Since the emperor was worried about this, he had no intention of using it as an excuse, so Lai Shangrong was still a rare commodity.

Emperor Zhenglong pondered: "The Queen means to cancel the treatment of the virtuous concubine and send a signal to the court?"

"I don't dare to speak nonsense about the affairs of the imperial court. It's just a selfless matter for the royal family. Everything concerns the world. Your Majesty, please think twice!"

After a pause, he continued: "Concubine Xian De still holds the post of minister of Fengzao Palace, my concubine. If the emperor is still not at ease, it is better to leave it to my concubine to discipline her."

"The queen is still in my heart. If a loyal minister is implicated due to the actions of a stupid woman, I will not be able to bear it."

After a pause, he said with a serious face: "The queen is very restrained, just don't let me see her again in the future, so as not to make you upset."

(End of this chapter)