Jia Lian was originally worried about what would happen when Wang Xifeng and Daiyu met, so he came here to take a look.

Seeing that the relationship between the two of them was harmonious at this time, as if they were sisters, Jia Lian felt at ease.

Although he also knew that Wang Xifeng must have used some "means" against Daiyu, such as trying to subdue Daiyu. But he didn't mind. As long as Wang Xifeng was willing to restrain his temper and not embarrass Daiyu, he could be tolerant of her.

Besides, with Daiyu’s intelligence, if Sister Feng can really conquer her and become a well-behaved sister, that would be her ability. Based on Daiyu's personality of keeping away from strangers, Sister Feng would never be able to bribe her without showing some sincerity.

Just look at him and you will know that it was Xiao Nizi who was gained through years of ardent care when Daiyu lost her mother and her father was busy with government affairs and lacked care. of adoration!

And this kind of routine can only be used once. Even if Wang Xifeng wants to imitate the tiger and draw the cat, it will be difficult.

Just as the three of them finished talking and looked at each other speechlessly, the housekeeper's wife hurried over and said that some kind of Eunuch Dai from the palace came to express condolences.

Daiyu and even Wang Xifeng didn’t react much. With the current status of the Jia family, they have contacts with many eunuchs in the palace. Even the first palace manager, they have heard a lot.

But as soon as Jia Lian heard the words of Eunuch Dai, he immediately stood up, said a simple word to Wang and Lin, and left in a hurry.

When I came to the mourning hall, I saw a few small yellow doors in a row. Among them, Dai Quan was in the mourning hall, lighting incense on the coffin, while Jia Lian was waiting beside him.

"Master Zhenyuan, you are well."

After Dai Quan finished offering his condolences, he turned around and saw Jia Lian, and walked over with a smile.

Jia Lian was also busy returning the favor.

"Old slave is here today to express condolences to Mr. Lin according to the emperor's order. And the emperor has an order to send the marquis to the palace, please."

Jia Lian was not surprised to summon Emperor Ningkang. Because Lin Ruhai said that he had written to the emperor recommending him to go to Jiangnan to investigate the case.

Originally, he should have taken the initiative to see Emperor Ning Kang after the meeting, but it was only delayed because of Lin Ruhai's funeral.

He thought that this matter was quite complicated, so he had better let the people in the court sort it out and smooth it out. He would also be able to see some rumors more clearly, so that it would be easier for him to act.

So he asked Dai Quan to wait, he went in, changed his clothes, and then followed Dai Quan into the palace.

On the way, naturally he couldn’t help himself and asked Dai Quan about the situation.

Based on the tacit understanding between him and Dai Quan who came here many times, Dai Quan would be happy to tell him about such insensitive topics. If Dai Quan hesitates to him one day, he may need to reflect and be vigilant.

As expected, Dai Quan did not mince words: "Don't you know, Lord Marquis? It's not a matter of inspecting the salt censor An Siyuan in the Huaihe River. That An Siyuan was dismissed by His Majesty because of his inability to supervise the salt administration. He was ordered to be detained and returned to Beijing for trial, but he died of illness on the way.

The ministers had a quarrel about this matter at the court meeting, and they had another quarrel at the court meeting this morning. Some People think that after His Majesty initiated the reform of the salt policy, the burden on salt merchants increased because they needed to transport grain and grass to the border in exchange for salt. Therefore, it is natural that the salt tax has dropped.

In addition Some people questioned that no matter how much the reduction was reduced, it should not reach more than 30%. Moreover, if the Yan Zheng below was magnanimous, how could An Siyuan die halfway? Therefore, His Majesty ordered a strict investigation. ...

Your Majesty is also very troubled by this matter. He remembered that not long ago, Mr. Lin recommended the Marquis to Your Majesty, so he asked the old slave to recommend the Marquis."
< br /> Jia Lian understood. In fact, he learned about this matter from Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng only thought that this was a corruption case with great influence, and the subsequent direction was unpredictable, but Jia Lian could see from the clues that there was a proper partisanship inside.

As for the partisanship, there are only a few conflicts of interest between the DPRK and China today.

The highest-level struggle for imperial power between the Supreme Emperor and Emperor Ningkang, the civil and military struggle, nobles and courtiers, clear and turbid currents, the prince and the third prince...

Just need Based on the trend of the situation, you can roughly guess it by simply eliminating it.

However, Jia Lian had no intention of participating in these struggles. His position was very clear. He was to be a military commander trusted by Emperor Ningkang, command troops, achieve meritorious service, and be awarded titles, and reach the pinnacle of his life.

So, under normal circumstances, he only needs to consider Emperor Ning Kang's ideas.

From the fact that Emperor Ning Kang asked Dai Quan to report to him, we can roughly guess that Lin Ruhai's prediction was correct. Emperor Ning Kang really wanted to investigate the case thoroughly, just like Lin Ruhai.

With this background, Jia Lian naturally walked into the Daming Palace with confidence.

　……

“I heard that you are in charge of Lin Ruhai’s funeral?”

“Your Majesty, my uncle has no children. , and he had been very kind to Wei Chen since he was a child, so Wei Chen should be the one to send him off."

After a simple question to Jia Lian, Emperor Ning Kang, who was standing behind the dragon table practicing calligraphy, did not He knew what he was thinking, but he hadn't spoken for a long time.

Jia Lian did not ask further questions., stood quietly in the hall and waited.

"I have no children..."

After a long time, I heard Emperor Ning Kang sigh deeply.

Lin Ruhai, as his potential minister, may not necessarily be the closest to him, but he must be among the most talented and most loyal to him.

But it was not until Lin Ruhai became seriously ill that he realized that Lin Ruhai didn't even have a son to support him until he died.

Thinking of the memorial that Lin Ruhai wrote to him before his death, in which he expressed his sincere loyalty to the emperor and his country, he felt very moved. Perhaps only a loyal minister like Lin Ruhai, who was well-read in poetry and well-educated, could have such character.

Before Lin Ruhai died, she was still thinking about how to be loyal to him. Just because he heard that something big had happened in the Jiangnan salt administration, he couldn't wait to recommend someone to go south to supervise him, and promised that he would also help...

Even if he died, he would still be there. It is necessary to entrust the people around him who are familiar with salt administration to Jia Lian and let Jia Lian complete this matter on his behalf. Therefore, as long as he is willing to send Jia Lian as the imperial envoy, he will be very confident that the case will be investigated.

Pulling aside the four characters "loyalty to the emperor and serving the country" on the case, he started writing again, and continued to talk to Jia Lian without raising his head: "I heard that Lin Ruhai has a daughter..."

When Jia Lian heard Emperor Ningkang ask about Daiyu, his heart suddenly trembled.

It was not because he was afraid that Emperor Ningkang would fall in love with Daiyu, but because, under normal circumstances, Emperor Ningkang would not care about the orphan of a dead minister. But no matter what the reason, since Emperor Ningkang had inquired about Daiyu, he could not guarantee whether Emperor Ningkang knew that he planned to marry Daiyu as his concubine with a large gift.

As for other ministers, marrying an official lady as a second wife is rare, but it is not impossible.

But he is different. Only last year, he acted like a "husband and wife are deeply in love" and sternly refused the Queen Mother's marriage offer. This year, he high-profile married the daughter of a high-ranking official as his concubine.

What, do you look down on the Tian family or the Queen Mother?

Knowing well that in front of Emperor Ning Kang, Jia Lian still had little chance to take chances. He immediately nodded and responded: "Your Majesty is right, I have only one daughter at my knees.

Because my little cousin had been frail and sick since she was a child, and was difficult to treat with medicine and stone, Chen's uncle was worried that his cousin would be left alone and helpless after he left, so when he was dying, he entrusted his cousin to me, and was even willing to let his cousin and Chen become concubines...
< br />The minister couldn't bear to refuse his uncle's request, so he had to agree."

Emperor Ning Kang raised his head and glanced at Jia Lian, and suddenly snorted: "What, you also want a second wife? I remember, last year The Queen Mother is about toIf the eldest princess marries you, wouldn't you rather die than surrender? I thought that you and that Wang family were really in love as strong as gold, and we would never let each other down even if we died. ”

No matter how dignified Emperor Ning Kang is, he is still a normal person.

Normal people have normal emotions.

Jia Lian ignored the opportunity to marry her daughter and turned around to accept Lin Ruhai's daughter. It would be surprising if he had no objection.

Jia Lian knelt down and explained: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Affection.

The two should never be confused. Your Royal Highness, the eldest princess, is such a heavenly figure. How honored you are to be chosen by the Queen Mother as your consort?

No matter how arrogant I am, I still know the difference between respect and distinction.

If I want to marry the eldest princess, I must divorce my wife first. The Wang family is fierce and has strong self-esteem. If she is abandoned, she will inevitably die.

I really dare not do such a treacherous and unconscionable thing. In this way, I can only let down the great love of the Queen Mother.

But my uncle entrusted his cousin to me, just asking me to take care of my cousin for the rest of my life. Although my cousin is my uncle's daughter, she belongs to the golden generation of weak girls. I feel confident that I can shoulder this responsibility, so I didn't refuse my uncle.

I hope your Majesty will understand the true meaning of this. ”

Emperor Ning Kang just made a casual remark. In fact, he did not take this matter to heart.

Moreover, as Jia Lianyuo said, his daughter, There is a world of difference between nature and the daughter of a minister.

Jia Lian dares to let Lin Ruhai’s daughter be a concubine. Is it possible that he dares to let the princess be a concubine? If he dares to think like that, I will chop off his head.< br />
It was through this topic that he felt a little bit of Lin Ruhai’s thoughts during his lifetime.

Lin Ruhai must have loved his only daughter very much, otherwise he would not have let her go before her death. No less, he would rather sacrifice his own reputation, and find someone he can trust to take care of him for the rest of his life.

It’s sad to think about it.

In fact, he could do it He came to me. As long as I give my will, can't he guarantee that his daughter will be safe and prosperous for the rest of her life?

Emperor Ning Kang was a little blamed. Lin Ruhai even reached the last moment and refused to come to ask him.

This is the so-called Qingliu, and it is the real Qingliu. Be loyal to oneself and never bother the Holy Listener for his own private affairs.

Emperor Ning Kang appreciated Lin Ruhai’s loyalty, and I felt sorry for him, so I thought like this afterwards.

In fact, if Lin Ruhai really came to beg him for her daughter's affairs, I'm afraid he would agree even if, I might feel a little unhappy.

After all, kindness comes from the Supreme Being, how can it be reasonable for a minister to take the initiative to beg?

He is the lord of the world and has hundreds of millions of subjects. If we set an example casually, there will be more restless people in the future.

People are like this, and they may not be happy if others come to ask for help. But if others don't ask him for help, they will secretly feel guilty and blamed.

"Get up. I don't want to argue with you about the past.

However, Lin Ruhai has been a public servant all his life and does not even care about his family. He does not want to be called a national scholar. That's too much.

Since you have been entrusted by him, you should keep your word and not let him down..."

Emperor Ning Kang originally intended to teach Jia Lian a lesson, telling him not to let him down Lin Ruhai. He suddenly remembered that Jia Lian was a military commander and would be used in many places in the future.

If you are leading troops outside, three to five years is normal.

And it sounds like Lin Ruhai's daughter is as frail and sickly as Lin Ruhai, and Jia Lian's fierce wife Wang is rumored not to be a good match.

If Jia Lian is at home, he will naturally be suppressed. If Jia Lian is away on an expedition, I am afraid that the Wang family should be the master of the family.

Then he pondered for a moment and changed his words: "Lin Ruhai served me for half his life and never received many rewards from me.

This time he died young, since he only had one daughter to worry about. , I will give him a reward.

Come and convey my will:

The daughter of the former Lan Tai Ling, gentle and quiet, a lady from a well-known family, is a lady of everyone. A model, he was named 'Rural Lord' and given the title 'Lin'."