12dz Chapter 121 Domineering
Chapter 121 Domineering
On February 28th, Zhen Huan was canonized and officially became Wanpin, in charge of Suiyuxuan affairs.
As March approached, the atmosphere in the former dynasty became tense.
The war in the southwest went smoothly, and Nian Gengyao and his son made great contributions. Yongzheng conferred the title of first-class duke on Nian Gengyao. His father Nian Xialing was already a first-class duke, and was given the title of Taifu. Nian Gengyao's mother was canonized as a second-rank lady.
Nian Gengyao became more and more arrogant and domineering.
There were more and more memorials in the court accusing Nian Gengyao of being domineering, rude, and corrupt. Yongzheng could not stand Nian Gengyao's words and deeds, but it was not convenient to say it openly. So he issued an imperial edict in front of Nian Gengyao and all the civil and military officials, talking about "It is difficult to be a king, and it is not easy to be a minister." He mentioned that the rumors outside that Nian Gengyao was so powerful that he could influence the government were all nonsense. In fact, he was secretly criticizing Nian Gengyao. He also wrote in red on Nian Gengyao's memorial:
For ordinary ministers, it is easy to seek merit but difficult to achieve it; it is easy to achieve it but difficult to maintain it; it is easy to maintain it but difficult to complete it; for rulers, it is easy to bestow favors but difficult to deserve them; it is easy to deserve favors but difficult to maintain them; it is easy to maintain favors but difficult to fully enjoy them. If one relies on merits to commit faults, the favor will inevitably be turned into hatred. This has always been the human nature.
You meritorious officials, first, rely on your ruler to nip mischief in the bud and prevent it from reaching a dangerous point; second, on you to seize opportunities and not take risks; third, on your officials, both high and low, to avoid suspicion and not lead you to a dead end. All three are indispensable, and the key lies in you meritorious officials' self-reward.
My intentions have long been witnessed by the gods of heaven and earth, and by the holy spirit of my father.
……
Yongzheng's point, in simple terms, is that it's not easy to be a meritorious official, and it's even harder for an emperor to protect a meritorious official. Merits and faults cannot be offset; merits can be rewarded, but faults must be punished. If you become arrogant and disrespect the emperor, committing acts that defy imperial authority and law, no one can protect you. The spirits of heaven and earth, and the spirits of the emperor's father and ancestors, are always watching over you, so you must be extremely cautious in your conduct.
However, Nian Gengyao did not realize the hidden meaning of Emperor Yongzheng's words and did not make any apology or resignation.
A few days later, Yongzheng promoted Zhen Huan's father to be the Chief Censor of the Censorate, in charge of impeaching officials, clearing up grievances, and supervising all the provinces.
In the harem, Zhen Huan and Concubine Hua were equally favored.
Unfortunately, An Lingrong caught a cold and contracted a cough because she went to the Imperial Garden to appreciate the flowers too often.
"What bad luck!" Noble Lady Fucha walked into the courtyard and heard bursts of coughing coming from the west side hall. She covered the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.
After Xiaoyue, her temper became more and more arrogant and domineering. People in the palace felt sorry for her because she had lost her child and did not bother with her much.
"My lady, the emperor has said that your miscarriage has nothing to do with Concubine Wen." Sang'er advised.
Mentioning the unborn child, Noble Lady Fucha felt a sharp pain in her heart. She angrily said, "How could it have nothing to do with her? She was the one who gave me the Guanyin painting. If it weren't for the painting, how could others have taken advantage of it? Now that I've lost my child, she can't expect to have an easy life either! Tell all the servants in the palace to come to the main hall to serve her. Don't leave any for her."
"Yes!"
Noble Lady Fucha holds a high position and is temporarily in charge of the affairs of the palace. Although the people in the west wing of the Yanx Palace regard An Lingrong as their master, they still have to obey Noble Lady Fucha when she has something to say!
After serving An Lingrong her medicine, Caixing came out with the medicine bowl and saw that the yard was empty. She went to the back hall and looked around, but didn't see anyone.
Cai Xing had no choice but to light a fire and boil water herself, and then take advantage of the time when the water was boiling to serve An Lingrong.
An Lingrong drank the bitter medicine and was not able to rinse her mouth with water until a quarter of an hour later.
In the evening, Xiao Luzi and the others returned. Caixing hurried to ask about it, and Xiao Luzi angrily replied, "That noble lady Fucha said she wanted to eat pine nuts and asked us to peel them. She peeled them all afternoon before letting us back. In my opinion, she deliberately detained us and didn't let us serve the young lady."
Cai Xing heard this and went to report to An Lingrong.
An Lingrong thought for a while and sighed, "Never mind, as long as she doesn't go too far, let her be!"
This time, the cough was unusually severe. Despite taking medicine for several days, her condition showed no signs of improvement and instead grew worse. Shen Meizhuang and Su Ye were anxious. They carefully selected fresh loquats, cleaned them, and placed them in a pot, simmering them over low heat. When the rich fruity aroma gradually emanated from the pot and the loquat flesh softened and blended with the water, they added an appropriate amount of rock sugar and stirred evenly. A pot of golden loquat syrup was ready.
After drinking this bowl of carefully brewed loquat juice, An Lingrong's cough gradually got better.
The next day, the Imperial Household Department delivered fabric for the servants' summer clothes, but Concubine Fucha ordered people to take it all away!
An Lingrong was getting a little impatient. She was so happy that she could only shine with a little sunshine! If she continued to endure like this, she would probably push her even further, making her feel even more weak and vulnerable.
Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth, dragged her weak body, and rushed straight into the main hall, ignoring the servants who tried to stop her. "Sister Fucha, I didn't kill your child. Why are you trying to make things difficult for me?"
Noblewoman Fucha raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a disdainful sneer: "Why did you give me the Guanyin painting for no reason? Who knows if you were in collusion with that person!"
Faced with such accusations, An Lingrong's anger instantly ignited, and she shot back, "I gave you the Guanyin painting out of good intentions, hoping that you would be safe and well, but you are so ungrateful!"
However, Noble Lady Fucha disagreed and continued to say arrogantly: "So what? You are just the daughter of a poor family. Even if you are dissatisfied with me, what can you do to me?" Her tone was full of provocation and complacency, as if she did not take An Lingrong seriously at all.
An Lingrong saw the defiance and complacency in her eyes and sneered, "Don't forget that in this palace, family background isn't important; favor is what matters most. You think I can't sleep with you because I have a cough, don't you? But don't forget, Concubine Hui is about to give birth, and the Emperor visits her almost every day. If I go to Concubine Hui and tell her about this, do you think she'll tell the Emperor on my behalf?"
Noble Lady Fucha's expression changed slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm. "It's just a few pieces of cloth, why bother bringing this up with the Emperor? I'll just give it to you, you petty person!"
Although her tone was still stiff, she had already backed off, and An Lingrong did not continue to pester her.
"Sister, you should find out who killed your child!"
After saying this, An Lingrong returned to the west wing hall.
The emperor's explanation was that Ma Yong was originally a guard in the Fucha household. He fell in love with Fucha's maid and tried to force himself on her after being rejected by the maid. He was discovered in time by the people in the Fucha mansion, who beat him up and drove him out. He was rescued by Xia Wei and kept by his side. Later, when he learned that Fucha was pregnant, he bribed two eunuchs to drug her. He has now been sentenced to death by beheading by the Ministry of Justice.