bayedsolid Chapter 443 Climbing a high branch
Chapter 443 Climbing a high branch
It just rained lightly.
The sky remained overcast.
There are very few worshippers at Prajna Temple today.
The mountains are cold and damp, with water stains everywhere, so it's not a good time to burn incense.
After all, praying to gods and Buddhas is not something that can be rushed.
Even on ordinary days, worshippers don't just pray to Buddha.
Many of these were noble ladies who rarely left their homes. After being cooped up indoors for so long, they would use the excuse of praying for their families to come out, offer incense, and wander around.
Even worse, some people use this opportunity to arrange marriages or secretly meet their lovers.
The process of men and women choosing each other is quite different from modern blind dates.
Especially in wealthy families, the marriage arrangements would not be known to outsiders before they were finalized.
The places for matchmaking were often arranged under the guise of holding elegant gatherings in one's own garden, or on a painted boat or cruise ship, or as an excuse to accompany elders to offer incense and worship Buddha, while also seeking a marriage partner.
If a woman takes a liking to a man, the man will present her with a gold hairpin to be placed in her hair.
If they don't find a suitable match, they will give them a piece of colored silk to calm their nerves.
In this situation, people would naturally choose to worship Buddha when the sun is shining and the weather is fine.
But there are always exceptions.
Take Jiang Yunze for example.
He used the excuse of accompanying his mother to worship Buddha, but in reality, he came to secretly meet his lover.
Or perhaps it's more than just a secret rendezvous with a beautiful woman...
After all, Jiang Yunze is someone who can give up everything except himself, so he is not the kind of person who would indulge in romantic love.
He accompanied his mother and daughter in a perfunctory worship ceremony, and then vanished without a trace.
When Qiuqiu came back from her stroll, she told Miaomiao that Jiang Yunze first went to the apricot grove on the back mountain to meet a woman, and then went to the library.
Men and women strolled through the apricot grove.
In early spring, apricot blossoms bloom in profusion, and the ground is covered with petals knocked down by the rain. A spring breeze blows by.
Petals drifted down gently, creating a shower of apricot blossoms.
It is full of poetic and picturesque charm.
It must be said that Jiang Yunze, who calls himself a refined gentleman, knows how to choose a date location.
They are also particularly good at manipulating people's hearts.
Even when facing his fiancée whom he was about to marry, he still adhered to etiquette and behaved with propriety.
The coaxing made the widowed Zhou, who had been widowed for many years, extremely happy.
Zhou had concerns at first, after all, Jiang Yunze was more than ten years older than him, had kept a mistress, and had a bunch of children from his previous wives and concubines, all of whom were already adults.
Although the Jiang family has no title to inherit, it is still unsettling to some.
And her third brother, Zhou Mu, had told her rumors about Jiang Yunze more than once.
Abandoning his wife and children, heartless and ungrateful, hypocritical and utterly deceitful...
But the Minister Jiang she met was not like that.
He is truly a gentleman, with refined speech, polite manners, and great thoughtfulness.
It's nothing like the rumors suggest.
Although in the entire Zhou family, only the third brother truly cared for her.
But she was willing to take a gamble.
The parents at home are profit-driven.
Even if she doesn't marry Jiang Yunze, her parents will find her another husband. As a woman who has been married twice, she will inevitably be criticized and harassed by her in-laws. It's hard to say whether it will be good or bad.
Rather than something so unbearable, it's better to choose Jiang Yunze.
At least his family was not of high social standing, his clan was simple, and he only had an elderly mother at home.
It's much easier to deal with than my previous husband's family.
Jiang Yunze pleased Zhou Shi before preparing to go to the library to see his future father-in-law.
Although his marriage to Zhou was arranged by Prince Chen, Prince Chen has not paid much attention to him since Jin'er's death.
After all, he was just a minor fourth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites.
As far as Prince Chen is concerned, he doesn't seem to have much use.
In the past, the emperor had treated him differently.
The current emperor frequently claims illness and avoids attending court.
Even if he tried his best, he had no chance to shine.
Moreover, when he last met the Emperor, he already showed signs of old age, so it was only a matter of time before the new dynasty replaced the old one.
One emperor and one courtier.
Someone like him, without any connections, just needs an opportunity.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pledge allegiance.
However, he could only continue to climb the social ladder to Prince Chen through the promotion and recommendation of his superiors and future father-in-law.
He walked quickly towards the attic and climbed the steps.
When I got to the third floor, I could vaguely hear people talking inside.
This is where Yan Xiang met with his colleagues.
Of course, there are more than one such place, and Prime Minister Yan may not necessarily show up.
When Yan Xiang sat down in that seat, he didn't even need to say anything; a glance or a gesture sufficed.
People rushed to serve him.
The matters discussed here are not usually confidential or major.
If it were classified, there wouldn't be so many people.
Today's topic is the abolition of the empress.
With the imprisoned empress deposed, and Empress Cao gone, the Crown Prince and Prince Jing's faction are nothing more than grasshoppers in autumn, unable to hop around for long.
It's no secret that the empress was deposed.
To please the emperor was their duty as subjects.
The emperor was very wary of the empress, wary of her prestige in the court, the palace, and among the people, and wary of her talents.
Even if the Crown Prince successfully ascends the throne, the Emperor will not allow Empress Cao to become Empress Dowager.
Therefore, Empress Cao was destined to die.
Today's meeting was chaired by Minister Lu.
As was customary, Prime Minister Yan did not appear, but he remained in the next room, listening to the lively discussions of his subordinates.
He wasn't the only one listening; Prince Chen was too.
Although Yan Fu was the Left Chancellor and held a high position of power, there were still people who blocked his way and obstructed his path.
This person was Cui Yan, who held the position of Right Chancellor at a young age.
That brat, relying on the Emperor's trust and the Cui family's prestige in court, opposes him at every turn.
Cui Yan must be eliminated; he also wants to become the emperor's father-in-law.
Now we're just one step away.
Speaking of which, he is now considered Prince Chen's father-in-law. His daughter didn't become Prince Jing's concubine, but she did become Prince Chen's woman as she wished.
His daughter did not disappoint him.
Having only been in the Prince Chen's mansion for a few months, she had already turned the Princess Chen into a mere decoration. Now, all the affairs of the mansion, big and small, are managed by her seventh daughter.
His daughter is destined to be an empress.
The princess chosen by Empress Cao was no match for his seventh daughter.
They will wait until the day Prince Chen ascends the throne, then send Princess Chen to her death and take her place.
As for Empress Cao, there were just as many people who admired her as there were who hated her.
The discussion next door was going on enthusiastically.
They all listed the Empress's crimes, even those who were supposed to be dead, and managed to bring her back to life.
Harming imperial heirs, indiscriminately killing innocent people, and hen crowing at dawn...
While these charges might not be enough to kill the queen, they were enough to depose her.
Take it easy.
A deposed empress who has lost power will be worse off than a concubine in the cold palace.
But Prince Chen felt that overthrowing the Empress was not enough.
The Cao family must be eradicated completely.
The Crown Prince, that sickly, half-dead fellow, is not a threat. Rather, it is the Emperor's most beloved eldest sister and their fifth brother, who pretends to be foolish and innocent.
one by one.
The officials and staff members left one after another.
The room was quiet, with only the bubbling sound of boiling tea.
Prince Chen remained silent, and Prime Minister Yan dared not utter a sound, only silently pouring tea for him.
Having heard so much, this gentleman must have a plan in mind.
Prince Chen fiddled with the ring on his finger, staring intently at the tea leaves swirling in the water, when he suddenly spoke up: "Prime Minister Yan, do you have a way to make the Imperial Guards serve me?"
No matter how brilliant one person is, they can't compete with dozens of people.
As the top decision-maker, all he needs to do is listen, make choices, and issue orders.
Of course, he had already made his decisions on many things long ago.
Even if you don't say it, you should still give the person being asked a chance to feel valued and to contribute ideas and make contributions.
Yan Xiang and his advisors had actually discussed this issue and proposed an effective method that could kill two birds with one stone.
Yan Xiang: "Your Highness, if Mu Yunji, the Commander of the Palace Guards, does not return, the Imperial Guards will be in the hands of Deputy Commander Shen. We only need to win over Shen Lu."
"How could I not know?" Prince Chen frowned slightly. "Get to the point."
"Shen Lü is Consort Shen's elder brother. As far as I know, the two siblings have been very close since childhood... If... if Consort Shen were to die at the hands of the Empress or Princess Yuqing, would Deputy Commander Shen turn against her and try to kill the murderer who harmed his own sister?"
……