Oh, I forgot about Madam Zhang! But if Lord Zhang's property is confiscated and he is exiled, won't Madam Zhang go with him?
Host, no, Madam Zhang will agree to a divorce! Don't worry. Once the news of Lord Zhang's imprisonment spreads, Madam Zhang will definitely visit him with the divorce papers. By the way, this is also one of their private agreements: "Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately!" Neither should hold the other back!
Guagua, that couple is certainly decisive and efficient.
Host, it's like Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—one was willing to hit, and the other was willing to be hit; both were willing!
Soon, the Imperial Guards arrived and surrounded the Zhang residence. Upon hearing the news, Madam Zhang quickly came out of the house she had prepared for Zhou Kaiwen, found the divorce papers hidden in the secret compartment of her dressing table, and swiftly made arrangements to visit Zhang Qiren in prison.
Of course, Madam Zhang was quite particular; she even went to Tianxianglou to pack a few dishes as a final farewell meal.
Even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness; she could only accompany him this far.
The other adults were all trembling with fear, terrified that Emperor Jingyuan would issue an order to confiscate their residences as well.
Some ministers were cursing inwardly, thinking, "We've all gotten to this position. What's the big deal about the gifts from below?"
How many officials actually live off their salaries?
Emperor Jingyuan was aware of all this, and as long as it wasn't excessive, he wouldn't interfere.
General Tian Xuezhou: Me, me, me!
This general lives off his salary.
A minister: You deserve to eat radishes in your mansion.
Censor Wang: There's another censor here, I also live off my salary.
All their censors were cleaner in their pockets than in their faces.
The job is to criticize others, so you must be selfless and be willing to criticize even kings and generals.
Finally, they commit suicide by crashing into a pillar in the main hall, thus leaving their name in history.
This is the ending that every imperial censor longs for: to be remembered in history, admired by thousands, and remembered for generations.
Host, host, Princess Chaoyang has fainted from crying in her own palace!
Ah, doesn't she know Consort Shu is in the Cold Palace? What's the use of crying now? She should hurry and go to the Cold Palace to see her mother!
She's lying in the Princess's residence in the room where you and the Crown Prince made a huge hole! She says it smells like Prince Consort Liang!
Shen Mingzhu was speechless!
Guagua, is she sick? Lying in that dilapidated house, how can she be so ruthless and invincible?
Ugh... so useless!
If she knew her husband had seven lovers, she'd probably just want to smash her head against a block of tofu! Her brain must be full of water!
Host, she's Emperor Jingyuan's little princess. At worst, she can go to her father and cry and make a scene. Emperor Jingyuan won't do anything to her anyway!
Emperor Jingyuan was furious.
Is he really so unable to distinguish right from wrong?
She absolutely deserves to be rewarded or punished; there should be no leniency!
In the end, Princess Chaoyang did not go to the Cold Palace to see the former Consort Shu. After thinking about it, she went to Cining Palace to find her grandmother, the Empress Dowager, hoping that she could plead for Liang, the Imperial Son-in-Law, to stay in Shengjing
She and Liang Muchen travelled across the beautiful landscapes, deeply in love, and did not want to be apart.
Consort Shu: In the end, it was all in vain!
Guagua, Princess Chaoyang is hopelessly love-struck! Let's look at something else instead.
Yes, host!
Host, this is incredible! They didn't find much gold or silver jewellery in Zhang Qiren's residence!
Shen Mingzhu was shocked. "Impossible!"
Crown Prince Yan Beichen immediately thought of Zhang Qiren's cunning. A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. Look, he has hidden the money well!
Guagua, where's the money?!
I just read what you said; he's embezzled a lot! Not to mention anything else, just look at his son and mistress—they live incredibly luxurious lives. Everything they eat and use is the best of the best, no different from the lives of the wealthy and powerful.
Host, Zhang Qiren is shrewd! The expense from his daily necessities for his household comes cleanly from his salary, while the money for the "people" outside comes from Ye Wansan, the largest grain merchant in Jiangnan.
Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials in the court were instantly drenched in sweat, their inner robes soaked through.
Emperor Jingyuan was also shocked when he heard Shen Mingzhu's heartfelt words.
Have these two gotten together?
How come I never noticed this before?
How did his Imperial Guards do their job?
Guagua, didn't the Imperial Guards detect this?
Host, they're extremely secretive in their operations; you know about bribery, right?
Crown Prince Yan Beichen: A bribe?
What's the meaning?
Prince An: Quite elegant!
General Tian Xuezhou: Bribery? What the hell?
If there's bribery through written means, then there must also be bribery through physical means, right?
All the officials and civil servants: What is a bribe?
Full of questions?
They are now filled with countless "What" and brimming with a thirst for knowledge.
Guagua, I know a little about this. Isn't it like this: when lower-ranking officials come to Beijing to offer bribes, they first have to go to a designated calligraphy and painting shop, ask for directions, and state how much silver they want to give to a certain high-ranking official? The shopkeeper will then expertly tell them they should give a painting by a famous master or a rare masterpiece, etc. After receiving the silver, the shopkeeper will go to the official's home, use the silver to buy the painting from the official's collection, and then give the painting or rare masterpiece to the bribe-giver. The bribe-giver simply needs to present this elegant, untainted "gift" to the official's door, return it intact, and the bribery is complete!
Guagua, all of this is perfectly legal and legitimate. Rare and unique calligraphy and paintings are highly prized and extremely valuable. The ambiguity surrounding the price of rare works provides a degree of security, and the shop owner is also very reliable. He simply collected a handling fee as per regulations; everything seems so natural.
Emperor Jingyuan was so angry his hair was about to explode!
Okay, okay!
He is truly a good subject of mine.
Even the way they bribed others was so elegant and untainted!
Prince An: You can play it like this?
Oh my goodness!
Let him think about it, which family owns a calligraphy and painting shop?
Shen Changyuan: My dear daughter, you know too much!
Where did you learn all this from?
How does she know everything in her little head?
Ahhh!
Today, upon entering the court, I offended the owners of calligraphy and painting shops throughout Shengjing.
Waaaaah...
It seems their noble family also owns a calligraphy and painting shop!
Crown Prince Yan Beichen stared intently at Shen Mingzhu. His little Crown Princess was truly knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography; there was nothing she didn't know.
She's practically a know-it-all.
He should communicate and learn from the Crown Princess; she always brings him unexpected surprises.
Just thinking about it makes him happy!
This is his!
Life seems to be taking on more and more different colours.
Thinking nothing was wrong, Lord Li, who had accepted a painting and calligraphy from Master Xie, was sweating profusely.
Oh my God!
I'm doomed!
The whole family is finished!