From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 183

At this moment, Empress Zhaojing was in a very complicated mood.

She transferred Zhou Yuan to Shenjing, and she also devoted a lot of her efforts and placed a lot of her hopes on him.

After all, Zhou Yuan's performance in Yunzhou and Lin'an Prefecture was so good that it gave her great confidence.

But she didn't expect that such a big thing would happen after only a few days in charge of Beicheng Bingma Division.

After all, he was still young and didn't know the cruelty of the political struggle in Shenjing!

Wu Qingrong shouted: "Your Majesty! Shenjing has not had rain for two months. Since the beginning of autumn, the weather has been even drier. It is normal for a fire to occur."

"Zhou Yuan, the commander of Beicheng Bingma Division, has just taken over for a few days and is not familiar with the situation. It is also reasonable. Please be magnanimous and give Zhou Yuan a chance to make meritorious service."

As soon as the voice fell, Cao Ye shouted: "Mingxuanfang is the courtyard of the family members of the imperial guards. Such a big fire, I don't know how many family members of the imperial guards were killed or injured. The crime should be punished, and the merit should be rewarded. If Zhou Yuan is not punished, how can the 8,000 imperial guards be appeased! "

Wu Qingrong said sternly: "Cao Ye, when will it be your turn to manage the affairs of my Ministry of War!"

Cao Ye sneered: "Lord Wu, this is wrong. We are all ministers of the Great Jin Dynasty. We should think about the interests of the Great Jin Dynasty and never sacrifice our own interests for the sake of public interests. You blindly protect Zhou Yuan. What is your intention? Are you forming a party with him?"

"You!"

Wu Qingrong was speechless.

Yang Guozhong bowed again and said: "Your Majesty, the Central Plains bandit Zhang Bailong occupied Guangzhou, acted against the will of heaven, established his own court, and brazenly proclaimed himself emperor, calling himself Kaidai."

There was a moment of silence on the Golden Palace.

Now many ministers dared not even speak.

Wu Qingrong's face was even paler, and his legs were trembling.

Empress Zhaojing took a deep breath and said coldly: "There are hundreds of civil and military officials in the court, all of whom are world-famous Jinbang scholars, but no one can quell the chaos in the Central Plains. It's really ridiculous."

"Do you want me to ask Duke Song to go to war?"

Duke Song Shan'ao is the last trump card of the Jin Dynasty and cannot be played easily!

Wu Qingrong had no choice but to grit his teeth and said: "Your Majesty, I ask Qu Shaogeng to lead the expedition to the Central Plains to wipe out the bandits!"

The Minister of Revenue Liu Jing hurriedly said: "Your Majesty! Everyone! There is no military expenditure! The treasury is now an empty shell. This year's autumn tax is lower than last year, totaling 62 million taels. Even if you are careful with your budget and save money, there is still a big gap of several million. Where do you want me to find the money!"

As the only minister who did not form a party among the six ministries, Liu Jing felt that he was about to collapse.

Empress Zhaojing also felt a headache, waved her hand and said: "I will consult with the Duke of Zhenguo about the affairs of the Central Plains."

Cao Ye immediately said: "No matter what, the capital must be stable, and the imperial city must be stable. Your Majesty, I will ask Zhou Yuan, the commander of the North City Military Department, to give an explanation to the eight thousand imperial guards."

Now Wu Qingrong and other Chu party members did not dare to speak at all, and could only sigh.

After all, the Chu party was in a period of transition.

Empress Zhaojing was already furious, and she became even more angry when she heard this. Junior brother, junior brother, how can I protect you.

Or, you are not my wise minister to repair the sky...

"Announce!"

She gritted her teeth and said: "Announce Zhou Yuan, the commander of the North City Military Department, to enter the palace. I want to see how he is as the commander-in-chief!"

...

The door of the North City Military Department opened, and Xiaozhuang strode in, frowning immediately.

Zhou Yuan was wearing a neat official uniform and holding a thick stack of memorials, as if he was waiting for her.

Before Xiaozhuang could speak, Zhou Yuan stood up and asked anxiously, "Are you summoning me to the palace?"

Hearing this, Xiaozhuang asked in confusion, "How do you know? Don't tell me that you have spies in the court."

"Don't joke, how could I play tricks on my senior sister."

Zhou Yuan couldn't help laughing and said, "Let's go to the palace quickly, I want to give my senior sister a surprise!"

Xiaozhuang glared and said, "Do you know that Cao Ye is going to report you?"

"Oh, I know everything. I planned this!"

Zhou Yuan took Xiaozhuang's hand and walked forward, more anxious than her.

Xiaozhuang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said softly, "Zhou Yuan, you have to help His Majesty vent her anger. She was very angry with the ministers today."

"Damn it, I want to see who dares to bully my senior sister!"

Zhou Yuan followed Xiaozhuang to the Golden Palace with a fierce momentum.

Under the gaze of the civil and military officials, Zhou Yuan walked to the center of the hall with a dignified manner and without any fear.

He bowed, bowed, and said loudly: "I, Zhou Yuan, the commander of the Northern City Military Department, pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Everyone was secretly shocked. This scholar from the south, so young, faced the momentum of the Golden Palace with neither servility nor arrogance, but remained calm and composed. He was indeed a talent.

Zhou Yuan was not completely unnerved, but he had seen too many grand scenes in his previous life, and the person on the dragon throne was still a self-taught person.His eldest sister, so he was not timid at all.

He just quietly looked at the stunning woman in the dragon robe above, noble, stunning, and stunning. It is difficult to describe the beauty of the eldest sister in words!

Zhou Yuan felt that all the women in the world at this moment could not compare to the eldest sister. He frowned slightly.

"Stand up."

Empress Zhao Jing's voice was calm.

Zhou Yuan bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Empress Zhao Jing said, "Zhou Yuan, you are only eighteen years old and you have taken the position of the commander of the North City Army. Are you complacent and over-inflated? You just took office and neglected your duties, so that Mingxuanfang caught fire and caused a disaster."

"Tell me, what crime should you be punished for!"

Facing this smart little junior brother who always gave her surprises, Empress Zhao Jing had a very complicated mood.

If you want to punish him, you can't bear it.

If you don't punish him, it's not justifiable.

The key point is that she was a little disappointed. Zhou Yuan couldn't even pass Cao Ye's test. How could he help her in the future?

"What crime have I committed?"

Zhou Yuan's words woke everyone up, and also shocked Empress Zhao Jing.

She was a little angry. It's okay for young people to make mistakes, but if they don't know it and don't admit their guilt, they are not great!

Empress Zhao Jing said coldly: "Mingxuanfang caught fire, and you, the chief official, are not guilty? Could it be that the fire also burned you confused!"

Cao Ye shouted even louder: "Your Majesty, Zhou Yuan is rude in the Golden Palace, he should be slapped in the face!"

Wu Qingrong and others lowered their heads and sighed in their hearts.

Alas, this Zhou Yuan is too immature after all.

"Your Majesty! I have something to say!"

Zhou Yuan's sudden shouting made everyone frown.

Empress Zhao Jing said coldly: "What else do you want to say!"

Zhou Yuan looked at the people around him, then looked at the stunning and beautiful senior sister, took a deep breath, and said solemnly: "I was originally a poor scholar from Yunzhou in Jiangnan. My parents died early, and I was entrusted with the care of my son-in-law to marry into the Zhao family as a humble son-in-law."

"At the age of eighteen, I have no status and no achievements. I was promoted to a hundred households of Jinyiwei in Lin'an Prefecture just because of my little contribution to the Yunzhou riot. I am extremely terrified and sleepless."

He started to play the emotional card. The ministers sneered. Emotions are the cheapest thing in the Golden Palace. They are already accustomed to it.

Zhou Yuan continued, "Han Tuo, the Marquis of Annan, once tried to bribe me with a thousand taels of gold. I was grateful for your grace, so how could I follow the enemy? So I fought side by side with the superiors of the Jinyiwei in Lin'an Prefecture and finally recovered Lin'an Prefecture."

"However, my little contribution is not enough to repay your grace, but I was promoted to Shenjing as an exception. Your grace is so great that I cannot express my gratitude in a thousand words. I can only die for your majesty."

"Therefore, after taking office as the North City Military Department, I rectified the chaos in the department and strictly investigated corruption and dereliction of duty..."

"Enough!" A loud shout interrupted Zhou Yuan's words.

Cao Ye was furious and said, "The Golden Palace is not a place for you to perform, Zhou Yuan, let's talk business!"

Zhou Yuan did not respond, but continued to look at Empress Zhao Jing and said loudly, "The night patrol team of the North City Military Department used to finish patrolling the streets at 15:30. After I took office, I proposed to extend the patrol time until the evening drum sounded."

"And just last night, the night patrol personnel of my North City Military Department happened to patrol the streets to Mingxuanfang when the evening drum sounded!"

Wu Qingrong couldn't help but say, "How could there be a fire when they are so cautious?"

Zhou Yuan said loudly, "It's because someone deliberately set the fire! And the military tung oil was used!"

As soon as these words came out, the civil and military officials in the court were shocked and their figures were shaken.