The sky was getting dark, and the lamps had been turned on in the Qianqing Palace at some point. Against the flickering candlelight, Zhu Yi's slightly trembling body was seen.
The imperial court has already reached a unified conclusion about the truth of the Civil War.
That is, Wang Zhen was monopolizing power, deceiving the Supreme Emperor, delaying the opportunity to fight, and commanding indiscriminately, resulting in the defeat of the army.
Although many people in the court knew it well, the reason why Wang Zhen was able to exercise power was because of the indulgence of the Supreme Emperor.
But it is a grave sin to say such words.
One mistake, and the crime of slandering the king's father and alienating the Tian family was firmly pinned on his head.
If the emperor really wanted to blame him, let alone the title, the whole family of the Duke of Chengguo would be imprisoned.
Zhu Yi was so distraught that she knelt on the ground, not daring to raise her head at all.
He had never felt that time was so long and difficult. After an unknown amount of time, the emperor's calm voice finally came from above.
"Get up."
After just a few words, Zhu Yi felt as if he had received an amnesty. He stood up carefully and tried to sound calmer, saying.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhu Qiyu sighed in his heart.
It should be said that Zhu Yi was right, there was indeed something different going on in the battle at Yao'erling.
Although Zhu Yong is not a world-famous general, he has numerous military exploits and has always been good at playing steadily.
The terrain like Yao'er Ridge is the most suitable pass for ambush. Zhu Yong can't help but see this.
However, Zhu Yong has a shortcoming, that is, he is a bit weak, and to put it harshly, he is easy to compromise.
At that time, he led the troops to block the attack on Wala. The battle was not bad at first, and he had the upper hand for a time, causing the captives to retreat continuously.
Zhu Yong's character originally did not want to pursue him, because this was probably a ploy to lure the enemy.
But Liu Seng, the eunuch who was overseeing the army, couldn't stand it and was greedy for merit, so he led the vanguard troops and gave chase.
If Zhu Yong was decisive enough, he should give up Liu Seng at this time and continue to withdraw from the battlefield.
By coincidence, this Liu Seng won Wang Zhen's trust.
Don't look at Zhu Yi's righteousness.
But the fact is that Zhu Yong was afraid that he would be blamed by Wang Zhen after returning to the camp, so he had to bite the bullet and march forward.
In the end, he was ambushed by the opponent in the pass and lost his life.
This matter has long been described in military reports, but no one in the court, whether civil servants or relatives, mentioned it.
The reason is that in such large-scale battles, only the results are considered.
No matter what the reason was, in the battle at Yao'erling, Zhu Yong was the coach, and he was responsible for the defeat. The only one to blame was himself. He was constrained by a military eunuch and made the wrong decision.
After shaking his head, Zhu Qiyu spoke and asked.
"If I remember correctly, Wang Qin, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion, is your uncle, right?"
Seeing that the emperor didn't mention what happened just now, Zhu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have time to guess the emperor's intention of asking, so he nodded honestly.
Then, I saw a smile on the emperor's face and continued.
"A few days ago, I went to Jingyang Palace to pay my respects to the Queen Mother. I heard that the Queen Mother said that the daughter of Governor Wang Qin was very good-looking and very popular with her elders. Now that she has reached the age of marriage, I would like to ask for a favor.
After I heard about it, I felt that it was not appropriate to ask the Queen Mother to arrange the marriage for her."
Zhu Yi was stunned, a little confused for a moment, but the emperor ignored him and continued in a gentle tone.
"The Wang family is also considered a high-ranking family. Wang Qin's father, Wang Tong, once accompanied Emperor Taizong in Jingnan and made great contributions to the country. The marriage of the legitimate daughter of the Wang family is a major event and needs to be done with great caution. The Queen Mother has lived in the palace for a long time and has no influence on people outside the palace.
The young talents don't know much about her, and they rush to propose marriage, which may ruin the life of the Wang family girl."
"After you go back, give me a message to the Wang family. Marriage requires not only the order of the parents, the words of the matchmaker, but also the temperament and temperament of the children. If the girl from the Wang family already has someone she likes, bring her with her.
Let me take a look, and when the time comes, I will personally marry her and give her the gift of the county master."
Although there was already speculation in his mind, Zhu Yi was still in a daze.
Who can tell him what is going on?
It was clearly agreed that she would enter the palace as a concubine, but why did she end up asking the Queen Mother for marriage?
He raised his head blankly and wanted to ask, but saw the emperor looking at him with a warm expression.
For some reason, a chill suddenly rose up on Zhu Yi's back. This feeling was even more terrifying than when he said the wrong thing just now.
He swallowed subconsciously, immediately fell to the ground, and said.
"On behalf of my uncle, I would like to thank your Majesty for your kindness. Long live your Majesty. Long live your Majesty."
Although he didn't know what went wrong, the moment he saw the emperor's eyes, Zhu Yi suddenly reacted.
The emperor was not asking for his opinion, but asking him to "take the lead."
The implication is that there is no room for rejection of this grace. Whether you want it or not, you have to accept it!
Sure enough, seeing how understanding he was, the smile on the emperor's face faded slightly, and Zhu Yi immediately felt that the chill on his back disappeared.
Then, the emperor continued: "Since you are filial and want your father to return to his hometown after falling leaves, I will also grant you a grace and allow you two months' leave to go to Yao'erling to help your father return home and arrange for his burial.
.”
Zhu Yi felt it was a little difficult to breathe and asked tentatively.
"Then I dare to ask Your Majesty about the funeral ceremony?"
The emperor glanced at him lightly, making Zhu Yi feel a little uncomfortable.
After a while, the emperor said.
"The country is troubled and the people's livelihood is difficult. The Emperor is still in the north and has not returned. There is no need to hold a big funeral. Just follow the etiquette of the Duke and bury it in a low-key manner. As for you, after the funeral, continue to be on duty, understand.
?"
Zhu Yi's face turned a little pale. He did not expect such a result.
According to the courtesy of the Duke, it seems to be kindness and leniency.
However, it should be noted that according to the imperial court regulations, the titles of dukes, marquises and uncles after their death are all promoted to the first level, and those who died in state affairs are promoted to the second level.
Even if it is not recognized that Zhu Yong died fighting for the country, according to the system, the funeral of the Duke of the country should be carried out according to the county and prince rites.
The emperor not only asked Zhu Yong to be buried with the rites of a duke, but also specifically emphasized that he should keep a low profile. The intention is self-evident.
Zhu Yi felt a little ironic. She didn't expect that after working hard for so long, she would end up empty-handed.
Trembling, he knelt on the ground and said, "My lord, thank you for your grace!"
Seeing his condition, Zhu Qiyu sighed, and instead of letting Zhu Yi stand up, he stood up from the throne, walked slowly to Zhu Yi, and said.
"Cheng Guogong is a lineage with numerous military exploits. Your grandfather Zhu Neng, King of Dongping, protected the life of His Majesty Taizong in front of thousands of troops. He made great contributions in pacifying the crisis. After his death, he will be entitled to enjoy the Ancestral Temple and receive incense forever."
"Your father, Zhu Yong, quelled the rebellion of the Han Dynasty, accompanied the late emperor on many border patrols, and became the lintel of the Duke's mansion. Your father and ancestors earned it through their military exploits."
"Your father was involved in the battle at Yao'erling. This is a fact. Duke Chengguo's family should not complain if he is implicated in this. However, as the eldest grandson of King Dongping, if you want to keep your lintel title, you should also
Advance by merit rather than luck.”
"Otherwise, people in the world will not only say that I rewarded you with excessive titles, but also underestimated the Duke of Chengguo. You are still young. As long as you work hard, you will have a chance to achieve great achievements in the future."
After Zhu Yi heard this, he kowtowed deeply but said nothing.
So, Zhu Qiyu shook his head, turned back to the throne, and gave instructions.
"I will give you three days. After you are ready, you can leave the capital."
Zhu Yi kowtowed again in confusion, stood up and wanted to leave.
Just when he took two steps back and turned around, the emperor's voice sounded again behind him.
"If I remember correctly, your father-in-law is Hu Xi from the Ministry of Rites. He served as an official for five dynasties, and his early experiences were similar to yours. If you have free time in the past two days, you might as well talk to him more."
Zhu Yi stopped, turned around, bowed to the emperor, and left Qianqing Palace. She just looked at her back with a sense of desolation...
This chapter has been completed!