In the Palace of Qianqing, Huai En leaned forward, waiting for the emperor's instructions.
Zhu Qiyu did not hesitate too much. It had been half a day since the morning court ended, and the contents of the military report must have been transmitted to the inner palace.
Come to think of it, both Cining Palace and my wife called him over for this matter.
After thinking for a while, Zhu Qiyu said: "Go to Cining Palace."
Although Empress Dowager Sun has no real power now, her status is important.
In the final analysis, it is not only because she is the Queen Mother of the Holy Mother, but more importantly, she single-handedly supported the current emperor after the Battle of Tumu.
Although this move may not have come from her original intention, she made the right choice during that turbulent time and stabilized the hearts of the people.
This alone makes her position in the palace very stable.
Even if Zhu Qiyu knew that she had been making small moves secretly, the greetings she received every five days could not be abolished, and the respect due to etiquette had not been reduced at all.
Even with this achievement, she can influence the government affairs to a certain extent.
Although the case of Marquis Ningyang and the appointment of Zhu Jian were all based on the current situation, Empress Dowager Sun intervened after all. But even so, no one in the court raised any impeachment. This is the reason.
Of course, everything has its own measure. With his achievements in supporting Li, Zhu Qiyu could not do anything to Empress Dowager Sun.
However, after all, she was only a member of the harem. It was okay to occasionally interfere in government affairs related to her, but it was definitely not okay to interfere too much.
Huaien handled the matter properly. Before entering the palace, he ordered the chariot to be prepared, ordered people to serve the emperor and change his clothes, and then went to Cining Palace.
Not long after, when they arrived at the palace gate, Wang Jin, the eunuch in charge of Cining Palace, had already been waiting for him with a group of internal servants.
It is autumn now, the leaves in the courtyard have already turned yellow and fallen, and the weather is getting colder, so Empress Dowager Sun also moved into the Nuan Pavilion.
Entering the Nuan Pavilion, Zhu Qiyu took a quick look and saw that in addition to the Queen Mother Sun sitting on the soft couch, there was also an uninvited guest.
Prince Consort Captain Jiao Jing!
Suddenly he had a rough idea in his mind. Zhu Qiyu stepped forward and bowed, saying.
"Greetings to Our Lady."
Empress Dowager Sun still did enough to save face. With a kind smile on her face, she raised her empty hand and said.
"No need to be polite, just sit down."
After some palace servants moved onto the pier and served Zhu Qiyu to sit down, Empress Dowager Sun continued to speak.
"The Ai family has heard about the news about the early dynasty. It has been a whole year since the Supreme Emperor finally returned to the dynasty from Yibei. The emperor has contributed a lot to it."
Zhu Qiyu bowed slightly: "The Holy Mother is too praised. This is all blessed by our ancestors. The emperor's brother has his own destiny, and it is natural for him to return to the court safely."
The tone is appropriate and the etiquette is thoughtful.
There was silence for a moment in the Nuan Pavilion. Queen Mother Sun simply skipped the pleasantries and brought up business, saying.
"No one knew whether the envoy could successfully welcome the Emperor back after leaving the capital. Now that the matter has settled, it is time to make preparations for some things."
As she spoke, Empress Dowager Sun's eyes flashed and she asked: "The Ai family heard that these days, there has been a lot of quarrel in the outer court because of the ceremony of welcoming the return of the Supreme Emperor. But what is the truth?"
This is nothing to hide.
So, Zhu Qiyu nodded and said: "Yes, there are indeed some disputes. Some ministers feel that the Supreme Emperor has returned from defeat after all, and it is not appropriate to make a big deal."
"But what the Ministry of Rites and I mean is that the Emperor has not returned to the capital for a long time. This is a celebration for the whole world. However, the etiquette cannot be simple. On the day of his return to the court, I will take the civil and military officials to the suburbs of the capital to greet him."
This was said with great respect, but it made people feel uncomfortable listening to it, so Empress Dowager Sun's face suddenly looked a little unpleasant.
Clenching the jade beads in her hands, Queen Mother Sun forced a smile.
"The emperor has many things to do every day, and yet he still mobilizes troops and mobilizes people like this. He is really thoughtful."
But then, she changed the topic and said:
"You are brothers, and the emperor wants to welcome you with a grand ceremony. The Ai family understands this. However, recently many ministers from outside the court have been talking, saying that the emperor's move is to deliberately embarrass the Supreme Emperor."
"Nowadays, there are many important things in the court that require the emperor to worry about. For a mere gift to welcome the emperor, let people talk nonsense and damage the emperor's reputation. This is not what the emperor wants."
"The Supreme Emperor has been hunting captives in the north for a year. It is a blessing to be able to return to the capital. What Ai Jia means is that there is no need to waste people and money and cause criticism. What does the emperor think?"
Again, the Empress Dowager Sun had the kindness to support Zhu Qiyu, at least in the eyes of the government and the public.
Therefore, Zhu Qiyu would not be able to refuse any request she made, as long as it was not too excessive.
However, it was obvious that she was a step too late.
No wonder Hu Xi, an old fox, hurriedly slapped the cabinet in the face. It turned out that he had such a motive.
After once again lamenting the timing of a certain Minister of Rites, Zhu Qiyu showed a trace of embarrassment on his face and said.
"Since the Holy Mother has spoken, I should abide by it. However, just before I came, I had just approved the new ceremonial annotation issued by the Ministry of Rites. The decree has been issued and it may be difficult to reverse it."
After a brief pause, Zhu Qiyu said again: "But the Holy Mother need not worry. The Ministry of Rites is an expert in welcoming the emperor's return. It is difficult for a few young people to spread rumors. Public opinions between the government and the public are different."
"The Emperor has not returned to the court for a long time. If I don't welcome you politely, I'm afraid someone will start talking about it again. I don't respect the Emperor, I'm cold and have no relatives, so it's hard to have a perfect plan. I just have a clear conscience."
What a clear conscience!
A few simple words almost made Queen Mother Sun crush the beads in her hands.
After taking a long breath and barely suppressing her dissatisfaction, Empress Dowager Sun said.
"In this case, the emperor's own consideration is that it is inconvenient for people who live in deep palaces to interfere in the affairs of foreign dynasties."
Zhu Qiyu smiled and said nothing.
So, Queen Mother Sun continued to speak.
"A few days ago, when the queen came to pay her respects to the Ai family, she said that Nangong had been packed up in preparation for the Emperor's stay after his return to the court."
"The Ai family thought that although the residence has been tidied up, there is always a need for manpower to serve. During the civil engineering battle, the people who served the Supreme Emperor were gone even if they thought about it. Now that they have returned to the palace, they will naturally have to have more people to serve them."
"The Supreme Emperor grew up next to the Ai family. His food, clothing, housing and transportation were all taken care of by the palace people around the Ai family. Therefore, the Ai family selected some useful people from around them and wanted to send them to Nangong to accompany the Supreme Emperor. What does the emperor think?"
These words were verbose, but the more they were said, the more it showed how seriously Empress Dowager Sun took this matter.
Seeing the kind smile of Empress Dowager Sun, Zhu Qiyu understood that she was rebelling against his own army.
Just now, he took advantage of the government affairs in the outer court to decide on the ceremony. Therefore, Empress Dowager Sun took advantage of the affairs in the inner palace to decide on the personnel to serve the Supreme Emperor.
The human heart is unpredictable and everything must be guarded against.
After many years in the deep palace, the first thing Empress Dowager Sun should be wary of was definitely all kinds of assassination methods.
The basic way to ensure that you are not being harmed is to have caring and trustworthy people to serve you.
This matter is different from the greeting ceremony. Looking at the look of Queen Mother Sun, it is known that she will not give in. Moreover, it is indeed an inner palace matter. It is not easy for Zhu Qiyu to find an excuse for refusing.
Fortunately, Zhu Qiyu didn't think of taking any measures in this regard. What's more, what the Empress Dowager Sun could arrange was the people who would serve her personally. Nangong was so big that there were so many people to serve, so she couldn't help it.
Maybe they can be arranged one by one.
So, Zhu Qiyu nodded without much hesitation and said.
"Of course, the Holy Mother has the final say in this matter. The Emperor must have suffered a lot in Yibei. After he comes back, there will be more people serving him. If there are people who are not enough, I will say hello to the Queen and we can send more people over.
"
Empress Dowager Sun was originally prepared to put in a lot of effort, but she didn't expect Zhu Qiyu to agree so easily.
However, it was natural for her to arrange the palace attendants around the Supreme Emperor. Even if it was taken to the outer court, Empress Dowager Sun would be confident.
Therefore, she was just stunned for a moment before she reacted and said with a smile: "That's good."
Of course, Empress Dowager Sun specially sent people to invite Zhu Qiyu this time, and it could not be just for this one thing.
So, twisting the jade beads in her hand, she asked tentatively: "In addition to the people who serve, the Ai family heard that the emperor specially formed a new Beijing guard to be responsible for guarding Nangong. Is this possible?
