Nangong, Qinghe Pavilion.
"I pay my respects to the Supreme Emperor. Long live, long live, long live."
Just when the ministers were heading to the side hall of Chonghua Hall for the banquet, in the Qinghe Pavilion, Zhu Qizhen was sitting high up, and below were several ministers who had sneaked out.
These people are basically military ministers, headed by Ningyuan Hou Renli, plus Ningyang Bo Chen Mao, British Duke Zhang Shi, Prince Consort Jiao Jing, Xue Huan, and Chengguo Duke Zhu Yi, basically they are all the Supreme Emperors
One party is now the backbone of the party.
The only exception was Xu Youzhen, who had just been promoted to bachelor of Youchunfang. Originally, due to his status, he was not qualified to come.
However, his situation is rather special.
Nowadays, most of the people on the Emperor's side are relatives of nobles and nobles, and there are very few civil servants. With Li Xian leaving the capital, Zhu Jian has fallen into silence. Among the high-level civil servants, there are basically no people who really care about the Emperor.
Xu Youzhen was introduced to Zhu Jian by Li Xian. In the letter, Li Xian evaluated him as "very resourceful, well-read, with a righteous mind, and worthy of a heavy responsibility."
So, after carefully investigating his details, I found out that he was hated by the emperor for moving south, and there was no way he could appeal.
Jiao Jing and others discussed it and finally took him as their wing.
Zhu Jian was originally supposed to be the guest at this palace banquet, but although he is now in decline, he is still a cabinet minister after all.
Unlike Wuwu Yangyang's distinguished relatives, there are only a few people in the cabinet. If one person is missing for no reason, it will definitely arouse suspicion, so he stayed in the side hall and did not come over.
However, this meeting with the Supreme Emperor was an opportunity that was finally found. It would be inappropriate if there were no civil servants.
Therefore, at that time, Young Master Zhu suggested that Xu Youzhen should accompany him.
At that time, some people raised questions and felt that it was inappropriate to ask Xu Youzhen to follow him to Nangong so soon.
However, the young master convinced everyone with just one sentence.
"...There is nothing to be afraid of. Even if the meeting is discovered, the person surnamed Xu should be afraid. He is not afraid. Do we still want to turn people away?"
Everyone thought about it for a while and felt that this was also the case, so they did not continue to stop him.
To put it bluntly, this palace banquet seemed to be a whim of the Supreme Emperor, but in fact, it was naturally planned.
It has been several months since the Supreme Emperor returned to the capital. Although the Nangong Palace did not prohibit entry and exit, but, again, as early as when he returned to the capital, the Supreme Emperor had already made a clear edict and promised not to interfere in government affairs.
In this way, it would be okay if they were relatives who were related to the royal family, and they could be said to be relatives moving around each other. However, if foreign ministers like Ren Li, Zhang Shi, and Chen Mao rashly entered the Nangong Palace for an audience without any reason, they would definitely
It aroused discussion between the government and the public.
Therefore, there needs to be an opportunity to enter the Nangong Palace legitimately. There is no doubt that the most inconspicuous time to meet the Supreme Emperor is when he is accompanied by the ministers to congratulate him.
However, what they want is to meet alone. This kind of ceremonial meeting has no real meaning.
Therefore, after deliberation for a long time, especially when he learned that the emperor would not come to Nangong during the Zhengdan Festival, the Supreme Emperor thought of a way to give a banquet.
Although it is said that it is no longer within the protocol of the Ministry of Rites, granting a banquet is a gift from Heaven. To put it bluntly, it depends on the mood of the superior, so it is not too unexpected.
Of course, the price is that if you meet an ignorant person like Wang Wen, you may walk away on the spot, preventing the Emperor from coming to the stage.
This is also the reason why the Supreme Emperor has been hiding in Nangong, even when the prince came out of the cabinet, he has not made any move.
No one can say how many people in the current imperial court will take his edict seriously.
Therefore, it is better not to issue it at all. If it happens like today, and someone directly contradicts you after giving an oral order, it will be a light loss of face.
I am afraid that it will be regarded as a routine. If this kind of thing happens again in the future, the courtiers will not even hesitate and deal with it as usual. That will be troublesome.
"My lords, please live in peace!"
Sitting on the high throne, looking at the ministers standing respectfully below, Zhu Qizhen seemed to have returned to the scene when he summoned the ministers before his own expedition.
As a result, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. He waved his hand to the people below to get up. However, he did not offer him a seat. Instead, he suppressed the smile on his face and said.
"I summoned you all here today because there is actually nothing else to do. Since I was taken captive to the north last year, many loyal and upright ministers in the court have been running around to welcome me back to the capital."
"When I arrived in the capital, Our Lady told me the situation. However, I am currently living in the Nangong Palace and have never had the opportunity to express my gratitude in person. Therefore, I have summoned you all here today."
As he spoke, Zhu Qizhen stood up and walked down the imperial steps, moving forward step by step.
Finally, he stood in front of Zhang Shi and said.
"A loyal and loyal member of the British Duke's family. In his seventies, the British Duke put on armor and went into battle with me. He sacrificed his life for the country in the Civil War. The death of Duke Zhang is really a great regret for the country, and it is also a matter that saddens me."
Looking at the saddened Emperor in front of him, Zhang Xi's eyes suddenly became wet and he couldn't help but kneel on the ground and said.
"On behalf of my brother, I would like to express my gratitude to the Emperor for his praise. My brother has devoted his whole life to the imperial court. It is an honor to be able to die on the battlefield. I only regret that even though my brother died, he was unable to protect His Majesty from retreating safely, causing His Majesty to be taken captive to the north. This is actually the result of all the ministers accompanying the army.
That’s a mistake.”
Zhu Qizhen stretched out his hand to help Zhang Min up, shook his head and said.
"In the civil war, the time and place are not in our hands. I have nothing to do with Duke Zhang. The British government has always been loyal. I know this."
"I am in the hunting camp in the north, thousands of miles away from the capital, and can hardly sing alone. My younger brother Zhang Fu, inheriting the legacy of the British Duke, has been running around for me, gathering courtiers, holding court discussions, and establishing embassy missions to the north to welcome me back to the capital.
Do your best.”
"If my brother hadn't sacrificed his life to plot to kill Xi Ning, I'd probably still hear the slander and refuse to let me go south. I would have been able to return to the capital. My brother has indeed made great achievements, but it's a pity..."
As he spoke, a trace of sadness flashed across Zhu Qizhen's eyes and he said.
"If I had been in Beijing at that time, I would not have caused the British government to wither like this!"
These words were so sincere that they immediately made Zhang Xi burst into tears.
He choked with sobs and solemnly cupped his hands.
"I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Before the execution, I went to visit my brother-in-law in prison. At that time, my brother-in-law said that he would have no regrets in dying, but he regretted not being able to see His Majesty return to the capital in person."
"Now that His Majesty has returned safely, my brother's spirit in heaven can also rest in peace."
After hearing this, Zhu Qizhen's eyes were slightly moist.
He let out a gentle breath, thought for a while, took off a jade pendant from his body, and handed it to the chamberlain next to him.
Then, the chamberlain immediately understood and presented the jade pendant to Zhang Min.
"The British Duke's family is a loyal family. I feel grateful in my heart. Now that I am in Nangong, I can't give you anything. This thing I carry with me is given to the British Duke's family to express my feelings."
Zhang Xi raised his hands high, took the jade pendant, knelt down to the ground again with a plop, and said.
"I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your grace. Everyone in the British government will do their best to serve His Majesty."
Zhu Qizhen nodded, and his mind slowly calmed down.
He waved his hand and motioned to the chamberlain on the side to help Zhang Min up. Then, he returned to the throne and sat down again. He breathed out lightly and his eyes fell on Zhu Yi.
"If I remember correctly, you are the son of Duke Xiancheng. Your name is Zhu Yi?"
This chapter has been completed!