After hearing Liu Jin's words, Zhu Houzhao fell silent immediately, and then said after a long time: "Come with me to meet the Supreme Emperor."
To be honest, Zhu Houzhao was reluctant to let Liu Jin resign.
With Liu Jin here, I can have a lot less worries, and Liu Jin can handle basic things very well.
Furthermore, Zhu Houzhao and Liu Jin have become good friends over the years. Many times, Zhu Houzhao treats Liu Jin as a good friend, calling him Lao Liu, Lao Liu.
This is a treatment that other ministers do not have.
Zhu Houzhao fully trusted Liu Jin because Liu Jin was worthy of Zhu Houzhao's trust.
Now Liu Jin mentioned resigning again. From Zhu Houzhao himself, he would not agree to Liu Jin's resignation and wanted Liu Jin to continue working.
But Emperor Hongzhi said that Liu Jin should have a good ending, and if he wanted to resign, he would allow it. That's why Zhu Houzhao said that he would take Liu Jin to see the Supreme Emperor.
"Meet the Supreme Emperor?"
Liu Jin was a little confused. He proposed to resign. What did he mean by going to see the Supreme Emperor?
Perhaps because of Liu Jin's resignation, the two of them stopped talking. They both seemed to feel that this might be the last time that the monarch and his ministers sat together. There was no big distance or gap here.
There may never be a scene like this again.
The car Zhu Houzhao and Liu Jin took drove straight into the palace and arrived at Cining Palace where Emperor Hongzhi lived. Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang now live here.
At this moment, Emperor Hongzhi was lying comfortably on a gentleman's chair, listening to the songs played on the gramophone. Although his eyes were getting better, his vision was still not very good, and he could only roughly see some things clearly.
, can’t read books or anything like that.
So Emperor Hongzhi’s favorite thing was to listen to music.
It just so happened that the film and television industry in the Ming Empire was developing rapidly, the technology of phonographs was constantly improving, and there were more and more records. All kinds of good songs emerged in an endless stream, which allowed Emperor Hongzhi to listen to new songs every day.
Emperor Hongzhi's life after his retirement was quite comfortable. He ignored all national affairs and left them all to Zhu Houzhao. He did whatever he wanted. He didn't care about it anyway.
Every day, he is like a rich man, playing with his grandchildren, supervising his grandchildren's studies from time to time, or hugging his great-grandchildren.
He lived a very comfortable life as a child, and he also received a comprehensive rest. His body became much better, and his eyesight was slowly recovering, which made him happier.
"Great grandpa! Great grandpa!"
A long, pink-haired little boy, only about five or six years old, ran into the room where Emperor Hongzhi was resting. He shouted in a sweet voice before the person arrived.
"Ouch!"
"Slow down, slow down, don't run so fast, be careful of falling."
Hearing this voice and looking at the little guy running toward him, Emperor Hongzhi suddenly became even happier.
This little guy's identity is not ordinary. He is the eldest son of the current crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, which means that this little guy may be the emperor of the Ming Empire in the future.
"Great grandpa, great grandpa!"
The little guy was immediately embraced by Emperor Hongzhi, and turned to make faces at the little eunuch behind him.
"Why are you running so fast!"
Emperor Hongzhi picked up his precious great-grandson, and it was extremely painful.
Emperor Hongzhi himself had only one son, and Zhu Houzhao gave birth to many grandsons, and this grandson gave birth to many great-grandchildren.
However, in recent years, except for the crown prince, all other adult princes have been enfeoffed, leaving very few great-grandsons left with Emperor Hongzhi.
The current crown prince, Zhu Zaicheng, is more dedicated. There are few women in the harem and he does not have many children. For this reason, Empress Xia often talked about this and arranged a beauty pageant for the prince.
With fewer great-grandsons left by his side, Emperor Hongzhi loved the remaining few even more, and it hurt him so much.
"Your Majesty has arrived~"
At this time, Xiao Huangmen shouted at the top of his lungs.
Soon Zhu Houzhao walked in with Liu Jin.
"Grandpa Huang, Grandpa Huang~"
When the little guy saw Zhu Houzhao, he immediately shouted happily, and then ran towards Zhu Houzhao like flying.
"Haha, you're disturbing your grandpa again."
Zhu Houzhao picked up the little guy and lifted him high in the air, expressing his love for him very much.
He has many sons, but Zhu Houzhao rarely plays with them. Instead, he is a grandfather himself. After all, he dotes on his grandchildren and will teach them to play football when he has time.
"No no!"
"My great-grandpa is very happy that I am here. I know that my great-grandpa must miss me, so I am here. I will come every day."
The little guy pouted and replied.
"Haha, okay, let's go play."
Zhu Houzhao put the little guy down with a smile, and then gestured to the eunuch beside him. The other party immediately understood, took out a football, and coaxed the little guy to play football outside.
Liu Jin looked at the scene in front of him and thought of his grandson in his heart.
The seven sons he grew up with, except for the eldest son and the seventh son who are in the capital, the other five are all around the world. Naturally, this grandson is also following him around the world. It is difficult to see him. He has not seen him for several years.
I have met my precious grandchildren. Each of them has grown into a young man.
In a few years, my eldest grandson will be able to start a family and start a business, and then he will be able to have great-grandchildren. However, it is still very difficult for him to meet them. It is very difficult.
Sometimes when I think about it, Liu Jin doesn't know whether the decision he made was right or wrong.
"Father~"
"Your Majesty~"
Zhu Houzhao and Liu Jin solemnly saluted Emperor Hongzhi.
"Oh, Liu Jin is here too, sit down, everyone, sit down."
When Emperor Hongzhi heard Liu Jin's voice, he immediately became happy and quickly signaled that there was no need to be polite.
"Liu Jin, you haven't come to my place for a while."
The arrival of Liu Jin made Emperor Hongzhi very happy.
Liu Jin was Emperor Hongzhi's favorite, most valued, and most admired minister, and the relationship between the emperor and his ministers had always been very good.
After Emperor Hongzhi abdicated, some other veterans often went to see Emperor Hongzhi. Liu Jin did not go there much, which was also related to Liu Jin's always being lazy.
"Your Majesty, are your eyes better?"
Liu Jin looked at Emperor Hongzhi. Emperor Hongzhi was also much older. After all, he was already over sixty years old. He had been seriously ill. He was really old, and his hair and beard were all white.
"It's much better. I can see more clearly now. I don't have to act like I'm blind."
Emperor Hongzhi quickly said with a smile.
After some greetings and small talk, Zhu Houzhao also talked about Liu Jin's resignation.
"Liu Jin!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi was silent for a while, and then said to Liu Jin.
"Your Majesty~"
Liu Jin also responded quickly and respectfully.
"Our Ming Empire can be as prosperous as it is today, and the country is rich and the people are strong, and you, Liu Jin, deserve the most credit!"
"Our Zhu family is able to have a prosperous population and a long line of heirs today, and you, Liu Jin, are also indispensable."
"I, Zhu Youtang, am able to live to this day, live to entertain my grandchildren, and live to the age where I can listen to songs and watch movies, all because of you, Liu Jin."
"No matter in which aspect, you are our great benefactor!"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at Liu Jin and spoke slowly.
For Liu Jin, Emperor Hongzhi not only appreciated it, but also had a sense of gratitude. He knew very well what it was like in the first ten years as emperor, and he also knew what it was like in the next thirty years.
It's all clear.
Why is everything happening now? This is all due to Liu Jin. Under the leadership of Liu Jin, a capable minister through the ages, the Ming Empire gradually became what it is now.
And why did Zhu Houzhao have so many heirs? This was not Liu Jin’s original suggestion to let Zhu Houzhao come into contact with men and women after he became an adult. Otherwise, if Zhu Houzhao had come into contact with men and women as early as in history, he might have been like in history.
Same thing, not even any heirs.
As for Emperor Hongzhi himself, the same was true. The original intestinal carbuncle would have been caused if the Daming Medical College established by Liu Jin had not studied surgery and promptly removed the rotten appendicitis for Emperor Hongzhi, and later reformed the Imperial Hospital.
Emperor Hongzhi would not live to this day at all. How many descendants of the Ming Dynasty royal family will die at the hands of those quack doctors in Taiyuan Hospital. How many of Zhu Houzhao's hundreds of princes and princesses will die in infancy.
All these contributions can be attributed to Liu Jin. Emperor Hongzhi was very clear about this and always kept it in mind.
"Your Majesty, this is what a minister should do and is his duty."
"I should be more grateful to Your Majesty. Thank you for your high regard and importance for me. You have given me the opportunity to display my knowledge and talents, and to have the opportunity to do some trivial things for the people of the Ming Dynasty."
"Your Majesty has great trust in me and respects me so much that I can do some trivial things. All of this is truly the result of your majesty's great talents and strategic planning. I dare not take credit!"
When Liu Jin heard this, he was also moved and said.
Of course, this credit cannot be attributed to oneself. It must be the credit of the emperor. As a minister, he only fulfilled his duties and responsibilities as a minister. The horses that should be photographed still have to be photographed.
This is the awareness that a minister should have, and it is also the thought that a subordinate should have.
"You~ have always been like this."
After hearing Liu Jin's words, Emperor Hongzhi immediately laughed and couldn't help but shake his head.
"If you want to resign, then resign. You have done a lot for our Ming Dynasty and our royal family. Now that you are old, if you want to travel around, then go travel around."
After pondering for a while, Emperor Hongzhi also said with a smile.
At this point, Liu Jin finally understood why Zhu Houzhao brought him to see Emperor Hongzhi. It turned out that this was the meaning behind it.
