When Zhong Jinwei entered the Wenhua Hall, everyone stopped talking and looked at Zhong Jinwei at the door.
After Emperor Chongzhen received the news of Zhong Jinwei's decree outside the Meridian Gate, he no longer wanted to listen to what these ministers were saying, and glanced at the palace door many times. When he saw Zhong Jinwei appearing, he immediately stood up and looked at Master Zhong excitedly.
When Zhong Jinwei saw Emperor Chongzhen seeing him entering the palace, he actually stood up. He stopped looking at everyone in the palace and hurried forward.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Zhongxing..." Zhong Jinwei had just finished his sentence and was about to salute when he was interrupted by Emperor Chongzhen: "Master Zhong, there is no need to be polite. Come on, give Master Zhong a seat."
At this time, people in the palace discovered that Emperor Chongzhen was actually standing. Several cabinet ministers who had been given seats were too embarrassed to sit any longer, so they quietly stood up.
Since Emperor Chongzhen said that the kneeling ceremony was no longer required, Zhong Jinwei would naturally not do it again. He had been in Ming Dynasty for about a year, and he was still not used to kneeling down, so he would do it if he could.
When Zhong Jinwei stood up straight, Emperor Chongzhen looked at him carefully and found that Master Zhong had changed a lot after not seeing him for several months.
When I first saw Master Zhong in the Royal Garden, he had fair skin, a slightly fat body, and his whole person looked youthful and childish.
But now, Master Zhong standing in front of him, his exposed skin has turned slightly darker, and it can be seen that he is often exposed to the sun.
His body looked thinner, but he looked full of vitality. Zhong Jinwei's whole person gave Emperor Chongzhen a sense of calmness.
It seems that Master Zhong has returned from a thousand-mile journey. Although he is tired, he has gained a lot.
In any case, Emperor Chongzhen was deeply moved when he knew that Zhong Jinwei, who came from a later generation, was dedicated to reviving the Ming Dynasty.
"Master Zhong, thank you for your hard work!" Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but express his thanks.
He has been paying attention to Zhong Jinwei's itinerary, watching him go westward and solve one troublesome thing after another.
If it weren't for Master Zhong, he would still be worrying about the treasury that cannot make ends meet; if it weren't for Master Zhong, he would still be kept in the dark, allowing Shanxi merchants to collaborate with the enemy, betray the country, and fund the enemy; if it weren't for Master Zhong, the bandits in Qin would be on the loose
Shanxi, another province will be corrupted;
Although he knows that Master Zhong has advantages that others do not have compared to ordinary people, his heart is rare among the current ministers.
"Haha, Your Majesty, that's right." Zhong Jinwei laughed and answered Emperor Chongzhen.
"Marquis Zhongxing, you have made a lot of money for the court by traveling far away!" An old voice sounded from Zhong Jinwei's side.
When Zhong Jinwei heard what was said, he followed the words and saw that it was Wen Tiren, the chief minister of the cabinet, looking at him with a smile.
"Mr. Ge, it's been a long time!" Zhong Jinwei cupped his fists and saluted Wen Tiren.
The Ming Dynasty's leaders in the Wenhua Hall were all very fond of the young man in front of them, not for anything else but for the white money.
If you don't become a householder, you don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are. Only when you reach the top of the Ming Dynasty do you realize how helpless the treasury is and how helpless it is.
Zhong Jinwei took advantage of the situation and saluted everyone else in the palace. Anyway, it was not surprising that there were so many people.
Ma Xianglin, who was ignored by everyone behind Zhong Jinwei, had an opportunity at this time. He immediately knelt down on one knee and saluted: "I, Shi Zhu, command Ma Xianglin to pay homage to Your Majesty."
In this way, the attention of the hall was focused on Ma Xianglin, as if they had just discovered that there was such a person in the hall.
Emperor Chongzhen sat back on the throne and said kindly: "I am free from all courtesy."
Several ministers who had been given seats also sat back and looked at Ma Xianglin.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ma Xianglin stood up to thank him and stood motionless in a respectful manner, far less comfortable than Zhong Jinwei.
You can't blame him. This is the second time in his life that he has come to the Forbidden City to meet the Holy Spirit. What's more, there are a group of big guys watching him, and he is bound to be restrained. But Zhong Jinwei has more people here than in his own palace, and
I have dealt with all these big guys, especially the biggest one, and we have a very good relationship with them.
"Qing Wen, Commander Ma has also made great achievements this time. The cabinet will prepare a list of rewards based on merit for me." Emperor Chongzhen immediately ordered Wen Tirendao.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wen Tiren sat there, bowed slightly and agreed.
After Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, he saw Ma Xianglin was about to kneel down to thank him again, so he said to him: "Commander Ma, there is no need to be polite. Your Ma family has made a lot of contributions in this matter of serving the king. I am very satisfied. General Qin is in Beijing."
Camp No. 5 is stationed at the military camp. You should go back and report first. I will give you rewards after I read the information from the cabinet."
"I don't dare, I'll leave." Ma Xianglin bowed on one knee again and left the palace gate under the gaze of everyone.
He knew that his weight could not be compared with that of Zhongxing Hou, and he could not stay there to influence the discussions of those big bosses.
At this time, Ma Xianglin was not depressed. On the contrary, he was very excited, thinking that he could see his mother soon and ask her if she liked the chili pepper.
When Zhong Jinwei saw Ma Xianglin leaving the palace, he remembered what Wang Chengen said, so he asked Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty and the ministers are discussing something. I wonder if it is convenient for me to listen."
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, his mind returned to what he had just discussed, and his happy mood cooled down again. However, he still smiled and said to Zhong Jinwei: "Master Zhong came just in time. I also want to hear about this."
Let me hear your opinion."
He thought that Master Zhong came from a later generation, and many of his views were unique and forward-looking, and he could often give good suggestions.
Wang Cheng'en stood beside Emperor Chongzhen. As soon as he heard the discussion about this matter, his relaxed expression suddenly turned serious, and he lowered his eyebrows and pretended to be a clay Bodhisattva.
"Your Majesty, this matter will be done according to the ancestral rules. There is nothing to discuss." The assistant minister He Ruchong was also serving as the Minister of Rites at this time. He happened to be in charge of this matter, so he spoke up.
Another cabinet minister, Qian Xiangkun, the teacher of Chief Assistant Wen Tiren, had a different opinion and said: "Your Majesty, when the capital is in crisis, you still have the heart of a diligent king. If it is not comparable to past cases, I think it is not appropriate to punish severely."
Zhong Jinwei was confused when he heard this. Judging from the information revealed by Wang Chengen in advance, the two ministers should be discussing matters related to the king of Tang Dynasty.
But he didn't know exactly what it was, and couldn't say anything, so he could only stare.
Emperor Chongzhen stretched out his hand to stop several other ministers who wanted to speak, and said to Wen Tiren: "Wen Qing, first tell Master Zhong the whole story."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wen Tiren agreed, then turned to Zhong Jinwei and told him what happened.
It turned out that at the end of last year, King Qin's edict spread throughout the country, and the Tang King Zhu Yujian in Nanyang also knew that the capital was in danger. After much hesitation, he wrote to King Qin, and then without waiting for the capital's feedback, he took one thousand of his guards with him because he was worried about the safety of the capital.
He rushed to King Qin of the capital on his own.
When he walked to Yuzhou, he was stopped by the governor Yang Shengwu. At this time, the reply from the capital also arrived, and he was not allowed to go to the capital Qinwang and turned back to Nanyang, his fiefdom.
At the beginning, there were so many things to do that I didn't even bother to deal with this matter. Now that I have calmed down, this matter has been put on the table.
The cabinet's opinion was unified, that punishment must be punished. There were differences on the extent of punishment, and they had been discussing it for two consecutive days. Each had its own reasons, and Emperor Chongzhen was unable to choose between them.
It is true that Emperor Chongzhen also paid great attention to the precautions of the clan. But he also thought of the helpless nightmare he had when Jianlu attacked the capital. Therefore, in his heart, he felt confident that he could lead a thousand guards.
The king of Tang, who went north to hit the stone with an egg, was a little grateful, so he was hesitant on the punishment measures.
This matter is neither a big deal nor a small matter, which is why there has been such a two-day debate.
When Wen Tiren told Zhong Jinwei what had happened, everyone in the palace looked at Zhong Jinwei, wondering what the opinion of Zhongxing Hou, who was deeply trusted by the emperor, would be.