Zhang Yanling returned to the square, and several young men stretched their necks to look at it for a long time. When they saw Zhang Yanling coming back, Zhu Lin asked hurriedly.
"What did this guy say to you? You don't need to pay attention to this kind of person."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Being an official in the same dynasty, there is not so much hatred. Besides, he is the chief minister of the cabinet, so we can't be too disrespectful. All the soldiers' pay for our regiment and camp comes from him."
Zhu Lin stared and said, "Does he still dare to make things difficult for us?"
Zhang Lun smiled and said: "Brother, you can't say that. He needs to be more serious. Our regiment's military pay will be reduced a lot. Yanling is right, there is no need to offend him. In short, Yanling's Duke also has a title
Now, he can't stop it. I think we have to celebrate today. How about Cuiping Tower if I'm the host?"
"Okay, okay. Cuiping Tower is great. I wonder if the Qiuyue girl is still there." Zhu Lin said with a cheerful smile.
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "I dared to go to Cuiping Tower. I almost fell to death that time. The scar on my head is still there."
Zhu Lin blushed and said, "Don't mention that. I will never fight for who you want now."
Everyone burst out laughing. Zhang Yanling remembered the time when he and Zhu Lin were jealous in Cuiping Tower and threw his real body to death at the beginning of the time travel. That was what happened six years ago, and now he has become the most powerful person in the world.
The Duke of the country has many wives and concubines. He has officially become a leader among the nobles.
Thinking about what happened at that time, it feels like a world away.
A few people were chatting and laughing and then walked out of the palace. Suddenly, someone behind them shouted from a distance: "Lord Protector, stay here."
Several people stopped and looked back, only to see Zhang Yong running over panting, his face covered with sweat.
"Eunuch Zhang, what's the matter?" Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
Zhang Yongxian raised his hands in salute and said: "Congratulations to the Lord Protector for being promoted to Duke, which is extremely honorable. We have to ask for a drink no matter what we say."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Of course, we will have a banquet to celebrate in two days, and Eunuch Zhang will be the guest of honor."
Zhang Yong said with a smile: "Our family will definitely go. Well...please Lord Protector follow me to Qianqing Palace. The emperor asked me to invite you to talk."
Zhang Yanling was stunned and said: "Is the emperor angry? Did he smash something?"
Zhang Yong said in a low voice: "You guessed it right away. Liu Jin was beaten to a bloody pulp and was carried in. The emperor was fine at first, but when he saw Liu Jin's appearance, Liu Jin cried and groaned. What did you say, slave?
I'm afraid I'm going to die
, The emperor should take care of himself in the future, and the slaves can no longer serve him.' The emperor became very angry. He smashed things and cursed people again. Gao Feng tried to persuade him a few words, but was kicked by the emperor, and his hip bones turned green.
.”
Zhang Yong imitated Liu Jin's speech very vividly, and the eunuch's voice was basically the same.
"This bastard, he was beaten so lightly, but he still dares to talk. Isn't he the one who arranged for the Lord Protector?" Zhu Lin scolded.
Zhang Yongdao: "Don't say anything. Lord Protector should come with us."
Zhang Yanling spread her hands and said to Zhang Lun and others: "Everyone, there is nothing we can do. I have to go see the emperor. I guess nothing good will happen. I'm afraid I won't be able to go to Cuiping Tower."
Zhang Lun said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, I'll just go another day. It's important to see the emperor. Yanling, you have to be careful. The emperor is angry, so don't provoke him anymore. Otherwise, you will get into trouble."
Zhang Yanling cupped his hands and said, "I can spare it for myself. I'm sorry for you guys. I'll treat you later to make amends."
Everyone bowed their hands and said goodbye, and Zhang Yanling followed Zhang Yong to the Qianqing Palace.
On the way, Zhang Yong asked in a low voice: "Master Guo, how is the matter going? Have you found the person? When will I no longer have to be squeezed out by Liu Jin and the others, and when will I be able to be the palm print?"
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Don't worry, Eunuch Zhang, I will definitely honor what I promised you. In the past few years, you have endured humiliation and helped me a lot. I treat you as one of my own, and I won't hide it from you. General Chen is here Rush back, the person has been found. It’s just a matter of this period of time. Be patient, keep your tail between your legs, and be sure not to be noticed by others."
Zhang Yong said overjoyed: "My family knows, our family understands. We cover our mouths when we sleep, just for fear of exposing the truth."
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "It's so detailed, I admire it."
Under the corridor of the Spring Pavilion in the back hall of the Qianqing Palace, a group of eunuchs and maids stood in silence. The only sound of banging things could be heard inside. Queen Xia and two maids stood in the corridor opposite from a distance and watched. His expression was calm, as if it had nothing to do with her.
Zhang Yanling saluted the queen from afar, and the queen returned the salute, then turned around and led the others away.
At the entrance of Dongchun Pavilion, after Zhang Yanling arrived, Qiu Ju, Wei Bin, Gao Feng and others looked at Zhang Yanling with resentment in their eyes.
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "What are the father-in-laws doing standing outside? What is the emperor doing inside? Are you smashing things? Why are you angry? If you don't go in and wait on him, what if you smash the vase and hurt him? What should I do? What should I do if it’s bad?”
Several eunuchs almost jumped. Zhang Yanling was still pretending to be confused and weird at this time. Didn't he know why the emperor was angry?
"Master Protector, you should hurry up and see the emperor. The emperor is waiting for you." Gao Feng sneered, with a look of gloating in his eyes.
Zhang Yanling sneered, opened the door curtain and went in. After bypassing the screen, he entered the Spring Pavilion. Zhu Houzhao was holding a book in his hand and was about to smash it on the ground. The book was already raised above his head. When he saw Zhang Yanling coming in, he froze there.
"Your Majesty, Zhang Yanling, bows before the Emperor." Zhang Yanling bowed in a deep voice.
Zhu Houzhao sneered and threw the book on the ground, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said loudly: "The Protector is here, who else am I supposed to be? The Protector is so majestic today, I have to deal with Liu Jin in the main hall. I have to listen to you. Haha, Lord Protector is amazing..."
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Is this why the emperor is angry?"
Zhu Houzhao said: "Then tell me, why am I angry?"
Zhang Yanling said: "If the emperor is angry, why should he smash things? If he offends his ministers, he will be dismissed from his position, his title will be taken away from him, and the general will also use his imperial staff. What's wrong with these books, vases, incense burners? If you smash them, you still have to buy them. It also costs money."
Zhu Houzhao waved his hands and said: "Don't tell me this. Why is your behavior today different from what Liu Jian, Xie Qian, Li Dongyang and others did that day?"
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "Your Majesty, do you blame me for forcing you to make a decision and punish the person responsible for the Hebei Rebellion?"
Zhu Houzhao said: "I am also responsible. Don't I know that the New Deal caused the chaos? Do you also want to hold me accountable? How about I issue an imperial edict to blame myself and apologize to the people of the world?"
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, don't say such things. I do this for your own good."
Zhang Yanling almost laughed when she said this sentence. Not long ago, Yang Tinghe also said this.
"For my own good? That's strange. I've been disgraced by you, but you do it for my own good?" Zhu Houzhao sneered.
"Yes, I am not only doing it for the good of the emperor, but also for the good of Eunuch Liu. I have good intentions. The emperor just doesn't understand." Zhang Yanling said.
"Then tell me, what's a good idea?" Zhu Houzhao sat down on the chair. Suddenly he felt his lips were burnt and his mouth was dry. He shouted loudly: "Come here, serve tea. Where have they all died? Do you want to die of thirst?" ?”
A group of eunuchs outside agreed repeatedly, and Gao Feng hurriedly made tea and brought it in. Seeing Zhang Yanling standing there, Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and said, "Make a cup for the Lord Protector as well."
Gao Feng was stunned, and Zhu Houzhao shouted: "Go, what are you doing here?"
Gao Feng crawled out, thinking: Damn it, what's going on? Isn't the emperor so angry that he is itching his teeth? They met and made tea again, what's going on?
"Your Majesty, the chaos in Hebei is too big. The court and the people are looking at each other. This matter cannot be fooled. Your Majesty should not make excuses for Liu Jin. At this time, Liu Jin should take the initiative to take responsibility and be loyal. Everyone knows that the emperor approved the New Deal plan, but Liu Jin couldn't do this, how could the emperor be implicated in the responsibility? Therefore, he came out to take the blame and be punished to save the emperor's face. The emperor protected him and refused to punish him, but this was counterproductive It's like setting fire to a paper bag. It's hard to vent the anger up and down. Isn't it because the emperor doesn't know the difference between right and wrong? How can the fire be stabilized if it is not vented? Hebei needs to calm people's hearts as soon as possible and let the people resettle. The New Deal is Their nightmare, severely punishing Liu Jin, is just to give everyone an opportunity to vent their anger. After venting the anger, won't their hearts feel peaceful? Liu Jin has been punished, and in exchange for peace of mind, it is worth it."
Zhang Yanling spoke eloquently, while Zhu Houzhao drank tea and listened with a frown. What Zhang Yanling meant was nothing more than, Liu Jin is your dog, why are you protecting the dog at this time? If the dog bites someone, it will naturally be beaten. Otherwise, it will be beaten. It is the owner who is blamed by others. The role of the dog is to bear the blame.
"It's a good thing that Eunuch Liu was beaten. But he couldn't be beaten to death. If I don't tell you to be more ruthless, how can the emperor bargain? If I say it lightly, I can't help the brothers who were killed and injured, and I can't explain it to others. I thought that I was cooperating with the emperor and singing a double act. Liu Jin always had a lot of grievances, so the emperor forcibly protected him during the Ningxia Rebellion, and I didn’t say anything. But this incident in Hebei caused huge losses, shook the country, and suffered dozens of blows. , is it too much to be humiliated? If I really wanted to do what Liu Jian Xie Qian and the others did, I would not have done what I did in court. What I am afraid of is that I have accumulated too much anger and cannot vent it. The officials in the imperial court will come to see the emperor again. Are they going to fire all the officials in the outer court and drive them away? Who will do the big and small affairs of the imperial court? The emperor will personally take care of those things? Wouldn't that mean he would die from exhaustion? So, Liu Jin Suffering a little loss will bring peace of mind to everyone, and the people of the world will not be so disappointed with the court. Others will only be more daring towards the emperor, and Liu Jin can be regarded as taking responsibility. Everyone is happy. How can the emperor still blame it? Where is the minister?"
Zhu Houzhao was a smart man, but he was confused by Zhang Yanling's words. Thinking about it, it seemed to make sense. Zhang Yanling seemed to have good intentions.
"Do you really mean that?" Zhu Houzhao struggled unwillingly.
Zhang Yanling said: "Your Majesty, can I have anything to hide from the Emperor? Everything I have is given by the Emperor, and I will never let the Emperor down. I am not good at words and can only prove it with actions. If you want me to swear an oath, I can do it.
Your Majesty, this matter needs to be calmed down as soon as possible. The past few years have been unstable and I am really worried. Your Majesty should think about it."
Zhu Houzhao breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It seems that I have wrongly blamed you. Uncle, I am also very worried. Since I came to the throne... why have I been uneasy every year? What is the reason? Am I really not as good as my father?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to belittle yourself. This is not the Emperor's fault. Some things are accumulated. For example, the financial and tax deficit is not the result of the Emperor's hand. In the hands of the late Emperor, even Chenghuanian had already started to suffer the deficit.
It's only become more serious in this dynasty. The emperor is a promising king and wants to solve this matter.
Only then can we come up with new policies and think of ways. Only then can these things happen. This is a series of conflicts that broke out in the hands of the emperor. Perhaps God believes that the emperor is a promising king, so it must be resolved in the hands of the emperor.
If these contradictions accumulate, sooner or later these crises will break out in the Ming Dynasty, and they will be even more serious than now."
Zhu Houzhao listened to his thoughts and nodded: "What my uncle said makes sense. I shouldn't belittle myself. But how should I solve this matter? I am at my wits' end."
Zhang Yanling said: "There will be a way, I promise."
…
When Zhang Yanling exited the Spring Pavilion, Zhu Houzhao walked out of the Spring Pavilion with a smile on his face. Gao Feng and others were very surprised.
Zhang Yanling handed Gao Feng a jar of first-aid powder that he always had on hand and asked him to bring it to Liu Jin to apply to his wounds. Gao Feng went to see Liu Jin and told him about the emperor's summons. Liu Jin cursed angrily and smashed the jar of first-aid powder to pieces.