The imperial guards in the palace have returned, but the atmosphere in the palace is still a bit noisy and chaotic.
Groups of eunuchs were moving firewood around the Queen Mother's Hall.
Although his expression was still panic-stricken, it was much better than the previous despair. This was probably because of the row of brave soldiers standing in front of the palace in addition to the imperial guards.
These brave soldiers only wore military robes and had all their weapons removed. Their bodies were not as tall as those of the Imperial Guards, but they stood tall and solemn, exuding a frightening aura.
This is the Qingshan Army who relieved the siege of the capital.
When they arrived, tens of thousands of golden soldiers heard the news and fled.
"Why pursue?"
The Queen Mother's displeased voice came from the palace.
The concubines who were originally imprisoned here have been dispersed in the palace. The Queen Mother sitting on the chair is pale and tired from the aftermath of the disaster, but she seems to be in good spirits.
"At this time, if we have to send so many Qingshan troops to pursue, wouldn't the capital's defenses be empty again?" the Queen Mother said, a little annoyed. Her previous joy because this official brought a group of Qingshan troops to protect the imperial city suddenly disappeared.
"What if the Jin comes back to kill me again?"
"Don't worry, Madam, the defense of the capital has been arranged. The soldiers and horses of Renji Prefecture are here, and the garrisons from several other prefectures have also arrived." An old minister said.
The Queen Mother looked at him with a somewhat dissatisfied expression and made arrangements. In the past, they had pretended to be peaceful and said they had made arrangements, but in the end, the Jin people almost broke the city.
"Where is Ning Yan?" she asked.
The capital was saved this time because Ning Yan stood up immediately to stabilize the people's morale and unite the army. Of course, there was also Miss Jun who led the Qingshan Army's family members to consolidate the city's defense.
But now that everything was settled and the officials went to the palace to report, neither Ning Yan nor Miss Jun came.
"Empress, Ning Yan said that it is inconvenient for him to enter the palace now that he has no official, no position, no edict." He said with a firm expression and a hint of approval.
This is the backbone of civil servants. They do things and don't do things. These women are not allowed to humiliate and blame them at will.
The Queen Mother could see what he meant, and she felt even more embarrassed.
She came from a humble background and had no powerful family to help her. In order to gain a good reputation for the emperor, the queen was also from a small family.
In the eyes of these ministers, she and the emperor were orphans and widowed mothers with no foundation in power and no help from relatives.
That's why she always wanted the emperor to be diligent and benevolent. As long as an emperor who protects the country can do this, he will be a wise emperor convinced by the ministers. But... this waste!
"The Ai family just wants to ask about the defense of the city this time. As a person involved, he can come in even if he has no official position." The Queen Mother said patiently, "And Miss Jun, they all want to be rewarded based on their merits.
"
The courtiers were silent for a moment.
"Empress, you will be rewarded based on your merits." He raised his head, "Where is your Majesty now?"
The emperor must be responsible for such things as giving rewards based on merit.
The Queen Mother no longer wants to hear this question, and there is nothing she can do about it.
The Queen Mother's face turned a little ugly again, and she clenched her hands tightly in front of her.
She couldn't take the initiative to say that she didn't know the emperor's whereabouts, otherwise she wouldn't tell the world that the emperor abandoned her and ran away, abandoned his ministers and abandoned his biological mother. Such a person who has no loyalty or filial piety is not a sage king in the eyes of the world.
The image of a loyal, honest and tolerant master that he had worked hard to create for him since childhood was completely gone.
Although it doesn't matter if he is gone, he is still the emperor, but I am afraid that the courtiers who already despised him will despise him even more in the future.
The Queen Mother was very angry when she thought of this. What was even more angry was that this loser treated her like this and she still wanted to defend him.
"His Majesty was taken away by someone from the Ai family." She said, "The Jin people besieged the city. The Ai family cannot let what happened to Emperor Renxiao happen again."
She emphasized the words "let people be taken away" to show that this was not the emperor's intention and that the emperor was helplessly forced.
The old minister bowed his head and said yes.
"Now that the siege of the capital has been lifted, I wonder where your Majesty is?" he said, "I hope you can go and greet me."
Who knows where he is.
The Queen Mother clenched her hands on her knees.
"Don't worry, there are still tens of thousands of golden soldiers near the capital. Let's wait until it is completely safe." She said.
The courtiers did not respond.
"It is precisely because it is not safe that I ask the empress to tell me where it is so that I can send troops to protect it," he said insistently.
This courtier really dared to speak, and there was no end to it.
The Queen Mother's brows were throbbing with veins, and she was about to get angry, when the eunuch's report came from outside the palace.
"Mother, Eunuch Yuan is back."
Yuan Bao!
This traitor! The emperor took him away without taking him with him, so he knew that these eunuchs who had grown up with the emperor were no good.
Hatred flashed in the Queen Mother's eyes.
When he comes back this time, he will never be allowed to leave alive again.
"Empress."
Yuan Bao quickly entered the palace and knelt down on the ground crying as soon as he entered the door.
"Hurry and save Your Majesty."
The Queen Mother was startled and stood up.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" she asked anxiously.
Although she hates this son, he is still his son.
The courtiers on the side were also startled.
Yuan Bao raised his head with tears streaming down his face.
"Your Majesty has punished himself and the imperial mausoleum. He has been depriving himself of food and water. He cannot hold on any longer." He cried. "The slaves really don't dare to hide this from each other."
After hearing this, the Queen Mother sat back.
Why would a person who is going to die without eating or drinking, and who can run away before the Golden Man comes to fight him, be willing to seek death himself?
Self-punishment and the imperial mausoleum.
It’s a shame he dared to speak!
Although this excuse is embarrassing, it is still a valid excuse.
The Queen Mother felt resentful in her heart.
"Why is he punishing himself?" she said, "It was the Ai family who sent him to the imperial mausoleum. Is he trying to say that the Ai family should punish themselves?"
That Lord Ning was right, the Queen Mother must have taken the emperor's departure on herself.
Then things will be easier to handle.
Yuan Bao was very happy in his heart, and the tears on his face were even more joyful.
"Empress, that's not what your Majesty meant." He kowtowed and said, "The Jin people wreaked havoc on the people. Your Majesty thinks that it is the fault of the ancestors above and the fault of the common people below. You feel sorry for yourself."
The Queen Mother sneered inwardly.
"This is indeed his fault." She said bitterly, "Just because it is his fault, he should learn from it and be diligent in government affairs to take back today's shame. Life or death, what does it mean?"
Yuan Bao lowered his head and sobbed, daring not to speak any more.
Master Ning said what needed to be said, and just listened to the rest without speaking.
"It turns out that Your Majesty is in the Imperial Mausoleum." The courtier said after hearing it clearly. His expression was complicated but in the end he didn't say anything more. He looked at the Queen Mother and said, "Mother, please invite Your Majesty to come back first. If you don't eat or drink like this, in case
Something happened..."
The Queen Mother snorted.
"Then you go and bring him back," she said.
The courtier responded yes.
The news that the emperor was in the imperial mausoleum spread quickly.
"It turns out that the emperor ran to the imperial mausoleum and hid."
"It seems that it's not about hiding, it's about punishing the sin and remembering the mistake."
"Is there such a thought of punishment? I think it is better to be more sincere in facing the enemy like the wise king Huai Wang."
"No, His Majesty the Emperor did not go there himself, but was sent there by the Queen Mother.
The people on the street also talked a lot, but the emperor did not come back immediately. Several ministers went there but did not persuade the emperor to return. Then a large number of courtiers rushed to persuade him, but the emperor still refused to show up and only asked someone to send him a confession.
Already ordered.
Seeing the criminal edict sent out, the courtiers had complicated expressions.
"If this is announced to the world, His Majesty's face will not look good." A court official said in a low voice.
That is to admit in front of the world that he has made mistakes in government affairs. For an emperor, who is the son of the emperor, admitting that he has made mistakes is very detrimental to the emperor's authority.
"What if not?" Another courtier smiled bitterly, "If you don't sin against yourself, will your face look better?"
Rather than being accused and suspected by the people of abandoning the city and fleeing, it is better to commit the following crime. Although it will hurt the emperor's power, but the emperor's power has been damaged now, it is better to take the initiative to capture and appease the people.
The courtiers guarding the imperial mausoleum discussed and agreed, and the crime was declared to the world.
"First, punish people and issue edicts. After returning to the court, reward meritorious ministers and reform various bad policies to make people happy."
Ning Yunzhao said.
"In this way, God's will will return, and Your Majesty will be able to become even more powerful."
The emperor, who looked ashamed and displeased because he had written the imperial edict, nodded when he heard this.
"The top priority is to return to the DPRK first," he said.
So what if the crime has been punished?
People are forgetful, and soon no one will mention it.
If someone has a good memory and insists on mentioning it, just shut him up forever.
As long as he is still the emperor, who can do anything to him?
"Then I will go back when they ask me again." The emperor stood up and said.
It was extremely cold and uncomfortable to live in this imperial mausoleum. Standing at the door, you could see the tomb of the late prince at a glance.
"Your Majesty, the Holy Ming." Ning Yunzhao said, raising his head again, "Your Majesty, why don't you reward the meritorious officials here and then go back."
The emperor frowned.
"Reward now?" he asked.
"The capital city is still not stable now. Thousands of gold soldiers are flowing on Jingdong Road, and the officers and soldiers are attacking and killing them." Ning Yunzhao said, "Rewarding those who have made meritorious service in defending the city at this time can not only appease the people but also boost their morale."
The emperor nodded.
"Okay," he said, "call the Lord Ning Yanshanyang County to see him."
.........
...........
"What do you want to do by doing this?"
Ning Yunzhao went outside to convey the emperor's will to the waiting ministers. When he came back, he met Lu Yunqi standing in the corridor. He did not remain silent as usual, but took the initiative to ask.
Ning Yunzhao smiled.
"Actually, it's just selfishness." He lowered his voice and said, "For my uncle and for her, I can clear my name as soon as possible."
Is that so?
Lu Yunqi said no more.
Is she coming over soon?
She has only been here once.
This was not a happy place for her.
Lu Yunqi's eyes fell in front, where a mausoleum could be seen in the distance.
The news that the emperor wanted to summon and reward Miss Ning Yanjun and other heroes who defended the city spread quickly throughout the city. As Ning Yunzhao said, the people's view of the emperor became better.
After all, he is the emperor, the emperor.
The atmosphere in Jiulingtang was also somewhat joyful.
Mainly the joy of Liu Er and Chen Qi.
"Then our lady will be able to get a princess this time, right?" Liu'er said.
Princess?
Miss Jun looked at her and smiled without saying anything.
........
.........
After all, the Imperial Mausoleum is not a court hall. After Ning Yan and Miss Jun came over, they stood outside like other waiting officials.
The emperor has not yet agreed to return to the court, so he did not see them. He only asked an eunuch to come out to express his praise for what they had done. After announcing the reinstatement of Ning Yan and the reward of gold, silver and cloth to Miss Jun, Miss Jun also
He did not thank the emperor for his kindness.
"My daughter does not want these rewards," she said.
The officials present, including Ning Yan, were a little surprised.
Are you asking for a reward? This seems a bit domineering and deceiving the master.
But this time she did a great job. She was able to ask for what she wanted.
The courtiers looked complicated and no one spoke for a moment to rebuke.
This unexpected surprise also surprised the eunuch.
"Then what does Miss Jun want?" he said with a frown.
Miss Jun looked at him.
"I ask your majesty to support the orthodoxy," she said, "and make King Huai the crown prince."
As soon as these words came out, there was dead silence all around, and countless gasps of cold air could be heard immediately.
Everyone's eyes were focused on this woman.
What is she talking about?
What is she talking about?
....
.......
(I didn’t get up until noon. I haven’t been writing for a few days, so I’ll just update once a day for the time being. I’m adjusting to the jet lag.
Thank you everyone for allowing me, Jun Jiuling, to get the second place of the year. I hope that I can get your support for a new book this year. I bow and thank you) (To be continued)