In the courtyard, there was a crowd of people. The captain of Dongchang who went to search for the state government office has returned.
"How about it?"
"No gain."
"It doesn't matter. Let's get up and go back to Beijing." Looking at the dazed Huang next to him and Duan Shixiong's concubine who was so frightened that he completely collapsed, Xiao Chen said: "Take them all with you."
The next day, a red sun rose slowly from the southeast corner of the capital.
The Ming Dynasty also officially entered the 19th year of Yongle.
In the splendid palace, in front of the emperor's chamber, there were more than ten people of different sizes, including maids and eunuchs.
Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty who was usually diligent in government affairs, made no move to get up at this moment.
The eunuchs and maids had anxious faces, but no one dared to step forward to see what was going on.
In fact, in the tent, Ming Chengzu had already woken up, but he closed his eyes tightly.
While watching the fireworks last night, I don't know whether it was due to the cold wind or because my body is just a bit old. I felt pain in my waist, and there was a vague feeling that I couldn't support my upper body.
As usual, Ming Chengzu had already summoned the imperial physician. But today, he had no idea of summoning the imperial physician.
This year, Ming Chengzu was sixty-one years old, and his health had begun to decline. Even if the imperial doctor came, the only thing he could do was to relieve his back pain, which only treated the symptoms but not the root cause.
Lying on the large dragon bed, Ming Chengzu carefully reviewed his legendary life.
Throughout his life, he has worked conscientiously and thought about the Ming Dynasty. But the battle of Jingnan, more or less, has made the world have bad words for him.
Although he successfully ascended the throne and reached the pinnacle of power in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's position was somewhat suspected of being snatched from his nephew.
Emperor Jianwen's loyal ministers in the previous dynasty had all been killed and suppressed. But he still felt uneasy. He always felt that there was a secret force in this dynasty, waiting for an opportunity.
Not long ago, the Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang, who had just been executed, had ulterior motives and wanted to accomplish something big, right under his nose.
If the Eunuch Si Li had not discovered and reported in time that there was such a dangerous person around him, he would have been scared just thinking about it.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Ming Chengzu's face.
No one can be trusted, only these eunuchs around us can be entrusted with important responsibilities.
They have no family, no descendants, and no reason to take bribes and bend the law.
With one hand holding the huge golden velvet backrest and the other hand on the soft bedding of the dragon bed, Ming Chengzu struggled to sit up.
He moved his body back and leaned against the head of the bed. After taking a few deep breaths, he stretched out his left hand and opened a crack in the thick tent.
Seeing the movement around the tent, everyone hurriedly surrounded it.
The personal eunuch Wang Xiaosi bowed even more, leaning his white fly whisk on the crook of his left arm, walking lightly to the side of the dragon bed, and whispered softly: "Your Majesty, you are awake!"
After a while, a voice came from the tent: "Xiao Linzi, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, is here to talk to me."
"Yes, I will go and pass on Eunuch Lin right away." Wang Xiaosi raised the fly whisk high in both hands, bowed his body, and exited the palace.
North of Dong'an Gate, there is a compound hidden deep in an alley, with the door always closed.
Sitting in the lobby, next to the Eight Immortals table under the portrait of Yue Fei, Lin Shangli, the supervisor of the East Factory, held a bowl of fragrant tea, lowered his head and blew the tea leaves floating on it, and took a pleasant sip.
Last night, Xiao Chen reported to him the progress of Wang San's case overnight. Unexpectedly, Yanqing Guard and Jinyi Guard were involved behind the scenes.
Ji Gang, the former commander of Jin Yiwei, was dealt with not long ago, and this again involved Jin Yiwei. It seems that, as the emperor said, there are many hidden moths in Jin Yiwei.
Originally, Wang San and others died under the collapsed wall. He didn't care and just treated it as a normal accident. But Xiao Chen was Wang San's good friend and became suspicious of this matter.
After an investigation, many Ni Duan were discovered.
If this conspiracy can be thoroughly investigated and all the people involved can be eliminated, it will be a great contribution to the emperor's country and the improvement of Dongchang's status in the emperor's mind.
"Your Excellency, Mr. Wang, please go to the palace." A school captain bowed at the entrance of the lobby and said.
"Xiao Si? Where is he?"
"Waiting at the factory gate."
"Walk."
Lin Shangli put down the tea bowl in his hand, stood up and straightened his blue python robe, straightened the blue-black official hat on his head, and hurried out of the lobby.
Dongchang is located deep in an alley, with a towering red palace wall on one side and magnificent buildings on the street on the other. The entire gate is only five feet wide.
Although the sun was shining brightly, it was blocked by this tall building and the entire alley was extremely cold.
Wang Xiaosi arched his body and held the pure white whisk tightly in his arms.
A pair of big feet wearing white-soled gangster eunuch ceremonial boots stomped around to keep warm.
With a "squeak", Lin Shangli opened the five-foot-wide door and walked out.
"Xiaosi, why is the emperor looking for me so early? What important matter does it have?"
"I didn't say anything happened, I just said I wanted to chat with you."
Wang Xiaosi's face turned red from the cold, and when he sneezed, his nose almost ran down.
"Your location in the East Factory is a little too far from the sun. It's not as comfortable as staying in the Director of Ceremonies. Just for a while, I was so cold that I shivered all over."
As he spoke, Wang Xiaosi deliberately bumped his upper teeth against his lower teeth, making a "snap, snap, snap, snap" sound.
"Just for a while, when you are so cold, I won't put on more cotton-padded clothes."
Lin Shangli stretched out the fly whisk in his arms and knocked on Xiaosi's head.
Xiaosi shrank his neck, covered the place where he was hit with his hand, and said sadly: "The clothes are too thick, aren't you afraid that I will not be able to serve the emperor flexibly?"
"Thank you for recommending you to serve the emperor. Even though you are so cold-hearted, you are too dissatisfied with others." Lin Shangli said seriously with a straight face.
"I don't dare. Today is not the Spring Festival. I just want to make you happy." Seeing Lin Shangli's serious face, Wang Xiaosi said in fear.
"Let's go, talk as we go. Is the emperor different from the past today? He summoned me early in the morning. This is the first time since the capital was moved to Beijing."
Lin Shangli looked up at the distance of the alley and walked forward.
Wang Xiaosi, who was behind, took his hands off his head and hurriedly followed.
"The emperor always gets up at five o'clock to review official documents and memorials. The sun has risen today and he hasn't gotten up yet."
"You didn't even get up, and you didn't even know to step forward to check?"
"How dare you, my slave? Ever since Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, was executed, the emperor has ordered that no one can approach the dragon bed without his summons."
"Oh, your Majesty is feeling uneasy!"
Lin Shangli sighed.
Lin Shangli entered the palace in the first year of Yongle's reign. He started as a handyman eunuch and worked his way up to the eunuch's position as the eunuch responsible for rituals.
Getting along with Ming Chengzu day and night also produced a deep feeling.
Hearing that the emperor couldn't get up on time, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Watching Ming Chengzu gradually grow from his prime middle age to his twilight years, no one in the entire Ming Dynasty could compare with his understanding of the emperor.
Wang Xiaosi opened his mouth and wanted to say something more, but Lin Shangli interrupted him and said: "Stop talking and leave quickly, the emperor is still waiting!"
After entering Dong'an Gate, the two of them entered the Forbidden City directly from Donghua Gate.
Arriving at the emperor's palace, the eunuch on duty at the door saw his immediate boss and hurriedly bowed: "Eunuch Lin!"
"Yeah." Lin Shangli responded and walked straight in.
The palace was empty, and Ming Chengzu was not seen. There were only two palace maids, one standing on the ground and the other lying on the bed. They were holding a white swan feather duster in their hands, tidying up Ming Chengzu's huge dragon bed.
Seeing the two men coming in, the two palace maids stopped what they were doing and hurriedly saluted.
"Where is the Emperor?"
"After washing up, I went directly to the imperial study. I told Eunuch Lin to go directly to the imperial study."
"He went directly to the imperial study? The emperor didn't have breakfast?"
Wang Xiaosi behind him hurriedly took over the words: "For several months, the emperor has not had breakfast."
"How come you never mentioned such a big thing to me?" Lin Shangli turned around and scolded, seemingly a little angry.
With a "pop", Xiaosi knelt on the ground: "Eunuch Lin, please calm down. The emperor has ordered that he not tell anyone about his skipping breakfast."
Glancing at Wang Xiaosi who was lying on the ground, Lin Shangli let out a long breath.
"Get up and follow me to the imperial study."
The imperial study room and the emperor's bedroom were separated by a bathing room.
After passing the bathing room, the two came to the door of the imperial study room.
The little eunuch in purple clothes at the door saluted the two of them, but did not dare to say anything.
Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty had an unwritten rule that when he was in the imperial study, no noise was allowed outside. The only exceptions were made for Wang Xiaosi, the personal eunuch, and Lin Shangli, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony.
After arranging the clothes on his body, Lin Shangli slightly arched his straight waist and stretched his neck forward, "Your Majesty, I see you are here, Xiao Linzi."
"Come in." Ming Chengzu's still loud voice came from inside.
After receiving permission, Lin Shangli slowly opened the door to the imperial study and walked in cautiously.
In the royal study room, on the large desk, there are several thick piles of official documents and memorials. In the hollow golden lampshade next to it, the flame of the candle flickers, reflecting Ming Chengzu's somewhat pale face, and even more
To be haggard.
"Your Majesty, you just woke up and came to the Imperial Study Room to review official documents and memorials. Did you forget to have breakfast?"
Lin Shangli bowed forward, pushed the tea bowl next to the table forward, and handed the whisk in his hand to Wang Xiaosi behind him. He stood behind Ming Chengzu, stretched out his hands, and kneaded his shoulders.
As if feeling the relief on his shoulders, Ming Chengzu put down the langhao pen in his hand, closed his eyes, and shook his head gently.
"I woke up very late today and have no desire to eat."
"This is not okay. Breakfast is the first thing in the morning. If you forget to eat it, it will do a lot of harm to your spleen and stomach. The entire Ming Dynasty does not rely on you for support. If this body collapses, the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed.
What hope do our people have?"
"It's not that I don't eat breakfast, it's just that I don't have the desire to have breakfast today."
"That's not possible. If you don't eat one meal, you will skip two meals. If you develop the habit of skipping breakfast, you won't be able to change it if you want to. If this goes on for a long time, how can your body, Your Majesty, endure it?
"
"When I woke up in the morning, my mouth felt bitter. Even the breakfast was bitter when I put it in my mouth." Ming Chengzu smiled bitterly.
"What's the problem? The cane sugar sent as tribute from the Western Regions is sweet and delicious. Xiao Si, ask the imperial kitchen to cook a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup. Add more cane sugar and serve it while it's hot."
"Yes, I will give you the instructions right now."
Xiao Si beside him hurriedly bowed and exited the imperial study room.
