"Your Majesty, Mr. Yan Ge and the others are outside asking for a meeting!"
After the words of the guiding eunuch fell, Jiajing couldn't help but have a look of doubt on his face, and said silently to himself.
"At this time, shouldn't Yan Song and the others be in the cabinet? What are they doing here?"
Afterwards, Jiajing came back to his senses, looked at the guiding eunuch, waved his hand, and gave instructions.
"That's all, let them in!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After hearing the words, the guiding eunuch immediately left Qianqing Palace without any hesitation.
Soon after, Yan Song and others entered the Qianqing Palace.
"I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
After entering the Qianqing Palace, everyone, led by Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet, knelt on the ground and said in unison.
Seeing this situation, Jiajing responded in a subtle way. Then, he cast his eyes on Yan Song and turned to ask.
"Yan Song, you mobilized troops and mobilized people like this. Do you have anything to report to me?"
Yan Song heard the blame in Jiajing's words, and then saw him carefully take out the earlier battle report sent by Feng Yue and rushed 800 miles to the cabinet from his sleeve, and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, this is the frontline battle report sent by Feng Yue, the governor of Huguang. I dare not neglect it, so..."
Before Yan Song finished speaking, he was interrupted by Jiajing: "What, it's a battle report from the front line, get it to me quickly!"
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang, who had been waiting beside Jiajing, immediately stepped forward, took the battle report from Yan Song's hand, and handed it to Jiajing respectfully.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
After Jiajing responded, he took the battle report sent from the front line from Lu Fang's hands and began to browse the contents, only to see what was written above.
"Your Majesty, the minister has led a large army to conquer Sangmuguan, and set up an ambush to annihilate the 40,000 Bozhou soldiers who came to support Sangmuguan. After this battle, General Yang Lie will no longer be able to organize effective resistance in a short period of time!"
"In this battle, our army suffered 5,682 casualties. The next step is to lead the army to attack Suiyang!"
"After the army captures Suiyang, if the Sichuan Division's Third Route and the Guizhou Division's Two Routes progress smoothly, we can divide our troops into three routes and launch attacks from Suiyang, Renhuai, and Tongzi directions to besiege Hailongtun!"
"In addition, after verification in several battles, the paper-cased bullets sent by the Arms Department can significantly increase the reloading speed of firecrackers and have extremely high reliability. In addition, new cannons and improved Fire gun..."
After Jiajing finished browsing the contents, a smile suddenly appeared on his face. When he saw that the paper-shell bullets made by the Ordnance Department had withstood the test of war, the smile on his face became even greater.
Afterwards, Jiajing casually put the battle report aside and said to himself.
"Well, this Feng Yue really did not disappoint me!"
Seeing this, Xu Jie on the side quickly stepped forward and began to flatter him.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. This is all the result of your Majesty knowing people and making good use of them, and having a keen eye for pearls. Your Majesty is wise!"
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
As soon as Xu Jie finished speaking, Yan Song and others quickly reacted and said in unison.
Jiajing was very pleased with Xu Jie's flattery, and he waved his hand and said slowly.
"No, it's all thanks to the frontline soldiers who bravely killed the enemy. I just did some small things that I could do!"
Just when everyone was planning to take this opportunity to flatter the emperor, Jiajing's voice sounded again.
"This battle report was sent ten days ago, which means that the current advancement speed of the army should be far slower than this. In addition, Feng Yue also mentioned in the letter that after Sangmuguan is conquered, the next target is Sui Positive."
"Yang Lie just lost 40,000 Bozhou soldiers not long ago. He should be unable to organize an effective resistance in a short period of time. Maybe Feng Yue's army has already captured Suiyang!"
"When the time comes to surround us on three sides, let me see how this Yang Lie can escape!"
When Jiajing said this, he clenched his fists subconsciously, his face full of excitement.
For Jiajing, sending troops to Bozhou in the name of counterinsurgency can not only greatly intimidate those local forces who are ready to move, but after the local reforms are implemented, they can truly bring Bozhou under the rule of the imperial court. among.
Not only that, Jiajing was also able to personally select clan members and nobles to serve in Bozhou through the process of returning home.
Take this opportunity to train their abilities, so that the clan and nobles can gradually regain their strength, be able to make their voices heard in the court, and then become their own help.
For Jiajing, this is a good thing!
After that, Jiajing came back to his senses, glanced at everyone present, nodded, and then continued.
"You guys are here just in time. There is something I need you to do here!"
When everyone heard what Jiajing said, they couldn't help but feel a thump in their hearts.
Then, Yan Song summoned up the courage, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and asked cautiously.
"Please tell me frankly, Your Majesty, I will go through fire and water, even if I die!"
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at Yan Song and spoke unhurriedly.
"Actually, it's not a big deal. Not long ago, Liu Mi, the governor of Jinyiwei, wrote me a letter."
"In the letter, he mentioned that a puppet named Makoto Tsunoda, who was supported by Kinyiwei earlier, has now established a firm foothold in the Kyushu region of Japan. However, due to his rapid rise, he has aroused the fear of the surrounding famous names!"
"Those daimyo united and sent out eight thousand troops to declare war on him!"
"Since Tsunoda Makoto has been taught and funded by Kinkiwei, the weapons, equipment, and combat skills of his soldiers are far stronger than those of the daimyo's army. Although the number of the army is small, its combat effectiveness is extremely high. Strong, the two sides fell into a stalemate!"
"Right now, Makoto Tsunoda is writing a letter asking me, the Ming Dynasty, to give him more assistance to help him defeat those daimyo!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, the scene suddenly fell into dead silence, and no one spoke.
Everyone still had an impression of the original plan. After thinking about it for a moment, everyone also recalled the plan that was originally formulated during the cabinet discussion.
What frightens everyone the most is that Jin Yiwei has quietly advanced the plan to this point, but they are not aware of it at all.
At this moment, Zhang Juzheng's face was even more shocked, because it was he who proposed the three-step strategy to Jiajing during the cabinet discussion.
"The first step is to send merchant ships to the Kyushu region of Japan for trade, and learn about the local customs, hydrology and landforms, etc., so as to clear obstacles for the Ming Dynasty's navy in advance!"
"The second step is to take advantage of the fact that Japan is still in the Warring States Period, the entire country is divided, and regions are hostile to each other, and vigorously cultivate rebel forces in the Kyushu region!"
"The third step is to destroy the country. You must first go to its history. After occupying the Kyushu region, send special personnel to educate the local people. After the situation stabilizes, you can use Kyushu as a springboard to plot the entire Japan. !”
But now, the entire plan has quietly reached the second step.
"Then the imperial court will be able to officially send out troops after the two naval divisions are completely built!"
Zhang Juzheng thought so, his face was full of hope, and he couldn't help but clenched his fists.
Jiajing took in all the expressions on everyone's faces, nodded imperceptibly, and then continued.
"Don't worry, I plan to put this matter up for discussion at the next cabinet meeting. You go down and think about it first!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, everyone bowed to the ground and said in unison.
Then, Jiajing waved his hand, withdrew his gaze, and turned to give instructions.
"Okay, if nothing happens next, you can leave!"
"As ordered, Your Majesty, I will retire now!"
After that, Yan Song and others did not stay in the Qianqing Palace for too long, but left directly.
…
After Yan Song and others left, Jiajing looked at Lu Fang beside him, looking like he was hesitant to speak, raised his eyebrows, and asked.
"Lu Fang, do you have anything to say to me?"
When Lu Fang heard this, she lowered her head immediately, organized the words in her mind, and then spoke carefully.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, according to the procedure, after receiving the battle report from the front line, the cabinet should hand it over to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, but Mr. Yan Ge and the others have repeatedly..."
When Jiajing heard Lu Fang's words, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Soon, he came back to his senses and responded with a smile.
"Well, I know, I will talk about them carefully when I come down!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing this situation, Lu Fang had no choice but to lean down and respond respectfully.
After that, Jiajing changed the topic, glanced at Lu Fang, and gave instructions.
"Let's go, Lu Fang, accompany me to the Manna Palace!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang's eyes flashed with a hint of imperceptible joy, and he immediately responded.
At this moment, Lu Fang was in an extremely happy mood, and the previous unhappiness had been completely forgotten by him.
Then, he was seen following Jiajing's steps step by step, heading in the direction of Ganlu Palace.
"In recent times, Your Majesty's visits to the Manna Palace have become more and more frequent. Madam, you must not let Your Majesty down!"
"When the child in your belly is born successfully, you will be the queen of the Ming Dynasty!"
Lu Fang thought so as she looked at the back of Jiajing walking in front.
According to the earlier diagnosis from the Taiyuan Hospital, the child in the imperial concubine's belly will be born in September at the latest.
As the day of childbirth was getting closer and closer, the belly of Imperial Concubine Shen was getting bigger day by day.
In order to ensure the safety of the imperial concubine Shen, Jiajing specially ordered the imperial hospital to send all the highly skilled imperial doctors including Imperial Physician Li to Ganlu Palace.
While Lu Fang was daydreaming, the eunuchs and maids who were busy on the road stopped what they were doing when they saw the holy driver coming, stepped aside, and knelt on the ground in fear.
Soon, Jiajing and his party arrived at Ganlu Palace.
Many eunuchs and maids in the Manna Palace knelt on the ground when they saw the emperor's arrival.
They have long been accustomed to this. In recent times, Jiajing has come to Ganlu Palace much more often than before.
"Well, everyone, get up!"
Seeing this, Jiajing glanced at the eunuchs and maids and gave instructions.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After getting Jiajing's permission, the eunuchs and maids stood up from the ground tremblingly, just when a chief eunuch was about to go in and report. But Jiajing stopped him.
"There's no need to go in and report, I just stopped by to take a look!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Afterwards, Jiajing took Lu Fang and entered the Manna Palace.
After entering the Manna Palace, you first have to pass through a long corridor. If you smell carefully, you can smell a vague fragrance of flowers.
Imperial Physician Li and his party had already known the news of the emperor's arrival, so they had been waiting on the road they had to pass.
After seeing the figures of Jiajing and Lu Fang, all the imperial doctors knelt on the ground and said in unison.
"I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
"Well, everyone, get up!"
When Jiajing saw this, he glanced at the imperial doctors and immediately gave instructions.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, the doctors from the Imperial Hospital slowly stood up from the ground.
Then, Jiajing was seen looking at where Imperial Physician Li was and asking.
"Mr. Li, how is the imperial concubine's condition now?"
Doctor Li seemed to have been prepared for this question. He thought about it for a moment and then answered without thinking.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty is currently in very good health!"
As soon as Dr. Li finished speaking, the remaining doctors also spoke in agreement.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the imperial concubine is in good spirits right now. She can fall asleep as soon as she touches the pillow every day!"
"In addition, Your Majesty, the imperial concubine's appetite has not been reduced too much!"
"In addition, the imperial concubine also takes a walk around the garden from time to time to exercise..."
After listening to the reports from the imperial doctors, Jiajing nodded slightly and responded.
"Well, I understand. I've been bothering you all lately!"
"Your Majesty is serious!"
When the imperial doctors heard Jiajing's words, a look of fear appeared on their faces. They immediately lowered their heads and responded respectfully.
Seeing this, Jiajing just nodded, and then led Lu Fang towards the room where the imperial concubine Shen was.
When Jiajing arrived at the room where the imperial concubine Shen was, he opened the door and entered without hesitation.
In the room, Mrs. Shen was embroidering together with her personal maid.
Shen obviously did not expect Jiajing to arrive at this time, and a hint of shyness flashed across her face.
He quickly put down the things in his hands, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and said respectfully.
"I have met your Majesty!"
"Um."
When Jiajing heard the words, he just responded in a subtle way, and Shen's personal maid also left the room very wisely.
When the personal maid left, she also closed the door to the room.
Afterwards, Mrs. Shen planned to get up and pour a cup of tea for Jiajing. Seeing this, Jiajing quickly stepped forward and stopped her action.
"No need, I will do it myself!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, he came and sat down next to Mrs. Shen. He picked up the teacup on the table and poured a cup of tea for himself and Mrs. Shen.
After that, Shen's light voice sounded in Jiajing's ears.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, why did you come to Ganlu Palace at this time? The court..."
"Why, I'm not welcome?"
When Jiajing heard this, he raised his eyebrows and asked with a half-smile.
When Shen heard this, a blush suddenly appeared on her face, and even her earlobes turned pink. She waved her hands in a panic and explained.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this is not what I mean..."
When Jiajing saw this, the smile on his face became even bigger. He gently took Shen into his arms and spoke comforting words.
"I'm just teasing you. I have nothing to do recently, so I came here to see you!"
Then, Jiajing changed the subject and asked again.
"How are you feeling lately? Is there anything uncomfortable in your body?"
Sensing the concern in Jiajing's words, Shen lay in Jiajing's arms and responded angrily.
"Your Majesty, I have been eating well and sleeping soundly these days. I always go to the garden to stroll around when I have nothing to do!"
"Well, fine, once the child is born, I will officially crown you as queen!"
"At that time, you will be the empress who is respected by all the people in the world!"
When Jiajing heard this, he gently stroked Shen's hair with one hand, then looked directly into her eyes and spoke seriously.
Shen obviously did not expect that things would develop like this, and for a moment, he fell into a sluggish state.
Afterwards, Mr. Shen came back to his senses and hesitated: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this... this..."
Jiajing took in the expression on Shen's face, chuckled, and spoke comforting words.
"Needless to say, you can afford this position!"
"Um."
Then came Shen's almost inaudible reply. Jiajing felt her hand being held tightly. Then, Shen's slightly funny voice sounded in Jiajing's ears.
"Then I would like to ask Your Majesty, do you want a boy or a girl?"
"Whether it's a boy or a girl, I don't mind, but it's best if it's a boy. That way, many people can feel at ease!"
Jiajing heard Shen's words and replied without thinking.
After hearing Jiajing's answer, Mrs. Shen couldn't help but cover her mouth and laughed twice.
Then, as if Shen suddenly remembered something, she mustered up her courage, looked at Jiajing, and said cautiously.
"Your Majesty, not long ago, Duke Dingguo, Duke Chengguo, and Duke Yingying sent many gifts!"
"I ordered people to keep the gifts they sent and keep them safe. They have not been touched. You see..."
When Jiajing heard what Shen said, a look of helplessness suddenly appeared on his face, and he said to himself.
"Alas, it seems that this news has spread out!"
After hearing this, Shen quickly figured out the whole story. Then, she looked at Jiajing and confirmed.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean..."
Jiajing met Shen's gaze, nodded, and said slowly: "Well, that's right, it's just what you thought!"
Then, Jiajing changed the topic and ordered: "Forget it, since it is a gift from the British father-in-law and the others, you should keep it well!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I know!"
…
Just as Jiajing said, the news that the imperial concubine Shen was about to give birth in September had already spread and was known to senior officials in the capital.
On the same day, after being on duty, Prince Yu Zhu Zaijing summoned everyone to Prince Yu's Mansion for the first time.
In the study room of Prince Yu's Mansion, at this moment, Zhu Zaijing, who was sitting in the main seat, had a solemn expression on his face.
Because not long ago, he just learned the news that the imperial concubine Shen was about to give birth in September.
After learning the news, Zhu Zaijing was in confusion and didn't know how to react.
Although Zhu Zaijing had anticipated the arrival of this day, when it actually came, he still couldn't accept it.
As for himself and Zhu Zaizhen, as the only two remaining sons of Jiajing, one was disliked by Jiajing, and the other went to the fiefdom to become a vassal.
If Jiajing lived another ten or twenty years, the throne would fall to the child in the belly of the imperial concubine Shen.
After all, all emperors, especially old emperors, prefer their younger sons. This is an iron rule that has been verified by all dynasties!
In Zhu Zaijing's view, if the child in the belly of Imperial Concubine Shen is a son, then his path to becoming a prince may end here!
"I'm not willing to accept it. I finally performed well at the banquet for the Rakshasa delegation. Now, I have to face it again..."
"It would be great if the child in the belly of Imperial Concubine Shen is a daughter!"
Zhu Zaijing prayed like this, then came back to his senses and looked at everyone in the room.
The expression on Zhu Zaijing's face could not escape Zhang Juzheng's eyes. At this moment, Zhang Juzheng was looking at the ground nonchalantly, with no intention of speaking.
As early as when Zhu Zaijing summoned everyone to Prince Yu's Mansion, Zhang Juzheng had already roughly guessed Zhu Zaijing's purpose.
After all, the news that the imperial concubine Shen will give birth in September has already spread.
As your Majesty's prince, Zhu Zaijing naturally felt the crisis, and it was only natural that he wanted to summon everyone to discuss countermeasures.
However, in Zhang Juzheng's view, King Yu in front of him clearly did not recognize him clearly yet.
"You, Zhu Zaijing, have already been eliminated from the competition for the position of crown prince!"
"What you should be thinking about now is how to get out of the political whirlpool, instead of continuing to seek the illusory throne that does not belong to you!"
Zhang Juzheng thought so, and a trace of contempt flashed across his face.
At this moment, Zhang Juzheng's eyes met Gao Gong's eyes. At this moment, Gao Gong's brows were furrowed and he looked restless.
Zhang Juzheng could see that Gao Gong was thinking about his words and how to comfort Zhu Zaijing at this time.
Then, Xu Jie laughed twice, breaking the calm in the room: "His Royal Highness, Prince Yu, you don't have to worry too much. At least on the surface, you are His Majesty's eldest prince, and you still have enough time!"
"Besides, no one can tell whether the child in the Imperial Concubine's belly is a boy or a girl. Your Highness, Prince Yu, please don't mess up your position because of this!"
After listening to Xu Jie's comfort, Zhu Zaijing nodded, admonishing himself in his heart.
"Yes, Mr. Xu Ge is right. The dust has not settled yet. No one knows whether the child in the imperial concubine's belly is a boy or a girl. If it is a girl, then it will not pose any threat to me!"
"Besides, so what if I'm a boy? I, Zhu Zaijing, have worked hard for so many years. No matter in terms of power or other aspects, I can't compare with this young boy!"
(End of chapter)
