At this moment, outside Qianqing Palace.
A group of clan members and nobles, headed by British Duke Zhang Rong, are eagerly waiting for the emperor's summons.
Zhang Rong looked at the Qianqing Palace so close in front of him, and couldn't help but recall everything that had happened in recent days, and secretly sighed: "Your Majesty is wise!"
For Zhang Rong and other clans and nobles, not only can they take advantage of this opportunity to get closer to the emperor, but they can also use this opportunity to tell the world that the clans and nobles who have been dormant for a long time will soon return to the court. Hall.
After all, the current Jiajing is the second emperor after Emperor Wuzong who does not listen to the slander of civilian officials!
Not only did he change his previous defensive attitude towards the clan and nobles, but he also went against all opinions and held special examinations specifically for the clan and nobles to select available talents.
In addition, Jiajing also helped the clan and nobles to regain their influence in the court in a disguised way by selecting the descendants of the clan and nobles to serve at the grassroots level.
At this moment, a high-pitched voice was heard: "Duke Xuanying, Duke Chengguo, Duke Dingguo and other clans and nobles are here to see you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Rong exchanged glances with Chengguo Duke Zhu Xizhong and Dingguo Duke Xu Yande, and immediately took the remaining clan members and nobles up the stairs of Qianqing Palace.
As the top royal nobles of the Ming Dynasty, British Duke Zhang Rong, Cheng Guo Duke Zhu Xizhong, and Ding Guo Duke Xu Yande naturally walked at the front of the team. Behind them were Wu Qinghou, Xincheng Hou, and Qian Gui. A large number of clans and nobles including the Duke's Mansion.
"I congratulate Your Majesty on the birth of a dragon son!"
Under the leadership of Zhang Rong and others, the clans and nobles who entered the Qianqing Palace knelt on the ground and spoke in unison.
"Well, you don't have to be so polite. I'm very happy that you can come here to congratulate me. Please get up!"
Hearing this, Jiajing glanced at the many clans and nobles present one by one, waved his hand, and gave instructions quite casually.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, a group of clan members and nobles led by British Duke Zhang Rong stood up from the ground one after another.
Afterwards, a group of nobles from the clan, headed by Zhang Rong, looked at King Yu and King Jing, and saluted them respectfully: "I have met His Highness King Yu, and I have met His Highness King Jing!"
Zhu Zaijing and Zhu Zaizhen have never seen such a scene before when they are so old.
There were even elders among these clans and nobles, so the two of them did not dare to show any slightness, and quickly stood up from their seats and returned the favor to everyone.
Yan Song and Xu Jie on the side couldn't help but their eyelids jumped when they saw this situation. They felt a huge threat from it.
Then, Yan Song looked back and sighed secretly: "If this continues, the rise of the clan and nobles will be unstoppable!"
Yan Song knew very well that whether it was the examination for all clans and nobles, or the children of clans and nobles who were about to be sent to serve in the southwest, in the final analysis, it was all done by the emperor in order to better control the civil servants. effort.
If Jiajing's plan is implemented smoothly, the voices of civil servants will no longer be the only ones in the court.
At this moment, the British Duke Zhang Rong stood up, looked at Jiajing who was sitting on the dragon chair, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, in order to celebrate the safety of the imperial concubine, mother and son, I have specially ordered someone to prepare A gift has been sent to the Forbidden City right now!"
When Jiajing heard this, there was not much surprise on his face, but he nodded and said: "In that case, I am here to represent my beloved concubine. Thank you very much!"
After that, Jiajing changed the topic and immediately ordered: "The imperial dining room is ready. Come with me to the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked stern and responded respectfully: "As you command, Your Majesty!"
After that, Jiajing was seen riding on the Dragon Boat, heading towards the direction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Not only the cabinet was attending the banquet, but also officials from the Liubu Hall of the Ming Dynasty, as well as many officials from Honglu Temple, Dali Temple, and the Inspectorate were also invited to the banquet.
After everyone entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, they quickly took their seats according to the pre-arranged positions. The clan members and nobles sat on one side, while the civil servants and military generals sat on the other side. The two sides were clearly separated, and the water in the well did not interfere with the water in the river.
Then, Jiajing stood up, picked up the wine glass on the table, glanced at the many civil servants, military officers, and clan nobles below, and said loudly: "Today is the day when my beloved concubine gives birth to the prince. Tonight , I and you will not return until we are drunk!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, he raised his head and drank all the wine in the glass.
Seeing this, everyone stood up from their seats and returned the courtesy to Jiajing. After that, they drank all the wine in their glasses.
Jiajing drank three glasses of wine in total. After that, he left the Hall of Supreme Harmony on the grounds that he was too drunk.
After all, everyone would feel uncomfortable if the emperor were always present.
Before leaving, Jiajing also specially handed over the important task of entertaining many ministers present, as well as the clan and nobles, to the two brothers Zhu Zaijing and Zhu Zaizhen.
After Jiajing left the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the atmosphere in the hall was not as serious as before. Everyone relaxed obviously and started chatting with each other one by one, drinking and drinking, and it was so happy.
"Sure enough, everyone's attention is focused on Zhu Zaiyuan, the newborn child!"
Then, Zhu Zaijing looked back from a distance, a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes, raised his head, and drank the wine in the glass.
…
The banquet held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony lasted until late at night. After that, everyone returned home happily.
Capital City, Yan Mansion.
After the sedan stopped, Yan Shifan got off the sedan first, and with the help of his servants, he could barely stabilize himself.
At this moment, a breeze blew by, making Yan Shifan sober up a little. Then, Yan Song was seen tremblingly getting down from the sedan with the support of his servants.
Seeing this situation, Yan Shifan subconsciously wanted to step forward to help Yan Song as usual.
Unexpectedly, Yan Song just stood there, shook his head, and refused Yan Shifan's support: "Okay, you should take care of yourself first!"
When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, he couldn't help but have a look of embarrassment on his face. Then, he only laughed twice and explained.
"Father, you must have seen it too. There is nothing I can do about it. Who knew those guys would come one by one..."
Before Yan Shifan finished speaking, Yan Song waved his hand and interrupted impatiently: "Okay, let's forget it this time!"
After that, Yan Song turned around, looked at the housekeeper not far away, and gave instructions: "Immediately ask the kitchen to make two bowls of hangover soup and bring them over!"
When the butler heard this, he immediately leaned down and respectfully responded: "Yes, sir!"
After that, Yan Song and Yan Shifan were helped into Yan Mansion's study by the maids on the side.
"I really didn't expect that I would be so drunk. After just a few glasses of wine, I can't even think calmly!"
After being helped to the seat in the study by the maid, Yan Song shook his head, suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and said with emotion.
Soon after, the hangover soup was served by the maid.
Afterwards, Yan Song and his son each took the sobering soup from the maid's hands and drank it down in one gulp.
After drinking the sobering soup, Yan Song suddenly felt that his brain was much clearer. Then, he turned away from the maid, looked at Yan Shifan aside, and asked.
"Yan Shifan, did you notice the expressions of Prince Yu and Prince Jing at the banquet earlier?"
When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, he suddenly came back to his senses. A trace of guilt flashed across his face. He lowered his head and responded cautiously: "Father...Father, to be honest, the child has not paid attention to this matter!"
"What a useless thing!"
Hearing this, Yan Song glanced at Yan Shifan coldly and commented like this.
Seeing this, Yan Shifan lowered his head decisively and admitted his mistake to Yan Song: "Father said it was right!"
Afterwards, Yan Song looked back and said to himself: "At the banquet, King Yu and King Jing both looked very ugly and looked uneasy!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, his expression on his face did not change much. He just nodded and said in response: "Father, I think this is normal. After all, the imperial concubine gave birth to a son for your majesty!"
When Yan Shifan said this, he paused and continued: "If this child grows up successfully, it will greatly threaten the status of both of them. You know, His Majesty gave birth to a total of eight children, of whom only King Yu and..."
Before Yan Shifan finished speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Yan Song: "Idiot, shut up now!"
When Yan Song finished speaking, Yan Shifan quickly reacted and was shocked into a cold sweat.
After all, six of the eight sons of Jiajing died young, and only King Yu and King Jing grew up. This has long become a taboo in the court, and no one dares to mention it easily!
"I clearly just walked through the gate of hell!"
Thinking of this, a look of fear flashed across Yan Shifan's face. Then, he knelt down on the ground with a thump, looked in the direction of Yan Song, and said in a deep voice: "Father, the child just accidentally said something wrong." I hope my father will punish me!"
Seeing this situation, Yan Song looked Yan Shifan up and down, shook his head helplessly, and said slowly: "Okay, get up, forget it this time!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he felt as if he had been granted amnesty. Then, he slowly stood up from the ground and said respectfully: "Yes, father!"
After being startled into a cold sweat, Yan Shifan's drunkenness also subsided a lot. Then, he looked in the direction of Yan Song and continued: "Father, as the child said before, this child of the Imperial Concubine Shen is Lingyu. Wang and King Jing feel a huge crisis!"
"Right now, King Jing has gone to his fiefdom to become a vassal, and there is no longer any possibility of fighting for the throne. And King Yu is disliked by His Majesty. At this time, the child in the belly of Imperial Concubine Shen was born!"
"It is not difficult to see from the current situation that His Majesty must be full of expectations for this child!"
Hearing this, Yan Song nodded and signaled Yan Shifan to continue.
After receiving Yan Song's encouragement, Yan Shifan sorted out the words in his mind before continuing: "Father, didn't you say before that Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites are already making preparations for the canonization of the queen? ?”
"When the imperial concubine Shen is canonized as queen by your majesty, Zhu Zaiyuan's identity will also undergo earth-shaking changes, and he will become your majesty's legitimate son!"
When Yan Shifan said this, he looked hesitant, looked in the direction of Yan Song, and cautiously asked: "Father, do you think we should take this opportunity then..."
Yan Song seemed to guess what Yan Shifan was thinking. Then, he looked in the direction of Yan Shifan and said word by word: "Yan Shifan, I know what you are worried about. Are you worried that we will be one step behind others?"
Seeing that his thoughts were revealed by Yan Song, a look of admiration appeared on Yan Shifan's face. Before he could respond, Yan Song withdrew his gaze and said decisively.
"I said before that before His Majesty revealed his intention in this regard, anyone who dared to take advantage of this child would definitely die in an ugly way. Now this child is His Majesty's betrayal!"
When Yan Song finished speaking, Yan Shifan seemed to have a clear understanding, and a feeling of enlightenment filled his body and mind.
Then, he stood up from his seat, cupped his hands, and said sincerely: "Thank you, father, for clearing up the child's doubts. The child understands!"
After that, Yan Shifan seemed to have suddenly thought of something, a look of worry appeared on his face, and continued: "By the way, father, the child suddenly thought that since His Majesty is about to canonize the Imperial Concubine Shen as Queen, There will definitely be a general amnesty for the whole world at that time, so where are Yan Maoqing and Ma Ningyuan..."
Hearing this, Yan Song pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and responded: "Don't worry, Yan Maoqing, I'm fully prepared. I can kill him if I find an opportunity!"
"But to be on the safe side, let's let him have some "accidents" on his way back to Beijing. Doesn't Yan Maoqing think he is extremely smart and can hide the truth?"
"In that case, let him be a confused drowned man!"
When Yan Song said this, he looked in the direction of Yan Shifan. At this moment, the expression on Yan Song's face was extremely calm, without any disturbance.
Soon after, Yan Song's voice without any emotion was heard.
"As for Ma Ningyuan, in His Majesty's eyes, he is already a dead person. Yan Shifan, do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, father, the child understands!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he couldn't help but panic. He quickly lowered his head and responded respectfully.
Then, Yan Song looked away from Yan Shifan, nodded slightly to him, and said: "Okay, it's getting late, go back and rest early!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he immediately lowered his head and responded respectfully: "Yes, father, please rest early, my child, please leave now!"
…
The news that the imperial concubine Shen had given birth to a prince for the emperor quickly spread throughout the capital at an unimaginable speed after a night of fermentation.
Since ancient times, people have been eager to discuss any topic related to the royal family.
Of course, the officials in the court were also not exempt from customs. Since the banquet held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony last night lasted until late at night, many officials who attended the banquet were late the next day.
Regarding this situation, the officials responsible for the assessment naturally turned a blind eye.
But then, some officials were even late on purpose, hoping to exaggerate the fact that they had attended the banquet.
At this moment, the Ministry of Rites.
In the duty room, Li Chunfang handed an official document into the hands of a subordinate and gave instructions.
"Send this to the cabinet and tell the Ministry of Rites that preparations have been made for the canonization of the queen!"
"I obey, Lord Shangshu!"
Upon hearing this, the junior official solemnly took the official document from Li Chunfang's hand, immediately lowered his head and responded in a deep voice.
After doing this, Li Chunfang got up from his seat. He planned to go to the check-in room to check the situation as usual.
When Li Chunfang came to the duty room to check the situation, she found that most of the officials in the duty room were looking at her with curiosity.
Seeing this situation, Li Chunfang couldn't help but have a look of surprise on his face, but then, an official boldly stood up and asked Li Chunfang: "Shang...Shang Shu, I believe you should have attended the meeting in Taipei last night. A banquet held in He Palace?"
When Li Chunfang heard this, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face, and she responded with a smile: "This is natural!"
"Then Master Shangshu, can you tell us what the banquet is like?"
After hearing this, Li Chunfang pondered for a moment, then faced the crowd and said slowly: "I will tell you about the banquet held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony last night..."
Similar scenes were staged from time to time in the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Punishment, Ministry of War, Inspectorate, Honglu Temple and other institutions of the Ming Dynasty.
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
Today, Jiajing did not get up as early as usual. At this moment, he was putting on his robe under the service of his personal eunuch.
Last night, after Jiajing left the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he went to the Ganlu Palace to visit Mr. Shen. Jiajing stayed in the Ganlu Palace until it was time for Mr. Shen to go to bed, and then returned to the Qianqing Palace.
Not long after that, Lu Fang was seen walking quietly in front of Jiajing, bending down and reporting respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple sent news not long ago, saying that the relevant preparations are in place!"
After Jiajing learned the news from Lu Fang, he nodded and said: "Well, don't worry about this matter now. After the imperial concubine has recovered her health, we will let the Qintian Prison choose a suitable one." On that day, let’s hold a ceremony to crown the queen!”
When Lu Fang heard this, she couldn't help but lower her head and sighed secretly: "Your Majesty really cares about the imperial concubine!"
Then, Lu Fang came back to her senses and responded in a deep voice: "As you command, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, in fact, I still have some things to report..."
Jiajing saw that Lu Fang was hesitant to speak, and immediately understood. He saw her retreating to the left and right, and asked: "Tell me, what's the matter?"
When Lu Fang heard this, she thought about it for a moment before she responded: "Your Majesty, I have received news that at last night's banquet, His Royal Highness King Yu and His Highness King Jing looked worried and restless. !”
After Jiajing learned the news from Lu Fang, a slight look of ridicule appeared on his face, he sneered and said in a deep voice: "Humph, these two traitors have not even learned how to play tricks on each other, and they still make people laugh. I saw the clues!”
Jiajing seemed quite angry about this, and when he said this, he looked like he hated iron.
Seeing this situation, Lu Fang quickly leaned down and said comforting words: "Your Majesty, please calm down and don't get so angry because of this!"
Lu Fang's comfort seemed to have worked. Jiajing waved his hand and said to himself: "Forget it, let's not mention these two traitors for now!"
After that, Jiajing changed the subject, looked in the direction of Lu Fang, and continued: "Lv Fang, go to the cabinet in person and call Yan Song and the others over. I have something for them to handle. !”
When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, she immediately lowered her head and responded without thinking: "As you command, Your Majesty, I will go ahead now!"
After that, Lu Fang did not stay in Qianqing Palace for too long, but turned around and left.
…
Forbidden City, Cabinet.
Today, the situation in the cabinet is very different from that in the past, although subordinate officials still come in and out of the cabinet from time to time with memorials in their arms.
But today's cabinet was full of yawns, and even Gao Gong, who was usually very energetic, dozed off, and not long after, a thunderous snoring sounded.
Then, Xu Jie on the side yawned and woke up Gao Gong: "Brother Suqing, wake up, this is the cabinet!"
Hearing this, Gao Gong suddenly woke up from his sleep. After looking around to confirm that he was indeed in the cabinet, Gao Gong shook his head vigorously in an attempt to wake himself up.
After that, Gao Gong picked up the brush beside him and complained: "Really, why did he fall asleep out of nowhere!"
Zhang Juzheng on the side heard Gao Gong's words and couldn't help but smile and joked: "Brother Suqing, if you fall asleep, none of us will be able to sleep!"
After that, everyone chatted a few more about the interesting things that happened in the capital in recent days to cheer up their spirits.
But despite this, everyone could not hide their exhaustion, and yawns kept coming and going.
At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps from outside the cabinet, and not long after, a subordinate was seen quickly entering the cabinet.
After the subordinate official entered the cabinet, he subconsciously looked in the direction of Yan Song and Xu Jie, leaned down, and reported respectfully.
"Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu is asking for an audience outside. He said that he was following His Majesty's orders!"
When the subordinate official's words fell, everyone couldn't help but cheer up, and the originally groggy atmosphere in the cabinet disappeared in an instant.
Then, Yan Song opened his cloudy eyes, glanced over the subordinate official, and gave instructions.
"Well, I understand, let Eunuch Lu come in!"
"Yes, Mr. Yan Ge!" (End of this chapter)
