This question is what everyone present wants to know.
Therefore, although he interrupted Li Yongchang's narration, Zhu Qiyu did not stop him, but motioned for Li Yongchang to answer.
Li Yongchang was still carefully considering his words and sentences before speaking after a moment.
"To be honest with you sirs, Our Lady has also inquired about these questions."
"According to the two men, the emperor was enshrined next to the Chinese army's tent. The only person following him was Yuan Bin, the imperial guard. The surrounding area was heavily guarded. The two men did not accompany him. They only guarded the bandits on the day of the mission. I have met the emperor once, so I don’t know the details.”
Having said this is like saying nothing.
But it cannot be said that it is completely useless. At least, all the ministers present know it, and it is still very important to see the Ming Emperor first.
Not only was it placed next to the Chinese army's tent and guarded on the spot, but heavy troops were also deployed to guard it.
As a result, it would be difficult to send troops to rescue the emperor...
After the ministers present listened, no one asked any more questions or spoke.
However, Zhu Qiyu frowned slightly after hearing this.
It wasn't that Li Yongchang answered incorrectly, but that he felt that Li Yongchang was avoiding something intentionally.
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Qiyu still did not question immediately, but asked.
"What do these two people say about what the general of Xuanfu reported?"
Li Yongchang said without much hesitation at this time.
"The two of them also said something about this matter. The emperor indeed ordered them to collect gold, pearls, jade, and silk and bring them back as rewards. However, what the general of the Xuanfu said that the emperor ordered the general of the Xuanfu to open the city was not true."
Although Li Yongchang spoke calmly, if you listen carefully, you can hear a trace of vibrato in it.
Zhu Qiyu even had a sneer on his lips, but he did not interrupt.
So Li Yongchang continued.
"At that time, the bandits did indeed support the Holy Emperor to the gates of Xuanfu City, but the emperor was held by the thieves at that time and could not speak. The words to open the city were spoken by the bandits..."
With a cold sweat wiping his heart, Li Yongchang finally finished speaking calmly.
Li Yongchang secretly looked at the expressions of the ministers below, but did not see what their expressions were. Instead, Li Yongchang saw that the face of King Tan, who was above him, darkened.
Zhu Qiyu is indeed very angry!
He was angry that the Queen Mother didn't understand the general situation. At this time, she still wanted to cover up for her unfulfilled son.
What he said about opening the city was what the thieves said.
Is it possible that the generals of Xuanfu are all fools?
If the emperor was really tied up and unable to speak at that time, wouldn't the general of Xuanfu explain it in the military report?
No, exactly not!
It was precisely because the words of the commanding general to open the city were spoken by the emperor himself that the Xuanfu general had difficulty making a decision and had to report to the court.
If the threat to Kaicheng is the Oara army, the general of Xuanfu can just reject it openly because he has no court order and the emperor's holy order, and dare not turn on or off.
From a legal perspective, there is no problem with this matter.
It is precisely because it is the emperor himself who speaks. If he fails to speak, it will be against the imperial edict. If he opens the city, he will inevitably be criticized by the court.
That's why this military report came out.
But now, in order to protect her son, the Empress Dowager Sun did not hesitate to confuse right and wrong, cover up wrongdoings, and speak bluntly.
This makes people feel angry!
When her son, the captured Emperor, ordered the guard to open the door, didn't he know that such an action would be criticized by both the government and the public?
He knew it, but he did it anyway to save his life!
Now that I have done it, I have to show off and pretend to be wrong.
This mother and son are such a perfect match!
While angry, Zhu Qiyu also strengthened his determination to seize power from the Queen Mother Sun as soon as possible.
I'm afraid that in the Queen Mother's heart, the emperor's safety is the most important thing.
In order to save the emperor, let alone gold, pearls, jade and silk, no matter how difficult it is to accept, she will only agree to it.
With a cold snort, Zhu Qiyu asked.
"Then where are Xi Ning and Yue Qian now?"
After hearing this, Li Yongchang knew that Prince Tan was suspicious, but he still had to bite the bullet and said.
"The Holy Mother is afraid that the delay has been too long and that the thieves will be unfavorable to the emperor, so she has appropriated 400 taels of gold, 800 taels of silver, ten handfuls of pearls, and a hundred pieces of brocade from the inner treasury, and ordered the two of them to bring them back. At this moment, we should Already leaving Beijing..."
Zhu Qiyu looked at Li Yongchang and said nothing.
Being stared at by such a formidable gaze, Li Yongchang couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. After finally finishing his words, he immediately lowered his head, not daring to look at Zhu Qiyu.
All the ministers in the palace didn't think anything at first.
At this moment, I heard that Xi Ning and Yue Qian had been sent out of the city, and I slowly got a taste of it.
The look in Li Yongchang's eyes also had an inexplicable meaning.
It is true that from the perspective of the Queen Mother in the palace, these wealth and silk items are nothing in order to rescue the emperor.
But why the urgency?
He said that he was worried that if the delay lasted for a long time, it would be detrimental to the emperor first.
This reason is somewhat untenable.
Judging from what Xi Ning and Yue Qian said earlier, at least for now, they are also holding the emperor hostage and are still asking for benefits.
Therefore, within a short period of time, there will be no adverse actions against the emperor.
Even if there is, it is not less than one or two days.
The Queen Mother sent people out of the capital in such a hurry. It is more likely that she was afraid that the ministers of the imperial court would summon the two of them for questioning.
If you say something that shouldn't be said then, it will naturally make everyone look bad...
Although it is just a guess, many things in the court do not require evidence.
Just looking at Li Yongchang's guilty expression, the courtiers were convinced of their suspicions.
But after being convinced, the courtiers could only sigh in their hearts.
No matter what, everyone has been sent away...
It is impossible for them to chase and intercept someone just to find someone for questioning.
So I can only digest this suffocation silently.
However, the quick-thinking minister was also a little more worried about Empress Dowager Sun's attitude...
Let’s not mention what the ministers think.
Anyway, in this situation, it is impossible to guess accurately, and it is even difficult to say it.
This is also the reason why Queen Mother Sun dared to do this.
Zhu Qiyu took a deep breath. After thinking about this, he was no longer angry.
Because this matter is actually beneficial to him.
If Empress Dowager Sun makes such a fuss, the courtiers who know better will be dissatisfied with her.
In this way, his next plan will have less resistance.
What's more, there are some things that the Empress Dowager Sun can't just cover up if she wants to...
With a sneer in his heart, Zhu Qiyu took his thoughts back.
These are all things for later. He has not forgotten why he called Li Yongchang here this time...
After calming down, Zhu Qiyu asked.
"Besides these, what other news did those two bring? For example, is there anything else that came out first?"
This question was a bit confusing. Li Yongchang frowned, unable to figure out Zhu Qiyu's intention for a moment.
Can anything be said first?
It's just a request for money, what else can it be?
The ministers present were also a little confused, but out of caution, they did not say anything more, but all looked at Li Yongchang.
However, in addition to those ordinary ministers, the two elders Wang Zhi and Hu Hui who were sitting beside them suddenly opened their eyes, as if they had thought of something.
At the same time, Yu Qian and Chen Yi also looked at each other, with an inexplicable meaning in their eyes...
