After all, Zhu Qizhen had been the emperor for more than ten years. He had met ministers and experienced countless memorials.
In just a moment, he noticed Zhu Jian's concealment.
Then he frowned, looked past Zhu Jian and others, looked directly at Yuan Bin behind him, and asked.
"Yuan Bin, when you returned to Beijing this time, did you see the Queen Mother and the Queen? Just now Zhu Qing said that the Queen was ill. What happened?"
The tone of this question was stern, showing the majesty of the emperor.
Yuan Bin hesitated for a moment, but still didn't dare to lie, so he had to tell the truth.
"Your Majesty, after I returned to the capital, I was summoned by the Holy Mother and Queen Duanjing. The Queen... She is now nearly blind in her left eye, and her legs and feet are not very flexible..."
These words were vague, but they made Zhu Qizhen more and more anxious. He suddenly stood up from his seat and asked sharply.
"What's going on? When I left the capital, everything was fine for the queen. How come she is nearly blind in her left eye now? Also, what does it mean that her legs and feet are not working? Hey... how do you serve those slaves in the palace?"
Although the marriage between Zhu Qizhen and Queen Qian was arranged by Empress Dowager Zhang, Zhu Qizhen himself had no objection to it.
On the contrary, he and Queen Qian were quite affectionate.
This is completely different from his father, Emperor Xuanzong.
When Zhu Qizhen was born, Emperor Xuanzong was happy that he finally had his eldest son, and immediately started preparing to support Concubine Sun.
Zhu Qizhen himself was born in November of the second year of Xuande. In December of that year, the Hu family, the empress of Xuanzong, took the initiative to resign from the position of the middle palace under Xuanzong's order.
In the new year, as soon as the imperial court opened the seal, Xuanzong ordered the Ministry of Rites to start preparing for the canonization ceremony. In February, the name would be placed on a jade plate, and in March, the prince would be officially canonized.
At the same time, a ceremony was held for Sun to be canonized as queen.
The whole process started with Zhu Qizhen's birth and took nearly a month to seal it, which was a hundred days.
But in the Zhengtong Dynasty, until Zhu Qizhen decided to lead the imperial expedition in person, his eldest son Zhu Jianshen, who was almost two years old, still refused to be registered in the East Palace.
What he did was because he was thinking deeply about it, hoping that Queen Qian would give birth to a legitimate son for him and not make the same mistake as Queen Hu, which shows the love between the two of them as husband and wife.
Especially at this time, with Queen Qian's stitches and threads in front of her, and the robe that contained her emotions in front of her, Zhu Qizhen was even more upset when he saw things and thought about people.
For a moment, he almost blurted out that he wanted to blame "King Tan", but fortunately, he finally stopped talking.
But this anger is real.
Seeing this situation, Yuan Bin trembled, immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. The imperial physician is doing his best to treat your mother's body. The Holy Mother in the palace has also given instructions several times to serve your mother well."
"It's just that I have no choice but to worry about Your Majesty. Since His Majesty's northern expedition last year, I have had trouble sleeping every night. After the civil and military reports were sent back to the capital, I have become even more worried."
"In order for His Majesty to return to the court as soon as possible, the Empress sewed various winter clothes, boots and hats for His Majesty, while chanting sutras and praying in front of the Buddha day and night, often kneeling all night long."
"It is cold in the palace in winter, and the empress often cries because she is worried about His Majesty's current situation in the north. As time goes by, her eyesight becomes blurred, and her right leg... becomes difficult to walk."
The further he talked, the softer Yuan Bin's voice became.
After Zhu Qizhen listened to these words in a daze, his expression was complicated for a while, and he fell down on the low pier, his body trembling slightly, holding the table with both hands, and was speechless for a long time.
The tent became quiet, and Zhu Jian and others also lowered their heads in understanding.
After an unknown period of time, the Supreme Emperor's mood finally recovered. He picked up the dragon robe that Queen Qian had hand-sewn next to him, stroked it gently, and said with closed eyes.
"It's my fault. I personally went to the north of the expedition. The queen once advised me, but I failed to listen to the advice. The queen had no complaints and ordered her two direct brothers to accompany me on the expedition and protect me."
"During the construction period, Qian Qin and Qian Zhong risked their lives to help me break out of the encirclement, but were killed by the captors. I was in Yibei, and it was my fault that the queen was so worried."
Until this time, Zhu Jian and others dared to breathe a sigh of relief and look at each other. Zhu Jian stepped forward and said.
"The Emperor should take care of his dragon body. The Queen is thinking deeply, so that the Emperor can return to Beijing as soon as possible and reunite with the Queen. At this critical moment, His Majesty should take more care of it, so that the Queen can recite sutras and pray for His Majesty day and night."
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Qizhen finally calmed down, paused, and spoke.
"Yuan Bin came back the day before yesterday and explained everything in the capital to me. Last year, I led the army out of the capital. It was not for hunting and personal matters, but for the sake of the world. I led the six armies to conquer Yibei."
"Unexpectedly, the defeat was imminent and I was left here because of Wang Zhen, Chen You, Ma Qing, and Ma Yun. The last time Xu Bin and others came to talk, they also wanted to send me back to Beijing, but Xi Ning blocked me. .”
"Now that Xi Ning has been punished, I am deeply relieved. My brother Qi Yu was appointed to ascend the throne at a time of crisis to guard the court and calm the people. This is indeed the king of the country and the blessing of the ancestral temple."
"When you welcome me back to the capital this time, I will not interfere with the court affairs. When I meet the Holy Mother and... and the emperor, I will guard the tomb of my ancestors or be a common people. All are properly arranged."
"If I stay in Yibei for a long time, war will break out again in the Ming Dynasty. It will be difficult to live in peace for more than ten years. I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life, but the lives of my ancestors and the world will be heavy."
It was obvious that the year-long life in the north had worn down this proud orthodox emperor.
After calming down, Zhu Qizhen still clearly understood his true situation.
In his opinion, the biggest obstacle to his return to the imperial court may come from the current emperor.
Therefore, facing Zhu Jian and other envoys, he once again expressed his attitude.
However, Zhu Jian had already heard these words relayed by Yuan Bin in Wuying Hall. He pondered for a moment and then said.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. When you came here, Your Majesty told us to do our best to welcome the Emperor back to the court."
So, Zhu Qizhen felt slightly relieved and asked.
"Yesterday King Bodu came to see you. You have already talked with me first. What did he say? When will arrangements be made for his return?"
When mentioning this matter, Zhu Jian and others looked a little embarrassed, as if they didn't know where to start.
After a while, Luo Qi on the side spoke.
"Back to the Supreme Emperor, everything is fine. We only have a slight disagreement about the number of tribute envoys. We have made an appointment to discuss it in a few days. Once the matter is settled, we will send him back in a few days."
At this moment, the Supreme Emperor's face suddenly looked a little ugly, but he still suppressed his temper and said.
"In this case, don't insist too much. The number of tribute envoys is not a big deal, but the early surrender and the agreement to welcome the return are the big deal."
this……
Luo Qi hesitated for a moment, not daring to agree, and Zhu Jian also hesitated.
Seeing this situation, Li Shi thought for a while and stepped forward.
"When I came here, I heard from General Yuan that we would first bring in cattle and sheep every five days to feed the emperor, but there was no rice or vegetables."
"In the past, His Majesty lived in the ninth level. He was well-dressed and well-fed, with exquisite food and delicacies. The food in the north was poor and shabby. I must have been very unaccustomed to it. I am here this time, carrying rice and several stones, hoping to enter."
This change of topic was a bit too abrupt. Zhu Qizhen's face became increasingly ugly and he waved his hands.
"Food and drink are small matters. What is important now is to prepare for the big event, which needs to be carefully discussed."
After hearing this, Li Shilang raised his head and his expression became solemn.
Seeing him like this, Zhu Jian and Luo Qi's expressions changed.
Without him, Li Shi had exactly this look when he was arguing with Ye Xian (crossed out) yesterday.
As expected, Li Shi bowed his head, bowed three times, and then said solemnly.
"Since the Supreme Emperor has spoken about important matters, I have something to say and must advise you!"
"When the Ming Dynasty went to war with Wala, the reason was that Wala repeatedly falsely reported the list of tribute envoys and defrauded the rewards. We, the Ming Dynasty, had some control, but we also started repeated provocations and plundered the soldiers and civilians."
"This is not a big deal. Our Ming army is well-prepared. The Supreme Emperor sent an honorable minister and led 100,000 troops, which should be able to level the border. However, the Supreme Emperor is determined to personally conquer and follow the example of his father and ancestors in attacking the unfaithful ministers."
"It is a good thing to be enterprising and enterprising, but your Majesty only listens to your opinions and does not accept advice. Wang Zhenben is a eunuch in the palace, and your Majesty favors him so much that it ends up endangering the country. His Majesty went hunting in the north, which caused the disaster of being covered in dust."
"I would like to ask, if Your Majesty was willing to listen to the advice, be cautious about serving the country alone, control your mind, and not act rashly, how could you have done what you are doing now?"
