The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and the sky became gloomy.
The square outside Qianqing Palace has already been covered with a layer of snow-white.
Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue were led out of the hall by Wynn. They looked at the silver-covered Forbidden City in front of them. However, they could not hide the worry in their eyes.
Although the emperor's attitude was gentle and he was not as angry as he imagined, this state of silence was even more worrying.
Especially Yu Shiyue, his face was particularly ugly.
He was closer to Yu Qian, so he was more concerned about this matter. I don't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that after reading this memorial, the emperor's attitude towards Yu Qian had changed slightly.
In the past, Yu Qian had not done anything to offend Tianyan, but the emperor always scolded him when he needed to, and smashed him when he needed to.
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But this time, he vaguely felt that the emperor was not just angry, although the words of the emperor in the palace were more of complaints.
But the more this happens, the more vigilant one should be. Sighing, Yu Shiyue frowned and kept walking. He was already thinking about whether it was time to write a letter to persuade Yu Qian...
"Have you two gentlemen finished playing?"
At this moment, a voice rang out, waking up Yu Shiyue's consciousness. He looked up and saw a plump body wrapped in a thick vermilion python robe, standing in front of them with a smile.
So, the two people quickly held their hands and saluted.
"I've met Prince Min!"
The person in front of him is naturally the current Da Zongzheng, King Min Zhu Huixun!
Seeing his figure, Yu Shiyue couldn't help but cast another shadow in his heart.
Just in the palace, the emperor once mentioned that the kings had expressed their dissatisfaction through Zhu Huixun many times. Now it seems that this is indeed the case.
As soon as they left the palace, Prince Min arrived.
Even if it is a coincidence, it can be seen that the resentment of the kings is deep now.
"You two pavilion elders don't need to be polite. It's really hard work for you to be so diligent in this cold winter with heavy snow."
Zhu Huixuan was as enthusiastic as ever. He took out his sleeves with a smile, took out two gold coins, and stuffed them into their hands without any explanation.
This action made the two of them helpless for a while. This Prince Min was good at everything, but sometimes he was a little too enthusiastic.
This is not the first time. Logically speaking, with this person's status, there is no need to do anything to please them, but the fact is that every time he sees them, Prince Min has to give something big or small.
Moreover, it is just a gift, but they are not allowed to do anything, nor do they inquire about the government affairs of the court. If they refuse, they will offend others.
After a long time, even the emperor knew about it and teased them from time to time. Therefore, when they looked at the golden crown that the fat prince forced to push, the two of them looked at each other and had to smile bitterly, cupping their hands and saying.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
After stopping for a moment, Wang Ao said.
"It's hard to say that it's hard to serve the country, but we delayed the prince's entry into the palace. In such weather, it's really uneasy for the prince to wait in the side hall."
Hearing this, the fat prince waved his hands with a smile and said.
"What are you talking about, the two pavilion elders? The important matters of the imperial court are important. I know this. Besides, I didn't wait long. I just came from outside the palace, covered with wind and snow, in the side hall. Go and get rid of the cold, and it will be polite to meet His Majesty later."
The three of them exchanged a few words, and Wang Ao planned to leave.
However, at this moment, Yu Shiyue on the side seemed to have thought of something and suddenly asked.
"Your Majesty, how is the situation of the sect in recent days? The new year is approaching, and the congratulations from the kings should be sent soon, right?"
Hearing this, Zhu Huixuan was stunned.
During this period of time, he has made many good friends in the capital, and has some real friendships with some officials. However, he is a vassal king after all. Even though he is now in the capital and has the trust of the emperor, this person His identity will not change, he has always been aware of this.
Therefore, even if he would offer some small favors to make friends with these ministers, he would always maintain a sense of proportion.
Simply put, it means maintaining two principles.
First, we must be upright and do not avoid others, especially the emperor.
He formed these good ties just so that things could go smoothly when encountering big and small things in the capital, and not for plotting anything. If he did it secretly, then he would really cause trouble.
The second is to keep one's duty. To be specific, only talk about friendship, but don't get involved in things that shouldn't be involved.
As for matters related to government affairs, unless they involve clan affairs, he will not mention, ask, or get involved. If someone does bring it up, he will just make a fuss over it. He is already familiar with this method.
It's a generous offer, but it's asking for nothing. What's more important is that it's not a private give-and-take.
The combination of these reasons made Zhu Huixuan a figure that all ministers in the DPRK and China were willing to greet with a smile.
Because of this, Zhu Huixun had doubts about what Yu Shiyue just said.
You know, the principle just mentioned applies not only to him, but also to these important officials in the court.
They know better than themselves what is appropriate.
Therefore, when interacting with the vassal king Zhu Huixuan, he would not easily talk about government affairs, and Zong affairs were no exception.
Yu Shiyue is the second assistant in the cabinet and is also responsible for the affairs of the Prince's Mansion. These two errands have nothing to do with the clan affairs.
Especially on this occasion, it was really unusual for him to ask this.
However, this is not a secret. Yu Shiyue is in the cabinet. It is not difficult to know this information, so there is no need to hide it.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhu Huixun said.
"The situation in Zongxue is pretty good. It's just that these children are going out to study for the first time and have to spend the New Year in the capital, so they are a little homesick."
"During this period, many members of the clan have written to the king asking if they can be allowed to return to their hometown for the New Year. Or, just like the year before last, His Majesty issued a decree to allow them to come here on their own."
"For this reason, the congratulations from the kings have not yet been posted. Sir Cifu's words remind me that the year is approaching and this matter cannot be delayed any longer."
"I see……"
After hearing these words, Yu Shiyue nodded slightly, his brows were slightly depressed, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
After a moment, he spoke.
"There are indeed many matters in the newly established Zongxue that are unconventional. We need to cross the river by feeling for the stones. However, the clan's entry into the capital will probably cause quite a stir. If this is the case, the Ministry of Rites will probably have another headache. , plus time is tight, so it’s better not to bother.”
If he had just asked casually, then this sentence seemed to surprise Zhu Huixun even more.
Whether it is the clan moving to Beijing or the current clan students returning home, in his opinion, it is not a big problem.
But the key point is that this matter was not submitted to the cabinet. Yu Shiyue, a deputy minister of the cabinet, expressed his views so rashly. This is not in line with the usual style of these civil servants...
Is it possible that they have their own thoughts on this matter?
Zhu Huixuan was thinking in his mind, but his face was still smiling, but his words were a little more cautious, and he said.
"What Mr. Ci Fu said is reasonable. There is no precedent for the new establishment of the sect. Therefore, His Majesty has to make decisions on all matters big and small. No, I can only go to the palace a few more times."
This was a soft nail. It seemed to be in agreement with Yu Shiyue, but in fact, it meant something else.
What kind of person Yu Shiyue was, he knew as soon as he heard that Prince Min was suspicious. However, based on their relationship and the current scene, it was inconvenient to explain. He smiled bitterly and said.
"Your Majesty is right, everything must be decided by His Majesty."
After a brief pause, Yu Shiyue said again.
"It's snowing and cold, and the fire in the palace is burning brightly. It's hard to avoid feeling a little stuffy. No, after just staying in the palace for such a while, I feel like I can't breathe. It seems that I'm really getting older. It’s already late, I won’t delay the prince anymore, I’ll take my leave.”
After saying that, the two of them bowed their hands and left Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Huixuan looked at their leaving figures, but a trace of doubt flashed across his fat face.
He was very sure that what Yu Shiyue said just now had a profound meaning.
He has been to the palace many times, but he has never felt depressed.
After all, in the capital, the most important people to make friends with are the emperor, the queen, and the queen mother. In this regard, Zhu Huixuan is very clear.
What he just told Yu Shiyue was not a lie. He could handle many matters in Zongxue, big and small, by himself. However, if he had a chance, he would still run to the palace frequently. As for the princess in his palace, even more so If you have nothing to do, go to the Queen Mother's Palace and find some novelties in various ways to amuse the Queen Mother.
Not to mention the Qianqing Palace where the emperor lived, even in the harem, the windows and doors would not be closed to make people feel depressed. If this really made the nobles feel uncomfortable, the group of palace maids and chamberlains below should have been punished long ago. Killed.
However, if you are not talking about the fire, then...
A flash of understanding flashed in Zhu Huixuan's eyes, and he moved closer to Wynn and said.
"Eunuch Huai'en, what were the two ministers talking to His Majesty inside just now? Is Your Majesty in a bad mood?"
As he spoke, two gold needles slipped into Wynn's sleeves without anyone noticing.
Seeing this situation, Wynn felt helpless. This Prince Min was really...
Sighing, he glanced at Yu Shiyue who was walking away, lowered his voice and said.
"The two elders came here just now to deliver Yu Shaobao's memorial. The prince should also know about Yu Shaobao's temperament. His words are a bit... In short, the prince will be more cautious when he enters the palace."
After hearing this, Zhu Huixuan immediately became alert and roughly understood what Yu Shiyue had done just now.
"Thank you, father-in-law."
"Your Majesty, you're welcome..."
The palace was still as warm as spring. Zhu Huixuan followed Huaien to the palace and saluted respectfully. At the same time, he secretly looked at the emperor's expression, but saw that the emperor was smiling as usual.
After being seated flatly, Zhu Qiyu said, looking at Zhu Huixuan who looked a little reserved.
"There is still more than a month before the Chinese New Year. As my uncle said before, regarding whether Zongxue students can return home to visit relatives, I thought about it and felt that nothing should be done."
"If these students are allowed to return home, they will have to travel back and forth for as little as a month or as much as several months. If they go back and forth like this, their studies will inevitably be delayed."
"Moreover, there have been various incidents in various places in recent days. These children were detained in Beijing for more than half a year and were sent back like this. They have had a good New Year. When the seal is released after this year, I am afraid that my eucalyptus will be piled up again. It’s a mountain.”
"Besides, it's difficult to guarantee road safety, so we'd better let them celebrate the New Year in Beijing with peace of mind."
Zhu Huixuan was a smart man, so he naturally understood what the emperor meant immediately.
Although there are many people who devote themselves to studying in Zongxue, there are also many dandy children. In the capital, they have no backers and are at the feet of the emperor. Naturally, they dare not be too presumptuous, but when they return to the fiefdom, it is not necessarily the case. .
Moreover, the establishment of sects, to a certain extent, also had the purpose of suppressing clans in various places.
If nothing else, the emperor is not only worried about what trouble these children will cause when they go back, but he is also worried that without these people in the capital, the local clans will have no fear and they will cause trouble themselves.
Zhu Huixuan nodded.
"Your Majesty is wise, in this case, after I return, I will discuss with the Ministry of Rites to arrange the affairs of these students during the New Year in the capital."
In fact, for Zhu Huixuan himself, it didn't matter whether these students left or stayed. He couldn't leave anyway.
On the contrary, he hoped that the emperor would allow the vassal kings from all over the country to come to the capital to pay their respects, so that his eldest son could come back to celebrate the New Year with him.
However, this matter cannot be said by him alone. The vassal king's visit to Beijing is of great importance. Although it is no longer the Hongwu era, the vassal king holds great power. Once he enters Beijing, there are various risks.
But in the final analysis, allowing clans from all over the country to come to Beijing is a big deal for both the local area and the imperial court.
Especially for the Ministry of Etiquette, it is a headache to receive all kinds of ritual notes.
So this matter has always been stuck here. The Ministry of Rites was trying to evade it, both covertly and overtly. Although Zhu Huixuan himself wanted Zhu Yinxi to come back, he didn't want to get into trouble with the Ministry of Rites, so he kept going back and forth. It’s been delayed until now.
Zhu Qiyu naturally knew this, but his considerations were different from Zhu Huixuan's. In summoning the kings to the capital, first of all, there was of course too much noise.
The more important reason is that now is the time to reorganize the military garrison, and the kings are already dissatisfied with the court. Some vassal kings are even unwilling to enter the capital at this time.
Moreover, with King Yin's precedent, summoning them to Beijing at this time could easily be regarded as the court's intention to take action against them.
Again, although the kings no longer have the same momentum as before, their influence in the local area cannot be underestimated. They are also elders and clan members. Once they start to make trouble and lose face, what will really happen? Chaos is a big deal.
Therefore, after thinking for a long time, Zhu Qiyu finally decided to choose a compromise method.
"However, having said that, the way of kissing should not be ignored. I also know that many elders have written letters to my uncle these days and want to come to Beijing to pay homage. In this case, I should not be too unkind."
"I will give a decree to the Ministry of Rites when I get back. If there are any princes and clans from all over the country who want to come to the capital to pay homage, and if they have already submitted memorials or written family letters to their uncles, they will be allowed to enter the capital and the Ministry of Rites will make arrangements."
"Starting from next year, except for those who are summoned by the imperial court to worship in the capital in accordance with the regulations, if any clan members need to come to the capital to worship during the New Year's Day, they must submit a memorial six months in advance. After the imperial court approves the memorial and allows them to enter the capital, they can start from October. , one after another set off to Beijing to worship."
