It has been several days since Huai En died of illness, and the position of the eunuch, the eunuch in charge of rituals, has been undecided.
This has made many young eunuchs in the inner court salivate, although they know in their hearts that this position belongs to either He Ding, the current eunuch in charge of the imperial horse eunuch, Yan Hai, the head of the Qianqing Palace, or Li Li, the secret eunuch of the palace. wide.
However, the world is still uncertain, and you and I are both dark horses. Back then, Li Guang was not only a young eunuch in the palace, but by some strange combination of circumstances, he was favored by the emperor and became one of the few great eunuchs in the palace. If he could be like Li Guang and be appreciated by the emperor, there's no telling how high he could jump. Even if it didn't work, he could be promoted several levels in a row. It would be better than doing these drudgery all day long with no hope.
Some young eunuchs think that worrying about these things every day is just a fool. No matter how lucky you are, can you still be the eunuch in charge of the ceremony? It's better to do things down-to-earth, step by step. Some young eunuchs do not dare to expect to reach the top in one step, but they also do not want to take such a snail-like road to promotion. So in the past few days, they have given gifts and flattery to He Ding, Li Guang, and Yanhai, who are most likely to be the chief ceremonial supervisors, in an attempt to gain popularity with these popular people in the current Holy Emperor, so that they may be able to promote them more in the future.
Therefore, these days the palace has begun to fight again, but the protagonists He Ding, Li Guang, and Yan Hai are indifferent and not affected at all. In fact, compared to the other two, Li Guang wanted to get this position the most. For this reason, he had already started making plans a year ago when he knew that Wynn's health was getting worse.
He Ding was in charge of the imperial eunuch, who was second only to the ceremonial eunuch in the palace. This position was considered to be the end of the road for a eunuch. Another competitor, Yanhai, was promoted by him. If he was grateful, he would definitely not compete with him, but he must be on guard against others. Yanhai is now the head of Qianqing Palace, following the emperor all day long, and has been in contact with the emperor longer than himself. If he takes advantage of him when he is not paying attention, and the emperor is happy, he will take advantage of it if he makes a slight move. When the Secretary of Ceremony takes the palm of his hand, all his plans for the year will be in vain.
More than ten days later, the news about the initial success of Bai Ang's river control was reported back to the capital. Zhu Youtang was overjoyed when he heard about it. At the same time, he had also recovered from the grief of Huai En's death, so he went hunting in Nanhaizi on a whim.
After learning that Zhu Youtang was coming to Nanhaizi for hunting, Yanhai and Li Guang set out to follow him.
This was the first time the emperor came to Nanhaizi for hunting in the new year. In the afternoon, all the prisons and bureaus in Nanhaizi began to be busy. The bosses in charge of various supervisors and bureaus did not dare to neglect, and took action personally. Even the Luyuan and Rabbit Gardens in Nanhaizi were caught up by the bosses, and they carefully dusted off the dust one by one.
At this time, Zhu Youtang was galloping on his horse, with his bow and arrow drawn. He heard the sound of an arrow and the sika deer, which was a full 300 steps away from Zhu Youtang, fell to the ground. The remaining beasts who heard the noise opened their round eyes and looked around anxiously. When they saw Zhu Youtang and others holding bows, they were frightened and ran away in panic.
"These sika deer are quite clever, so let's let them go for now."
Zhu Youtang immediately chuckled a few times and put down his bow.
At this moment, Zhu Youtang heard a heavy breathing sound, looked up and saw Li Guang running over, shouting: "Your Majesty, slow down! Wait for me, slave!"
Zhu Youtang pretended to be angry and said: "You bastard, it's you again! You shouted like this and alerted the prey. How can I hunt?"
Li Guang opened his mouth wide, took a few breaths, and quickly explained: "Your Majesty's archery skills are extraordinary. The servant was already looking at the arrow just shot. The reason why I shouted was to let the Emperor rest for a while. The Emperor has already indulged me." Don’t tire your dragon body if your horse gallops for a long time.”
"Hmm... You have thought it through, so it seems that I wrongly blamed you? Wynn passed away from illness for many days, and the position of the eunuch in charge of the ceremony has been vacant." Speaking of this, Zhu Youtang deliberately did not say anything about observing Li Guang's expression.
Li Guang, who was kneeling on the ground, heard Zhu Youtang mention the position of Chief Ceremony Supervisor that he had longed for, and his heart skipped a beat, and his face showed excitement. But then he saw that Zhu Youtang was speechless and had no intention of his own, and his face instantly returned to calm.
But the little change that Li Guang just unconsciously showed on his face had already been seen by Zhu Youtang.
"Li Guang, can you ride a horse?"
Li Guang originally thought that Zhu Youtang would continue to talk about the vacancy of the position of Director of Ceremonies, but unexpectedly, Zhu Youtang suddenly changed the topic.
"Ah?" Li Guang was slightly startled, then nodded quickly and said: "My slave will do it, my slave will do it."
Zhu Youtang's eyes flashed across his face, and the palace man quickly handed the armor, bow and arrows to Li Guang's hands.
At this time, if the emperor asks you to ride a horse, you have to bite the bullet even if you don't know how!
Seeing Li Guang put on a military uniform, Zhu Youtang couldn't help but smile and said: "You look pretty good in it. Let's go hunting in the Rabbit Garden with me!"
Li Guang tried to pull the bow, but he couldn't do it even with all his strength. Seeing that Zhu Youtang had already galloped far away, he looked embarrassed and sighed several times.
"Hey! I have no choice. For this position, it's worth risking my life. Li Guang quickly followed me.
Not long after, the two rode their horses to a small hillside and took a rest. Zhu Youtang took out his bow and bent it from behind, and said: "People say that Jurchens and Mongolians are good at riding and shooting, and they can rule the world immediately. How can they be more enlightened than me?"
"It can't be compared."
"I aspire to be a wise king who can manage the army well and govern the country like the Tang Zong, Song Zu, Taizu Emperor Gao, and Yongle Emperor."
Li Guang saw that Zhu Youtang was in a good mood and talked freely about his heroic ambitions. He wanted to say a few words, but he was afraid that he would say the wrong thing and disturb the emperor's mood, so he had no choice but to ignore what Zhu Youtang said and clap his hands and applaud him.
After saying these words, Zhu Youtang put away his bow, patted Li Guang on the shoulder, and said seriously: "I have one more thing to do today. The position of the eunuch of the Chief of Ceremonies is vacant. In your opinion, who is the most suitable? "
As soon as he said these words, Li Guang's heart beat faster. He wanted to recommend himself like Mao Sui, but he still endured his temper. He knew that although the emperor was asking him on the surface, he probably already had the answer in his heart.
Li Guang hurriedly dismounted and knelt down and said: "Your Majesty is wise, but this servant is stupid. This matter is still decided by Your Majesty. I will obey the decree."
"From today on, you will be in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies! Come to Xinuang Pavilion to get the seal in the evening." After saying that, Zhu Youtang left on horseback.
After Li Guang heard this, he stayed where he was and did not move for a long time. When he realized what he was doing, Zhu Youtang had already left. Li Guang quickly kowtowed and thanked him, forgetting Zhu Youtang's back immediately and shouted: "Thank you, Your Majesty for your kindness!"
