In the afternoon of the next day, we put on new clothes and entered the Huangji Gate under the leadership of a young father-in-law in the palace. We saw the majestic imperial hall with its magnificent glazed tiles shining in the sun, majestic. Although the warriors are also members of our Jinyi Guard, and their robes are almost the same, they look at us sharply. They obey Dongchang's orders, and they are naturally a bit arrogant. We didn't dare to look around wildly, but after sneaking a few glances, we followed the corridor outside the palace, passed the Zhongji Hall, and arrived at the Jianji Hall, which is the Forbidden City. The defense here was even tighter. The leader's father-in-law claimed that his surname was Tang and said in a long voice: "This is a royal forbidden area, you should all be careful!" The voice was somewhat familiar, and I thought of the voice I heard at the Taira old shop that day. I didn't dare to raise my head, but he said: "The leader is Zhang Ying, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Guards!" I hurried over, crossed my hands and saluted, he looked at me, nodded and said: "Be careful, there are many royal rules, I guess you also It’s clear that your men made mistakes, but you’re the one who asked!” I repeatedly claimed that it was true and ordered Ning Boyang and Hardy to line up the pairs for them to check. In less than half an hour, we had just been inspected one by one. We entered and saw the Qianqing Palace from a distance. It was said that the emperor was inside. We had no chance to go further today, so we turned right and went directly to Nangong. We had arranged everything well, and it was already Shen hour. I led my people and stood on both sides of the gate outside the temple. We could clearly see the people coming. A dozen young men-in-law also stood there with their hands spread out, talking in low voices.
The guests invited by the emperor tonight are the Zhang brothers. One of them is the Marquis of Jianchang and the other is the Marquis of Shouning. They are both uncles of the emperor. They can be called relatives of the emperor and have always been favored by the emperor. I heard that sometimes, they would turn a blind eye to some illegal things done by their brothers, which shows their respect for the queen.
I have heard the story of this emperor. He suffered too much, but this man was very generous and repaid his kindness. He neither had any grudges with the family of Concubine Wan Gui who killed his mother, nor forgot those who helped him. Eunuch Wynn. The reason why he treats the Zhang family well is probably because he was lonely since he was a child. When he grew up, he was the only one in the harem who depended on him.
It was getting late, and I saw some people coming in one after another outside the Huangji Gate. They were dressed in gorgeous clothes and looked arrogant. The eunuchs were running around, and they must be members of the Zhang family. We stood far away, and I was a little closer to the door. Eunuchs and people from the Marquis's Mansion were mingling among them, but I still saw Miss Ning Xi at a glance. She was wearing a light green dress. She was more and more dignified, but there was something uncomfortable on her face. I was so happy that several old ladies were waiting on me carefully. The Zhang brothers, about forty years old, were wearing brand-new official robes, and they were even more proud with every step they took.
A middle-aged father-in-law had already come out and shouted: "Your Majesty asked, why didn't you sit in the sedan chair?" A young father-in-law came out hurriedly and replied: "Returning to Eunuch Zhuang, the Marquis said that this is a royal forbidden area, and outsiders dare not make trouble. ." Eunuch Zhuang said again: "The emperor said that the Zhang family are not outsiders, and they can directly enter the palace in a sedan chair in the future!" When I heard Eunuch Zhuang, I suddenly thought of Eunuch Zhuang mentioned by Ji Liaofan and others that day at the Pingjia old shop. , could it be him?
After saying this, everyone in the Zhang family beamed even more, but Miss Ning Xi's face was as dark as water, and she was a bit melancholy. I couldn't help but cast my eyes on her. She seemed to see me, glared hard, and suddenly smiled. She must have known who I was?
I didn't dare to go over and speak, so I just stood straight at the door. These people came slowly and almost didn't even look at me. When Miss Ning Xi passed by, they looked a little happy and said intentionally or unintentionally: "You are here too." Here, thank you for that day!" I said politely: "That is a subordinate's duty, and it should be taken for granted." Miss Ning Xi chuckled and said: "If you Jin Yiwei are all the same, well, we still have to do it. Thank you!" The people in the Houye Mansion looked at me suspiciously. Someone who had recognized me long ago said in a low voice: "He was the one who saved the young lady that day!" These people snorted, nodded slightly and went in. Eunuch Zhuang heard this, walked up to me, and said with a smile: "Our family has also heard about this. The emperor is very happy and says that the Jinyi Guards have finally become more successful, so do your best!"
I was happy in my heart and quickly saluted: "This is all my duty, so I should do my best!" Eunuch Zhuang smiled and said: "Tonight the Emperor and Empress are hosting a banquet for the people of the Marquis's Mansion. For the sake of convenience, many people are missing from the banquet. Guards, it’s up to you outside, so be on guard!”
I quickly said yes. When I looked up again, Eunuch Zhuang had already left. After all these people went in, Ning Boyang came over and whispered: "Could this lady be the daughter of the Marquis's family that you saved?"
I nodded, and Ning Boyang couldn't help but praise, "The country is beautiful and fragrant!" I glanced at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense, be careful of getting a stick." Ning Boyang and Hardy looked at each other and smiled at each other.
Not long after, the sound of roaring mountains and tsunami came from the palace: "Long live His Majesty the Emperor! May the Queen live a thousand years!" It must have been that the Emperor and the Queen had arrived. Although we were far apart, the sound was still vaguely audible, but intermittently. . Soon, the sound of drums, strings and bamboos gradually began to sound, and we heard nothing more.
As the moon rose, the banquet was held for an hour. During this period, several father-in-laws came out and looked around at the entrance of the palace, as if they were waiting for someone. We are still like nails, nailed here. The lights inside the temple are bright and lively, which is naturally a family happiness. But outside the temple, the lights are dim because of the warning. I quietly think of my hometown, my parents, and my grandfather... ....Hi, the sudden sadness makes me wet my eyes. At this time, the palace door opened, and Eunuch Zhuang and several other father-in-laws came out, surrounded by one person. The person was wearing an apricot yellow robe, walking slowly, waving his hands, and only came over with two people, while the others retreated. . Eunuch Zhuang coughed lightly and signaled me to be on guard. I quickly gestured and ordered Hardy and Ning Boyang to light up the verandah outside the palace. But I looked closely and saw that the two people turned out to be Zhang brothers. They were humble. dance to tune.
Emperor Taizu has regulations on clothes. The person who can make the Zhang brothers so humble must be the emperor himself. The emperor slowly walked over, and my heart was so nervous that it rose to my throat. Before entering the palace, Gu Dashou said, according to regulations, when we are on duty, when we meet anyone, no matter who he is or how old the official is, we do not have to salute. But now that we have met the emperor, I don’t know whether I should salute or not. I hesitated for a moment, but insisted on not saluting, and stood aside, keeping my eyes on the emperor. I just felt that my knees were weak, and everyone around me was afraid to show off.
The emperor walked near us, glanced at us casually, turned around, walked a few steps, and stopped at the corner of the palace. I was only a dozen steps away from him, and I could see his every move. This is our Emperor Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty. I said secretly in my heart. The thin emperor looked like an old man in his dying years. His beard and hair were sparse and gray. Insufficient Qi and blood. He walked a few more trembling steps, but Shouninghou brothers, with red faces and fat faces, followed carefully behind him. I didn't dare to look at them directly, but I could still see them clearly from the corner of my eye. The emperor's voice was very low. , speaking slowly, "Just now Ning Xi made a toast, wishing good health and prosperity for the Ming Dynasty. I am very happy that the children have grown up and are sensible. This is very good. I am doing this for the sake of the queen. My family has always been very tolerant. Although the Qing family has done illegal things and the censors are constantly calling for impeachment, I think that the queen is virtuous and should benefit the Qing family. The prince is young and I am in poor health and very dependent on him. So although everything is unhappy. , I won’t go into details, and I will correct it after hearing about it in this issue. Now that you are a relative of the country, I have always treated you kindly, but you still broke the ban for a few bahts. Do you want me to recite Taizu’s ancestral precepts?” You know that Taizu? The emperor has always been merciless towards corrupt officials, and it was common for them to peel off their skins and stuff them with grass. However, after Xuanzong, the laws were relaxed, leading to the emergence of corrupt officials in large numbers.
Although the emperor's voice was slow and low, the words inside were even more chilling. I felt frightened when I heard it. The Zhang brothers had already been so frightened that they fell to their knees and kowtowed: "The guilty minister was confused for a moment, which is humiliating. Your Majesty has treated me so kindly, I will not dare to do it again if I am worthy of death, please forgive me for my sin!"
The emperor coughed several times, sighed for a long time and said: "The world is so big, how can I not tolerate my brother, please get up quickly, don't let the queen see it, and make her sad!" There was no lack of respect for the queen in his words. I sighed in my heart, people say that the emperor is a rare king in the world. He has only one queen and no other concubines. This is really admirable. Maybe this is the case for couples in need!
The emperor said leisurely: "I have been in poor health. Although the prince is very smart, he needs someone to take care of him. Brother Qing is the uncle of the prince. He should be distracted and troubled by the prince in the country and at home. I am not the lord of Jie and Zhou, nor am I a belligerent. Sir, peace in the world is what I look forward to. Brothers, you should dedicate yourself to serving the country like Liu, Xie, and Li." I heard it truly, and I was extremely excited. As expected, he is a benevolent and righteous Lord, just like the rumors outside. It's a pity that he is in poor health, and the Zhang brothers even praised him again and again.
