Zhu Qiyu returned to Concubine Wu Xian's bedroom, immediately knelt down again, and reported to Concubine Wu Xian: "I would like to report to my concubine that the minister who went on a mission to Wala has brought back the oral message of my eldest brother's succession.
The son has accepted the imperial edict and agreed to succeed the emperor, but he rejected the ministers' proposal to honor his mother and concubine as the empress dowager and appoint a queen. If the son is unfilial, please ask his mother and concubine to punish him. "
Concubine Wu Xian smiled and said: "You have told me in advance, and I agree. You are not guilty of anything. Get up quickly."
When Zhu Qiyu heard this, he stopped being polite and stood up to sit by the kang.
Concubine Wu Xian asked again: "Have all the ministers left?"
"No, there is one Yu Qian, the Minister of War, who is left at home. I am leaving him at home for dinner. In the afternoon, I will take him with me, and then I will take Duke Cheng Guo to inspect the nine gates."
Lin Xiangyu was sitting on the inner kang with Concubine Wu Xian at this time. After hearing this, she got up to make arrangements. She also complained: "Your Highness, why didn't you tell me earlier? People who don't know are thinking that the slave family is so mean. The Minister of the Ministry of War came to the house. They don’t entertain people well.”
Zhu Qiyu hurriedly waved his hand to stop: "I asked Yu Shangshu to eat at home on a temporary basis. I didn't have time to tell you. I have asked Xiao Lingxi to arrange for him to eat, so you don't have to worry."
Hearing this, Lin Xiangyu teased: "On the spur of the moment? Just you? His Highness wants to count all the eighteen generations of his ancestors, so how could he have the impromptu idea? I advise you to tell the truth quickly. What bad intentions are there?"
Concubine Wu Xian quickly corrected her with distress: "Daughter-in-law, please don't say that. I know that my son is an honest person."
With the support of Concubine Wu Xian, Zhu Qiyu also became tougher and retorted loudly: "Yes, yes, my concubine is right. I am an honest person. If you dare to frame the prince without evidence, it will be an extra crime." Wait, someone will come and take the princess to prison."
Hearing this, Lin Xiangyu gently twisted Zhu Qiyu's arm and whispered: "Unjustly accused, even more unjust than Dou E. Your Highness has the nerve to ask for evidence. When you played with the slave family, you didn't act like an honest person at all. Do you want the slave family to be punished? His Highness’s numerous evil deeds must be exposed, and let the concubine be a bright and shining Bao Qingtian.”
Seeing that her son and daughter-in-law had a good relationship, Concubine Wu Xian felt happy in her heart, but she said teasingly: "Okay, okay, you can go back to your room to flirt again at night. Now you'd better eat quickly. After dinner, we can put our family away." Prince, go and get down to business.”
So the two stopped and asked the maid to come in and serve the meal. Taking advantage of this time, Lin Xiangyu asked quietly: Is His Highness interested in sister Lingxi? There are only so many reliable people around the slave family, you can't give them all away. "
Zhu Qiyu replied with a grimace: "Xiao Lingxi is too upright, and I really don't know how to train her. I think her personality is a good match for Yu Qian, so I made an impromptu idea.
Besides, Yu Qian is now in charge of the Ministry of War and has military power over the entire capital. I have to send someone to monitor him, otherwise I won’t be able to sleep well in the future.
Although he is loyal to the Ming Dynasty, he is not loyal to me. I don't have anyone in my hands now, so I can only let the princess's people sacrifice themselves. "
Concubine Wu Xian asked curiously: "Is my son so pitiful? There are not many people available under his command?"
As soon as Zhu Qiyu heard this, he began to express his bitterness, and complained to Concubine Wu Xian with his fingers: "Concubine, look at me, I only have five eunuchs in total, and I don't know who placed them here. , and I don’t know who they are loyal to behind the scenes.
The leading eunuch, Cheng Jing, was a Jinshi and was full of benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom and trust. He didn't look like he could become a powerful eunuch. The remaining four are all junior eunuchs with little qualifications and are of no use at all. In other words, I can't even control Dongchang now.
The civil servants in my hands are even worse. Among the two people, Yu Shan and Yu Gang, the most promising one is the deputy candidate. Even if I am upright and nepotistic, I will still arrange for them to be ministers. Moreover, he is also the Minister of Rites, the powerful Minister of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel, so it is difficult to arrange for him.
I feel tired just thinking about it. What do you think I should do? "
The more Zhu Qiyu talked, the sadder he became. In the end, he simply sat on the small footrest beside the kang, like a deflated rubber ball, leaning weakly on the edge of the kang, sighing uncontrollably.
This made Concubine Wu Xian feel very distressed, and she said to Lin Xiangyu: "Daughter-in-law, you take pity on my son, so give him my son. If you are in need of someone, I have a few maids around me. You can take them over." Use it."
Lin Xiangyu quickly replied: "Don't worry, mother and concubine, my daughter-in-law was joking with His Highness just now. Your Highness is my daughter-in-law's heaven, and everything my daughter-in-law has belongs to His Highness. Naturally, His Highness will do whatever she says and give her whatever she wants."
Concubine Wu Xian nodded and felt relieved.
Lin Xiangyu smiled at Zhu Qiyu again and said, "Your Highness, please get up quickly. Not to mention sister Lingxi, even if we send the little sisters Su Xi and Qian Xue away, they will all follow Your Highness."
When Zhu Qiyu heard this, he stood up suddenly and waved his hands: "That's absolutely not possible. The little sisters Su Xi and Qian Xue are good-looking and have gentle personalities. After training them carefully, they will be a pair of top-notch little beauties. I You have to keep them for yourself and enjoy them, these two will never be given away.
Lin Xiangyu heard this, sat up straight, pretended to be like Zhu Qiyu, and sighed slowly: "I am sick, and my disease has penetrated into my bone marrow. Wow, what a pity!"
When Zhu Qiyu heard this, he was so angry that he blew his beard and glared. He was about to beat his wife. Wu Xianfei hurriedly smiled and persuaded: "Okay, okay, let's eat quickly. After dinner, go and do business. In the evening, you two go back to the room. If we fight again, I can have a grandson as soon as possible."
So the three of them stopped joking. After Zhu Qiyu had eaten and lay down for a while, he went back and took Yu Qian with him, and went directly to Chengguo Duke's Mansion.
Zhu Yi was only twenty-three years old. His father, Zhu Yong, the previous Duke of Chengguo, had just died in battle at Yao'er Ridge.
Zhu Qiyu came over just a few days ago to mourn, but now he was familiar with the road, and he quickly took Zhu Yi and left the house.
Yu Qian covered his head and was about to go to Deshengmen. Zhu Qiyu pulled Zhu Yi and shouted loudly from behind: "Yu Shangshu, wait a moment, wait a moment."
Yu Qian turned around with a puzzled look on his face and asked curiously: "What else is your Highness going to do?"
Zhu Qiyu said with a smile: "There is too much salt in the lunch, so I am a little salty. I heard that Duke Dingguo's mansion is not far away, so let's call and ask for a cup of tea from Duke Dingguo."
Yu Qian replied helplessly: "Your Highness, there is no Duke Ding now."
Zhu Qiyu replied very definitely: "Yes, there is Duke Ding."
Yu Qian also replied with great certainty: "Your Highness, Duke Dingguo Xu Xianzhong just passed away last year. His eldest son Xu Yongning was only ten years old and was not yet old enough to become a prince, so there is no Duke Ding now."
Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "Yu Shangshu, please think carefully, is there a possibility that after we drink a cup of good tea, Xu Yongning will become Duke Dingguo?"
When Yu Qian heard this, he stopped talking. Now His Highness King Qi is in a daze. No matter which distinguished person I saw, I felt that the person's parents were handsome and had the talent to run the country and help the world. It's better now, even ten-year-old children are not willing to let go.
Regardless of this, Zhu Qiyu took Zhu Yi to the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, where he drank good tea and met Xu Yongning.
While drinking tea, Zhu Qiyu smiled at Xu Yongning and said: "There are two Dukes in the Xu family, and now the capital is in danger. Has your Dingguo Palace arranged for your family members to go south to join the Duke of Wei in Nanjing?"
Although Xu Yongning was a young man, he had no stage fright and replied in a neither humble nor condescending manner: "Your Highness is joking. I, the Duke of Ding, have been blessed by the country for a long time. Naturally, I have to live and die with the Ming Dynasty. Now the Queen Mother, the Prince and Your Highness are all in Beijing. How dare I abandon my master and run away?"
Zhu Qiyu heard this and asked seriously: "Then let you follow me to defend the city and face the enemy. Do you dare?"
Xu Yongning replied categorically: "It's just a wasteland, why don't you dare? It's a pity that Wei Chen is young and cannot be in charge of the army alone. Otherwise, with a hundred thousand troops, Wei Chen will be able to go straight to the imperial court, kill the enemy, and the general will be the first to kill him." Presented to Your Highness.”
Zhu Qiyu praised: "Good, good, good, young, ambitious, worthy of being a descendant of the King of Zhongshan. From now on, you will be the Duke of Ding, and you will be responsible for guarding Fucheng Gate with me."
Xu Yongning was stunned when he heard this, and confirmed: "I am only ten years old, do you want to become a noble now?"
Zhu Qiyu replied: "We are facing a national crisis and don't stick to trivial matters. Clean up and come with me now. Let's inspect the city defenses."
Not long after, Zhu Qiyu took Yu Qian, Zhu Yi, and Xu Yongning out of the Dingguo Palace and went straight to Desheng Gate.
There are nine gates in the capital, and Desheng Gate is in the north. When the war begins, they will face the Wala army.
