Not long after Yang Yiqing entered the city, the imperial edict from the palace was also handed over.
Zhu Houzhao had been waiting for his general for a long time. He did not sacrifice prisoners or accept surrender, and he was not sifting through fire. He caught a few things and made it look like he had conquered the grassland. In fact, he looked petty.
But for these generals who have experienced life and death, Zhu Houzhao has long sworn in his heart that he will never let that kind of death happen in the hands of his own people.
Zhou Shangwen, Tan Wenyi, Sun Xilie, Yu Zichu, Chang Dacheng, Liu Jiangjie, Shi Dahuai and Xu Zhenan. He has always remembered the names of the commanders of these eight Class A guards very clearly.
They had made an oath back then.
Because of this reason, this group of people also stick to each other in private. To put it another way, other people are not very attracted to them. What is our relationship with the emperor, and who are you?
After re-entering the capital, the eight people could not help but be high-spirited and have more or less military achievements in their hands. The appearance of the capital has also changed drastically. A few months ago, they were still unknown people. After all, how big can a commander of the guards be under the emperor's feet? But a few months later, as the emperor's cronies, they were so proud of their lives that the literati who knew how to act could be as calm as water, but how could they, warriors in their twenties and thirties, know so much?
It was bitterly cold in the northwest, the capital was prosperous, and spring was blooming. On this night when they first entered the city, they couldn't hold back their excitement. Fortunately, the emperor's edict came in time to wake them up - there would be business tomorrow.
Led by Yang Shangyi and Zhou Shangwen, the whole group knelt down to receive the order.
The person who announced the edict was Eunuch You Zhi, who was the Supervisor of Ceremonies. It was not easy for him now. Although the emperor announced that he would be the Supervisor of Ceremonies, there was still Liu Jin above him. He had watched the emperor grow up and did not want to see him. ,
In terms of comfort, it would be better for him to be a guard eunuch in Shandong.
Now that he is alone and weak, he does not dislike this group of military generals. He is extremely polite in his words, "General Yang, General Zhou, congratulations. Your Majesty is very pleased with the Ming Dynasty's military power in Ningxia." Excited, we are already waiting for you all in the palace. From now on, we will have more interactions."
Yang Shangyi is the one who follows Wang Yue, and he knows Wang Yue's path best. In his opinion, these rootless people in the palace are the ones who should not be offended.
"Thank you so much, Eunuch You. Yang is currently busy with official duties. When the work is over, please ask Eunuch-in-law for your favor."
You Zhi's ears twitched after hearing this, and he thought to himself: Warriors are better than literati.
These days, he has offered many olive branches, but few are willing to accept them.
Zhou Shangwen frowned next to him. He was not good at these things and was only thinking about tomorrow's banquet.
After that, Yang Shangyi took You Zhi to the side for a small talk. The eight of them could only look at each other by themselves.
"...General Yang, are you familiar with this Eunuch You?" Yu Zichu cooed.
Zhou Shangwen turned around and stared at him, his face cold, but he didn't say anything.
Among the generals, the one who dared to compete with them on the Holy Scroll was Yang Shangyi. His origin can be traced back to Wang Yue, who was a very determined princeling when the emperor was still the prince. In the past few years, the emperor left the Ming cavalry to him alone, and he spent a lot of effort and money on it. If the emperor did not favor him, no one would believe it. ….
In a sense, these commanders and commanders of the direct personal guards were actually inferior compared to him.
But it is true that things in the world are confusing.
This time in Ningxia, although the Ming cavalry led by Yang Shangyi chased Huo Si all the way to the Great Wall and beat them to the core, they only cut off more than 2,000 heads. The key is that Huo Si escaped.
It was Zhou Shangwen who really accomplished the extraordinary feat of capturing Zana alive. Now both sides have something to say, and everyone is dissatisfied.
Zhou Shangwen still has an injury on his arm. Tan Wenyi and Sun Xilie were also at the forefront during the battle. They are both brave men.
But Yang Shangyi was not injured. He chased all the way and never fell off his horse.
"Brother Yanzhang (Zhou Shangwen), your majesty will have a big banquet tomorrow, and there will be a decree to give out any rewards. At this time, Yang Shouwen (Yang Shang)
He has a close relationship with the father-in-law of the Supervisor of Ceremonies... He must not have the intention of harming others, nor must he have the intention of guarding against others. He himself should also understand that in terms of merit, he is not as good as our brothers. "
There is another sentence that Yu Zichu hides in his heart: the soldiers and horses in his hands are much more powerful than ours.
Zhou Shangwen and these seven people were originally called brothers, but after more contact, they were still convinced by his personal strategy and bravery. Coupled with the battle of Luopu River, Zhou Shangwen most likely To become their boss, Zhou Shangwen still had to say something about how to handle the matter.
Zhou Shangwen himself also wanted to know what Yu Zichu said, but he also had the image of the emperor in his mind, "... Do you all think that His Majesty is someone who can be easily deceived?"
After hearing this, the seven people could not help but remain silent.
"Whether it is the Chief of Ceremonies or the Minister of War, even if what they said in the past weighs as much as a thousand pounds, your Majesty is such a majestic emperor. How can the Chief of Ceremonies say a single word when it comes to major matters involving the awarding of meritorious officials?"
The more Zhou Shangwen said, the more confident he became. This was confidence in his own judgment and confidence in the emperor. "Let General Yang do it. Let's spend tonight peacefully."
But how to stay safe? Eight big men looking at each other? I couldn't sleep anymore, so I had no time to sleep.
Fortunately, at this time, an unattractive person came in, but they were still shocked when he saw the Jinyiwei sign, "Eight generals, His Majesty ordered, please invite a few Xingye into the palace to renew the previous agreement."
Zhou Shangwen's expression was slightly excited.
When it comes to Holy Scrolls, who is afraid of whom?
…
…
Feng Xi and Guo Shangkun had been out for about half a day. They had nothing to say when they returned to Qianqing Palace. They just lowered their heads and said to the emperor when delivering the memorial: "Your Majesty, Yang Yingning has arrived in the capital."
"I got it. The banquet will be held as usual tomorrow, and we monarchs and ministers will not have to worry about him." Zhu Houzhao had some contemplation on his face. He had done everything he could do.
Next, if you still have to deny him, the emperor, a choice in public, then there is nothing you can do. Without Butcher Yang, can you still eat pigs with hair on them? Of course, he still hoped that everything would go smoothly. When the officials were having a banquet, how bad would it be for someone to disrupt the situation?
The candlelight flickers in the Qianqing Palace, and the charcoal basin is no longer needed. The feeling of spring is still better, and it is convenient to wear some single clothes. ….
Fengxi didn't know what the emperor was thinking, but he didn't dare to say more. There were still several important officials in the court.
"I will announce to the generals at the banquet that Futao will be established as a national policy." The emperor did not raise his head, but told the cabinet and ministers, "...if no general is willing to take over this important task, it will be because I have no one to teach others." Fang, no one can complain. If someone takes it, I still hope that all my dear friends can put aside their prejudices for the time being. We, the monarchs and ministers, work together to expand the territory. When we go underground in the future, we will have the honor to see our ancestors. If the land of our ancestors can be crossed The younger Shou is, the more we speak clearly and truthfully, if future generations find out, they won’t know how to laugh at us!”
For the sake of retaliation, all the ministers of the cabinet were moved away by the emperor. If you didn't follow Liu Jian at this time, what else could you say?
So it's nothing.
However, Han Wen started to say, "Your Majesty, if you want to reinstate the enemy, Ningxia Town will also need a Ming Dynasty cavalry. I am ashamed. Based on the current national strength... I am afraid that the national treasury will be overburdened."
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"I know. Because it is difficult, we, the monarchs and ministers, must be diligent and diligent. We must not indulge in pleasure for one day. I work hard to govern. My dear friends must also serve the country loyally. If you can't do it in three years, then five years. If you can't do it in five years, , then ten years, I am only fifteen, if I can complete this goal in twenty-five, I will accept it! Because this is my responsibility!"
This statement is very similar to the emperor's traditional style. Be ambitious and determined. An emperor needs this.
"My Holy Emperor!"
By saying hello in advance, Zhu Houzhao had already given them face.
Just say nothing, so what? All the generals in the court
He is a close confidant of the emperor. Of course, it was too rough to govern the country in that way, and Zhu Houzhao disdained it.
Soon after the ministers left, the director of ceremonies returned to Qianqing Palace. He was very cautious now, not daring to make a single wrong move. He tiptoed to the royal eucalyptus and knelt down in front of the royal eucalyptus, "I see you, Your Majesty."
"How is it?" Zhu Houzhao asked while writing.
"Reply to Your Majesty. There's nothing else, just Yang and Zhou... they seem to be inseparable from each other."
Zhu Houzhao's writing paused, and then he raised his head, "How can you see it?"
You Zhi then talked about the matter in detail. Yang Shangyi established a relationship with him, but left Zhou Shangwen and the other eight people aside. This is enough to explain the problem.
The emperor smiled softly, it was really crude and funny for the warrior to play with these thoughts. If you want to get close to the Chief of Ceremonies, why are you doing it in front of Zhou Shangwen? The meaning seems to be a bit like a child showing off, look, I can do it, but you can't.
"What did Yang Shouwen say to you?"
"The first time we met, it was all about ceremony. Even after the big banquet, he even invited a maid."
Zhu Houzhao thought, it seemed that he had inherited Wang Yue's tactics. For a military general, he might be sure that the imperial court had too many restrictions at the border.
Let’s take a look first.
"You did a good job in this matter." Zhu Houzhao praised You Zhi, and Yang Shangyi also reported his private affairs when he came back. It seemed that he had grasped the rules of survival in the palace. ….
You Zhi had just arrived and had no support at all. After a few glances, he knew that the emperor wanted nothing more than to be honest and loyal, so he could only use these to the extreme. Only by relying on the emperor could he have a way to survive.
"Slave, thank you for your praise."
"If you do a good job, of course you should be praised." Zhu Houzhao took up the ink pen again, dipped it in his hand and continued to give instructions, "As for Yang Shouwen, just keep your relationship with him. There are some things he may not dare to tell me, so he and I Remember to tell me what you said."
You Zhi was overjoyed. The emperor's unusual method allowed him to have close contact with the general without any hesitation. He was a little scared to come back and report, "I understand, I will never hide anything from your majesty."
"You don't have to be too afraid." Zhu Houzhao smiled, "I know you are still sensible. As long as you are sensible, what do you have to be afraid of?"
"Yes, I am timid by nature, and I can't hide it from Your Majesty. I hide it here and there, but I still let His Majesty see it at a glance." You Zhi felt a little encouraged, so he plucked up the courage to ask, "Yang Shouwen, is there anyone here? Not sure about one section..."
"you say."
"This is the situation where Yang and Zhou don't get along. In which direction does Your Majesty want the slave to exert force?" After saying this, he quickly kowtowed. "The slave is stupid and doesn't know what the Lord wants. He wants to do something but is afraid of doing the wrong thing, so he can't bear it." I couldn’t help asking, and asked the Holy One to forgive me.”
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help being happy, "If you don't know what the errand is, you should ask clearly. What is there to forgive? Only when you ask clearly can you do things easily. I'm afraid that some people are still confident when they are not sure. He accidentally made the decision for me, do you think I should treat him or not?"
"Of course it must be cured. No matter what the reason is, your majesty can only be the master of the Ming Dynasty. If someone else wants to make the decision for your majesty, it is tantamount to rebellion!"
Zhu Houzhao's eyes showed a slight smile. To be honest, he has begun to feel a little complacent, proud of the move of calling You Zhi into the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
It is said that the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty were the most loyal to the emperor, and this particular location really made him feel this.
"Get up. You just ignore Yang and Tuesday's affairs and let them go."
You Zhi never expected this order, so he just listened and let them go? What if something happens if this continues...
In fact, what the emperor was thinking was... the generals huddled together, what should the emperor do?
But there's no need to tell You Zhi about this. It's his business to figure it out, and it's also his business not to understand it.
"My slave obeys the order."
Eunuch You felt at ease now.
Tonight was a special key for him. He took a crucial step and found the person who accepted his olive branch.
Being accepted by the emperor... the meaning behind this matter is even more complicated.
Because it represents that the emperor is supporting him. Thinking further, there must be something Liu Jin did that dissatisfied the emperor.
You Zhi knew that Eunuch Liu was a man. After all, he still had many thoughts. That is to say, the current sage was wise and decisive and had unparalleled power and tactics. This was why he was suppressed from making any changes.
If it were anyone else, I don't know how big the Chief Ceremony Supervisor would be.
But having said that, the situation is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change. Liu Jin is a complicated person, so how can he be honest to the emperor in everything?
In other words, now is the time when he is dormant. One day, the Director of Ceremonies will change his surname.
As I was thinking about this, the smile in my heart could not help but appear on my face. When I entered the ceremonial prison, I bumped into Ma Yongcheng walking out. This is Liu Jin's iron party.
"...Oh, Eunuch You has encountered something very happy today. The corners of his mouth are grinning almost to the base of his ears."
The water is too deep and the wind is too strong, so I don’t have the strength to speak less.
You Zhi immediately changed his face to a flattering smile...
…
…
The emperor also waited for the commander of the Eighth Guards who was announced from outside the palace. When you are an emperor, you can step into two different boats. Do good to you today and do good to him tomorrow. He has many ways to subdue civil servants, but it is safest for generals to let these people understand that the emperor is also powerful.
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New Year's Day! .
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