Heavy snow fell from the sky, everything was desolate, and the Forbidden City was covered with a thick layer of snowy white.
Zhu Qiyu stood in front of the window, looking at the vast expanse of white, in a daze.
Scattered snowflakes blew in with the wind and fell on the floor. After a while, they turned into water droplets.
The hall was burning with the best charcoal, glowing brightly, and warm as spring; but outside it was freezing and snowy, bitingly cold.
With the windows open, heat is lost quickly.
"Your Majesty, be careful of catching cold." Xiao Huangmen took the cloak and put it on him.
Seeing no response from the emperor, Xiao Huangmen hesitated and tried to close the window.
"No need to turn it off." Zhu Qiyu said, he took a breath, and a refreshing coldness hit him, making him feel strangely comfortable and clear-headed.
After standing there for a long time, Zhu Qiyu finally couldn't stand the bitter cold, so he turned around and walked back to the big mink chair to sit down.
'Squeak~' Xiao Huangmen cleverly closed the window, turned around, and heard the emperor murmuring to himself:
"It should be colder on the grassland..."
Although the window has been closed, the chill on Zhu Qiyu's body has not dissipated. He tightened the cloak around him, curled up slightly, his eyes lowered and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Xiao Huangmen didn't dare to disturb him. After thinking about it, he went to make a cup of tea and placed it carefully on the table.
Zhu Qiyu's eyes moved slightly, his dull eyes refocused, and he held up the steaming hot tea: "Xiao Hengzi, how many years have you been with me?"
Xiao Hengzi counted on his fingers and replied: "This servant has followed the emperor since he moved out of the palace when he was twelve years old. It will be ten years after this year."
"Ten years," Zhu Qiyu said quietly, "It's been so long in a blink of an eye."
Xiao Hengzi felt that something was wrong with the emperor. He seemed to be immersed in a pessimistic and negative mood. He quickly said with a smile:
"It's not long before the Chinese New Year. After the Chinese New Year, the new year will be changed. The new year's name that the minister proposed for the emperor is very nice."
"Does it sound good?"
"That sounds good, Jingtai, Jingtai..." Xiao Hengzi babbled several times, but suddenly found that the ink in his stomach was really limited, and he couldn't even flatter him, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Zhu Zhanji established an internal study hall, but it was limited to teaching eunuchs how to read.
After all... not every eunuch is Wang Zhen.
Zhu Qiyu laughed and suddenly realized that these slaves were not without merit. At least they would not be disobedient or confront him.
"Jingtai..." Zhu Qiyu nodded and said, "I also think it sounds good."
"Hey, uh hehe... that sounds good." Xiao Hengzi smiled apologetically, relaxed a little, no longer so embarrassed, and then flattered her a little bit.
This made Zhu Qiyu very happy and made his depressed mood feel much better.
Yes, after the New Year, it will be the first year of Jingtai... Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but think of the 'great road' mentioned by Li Qing.
The negative emotions gradually subsided, and Zhu Qiyu cheered up. Since fate made him the emperor, he could not live up to it. He was also a descendant of the Zhu family and his ancestors.
The emperor should practice the way of the emperor.
Zhu Qiyu strengthened his goal, no longer thinking about those bad things, and his whole mind became clear.
"Instructions were sent to the Ministry of War to inform Li Qing, the Minister of War, Yu Qian, the Minister of Personnel, Wang Zhi, and the Minister of Rites, Hu Yi, to enter the palace."
"Yes, I obey your order."
"etc."
Xiao Hengzi turned around and said, "Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."
"Let them go to the middle hall." Zhu Qiyu glanced at the closed window, "It's freezing cold... inform the imperial kitchen to prepare a soup pot and prepare more meat, fruits and vegetables."
"Yes." Xiao Hengzi responded respectfully, paused for a moment, and then exited the hall after seeing that the emperor had no new instructions.
…
~
Nave.
When Li Qing came, Yu Qian, Wang Zhi, and Hu Hui had already arrived. The palace was as warm as spring, the hot pot soup was surging, and the aroma of condiments hit their faces.
"Mr. Li is here," Zhu Qiyu pointed to the chair opposite the dining table, "Sit down."
Li Qing stepped forward, bowed his hands to Zhu Qiyu, said hello to Yu Qian and the others, pulled out a chair and sat down.
This time it was not that he was staged and came late on purpose, but that his home was in Lianjia Village, which was relatively far away from the palace.
"The crisis in the capital this time is thanks to the dedicated efforts of several beloved ministers," Zhu Qiyu said with a smile, "I have some free time today, so let's get together."
"It is the duty of ministers to eat the king's salary and share the king's worries." The four people cupped their hands and spoke in unison.
Zhu Qiyu smiled: "My dear friends, you don't have to be formal. Just have a simple meal and relax."
As he spoke, he picked up the plump mutton slices and poured them into the hot pot soup with chopsticks.
"Your Majesty, come here." Yu Qian quickly took the plate, "There is no reason for the Emperor to be busy."
"I'll do it." Li Qing took the plate from Yu Qian's hand and started to put down the slices of meat.
Among the people sitting here, Zhu Qiyu is the emperor, Hu Hui is seventy-four, Wang Zhi is seventy, and the youngest Yu Qian is fifty-one, so he is the 'youngest'.
Yu Qian was not idle either. He picked up the warm wine on the side and poured a glass for Zhu Qiyu first, then poured wine for Hu Bi, Wang Zhi and Li Qing, and finally it was his turn.
Hu Hui and Wang Zhi were veterans of several dynasties, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were national treasures. Hu Hui was a Jinshi in the second year of Jianwen, and Wang Zhi was a Jinshi in the second year of Yongle. They had been officials for decades, and they had long since Understand the officialdom thoroughly.
Even though the emperor said it was just for dinner, both of them knew that they must be talking about state affairs.
And it's a private matter, otherwise there wouldn't be a slave to serve him.
The two old guys were sitting upright, not trying to show off, but racking their brains to think of how to deal with it.
After serving as officials for so many years, the two of them have remained standing, which shows that they have high rankings, especially Hu Ming, who has been the minister for more than 20 years.
The hot pot soup was boiling, the meat slices were floating, and the aroma was overflowing, but neither of them paid any attention to it.
Yu Qian also knew that this was by no means a simple meal, and couldn't help but speculate on the emperor's intentions.
"It's cooked, it's cooked..." Li Qing greeted, "Eat, eat, while it's hot."
Third Minister: "..."
An emperor: "..."
Sure enough, you know how to eat!
Zhu Qiyu took the lead to adjust and said with a smile: "You're welcome."
"Your Majesty, you're welcome." Li Qing gave him a pair of chopsticks. After finishing the superficial work, he stopped paying attention to the rest and picked up the chopsticks.
While eating, use serving chopsticks to place dishes.
Add the meat first, then add the vegetables after the meat is half cooked. Li Qing knows the essence of hot pot, so you can eat the vegetables and meat together.
Li Qing's gag successfully focused everyone's attention on eating.
Several people had no choice but to suppress their worries and use their chopsticks.
Hu Bi is over seventy, and his brain still works well, but his hands and feet cannot keep up. After picking up one chopstick, he has no time to pick up the second chopstick, and the food in the pot is wiped clean.
He was speechless about this.
At the same time, Wang Zhi was speechless.
Yu Qian was used to it, but he was secretly amused.
As Hu Hui got older, she didn't dare to eat too much meat for fear of not being able to digest it. When she saw that the spinach was ripe, she was about to try it. Unexpectedly, as soon as she picked up her chopsticks, Li Qing took away most of it.
Seeing Zhu Qiyu also put down his chopsticks, he had no choice but to put them down.
Hu Xi glanced sideways at Li Qing and couldn't help but sigh: "It's better to be young! This appetite..."
It must be said that Hu Hui has met Li Qing.
It's just that Li Qing had already disguised himself at that time, and later even wore a mask. In addition, Li Qing had been away for more than ten years and came back as a young man, so he didn't think about anything else at all.
…
'Hiccup~' Li Qing smacked his lips, "Your Majesty, I've finished eating. You guys eat slowly."
Zhu Qiyu put down his chopsticks and said with a smile: "Don't leave in a hurry. I just sweated and it's not suitable to be cold."
Li Qing nodded.
Seeing this, Yu Qian and the other three also put down their chopsticks and looked at Zhu Qiyu.
Everyone knows that today is said to be a meal, but in fact it is still a matter of discussion.
Zhu Qiyu picked up the wine pot and personally poured a cup for each of the people. Then he said: "The Ming Dynasty's external troubles have been solved, but there are still internal worries."
Li Qing didn't express his opinion, but picked up an orange and started peeling it. He was in trouble and it was not his turn to catch up.
Yu Qian and the other three exchanged glances with each other, and finally Wang Zhi, the Minister of Civil Service, spoke first:
"The Lord is worried about the humiliation of his ministers, and it is the fault of the ministers to trouble the emperor about state affairs."
After a pause, he said, "I don't know why the emperor is worried. I hope it will be clarified."
"Ai Qing is serious." Zhu Qiyu smiled. He had done enough foreplay and was no longer polite at the moment. "The main thing is to welcome the Emperor."
Yu Qian and the others were stunned. Li Qing also stopped chewing the orange and glanced at Zhu Qiyu in surprise.
But I heard Zhu Qiyu say: "Welcome the Emperor to come back after the New Year."
