Two days later, outside the Forbidden City.
Zhang Juzheng put his hands behind his back and watched the two people in front of him walking over under the leadership of the eunuch.
The person on the left is Qi Jiguang, a tall man, a head taller than an ordinary person, and majestic.
The person on the right is Tan Lun, with handsome features and a civil servant background. He still walks with the temperament of a scholar.
Zhang Juzheng watched them approach and smiled slightly.
"Yuan Jing, Zi Li, you are here!"
"I have met Mr. Zhang in my humble position!"
Qi Jiguang and Tan Lun visited Zhang Juzheng one after another. The latter laughed and helped the two men who were about to kneel up.
"Emperor Taizu Gao has resumed the ritual of bowing and bowing. I, the officials at the upper and lower levels of the Ming Dynasty, do not need to kneel down!"
"The only person in the entire Ming Dynasty who can kneel is the emperor!"
The two of them were stunned for a moment.
Yes, the kneeling ceremony that became popular in the Yuan Dynasty was abolished during the Hongwu period.
In principle, everyone only kneels to the emperor, and there is no need to kneel between officials.
In principle, people do not need to kneel to worship officials on other occasions except in the Dharma hall.
Focus, in principle.
Hai Rui was known as Hai Bijia because he was famous for not kneeling before high officials.
In this era, these have long been forgotten by people.
"The present emperor is very disgusted with the officialdom." Zhang Juzheng said, "I still remember that one day His Majesty summoned people from the Ministry of Household Affairs, and there was a person who had an injured knee and could not kneel down. I reprimanded this person for his treason."
"Your Majesty said with a smile, loyalty, filial piety and justice are in the heart, not in the knees, so that person does not need to kneel down until the injury is healed."
Zhang Juzheng turned around and walked, with Qi Jiguang and Tan Lun following behind him.
The two looked at each other and felt a little uncomfortable.
Zhang Juzheng was not such a friendly person to his subordinates on weekdays.
"Oh, it's in the capital, try it somewhere else!" Tan Lun said in his heart.
The sun is scorching, and those who are exposed to the sun are very comfortable.
"Your Majesty attaches great importance to you. You have a bright future!" Zhang Juzheng said, stroking his beard.
"It's all grown up by adults!" Qi Jiguang said, "I need more care from adults in the future!"
"Hey!" Zhang Juzheng shook his hand, "It's all for the country and the people."
Tan Lun was speechless and moved the corners of his mouth stiffly.
"Zili doesn't have many personal relationships with me, not as good as Yuan Jing and I, but after the three of us, we will have a lot of interactions in military affairs."
At this point, Zhang Juzheng suddenly turned around, and Tan Lun, who had been following him, almost didn't react and knocked him down.
"I'll just tell you the truth. I have a strong personality and it's hard for me to accept other people's opinions. Yuan Jing is used to it, but why don't you..."
"I won't change. If we have any friction in the future, you can find the reason yourself!"
After finishing speaking, Zhang Juzheng also imitated Tan Lun's fake smile, turned around and continued walking.
Qi Jiguang nodded awkwardly to Tan Lun.
It seems that if he says this, that's it, don't mind.
"Did he see it?" Tan Lun didn't see Qi Jiguang's nod. Instead, he thought about how the fake smile just now was so similar to his own.
"You all knew about the situation in the capital on the way, right?"
"yes!"
"Do you know what situation you will face in the future?"
When Qi Jiguang and Tan Lun talked about state affairs, their expressions immediately became serious.
"I don't know what a humble job is!"
"I don't know either!" Zhang Juzheng said, "But I guess that in the next few years, we will no longer be huddled within the Great Wall!"
"Does the imperial court have any plans to fight in the north?" Qi Jiguang asked first.
"Not yet, but His Majesty definitely has this intention!"
"Oh, Zili, don't think that I am someone who is trying to figure out the Holy Will. Your Majesty has been talking to me these days, and this is what he meant both inside and outside of his words."
"Just me!"
"Okay, okay, I know you are the emperor's confidant!" Tan Lun said in his heart, "I am just a small official, you don't need to give me such power!"
"And your Majesty specially arranged for me to come to see you today. It is certainly not a coincidence, so I will not be taboo about anything and tell you everything I know."
"So that you can be prepared."
The road to Qianqing Palace is relatively long, and Qi Jiguang has not seen the shadow of Qianqing Palace yet.
He was curious about what the new emperor would be like.
But fortunately, he already knew a thing or two from Zhang Juzheng's remarks.
"Is Zili talking bad about me in his heart?" Zhang Juzheng said with a smile.
"..."
Tan Lun paused for a moment, and it took him a while to say no.
"I know that many people hate my character, but as I said just now, you find a way to adapt."
"Because from now on, whether you want it or not, you are as much mine as Yuan Jing!"
Tan Lun was shocked and quickly looked around, fearing that others would hear this and cause trouble.
As expected, Qi Jiguang was used to his character, and there was no trace of panic on his face.
"Don't be afraid!" Zhang Juzheng looked back at him, "I don't like to beat around the bush, so I just say what I have to say."
"Why do you think His Majesty asked me to come out to pick you up? Because I am the second-in-command of the Ministry of War? Because I am a cabinet minister? Or because of my personal relationship with Yuan Jing?"
"No! But His Majesty is a pragmatic person like me. He pursues down-to-earth things and doesn't like anything frivolous."
Zhang Juzheng knew that he would be the emperor's most capable general in the future, and he also knew very well how drastic the emperor's reforms would be.
Therefore, the future of the imperial party and government is unavoidable.
Therefore, there is no need to pretend that he is a party-less and selfless person, and besides, he is not a party-less and selfless person in the first place.
"From now on, whether you are willing or not, others will say that you are my Zhang Taiyue's people! Others will also be afraid of me when you do things, so they will make it easier for you."
"The reason I tell you so much is because I want you to understand..."
"Aren't you afraid that officials will impeach you for forming cliques for personal gain?" Tan Lun interrupted and asked.
Zhang Juzheng looked at him and smiled slightly.
"You, Tan Zili, once personally led troops to fight on the front line and were injured. Are you afraid of the swords on the other side?"
"I'm not afraid!"
"Why?"
"Because I bear the responsibility, the soldiers sometimes need me to charge forward!"
Zhang Juzheng nodded.
"The same goes for Zhang!"
"So, let those idle censors and officials fart! Hahahaha..."
No longer waiting for him to say anything, Zhang Juzheng pointed to the Qianqing Palace in front, signaling that they were almost there.
Tan Lun stayed where he was, with a complicated expression.
"Yuan Jing, when did you meet this person?"
"It's been almost 10 years!" Qi Jiguang said.
"Has he always been like this?"
"He is different from those Jiangnan literati!" Qi Jiguang looked in the direction of Qianqing Palace, "Their family comes from a military household, and they have some arrogance and roughness in their bones."
"What? You, a Confucian general who goes into battle to kill the enemy, can't stand him now?"
Tan Lun sighed, "Just get used to it slowly!"
"Let's go, it's time to see His Majesty!"
