"Stand up."

Emperor Kaiping said coldly.

The eldest prince was stunned for a moment, he naturally did not dare to disobey, and stood up with some anxiety, but did not notice the flash of joy in his mother's eyes.

Emperor Kaiping looked at the faint red mark on his forehead and snorted: "If Pei Yue hadn't known the general situation and only reported this matter to me in a secret way, I would still have been kept in the dark by you, a treacherous son.

.

Previously, Qibao Pavilion used you to invade Pei Yue's property, and you sent the royal family's generals to follow and assassinate him. Instead of bearing any grudge against you, they covered up this scandal for you. Do you know what to do in the future?"

The eldest prince quickly said respectfully: "Father, when Pei Yue returns to the capital, I will take the initiative to apologize to him."

Emperor Kaiping finally became angry, but after seeing the pleading eyes of Concubine Wu next to him, he concealed some words, waved his hands and said: "You two will step aside for now, and you will join me in the Zhengdan Dynasty later."

The second prince's heart skipped a beat, and his expression became slightly unnatural.

He just thought that his father hated his boss, and the huge stone that had been weighing on his heart for a long time was finally loosened. However, before the joy could settle, the other party suddenly had the opportunity to participate in the Zhengdan Dynasty with him. This made him simply

I don’t understand what my father is thinking. Is he going to beat his boss to the bottom, or is he going to find a whetstone for himself?

Empress Chen remained calm and did not give any hints or reminders to the second prince.

After the two left the hall, Emperor Kaiping seemed to suddenly think of the queen beside him, and said with emotion: "The second brother is much more sensible than his eldest brother, and this is all the result of the queen."

Empress Chen bowed slightly and said with a smile: "Your Majesty has taught you well, and I dare not take credit. However, although the eldest prince did something wrong, it was just impulsive, and his heart is still very good. Your Majesty must not get angry because of this."

Emperor Kaiping nodded, looked at Concubine Wu and said, "Sit down first. I just mentioned the boss's concubine. Could it be that you already have a woman you like?"

After thanking Concubine Wu, she sat down, shook her head and said, "Your Majesty didn't nod, how dare I make the decision on my own? It's just that Xian'er is not young anymore, and the Xu family has not given birth to a prince before, and he is the eldest brother, so he can't always do it.

The position of the princess is vacant. I would like to seek a favor from His Majesty and find him a concubine with good conduct among the palaces in the capital."

Emperor Kaiping pondered: "What does the Queen want?"

Empress Chen smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I think what the concubine said is true. If not, let her handle this matter. First draw up a list, and then ask your Majesty to make a decision."

Emperor Kaiping nodded and said: "Good."

After chatting for a while, Emperor Kaiping got up and took his two princes to Chengtian Palace, one of the three main halls.

The Zhengdan Dynasty is extremely solemn, which means "spring is called Chao, summer is called Zong, autumn is called pilgrimage, and winter is called encounter". It is held on Zhengdan every year, and the standards are very high. It needs to display books, ceremonials, and great music.

,

A censor was set up to inspect all the officials. The civil and military officials stood up according to their rank, and the officials from the thirteen prefectures came to present the official objects. When the time came, the emperor ascended to the throne, drums and music sounded, and all the officials knelt down to congratulate and salute as follows:

instrument.

This year's Zhengdan Dynasty was even more solemn, because the victory memorial written by Tang Youzhi, Marquis of Jining, was sent to Kyoto on the 28th of the first year. The victory in the western border killed more than 130,000 Wu troops. After this battle, the national power of Western Wu was greatly reduced.

, and will no longer be able to invade the border of Daliang for at least twenty years.

When the army returns to Kyoto with the spoils of war, an extremely grand ceremony will be held. Emperor Kaiping will personally go to the Ancestral Temple to worship heaven and comfort the spirits of his ancestors.

The Great Court is just a grand and lengthy ceremony, which itself is lackluster. Fortunately, all the courtiers can receive a reward after the court meeting. This is why many poor officials in the capital can carry out the court rituals meticulously and patiently.

This court meeting was very special for many important ministers. The impact of the victory in the Western Region had not been fully digested. Emperor Kaiping led two princes to appear and asked them to serve as his deputies to preside over the entire ceremony. The hidden meaning was worth it.

Thought.

At the beginning of Shenshi, the four-hour Zhengdan Dynasty finally came to an end. Most of the ministers were finally able to receive their rewards and then go home to rest. However, the ministers of the Sixth Ministry and above could not leave. They were called to the Liangyi Palace to continue

Discuss political affairs.

This was not the case in previous years. Although Emperor Kaiping was diligent in his duties, he would not be so strict. After all, he was still on annual vacation.

But this year's situation is special. Before the Western Army returns to Beijing, one thing must be agreed upon.

In Tang Youzhi's victory memorial, in addition to describing the beginning and end of the war in detail, there was also a very long list of those who had made contributions to the war.

The court needs to decide how to reward these meritorious officials as soon as possible.

The atmosphere in the hall was completely different from the previous court meetings, a little dull and serious.

It is natural for meritorious officials to be rewarded, but how to reward them is an extremely complicated issue, and everyone has their own calculations in mind.

Emperor Kaiping looked sternly at one of the six ministers and asked calmly: "Liu Qing, you are the minister of the Ministry of War. This matter should be drafted by the merit examination department of the Ministry of War first."

Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, was old but tough. Hearing this, he went out to his class and said: "Your Majesty, I have something unclear."

Emperor Kaiping said: "Come on."

Liu Daxia said in a deep voice: "In the list of meritorious officials written by the Marquis of Jining, Pei Yue, the son of Zhongshan, ranked first. I think this is inappropriate."

Emperor Kaiping asked: "What's wrong?"

Liu Daxia suppressed his anger and said: "I don't want to deny Pei Yue's contribution in the battle of the Western Territory, but as the commander of the Tibetan Front Guard, he disobeyed the orders of the commander of the Western Army first and killed Wuwei Hou Ningzhong later.

, how can we sum it up in one sentence when we act like this and regard the laws of the court as if they are nothing?"

Emperor Kaiping frowned slightly and said slowly: "In your opinion, what do you think?"

Liu Daxia hesitated for a moment. He wanted to put Pei Yue in jail and hold him accountable. However, the scene at the court meeting last year was still vivid in his mind. Everyone knew that the emperor valued that young man very much. In addition, he had made such a great contribution this time. If he did it again,

Targeting him forcefully would probably anger the emperor.

Just when he was hesitating, an old man who had not appeared in the court for a long time left for work. His beard and hair were all gray, and his figure was stooped. He looked like he had not had much time left. However, his appearance made Luo Ting frown.

He raised his eyebrows.

This old man's name is Huang Rentai, he is the imperial censor of Yushitai, and he is a veteran minister of Mo Haoli's generation.

After Huang Rentai coughed twice, he raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Pei Yue should be temporarily dismissed from his position as commander, and the Ministry of Punishment should escort him back to Kyoto for trial."

The ministers were in an uproar.

Luo Ting said coldly: "Master Huang, Pei Yue has made great contributions to the court. Without him, there would be no great victory in the Western Region. Such actions may chill the hearts of millions of soldiers in Daliang."

Huang Rentai faced Emperor Kaiping's scrutinizing gaze and said calmly: "Your Majesty, Ning Zhong is a third-class prince. How can you let Pei Yue kill him at will?"

Emperor Kaiping said noncommittally: "Tang Youzhi has already written down the whole story in the memorial."

Huang Rentai nodded and said: "Old minister, I understand, but did Ning Zhong betray the country and surrender to the enemy? Is there any real evidence? If Pei Yue can kill him just because he was not successful in the battle, then why does the country need the Ministry of Punishment? It also needs the Yushitai.

What's the use? From now on, whenever I feel that an adult is not doing his or her job diligently enough, I can kill him with a knife?"

The whole hall was silent, even Luo Ting couldn't argue.

Huang Rentai sighed softly and said slowly: "I don't want to say these disappointing words. Since your Majesty values ​​this young man, you should let him know what the laws and rules are. He is still very young and does not understand these things at this time.

, should he be allowed to do whatever he wants along the way? Your Majesty, even if you don't capture him or remove him from the post of commander, you should clearly let him return to Beijing with his own soldiers in advance and explain this matter clearly in the court.

."

Emperor Kaiping quietly looked at this old minister with white beard and hair, looking at his firm and unquestionable expression, and finally nodded after a long silence.
Chapter completed!