Leaving Beijing

It was December 27th. New Year's Eve. Three days left, but Tang Feng was ready. He took the imperial certificate and more than a hundred soldiers to take some food and money to reward the Ming army that guarded the border in Liaodong to the northeast. On this day, snowflakes were floating in the sky. Apart from Tang Feng, who solved the doubts and the soldiers, only a few heads of the Ministry of War came to see him off. The scene seemed very cold.

Tang Feng had just been promoted to the position of censor, so naturally there were no friends in the court who had friendship. These people who came to send him only to remind him. After all, they had worked a lot to come from the Ministry of Revenue. The officials of the eunuch party who seemed to be pretty good to Tang Feng before all made excuses that he didn't want him to look too close to him and others and did not come to send him off. Tang Feng felt very good about this, because he had no feelings for these people. Perhaps the only one he wanted to meet was Xu Cang, who was still an editor in the Hanlin Academy, but obviously because he did not obey his previous advice, the friendship between the two was almost gone.

Looking at the sky, looking back at the empty streets. I think no one will come to see him off. Tang Feng finally sighed and bent down and got into the carriage, saying, "Get off!" He was also a little disappointed. He didn't expect that he would be promoted to the capital this time and leave the capital. He couldn't help but miss the people in the small county. But at the same time, Tang Feng's heart gradually became alive as the carriage gradually left Beijing. In the capital, he always felt very depressed. No matter what he did, it was rarely out of his original intention. But after arriving in Liaodong, he lacked the intrigue and bonds in the court, and thought that he could do his best to realize what he thought.

Tang Feng was thinking about what he would do in the future in the car, and suddenly he heard a greeting from the left: "Is the new censor Tang who is rushing over there to Liaodong? My young master has been waiting here for a long time, so please get out of the car and meet."

Tang Feng wondered, not knowing what was waiting for him outside the city, but then he wondered with hope that it would be Xu Cang? So he immediately stopped the car, leaned out, and looked left in the sound. He immediately saw the eunuch named Xu Yingyuan who had met him. When he saw it was him, Tang Feng was stunned, because he immediately guessed what the young master was in the mouth of this person. He could not have expected that Zhu Youjian, as the prince, would come to send him, the little censor.

Tang Feng got off the carriage, and before Xu Yingyuan came down to a pavilion when he led the way, he saw a boy in brocade clothes sitting in front of the table in the pavilion. On the table were several dishes and a small carbon stove, with a small pot of wine on it. "The lower official Tang Feng has seen Prince Xin!" When Tang Feng saw the young man, he immediately stepped forward to salute, "Your prince, you are out of the city to see him off, the lower official is so scared!"

"Today I am not giving you to you as a prince, but as a friend. So don't talk about this etiquette, Tang Feng, just sit down here." Zhu Youjian raised his head and said, pointing to a seat in front of him with his finger.

Tang Feng was actually not used to talking to others respectfully. Seeing that Zhu Youjian said this, he did not refuse. He walked into the pavilion and sat down. Xu Yingyuan immediately took the wine off, filled the wine for the two of them, and then stood there to serve. Zhu Youjian picked up the wine glass and said, "Today you are leaving Beijing and going to Liaodong. I will toast you here first, I wish you a good journey!" As he said that, he drank the wine. Tang Feng hurriedly thanked him and drank the wine in the glass clean.

After the two of them chatted for a few more times and drank two more drinks, Tang Feng finally couldn't help asking: "I wonder why you value me so much as a small official, who actually came out of Beijing to send me?" He seemed to know his identity. Even if he was not a member of the eunuch party that Zhu Youjian hated, as a noble prince, there was no reason to send me such a small person.

Zhu Youjian smiled, picked up the chopsticks and chewed them carefully before saying, "Because I am optimistic about you. I believe in my own vision. Although your status is still humble, you will definitely be the pillar of my Ming Dynasty in the future. Moreover, you are going to Liaodong for state affairs. As the prince of the Ming Dynasty, it is not a matter of giving you to you, right?"

Tang Feng saw his words and what he said, and felt that this person did not look like a 14 or 15-year-old man, but more like an old man who had been experienced for decades. He couldn't help but feel deeply moved. Suddenly, he felt aroused his heart and asked, "Don't the prince think that the emperor went to Liaodong because he was instructed by Wei Zhongxian?"

"I was a little suspicious about this, but now I don't have any doubts about it. Although Wei Zhongxian and others went to Liaodong, you must not have gone by their orders. Tell me, why did you think of going to Liaodong?" Zhu Youjian said.

Tang Feng looked at the other party's sincere expression and knew that what he said was from the heart, and he was very excited. In fact, he was always afraid of one thing, that is, after Zhu Youjian ascended the throne a few years ago, he seemed to be a member of the eunuch party, but now it seems that the other party did not regard himself as a eunuch party. He was a little grateful in his heart and said unconsciously: "Your Majesty, what you said is right. The lower official went to Liaodong for my Ming Dynasty and for myself."

"Oh? Let's talk about it?" Zhu Youjian became interested when he heard this. He asked Xu Yingyuan to drink the two of them. Tang Feng thought about it and said, "Actually, when Xiaguan was still studying hard, he knew that there were Jurchens in the northeast that were constantly disturbing my borders, and I also thought that they would be my confidant troubles in the Ming Dynasty in the future. So at that time I had a wish, that was to imitate the ancient Ban Chao and join the army. But later, because of my uncle's ardent hope, I took the imperial examination. Now that I have such an opportunity, Xiaguan should naturally go to Liaodong to take a look. If the Jurchens really attacked me, I would do something for my Ming Dynasty. That's why I said that this was for both the Ming Dynasty and myself."

"I didn't expect you to have such ambitions, so it's really awe-inspiring!" Zhu Youjian said as he hurriedly picked up the wine and toasted Tang Feng, but then looked at him with a smile and said, "But I think you have other reasons."

Tang Feng looked at Zhu Youjian in surprise, not knowing what he had guessed. Zhu Youjian stared at Tang Feng for a while before saying, "I'm afraid the real reason for leaving Beijing is that you don't want to participate in the struggles in the court, right? After you talked with me in the mansion that day, I can see that you are an upright person. With your character, you will not be willing to use it for the eunuch party. I wonder if my guess is right?"

Tang Feng was even more surprised, but nodded: "Your lord, you really have a sharp look, that's true. This time, Wei Zhongxian and others sent someone to Liaodong to collect evidence of the collusion between the Donglin Party and the border general. The subordinate volunteered to take on this job, just to not want to help the evildoer."

"Very good, you did not disappoint me." Zhu Youjian said, and stood up and walked behind Tang Feng and patted him, intending to praise him, "It's a place of trouble to leave the capital now. If I have this opportunity, I will leave."

Tang Feng felt that he had no doubt about his words, and that as long as the emperor believed in his future, he would not have much trouble in the future. Just when Tang Feng was secretly happy, Zhu Youjian's words made his heart beat: "I heard that Xiong Tingbi Xiong Jingluo was imprisoned by the eunuch party because of your proposal. I wonder if this matter is true or false?"

"This..." After hesitating for a while, Tang Feng decided to face it calmly, "Yes, this is Wei Zhongxian asking for advice from the officials, so I proposed this method."

"It seems that you are very good at strategy, but you should not forget one thing, that is, Xiong Tingbi still has many old subordinates in Liaodong. If they know that you are the ones who harm him, I'm afraid you will be in danger."

Only then did Tang Feng realize that Zhu Youjian did not want to blame himself for his efforts to the eunuch party, but wanted to remind himself to be careful after arriving in Liaodong, so he hurriedly said: "Yes, the officials must remember them in their hearts."

Zhu Youjian looked at the heavy snow outside the pavilion and said, "Okay, it's getting late. Chancellor Tang, please set off now. I won't delay your journey. But please remember what you said to me before, so that you can really serve the country!"

"The emperor will definitely not disappoint the prince and the court!" Tang Feng said as he bowed respectfully to Zhu Youjian. Looking at the back of the young man, Tang Feng seemed to have felt an emperor's aura and forced him to come. After receiving Zhu Youjian's instructions, he left the pavilion, returned to the team, got on the carriage and left.

It was not until everyone left that Xu Jianyuan began to pack up the objects on the table. Finally, he looked at Zhu Youjian who had been staring at the snow outside the pavilion in confusion, wondering why the prince was so silent after seeing Tang Feng.

Zhu Youjian seemed to see his doubts and said softly: "You must be wondering why I came to see him, right? Because I want to see if this person is loyal or treacherous. Now it seems that he should not be a real eunuch, otherwise he would not be so calm when answering some of my questions. If he is really like this, it would be a good thing for me, the Ming Dynasty."
Chapter completed!