However, some officials did not rest peacefully at home.
why?
Zhong Shoufu issued an order: The expeditionary army led by the emperor has arrived in triumph, and all officials of third rank and above must go out of the city to greet them without any mistakes.
This is etiquette and reasonable.
However, using the third rank as the line seems a bit harsh. Those officials below the third rank who wanted to take the opportunity to admire the emperor's style lost the opportunity to meet the emperor.
For example, Qi Yu, who happens to be at the fourth level, also does not have this opportunity.
Since you are free, why not find some entertainment projects to occupy your time, and also deepen the relationship between colleagues.
good!
So, he invited Yin Jun to have a barbecue at the racecourse of Xingtaipu Temple, and the time was set for the evening of that day.
Picnic? What to eat?
Of course it's game.
Yesterday, the government officials were bored and hunted a few roe deer on their horses, and Qi Dalang killed one by the way.
One and a half were kept at home for cooking, while the other half was used for a picnic and grilled.
The main reason why I come to a place like this to have barbecue is to save money.
Yin Jun was already familiar with this. In his memory, he had never eaten at Qi Yu's banquet.
The reason why we chose to do it at night was also due to ‘safety’ considerations.
Let's listen to the explanation.
According to regulations, open fires are not allowed near the racecourse. If water breaks out, it is no joke.
There are few people at night, so naturally no one will know about it.
Even if others find out, what's the problem?
Qi Yu is currently the acting young minister of Xingtaipu Temple. Who dares to report him? Don’t you want to be fooled?
Back to business.
The moon is setting, crows are crying, and the sky is filled with frost. Two greedy cats are adding firewood.
Qi and Yin sat on both sides of the bonfire, warming themselves and grilling meat at the same time. It was a unique world of two people.
Fortunately, Mr. Qi has the reputation of not being greedy, otherwise, people would have thought he was as good as Long Yang!
Slowly, the aroma of meat on the fire rack began to spread, making people's index fingers twitch when they smell it.
“It smells so good!”
"cough!"
Qi Yu had just cut off a piece of meat, and before he could stuff it into his mouth, he heard a "powerful" cough from behind.
Who is this?
Why are you not polite?
Following the sound, Qi Dalang couldn't help but be shocked!
Mother Xipi, the emperor has arrived!
There was a faint smile on the emperor's face, without any sign of anger. Behind him, there were several young eunuchs and guards who were waiting on him.
Weird!
Today is the day when the emperor returns to Beijing in triumph. Why doesn't he have a banquet with all the ministers in the palace, but instead runs out of the palace for a walk?
Qi Yu and Yin Jun looked at each other and couldn't help but stay there.
However, the two of them soon came to their senses, quickly put down the meat in their hands, wiped their hands on themselves, and then turned around and saluted.
"See you, humble minister..."
"no!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Then there was a bit of a silence, and the two of them didn't know what to say for a while.
Qi Yu secretly thought about it, now that he was caught burning an open fire and violating discipline, how should he deal with this?
Um……
The only way is to drag the emperor into the water and eat meat together. Everyone is violating discipline together, how else to punish him?
Haha, it works!
So, Qi Dalang grabbed a piece of whip-shaped meat and offered it to him, saying: "Report to your Majesty, there was a robe that stole fodder from the horse farm and was executed by Wei Chen on the spot. Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Wei Chen decided to cook it.
Its meat is used as a warning to others. Well, this piece of meat is the most tonic. You can try it to see if it is chewy."
What to serve as a warning to others?
Can roe deer also understand human speech?
The emperor didn't want to eat it at first, but when he saw that the meat was roasted on the outside and tender on the inside, he was really greedy, so he subconsciously took it. After taking a bite, he praised: "It's not bad, it's more delicious than the tonic in the imperial kitchen."
…”
Tsk tsk, finally the emperor was dragged into the water!
At least you won't be fined.
Then, Qi Yu hurriedly winked at Yin Jun and signaled him to quickly give up his seat, but he sat down calmly and acted like he was cooking barbecue for the emperor.
Well, I am Chef Qi at this time.
But this way, Yin Jun felt a little embarrassed. They were sitting and he was standing. What did it mean?
In order not to appear so embarrassed, Yin Jun opened the topic: "Uh... Your Majesty, you are not resting in the palace, why are you here?"
After the emperor swallowed the piece of meat, he casually replied: "I heard that there are one hundred thousand taels hidden here..." After a sudden pause, he changed his words: "I came here to relax."
Um?
One hundred thousand taels?
Haha, Huang Fei is really a loyal eagle dog. I didn't expect to report it to the emperor so quickly?
Seeing the strange look in Qi Yu's eyes, the emperor quickly pretended that he didn't care about money and was very indifferent.
Yin Jun didn't know the inside story, so he could only follow the emperor's topic and said again: "Relax? Is your Majesty worried about something?"
The emperor still valued and favored the elegant and outstanding-looking Yin Aiqing, so he kindly replied: "Today we were supposed to have a banquet for all the ministers to celebrate their triumph, but I deliberately canceled the feast. Alas.
...This is also a last resort.”
Seeing that Yin Jun was still confused, the emperor reminded: "Until now, I have not figured out how to deal with King Yan. If any ministers ask him face to face, how should I answer? If I don't know, then it is better not to answer."
Oh, I see.
This is the question of how to convict King Yan.
According to the law, King Yan's rebellion was an iron-clad death penalty, but he surrendered unconditionally in the end. From the perspective of leniency, in this case, mercy can be granted outside the law.
If surrender means death, who will choose to surrender in the future?
This is a matter of attitude.
In addition, there is another important factor, that is, King Yan's military exploits in the past were too high. In other words, without his bloody battles, there would not be the current Dafeng Dynasty.
If the emperor really kills him, he will most likely be stigmatized. If he doesn't kill him, it will not be in line with the emperor's temperament.
Qi Yu knew that the emperor was a ruthless man who would not even blink to kill his brother, and he showed no mercy to his relatives.
Will ministers give advice?
Basically impossible.
For something like this that would only cause embarrassment and damage reputation, ministers would choose to push the issue aside and throw the problem directly to the emperor.
To the outside world, they will also say grandly that this is the emperor's family matter and it is not suitable for outsiders to talk too much.
No matter good or bad, the emperor must take the blame.
The emperor is not stupid, so he will not make a decision just by slapping his forehead.
So, for now, I can just leave it to you and wait and see.
Um?
Is this an opportunity for you to share your worries?
Gotta catch it!
Yin Jun thought about it from the emperor's point of view and offered advice: "Wei Chen believes that killing the hero will be detrimental to your majesty's reputation, so King Yan cannot kill him. It would be better to put him under house arrest and imprison him for the rest of his life.
Way. Over time, people all over the world will forget about this matter."
The emperor hummed casually but did not answer.
Although this idea was sound, it was not what he wanted. Otherwise, would there be any need to hide and hide?
The emperor's idea is to kill King Yan, but this is the best option without carrying a negative reputation.
Qi Yu also offered a strategy out of selfish motives, saying: "We think that King Yan has great ambitions and must not be retained. If this person does not die for a day, his remaining forces will not give up. This will be detrimental to the country and the country that I have been entrusted to."
It’s extremely disadvantageous! Only by knocking him out can we truly end it once and for all.”
That is, if he doesn't die, how can he take revenge?
The emperor was a little upset when he heard this, and waved his hand and said: "Okay, let me think about this more carefully, and there is no need to discuss it further!"
Although Qi Yu still wanted to encourage him, the boss had already given the order, so even if he had any thoughts, he had to keep them in his stomach.
So, there was another cold scene.
Not long after, Yin Jun excused himself from the banquet and went to a very secluded place.
Do not urinate or defecate anywhere, otherwise it will be disrespectful to the emperor.
Taking advantage of this moment, the emperor quickly lowered his voice and asked in a concise tone: "Qi Aiqing, are these one hundred thousand taels of silver really buried here?"
Um?
I thought the emperor was just talking casually, but I didn't expect that he actually came here for money.
"Your Majesty, what is your urgent need?"
this……
The emperor coughed dryly, tried his best to cover up his embarrassment, and said: "To be honest with you, the reason why I am more cautious on the issue of King Yan is mainly because I am worried about what the princes will think. In order to eliminate their worries, I plan to reward
I want to show my clear intention to distinguish my merits. Unfortunately, my inner treasury has been a little nervous recently, so...ahem..."
Oh, I understand, the emperor wants to stabilize the feudal kings.
You know, it is not only the ministers in the court who are concerned about the life and death of King Yan, but also the princes who pretend to be asleep!
The royal family belongs to their Li family, so the influence of the vassal kings must not be underestimated. Once they unite, they can stir up troubles.
Therefore, within the clan, the emperor had to find a so-called balance point to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
The best and most direct way is to reward.
If you take the emperor's money, you have to stand up for him, even if it's just for face.
Since the money to reward the vassal king could not be withdrawn from the treasury, the emperor had to make other plans to find a source.
If you have these one hundred thousand taels of silver, the problem will be solved.
Qi Yu understood this.
Then, he pointed to a patch of thorns not far away and said: "Your Majesty, please look, under that patch of ground is buried the bribe money that King Zhao gave to Zhang Chengdong. Haha, I have been keeping it for you for a long time, and it is waiting for you."
Come for acceptance."
The emperor was overjoyed when he heard this and praised: "Haha, among all the civil and military officials in this dynasty, only Qi Aiqing can understand my difficulties..."