Zhu Xie and Xue Hong rode to the entrance of the palace and stopped.
While dismounting, Zhu Xie muttered to himself: "Father, really, is there anything we can't talk about tomorrow? I drank half of it, it's really unlucky."
Xue Hong: "The last time I was summoned by His Majesty, I was accompanied by you, Your Majesty?"
Zhu Jie: "No, I slept that day and didn't eat anything in the morning or noon. I stayed in the palace all afternoon and didn't eat anything the whole day. I was very hungry."
Xue Hong was a little funny, but still comforted: "The prince is tired."
Zhu Jie waved his hand: "Hi! Later, I drank the lotus seed porridge prepared by the imperial chef for my father, and I felt less hungry."
Xue Hong: "??(ó??ò) You drank, what did your Majesty drink?"
Zhu Xie: "The imperial chef will do it again (??˙▽˙??)"
Xue Hong: "Seriously, Your Majesty, I'm curious as to whether Your Majesty has ever beaten you when you have grown so big?"
Zhu Xie: "Hi! It was a fixed item for my father to beat me before he ascended the throne. Later, there were too many things and there was no time to beat me."
While the two were talking, another sedan came next to them, and an old man with white hair and white beard came down from it. He was holding a memorial in his hand. It was obvious that he was also going to the palace.
When Zhu Xi saw the old man, he muttered: "Who is this old guy trying to get involved with?"
Xue Hong: "Who is this sir?"
Zhu Xie: "Yu Shi Fan Lin, my second brother's dog will bite whoever he sees! I don't know who will be unlucky this time."
The Ming Dynasty is very strange. The official position of censor originally belonged to high-ranking officials above the third rank. However, the Ming Dynasty downgraded the censor's rank to the seventh rank to the fifth rank, and used small officials to inspect high officials.
And this Censor Fan Lin is a fifth-grade official. Although his position is not high, because of the special nature of the Censor, anyone who is targeted by him will have a headache.
Just when Zhu Xie and Xue Hong were about to go to the palace, the censor came over on his own initiative.
"His Royal Highness Prince Fu, what you did in Jinling City was definitely wrong!"
Zhu Xie's eyes widened and he pointed at himself: "Me? What did I do to me?"
Xue Hong doesn't remember what bad things Zhu Xie did in Jinling.
Fan Lin snorted coldly: "The first crime is the crime of fornication. As a royal nobleman, you should set an example for the world. How can you stay in a brothel overnight!
The second crime is extravagance. His Highness spent nearly 100,000 taels of silver during his three years in Jinling...
Sin three,"
Xue Hong finally figured out that the censor Fan Lin was just here to make trouble.
If it was inconvenient for Xue Hong to speak, Zhu Jike was not so polite and directly replied: "My second brother has a bunch of concubines, why don't you join him?
Also, it’s none of your business that I spend my own money! I’m telling you, don’t look for trouble, and don’t think that I won’t beat you because you are my second brother’s son.”
As a royal censor, Fan Lin had never been threatened by anyone. He got angry and cursed directly: "His Royal Highness Prince Fu, are you going to be that lewd and cruel king?"
Zhu Jie pushed Xue Hong away gently, rolled up his sleeves, and shouted: "Who are you scolding? Old bastard!!"
For a moment, the entire palace was eerily quiet.
This was the first time someone dared to blatantly scold the censor in front of the palace.
Even Xue Hong was shocked by Zhu Jie.
Fan Lin lost his mind after being scolded like this: "His Royal Highness Prince Fu, how dare you! How dare you..."
Fan Lin was so angry that he couldn't speak. You must know that the censor is an extremely special kind of official. He is someone that all officials, even the emperor, may not want to mess with.
There has never been any censor who has been pointed at and called an old bastard.
Zhu Xie knew in his heart that Fan Lin must have been ordered by his second brother to come and cause trouble for him. At the moment, he felt aggrieved and angry. I won't compete with you for the throne, so what else are you going to do?
In anger, he raised his fist and went forward.
"I'm Cao! Old bastard, I've been putting up with you for a long time!"
Bang!! A punch hit Yushi Fan Lin firmly on the face. Then there was another slap with his backhand.
At this time, Dai Quan, who was leading the way outside the palace gate, happened to see this scene. He was overjoyed and couldn't help but yelled, "What are you doing? Isn't this a place for fighting in front of the palace gate?"
The censor Fan Lin was beaten so hard that he sat on the ground, his hat was blown off, and there were stars in his eyes.
Dai Quan: "Ouch! What happened to Mr. Fan? But it was dark and the road was slippery, so he fell? Come two people and help Mr. Fan up!!"
Then Dai Quan turned around and saluted Zhu Jie: "I have seen the prince. Mr. Xue, please come in. Your Majesty has been waiting for a long time."
Zhu Xie didn't even look at Fan Lin. He pulled Xue Hong's sleeves, raised his head and walked inside.
After walking for some distance, just when Xue Hong thought that Zhu Xie was confident, he heard Zhu Xie muttering in a low voice: "It's over!! If the father knew that I beat the censor in front of the palace, he would beat me and run away."
No more."
Xue Hong: "Then you still dare to fight?"
Zhu Xie: "The main reason is that he bullied others too much, so I won't say anything anymore. If my father hits me later, remember to help me heal my injuries when I get back."
Xue Hong's mouth twitched: "Definitely."
The Forbidden City is indeed the largest building complex in the world. The three of them walked around in circles for a long time, passing through countless courtyards before arriving at the Imperial Study Room.
As soon as he entered the imperial study, Xue Hong bent down and saluted.
"The common people have seen your Majesty." In the Ming Dynasty, there was no need to kneel down when meeting the emperor, except when asking for forgiveness.
After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, the Han people still adhered to the customs of the Yuan Dynasty. When reporting to their superiors, subordinates would kneel down as a courtesy.
", Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict stipulating that officials and citizens only need to bow and bow.
The so-called bowing ceremony is to bow hands. From this etiquette, it can be seen that officials in the Ming Dynasty did not need to kneel down when meeting each other, which directly broke the official etiquette system of the Yuan Dynasty. For example, the seventh-rank county magistrate and the first-rank magistrate
When officials meet, they only need to bow to each other without having to kneel down.
Zhu Yuanzhang also issued an order not to kneel during normal court gatherings other than on New Year's Day.
Officials of the fourth rank and above enter the palace of attendants, while officials below the fifth rank still stand facing north. Those who have something to play will leave their duties. After the performance, they will blow their whips and then go out.
When all the officials are sitting in front of the emperor, and when an official is playing something, they will stand up and sit down again after the performance is over.
It can be seen that there is no need to kneel when performing an event. In normal court meetings, there is no need to kneel. When meeting the emperor, it is obvious that there is no need to kneel!
Compared with the Qing Dynasty, when you saw an official who was senior to you, you had to kneel down, and even when you saw the prince and emperor, you had to kneel down three times and kowtow. This is so much better!
"Okay, okay, get back in shape. Let me see what my lucky star looks like."
Xue Hong then straightened up, raised his head, and secretly glanced at Emperor Longqing.
Emperor Longqing was already fifty years old. Although his face did not look old, his temples were already gray, which showed the exhaustion of his mental energy.
In terms of appearance, Emperor Longqing's appearance was only average to above average. He was smiling and even had a kindly charm on his face, but the light that flashed from time to time in his eyes all told that this emperor was extraordinary.
When Xue Hong was secretly looking at Emperor Longqing, Emperor Longqing was also sizing up Xue Hong. Xue Hong's appearance was already among the best. In addition, he had practiced Dahuangting for many years, and his aura was calm and peaceful, which made people feel good about him.
Emperor Longqing nodded with satisfaction and said: "What a young man! You, Xiaoliu, and Chen Chen of the Chen family offered sweet potatoes to save my Ming Dynasty from fire and water. Tell me what reward you want?"
Xue Hong bowed his hands and saluted: "The ordinary people have nothing to ask for. They only hope that our people in the Ming Dynasty will never have anything to eat."
Emperor Longqing laughed happily: "Hahahahaha! This is what a scholar should think! What a good boy!"
"I have decided to break the ancestral precedent and make you the Marquis of Bo Wen and Chen Chen the Marquis of Ying. They will be demoted to quasi-hereditary titles for three generations. However, there is a salary, a title, but no fief. This is what I can do for civil servants.
It’s the limit.”
To be honest, the title of the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty was very valuable. If Hongshu had not solved the urgent need of the Ming Dynasty and prevented a large number of victims from rebelling, if there were thousands of people alive, it would be impossible for them to be made marquises or earls!
But sweet potatoes appear just when they are most needed. Tens of millions of people were affected by natural disasters throughout the Ming Dynasty this year. If there is not enough food, if these tens of millions of victims become refugees or even rebel, the country will be in danger.
The figure of tens of millions is not an exaggeration, but a fact.
During the reign of the Supreme Emperor, the country experienced two severe droughts, four hailstorms, and one flood.
After Emperor Longqing succeeded to the throne, what he was most worried about was natural disasters!
Even Emperor Longqing emptied all his money in order to collect food for disaster relief, but it could only save him for a while but not for the rest of his life.
Xue Hong did not make any empty concessions and said directly: "The common people thank the emperor for his grace."
Emperor Longqing: "Hahaha! Young people are good and don't engage in those false things!"
Suddenly, a eunuch came from outside to report: Mr. Fan Lin, the censor, wants to see you.
Zhu Jie, who was still smiling and blessing Xue Hong, suddenly had a smile on his face. The husband struggled, then resigned, and finally just said: "Junchen, remember to go back and help me heal my injury..."