"Li Yan, the military advisor under King Dashun Chuang, has met His Majesty the Ming Emperor!"
"Li Ying, the general under the command of King Dashun Chuang, has met His Majesty the Ming Emperor!"
The couple were taken directly into the Qianqing Palace. Looking at Zhu Cixiang sitting on the dragon chair, they just bowed with their hands, showing neither humility nor arrogance.
"Be bold!"
Wang Dehua on the side suddenly roared, and the Han generals on both sides also pulled out their swords. As if they were just waiting for the emperor to nod, they immediately cut the two men into pieces with swords.
The couple still looked calm.
It was obvious that he had already prepared for the worst.
"Back off!"
"Since you two have changed your name to rebel, you are no longer my subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and you do not need to kneel down and worship."
"Give me a seat!"
Zhu Cixiang waved his hand generously.
He nodded secretly, at least the two of them were better than him, and they were not greedy for life and afraid of death.
"Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor, for giving me a seat!"
The couple thanked each other and sat on a small stool nearby. They breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time, they couldn't help but have a good impression of Zhu Cixi.
This little emperor is at least a polite and virtuous corporal.
As a scholar, Li Yan, although he had rebelled, still had a sense of awe for Zhu Cihong in his heart, so after sitting down, he only dared to look at him secretly.
But the red lady came from a rough background, but she had no worries. With curiosity, she looked Zhu Cixiang up and down.
I was still muttering to myself that the emperor was just like an ordinary person, except that he looked more handsome.
Zhu Cixiang was also sizing up the two of them.
Li Yan was only in his forties, with an elegant face, a short beard under his chin, and no trace of nervousness in his expression.
From the perspective of this era, he can also be called a romantic celebrity.
And this red lady really loves the color red as historical rumors say. She is dressed in red from head to toe. She is tall and pretty. She is also a rare beauty.
She must be less than thirty years old, and her whole body shows the plumpness of a mature young woman, but her eyebrows have a compelling heroic spirit, and her eyes are quite sharp, and she has killed many people at a glance.
From the perspective of a modern person like Zhu Cixi, although the couple cannot be said to be like a flower stuck in cow dung, they are not much different.
However, he also knew that from the perspective of people of this era, this red lady was obviously not worthy of Li Yan.
After all, in the eyes of people of this era, the good matches are all the ladies of Xiaojiabiyu who are well-educated, sensible and well-behaved.
At present, it is obvious that this red lady cannot get along with these three points.
"Although I live in the palace, I have heard a little bit about the deeds of the two of them. When I saw them today, they are indeed a talented man and a beautiful woman."
"Oh? Your Majesty also knows about the deeds of my wife and I?" the red lady asked subconsciously, with a curious look on her face.
Li Yan glared at her, clasped his fists and said, "I'm a bitch who comes from a rough background and doesn't know etiquette. I hope Your Majesty won't blame you."
"It doesn't matter. Your Majesty is outspoken and has a true temperament. She is indeed a strange woman who rebelled and revolted to save her husband."
Zhu Cixi smiled and waved his hands.
"I didn't expect that Your Majesty even knew this, but we are all rebels. You are the emperor, shouldn't you hate us?"
The red lady was a little surprised, a little confused, and more nervous.
She was a little worried that the little emperor had seen the true identity of his wife.
Li Yan's expression also became a little nervous.
I wonder if the little emperor knows their whereabouts?
After all, looking at the current situation, it may be difficult for them to break into the city and overthrow the Ming Dynasty. Once the little emperor finds out their whereabouts, the whole clan may suffer in the future, and maybe even their ancestral graves will be dug up.
Thinking of this, Li Yan also regretted that he should not have rebelled in Qixian County and should have moved to another place.
"Don't worry, you two. I don't know your real names or where you are from."
Zhu Cixiang smiled as if he could read the two people's thoughts.
He really doesn’t know about the red lady, but Li Yan (Xin) from Qixian County will definitely not be able to escape.
As expected, both of them breathed a heavy sigh of relief when they heard this.
Zhu Cixiang stood up and came to the hall, clasped his hands behind his back, glanced at the two of them and said to himself: "As for what Mrs. Li said, why don't she hate you?"
"The ancients said: The people are the water, and the king is the boat. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it. As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I can't even guarantee the most basic food and clothing for the people under my rule. As a result, the people are displaced and starve thousands of miles away.
How can I hate those of you who are rebelling just to survive?"
"Alas! After all, it was me and the Ming Dynasty who failed you!"
Zhu Cixiang said with a final sigh.
In fact, he hated the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty, the gentry and landlords in Jiangnan, and the profiteers in Shanxi more than these rebels.
"Your Majesty's broad-mindedness is rare in ancient times. The emperors of the past are far less than it. The students admire him endlessly!"
The couple did not expect that Zhu Cixi would say such words, and they were both moved. Li Yan even bowed his head to the bottom and bowed with a moved expression on his face.
But in my heart I was lamenting endlessly.
If the Ming Dynasty had such a wise and broad-minded monarch earlier, why worry about it? And why should we fear the slaves outside the pass?
How could he, a dignified Juren who had been reading the books of sages since he was a child, sink to the point where he changed his name to rebel?
"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, so I can't blame you. If I were to blame, I can only blame your father, Emperor Chongzhen. It was his tax hikes that made it difficult for everyone to live. Of course, the most hateful ones are those corrupt officials.
Dirty officials, profiteers and evil gentry!”
Seeing Zhu Cixiang's self-blame, the red lady couldn't help but said something fair, and she gritted her teeth at the end.
It can be seen that in the past, he was often exploited by corrupt officials and oppressed by profiteers and evil gentry, which even made Chongzhen hate him.
"Shut up!"
Li Yan was so frightened that he shouted lowly, and then quickly apologized: "Your Majesty, forgive me, I'm a humble wife..."
"Alas! Madam, you are just telling the truth. What crime is there? But the son inherited the fault of his father. As soon as I came to the throne, I abolished the three rings and exempted several northern provinces from taxes and servitude for three years. In the future, I will stabilize the world.
, we must also permanently abolish servitude, reduce or reduce taxes, and treat the people well!"
Zhu Cixi waved his hand and said with determination.
The red lady's eyes lit up, and there was a touch of excitement on her face. She wanted to speak again, but was stopped by Li Yan's stern look, and she had to reluctantly close her mouth.
"Your Majesty has such a benevolent heart, which is really a blessing to the people of Ming Dynasty!"
"Li Zhuangshi, the King Chuang has great talent but little knowledge. He is definitely not a wise master. Without the help of you and your wife, we would never be as strong as we are today. However, when it is strong, it will inevitably decline. Now it has become a situation where it is difficult to get off the tiger.
I have the ambition to help the world and save the people, and I admire you two very much. As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a tree to roost. Why don't you abandon the dark and turn to the light, assist me in reorganizing the country, and reviving the Ming Dynasty?
In the future, being successful and famous, and being a prince for generations, will be a good story. Isn't it better than succumbing to the trespassers, and the pearls are covered with dust?"
Zhu Cixi also realized that this red lady was easy to fool, but Li Yan could not be subdued by just a few words, so he simply spoke openly.
Sure enough, the red lady remembered how the couple had been ostracized in the rebel army, and what King Chuang and the generals had done. In addition, she had a good impression of the young emperor's uprightness and generosity, and felt that he should be a good emperor, and she was immediately moved.
, calmly tugged at the corner of Li Yan's clothes.
The meaning couldn't be more obvious.
Li Yan smiled bitterly in his heart. He guessed that the little emperor was very respectful to them and said so much, so he must have some purpose.
Seeing that his plan was revealed, he finally sighed, bowed his head once more and said, "My husband and I are deeply honored and grateful to have been favored by your majesty. However, our loyal ministers will not do anything to the two masters, and I and my husband are not willing to do that."
I hope your majesty will forgive me for being such a villain!"
"well!"
"It doesn't matter, I am not blessed after all. Everyone has their own ambitions, and I won't force it!"
Seeing that he was resolute and blocked the road directly, Zhu Cixi also sighed and said helplessly.
He really wanted to recruit the two of them, not to mention the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses of the red lady, he was very greedy.
And this Li Yan will be of great use in the future.
Once they are subdued, they can be allowed to contact more generals of the invading army. In the end, they may cause a big chaos and kill Li Zicheng directly.
It's a pity that Li Yan is as stubborn as the few literati of this era, hateful and respectable at the same time.
"Your Majesty, my husband and I came here this time to..."
Li Yan also breathed a sigh of relief, and then he clasped his fists and wanted to get back to the topic.
"The negotiation is not urgent. I think you and your wife hit it off immediately. Although we didn't get what we wanted, our hearts are happy. Let's do this. I will order someone to hold a banquet. How about we talk while drinking?"
Zhu Cixi smiled and waved his hand.
Since he can't be recruited, don't blame him for trying to alienate him.
"It is better to obey orders than to be respectful!"
Although Li Yan really wanted to talk now, he felt guilty for rejecting the little emperor just now. Now that he and his wife were being treated so well, he really couldn't refuse.
(This is the most critical moment of the new book period. Friends, please do not keep books. I beg you!)