If Mrs. Hou Ning came here for something else, even if she was the direct sibling of Empress Dowager Zhang, she would definitely be shut out and embarrassed. However, she said she came to deliver a letter from Xu Xun.
Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhou Qiniang looked at each other, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law instinctively came up with an idea. After a moment, Empress Dowager Zhang nodded slightly.
"Please come in, Madam Shouninghou."
Although she is a relative of the imperial family, Mrs. Shouning Hou often comes to the palace, and Queen Mother Zhang also sees her frequently. At this moment, after coming in to bow and salute, she saw that the Queen Mother's face was a little subtle. She was respectful
After presenting Xu Xun's letter, she sat down soon and left after exchanging a few words. Naturally, Empress Dowager Zhang was extremely satisfied with her understanding of this situation. As soon as they left, she opened the envelope of the letter.
After glancing at it from beginning to end, he slapped the case in anger.
"This daring boy!"
"Queen mother?" Although she was more concerned about Zhu Houzhao's situation, Zhou Qiniang did not dare to get in touch rashly before. Now seeing Queen Mother Zhang furious, she stood up immediately, but stepped forward and asked doubtfully, "But
What did Marquis Pingbei play?"
"Look, this kid is really being indulged by the late Emperor and the Emperor into lawlessness!" When Empress Dowager Zhang saw Zhou Qiniang coming forward, she casually stuffed the letter into Zhou Qiniang's hand, and immediately couldn't help but leave the throne and pace back and forth.
Her hands were clasped together in front of her body, and then she hugged her arms. Her feet were quick and fast. After Zhou Qiniang read the letter, she said angrily, "Since he knows that the emperor has such a temper, he shouldn't mention it."
What about going to the south of the Yangtze River, not to mention dragging Liu Jin and the others away with great fanfare, which is clearly to tease the emperor's temper! Now, if the emperor is not in the palace, then he will most likely chase them incognito. And Ruomao
If you rush to pursue him rashly, the emperor will inevitably get into trouble. Isn't this an afterthought?"
At this point, Empress Dowager Zhang paused for a moment, and then said viciously: "Furthermore, the emperor is not in the palace. What should we do with the daily political discussions in the Wenhua Palace, and how should we explain to the government and the public?"
"But the southern tour was not the first thing Pingbeihou mentioned." Zhou Qiniang calmed down and immediately looked over when she saw Empress Dowager Zhang. She knew that the Empress Dowager had retired to Renshou Palace and didn't care much about external affairs.
Qian Ning's instigation came out, and when she saw that Empress Dowager Zhang was furious, she slowly persuaded her, "Mother, of course it was Qian Ning who took the lead. When Marquis Pingbei stood in the way, he aroused the emperor's interest, but since the emperor has already
This means that this matter is really unstoppable, and there will be a trip sooner or later. It is easy to send people to chase, but how to deal with it after they are recovered, and how to deal with it if they cannot be recovered? Besides, it is not early now. The ship should have left Tongzhou
The journey has begun, and it will take at least three or four days to come and go. How to spend these three or four days is the most important thing."
Although Empress Dowager Zhang was a crown princess, an empress, and an empress dowager. She was one of the few concubines in the Ming Dynasty who enjoyed all the blessings. However, she had dominated the harem for more than 20 years and was always pampered and protected by Emperor Hongzhi. Although Zhu Houzhao had some awkwardnesses in his early years
, but later on, she also respected and loved her mother so much that she didn't like to use her brain. After Zhou Qiniang's reminder, she immediately woke up.
Although she did not choose this queen, but the emperor must choose it, at this moment, Zhou Qiniang's calmness finally made her feel a little calmer, and she immediately asked: "What do you think?"
At this moment, the first thing Zhou Qiniang remembered was that the emperor had chosen Liu Jin and Xu Xun to worship Xiaoling, and then issued another decree, but he had not yet planned to let Gu Dayong, Zhang Yong and others go with them.
Regarding what she was muttering about, Liu Jin had monopolized the Chief of Ceremonies for a long time, and this time when he went to Jiangnan, he took with him all the people who could move among the Eight Tigers, but he still refused to let go of the Chief of Ceremonies.
Let Lao Gao Feng, who was seriously ill, act as the agent. She deeply remembered that Zhu Houzhao sighed deeply that time.
….
"Liu Jin is too obsessed with power and position. Gao Banban has always treated him like a junior in his family. He is not willing to rush to the shelves at this time. Gao Banban actually agreed. I have to give Gao Banban such face!
The Supervisor of Ceremonies also has a lot of things to do every day, and I am really worried about whether he can survive."
Thinking of this, Zhou Qiniang calmed down and said: "Mother, the first one is the Supervisor of Ceremonies. Although the Supervisor of Ceremonies all approves according to the cabinet vote, not everyone can do this. Even Eunuch Gao
I used to be a eunuch in charge of rituals, and I have done this before, but I am getting old and my health is not good. I have a humble opinion. Xiao Jing, the former eunuch in charge of rituals, Eunuch Xiao, is now retiring outside the city.
It would be better to call him into the palace as a temporary substitute. Since Eunuch Xiao could resign before, he should not care about the name of temporary substitute now. And Eunuch Xiao's reputation among civil servants has always been pretty good, and he will not have much influence in the government and the public.
Opinion."
Xiao Jing?
The Empress Dowager Zhang was naturally no stranger to Xiao Jing. After all, Xiao Jing had been serving as the Supervisor of Ceremonies since the Chenghua period, and her husband was also quite dependent on him. So, she thought about it for a moment and nodded: "This matter
You're thoughtful, that's all."
The Queen Mother Zhang agreed to the first thing she asked. Zhou Qiniang couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately said: "As for the second thing, please forgive me for being bold. The emperor's departure from the palace can be concealed for the time being, so it is better to hide it for the time being."
Hidden. First use the excuse that the emperor has a rash and cannot see the wind to get away with it, and then we will consider the previous news. It is better to summon the head of Xichang to punish thousands of households and order them to go to Pingbeihou with a handwritten letter from the empress. Everything is done with the emperor's safety in mind.
superior!"
Rash!
When the Queen Mother Zhang heard such a reason, her eyes widened immediately. However, when she thought about her husband, although he went to court every morning, he almost never saw the ministers after the morning court. If you want to ask the cabinet ministers anything, remember to send them back to the emperor.
, the cabinet ministers revealed their affairs, and the number of times they met the cabinet ministers for many years in office was very rare. It was a rare honor for a favorite minister like Liu Daxia to meet the emperor. Thinking of this, her expression softened a bit, but then she became confused again.
His face darkened.
"It doesn't matter if we delay it for a few days. But if it goes on for a long time, and there are rumors that the emperor is not in good health, what should we do? After all, the emperor is not in the palace. This is ironclad, and he can't even refute it.
!”
"This matter..." Zhou Qiniang pondered for a moment, and finally walked to the side of Empress Dowager Zhang and whispered a few words. Seeing that the Empress Dowager first raised her eyebrows in annoyance, she then scolded her for being ridiculous, but in the end she still supported her.
After sitting down, she knew that Queen Mother Zhang was still a little tempted after all, so naturally she would not say anything more.
"Is this true?"
"The emperor himself proudly said this to his concubine. He also said that Gu Dayong was by his side at that time, and Li Rong, Chen Kuan, Wang Yue, and others who had been with the emperor day and night were all deceived. It can't be false." Thinking of Zhu Houzhao talking about that incident.
With a sly smile, Zhou Qiniang couldn't help but sigh secretly. The little emperor is good at everything, but his temper is really frustrating. Now that he has poked such a big hole, she is a weak woman. That's all she has.
This was a ridiculous way to make up for it. So, she paused and added, "It's just that Ruisheng said that he is older now and his voice is different from before. I'm afraid it's only about 70% or 80% similar."
"Seven or eight points can save the emergency. I'll be watching when the time comes." Empress Dowager Zhang snorted coldly, and then suddenly thought of Zhu Houzhao's temper when doing things, and became furious for a moment, "If you don't say that I haven't paid attention, if
It's true that the emperor has discussed this matter with you a long time ago. It seems that he made up his mind early on, and then tied up Ruisheng and kept him! Okay. I really gave birth to a good son. Let us go and be happy on our own.
.Does he still want this country? How can he be worthy of his father if anything happens?"
After sternly warning Xu Xun and Zhang Yonggu Dayong, Zhu Houzhao immediately felt at ease, and immediately pretended to be the little fireman from before and walked around on and off the boat. Of course, he was still afraid that the people in the two boats behind would see him and recognize him, so
He only went to the bow of the ship and not to the stern, but after the initial excitement, he immediately felt that the days on the ship were quite boring. On this day, he encountered another group of grain ships heading from Tianjin to Tongzhou and hired trackers. He immediately and enthusiastically
Standing on the bow of the boat and watching, I saw people sweating profusely and walking with difficulty, and some even accidentally fell into the water. The smiles on their faces disappeared as they walked back and forth.
….
Zhang Yong has been following Zhu Houzhao for several years. Standing next to the little emperor at this moment, he was keenly aware of his unhappiness and could not help but softly persuade him: "Those who work hard will govern others, and those who work hard will govern others. This has been the truth throughout the ages.
"
"If a saint can look at such a scene and say such words, I don't believe he is still a saint! Go back and leave me alone for a while."
Now on the ship, even the important people who knew him knew enough not to call her by the wrong name, but after all, there were still people who didn't recognize her, so Zhu Houzhao changed his self-identity early. At this moment, he snorted softly.
, turned his head and stopped looking at the trackers who were braving the strong wind in October weather and wearing unlined shirts. He was holding on to the railings and thinking about what was on his mind. However, Zhang Yong did not dare to really let Zhu Houzhao stay alone.
The bow of the ship. Not to mention whether the seemingly strong railings will break, whether the little emperor will lose control of his hands and feet and fall into the river, or whether an arrow will pop out of the shore for no reason. These are all uncertainties.
.Therefore, Zhang Yong was like an old hen protecting his calf. He wanted to open his arms to protect Zhu Houzhao behind him, and his eyes were looking around vigilantly.
When Xu Xun came out of the cabin, what he saw was Zhu Houzhao lying boredly on the railing and looking at the calm canal water below, while Zhang Yong was carefully guarding him from behind. Although it was a little funny at first, it can be seen that Zhang Yong's face was serious, he
After a moment, he realized that there was no room for error in this trip, and the joking smile on his face disappeared.
"cough!"
Hearing this cough, Zhu Houzhao and Zhang Yong turned their heads at the same time. The former's turning movement was so violent that he fell backwards. Seeing this scene, Xu Xun had no time to lament Zhang Yong's start.
Cautiously, he stepped forward and pulled Zhu Houzhao over. Then he let out a long sigh of relief, and his voice became stern without realizing it.
"This is on the boat. Don't look around. Falling into the water is not fun! It's already October now, and the freeze is getting closer and closer. You can imagine how cold the water is. It's a small thing to be frightened, but it's a big deal if you get cold!"
If you are still so reckless, don't blame me for sending you back when the ship arrives in Tianjin!"
Although Zhu Houzhao and Xu Xun were already very familiar with each other, it was the first time in his life that he saw Xu Xun speaking so harshly, let alone towards himself, the emperor of a country. However, he looked at Xu Xun with a serious look on his face.
Xun's unyielding eyes made him feel guilty unconsciously. Finally, he turned his head and muttered in a low voice: "Isn't it just to make people more careful? Why is it so loud? You don't even look at yourself. You're not older than me."
How old are you!"
Zhang Yong was worried at first that Xu Xun's blunt attitude would offend Zhu Houzhao. When he heard this sentence, he almost didn't laugh out loud, but he also let go of a big stone in his heart. He wanted to make a joke next to him to liven up the atmosphere, but he saw
Xu Xun winked at himself, and after thinking about it, he fled back to the cabin. After all, he had just tensed his nerves and stayed there for so long, and he already suffered from backache and fatigue.
When Zhang Yong left, Xu Xun's expression softened, and he stepped forward and whispered: "The water is not as good as the land. Although it is more comfortable to sail day and night, it is a big deal if there is danger. In the past, Wang Shouren was demoted to Guizhou.
, Lin Jun went north to the capital, and his boat capsized once, and he narrowly escaped death. So, I hope the emperor will be aware of the situation and stop being so careless. "
You know, the Zhengde Emperor in history died after falling into the water. He ran away at a young age and gave up the country to his side, leaving his queen mother and two uncles to be bullied to death!
"I know, I know." Even though it was the first time that he was scolded so openly by someone other than his father, queen, queen, and former imperial grandmother and great-grandmother, Zhu Houzhao knew that Xu Xun was concerned after all, so after thinking about it, he decided to be generous
You forgive him for once. In order to prevent others from taking advantage of this excuse to teach him a lesson again, he took two steps forward and walked away from the railing. Then he clasped his hands and said, "However, I have to make an agreement with you. Look at me."
You don’t call yourself me anymore, but if you change your title, wouldn’t it reveal your identity to others?”
….
"The emperor... what the young master said is that this is also an identity issue that I want to discuss with the young master." Xu Xun changed his title abruptly, and then said seriously, "I left a letter to Shouning Hou before leaving.
By this time, Mrs. Hou Ning must have handed it to the Queen Mother and the Empress. I think they already knew it by now and would try their best to cover it up. And along the way, there must be many state and county magistrates who want to greet me.
I will order you to go down and stay as little as possible. After all, the destination is Jiangxi and Nanjing. I have already arranged the entire ship like an iron bucket, so that the identity of the young master will never be revealed. But if other people later find out, people will talk too much, and everything will be ruined.
It would be terrible if you poke him out. So, please forgive me."
"Huh?" Zhu Houzhao was worrying about what identity he should use. When he heard that he wanted to hide it from Liu Jin and others, he was immediately interested. He nodded quickly and said, "Okay, I pinched Zhang Yong's shoulder earlier.
Just act like a little flamer from the palace!"
"This won't work. The secret will be exposed as soon as you open your mouth. Moreover, if you are a small fire person, you should follow Eunuch Liu and the others instead of following me around." Xu Xun shook his head, and then said with a smile, "I asked Li Yifeng, the commander of Jinyiwei, to
I found someone who knows how to make changes. After making a few changes, I will arrange for someone to take you off the boat quietly. You will appear as Yue'er's cousin. Anyway, you also called her sister. As long as you have an apricot kernel in your mouth.
If you pretend to stutter and don't meet Liu Jin and the others, you won't be able to help!"
If it were any other emperor, he would have been furious when he heard this method, but Zhu Houzhao just tilted his head and thought about it, then nodded happily and said: "Okay, just do it this way. I will call you directly outside from now on."