Zhu Qiyu was slightly surprised. He raised his head and glanced at the sky. It was now less than a quarter of an hour before the palace gate was opened.
Please see me at this time. Why are you so anxious about something that you can’t even wait for tomorrow morning?
After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand and said.
"Call in."
Cheng Jing then retreated, and after a while, when he returned to the palace, there was an old man in scarlet robes behind him. It was none other than Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu.
"See Your Majesty."
"No need to be formal. It's so late. General Xian comes to the palace to see you. Is there any urgent matter?"
After being given a seat by the orderer, Zhu Qiyu didn't exchange too many greetings and asked directly.
Hearing this, Chen Yi immediately sat up straight and said seriously.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that I do have a matter that needs to be reported to Your Majesty. Because it involves tomorrow's court meeting, I have to enter the palace at this moment. Please forgive me."
Zhu Qiyu raised his eyebrows, became interested, and asked.
"What's the matter involving court proceedings?"
Chen Yi took a deep breath and said.
"Back to Your Majesty, tomorrow the court will discuss whether to open mutual trade with Tuotuo Bohua. Some people plan to entangle the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the court officials in public after the court meeting to impeach Wang Wen for making unreasonable opinions, deceiving the emperor, and exercising power.
Harm the country."
Knock?
Zhu Qiyu was a little surprised, but not too surprised.
Shu Liang had already reported someone behind the scenes, but what he didn't expect was that this group of people would dare to be so bold.
Leaning forward, Zhu Qiyu asked in a calm tone.
"Who? How did the General Constitution find out?"
This time Chen Yi was a little surprised. You know, knocking on the que is no small matter.
If you are not careful, it will cause serious political incidents and lead to confrontation between monarch and ministers.
No matter who it is, it will be difficult to remain calm when facing a large group of courtiers.
The emperor would not be ignorant of the seriousness of this matter, but when he suddenly heard the news, he could not change his expression.
Chen Yi couldn't help but have a deeper understanding of the emperor's determination.
But he had no time to care about it at the moment.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Yi stood up, paid homage, and said.
"I beg your majesty to forgive me. The person who planned this matter was Luo Tong, the censor of Zuo Fudu. The reason why I was able to learn about this matter was because just in the afternoon, Luo Tong came to my door in person and lobbied me, hoping that I could be here.
Tomorrow when they knock on the que, be their leader."
The hall was quiet for a moment, which made Chen Yi a little worried.
To be honest, he came here today with great determination.
Although he came to inform the emperor of this matter in advance based on his own conscience and principles, he had a clear conscience.
But to put it mildly, his behavior is like snitching.
Although he has his own principles, it does not prevent him from also hoping for a successful career.
For officials at his level, everyone's official reputation and ability are not much different. In many cases, the decisive role is the image in the emperor's heart.
So he was not sure whether what he was doing now would make the emperor think that he was a duplicitous and unreliable person.
However, it only took a moment for Chen Yi to hear the sound of the master's voice coming down.
"Sir, you don't have to be like this. When my father was still alive, I praised you many times for your upright character and your ability to stick to your heart. After I came to the throne, I also highly recognized this. What you did must be justified. I have absolutely no suspicion."
Please get up, sir."
A very important ability of an excellent superior is to be able to understand what the people below are thinking.
Therefore, seeing Chen Yi's great gift, Zhu Qiyu immediately understood what he was worried about. Not only did he comfort him with gentle words, but his title also changed from the relatively distant Zong Xian to the relatively close Mr. Xian.
Chen Yi felt a little relieved, and stood up and sat down according to his words, but a trace of emotion flashed in his eyes.
Although he had been an official since the Yongle Dynasty, he really entered the central government in the late Xuande years.
So in fact, the emperor he had the most contact with, apart from the one in front of him, was the Supreme Emperor who was far away in the north.
Even though he knew it was disrespectful, Chen Yi still couldn't help but compare the two sometimes.
The difference is really huge!
It was the one from Yibei who had already been furious after hearing this news. Not to mention that he couldn't tell, even if he could notice it, he wouldn't take into account the small uneasiness in his subordinate's heart.
But today, not only can he immediately detect his abnormality, but he can also change his mind to stabilize his mood.
What does it say: "The late Emperor once praised Mr. Wang for his upright character and ability to stick to the principles in his heart."
Chen Yi felt like a mirror, ninety-nine percent of this was a lie.
It's not that Chen Yi didn't have confidence in himself. During the Xuande period, although he spent most of his time as a governor abroad, it wasn't that he never returned to Beijing to report on his duties and meet the late emperor.
However, his official position was not prominent at that time, and the late emperor did not praise him in public.
It is not impossible to say that it is in private, but even if it is, it is absolutely impossible that the majesty in front of me can know it.
Not to mention that His Majesty was only ten years old when the late Emperor passed away. In his capacity as His Majesty, the Late Emperor would never discuss anything related to foreign dynasties in front of him.
So when the emperor said this, ninety-nine percent of it was just to reassure him.
After realizing this, Chen Yi didn't panic anymore, sat down calmly, and said.
"The late emperor praised me erroneously, and I am ashamed that I cannot bear it."
"Sir, there is no need to be self-effacing." Seeing him like this, Zhu Qiyu also showed a smile on his face. This part was considered to have been revealed, and he continued: "This matter is important, sir, please elaborate."
Chen Yi lowered his head, and after sorting out his words, he spoke.
"Today I am taking a rest in my mansion. In the afternoon, Luo Tong came to my door. He first asked me about my attitude towards the mutual trade. I did not doubt that he was there, so I talked about the mutual trade. This was also done in previous years. However, when implemented, there are many disadvantages.
Kuang Daming now has a special relationship with Mongolia, and this matter needs to be carefully considered."
Zhu Qiyu listened on the side and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
What he just said was not entirely a lie. The late emperor's praise was a lie, but his evaluation of Chen Yi was exactly his own opinion.
Chen Yi has his own principles.
The matter of mutual trading has been aroused in Beijing these days, and it is impossible for Chen Yi not to see that Zhu Qiyu's instructions were behind this matter.
However, he was still generous and openly expressed his disapproval in front of Zhu Qiyu.
"Your Majesty, the mutual trade is not a simple transaction. The risks involved are quite high, not only the safety of the military and civilians in the mutual trade, but also..."
However, when Chen Yi said this, he almost didn't stop. It wasn't until he found the emperor staring at him with interest that he realized that he was going off topic, smiled coquettishly, and turned back.
"In short, I am opposed to this matter. This matter is not a secret. When I was in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, I discussed this matter with many colleagues. Luo Tong agreed with me at that time, and then mentioned
Wang Wen is good at making opinions and secretly reached a mutual agreement with Tuo Tuo Bu Hua."
With that said, Chen Yi relayed exactly what Luo Tong said to him at that time.
"...Such audacious and reckless actions to deceive the emperor and usurp the position of heavenly official are really a shame for us. Lord General Xian, we are responsible for the integrity of the constitution, how can we sit back and ignore such outrageous things?"
"... Nowadays, the public in the Metropolitan Procuratorate is very excited, and the ministers in the court are also very dissatisfied with this matter. It is a pity that only the chief censor was qualified to participate in the early court. I wish I could directly remonstrate with your majesty."
"...Lord General Xian, please rest assured that many colleagues in the DPRK have already made plans. As long as Wang Wen and other thieves of the country are involved in the meeting, they will confuse right and wrong and forcefully promote mutual trade. All colleagues will gather outside the Meridian Gate and ask to see Your Majesty.
I will definitely give the court a bright and prosperous future."
"...It's just that, although we have the heart to serve the country and admonish the emperor, we are afraid that our official position will be low and we will not be able to see Tianyan. Gao Cifu, who is from the Hanlin lineage, has already planned to come forward to make a petition. As a scholar with a good reputation, we can clear up rumors.
How can an official fall behind others?"
"Therefore, Luo has been entrusted by his colleagues to ask Mr. General Xian to come forward to take charge of the overall situation tomorrow."