"My lord, I wish you long live your Majesty! Long live my emperor!"
In the Wenhua Palace.
Zhu Qiyu looked at the meticulous salute of the old man in scarlet robes, and was filled with emotion. He personally walked down the imperial steps and helped Yi Ming up.
"Sir, please wake up quickly. There is no need to be so polite!"
Different from other people's polite names, Yi Ming is Zhu Qiyu's husband in the true sense.
After all, Cheng Jing was a eunuch. Although he was outstanding in talent and learning, in terms of status, he was not worthy of being the royal tutor of King Tan.
Therefore, the person who is really responsible for teaching Zhu Qiyu is Yi Ming. Although he does not have the name of Wang Fu, as the long history of the Prince's Palace, Yi Ming is his real teacher.
Because of this, after Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, although he promoted Yi Ming, he was not transferred to the central government, which aroused a lot of discussion in the court.
“The etiquette cannot be discarded!”
Yi Ming is no longer young, and can even be said to be very old. If Zhu Qiyu remembers correctly, after this year, he will be seventy.
In terms of qualifications, he was not a formal Jinshi, but became an official in the imperial examination. However, in terms of talent and learning, there are probably not many people in the whole dynasty who can match him.
Yi Ming's father, Yi Zhi, was a famous Confucian in both the government and the public. More importantly, he was appointed by Emperor Taizong to teach the then-emperor grandson, who was later the teacher of Emperor Xuanzong.
If it weren't for the fact that Yizhi was already seventy-five when he entered Taisun's Mansion and was too old, he must have been a famous official of the generation.
As the son of Yi Zhi, Yi Ming had a very rare family background since he was a child. He did not have a Jinshi background, but he was unusually selected to serve as a compilation official in the Hanlin Academy.
In addition, he was also responsible for the compilation of Xuanzong's Records. Although he was not Qingliu, his reputation among scholars was no worse than that of Qingliu.
Because of this, Yi Ming was recommended by Chen Xun to be a Hanlin bachelor.
Zhu Qiyu naturally knew his character, so he gave a wry smile, but he didn't force it. After Yi Ming bowed solemnly, he said.
"Sir, you have worked hard these past two years. It is my fault that you are still running around for me at such an advanced age!"
"The imperial court is in turmoil. As a minister who lives in the late residence of Prince Xi, I should set an example and set an example to show His Majesty's virtue. How can I refuse on the excuse of old age? His Majesty ordered ministers and other former ministers of the Palace to serve as officials. This is selfless, how can there be any fault?"
After saying a few polite words, Zhu Qiyu returned to the throne and ordered someone to give Yi Ming a seat.
Then, he asked.
"Sir, he is busy with travels. He came to see me as soon as he arrived in the capital. But what's the urgent matter?"
"Your Majesty is aware that I have two things to report to your Majesty when I come here."
As he spoke, Yi Ming stood up and spoke.
"The first is for the transfer of Song Wenyi, the eunuch who guarded Liaodong, back to the capital, and the second is for the envoy Yang Jie of Jinyiwei Town."
Upon hearing the name behind him, Zhu Qiyu straightened up immediately.
"Yang Jie?"
"Sir, do you have any news about him?"
Yi Ming seemed not to have expected that Zhu Qiyu's reaction would be so big.
After being stunned for a moment, he spoke.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, after I received the transfer order, I was about to leave Suzhou when a man suddenly arrived at my residence. He claimed that he was under the orders of Yang Jie, the governor of the town, and had a secret document that he wanted to submit to Your Majesty.
"
"At that time, he took out Yang Jie's token, and held a secret order from His Majesty to order local officials to assist Yang Jie in doing something expedient. He said that the matter was of great importance and he needed to go to Beijing quickly, and asked the minister not to leak the information in advance."
"After I verified the token and decree, I hastened my journey. After arriving at the capital, I immediately came to see Your Majesty. This is the envoy. I ordered you to deliver your Majesty's token, please see it."
As he spoke, Yi Ming took out a tightly sealed secret letter from his sleeve and handed it over.
The chamberlain placed the secret letter on the imperial desk. Zhu Qiyu glanced at it and saw the words "Zhenfu Shi Yang Jie Qizou" written in small letters on it, but he couldn't read anything about it.
He raised his hand to take it apart and browsed it quickly, but what was surprising was that the content inside was an apology letter.
In this letter, Yang Jie said that he was not accustomed to the local environment. After arriving at Xuan Mansion, he became ill and delayed the court affairs. He hereby apologized for this.
After reading it, Zhu Qiyu's brows knitted together tightly.
Somewhat weird!
Yang Jie is not in Xuanfu, that's for sure.
Moreover, Yi Ming also made it very clear just now that the person who came to see him had a secret order from Zhu Qiyu to Yang Jie.
This shows that the visitor did not want to conceal from Yi Ming the fact that Yang Jie, in addition to selecting the vanguard of the government army, also had other secret missions.
However, what is written in this letter is that Yang Jie has been ill in the Xuan Mansion...
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Qiyu asked.
"Sir, did the person who gave you this book say anything else?"
Seeing the emperor's cautious look, Yi Ming, although he didn't know what happened, knew that the matter was probably serious, so he immediately answered.
"He refused to say anything. He only said that he would give the secret to His Majesty."
"However, this person has no official status and is not a courier at the post station. Although he has obtained the secret edict, I have seen that it is not fake. However, I have not received any news that the imperial court ordered Yang Jie to act expediently, so I am afraid that he may forge the edict.
, so he requested to read the dense contents before submitting the memorial."
"The messenger hesitated for a moment, then opened the letter. After I checked that there was no problem, I forwarded it to His Majesty."
is that so?
Zhu Qiyu frowned and read the letter again, but he still couldn't see anything.
At this time, Shu Liang, who was serving at the side, suddenly spoke and said.
"Your Majesty, if you are brave, could you please let me read this letter?"
The king and his ministers were playing their duel, but they were suddenly interrupted by a eunuch, and Yi Ming's face suddenly became a little ugly.
However, although he is a master of Confucianism, he is not an old-fashioned person who is ignorant of the world and relies on his old age. Looking at the python robe on Shu Liang's body, he knew that this was no ordinary eunuch.
Although he looked dissatisfied, he didn't say anything more until he found out Shu Liang's identity.
Shu Liang always sticks to his duty, so when he spoke at this time, it was probably not without purpose.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Qiyu nodded and handed the letter to him.
After receiving the secret letter, Shu Liang read it over, but obviously didn't see anything. He frowned and thought for a moment, and Shu Liang's eyes suddenly fell on the faint ink on the back of the letter paper.
After hesitating for a moment, Shu Liang seemed to have thought of something, and handed the letter in his hand to Wynn. He took the envelope and carefully tore it open along the edge.
The moment he saw the inner pages of the envelope, Shu Liang's expression suddenly changed. Immediately, he quickly stepped forward, gently unfolded the envelope, and placed it on the imperial desk.
"Your Majesty, look..."
Zhu Qiyu's eyes fell on the envelope in front of him, and his eyes became stern in an instant.
Because, in the lower right corner of the inner page of this envelope, there is a small ghost head, outlined with a thin ink pen, with a big mouth and a smile.
Although there are only a few simple strokes, as if they were scribbles, but after looking at them for a long time, it makes people feel a little chilly in their hearts.
Lonely soul!
This elite organization specially selected by Zhu Qiyu has a total of ten teams, each with its own unique logo.
This smiling ghost head is the symbol of the team sent by Zhu Qiyu to Yang Jie.
The moment he saw this ghost head, Zhu Qiyu immediately raised his head and asked Yi Ming.
"Who has come into contact with this letter? Where is the person who sent it now?"
Perhaps it was because this sign was so unexpected that Zhu Qiyu couldn't care about the fact that the teacher standing in front of him was the teacher who had taught him. He was approaching with an imperial aura, making Yi Ming feel a strong sense of oppression.
His body bent involuntarily, Yi Ming said quickly.
"Your Majesty, this letter has not been touched by anyone except me and the messenger. As for the messenger, it is now placed in the inn."
After hearing this, Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment, signaled Huaien to deliver the envelope on the imperial case to Yi Ming, and asked.
"Since sir, you have examined this letter, have you noticed the pattern on the inner page of the envelope?"
The words were spoken in a calm voice, but Yi Ming felt inexplicably that the pressure in front of him was stronger than before.
His eyes fell on this graffiti-like pattern, he frowned and thought for a while, and finally shook his head and said.
"Your Majesty, I did not deliberately check the envelope at that time, but if there is this design, I will not not notice it."
The implication is that when Yi Ming first got this letter, there was no such pattern on it.
At this time, Shu Liang also lowered his voice and spoke.
"Your Majesty, if there is no such mark on it when Bachelor Yi checks it, then it is only possible that it was added later."
"Bachelor Yi just said that no one else has touched this letter except him and the messenger..."
The meaning of these words could no longer be clear.
Zhu Qiyu looked at the small pattern in front of him and said nothing. He just glanced at Shu Liang, who immediately understood and said.
"Your Majesty, this servant will go to the inn and bring this person here!"
With that said, Eunuch Shu took two steps back and quickly left the Wenhua Palace, leaving Yi Ming standing in the palace, still not recovered from the shock of the emperor's momentum just now.
Looking at Shu Liang's leaving figure, Zhu Qiyu calmed down, but a trace of worry arose in his heart.
It is now obvious that the content of this letter is just a cover, and the real content is not written in the letter.
If nothing else, this should be to prevent information leakage.
Since apart from Yi Ming, only that messenger had touched this letter, it means that the ghost head was painted on by him later.
In this way, the identity of this messenger is self-evident.
But the problem is that Lone Soul is an absolutely loyal team that only takes orders from Zhu Qiyu. Before leaving, Zhu Qiyu's order to Lone Soul was to protect Yang Jie's safety.
If this is the case, then even if it means sacrificing his life, Guhun will unswervingly carry out this order.
But now, Lonely Soul has returned to the capital alone. Could it be that...
Zhu Qiyu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and a hint of murderous intent appeared in his eyes. Although it was fleeting, at that moment, the atmosphere in the palace dropped to freezing point, but it still made Yi Ming below couldn't help but shudder.
At this moment, Yi Ming finally felt clearly that the young man in front of him was no longer the prince he had taught in Prince Xin's Mansion.
Although there seems to be no difference, in two years, this King Tao has become a real emperor.
Taking a deep breath, Yi Ming was no longer as natural as when he first entered the palace. He plucked up the courage and asked.
"Your Majesty, what happened?"
This sentence made Zhu Qiyu finally realize that there was someone underneath.
So, he temporarily put his recent thoughts behind him and calmed down his momentum, but he didn't say anything more to Yi Ming, he just said:
"Sir, there is no need to worry. Something did happen. However, we will have to wait until the messenger arrives to find out what the specific situation is."
"Let's not talk about this. The gentleman just said that in addition to this letter, there is something about Song Wenyi that he wants to report. What is it?"
This is obviously changing the subject.
However, Yi Ming is not a person who likes to get to the bottom of things. It is obviously not a small matter for this matter to make the emperor lose his composure.
If the emperor doesn't want to say anything, it's better not to ask any more questions.
So, Yi Ming cupped his hands and said.
"Your Majesty, I heard some rumors along the way when I came to Beijing this time. It was said that Your Majesty transferred Song Wenyi to Beijing to succeed Eunuch Cheng Jing as the Supervisor of Ceremonies. I boldly went to advise Your Majesty. Although Song Wenyi is talented, Loves possessions."
"He has been guarding Liaodong for many years. He often accepted bribes. What's worse, he often used clever names to deduct military pay. This time His Majesty inspected the border military camps. Although Song Wenyi donated a lot of private land to the court, it can also be seen that he usually spent time in Liaodong. It’s rampant.”
"Although I am in Gansu, Jin Shangshu mentioned this person to me before when he thoroughly investigated the military camp case."
"If this generation of eunuchs is entrusted with the responsibility of being the Supervisor of Ceremonies, it may damage His Majesty's sanctity. What's worse, it may bring chaos to the imperial court."
"Therefore, I boldly ask Your Majesty to think twice and choose another capable eunuch to succeed Eunuch Cheng."
Yi Ming said these words very seriously. It was obvious that he had been prepared for it.
At any other time, Zhu Qiyu might still be in the mood to explain to him, but what happened just now meant that his thoughts were no longer on the mere Song Wenyi.
What's more, Song Wenyi's matter was mentioned in the reports of Jin Lian and Hu Bu, and he had already known it in his mind. As usual, Zhu Qiyu naturally had his own ideas in ordering Song Wenyi to return to Beijing.
However, I can neither tell Yi Ming this idea nor am I in the mood to tell him now.
So, after pondering for a moment, Zhu Qiyu said.
"I know about this matter. When Song Wenyi returns to Beijing, I will ask him personally. Sir, there is no need to worry."
Yi Ming had been in the officialdom for many years. When he heard this, he knew that the emperor was perfunctory with him. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He cupped his hands and was about to speak again, but saw that the emperor had already continued.
"Sir, he has been tired from traveling all the way, and he must not have had time to rest. The inn is simple and simple, and there is a mansion in the east city. Although it is not big, it is clean and tidy, so I gave it to you to live in temporarily."
"I will send someone to the inn later to move your husband's luggage there. I am busy with affairs and I have no time to host a banquet for him in person, so I first ordered the imperial kitchen to make some food. You can use some in the side hall first. When the house is tidied up, I will order someone to escort Mr. out of the palace!"
This sounded like a discussion, but in fact, Yi Ming was not given a chance to refuse.
Thinking of what happened just now, Yi Ming swallowed the words on his lips and cupped his hands.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I am extremely grateful."
"Um……"
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu's face looked a little better and he said.
"Then sir, please go to the side hall to rest for a while. By the way, sir, please remember not to mention the matter of the secret message just now to anyone. Just pretend that this matter has never happened. Do you understand?"
The words were calm, but Yi Ming couldn't help but feel a shiver in his heart, and he held his hands in earnest.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely keep my mouth shut!"