King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 383 The primary election has passed

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

The imperial court's plan to clear the throne in Yingtian has now begun to be implemented. This is the most important event at the moment.

No matter whether it was the imperial court or the local government, there were basically no problems, and there was even less opposition.

This was due to the emperor clearing the court in advance. Opponents might be deposed and exiled, thus intimidating the remaining people.

But this can only be said that the contradiction has been covered up. It is actually impossible to say whether the Qingzhang's tax collection will be successful.

Of course, these matters have nothing to do with Zhu Jinghong, and he himself does not want to get involved, so naturally he does not pay much attention to them.

On the other hand, Rui Wang Zhu Jingyuan, although he did not expressly support Qingzhang, he expressed his position in public several times, hoping that officials at all levels would work hard to complete the affairs of the dynasty.

The imperial court has major affairs, but naturally there are also minor affairs.

For example, the Ministry of Etiquette is responsible for selecting the princess, and the primary election begins on the tenth day of March.

After three days of selection, out of nearly 700 ladies, only 100 passed the selection and stayed in Beijing to wait for re-election.

Among the 100 people announced by the Ministry of Rites, Baochai saw Yang Jingting's name, which was in the middle and last position of the list. It seemed inconspicuous at all.

Seeing Baochai thinking for a long time, Ying'er reminded him: "Girl, let's go back!"

"Let's go!"

There will be a re-election on March 30, and only [-] people will be left. Baochai is confident that they will pass.

After leaving in the carriage, Baochai was still thinking about the next thing, but Ying'er looked out through the curtain.

"Girl, a lot of foreigners have come to Beijing in the past two days. What are they here for?"

Wen Xing immediately interjected: "You don't even know this. These people were invited by the Holy One to watch the Thirteenth Master's coronation ceremony!"

"How did you know?"

"From what the boys said, I heard that there were foreigners who were drinking and causing trouble yesterday, and they were taken away by the Wucheng Military and Horse Division. They said they are still being detained in Shuntian Mansion!"

Wen Xing naturally loved to hear these gossips, and she was even more eager to share them at this moment.

"It turns out that I'm crowning the Thirteenth Master. Then after the crown... shouldn't it be time to get a wife!" When she said this, Ying'er looked at Baochai.

At this time Wen Xing said: "That's wrong. After being crowned, you have to be crowned king, and then you can get married!"

Rolling her eyes at Wen Xing, Ying'er leaned in front of Baochai and said with a smile: "Girl... after you get married to the Thirteenth Master, we can live with you in the palace!"

Baochai responded with silence, and then said slowly: "You can only get married if you choose a princess!"

"Isn't the girl just choosing a princess?" Wen Xing asked with a naive look on her face, her clumsy look was a bit cute.

"Please stop saying a few words, the chattering... is giving me a headache!" Baochai looked helpless.

"Oh……"

When the Xue family's carriage was heading home, the officials of the Ministry of Rites were still busy.

Chieftains and allies from various vassals came to the capital, and their food, clothing, housing and transportation had to be arranged. Recently, they had to arrange interviews, and the Ministry of Rites was even busier for this.

These chieftains and alliance leaders were now slowly heading towards the Qianqing Palace under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Many people entered the palace for the first time. Looking at the towering palace walls and majestic palace, these people were inevitably shocked.

The Heavenly Kingdom is truly extraordinary... This is the thought that comes to everyone's mind.

Arriving outside the Qianqing Gate, the guards in front were shining with golden armor and their expressions were majestic, standing like soldiers from heaven.

Without the emperor's summons, everyone could only stand and wait, even if they were the overlords in their respective territories.

When the local emperor meets the real emperor, he will naturally obey him.

Everyone waited for nearly ten minutes, and finally a eunuch came out from the palace gate, but it was Dai Quan, the eunuch who was supervising the Dongchang.

"The Lord has summoned the chieftains of the Khans and Alliance to come to the palace to see him!"

Everyone present brought an interpreter with them, nominally holding the title of Deputy Envoy, so that they could understand the meaning of the words.

Still led by officials from the Ministry of Rites, a group of chieftains from the Khan King entered the Qianqing Gate and rushed towards the main hall.

Qianqing Palace is the emperor's palace, and summoning him here to be more intimate means that the emperor does not treat us as outsiders. All old foxes can understand this.

Entering the palace and looking at the empty throne in front of them, everyone was in awe and didn't even have the courage to look twice.

Everyone lined up and stood in the hall, with everyone's heads slightly lowered. The hall was still so quiet that the sound of "drip" could be heard.

At this moment, the emperor was sitting in the side hall drinking tea, and in front of him were his three legitimate sons standing solemnly.

Zhu Jinghong was dressed very formally today, wearing a four-piece dragon collar robe, a black gauze winged crown and a jade leather belt. His graceful and noble demeanor almost made people forget that he was a reckless man.

"Dad, is it almost time?" Prince Rui Zhu Jingyuan reminded.

After taking the last sip of tea, Zhu Xianming put down the teacup and said, "Let's go then!"

Hearing this, Cheng Ying took the crown and hat from the young eunuch and carefully put it on the emperor's head.

Then Zhu Xianming stood up and walked around the desk toward the main hall.

The prince was the first to follow, followed by Zhu Jingyuan and Zhu Jinghong.

In the main hall, seeing the emperor coming, Dai Quan shouted loudly: "Your Majesty is here!"

Upon hearing this signal, everyone present knelt down, and the next moment Zhu Xianming happened to appear, which showed that Dai Quan was stuck well.

"Kowtow to His Majesty the Emperor, long live my Emperor!"

"Long live Long live Long live!"

Although the spoken language was extremely surprising, I could barely hear clearly that these people were paying homage to the emperor.

After Zhu Xianming took his seat, Zhu Jinghong and three other people stood in front of the emperor on the left and right, without saying a word.

"Free gift!"

All the chieftains of the Khan King stood up immediately, and then stood there with their waists hunched over, not daring to look directly at the emperor.

"Everyone has come a long way and it's been a hard journey!" Zhu Xianming said with a smile.

Although it sounded like the emperor was chatting, no one dared to answer the question casually at this moment, and everyone at the scene listened carefully.

"The most important thing for calling you to Beijing this time is for you to attend... the crowning ceremony of my youngest son!"

Having said this, Zhu Xianming pointed at Zhu Jinghong, and only then did everyone look up slightly.

This is remarkable. With the "simple" aesthetics of these foreigners, I only feel that among the three emperor's legitimate sons, Zhu Jinghong has the most outstanding character.

Of course, this is just their first thought.

The chieftains of the Khan King, who relied on the breath of the Ming Dynasty to survive, naturally had a good understanding of the court structure, and knew that the Crown Prince and Prince Rui should not be underestimated. One of these two would inherit the throne.

"In our Ming Dynasty, men were crowned at sixteen, and then they had to marry a wife when they reached adulthood. In this way, they would have children and reproduce..."

"You have different customs in different places, but they are actually the same!"

"The most important thing is that everyone wants to live in peace!"

Speaking of this, Zhu Xianming sighed: "What a pity... It is such a simple wish, but someone wants to interfere with it and want to mess up everything!"

Everyone present actually knew who the last sentence was about. No one expressed their opinions at this moment, and no one wanted to be the first person.

Picking up the teacup on the side, Zhu Xianming continued: "You all must know who I am talking about, and I also know that you have also suffered greatly!"

"So when I call you to Beijing this time, the second thing is to discuss how to completely solve this big trouble in Junggar and restore peace to the northwest!"

There is no need to beat around the bush when talking to these Khan King Chieftains. Zhu Xianming knows the appropriateness very well.

Talking too much nonsense will make people miss the point.After all, he is the emperor, and someone will analyze his farts. Sometimes it is really easy for people to overthink things.

"Dunggars were unruly and unruly during the time of the Great Patriarch, and now they are becoming more and more arrogant..."

"Robbing your cattle and sheep, robbing your population, occupying your water, grass and land!"

This is really not Zhu Xianming's hatred, because this is what really happened. The chieftains of various tribes and alliances adjacent to Junggar were really harassed by him, and they could be said to have suffered deeply.

On the contrary, the Ming Dynasty, because it was not bordering the Ming Dynasty, was basically not harmed, but its hegemony was challenged by it.

Next, the emperor made another speech, still analyzing the situation in the northwest for everyone, and finally concluded that it was indeed time to solve the problem.

As for how to send out troops, how to allocate food, grass and weapons, and how to designate a battle plan...

These things are not discussed by the emperor, but will be taken care of by the Ministry of War, the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army, and the Anxi Governor's Office respectively.

After a conversation, which actually took only ten minutes, the interview came to an end.

During the whole process, no one could see the emperor's face clearly. To be more precise, they did not dare to look at the emperor.

After another long live Shanhu, Emperor Zhu Xianming left with the three princes, and then a group of courtiers were led out by the courtesy officers.

Only Zhasak Khan stayed behind and was taken to the Nuan Pavilion by the eunuch.

Wulimu is in his forties this year. He is considered an old man on the grassland, and he is no longer capable of ruling the tribes below.

He knew why he was left alone. It must have something to do with the performance of Envoy Zasak during the Holy Shou Festival last year.

Waiting in the Nuan Pavilion, Wu Limu felt terrified at the thought of the emperor's anger.

He was afraid of being blamed by the emperor, and even more afraid of being abandoned by the emperor!

Now he is old, but his son has difficulty convincing the public. Without the emperor's canonization, it is very likely that he will not be able to secure his throne.

His younger brother Hu Zhiyi had a strong army and was eyeing his throne.

The mission's random behavior last year was probably at the instigation of Hu Zhiyi.

Different from Wulimu's panic, all the chieftains of the Khan King who came out of Qianqingmen were in a relaxed mood.

Obviously, the matter of meeting the emperor was extremely stressful for them.

The emperor's edict summoned them to the capital from thousands of miles away, which shows the great deterrence of the Ming Dynasty. It is normal for them to be frightened when they meet the emperor.

"Father, I saw the Thirteenth Master that my sister was talking about. He's quite good-looking... but he doesn't look like a warrior!"

"Sister said he was the best warrior of the Ming Dynasty. People from various missions last year were full of praise for him. Is he really as powerful as everyone says?"

Behind Su He, the leader of the Mubu League, a young man was talking in a low voice with a look of joy on his face.

But if you look closely, you can find that this young man is disguised as a man, and he is also a beauty in his daughter's attire.

This girl is Su He's youngest daughter Nuo Min. Because she has loved Han culture and books since she was a child, she is also a famous talented girl in the Mu League.

This time when Su and His Majesty met, Nuo Min was the translator of Zheng'er Ba Jing and had the title of deputy envoy of the mission.

The sister she refers to is Qiqige from the Junggar tribe. According to the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, they are cousins.

After the last Shengshou Festival, various missions left the capital one after another. When Qiqige and his party returned to Junggar, they passed by the Namubu League, and Nuomin discovered the decadent Xurigan.

When they went to the capital before, Nuomin saw this No. [-] warrior of Junggar, and she felt as hot as the sun.

But on the way back to Xurigan, it was as late as the setting sun, and his whole person was full of deathly energy.

After some inquiring, Nuo Min found out what happened in the capital, which made her curious about Zhu Jinghong.

When Xuri Qian first came to Namubu League, even the most valiant warriors in the league couldn't stand a few moves under him. Nuo Min really couldn't imagine what kind of brave person it was to crush him and even defeat him. Its decadent.

Until now, Nuo Min still remembers the confusing love-hate look in his eyes when Qiqige mentioned Zhu Jinghong.

Unlike his younger daughter who was ignorant of the world, Su He was much more cautious and reminded in a low voice: "Don't talk nonsense, this is the palace, and he is the legitimate son of the emperor!"

They used their own tribe language, and they were not afraid that the accompanying officials from the Ministry of Ceremonies would hear them.

"Father, is there really going to be a war next?"

"Are we and my cousin really going to become enemies?"

Although their positions are different, there are many marriages between the tribes and alliances on the grassland, and they are somewhat related to each other.

"This is not something you should ask!" Su He's voice was sulky, and he regretted doting on his little daughter too much.

"Oh!" Nuomin nodded. She was still afraid of her father being angry.

But when a person is born with curiosity, it is extremely difficult to get rid of it. Su He's rough suppression only made Nuomin more curious.

As for Zhu Jinghong, the emperor left Zasak alone to talk, leaving only the prince to accompany him. He and Zhu Jingyuan left first.

During this period, in order to support the New Deal, Zhu Jingyuan became a busy man and needed to arrange various affairs secretly.

The two brothers talked for a while, and then Zhu Jingyuan left first, while Zhu Jinghong returned to Chengmingyuan.

"Master Thirteen, the preliminary list has come out!"

Deng An was indeed the most considerate and sensible person around him, so he immediately took out a few pages of the manuscript, which he had sent to the Ministry of Rites to copy.

"Yes!" In response, Zhu Jinghong took the manuscript smoothly.

Soon he saw Baochai's name. Just when he was about to hand the manuscript back, he found the words "Yang Jingting" at the end.

In the past few days, as far as Zhu Jinghong knew, Ting Yatou had not been present at the primary election, but now this girl passed directly.

Obviously, this was his mother's handiwork, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He took off the gauze hat on his head, took it into his hands, and then handed it over to the accompanying young eunuch.

Walking forward slowly, Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice: "This time the chieftains from various tribes and alliances came to Beijing and donated many precious leathers. The Holy One gave me some..."

"Choose some of good quality and send them to Miss Xue for me!"

The skins that could be presented to the emperor were originally selected from the best, but Zhu Jinghong still let him choose the best ones, which really made Deng An speechless.

Although he felt that it was impossible for Baochai to choose the princess, it still gave him the idea of ​​fawning over her in advance. Even if she was not the princess, she was by no means weaker than the princess.

As Zhu Jinghong's confidant eunuch, Deng Anke knew very well how important this Miss Xue was in his master's heart.

"The servant understands!"

Stopping, Zhu Jinghong turned his head and said, "It will be done in these two days, don't be too ostentatious!"

"Yes!"

When Zhu Jinghong walked up the steps, Yinglian came out of the hall to greet him. It could be seen that she was more cheerful than before.

This is because Yinglian has now been officially awarded to Zhu Jinghong and has become his first woman in name.

"Master Thirteen, you are back so early!"

Walking up the steps, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "Why... you are trying to drive me away!"

"How dare you, slave!" Yinglian stepped aside and bent down to make a gesture of invitation.

Compared with the restraint in Kunning Palace, Zhu Jinghong is obviously much more relaxed here, and Yinglian is naturally "happy to miss Shu".

Of course, Zhu Jinghong's eunuchs would never find it easy to serve this man.

Stepping forward to straighten Yinglian's clothes, Zhu Jinghong took her hand and turned around to say, "By the way, those leathers... also pick some for Yinglian, so that this girl can have some decent clothes in winter!"

"Yes!"

　There is no doubt that Baochai is the number one heroine. I have accepted everyone’s tips and subscriptions. How dare I mess around!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)