King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 436 Jurchen is willing to be your majesty’s loyal dog
Zhu Jinghong was naturally very pleased with this, which proved that his efforts were effective and that the emperor already paid attention to the sea.

After more than half a year of sorting out, the construction of the navy has also made great progress, at least it is clear how many warships and sailors there are.

The Fifth Army Governor's Office is formulating a training plan, which mainly focuses on purchasing new warships and training troops. It plans to go to Japan in two years to promote the king's transformation.

However, these matters were all along the coast, and Zhu Jinghong had no way to intervene for the time being. He only listened to a few preludes at the Fifth Army Mansion and learned about the general situation of the navy.

In fact, it is not impossible to intervene, but Zhu Jinghong does not want to extend his hand too far to avoid unnecessary suspicion, so he must grasp the appropriateness.

Listening to the emperor's father's earnest teachings and thinking about how to further seize power in the future, Zhu Jinghong suddenly realized that more than ten minutes had passed and Guanglu Temple had begun to serve food.

When the emperor picked up the wine glass, the banquet officially began.

Again, the emperor's banquet had many rules, and all procedures had to be carried out in accordance with the instructions of Honglu Temple.

The various worship and toasts lasted for nearly twenty minutes before all the required rules were followed.

But it was these rules that established the etiquette system and maintained the emperor's supreme dignity.

Seeing these people getting up, sitting down, and then worshiping again, they were so busy that they were dizzy. Zhu Jinghong, who had been standing the whole time, couldn't help but feel lucky that he felt much more relaxed like this.

After the procedures were completed, these envoys were free to express themselves. Coming to the imperial court and offering a glass of wine to the emperor was something that no one could refuse.

Being able to face Tianyan directly is a rare blessing for everyone, and they will naturally not let go of this hard-won opportunity.

Zhu Jinghong had seen this kind of thing a lot. At this time, he was already thinking about what to eat when he went back in the evening.

"Your Majesty Ye He Ming'en, on behalf of the soldiers and civilians of Ye He's tribe, would like to wish our emperor long live, long live, long live!"

Nowadays, a large area in the northeast is occupied and controlled by the Jurchens. These people are divided into seven tribes and alliances.

Three of them have been naturalized by the imperial court and accepted the canonization and recruitment by the imperial court, but the Ye He tribe does not belong to these three.

Although he only accepted the canonization, the Ye He tribe, which was located in the bitter cold land of the extreme north, was also extremely deferential to the imperial court.

"Ok!"

Like other envoys, Zhu Xianming just nodded slightly, picked up the wine glass and took a sip, which was considered a courtesy to these foreign ministers.

Ye Hemingen drank his glass of wine. Logically speaking, he should go down at this time.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!" Ye Hemingen raised his head and said.

Unlike most envoys, this Ye He Mingen is the young master of the Ye He tribe and will take over the throne in a few years.

Although he was surprised, Zhu Xianming still responded: "What do you want?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have heard that in the northwest, the Junggar people are dissatisfied with the imperial court and intend to cause chaos..."

"When the soldiers and civilians of Yehe tribe heard about it, they were all excited and wanted to kill the Dzungars!"

"Now that I heard that Your Majesty will attack the rebels, Ye He is willing to be your Majesty's loyal dog and send troops to wipe out the traitors for Your Majesty!"

There is an old saying that people's joys and sorrows are not the same. At least, this is the mood of most of the envoys from the northwest.

They were all forcibly recruited to send troops, and they wanted to avoid the war but couldn't do it. However, the Ye He tribe took the initiative to get involved.

Look at how nice those words are. Ye He is willing to be your majesty's loyal dog. I, Dong E and Huifa and Hunhe, didn't say anything... This is the idea of ​​Dong E's envoy.

And he mentioned that the Dong'e, Huifa, and Hunhe tribes were the tribes that accepted the canonization and recruitment of the imperial court. They had a closer relationship with the imperial court than the Ye He tribe.

This group of people traveled thousands of miles to fight in the northwest. What exactly did they want... This was the inner doubt of more envoys at the scene.

Zhu Xianming also couldn't figure it out, so he said calmly: "I am very pleased that you are so loyal!"

"Your Majesty...Ye He is grateful to God for his kindness, and he should be willing to serve the imperial court. I hope your Majesty will grant your request!"

"It is the duty of Ye Hebu to fight against the traitors for His Majesty. If Your Majesty allows it, it will be Ye Hebu's honor!"

Every word Ye Hemingen said was extremely sincere, as if he had become the most loyal courtier on the scene.

Zhu Xianming couldn't figure out his brain circuit, but the reason was actually very simple.

Ye He's tribe has more than 1 standing cavalry, which consumes a lot of food and military pay. It is a completely inaccessible thing.

But if you follow the Ming army to fight, the court will be responsible for the food and grass after traveling thousands of miles away, and if you win the battle, you will also get spoils. It is a completely profitable deal.

Of course, only the poorest Ye He tribe would come up with the idea of ​​sending troops to earn "foreign exchange".

But the objective fact is that following Ye Hemingen's words, he directly raised the "lower limit" of Jurchen loyalty.

In any era, people dislike King Juan, so the Jurchen envoys from various tribes and alliances were very unhappy with Ye Hemingen.

But the envoys from Dong E and the other three tribes had to get up and come to the imperial court to express their loyalty with Ye He's tribe.

"I, Dong'e (Huifa, Hunhe), are willing to obey your Majesty's order and send troops to fight against the thieves!"

These three internal alliances are under the jurisdiction of the Andong Xingdu Division. Currently, there are troops organized under the Xingdu Division. It can be said that troops can be sent westward at any time.

Before he understood the situation, Zhu Xianming would not make an arbitrary decision, so he said with a smile: "I already know your loyalty, but military and national affairs are not a piece of cake, they need to be considered in the long term... You should go back to your seats first!"

This statement neither agreed nor rejected, and it can be said that it left enough room for further development.

The Jurchens were willing to take the initiative to participate in the battle. In fact, Zhu Xianming had already made the move because the Jurchen cavalry was more useful than other conscripted troops.

The emperor opened the mouth of Chrysostom, and all the Jurchens retreated. Only Ye Hemingen was a little unwilling.

After this group of people left, Zhu Xianming turned around and said, "Ask these people in two days what their plans are!"

"Dad...should I ask?" Zhu Jinghong looked very embarrassed because this was a difficult task to complete.

"There are so many people in Dongchang and Jinyiwei, why don't you just ask them to investigate!"

Only Zhu Jinghong could do it if he refused the emperor on the spot.

"Of course Dongchang and Jinyiwei will investigate, but why don't you go and ask?"

"Then if you ask the wrong question, don't blame me!" Zhu Jinghong said helplessly.

"You are a straight person, they won't lie to you!" Zhu Xianming said with a smile.

With the Jurchens playing tricks, the atmosphere at the scene seemed awkward, and the other envoys did not know what to say in front of the emperor.

If we don't talk about sending troops, wouldn't we be inferior to the barbarian Jurchens? But sending troops is a big deal. How can a small envoy make decisions on behalf of the monarch?

"I, the envoy of Korea, wish your majesty good health and long life!"

Looking at the trembling body of the North Korean envoy, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but worry about him. This guy was too nervous.

At this moment, Zhu Xianming also smiled and asked: "Which son are you from Li Shuo?"

Li Shuo is the current king of North Korea, but this guy is seriously ill now, and all matters are handled by the crown prince Li Xuan.

"Return to... return to your Majesty, I... I am my father... the fourth son!"

Although he stuttered in his answer, Zhu Xianming didn't take it seriously, and then asked: "What's your name?"

"Reply to Your Majesty, I will give you a Hui name!"

"Li Hui...not bad!"

Zhu Jinghong was slightly surprised to see the emperor's father being so kind, and once again felt that he could not understand the old man.

Let's talk about the palace. After the torture, everyone dispersed and those who were beaten were also taken away.

Two of the young eunuchs who received thirty strokes died within half an hour, and the remaining few will happen today and tomorrow.

Although the cane spanks the buttocks, it can hit the back if you are not careful, breaking bones or even breaking the spine and injuring nerves, which are all very likely to happen.In comparison, Chen Chong's situation was much better. Although he lost half his life after receiving twenty sticks, he could still survive after a month or two of cultivation.

"I hope this matter will be revealed and there will be no more trouble!"

As much as it was fun to be greedy for money before, Chen Chong regretted it so much now, so he just hoped that things would stop getting worse.

However, how could Chen Chong know that Baochai had checked the government's accounts and that his activities had been discovered long ago, but they had not happened before.

Moreover, this matter was never over. Baochai had already planned what to do next, but he had to discuss it with Zhu Jinghong before he continued.

In any case, Chen Chong, as the eunuch in charge of the palace, had to let Zhu Jinghong know if he wanted to touch him.

Although she knew Zhu Jinghong wouldn't care, Baochai believed that she had to go through this process so that the relationship between husband and wife could last long.

Before Zhu Jinghong came back to the house, Deng An, who was out on inspection, returned. He noticed something was wrong just by listening to the people below talking about it.

Only when he found someone to ask about the situation did he know that something big had happened in the palace.

Deng An actually knew some of Chen Chong's activities, but everyone loved money, so he turned a blind eye.

The most important thing is that this kind of thing is not uncommon. From the 24 yamen of the inner court to the residences of princes and princes, eunuchs will try their best to make some money.

Therefore, in Deng An's view, as long as he does not personally participate in making money, he is already a rare good slave.

But today's incident was so big that Deng An was still extremely frightened, so he immediately came outside Tongxin Hall.

"Empress, Deng An is asking for an audience outside, saying that he is here to apologize to you!"

At this moment in the study, Baochai was discussing paintings with Yang Jingting. The two of them got along very well in this regard, and their communication was unpredictable.

"Go and tell him... Just talk about what happened today. I don't know if he was wrong or not. Let him tell the prince if he has anything to say!"

If Baochai only had some concerns about handling Chen Chong, then Deng An, a confidant of Zhu Jinghong, would not be able to deal with him casually unless he really made some principled mistake.

In fact, even though Baochai was launching an "anti-corruption" campaign in the palace, she was not indifferent to the matter of eunuchs making money.

For a high-status and capable slave like Deng An, as long as he can bring greater benefits to the palace, it is not a big deal to be greedy for a little money.

In other words, if you dare to covet Xue Baochai's money if you don't have the ability, you are courting death...

"Yes!"

"Sister Bao, Chen Chong and his gang are all subordinates of Deng An, why don't you punish them!" Yang Jingting was slightly confused.

In her opinion, these unruly slaves need to be punished severely. Anyway, there is no shortage of slaves in the palace who are willing to rise to the top. If they can't be used, they can just replace them.

Although she is not a princess, Yang Jingting grew up in the uncle's house after all, and she is very familiar with the family's handling of servants. She said these words naturally at this moment.

Objectively speaking, the Earl's Mansion has a higher status than the Xue family, so it is more and more indifferent to human life.

Baochai was slightly aware of it and discovered this at this moment. Although he was surprised, his face remained calm.

"After all, it was the prince who helped him. Whether he should be beaten or punished... it's all up to him. It's better for us women to avoid getting involved!"

Yang Jingting then asked: "Could it be that Brother Thirteen would hunt for my sister's treasure for a eunuch?"

Baochai smiled slightly and said, "Who knows... He is moody, and it's not like you don't know it!"

"He is moody to others, but he has deep love for Sister Bao!"

When she said this, Yang Jingting felt a little bit sour in her heart. If she said she was not envious (jealous), it would be absolutely false.

Outside the main hall, Deng An's head suddenly tightened when he received the reply.

He would rather be severely punished by the princess than ask Zhu Jinghong to interfere with the matter, because if he doesn't pay attention, he will have to move his head.

Therefore, when he left Tongxin Hall, his expression was particularly heavy. Coincidentally, he met Zhang Pingan.

"Eunuch Deng, you don't look very good... Could it be that you are sick?"

"If you are sick, you must treat it quickly, otherwise a minor illness will turn into a serious illness, and it will not be worth losing your life!"

Zhang Pingan's words were extremely sincere, but Deng An knew that this guy was laughing at him.

The two of them had always had a competitive relationship from Chengmingyuan to Prince Xiang's Mansion. They were harmonious on the surface, but they often fought in private.

This also corresponds to the old saying, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes.

"Thank you Eunuch Zhang for your concern, but you should worry more about yourself... People who say others are sick often get sores and diseases themselves!"

"Haha... It's very true, I still have to take care of my slaves, so that I won't delay Mr. Deng's justice!"

This sentence once again made Deng An angry and his liver ached. When he wanted to fight back, Zhang Pingan had already left, leaving him no chance to get angry.

"You bastard, sooner or later you will be unlucky!" Deng An said bitterly.

Then he walked to the outer courtyard, first to see the young eunuch who was being scolded with a rod, and then he came outside Chen Chong's house.

As the eunuch in charge, Chen Chong has a single room to live in, which is much better than ordinary eunuchs.

"You bastard, look at me, I'm going to lose power, I'm going to lose myself..."

"When I recover from my injury, don't even think about it..."

"uh-huh……"

Hearing the cough, Chen Chong immediately shut up and turned to look at the door.

The moment he saw Deng An, Chen Chong burst into tears and secretly thought that Eunuch Deng had indeed not forgotten him.

In Chen Chong's view, as long as Deng An protects himself, he has a high chance of landing safely. After all, this is the number one "popular man" around Prince Xiang.

"Eunuch Deng..." Chen Chong just wanted to get up, but the severe pain on his hip and back made him wail.

"Seeing how vigorously you scolded me, I thought you were fine!" Deng An said coldly.

Chen Chong said quickly: "Eunuch Deng, you have to save me this time. I will always remember your great kindness!"

"Save you, I can't save myself now, how can I save you!"

Deng An said louder and louder: "Tell me...how you are so bold, even tampering with the palace's money!"

There were other people in the yard, and it was obvious that he was just telling others in order to distance himself from the relationship between Chen Chong and himself.

"In vain, I trusted you so much and recommended you to be the administrator of the book. Now it seems... I am really blind!"

"Eunuch Deng, you..."

"You have your sins, and I have mine. Your sins have been punished... I also want to ask the prince for forgiveness!"

After saying that, Deng An turned around and walked outside, leaving Chen Chong alone in a daze, confused as to what Deng An meant by his words.

But Chen Chong is also a smart man. After thinking for a while, he realized that the man named Deng wanted to trap him to death to protect himself.

"It's unfair, it's unfair... I'm wronged!"

"I want to meet the princess, I want to meet the prince, I have a grievance to tell!"

Chen Chong shouted at the top of his lungs. He knew that once Deng An tried to harm him, he would have no chance of resisting, so he had to save himself immediately.

Chen Chong's cry was quickly reported to Deng An, and Deng An immediately changed his expression. He knew that this guy wanted to bite him.

Unless Chen Chong is killed, he will not be able to sleep peacefully.

(End of this chapter)