King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 788 I want to be lenient with him, but Heaven will not allow it!
Zhu Jinghong walked along the middle imperial road to the front of the hall and went up the steps.

In the severe cold, Zhu Jinghong turned to the crowd and said, "Stand up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The generals then stood up, lined up and dared not move, demonstrating their military style.

Most of the people present had seen Zhu Jinghong, so they were not too curious about the emperor, but they still had a lot of respect for him in their hearts.

After all, Zhu Jinghong's previous experiences were achievements that ordinary people could hardly imagine, and this alone was enough to make people worship him.

Among those present were the best young people, each of them was more or less proud, but they only felt humble in front of the emperor.

Sitting on the throne, Zhu Jinghong glanced forward and said, "Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest. Today, you will be reborn. My Ming Dynasty has gained a group of brave generals and capable ministers. For me... today's gains are already quite a lot!"

Zhu Jinghong has a natural aura and does not need to act in a frightening manner. His jokes and banter easily bring him closer to everyone, making them feel that he is approachable and worthy of loyalty.

"Now the Ming Dynasty is surrounded by powerful enemies, and the burden of protecting the world falls on your shoulders. Today I came here in person... just to ask you, is it possible for me to stay in the capital with peace of mind?"

It was not uncommon for the emperor to win over generals, but it was indeed extremely rare for him to say this to middle and lower-level generals.

Whether it was the "good harvest" mentioned at the beginning or the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, everyone felt the emperor's trust in them, and they began to respect Zhu Jinghong more and more in their hearts.

Zhu Jinghong was making an impassioned speech here, while at the same time in the Yaohua Palace on the other side, Daiyu was talking to Zhu Yunsheng.

Others went to Kunning Palace to pay their respects, but Zhu Yunsheng rarely went there. Instead, he spent more time visiting Daiyu and Xiangyun.

The two were chatting when a palace maid came to report: "My lady, the master is still in Longwu Palace. I'm afraid he won't be here for a while!"

Nodding, after the maid left, Daiyu said, "He said he would come at half past ten, but now it's already past three. It's rare to see him being punctual!"

Zhu Yunsheng continued, "Brother Thirteen is busy with state affairs, but there is nothing he can do!"

Daiyu smiled, and then smiled: "Yes, he has been very busy in the past few months, especially listening to music, practicing Taoism, chanting Buddha, and trying all kinds of tricks!"

"Practicing Taoism? Chanting Buddha's name?" Zhu Yunsheng was a little surprised.

Putting her hand closer to the brazier, Daiyu smiled and said, "Forget it, it's a good thing you don't know. Otherwise... there would be one more person in the world who would laugh at him!"

"Brother Thirteen is the emperor, who dares to laugh at him!"

"He dared not smile on his face, but he was feeling unsure. There were so many people in the world who wanted to see him laugh!"

At this point, Daiyu couldn't help looking sad, and then sighed, "In fact, he is now the emperor, and he has a lot of difficulties, but outsiders don't know it!"

Although this remark seemed to be a casual sigh, Zhu Yunsheng still heard it as a warning.

She knew very well that what she had done in recent days would inevitably upset her brother the emperor, so Daiyu was reminding her.

"Yeah... Sister Lin is right!"

Originally, the two of them were chatting happily, but now the atmosphere became subtle, and it was no longer as relaxed as before.

Daiyu actually didn't want this to happen, but after all, people live in the real world and need to face many things.

Seeing that Zhu Yunsheng was still stubborn, she didn't want to see her go down the "road of no return", so she wanted to remind her.

"Sister Lin, I understand what you mean. Thank you very much... From now on, I won't let you worry about me anymore!"

Daiyu smiled and said, "Live a good life, and everything will be fine!"

"Oh, by the way, I heard from Sister Bao a few days ago that your Thirteenth Brother has been mentioning that he wants to confer the title of Princess on you!"

The emperor's sisters could be given the title of eldest princess, but not necessarily would be given the title. For example, there was no such title during the Zhengtong Dynasty, perhaps because Zhu Xianming had no biological sisters.

Zhu Yunsheng and Zhu Jinghong were born of the same mother and grew up together in the palace, so it was not surprising that she was conferred the title of the eldest princess.

The two of them continued to chat about this matter, while the summons in Longwu Palace was coming to an end.

Inside the Longwu Gate, Chen Yuntai was waiting at the bottom of the steps with his head held high, holding a stack of reports, while the generals in front were already bidding farewell to the emperor.

"Captain Chen, what have you been busy with lately?"

Chen Yuntai was thinking about what he would report later when he heard a sinister voice beside him. He looked closely and found it was Deng An.

Deng An, as the eunuch in charge of the East Factory, was equivalent to a commander in the Northern Pacification Office. Moreover, he was born as a close attendant of the emperor, so his status was much higher than Chen Yuntai.

Even if Chen Yuntai became the commander-in-chief and had full authority to handle the affairs of the Northern Pacification Office, his status would be equal to that of Deng An now.

And if Deng An took charge of the East Factory and held the title of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, then Chen Yuntai would still be inferior to him.

"Greetings to Eunuch Deng. Recently, I have been ordered by the emperor to investigate a case!"

Chen Yuntai didn't want others to share the credit, so he paid great attention to the confidentiality of the investigation and only hired his most trusted people.

At this moment, Deng An came over, and in order to prevent him from inquiring into the situation, he used the word "secret order" to block it.

This was not a false imperial decree, but he had actually requested it specially. Any decree that was not made public can be called a secret decree.

"Okay... since it's a secret order, we won't ask any more questions!" Deng An said with a smile.

Deng An came here this time because he actually had something to report, mainly about the recent affairs of officials in the court. The function of the East Factory is more focused on monitoring all officials.

At this time, the summons had ended, and Zhu Jinghong, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of War and generals from the Five Military Commandery, slowly walked towards the Longwu Gate.

Deng An and Chen Yuntai knelt down immediately. Zhu Jinghong was not very happy to see them appear, because he was in a hurry to go to Yaohua Palace.

But he is the emperor after all, and at this moment he should put his duties as the emperor first, so he still has to meet these two people and listen to their report before going to Daiyu.

So after leaving Longwu Gate, Zhu Jinghong ordered the civil and military officials accompanying him to disperse, and then asked Yu Hai to call Deng An and the other two over.

The distance from Longwu Hall to Qianqing Palace is nearly two miles, which normally takes eight or nine minutes to walk, making it perfect for discussing business.

After the two men came over, Deng An was supposed to report first, but in order to get a grasp of what Chen Yuntai was investigating, he humbly asked the latter to report first.

Now that Deng An had spoken, Chen Yuntai could no longer refuse. They were both royal servants, and being humble to each other would be tantamount to disrespecting the emperor.

So Chen Yuntai had to speak first, but he knew that this matter was not easy to publicize, so he only talked about some key points, mainly mentioning Zhu Jingyuan and the White Lotus Sect.

"Your Majesty, I dare not talk about other more evil things... All the crimes of King Gongshun have been included in the memorial!"

After saying that, Chen Yuntai handed over the report in his hand. When Zhu Jinghong was about to take it, Yu Hai brought over a palace maid.

"Your Majesty, Madam Lin sent someone to pass on a message, saying...if...if Your Majesty is really unable to spare the time, today's appointment will be cancelled!"

Originally, Zhu Jinghong planned to go to Daiyu after listening to the report, but what Chen Yuntai said was very important. He had to look at it carefully before taking any action. It was unclear how he could get away.

In other words, he had no choice but to break the appointment!

"Go back and tell the Imperial Concubine that I have something urgent to deal with and I am deeply sorry for breaking your promise today!"

The little maid from Yaohua Palace quickly agreed and went back to pass on the message after paying her respects.

Zhu Jinghong did not accept Chen Yuntai's report, but asked him to stay and question him alone, and then asked Deng An to report the relevant situation.

The situation Deng An reported was also very important, but not as urgent as Chen Yuntai’s. After he finished speaking, he said goodbye and left.

A few minutes later, in the warm room of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Jinghong sat on the throne and began to read Chen Yuntai's report.

Chen Yuntai himself was kneeling outside the threshold of the warm room.

Only cabinet ministers, the nine ministers of the six ministries, and several governors of the Five Military Governors' Office were qualified to enter the warm room of the Qianqing Palace to discuss matters. Chen Yuntai was still far from that qualification.

Even though Zhu Jinghong was a man of deep cunning and hardened character, he was finally furious when he saw the last page of the report on the tenth year of Zhengtong. "Zhu Jingyuan, you pig in the courtyard... this inhumane, unethical, rebellious beast!"

Hearing the emperor's scolding, Chen Yuntai felt tremendous pressure even though he was kneeling outside the warm room, so much so that he knocked his head to the ground, feeling the coolness coming from the floor tiles.

"Are those imperial doctors still alive?" Zhu Jinghong asked grimly.

"There were a total of four imperial doctors involved in the case. Only one is still in the Imperial Hospital. The other three have retired and returned to their hometowns. One of them died of illness last August!"

Zhu Jinghong said, "They are living well!"

Suppressing his anger, Zhu Jinghong continued, "You are responsible for handling the people involved. Remember... don't make a big fuss!"

"I accept the decree!"

Chen Yuntai originally wanted to ask how to deal with King Gongshun, but he finally held back. He couldn't be sure of the emperor's considerations, so at this time he could only err on the side of caution and not ask too many questions.

When Chen Yuntai knelt down and left, Daiyu had already received the report. She was still a little disappointed to learn that Zhu Jinghong was not coming.

But Zhu Yunsheng grasped the point, so he asked, "You said that His Majesty was meeting with people from the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"Serious business!" replied the maid who delivered the message.

"Did you hear what was said?" Zhu Yunsheng couldn't help but ask.

Although she has not sent anything to Prince Gongshun's palace recently, she is still concerned about her brother's condition and sends people to visit him from time to time.

So, she knew that the Jinyiwei had entered Prince Gongshun's mansion a few days ago, but because she had promised Liang Yi not to meddle in other people's business, she did not pay much attention to it.

When she heard that it was the Jinyiwei who reported today, she couldn't help but ask one more question.

"Reporting to the princess, I didn't hear it clearly..."

When Daiyu heard Zhu Yunsheng's question, she became worried about her, thinking that this girl still hadn't thought it through.

Daiyu just breathed a sigh of relief after hearing what the palace maid said, but she didn't expect the maid to continue saying, "It seems... it's related to Prince Gongshun's Mansion!"

When the palace maid approached, she heard Chen Yuntai mention Prince Gongshun's Palace, but she didn't hear anything else.

For a moment, Zhu Yunsheng became worried, as she didn't know what kind of unexpected events would happen next.

Even though Daiyu tried to comfort him, Zhu Yunsheng still felt uneasy. After having lunch in Yaohua Palace, he left due to lack of energy.

Daiyu personally escorted her out of Yaohua Gate and gave her some comfort when they parted, but she didn't want to say it too clearly.

After seeing Zhu Yunsheng off, Daiyu couldn't help but sigh.

"My queen, the princess is still worried!"

The person who was speaking was Zijuan. She had always been by Daiyu's side and had been through a lot, so she had a pair of bright eyes.

"Alas... the things between these brothers and sisters are hard to explain!"

After shaking her head slightly, Daiyu turned around and walked into the palace, but just as she entered the courtyard, Ying'er from Kunning Palace came outside.

"Madam Lin, the Empress has sent me a message, saying that you are invited to have dinner with her later, and we can enjoy Huizong's flower and bird paintings together!"

Daiyu then smiled and said, "I see. I'll be there early this afternoon!"

Let’s talk about Zhu Yunsheng leaving the palace. She walked all the way south from Yaohua Palace, passed several palace gates and finally arrived outside Qianqing Gate.

Standing outside the gate of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunsheng looked at the Que Tower inside the palace wall. She used to come here often when her father was alive.

Now her brother lives there, and she also has the right to come and go as she pleases. However, she has not been there in the past few months since her father's coffin was moved to Guande Hall.

At this moment, she really wanted to go into the Qianqing Palace and beg the emperor brother to stop making things difficult for her sixth brother, but she knew she could never do that, otherwise it would only make things worse.

Sighing, Zhu Yunsheng continued to walk out of the palace, but when she passed the Chongzheng Hall, she met a Jinyiwei who looked like a centurion from the looks of his clothes.

He had no good impression of Jinyiwei Zhu Yunsheng, but when he thought about the Jinyiwei coming to see the emperor today, Zhu Yunsheng looked at him a few more times.

"Greetings, Her Royal Highness the Princess!" Ni Er bowed solemnly.

Zhu Yunsheng did not respond and walked straight out of the palace gate. About ten minutes later, she was out of Donghua Gate, and her sedan chair was waiting for her outside.

Ten minutes later, her sedan chair arrived at Dong'anmen, where she was to change to a horse-drawn carriage to return home.

But as soon as she got on the carriage, she heard the maid outside remind her: "Princess, His Royal Highness Prince Qingyang and His Royal Highness Prince Jinghai have gone to the palace on horseback!"

Normally, a prince would enter the palace in a sedan chair rather than riding a horse, unless there was something extremely urgent that required him to see the emperor.

Zhu Yunsheng became curious, so she ordered them not to leave in a hurry, but to wait for their two half-brothers to come out so that she could ask them what was going on.

As for Zhu Jingchun and the other two, Zhu Jinghong actually only summoned them into the palace and did not ask them to arrive quickly.

It was just that these two people rode horses to rush into the palace in order to curry favor with the emperor. However, when they arrived at the Qianqing Palace, they could only wait because the emperor was summoning other people.

Zhu Jinghong had already arranged a meeting in the afternoon, mainly with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to report on the situation, so Zhu Jingchun and the other two could only wait in the side hall.

They waited for an hour before they were summoned.

When they arrived outside the Qianqing Gate, they found a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard waiting there. Zhu Jingchun vaguely remembered that this man was called Ni Er.

"Your Highnesses, His Majesty is waiting for you in the Winter Warmth Pavilion!"

Facing Yu Hai, Zhu Jingchun and the other two did not dare to be arrogant. They bowed to express their gratitude and then entered the hall.

Unlike Zhu Yunsheng, Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Yunsheng rarely went to the Qianqing Palace, so they felt oppressed when they entered the palace.

Even though it was his elder brother sitting on the throne, they both still felt very uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhu Jingchun (Hao), bow to you. Long live the emperor!"

After they kowtowed in the warm room, they knocked their heads on the ground and could not get up, because they caught a glimpse of their brother's unhappy face.

"stand up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Even though the two men stood up, they still kept their heads down and did not dare to look directly at their brother who was sitting on the throne.

"The Northern Pacification Division has found a lot of things these days. You two can take a look!"

Hearing their brother's cold voice, Zhu Jingchun and his brother were almost scared to death, thinking that they were being investigated by the Imperial Guards.

After all, they have committed many crimes in private and cannot withstand any investigation.

Yu Hai led several eunuchs and distributed the report from the Northern Pacification Office to the two of them. At this time, Zhu Jingchun and the other man were already thinking about how to plead guilty.

But when they saw the contents of the report, their desperate mood suddenly changed. But before they could feel the joy of turning danger into safety, they were shocked by the contents of the report.

After taking a quick look and thinking about what they had done, Zhu Jingchun and the other two felt that it was nothing.

Lao Liu, Lao Liu, you are really a piece of shit... Zhu Jingchun and the other man both thought so.

At this time they also understood why the emperor brother was so angry. If it were them, they would have overturned the table and killed people long ago.

While the two of them were daydreaming, the emperor's voice came from above: "What Lao Liu did is truly outrageous to both humans and gods. Even if I want to forgive him, I'm afraid that justice will not tolerate it!"

(End of this chapter)