Chapter 566: Young Master Yan

Bang!
Boom!

There were rustling footsteps and the sound of sticks.

In front of the Meridian Gate, the officials looked tense and serious, and they walked quickly around the front of the palace gate, as if they were trying to escape.

Right in front of the palace gate, Ouyang Yijing, the military official, was tied to a bench with a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth. The Jinyiwei who were executing him kept waving the wooden stick in their hands.

No one dared to stay for a moment, let alone look over there.

The Jinyiwei who were carrying out the execution seemed to have received instructions. When they used the court cane, each blow was not very heavy and would not take Ouyang Yijing's life immediately.

So much so that when these Jinyiwei were carrying out executions, all the officials leaving the palace could see the execution scene with their own eyes and hear the dull sound of sticks.

Although Ouyang Yijing's mouth was blocked.

But every time the stick fell, a dull sound of pain burst out from his throat.

He was pouting, his neck raised high, his eyes wide open but empty.

He had no time to think about why he had ended up in such a situation, nor could he imagine why the emperor had suddenly become so cruel.

Every blow was excruciatingly painful, and the bones were separated as if they were cut by a knife.

Officials continued to speed up their pace.

They seemed to have sensed that the current emperor was not so kind. Although he seemed weak in the past, he was still an emperor after all, and his authority could not be underestimated.

It’s not that no one wants to speak out and give advice.

However, the emperor's reward to Yan Shaoting was still executed, and Ouyang Yijing also sacrificed his life for it.

If the commotion continues, more people will be beaten to death.

Although civil officials take pride in being caned in court.

But we only have one life.

Even if you are beaten to death, you have to choose something with the best cost-effectiveness.

Today, the old party in the court is weak, its personnel are losing ground, and it is constantly being cleared out of the court by the cabinet for various reasons, while the new party calling for new policies is becoming increasingly powerful.

It is at this time that he chooses to be a loyal minister, kneeling down to advise the emperor, and even if he is beaten to death, not many people will praise him.

The price/performance ratio is too low.

Not worth it.

As the minor officials fled the imperial city.

The big guys in the rear also gradually walked out of the Meridian Gate.

Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong, Duke Dingguo and Duke Chengguo walked out of the palace gate and stood beside the row of rooms in front of the Meridian Gate, silently watching Ouyang Yijing who was being beaten with a stick in the court.

He was almost motionless.

But I still have a breath to hold on.

Duke Chengguo Zhu Xizhong turned his head and glanced at the city gate behind him. Inside, several people from the cabinet were walking out.

The emperor wanted to honor Yan Shaoting and reward the army, and the soldiers on the front line were already on their way back to the capital, so the cabinet needed to go to various departments to handle some specific tasks.

Before anyone arrives.

Zhu Xizhong whispered, "We suddenly stood up today, and I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing."

Today, the nobles and the military were trying to beat Ouyang Yijing to death with a stick. However, Duke Yingjun Zhang Rong just snorted coldly and stared at Ouyang Yijing who was being beaten with a stick in the court.

"Good thing!"

"Great thing!"

Zhang Rong cursed angrily as if he was letting out a breath of anger.

Then he calmed down and said, "In the past, everything we said and did was helpless. But now that we have just won a victory, should we be as timid as before? This is not right! It has not been like this since the time of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu. Now, we are just asking these people to return some of our capital."

Zhu Xizhong frowned.

Today, the Mansion of the Duke of Chengguo is considered the most top-notch noble family in the capital. Even the Mansion of the Duke of Dingguo and the Mansion of the Duke of Yingguo are slightly inferior to it.

He could see what Zhang Rong was thinking.

The nobles prosper together and suffer together.

And if noble families such as the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion have always been suppressed by the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion, they can only seek breakthroughs from other means.

It is a good choice to enhance the power and status of the nobles and the military as a whole.

It will not destroy the unity among the nobles, and will also allow everyone to benefit.

Zhu Xizhong did not object to this approach. After all, the purpose was to put more dishes on the table, not to overturn the table. But he was not willing to say much either.

Duke Dingguo Xu Yande, who was standing by, looked at the two old friends and whispered, "It has been only half a year since the last emperor passed away, and less than a year since the current emperor took the throne, but Runwu has already led his men to recapture the Hetao area. In addition, the court is implementing the Jialong New Deal. Although this is an opportunity for us, we still have to be careful to avoid any unexpected changes."

Zhang Rong glanced at Xu Yande and snorted coldly, "In my opinion, we have regained our face today, but we still need to investigate the people below. Since Runwu dared to arrest Wang Zhigao and others, and even the generals of Datong and Shanxi, this means that there are some things below that we don't know."

Zhu Xizhong looked at him: "What do you want to do?"

"In order to prevent others from finding an opportunity, it is time for us to take action and severely punish the corrupt officials in the army!"

Zhang Rong's tone was cold and murderous.

Although this old Duke had never led an army into battle in person, he was, after all, one of the most powerful nobles in the Ming Dynasty. No one could match his aura.

Xu Yande also turned his head and glanced behind him, then quickly said, "I think it's time for us to do it ourselves. But... everyone is here, let's discuss this matter later."

The Duke Dingguo had just finished speaking.

There were footsteps behind me.

Along with this, Li Chunfang's somewhat resentful voice said, "How come it's already this late and you haven't finished yet?"

Li Chunfang followed Gao Gong and others out of the house, and glanced gloomily at Ouyang Yijing, who was tied to a bench with his entire back and buttocks covered in blood.

This man couldn't even breathe.

When he had just finished asking the question.

The two Jinyiwei over there immediately raised their wooden sticks.

A heavy blow came down.

There was a crisp cracking sound coming from Ouyang Yijing's body. His body, which was originally connected, also softened, and it was seen that it separated from the waist like mud and crawled on the stool.

This man is completely out of breath.

Li Chunfang's brows couldn't help but twitch.

The eunuch Feng Bao, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Stables who was originally in charge of supervising the executions, nodded at the two Jinyiwei, then walked up to the three dukes and cabinet ministers with a smile on his face.

Feng Bao is now more polite.

First stand still, then raise your arms, bow, and bend over to salute.

"This servant pays homage to the dukes and ministers."

Duke of England Zhang Rong was the first to speak: "Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Feng."

Feng Bao stood up and raised his head, smiling slightly: "I am just following the emperor's order to supervise the execution, I don't dare to take the hardship. Now the state affairs are getting more serious, but the Duke and the elders are working harder."

Zhang Rong said, "Your Majesty is in power, and all the affairs in the palace have to be taken care of by you, Eunuch Feng. How can it not be hard? We are external officials, and Eunuch Feng is an internal official, but we are all subjects of Your Majesty."

Feng Bao's smile grew brighter: "My Lord, you are so kind to me."

Li Chunfang, who was standing by, watched the two of them talking to each other and helping each other along, but his face was as dark as ink.

Gao Gong and others put their hands in their pockets and looked straight ahead.

They are civil servants and have never been on the same path as the eunuchs. However, because of their special status, the nobles are not so clearly distinguished from the eunuchs, and no one will say anything.

At this time, Xu Yande suddenly asked, "Now that His Majesty has conferred a reward on the General of the Northern Expedition, the frontline has also reported to the court and will be able to return to the court soon. At that time, the county middle school will also offer captives. This kind of event has not happened in our dynasty for many years. I wonder if Eunuch Feng and the inner court have arranged to explain the grand event of offering captives?"

Feng Bao glanced at Duke Dingguo, then glanced at the cabinet members beside him, and then smiled and replied: "The palace has naturally received the news, and has begun to prepare according to His Majesty's wishes. At that time, we will have to hold a ceremony to present captives in front of the Huangji Palace, and then watch the thieves dance and surrender in the Huangji Palace to beg for submission. However... I am a disabled person after all. I can help with the affairs of the palace, but I dare not say how the various departments outside the palace will prepare."

snort!
A cold snort sounded in everyone's ears.

No one looked for the person who spoke, but everyone knew that person must be Li Chunfang.

Gao Yi, who had entered the cabinet from the position of Minister of Rites, spoke calmly, "The Central Government has already discussed this matter, and the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Household Department, and the Imperial Household Department are all already preparing. When the time comes, we will worship our ancestors and perform sacrifices according to the law of the land, all in accordance with the ritual system. Your Majesty, do not worry. Our dynasty has not had such a great victory in many years. We will not let the soldiers on the front line suffer any grievances, and this matter will certainly be handled with honor."

Xu Yande nodded.

Zhang Rong curled his lips and said, "Although this grand ceremony will only take one day, it will take quite a while from beginning to end, and it will also require a lot of money, grain and manpower. Don't let anyone have bad intentions and write a petition saying that it will waste money and people's money."

Although these words did not name anyone, they were clearly directed at the Qingliu Old Party.

After all, this great victory can be considered a great victory for the New Party.

Even the Prime Minister Gao Gong could share some of the credit.

After all the calculations, this matter has nothing to do with the Qingliu Old Party headed by Li Chunfang.

Yuan Wei immediately smiled and said, "Regarding the great victory and the ceremony of surrendering captives, if anyone dares to talk nonsense, I will definitely ask the three judicial officials to investigate thoroughly."

He has been in charge of the three judicial departments in the cabinet and has the confidence to say this.

Zhang Rong nodded, then moved his gaze and glanced at the Jinyiwei who were checking whether Ouyang Yijing was dead, and looked at the blood all over the ground.

The English prince snorted.

"unlucky!"

He shook his sleeves.

Zhang Rong has already started walking: "Everyone, I can't stand seeing this blood, I just feel it's unlucky, please forgive me, I will go back to the house first and pray in the Buddhist temple to get rid of the bad luck."

Seeing that Zhang Rong was about to leave, Xu Yande and Zhu Xizhong immediately followed.

Gao Gong, Yuan Wei, Gao Yi and others spoke out to see them off.

Only Li Chunfang's face became increasingly gloomy, and his heart was filled with anger and resentment.

These nobles all came from families with a long history of military merit. Their ancestors had led troops to fight against the enemy for the Ming Dynasty. Yet they had the nerve to say that they couldn't stand the sight of blood.

Do you still need to go to the Buddhist temple at home to worship?
I'm afraid that what the Buddha is holding in his hand is not a staff, but a sword or a gun!
It's different from the confrontational situation in the palace.

In a place far away yet close to the capital, the atmosphere seems particularly festive.

Huang Jin, the eunuch on duty at the Imperial Household Department, was all smiles, and said in a cheerful mood, "I would like to congratulate Shao Bao Yan. This time, Shao Bao has been awarded the title of Shao Bao for his meritorious service. When the army returns to the capital in a few days and presents the captives to the emperor, I'm afraid His Majesty will give Shao Bao some more rewards."

Yan Shaoting was holding the imperial edict he had just received and smiling.

The imperial edict was freshly issued and still hot, appointing himself as the Prince's Guardian.

From then on, he was also called Yan Shaobao.

Just thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of another young guard.

Wang Chonggu, who accompanied Yan Shaoting back to Beijing, stood aside with envy on his face, staring at the imperial edict that Yan Shaoting was holding casually.

Although the Prince's Guardian was only an honorary title, it was a real honor and status.

I don't know when I will be able to be awarded the title of Prince's Guardian for my merits.

After Huang Jin finished his congratulatory words, he changed the subject and whispered, "Originally, His Majesty wanted to give out a good reward and make this matter lively in advance, but he didn't expect that the Military Affairs Department's Deputy Secretary Ouyang Yijing was so blind that he had to submit a petition to impeach him. However, he has already been beaten to death. With the Duke of Yingguo and others coming forward, others dare not say anything more about this matter. But I'm afraid you should be more careful when you return to Beijing this time."

Yan Shaoting nodded, then glanced sideways at Wang Chonggu beside him.

Wang Chonggu immediately turned his head and looked around: "Hurry up, everyone. When we return to the capital, the general said that wine and meat are not prohibited. The emperor and the court will give you rewards immediately. Then you can go home to visit your parents and wives and reunite as a family."

While shouting, Wang Chonggu walked away, leaving this place to Yan Shaoting and Huang Jin.

Wait until the annoying person leaves wisely.

Yan Shaoting immediately whispered, "How are Eunuch Huang and Eunuch Lu doing in the palace now?"

Huang Jin felt warmed when he saw that Yan Shaoting did not mention Ouyang Yijing's impeachment, nor did he mention the fact that he had just been appointed as the Prince's Guardian, but instead asked about his and Lu Fang's days in the palace.

He immediately smiled and nodded: "Your Majesty is merciful. He pity us for serving the master for many years, and now he has no intention of taking our jobs. But Eunuch Lu has often said recently that when there is an opportunity, we will go to the imperial mausoleum to guard the master. After all, a new emperor appoints new ministers, and we should be more sensible and not make things difficult for His Majesty. We should take the initiative to propose it."

Yan Shaoting nodded. This was what he meant. The reason why Zhu Zaigui didn't touch Huang Jin and the others now was also for the sake of his reputation. He couldn't clean up the old Taoist priest's men before the old Taoist priest's body was cold.

He smiled and said, "The imperial mausoleum is not far from Changping. I have mentioned this to Eunuch Lu before. There is a piece of land at the foot of the academy mountain where some houses have been built. You can live there together when the time comes. But you must pay the rent! This is to subsidize the food for the students of the academy!"

The smile on Huang Jin's face grew brighter and more genuine.

He immediately laughed out loud.

"In that case, I have to thank Master Yan first!"

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(End of this chapter)