Chapter 600: Beautiful Spring in the East Warm Pavilion

Thanks to Gao Gong's reminder.

The people who were originally still thinking about the construction of a new treasure ship just reacted.

Everyone looked outside.

Gao Yi even walked to the door of the palace and looked outside.

"Looking at the time, His Majesty should have arrived a long time ago."

After he confirmed this, everyone became even more confused.

Gao Yi stood behind the palace door and looked back at his colleagues inside the palace with curiosity on his face.

Logically speaking, since the current emperor ascended the throne, although he is not as diligent as Taizu was at that time, working day and night to handle state affairs, he can still be considered rare and diligent.

Throughout the past year, the Emperor has held every court meeting regardless of weather. Even if it rains or storms on the day when he is holding court, he will summon the Cabinet and the six ministries, five temples, and nine officials to the Wenhua Hall to hold court.

It is precisely this diligence that makes the subjects inside and outside the court praise the current emperor far more than the previous emperor.

At least the emperor is serious and diligent in state affairs.

Compared with the previous emperor who hid in the Western Garden all day long to practice Taoism, it is visibly countless times stronger.

Yuan Wei raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is there something wrong with your Majesty's body?"

Lord Yuan has just made a series of reasonable and highly probable speculations about possible events.

Zhao Zhenji, who was beside him, immediately coughed and said, "Lord Yuan, you should not speak nonsense about His Majesty's holy body."

After Zhao Zhenji's reminder, Yuan Wei nodded and laughed awkwardly: "I was talking nonsense, but it is puzzling that His Majesty has not come to Wenhua Palace for a long time today."

It can be considered as a barely compensated recovery.

Zhao Zhenji looked at Gao Gong, the chief minister, and said, "Prime Minister, Your Majesty has been working hard for more than a year. Maybe you have worked too hard. It doesn't matter if you come back later. But as ministers, shouldn't we send someone to ask about Your Majesty's health?"

His words were more tactful, but in fact they were almost the same as what Yuan Wei said. He was also worried that something might have happened to the emperor.

Gao Gong nodded.

"It's time to ask the eunuchs in the inner court of Wenhua Palace."

Say it.

Gao Gong then looked at the eunuch who was in charge of the Wenhua Palace.

"Please go and see if His Majesty is delayed by something in the Qianqing Palace."

The eunuchs received instructions from the Prime Minister and sent two people out to look for the emperor in the Qianqing Palace.

Yan Shaoting squinted his eyes and looked outside the hall.

It's sunny outside.

He didn't say anything, but walked slowly to Gao Yi's side and said, "Lord Gao, do you want to bask in the sun together?"

After he finished speaking, he didn't care whether Gao Yi agreed or not, and continued to stroll out of the hall and stood in the corridor, enveloped by the sunlight.

Gao Yi looked at Yan Shaoting who had his back to him, then turned back to look at the people behind him. After thinking for a while, he stepped out of the hall and came to Yan Shaoting's side.

"What does Yan Shaobao know?"

Gao Yi asked in a low voice.

Based on his understanding of Yan Shaoting, both the Yan family and Yan Shaoting himself have a deep relationship with the royal family. It is possible that this young Prince's Guardian knows why the Emperor has not come to the Wenhua Palace to attend court today.

Yan Shaoting glanced at Gao Yi with surprise on his face: "Gao, please don't talk nonsense. I am an official in the court and a minister of the previous dynasty. How can I know about the affairs of the inner court? Gao, please don't talk nonsense."

Does Gao Qiantang really think that he is a eunuch serving the emperor in the Qianqing Palace?

I dare to ask anything.

But I do roughly know why Emperor Longqing was late today.

Speaking of which, I also received news a few days ago that Bai Fugui would be coming to Beijing soon.

He also learned from his brother-in-law Lu Yi that after the palace got the news, it sent eunuchs to secretly leave the palace to contact Bai Fugui.

Then the answer is obvious.

It’s just that even if I knew about such matters in the inner court, I could only pretend that I didn’t know.

Gao Yi, however, curled his lips.

If the Yan family had not been officials first and then conferred titles, the Yan family, with one marquis and one earl, would have been bona fide nobles, integrated into the royal family.

In addition, considering the relationship between the Yan family and the royal family, how could they not know these things?

However, Gao Yi did not ask too many questions. After all, according to the Prime Minister's plan, they did not want to have an open conflict with the Yan faction. Their faction should firmly grasp the new policy and get things done.

Let’s talk about it in two parts.

Let’s talk about the Qianqing Palace.

Because the sun is shining brightly today, the imperial city is filled with warmth.

In the eastern warm room near the bedroom, sunlight came in through the window and sprinkled into the room.

In the past.

If the emperor was not in the front court to handle government affairs, he would review memorials here.

For this reason, the East Warm Pavilion was always very quiet inside and outside in the past.

But today, even though I was far away, I could still hear the clear sounds of stringed instruments floating out from the east warm pavilion.

When you get closer, you can hear the sound of music.

In the east warm room, the current Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was leaning on a couch, leaning against a soft pillow, looking sideways into the room, with one leg flat on the couch and the other leg raised, his palms pressed on his knees and gently patting them, as if he was following the music here.

The eunuch Teng Xiang, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, served beside the emperor.

Teng Xiang's eyes swept over the smiling emperor, and he couldn't help but smile too.

The emperor enjoyed it very much today.

That means my ideas and efforts were not in vain.

Then the day of your own progress will be just around the corner.

But it is true that Zhu Zaigui only felt that he was extremely benefited at this moment. Ever since he knew about the world and ascended the throne last year, he realized today how wonderful the power of the emperor was.

before his eyes.

There were eight blond-haired, blue-eyed Western women dancing to the strange music.

These eight Western women had blonde hair and were extremely pure.

According to Teng Xiang, Bai Fugui's explanation at the time was that in the West, only people with pure blond or black hair had the highest status.

Zhu Zaigui couldn't help but sneer at this.

Black hair is the most noble.

However, these eight Western women can indeed be called wonderful.

She was wearing clothes that were different from the style of the Central Plains. The gauze was swaying, and her legs, as thin as bamboo and stick, appeared and disappeared in her sight.

Teng Xiang saw that the emperor seemed to be in high spirits, so he immediately stepped forward and leaned over, whispering, "Your Majesty, according to what Bai Fugui and the other Westerners said, these Western women are the most daring, and they are even more aggressive in that...that matter, Your Majesty..."

Zhu Zai's eyebrows twitched.

Before he could speak, Teng Xiang had already waved to the women.

Immediately, a tallest Western woman came up to Zhu Zaigui with swaying dance steps.

"Your Majesty the Emperor..."

The Western woman spoke Ming Chinese, a dialect that she was clearly not familiar with but had been specially taught.

Before Zhu Zaigui could react, everything in front of him was empty.

When he lowered his head again, he saw that the woman was already kneeling in front of him.

Teng Xiang had already quietly left the East Warm Pavilion with a smile on his face, and considerately closed the door from the outside.

Zhu Zaigui, who stayed in the East Warm Pavilion, suddenly leaned back. "This... Teng Xiang..."

"Dog slave...dog slave is really quite loyal..."

After a moment.

Zhu Zaigui let out a long sigh and sat up straight.

He looked at the Western woman whose face was already in disarray, and picked up a cup of tea from the side.

"Just rinse your mouth... and drink some."

The Western woman's eyes were full of smiles.

Although she didn't understand Chinese very well, she still took the teacup respectfully, tilted her head slightly, opened her cherry lips to show her white teeth, bit the teacup and took a sip of tea.

Then he closed his mouth and silently swallowed the tea.

It is also at this time.

Because the emperor had not gone to the Wenhua Hall to hold court for a long time, the eunuch assigned by Gao Gong to inquire about the situation also arrived outside the East Warm Pavilion.

Teng Xiang, who was guarding outside for the emperor, immediately shouted, "Why are you here when you are not on duty at Wenhua Palace?"

The eunuch from Wenhua Palace who came to inquire was suddenly startled, and looked at Teng Xiang in a daze, at a loss.

I thought to myself, I have never seen anyone so startled when I came to Wenhua Hall before.

In the east warm room, Zhu Zaigui was shocked by Teng Xiang's shout and finally reacted.

He quickly looked at the group of Western women in front of him, coughed lightly, and stood up.

Zhu Zaigui waved his hand.

Suddenly the music stopped, and the eight Western women were left together.

Zhu Zaigui's face flushed slightly as he straightened his clothes. He then said in a deep voice, "Wait here for a while. I will come back after I have dealt with state affairs."

Then he walked towards the door.

Teng Xiang listened to the footsteps in the room, opened the door on time, allowed Zhu Zaigui to walk out of the east warm room, and then immediately closed the door again.

Zhu Zaigui looked at the eunuch coming from Wenhua Palace and frowned slightly.

He glanced sideways at Teng Xiang who was bending over and guarding beside him.

"Tell the Queen and the Imperial Concubine that I am busy with state affairs today and will not summon you tonight."

Teng Xiang nodded immediately and felt even happier.

Zhu Zaigui, on the other hand, was thinking of continuing to enjoy the Western style in his bedroom tonight. He glanced at the eunuchs in the Wenhua Hall, said nothing, and walked out.

To Wenhua Hall.

Yan Shaoting, who was guarding in the corridor outside the palace gate, saw from afar that the emperor had finally arrived. He hurriedly looked at Gao Yi beside him. The two of them stood sideways to the side.

"I will see you, Your Majesty."

Seeing Yan Shaoting and Gao Yi both outside the palace, Zhu Zaigui felt somewhat embarrassed. He hid his thoughts but smiled: "Mr. Gao, Mr. Yan, please don't be polite."

As he was speaking, Zhu Zaigui had already arrived in front of the hall.

Gao Yi was not allowed to ask.

Zhu Zaigui said with a straight face, "I forgot the time while reviewing memorials last night. This morning I felt dizzy and had to rest for a long time before I recovered. I hope you can forgive me."

As soon as these words came out.

I had originally planned to find out more about GROHE, but it was completely silenced.

The emperor had already said so and personally asked for their forgiveness, so what else could he ask?

Gao Yi had no choice but to accompany him. Following the emperor into the palace, he said in a low voice: "Your Majesty is responsible for the imperial family and society. Although the government affairs are very busy now, your Majesty's health is worth a fortune. I hope your Majesty can rest more and your health is the most important thing."

Zhu Zaigui's face turned red.

It was difficult for me to say whether I had just indulged in lust in broad daylight or had been hanging out with those Western women, enjoying their ecstatic service.

Suddenly I felt my throat itchy again.

Zhu Zaigui coughed lightly, and finally sat down on the throne amid the greetings of Gao Gong and others who were guarding the hall.

Gao Gong glanced at Gao Yi and Yan Shaoting, and frowned when he saw them both shaking their heads.

He looked at the emperor sitting on the throne again, and his heart was suddenly covered with a layer of gloom.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Gao Gong with a guilty conscience and explained again: "I hope the Prime Minister and all the ministers will forgive me. I reviewed the documents very late last night and came here late. State affairs are the most important. Please discuss the matter as soon as possible."

Gao Gong's heart sank again.

If the emperor really was too late in reviewing the memorials last night, the eunuchs from the Qianqing Palace should have stood up and reported it when they arrived this morning, instead of waiting until the emperor was late to explain.

Then there is only one possibility.

The emperor was not late because of what he said.

Could it be that the emperor is now tired and impatient with dealing with state affairs?
Gao Gong couldn't help but have all kinds of speculations in his mind.

Among these speculations, Gao Gong's determination to be a figurehead emperor was further strengthened.

The country cannot rest entirely on the shoulders of the emperor alone.

Since the emperor would be impatient with state affairs.

Then it is up to me, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, to take charge of these matters!
He didn't think that the reason why the emperor was late and delayed the court meeting was because of the beautiful spring scenery in the east warm pavilion.

After some thought.

Gao Gong then said, "Your Majesty, we have observed that the new policy has been implemented thoroughly. We ask Your Majesty to allow the start of the imperial inspection this year to examine the civil and military officials in the capital and the local areas."

After consciously making all preparations, Gao Gong proposed to start the imperial examination in advance.

The reaction of the people in the hall was indifferent.

In fact, there had been rumors for a long time that Gao Gong was going to hold an early inspection of all civil and military officials in Beijing.

At this time, everyone was more observing the emperor's reaction before making their next move.

Instead, Yan Shaoting hid behind several cabinet ministers, looking with an ambiguous gaze at the emperor whose expression and eyes were obviously different from those in the past.

Although he had been pushing for Bai Fugui to bring those blonde-haired and blue-eyed women from the European countries early on, he did not expect that Zhu Shanchang would be able to benefit from them so quickly.

Could the revision of history have such a great influence?

Is it impossible to change the dissolute nature of this Mr. Zhu?
If this were true, wouldn't I have to follow the original path of history and take over from a ten-year-old emperor?
Then I have to make new arrangements.

After all, if everything had developed according to the original path, when the little brat first ascended the throne, he would at most be able to join the cabinet, but would not be able to take charge of the cabinet and the court.

When Yan Shaoting was thinking about the future.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, everyone started arguing about the issue of advancing the imperial examination.

But in the end, perhaps because Zhu Zaigui felt guilty, when he saw that Gao Gong's faction strongly supported this matter, he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Wait until Gao Gong finishes his report.

Yuan Wei, the second assistant minister, had nothing to report.

Then it was Li Chunfang's turn.

Seeing Gao Gong, who was in high spirits because he had received the emperor's consent to go to the capital for examination in advance, Li Chunfang sighed slightly in his heart.

If Gao Gong were really allowed to come to the capital for inspection ahead of time, the old party inside and outside the capital would inevitably be purged again. By that time, even if he was a cabinet minister, he would not have much power in his hands.

Everything seems to be destined.

Li Chunfang took out the memorial he had prepared last night from his sleeve, placed it on the tablet, held it up with both hands, bent over and walked out.

"I am the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, the Grand Secretary of Jianji Palace, and the Minister of the Cabinet, Li Chunfang."

"Please allow me to go to the cabinet to govern the southwest Guizhou, Guangxi, Xiangxi and other places and deal with the affairs of the natives and refugees."

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(End of this chapter)