Chapter 1119
Clash Inside the Qianqing Palace
Chapter 1119 Clash Inside the Qianqing Palace
Inside the Qianqing Palace,
The lingering sound of the music echoed through the hall. In the center of the hall, palace maids with long sleeves danced, and the melodious music seemed to have become much softer.
Zhang Jinyu remained indifferent; she had already eaten most of the venison in her hand, so why leave any more? She smiled and took a few more bites.
This scene made the atmosphere in the hall even colder. Many civil officials wore strange expressions, and many whispered among themselves.
"Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang, do you think these princes are trying to cause trouble for Marquis Luoyun again?"
"Ahem, you said it yourself, so of course it is. The incident in the south of the city only happened a few days ago."
Many officials from the six ministries were whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
On the other hand, the reaction from the military officers was completely different. The first to speak was none other than Marquis Dongchuan, Duan Kaihua.
"It's good enough to be alive on the border. How can we care about table manners? When my son followed the Marquis south to Linshan County, he only ate a few pancakes and some pickled vegetables in the morning. Then, when we were fighting in the north city, he didn't have a single bite to eat. If you eat so slowly like Your Highness, are you waiting to collect the corpses of your men?"
"Haha, that's right. During this southern expedition to quell the rebellion, when my son led the army to attack the north gate of Linshan County, he ate nothing but dry naan bread. He fought all day without a drop of water, and even the naan bread he was wearing was soaked with sweat. My lords, are you just going to refuse to eat this soft and smelly naan bread? Are you still going to fight the war?"
Marquis Yin Changsong of Yining was not to be outdone, strongly supporting Marquis Dongchuan's words. Zhang Jinyu looked at the two of them and suddenly realized that it was Duan Wenyuan and Yin Renchang's father who spoke up. Marquis Hu Jianglin of Huaiyuan and Earl Song Daichun of Chengyi also offered their advice, making the princes blush. Many other officials, including several Grand Secretaries, had strange expressions and seemed to be deep in thought.
of course,
Zhang Jinyu could hear these words. After putting the last piece of venison into his mouth, he picked up the wine pot and took a few big gulps. A few drops of wine dripped down the corners of his mouth. He didn't know if the palace had done it on purpose or if the wine was too weak, like drinking water.
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, looked up, and met the cold stare that King Zheng was giving him.
"how?"
Zhang Jinyu smirked; the hilt of the knife looked somewhat sharp under the light.
"Does the King of Zheng think I've eaten a bit too much?"
His voice carried a hint of questioning, which contrasted sharply with the gentle words of the others in the inner hall. He put down his chopsticks and continued.
"A few days ago, when we were returning to the capital after our triumphant victory, we encountered you few with ulterior motives on the official road. You led troops to block our way and killed thousands of your bastards. What, you still hold a grudge? If it weren't for Prince Jin's kindness, I would have taken all those people at the post station. As for this venison, I've never seen such good venison before. I ate it too quickly and made a fool of myself in front of Your Highness."
With this remark,
The entire hall fell silent, save for the sound of palace maids' graceful footsteps. Most of the civil and military officials gasped in shock. Although they knew about the incident, they had no idea the specifics. After all, the military authorities had acted too quickly in their cleanup. How many elite troops did these princes bring, and how many thousands of men were killed? Many people turned their gaze to Lord He, who was sitting there leisurely.
Among the civil officials, many of whom were on good terms with the princes hesitated. Marquis Luoyun disregarded the dignity of officialdom, and if he spoke hastily, it would be difficult to back down. This time, only Wu Shiyuan, the Minister of the Hanlin Academy, spoke up.
"Lord Luo Yun is generous, but the princes meant well. This is a gentleman's banquet, so it should be more elegant. These vulgarities are not suitable for such a refined occasion."
With just one sentence, the Grand Secretary's eyes narrowed, and he quietly turned around to look at the group of officials from the Hanlin Academy. Among them, only this imperial relative, Lord Wu, was the most refined. The eldest son, Li Chao, was afraid that his father would not remember this person, so he quickly whispered.
"Father, this man is the father of Consort Wu of the inner palace, and he has served in the Hanlin Academy for many years."
"Hmm, I knew it was him. I didn't expect this person to speak up for several princes. Unexpected. The Wu family, tsk tsk."
Intentionally or unintentionally, after glancing at the back a few times, perhaps receiving a signal from his teacher, Wang Shuyi, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, actually burst out laughing.
"Lord Wu, you are mistaken. Today is the birthday celebration for the Emperor Emeritus, a joyous occasion. For Marquis Luoyun to eat like this is a double celebration. If military officers were to eat like us civil officials, holding plates, it would be unseemly. If outsiders saw the generals of the Great Wu dining like women, what kind of decorum would that be?"
One person's words caused several Hanlin scholars to burst into laughter, and a murmur of discussion quickly filled the hall. Several princes looked displeased, surprised that so many people had spoken up in their defense.
He wanted to say more, but the retired emperor raised his hand and pressed it down.
"I know how harsh and cold the land outside the pass is, and how difficult it is for the people. It's good that they can eat their fill. Eat while it's hot, don't let it get cold."
He set down the jade spoon in his hand, his dignified gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. Everyone said that Marquis Luoyun was wise and powerful; seeing him today, he was indeed extraordinary. Moreover, his youth was a bonus, truly a blessing from heaven. Several Daoist sayings lingered in his mind.
"What Wang Hanlin said just now is right. The generals of our Great Wu Dynasty have their own appearance. Eat what you should eat and drink what you should drink. It would be a joke if everyone ate together. If Marquis Luoyun doesn't have enough to eat, we can add more. As for the matter in the south of the city, there's no need to mention it again. Since it was a misunderstanding, let's wipe the slate clean."
The wide Taoist robe remained unmoved; only the sleeve bearing the Tai Chi symbol flicked slightly before he looked again at the Martial Emperor on the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, what do you think?"
A hint of surprise flashed in the Emperor's eyes. The matter in the south of the city was glossed over in a single sentence, which was unexpected.
"Everything is done according to the Emperor Emeritus's wishes. The court has its laws, and the imperial clan has its rituals. Both have exceeded the bounds, and in the end, it was all a misunderstanding."
She didn't mention the meal they had just had, but Empress Wu's hands were clasped tightly together on her knees.
The civil and military officials thought this little incident was over, but to their surprise, Zhang Jinyu casually wiped some wine from his cup and smeared it on his eyes. A burning pain shot through them, and a few tears streamed down his face. He then, leaning on the table, stood up and bowed deeply to the two emperors, appearing extremely honest and simple.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I think this venison is really delicious. It reminds me of the time when we were fighting in the south of the capital. Before we attacked the city, our brothers ate only bitter naan bread wrapped with pickled vegetables and some leftover soup. We didn't even have a hot meal. In the day of the attack, more than 100,000 of our brothers from the capital garrison, the imperial guards, and the imperial army died or were wounded. We still couldn't get past the city walls. The ferocity of the battlefield was something I have never seen before in my life."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the dishes on the table, and then he suddenly added;
"If my brothers could also experience this, I would die happy."
These last words caused many people on Wu Xun's side to feel a pang of sadness. Even Zhao Jingwu, the Minister of War, had red eyes and shouted loudly.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say. During this southward campaign, the army of over 100,000 men fought a bloody battle on the north side of the prefecture city. Although we were defeated, we were still honorable. After returning to the capital, the army of Sizhou and Hongnong suffered the most devastation, with nine out of ten men lost. I implore Your Majesty to reorganize the army."
"I second the motion,"
"I second the proposal."
Almost all the nobles stepped forward and knelt in obeisance. The atmosphere in the hall quickly became tense. The Empress touched the jade cup on the table and nodded.
"Approved. Also, have the Imperial Guard camp and Anhu camp prepare some meat to reward the three armies."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
With a shout, everyone's hearts were drawn together, and the faces of the princes turned ashen. What was supposed to be a peaceful matter had suddenly turned into a display of power for him.
"Third Brother, this Marquis Luo Yun certainly knows how to play the victim,"
Helpless, King Song muttered something to King Han as he raised his wine cup. King Han did not reply. This test had already passed its chance. There was no rush. Perhaps after this storm, only the sounds of string and wind instruments would remain in the palace.
Inside the Directorate of Ceremonial, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony,
Numerous eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were bustling about, searching through a pile of memorials. The banquet was in progress, but their urgency was palpable.
Chen Hui, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stood in front of the east window, holding a stack of congratulatory scrolls and flipping through them one by one. Beside him was Ma Fei, the attendant eunuch, who was carefully selecting the order of the congratulatory scrolls with a silver tag. In the gilded bronze incense burner, expensive ambergris incense was burning, and a wisp of smoke rose up, lingering around Chen Hui's somewhat graying temples. However, he was completely unaware of this, as his eyes were always fixed on the stack of congratulatory scrolls, among which there was one scroll that was the thickest.
That scroll of congratulatory memorials was among the last batch to be submitted. Among them was the memorial submitted by the magistrate of Chunyang County. In particular, the seal was sealed with lacquer, which was clearly unusual.
"Eunuch Chen, all the congratulatory messages from the princes were submitted yesterday. The congratulatory messages from the three princes have already been displayed in the Qianqing Palace. Another batch of messages will be sent over. As for how to choose them, the congratulatory messages from the two county magistrates have already been found and are over there."
Ma Fei's voice was extremely low. He pointed to a stack of folded documents not far in front of him, paused, and then...
"If all the congratulatory messages from Xu Changwen and Xu Dong are included, it might arouse suspicion."
While it could be a coincidence, it's too strange that he's ranked behind all the dukes' mansions.
Chen Hui's eye twitched slightly. He walked over and took out the two congratulatory letters from the messy pile of documents. One of them was written by Xu Dong. It was a letter like any other, without any seal. Upon opening it, he saw that it contained only the usual congratulatory words, nothing new. It seemed that this person was just a follower to cheer him on.
Then, another thick memorial was taken over and examined carefully. The surface did indeed bear the name of Xu Changwen, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, but the memorial was clearly suspicious. It was a congratulatory letter bound with coarse hemp paper, the edges of the pages were somewhat rough, yet the ink exuded a resolute air, standing out starkly from the surrounding forms bound with brocade and satin.
"I've served in the Directorate of Ceremonial for over twenty years, and I've seen enough congratulatory messages to fill a mountain,"
As he spoke, he traced the signature on the cover with his finger: "Respectfully presented by Xu Changwen, Chief Clerk of the Jiangnan Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue."
"I've never seen a sixth-rank official dare to use the title of 'Long Live the Emperor' and write a memorial that's even thicker than a prince's."
Upon hearing this, Ma Fei moved closer, his sleeve brushing against the jade cup on the incense table, producing a soft clinking sound.
"I heard that this Magistrate Xu was once the magistrate of Chunyang County. He was a truly honest official and shone brightly during the disaster relief efforts in Jiangnan. He is the plaintiff in this joint trial by the three judicial authorities, but he is also a bold man. It seems that he bought the paper for this congratulatory letter himself. I have certainly seen something new. However, the contents cannot be seen from the cover."
The more unusual this is, the more unusual it is. After all, the people in the Office of Transmission are responsible for collecting congratulatory messages and then copying them again before sending them to the Cabinet. Logically speaking, no matter who sends them, they should be accompanied by an appendix. But this person's congratulatory message is untouched. Why is that?
Just as Eunuch Ma could think of, he let out a soft "Eh?"
“Eunuch Chen, this is a bit strange. How come the people from the Office of Transmission didn’t see this congratulatory letter? It seems that no one opened it to make a copy and it was sent all the way to the Directorate of Ceremonial. That’s really rare.”
Chen Hui sneered and tossed the memorial in his hand.
"Hmph, how else could it have been sent? It's all those opportunists who must have seen something amiss but dared not open it, unwilling to take responsibility. But I'm not going to let them have their way. Since they won't look at it, I won't look at it either. I'll just send it over like this and have it read aloud in court. If it's well-written, that's their luck. If it's not good, it's not my fault. I can also win over that Lord Zhou and use him for my own purposes."
He casually tugged at the tray, then stuffed the memorial he was holding into it.
"Wait a moment, then send all these memorials over to the Emperor Emeritus and let him choose them personally. If he chooses one, there's nothing that can be done. If he doesn't, at least we can get by and give the princes some explanation, so it won't be considered that I took the money and did nothing."
Thinking that those princes had secretly sent people to deliver messages, they were all paying money. At the Qianqing Palace, all the civil and military officials were present. If anything went wrong, it would be utter ruin. Perhaps this was an opportunity for the Directorate of Ceremonial.
"Be quick-witted. I'll go with you. When you're reciting, be sure to read it aloud, or you'll get yourself into trouble."
"Eunuch Chen, I understand."
Looking at the memorial on the table, Ma Fei trembled with fear. It seemed that this trip was inevitable. He nodded hard.
At this moment, three chimes of bells and drums sounded from the direction of the Qianqing Palace, and the master of ceremonies announced loudly, "Greetings!"
"We respectfully invite His Majesty to a banquet to read the congratulatory message."
"Ma Fei, take these things and let's go."
"Yes, father-in-law."
Just as the two of them were carrying the congratulatory letter over,
Inside the Qianqing Palace,
As if they had just forgotten the previous commotion, all the civil and military officials were drinking heartily. At this moment, King Zheng seemed somewhat unwilling, but the opportunity had passed, and he couldn't show it too deliberately. Instead, he raised his wine cup, stood up, and bowed to the Empress.
"Your Majesty, it is truly an honor to be able to return to the capital today to celebrate the birthday of the Emperor Emeritus. Your Majesty has now been on the throne for ten years. My brother is now in the prime of his life, and his children and grandchildren, cough cough, the three young princes are renowned for their virtue. My brother truly admires them to the core. He could only pray for the Emperor from his fiefdom. Now, he has added incense to the offerings, and together we burn incense and pray for the Emperor, wishing our Great Wu Dynasty to prosper and flourish."
At first glance, it seemed like King Zheng was expressing his gratitude, but when his gaze swept over the three princes, there was an underlying, unspoken meaning to it.
"However, although the country is stable, young people still lack prudence in their work. They should learn more and not rely on their cleverness to arbitrarily change ancestral rules."
What seemed like ordinary words were like a thorn, gently piercing the peaceful facade. The King of Jin's smile vanished, not to mention the somewhat impulsive King of Wei, and even the King of Chu, sitting there, looked displeased.
There were still two princes sitting in the front, who had finally managed to get close to the two princes, and after only a few days, they were being questioned without any politeness by the princes. With all the court officials present, how could they lose face? Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, smiled slightly.
“Your Highness Zheng is mistaken. It is good for young people to be energetic. If they are like this old man, dull and lifeless, wouldn’t the court be nothing more than a bunch of dead men in power?”
"Yes, what Prince Zheng said is somewhat biased. New talents emerge in every generation, while those who stick to the old ways will not move forward."
Dong Wang Mu Shi followed up with a sentence, making the atmosphere in the hall slightly tense.
Who knows,
The King of Song, still relentless, chuckled and slowly said;
"Oh my, it's Brother Shui and Brother Mu. What's this? It's been so many years. You've become quite impressive now. In the battle of Xihe County, the White Lotus Sect fled in terror. I wonder what you two are up to?"
"Yes, it's strange, the White Lotus Sect, which was once famous throughout the world, couldn't even last a month under Brother Shui's command. It's really laughable."
Prince Chen looked on in disbelief. The once-powerful White Lotus Sect had been so utterly defeated.
"Haha, believe it or not, the result is there. But I wonder if you princes know that when the cult was rampant, did you take the opportunity to sit back and watch the situation unfold, or did you want the snipe and the clam to fight and the fisherman to benefit?"
Seeing that the princes were getting restless, Prince Bei Jing finally put down his wine cup and retorted without hesitation, drawing the attention of many officials. Zhang Jinyu now had a new plate of venison on the table, but unfortunately, he had lost his appetite.
Seeing the heated argument, he secretly glanced at the Martial Emperor on the dragon throne, but perhaps because of the distance, he could not make out His Majesty's face.
"Ahem, gentlemen, esteemed princes, your arguments will not lead to any resolution. These treacherous sects refuse to submit to the imperial rule and are a major threat to the court. Furthermore, the main forces of the Taiping Sect and the White Lotus Sect have already retreated into the three prefectures of Lingnan. Since you princes are unwilling to submit, how about this: you princes form a joint army and attack the three prefectures of Lingnan together?"
Zhang Jinyu raised the wine cup in his hand, and Yao Yao nodded to the princes.
"Your Highnesses, the three prefectures of Lingnan are connected to the three prefectures of Jingzhou by a waterway to the west. You must be careful,"
A slight smile played on his lips. He had overheard the Marquis of Xiangyang mentioning the waterway. If the cult remained unrepentant, and there was no chance in the north, they would have to find a way in the west. Though the speaker meant no harm, the listeners took it to heart. The expressions of the princes immediately darkened, especially those of the Prince of Wu and the Prince of Song. Their hearts tightened; this information coming from the Marquis of Luoyun shouldn't be false. How could thieves still have escaped? Wasn't it said that the cult had been wiped out?
"Your Majesty, I wish to file a complaint against Marquis Luoyun for providing false military intelligence!"
(End of this chapter)