Chapter 878
Please be the Imperial Advisor
Chapter 878 Please be the Imperial Advisor
Pan Yun turned around, and the Imperial Guards choked, instinctively looking at Zhu Qiyu.
Zhu Qiyu indeed raised his hand to stop the Imperial Guards' shouts, and even had a ladder brought over so he could climb onto the roof and look out of the city with Pan Yun.
All you can see here is the dazzling explosion of firearms in mid-air, but the sound is quite loud, echoing throughout the city, and you can even hear the soldiers' shouts of battle.
Zhu Qiyu glanced back and ordered the Imperial Guards to retreat, and then retreat even further.
Only when no one was around did he ask Pan Yun, "They all say that you were the one who took my brother back."
Pan Jun hummed in agreement.
"Before that, you went to the enemy camp to rescue your brother and met him."
Pan Yun nodded.
Zhu Qiyu: "With the Taoist priest's abilities, since you saw my imperial brother, why couldn't you rescue him?"
Pan Yun: "Didn't you ask the Imperial Guards and scouts who were with you?"
Zhu Qiyu's usually straight shoulders slumped slightly, and he pursed his lips, saying, "My elder brother has always been braver than me since childhood..."
“Not necessarily,” Pan Jun said softly. “The fact that you dared to come here at this time proves that your courage is no less than his. You even dared to go to the battlefield and had the intention to commit suicide if you fell into enemy hands. Your bravery is even greater than his.”
Zhu Qiyu looked up at her, a hint of unease in his eyes that he himself hadn't noticed: "You once asserted that I would be an emperor who would go down in history. Can I really be a good emperor?"
Pan Yun raised the corner of her mouth slightly and said confidently, "You can do it!"
Zhu Qiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Is Master Pan willing to help me?"
Pan Yun: "I am just a Taoist priest, how can I help you?"
Zhu Qiyu had already considered this before he came: "How about you become my imperial advisor?"
Pan Yun: "If you invite me to be the Imperial Advisor, what will the court officials think? What will the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain think?"
Zhu Qiyu said, "The Zhang family of Longhu Mountain is not a concern. Master Zhang is dead, and the Zhang family is in mourning. They have no time to attend to state affairs. Besides, the imperial family has an agreement with the Zhang family. The Zhang family has no say in who my Zhu family invites to be the national advisor."
"As for the court officials, you need not worry. Your abilities are evident to all the generals and soldiers. You have made great contributions, and being appointed as the National Preceptor is well-deserved." Zhu Qiyu saw that Pan Yun's expression was indifferent, not so much that he was worried about the court officials' disagreement, but rather that he himself did not want the position.
He paused, then asked, "Don't you want to be the Imperial Advisor?"
Pan Yun: "What benefits would I get from being the Imperial Advisor?"
Zhu Qiyu: "You have traveled thousands of miles to help the country in its time of crisis, I thought..."
"You think I have something to ask for, that I crave power?"
Zhu Qiyu remained silent.
Pan Yun pointed to his chest and said, "Heaven's will has turned against me; I almost died."
Zhu Qiyu looked at her, his mouth moving, but he couldn't say a word.
Pan Yun: "The Duke of Yingguo had already retired from office, no longer leading troops or participating in politics. He knew that he was destined to die. At the age of seventy, he still rode up to draw away the enemy troops for the late emperor and fought until he was exhausted. He did it for the emperor, but not only for the emperor."
"I am far inferior to the Duke of England, but I know that it is the duty of every citizen to defend our territory and protect our country."
Zhu Qiyu's heart skipped a beat, his fists clenched slightly, and he couldn't help but take a step forward, staring intently at her: "As the Imperial Advisor, you are protecting the country!"
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Esen has run out of bargaining chips. You have taken over in this time of crisis. As long as you guard the borders, you can secure the Ming Dynasty and the country will be safe."
Zhu Qiyu shook his head and said in a deep voice, "It's just a framework. If the Ming Dynasty doesn't break through this calamity, there will be no peace on the northern border. There's also unrest in Luchuan. General Wang Ji is currently guarding the southwest with a large army, but he's already old. Once he... the southern border of the Ming Dynasty will also be in chaos. Not to mention, due to years of war, the people are burdened with heavy taxes, and there are alternating floods and droughts in Jiangnan. Deng Maoqi's rebellion in Fujian is still not quelled, and there's a trend of following suit in Jiangnan. Once news of my brother's murder spreads, I'm afraid the rebellions within the Ming Dynasty will..." Pan Yun murmured, "I'm afraid they'll ignite like wild grass meeting a raging fire, impossible to extinguish."
Zhu Qiyu nodded repeatedly, looking at her expectantly: "That's why I asked the Imperial Advisor for help. I... I am not as smart and decisive as my elder brother. Even he... I'm afraid it will be even more difficult for me to control the government and govern the country well."
If Pan Yun hadn't so firmly declared that he would become an emperor who would go down in history, he wouldn't have had the confidence to become emperor.
It's too difficult, too terrifying.
Ever since Yu Qian received the Empress Dowager's decree, he had been filled with unease. If Yu Qian hadn't kept telling him to keep his eyes wide open and not watch the country fall and his family perish, he wouldn't have become emperor.
Zhu Qiyu was raised as a wise prince from a young age.
His lifelong goal was to become the uncle of King Xiang.
Because Pan Yun was the first person to predict that he would become emperor, his trust in Pan Yun surpassed that of Yu Qian and other court officials.
Moreover, Pan Yun almost died trying to save her brother, the emperor.
She knew that her brother could not be saved, and that he would succeed her as emperor, yet she was still willing to risk her life to save him and make one last effort. How could he not be moved by such a loyal and patriotic person?
If all the officials accompanying the emperor were aware of this, my elder brother would...
Zhu Qiyu shook his head, dismissing the assumption in his mind.
He knew they had failed in their duties, but they were forced into it by circumstances.
The main responsibility for the emperor's personal command of the expedition lies with his elder brother.
According to Chen Xun and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's reports, this tragedy could have been avoided if the Emperor had listened more to the advice of his court officials.
However, the court officials' tendency to seek personal gain and avoid harm, especially the initial collective silence of the military generals, chilled Zhu Qiyu's heart. He desperately needed someone by his side to give him strength.
He wanted to be too modest, but the first person that came to mind was Pan Yun.
He stared intently at Pan Yun and promised, "As long as you are willing to become the Imperial Preceptor, I will do everything in my power to help you cultivate and attain immortality."
Pan Yun couldn't help but chuckle: "You must have asked the Imperial Observatory and the old masters in the palace before you came, right? Do you know what I'm cultivating?"
Zhu Qiyu: "Merit and virtue."
Pan Yun: "Those who cultivate merit will be punished by Heaven if they waste the nation's resources on their own spiritual practice."
Zhu Qiyu scratched his head. What should he do?
Pan Yun nodded and said, "But you are right. If I am fortunate enough to attain immortality in this life, the only way is to serve the country. Merit is people's faith. Is there anything that can gain the people's faith more than being the national advisor?"
Zhu Qiyu's eyes lit up: "You agreed?"
Pan Jun nodded: "I agree."
She pointed to the sky and said, "Because he broke the rules first. Even the Oirats have a national advisor, how can our Great Ming not have one?"
Zhu Qiyu followed her finger and saw a golden bowl suspended in mid-air, gleaming with golden light as it blocked the cannons that were firing at him.
Zhu Qiyu frowned: "That's the Oirat Lama who seriously injured the Imperial Preceptor?"
“Yes.” Pan Jun nodded.
Zhu Qiyu felt that he wasn't inviting a national advisor, but rather playing house with them. Pan Yun agreed because of his ambition that "the Oirats have it, how can the Ming Dynasty not?"
Zhu Qiyu looked at Pan Yun, who was younger than him, and sighed. "Never mind, as long as we can get him, who cares how we managed to get him?"
(End of this chapter)