Ji Hongye went to the palace to face the saint, he was wearing a crimson first-class official uniform, standing in front of Emperor Yonglong, quiet and indifferent, as beautiful as a pine and cypress.

Emperor Yonglong's originally gloomy expression gradually became clearer. He looked at Ji Hongye, and his voice was hoarse: "Ji Qing, my day is not far away, do you have anything to say to me." ”

Ji Hongye arched his hand and was respectful: "Holy teachings." ”

Emperor Yonglong has been sick for many years, and his spirit has long been consumed. Especially in the past six months, he has become more and more powerless.

Seeing his own image in the mirror sometimes makes him at a loss, that old-fashioned person, is it really him?

He was also high-spirited, and he had the same enviable appearance as the young man in front of him, and he had a talent that made everyone jealous. It's a pity that in the end, it was still worn out by time.

"Every time I see you, I think of myself when I was younger. Speaking of which, it's a sad thing. ”

Ji Hongye listened quietly, and he could guess what Emperor Yonglong wanted to say to him. also knows that he wants to let himself judge his life. It's a pity that he didn't intend to say. Some words are better to bury in your heart and not show others.

"It is said that people are going to die, and their words are good. I have something to say to you, I hope it will help you. ”

It stands to reason that Ji Hongye should show panic at this time. After all, the person who told him now that he was dying was the most honorable person in the entire Daning.

Daning, as the most powerful country in this land, the lord of Daning, has always looked at all living beings with a contemptuous attitude.

Such a man says that he is going to die, and what can anyone who hears his words say but that he is eternal?

Ji Hongye is not an ordinary person, and of course he can't say such a thing. He is a scholar, and he is a scholar who understands the righteousness of sages and sages, and he has a pure and lofty spirit in his bones.

This temperament is what sets him apart. Many people who read books will follow his example and will want to be like him. And those who chase the center of power will also envy him.

Emperor Yonglong is envious of Ji Hongye, even if what he says is unpleasant, even if he can't flatter, even if he doesn't even look down on his ninth princess......

Emperor Yonglong still likes this man because he is different, because he has something in him that he does not have. To be exact, Ji Hongye has something in him that he once had, but lost in the end.

It is precisely because of such a nostalgic feeling that Emperor Yonglong will be particularly fond of Ji Hongye. I am also willing to share it with such a person in my last time.

"When I was in the dragon, I also wanted to be a virtuous minister, who could serve the country and the people, who could be sincerely admired, and who could leave a strong mark in the history books, rather than an inscription about the emperor. ”

Emperor Yonglong sighed when he said this, and his tone was mixed with regret: "Ji Qing, if I said that I was forced to sit on this dragon chair helplessly, do you believe it or not?"

"What the Holy God says, the minister naturally believes. ”

Emperor Yonglong stared at him, a hint of majesty in his cloudy pupils. This majesty is mixed with danger, like an eagle soaring high in the sky, staring at its prey on the ground.

It is a pity that this majesty is only for a moment, and it is soon dull in the mud. Emperor Yonglong thought, this young cabinet chief assistant is probably the son of destiny, otherwise how could it be at the right time?

If Ji Hongye could be born a few years earlier, he would catch up with the time when he was most suspicious and had the strongest desire to control. He thought he wouldn't let him sit in the position he was in.

Emperor Yonglong himself knew that for a period of time, he couldn't look down on others. There are thousands of students who take the exam, and those who can go to the palace exam are definitely the best.

They must not be from a bad background, and they have some talent, such a person must be high-minded, and it is difficult to follow the crowd.

He doesn't like to see such people, especially not, so he wants to turn them into obedient, even puppets. No one could resist his position, and no one could control his imperial technique.

He happily repeated the same thing, turning students with dreams into service machines in the end. Let them experience exclusion and dumping in the court, and let them become the same.

Of course, there were people who fought during this period, but those who chose to fight did not end well. Exile is their best place, some of them cost their lives, and some of them were even punished by the Nine Clans.

If Ji Hongye appeared at that time, his fate would probably be the same as those who resisted. All at once, he fell from the clouds to the dust, and was wantonly mutilated like an ant.

When Emperor Yonglong found out that he was thinking like this, he was a little excited. He didn't know what he was excited about, but when he thought that the young man in front of him would bow to him, he would inexplicably have a sense of accomplishment.

"Do you really believe that I was forced to do so?"

"Believe. "Ji Hongye's appearance doesn't look like he's lying, and he's not tending to be inflammatory. He is like this, standing there calmly, he can also make people feel that the gentleman is frank and open, and he is really temperamental.

"Why do you believe it?" Emperor Yonglong touched the armrest of the chair, which was engraved with dragon patterns, and only he, the Ninety-Five Supreme, could be worthy of it.

"Because I know something from the past. ”

Emperor Yonglong's eyes suddenly lit up, faintly revealing incredible. He looked at Ji Hongye, as if he was watching with all his strength.

Is anyone really aware of the past?

"You say. ”

Ji Hongye still looked very calm under his gaze, and he said respectfully: "The minister doesn't dare." ”

"What I asked you to say, naturally I won't cure your crimes, why don't you dare?" Emperor Yonglong didn't seem to feel that it was enough when he said this, and said: "With your current status, I can't do it even if I want to cure your crimes. ”

This is where Emperor Yonglong is unwilling. He is the lord of Daning, and anyone should be a slave who does things for him, but one day he finds that someone is not under his control.

He always wanted balance, wanted all the people to share power, wanted them to keep each other in check. Only in this way will these people be able to be controlled by him, and they will do things for him completely, without dissent.

Even if they have different hearts, they can't resist, because he won't give them much power. But unconsciously, Ji Hongye, the first assistant of the cabinet, already had such a great power.

Today's Ji Hongye can be said to be the most powerful minister in the Daning Dynasty, and the only one who can compare with him is only Zong Xuanyi. Zong Xuanyi is also righteous and evil, ruthless, and even more difficult to control.

Emperor Yonglong didn't like these two people, and originally wanted them to fight, but they were not as easy to control as others, so he actually stopped fighting in private.

He knew they must have reached some agreement, which he would not have allowed. However, he was already powerless, and even if he knew it in his heart, he was powerless to stop it.

"Ji Qing, I know that this person is a person who loves talents, but if he has a bit of talent, I will be more tolerant. If I ask you to say it, you will say it, and it is an offense, and I will not blame you. ”

Ji Hongye knew that Emperor Yonglong must not like to hear him say this, but it was difficult to disobey the holy order. He could only say slowly: "When the Holy Hidden Dragon was talented, he was well-known in the community. At that time, a poem by the saint could be sought after by all students.

Probably because of the tree's big wind, the saint was envied and wrongfully imprisoned, and he was also sentenced to be beheaded. became the first prince to be sentenced to death since the founding of our Daning Dynasty.

The minister thought that at that time, the saint should have cared about his sibling affection and was unwilling to resist, otherwise he would not have remained silent all the time. It wasn't until Concubine Yu died that the saint began to find a way out for himself. ”

In Emperor Yonglong's originally cloudy eyes, a faint flash of tears. He probably also thought about the events of the past, which made him feel painful, so after many years, he still couldn't control his emotions when he heard others talk about old things.

"Then do you know how Concubine Yu died?" Emperor Yonglong's voice was hoarse and trembling, overwhelmed.

Ji Hongye was silent for a moment, of course he knew, and he thought, this was not a secret among the important ministers of the imperial court. It's just that everyone pretends not to know, and he naturally can't say it.

"Concubine Yu was not in good health and died of illness. ”

When Emperor Yonglong heard the word death, he laughed. However, his laughter was rough and poignant, and even mixed with thick mockery, which sounded less like laughter and more like wailing.

"Death, death, death!" After Emperor Yonglong had laughed enough, his voice was a little louder than before, and his hand tightly grasped the armrest of the chair, as if he wanted to imprint the dragon pattern on it in the palm of his hand.

This symbolic thing of power has torn many people beyond recognition. He no longer lives like a human being, more like a machine.

He didn't think so when he was young, but now that the deadline is approaching, he feels that he has come to this world in vain. Joy and sorrow, he didn't, he had nothing but rights.

"I sat in this position for 19 years, conscientious, and born early. But I wanted to give my mother a justice but couldn't, so I could only let the historian record in the palace history that Concubine Yu died of illness.

I, as a son, failed to fulfill my filial piety during her lifetime, and even after her death, I could only give her a false name. I'll tell you how Concubine Yu died. ”

These words, Emperor Yonglong has been pressed in his heart for more than 20 years, he never mentions them to others, but in the dead of night, there is still a desire for these words to be heard.

"It's time for the Holy One to rest. "The truth about Concubine Yu's death, Ji Hongye didn't want to hear it from Emperor Yonglong's mouth. What is there to hear about those scandals in the royal family? Knowing too much will bring trouble to yourself.

"You have to listen. "Although Emperor Yonglong is terminally ill, the imperial qi on his body is not weak at all, and this kind of strength is something that Ji Hongye can't resist.