But only Ji Qingwen, who was supposed to be the protagonist, maintained restraint and calmness.

He waited for everyone to finish speaking, and then he said to Emperor Chongzhen: "The emperor's kindness, Weichen will die hard to repay." But the minister would rather not have this title, and ask the emperor to promise me one thing. ”

As a courtier, he bargained with the emperor, which was the first in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen was also a little confused when he heard this, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

Fortunately, when Emperor Chongzhen was looking up to Ji Qingwen now, he could barely hold back, squeezed a smile on his face, and said: "You Ji Qingwen has a lot of things, if there is anything, you can tell it first." ”

Ji Qingwen said: "No, this matter is too big, so big that it is all over the world, only the emperor can give me this face." Therefore, the minister asked the emperor to agree first, and the minister made a request. Please also ask the emperor to give permission. ”

Emperor Chongzhen is not a stupid person, and his temperament is not so cheerful and tolerant, as soon as he heard Ji Qingwen's words, he was playing a trick on himself, so he immediately refuted Ji Qingwen's request and said: "Ji Qingwen, you are also a business official, when have you ever heard of the first deal, then the bargain?" If you like to mention your things, just mention them, and forget it if you don't mention them......"

Your Majesty, you don't play cards according to the routine!

Ji Qingwen immediately had such a thought in his heart. According to the various TV dramas in later generations, isn't it every time the courtiers first lied to the emperor and made a holy decree, and then the courtiers said their requests, and then blocked the emperor's mouth with a sentence of "Jun has no jokes", and finally shook a few wits, Emperor Bo smiled, is the matter done?

Why is this Emperor Chongzhen different from the TV series, as soon as he opened his mouth, he smashed Ji Qingwen's little abacus, so how can Ji Qingwen go on?

However, this matter was something that Ji Qingwen had to try, so he could only bite the bullet and say: "Since the emperor wants me to make a price, the minister can only dare to make a price." Please take back my title, and in exchange, please pardon Yuan Chonghuan for all his sins, let him make meritorious contributions to the court! ”

Everyone present—starting with Emperor Chongzhen, to the three cabinet ministers, to the eunuchs who were waiting on the side—no one expected that Ji Qingwen would mention such a tricky figure as Yuan Chonghuan at this time, and for a while, the huge Qianqing Palace was filled with an air that was almost frozen in silence.

After a while, Emperor Chongzhen reacted and asked again confirmatively: "Ji Qingwen, you tell me clearly, what do you want me to do?" ”

Ji Qingwen had already felt the drastic change in the atmosphere, but since his words had been spoken, there was no reason to take them back, so he could only repeat the request just now: "The minister asks the emperor to pardon Yuan Chonghuan, in exchange, the minister would rather not have this title." ”

Only then did Emperor Chongzhen confirm Ji Qingwen's request, and his face, which was still a little childish, was immediately covered with anger, and he scolded: "Okay, you Ji Qingwen." It is my proposition to give you a knighthood. You don't know, in order to put this lord's hat on your head, I don't know how many times I have discussed with these cabinet ministers, and how much pressure and criticism from the government and the opposition have withstood it...... This is my benevolence, and it is also the name of the imperial court

Utensil. It's good for you to do business with it, and you're bargaining with me, do you still know that the sky is high and the earth is thick? ”

The sky, that is, the atmosphere, is about a thousand kilometers at an altitude; The earth, that is, the earth's crust, is about seventeen kilometers thick.

If it is placed in the 21st century, Ji Qingwen has a computer, mobile phone or tablet with the Internet at hand, and as long as it takes a minute to Baidu to click, he can know that "the sky is high and the earth is thick".

But he was now in the late Ming Dynasty of the seventeenth century, and he had neither advanced equipment nor the possibility of fighting the feudal imperial power on his own—at least not now.

However, Ji Qingwen still had to argue on the issue of Yuan Chonghuan, and said: "Your Majesty, it's not that the minister doesn't know that the sky is high and the earth is thick, but it is really Yuan Chonghuan who has great talents, and although he is guilty, he is not guilty to death. Therefore, please also ask the emperor to see that Yuan Chonghuan once killed the enemy chief Nurhachi on the battlefield, spare Yuan Chonghuan's life first, and let him make meritorious service for his crimes......"

Before Ji Qingwen finished speaking, he was interrupted by Emperor Chongzhen: "Ridiculous, who said that I was going to kill Yuan Chonghuan?" Now it's just a matter of handing over the crime to the Criminal Department, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Dali Temple, because Yuan Chonghuan is a military general, maybe the military department will be implicated in the trial together. A major case like Yuan Chonghuan will be tried for a long time, and if the results of the imperial examination will be completed next year, his case may not be completed. Even if the trial is over, how to deal with Yuan Chonghuan will have to be decided after listening to his words and observing his deeds. Now that the case of Yuan Chonghuan is being tried, the eight characters have not been skimmed, so where can we talk about the word 'kill'? ”

Hearing this, Ji Qingwen realized that he had made a preconceived mistake.

He crossed over from the afterlife and knew that Yuan Chonghuan was killed by Emperor Chongzhen, so in his heart, he had already tacitly acquiesced that Emperor Chongzhen would not let Yuan Chonghuan go, so he blurted out that Chongzhen would kill Yuan Chonghuan, causing him to make a logical mistake.

But Ji Qingwen's words had already been spoken, and it was too late to change his words, so he could only shake his wit, lift a bowl of dirty water and splash it on Wen Tiren's head, and said, "That's Weichen's gaffe." However, on the way to Beijing, Weichen didn't know how many people had said that it was the cabinet of the Cabinet Wen Tiren, who strongly advocated killing Yuan Chonghuan, but the other two cabinet elders had no objections...... Your Majesty, although Yuan Chonghuan's personality is not pleasing to people, but after all, he worships with his ministers under the old superintendent Sun Chengzong, and the ministers really can't bear to watch this fellow brother suffer, so he said these heartfelt words to the emperor. ”

Ji Qingwen thought that he had said these words very satisfactorily, but unexpectedly, Emperor Chongzhen did not answer his stubble at all, and asked, "Oh? Looking for you to say this, Teacher Sun Chengzong's proposition is also to forgive Yuan Chonghuan's sins? ”

Ji Qingwen replied: "Back to the emperor, the minister only came to Beijing yesterday afternoon, and he didn't have time to meet the officials of the DPRK and China, let alone visit the teacher Sun Chengzong who was far away from the customs. His old man's opinion is not sure of the minister, but it is just inferred from common sense. If the emperor really wants to know Mr. Sun's opinion, the minister would rather run a few more steps, so he will go to the gate and ask the emperor for ......"

Who knew that Emperor Chongzhen was not entangled in Sun Chengzong's opinions and opinions, but actually changed the topic again and said: "Ji Qingwen, you are not honest!" It is true that you entered Beijing yesterday afternoon to settle down, but it is not that you have never seen the officials in the imperial court! ”

As he spoke, Chongzhen stretched out his long and thin fingers, pointed at Xu Guangqi, who was standing aside, and said, "Ji Qingwen, Xu Lao Aiqing is a cabinet scholar, a pivotal figure in the court, you saw him last night." How? Have you forgotten all about your bad memory? ”

Ji Qingwen was sweating profusely and looked confused when asked by Emperor Chongzhen, and thought to himself:

When Xu Guangqi came to Yunlai Inn to see himself, he only brought a housekeeper and four palanquin men with him, it seems that they are all old people who Xu Guangqi has raised for decades, and it should not be to the point of selling the owner to seek glory, not to mention betraying Xu Guangqi to meet his movements, and he can't ask for much benefit. Since it's not that the people on Xu Guangqi's side are talkative, it's the people on his side who leaked the news.

Who's talking too much?

Ji Qingwen searched urgently in his mind, and felt that it was still the ghost of Jinyiwei commanding Li Yuanyin. This person was still able to bow down to Ji Qingwen when he was in Jiangnan, but now that he has run to the capital, Luo Yangxing, Emperor Chongzhen and countless other bosses are here, Li Yuanyin, who is a senior officer of Jinyiwei, is afraid that his style and position will change.

Ji Qingwen was thinking about Li Yuanyin, and Xu Guangqi, the other protagonist of last night's private meeting, was already explaining to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, last night, the old minister went to see Lord Ji. However, the emperor should know something about the friendship between the old minister and Lord Ji. The old minister didn't take him as an official in Beijing yesterday, and he didn't take the old man in the old city, the two of us are old friends of the same generation, and sometimes we are wandering, and even if we are court officials of each other, we have forgotten ......"

"Humph! Forgot? Chongzhen sneered, "What about the 'Ji Party'?" You might as well explain it to me? Oh, you don't have a good memory, maybe you forgot about it? ”