On the morning of this day, the weather was fine, and Emperor Jianping was in a rare good mood, and he was slowly walking in the imperial garden with the support of the eunuch Ma Desheng. He saw that the flowers were beginning to wither near the end of summer, and he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental when he thought of his physical condition, and sighed and said, "Desheng, you have been following me for more than forty years, right?" ”

Ma Desheng replied softly: "The master is really good to remember*** I have been following you since I was twelve years old, and I have been serving you for forty-five years. ”

Emperor Jianping looked at the eunuch Ma Desheng's already somewhat rickety back, patted it with his hand and said, "Time flies so fast!" I remember teasing you when I first met you. Now that I think about it, I still think it's very interesting. Speaking of this, he also felt a little warm, so he asked casually: "Desheng, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?" ”

Ma Desheng immediately wanted to kneel on the ground, but he was afraid that his master would fall, so he bowed his head and replied: "Thank you, master Longen!" The slave has only one nephew, who is a little relieved, and he was also loved by the master before, and he made up for the lack of a hundred households in brocade clothes. Now I have nothing to worry about, and I just want to serve my master all the time. ”

"Oh." Emperor Jianping continued to walk a few steps and was a little out of breath, so he waved his hand to go to the pavilion next to him to rest. At this time, a eunuch came to report to Ma Desheng.

"Your Majesty, Elder Xia Ge has arrived, isn't this going to let Elder Ge come over?" Ma Desheng saw that the emperor was closing his eyes slightly, and asked in a low voice.

"Well, let Xia Ge Lao come in. I haven't seen him in years. Emperor Jianping sat on the stone bench and rested for a while before he stopped panting.

After a while, Xia Guoyuan came to the pavilion and hurriedly walked into the pavilion and bowed down to greet the emperor. "The old minister Xia Guoyuan is loved by the emperor and has come to visit. Long live my emperor, long live! ”

Before Xia Guoyuan's body was completely bent down, Emperor Jianping had already stood up from the stool to support him, and said with a smile: "Why is Master Xia so polite? Even if it is a salute, it should be a disciple salute. ”

"The old minister doesn't dare!" Xia Guoyuan straightened up and stood beside him with his hands tied.

Emperor Jianping sighed and said, "I haven't seen you for a few years, and Master Xia has also become estranged from me. I also haven't seen Master Xia for many years, and I often think of your earnest teachings, so I want to listen to them in person again. I also hope that Master Xia will not blame me for delaying you to enjoy the fun of teasing Sun. ”

Xia Guoyuan hurriedly bowed down and replied, "How dare the old minister do such a thought!" His Majesty remembered it, and the old minister admired God's grace. ”

After the two sat down, they began to talk about the past. Because he deliberately avoided awkward topics, the atmosphere of his speech was quite harmonious. After a while, Emperor Jianping asked, "Master Xia, I heard a report from the eunuch that you were assassinated on the way to Beijing, can you have such a thing?" ”

Xia Guoyuan said with a straight face: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern!" Lao Chen's entry into Beijing did encounter some twists and turns, first because he encountered the owner of the ship and was killed when he was on the boat, and then he was detained by the Yangzhou prefect. And then ......"

Emperor Jianping suddenly slapped the white marble table in front of him, and said angrily: "How can this be true! No one inside and outside the government and the opposition would do such a thing if they didn't know that Master Xia was highly respected and had a noble character. Liu Mingcheng was unclear, and he dared to slander Master Xia, and I had to issue an order to reprimand him. Come! cough cough cough ......"

Xia Guoyuan saw the eunuch Ma Desheng next to him bring tea and serve the emperor to take the medicine, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, don't be angry, take care of the dragon's body!" Then he dissuaded: "The old minister has the courage to ask Your Majesty to take back his life!" According to the old minister's opinion, Liu Mingcheng, the prefect of Yangzhou, should seek his own government in his position. Since the old minister is suspicious, it is also the proper meaning of the question for him to detain the old minister to help find out the truth. If Your Majesty issued an order to reprimand, wouldn't it chill the hearts of the loyal courtiers in the world? It's okay for the old minister to be wronged, but he can't let the rest of the ministers misunderstand His Majesty's sage. If this is the case, the old minister will die! ”

Emperor Jianping said with some hesitation: "Master Xia is right, it is really a good word for the country. That...... I can only grieve Master Xia first. However, this matter will really allow Liu Mingcheng to investigate thoroughly, and Master Xia must not be tarnished. Then he asked, "What's next?" After receiving a report that Master Xia had been assassinated and his whereabouts were unknown, I immediately ordered several worshippers in the palace to assist the Criminal Department in the investigation, but so far no clues have been found. ”

Xia Guoyuan still had some palpitations when he thought of the current situation, but he still said calmly: "Your Majesty, after the old minister received the holy decree, he immediately set off for Beijing with Gonggong Wang, who passed on the decree. Out of Yangzhou Mansion, on the official road that was about to reach the realm of Yizhen, more than a dozen people suddenly rushed out of the woods to assassinate Lao Chen and Wang Gonggong. Gong ** died in battle, and the old minister's family guards also suffered heavy casualties. Before Gong ** Feng died in battle, he protected Lao Chen and Wang Gonggong and fought and retreated, and finally desperately stopped the assassin, and Lao Chen and Wang Gonggong escaped separately. ”

Emperor Jianping's face turned pale when he heard this, and he didn't expect that someone would dare to blatantly attack and stab the court elder he wanted to see. Even if this elder is no longer in his position, it is an offense to his majesty. He clenched his teeth and wanted to breathe fire, as if he was about to explode at any time, but in the end he still said in a deep voice: "Master Xia, I will explain this matter." No matter who is involved, I will not spare it! ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Ronne!"

Speaking of this, the atmosphere suddenly became a little solemn. Emperor Jianping waved his hand to let Ma Desheng go down, and said solemnly after a while: "Master Xia, I was also taken care of and assisted by you to sit on the throne back then, and I have always remembered it. ”

Xia Guoyuan hurriedly bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, don't torture the old minister. Your Majesty's ascension to the throne is the destiny of heaven and the will of the people, and the old minister will never dare to be greedy for the merits of heaven. ”

Emperor Jianping picked up Xia Guoyuan and said, "Master Xia, you listen to me first." How I got to the throne back then, I know better than anyone else. Let's not talk about that. This time, I summoned Master Xia to Beijing, not for myself, but for the community. The crown prince is only six years old this year, which is the age of entering school. I don't feel at ease when this matter is handed over to others, so I want to ask Master Xia to deign to teach the prince, just like he did when he taught me. ”

Xia Guoyuan hurriedly bowed down again, and said in a panicked tone: "Your Majesty has tormented the old minister. The old minister is over seventy years old and physically and mentally exhausted, although he has the heart to share his majesty's worries, but he is afraid that his energy will not be enough to live up to the grace of the saint and delay the prince's progress, and he is really panicked. I also ask Your Majesty to order the selection of the wise to teach them. ”

Emperor Jianping said in a slightly eager tone: "Master Xia, please also think of the world's society, don't shirk!" ”

"Your Majesty, it is precisely because of the world's social interests that the old minister does not dare to agree to this matter at will. The crown prince is the most important person in the future, and he should recruit virtuous and skilled people in the imperial court, how can he teach it privately because of his feelings. ”

Emperor Jianping saw that he couldn't persuade Xia Guoyuan, so he turned to look at the microwave of the pond outside the pavilion. After a while, he said in a light tone: "Master Xia, what you encountered this time is not accidental, someone has already begun to move. Besides, I'm afraid my time is running out. Do you know what I mean? ”

Xia Guoyuan looked at the emperor with a shocked face, and said urgently: "Your Majesty is at the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period, but his health is slightly ill, and he will recover in a few days, how can he say such a thing?" ”