The annex has become an almost forgotten corner. The four masters and servants did not come out, and except for the food delivery person of Xianxi Palace who entered and exited the courtyard three times a day, and the queen mother visited Zhu Qiming every three or five times, almost no outsiders came to visit.

Zhu Qiming can also endure loneliness, spending a small amount of time reading every day, and spending most of his time practicing martial arts. Ling Xu's Daoist occasionally appeared to give a pointer or two, and when he left, he would always demean his swordsmanship and body skills, and never praised him. Over time, he didn't have any extravagant hopes for this mysterious female crown, and after listening to too many bad words, he would get used to it, and always felt that it was a part of life.

His only distress is that the news is blocked, and he does not know anything about the evolution of the general trend in the world.

"Your Highness, please."

Xi Wu was sweating, and after bathing and changing clothes, he heard the sound of Mama Cui's meal, and he moved into the dining room.

"See His Royal Highness King Yue."

Red knotweed? Zhu Qiming sat down and saw that the red knotweed was making vegetables, and his proficiency and elegance were unmatched even if he looked at the entire Forbidden City. This achievement of the red knotweed represents the highest level of banquet in the court.

"Why are you here to deliver food today?"

But seeing that the posture is swaying, the fingers are moving, and the sound is extremely subtle when the plate is put on the case, and the spacing of the plate is just right, and the shape is placed like a plum blossom.

"The Empress Dowager is not in good health, there are a lot of miscellaneous things in the palace to be taken care of by the Empress Dowager, and the slave maid is the maid in charge of the Xianxi Palace, and there is always a time to be convenient. Besides, isn't the plum gone? ”

Zhu Qiming glanced outside the door of the dining room, and saw that Grandma Cui, Yin'er, and Qu Qing had not appeared, "In this way, does the female Zhuge have something to teach this king?" ”

"Don't dare." Hong Zhi stood solemnly, "His Royal Highness lives in a secluded courtyard, and he can ignore the things outside the window, but the southeast coast and the north are quietly changing, and some things are just commonplace for the monarchs and ministers of the court, just as it is an ordinary thing, but for His Highness, it is a different matter." ”

Zhu Qiming took off his golden mask and saw that Hongli was not frightened, so he started to eat. "This king can't control so much."

"It's good to listen to it, too. Not long ago, the Japanese invaders broke through the Qianhu Wei of Dasong, Zhejiang, and all the commanders at that time were off their posts, and if it were not for the local people's strong resistance, the thieves would probably spread to many states and counties. ”

Zhu Qiming threw himself in, "Hundreds of thousands of troops are trapped in Yunnan and can't get out of their hands, and there are Japanese robbers on the southeast coast, at this time, the north will definitely not be able to withstand any wind and grass." ”

"The Korean envoy Cui Shikang has just entered Beijing, and according to him, the Jurchen tribes secretly colluded with Warat, and Warat lured North Korea through the Jurchens and wanted to force North Korea to attach itself to Warat, but Li Yan categorically refused."

"Is the words of the Korean envoy credible?"

"There is news from Liaodong to corroborate. The Wuliang Ha Sanwei, who had been attached to Warat, colluded with the savage Jurchen to invade Liaodong, and the situation in Liaodong was turbulent. ”

Zhu Qiming got up and left the case, "Is there a good plan for the DPRK and China?" ”

"A good idea?" Hongli shook her head, "On the day of the Double Ninth Festival, the monarchs and ministers are still holding a feast, and there is a scene of singing and dancing everywhere, and no one is worried about the invasion of the Vara step by step. ”

Zhu Qiming lost his appetite, picked up the golden mask and put it on his head, "Disaster is not far away, why is the DPRK so calm?" ”

"There is a lot of resources, and there is room for compromise. The central government and the central government had agreed to increase the number of personnel in the Warat mission to 300 people. ”

"Three hundred!" Zhu Qiming secretly gritted his teeth, "The reward of three hundred people, plus the profits from shoddy tributary trade, is enough to pay taxes for more than half of the rich provinces for a year!" ”

"The appetite of the Warat people is very great, and every time a mission enters Beijing, the number of them is far more than three hundred. The monarchs and ministers of the court are making trouble for this, so let them do their own thing, for fear of causing a boiling of discussions; Drive away the extra personnel, and fear that they will be at odds with Warat. Therefore, the DPRK and China set an expedient measure, that is, to persuade the Warat mission to keep the extra personnel in the area of Maoerzhuang on the border, and be entertained by the Ming Dynasty. ”

"Persuade?" Zhu Qiming suddenly felt extremely depressed, and his heart was full of deep disappointment, "If you retreat again and again, how can you still look like a dignified country!" ”

Hongli hesitated for a moment, "The slave said these things to make His Highness understand that since the court has chosen to compromise Gou'an, it will be able to last more or less for a few years, and within a few years, His Highness will become an idler, living in the Forbidden City may lead to the deepening of the gap between His Highness and the monarchs and ministers of the court, and the two roads of returning to the Yue Mansion to live and going to the vassal are not working, I hope Your Highness will make plans early!" ”

Zhu Qiming looked at the red knotweed, but did not speak.

"If the Empress Dowager can survive this catastrophe safely, Her Royal Highness will not have to worry. However, in case ······" Hong Lian paused, omitting the taboo words in the back, "The Empress Dowager can't worry too much, the only thoughts are spent on the Son of Heaven, and she has no time to take care of internal and external troubles. Therefore, it is time for Your Highness to plan for yourself! ”

Hongli resigned, and Zhu Qiming sat down dejectedly.

"Mama Cui!"

Mama Cui entered, "What does Your Highness command?" ”

"How is the Empress Dowager doing?"

Mama Cui sighed, "The Empress Dowager is not hesitating, Your Highness don't go to Qingning Palace to ask for peace, so as not to make the Empress Dowager feel uncomfortable when she sees it." ”

Thinking about the Empress Dowager's condition, Zhu Qiming was upset for a while. Although Hongli's kind words made him heartbroken, the Empress Dowager is his last dear relative in the world, as a grandson, he should be filial, and he still has to wait for the Empress Dowager to speak on which road he will take in the future, how can he have any opinions at this time?

I hope the Empress Dowager will recover!

Winter in the capital comes very early, and after days of strong winds, the temperature plummets, and scattered snowflakes float in the sky. The Empress Dowager's condition also worsened as the weather worsened.

On the third day of October in the seventh year of orthodoxy, the Empress Dowager was in great trouble, and the monarchs and ministers of the court held a grand prayer ceremony in the Taimiao.

On October 18, Zhu Qiming was introduced to Qingning Palace early in the morning. As soon as I entered the inner room, I saw that there were only a few people in the room, including the emperor, the queen mother, Wang Zhen and two elderly grandmothers. The Empress Dowager was lying flat on the couch, her face was sallow, and her eye sockets were deep.

He faintly realized something, and his nose began to pantothenic.

The Empress Dowager leaned close to the Empress Dowager's ear, "Empress Dowager, Qi Ming is here." Then he beckoned to Zhu Qiming and motioned for him to step forward.

Zhu Qiming knelt in front of the couch and held the hand of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager's eyelids moved, but she couldn't open them.

"Let······ Feng Duo······ Follow ······ You. ”

Zhu Qiming lowered his head, and tears fell straight down.

"You ······ Be kind to ······ Qi Ming! ”

But seeing the Empress Dowager's head tilted slightly, a grandmother stepped forward to check on it, and after a while, she cried out with a "woo". Suddenly, there was a cry in the room.

Zhu Qiming's mind was completely confused, and tears fell down his eyes. Even at this time, he did not forget the strict palace rules, the empress dowager collapsed, and the palace concubines wanted to come to pay respects to the remains, and then they had to be buried, so he had to avoid it.

With tears in his eyes, he got up and walked out of Qingning Palace, and Wang Zhen's voice came from behind him.

"The Empress Dowager's will: I have been with Emperor Renzong for more than 30 years since Hongwu, and I have been alive for eight out of ten years. The emperor is smart, filial, benevolent, and courageous, and the civil and military ministers inside and outside the country should be sincerely counseled. Those who are in the world are the world of their ancestors; The military and the people, the soldiers and civilians of the ancestors, only love people is the foundation of protecting the country, and only benevolence is the way to love others. Emperor Xianzuo, the ministers of Erqun, practiced benevolent government, and were loyal to the honest and honest, diligent and prudent, and had a few grams. ”

"The palace affairs are punished by the queen mother, and the concubines must obey the precepts of the emperor and must not interfere in national affairs."

"I have no virtue, and after the lower body is gone, the mourning clothes are all in accordance with the edict of Emperor Renzong, and the day is changed to the month, and the twenty-seventh day is removed, and the crying will stop for three days, and the monarchs and ministers are the same, and they must not be violated."

"The emperor should remember the importance of all opportunities, and the ministers should comfort together, do not have to mourn, and listen to the government after three days of service······"

Walking on the palace road in a daze, he suddenly heard a cry like tearing his liver and lungs, and looked at it with teary eyes, and vaguely saw that it was the figure of Jingci Immortal Master.

The Empress Dowager put all her thoughts on the Son of Heaven before she died, and even the testament was devoted to the Son of Heaven, but he, the prince, was helpless from then on, and every word and deed in the future, no matter how serious the consequences were, had to be fought alone, and the days of hiding under the big tree to enjoy the shade are gone!

Of course, he was much luckier than the poor Jingci Immortal Master. The imperial grandmother entrusted him to the queen mother early, and left the last words of "you treat Qi Ming well", with these talismans, no matter how much tribulation there is in the future, you will not be able to go anywhere!

And the Jingci Immortal Master has nothing to rely on!

Back in the courtyard, when Mama Cui saw him like that, they all hid their faces and cried······ And Ling Xudao left a letter without saying goodbye, saying that the Empress Dowager was newly mourned, and the Forbidden City was heavily guarded, so there was no need for her to stay in the other courtyard.

In the following days, for the funeral of the Empress Dowager, he was passed around every day by the inner servants, until the end of November, after the mourning period expired and he was discharged.

On this day, he was passed to the temple by the chamberlain.

Walking into the temple and taking a few slow steps, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. There was a large group of women gathered in the hall, and their peerless appearance could not be concealed in plain clothes.

"Qin's funeral was unceremonious, and he should be severely punished!"

Oh my God, this is Concubine Zhou's voice!

"Her Royal Highness the Queen, the concubine has not lost her manners, I hope Your Highness will investigate it carefully!"

Zhu Qiming glanced over there in a daze, and saw the Qin family kneeling on the ground, and in a sneer from Concubine Zhou, the queen slowly turned around, and her indifferent expression showed that she had an impartial decision in her heart, but the impartiality at this moment would probably be unfair to the Qin family!

Could it be that after getting used to nature, I inadvertently fell into the way of others? Zhu Qiming was shocked in his heart, and he didn't dare to look at the concubine again, so he wanted to turn around and leave the palace, away from the land of right and wrong. However, it was too late!

There was the scream of the concubine behind him, and the figure in front of him flickered, and the emperor walked into the hall quickly, staring at Zhu Qiming with a heart-piercing chill in his eyes, "This is also where you can come?" Don't get out of here! ”

Zhu Qiming didn't have time to give a salute, so he ran out of the palace in the cold wind. The emperor's roar caught up.

"Lu Xi is incompetent, he has no way to teach, and he has the face to stay in the Hanlin Academy!"