Zhu Houzhao is not speculating, Emperor Hongzhi is indeed angry. He had always been lenient, and he didn't even listen to the excerpts of the celebrant for this day, so he impatiently ordered them to send all the cabinet votes, and then put on a thick fox fur and took a few eunuchs out of the Qianqing Palace. went to Kunning Palace to visit Empress Zhang, and learned that Zhu Houzhao had not come, but asked Gao Feng to visit and greet him, he didn't understand that his son must have slipped to Xiyuan to watch the excitement, and he was helpless for a while.

He was in a very bad mood and didn't want to go back to the Qianqing Palace like this, so he sat down and played two games of chess with Queen Zhang, and used a bowl of sweet soup, and didn't get up to leave until after Shen Shi, but still didn't go back to the palace, but went straight to the Chengqian Palace for a turn. Knowing that Zhu Houzhao still hadn't returned, he couldn't help but become worried. Finding that the emperor had turned back to Kunning Gate, Sun Hong, who had just been promoted to the left eunuch of the imperial horse prison on the side, but was ordered to serve the Qianqing Palace, immediately took two steps forward and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, this day is gloomy, and it is snowing again, if you want to go to Xiyuan, why don't you call Shangsheng?" ”

His own little calf protection heart was discovered, and Emperor Hongzhi couldn't help frowning, but he still nodded after all. After a while, his shoulders had already been lifted, and as soon as he went up to sit down, a female official from the Kunning Gate hurriedly ran out, and after bowing deeply, she held a hand stove.

"Your Majesty, the queen mother said that Xiyuan is too cold, and she is coughing just right now, so she won't go with you, so as not to go anywhere if you are infected with wind and cold. You hold this hand stove for warmth, and the carrot charcoal in it is fresh, enough for several hours. ”

Listening to Empress Zhang's obviously angry words, Emperor Hongzhi couldn't help but smile bitterly, and ordered someone to take the stove and hold it in his hand, which was really warm. Seeing that the female official could not stand, obviously still waiting for his reply, he thought for a while and said: "Tell the queen, just say that I will come back with the prince in a while, and I will have dinner in Kunning Palace." Tonight, you don't need to wait for the food supervisor, let the small kitchen of Kunning Palace make some stomach warming soup. The prince is playful today, and when he comes back, he will be cold and hungry! ”

The female official was waiting for Emperor Hongzhi's words, and she bowed deeply and agreed, but the corners of her mouth showed a clear smile. As soon as she saw the group leave, she immediately reflexively walked into the Kunning Gate, and after a while, she returned to the East Warm Pavilion of Kunning Palace, and smiled at Queen Zhang, who was full of anxiety: "Niangniang, the emperor said that he would bring His Royal Highness the Crown Prince back in a while, and he would have dinner in Kunning Palace, and he also said that he would let the small kitchen make more stomach warmers." ”

"I know that the envoy has nothing to eat in the Qianqing Palace?" Empress Zhang snorted angrily, but a smile finally appeared on her face, "Tell me to go down and pick the emperor and Houzhao's favorite dishes to ......."

Before he finished speaking, he only heard someone report outside: "Queen Mother, Mrs. Shouninghou and the eldest lady ask to meet." ”

"Why are they here?"

Empress Zhang was extremely puzzled for a while, and after muttering a word to herself, she ordered it to pass in. After a while, the pair of richly dressed mother and daughter entered the East Warm Pavilion, and under the service of the palace maid, they removed the mink fur to warm their foreheads and ears. Emperor Hongzhi courteously treated the queen's maiden family, so Mrs. Shouning Marquis and Mrs. Jianchang Marquis were all banned from nationality, and even the little girls in the family could enter the palace freely. At this time, after Zhang Jingxuan kowtowed to Queen Zhang with her mother, she looked around and asked, "What about Brother Hou?" ”

"Don't mention that leather monkey, it's gone again, his father is looking for someone right now!"

Empress Zhang's mouth was full of anger, but her face was full of smiles, and Mrs. Shouninghou and Zhang Jingxuan looked at what they didn't understand. Without Mrs. Shou Ninghou reaching out to push, Zhang Jingxuan smiled and took Queen Zhang's hand and said, "Seeing my aunt smiling so openly, where would I annoy Brother Hou." Speaking of which, I haven't seen him for a few days, and when I let him go out of the palace and go to the house, I have a lot of new things. ”

The son is getting closer and closer to herself, and Empress Zhang is no longer as worried about Zhu Houzhao as she was in the past when she was far away from the two uncles' houses, and immediately smiled: "The emperor has been staring at him all day these days to go to the Wenhua Hall to listen to lectures, saying that he is not allowed to be absent from rain and snow, and he only grinded me two days ago." As soon as I heard that there was something interesting outside, my heart was scattered again. After a while, I'll let him go to your place to relax. ”

Mrs. Shouninghou entered the palace this time just to mention this matter incidentally, seeing that Queen Zhang said this, she also gave up for the time being, and sent Zhang Jingxuan to go out with a female official to play in a few words, and said with a straight face: "Today, the concubine suddenly came to see Niangniang, because she followed Niangniang's letter last time, and the family gave a lot of gifts to Xing'an Bofu. These days, I heard that the news of that prince is a little bad, and even some people in the family chewed their tongues before, saying that the Hou Ye had befriended such a nouveau riche before, because he intended to marry. ”

"How could this be!" Empress Zhang was shocked and angry for a while, and immediately asked sharply, "What about the person who chewed his tongue?" ”

"Don't worry, Niangniang has been ordered to be killed by Heling."

When Mrs. Shou Ninghou said this, the expression on her face did not change at all, as if she had killed not a person, but a chicken. Seeing that Empress Zhang's face was a little pale, she hurriedly said: "For the sake of the previous gift-giving, the second brother and sister also have some questions in front of the concubines, and I don't know how such a nouveau riche father and son can let Niangniang and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ......"

Before she finished her words this time, Queen Zhang was annoyed, slammed it on the kang table, and actually scolded: "What does she know, she knows nonsense!" If there is no reason, I will let you do such a thing? Rumors are rumors, and the people in the family chew their tongues and dispose of them, and they can't blame the father and son! What a nouveau riche, that father and son are the children of a family with good roots, but they have been in the lead for many years. You go back and tell Mrs. Jianchang Hou that you have to hear this to me again, don't blame my eldest sister for admonishing her! ”

Mrs. Shouninghou just took out her younger sister Mrs. Jianchanghou as a cover, who would have expected that Empress Zhang would be so annoyed, and she was a little caught off guard for a while. However, Empress Zhang's attitude also made her heart move, secretly thinking that the young man of the Xu family not only moved the prince, but also settled the most difficult middle palace, and his ability was extraordinary. If this is the case, then the so-called marriage can be considered, after all, it is also a noble family, and the daughter's age is just right.

Emperor Hongzhi naturally didn't know that this Mrs. Shouning Marquis actually brought her daughter to Kunning Palace. At this time, when he went out of Xihua Gate, he couldn't help but feel that it was a little abrupt for him to go to Xiyuan like this. As a result, Sun Hong whispered whether to change to a stool and wear only civilian clothes, and he immediately responded with kindness. In this way, although there are often eunuchs and other eunuchs standing on the side of the road to salute, after all, everyone else thinks that a few Da Jue want to go to Xiyuan on a whim to see the excitement, and they don't pay much attention to it. However, when Emperor Hongzhi braved the wind and snow all the way to the inner school field, he found that the compartment was empty and there was no one there. Sun Hong asked again, only to learn that the young soldiers had all gone to the temporary shed that had been built before.

"Listen, what do you listen to?"

Emperor Hongzhi had never heard of it, this army was not in the school field, but he had to listen to the lecture first, and he was puzzled and curious for a while. However, when he got off the stool and took a few Da Jue to the shack to stop and watch, he saw that the person at the top was not Xu Xun at all, but a young man who looked like a civil official, talking about nothing else, but a loyal monarch!

"Therefore, there is a heart of loyalty, that is, there is a reason for loyalty, and there is no heart of loyalty to the king, that is, there is no reason for loyalty...... You are the remnants of the army, if there is no grace from heaven, how can you gather here, how can you wear new jackets, how can you supply food and salary like the regular army, how can he say that he is ready to prepare the prince and obey when he is trained? Since you have enjoyed such benefits, you should serve the king wholeheartedly......"

As the son of heaven who has ruled for many years, Emperor Hongzhi naturally knows that only if everyone in his subordinates takes the word loyalty to heart can the Ming Dynasty be able to pass on for generations, so he is quite satisfied with the explanation of the young civil official, and what is even more satisfied is that Xu Xun can think of this. The reason why he agreed to Zhu Houzhao's rebuilding of the avant-garde of the government army was not to satisfy his son's whims, but to give Zhu Houzhao more henchmen, and the word "loyalty" is undoubtedly the biggest premise to ensure their loyalty.

"That person is Wang Shouren, the head of the Ministry of War?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Secretly wrote down the name, and Emperor Hongzhi quietly retreated. At this time, the eunuchs and guards who accompanied him had already probed the place where Xu Xun and Zhu Houzhao were talking according to his previous instructions. When he walked slowly to the front of the room, even if Liu Jin and Zhang Yonggu used Ma Yongcheng to be bold, they were silent for a while, and they knelt on the ground silently.

Emperor Hongzhi ignored them, and quietly entered the house, only to find that there were two rooms inside and outside the room, and Xu Xun and Zhu Houzhao were obviously talking inside.

"Xu Xun, your head is broken, right? Ma Wensheng and Dai Shan are both scolding you for being annihilated, and you still help them speak? Everyone else slapped you in the face! ”

"Your Highness, of course I didn't hit me on the left cheek, so I put the right cheek on the right cheek and gave someone a good surname. After three months, I will definitely ask these elders to take back what they said to me, but instead of gloating now when I hear a little rumor, Your Highness doesn't want me to be so unproductive, right? It's not that I'm speaking for them, it's that someone is impeaching them at this moment, which really adds fuel to the fire. It's not that I spoke to them, those two elders have been officials for many years, if they really can't even restrain their families, there will be signs of going out long ago, what did those officials do earlier? Most of them are hearsay and hearsay of science and Taoist officials, and the evaluation of other officials depends on their political performance, and the important thing to examine these individual officials is whether they dare to speak, but the so-called dare to speak is similar to nonsense! ”

Xu Xun spoke louder and louder, even with a bit of disdain to hide his contempt. To be honest, the demeanor of this official is admirable and admirable sometimes, but most of the time, the biting posture is really hateful!

"You're right...... The ones who say bad things about me, the prince, behind their backs are the ones who have the most imperial histories! It would be nice if these officials could also be assessed multiple times, and they would all be dismissed if they talked nonsense too many times! ”

Because Zhu Houzhao's voice was not small, and Xu Xun did not deliberately lower his voice, Emperor Hongzhi was able to hear their conversation clearly. As he listened, his brow furrowed at first, and then gradually stretched.

Although Zhu Houzhao is still a little childish, he looks at things and thinks about things much more deeply than before.

Thinking about him, he went straight to open the curtain and entered, ignoring the dumbfounded Zhu Houzhao, and only nodded approvingly at Xu Xun: "Talented and bearing, very good, he is a material that can be loyal to his ministers!" Ma Wensheng and Dai Shan are old, and this time they are finally gone! ”

(To be continued)