Kouwen Yuan Pavilion, Council Chamber.

The little eunuch was just about to retreat, but was stopped by Gao Gong and said, "Is it the emperor's will to let all the cabinet members enter the palace together?" ”

"No, it's the queen's decree, the concubine's decree." There was no ambiguity about this, so the little eunuch had to answer honestly.

"What?!" Although Gao Gong had been mentally prepared, his eyes were still dark for a while, and he asked, "Why is it not a holy decree?" ”

"The emperor can't speak anymore...... the little eunuch replied, only to find that he had missed his mouth, he saw that Gao Gong still had to ask, lest he say too wrong, so he hurriedly whispered: "The villain is waiting in the courtyard." Without waiting for Gao Gong to answer, he retreated backwards.

Gao Gong didn't stop him, but sat back on the chair, slowly rubbed his temples, and finally settled down, raised his head, and said to the three ministers with a dejected face: "Everyone, the emperor is possible......... No, as a rule, the cabinet ministers have to draft the edict on their behalf, let's sum it up. ”

Only ............" Everyone nodded silently, Zhang Siwei stood up, and prepared pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Soon he spread out the blank paper on the table, waiting for further instructions from Lord Shousuke.

"Ziwei, you come to write." Gao Gong stood up and said, "Everyone, I'll draw up a draft first, and then you can correct it." ”

Shen Mo and Zhang Juzheng both nodded in agreement. Gao Gong slowly paced in the hall and slowly read out his manuscript. In Gao Gong's view, unlike the "Jiajing Testament", Longqing does not need too much self-criticism and self-denial, and the content of the edict is mainly focused on the arrangement of posthumous affairs, first of all, the crown prince succeeds to the throne, and then the cabinet receives the order, and finally hopes that the ministers can work together and continue to walk on the right path"...... The edict is short and gentle, without any aggression, just like the life of Emperor Longqing, but it is difficult to believe that he walked out of the hands of a self-raised beard.

Seeing everyone's stunned expressions, Gao Gong smiled sadly and said: "Why" Do you think I will use the edict to hit someone? ”

Only ......" Shen Mo shook his head and smiled, Zhang Juzheng said: "Yuan Weng is naturally peaceful and peaceful, but the effect of the edict will probably not be so great." ”

"Alas..."Gao Gong sighed and said: "We are ministers, just the emperor's ghostwriter, we should think about what the emperor thinks, say that the emperor failed to say, instead of being like Xu Gelao, let the emperor self-criticize "Jiuquan must not ,...be blind" After saying it, he couldn't help but burst into tears and said: "Ordinary people are still dead, why do I have a great tomorrow, but I still have no peace?" ”

When they heard this, they all looked ashamed, "......,

Everyone had no objection to the edict drawn up by Gao Gong, so Zhang Siwei copied it and handed it over to him for review. Gao Gong looked at it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, he put it in his sleeve, "Just wait for it to be used by Meng He, and the "Longqing Testament" can be called an easy method."

After waiting for less than a quarter of an hour, Gao Yi, who was sick at home, also hurried to the cabinet in a sedan chair.

As soon as Gao Yi stepped out of the sedan door, he saw four university scholars waiting in front of the sedan chair, and hurriedly saluted the first and second assistants: "I don't know what, urgently call the lower officials to come?" ”

"Talk as you go." Gao Gong was already waiting anxiously, "He didn't sit in a sedan chair, so he withdrew his legs and strode out of the Huiji Gate. The silence behind and the two looked at each other helplessly, so they had to leave their respective sedan horses and trot to keep up with the pace of the high arch.

Gao Yi looked at it and couldn't help but be depressed in his heart, called me in a hurry, didn't say a word, and threw me down, what is this. He can't walk now, so he doesn't even bother to chase after him.

At this time, the eunuch who was carrying the public opinion on the side came over and asked, "Mr. Gao, are you sitting?" "As a rule, the cabinet ministers are sick" can also be given to carry the public, so Grohe will come in in a sedan chair.

"Why don't you sit?" Hearing the eunuch ask, Gao Gong said lightly: "They are in a hurry, but I am not in a hurry." So he sat down and carried it, and went slowly into the sandwich.

In July, the heat was unbearable, and the four ministers ran all the way to the Qianqing Gate, sweating profusely, but as soon as they entered the east room of the bleak Qianqing Palace, they saw Zhu Zaili, the son of the great tomorrow, with his eyes closed, lying on the dragon bed softly, and he was already unconscious. The corners of the mouth are still foaming at the mouth from time to time. Empress Chen and Concubine Li Guifei were lying on the edge of the couch, weeping while constantly wringing hot towels to wipe the emperor. The crown prince Zhu Yijun also came, he leaned closely to Emperor Longqing's side, his eyes were hooked, staring at his father who kept twitching, he was frightened and sad, and even forgot to cry.

An apricot-colored curtain separates the heavenly family from the courtiers, and a eunuch stands outside the curtain to deliver a message to the two ladies inside......"

The four ministers kowtowed to the imperial couch through the curtains, and their voices were sad. After standing up straight, Gao Gong couldn't help but shrink his pupils, because he found that the eunuch in front of the curtain turned out to be Feng Bao! And Meng He, the eunuch who was the chief of the inner house and the closest to the emperor, was not present.

But this uneasiness was soon overwhelmed by another discovery, and he lost his voice: "Why is there no imperial doctor to help?" ”

This sentence scared the person who was a thief, and Queen Chen was full of horror and stammered: "Just let ...... go...... The doctor went down and said there was no way. ”

"Your Majesty........." Gao Gong was actually purely out of concern for the emperor, and had no other meaning, so as soon as Empress Chen said it, he believed it, and suddenly his liver and intestines were broken, old tears rolled down, he stepped forward on his knees, moved to the edge of the imperial couch, stretched out his hand to lift the curtain that was in the way, and finally saw Longqing's true face...... Looking at the emperor who only had air in and no air out, he was like burning inside, reaching out to hold the emperor's hand exposed outside the quilt, crying so dark that it was like the pain of losing a child...... "...... It can be said that none of the people in this room are more sad than him, even the wife of Emperor Longqing. No one doubts his sincere feelings, Gao Gong's love for this emperor and student is too deep, and it can even be said that he compensated for the regret of not having a son on Longqing. And Longqing, who has had a father since he was a child, also found precious fatherly love in him. The monarch and the minister are like father and son, and there is never suspicion and estrangement from beginning to end. It can be said that Longqing is the twin pillars of Gao Gong's feelings and career, and now, the emperor is about to collapse in his prime, how can he not let Gao Gong give birth to the pathos ......of hating the sky and having no eyes, and the white-haired people sending the black-haired people?

Maybe God was moved by Gao Gong, or maybe the emperor wanted to see the teacher for the last time.

Emperor Longqing, who looked like it was impossible to wake up anymore, moved his eyelids again and opened his mouth slightly......... This slight change stunned everyone present, who held their breath and "stared nervously at the emperor, and the room was quietly audible with pins and needles."

The Emperor has really woken up! He opened his eyes blankly and looked at the crowd gathered around the bed.

This move made Gao Gong ecstatic, but it made Li Guifei and Feng Bao scattered...... As long as the emperor gives an order, they will die without a place to bury!

However, Long Qing just glanced at them coldly, then turned his gaze to Gao Gong, and said slowly in a very small voice to this teacher and father who had been with him for nearly thirty years, taught, protected, and shielded him from wind and rain on all sides: "The prince is young, and the world is tired of Mr. and ......" Before Gao Gong nodded, he tilted his head and fell into a coma again.

Gao Gong's heart sank to the bottom again, it turned out that this was just the emperor's return to the light "......" the emperor ............" everyone shouted in unison, wanting to wake up the comatose emperor again.

Li Guifei was also barking, but she was not as forgetful as others, but with everyone's attention, when they were all on the emperor, she quickly glanced at Feng Bao, hoping that this old dog could understand what she meant.

Of course Feng Bao understands that Concubine Li Guifei is afraid, she is afraid that the emperor will wake up again, expose the truth of the forged edict, and copy her nine clans! So I want to keep myself from getting into trouble.

Do you really want to give up? In fact, from the moment the emperor moved, Feng Bao was at war with heaven and man in his heart............ At first, the idea of giving up prevailed, but the turning point was that after the emperor said that sentence, he wanted to entrust the world to Gao Gong! Once the rumor is about to go out and form a fact, the tall beard really wants to cover the sky with one hand and "do whatever he wants......... I believe that the first thing he has to do is to kick himself to Java.

1 Instead of sitting and waiting to die, it is better to fight to the death" Feng Bao has a stubbornness in his bones, and when he sees the way, he would rather go all the way to the dark than retreat. After making up his mind, he coughed and said, "Please two mothers, princes, and all the elders of the pavilion listen well" The slave maid is going to read out the edict! ”

"What edict?" Gao Gong blew up at that time, and the edict was still in my sleeve, "Where did you get it?"

"Of course, it was made before the emperor fell into a coma" Feng Bao made up his mind, and he was about to drag Empress Chen and Concubine Li Guifei into the water: "The two mothers are witnesses, our family is writing, does Gao Ge Lao have any objections?" ”

Gao Gong looked at the two ladies in disbelief, Queen Chen just cried, and didn't dare to look at him at all. Li Guifei instantly scolded Feng Bao, who would be wrong, 108,000 times, but she also had a ruthless spirit, even if she was driven to the shelves, she would definitely not be soft. So he nodded and said, "It's the emperor who dictated, and I heard it." ”

............ only "As soon as the words of the concubine Niangniang came out, what else could Gao Gong say?" He crushed the edict that had become a laughing stock in his sleeve, crushed it, kowtowed heavily, and said, "Wait for the ministers to listen to the holy will!" ”

Feng Bao took a step forward, opened the scroll of yellow silk that he had already held in his hand, cleared his throat and shouted, "Please ask the crown prince Zhu Yijun to take the order." ”

Suddenly changed, Zhu Yijun was already stunned, he was full of his father and the emperor, and ignored Feng Bao's voice. Li Guifei gently pushed him, and he came to his senses, walked out from behind the imperial couch, and knelt down in front of Emperor Longqing.

The mother guard read aloud: "The edict, with the crown prince: I don't hesitate, the emperor does it." First, the etiquette department has its own etiquette, and the question is asked. You must follow the guidance of your auxiliary ministers and the celebrant supervisors, study and cultivate virtue, use the virtuous to enable you, do nothing to slack off, and protect the imperial industry.........

After reading it, Feng Bao rolled up the scroll and tied it up, and respectfully handed it to Zhu Yijun.

Zhu Yijun kowtowed to his father, and leaned on Li Guifei's side and sobbed...... The image of orphans and widows who are not miserable.

After that, Feng Bao took out another scroll of yellow silk to unveil the post, but he did not focus on the high arch, but said to all the scholars: "This is the emperor's edict to the cabinet, please listen to the decree together." ”

The four ministers who knelt on the ground straightened their waists together and listened solemnly, Feng Bao glanced at them with some pleasure, then quickly restrained his pride, and read in a long voice: "My heir to the great unification of the ancestors, in the sixth year of this year, occasionally got this disease, and he couldn't get up, and he was entrusted by the emperor. The East Palace is young, and I am now paying the nose with the assistance of the celebrant and the supervisor, abiding by the ancestral system, protecting the emperor's map, and the Qing and other merits are in the community, and they will never be lost...,......

Hearing Feng Bao's chatter, the four scholars all had one expression, shocked, except for shock or shock!

Anyone who knows a little about the history of the country knows that Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang hated eunuchs for interfering in politics the most, and he had already made a rule that eunuchs were never allowed to interfere in politics! Although his unscrupulous descendants failed to stick to it, it was never the case of openly entrusting the eunuchs to take care of their orders and assist the emperor..."This is to make it a national policy for eunuchs to interfere in politics!"

Everyone's eyes were on Gao Gong, and they all thought that he would question him in the next moment, and he would definitely not accept the order!

However, they saw that a high arch that was not the same as usual was no longer the tall beard that was disgruntled and shattered, but just a grief-stricken old man......

Feng Bao read it with apprehension in his heart, and handed the edict to Gao Gong with both hands, and Gao Gong really did not refuse to accept it, but just cried bitterly in front of Longqing's bed: "Although the East Palace is young, the ancestors have the law, and the ministers have done their best to assist loyally." If there is any problem in the East Palace, the minister will not hesitate to die. I hope the emperor won't worry about the future..."

When everyone's attention was on the edict, only Gao Gong put all his mind on the emperor, he didn't want the emperor to see the dispute between the foreign ministers and the harem when he was dying.

In his heart, there is nothing more important than letting the emperor rest assured that he has to go, as for other things, they can be put back, the days are still long, and he is still afraid that the eunuch will turn the sky upside down?

Gao Ge Lao played and cried, crying silently, barely finished, then let out a loud cry, causing the queen and concubine on the side to cry bitterly. Feng Bao saw that it was not a problem, so he made a look, and the two little eunuchs hurriedly helped Gao Ge Lao up, and then he handed the edict to Shen Mo and said, "Shen Ge Lao, will you accept the order?" ”

............ only" looked at him silently, and was about to speak, but a small voice sounded behind him: "Dare to ask Gonggong Feng, why did you announce the decree, where did Meng and Gonggong Meng go?" Feng Bao's pupils shrank, and when he looked up, he saw that it was Gao Yi who had arrived late.

This Gao Ge elder was sick, and when he came in from the Qianqing Gate with a cane, he was already out of breath, but he still looked at Feng Bao with a scrutinizing face: "The two edicts both mention the celebrant eunuch, why doesn't he, the eunuch with the palm seal, receive his order here?" ”

Feng Bao scolded in his heart, he didn't even say anything about the tall beard, what kind of mouth do you have for this old dog who is about to die? But he still had to suppress his anger on his face, and said in a calm tone as much as possible: "Gonggong Meng is too sad and has fainted, our family is the chief of the celebrant supervisor, and it is the same with me." ”

"Bingbi is not a palm print after all, Meng He doesn't come here to listen to the edict, it's not in line with the .........," Gao Yi said slowly.