Zheng Rong took the letter, slowly unsealed it, and read the paper, and couldn't help but be shocked. It turned out that the few words on the letter paper were actually written by the emperor himself, and the seal of the inscription was not the jade seal of the country, but the private seal of the current saint when he was still the prince; Looking back at the envelope, sure enough, it was carefully framed on bright yellow paper used in the palace.

Zhong Likuang seemed to have guessed eight or nine without hesitation, and asked, "Did the emperor bring a message to the prince?" ”

"Mr. guessed well...... Zheng Rong read the letter of no more than 100 words over and over again, and said, "The emperor is going to summon this king to the capital to meet him, saying that he has something important to discuss." This is not a big deal, the emperor can make a holy decree, but why write a letter in private? ”

Zhongli Kuang twisted the sparse goatee on his chin and said, "Forgive the ministers for being arrogant, I recently heard that the emperor believes in Fangshi and has taken a lot of Jindan red pills, but the Holy Body is getting worse and worse, I'm afraid it will be difficult to keep it safe." Now the contradiction between the eldest son of the emperor and the second son of the emperor is well known to passers-by, and the ministers and ministers and general Yulin are also attached to each other, and they are in the same situation. The heart of the emperor is afraid of becoming the second Duke of Huan! Zhong Li Kuang swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then said, "The minister secretly thinks that the emperor's summons of the prince is just to discuss the abolition of the establishment. If the emperor is undecided, he will consult the prince; If the emperor has made up his mind, he will also ask the prince to fully assist the new monarch. ”

"This ...... The gentleman's words are in secret with this king. It's just that I don't know how to reply to the emperor, I don't know what Mr. thinks? Zheng Rong frowned, inhaled cold air and said.

Zhongli Kuang groaned slightly, and continued to say expressionlessly: "Abolishing the prince, although it is a national matter, it is also a royal private matter, how can I wait for outsiders to talk so much? If it is according to the humble opinion of the contemptible people, the prince has guarded the northern frontier and has been in danger of the country's safety for ten years, and now he is full of wings and enough to protect himself. Therefore, no matter who the new king is, as long as the prince reins in his edge and supports his own troops, he can keep his wealth and dignity. ”

After saying this, Prince Zheng couldn't stop nodding, and after a careful review, he said: "What Mr. said is very true, and this king has written it down." However, since it is the will of God, we naturally cannot delay, and it is better to set off as soon as possible. As he spoke, he instructed the left and right, "Hurry up and invite the two generals Cui and Wei." ”

Cui Nan and Wei Hu were both selected from the army by Zheng Rong, and after more than ten years of conquest, they have become two first-class generals under Zheng Rong. Cui Nan was awarded the general of the expedition to the north, born in a family of generals, taciturn, but short in stature, clumsy in bow and horse, and famous for his sharp attacks with soldiers. Wei Hu was awarded the general of Zhengdong, and he was raised in the ranks, with a straightforward heart, a burly figure, and superb martial arts, and was known for his solid defense. With the combination of these two generals who have both offense and defense, King Youyan can stand tall in the Turkic rampant Saibei.

The two generals were ordered to come to see the prince, and as soon as he heard the truth of the matter, General Wei patted his chest and said: "Although the prince can rest assured, there is a last general to protect this place, if the Turks want to step into Youyan for half a step, they will naturally be blocked by soldiers and covered by water." ”

Zheng Rong nodded when he heard this, and said with appreciation: "Of course, Youyan has General Wei, which is foolproof. As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Cui Nan and said, "But please also ask General Wei to cooperate in handling it." ”

Cui Nan didn't say a word, and nodded his head in promise.

When Zheng Rong saw it, he smiled and said, "Then this king will go to Beijing tomorrow to face the saint, and ask the two generals Cui Wei to stay in Youyan to guard against the Turks, and Mr. Zhongli will go south with this king into Beijing." ”

Youyan King Zheng Rong is not extravagant, but as a vassal king, the pomp is still indispensable. Surrounded by the canopy of the banner, he rode a high-headed white horse, lit up five hundred capable guards, and set off from the Youyan Palace. The time of travel is at the end of the curfew, when the people go out, and the merchants welcome customers. According to the law, the prince must clean the streets when he travels, and the people avoid it, Zheng Rong is unwilling to harass the people, avoid the bustling streets, and choose secluded lanes. Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the south gate, he saw hundreds of people carrying wine and food at the city gate to see them off. Zheng Rong didn't accept it, but he didn't expect the people to let the honor guard pass. Seeing this, Zheng Rong had no choice but to order the master of the palace to accept the wine and food offered by the people and register them one by one, and pay off them with the private money of the palace afterwards.

Zheng Rong and his entourage of more than 500 people set off from the south gate of Guangyang City, the capital of Youyan, all the way to the west, and then took a boat down the river after entering the Hetao, and it was easy to go down all the way. After drifting down the river for less than half a month, a golden giant city finally appeared in front of everyone. This is Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty.

Luoyang is in the middle of the world, the east and west have Tongguan, Dasanguan two passes, the water system is vertical and horizontal and there are the benefits of Cao Yun, and the contribution of domestic goods and goods; After thousands of years of operation, not only the city covers a vast area, but also has a perfect shape, which is the place where the royal spirit of the Han Dynasty gathers for two hundred years.

Luoyang Dongyang Gate is the first of the twelve gates, the building is tall and exquisite, especially the two dragons at the head of the door are golden and shining, showing the royal style. The two gems of the dragon's head reflected the sunlight and emitted a sparkling brilliance, so that Prince Zheng couldn't open his eyes. Zheng Rong closed his eyes slightly, and in an instant, countless complicated expressions swept across his face, and he breathed a long sigh of relief, and sighed to Zhong Likuang, the military advisor beside him: "This king has left Beijing since the year of his establishment, and it has been fifteen years now. ”

Zhong Likuang squeezed out a sentence from his mouth: "Going out of the city is not necessarily a disaster, entering the city may not be a blessing, and I hope the prince will be careful." ”

Zheng Rong was bored when he heard it, so he motioned for the team to move forward. After walking a few steps, there were already court officials waiting on the road. Zheng Rong is not only a descendant of the royal family, but also a marshal of soldiers and horses, and a feudal official, naturally higher than the hundred officials, riding on the horse and not moving. The official was very acquainted, walked up to Zheng Rongma, and said deeply: "Xia Guan Shi Liangzhi, the current secretary of the Ministry of Rites, is here to welcome the prince. ”

When Zheng Rong heard this, he was slightly surprised - originally to welcome the foreign vassals, the Ministry of Rites often sent a waiter, his own status is high, and it is enough to send a waiter, but this time he was greeted by Lord Shangshu in charge of the Ministry of Rites, which shows the depth of the emperor's kindness to him. After thinking about this, Zheng Rong hurriedly rolled off the saddle and saluted back: "It's just a foreign domain below, how can Lord Shangshu greet him personally." Only then did he raise his eyes and look at the Lord Shangshu in front of him, and saw that he was only in his thirties, and it was extremely rare to achieve the position of the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites.

"The prince has resisted the Turks for more than ten years, and the world knows that it is an honor for the lower officials to come to greet and see them off. What's more, it is the decree of the saint, how dare the lower officials disobey? After some greetings, Shi Shangshu finally turned to the topic and said, "But there is a holy decree here in the lower official, and the prince still needs to pay homage to it." ”

Zheng Rong nodded and said, "Then there is Master Lao Shangshu." ”

Shi Liangzhi invited the holy decree and was about to read it, but when he saw the King of Youyan in front of him standing straight in front of him, without the slightest intention of kneeling, he couldn't help but be a little puzzled, and he thought that he couldn't say it clearly, and he repeated the holy decree in his hand: "The holy decree is here, why doesn't King Youyan worship?" ”

"This ...... It is not that the king is disrespectful to the emperor, but that the saint has given the king not to worship the emperor, and the king does not dare to disobey when he has the holy purpose. Zheng Rong explained.

Shi Liangzhi still didn't give up, and specially asked a few elderly officials around him, and only after confirming that there was indeed such a thing did he open the holy decree again and read it out. The content of the decree was nothing new, but it was just to comfort Zheng Rong for his hard journey and give him a horse ride in the Forbidden City. After reciting the holy decree, Shi Liangzhi took the opportunity to whisper to Zheng Rong: "The saint misses the prince very much, and he specially asks the lower officials to immediately lead the prince into the palace to face the saint." ”

Zheng Rong had scruples, quietly turned his head to look at Zhong Likuang behind him, and saw him nodding slightly, so he was a little relieved, and said to the Ministry of Rites: "Then Master Lao Shangshu will lead the way." ”

Although after receiving the holy decree, Zheng Rong could ride into the city with a swagger, but after thinking about the uncertain luck of coming to Luoyang, it was better to be cautious, so he said to Shi Liangzhi: "Since this king received the holy decree, he rushed to Luoyang day and night without daring to delay for half a moment, and finally did not miss the hour. It has been more than ten years since the king left Luoyang, and the cultural relics of Gyeonggi are very nostalgic, so he is willing to walk into the palace with Lord Shangshu to enjoy the scenery of Luoyang. ”

Shi Liangzhi thought that he had something to say in his heart, and nodded without hesitation and agreed. Zheng Rong also took the reins of the horse and walked side by side towards the palace with the Ministry of Rites. The entourage also set up the prince's guard of honor and followed behind the two unhurriedly.

Luoyang grid system symmetry, the imperial city is on the central axis, and this central axis is the royal road street connecting the east and west gates. When the vassal king entered Beijing, the imperial court had already prepared, and had already cleaned the streets in advance, excluding idle people, etc., and waited for the king of Youyan to come. When Zheng Rong was young, he liked to pay private interviews with micro-services, play in the streets, and inquire about the people's feelings, and he felt bored when he saw this formation, but he was helpless, so he talked to Shi Liangzhi next to him about the situation in the DPRK and China. After several conversations, Zheng Rong found that in the past ten years, most of the elders of the DPRK and China were not there, and only Yang Yuanzhi, an important minister of the three dynasties, was still serving as the prime minister. ”

"Elder Yang is in good health and in good spirits, but he is a little ignorant of current affairs."

Shi Liangzhi's words were a little incomprehensible, which made Youyan King Zheng Rong a little dissatisfied, and coldly spit out four words: "How can you see it?" ”

"Today's eldest son of the emperor is talented, benevolent, and modest and cautious, and harmonious with hundreds of officials, and can be paid for the ...... of the society" Shi Liangzhi began to talk endlessly about the benefits of the emperor's eldest son, all of which were serious officials, the emperor's eldest son visited with the imperial doctor, the relatives of the officials were violated by the law, and the eldest son of the emperor came forward to guarantee it, and the Spring and Autumn Festival sacrifices were rewarded for the hundred officials. Shi Shangshu talked from the street to the end of the street, and finally added: "Prime Minister Yang Cheng is wise to protect himself, and if the eldest son of the emperor is about to leave, he is really suspected of riding the wall." ”

Zheng Rong listened patiently to his words, and then said: "Elder Yang is the prime minister of the two dynasties and the old minister of the three dynasties, with high hard work and achievements, and ranks first among the hundred officials, if you have any opinions and suggestions, you can state them in person." And Lord Shi is now talking about the pillars of the court in front of the foreign vassals, wouldn't he lose the court's etiquette? What's more, there is a difference between inside and outside the palace, and it is taboo for the officials of the six ministries to make friends with the prince. Prime Minister Yang Cheng is old enough to seek the country, and he is good at himself, not only can he not have any understanding, but he slanders him in private, what is his intention? This king is a foreign vassal, and he should not interfere in the affairs of the DPRK and China, but seeing that Lord Shangshu is young and promising, and has a bright future, he can't bear to see you stumble and become a hatred for eternity, so he said a few more words, and he had to think twice. ”

Zheng Rong's words were extremely meaningful, and his tone was extremely blunt, which shocked the young Lord Shangshu speechless, and the atmosphere suddenly became embarrassing. Fortunately, the group had arrived at the palace gate, and Shi Liangzhi hurriedly took the opportunity to say goodbye: "The palace gate has arrived, and the lower officials will say goodbye to the prince." He didn't care about the courtesy, so he walked away.

Before Master Shi went far, someone in the palace came to pick him up. Zheng Rong raised his eyes to look, but it was Wang Zhonghai, the chief eunuch. Wang Zhonghai was already a eunuch when he was the first emperor, and he was also an acquaintance to Zheng Rong, who grew up in the palace since he was a child. Wang Zhonghai is over sixty years old, he looks dark, thin and shriveled, his steps are quite light, he walked to Zheng Rong in small steps, and bowed as soon as his knees were weak: "King Youyan, don't come to harm, hey, hey, hey, the old slave is waiting here." ”