"Emperor Qi, command Long Yinan to ask for a meeting outside the palace!" In the dormitory, on the high bed of Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, there was a big eunuch outside to pray.

This is the spring of the sixth year of Tianshun, and the emperor's body is not as good as a year. When I woke up from a dream at night, I often dreamed of all kinds of tragic things that happened when I was taken captive to Vala in the old year, and I often saw Emperor Jing Zhu Qiyu coming to ask him for his life.

There is also Yu Qian, when he was angry, he killed Yu Qian, and the people's hearts were lost, which is also a knot that he has been unable to untie in his heart for many years.

"Nope." Zhu Qizhen shook his hand and said, "Tell him to go back, I won't see anyone." ”

The great eunuch Sun Xiangyong hesitated a little before saying, "Your Majesty, Long Yinan said that he caught Yu Qian's son Yu Mian in the capital. Yu Mian intends to collude with Wara and subvert my Ming Dynasty. It was urgent, so he entered the palace without permission to ask to see the emperor. It is related to the lifeblood of the imperial court, and the minister did not dare to delay, so he dared to tell the emperor. ”

"What?" Zhu Qizhen's hands burst out, and he said hoarsely: "You said that Yu Qian's son Yu Mian colluded with Wara to subvert the Ming Dynasty? Does the royal aunt and grandmother know about this? ”

"The servants only have the emperor in their eyes, and when they get the news, they immediately rush to tell the emperor." Sun Xiang bowed and bowed with a look of respect on his face.

"Good. Chuan Long Yinan went to the main hall to wait. Zhu Qizhen said.

When the great eunuch was far away, his thoughts fluctuated in his heart. The incident of the accidental killing of Yu Qian caused the waves is still vivid, and the mistakes of the past must not be repeated. However, after Yu Qian's death, his son Yu Mian was sent to Shanhaiguan for many years, and his wife and daughter Yu Rou were sent to Shanxi. It is inevitable that Yu Mian has resentment against the court in his heart. If he really colluded with Warat, could he be easily let go?

No! Absolutely not! Zhu Qizhen felt a chill down his spine, and he already had an idea in his heart: if Yu Mian dared to collude with Wara to rebel, then he must be kept secret. Execute! In this way, not only will the imperial aunt and grandmother not criticize themselves, but the world will not know about it.

Thinking of this, Zhu Qizhen ordered the eunuch to dress himself. Everything was ready, and with the support of the eunuch, Zhu Qizhen came to the main hall and sat on the dragon chair. Long Yinan, the commander of the Praetorian Guard in the capital, was already waiting outside the door. Long Yinan's father, Long Zetian, was a protégé of Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyi Guard during the Yongle period. The personality is the same as Ji Gang, ruthless and hard, and his son Long Yinan also has the style of a father.

"Chenlong Yinan to see you, long live my emperor, long live!" Long Yinan bowed his head and bowed.

"That's it." Zhu Qizhen was a little tired, waved his hand and said, "What is the truth about Yu Mian's matter, you can tell me quickly." ”

"Yes." Long Yinan secretly glanced at Zhu Qizhen, and then said: "This morning, the minister received an urgent report from Shanhaiguan, saying that Yu Mian had escaped from Shanhaiguan with the help of two Jianghu people. The two Jianghu people who helped Yu Mian escape were suspected to be Warats. Yu Mian came all the way south, probably wanting to return to the capital. When the minister received an urgent report, he did not dare to slack off, and immediately sent people to guard the four major gates in the capital, and sure enough, he caught Yu Mian who tried to enter the customs at the south gate, and found out the letter of his collusion with Wara from Yu Mian. ”

"Oh?" Zhu Qizhen raised his eyes, as if he looked at Long Yinan casually, and said with a smile: "Long Aiqing really did his best for the imperial court, and he died. You're much better informed than mine. ”

Long Yinan's heart sank, and he realized that he had said the wrong thing. He is well aware that Zhu Qizhen is the most suspicious and suspicious person, and his words may have caused him to suspect that he has many things. Moreover, it is a great crime for Beijing officials to collude with foreign officials without permission.

He couldn't help but sweat coldly, and defended: "Your Majesty, the minister is guilty. Because Long Yiqian, the general who guarded the Shanhaiguan, was the cousin of the minister, and although it was true that Yu Mian fled, it was difficult to conclude that he colluded with Wara. Yu Mian is the son of Yu Qian, and Yu Qian has always had a friendship with the eldest princess. Because, the cousin didn't want the emperor to be embarrassed, so he informed his subordinates of this matter, hoping that the ministers could report to the emperor after a thorough investigation. The ministers and cousins are loyal to the emperor, and they ask the emperor for forgiveness. After saying that, he knelt down.

Zhu Qizhen pondered slightly and said with a smile: "That's it, that's it." Rise up, I didn't say you were guilty, so why should you blame yourself? It's a good thing that you and your cousin know how to be faithful. It's just that sometimes it's better not to take matters into your own hands. I didn't mean to blame Aiqing, Aiqing asked. ”

Long Yinan kowtowed and said, "Yes." After speaking, he stood up, bowed to the side, and waited for Zhu Qizhen to ask. Long Yinan doesn't have many opportunities to see the emperor on weekdays, and he has never really been alone with him, he just thinks that in recent years, Zhu Qizhen's accidents have been carried out under the instruction of the eldest princess Jian Huaizhen, and he always thought that he was a puppet emperor, but he never thought that he really underestimated him, this emperor was not as unbearable as he imagined, and he was very means. Immediately, I was also very respectful in my heart.

"Long Aiqing, you said that you caught Yu Mian and searched for the Wara letter from him. Where is Yu Mian now? Zhu Qizhen was slightly out of breath, but there was still a deterrent force in his body, which made Long Yinan daunted.

"Tell the emperor, the subordinates of the ministers are waiting for the decree outside the palace with Yu Guan." Long Yinan said respectfully.

"Biography-" Zhu Qizhen said without moving.

Long Yinan secretly glanced at Zhu Qizhen twice, and could see that his body was very bad. Although he was only thirty-five years old, he looked like he was already forty or fifty years old. His face was dark and blue, and he was out of breath at every turn, which showed that he was suffering from a stubborn disease. It's just that this emperor, who ascended the throne at the age of nine, has experienced more than 20 years of strong winds and waves, and his ability and shrewdness are far from being comparable to ordinary people. The so-called true dragon son is probably like this.

Long Yinan pondered, and Yu Mian had already been brought up. Yu Mian was already twenty-eight at this time, wearing a blue-gray round-necked shirt with large sleeves, a cyan scholar's scarf on his head, and a pair of deerskin boots on his feet, which had worn out and almost cracked. The weather in Shanhaiguan is cold, and most of the locals wear deerskin boots. Yu Mian is a first-class person, and he can still enjoy the treatment of ordinary people, which shows that Shanhaiguan is a thousand always treat him well.

Yu Mian's appearance is more and more like Yu Qian when he was young. Zhu Qizhen sighed in his heart: If he hadn't listened to Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang's slander and executed Yu Qian, maybe he would have worked hard for his court and made a lot of contributions.

"The sinners are crowned, see the emperor, long live long live long live." When Yu Mian saw Yingzong, his face was also frank, and he knelt down and said.

Zhu Qizhen stared at Yu Mian and looked up and down. Although his face was calm and not shocked, his heart had already turned a thousand times, and finally he spoke: "Yu Mian, I sent you to Shanhaiguan six years ago, and you can't return to Beijing without my holy decree, what crime should you be guilty of returning to Beijing without permission?" ”

"Your Majesty, Yu Mian returned to Beijing without authorization, and the minister also found a letter from him about his collusion with Wara." After speaking, Long Yinan took the letter handed over by his subordinates and sent it to the big eunuch, who put it in front of Yingzong.

Zhu Qizhen didn't look at the letter, his face did not change, and he waited for Yu Mian to answer.

Yu Mian's eyes were frank and clear, and he said: "There are two reasons why the criminals returned to Beijing without authorization. My father has been dead for many years, and the sinners have never been worried about filial piety, nor have they swept the tombs to worship, and they feel ashamed of their ancestors and ancestors, and they are ashamed of their fathers. Yes, I want to go back to Beijing to worship. Second, the group people listened to the people who were exiled to Shanhaiguan in Shanxi Province and said that the mother and sister of the criminals were infected with the plague, and their mother was afraid of ...... I'm afraid my life will be short. Therefore, the minister secretly escaped from Shanhaiguan and wanted to go back to Beijing to worship his father first, and then go to Shanxi to visit his mother. The sinners have no disobedience to the people, and they also ask the emperor to be aware of everything. ”

"Oh?" Zhu Qizhen was noncommittal, and asked again: "What happened to the letter that Commander Long searched from you?" ”

Yu Mian was a little puzzled and said, "The sinners don't know. When he escaped from Shanhaiguan, he was assisted by two exiled prisoners. One of them saw that I was thinly dressed, so he gave me this shirt with a round neck and big sleeves. The sinners were grateful for his righteous kindness, and they wore it on their bodies at all times. Who knows, when he arrived in the capital and entered the city, he was ordered to search his body and find Wara's letter from the mezzanine of his clothes. The father of the sinner was a minister of righteousness, and the sinner was also nurtured by his father since childhood. The so-called social is important, the monarch is important, and it is not light. The minister will never disobey the ancestral teachings and do unfaithful and unrighteous things. ”

Zhu Qizhen was suspicious in his heart, and he also felt that as soon as Yu Mian entered Beijing, he was found to have colluded with Wara, which was a little unbelievable. However, Yu Qian's matter has always been a thorn in his heart. He killed Yu Qian by mistake, and Yu Mian had a grudge in his heart, which was inevitable.

He pointed to the letter and said to Sun Xiangyong: "Sun Xiangyong, you read to me what is written on this letter." "Sun Xiangyong is an old eunuch who serves Zhu Qizhen. When Zhu Qizhen was taken away by Wara, Sun Xiangyong also stayed by his side and served him for eight years. Therefore, Zhu Qizhen attaches great importance to him.

"Yes. This letter said that after Yu Mian returned to the capital, he would find out the reality of the capital's troops, and write a letter back to tell the Warat court. Sun Xiangyong read it quickly, and said to Zhu Qizhen with a solemn face: "Those two people who saved Yu Mian were originally Wara mixed into the Shanhaiguan exiles. They made a deal with Yu Mian, and it was written in the letter that they gave Yu Mian the grace of life, and Yu Mian did this for them. ”

Zhu Qizhen's complexion, like autumn frost, suddenly became cold, he looked at Yu Mian coldly, and pondered in his heart: Yu Mian has suffered in Shanhaiguan for six years, and it is very possible to escape. It was not impossible for Warat to take the opportunity to make this deal with him. It's just - he glanced at Yu Qian's deerskin boots, and had a plan in his heart, and immediately said to Long Yinan: "Long Yinan, let me ask you, how is your cousin Long Yiqian about the crown?" ”

"This ......" Long Yinan hesitated for a moment before slowly replying, "The minister doesn't know very well. My cousin has always had a clear love and hate, and I don't think I will be mixed up with the prisoners who were assigned to the past. ”

Zhu Qizhen sneered and was silent, Long Yinan felt a chill in his heart, so he had to reply truthfully: "As far as Chen knows, my cousin has always admired Yu Qian's loyalty and patriotism, and he must be good for the crown. ”

Long Yinan's words were not finished, and Yu Mian immediately denied it: "No." Long Yiqian is not good to the sinners. He scolded the sinners. He also sent people to keep a firm eye on the sinners. If it weren't for the help of two friends who had become criminals, the criminals would never have escaped. ”

"That's what the minister thinks too." Long Yinan hurriedly stepped forward and said, "If it weren't for the minister's cousin to report to the minister, the minister wouldn't have been able to catch Yu Mian." Please believe that your cousin is innocent. ”

"Your boots, what's going on?" Zhu Qizhen glanced at Yu Mian, and said in a rather cold tone.

Yu Mian was slightly stunned, and immediately said: "The criminals are in Shanhaiguan, and they wear coarse cloth shoes on weekdays. These moccasins, however, are ...... Among the exiles, there was a woman who admired the son of a famous minister, so she gave shoes to the sinners. ”

Zhu Qizhen was suspicious, and finally said, "That's fine." He was hesitant to decide whether to dispose of Yu Guan. If the letter is true, Yu Mian really became resentful and colluded with Warat to spy on the military situation in the capital, and the consequences may be unimaginable. If this is not the case, it is understandable that he entered Beijing as he said, to pay tribute to his deceased father and visit his deceased mother. Zhu Qizhen hesitated for a while, and he would never let go.

"Your Majesty." Sun Xiang used it next to him and said softly: "Let the tiger return to the mountain and stay in trouble." His voice was very soft, but every word said in Zhu Qizhen's heart. Zhu Qizhen is a person who has experienced the change of Tumubao, and it was because he trusted Wang Zhen too much that he was trapped in Wara for nearly ten years. Sun Xiangyong has suffered with him, so he naturally understands the taste. His words are not without reason.

At that moment, Zhu Qizhen nodded, no longer hesitated, and said coldly: "Yu Mian, you colluded with Wara, and the human and material evidence is complete, what else do you have to say?" ”

"The emperor is aware of everything, and the criminals really will not collude with Wara." Yu Mian was a little anxious. He thought for a while and said, "Since the emperor has determined that the criminals have the intention of rebellion, and the emperor wants to execute the criminals, the criminals have nothing to say. It's just that my mother is already terminally ill, and I want to see my mother for the last time. He also asked the emperor to allow the sinners to worship their deceased father and go to Shanxi to see their mother. If you want to kill or scrape, the sinners will never complain. ”

Yu Mian's words caused Zhu Qizhen to be furious, his arm twitched slightly, and he sneered: "Yu Mian, you are just a criminal citizen, how can you bargain in the Jinluan Palace?" ”

Yu Mian was silent, the so-called companion is like a companion tiger, it turns out that this matter is indeed true. Fang Cai Yingzong also asked Yu Mian with Yan Yuese, but after a while, his face changed again, like wind and thunder.

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said to Long Yinan: "Long Qing's family, I will leave the matter of Yu Mian to you." He is the son of Yu Qian, if there is any news of danger, I am afraid that the people in the rivers and lakes will be moved. Do you know what I said? When he spoke, he gasped slightly, but he was still calm and relaxed, quite imperial.

Long Yinan saluted and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, the minister understands." Zhu Qizhen's meaning is nothing more than that after Yu Qian's death, he once caused people in the rivers and lakes to chase him down and kill him, wanting to avenge Yu Qian. Now Jun Bubenevolent, not only can he not be ordinary for Yu Qian, but he wants to kill his only son, and he wants to be the queen of the family, and the loyal and righteous people in the rivers and lakes naturally refuse to give up. I'm afraid that if the news spreads, it will cause people in the rivers and lakes to kill the monarch repeatedly.

Long Yinan understood that Zhu Qizhen just wanted him to die in secret, so he immediately said loudly: "The minister must handle this matter properly." Today at the South Gate, I just caught a Varat thief, and I have no background. ”

Zhu Qizhen bowed his head and said: "In this way, there is Lao Aiqing." As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Long Yinan. said in his heart: Long Yinan didn't know about this person before, but when I saw him this time, I realized that he was so smart. If such a person can be loyal to the court, it will naturally be a blessing to the court. But if you have two hearts for the court, I'm afraid it's not so easy to deal with. When his faithfulness is tested, if he cannot be faithful, he should be sent away.

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, and said a little tiredly: "I'm tired, go back to the palace." Sun Xiang answered, and wanted to bring someone to come forward to help, but heard a little eunuch hurriedly walking in.

Zhu Qizhen's face immediately changed and asked, "What's so in a hurry?" But the eldest princess is here? "The most taboo person in his life is the eldest princess Jian Huaizhen. The most respected person is also the eldest princess Jian Huaizhen. The feelings for her can be described as fearful and fearful, angry and respectful, and it is difficult to explain clearly.

Although Jian Huaizhen's surname is Jane, she should actually be called Zhu Huaizhen. Only because when she was a child, her mother was wronged, and she was adopted by Jian Shihong and Jian Shangshu in the palace outside the palace. Later, after returning Jun Mingzhu and restoring her status as a royal princess, she never changed her surname in order to thank Jian Shihong and his wife for their nurturing grace.

Jian Huaizhen once assisted Zhu Qizhen's father, Zhu Zhanji, and after living in seclusion in Jiangnan for more than 20 years, he helped Zhu Qizhen through many difficulties. If it weren't for Jian Huaizhen's help, maybe Zhu Qizhen would have died many years ago. However, it is precisely because of this that Jian Huaizhen has worked hard and is highly respected, and is quite respected by courtiers and people all over the world. When he was dealing with some government affairs, Jian Huaizhen would inevitably interfere with it, making him feel constrained.

He privately executed Yu Qian's son Yu Mian, and Jian Huaizhen naturally refused. If she had come, I'm afraid this matter wouldn't have ended so easily.

"Who told the eldest princess about this privately?" Zhu Qizhen was furious and asked.

The little eunuch was slightly stunned, and then said, "Your Majesty, it is the prince who is asking to see you outside." It's not the eldest princess. ”

Zhu Qizhen was stunned when he heard this, but his heart was secretly relieved, and said, "Pass on the prince." ”

It turned out that the crown prince Zhu Jianshen knew that his father was ill, so he came to visit him every day. Who knew that when I arrived in the dormitory today, I didn't see anyone. inquired with the eunuchs in the palace, only to know that the emperor had come to the main hall. He was afraid that he would not be able to die, so he came over to see what was going on.

Zhu Qizhen has always been very serious to Zhu Jianshen, and when he saw his son, he turned his anger into joy and said, "Shen'er, why are you here?" ”

Zhu Jianshen took a few steps forward, saluted Zhu Qizhen first, and said: "The son of the minister greets his father, and his father has a long life." Only then did he say slowly: "I went to visit the dormitory, and I haven't seen my father return to the palace for a long time, so I came to take a look." ”