"Emperor, you have already broken your promise once, and the mourning family does not want to see it a second time."

Regarding Zhu Qiyu's assurance, this time Empress Dowager Sun did not have a naïve choice to immediately believe that when he showed the potential of the emperor, any promise would only serve that throne, and this has been the case since ancient times!

"Erchen is willing to swear to the previous emperors, and he will definitely welcome the imperial brother back to Beijing as soon as possible!"

In the face of Empress Dowager Sun's indifference and questioning, Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu burst into tears, perhaps this is the last strand of family affection in his heart that has not been severed.

Looking at the appearance of Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu, Empress Dowager Sun also had an indescribable discomfort, there were too many things that had changed in just half a year, and she could never go back to the past.

"The mourning family is tired, emperor, please step down."

Empress Dowager Sun leaned on the back of the chair and waved her hand weakly, she had done her best for Zhu Qizhen, and the women's family could not dominate the direction of the court after all, let alone fight against the general trend of the world.

"The queen mother takes care of her body, and her son retreats."

Zhu Qiyu bowed heavily to the Empress Dowager Sun, then wiped the tears from her cheeks, turned around and left Kunning Palace without looking back.

I won it, but for some reason I didn't have much joy of winning.

Cheng Jing, who was waiting outside the courtyard gate, saw Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu walking out, and roughly guessed the result of the dialogue between the "mother and son".

So he leaned over and asked, "Your Majesty, will you go to the noon gate now to appease the Jingshi Shizi and release the Shen Pavilion Elder who is still being imprisoned in the Imperial Prison?" ”

"Go ahead."

Zhu Qiyu didn't say much, waved his hand and walked towards the imperial study.

The red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City have been covered by the snow of the capital at this moment, and Zhu Qiyu, a long palace road, walked forward, followed by many guards and entourage, but the back looked so lonely and lonely.

The identity of the emperor is destined to be called a lonely widow.

Outside the noon gate of the imperial city, with the news that the empress dowager wanted to send troops to suppress it, under the infection of righteous indignation, more and more literati and officials from Beijing gathered here.

Especially when Ni Qian, the head of the Hanlin Academy, and Qian Xili, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, arrived, the mood of the literati present jumped to a new level. After all, Hanlin Qinggui represents Confucian morality, and the Ministry of Rites controls the sacrificial rituals, so it will not tolerate the chaotic existence of Si Chen!

"Da Si, it's hard work."

Looking at Li Shimian, who was already covered with a thick layer of snow on his robe, Ni Qian couldn't help but be moved. This is the style and integrity that literati should show in the face of challenges to etiquette, even if the other party is the high-ranking queen mother, they still can't back down!

"What's the hard work to speak of, isn't it just to clean up the source?"

Li Shimian's demeanor was righteous and awe-inspiring, he did not give in to Wang Zhen's dictatorship back then, and now the Queen Mother will not be afraid to interfere in politics.

"The high righteousness of the Great Si clan makes us admire!"

Qian Xili saluted Li Shimian, and then said: "There is news from the palace, I heard that the Queen Mother is preparing to mobilize the Southern Expeditionary Army to suppress the literati, and this official specially rushed to support the Da Si clan. ”

"We literati can fight to the death, and we will never tolerate dark clouds covering the sun!"

Qian Xili's words were loud, and listening to the Jingshi literati present, he instantly felt his blood boiling.

"That's right, martial arts and war are dead, and we should defend the dignity of Confucianism and Taoism."

"Have the ability to annihilate the doctrine of etiquette, otherwise the contemptible people will never accept Si Chen!"

"The Jingshi guards the warriors spilled their blood, and now it's time for our literati to throw their heads, I want to see how we can cover the mouths of the world!"

"If the Queen Mother does not return to the government for a day, she will not leave the noon gate for a day."

The voice of Master Jing resounded in the sky, making the sergeants standing in front of the palace gate and guarding couldn't help but feel secretly frightened.

If it is really as rumored, the Queen Mother will send troops to the noon gate to suppress and clear the field, according to this posture of mass anger, I am afraid that there will be a scene of rivers of blood.

And with the passage of time, not only the arrival of Ni Qian and Qian Xili in the civil official group, but also the cabinet minister Gao Gu and the household department Shangshu Jin Lian have appeared in the group of petitioners in Wumen.

And the follow-up wave spread throughout the Beijing Division, and Chen Xun, the first assistant of the cabinet, and Wang Zhi, the official of the Ministry of Officials, were all ready to go to the noon gate. Regardless of whether their position is on Shen Yichen's side, or even whether they are on the side of Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu.

As literati, they couldn't accept it anyway, and the power of the court was controlled by the empress dowager, a woman family, and they made a move to send troops to suppress the literati.

At such a moment, if they do not come forward, it will be tantamount to betraying the entire class of scholars, and they will be pointed at in the future!

Seeing that the turmoil was about to sweep the entire Beijing officialdom, the noon door, which had been closed for a long time, finally slowly opened from the inside, and Cheng Jing, the eunuch wearing a python robe, appeared in front of everyone.

"Ministers and scribes, you are tired."

As soon as they met, Cheng Jing respectfully bowed to everyone outside the noon gate, and his image and attitude were completely different from those when Wang Zhen was in power, and the appearance of the eunuchs in the palace was full of a kind of civil elegance.

"Father-in-law Cheng, when the Queen Mother saw "The Original Book", did she want to ask the official for the crime?"

Li Shimian knew very well how fierce the rhetoric in "Zheng Ben Shu" was, and speculated that the Queen Mother would send troops to suppress the petitioners, and she would definitely not let herself go in anger.

"This official has nothing else to ask for, one person does things and one person is responsible, and please don't hurt the master of Beijing and hurt the hearts of the people in the world!"

The consequences of dispatching troops and horses to suppress it are unpredictable, if you can bear it with your own strength and protect the safety of thousands of soldiers in front of the noon gate, Li Shimian thinks it is worth it!

"Sir, the student is a person who reads the books of the sages, how can he be afraid at this time?"

"Da Si, I am not greedy for life and afraid of death, my mother needs to intercede with the Queen Mother."

"If you don't have the courage to die in battle, you are worthy of being called a literati?"

In an instant, the scholar outside the gate was excited, and the ridge of the Ming literati was not interrupted, who would want to be the cynic who was prostrate under the imperial power.

Emphasizing integrity and ignoring life and death is the spiritual backbone that literati should have.

Looking at the young scholars outside the noon gate becoming more and more excited, Cheng Jing hurriedly said at this time: "You have misunderstood, our family is not here to ask who is to blame. ”

"But Your Majesty has a holy oracle, and your loyalty to the monarch and the country has been known, and it should be widely spread and enshrined as an example for the world's scholars. Another cabinet minister, Shen Yichen, after verification, has no intention of disobedience, and the official can be released and reinstated! ”

What?

Hearing Cheng Jing's words, the group of scholars in front of the noon gate stood in place, and many of them were even ready to be martyred, but they never expected that the emperor did not ask anyone to be guilty, and returned the innocence of Shen Ge.

Compared with the shock of ordinary literati, Li Shimian and others, who are courtiers, also saw something deeper. That is, this edict was not issued in the name of the Queen Mother, but in the name of the Emperor.

This means that the power in the palace has changed, and the new monarch may have taken control of the power of the court!

What happened overnight?

The secrets of the palace, with the passage of time, will slowly have some rumors coming out, but it will not be now.

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

No matter what happens, the Queen Mother's abandonment of interfering in politics means that she has achieved results.

Li Shimian immediately knelt down and shouted in the direction of the noon gate, to vent his excitement.

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

In an instant, the snow outside the noon gate fell to their knees, and many young scholars couldn't help but have tears on their faces.

Through their own struggles, they defended the etiquette and morality they adhered to, and this is the concept pursued by the literati when they read the books of the sages!

Everything that happened in the outside world, Shen Yichen, who was in the edict prison, didn't know so quickly. However, at this time in prison, there was an extremely familiar figure, Chen Qingtong resolutely came to visit despite the obstruction of his mother Shen and his grandfather.

She couldn't believe the peace conveyed by the jailer, and only by witnessing her husband safe and sound could she let go of that hanging heart.

It is naturally difficult for outsiders to come in and visit the prison for serious offenders like the Imperial Prison. But in the face of Chen Qingtong's request, he learned that he was Shen Ge's wife, and no one in the jailers dared to stop him, and Wei San personally led her to Shen Yichen's cell.

Just like Shen Yichen's feelings when he first entered the Imperial Prison, the dim staircase, the gloomy environment, the painful wail, and the smelly air all challenged the senses of ordinary people.

Feeling Chen Qingtong's worry and nervousness, Wei San, who was leading the way in front, opened his mouth to explain: "Madame, rest assured, Shen Ge Lao has been placed in a single room, and the treatment is completely different from these prisoners. ”

Is it?

Hearing the jailer's explanation, Chen Qingtong was still not much easier, how good can a single room be in this kind of environment?

Walking through the long dark corridor, in a cell near the corner, Chen Qingtong saw the familiar back.

Shen Yichen was facing away from the cell door, his eyes were still looking at the one-foot-square skylight, and when he heard the sound of unlocking the door behind him, he subconsciously turned around and said, "Wei San, is there any news from the noon gate again?" ”

But when he turned back this time, what caught his eye was Chen Qingtong's face, and Shen Yichen was stunned in place for an instant, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Husband, you have suffered."

Almost as soon as the cell door opened, Chen Qingtong threw himself into Shen Yichen's arms, his eyes red with a layer of mist. When Wei San saw this kind of picture, he closed the cell door very interestingly, and then turned to leave.

"Qingtong, why are you here?"

After relieving himself, Shen Yichen opened his mouth to ask. He obviously asked Wei San to go to the Chengguo Mansion to report his safety, but he didn't want Chen Qingtong to worry too much.

"If I don't see my husband safe with my own eyes, how can I feel at ease?"

"Isn't it okay to see me, it's okay."

Looking at Chen Qingtong, tears couldn't stop flowing, Shen Yichen tried his best to pretend to be relaxed, and gently patted the other party's back to comfort him.

"It's okay every time, but every time I'm in danger, do you know how scared I am over the years?"

"In the past, when you went out of town, I had no way to accompany me, but now that you are in the Jingshi Prison, can I still stand by and watch in the house?"

In addition to Chen Qingtong's worries, there is also this deep complaint. It's not that she doesn't know the truth that her husband is ambitious, but in the past few years since she married Shen Yichen, she has been worried and scared for many days and nights.

It's not easy to return to Beijing as an official now, but in the blink of an eye, he issued an edict to ask for guilt, when can he live the peaceful life he expects?

She didn't know whether to blame Shen Yichen for promising the country with his body, or whether she should blame herself for not being generous enough.

Listening to Chen Qingtong's complaints, the pretended relaxed smile on Shen Yichen's face faded, he could actually understand his wife's grievances and dedication over the years, but he was not good enough in many aspects and did not give enough companionship.

"I'm sorry."

Shen Yichen took Chen Qingtong into his arms, and a thousand words could only be gathered into such an apology.

However, the seven-foot body has promised the country, and it is difficult to Xu Qing.

In the winter of the thirteenth year of Ming orthodoxy, in addition to the snow, the vast wasteland of northern Xinjiang was fluttering with snow.

On the territory of southern Mongolia, a team of Mongolian cavalry is struggling to advance in knee-high snow. Compared with the regular marching team, there are also white camels, white oxen and other auspicious things in this army and horses, and they are the "Nine White Great Tribute" mission sent by the Tatar Mongol Great Khan Tokhtobuhua.

In the center of the mission, there was a Mongolian young man with a full of anger, Meng Ke, who was confirmed as the crown prince not long ago at the Mongolian tribal alliance, was sent to the Ming Kingdom as a proton by the Mongolian Great Khan in a blink of an eye.

Based on the current relationship between Mongolia and the Ming Kingdom, this kind of proton is no different from sending it to death. Meng Ke never thought that his father's sweat would not take off, so in order to prevent his uncle from taking the opportunity to seize power, he pushed himself into the fire pit regardless of the friendship between father and son.

Anger, resentment, and contempt filled Meng Ke's heart, who would have thought that the Golden Family bloodline, the dignified Mongolian Great Khan, would be a coward, in order to keep his power and khan to bow down to the enemy, he is simply not worthy of being called a descendant of Genghis Khan.

Instead of letting this kind of person take the position of the Great Khan of Mongolia, it is better to let my uncle also become the new Khan first, at least he captured the emperor of the Ming Kingdom, and let the Mongolian horseshoe blade come to the city of the Han people!

Of course, no matter how unwilling and resentful Meng Ke is, his fate of becoming a proton cannot be changed, otherwise he would have been removed earlier.

If it is said that the Han dynasty has no family affection, it is a kind of embarrassment and emotion. Then the "royal affection" of the grassland people, I'm afraid it's not as good as papyrus, and there is no psychological burden on killing fathers and brothers.

Just when Meng Ke chose to accept his fate, a black shadow suddenly appeared in front of the mission team, and a flag similar to a military flag was fluttering.

Seeing this scene, the Tatar envoy subconsciously thought that this was the border army sent by the nine border towns of the Ming Kingdom. In the past, the feudal states sent tributary missions to the Ming Jingshi, and along the way, the soldiers and horses of the Ming State also chose to escort them throughout the whole process according to the prescribed route and time.

However, as the two sides got closer and closer, the outfits of the Mongol cavalry came into view. Before the Tatar mission could come to its senses, the other party had already pulled the reins and rode their horses into a charging stance.

"Kill all the traitors and cowards on this grassland, and regain the bloodline and glory that belong to the descendants of the immortals."

"Mongolia, never pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty!"