Gao Junming has been imprisoned for more than a month. During this month, Wanning accepted Ziang's brother's suggestion and did not intercede for her uncle. It's not just her, everyone is on the move. In the harem and the previous dynasty, the voices of various discussions have gradually been suppressed.

The Gao family did not rush to intercede for Gao Junming, but only visited him almost once every three or four days to ensure his diet and daily life, and even looked forward to a better life.

At this time, no one expected that outside the prison, the figure of the emperor would appear. He was supposed to come to visit this controversial courtier. Father-in-law Zhang next to him was carrying two pots of wine, which was enough to prove that he was here to chat.

As soon as the emperor arrived at the door, the jailer looked surprised: "Your Majesty, why are you here?" ”

Father-in-law Zhang immediately scolded: "Bastard thing! How to speak? Is there a place in the world where the emperor can't come? ”

It took a long time for the jailer to react and salute, and coupled with Fang Cai's offense, he simply knelt down: "How can the emperor's noble body come to this pickled place?" ”

"Don't hurry up and wait, what nonsense!" Grandpa Zhang shouted again.

The emperor said calmly, "Get up." With that, he went straight to the outside of Gao Junming's cell.

Gao Junming's reaction when he saw the emperor was the same as that of the jailer, and he was also surprised, but he was calmer than the jailer and realized that he had to greet him first. He immediately knelt down: "The criminal minister has seen the emperor. ”

"Aiqing, get up. In this prison, there is no need to be polite. ”

Gao Junming didn't get up immediately, but asked suspiciously: "Your Majesty, why are you here?" ”

Gonggong Zhang glanced at the emperor and muttered, "What's wrong with the people in this prison today?" ”

At this moment, the jailer moved a chair for the emperor to sit on. As soon as he sat down, he commanded the jailer: "Stand down, all of you." There is also a herald that no one is to come near. ”

"Yes."

The emperor turned around and said to Gonggong Zhang beside him, "Father-in-law, you also step down." ”

"The old slave obeys."

Gao Junming saw the emperor sit down before getting up. Then sit cross-legged on the ground with a corner of the straw mat underneath the buttocks.

He lowered his head slightly, and held back a few words for a long time: "Your Majesty, Weichen is wronged." ”

"Shouting grievances, huh?"

"Wechen has never formed a party, nor has he been a private business, nor has he ever befriended foreign officials. That account book, I wonder if the emperor has read it carefully? All that is recorded is the normal correspondence between officials. When a foreign official visited, the criminal did not refuse to leave, but if he thought it was a friendship, it would be an exaggeration. ”

Faced with his explanation, the emperor did not respond. Gao Junming knew in his heart that what the emperor cared about most was of course the courtiers' alliance, so he added: "Your Majesty, you can't be more wise, the courtiers will always be loyal to the court." How can the guilty minister be allowed to 'form a faction'? There are also many colleagues who oppose the criminal minister this time, so they can go to prison. It is enough to prove that there is no such thing as a 'party'. The loyalty of the sinner to you can be seen by heaven and earth, and by the sun and the moon! ”

But the emperor still didn't respond to him, just a thoughtful look.

He also said: "If you really want to say that the criminal is guilty, it is that after Li Zhenghang's death, he slandered him and deceived the saint. This is a great sin. ”

As soon as these words came out, the emperor finally opened his mouth: "You are doing this to plot the property of the Li family, right?" ”

"The emperor is wise."

"So, you think I must be fascinated by beauty and support the harem?"

"Your Majesty, how wise you are, how could you make a decision because of a few so-called revelations in the harem?"

The emperor pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "Gathering some money can't offset Aiqing's outstanding military exploits and the hard work he always made at critical moments. It stands to reason that the mistake committed is not a great sin. ”

"Then the emperor, why is Weichen still staying in this prison, and his release from prison seems to be far away?"

"Well, you have two options. First, you can be released from prison now, but you can only be demoted; Second, you originally had a title, and you will only be your grandfather in the future. I love your precious son! It's really a tiger in the door. I still remember when he was very young, when he was still in the Qin Palace, competing with the princes, he showed great talent, his archery skills were very accurate, and he was a smart child. I like the Zhou Cairen who was sent. It's up to the task. ”

Gao Junming carefully thought about the two choices given by the emperor. In his view, this is not a multiple-choice question. First of all, he was dismissed from his post and imprisoned, which shows that the emperor is reorganizing the imperial court. It is the general trend to remove old ministers and appoint new ones, and there may be no need to struggle anymore. Secondly, the emperor did not allow both their father and son to be reused, so it was better to sacrifice himself to pave the way for his son. The most important thing is, isn't that what the emperor meant?

After a while, he knelt down again and said, "Sin submits to the law, and I am willing to enjoy my old age in peace from now on." Also, the offender is willing to hand over all the ill-gotten silver taels. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness and forgiveness of the guilty ministers. ”

"Your precious son is already very close to General Yulin. However, I still want to promote him further. He is both civil and military, and is a rare general. Of course, this is not a one-time thing, and I still have to go through him. Anyway, the day he gets promoted is when you get out of prison. ”

Gao Junming muttered to himself: "General Yulin? The official is from the third grade, and this kid's promotion speed is faster than his Lao Tzu and me. After thinking for a moment, he raised his voice slightly, "Your Majesty, as a father, the criminal minister naturally hopes that his son will soar, but he has not made an inch, and he has won this honor, I am afraid that he will not be able to convince the public." ”

"I've thought about this a long time ago, don't worry, he will have a chance to make meritorious contributions." With that, the emperor set up two wine cups in front of his eyes and filled them with wine. Seeing that Gao Junming didn't speak, he raised his head and asked suspiciously, "Why, you don't believe your son so much?" Even if he doesn't make meritorious contributions anymore, he can still be a general of Yulin now. ”

Gao Junming still seemed speechless, and the emperor asked again: "I have guaranteed that your Gao family will be glorious for a lifetime, and you still have something to hide from me?" ”

"The sinner doesn't dare, the sinner is just thinking, what is the master? You never know what he's thinking here and the next. The heart of the criminal minister was full of infinite admiration for the emperor, so that he had nothing to say. ”

Hearing this, the emperor only smiled, and then handed him a glass of wine: "Come, Aiqing, you get up, let's drink." ”

In fact, Gao Junming sighed in his heart that the fate of himself and the entire Gao family was all in the emperor's thoughts. For himself, he felt a little lost in his heart. used to be so ambitious, although he knew in his heart that his power was getting worse day by day, he never thought that his career would end in this life. Fortunately, the emperor valued Ziang and gave him a little comfort.

"The sinner has one last word before he gets up."

"Say."

"Your Majesty, you protect the glory of the Gao family, and the guilty ministers thank the emperor for the grace of heaven for the entire Gao family." With that, he got up. Then he respectfully took the wine cup, "Drinking with the emperor is really a blessing for the guilty ministers, but I didn't expect to be in this prison." ”