Looking at the majestic imperial palace in front of me, I couldn't help but gasp and whispered, "Uncle, that's where the emperor lives?" ”

Uncle said: "That's the Dengwen Palace, which is the place where the emperor works and deliberates, and he doesn't live there." ”

I said, "Working in such a big place? ”

Of course, Wuyang City also has quite large buildings, but I have never seen such a straight mountain-like hall. I saw walking behind my uncle, while secretly looking at this big house that I had never seen before. In the city of foggy clouds, everything is big, the houses are big, and the walls are frighteningly high, but the houses outside the walls are very short. I remember mentioning in the textbook that the imperial system is autocratic, and one person rules the world, so everything is dictatorial and not allowed to be approached by others, presumably this is the reason why the imperial palace is built so tall.

He walked to the entrance of the main hall, where there were four halberd-wielding samurai, and an old man without a beard was standing behind. When the old man saw his uncle, he stepped forward and smiled: "Ouch, King Fu Ming, you are finally back, the emperor is waiting for you to return to your life." ”

It seemed that this old man should be an old man, but his voice was strangely sharp. Uncle bowed and said, "Grandpa Sha, please lead the way." ”

When this father-in-law saw me, he suddenly smiled and said, "Yo, who is this little brother?" Is it the person the emperor wants to see? ”

"Yes."

At this moment, I saw that the eyes of this Sha Gonggong, who were buried deep in the wrinkles, suddenly flashed a strange light, as if he had changed in an instant. I remembered the etiquette that my uncle taught me, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Hello Grandpa Sha, the villain Zheng Hanbai is polite." ”

When I said the word "Zheng Hanbai", my uncle was obviously relieved. In fact, he was also too worried, he told me that my grandfather named Chu Xiuhong still has many enemies still alive, looking at the appearance of this grandfather Sha, I also wonder if he has an old grudge against my grandfather, and naturally he will not say anything. Father-in-law Sha also touched my head and said, "It's the grandson of Secretary Zheng at the beginning, but it's really a pompous little boy." When you see the emperor, you have to kowtow to the emperor. ”

My uncle said that there is still a bow in the Great Qi Empire, so I must bow to the emperor. Everything else is negotiable, but this is the only one that I can't accept. I was hesitant before, but my uncle said that it had to be practiced no matter what, and it should not be violated. Although I agreed, I felt really uncomfortable. Hearing Grandpa Sha talk about this again, my heart turned over, but I didn't dare to show it on my face, I just said, "Yes, yes." "When I came, I saw Elder Fang for the first time on the boat, and at that time I wanted to show him the color, but Elder Fang saw from my expression that I meant this. I don't know if Gonggong Sha's eyesight is as fierce as Fang Lao, but it seems that he is not a fuel-efficient lamp, and I must not make a mistake again.

Probably because of my deferential appearance that made Sha Gonggong very satisfied, he nodded and said, "King Fu Ming, the emperor said, go to the study and go back to the palace, you don't need to be in the Dengwen Palace." ”

The uncle was stunned, but he didn't say anything, just said, "Okay, Grandpa Sha, please." ”

Father-in-law Sha walked at the front, my uncle followed behind him, and I walked last. My uncle is a famous general in the world, accustomed to water warfare, and can walk like a fly on the bumpy deck of a ship, and his steps are solid and light on flat ground, almost silent. What I didn't expect was that a weird-looking old man like Sha Gonggong didn't walk slowly, and I didn't even feel slow in the end.

The outside of the imperial palace looks very majestic, and it is even more huge and deep inside. After entering the gate and walking forward, Sha Gonggong turned to a door on the left. There were also two halberd warriors standing in front of this gate, and my uncle told me that these guards were the guards of the imperial palace, specially protecting the emperor. My aunt is at least nominally the great commander of Wuyang City, but there are a total of more than a dozen rotating guards and garrisons in the Great Unified Mansion, how can there be such a three-step post and five steps and one sentry as the Imperial Palace? No wonder the textbooks say that the imperial autocracy is written. It's just that I can't figure out why most of the places eventually restored the imperial system since the whole country was already a republic? Not only what is said in the textbook, but what I have seen with my own eyes also makes me vaguely feel that the imperial system is indeed autocratic, which is not wrong at all. It's just that almost ninety percent of the people eventually chose the autocratic monarchy and abolished the people-oriented republic, which is really incomprehensible.

I was thinking about it when Sha Gonggong suddenly stopped. I walked at the end, thinking about something else, and almost couldn't hold my foot and bumped into my uncle, but fortunately, I stopped at the precipice and finally stood up in time. But seeing that Gonggong Sha was already standing in front of the door of the Yuedong Cave, there was no halberd warrior standing guard here, and he said: "King Fu Ming, please wait, I will go to report to Your Majesty about King Ming's arrival." ”

Sha Gonggong is also very polite to his uncle, it seems that his uncle is really high in the north. I remember asking my mom earlier, and she said that my uncle was the first person in the military in the north. The north and Wuyangcheng are actually similar, and they are also divided into two departments: military and political. However, of course, it is not the same as Wuyang City, the military power of the empire is quite large, except for the four Ming kings of the regular army, plus a commander of the forbidden army, these five people have the title of five marshals, and they are almost on a par with the six Shangshu of the political system - of course, they are still slightly inferior. And these eleven people are known as the eleventh electors, because the emperor establishes the heir and adopts the electoral arbitration system, which is voted by these eleven people.

As soon as Sha Gonggong entered, my uncle turned to look at me and whispered, "Hanbai, don't forget to kowtow." ”

I said with a bitter face: "Uncle, do you have to knock?" ”

Uncle didn't speak, just nodded. Seeing him like this, I sighed and said softly, "Okay. ”

In my life, I haven't kowtowed to a few people. In fact, although the prostration ceremony has been abolished in Wuyang City, there are still some at home, and it is common to kowtow to the elder. When I was a child, my parents took me to my aunt and aunt to pay New Year's greetings, and they made me kowtow. But my aunt and aunt are the elders of my family, and it's nothing to kowtow to them, I don't know this emperor at all, and I really don't want to kowtow to him. But since my uncle has told me so much, it seems that this head is inevitable, even if I don't want to, I have to kowtow.

We only waited outside for a while, and then we saw Gonggong Sha come out and said, "King Fu Ming, Your Majesty asks you to take Gongzi Zheng in." ”

Uncle bowed to Grandpa Sha and said, "Thank you Grandpa Sha." When I saw my uncle saluting, I hurriedly saluted and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Sha." Sha Gonggong also showed a little smile at this time, and whispered: "Little brother, don't be afraid when you see Your Majesty." ”

I thought to myself that the emperor was not a monster with a blue face and fangs, and even if it was, I probably wouldn't be afraid. However, Sha Gonggong's tone at this time was unusually kind, and I said: "The villain understands, thank you Sha Gonggong." ”

When I entered the moon cave gate, there was a garden inside. The trees in the garden are lush and well-grown, and in the middle of it is a passage with a stone pillar shelf, on which climbs a very thick vine, and the leaves are very dense. Although the sun is blazing, it is cool and pleasant to walk in the shade of the vines.

The place is very elegantly furnished, which is really nice. I was about to see what kind of long vine it was, but I heard a voice from the other end: "Brother Fu, you're back." It's been a long journey, and you've worked hard. ”

The voice was clear, and it sounded surprisingly young. I couldn't help but be stunned, and I didn't bother to study the varieties of this long vine, but when I looked up, I saw a man wearing a yellow summer robe standing under the eaves at that end. This man looked to be in his early forties, even younger than his uncle. When his uncle saw him, he hurriedly stepped forward and saluted deeply: "Your Majesty, Weichen Fu Yanshu is late for his life, and I ask Your Majesty for forgiveness." ”

This person is the emperor? I couldn't help but be a little shocked. In Wuyang City, of course, there will be no naming in the textbooks, but there are many places that refer to Sang and scolding Huai about how the autocratic imperial system is inferior to the republican system, and I always feel that as the supreme ruler of the empire, he must be a person with a ruthless face and a fierce face. It's just that the person in front of him is not too tall, but he looks extremely strong. Uncle is heroic, and he is not lost to his uncle in momentum.

"Hanbai, still don't you salute Your Majesty?"

My uncle suddenly scolded me, and I came back to my senses and hurriedly stepped forward. was about to bend his knees, but he couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved in his heart. What I heard since I was a child was "all people are equal". Of course, I knew early on that this was impossible, and when I was young, my father and my mother were definitely not equal. At that time, I was naughty, my father wanted to beat me, and I had nowhere to hide. But now he feels more and more that this is not wrong, at least people should be equal to each other, even if it is an emperor, he should not have the power to force others to kneel to him. It's just that even if I think so, I also know that if I don't kneel, I will definitely not have good fruit to eat, and what Elder Fang said to me on the boat, "clamp your tail and be a man" is still in my ears.

Clamp your tail and be a man. I thought about it, and said in my mouth: "Your Majesty, the villain is polite. Then he knelt down and kowtowed heavily. It's just that although his head is knocked down, there is an indescribable discomfort in his heart.

Why should I kneel to him? Although the first impression given to me by the emperor was not bad, at this time I was secretly scolding in my stomach: "Lao Tzu kneels to his son!" But although he was scolding in his heart, he also lacked confidence, so he had to hang his head lower. However, as soon as my head was lowered, I felt a breeze in front of me, and a pair of strong hands held my arms.

"You're Brother Si Chu's son, right? Keep your head up. ”

The Emperor's voice rang out in front of me. I didn't expect him to move so fast, and I couldn't help but be stunned and raised my head. I saw that the emperor was looking at me with burning eyes, and there was a hint of excitement in his eyes. I said, "Your Majesty, the villain Zheng Hanbai." ”

He looked me up and down, then let go of me and said, "Stand up straight, let me see." ”

I was a little hairy by him, and I didn't dare to disobey, so I quickly stood up and stood straight. He looked at me and said, "Lord Lingzun taught you marksmanship, right?" ”

I said, "Yes." But I was even more uncomfortable. He asked, do you want to try my marksmanship on the spot? It's not that I'm afraid that I won't be able to fight him, but my father taught me too good at gunning, and I still can't handle the scale well, in case I miss the weight, it's much more serious than not kowtowing.

I was thinking about it, but I heard him sigh: "Brother Si Chu still refuses to come, it's better if you come." Zheng Hanbai, you come forward to listen to the seal, and I give you the right to walk on the sword and not worship. ”

I was stunned." I only listen to the pronunciation of these four words, and I really don't know what they mean. The uncle was also surprised, and said, "Your Majesty, he is a little child, how can this be done?" ”

The emperor said: "The son inherits the father's business, what can't he do?" You can't let him be a master, right? Naturally, the only way to do this is to transfer the right to bow down to him first. The emperor paused, and then said, "Zheng Hanbai, are you fifteen years old this year?" ”

I said, "Yes, Your Majesty." ”

"From today onwards, I order you to enter the Mingxin Academy to practice. I hope you will become a civil and military student, and one day my wish will be fulfilled. ”

I was stunned again, and couldn't help asking, "Your Majesty, may I ask where Mingxin Courtyard is?" ”

In Wuyang City, there is the "Beitian Courtyard", which is a place to adopt homeless people. Although the emperor couldn't let me go to that place if he wanted to, there was a word "courtyard", which always made me a little uneasy. When the emperor heard me ask, he smiled, and his uncle said on the side: "Hanbai, Your Majesty wants to keep you in the palace to accompany His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Don't thank you yet! ”

As soon as I heard that I was asked to study, I was no longer nervous. Since I was a child, I have heard my mother say that I don't know how many times, saying that I must work hard to study. Although I never let my parents worry about it, this one never worried them. Now I just have to change places to study, and I don't have to worry about anything. I hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty Xie......" I just didn't finish speaking, but I heard the emperor say: "Hanbai, don't you already have the right to bow down with a sword?" You don't have to kneel anymore. ”

I was stunned and said, "Your Majesty, if you don't bow to your sword, you don't need to kneel?" ”

The emperor smiled and said, "You can also bring a sword and walk slowly." But you don't have to go to court, you can only use these two items later. He paused and said, "Anyway, it's reluctant for you to worship me, hehe." ”

Listening to his last sentence, my heart suddenly shook. I thought I was prepared, but I was still so easily seen. It seems that no matter what, the point of not being able to hold your breath must be changed no matter what. The emperor didn't seem to be angry, but if it was something else, or even a matter of life and death, if I couldn't hold my breath, I would be worried about my life. I bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." "He gave me the right to bow to the sword, so that I don't have to kowtow to him, but this also makes me very grateful, and I think that I scolded him in my stomach just now, and now I should sincerely make amends to him.

The emperor accepted my salute, stretched out his hand and pulled a rope by the door, but he heard a bell ringing at the door, and then he heard the voice of Sha Gonggong: "Your Majesty, the villain Sha Mutong obeys orders." ”

Sha Gonggong was originally called Sha Mutong? I was thinking about it, but I saw Grandpa Sha walking over quickly. He obviously did not have the right to bow down with his sword, and when he got close, he knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor. The emperor didn't tell him to get up, but just said, "Gonggong Sha, please take Gongzi Zheng to freshen up." Tomorrow he will also enter the Mingxin Courtyard, and I will have something to discuss with King Fu Ming. ”

Gonggong Sha kowtowed again and said, "Your Majesty Mingjian." After that, he stood up, saluted me and said, "Zheng Gongzi, please come with me." ”

He was very polite to me this time. I saluted the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, then I'll go first." "What the emperor and his uncle are talking about must be a major national event, and I am not interested in it. Now I'm quite curious about the Mingxin Academy, and I don't know how many princes are studying there.

Sha Gonggong led me out of the upper study, but walked to the side. I couldn't help but be a little worried when I saw him walking farther and farther away. The imperial palace is so big, and there are so many houses, my uncle doesn't know when to negotiate with the emperor, if he gets separated, it's not fun. I saw that Grandpa Sha didn't pay attention to me, just walked briskly, and whispered, "Grandpa Sha." ”

Although Gonggong Sha walked fast, as soon as he heard my voice, he also stood up and said, "What does Gongzi Zheng command?" ”

"Where are we going now?"

"Go to the Shangyi Bureau and sew clothes for Childe."

The clothes on my body were given to me by my mother before I left, and they are not old. I said, "Do you want to change your clothes?" ”

"Naturally. Clothes from the outside are not allowed to be brought to the temple. ”

I scratched my scalp and didn't say anything more. Imperial autocracy, this is really not false at all, there are too many rules, even such a trivial thing is reluctant.