"May I ask why Your Majesty summons me in the middle of the night?"
Xiao Ruxun asked directly.
"Oh? Commander Xiao has already guessed it? " The old eunuch with a white face and no beard was Zhang Cheng. He received the secret order from the emperor to bring Xiao Ruxun to him.
Before the formal award ceremony, the Emperor wanted to see if this person was worthy of being entrusted with important matters and if he had the courage to wrestle with civil officials. As for whether or not he was loyal, Zhu Yijun did not care too much. He knew that a person's loyalty would change over time, but there was a chasm from loyalty to rebellion. Those who could not cross it would not be able to cross it no matter what.
"Who else can mobilize the Imperial Bodyguard and the eunuchs except the emperor?" Xiao Ruxun smiled indifferently and then asked, "But I am just a small commander. How can I be received by His Majesty in person? Before I came, I heard that His Majesty doesn't even want to see the ministers. How can a small commander like me be an exception? "
Zhang Cheng only smiled and said, "A small Zongbing might be of great use as long as the right time comes. Zongbing Xiao, His Majesty heard that you came up with the idea to use gunpowder to overturn the city and quell the rebellion in one fell swoop. That's why he wants to see you."
Xiao Ruxun suddenly understood.
"Please lead the way, Your Majesty."
Xiao Ruxun said very politely.
Eunuchs were not as treacherous and cunning as people thought, especially eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty. They were just servants of the emperor and pawns that the emperor could use to play games with the civil officials. It was just that their deeds were often stirred up by the civil officials and poured a basin of dirty water on the emperor, making the emperor the biggest loser.
At least at this moment, Xiao Ruxun didn't have a bad impression of the eunuchs.
Those officials were no better than the eunuchs. They got all the money they deserved. All the crows in the world were black, so no one blamed each other. If they had to pour dirty water on one group of people, it would only make the other group particularly shameless.
Zhang Cheng took Xiao Ruxun to a carriage. Then they walked and stopped. When the carriage finally stopped, Xiao Ruxun got off and saw a rockery and a pool. He knew that this should be the inner palace. He didn't know how he got in and which way he took. Xiao Ruxun resolutely pretended that he didn't know.
The palace was quiet at night. There were not many lights. Not even patrolling soldiers could be seen. Zhang Cheng and two Imperial Bodyguards quickly took Xiao Ruxun to the door of a palace. Then they sent a message. Then the eunuch opened the door a little and invited Xiao Ruxun to walk in. The whole process was as careful as a spy. Thinking of the Emperor Wanli didn't see the court officials for 28 years, Xiao Ruxun felt that this was quite absurd.
Summer was coming, and Beijing was a little stuffy. There was not much cold wind at night, but the palace was surprisingly cool. Xiao Ruxun took a closer look. There were two rows of eight big cauldrons filled with crystal clear ice cubes. Cold air was coming out. No wonder the palace was so cool. It was almost as cool as an air-conditioned room.
Right in front of Xiao Ruxun was a table covered in bright yellow brocade, and there was also a seat. However, the Emperor was nowhere to be seen. That was obviously the Emperor's throne. On the right was a curtain of beads, and Xiao Ruxun did not dare to look sideways. She only stood with her head lowered.
"Your Majesty, I've brought Xiao Ruxun."
Zhang Cheng's voice came.
"Well, let him come in."
A calm and energetic male voice came. The bead curtain on the right was lifted. Zhang Cheng called to Xiao Ruxun, "Commander Xiao, His Majesty wants to see you."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Along the way from Ningxia, Ye Mengxiong had told Xiao Ruxun some etiquette and key points about how to meet the Emperor. Therefore, Xiao Ruxun was not a stranger.
He lowered his head and slowly walked over the bead curtain. He stepped on a layer of soft cushion. It was quite comfortable. Moreover, the cool air inside was more abundant than outside. It was more comfortable.
Standing still, Xiao Ruxun knelt down and saluted. "Your subject, Ningxia Military Commander Xiao Ruxun, greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor."
"Well, you may rise. Zhang Cheng, please sit."
Emperor Wanli's voice sounded. Since he said so, Xiao Ruxun could raise his head and look at the Emperor. After saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace." Xiao Ruxun got up and saw the Emperor who hadn't summoned the ministers for years. The ministers had been anxiously waiting for him. Behind him, Zhang Cheng brought a chair. Xiao Ruxun relaxed and sat down.
At this time, Emperor Wanli, Zhu Yijun, was in front of Xiao Ruxun. He was wearing a black dragon embroidered robe and holding a scroll in his hand. He had a square face, sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, but he was still quite handsome. His black hair was shiny, showing that the Emperor was full of vitality. The genes inherited from the royal family were reliable. Zhu Yijun's big pancake face had long changed to a square face.
He was a little excited. After all, it was a miracle to see a living emperor in ancient times. However, Xiao Ruxun, who was already familiar with the life of the Daming Dynasty, was more uneasy and worried at this moment. After all, the person in front of him was a living emperor. Although he couldn't decide life and death with a word, he wasn't far from it. Although he guessed that the Emperor might summon him for the matter of Country R, he couldn't be sure if there was anything else.
Zhu Yijun didn't think too much. At first glance, he saw Xiao Ruxun's upright appearance and modest etiquette. Suddenly, he had a good impression of him. Therefore, good-looking people had a much greater advantage than ugly people. Without saying anything, he naturally had a good impression.
"Not bad, not bad. It's rare to have a jade inside. No wonder Yang Zhao didn't choose a scholar but chose you as his son-in-law. He has a good eye."
Zhu Yijun put down the scroll in his hand and commented on Xiao Ruxun's appearance as if they were talking about family matters.
Xiao Ruxun immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I'm very honored. To tell you the truth, I'm more satisfied with my appearance than my ability."
Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed involuntarily.
Zhang Cheng was also a person who had seen the world, but he never thought that Xiao Ruxun would say in front of the Emperor that he admitted that he was handsome. Couldn't he hear that the Emperor was just being polite? Did he admit it? However … this was not a big deal. At most, he was a narcissistic Xu Gong. It was not a big deal. Speaking of which, which of these people in the imperial court didn't have a good appearance? Everyone had a little confidence in their appearance.
"Hahaha, I have seen many people say that your appearance is good in front of me. Xiao Ruxun, ah, Xiao Ruxun, if others said this, it would be a compliment to you. Don't you think it's indecent for you to say it yourself?"
It was rare for Zhu Yijun to have the mood to crack a joke.
"Your Majesty, I beg to differ. A person's appearance is given to them by their parents. Parents can say that their children's appearance is not good, but as a son and daughter, if they insist that their appearance is not good in front of others, isn't that disrespectful to their parents? Those who say this, I think it's indecent. "
Xiao Ruxun displayed her ability to speak, and as expected, Zhu Yijun's eyebrows twitched, and the corner of his mouth curled up, and he smiled again. In his heart, he made a mental note of this. He had never thought of it before, and had never mentioned it when he was dealing with the civil officials. Now, if someone were to say that his looks were not good in front of him to show off, he would definitely ridicule him to death to vent his anger!
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