Even though Princess Yongchun was young, she knew that with her status, it was rare for her to leave the palace. Even when it was the spring plowing ceremony or when they went for a walk in the royal garden, they would be surrounded by people. Above them were the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress. Below them were the imperial concubines and noblewomen.
She didn't expect that Yang Ling would agree to her casual words. After a moment of surprise, she couldn't help but be overjoyed. She quickly said, "A man must keep his word. You are the Mighty General of the Marquis. You can't go back on your words."
Princess Yongfu felt slightly uneasy and quickly said, "Without the Empress Dowager's permission and the Ministry of Internal Affairs accompanying me, how can I leave the palace to play? Yongchun was just saying it casually. Sir Yang, don't take it seriously."
Yang Ling looked at her and said, "There is another world inside the forbidden palace, but there is another wonderful world outside the palace. If the two princesses accompany the Emperor, it won't be against etiquette. I don't dare to act rashly. I will find a chance to speak to the Emperor and ask him to give an edict. Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. "
Princess Yongfu blushed slightly and brushed her sleeves to conceal it. She said, "If that's the case, thank you, Sir Yang. This princess and Yongchun will enter the hall first, please come back later. "
She called out to Yong Chun, and like two beautiful white butterflies, the two sisters fluttered into Ren Shou Palace.
Inside Renshou Palace, three mahogany phoenix chairs were separated by a natural nanmu tea table. The Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the current Empress were sitting on them. They were chatting when she saw Princess Yongfu and her sister come in. The Empress Dowager smiled kindly and said, "You two girls, why did you come to me wearing these clothes?"
Princess Yongfu led her sister Lao Ai in greeting and said with a smile, "Greetings to Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress. Yongfu and Imperial Sister are in the middle of a game of cuju. We heard that Imperial Brother is rewarding the officials at court, so we went to inquire about it out of curiosity. That's why we haven't had time to change."
Empress Dowager Zhang was slightly moved when she heard this and asked, "Your royal brother is rewarding the officials? Why? "
Princess Yongfu calmly replied, "Imperial Brother was patrolling Datong incognito and defeated Bayan Khan. He made great contributions, so the first thing he did after returning to the capital was to reward the officials. I heard that the Commander of the Inner Palace, Yang Ling, was the first to make a contribution and has been promoted to Marquis of Wei Wu. He is now the Dragon Tiger General of the Right Pillar of the State."
The Empress Dowager's expression changed when she heard this. She used to be a stubborn and unyielding girl. Concubine Wan was the only favorite in the palace and was arrogant and despotic. As the mistress of the six palaces, she had once punished Concubine Wan to maintain order in the inner palace. Who would have thought that Emperor Xianzong would be furious and put her in the Cold Palace for many years? If she hadn't raised the little prince born of a palace maid of the Ji clan, who would later become Emperor Hongzhi, how could she have the honor of being the Grand Empress Dowager today?
Since His Majesty trusted Yang Ling so much, he would have to think carefully about how he was going to explain himself later. Empress Dowager Zhang only lightly snorted and scolded, "Preposterous." But her jade face was calm and no one could tell if she was happy or angry. It was Empress Xia who raised her eyebrows and was somewhat unconvinced.
The Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress Dowager had been daughters-in-law for many years and had worked hard to become matrons. When this news was said, they must have thought it over. That was enough. As for Yang Ling being lightly scolded, that was right. Who told him to kidnap Imperial Brother to Datong and almost lose his life? Yongfu's main goal had been achieved and she didn't say anything more. She took her sister's hand and walked to the Empress Dowager to chat about family matters.
After a while, the palace eunuch shouted, "The newly promoted Marquis Yang Ling requests an audience!"
The Empress Dowager muttered, "Summon him in."
Yongfu and Yongchun looked at each other and quietly stood beside their mother.
Yang Ling softly walked into the warm room. The furnishings in the hall were elegant with embroidered curtains and the floor was covered with a five-colored carpet. Beside the door were two jade vases with a few large pieces of coral. Yang Ling didn't dare to look around. He raised his head and saw the kind looking Empress Dowager sitting on a chair in her usual robes. He quickly rushed forward and bowed, "This subject Yang Ling pays his respects to Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress."
The hall was silent for a while before the Empress Dowager said, "You may rise."
"Yes!" Yang Ling stood up lightly and took two steps back with his eyes down. He raised his eyes to glance and saw that Empress Dowager Zhang was also in her usual robes. She wore an apricot yellow shirt and a lotus green dress, looking very graceful and gorgeous. Empress Dowager Zhang was tall and took good care of herself. She looked to be in her twenties. She was beautiful and graceful, like a peony in the wind. Princess Yongfu was very similar to her, but she was still young and didn't have a mature and charming temperament.
Yang Ling saw the two of them dressed like this and relaxed a little. The two concubines came to see him in their usual robes, so they probably didn't plan to punish him. But the Empress …
Yang Ling looked at Empress Xia and couldn't help but shake his head. The sixteen year old Empress Xia wore a phoenix coronet, a dragon embroidered cape, a dark blue robe with large sleeves, and a red silk skirt. Her young face had to pretend to be very dignified and her expression was solemn. She always paid attention to her identity as the Empress who was the mother of the world.
Such a rigid girl, no matter how beautiful she was, with the temperament of the current Emperor, how could he like her? As Yang Ling was thinking to himself, Empress Dowager coughed and said, "Yang Ling, I heard that the Emperor was at Datong and was surrounded by tens of thousands of Tartar troops on Mount Baideng and almost suffered the same fate. Is this true?"
"What?" Yang Ling was' shocked 'and hurriedly said, "Empress Dowager, when I was at Datong, I heard rumors everywhere and all kinds of strange rumors. I didn't expect them to reach the ears of Empress Dowager and cause her to worry about the Emperor and not be able to sleep in peace. This … this is my fault."
Princess Yongfu pursed her lips and almost laughed out. She coughed and pretended to be innocent and said, "What does Mister Yang mean? Could it be … that the news is not true? "
Yang Ling secretly praised, "Little Miss is really quick-witted!" He continued, "Eldest Princess is extremely intelligent, your guess is not wrong at all. His Majesty traveled incognito to Datong and formed an alliance with the Duoyan Sanwei. He pacified Liaodong and restrained the Tartars. He was a wise ruler of his generation.
The Maitreya Cult colluded with the Tartars and placed spies in the border army. I found out about it and reported it to the Son of Heaven. His Majesty did not bat an eyelid and beat them at their own game. He purposely leaked the news to the Tartars and led the Tartars army into our encirclement, causing them to suffer heavy casualties and their strength to be greatly damaged. After this battle, I, Ming Destiny, will be able to maintain peace for at least five years. Now the common people are praising me endlessly. "
Regardless of the truth of what he said, her son had just succeeded the throne. Empress Dowager Zhang's heart was filled with honor and her expression immediately softened.
Empress Xia laughed coldly and said, "But how come I heard that the Tartars came and went calmly and their strength did not suffer any damage? Yang Ling, the Former Emperor unceasingly built the Great Wall. His purpose was to defend against the enemies outside the country. His Majesty inherited the Former Emperor's rule. How could he not follow the Former Emperor's political strategy? Instead, he rejoiced in grandiose achievements and put himself in danger? Do you know that when the Emperor left the capital, there were rumors everywhere among the common people? The people's hearts were unsteady and almost caused a great change? "
Empress Xia was a beautiful and delicate beauty. Compared to the fake person she painted on during her wedding, she looked very lively now. It's just that when she spoke she sounded old and there was not a trace of a smile on her pretty face. Her obviously beautiful face looked very hateful.
Unless it was a grand ceremony, the Empress usually only wore regular clothes and did not wear the phoenix coronet. There were thousands of pearls and hundreds of precious stones on the phoenix coronet. It was really very heavy. If one moved slightly too much, the pearls would shake and the hairpin would shake. Moreover, it was pressing on her smooth black hair. If one moved inappropriately, it might fall off. It was really not nice to look at, but Empress Xia enjoyed it.
When she was speaking just now, she flicked her sleeves and scolded coldly. Her movement was very big but the pearls on her head only trembled slightly. Yang Ling looked on curiously. He did not know how long she used to practice this skill. With this distraction, he could not think of a response for a moment.
Princess Yongchun could not help but stick out her little tongue. She got close to Yongfu and said, "It's over. This guy has nothing to say!"
Princess Yongfu frowned slightly and suddenly covered her mouth and laughed. She pretended to tease, "Imperial sao, don't you know my brother's temperament? Where is he even the slightest bit of Father's steadiness and depth? These things, other people may not be able to do it. If it was my brother, little sister still feels that the trouble he caused this time is not big enough. "
In this short period of time, Yang Ling racked his brains and had already thought of a response. He hurriedly said, "Although the Emperor's governance is not as steady and steady as the late Emperor's and has great foresight, his actions are not absurd and causing trouble.
Empress, Your Highness, in the past, Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of Han respected Huang Lao's learning. They ruled the world and made the people peaceful, just like the Former Emperor's virtue and virtue. When Emperor Wu succeeded the throne, he only respected Confucianism and created innovations. His political strategy was completely different from his father and grandfather's. However, he opened up new territories and made great achievements in martial arts. His name of Saint Martial Arts is even better. It can be seen that times have changed. The late Emperor was recuperating and defending against the enemies outside the country. Today, the Emperor has formed an alliance to train his troops and kill the tiger beside his bed. Isn't this the same as inheriting father and grandfather's legacy and opening up the future? "
Princess Yongfu looked at him approvingly and smiled without saying a word. Princess Yongchun suddenly clapped her hands and laughed, "Well said, Sir Yang. Aiya, Empress Dowager, if my brother is compared to Emperor Wu of Han, then aren't you the virtuous Empress Dou who lives for the people and governs without doing anything?"
Empress Dowager Dou had assisted three generations of emperors. Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, and Emperor Wu were all wise rulers. This comparison not only made Empress Dowager smile, but Empress Dowager Zhang's beautiful face also relaxed. She suddenly felt that her son was not completely useless. Maybe he was different from his father and grandfather and could really create a great achievement as an emperor.
Only Empress Xia heard this comparison. Her face was as dark as water and she was extremely unhappy. Emperor Wu of Han was indeed a Heavenly Son of the Heavens in both politics and martial arts. It was only that he 'kept a mistress in the golden house' who favored Wei Zifu and neglected the Empress. It was very similar to her current situation.
Yang Ling saw that the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager's expressions were very good and knew that today's crisis was half over. He hurriedly said, "The Emperor is concerned about the state and military affairs and patrols the important border areas. He has only been away from the capital for a few days and the court officials have not yet received the news. There are already rumors in the capital and even everywhere in the world, slandering and slandering. What is this? Someone is eyeing the treasure and taking the opportunity to create trouble.
The Emperor has just ascended the throne and is young and childless. It is inevitable that some people will have wild ambitions. Now that the Emperor has just ascended the throne, he has already dealt a heavy blow to the Tartars and pacified Liaodong. His prestige is like the sun in the sky. Who can still move this country? Killing several birds with one stone, isn't this a wonderful thing? "
His words were reasonable and the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager nodded their heads repeatedly. Yang Ling took the opportunity to speak eloquently, pointing at a deer as a horse. He described the trip to Great Harmony in Zhengde.
When a woman's curiosity comes, she can only be led by the nose. Originally, it was Yang Ling who rashly put the Emperor in danger. The three palaces were furious and wanted to punish him. Now it became Yang Ling's celebration and commendation. In Renshou Palace, there was only this Dragon and Tiger General of the Right Pillar State, who was an insurance officer, left talking nonsense.
Empress Xia saw that the two Empresses were so engrossed in Yang Ling's boasting that they completely forgot that the three of them had agreed to heavily reprimand him so that Yang Ling would restrain himself. She couldn't help feeling very depressed. But now the situation was under Yang Ling's control. The Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager were listening with smiles on their faces. How could she reprimand him coldly at this time?
The two princesses, Yongfu and Yongchun, seemed to be helping. Every time Yang Ling talked about the thrilling part, they would cut in a few words at the right time to make the story sound more fascinating. The Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager, who were trapped in the palace all year round and had nothing to do, listened with delight.
Empress Xia clenched her teeth in hatred. The real reason she held a grudge against Yang Ling was because of Tang Yixian. When the palace guards who followed the Emperor to Datong returned to the palace, they inevitably had to brag to the palace maids and eunuchs about their bloody experiences in Datong. The news that Zhengde was infatuated with a commoner girl and did not hesitate to disguise himself as a military officer to please her was leaked.
When Empress Xia heard this, she was burning with jealousy. She also heard that the girl was Yang Ling's cousin. She couldn't help but be even more afraid. That was why she encouraged the two Empresses to punish Yang Ling. Although this Empress Xia was young, she was extremely jealous. When Zhengde was serving her in bed, he flipped over Imperial Consort Wu's sign several times. She always got in the way and refused to put her seal on the book of worship. Now how could she sit back and watch the Emperor like someone else so much?
When the Emperor was in the palace, he favored two prostitutes who were now living in the leopard room. The Empress of Xia already knew about this. However, no matter how much the two women were favored, with their birth, they could not pose any threat to her. As the official Empress of the palace, if she lowered her status to be jealous of two entertainers, it would be a joke.
But the Emperor was so infatuated with this girl. She was also the cousin of the powerful minister Yang Ling. Once she entered the palace, she would immediately be promoted to Imperial Consort. Since ancient times, it was not impossible for a favored consort to replace the Empress. Empress Xia had already felt her threat.
However, Ming Destiny was very strict about the power of the Inner Palace. Even as the Empress, she did not have the right to do anything to a minister, much less a powerful minister like Yang Ling. Therefore, she had painstakingly thought about using the Emperor's incognito leaving the palace and wanted to unite the two Empress Dowagers to suppress Yang Ling's arrogance. She did not expect such a situation.
The Empress Dowager and the others were still listening with interest when someone at the door of the hall sang, "Director of Rites Qiu Ju requests an audience!"
Empress Dowager Zhang smiled slightly and said, "Call him in!" She then glanced at Yang Ling and said, "The Emperor was worried and sent someone to protect you. This time, it was a scare but no danger, and you also helped the Emperor achieve a great merit. Aijia will forgive you. The Emperor trusts you very much. You should assist the Emperor well and do your duty as a minister. If you do something as ridiculous as accompanying the Emperor out of the capital and breaking the legs of a cabinet scholar again, aijia will not forgive you!"
Yang Ling's mouth was dry from talking and he quickly bowed to agree. Qiu Ju came under the guise that the Emperor had an important matter to discuss with Yang Ling and was summoning him to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to see the Emperor. Yang Ling took the chance to bid farewell and left the Palace of Heavenly Purity like he was fleeing.
Yang Ling came to the West Warm Pavilion and saw Liu Jin holding a box in front of the imperial writing desk. Zhengde was writing on a piece of paper with a brush in one hand while eating candied fruits from the box. Seeing him come in, Zhengde threw down the brush and asked with a sneaky smile, "How was it? Was the scolding fierce?"
Yang Ling smiled bitterly, "Didn't the Emperor say that he would protect this subject? This subject thought that I would be able to see the Emperor in the Palace of Benevolence, but who would have thought that there was no trace of him."
Zhengde held his stomach and laughed. He said with joy, "You were scolded badly, right? Ha, ha, ha! Zhen was lying to you. I heard that you can't be scared when you're pregnant. That decree was just to make Young-niang jiejie feel better. You took the scolding on zhen's behalf and let the Empress Dowager and Muhou vent their anger. What's the big deal? Besides, didn't zhen send Yongfu to keep an eye on it? If the situation is really bad, zhen will naturally stand up for you. "
He grinned and pulled out a memorial from the tall stack on the desk. He opened it and said, "Look, aren't zhen still being scolded by those damn officials every day? These memorials were handed in by the officials this morning to accuse zhen of leaving the capital incognito and shaking the foundation of the country. Look, they've lowered the prestige of the imperial court, ventured into dangerous places, disturbed the people's residence, plundered beauties, and shook the foundation of the country … They've all scolded zhen as a cruel Zhou. "
He threw the memorial back and said to Liu Jin, "Zhen can't be bothered to look at it and also can't be bothered to explain. If I were to pass it down, they would immediately search for a pile of reasons to continue remonstrating. Take it and leave it here. Tomorrow morning, I reckon that ten times more memorials will be sent in. Don't bring in any memorials that talk about today's meritorious officials. It's better to leave it here."
Liu Jin complied. Zhengde jumped up and walked around the dragon desk. He said to Yang Ling, "Subject Yang, zhen separated from Miss Tang as soon as we entered the capital. Did she ask about me?"
Yang Ling was startled and hesitated for a moment. Zhengde had already seen through it and couldn't help but say dejectedly, "Does Miss Tang not remember me or does she not care about me, a little military officer? Ay, zhen has been thinking about her the whole day. "
Yang Ling laughed in spite of himself. "We just separated yesterday," he said, "and she has always thought that Your Majesty is an Imperial Bodyguard in the army and won't follow me back to the fu. Even if she remembered, why would she ask about me so soon?"
As soon as Zhengde heard this, his countenance relaxed. "You're right," he said, "zhen was impatient."
Yang Ling continued, "But … how long does Your Majesty plan to hide it? Today is not like in the army, it is too difficult to conceal one's identity. "
Zhengde's eyebrows rose. "Hide it for as long as you can," he said, "zhen sincerely likes her, zhen does not want to use the Emperor's identity to summon her into the palace. zhen wants an immortal to also like zhen. Subject Yang, zhen is currently in the palace, it is not convenient for zhen to see Miss Tang. These two days zhen has been preparing to move to the leopard room. Go back and tell her that zhen is an Imperial Bodyguard and is currently on duty at the leopard room. Wait until zhen moves to the leopard room before going to see her. "
The ruler and his minister talked for a while, and Yang Ling asked to leave the palace. He had not gone far when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind. Yang Ling turned his head to look and saw Liu Jin carrying the stack of memorials had also followed him out.
Yang Ling's footsteps stopped. Liu Jin hurried over and said with a smile, "Sir Yang, today you have been promoted to nobility and an official position, we have not congratulated daren." Although his smile was as warm and sincere as before, there was an unconcealable jealousy in his voice.
Yang Ling smiled faintly; suddenly he felt that the distance between them was very far. In the past, although he also knew of Liu Jin's reputation in history, he often unconsciously neglected this layer of memory. He regarded Liu Jin as an ordinary person, a friend, and when they met, he would feel some intimacy in his heart. But now …
Yang Ling did not want Liu Jin to see that he had already seen through his intention; he smiled and said, "Ben guan followed His Majesty to Datong in secret. In the capital, I have to rely on Liu Gong-gong's coordination from top to bottom and your proper arrangements, so that there would not be any trouble. Today's merit is all thanks to Liu Gong-gong. Tonight at the 'Xiang Yun Lou', I will hold a banquet and invite a group of good friends. I ask Liu Gong-gong to attend the banquet, I will raise a cup of wine to express my gratitude. "
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