The Emperor of Hongzhi was shocked and angry as he stood up, pointing at Yang Ling. He was so angry that he could not speak for a long time.
In fact, he admired Yang Ling very much. A few days ago, the Emperor of Hongzhi mentioned Yang Ling's views on military matters to Liu Daxia. Although Liu Daxia felt that there were many details that needed to be discussed, he had a positive opinion of Yang Ling's views. He felt that Yang Ling's views were unique and outstanding, so he did not hesitate to praise him.
Yang Ling was a student of the Crown Prince and did not talk about the Four Books and Five Classics. He only talked about the mountains and rivers, the customs of the people, and even foreign affairs. Hongzhi had his own informants and knew about it beforehand. However, the Emperor of Hongzhi was fond of music and painting. The officials often spoke about this again and again, worried that the Emperor would be too engrossed in these things and miss out on government affairs. Every time Hongzhi heard this, he would just laugh it off, thinking that it was the opinion of a pedantic scholar. Therefore, he did not think much of the Crown Prince's knowledge.
In his opinion, Yang Ling was the number one scholar in the Xuan Prefecture, so his knowledge was naturally not bad. Today, he did not speak about the teachings of a saint, but instead used unorthodox methods to teach the Crown Prince. He probably knew the Crown Prince's temperament, so he gave up on 'reading ten thousand books' and used 'walking ten thousand miles' to teach the Crown Prince. It could be said that he had put in a lot of effort, so he was very impressed with him.
But today, he was here to teach the Crown Prince how to be a ruler, and there were some tricks that were not known to outsiders. Now, Yang Ling was hiding in the dark and heard it. Even though Hongzhi had always treated people with generosity, he could not help but become angry.
He coldly looked at Yang Ling and suppressed his anger, "Yang, did you just startle the Emperor?"
Yang Ling stammered, "Your Majesty, I … I do not understand Your Majesty's meaning."
Hongzhi slapped the table and said word by word, "Yang Ling, did the Crown Prince leave the palace yesterday? Where did he go? Today, Li Dongyang's impeachment of Zhang Heling, was it your idea? "
Yang Ling's heart turned cold, "This matter was done in secret, how did the Emperor find out? Could it be that there were spies of the Emperor among the Eight Tigers? No, it couldn't be. If it was the Eight Tigers who leaked the news, the emperor would have already stopped the crown prince from leaving the palace without permission. He wouldn't have found out about it later. Then, who leaked the news? Dongchang? Imperial Bodyguard? If they don't know how to sabotage themselves, who else can it be? "
Yang Ling was shocked. He suddenly remembered the West Factory that had been secretly established. Could it be the secret agents of the West Factory? The revival of the West Factory was extremely secretive. It had not been officially announced yet. It was still unknown who the supervisor of the West Factory was. Most of the members of the West Factory were also mysterious. Were they from the West Factory?
He knelt down and thought about it. Hongzhi angrily said, "You are so bold. You encouraged the crown prince to leave the palace, entered the brothel without permission, and beat the Marquis's family. But as an official, when you impeached someone, you couldn't report it to the emperor. Instead, you secretly played tricks, manipulated the officials, and used the emperor. You really deserve to be punished!"
The more the emperor spoke, the angrier he became. He slammed the desk heavily. Yang Ling couldn't help but shiver. As an emperor, the most taboo thing was for the officials to oppress the emperor. What he hated the most was to play tricks in front of the emperor. Although Hongzhi thought that he saw a powerful official invading the people's interests, he thought that he took advantage of the crown prince's young age and used tricks to use the crown prince, which violated the emperor's taboo.
As the saying goes, accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. If Hongzhi was angry, would he behead a little attendant? The more Yang Ling thought, the more scared he became. He kneeled on the ground and didn't know how to explain. Zhu Houzhao wanted to plead for him, but when he saw his imperial father's angry expression, he didn't dare to open his mouth.
At this time, Miao Kui's voice came from outside the door, "Jin furen, the emperor is currently inspecting the crown prince's homework. You should go to the rear palace and wait. When the emperor returns to the palace, he will definitely see you."
Then, he heard a woman's voice say, "Scram, I want to see the emperor now. Emperor, this subject's concubine has been wronged. Emperor, please help this subject's concubine!"
Hongzhi angrily said, "What is it?"
Miao Kui opened the door to the hall and said in fear and trepidation, "Emperor, Jin furen, she … …"
He hadn't finished speaking when he was pushed aside by someone. A noblewoman around fifty years of age rushed in. When she saw Hongzhi, she knelt on the ground and sobbed, "Emperor, this subject's concubine has been wronged. He Ling has always known his place and didn't dare act recklessly. How could he forcefully occupy a private residence, sell official salt, and forcefully marry a woman from a brothel? It was that Li Dongyang who was jealous of Your Majesty's favor for He Ling and slandered me. I beg Your Majesty to help this subject's concubine, wu, wu … … that child has never been to prison in his entire life, Your Majesty … … "
Hongzhi frowned and warmly said, "Jin furen, please rise. Marquis Of Shouning has failed the etiquette of a subject in the golden palace. Zhen is only lightly punishing him. Just now, zhen has already told the empress that in a few days, he will be pardoned and released from prison. There is no need to panic."
Yang Ling looked at the woman kneeling beside him and thought, "This is the current emperor's mother-in-law? Very good. I hope that with this interruption of hers, the emperor will forget to punish me. "
Jin furen did not let it go and continued to cry, "Your Majesty, Li Dongyang chased and beat He Ling in the golden palace. He couldn't stand the provocation and took the hammer to hit him. You really can't blame He Ling. What crime has this child committed? If Your Majesty wants to punish someone, you should punish Li Dongyang severely. I beg you to let He Ling go. "
Hongzhi's face was ashen and his fat body was panting from agitation. Seeing this, Zhu Houzhao hurriedly supported him and said worriedly, "Fuhuang, you should relax and sit down. Don't be too agitated."
Hongzhi sat down on the couch. Seeing Jin furen's incessant crying, he became even angrier. Turning his eyes, he saw Yang Ling kneeling there and Gu Daeyong poking his head out of the door. He couldn't help pointing at Gu Daeyong and scolding, "You scoundrel, get in here for me!"
Jin furen was still crying and was startled by his stern shout. She immediately stopped crying. Gu Daeyong stumbled in and knelt on the ground. Hongzhi's face was as heavy as water as he sternly said, "You daring things, you dare to incite the Crown Prince to leave the palace. The Crown Prince was injured by the Marquis Of Shouning's family. It's enough even if zhen cut your hearts. If the Crown Prince is unwell, zhen will exterminate your nine clans!"
Gu Daeyong kowtowed like pounding garlic and repeatedly said, "Your Majesty, have mercy, have mercy. The Crown Prince left the palace to investigate the people. Who would have thought that there would be a slave so daring … … Old Slave deserves to die. Old Slave risked his life for the Crown Prince and was also beaten by the Marquis fu's slave. Your Majesty!"
He raised his face to show the Emperor the bruises on his face. When Jin furen heard that the Crown Prince had been beaten by her son's servants, she was so scared that she didn't dare to make a sound. She knelt to the side and watched in a daze.
Hongzhi saw that Jin furen wasn't making a fuss anymore and secretly let out a sigh of relief. He glared at Gu Daeyong and said, "Humph, if you didn't incite the Crown Prince to leave the palace incognito, how could such a thing happen? If zhen doesn't punish you, who knows how much trouble you will cause in the future. Miao Kui, how many people incited the Crown Prince to leave the palace? "
Miao Kui quickly took a step forward and bowed as he said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Study Attendant Yang Ling, Eunuch Liu Jin, Zhang Yong, Gu Daeyong, Ma Yongcheng, Wei Bin, Luo Xiang, Gao Feng, and Qiu Ju followed the Crown Prince out of the palace yesterday and only returned at night!"
Hongzhi shouted, "Take these nine people out of the Meridian Gate … …"
When Yang Ling heard this, he quivered. He heard Hongzhi take a deep breath and continue, "Each person will be flogged thirty times as a warning."
Miao Kui quickly said, "As you wish!" He waved his hand and a few young eunuchs came in and grabbed Yang Ling and Gu Daeyong before leaving. Gu Daeyong wailed as if his mother had died, "Your Majesty, spare me, please spare me. This servant won't dare to do it again. I beg Your Majesty to spare me. Crown Prince, save me."
Yang Ling was a bit puzzled. If he was beaten, then beat him. Wasn't it only thirty strokes? At most he would rest for two days. He was already relieved that the Emperor didn't chop his head. Gu Daeyong had stayed in Dongchang before, so he knew very well that the Imperial Bodyguard's flogging technique was not the same as the flogging used to beat people in the yamen. Those people had all received special training. Normally, only those who had trained to the point where they could cover a brick with a piece of paper, and when the flogging smashed the brick, but the paper would not break, would have the authority to carry out the execution.
Therefore, their execution depended on the Emperor's will. If the Emperor didn't want the person to die, he could just flog them a few dozen times until the person's flesh and blood splattered. It would look incomparably miserable, but in fact, after a few days of rest, it wouldn't be a problem. If the Emperor didn't want him to live, the flogging would look very light and the skin wouldn't break, but the pain would penetrate into the heart. After thirty strokes, the blood vessels under the skin would rupture inch by inch, the muscles would fester and it would be difficult to heal. Before long, the person would die, and there was no medicine that could save him.
Gu Daeyong didn't know the Emperor's intentions. He only saw Hongzhi's ashen face and thought that this time, he was dead for sure, so he cried miserably.
Zhu Houzhao felt a bit uneasy. He always felt that it was his decision whether or not to leave the palace. Yang Ling, Gu Daeyong, and the others were only following orders. Now that he was fine, but they had been beaten, he felt a bit apologetic. He stammered to Hongzhi, "Fuhuang, they … …"
Hongzhi flicked his sleeve and said, "Imperial son is the heir to the throne of the country. They dared to take imperial son out of the palace without permission, causing imperial son to be injured. This is such a disgrace. Not killing them is already a mercy beyond the law. Imperial son, there is no need to say more!"
When Jin Furen heard this, her heart turned cold. She originally wanted to immediately release Zhang Heling and severely punish Li Dongyang, but she didn't dare to say anything else. If taking the Crown Prince out of the palace without permission was disgraceful, then what kind of crime was it for the servants of her son's fu to beat the Crown Prince? She had never heard of this matter from her family. When did they beat the Crown Prince?
Jin Furen was still lost in thought when Hongzhi spoke again, "Jin Furen, please get up. There is no need to continue kneeling. Zhen has made up my mind. Someone come and pass on the decree. Li Dongyang has been disrespectful in front of His Imperial Highness. His salary will be confiscated for three months as punishment. He will be released from prison immediately. The Marquis Of Shouning has embezzled the people's wealth. The evidence is conclusive. He will be imprisoned for three days and his salary will be confiscated for half a year. His family will be restrained and his illegal gains will be returned. End. "
"As for the matter of the Crown Prince being beaten … …" He looked deeply at Jin Furen. At this moment, Jin Furen's arrogance had completely disappeared. She didn't dare to rely on her daughter's favor to spout nonsense. She looked at the Emperor anxiously. She only heard Hongzhi slowly say, "Marquis Of Shouning didn't know about this beforehand. Otherwise, this matter wouldn't have happened. Let's just forget about this matter. After all, it is an embarrassment to the royal family. Don't make this public."
Jin Furen was a yes-man and quickly said, "Yes, yes, Emperor is wise. Emperor, please have mercy!"
Hongzhi lightly snorted and said, "If Jin Furen doesn't have anything else, you can go to the inner palace to see the Empress and comfort her. Zhen still has to check the Crown Prince's homework."
Jin Furen heard this and quickly said, "Yes, this qie will leave. This qie will not disturb Your Majesty." This woman quickly wiped away the tears on her face and dejectedly left. She saw that the usually good-tempered Hongzhi was so angry and felt slightly afraid. She originally wanted to leave the palace immediately, but she was afraid that the Empress would not let it go and anger the Emperor again. She quickly ran back to the inner palace.
Zhu Houzhao saw that everyone had left and couldn't help but pull on Hongzhi's arm with a drooling face. He pleaded, "Fuhuang, leaving the palace yesterday was your son's idea. Yang Ling and Da Yong are people by my side. You have crippled them. Who would dare to follow me in the future?"
Hongzhi heard this and laughed. He slowly sat down and glared at his son, saying, "You know how to protect people? Humph! Do you think zhen doesn't know what you are doing? If there weren't such people encouraging you, zhen doesn't think that you would have thought of so many tricks. People like Gu Daeyong and Liu Jin only know how to curry favor with you and come up with some childish tricks to play. It is right to teach them a lesson. "
Zhu Houzhao heard his fuhuang's calm tone and knew that he was putting on an act for Jin Furen to see. He couldn't help laughing in relief. He also sat down next to Hongzhi and massaged his shoulders for him. He asked, "Then … what about Yang? He is a scholar without hands and feet to tie. His white and tender bottom cannot withstand a beating. What if fuhuang cripples him? "
Princess Yongfu heard her imperial brother say something about a white and tender bottom from behind the screen and couldn't help blushing. She lightly spat. Princess Yongchun, who was young and inexperienced, couldn't help but look at her strangely. Princess Yongfu saw her looking at her and couldn't help but be embarrassed and angry. She glared back at her fiercely. Princess Yongchun stuck out her tongue. She didn't know why her sister looked so strange. She was completely different from usual.
The Arabian Nights stories that Yang Ling told were no less attractive to Zhu Houzhao than the circus shows of Liu Jin and the others. It was a world that he had never come into contact with. He couldn't even dream that there were so many colorful places in the world other than Ming Destiny. Although they didn't know each other for a long time, he had feelings for Yang Ling and couldn't bear to see him get hurt. Therefore, he took the opportunity to plead for Yang Ling.
Hongzhi snorted, "Yang Ling … This person is a promising talent who is good at both literature and martial arts. Don't underestimate him just because he is a scholar. A real general doesn't need to personally go to the battlefield. Even an old general like Liu Daxia is full of praise for his views on military affairs. "
He laughed softly, "This person is just a study attendant, but he dares to be loyal and go against the princes. He is a loyal official. And he knows that his words don't carry much weight. He knows how to use Li Dongyang and you, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, to admonish the emperor in a roundabout way. He is not a stupid and rotten young man. I like him very much.
Now the six ministers in the court are getting old and the scholars are not young. Father thinks that if this person is trained well, he will definitely be a good helper for my son in the future. "
He saw that his son was still confused and couldn't help but smile helplessly. He said, "Do you wonder why I punished him? Hehe, this person is young and impetuous. He is too young to cause trouble and does things without considering the consequences. If he doesn't go through a period of training, he will be successful at a young age and will inevitably be arrogant. At that time, a good pillar of the country will become an arrogant and despotic official. Do you understand? "
Zhu Houzhao made an 'ah' sound and said, not fully understanding, "So … Father wants to train him, just like … just like I want people to train an eagle. The more I want to use him, the more I want to torture him. Hehehe, it's just that … this training has to start from the buttocks. I feel a little strange."
When Hongzhi heard his son's analogy, he was very happy. When he heard his son's words, he couldn't help but not know whether to laugh or cry. This son of his was still not sensible.
Because Princess Yongfu was the one who made the sound, Yang Ling had no choice but to go out and take the blame. Hearing him being punished, he felt very uneasy. When he heard his father's words, he let out a long breath. Princess Yongchun gave her older sister a thumbs up and winked. The two sisters looked at each other and smiled.
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