Chapter 39: In the Palace

The Western Garden of the Capital Palace.

When Emperor Yuanzhuo was still a prince, he experienced a fire. In the raging fire, Yuanzhuo knelt down and prayed. If he survived, he would worship Sanqing for the rest of his life, and the incense would continue and his descendants would continue. Later, there was lightning and thunder, and heavy rain fell from the sky, which extinguished the fire. Yuanzhuo miraculously survived. Emperor Yuanzhuo was only eight years old at the time.

When the late emperor heard about this, he was greatly shocked and thought that Yuan Zhuo was the chosen one to inherit the throne! So when Yuanzhuo came of age at the age of sixteen, he was granted the title of Crown Prince and took charge of the East Palace. He replaced the late emperor in charge of government affairs and served as a supervisor of the country. When he was eighteen years old, a fire broke out in the dormitory of the East Palace. Qianhu Lu Song, a member of the Jinyi Guards who entered the palace to meet the emperor, fought to save him. Yuan Zhuo was able to escape death, but Lu Song died in the fire.

Yuan Zhuo believed that he had not kept his promise to worship the Sanqing Dynasty, so after the fire, he ordered the painting academy to make a large statue of the Sanqing Dynasty and set up an altar to worship it day and night.

At the age of twenty-two, the late emperor passed away and Yuanzhuo ascended the throne, taking the title of Jingde.

In the sixth year of Jingde's reign, a fire broke out in the Yangxin Palace where Yuan Zhuo lived. Lu Wenyu, son of Lu Song, carried Emperor Yuan Zhuo away in the burning palace. Yuan Zhuo had just escaped death for the second time.

Later, the emperor thought that the Sanqing Dynasty was not happy with the playfulness in the inner palace, so he moved to Xiyuan and built Qingxuan Palace for himself to live in and practice Taoism to worship heaven, and Chongxuan Temple to worship the Sanqing Dynasty. Since then, he has worshiped morning and night and practiced mystical practices day and night without interruption for twenty-eight years. Naturally, he did not go to court again for twenty-eight years.

Today is already the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, heavy snow is falling in the capital, and the snow on the ground has reached ankles. In the courtyard of Qingxuan Palace, because Yuanzhuo advocates Taoism and nature, the snow is naturally not swept away.

It was already evening, and Yuan Zhuo had just finished burning incense. He was dressed in a thin white cotton shirt and walked barefoot on the snow accompanied by Eunuch Chen.

The steps continued, leaving very distinct footprints on the snow, one step at a time, one upon the other, as deep as the ankles. After walking nine times, they slowly stopped.

Seeing Yuan Zhuo stop, Eunuch Chen didn't dare to hesitate and ran over to support Yuan Zhuo. "Long live my master, it's been nine rounds. The servant has asked the servants to prepare warm water, and add the fairy grass collected by Wu Shenxian outside. Soak your feet and remove the snow stains.”

Eunuch Chen did not dare to say that he was frozen in the snow. After all, the emperor was a Taoist, and he was a god in the sky! How can gods be afraid of the cold?

"Hahaha, what a good slave." Yuan Zhuo walked back to the eaves with support and stretched his legs comfortably. "Do you think I will freeze?"

Eunuch Chen ignored the snow stains on the ground and quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "I don't dare. Your Majesty is an immortal. How can I freeze? I'm just afraid that the snow will disturb Long Live Lord's Qing Xiu."

"Okay, okay, get up. Two days ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and my body was extremely hot. I went to Qingxuan Temple. Master Wu said that I was busy with state affairs and had a strong heart, so I couldn't be pure. Master Wu also said that I was naked. You can solve it by walking nine times on the snow." Yuan Zhuo said with his hands behind his back, "I took a walk yesterday and slept peacefully. The Taoist teachings are indeed very mysterious!"

When the father-in-law passed by the road, he reached the end of the stream and said in a southern voice, "Master, the Taoism is natural. I am a slave with ordinary eyes and cannot see the gods."

"Okay, good slave."

The two of them returned to Qingxuan Palace one after another. The eunuch had already lit the charcoal fire and lit the candles. Eunuch Chen was a few steps behind. When Yuan Zhuo sat down on the table, he quickly brought warm water and knelt down to wipe Yuan Zhuo's feet until they turned slightly red. Then he slowly put them into the warm water and served Yuan Zhuo to soak his feet.

"Where's the big companion? Why haven't I seen the big companion come to say hello to me all day today?" Yuanzhuo, who was soaking his feet, looked calm and enjoying himself very much. Although he has been practicing Qing Dynasty for more than 20 years, coming back from the snow to soak his feet still makes this emperor who smiles with a smile curl up in his mouth.

"Go back to the Master, Eunuch Feng was at the Ceremony Supervisor in the morning, and the matter in Jiangnan has finally come to an end. Now Eunuch Feng is picking fruits for the master in the Beiyuan warehouse!" Eunuch Chen hurriedly replied.

Yuan Zhuo smiled and said, "My dear friend, you are very attentive. He knew that I wanted to pay homage to heaven, so he went to pick out fragrant fruits early. Chen Jing, you should follow me to read more and learn more!"

"Master, this slave must study hard!"

"Chen Jing, I heard that during the coldest days, my companion made you kneel in the snow for several nights?" Yuan Zhuo seemed to suddenly remember something and asked.

"Master, if this is the case, the slave is incompetent, so he should kneel down. If the master hadn't cherished the slave, how could he have been punished so lightly?"

Yuan Zhuo opened his eyes and looked at Chen Jingdao, "Not only do I care about you, but I also can't bear it!"

The slowly rising water vapor in the wooden barrel, accompanied by the incense burning in front of the altar, drifted and flickered, making Yuanzhuo feel intoxicated, so he stopped talking, smelled the faint fragrance in the air, leaned back, and greedily Meng took a few deep breaths before letting go of his shoulders.

While the two were silent, a young eunuch on duty approached, knelt down and kowtowed, "Long live my master, Eunuch Feng has asked to see you. He is waiting outside the door."

"Is the eldest companion here? Come in." Hua Luo Yuanzhuo lifted his feet from the wooden bucket. Eunuch Chen had prepared a dry cotton towel and wiped Yuanzhuo's feet before going out with the bucket.

The two father-in-laws Feng and Chen met under the eaves. One was carrying a wooden bucket and the other was holding a wooden box. They looked at each other, nodded with a smile and walked past.

"Is your eldest companion here?" Before Eunuch Feng could enter the door, an urgent voice could be heard inside.

Pushing the door open and entering, Yuan Zhuo was sitting on the altar. Eunuch Feng leaned down and held the wooden box above his head and said, "Master, eat some peaches!"

"Don't worry, is there any result on the imperial envoy case in Jiangnan?"

"Master Mingjian! Lin Kui, the prefect of Bianzhou, He Yichun, the prefect of Lin'an, Ren Gongzhu, the prefect of Changzhou, Zhu Yugui, the prefect of Gusu, together with Chen Fuyi, the fellow magistrate of Bianzhou, general judge Zheng Ronghuan, Lin'an negotiator Zhou Su, Changzhou fellow magistrate Li Xuning , Tongjuan Zhuo Yuanting, Tongzhi Fu Helian, Tongzhi Ye Miao and others, but because they were afraid of corruption, they bribed Bolangmen, Jingtaomen and Guanhaimen, and killed the imperial envoy Jiang Da in Changzhou. " Eunuch Feng held the wooden box and said in a deep voice.

Yuan Zhuo had already walked off the stage before he finished listening. He paced slowly with his hands behind his back. By the time Eunuch Feng finished speaking, his anger had already been suppressed. "Okay, okay! These officials really opened my eyes!"

Recalling the memorial written to the Linjiang prefect at the beginning of the year, which said, "The disciples of the emperor are the holy family members of Youlong" and "work hard to repay the kindness of heaven", Yuanzhuo became even more angry and clenched his teeth. He walked to the table and leaned over with the urgent delivery in hand and said, "These corrupt officials dare to say anything about the emperor's disciples in their memorials. It seems that they are all my fault! There are also these Jianghu sects, they are really audacious, even If you dare to kill the imperial envoy, will the next step be to force me to abdicate?"

Eunuch Feng was shocked. He quickly stepped forward to support Yuan Zhuo, who was on the verge of collapse, and patted Yuan Zhuo's back gently to calm him down. He waited until Yuan Zhuo took a few deep breaths and whispered "Three Pure Things Don't Blame" in a low voice. He whispered, "Master, I don't deserve to be held responsible for these individuals. I sent people to investigate those Jianghu sects. Not only did they collude with officials, but they also seized tens of thousands of acres of farmland. What's more, they hid armor and weapons secretly. Having an affair with Beihu may have the intention of treason. The old slave has already asked Li Zhen to take Dongxichang and Jinyiwei to exterminate the family..."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Yuan Zhuo said three good words in a row, and most of his anger disappeared. He turned around and said, "If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. The evil will be eliminated! Who is involved? The Chief of Ceremonies will tell you. , I will never let anyone go!"

Only then did Eunuch Feng put down his hand and helped Yuan Zhuo sit down. "Master Shengming, the old slave has asked the Chief of Ceremony to collect it. Even the officials in Jiangnan have to make the final decision."

"What to decide? It involves the cabinet killing the cabinet, and it involves six ministries killing six ministries! Pull out the carrots and bring out the mud, Lian won't believe it, there is not even an honest official in the world!" Yuan Zhuo held the armrests of the chair with both hands and leaned back on the chair. His face was not good-looking, he frowned and thought for a while before he said, "The rivers and lakes should be more carefully guarded. Those who deserve to be killed must be killed, those who deserve to be cleared must be cleared, and those who deserve to be repaid must be returned. Why do all the big sects want so much land?" Why don’t you practice martial arts and practice Taoism in the mud in the fields? Our ancestors are kind and we won’t let tigers cause trouble!”

Eunuch Feng, who was standing aside, remembered silently, with his head lowered, waiting for Yuan Zhuo's further instructions.

"Where's Lu Wenyu? He doesn't care about the affairs of Jin Yiwei and Jianghu?" Yuan Zhuo's tone was much calmer, and his eyes were slightly narrowed at this time, like a man-eating tiger.

"Lord Lu is in trouble too! He just escorted military supplies to Ningzhou the month before last and just returned to the capital. I'm thinking of letting Lord Lu rest for two days..."

"Well, I forgot that there was such a thing..." Raising his chin, Yuan Zhuo softened his expression, "Daban, go to the Lu Mansion and call Lu Wenyu over. He wants to stay out of the matter and be an idler, but I won't allow it!"

"The old slave asked Chen Jing to come in and serve the master. I'm just going to go."

Eunuch Feng went outside to change Chen Jing's clothes and came in. He put on his big cloak and walked quickly towards the palace gate.

When Eunuch Feng walked to the gate of Xiyuan, it was already dark. He took the horse led by the young eunuch, gave a few instructions, hurriedly mounted the horse, and rushed towards Lu Mansion.

Lu Mansion was originally the residence of a wealthy businessman. It had six entrances and nearly four acres in area. It was only one street away from the Imperial City and not far from Xiyuan. Eunuch Feng rode his horse and arrived at the gate of Lu Mansion in less than two quarters of an hour.

He walked up and knocked on the door. The red door slowly opened. The porter poked his head out and saw Eunuch Feng in a bright red official uniform and hat. He hurriedly asked, "Your Excellency is here to visit, but are you looking for Mr. Lu?"

"We are here from Xuanli. Is Mr. Lu here? His Majesty asked orally to announce that Mr. Lu Wenyu has entered the palace! Report as soon as possible!"

The concierge's eyes widened, he opened the door and said respectfully, "Sir, it's cold outside. Please come in and wait. I'll report it right away."

Eunuch Feng nodded, handed the horse rein to the servant who came out, patted the falling snow on his body, and walked into the Lu Mansion. The servant tied up the horse, came back, closed the door, and led Eunuch Feng to the main hall.

In the backyard hall, Lu Wenyu, whose hair has turned white, is sitting in the main seat. His two sons, a young daughter, and his wife An Guo are sitting at the table. Although Lu Wenyu was a military officer, he looked elegant and elegant. He had a very neatly trimmed beard on both sides of his nose and a medium-length beard on his chin. His hair was neatly trimmed, and not even a stray hair could be seen. His eyes were bright and bright. Fair complexion. He is more than six feet tall and is wearing a green cotton coat. He looks thin but very majestic. He is chatting and eating with his children in a warm atmosphere.

The concierge knocked on the door, and after getting Lu Wenyu's permission, he pushed the door open and said to the Grand Duke, Wanli's father-in-law is here. Your Majesty, Sir Xuan, has entered the palace and is now waiting in the main hall. "

Lu Wenyu frowned, thought for a moment, and calmed his family before saying, "Go, get my official uniform!"

After a while, Lu Wenyu, dressed in a red python suit, walked into the main hall neatly. When he saw Eunuch Feng drinking tea, he took the lead and said, "Eunuch Feng, why does your Majesty announce my entry into the palace at this time?"

"I'm sorry to bother Mr. Lu. It's about the imperial envoy. The Jiangnan case has come to an end. Someone in Jianghu is involved. His Majesty announced that Mr. Lu has entered the palace for this reason. Let's go to the palace first. Don't keep your majesty waiting. "Eunuch Feng put down the tea cup and stood up.

"Okay, father-in-law, please." Lu Wenyu carried it and led the way forward.