Chapter 54

Qu Dubian's position is below the left side of Emperor Chongzhao, where there is a small table.

He could only be on the left, with the empress next to the emperor and the vacant position of crown prince on the right.

Ye Xiaoyuan came up from behind, knelt beside Qu Dubian, and looked after him.

"My dear ministers, please sit down."

Emperor Chongzhao took his seat, and then all the officials sat down.

The palace servants served the New Year banquet dishes one by one in an orderly manner. In the middle, palace servants from the music troupe came up and played dance and music. The atmosphere of the New Year banquet became much more relaxed and comfortable.

Emperor Chongzhao raised his glass and said, "You have worked very hard throughout the year. I offer a toast to you, my dear ministers."

All the officials also raised their glasses with a smile: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Qu Dubian was not very interested in this year-end summary meeting-like gathering. He lay on his small table, looking for people below with wide eyes. His view from above was quite wide, but there were many generals, including many in the front row. Which one was the grandfather?

The palace maid came up with a tray and put a pot of milk in it for him... Qu Dubian leaned in and smelled it, "Why is it milk?"

Palace attendant: "Eunuch Yu specifically ordered this, young prince. The rest is wine."

Qu Dubian pulled her sleeve and whispered coquettishly: "I want to drink some fruit wine."

The palace maid was helpless and secretly glanced at Ye Xiaoyuan.

Ye Xiaoyuan was also helpless, and said softly: "Pour half a cup for His Highness."

The palace maid put down the milk pot and poured a cup of milk for Qu Dubian. Qu Dubian picked up the chopsticks, dipped some, and licked it with the tip of his tongue.

Light fruity aroma, a little astringent and a little spicy.

Emperor Chong Zhao took in this scene, smiled suddenly, looked at the marquis below who was covering his face with a pink butterfly handkerchief, and said loudly: "If we talk about who is the greatest contributor to the peace and prosperity of the country, it must be the sword-wielding marquis who guards the northern border of our Great Zhou! Marquis Xu, why are you covering your face with a brocade handkerchief today? You and I are relatives, there is nothing to be embarrassed about."

Qu Dubian choked, coughed several times, and his eyes widened.

Oh my god, which one?

His eyes quickly moved and landed on the grandfather whom he had felt strange just now. The pink scarf covering his face made his skin look particularly dark.

Xu Jin said in a muffled voice: "Your Majesty, I have a scar on my face, and I am afraid of disturbing Your Majesty, so I cover my face with a silk scarf."

Emperor Chongzhao was very interested: "It's okay, Xu Hou is loyal to the country, I won't be scared, and the ministers here won't be scared, take it down."

Prince Ming couldn't hold back his laughter.

Just now, when his little nephew and his brother came in, the sword-wielding Marquis snatched his handkerchief away. His brother obviously saw through it and was planning something bad.

Xu Jin: "Your Majesty, I have something to say. Please don't blame me."

Emperor Chongzhao: "It's okay, go ahead."

Xu Jin said frankly, "There was a saying in the previous dynasty, 'I and the general took off our battle robes and spent the night in the warm lotus tent.' It was played up by scholars. It shows that as a king, it is extremely wrong to ask the general to take off his things. I once had a daughter with a peerless beauty, so I also have some beauty. Therefore, I'd better keep this handkerchief."

"Puff, cough, cough..."

As soon as these words were spoken, some people sprayed wine, some people slipped their hands, and some people couldn't help laughing like a rooster, then looked at the black-faced emperor on the seat and covered their mouths.

Prince Ming: "Ahem! My Lord, you really know how to joke, hahahaha."

Xu Jin: "Well, just to liven up the atmosphere. Fortunately, His Majesty doesn't blame me for making this joke."

He held the handkerchief to cover his face with his right hand, and raised the wine glass with his left hand to toast Emperor Chongzhao, "I toast to you."

Little Emperor, who are you teasing?

If he doesn't go back disgustingly, he won't be called Xu Jin. What's wrong with him covering his face? Is that for you to see?

Emperor Chongzhao: "It is I who should respect Marquis Xu."

Glancing at Xu Jin secretly peeking at him, he snorted in his heart, called Eunuch Yu over, and whispered a few words to him.

Eunuch Yu: "Your Majesty...?"

"Go ahead, hurry up."

Eunuch Yu had no choice but to agree. Not long after, a long screen was lifted up, blocking the view of Emperor Chongzhao, the Empress and the Seventh Prince above.

The ministers could only vaguely see the blurry shadows of the three of them.

Emperor Chongzhao's gratified voice came: "I understand you. Now Xu Hou doesn't have to use one hand to cover his face. Put it down and eat well. It's so tiring to keep your hand raised all the time."

Xu Jin: “…”

Qu Watanabe: “…”

What a good dog he really is.

Now he could no longer see his grandson at all. Xu Jin threw away his handkerchief and tried hard, but he could only see a tiny outline behind the screen.

he:"……"

He smiled and said, "Thank you, my lord."

Emperor Chongzhao: "Well, we are family, you don't have to be polite."

The emperor and his ministers were toasting each other and were in harmony.

Qu Dubian lowered his head and continued to fiddle with his wine, dipping it up a little at a time with his chopsticks. Emperor Chongzhao lowered his voice and asked, "Want to see your grandfather?"

This sentence went around in Qu Dubian's mind, and it had been dissected into seven or eight different meanings. When he was about to answer, Emperor Chong Zhao said, "I know you are curious, but it's not the right time yet. Don't drink that little bit of wine. Just taste it. Do you really want to finish it? Ye Xiaoyuan, pour him some milk."

"Father, there is only a little bit here."

"No matter how much."

The fruit wine that stimulated Qu Watanabe's tongue was ruthlessly taken away and replaced with a cup of milk.

Outside the screen.

Xie Jingshan thought about Grand Tutor Xie's instructions and ate his meal in silence, but he was actually keeping an eye on all directions and listening carefully.

Maybe his father guessed wrong.

The annual banquet had been relatively peaceful so far, with Marquis Zhijian having a very pleasant conversation with His Majesty - at least on the surface.

No matter how you look at it, no one would choose to make trouble at this time.

Suddenly, among the officials sitting in the Censorate, someone's face turned red and he was drunk. He was confused or something, but he suddenly threw the wine glass in his hand and smiled bitterly: "It's hard—"

The Ministry of Justice's Secretary sighed and said, "Censor Zheng, His Majesty is still here at the annual banquet, why are you sighing?"

Censor Zheng: "I lament that the laws of the Great Zhou cannot protect ordinary people. I have reported this to the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, but no one dares to take this case."

The Ministry of Justice's official looked serious and asked, "It's actually related to the Ministry of Justice?"

The two of them sang in unison, and although they were sitting at the back, people from the front row could still hear them clearly.

Emperor Chongzhao put down his wine glass and said, "What are you two talking about? Why don't you tell me? Censor Zheng, if you are drunk, you can go to the side hall to sober up."

Censor Zheng staggered to his feet and walked to the front of the palace: "I am not drunk, but I would rather be drunk."

As soon as the singing and dancing in the palace stopped, Eunuch Yu waved his hand, and the palace servants from the music troupe bowed and left. Their performance was over, and it was time to give the stage to others.

Emperor Chongzhao: "Oh? What has happened to make you so sad?"

Censor Zheng bowed, "Yesterday I met a middle-aged man whose child, who he had raised with great difficulty, was beheaded in the street! He was heartbroken and sued the government office, but the government office refused to accept the case. He beat the drum in anger, but the Dali Temple did not respond. His miserable appearance made people angry. As a censor, I should impeach the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, but——"

"I dare not!"

"Why not?"

"The capital is afraid of those who kill people. How dare I, a humble censor, report this to the emperor?"

Having said that, except for the royal relatives and several imperial concubines who really had no idea of ​​the inside story, who wouldn't understand who he was talking about?

Emperor Chongzhao: "I allow you to tell me, who is this person?"

Censor Zheng: "It was Xu Jin, the Sword-wielding Marquis! Marquis Xu, dare you say that you didn't kill anyone at the city gate?" His eyes widened in anger. "The young man had already revealed his identity at that time, why did Marquis Xu still kill him?"

The ministers were in an uproar.

It’s not that they were surprised that Xu Jin killed someone, but they were surprised that someone actually exposed the matter at this juncture.

Bang!

Emperor Chongzhao put down the cup heavily, "Censor Zheng, do you have any evidence?"

Censor Zheng: "I saw it with my own eyes! Yesterday, many of my colleagues went to welcome the Marquis of the Sword, and they all saw it. The people around, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and even Eunuch Yu all saw it! Your Majesty, these are all witnesses."

Eunuch Yu glanced at Censor Zheng who had dragged him into this.

The ministers also gradually started to quarrel.

"Nonsense, that's clearly the Northern Frontier Assassin!"

"If it's an assassin, wouldn't it be better to interrogate him clearly?"

"Assassins are all deadly warriors. What can we get out of them by interrogating them? It's better to kill them all."

"If you killed him, why didn't you leave the body behind? You must be feeling guilty."

They were arguing so loudly that Qu Dubian became nervous. Did Grandpa really kill someone at the gate of Kyoto City? If the evidence fell into the hands of his stepfather, he would be finished.

"Okay, everyone, be quiet for a moment," Emperor Chongzhao said. "Lord Xu, do you have anything to say?"

Xu Jin: "I can't say anything about this. I thought he was an assassin, so I dealt with him directly. This is how it is always done in Northern Xinjiang. After returning to the capital, I became more vigilant for the safety of Your Majesty, fearing that an assassin would take advantage of the chaos to enter the city. I didn't expect there would really be one. If I don't kill him, why keep him for the New Year?"

"If you think I am guilty, then convict me. I killed an assassin, and my merits are enough to justify the charge."

Censor Zheng angrily asked, "Does Lord Xu have any evidence to prove that the people killed were not civilians?!"

Xu Jin was puzzled: "I also want to ask Zheng Yushi, is there any evidence to prove that the person I killed was not an assassin? Do you know more about assassins than I do?"

Censor Zheng: "You! The dead person is clearly the son of Lord Zhang, the Director of the Astronomy Department!"

Emperor Chongzhao watched the play for a long time and said: "Stop it. Censor Zheng, please sit back and I will say a few words."

Censor Zheng bowed and sat back in his seat.

"Today is the annual banquet, and I don't want to talk about anything else. What Censor Zheng said should be jointly investigated by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. Whether it is an assassin or not, there will always be a result."

"So, Lord Xu and Censor Zheng, do you have any objections?"

Censor Zheng: "I have no objection, I just hope the government will investigate it thoroughly."

Xu Jin: "I have no objection at all."

Qu Dubian was eating behind a screen, but he was actually very worried.

The son of the head of the Astronomy Department? Killed without any reason? At the gate? ?

Is my grandfather so high-profile?

It sounds like the bodies have been cleaned up, and both sides have their own opinions. So whether it was an assassin or not is just a matter of a word from my cheap father. If my cheap father intends to make things difficult, even if my grandfather has made outstanding contributions, he will inevitably suffer a lot.

Qu Dubian glanced secretly at Emperor Chongzhao.

The latter did not show any anger or anything else on his face, he just drank and ate calmly.

At the end of the meal, Emperor Chongzhao wanted to leave early, leaving the ministers to talk freely. Xu Jin suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I have something to talk to you about later!"

Emperor Chongzhao paused.

"You can come with Prince Ming later."

After saying this, he took Qu Dubian's hand, went around the screen and through another door, and then went out, without being seen by Marquis Zhijian at all.

After the emperor left, the concubines also left with the princes one after another.

Only then did the ministers become truly active.

Xie Jingshan whispered to the person next to him: "I want to ask you something. Why didn't I see Censor Zheng show up before?"

"He may be at odds with the Sword-wielding Marquis, or someone is behind this... the latter is more likely," the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works covered his mouth and said softly, "but I don't know who is behind this."