You should know that the Shenji Battalion's firearms are quite powerful. If they could get a few of them out and ambush the emperor on the way, they would definitely give him a hard time.

The Duke of Yingguo did speak a fair word: "The clearing of obstacles in the capital and along the roads of Beizhili, deterring the villains, is thanks to the Marquis of Huaining."

Marquis Huaining, Sun Yingjue, knelt and bowed, his voice booming, "Your Majesty's kindness in recognizing my talent will be forever etched in my heart, and I swear to follow you to the death!"

Lu Xingjian offered words of comfort and encouragement.

Sun Yingjue's personal abilities are indeed outstanding, and it seems he has withstood the test and chosen the right side.

A minister who wishes to be given an important position must be capable, but even more important is loyalty.

The journey back to Beijing was peaceful and orderly.

The palace was also quiet, peaceful, stable, and under control.

Zhang Yong was quite competent, ruthless, and killed many people.

When Lu Xingjian heard that Su Wanwan had transferred Zhang Yong back to the palace to guard the Forbidden City, he pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Zhang Yong's competence and loyalty have once again been proven.

This is why, even though he was very angry at the time, he only removed him from his post guarding the palace, and did not demote him to Nanjing.

Lu Xingjian inquired about the defenses of the capital, issued several adjustment orders, and then ordered all civil and military officials to attend a lecture at the Wenhua Hall.

The news caused an uproar.

"Is His Majesty's health alright? Didn't you say he had caught a slight cold and needed to rest?"

"Those who previously supported the young prince's ascension to the throne are probably not going to have a good time."

"I'm afraid Grand Secretary Jiao is panicking, isn't he? What was he after? He's got nothing to show for it now."

When Grand Secretary Jiao heard this news, his expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.

He already knew that the emperor had appeared in Yansui.

He actually made it back to the palace safely after traveling more than a thousand miles.

We also need to hold a Buddhist lecture!

Will it result in a bloodbath?

Grand Secretary Jiao felt a chill on the back of his neck.

He quickly regained his composure.

Not that bad.

The Emperor is benevolent; he tolerated the huge commotion caused by Prince Rong.

It's not that they can't tolerate themselves.

Grand Secretary Jiao, hoping for the best, immediately sent someone to inquire about Marquis Guo Xun, who was on duty at the palace.

This grandson was very favored by the emperor.

With his help and a few kind words, a major disaster should be averted.

However, he did not find Guo Xun.

It is said that Guo Xun suffered from an upset stomach and his legs were too weak to stand up. No one knows where he is hiding now.

Grand Secretary Jiao personally made another trip to Guo Xun's home.

He needs to find someone who can get him out of trouble as soon as possible!

The city gates of the capital were heavily guarded, yet orderly and without any disorder.

Each checkpoint and intersection was guarded by elite soldiers from the Twelfth Regiment.

The situation is very clear.

Grand Secretary Jiao sighed deeply and resignedly entered the palace once more.

All the officials were rushing toward the Wenhua Hall.

The main gate of Wenhua Hall was closed.

In the warm spring of March, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold.

But the weather changed drastically, and suddenly it started to hail.

The ministers who rushed over were bruised and battered, and fled in panic, with nowhere to hide.

Grand Secretary Jiao was hit on the head and bled profusely.

The Minister of Rites, Zhou Jing, was old and was knocked to the ground, covered in mud.

Liu Jin's heart was hanging in mid-air.

Thinking to himself, he realized that he had acted discreetly this time and had not personally intervened in the matter of supporting the young prince, so the emperor should not blame him.

...

Su Wanwan personally helped Lu Xingjian change into the dragon robe, adjusting his belt while giving him instructions.

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; one must not act rashly, but first stabilize the people's hearts, hmm?"

It must be said that Lu Xingjian's efforts in the army were not in vain.

Even though he's been gone for so long, the capital's military remains stable, so there's no chance of any major chaos in the city.

His presence can quickly stabilize the overall situation.

Lu Xingjian pinched her nose, a half-smile on his face:

"It seems I've been too reckless lately, which has caused my wife to nag me so much."

Su Wanwan paused, then glared at him reproachfully.

"I was being nosy."

Lu Xingjian put his arm around her waist and gently rubbed his forehead against hers.

"I like to hear you ramble on a bit more."

...

The gates of Wenhua Hall only opened when the hail stopped.

When Lu Xingjian arrived at the Wenhua Hall, he saw the civil and military officials standing in two groups on either side of the throne.

Many people were soaked to the bone, their faces bruised and swollen, looking utterly miserable.

He clenched his fist and coughed lightly to suppress the urge to curl his lips into a smile.

This unexpected hailstorm was clearly God's way of teaching these disobedient officials a lesson.

It can only be said that even God couldn't stand it and wanted to teach these bastards a lesson.

Lu Xingjian still showed some courtesy and asked Li Dongqian, Yang Ting and other officials to go back to the cabinet to change their clothes before coming.

Anyway, the Cabinet is right across from the Wenhua Hall, door to door.

Actually, Li Dongqian and Yang Ting's clothes were barely wet, so it didn't have much of an impact.

The emperor has shown special favor; it would be inappropriate to refuse.

Li Dongqian shouted his gratitude to the Emperor and returned after a brief visit to the Cabinet.

As for Jiao Fang, Zhou Jing, and the others, they were in a terrible state, soaked to the bone and shivering from the cold. The emperor pretended not to see them and paid them no heed.

Jiao Fang, Zhou Jing, and the others dared not speak, and were even glad that their miserable state might evoke the emperor's pity, so that he would show leniency when punishing them.

Lu Xingjian said nothing, but simply let the lecture begin.

The so-called "Jingyan" was a special lecture series held before the emperor, where lecturers from the Hanlin Academy would discuss classics and history with him.

Apart from necessary sacrificial ceremonies, Lu Xingjian had not seen his ministers for a long time.

He did not want to hear people discuss classics and history today, but rather to tell his ministers that he was as vigorous as a dragon and as strong as a tiger, and would not die.

Keep your little schemes to yourself.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!