Chapter 24 Chapter 24 It turns out that the emperor has someone he likes...
"All of you go down, I have a few words to say to His Majesty." Shangguan Jing sighed and then said.
Everyone in the hall was silent, as if waiting for Mu Congmo to speak in person.
Seeing that they didn't move, Shangguan Jing shouted angrily, "What? Now my words are useless?" The majesty in her tone was evident.
At this time, Hu Xian glanced at Mu Congmo's face and found that His Majesty had no intention of objecting, so he waved his hand and said, "Didn't you hear what the Queen Mother said? Please follow me." Everyone left one after another. Hu Xian closed the door of the palace very carefully and sent his little apprentice to guard outside the door to prevent anyone from disturbing the conversation between the royal mother and son.
He himself went to the outer hall and asked these adults to go back according to the Queen Mother's wishes.
Inside the outer hall, most officials were standing, pacing back and forth. Only one man sat on a throne. His hair was gray, and his crimson official uniform emphasized his noble status. This man was none other than Daliang's current Prime Minister—Fan Zizhuo.
When everyone saw Hu Xian coming, they rushed forward to block his way. Even Fan Zizhuo stood up tremblingly with the help of the eunuchs.
"Eunuch Hu, is His Majesty awake now?"
"How is your Majesty's health? When can we meet your Majesty in person?" Everyone was talking at once, their words full of concern for Mu Congmo, but how much sincerity was there in them?
"My lords, please don't worry. His Majesty is awake now, but according to the imperial physician, he still needs to rest well. I am following the orders of the Empress Dowager. Please return home first and wait for His Majesty's order." Hu Xian's tone was respectful, but there was a sense of alienation in it.
Everyone exchanged pleasantries here, and as they were about to leave, they ran into a young eunuch running towards them. Hu Xian frowned and angrily scolded him, "You are so impulsive and have no sense of propriety. How can you run wild in such a deep palace? Didn't I tell you to stay outside the palace? What are your Majesty's orders?"
This person was none other than Hu Xian's disciple, Xiao Huazi, who had been left outside the inner hall. Facing his master's accusations, he defended himself, "Your Majesty sent me here quickly to invite the Prime Minister, the Imperial Clan Commander, the Minister of Justice, the Supreme Court Justice, and Han Yushi to the Chengming Hall for a meeting. I hurried as fast as I could, but at least I managed to catch up."
Anyone standing here was at least a third-rank official. Daliang law stipulated that only officials of the third rank and above were eligible to attend court. Those who could hold such a position were all highly intelligent. Why, out of so many officials present, did His Majesty choose to call upon these few? The Prime Minister was the head of all officials, and Fan Zizhuo was highly respected, so his presence was not surprising.
However, the post of Zong Zheng, who is in charge of royal affairs, is held by the current emperor's uncle, Prince Cheng Mu Zhice. There are not many royal family members in the capital now. Of the nine sons of the late emperor, only the eldest prince, Prince Ping, the sixth prince, who is the current emperor, and the ninth prince, Prince Huai, are surviving.
The previous emperor granted Prince Ping the land of Yongzhou in the northwest, and Prince Huai the three counties in the south of the Yangtze River. According to the law, vassal princes were not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict, so the position of this Lord Zongzheng in the officialdom of the capital was very awkward, and he could only be of some use during royal sacrifices.
As for the Minister of Punishment, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Censor Han, they are the so-called Three Law Officials. Judging from the current situation, and the absence of Duke Han Guozheng Xiuyuan from the morning court today, everyone immediately had speculations in their minds.
The individuals mentioned stepped out of the crowd. Minister of Justice Pang Fa was the youngest, now in his forties. Dali Temple Minister Shi Chengji, a martial arts expert, could be considered a formidable figure in the early stages of the Seaside Realm. Even though he was a few years older than Pang Fa, he still looked much younger.
Han Xiujin, the Imperial Censor of the Imperial Censorate, was named Han Xiujin, and his conduct was very much like his name. "Xiu" means self-cultivation and self-restraint, while "jin" means rigorous and cautious.
He was known in the capital for his stubbornness, having denounced everyone from the emperor to the officials. Even now, in his sixties, he continued to act in this way, completely unfazed by the risk of offending anyone. He was also the most impartial of the four.
On the other side, in the inner hall.
After Shangguan Jing sent everyone away, she began to have a "heart-to-heart talk" with Mu Congmo.
"You have suffered a lot since childhood. Now you have finally ascended the throne and the government is stable. What has happened to make you so worried?" Shangguan Jing's tone was gentle, like a gentle breeze in spring, blowing gently without making people feel uncomfortable, but if you listen carefully, you will find that there is some heartache in it.
"Everything in the past is nothing but floating clouds to me. If I can get him back by going through all these hardships, then I will gladly accept it even if I have to go through thousands more." Mu Congmo smiled self-deprecatingly. As an emperor, he couldn't even protect the one he loved. What was the point of him having this supreme power?
Mu Congmo grew up under Shangguan Jing's watch, and she was well aware of his tenacity. Raised in the cold palace, he never complained about his fate, his thirst for power fueling his ambition to seize the throne, a path he devised independently until he ascended to the throne. Shangguan Jing had long understood that this character destined him for a difficult future.
But she had never seen Mu Congmo so distraught. What had happened? Although she had lived in the Buddhist temple for a long time, she was naturally aware of Mu Congmo's departure from the palace. From what he said, it seemed as if he had lost someone very important.
However, Mu Congmo's personality has always disliked outsiders, and she has no plans to establish a queen or take concubines. Many ministers even asked their female relatives to come to her for help, but she knew that the emperor would not like it, so she did not act on her own.
Just as Shangguan Jing was pondering, Mu Congmo lifted the golden silk quilt and stroked it with his hands. It was made of top-quality material, extremely light and soft. If the young man were here, he would definitely like it.
Before the morning court session today, he asked Hu Xian to send someone to instruct the Ministry of Internal Affairs to renovate his bedroom, the Zichen Hall, as the previous style was too desolate and not worthy of his youth.
Unfortunately, the fine silk quilt and the renovated bedroom never found their new owner, and he never got to wait for the young man to come to the capital to find him.
Mu Congmo suddenly stood up and knelt in front of Shangguan Jing. Shangguan Jing was startled by his action. She quickly reached out to help him up, but Mu Congmo grabbed her hand and shook his head.
"What are you doing? Get up quickly." Shangguan Jing's tone sounded a little bewildered. She had not expected that Mu Congmo would suddenly show her such a great courtesy.
But the emperor's words the next second surprised her even more.
"Mother, I must go to Jizhou. Since he won't come to me, I will go find him myself. I leave the situation in the capital in your hands." Mu Congmo's voice was filled with pleading, and his eyes were no longer empty and helpless, but instead firm and resolute. He didn't believe the young man could have died like this, even with so many facts before his eyes, he refused to believe it.
Even when he was in the cold palace, Mu Congmo had never begged anyone so humbly, let alone after becoming the emperor. Shangguan Jing was deeply moved. She could not refuse Mu Congmo's request, nor would she refuse it.
"Between you and me, mother and son, why should we talk about requests or not? Since you have already made up your mind, just go ahead without worry. I will take good care of the affairs in the capital for you." Shangguan Jing stretched out her jade-like hand and gently stroked Mu Congmo's forehead, her eyes full of tenderness.
Mu Congmo then stood up with Shangguan Jing's help and said to her gratefully, "I, your son, would like to thank you, mother."
"I am old and weak, and cannot help you with state affairs. You have been walking alone all these years. Now you have finally met a confidant. I am naturally happy for you and don't want you to repeat my mistakes." Shangguan Jing's tone was still gentle, but there was a hint of sadness in her later words, as if she was feeling sad for her past self.
Yes, it was so hard to find someone who truly understood him. Mu Congmo had seen the intrigues and vying for beauty in the previous emperor's harem, and he grew weary of it. He had no intention of establishing a queen or taking concubines. To prevent the ministers from submitting memorials to establish a queen, he even came up with the idea of using the ancient legend of the Phoenix. From then on, no one dared to speak up, fearing he would do something earth-shattering.
Shangguan Jing stood up and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he took the emperor's hand and said, "I will take care of all matters in the capital. However, the journey is long and arduous, so Your Majesty must take care of yourself."
Mu Congmo was somewhat bewildered by Shangguan Jing's concern. He had never felt the love of his parents since childhood. After ascending the throne, he and Shangguan Jing had only taken what they needed. He knew that his stepmother had no desire for power. To avoid suspicion, she even lived in a Buddhist temple and did not care about the affairs of the harem. Her heart had long since died in the cold palace.
But this time he was seriously ill, and the other party's attitude surprised him a little. In this cannibalistic palace, most people just maintained their own dignity, and it was rare for them to show such true feelings.
"Please rest assured, mother. Nothing will happen to me before I find him. It's just that there are some things that have not been dealt with right now. If anyone comes to you for help, you can continue to send them away on the pretext of worshiping Buddha." There was a hint of tenderness in Mu Congmo's eyes when he looked at Shangguan Jing at first, but it was soon replaced by cold murderous intent. It seemed that the emperor would only soften a little when he mentioned his youth.
Although Shangguan Jing had no idea what was going on, she nodded in agreement. She had no children, her father had long since retired, and she had no brothers serving in the court. She didn't need to scheme for anyone. His Majesty respected her, so from now on, living out her days in seclusion was her ideal destiny.
Mu Congmo sent Shangguan Jing to the palace gate and saw Xiao Huazi standing outside the door. He knew that this was Hu Xian's new apprentice, who was quite reliable in his work.
He immediately ordered: "Go to the outer hall and invite the Prime Minister, the Minister of Punishments, Censor Han, the Chief Justice, and Uncle Cheng to the Chengming Hall." Then he turned and left, heading towards the Chengming Hall alone.
Xiao Huazi was a little flattered. He never thought that one day he would be ordered by the emperor to do something personally. When he turned around, he saw the emperor's lonely back. How could he leave His Majesty alone?
He quickly signaled to the eunuchs and palace maids beside him, and soon, a large group of people followed the emperor.
Xiao Huazi smiled with satisfaction when he saw this. He felt that he indeed had the talent to become a master. Contentedly, he ran to deliver the emperor's message.
Thus, the scene just now happened.
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