Knowing that he had to get up early today and torment his ministers, Zhu Youxiao would also have to work harder. Therefore, he did not go to the concubines' palace to sleep, but slept in the East Warm Pavilion.
Wen Xiang's body was pressed against him, and Li Chengcheng put his arms around the emperor's waist and fastened his belt.
It's easy to be impulsive in the morning. That's how Emperor Wu of Han and Wei Zifu rolled together. Zhu Youxiao also felt it and reached out to hug Li Chengcheng.
"Your Majesty..." Li Chengcheng called out softly and shyly, but her mouth was immediately blocked.
After a long while, the emperor finally let go of the girl who was blushing and panting, and reluctantly removed his dirty hands from her delicate body.
Li Chengcheng hurriedly tidied up his messy clothes, and his shy look made Zhu Youxiao laugh.
The emperor was in a good mood. Yes, he was very happy. Because of Li Chengcheng's righteous plea, Fan Xiaohui was kept, which made Zhu Youxiao feel that it was destined by heaven.
In history, the carpenter had seven or eight wives, and Fan Xiaohui was one of them. She was also named Imperial Noble Consort because she gave birth to a son and a daughter.
Unfortunately, Princess Yongning Zhu Shu'e and Prince Daohuai Zhu Cihuan both died young, and Concubine Fan Hui fell out of favor due to the slander of Keshi.
According to historical records: After Concubine Fan Hui fell out of favor, because Concubine Li Cheng was on good terms with Concubine Fan Hui, and the carpenter was in love with Concubine Li Cheng, Concubine Li Cheng interceded for Concubine Fan Hui when she was sleeping with her husband.
As a result, Concubine Fan Hui got the opportunity to sleep with the emperor again. When Wei Zhongxian and Ke Shi learned about this, they were very angry and imprisoned her.
Zhu Youxiao knew that history could not be fully trusted, but Li Chengcheng and Fan Xiaohui were good friends, which was consistent with history.
The reason why Fan Xiaohui was expelled from the palace was simply because her ancestors had served as officials. Wang Tigan would rather kill someone by mistake than let him go, and would expel her from the inner palace if she was suspected of the slightest suspicion.
Now, Zhu Youxiao has found another wife and will stay in the Palace of Heavenly Purity to serve her. There are already six of them. When there are seven, I can summon them...
A fragrant scent wafted in the air. Li Chengcheng put the crown on the emperor and looked left and right to see if it was correct.
Zhu Youxiao chuckled, reached out to tease the girl's chin, then straightened his back, his face full of majesty, and walked out.
Wang Tigan and the palace servants were already waiting outside the palace. Lu Jianxing and several guards were also ready. When they saw the emperor coming out, they all bowed to greet him.
Zhu Youxiao waved his hand, walked to the imperial carriage, and, served by palace servants, sat in the ancient top-of-the-line "Rolls-Royce" and headed towards the Qianqing Gate.
Around 5:00 AM, the Meridian Gate opened and officials began to enter the palace. Civil officials entered through the Zuoye Gate, and military officials entered through the Youye Gate. They first lined up according to their rank south of the Jinshui Bridge.
After the whip was blown, all officials crossed the bridge in turn and arrived at the Danchi of Qianqing Gate. The civil officials were the left class and the military officials were the right class. They stood facing each other on both sides of the imperial road, which was called "Qiu Ji".
Once inside the palace, etiquette became even stricter. Censors were on hand to supervise, and any coughing, spitting, crowding, or poor manners would be noted and dealt with accordingly.
There is an imperial throne in the center of the upper corridor of Qianqing Gate, which is called "Golden Platform".
On the left and right of the steps are the bell and drum bands, and between the steps and gate shields of the palace are lined up the "Han Generals" wearing full armor. On the left and right of the imperial road and behind the civil and military officials are guards holding swords.
In fact, the New Moon and Full Moon Courts cannot be called grand court meetings, as they are far inferior in terms of the number of participants and the complexity of the rituals.
However, during the sensitive period when Zhu Chunchen was imprisoned, the emperor seemed to attach great importance to it, which made this court meeting very different.
At this time, the bell and drum department played music and the emperor arrived at the imperial gate.
First, strong men from the Embroidered Uniform Guards holding five umbrellas and four round fans climbed onto the steps from the east and west sides and stood on the left and right behind the throne.
Afterwards, two eunuchs appeared, one holding an umbrella and standing on the seat, and the other holding a "military equipment" and two fans and standing in the middle behind the seat.
The emperor took his seat with a serious expression, and the sound of whips rang out again. The civil and military officers on the left and right marched into the imperial road side by side. The dukes, princes-in-law, and earls formed a separate group, standing in front of the military officers' group but slightly apart.
After all the ministers paid their respects, the officials from the Honglu Temple came out and reported to the emperor the number of officials who came to the capital to express their gratitude and those who left the capital to resign.
If the emperor wanted to summon him, he would first go to the palace to meet him; if the emperor did not see him, he would perform the ritual of five bows and three kowtows from a distance in the courtyard or outside the Meridian Gate, and that would be the end of the matter.
To the surprise of his officials, Zhu Youxiao summoned all the officials who had come to the capital to express their gratitude or to resign. This was a great surprise to the officials who had not held out much hope.
This is a bit abnormal! The already uneasy nobles began to suspect something, and even thought that the sword-wielding guards behind them were executioners.
The court meeting proceeded one by one according to the procedure, and finally entered the most important part (reporting matters).
But the most important part was that no one showed up. The New Moon and Full Moon Courts were already ceremonial in nature, but with more people present, unlike regular courts, which only had a small number of important officials in attendance, the presentation of memorials was more informal.
Zhu Youxiao didn't care. He shifted his gaze to the nobles and relatives, and his coldness was frightening.
"Duke Yingguo." Zhu Youxiao stretched out his voice and called out, "Come forward and answer."
Duke Yingguo Zhang Weixian was startled. After a pause, he stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed, "Your humble servant is here."
Zhu Youxiao stared at him for a long time before asking in a deep voice, "On the day of ****, Zhu Chunchen came to your house and had a long, private conversation with you. I'd like to know what you two said."
This wording was already a very serious accusation. Secret talks, deceit in the dark, conspiracy and deception – just this one word revealed the emperor's suspicion and the severity of the crime if confirmed.
Zhang Weixian quickly bowed his head deeply and began to defend himself, "Your Majesty. Zhu Chunchen visited me at my residence, and I treated him with normal courtesy. We had no secret conversation."
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