Chapter 3596 They are meritorious officials
When he turned his head to look at the busy crowd below, he suddenly sighed, not knowing what he was thinking of.
Nan Yan immediately asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
Zhu Feng's eyes flickered, but he said nothing. He was silent for a long moment before he waved his hand calmly. Nan Yan wanted to ask more, but he had already turned and walked towards the imperial study, saying as he walked, "Well, it's time for you to return to Yikun Palace. I'll be reviewing memorials in the imperial study this afternoon, and I'll come over to have dinner with you tonight."
Nan Yan stood where she was, bowed and saluted: "Farewell, Your Majesty."
She waited until Zhu Feng walked away before she slowly stood up. Looking at Zhu Feng's thin back, her brows gradually furrowed.
These days, although Zhu Feng seemed very excited about the upcoming event and wanted to decide many details himself, Nan Yan, who was following him, could clearly feel that sometimes he would suddenly become depressed. At that time, it was useless for anyone to accompany him. He was unwilling to talk and would just go back to the imperial study alone.
This action... is like a person hiding in the imperial study.
Nan Yan frowned slightly and watched Zhu Feng walk away. Then she slowly turned around. Xiao Shunzi just came back from the other side. Nan Yan said to him, "The emperor has returned to the imperial study. You should hurry up and serve him."
Xiao Shunzi said, "Yes."
After saying this, he bowed and turned to leave.
He had just taken two steps when Nan Yan called him again. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Where is He Yi?"
Xiao Shunzi said, "Master Heyi is in the cabinet. I have gone there to convey the emperor's order. Master should be returning."
Nan Yan nodded, waved her hand to let him go, and then turned to walk towards the cabinet. Sure enough, just after passing a door, she saw He Yi walking out with a stack of documents in his hands.
Nan Yan immediately called out to him, "Master He Yi."
As soon as he heard Nan Yan's voice, He Yi hurried over to kowtow and pay his respects. When he lowered his head, Nan Yan saw that his hair was shining with silver light under the sunlight.
It's white hair.
Although his face still looked as young as when he first entered Jinling City, his hair had turned a lot whiter after not seeing him for many years. He looked a bit like an old man with a youthful face.
He is a monk, so naturally he pays attention to self-cultivation and maintenance. He has white hair, which is obviously due to his daily hard work.
Ever since what happened back then came to light, the huge stone weighing on his heart has been removed, but he seems to have been sold to Zhu Feng. He has to take care of all matters, big and small, and is busy day and night. This time, Zhu Feng has been touring Yongzhou for two years. If he hadn't been in charge, the prince might not have had it so easy.
So, Nan Yan looked at him with a smile and said, "Lord He Yi has aged a lot now. You have worked hard."
He Yi lowered his head and said calmly, "Why should I bear the burden of your worries while I earn your salary?"
Nan Yan nodded and smiled, "It's a good saying that one who eats the emperor's food should bear his worries. However, the emperor has a worry now. Why didn't Lord Heyi ask the emperor to share his worries?"
When He Yi heard this, he looked up at Nan Yan in surprise.
Nan Yan said, "Your Excellency must have noticed that the Emperor has been feeling down these days, and even my presence hasn't been able to alleviate his worries."
He Yi was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."
Nan Yan asked, "Does your Excellency know why?"
He Yi said, "Your Majesty is extremely intelligent, why do you need to ask again?"
“…”
"Your Majesty, you came to me because you already know why."
Nan Yan chuckled and said, "It's really easy to talk to smart people."
He Yi also smiled faintly.
After laughing, both of their expressions gradually grew serious, or rather, rather, solemn. Nan Yan looked at him for a long moment before saying, "Back when the Emperor launched the Jingnan Campaign, you and Ye Zheng were his right-hand men. Now—you're still by his side, but Ye Zheng is nowhere to be found."
“…”
"The Emperor must be missing him when he sees the current grand scene."
“…”
"I know you must still have contact with him—"
As soon as the words fell, He Yi was startled and looked up, about to say something, but Nan Yan had already said coldly, "You don't have to deny it. Now that all nations are paying tribute, Gu Ran has spread the prestige and culture of our Great Yan Dynasty far and wide, but this is also due to his contribution. Every time we need something, he is able to connect with overseas countries to solve the urgent problem. This kind of coincidence may happen once or twice, but don't treat the emperor and me as three-year-old children."
“…”
He Yi was silent for a long time before he smiled bitterly and said, "How dare he and I treat the Emperor and His Majesty as children?"
“…”
"It's just that the Empress is more difficult to deal with than the Emperor."
Zhu Feng naturally knew it, but he felt guilty towards Ye Zheng, so no matter what Ye Zheng did, he could only think about it from afar and couldn't even look at him. But Nan Yan was different from him. In Nan Yan's eyes, Zhu Feng's feelings were more important.
Nan Yan laughed and said, "Only women and villains are difficult to raise. Confucius said so."
He Yi smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, please don't ridicule me like that. I admit that I did exchange letters with Ye Zheng, but it wasn't frequent. He would dock at a port once every one or two years, and then send a special messenger to my residence. I would also send him letters. However, sometimes he would dock for a long time, so he would receive my letters. If he docked for a short time, his ship would have left by the time the letter arrived, so it would be fine."
Nan Yan asked, "What about this time?"
He Yi looked up at her, his eyes flickering, but he didn't say anything.
Nan Yan didn't intend to listen to him, and only said: "Well, I don't intend to inquire about his news, I just want you to pass on a message. This time, the tribute from all nations is also due to Ye Zheng's contribution. Come again-"
She paused here, and her voice became deeper and gentler.
Said: "The emperor really misses him."
After saying that, she paused again, her voice becoming a little hoarse despite being gentle, and she said, "I miss Xiaoyu too."
He Yi also fell silent.
Of course he knew about the relationship between the imperial concubine and Ran Xiaoyu. She had been gone for several years without any news. It wasn't heartless, but it was indeed hurtful.
Nan Yan took a deep breath and continued, "They are meritorious officials of the Great Yan Dynasty. If they are interested, they should come back to visit."
“…”
"Even if they don't come back to see the emperor or me, they should at least come back to see the grand spectacle of all nations coming to pay tribute. This will make all their hard work over the years worthwhile."
He Yi was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Nan Yan said: "I have said this to you. Whether they can hear it depends on you."
After saying that, he turned and left.
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