For the ministers present, it would be very troublesome if His Majesty caused them trouble.
However, there were also some who did not care, such as Xu Guangqi and Huang Kezun. Both of them were cabinet ministers, and if a local official really committed a crime, it had little to do with them.
Duke Yingguo Zhang Weixian and Duke Dingguo Xu Xi cared even less. Local affairs had nothing to do with them, and they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
After sitting on the boat for several days, I am indeed a little tired, so it would be nice to get off and take a walk.
Zhang Weixian then said, "Of course, I will obey your Majesty. Your Majesty's desire to understand the people's feelings shows your love for them. It's a good opportunity for me to go aboard with your Majesty and take a walk. I haven't left the capital for a long time, so I think it's a good opportunity to take a look around."
Xu Guangqi glanced at Zhang Weixian and knew he had bad intentions. However, His Majesty was in high spirits, so he couldn't say anything to stop him.
Xu Guangqi then said, "Your Majesty, there's no problem with going down to take a look. But the security needs to be good. Has General Qi Jin arrived?"
"I've already asked his men to prepare." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile, "Let's go down and take a look tomorrow."
"Should we inform the local officials?" Huang Kezun said, "Let them greet the emperor at the dock?"
"There's no need for this." Zhu Youxiao said after thinking for a while.
In fact, Zhu Youxiao never thought about keeping his whereabouts secret, because it was impossible to hide. As long as his ship left Tongzhou Wharf, it would definitely be spotted.
The officials and government officials along the way would never let him out of their sight. Only when his imperial ship passed through their jurisdiction could they breathe a sigh of relief; otherwise, they would probably be very nervous.
As long as my ship docks at Dezhou Wharf tomorrow, the people in Dezhou will definitely know about it. Whether I notify them or not, they will definitely come to welcome me.
Huang Kezun saw that Zhu Youxiao had no intention of notifying the local authorities, so he nodded and said, "Your Majesty does not want to disturb the locals, which shows your Majesty's kindness and benevolence towards the people."
Looking at Huang Kexun and then at Xu Guangqi, Zhu Youxiao seemed to understand something.
He seemed to understand a little bit: why the people under Emperor Chenghua were called the "Three Paper-Made Elders" and the "Six Clay-Sculptured Ministers"? A big reason was that they did not object and liked to flatter.
For example, it is impossible to say that his ministers are incompetent. However, this flatterer has become very skilled, and he can say good things without even noticing, and his attitude and tone are sincere, as if he is speaking from the heart.
That’s amazing, that’s amazing.
However, this thought only flashed through my mind, and was replaced by the excitement of getting off the boat.
The next morning, the imperial ship docked at Texas Pier.
The dock was already under guard. Qi Jun and his men were already waiting there, their troops standing upright and forming a line around them.
When Zhu Youxiao arrived, officials of all ranks from Dezhou Prefecture were already waiting there.
Liu Mao, the governor of Dezhou, was sweating profusely and was almost shaking. He couldn't possibly go to the emperor to greet him, so he could only watch from afar, but he was also terrified.
The other officials around Liu Mao looked similar to him.
"Sir, at this point, you should stop hiding it. Has there been any letter from the capital? Why did His Majesty disembark in Dezhou?" An official in his fifties asked Liu Mao, the prefect of Dezhou. His expression was tense and filled with fear.
His Majesty had no original plan to stay in Texas; the decision was made suddenly. By the time they received the news, His Majesty's ship had already docked at the Texas pier.
After hearing the news that His Majesty was about to disembark, they were terrified. There was no plan, and the sudden stop meant something must have happened, and it must have something to do with Texas, so they couldn't help but be afraid.
Liu Mao glanced at the official who was speaking, and it was his fellow magistrate Zhang Kang.
"If I knew, would I still be so scared?" Liu Mao said angrily, "This happened so suddenly, how could the news from the capital be so fast? Besides, the news from the capital is not necessarily accurate."
"Your Majesty has already left the capital, and I'm afraid not much is known back there. Keep an eye out for anyone you know among those arriving on the ship. If you do, send someone to gather information and ask His Majesty why he disembarked in Dezhou."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com