Chapter 562 Bracelet
Yan Ning was still reciting the book in his mouth. He raised his dark eyes, looked through the drifting peach blossoms, and watched Yan Xiuyun walk out of Changyu Palace from afar.
The moment Yan Xiuyun's figure disappeared, the child's reciting of the book also stopped.
"Brother Prince, where are you going?" Yan Jing asked when he saw him suddenly put down the book and stood up.
Tomorrow, your mother will test your knowledge.
Yan Ning didn't even look at her, just turned and left.
Yan Jing looked at Yan Ning's back, with some confusion in his glass-like eyes.
She remembered that when she was a child, the prince loved to laugh and would take her to climb trees and ride horses.
But I don’t know since when, it seems that I have never seen him smile again.
…
When Yan Xiuyun returned to the study, Zhu Lan, dressed in a red official robe, was already waiting there, holding a memorial in both hands.
It took her two years to finally push the establishment of the cabinet system to the final step.
Written on the memorial in his hand was the final list of candidate cabinet ministers provided to Yan Xiuyun after the Ministry of Personnel's assessment.
Most of the officials on the list are the best selected from the six ministries. As for who will be used specifically, it depends on Your Majesty's wishes.
Yan Xiuyun took the memorial and suddenly started coughing violently.
"His Majesty……"
Zhu Lan was a little worried, but Yan Xiuyun waved his hand to indicate that he was fine.
He opened the memorial and looked carefully at each name on it.
After a long time, he still didn't make a decision.
Yan Xiuyun said that he was a little tired and asked Zhu Lan to go down first.
Zhu Lan had just left the study when he heard a cough coming from inside the door, as if someone was trying to cough out his lungs.
Fate is ultimately determined by heaven, Zhu Lan sighed softly in his heart.
Yan Xiuyun moved the snow-white handkerchief away from her lips, which was already stained with a little blood.
He threw the handkerchief aside and once again began to ponder the names of the ministers on the list.
After a long time, he picked up the pen and dipped it in cinnabar, and after careful consideration, he added a red dot behind each name.
Zhou Xianqing, Ministry of Rites.
Ministry of Personnel Tan Xiao.
Mo Wenhan from the Ministry of Justice.
Wu Yao from the Ministry of War.
Xiao Wan from the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhao Sicheng, Ministry of Works.
In addition, there is another person who is very crucial.
Yan Xiuyun took out an imperial edict that had been prepared long ago, and ordered that the Military Equipment Bureau be officially renamed the Armament Department, independent of the six ministries of the imperial court, specializing in the research of firearms to ensure that the country's military would always be invincible.
Zhou Da, the former military equipment supervisor, was promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Armament Department, in charge of military resources, with direct access to the emperor's ears, and he could directly participate in military planning. His official rank was almost the same as that of the six ministers.
According to the originally planned structure, in order to ensure the smooth operation of the cabinet, there must be one chief minister and one second chief minister.
The court officials already knew the candidate for the cabinet's chief minister.
No one except Zhu Lan can take on this task.
Yan Xiuyun dipped the imperial pen in cinnabar and paused for a while beside Zhu Lan's name.
But he slowly withdrew his hand.
He looked a little hesitant, and finally put down his pen and temporarily put the memorial aside.
He started coughing violently again.
…
Yan Ning left Changyu Palace and unknowingly walked to the Imperial Garden.
From the garden came the voice of a eunuch scolding a palace maid.
"How do you guys work? This is a new variety of peony that the Imperial Garden has cultivated with great effort, and there are only a few pots of it.
The ceremony of crowning Her Majesty the Queen is approaching, and His Majesty said that these flowers are of extraordinary beauty and fragrance, and are the best match for Her Majesty, and they must all be moved to Her Majesty's palace.
You guys, why don't you go down and accept your punishment——"
The eunuch was halfway through his words when he saw Yan Ning coming towards him and hurriedly greeted him.
Yan Ning nodded and looked at the ground.
There was a pot of broken peony flowers, a rare lavender variety, blooming beautifully, but unfortunately it had fallen to the ground and was covered in mud.
"I'm just taking a walk in the Imperial Garden. You guys go down first." Yan Ning said with his hands behind his back.
The eunuch took a look at the flowers on the ground, but didn't dare to disobey the prince, so he had to lead his men to retreat in a hurry.
When there was no one around, Yan Ning walked forward.
The soles of his shoes crushed the gorgeous cyclamen flowers a few times with force.
Yan Ning stopped beside the pond in the Imperial Garden, not far away was the Autumn Viewing Pavilion.
It is also the place where the Queen Mother was murdered.
He slowly tightened his two little hands in his sleeves, and a coldness that was inconsistent with his age seeped into his eyes bit by bit.
There were footsteps behind me.
Yan Ning frowned: "Didn't I tell you all to retreat?"
"Your Highness, it's me." A soft and smiling voice came.
Yan Ning turned around and saw a fair and feminine face.
He was a young eunuch assigned to serve the prince. His name was Ma Yan and he was also the apprentice of Chief Eunuch Zhao.
Eunuch Ma is only sixteen years old. He has been with Yan Ning since the death of the late queen two years ago.
When Yan Ning saw that it was him, the hostility in his eyes faded a little.
Eunuch Ma walked over with a smile and said:
"I couldn't find you just now, so I guessed you must have come here."
Yan Ning glanced at him and asked, "Why are you looking for me?"
"I saw that Your Highness was depressed, so I found something here, hoping that Your Highness would be more cheerful."
Yan Ning frowned, "How many times have I told you that I am not interested in those folk things! Take them away quickly, or your father will see you and scold you again."
"I am your Highness's servant. As long as it is for your Highness's good, even if the Emperor peels off my skin, I will have no complaints.
Besides, His Highness will definitely like this thing—"
As Ma Yan spoke, he took out something from his arms and held it in front of Yan Ning.
Yan Ning was stunned when he saw it.
It was a bracelet made of oriental pearls, as shiny as white jade.
Yan Ning recognized it, it was the bracelet that his mother had worn before. He carefully took it with both hands, and could even feel the breath of Dong Lanxin.
Yan Ning was a little excited and asked Ma Yan where he found it.
When Dong Lanxin was buried, most of her favorite items were buried in the imperial mausoleum as burial objects.
Yan Ning once asked Qin Yuwei for this Dongzhu bracelet, but Qin Yuwei told him that it had also been buried with the dead.
When asked about the origin of this Dongzhu bracelet, Ma Yan's eyes were obviously evasive and he hesitated to say.
"Hurry up and tell me!" Yan Ning asked even more anxiously.
Ma Yan immediately knelt down and said in a trembling voice:
"Your servant, your servant accidentally discovered that someone was taking things from the palace out to sell them. I followed them and found this Dongzhu bracelet.
"I kept all the good things that His Highness gave me as rewards, and I exchanged them for silver to buy this bracelet."
Ma Yan swallowed his saliva and seemed very nervous. He pleaded:
“Your Highness, please keep this bracelet away carefully, and don’t let the Imperial Concubine find it.
Otherwise, even if I lose my life, no one will ever understand your love for your mother."
——————
(P.S. The following is the author's somewhat long rambling:
Regarding the previous part of the plot, I have read everyone's comments and feedback, and there are some situations that I need to report to you guys.
1. First of all, the length issue mentioned before, because the subject matter is niche, the data of this book did not meet expectations. From the perspective of both individuals and the platform, it is impossible to write a super long novel. It is expected to be completed in about 1.3 million words. However, according to the original outline, there is still a long main line to be pushed, so some side plots can only be cut off, otherwise it may face the situation of direct completion or bad ending in the end, which I myself find difficult to accept.
I must admit that in order to quickly advance the main storyline, some plots have been simplified, which has affected the reading experience of my dear readers. I deeply apologize for this.
2. Regarding the ending of the King of Zhenbei, it may be a matter of opinion, but this is indeed the ending I wanted to write from the beginning. Some of the historical figures I personally like, whether heroes or tyrants, rarely have a glorious ending, and most of them are powerful but end up absurdly, which can be regarded as a kind of irony.
3. The palace banquet is not a big plot, and Li Yao is not a boss. It is just a foreshadowing for the last part of the book. The final boss will not be less intelligent.
This book is coming to an end, I hope you will be patient, I may slow down the update speed, and strive to present a better plot to everyone in the last paragraph~)
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