Qin Yi rushed back to the Forbidden City from Changhe Garden early in the morning. The morning court had strict requirements on etiquette. The ministers stood outside Chengtian Gate with their eyes secretly moving in Qin Yi's direction.
Qin Yi pretended not to know. He used to live in the palace, so he could sleep longer and he didn't have to stand outside the palace wall at four o'clock in the morning. But now he appeared outside the palace gate. Where he went last night was written on his face.
As the head of the country, the prince's private departure from the palace could be a big deal or a small matter. It depends on whether Yu Shi wants to make a fuss about it. But today, Yu Shi didn't have time to care about the prince's loss of etiquette. The
morning court talked about the northern border troubles again. It happened that during this period, there were rumors that the emperor wanted to lead the army in person, so the matter was inevitably mentioned again in the court. The ministers each had their own opinions. Some felt that since the beginning of autumn, there had been disasters in various places and tax collection was extremely poor. As a result, the military would inevitably not be able to keep up. At this time, if we went to war with the Oirat again, the cost would be too great. If the emperor led the army in person, it would boost the morale of the army and frighten the Oirat, which would be enough to make these barbarians retreat. This proposal made some sense, but more ministers were extremely opposed. The reason for their opposition was very simple. The emperor was the true dragon emperor. His health was related to the country. How could he take such a risk?
The two sides each had their own opinions, and they argued for a whole morning, but overall, there were more opponents. The emperor just sat on the white marble steps, and it was unknown how much he heard clearly. When the court was about to be dismissed, the voices against the personal expedition had become overwhelming, but the emperor did not express his position and directly announced the adjournment of the court.
Qin Yi did not speak at the morning court either. He had a special status, and no matter which side he supported, he would be easily accused by those with ulterior motives. It was better for him to say nothing and not stand on any side, leaving the outcome to the emperor's decision.
After the court was dismissed, the emperor left first, and then it was Qin Yi's turn. Qin Yi walked on the clean and empty corridor, and soon a minister caught up with him from behind: "Your Highness."
"Please stand up, your Excellency, there is no need to be polite."
After exchanging pleasantries, the minister tried to find out Qin Yi's thoughts in a roundabout way: "Your Highness, what do you think about the emperor's personal expedition?"
Qin Yi just smiled distantly: "As a son and a minister, how dare I guess the emperor's intentions."
The minister was frustrated and smiled awkwardly: "Your Highness is right, I am not worthy of the emperor."
Qin Yi really didn't intend to care, but in his heart he leaned towards the faction that opposed the personal expedition. But it was not because of worrying about loyalty. Qin Yi felt that the reason why the emperor would not leave was very simple. It was so tiring to go on an expedition with the army, would the emperor go?
Qin Yi didn't think the emperor had the willpower, let alone the responsibility for his country. Most of the talk about leading the army in person was proposed by the eunuchs around the emperor. The eunuchs in this dynasty were all eunuchs, and the power of the eunuchs was even greater than that of the generals. This group of eunuchs wanted to seize power and were crazy, so they tried their best to incite the emperor to pave the way for themselves. Qin Yi didn't think the emperor would agree to such a thing that was obviously hardship.
Qin Yi thought for a while and put it aside, concentrating on governing the country in Wenhua Palace. Qin Yi didn't want to go back to the East Palace today. Ciqing Palace was dead and Qin Yi almost felt that he was guarding the mausoleum. It would be better to deal with these things as soon as possible. He left the palace and went directly to Changhe Garden.
But today at dusk, a eunuch hurriedly walked to Qin Yi, bent down and whispered something in Qin Yi's ear.
Qin Yi's face became visibly serious: "Is this news true?"
"Our people saw it with their own eyes, there is no mistake."
Qin Yi frowned unconsciously, walked to the window with sleeves rolled up, and looked at the magnificent sunset in the sky.
The informant just reported that the empress went to the Qianqing Palace to persuade the emperor, and actually persuaded the emperor to agree to go to the expedition in person.
Everything that can be persuaded in the harem is just a matter of going with the flow. If the emperor really didn't have this intention, let alone the empress, even the inner cabinet, the eunuchs in charge of ceremonies, and the concubines in the harem would take turns to go, and the emperor just didn't want to go.
The emperor actually agreed to go to the expedition in person, and the meaning behind this is troublesome.
Qin Yi certainly knew that the most critical turning point for him to get to where he is today was the Battle of Xuande.
He was exiled to the border because of Empress Xiao Qi. It was really difficult at the beginning. His position at the border was very embarrassing. As a prince, he had no right to lead the army, and those veteran soldiers who participated in the command of the army did not obey him. He only had a few hundred old, weak and disabled people under him, just pretending to coax him.
When had Qin Yi ever been neglected like this? When he was in the palace, everyone praised him. It was no exaggeration to say that he was able to call the shots. But in the blink of an eye, he, the crown prince, was exiled to the border for annoying the emperor. Not to mention others, even he himself could not stand this gap. Because he was young and hot-tempered at the time, Qin Yi could not stand this silent contempt, so he led his troops out to chase the Tatars without telling anyone, and then he was injured. When he woke up, he saw a little girl being led into the Marquis's Mansion, and he looked around in surprise and timidity.
It can be said that it was the most difficult and most fantastic time in Qin Yi's life, not only in terms of external conditions, but also in terms of emotions and heart. But he survived, so the most humiliating punishment became his first step to the peak of power. At that time, Qin Yi was seventeen years old. Although he had been the crown prince for seven years, he was trapped in the palace most of the time. The power he could develop was just that of the eunuchs and the eunuchs. He couldn't even count on his mother's family, the Zhenbei Marquis' Mansion. When Qin Yi shot that arrow, he really wanted to kill the couple, so he deserved to be exiled to the frontier. On the surface, this was a great victory for Queen Qi, but at the same time, Qin Yi also had the opportunity to leave the palace and get in touch with war and the army, which is the real power.
Many capable people around Qin Yi came to him during that time. Later, the two countries went to war. Power was highly concentrated during war, which was the best time for centralization. Qin Yi's power expanded rapidly at this opportunity. The highest peak is always reserved for the most desperate gamblers. Qin Yi took a gamble and led 3,000 people out of the pass for a surprise attack. Later, he won the gamble. The Battle of Xuande became a turning point for the Yan army to counterattack and avenge its shame, and Qin Yi became famous because of this. He gained countless real power and benefits in the army, and his reputation among the people far exceeded that of the previous emperors and elders. This is called fame and fortune. He
also found his crown princess.
Later, Qin Yi took the opportunity of his wedding to return to the court openly. This time he was fully fledged, and he was praised by the court one-sidedly. The emperor was also a person who didn't like to meddle in other people's affairs. This can be said to be the right time, right place and right people. The East Palace took advantage of this momentum to grow until it developed into the huge thing it is today. At this point, the East Palace is powerful, and it is no longer just talk.
And now, the emperor also intends to go to the battlefield to supervise the battle himself. Does the emperor intend to centralize power from the army, or is he testing Qin Yi? Qin Yi stood in front of the window and thought for a long time. It was not until the western glow gradually dimmed and finally turned into a pile of ashes that Qin Yi turned around and ordered in a light tone: "Prepare the horses."
The attendant Xiao Linzi was surprised: "Your Highness, are you going out again?"
Qin Yi glanced at Xiao Linzi with a cold look. Xiao Linzi quickly lowered his head and secretly cursed himself in his heart. Did you dare to question the order of the prince?
Xiao Linzi ran out with his head down to arrange the trip. After walking away, he dared to sigh. Crown Princess, when will you come back? This life is simply not a life for human beings.
In Kunning Palace, the young Queen had just returned from Qianqing Palace and was now being helped to change clothes.
After everything was settled, Xiao Qi sat down beside the couch, opened the teacup leisurely, and gently blew away the hot air.
"Your Majesty." Lan Yu served beside Empress Xiao Qi, and finally had the opportunity to ask, "Why do you want to help Eunuch Liu?"
Eunuch Liu was the most favored eunuch of the emperor. For some reason, Eunuch Liu suddenly wanted to lead troops to fight and satisfy his desire to be a general, so he strongly advocated that the emperor lead the army in person. The influence of Eunuch Liu, a close attendant of the emperor, should not be underestimated, but even if he personally went out, the emperor could not make up his mind. Eunuch Liu was a little panicked, so he asked Empress Xiao Qi for help.
Xiao Qi Hou blew the tea to cool it, took a sip, and laughed contemptuously: "How can I help him? No matter how favored he is, he is just a eunuch. It is not worthy for me to form an alliance with him. You are overestimating yourself."
"Then you..."
"Lan Yu, do you think there is anything in the palace that is obtained by begging?"
"I am stupid and don't understand what Your Majesty means." The Empress
put down her teacup and sneered: "The Emperor was persuaded by me not because of my good words, but because he had this intention in the first place. The Emperor has been dragging it out for so long, just waiting for others to persuade him and give him the opportunity to step down. I am in this position. If I don't understand the Emperor's heart, how can I enter the palace and how can I be favored for so many years?"
Lan Yu finally understood why the Empress did this: "So, Your Majesty, you are not doing this because of Eunuch Liu, but to regain favor?"
The Empress did not She liked the word "re-favor" too much, but Lan Yu was an old person by her side, so she just snorted coldly and didn't get angry: "In this palace, those who obey will prosper and those who disobey will perish. The rise and fall all depends on the emperor's will. Only by understanding the emperor's will can you live well and live long. The emperor is also panicking. This time, I have accurately touched his itchy spot. If he doesn't say it now, he will definitely reward me lavishly when he comes back. Then I will work hard again to eliminate misunderstandings and restore glory. It will only be a snap of the fingers."
The information in this sentence is very terrifying, even Lan Yu, the head aunt, dare not listen. The emperor is the true dragon emperor, the nine-five emperor, why is he panicking?
This is a taboo, and now no one in the entire palace dares to mention it. The only person who can make a king of a country feel a sense of crisis is the crown prince.
The court was unanimously opposed to personally leading the army, but this was based on the fact that the emperor had never expressed his position. The empress's personal advice seemed to add the last weight to the emperor's heart, and the emperor finally made up his mind to personally follow the army and go to war against the northern barbarians.
After the court officials learned about this the next day, several influential old officials took turns to advise, but all had little effect. Now the old and young foxes in the court had figured out that the emperor was willing and the empress was on his side. The two most noble people in the world agreed, so who would be so brainless and short-sighted as to go against the emperor and the empress?
The emperor's words were as good as gold. Once he opened his mouth, the matter was set in stone. There was no turning back. Soon, the news of the emperor's personal expedition spread from the court to the streets. People were very excited when they heard that the emperor was personally leading the expedition. The emperor's poor reputation also quickly turned positive.
In Changhe Garden, Chu Jinyao and Chu Jinxian were also talking about this matter. Chu Jinxian asked, "I heard that the emperor is going to lead the army in person, but I don't know when he will leave. Can you still stay here?"
Chu Jinyao also shook his head, "Leading the army in person is not a trivial matter. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War still have many things to arrange, but I guess all kinds of ceremonies are inevitable. Alas, I guess I will only have a few days of peace. Once the palace ceremony begins, I will have to go back."
When saying this, Chu Jinyao did not expect that he was so self-indulgent. Two days later, Qin Yi came to Changhe Garden early. Chu Jinyao went forward to warm his hands as usual: "The weather is getting colder and colder. You still have to go to court tomorrow. Why do you have to run so far in the cold wind for just one night?"
Qin Yi smiled with some inexplicable taste: "You don't need to go to court tomorrow."
Chu Jinyao's mind was half a beat slower: "What did you say? It's not the first month of the year yet, why don't you need to go to court?"
"Really." Qin Yi smiled with some sincerity. It was rare for him to show such an approving look. "The emperor has already led the Five Army Camp and the Shenji Camp to go to war. There is no leader in the court, so naturally there is no need to go to court."
Chu Jinyao was stunned for a long time: "Just leave like this?"
Shouldn't it be a big deal for the emperor to go on a personal expedition? He just left like this? She, the crown princess, didn't even know anything.