As Zhu Youjian suddenly got up and left, the courtiers stared at each other in disbelief.
After a moment, people began to whisper among themselves.
"Could something have happened in the harem?"
"That's definitely not right. Our emperor wouldn't suddenly adjourn court over such a trivial matter."
"Could it be that Master Gao has stirred things up again?"
They talked for a long time, but in the end they didn't reach a conclusion.
Even Zhou Yanru stood still, head bowed in deep thought.
Seeing that even this "emperor's confidant" was completely baffled, the courtiers stopped guessing.
"Never mind, let's go back out first."
"Anyway, it won't be long before we find out the truth."
Many ministers turned to leave the hall, but were stopped by the eunuchs at the door.
"My lords, His Majesty has not said that the court is adjourned. You cannot leave."
The ministers were all stunned.
"His Majesty has already left, how can this not be considered an adjournment of court?"
"You eunuch, do you dare to stop us? Have you forgotten how Wei Zhongxian died?"
They started making threats.
But the eunuch still shook his head.
"Of course I know the fate of that traitor Wei Zhongxian, and I dare not follow his example."
"However, this matter of retiring from court is not up to me, nor is it up to any of the ministers."
"Only His Majesty's word counts."
"Please wait here for a moment. I will send someone to ask His Majesty before I dare to let you out."
Seeing that the eunuch spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, the ministers did not dare to force their way out.
"Hmph, then you'd better go ask His Majesty!"
The eunuch nodded quickly and then jogged out.
Before long, he arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and said to Wang Chengen, "Eunuch Wang, as you instructed, I have kept all those ministers inside the main hall."
It turns out that this eunuch didn't really have the guts to make the decision on his own, so he stopped all the court officials.
These were all things that Wang Chengen had secretly instructed him to do when he left with the emperor.
Wang Chengen laughed and said, "You're quite clever, lad. You handled this matter well."
"I'll remember you."
The young eunuch was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to kowtow.
"Thank you, Eunuch Wang. Thank you, Eunuch Wang."
After a long while, the young eunuch stood up and asked Wang Chengen:
"Eunuch Wang, won't His Majesty be displeased if you assign this task to me?"
Wang Chengen glanced at him, intending to offer some pointers, and so he actually began to explain.
"You just don't understand, do you?"
"Let me tell you, the most important thing when working for the Emperor is to be observant and perceptive."
"When His Majesty was holding court just now, although those ministers didn't dare to openly contradict His Majesty, they were all secretly waiting to see him make a fool of himself."
"Although His Majesty is young, he has keen insight and immediately saw through their thoughts, which is certainly displeasing to him."
"If we use a few tricks to make those ministers suffer, the Emperor won't be angry; instead, he'll praise us."
After listening, Xiao Tai looked at Wang Chengen with admiration.
"You really understand His Majesty, Eunuch Wang."
Wang Chengen waved his hand: "This is nothing."
"Those two at Taiye Pond are truly formidable."
"Eunuch Cao practically watched His Majesty grow up; he's like a tapeworm in his stomach."
"As for Master Gao..."
At this point, Wang Chengen shook his head, not finishing his sentence, but the little eunuch already understood.
Anyone who has been in the palace for a while knows exactly what's going on.
While others had to figure out Zhu Youjian's thoughts, Zhu Youjian would take the initiative to figure out Master Gao's thoughts.
Zhu Youjian himself said that he regarded Gao Qingyun as his teacher.
However, everyone knows that Gao Qingyun holds a position in the emperor's heart that is both a teacher and a father.
Just as the eunuch was distracted, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Wang Chengen was startled and quickly ran to the door to look inside.
Zhu Youjian stood before the memorial tablets of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty and laughed loudly, "My Great Ming Dynasty is indeed invincible!"
"The Jing garrison captured Guangning so easily; it seems the Jurchens don't have many good days left."
"In fact, it is possible that our Great Ming Dynasty could recover Liaodong this year!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing the emperor so happy, Wang Chengen naturally understood the reason behind it.
To others, the Jurchens, though powerful, were merely a border threat.
However, Wang Chengen, who had been spoiled by Zhu Youjian, was fully aware of the situation.
In history, the Jurchens eventually entered the pass and occupied the Han dynasty's territory.
Wang Chengen sighed.
He was afraid that Zhu Youjian might reveal some secrets about later generations in his excitement.
So he turned around and made all the eunuchs and guards nearby step back several dozen paces.
He was the only one left outside the palace gate.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Zhu Youjian had just stepped out of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, his eyes still showing some excitement, but his face looked somewhat tired.
He didn't sleep much last night, and his laughter and shouting in the Temple of Heaven had already taken a toll on his energy.
At this point, I naturally felt a bit tired.
Zhu Youjian walked out of the door, glanced at Wang Chengen who was guarding the gate, and then at the eunuchs and guards who had retreated.
He nodded in satisfaction: "Wang Chengen, you have indeed improved."
Wang Chengen chuckled and said, "Isn't this all thanks to Your Majesty's excellent education?"
He then recounted the events that had occurred in the palace to Zhu Youjian.
"Your Majesty, those ministers haven't left the palace yet. Do you think we should let them out?"
After a moment of contemplation, Zhu Youjian smiled slightly.
"I was originally thinking of some methods to make them suffer a loss."
"This is perfect."
"Wang Chengen, go back to the main hall now and tell the ministers about Mangultai's surrender."
"Let them compose a congratulatory poem on the spot."
He glanced at Wang Chengen: "Do you understand what I mean?"
Wang Chengen immediately smiled and said, "This servant understands. For those loyal ministers who are usually obedient, the standard can be lowered a bit."
"As for the other ministers... well, they definitely have high standards and strict requirements."
“If their writing isn’t up to standard, the servants won’t let them leave.”
"We must make sure they go hungry until nightfall."
Seeing that he spoke very logically, Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said:
"Then do it this way. I'll return to my study now."
At this point, he yawned.
"Only after taking Guangning did I breathe a sigh of relief and finally get some peace and quiet to take a nap."
Wang Chengen watched the emperor walk away, then immediately jogged back to the main hall.
As soon as he entered the palace, he was surrounded by the ministers.
"Eunuch Wang, why did His Majesty suddenly leave?"
"Also, can we leave the palace now?"
Some people looked pale; "Eunuch Wang, as you know, we haven't eaten anything, and we're starving."
During the Ming Dynasty's morning court sessions, it was not permitted to ask for leave to use the restroom.
Therefore, ministers who were required to attend court would generally not eat anything the afternoon beforehand.
By this time, most of the day had passed, and the older ministers were naturally dizzy and lightheaded from hunger.
Wang Chengen chuckled and said, "Ministers, I know you are in a hurry, but please don't rush."
He was in a great mood and subconsciously repeated a line that Gao Qingyun had once said.
"The Emperor's sudden departure was actually due to a great event at the front, so he was busy going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to report the victory."
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