Bright Spring

……

It was still spring when Zhu Gaoxu left Shenglong City, and it was midsummer when he led his army into Zhili territory.But the spring in Annan and the summer in the capital seem to be not very different.

When the army arrived at Xianrenji, it was late at night, and Zhu Gaoxu ordered to camp and rest.No one in the army has any objection, this time to go to Beijing to offer prisoners, it is still necessary for everyone to rest outside for a night, so that they can change their clothes and prepare for a ceremonial ceremony tomorrow morning.

Zhu Gaoxu paced back and forth inside the Xingyuan Gate, as if he was waiting for someone.

Not long after, a man wearing a big hat came in, it was Chen Dachui, the military guard of the palace.Zhu Gaoxu immediately greeted him to come in and talk.

Entering the hall, Zhu Gaoxu stepped back and walked into the inner bedroom with Chen Dachui.Chen Dachui took off his big hat, bowed and said in a low voice: "My lord, the general stayed at the jade shop for several days, and those people came here one after another."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, motioning for him to continue talking.

Chen Dachui said in a low voice: "The first one who came was a young man with a short stature and fair face. I had seen him before. I asked him, how is the situation in the capital? The young man said that he didn't know about military and state affairs. Both inside and outside the imperial city were peaceful. But I heard that the queen has been ill for several months."

Zhu Gaoxu knew in his heart that the young man was Du Qianrui's younger brother, Du Erlang, who was now working in Jinyiwei under the pseudonym Yang Yong.His mother's health has never been very good, but it sounds like it's getting worse now.

Chen Dachui continued: "On the third day another person came, Wang Zhenliang, son-in-law's son; two days later, a young man with the appearance of a scribe came, whom the general had never seen before. I asked them the same thing Son, the two of them said the same thing, they said that they met the Holy Majesty in court recently, and the court and the court often dispute the matter of An Nanguo."

Zhu Gaoxu heaved a sigh of relief.

He was the emperor's son, and the capital was his home.But for some reason, he didn't come back for several years, so he felt a little strange; or he couldn't help feeling the pressure when he wanted to see his father, Zhu Di, so he was a little cautious.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "General Manager Chen, let's go, take a breather, we will go to Beijing tomorrow morning!"

Chen Dachui clasped his fists and said, "The general will follow orders."

... The sun did not rise early the next morning, and the clouds in the sky were very thick. It seemed that it was going to rain, but it hadn't come down yet.

But without the scorching sun in midsummer, there will be more people on the roadside to watch.Some of the capital officials greeted them out of the ten miles of the capital, and Zhu Gaoxu transferred to a luxurious carriage named "Xiang Ren".

The guards' fine armor was bright, and the iron cavalry led the way. On the road, only the red tassels on the helmets were shaking, very beautiful.The ceremonial guards that followed meandered, and the battles were huge and complicated. There were various cards, umbrellas, covers, staffs, flags, sabers and swords, drums, gongs, pipes, copper horns and other musical instruments, which were dazzling.

Zhu Gaoxu is the prince, but he himself doesn't understand the rules of these pomp and honor guards. It's so complicated, who has the heart to pay attention to them one by one?So sometimes some civil officials impeach him for exceeding the rules, even if the etiquette standards are exceeded, he feels very helpless; he can't understand at all, how does he know whether he has exceeded the rules?Occasionally, the civil servants of the Changshi Mansion will remind, but obviously the civil servants of the Changshi Mansion do not always find the problem.

The carriage Zhu Gaoxu is riding in is very luxurious. There are yellow umbrellas and covers on the front and back of the carriage, just like the emperor's carriage!The only difference is the decoration on the carriage, and the patterns on the umbrella cover are slightly different.Even the tuanlong robe he was wearing had the same pattern as the emperor's, only the color was different.

After the guard of honor is a line of prison cars surrounded by armored soldiers, containing Hu's father and son and their important ministers and criminals.Before conquering the Southern Kingdom, the court attached great importance to public opinion, which aroused the resentment and rejection of Hu's rebels from the government and the people.At this time when the Hu family and others entered Beijing, the people on both sides of the road were very angry and very noisy. Many people even threw things on the prison car.

Zhu Gaoxu picked up the corner of the car curtain and saw some people scolding fiercely and furiously, as if the traitor of the Hu family was their father-killing enemy, or had some influence on their vital interests.Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help thinking: It's none of these people's business?

Maybe people just take this opportunity to vent | other dissatisfaction in the weekdays.

A group of people and horses arrived at Zhengyangmen in a mighty way, and more officials came to greet them, as well as nobles from the imperial court and ministers at the ministerial level.Zhu Gaoxu got down from the elephant, greeted Zhu Wenwu, and wanted to go back to the carriage.

At this moment, Jin Zhong, an official in front of the crowd, stepped forward to speak.That Jin Zhong was also an old acquaintance, a confidant and counselor of the old Yan Palace, and now he is an official in the Ministry of War, so Zhu Gaoxu beckoned him to come over.

As Jin Zhong approached, Duan Xuehen was watching Jin Zhong vigilantly.Zhu Gaoxu looked calm, he knew that this Jin Zhong was a powerless literati, and he had known each other for a long time.

Jin Zhong straightened his body, and said: "There is a decree from the Holy Spirit. After the prison car enters the city, it will be handed over to the Jinyiwei. After the three judges are convicted, it will be dealt with, and then it will be announced to the world. His Royal Highness will enter the imperial city through Donghua Gate in a while, and go to Kun immediately. Ning Gong."

Zhu Gaoxu's expression changed, and he asked in a low voice: "My mother..."

Jin Zhongdao: "I have never been to the harem before, so I have nothing to say. I only come to convey the will of the Holy One."

At this time, the surroundings were very noisy, so Zhu Gaoxu simply saluted and said: "Your minister leads the order."

At this moment, Jin Zhong took two steps to the side from the position just now, bowed his head and said in a low voice: "But the lower official heard some rumors, the queen's phoenix body seems to be safe."

Zhu Gaoxu's worried expression was not all feigned, but he had already known about it through the spies of the capital, and Jin Zhongdai's words verified that the spies' news was reliable.Although his affection for Empress Xu is not that deep, but Empress Xu is a loving person. With her, the royal family's affection will be a little more tender, so Zhu Gaoxu sincerely hopes that her health will recover.He hurriedly said: "As soon as I arrived in the imperial city, I immediately went to the palace to visit the queen mother."

After he said that, he went back to the elephant body.The fine riders and guards of honor in front continued to march, and Zhu Gaoxu's big carriage entered the city through the corridor of Zhengyangmen.

Chapter 337

"His Royal Highness, please!" Jin Zhong made a gesture.Zhu Gaoxu looked up at the tower of Donghuamen, then raised his legs and walked in.

He entered the imperial city through Dong'an Gate. At that time, all the entourage stopped, and not everyone in the imperial city could enter. After walking for a while, Zhu Gaoxu and Jin Zhong entered the Donghua Gate together. Inside was royal palace.

After entering Donghua Gate, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly felt something strange.

Usually civil and military officials rarely take the road due south when entering the palace, which is far away; they have to pass through Hongwumen, Chengtianmen, and Meridian Gate to enter the palace. Qianbulang Street between Hongwumen and Chengtianmen is about A thousand paces away.

However, civil and military officials go separately. Military officers usually go to the Xihua Gate, and Zhu Gaoxu belongs to the clan, but he used to go to the Xihua Gate when entering the palace.

He thought for a while, because Jin Zhong brought him in this trip, and Jin Zhong was a civil servant, so it made sense to go through the Donghua Gate.

Zhu Gaoxu took a few more steps, and then he suddenly grasped what the strangeness that flashed in his heart was... Why did the emperor's father have to make such a detailed decree, down to which door Zhu Gaoxu should go to enter the palace?

For a while, Zhu Gaoxu felt a little restless.But he didn't say a word, just observed the surrounding scene carefully, but found nothing.

Maybe he is too nervous, so he can even care about these trivial details.

He thought again: It's just a trip to the palace to visit the queen mother.Zhu Gaoxu's father is still in power. In the whole world, except his emperor's father, who would dare to do anything to him?And Zhu Di is so powerful, who dares to risk the crime of exterminating the nine clans?

Zhu Gaoxu steadied his mind, raised his head and chest and walked towards the bridge on the river west of Wenhua Gate.

He laughed at himself in his heart: entering a palace is like going to the battlefield!

It's like this on the battlefield. It's okay for a battle where strength is crushed. If it's a little bit evenly matched, the people who lead the troops are usually very nervous.All kinds of true and false reports, and the opinions of various ministers and staff will make people unable to help worrying.At this time, if you can't keep your mind, you may lose the courage to bear the consequences, and it is difficult to make up your mind.

Zhu Gaoxu and Jin Zhong crossed the bridge, then walked north for a while, and they arrived at Wenlou.

To leave the palace from this place, there are only two gates, the first one is the Donghua Gate where Zhu Gaoxu came in; the second one is the Zuodian Gate on the other side of the Meridian Gate, and the Zuodian Gate is inside the Meridian Gate.From here, there are only two ways to enter the palace. The first way is the Wenlou, which leads to the square outside Fengtian Hall;

However, the clan and ministers usually enter the palace through the Wenlou, and the small gate in the north is mostly used by eunuchs and maids.

Jin Zhong went straight to the west, and sure enough he was going to take Zhu Gaoxu to Wenlou.

At this moment, a thin eunuch in the distance came towards this side.

Zhu Gaoxu felt a little strange again, because he was a prince, even if the servants in the palace saw him, they would immediately avoid him, but the eunuch continued to move forward.

Zhu Gaoxu kept his breath and still turned a blind eye, but Jin Zhong who was next to him frowned.When the eunuch approached, Jin Zhong took the lead and said, "You don't understand the rules?"

The eunuch was not very old, maybe more than ten years old, Zhu Gaoxu felt a little familiar, but he was sure that he did not know such a eunuch in the palace.

The little eunuch bent down, but didn't answer Jin Zhong's words. He looked up at Zhu Gaoxu, then at the five-clawed dragon pattern on his body, and asked, "Are you His Highness the King of Han?"

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Exactly."

Jin Zhongdao: "This servant does not understand the rules, the King of Han ignores him, let's go to the palace first..."

Zhu Gaoxu stood where he was, raised his hand to stop Jin Zhong and said, "He seems to have something to do, why should he be in such a hurry?"

The little eunuch hurriedly said: "That's right, that's right! This servant has something to say to His Highness the King of Han."

Jin Zhong waved his hands impatiently, and said very angrily, "You can talk here? Get lost!"