Emperor's Grace

In the evening, Emperor Zhaoyang held a banquet in the Long En Hall to comfort the soldiers who had returned from the expedition in triumph, accompanied by princes, ministers, civil and military officials.

The most beautiful person is He Huailing. Emperor Zhaoyang praised him very much. He only regretted that he had not given birth to such a promising son. The ministers were rewarded for their meritorious deeds, and they were promoted to ranks. He Huailing was granted the title of Marquis of Dingyuan, and he was given the Marquis Mansion with a reward of one thousand taels and one hundred hectares of fertile land.

Zhu Yunxuan sat beside Zhu Yunjing, drinking fruit wine and holding his chin, looking at He Huailing who was whispering with Zhu Yunxun on the opposite side. After a while, he chuckled softly, and said to Zhu Yunjing: "This General He looks really good. He is a good-looking talent, fierce is a bit fierce, but he is also heroic, how did those rumors spread?"

Zhu Yunjing squinted at Zhu Yunxuan: "What? Have you taken a fancy to him?"

Zhu Yunxuan refused to accept: "Well, I'm not like you, the prince brother. I will definitely marry a beautiful and unparalleled prince and concubine in the future, and it must be a woman!"

Zhu Yunjing ignored him, glanced at He Huailing, and poured the wine in the glass into his mouth.

After joking a few words, Zhu Yunxuan approached Zhu Yunjing and reminded him in a low voice: "I just watched it for a long time, and those old guys who went to toast General He diligently were also very warm to the second brother. They didn't care Brother Prince, do you take it seriously?"

If he hadn't known that his little brother was tricky but focused on him, Zhu Yunjing would really suspect that he was trying to sow discord: "In your eyes, who is not an old guy?"

Zhu Yunxuan blinked: "Brother Prince is in full bloom, of course not."

"Let's talk less."

"Brother Prince, are you really not worried at all?"

Zhu Yunjing looked at Emperor Zhaoyang, who was already a little drunk on the throne, and raised the corners of his lips: "Don't worry, Father only granted him the Marquis of Dingyuan, but he didn't mention the appointment of an official, one of them has no real job. Your honor is the least valuable in this capital, what are you afraid of?"

"But he still has the [-] expeditionary army who followed him back to Beijing."

"What's the rush, military power, he will have to hand it over sooner or later."

After drinking for three rounds, Emperor Zhaoyang, who was overwhelmed by alcohol, was supported by his servants and retreated back to the palace, leaving Zhu Yunjing to continue to preside over the banquet.When the emperor was away, the people below had no scruples. These soldiers and ruffians who came down from the battlefield were all heroic and unruly. They disliked drinking from cups, and they all asked for big bowls. Someone became interested and grabbed the wine jar directly He started a fight with his colleagues and poured gulps into his mouth. The people around him cheered loudly. For a while, the Long En Hall was filled with excitement and excitement.

The civil servants who accompanied the banquet probably couldn't understand the rudeness of these generals, but today was to welcome the expeditionary army, Zhu Yunjing didn't say anything, and they naturally didn't want to talk too much, no matter how disdainful they were, they had to be polite With a smiling face, exchange cups with others and then flatter each other.

The most people gathered around He Huailing to toast and persuade him to drink. He Huailing still used a small cup, and others drank a toast, but he was not as rough as other generals. His gestures were full of the elegance and calmness of the children of the aristocratic family, and he didn't talk much. , There is a sense of arrogance between the brows, but it doesn't appear arrogant.

"Go alone and toast General He."

"Ah?" Zhu Yunxuan thought he had heard wrong.

Zhu Yunjing smiled: "General He saved Gu, Gu always has to show something, otherwise people will say that the crown prince Gu is too arrogant and ignorant."

"So what? I thought Brother Prince, you don't care about these false names?"

"Gu is not a saint."

Zhu Yunjing got up, took the wine glass and walked to He Huailing's table. The officials who had been surrounding all around stepped aside one after another, but they didn't take their eyes off them.He Huailing also stood up, wished Yunjing a toast, and smiled brightly: "Congratulations to the general for being granted the title of Marquis of Dingyuan. For today's matter, Gu has not thanked the general. If it weren't for a general who stood in front of Gu's car, I'm afraid that Gu Now I can't be here to congratulate the general and the Zhengyuan army on their return from victory, this glass of wine is for the general alone, I wonder if the general would like to reward the general?"

He Huailing raised his glasses with both hands, with a respectful expression: "It's my duty, I dare not say thank you."

After he finished speaking, he raised his head and drank the wine in the glass. Zhu Yunjing looked at him with a smile, and slowly brought the glass to his lips.

After drinking a glass of wine, Zhu Yunjing said again: "During this period of time, I have also heard many rumors about the general's invincibility. They all say that the general's miraculous skills are world-class. I admire him very much and yearn for him. I don't know if I can meet him if I have a chance in the future. The general asks for a lesson or two?"

He Huailing cautiously said: "Your Highness loves me so much, I am ashamed and dare not be ashamed, the rumors cannot be fully believed, the great victory of the expedition is the credit of all the soldiers, not the efforts of the minister alone."

"The general is too modest."

The two of you came and went, talking politely and politely, the atmosphere was quite harmonious, but there was a drunk who didn't know what to do.That Jiang Yan was drinking with others, his face was red and his ears were red. He didn't know what happened. He Huailing told him to be cautious and low-key in the morning. Zhu Yunjing, drunk and confused, actually said outrageous nonsense: "Where did this young man come from? How the hell is he prettier than those little girls?"

There was a sound of gasping all around, and Zhu Yunxuan, who was drinking wine and listened to their side, spit directly, choking for a long time and couldn't stop, Zhu Yunxun frowned slightly.Zhu Yunjing stared coldly at the ugly Jiang Yan in front of him, without showing too much emotion on his fair face, but those who knew him well knew that this was a sign of his anger.

Jiang Yan, who didn't realize that he had stepped into the gate of hell, breathed out alcohol, and stretched out his hand to touch Zhu Yunjing. He Huailing immediately raised his hand, and slapped him on the back of the neck, neatly. , The drunk fell to the ground and completely lost consciousness.

He Huailing knelt down and pleaded guilty: "Jiang Yan was drunk and made a slip of the tongue and offended His Highness. He is willing to be punished with a hundred army sticks to make an example to others. I am not strict with my subordinates, so I am willing to receive the same punishment."

Zhu Yunxun also stood up and reminded Zhu Yunjing: "Today, the emperor hosted a banquet to comfort the expeditionary army. All the soldiers present here are meritorious ministers. I think this General Jiang did not intend to offend. Why don't the prince spare him this time?" ?”

Except for the whispers, the hall was completely quiet, no one dared to make a fuss, and everyone's eyes fell on Zhu Yunjing and He Huailing.Zhu Yunjing was really upset, he didn't even think about how to deal with this lifeless thing, He Huailing helped him make a decision first, but he couldn't do it seriously.Today's army is triumphant, if he asks someone to beat up the meritorious generals in public, especially He Huailing, he doesn't know how he will be criticized if the news gets out, not to mention the fact that this fact is disgraceful, he doesn't want to hear people mentioning this drunk again and again How the reckless offended him.

It's not that Zhu Yunjing doesn't understand these principles, and there is no need for Zhu Yunxun to remind her. Zhu Yunxun's kindness is just an opportunity to win people's hearts.

Zhu Yunjing endured her anger, and ordered in a deep voice: "Wake him up with water, and throw him out of the palace."

He Huailing immediately thanked her: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity."

Zhu Yunjing was in no mood to stay any longer, and walked away, and the banquet ended.

Zhu Yunxun seemed to have something to say to He Huailing in private, and personally sent him to the gate of the palace. He Huailing cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, stay here. I will come to the palace to greet you some other day."

"My brother, you don't need to be so polite, and you don't need to care about these empty etiquette." Zhu Yunxun smiled gently. After five years of not seeing him, his cousin seems to be getting more and more alienated from him, but it doesn't matter, as long as He Huailing's surname is He, Naturally, he was on the same boat as him.

He Huailing's expression was light: "It should."

Zhu Yunxun sighed: "Is my cousin blaming me?"

"Why did Your Highness say such a thing?"

"Last year, you sent me a letter and asked me to take care of Xu Hanlin. You never thought that before you came back, something happened to him and he was sent to prison and died in prison. I failed your trust."

He Huailing's bright black pupils became more gloomy in the night, and there seemed to be sadness in his eyes: "It has nothing to do with Your Highness, Your Highness does not need to blame himself."

"...Actually, I have always been curious, why did you and Xu Hanlin meet?"

He Huailing said indifferently: "When I was young, I had some friendship. Now that the person is gone, it is useless to talk more."

To let He Huailing personally write a letter to entrust someone to him, Zhu Yunxun thought that it must be more than just a little friendship when he was young, but since He Huailing didn't want to talk about it, he didn't ask, and only thought about it: "Because you sent That letter was given to me, I do pay a lot of attention to Xu Hanlin on weekdays, Master Xu is an outstanding gentleman of Qingfengliangyue, it is really hard for people to believe that he would have such disobedient thoughts."

"He won't," He Huailing frowned, "There must be something hidden behind this."

Zhu Yunxun nodded: "Father ordered him to be imprisoned in Dali Temple to await trial. With Xu Hanlin's character, he should not commit suicide in fear of crime. I have always felt that this is a bit strange. Before... There are many ambiguous rumors between Xu Hanlin and the prince. I don’t believe that Xu Hanlin is the kind of person who flatters and invites favors and serves the emperor with color. It’s just that the prince is naturally romantic, dissolute, and acts without scruples. If he is in the middle No matter what you have done, it is impossible."

The more He Huailing listened, the more serious his expression became: "Prince? Is this related to him? Is there any evidence?"

"No, but it was seen before that not long before Master Xu's accident, the prince went to the prison of Dali Temple privately, and stayed there for half an hour, and the emperor ordered that Master Xu's body be taken away. After throwing it to a mass grave outside the city, I specially sent someone there to collect his body for a proper burial, but I couldn't find Master Xu's body anywhere."

He Huailing's eyes became darker, Zhu Yunxun raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder: "I am somewhat responsible for this matter, I will continue to send people to investigate, and I will always give you an explanation. corpse."

After a moment of silence, He Huailing cupped his fists: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Zhu Yunxun smiled slightly: "I've said it before, you and my brother, don't worry about these things."