Emperor's Grace

He Huailing went to the Ministry of Criminal Justice to report on the first day. He was greeted by the left servant of the Ministry of Criminal Justice who led the officials from all over the yamen. It was up to the two servants to make the decision. These civil servants were very polite to He Huailing. Although He Huailing and them were not friendly, they never deliberately found fault. After getting along for a day, they finally lived in peace.

As time went by, everyone's interest in He Huailing became much weaker, so what to do, and no longer focus on him.

He Huailing didn't take care of things very much, he used the excuse that he was young and new to the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and that he couldn't make sense of everything, and all matters in the Yamen were decided by Zuo Shilang, but he spent a lot of time reading and studying those old files every day.No one noticed that the dossier of the prefect of Jingzhou's anti-poetry case was also among them, and He Huailing devoted most of his energy to it.

At noon that day, Zhu Yunjing came out from the imperial study, on the way back to the East Palace, he saw He Huailing coming from a distance, squinted his eyes slightly, and asked Wang Jiu who was following him, "Why did Marquis Dingyuan come into the palace?"

Wang Jiu thought for a while and replied, "Perhaps he came to greet His Highness the Second Highness."

All the princes are not yet married, and they all live in the palace. The prince's bedroom is just behind the East Palace. Foreign ministers must pass through the East Palace if they want to come in to say hello.The corner of Zhu Yunjing's mouth curled slightly, He Huailing had already walked up to him, stopped, and greeted him respectfully.

Zhu Yunjing sat high on the chariot, and cast a sidelong glance at him: "How come the Marquis of Dingyuan has time to come into the palace today?"

"Returning to Your Highness, I came to the palace to pay my respects to Second Highness." He Huailing replied indifferently.

Zhu Yunjing sneered: "Greetings to the Second Highness and not Gu? Is Ding Yuanhou looking down on the crown prince Gu?"

"I dare not."

"If it wasn't for today's coincidence, Marquis Ding Yuan might not have thought of stepping into the lonely East Palace, right?"

"The minister is afraid of nagging His Highness."

"Just don't be afraid of Gu, let's go, go to the East Palace with Gu, invite Marquis Dingyuan to drink tea."

A quarter of an hour later, in the warm pavilion of the East Palace, Zhu Yunjing and He Huailing sat opposite each other on the couch, the palace servants offered refreshments, Zhu Yunjing smiled and raised her hand to signal: "How about the refreshments from the East Palace, Lord Hou? "

He Huailing thanked her, took a sip of the tea bowl gracefully, then picked up a piece of snack and put it into her mouth, swallowed it carefully, rinsed her mouth with tea again, nodded, and replied to Zhu Yunjing who had been smiling at her all the time: "The tea and snacks in the East Palace are the best."

Not only refreshments, everything in the East Palace is excellent, exquisite and luxurious everywhere, precious ambergris is lit in the incense burner, and only the emperor, queen mother and prince can use it in the whole palace. He Huailing just came in just now. With a glance, it can be seen that Emperor Zhaoyang really dotes on Zhu Yunjing, the crown prince, and almost all the good things have been moved into the East Palace.

Zhu Yunjing smiled lightly: "Master Hou, you don't have to be so reserved and polite, you and Zhu Yunxun probably wouldn't talk like that, right?"

"The second highness is different from your highness. Your highness is the crown prince, and etiquette cannot be ignored."

Zhu Yunjing gave a "tsk" sound: "In the final analysis, there is a difference between closeness and closeness, but if Gu Na's second brother can remember this like Lord Hou, it would be great."

His words seemed to mean something, but He Huailing didn't answer, Zhu Yunjing bent his lips, and changed the subject: "I heard that Hou Ye's biological mother is from Jingzhou, and it is said that Hou Ye lived at the grandfather's house in Jingzhou when he was young." After a while, Lord Hou has a good understanding of Jingzhou's customs? Poems and books say that Jingzhou has beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, but is it true?"

He Huailing raised his eyes to look at Zhu Yunjing, who had a smile in his eyes, but he was smiling maliciously. He felt vigilant, and after a little thought, he realized that Zhu Yunjing was testing his relationship with Xu Shixian. He was outside the imperial study that day. , Zhu Yunjing asked such a question, he must have found out the intersection between him and Xu Shixian clearly.

He Huailing's expression remained unchanged, and he replied: "Jingzhou has beautiful mountains and rivers, and spring is the best time for scenery. No amount of rhetoric or poetry can be exaggerated."

"Really?" Zhu Yunjing supported her chin with one hand, and dragged out her voice, "I'm afraid people are more beautiful?"

The matter between He Huailing and Xu Shixian is not difficult to find out, just go to Jingzhou and inquire casually.Xu Shixian was an orphan, and since he was seven or eight years old, he has been living in the home of Du Tingzhong, the magistrate of Jingzhou, who had lost his head. At that time, Du Tingzhong was only the magistrate of the first county in Jingzhou. The mansion of the famous family of the family is adjacent to the county government, separated by only a wall.He Huailing lived in the home of his grandfather in Jingzhou for six years from the age of eight to 14, and he was Xu Shixian whom he knew at that time.

When Xu Shixian was thirteen or fourteen years old, he had already grown into a well-known handsome young man. Later, he was targeted by a local powerful and evil young man in Jingzhou, who wanted to take him as a male concubine. Ling didn't take it seriously, and it was He Huailing who finally came forward to save Xu Shixian. This matter was widely spread in the local area, and it was said that the two of them had already made a marriage contract at that time.

It's just that I don't know if Xu Shixian said that the two love each other in harmony that day, he was referring to He Huailing.

He Huailing just pretended not to understand the deep meaning of Zhu Yunjing's words: "Girls in the south of the Yangtze River are indeed different from noble girls in the capital, but each has its own beauty. Whether you are a lady from a big family or a jade from a small family, it depends on which type your Highness admires more."

"You mean Gu?" Zhu Yunjing raised his eyebrows, "Of course the lonely crown princess has both good looks and a peerless beauty. Ordinary people really look down on Gu."

As for Xu Shixian, if he had obediently obeyed him in the past, Zhu Yunjing would not be stingy in giving him a title, but it is useless to talk about it now.Zhu Yunjing has placed Xu Shixian under house arrest in Zhuangzi for more than three months, and the people below him will come to report Xu Shixian's current situation to Zhu Yunjing from time to time. Zhu Yunjing is not in a hurry, he has a lot of patience, and the person who is anxious first must be Xu Shixian.

"I hope His Highness will do so."

He Huailing's tone was light, Zhu Yunjing was a little suspicious that he was mocking herself again, and felt unhappy, so she stopped playing riddles: "Master Hou seems to have not answered the question that day when he was alone at the eldest princess's mansion, I don't know what Master Hou wants to find? What kind of Mrs. Hou? Perhaps, like Xu Hanlin?"

He Huailing frowned slightly: "Siren has gone, please don't insult his reputation again, Your Majesty and Xu Hanlin are bosom friends in high mountains and rivers, and have no personal relationship."

What a meeting bosom friend in high mountains and flowing waters!Naturally, Zhu Yunjing didn't believe these words: "A person like Xu Hanlin who is so charismatic and has a close friendship with Lord Hou, can Lord Hou really be able to keep his heart as calm as water and not have any personal feelings?"

He Huailing lowered his voice and reminded Zhu Yunjing: "Your Highness, this is my personal matter."

"Xu Hanlin is a rebellious minister who committed suicide in fear of crime. Lord Hou has an old relationship with him. Are you afraid that it will be heard in the ears of the emperor and implicate Lord Hou?"

"For the past five years, the minister has been at the border."

The four eyes met, all with the hidden vigilance, after a while, Zhu Yunjing smiled and took a step back: "That's right, I think the father will not suspect meritorious ministers for no reason."

After a brief stalemate, Zhu Yunjing turned to talk about other things: "Don't mention these things, why don't you talk about the battlefield with Gu again, just talk about how you broke into the enemy army alone that day. camp, take the head of the Yi Khan king."

He Huailing explained indifferently: "The rumors are always exaggerated. At that time, the Beiyi Khan King was hit by several arrows, and he was at the end of his battle. The enemy's soldiers were distracted and defeated. I just took advantage of it."

"Why should you be modest, you are the only one among so many soldiers who dare to go deep into the tiger's den, and you can take the head of the opponent and retreat completely. Not everyone can have this kind of courage." Zhu Yunjing did not say anything against his will, Apart from other things, he really admired He Huailing's bravery, and he also yearned for the battlefield. Unfortunately, due to his identity, he was destined not to be able to go to the battlefield in person.

"Your Majesty is telling the truth."

Zhu Yunjing smiled: "Then in the previous battle of Juchuan Canyon, you were also the first one to discover the barbarian's trick to lure the enemy, and you led the army to evacuate in time, so that hundreds of thousands of troops were saved from the ambush pit. Killing, doesn't it mean that Master Hou is resourceful? It would be false if Master Hou wants to be modest."

He Huailing said helplessly: "Does Your Highness want to hear your minister boast?"

Zhu Yunjing rested her chin, tapped her chin with her fingers, and looked at He Huailing: "I just want to hear you explain all the details of the battlefield to Gu, but I don't know if Lord Hou is willing?"

He Huailing looked at the light flashing in the young man's eyes, and was quite surprised. He only thought that the crown prince was a stubborn and arrogant person, but he never thought that he really had the demeanor of a prince. Above power struggle.

"Your Highness wants to know, and I know everything."

So the whole afternoon after that, He Huailing talked to Zhu Yunjing about the method of arranging troops and the strategy of using troops. Zhu Yunjing listened very carefully, and would ask questions carefully when he didn't understand.Speaking of the rising point, Zhu Yunjing even asked someone to bring the marching blueprints and asked He Huailing to demonstrate them to him on the spot.He Huailing touched the yellowed kraft paper with various marks on it, and when he spoke again, his tone was a little more patient and sincere.

Until the sun was setting, Zhu Yunjing still wanted to keep someone for dinner, but He Huailing declined, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I still have to go to say hello to Second Highness, and the key to the palace will be released later."

Zhu Yunjing leaned on the couch, tilted her head with a smile: "Okay, Gu's face is still not big enough, he can't compare to Gu's second brother, then Gu will ask Lord Hou for advice some other day."

He Huailing lowered her eyes: "The minister resigns."

After saluting again, He Huailing got up and backed out. Zhu Yunjing looked at the back of He Huailing going away outside the window, and his smile gradually disappeared from the corner of his mouth. Wang Jiu helped him change a cup of cold tea. Zhu Yunjing signaled him: "Everything is gone Bar."

Wang Jiu responded, and sighed casually: "Your Highness and Marquis Ding Yuan can chat like this, it's really a surprise to this servant."

Zhu Yunjing sneered, he admired this Marquis of Dingyuan, but it was a pity that He Huailing's surname was He, otherwise he could find a way to use it for his own use, but now it is cheaper than Zhu Yunxun.

"Pay Gu's attention to the second child's side. Next time Ding Yuan Hou comes to the palace again, stop Gu and invite him to the East Palace."

Zhu Yunxun was careless, if he came here a few more times, Zhu Yunjing would not believe that he would not have doubts about He Huailing, even if he failed to provoke, it would be good to add some trouble to Zhu Yunxun.