Daming prepares the emperor

In Kunning Palace, the lights were still on.

A few clumps of leaves that turned yellow after autumn, swept the glazed tiles with the wind, and the candle shadows swayed, and two vague shadows could be seen moving in the main hall, not very clear, but there was a strong sense of warmth, which made people feel Can't help but want to relax.

After coaxing Zhu Jingning to go to bed, the queen sat alone on the couch and read a book. Pregnancy made her not in good spirits, but this was the third time. She had enough experience to familiarize herself with her body and make adjustments by herself.

Even insomnia.

A lantern burst out from the candlestick, and Li Li who was standing by was startled, shook his head to wake himself up, reached for the scissors, and wanted to trim the wick for Ma Xiuying.

"Go to sleep." Ma Xiuying said gently, "You are tired too."

"Your Majesty doesn't sleep, how can your maidservant sleep?" Li Li said, "My maidservant is reading a book with your Majesty, whenever your Majesty sleeps, your maidservant will sleep at any time."

"Tomorrow, I will trouble you to take Jingning out for a walk. If you don't sleep now, how can you be energetic?"

Li Li hesitated and moved his steps.

"I'll call you if something happens, go quickly."

Seeing that the queen's expression did not seem to be fake, she put down the window, closed the window, reluctantly, and walked away in three steps.

Ma Xiuying chuckled twice, put a pillow behind her waist, and continued to read the book, folding a corner at the end of the page from time to time to make it easier to read back in the future.

After a while, there was a sudden noise outside the hall. I don't know what happened. There were many people talking, hurried and complicated, unlike the solemnity in the palace, especially it should not happen outside the queen's bedroom. I wanted to take a look, but the sound stopped after a while, only the sound of extra heavy footsteps approaching, and I pushed open the door and barged in.

In the midst of major events, who else would dare to do this?

"Heavy..." Without saying a word, Ma Xiuying was taken aback by his appearance.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood at the door, his clothes were covered with blood, his eyes were red, his teeth were gritted, and his whole body was shaking, as if he had just come down from the battlefield with a knife in his hand.Ma Xiuying had only seen this appearance in Haozhou City back then, that time, when Zhu Yuanzhang was locked in a prison without seeing the light of day, she risked herself to deliver food to him, and the scalding pancakes burned her body with scars.

Now that the past is far away, what else can be angry with the emperor who has gone through hardships and sits around the world?

"Chongba." She called out completely and said worriedly, "What's wrong with you? Who made you so angry."

"Who?" Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have just realized it. In fact, he didn't understand why he came to Ma Xiuying subconsciously. Maybe he followed his heart, "Of course he is your good son!"

"Biaoer, what's wrong with Biaoer?" Ma Xiuying got up, walked around Zhu Yuanzhang and closed the door, "Did you quarrel with Biaoer?"

"We, huh, how dare we quarrel with him? If we talk to him well, he can eat us up!"

Ma Xiuying turned back and walked to the back room. Zhu Yuanzhang followed behind like a duckling cub following a mother duck, complaining about her grievance: "Do you know what he said to us?"

"What did you say?" Ma Xiuying unhurriedly put down the bed curtain, added oil to the oil lamp, refilled the teapot, and then sat on the embroidered stool and watched Zhu Yuanzhang tenderly.

"He said we are wrong! Our reasoning is wrong! A child with a big fart dares to talk back to us on national affairs." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Don't ask, he didn't say it clearly. He just said it in his eyes Yes, we know that's what he meant!"

"Okay, I won't ask, but what happened to your hand?" Ma Xiuying said calmly, "Did you hit the mark, or did the mark hit you?"

"This is a small injury." When she mentioned this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt the belated pain growing densely on his palm. If he didn't say it himself, Huang Xi didn't dare to ask. It was not pulled out, and the injury was still exacerbated, causing blood to flow out continuously.

He pretended not to be in pain: "I did it by accident."

"Sit down first, I'll find something to deal with for you." Ma Xiuying found white gauze and tweezers, took Zhu Yuanzhang's unfinished wine from last time, put them on the table one by one, and untied his hands. Tangled cloth.

"Did you fall into the woods? These are Biao'er's clothes."

Zhu Yuanzhang groaned because the thorn was pulled out, and said angrily: "It belongs to that bastard, so he has a bit of conscience."

"Tell me, what happened."

"We want to kill Liu Ji, but Biao'er disagrees."

He was careless and easy, and there was a thunderclap on the flat ground. Ma Xiuying's hand trembled, and she almost stabbed the stab deeper into her flesh. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Why? Mr. Liu made a mistake?"

"...Nothing wrong is wrong." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "We don't need a perfect courtier. He is a saint, a virtuous minister. He devotes himself to everything. The people worship him, and Biao'er likes him. What are we? We are his decorations. , or a stage for him to display his ambitions? Sister, you say such a person, which emperor would dare to keep him."

Ma Xiuying's face looked softer under the light, full of classical beauty and softness, the hair on her temples trembled slightly in the air, matching the golden phoenix steps on her head to shake the hairpin, reflecting the light from her charming eyes. Eyelashes drooping, eyes focused on Zhu Yuanzhang's hands, and the way he smeared spirits on him made his heart skip a beat, thinking of the night of his wedding.

After so many years, she still hasn't changed at all, making Zhu Yuanzhang look like a boy who saw a girl for the first time every moment.

"I heard from Biao'er that Mr. Liu wants to use your opportunity to go to Bianliang to pave the way for Biao'er, Zhedong, and Chaoju, and then he will retreat and give you prestige."

"We don't need such prestige." Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly, "We were born in commoner clothes, and the world was brought down by us. Even if we lose it, we can do it again. If we really want prestige, let's just cut him off."

"Wouldn't that be a tyrant?" Ma Xiuying frowned, "Killing heroes for no reason, what will people think of you, what will everyone say about you?"

"We don't care."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand, which was already wrapped with white gauze, and there were a few blood-stained blushes in the center. He spread his fingers, and then slowly retracted them into his palm, as if holding the unquestionable truth and desire, and said plainly : "Benevolence, righteousness and morality are worthless. We conquer the world by ruthlessness, and rule the world by fierceness!"

"So what do you want to do?" Ma Xiuying asked.

"Kill Liu Ji." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "We don't want such a courtier. We would rather have ten Li Shanchangs than one Liu Ji."

"What crime?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback for a moment: "Crime? You can give me any reason."

Ma Xiuying looked at him: "What about the sign, can you just talk about it?"

"Biao'er will figure it out in the future." Zhu Yuanzhang said quickly, as if he was lying, but the target was himself, and he repeated the persuasion, "He will understand. Han Liner and Zou Pusheng before, he understood. "

"That's what Biao'er knows." Ma Xiuying pierced through the hazy layer of paper, "They want to die because they really have to die, but Mr. Liu is different, Chong Ba, you can't even think of any reason to punish him. Do you really think he deserves to die? Are you jealous of him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared blankly at Ma Xiuying, his eyes were confused and shocked, as if he couldn't think that she would say such a thing.

"Chongba, I know it's not easy for you. It's not easy to be an emperor, and not everyone is willing to listen to you. You have to consider the overall situation." Ma Xiuying said, "But when did you not allow others to help you? Have you considered it? When have you stopped allowing others to retreat?"

"You know in your heart what kind of person Liu Ji is. You know better than me and Biao'er. After so many years, I know that you are the best at judging people."

The voice seemed to come from beyond the clouds, and every sentence hit Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, turning his thoughts upside down. When he came back to his senses, he found that Ma Xiuying was still talking. Those words were like a knife, piercing his heart. He didn't know whether it was the shame of being said, or the anger of being offended, his chest trembled violently, and his breathing became more and more heavy.

Since entering the door, the emotions gradually calmed down by Ma Xiuying broke out again, even more turbulent than when he was in the Hall of Martial Heroes. He suppressed his emotions and said, "So, you don't agree to kill Liu Ji?"

"I don't agree." Ma Xiuying said firmly, "Chongba, I know that saying this will make you feel rebellious, but I don't agree."

"Okay." He stood up abruptly, "You do the same, and you cover him too! Let me tell you, even if the gods come, they can't save Liu Ji! He made his own decisions and manipulated everyone, you guys I think he's good, right?"

"Heavy eight..."

"Shut up!" Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Ma Xiuying's face, and there was a table between them, "Don't call us Chongba, you can call us by any name! We are Zhu Yuanzhang!"

He took a deep breath: "The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics! Don't talk anymore, we will spare you this time."

As soon as he finished these two serious words, he regretted it, and quietly looked at Ma Xiuying's expression, only to find that she was still calm, her eyes were like water, staring at him neither sad nor happy, as if she was looking at a vexatious child.

More intense emotions surged up in his heart, and Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he had nowhere to vent his anger. He flicked his sleeves and rushed out as if fleeing.

Ma Xiuying didn't look out any more, and picked up the gauze and wine on the table.

After a while, footsteps sounded outside the door again. Zhu Yuanzhang went back and forth, pierced the window from the outside regardless, grabbed the window frame, stretched his upper body vigorously, stared at Ma Xiuying inside, and shouted: "Let me tell you, Let’s accept a concubine tomorrow, and accept her who is more beautiful than you, do you hear me? I’m mad at you!”

Ma Xiuying raised her head: "Go ahead and accept it, I won't even blink."

Zhu Yuanzhang was about to die of anger, stood on tiptoe, and swayed like a seaweed from behind: "Then you don't want to be the queen anymore, let someone else be!"

"You let other people be good, I don't care."

Ma Xiuying turned around and put the things into the cabinet, leaving only the back of her head for Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Look at us!" Zhu Yuanzhang jumped up and said, "How dare you not care, we still regret marrying you, do you know how many people want to be queen, they want to break their heads, and some people are willing."

"Oh, then go and abolish me." Ma Xiuying said, "My phoenix seal is outside, you can get it yourself, those who dare not are puppies."

"Take it!"

thud thud thud stomped loudly towards the main room, and moved back after a while, Zhu Yuanzhang's head reappeared at the hole, his eyes widened: "Don't you try to trick us in, let's go in again." I will not step into your Kunning Palace."

Ma Xiuying was amused: "Then I invite you in?"

"You, you invite us in, and we won't go in!" Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Let's go to our West Palace to sleep. We are the emperor, and the whole world is our territory. We can sleep wherever we want, and we don't miss you." This shitty place."

This time he really left. Seeing that the lights representing the imperial chariot were getting farther and farther away, Ma Xiuying really turned to the direction of the West Palace, and sat quietly for a while, but when he didn't come back, she washed her face and went to the side room to find him. Zhu Jingning fell asleep together, originally suffering from insomnia, but after meeting Zhu Yuanzhang and quarreling with him, she slept extremely soundly, and the night passed in a deep sleep.

The next day, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon chair with two dark circles under his eyes, his eyes were gloomy, his face was ugly, and he exuded an aura of killing at any time.

Huang Xi naturally knew what was going on, so he kept his head down all the time, for fear that he would be angry and question him. The trembling ministers below never dared to face the face of the sky, and they were able to fool them. Few of them noticed the difference between the emperor.

"I have something to play." Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang waving his hand, Huang Xi called out in a drawn out voice.

In the days when Zhu Yuanzhang was not in Yingtian, many things actually happened, and all the conditions could set off a big prison.The ministers subconsciously looked at the place where Prince Xiang usually stood, and found that there was no one there. They couldn't figure it out for a while, and they were so frightened that they began to sweat coldly behind their backs.

The feeling of sitting at the top is actually like a teacher standing on the podium. The students think that their movements are very secretive, but in fact they have been seen clearly. on the secret.

Zhu Yuanzhang noticed their small movements immediately, and said coldly: "Why, are you looking for help from the prince?"

"I dare not wait." Everyone replied in unison.

"Oh, then what are you looking at? Don't dare to say anything. When we were not in the capital, didn't you have enough fun? The censor exposed all the shit, every day, and I have the nerve to say that I am a loyal minister. ? Where did the face come from!"

All the ministers shuddered in unison, but dared not speak again.

A few who did not give up even looked up the white jade steps.

"Don't look for it!" Zhu Yuanzhang said, "The prince was tired from supervising the country a few days ago, and he was tired of being angry with you capable and good ministers. Let's ask him to rest for a few days, so as to save you from busying him, right?"

The civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty immediately knelt down.

The square in front of Fengtian Hall was extremely silent, and there was a crowd of courtiers kneeling in darkness, not even daring to cough.

"Li Shanchang."

"The minister is here."

"Did you say anything?"

Li Shan said: "I have something to say. I impeached Taishiling and Yushi Zhongcheng Liu Ji, and killed people in front of the altar. He harbored evil intentions and hidden resentment."

"Who was killed?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Return to Your Majesty, it is Li Bin who is the capital of Zhongshu Province."

"Where's Liu Ji?"

Liu Ji came out from the queue of civil servants. He seemed to have not recovered from the injury Qi Yu suffered. His face was pale, his eyes drooped, and his red official robe made him even weaker. He replied, "The minister is here."

"Is this the case?"

"Return to Your Majesty, there is indeed something wrong." Liu Jidao, "It's all about Li Bin arbitrarily using his power, deceiving his superiors, embezzling his property, bribing his superiors privately, and bullying others with his power. His Majesty also knows about this."

"Your Majesty!" Li Shanchang continued, "I am impeaching Liu Bowen for killing people under the altar. He has no rules and disrespect for heaven and earth, which led to the failure of praying for rain. He did not kill Li Bin. I have no objection to this matter. He is now It is clearly confusing the public!"

"Praying for rain failed?" Zhu Yuanzhang acted as if he didn't know about it at all. "Liu Ji, why did praying for rain fail?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, I am old and weak, and I am too tired to bear the burden of paperwork. After entering the court as an official, I have lost all my mana, and I have no ability to do anything for my Ming Dynasty. This time I prayed for rain. It is because I am reckless. His Royal Highness is sympathetic to me. If you are kind enough to let me do this, you will be overwhelmed, and failure is a matter of course."

As soon as the voice fell, the ministers below were blown up, looking at the figure in front of them in surprise, although no one dared to speak, the atmosphere was like boiling water, and became impetuous.

"I know that I am incompetent, please Your Majesty let me go back to my hometown and end my life."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was cloudy and uncertain. He fixedly looked at Liu Ji, who looked like a small red ball in his eyes due to the distance, and did not speak for a long time.

Liu Ji also didn't speak, and quietly maintained a bowed posture respectfully.

"...We will talk about this matter later, we need to think about it carefully. As for the prime minister's impeachment, write it down and hand it over."

In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang still didn't tell the matter to death, but he made a choice against his heart, which still made him very unhappy. He was not in the mood to take care of the ministers who were waiting for the thunder to fall, so he got up and left directly.

Daming ushered in its first early disbandment early dynasty.

Huang Xi hurriedly yelled to retreat, and hurriedly followed, leaving the stupid officials in a daze.

This time they dared to speak out, the scene of the court meeting was as lively as a vegetable market, everyone was inquiring about news, everyone was talking in stereotypes, only around Liu Ji, there was a circle with a radius of three meters around him, Even Yang Xian didn't step forward to care.

"Master, where are we going?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Where do you think we should go?"

"Ah?" Huang Xi was stunned for a moment, cold sweat began to break out, and his hat was a little wet, "Sure, I should go and see His Royal Highness, or the empress."

"You mean, as the emperor, we have to coax them both?"

"Your Majesty doesn't mean that." Huang Xi suddenly felt blessed, "What I mean by your servant is that after such a night, the Empress and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must have realized that they regretted it. They just suffered from His Majesty's majesty and dared not meet each other. Your Majesty at this time Giving the empress and His Highness a step down just shows His Majesty's benevolence."

The chief eunuch's mouth can turn the white into the black, and the dead into the living.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who said last night that he didn't care about benevolence, suddenly understood why the foolish emperors from ancient times to the present like treacherous ministers so much. Among other things, these words are really pleasant. It sounds like it's like rain in time. .

So the embarrassing emperor decided to go to the nearest Hall of Spring Harmony first to give the prince a chance to apologize.