This court meeting was actually very different from what Sun Tu had imagined. It was not like what was seen in previous movies and TV dramas, where all the courtiers entered the golden palace and lined up neatly to have various exchanges with the emperor face to face. They enter the palace in batches to meet the king, and not all ministers have the opportunity to enter the Wende Palace. Except for the respected prime ministers and important ministers who go in first, everyone else can submit their memorials and then wait in the hall. In front of the pavilion door, no one can enter until there is a call from inside.
In other words, today, with so much fanfare, hundreds of officials entered the palace to attend the court meeting. In fact, only one or two percent of the officials could enter the palace, and the others could only stand outside the palace all morning. This time Sun Tu wanted to understand why the early dynasties of the Song Dynasty were much less common than those of the Ming and Qing dynasties which were almost once a day, because this was a complete waste of everyone's time, and it was too shocking. If it happened like this every day Being unable to enter the palace and unable to speak after arriving was a great ordeal for the officials.
He was thinking about something in his mind, but Sun Tu's body did not relax at all, and neither did the people around him, because there was a censor watching him at this time. As long as there was any behavior that violated etiquette and law, he would have to eat it. Some hardships. However, unlike others who were unsure but full of expectations, Sun Tu was very sure that he could face you today. After all, the matter of calming down the chaos in Jiangnan was also very important. As long as the good news was delivered to Zhao Ji, There is no possibility of procrastinating any longer.
The fact was just as he had guessed. After only waiting for more than half an hour, there was a chamberlain in front of him, prolonging his tune and singing loudly: "Sun Tu, Marquis of Xuanyue, come in to see you -" and then Sun Tu stepped onto the long hundred-step corridor. At that moment, there were countless thoughtful glances behind him, including envy and jealousy... After all, it was his first time to attend such a court meeting, and he could actually face the king directly. This was a supreme honor.
With fairly steady steps, Sun Tu finally arrived in front of Wende Hall. Although this is not the main hall of the palace, it is still very large. When people go up the white marble stairs, they will feel a sense of emptiness and solemnity, which makes him breathe a lot lighter unconsciously.
When he came to the palace gate, which was more than two feet high and three or four feet wide, Sun Tu stopped. Then he followed the rules he had already known and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, Sun Tu, is here to see you." After saying that, he bowed to the ground. Solemn and solemn.
After a while, a sentence came from inside: "According to your permission, come into the hall."
Sun Tu didn't dare to neglect, so he lowered his head slightly, crossed the high threshold, and entered the palace. Although he didn't look up randomly, he still had a general understanding of the situation in the palace as his eyes moved. The decoration of the Wende Palace was very ordinary, not much different from the imaginary palace. High in front, Sitting behind a long table is none other than Zhao Ji, the current emperor of the Song Dynasty, and standing on the left and right are important officials in the court, such as Cai Jing, Gao Qiu...
It is said that before the Northern Song Dynasty, the rules of court meetings between emperors and ministers were much more relaxed and relaxed, especially when the emperor and his ministers were talking like this. The ministers did not stand below, but each had a seat. The king and his ministers sit down and discuss the truth, which also reflects the king's consideration for his ministers and the high status of his ministers in the court.
It was not until Taizu Zhao Kuangyin attended many meetings that he always felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to enhance the majesty of the king.
Before the meeting, the chamberlain was ordered to remove the seats, but the courtiers did not dare to raise objections at that time, so they could only stand and reply. As time went by, there was only one person sitting in the hall. Of course, when the emperor and his ministers met in private, officials of the Song Dynasty still had seats. It was not until the monarch's power continued to improve and consolidate that they were not even allowed to sit down.
But Sun Tu didn't know about this habit of respecting each other between the monarch and his ministers. When he entered the palace, he didn't dare to go too far. He just followed what he had seen in movies and TV dramas in the past, and knelt down to salute: "Master and grandson. I'm on my way to see His Majesty..." Fortunately, he still had a gatekeeper, so he didn't shout slogans like long live, long live, long live. But even so, the monarchs and ministers in the palace were stunned for a moment unconsciously, and Gao Qiu even curled his lips, showing a disdainful and sarcastic smile.
In the eyes of everyone, Sun Tu's behavior was too spineless. Today was just an ordinary court meeting, so why pay homage with such a grand ceremony? It really brought the official's face to shame. Even Zhao Ji couldn't help but laugh dumbly after being stunned for a while, and raised his hand lightly: "The Marquis of Yue doesn't need to be so polite. Get up and answer." Even close ministers like Gao Qiu Tongguan were not so groveling in front of him. But it feels good to be so valued and worshiped by ministers.
Sun Tu didn't know that this move he had learned at will would make him more favorable in the emperor's heart. After hearing this, he thanked him again, then stood up neatly, then raised his head and glanced around, and then his eyes were fixed. The person closest to Zhao Ji was actually not Cai Jing, the prime minister of the dynasty, but a Taoist priest wearing a crane cloak and a wide robe. At this time, this man was looking at him with a half-smile. In just a moment, Sun Tu guessed his identity. It was Lin Lingsu who was most favored by Zhao Ji and had the title of National Master.
This man has become famous in the Song Dynasty recently, but most of it is notoriety, because he is a Taoist priest who has received the favor and can even influence the emperor's decision-making. This is something that no official or scholar can accept. But now that Cai Jing is suppressing him, the officials don't dare to say anything.
"Sun Qing quelled the chaos in Jiangnan at such a young age, eliminating a major disaster for the imperial court. It is really a blessing for me in the Song Dynasty." Zhao Ji spoke slowly, which made Sun Tu come out of his daydreams. He smiled again and said : "However, the things mentioned in the victory report are a bit too simple after all. I wonder if Sun Qing can tell me some details of how to quell the chaos?"
"I obey the decree." Sun Tu's answer surprised those around him, because judging from his flattering performance just now, he should be very nervous. When asked by the emperor at this time, he would naturally evade it. . After all, taking credit for one's own achievements like this always gives people the impression of being self-proclaimed, which is something that can easily be spurned or looked down upon by others in the court.
But they were obviously wrong. In fact, Sun Tu was not nervous at all. This had nothing to do with the imperial majesty of Zhao Ji. It was because he knew very well that the official family of the Song Dynasty in front of him would be a subjugated king in a few years and become a golden man. After being captured, he was infamous for a thousand years and became the biggest joke of future generations. How could he really take Zhao Ji seriously
So since the emperor asked, he responded without any hesitation, and then began to talk endlessly about some wonderful or dangerous encounters in pacifying the Jiangnan Rebellion. Sun Tu is already very eloquent, and he has experienced almost all of these things personally, so it is even more interesting to talk about them.
It was a bit more exciting. Not only Zhao Ji, but also the ministers were all fascinated by it.
Well, in this court meeting that was supposed to be extremely formal and solemn, Sun Tu actually became a storyteller, and he couldn't stop talking. He kept talking for more than half an hour, and he still didn't finish his meaning: "...But if we really want to talk about it, the Battle of Hangzhou was more dangerous. After all, Pang Wanchun was the most knowledgeable general among the rebels..."
Seeing that he couldn't hold it in anymore, Cai Jing, who had come back to his senses, finally couldn't bear it anymore and coughed: "Your Majesty..."
This sound pulled Zhao Ji out of the state of listening to the story. He was startled again and realized that this was not the time to listen to someone's story. He hurriedly waved his hand and interrupted Sun Tu's narration: "Sun Qing is indeed the emperor of our court. You have made great achievements in battle, and it seems that I should indeed reward you well."
Sun Tu was overjoyed when he heard this. Naturally, he wasted so much money just to let the emperor know more about his military exploits, so as to get enough benefits. But before he could say this, Gao Qiu, who was next to him, had already spoken in a somewhat eccentric manner: "Sun Tu, you seem to have forgotten a very important thing, right? It is true that you have made meritorious service in Jiangnan. But you are good at killing important officials of the imperial court, so how should you explain the fact that you killed Zhu Meng first and then reported it?"
As soon as these words came out, the originally harmonious atmosphere in the hall quickly dissipated and became solemn, and even Zhao Ji's face showed a bit of displeasure. Although a year has passed, he has not completely forgotten Zhu Meng, his original favorite. Thinking that Sun Tu was his murderer, the emperor naturally felt a little resentful in his heart and looked over.
Sun Tu sneered in his heart, this is the so-called eye medicine, and he still slandered him in front of himself. Fortunately, I have thought about this happening during this period of time, so I am not afraid. At that moment, he lifted up his hem again and knelt down, saying: "I know the crime. Your Majesty, I did commit the following crimes by killing Zhu Meng and a group of accomplices that day, which violated military discipline and national law. However, I had no choice but to do it for the sake of killing Zhu Meng and his accomplices." I have to do this because of the overall situation in Jiangnan. Your Majesty, please listen to my explanation."
After looking up at the emperor for a moment and seeing him silent, Sun Tu continued: "The situation that day was that Zhu Meng wanted to kill me, so I had to fight back. Moreover, just before that, I had already found out some It is said that Zhu Meng had already colluded with the rebel Fang La and his gang. They wanted to do this to me because they saw me leading the army to victory. For the sake of the battle in Jiangnan and to earn your majesty's trust, I decided to do this. As a last resort, he took action to protect himself and killed Zhu Meng. All this has been clearly written in the memorial to the court. If your Majesty does not believe it, you can ask the relevant people. Those who were in Suzhou at that time can Not only the ministers and their troops, but also the generals and soldiers from Jingji, Jingnan, Huainan, Huaibei and other places, they can all testify!"
These words seemed full of urgency and grievance, but in fact Sun Tu had always controlled his emotions very well, making it easy for the emperor to believe his words. And his eyes fell on Gao Qiu intentionally or unintentionally, and he finally added: "I really don't understand why there are still people who want to excuse those rebellious ministers. Could it be that there is some ulterior collusion between them?" It has never been Sun Tu's style to be passively beaten, so after explaining his problem, he fought back!