After the etiquette master finished reading, the Ninth Prince, now the new emperor, fell to the ground and cried.
All the civil and military officials in the hall, including those of fourth rank and above, immediately knelt on the ground and shouted, "Long live the mountain."
Then the pardon document was read out, and it was also announced that Huang Qianshan was appointed as the Minister of Secretariat (deputy prime minister), Wang Boyan was appointed as the Vice President of the Privy Council, and all civil and military officials were awarded first-level titles.
When it was the turn of the concubines in the harem, all the wealthy families who had contributed so much to the beauties were waiting with bated breath. The new emperor said loudly: "After I retired from the court, I have been practicing calligraphy and reading, and I don't like to spend too much time with women..." The general idea is that the funds of the imperial court are tight nowadays. Every time a title is granted, more money will be spent. The country is in dire straits and it is not the time for the king to enjoy himself. He hopes that his concubines will share the hardships.
The new emperor is so pure and celibate that all the ministers in the hall call our lord wise. China's long-standing tradition, "not good with women", is also one of the soft indicators to measure whether a king is wise or not. The ministers seemed to take this decision from Here, seeing the hope of the empire, he couldn't help but be overjoyed and rushed to tell each other.
Naturally, all the concubines were extremely disappointed with this decision, especially Zhang Yingying and Pan Yingying, who had received his love words and wishes during the bed curtain, and were even more disappointed. Fortunately, no one was rewarded, and everyone was on the same starting line. But everyone They all also understood that the position of queen would belong to Pan Yingying, who was about to give birth, as long as she gave birth to a prince.
After a lengthy morning ceremony, the new emperor returned to the palace to have a meal at noon, and then held discussions in the afternoon.
Although all the concubines were disappointed, they all dared not mention any rewards and only served and congratulated them cautiously. Even Pan Yingying was no exception. She had a big belly for fear of losing the favor of the official family.
Hua Rong was going to have dinner with Xu Caizhi and others, but the emperor stayed behind and said that he wanted to invite all his old friends to have dinner together. Hua Rong couldn't refuse, thinking that the official family was "nostalgic", but he went to have a look. But they are all female relatives in the harem, with the only exception being Wanwan.
Wanwan was very happy to see her: "Sister Hua, I haven't seen you for a few days."
She forced a smile, feeling vaguely uneasy.
Hua Rong and Wanwan enjoyed the honor and sat beside the emperor. The concubines sat on opposite sides. The new emperor was smiling: "Wanwan, why don't you ask for help from sister Hua after seeing her today?"
Hua Rong changed her mind, but heard Wanwan lower her voice and said in a very coquettish tone: "Brother Jiu, you are joking again."
The new emperor said sternly: "Wanwan, I am not joking. Yue Peng raised you up in your sister Hua's favor, and most importantly, he listened to your sister Hua's words. The eldest sister is your mother. Please beg her to ensure that she is right."
Hua Rong's face turned red, but Wanwan said firmly and loudly: "Since Brother Yue doesn't like me, there's no point in begging."
Hua Rong sat aside and remained silent until she understood that today was the Hongmen Banquet.
The emperor did not give up, and turned to Hua Rong with a smile on his face: "Rong'er, Wanwan admires you so much, you have to persuade Pengju for her. If you speak, how dare Pengju not listen? What kind of girl did he meet? , can it be better than Wanwan? "
Hua Rong said calmly: "The officials also know that Pengju and I are just siblings, how can we care about his affairs?"
Wanwan interjected: "Brother Jiu, don't be like this. How can Sister Hua know about Brother Yue? In fact, I'm just grateful that he saved me, and I don't like him too much. Since he has other women he likes, why bother?" To embarrass him?"
The new emperor was very displeased and secretly thought that this girl was really ungrateful.
He smiled: "Does Rong'er know what kind of woman he is attracted to?" Seeing Hua Rong about to answer, he suddenly thought of something wrong and immediately said: "We won't talk about this today. Come, Rong'er has a meal, and everyone can have a taste." This new dish is a specialty of Yingtian... "
Hua Rong was holding the rice bowl, but he felt like he was holding a bowl of poison and couldn't swallow it. The emperor seemed to be in a good mood: "Rong'er, you have worked hard today, eat more."
She was forced to take the dish he was holding, and when she raised her head, the concubines' eyes were like needles piercing her, and she felt uneasy all over.
Everyone here was also very depressed. No matter how favored they were, they would not dare to show any disobedience in front of the emperor. Now that they saw the official seating arrangement and his careless but meticulous gentleness, they actually took the initiative to give him a favor. A woman carries vegetables.
The women in the palace are as charming as you can be, but because you are facing the emperor, they are determined not to enjoy the arrogance and happiness that ordinary women are pursued. Naturally, these women have never experienced it, so watching Hua Rong , even more dazzling.
Especially Pan Yingying, who had never had the opportunity to sleep with her since she was pregnant. She had a big belly and didn't feel safe. She saw Hua Rong sitting next to the official in a military uniform. The official was extremely cautious in his words and deeds, and even brought her with him. A bit of casual flattery, the kind of flattery a man would have for a woman. How could she, a bodyguard, enjoy such an honor
I was jealous, but I didn't dare to vent my anger at all. I was only slightly angry and felt a pain in my stomach.
And Zhang Yingying, who was the most favored, felt even colder. This woman served the officials all day long and was the most trusted bodyguard of the officials. If she relied on this status, how could she still be her opponent in the future
Hua Rong is sitting on pins and needles. How can I enjoy this meal? She ate two bowls without knowing the taste. The concubines, all pretending to be polite in front of the emperor, were surprised to see her eating two bowls in a row.
When Hua Rong noticed the strange look in their eyes, he immediately put down the bowl and chopsticks.
"Rong'er, this crab meat is good, you can try it again."
"Thank you, Guanjia."
She didn't dare not eat it, but the eyes of all the concubines were about to burst into flames. Only Wu Jinnu remained calm and only praised her generously.
But Wanwan didn't seem to notice the turbulent undercurrent. She was like a flower explaining things, telling some well-timed jokes from time to time. The Emperor was delighted. His first meal after he ascended the throne was extremely happy.
Hua Rong was even more vigilant. Did the emperor's move count her as a member of the female family
In a hurry, she decided to follow Yue Pengju on the expedition as soon as possible and leave this place of right and wrong.
The meeting was held again in the afternoon, and the emperor received a memorial that had been passed on. When he opened it, he found that it was written by Yue Pengju, criticizing Wang Boyan, Huang Qianshan and others for being flattering, and asking the emperor to forge ahead, restore the Central Plains, and not to be deceived by villains. The emperor read After hearing this memorial, he didn't say anything and just put it aside.
The discussion quickly turned to the main topic, and the emperor asked: "At the beginning of the ZTE, there are so many national affairs, what should be the priority?"
Wang Boyan deliberately showed humility. He looked at Huang Qianshan and said, "Bo Yan is very resourceful and resourceful. No one can compare with me. Please ask Boyan to make a statement for your majesty first."
Huang Qianshan refused to be polite to Wang Boyan and said to him: "In my humble opinion, everything in the world is at stake, but the most urgent thing is to patrol the southeast and make peace with the envoys."
The emperor pondered for a moment: "My father and brother are in trouble. At this moment, we should train our troops diligently in order to rescue them."
Wang Boyan hurriedly said: "At the beginning of the country's reconstruction, you must not fight against the captives. If you make peace, you will survive, and if you fight, you will perish. In my humble opinion, it is better to stop quietly and draw a river with the captives as a boundary. When the situation is better, Patrolling the southeast. In the humid southeast, the captives are afraid of the cold and will not dare to invade far..."
The so-called "tour to the southeast" meant moving the capital to Yangzhou. When Hua Rong heard these two men vigorously advocating for the emperor to seek peace and move the capital, he was afraid and anxious. If the capital was moved to the south of the Yangtze River, wouldn't it mean that there would be no chance of regaining the northern territory of the Song Dynasty
She looked at the emperor nervously, but saw the emperor frowning, "Let's not discuss the tour to the southeast for now. If the captives are released and the two emperors are released, peace can naturally be made. However, according to the second minister's opinion, how should we send the envoy?"
Huang Qianshan said: "In order to gain the trust of the captives, the envoys should be humble and courteous. Your majesty is so benevolent and filial, which is enough to move the gods of heaven and earth. The return of the two saints will be just around the corner. It is better to send special envoy Xu Bingzhe to the Kingdom of Jin."
"Accurate performance."
…
Hua Rong was furious as he listened. The new emperor ascended the throne. He originally expected him to work hard to govern, but he never thought that he would immediately send an envoy to Tonghe. Could it be that the Jin people would be able to release the royal family in this way
The disappointment in my heart gradually expanded, and I vaguely knew that my desire to follow Yue Peng on the battlefield, kill the Jin army, and restore the country seemed to be just an illusory dream.
After all the ministers knelt down and bowed, they turned and went down to the hall. Hua Rong bowed and said, "Hua Rong retires."
"Rong'er, please come with me to have dinner."
"The official forgives me, but there are some things that need to be explained at Hua Rong Military Camp."
The emperor stopped and said, "Rong'er, now that I have ascended the throne, and everyone is working hard, you don't have to work hard."
Hua Rong knew what he meant and wanted to go into the palace to serve him. Her heart was beating wildly and she was even more frightened. Seeing her uneasy expression, the emperor waved his hand: "That's alright, you go and take care of it first."
"Hua Rong resigned."
Although Yue Pengju won a great victory this time, he was punished because he regretted marrying the princess and was "not allowed to be rewarded for three great achievements", so he could not be promoted or ranked. However, the father-in-law who conveyed the decree came in and out from time to time, so he could not be ranked. People can only rely on the father-in-law who walks around outside to report various gossips.
Starting from the afternoon, the entire Yingtian Mansion was filled with the aroma of wine, food and meat. The large kitchen kept cooking and frying all night long. By evening, all kinds of delicacies were placed in front of the emperor and his ministers.
The military camp was also rewarded. All the soldiers who had been fighting for a long time were rewarded with one tael of silver each, and they were all overjoyed.
After Hua Rong left the palace, she immediately came to the dining hall, but found that Yue Pengju hadn't arrived yet. She also went to get a piece of fat meat two fingers thick and was waiting. She knew his style, and she would definitely not eat with other generals at this time. He drank heavily and ate with the soldiers in the mess hall.
While he was looking around, he saw Yue Pengju coming in a hurry. He saw her from a distance, with a smile on his face. Although he had not slept all night, his face did not look tired at all. He was so energetic that he looked like he could kill a cow with one punch.
"Pengju, come and eat quickly, I've prepared a meal for you."
"OK."
The King of Qin, who was hiding in the crowd, saw Hua Rong carrying food for Yue Pengju, with the same expression as his wife raising her eyebrows at the table, with an affectionate expression. Hua Rong took the fat meat from his bowl and put it into Yue Pengju's bowl. He didn't mind and started to stir it up. They ate it with relish, and their every move was like a loving couple.
His eyes were almost bursting with flames, and the unfamiliar pain was entangled in his heart, gnawing fiercely, like a snake biting him, jealous, jealous, so jealous that he was almost going crazy.
As everyone knows, Hua Rong was actually in a very uncomfortable mood. After dinner, she and Yue Pengju went out on patrol together. When they reached a secluded place, they finally couldn't help but tell him the story of the emperor's enthronement that day.
"Pengju, I really don't know why the emperor re-employs Wang Boyan and others?"
Yue Pengju was also angry: "I once heard Mr. Zong say that these two people are treacherous people who only know how to flatter."
"If the emperor reuses these two, I think this country will be..."
She didn't say any more because she saw someone passing by from a distance. "Making irresponsible remarks about your Majesty" is one of the most heinous crimes. Only then did she clearly feel what "accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger" meant, and she just walked towards Yue Peng in silence. Go back.
Throughout the whole day, King Qin's eyes were secretly following the two of them. On the school grounds, the two of them patrolled together. At dusk, the two of them ran together under the setting sun after the rain. Finally, when it was time to go to bed, he hid in the dark. , holding a large wine pot, eyes red from drinking, staring blankly at Hua Rong's room.