The emperor actually laughed!
Huang Jin could not help but get excited. He remembered clearly that it had been a month and eight days since His Majesty last smiled. His Majesty finally smiled again. My God, you finally showed up. I kowtowed more than a thousand times, and my wish finally came true. His Majesty finally smiled again.
During this period of time, the emperor has been worried about the empire, including natural disasters and man-made disasters, the northern barbarians and the southern Japanese. This morning, when I was tying up the emperor's hair, I found that there were eight more white hairs on his head, which made me very sad.
Today, the elixir that His Majesty had high hopes for, made using the "Eight Lords' Recipe", turned out to be ruined.
Holy shit, it’s hard...
Your Majesty has to bear an unimaginable burden for this empire and has suffered successive blows. I, as an old servant, have seen it all and it hurts my heart. I only regret that I, an old servant, am incompetent and useless and cannot help Your Majesty share his worries and solve his problems.
Thank God for his presence. I kowtowed more than a thousand times and it was not in vain. The emperor finally smiled again.
A smile can make you ten years younger. Your Majesty's smile can make you ten years younger, which is more effective than any elixir.
Thank God, I will kowtow a thousand times to fulfill my wish when I go back.
Oh, yes, I also want to thank Lord Xiao Zhu. Lord Xiao Zhu is really a lucky star. He has brought smiles to His Majesty so many times. I still remember the food-related poem Lord Xiao Zhu wrote last time, which is better with sweet and sour fish or spicy wings, which also made His Majesty smile. Oh, yes, some time ago, Lord Xiao Zhu checked the Taicang silver vault with his butt naked. Afterwards, His Majesty couldn't help laughing when he thought about it. And today, although I don't know what Lord Xiao Zhu did to make His Majesty smile with satisfaction, His Majesty smiled, and that's enough. In the future, if Lord Xiao Zhu encounters any difficulties or troubles, as long as the miscellaneous family can help, I will definitely help Lord Xiao Zhu.
When Huang Jin was surprised and delighted, the eunuch at the gate of Yongshou Palace also vaguely heard the laughter of Emperor Jiajing. He still thought that the emperor was angry and laughed! How angry must he be to be so angry! He couldn't help but feel fortunate again, and thanked the gods, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas one by one in his heart.
"Unexpectedly, Zhu Ping'an gave me a pleasant surprise." After reading the memorial, Emperor Jiajing felt much better. Seeing the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling in the hall, he waved his hand and asked everyone to stand up.
"Thank you, Lord." Huang Jin led a group of eunuchs and palace maids to express gratitude and then stood up.
"Huang Ban, you also take a look. Next month when you go to patrol the border, take this battle report with you. Let me embarrass those military generals. They are not even as good as a small civil servant." After Huang Jin stood up, Emperor Jiajing threw the memorial to Huang Jin.
Huang Jin took the memorial respectfully with both hands, opened it carefully, and fixed his eyes on it.
This is the report of the war against Japanese invaders in Taizhou submitted by the prefect of Taizhou. Hiss… The Japanese invaders in Taizhou Prefecture are really fierce this time. More than 10,000 Japanese pirates drove more than 700 ships and plundered Taizhou Prefecture. They divided their troops into three groups to attack the seven counties under the jurisdiction of Taizhou Prefecture… No wonder the emperor was so angry at the beginning. The Japanese invaders in Taizhou Prefecture are the most serious this year. These Japanese pirates who deserved to be cut into pieces were so bold as to attack seven counties and one prefecture. Before, the Japanese pirates only attacked one or two counties at most. There was no such arrogance.
After reading further, Huang Jin knew what the surprise that Zhu Ping'an brought that Emperor Jiajing mentioned was.
The Japanese pirates attacked seven counties and one prefecture in Taizhou Prefecture, and no place was spared, including Jingnan County, where Lord Xiao Zhu served as the magistrate.
More than 3,000 Japanese pirates attacked Jingnan County. Lord Xiao Zhu fought against more than 3,000 Japanese pirates with less than 100 yamen runners and soldiers. He not only successfully defended Jingnan County, but also captured 824 heads of Japanese pirates.
The surprises brought by Lord Xiao Zhu were not limited to this. He also recovered the neighboring county, Taiping County, which had been captured by Japanese pirates.
This plot is even more incredible than any historical novel!
After reading the memorial, Huang Jin felt that he could not remember the specific content of the memorial, but only remembered the great military achievements of Lord Xiao Zhu. After thinking about it, Huang Jin read the memorial again, and then he saw the clue.
This memorial used the Spring and Autumn style of writing to lightly mention the Japanese pirates' capture of five counties, and focused on describing Lord Zhu's defense of Jingnan, rushing to Taiping, and restoring Taiping... Well, it seems that this Taizhou prefect Tan Lun is a "hearted" person. Huang Jin saw through Tan Lun's little thoughts at a glance, but he had no intention of exposing them. First, what Tan Lun said in the memorial was all true, but it used the Spring and Autumn style of writing, which gave it a more focused description; second, the emperor smiled, which was more important than anything else.
"Huang Ban, how do you feel after reading it?" Emperor Jiajing asked lightly when he saw that Huang Jin had finished reading the memorial.
"Your Majesty, I was shocked. You can't judge a person by his appearance. Lord Zhu looked kind and honest, but I didn't expect him to be so fierce. He fought against 3,000 Japanese pirates with only 100 men. He not only defended the county but also beheaded 824 Japanese pirates and recovered the neighboring county. I couldn't have made up such a story. I never thought that Lord Zhu was not only a good writer, but also so knowledgeable in military strategy." Huang Jin closed the memorial, and put on an unexpected expression on his face at the right time. Then he looked at Emperor Jiajing with admiration. "When Your Majesty selected Lord Zhu as the top scholar, I was a little confused. Now I think that Your Majesty is really wise and brave, with a unique vision, and he has long seen that Lord Zhu is extraordinary."
"Haha, you old guy's ability to flatter others can't keep up with the young people." Upon hearing this, Emperor Jiajing cursed with a smile.
"Hehe, when it comes to flattery, I certainly can't keep up with the young ones. I always speak the truth, but I don't flatter." Huang Jin bowed in front of Emperor Jiajing like a shrimp and replied with an embarrassed smile.
"You old man, you're out of breath even when I tell you you're fat." Emperor Jiajing scolded him again with a smile.
Huang Jin smiled apologetically.
"Zhu Ping'an, a mere scholar, was trapped in a small county in Jingnan with no more than a hundred soldiers. Facing an attack from 3,000 Japanese pirates, he not only successfully defended the city but also achieved such a great record... ... If all the generals could be like Zhu Ping'an, I wouldn't have to worry about the unrest at the border." Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but sigh when he thought of the recent poor battle situation at the border and compared it with Zhu Ping'an.
"This time when I go to Datong and other places to patrol the border, I will use this matter to embarrass those arrogant generals. They all claim that they come from a family of generals, are well-versed in the art of war, and are skilled in archery and horse riding, but in the end they are not even as good as a mere scholar..." Huang Jin continued.
"They should embarrass me. They only know how to ask me for soldiers and food. Every year, I spend millions of taels of silver, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers are unable to guard my border. We suffer heavy casualties, lose cities and territories, and suffer frequent defeats. My border has become the back garden of the barbarians!" When Emperor Jiajing mentioned the border, he could not help but say with regret.
"I obey your command." Huang Jin responded repeatedly.