A series of footsteps outside attracted the attention of everyone in the outer hall of Wanshou Palace. Soon, Eunuch Zhang pulled Zhu Ping'an's sleeve and appeared in the outer hall at a trot.
When Zhu Ping'an entered the Wanshou Palace, he only had time to bow and greet the officials in the outer hall. He didn't even have time to say hello before Eunuch Zhang pulled him by the sleeve and led him into the inner hall.
When the people in the outer hall saw Zhu Ping'an being summoned in, they all looked at him with various expressions.
Yan Maoqing looked at Zhu Ping'an walking into the inner hall and pulled the corner of his mouth downwards. Haha, you will suffer for your own mistakes. The emperor believes in Taoism and you praise Buddha. Today you are finished, ...
After entering the inner hall, Zhu Ping'an immediately saw Emperor Jiajing sitting on a cushion with his eyes closed in meditation, and Huang Jin standing beside him.
When Huang Jin saw Zhu Ping'an coming in, he gave him a kind smile.
"Your Majesty, Zhu Ping'an has arrived." After entering the inner hall, Eunuch Zhang reported in a soft voice to the meditating Emperor Jiajing.
As soon as the young eunuch finished speaking, Zhu Ping'an knelt down politely and performed the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows to pay his respects to Jiajing.
"Your Highness Zhu Ping'an, the Minister of the Cabinet, the Imperial Academy Reader, and the Taicang Inspector, kowtows to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."
After Zhu Ping'an knelt down, he lowered his head and prostrated himself on the ground. After about two seconds, he heard the voice of Emperor Jiajing above his head.
"My dear Lord Zhu, please stand up." Emperor Jiajing stood up, and with the help of Huang Jin, he sat on the dragon throne and said leisurely.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace." Zhu Ping'an bowed deeply to express his gratitude, then stood up, behaving very respectfully.
"My dear, do you admit your guilt?"
Zhu Ping'an just stood up, and Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Ping'an with his eyes slightly narrowed again and asked lightly.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Pingan knelt on the ground again. He suddenly felt a chill on his back and got goose bumps all over his body. However, he soon calmed down and shook his head innocently, saying, "I don't know."
As the saying goes, if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear. I have not done anything against discipline or law, so I have a clear conscience.
"I don't know?" Emperor Jiajing asked in a half-smile, and then asked in a deep voice, "I ordered you to inspect the Taicang Treasury, why did you come to present me with an article? Do you think I am a tyrant who can't distinguish between the important and the urgent?"
Oh, so it was because of this. Zhu Pingan was completely relaxed. He raised his head and explained with a wronged look: "I dare not. Your Majesty is wise and brave, diligent and loves the people. He is an emperor of all ages, not a tyrant. I have not left my post without permission. I have been checking the account books in Taicang from the morning to the afternoon. I came to the West Garden at the afternoon because I had an important matter to ask for an audience with Your Majesty. I only knew about the article when I submitted the memorial requesting an audience."
"Come to the West Garden at the hour of You... Doesn't that mean that you, my dear minister, have just arrived?" Emperor Jiajing squinted his eyes and glanced at the scale on the copper clepsydra in the palace. He raised his eyebrows slightly, and was doubtful about Zhu Ping'an's answer.
"Your Majesty is wise. I indeed just arrived." Zhu Ping'an nodded seriously.
"What kind of wisdom is this?" Upon seeing this, Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but laugh and scold Zhu Ping'an.
Although Zhu Ping'an's flattery was awkward, awkwardness has its advantages. You may feel awkward when you flatter, but the other person may find it funny. This can be regarded as another form of livening up the atmosphere.
"Haha, the number one scholar just arrived, and he has already written an article called 'Kneeling Before the Buddha for Three Thousand Years'? I just heard from Little Li, the Sizhi of Wuyi Hall, that it only took you less than a cup of tea. The same is true of Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms who could compose a poem in seven steps. It's like listening to strange stories and legends. I can't believe it." Huang Jin observed the emperor's expression and said with a laugh. There were some things that Emperor Jiajing was not convenient to say, but they were different.
"I was inspired and wrote it at the right time, so I wrote it faster. I dare not compare myself with Cao Zhi." Zhu Ping'an shook his head and explained modestly. Huang Jin was the governor of the East Factory and the director of the Imperial Household Department. His official position was much higher than Zhu Ping'an's. There was nothing wrong with Zhu Ping'an calling himself a subordinate.
"Cao Zhi was also speaking from his heart, so there's no need to be modest as the number one scholar..." Huang Jin said with a smile.
Uh, Zhu Pingan smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Warming tea to write an essay? Haha, that's interesting. Then pour a cup of tea for you, my dear Zhu, and let me see how you write an essay." Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Ping'an leisurely and said, "Master Tao went to Taihe Mountain to build the Yuanyue Temple. He reported back that there is still a missing couplet for the mountain gate. If you can warm the tea well, I will pardon you. If not, I think you know the consequences of deceiving the emperor."
Soon, a young eunuch poured Zhu Ping'an a cup of tea and placed it on the ground in front of him.
"I thank you for your grace, my lord. I will do my best." Zhu Ping'an bowed in thanks, but he was speechless in his heart. You said things like warming the tea and writing an essay. I didn't set this flag.
However, Zhu Ping'an was not worried at all about writing couplets. Having studied in ancient times for so long, writing couplets was not a difficult task for him. Moreover, he used to travel on a budget in modern times. Influenced by fairy tales, he had visited some free Taoist temples and memorized quite a few couplets from those temples, which was enough to deal with this disaster.
It is better to use ready-made ones. The couplets in modern Taoist temples must be carefully selected and chosen because they are particularly outstanding.
In such a short time as a cup of tea, the couplets I wrote myself will definitely not be as good as the ones carefully selected in the Taoist temple.
But which one should I use
Zhu Ping'an closed his eyes and began to think. Taoist temples appeared in his mind, and couplets appeared one after another.
Emperor Jiajing did not urge him. With a smile on his face, he looked at Zhu Ping'an with interest.
Huang Jin seemed to have great confidence in Zhu Ping'an, and his eyes were full of confidence when he looked at Zhu Ping'an.
Um
Got it. After thinking for more than ten seconds, Zhu Pingan remembered the couplet he saw in a Sanqing Palace Taoist temple in Hebei.
After thinking it over, Zhu Ping'an did not rush to show off, but continued to close his eyes and rest, pretending to be thinking hard.
It is necessary to hide one's shortcomings appropriately, especially now. If I write so fast, how can the ministers in the outer hall face me? In addition, Emperor Jiajing is conceited and sensitive, so it is not appropriate for me to show that I am better than His Majesty.
In this way, time passed by one minute at a time while Zhu Ping'an was lost in thought.
"Haha, top scholar, if you don't write it down, the tea will get cold." After a moment, Huang Jin urged with a smile.
"Wait a moment... Oh, I got it." Zhu Ping'an pretended to be anxious. After about three or five seconds, he pretended to be inspired. He picked up the brush beside him, dipped it in ink and began to write on the rice paper:
Taiji is divided into Qian and Kun, Qian is the father, Kun is the mother, with great supernatural powers, one Qi and three pure, saving all the people in the four continents;
The two principles are divided into yin and yang, yang belongs to the sky, yin belongs to the earth, showing boundless magic power, Li Long, Kan Hu, and they can become the golden immortal of eternal calamity.
Zhu Ping'an wrote a sentence and Huang Jin repeated it.
"Although the time is a bit overdue, herbal tea is still tea. It's okay. I'll let you pass this time." After hearing this, Emperor Jiajing made such comments, but he was very satisfied in his heart.
The words "save all the people in the four continents" and "cultivate to become a golden immortal that can last forever" after these two couplets really touched the heart of Emperor Jiajing and made him very satisfied. His purpose in founding the Yue Dynasty was to save all the people in the four continents, and as for cultivating to become a golden immortal that can last forever, that was what Emperor Jiajing pursued even more.