A letter sent from the far west made Han Ruzi very angry, and even the joy brought by the queen's re-pregnancy was less than half of the joy.
The letter was written by Huang Pugong, the wording is euphemistic and humble, and most of the content is to thank the emperor for his kindness, and then he came to the main topic: he will withdraw his troops, and will not return to Da Chu, and will stay at sea, "Looking at the homeland, I am grateful for the grace of the Holy Spirit. , weeping endlessly."
Then he found a bunch of reasons. The countries at sea were tired of war and wanted to return to their own countries. The Western countries were too conflicted with each other and were suspicious of each other. If there was a slight contradiction, they would surrender to the enemy army.
In addition, the gods and ghosts of Danyu have already declined, and they have retreated to the northwest corner, and it is no longer worthy of the Chu army to fight.
In the end, he put forward a "small" request, hoping that the emperor would formally confer the title of King of England, allow him to establish a country overseas, and be a minister to the Great Chu forever.
Han Ruzi hadn't been so angry for a long time, and slapped the table heavily, "It's okay for others, Huang Pugong is the one who pulls it out, and he will be ungrateful!"
There are many advisers in Lingyun Pavilion, and only one person dares to speak when the emperor is angry. Cui Teng asked: "What did Huang Pugong do to make His Majesty so angry?"
Han Ruzi waved his hand, Cui Teng limped to the table, picked up the letter and read it again, also furious, "This bastard, without His Majesty, he is still someone's servant, and he gets carried away when he gets a little power. Chu Zheng assembled his army to prepare for the westward expedition, but he actually wanted to withdraw. This is not a show against the imperial court. Moreover, he still refused to return to Da Chu and wanted to assist the King of England overseas! Who knows whether the King of England is real or not, maybe it was Huang Pugong who pretended to be himself. ."
Cui Teng was furious, but Han Ruzi calmed down. He looked at the dozen or so advisors standing in the room with their hands lowered, and said softly, "Huang Pugong said that the gods and ghosts are in a corner, and it is no longer worth fighting. What do you think?"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Cui Teng spoke first, "It has nothing to do with the turtle or not, the god and ghost Dadanyu dared to invade Dachu, even if he is thousands of miles away, he must be punished, even if he falls ill and dies, he must be sent to Chu Army to drag his body back."
The consultants expressed their opinions one by one, and the meaning was similar to that of Cui Teng, but each one was more enthusiastic and generous, and found more evidence. For example, with the support of the Xiongnu, the gods and ghosts will make a comeback sooner or later. eradicate.
Han Ruzi was very bored, except for Zhao Ruosu, few others dared to speak freely in front of him, and what he needed was the truth.
This is often the case. When the emperor's position is unstable, he can often hear the truth, which is harsh, but beneficial. Now that the emperor's position is stable, all he hears is flattery and approval.
Zhao Ruosu did not understand the military, and it was useless to ask. Han Ruzi was in a daze and was awakened by Cui Teng.
"Your Majesty, what are you waiting for, the Chu army is ready, let's set off as soon as possible. At least three months, at most a year, we will be able to triumphantly return to Beijing."
"The original plan was to go to the army at the end of summer, so don't worry."
"I'm just not angry at Huang Pugong's betrayal. When the Chu army arrives, let's see if he dares to ask for conditions."
"The gods and ghosts are located in the northwest of the turtle, and Huang Pugong is stationed in the southern seaport, thousands of miles apart..." Han Ruzi shook his head, very disappointed.
Cui Teng had a plan in his mind, but he didn't say anything.
The emperor was obviously tired, and everyone resigned. Cui Teng waited until the end, and when he was the only one left, he stepped forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, Huang Pugong and his family are still in the capital."
Huang Pugong married a wife before he went on an expedition, and he stayed in Da Chu and did not take it away. Han Ruzi remembered this, and every festival would give him a great reward.
"Um?"
"Huang Pugong dares to betray His Majesty, there is no need for His Majesty to talk to him about benevolence and righteousness. First put his wife in prison, and then order her to write a letter to see how Huang Pugong reacts. If..."
"Go! Make a mess of ideas, and you can't tolerate a general's wife? Even if Huang Pugong really betrays, I won't touch his wife's hair."
Cui Teng said embarrassedly: "I don't want to vent my anger for Your Majesty."
"You don't need to worry about this kind of thing. There is another thing to tell you. The queen is happy..."
Cui Teng jumped three feet high, and groaned after landing, rubbing his injured leg, but his face was full of smiles, "Really?"
"The imperial doctor was diagnosed yesterday. From today onwards, you have to be honest, drink less, it is best not to drink, let alone cause trouble, so as not to worry the queen and your mother, understand?"
Cui Teng's face flushed, "Your Majesty heard?"
"Just because of a woman, she actually fought with people in the street. It has been rumored a long time ago. How could I have not heard of it?"
"It's not for women, it's for fighting..."
"You are my close minister, the general of the Suwei Army, as a marquis, and your sons and nephews are also marquis. The anger of the world has made your Cui family fight, what else is there to fight?"
Cui Teng laughed, not daring to argue, but he was not convinced, and finally said: "Your Majesty, it's not me who talks too much, the arrogance of the Chai family has been very arrogant recently, their family is also a number of princes, and Chai Yue is in command outside the Great Wall. Hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, tsk tsk, not a general like me, the Eighth Battalion of Suwei is not under my control.”
"Presumptuous, after talking about Huang Pugong, are you going to arrange Chai Yue again?"
"Huang Pugong is Your Majesty..." Cui Teng hurriedly restrained, "I'd better go, hurry home and tell my mother the good news, and prepare for the queen."
Seeing Cui Teng go out, Han Ruzi shook his head helplessly. Cui Teng was really incompetent, otherwise he would never just be a close minister.
When there were no more outsiders in the house, Zhang Youcai came in and presented a memorial with both hands, "Sent from Qinzheng Hall."
This is a memorial jointly sent by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Rites, reminding the emperor that the palace exam has been over for three days, and it is time to determine the top three candidates and publish the list.
The champion is also a troublesome matter. Several examiners such as the Minister of Rites have taken a fancy to Nan Guanmei, while ministers such as the prime minister strongly recommend Shen Daxing within the scope of their authority.
There was another person in Han Ruzi's heart. He had seen Luo Shifu before, and he remembered that he was a shy young man. He was not the same person as Yang Feng. When we met again in the palace exam a few days ago, he was already a calm and measured person. of readers.
Han Ruzi wrote down a reply and gave it to Zhang Youcai, so that he could deliver it to the Qinzheng Hall.
The emperor made an unusual request to summon ten candidates with the best grades in Lingyun Pavilion, and ask them face-to-face for strategies, in order to decide the selection of the champion, and the prime minister and the examiner of the Ministry of Rites were invited to observe.
In addition to the palace exam, there is another "court exam". In the past, the prime minister and the Ministry of Rites would firmly oppose it, but now they are preparing immediately, and ten candidates will be sent to Lingyun Pavilion that afternoon.
The prime minister was still Zhuo Ruhe, the Minister of Rites was replaced by a new one, and more than ten ministers were on the sidelines of this inquiry, plus ten candidates and a dozen eunuchs, the room seemed crowded, but also lively.
After the ceremony was over, the emperor bestowed everyone's death, and the eunuchs handed over the written questions and policies to the candidates, wrote a short answer within two quarters of an hour, and then the emperor asked questions.
The question is very simple, but it has nothing to do with the classics, but asks how they view the situation in the West and the preparations for the Great Chu.
Several candidates frowned immediately. They have studied hard for more than ten years in the cold window, and they have memorized the book of sages by heart. Other than that, they don't hear anything outside the window, and they don't understand the situation in the West at all.
But everyone was writing at their desks, at least to give the emperor a good impression.
The time came soon. The eunuchs took back the test papers and put them on the table. The prime minister and others peeped unconsciously, wanting to see how the champion they supported answered.
Han Ruzi read the papers on the spot, no matter what he saw, his face was calm, but there was an answer that really made him laugh and pushed it to the prime minister.
Zhuo Ruhe swept it over, the Minister of Rites was the chief examiner, and he also came over to take a look, turned his head to a candidate and said, "Liu Jian, Your Majesty is asking about the situation in the West, how to deal with the gods and ghosts, how can you do your best? Write about the Western Regions?"
The candidate's face was pale, and he threw himself on his knees, "Xiaosheng...I..."
Liu Jie, the supervisor of the Central Division, got a signal from the emperor and stepped forward: "Don't worry, do you know who the god and ghost Danyu is?"
"Listen, I've heard of it." The examinee said laboriously.
"How much do you know about Western countries?"
"what?"
Liu Jie glanced at the emperor and said to Liu Jian, "Stand aside and listen to what others have to say."
Liu Xian retreated to the door, trembling all over, looking lost.
Han Ruzi picked out four mediocre answer sheets, Liu Jie asked the four candidates to stand at the door, and only five were left waiting for the emperor to ask questions. Nan Guanmei and Shen Daxing were among them. The prime minister looked at each other and felt satisfied. At least the top pick they recommended did not show any signs of timidity.
Among the candidates, Nan Guanmei was the youngest, less than twenty years old. The emperor asked him first, "Nan Guanmei, you said that the Great Chu is not suitable for expeditions, but the enemy can control the enemy. How do you explain it?"
Nan Guanmei bowed her hands and replied, "The Chu army is on an expedition, and the country is empty, which will give the Huns an opportunity to take advantage of. If the near troubles are not eliminated, how can they go on an expedition? It is better to use the Western countries to control the Western enemies."
The Minister of Rites shook his head gently. He supported Nan Guanmei, but this son's answer was wrong. One of the purposes of the Great Chu Expedition was to attack the Xiongnu in the middle of the expedition, to eliminate the near troubles first, and then destroy the distant enemies.
This is not to blame Nan Guanmei, the strategy of the Chu army is still secret, and only a few people in the DPRK know about it.
Han Ruzi asked a few more questions, and the next person was Luo Shifu. He suggested that there is no need to rush to send troops, and he could wait a little longer. If the Western countries can defeat the gods and ghosts, Da Chu can save a huge amount of money. military spending.
The fourth person, Shen Daxing, gave the most ingenious answer. He first explained the situation in the West to show that he knew the current affairs very well, but finally said: "The important affairs of the country are for those in power, and His Majesty decides, and ministers are not in their place. It is difficult to do things, and it makes sense whether Da Chu will send troops or not."
Zhuo Ruhe also shook his head lightly. He knew the emperor and knew that such two-sided tricks were ineffective against the emperor.
Han Ruzi did not make a judgment, and finally asked a candidate named Zeng Dangyun, "You said that the Great Chu expedition will be defeated, why?"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone looked sideways, and even the five candidates standing at the door glanced in surprise. The Great Chu had been preparing for the battle for several years, and the army had gathered outside the fortress and had not yet set off for the expedition.
Han Ruzi was surprised, but most wanted to hear Zeng Dangyun's explanation.
"Da Chu should follow the trend."
Han Ruzi was shocked. He hadn't heard the words "follow the trend" for a long time.