Chapter 61 Sleeping (please subscribe)
Just as the No. 1 Scholar Banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was in full swing, there were even a large number of fireworks blooming in the sky outside the hall.
In the Yonghe Palace far northeast of the imperial city, Concubine Yang Huan was dressed in Tsing Yi, looking in the direction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony with a sad look on her face.
Beside her, a palace maid was holding the princess and looking enviously in that direction.
"Your Majesty, it's so lively in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. I heard that tonight is the Enke No. 1 Scholar Banquet, with hundreds of people attending."
"This year's top civil and military champions are all members of the Cui family. They are really amazing!"
"The Cui family..."
The palace maid's unintentional words made Yang Huan feel even more miserable.
If it were in the past, before my father did that kind of thing, it was the Yang family who could enjoy all this love!
Today...
"Wow! Fireworks! Fireworks!"
"Sister Huan, look quickly..."
Yang Xueqing, now over three years old, ran over staggeringly, her little face full of excitement.
"Well, so beautiful..."
"Sister Huan, can we go there to play?"
"Woooooooo..."
Yang Huan finally couldn't hold it any longer, hugged Yang Xueqing and started crying.
"Sister Huan won't cry, Sister Huan won't cry. Qing'er won't go, Qing'er won't go..."
Yang Xueqing was startled and quickly held Yang Huan's head to comfort her.
At a young age, he is already sensible and obedient.
"Qing'er, it's my sister's fault because she is incompetent. If only you had gone with your father, brother and the others that day, so you wouldn't have to suffer in this cold palace..."
Since Yang Xuansu's rebellion, Yonghe Palace has been regarded as a cold palace. All the maids, eunuchs, etc. in the palace, who could find a way out of the palace, all ran out, and no one dared to stay here.
As His Majesty has forgotten this place, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already reduced the food and clothing expenses of Yonghe Palace.
Nowadays, in the coldest month of winter, the Yonghe Palace cannot even afford charcoal, and can only rely on cotton-padded clothes and quilts to keep warm.
The younger sister Yang Xuening was so cold that she had a fever, but she used the gold hairpin she brought with her previous dowry to beg people from the Tai Hospital to come and see her several times.
Otherwise, Ning'er might not be able to survive this winter.
"Sister, sister..."
At this time, Yang Xuening, who was more than one year old, seemed to be woken up. She staggered out and ran out. Looking at her two sisters who were hugging each other and crying, she also started crying immediately.
For a time, the women in Yonghe Palace were crying.
"Empress..."
The little palace maid was also extremely miserable. She was brought up by Yang Huan since she was a child, so she regarded Yang Huan as her biological sister.
Now in this kind of environment, they will never leave each other, which is enough to show the deep love between master and servant.
"Mother, I, I heard that the Ministry of Internal Affairs wants to move us to Qianxi Palace."
"Qianxi Palace?"
Yang Huan stopped crying, hugged her two young girls and asked curiously: "Then, where is that place, and why did you ask us to move there?"
"Qian, Qianxi Palace is a cold palace. There are only three or four abandoned concubines from the late emperor's period living in it, and most of them are crazy."
"I, I heard from someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that the show girls from the draft have entered the palace and are now living in Zhongcui Palace."
The little maid said: "My father-in-law in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are more beautiful girls this year. If they are valued by His Majesty, they will be distributed to various palaces. Our Yonghe Palace..."
"Wow wow wow..."
Before the words could even be finished, the younger sister Yang Xuening burst into tears.
It seemed that she was frozen, her little face was red, and she kept digging into Yang Huan's arms.
"Show girl..."
Yang Huan looked sad, but her eyes were full of stubbornness.
"My father once said that the fighting in the harem is no less than that in the previous dynasty. I didn't fight for anything, but now I almost don't even have a place to live."
"Father...!"
She gritted her teeth and said, "Why do you want to rebel? Let your daughter be helpless and tortured in this palace."
"In order to survive, my daughter can only do this."
"You once said that that secret can guarantee your daughter's prosperity and wealth for the rest of her life."
"But now, Qing'er, Ning'er, I, even survival is a problem, so why do we need glory and wealth?"
"I just hope that Your Majesty, for the sake of my daughter Yuyao, can let the three of us live a better life."
"Dong'er."
The little palace maid hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."
"Go to Liu Chengen from the Ministry of Internal Affairs tomorrow and tell him that I have something important to report to Your Majesty."
"This... okay, my wife, I know this."
……
The fireworks were still shining brightly in the sky, but on the roof of Zhongcui Palace, far south of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, stood a female figure.
The woman was wearing a moon-white gauze robe, and her black hair covered the suburbs like a waterfall, almost hanging to the ground.
Her face is as delicate as snow, and her black and white eyes are as bright as stars.
Unfortunately, half of his face was covered with white gauze, completely blocking the lower half of his face.
I don’t know how beautiful she is under this gauze that will captivate a country.
"The imperial palace, Emperor Zhengyong, and both civil and military talents... Is this the person my master calls my destiny?"
The woman's voice is clear and pleasant, and the big beads and small beads falling on the jade plate are even more like the sound of a piano.
"The imperial court of Dayu formed cliques for personal gain and was extremely corrupt. Officials enriched their own pockets and did not want to make progress. The entire world of Dayu was filled with wealthy families occupying land, and the people did not even have enough to eat."
"This court should have been overthrown. But why did Master want me to enter the palace to assist Emperor Zhengyong? Could it be that..."
"Kekeke..."
Suddenly there was a burst of cute laughter, and another figure appeared at the top of the hall.
This figure is completely different from the woman in white gauze. She is wearing a pink palace dress, but her white arms and calves are exposed, and there are pocket bells on her wrists and ankles.
If you move at will, a clear ringing sound will sound.
"Who did I think it was? It turned out to be Fairy Qin from Cihang Temple."
"Don't you Cihang'an claim to be the leader of the righteous path and wish to help the world as a woman?"
"What? This year's Cihang'an Qin Fairy actually wants to enter the palace to serve the emperor. If those young heroes in the martial arts know about it..."
"Zhu Wanwan?"
Qin Qingxuan frowned: "How I do things at Cihang Temple has anything to do with your Baihuamen?"
"If you don't want to die, just leave quickly!"
"Death of body and soul?"
Zhu Wanwan smiled sweetly and said: "I want to see who dies today?"
"This is the palace~ I don't believe it, Fairy Qin dares to attack me."
"You...!"
Qin Qingxuan's eyes were even colder: "What is the Baihuamen Demon Girl going to do when she enters the palace? Are you taking advantage of the chaos in the world to seduce His Majesty? Believe it or not, I will immediately tell His Majesty your identity as the Baihuamen Demon Girl..."
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"My Baihuamen witch?"
Zhu Wanwan also said coldly: "The reason why I can enter the palace and become a beautiful girl is that the court doesn't know my identity?"
"To tell you the truth, the reason why my two junior sisters and I can enter the palace as beautiful ladies is because of the emperor's decree!"
"Keke... My Baihuamen is addicted to the art of sex and serves people with sex. I didn't expect that now I have to accompany you for the day!"
"It's really... I got what I wanted!"
"You...!"
Qin Qingxuan's face was even more ugly. This witch actually said such dirty things in public.
It’s really…incomprehensible!
"Sisters, are you here to watch the fireworks too?"
"Who?!"
"Who is here!"
Qin Qingxuan and Zhu Wanwan immediately shouted secretly and turned around.
Who could it be that could get close to them without their knowledge.
If it were a life and death fight...
Looking back, I found a girl who looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old sitting on the eaves at the top of the hall, swaying her little feet and excitedly watching the fireworks in the sky.
The woman is not absolutely beautiful, but she is very cute.
Wearing Nanyue ethnic costumes, some silver jewelry, and bright eyes.
Qin Qingxuan was the first to ask: "Who are you?"
"Kekeke..."
Zhu Wanwan smiled and said: "My sister is Yuechan from the Nanyue tribe. I feel pity for her, and she is so lovable~"
"Sister is also very beautiful~"
Yuechan said seriously: "The fireworks are almost over. Are you sure you want to continue quarreling? Why don't you hurry up and watch the fireworks?"
"Watching the fireworks..."
The two women looked at each other with strange eyes, but they still nodded slightly, standing on both sides of the hall, looking at the fireworks in the distance.
After a long time, the fireworks dissipated. Yuechan patted her butt and stood up, pouting and saying: "The fireworks in the Central Plains are beautiful, but it's a pity that there are too few."
"Okay, sisters, Yuechan is going to rest. She has to continue to learn court etiquette from grandma tomorrow. It's really abominable!"
"You guys keep chatting~"
After saying that, he fell from the roof, obviously possessing a high level of Qinggong.
Qin Qingxuan and Zhu Wanwan looked at each other again, feeling bored and left one after another.
The entire Zhongcui Palace became silent again.
...the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Chen Hongxiu, what about you?"
As soon as Zheng Yi finished speaking, the originally noisy hall immediately became silent.
Only outside the main hall, a group of martial arts people on the martial arts examination side were still laughing loudly and drinking, and the sound could be heard faintly.
In the main hall, many ministers looked in Chen Hongxiu's direction, with thoughtful eyes.
Invisible pressure immediately fell on Chen Hongxiu.
In Dayu, there was no precedent for a woman to serve as an official.
At most, female warriors only appear in special departments such as the Enshrinement Institute and the Imperial City Department.
Now that Chen Hongxiu is ranked second in the military examination, if she asks His Majesty for an official position...
Under countless pairs of scrutinizing and indifferent eyes, Chen Hongxiu slowly said: "Your Majesty! The common people are willing to inherit their father's last wish and rebuild the Xiaoqi Camp!"
"Wow~!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of noise around him.
"Xiaoqi Camp? How did she know about the military camp that was abolished by Yang Ni?"
"Chen Hongxiu, Chen Hongxiu... seems familiar?"
"The commander of the Xiaoqi Battalion back then seemed to be named Chen Dao!"
"I have the impression that back then, the Xiaoqi camp was arrested by Yang Ni on charges of 'mutiny in the military camp and suspicion of conspiracy.' All the members of the Xiaoqi camp were executed, and the entire Xiaoqi camp fell apart... Who is she?!"
The surrounding ministers were talking a lot, and Zheng Yi also said: "Xiao Qiying? Who are you, Chen Dao?"
"Chen Zhen is my father!"
Chen Hongxiu continued: "Nine years ago, Yang Ni failed to win over my father, so he unjustly accused my father of conspiracy. All thirty-eight members of my Chen family were killed by Yang Ni. Only ordinary people who were studying abroad managed to escape. ”
"Of the more than 4,000 people in the Xiaoqi camp, more than 800 were killed, and the remaining 3,000 people were taken under Yang Ni's command!"
"Before my father died, he once sent a dove to me, telling me to stay away from the capital and not to be an official in my life."
"But how can we forget the hatred of our parents? The grassroots assassinated Yang Ni seven times in four years, but all failed."
"Now that your majesty has destroyed Yang Ni in one fell swoop, it is really a great blessing for me."
"The common people are willing to follow my father's example, rebuild the Valiant Cavalry Camp, and protect His Majesty!"
Rebuilding the Xiaoqi Camp?
As soon as Chen Hongxiu said the words, there were gasps and heated discussions among the surrounding ministers.
Immediately, an official from the Ministry of Rites stood up and said loudly: "Your Majesty! It has never happened before for a woman to be an official!"
Another official from the Ministry of War stood up and said loudly: "Your Majesty! Nowadays, there are military competitions in the country of Wu, civil unrest in northern Xinjiang, and military expenditures exceeding the limit. We must not add more troops!"
"Your Majesty! There are already troops such as the Forbidden Army, Royal Forest Army, Jinyi Guards, Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division, Imperial City Army, Shenji Battalion and other troops stationed in the capital. There is no room for the Xiaoqi Battalion!"
"Your Majesty, the entire Xiaoqi Battalion is a cavalry organization. There is no suitable horse farm around the capital for the Xiaoqi Battalion to raise and train horses, so it cannot be established."
"I hope your Majesty will think twice!"
Suddenly a dozen officials ran out, knelt in front of Zheng Yi, and refused Chen Hongxiu's request.
Zheng Yi's face remained as usual, showing no expression.
Chen Hongxiu wanted to rebuild the Xiaoqi camp, and Zheng Yi was not surprised at all.
Jin Yiwei has found out everything that Chen Hongxiu has experienced in the past few years.
For so many years, he has been traveling in the North, practicing martial arts, and devoted himself to avenging his father.
Now that Daqiu was killed by Zheng Yi, and with his father's will, he immediately wanted to serve the country and rebuild the Xiaoqi camp.
Zheng Yi admired this kind of woman very much.
As for the tight military budget and overcrowded barracks, these are just excuses made by officials.
Yang Ni's family was confiscated, and the treasury was rich. Let alone setting up a Xiaoqi camp, even setting up a hundred Xiaoqi businesses was more than enough!
Of course, it was impossible for him to insist on rebuilding the Xiaoqi Camp despite the opposition of so many ministers.
He can issue political orders, but if the people below follow them and disobey them, they are beyond his control.
After all, he does not fully control the government now.
"Since all of you are against it, I won't force it, but I can't break my promise. In this way..."
"Chen Hongxiu."
"The grassroots are here."
"I want to establish the position of Imperial Guard, and select people with clean family backgrounds, who are loyal to the emperor and serve the country to enter the palace to protect me and all my beloved concubines."
Zheng Yi said: "Ai Qing, as a first-level warrior, has now won the position of the best in martial arts examinations, and is a queen of Zhongliang. He is worthy of this position. I wonder what Ai Qing's intention is?"
"This..."
As soon as Zheng Yi finished speaking, the expressions of all the ministers around him changed slightly, and some of them showed inexplicable smiles.
Why should a woman be a bodyguard?
It's just an excuse for His Majesty to find a woman.
One concubine and four concubines are not enough, so they choose the most beautiful women in the world, and now they have to accept the best in martial arts?
Our Majesty is really... impatient!
"Ouchi guard?"
Chen Hongxiu's expression also changed. When did Dayu have this position?
As soon as she heard the whispers of the ministers around her, her face suddenly turned ugly.
Do you want to accept yourself as your concubine?
Or... a toy?
Although he is loyal to the emperor, his martial arts skills are to serve the imperial court, so how can he do anything to entertain others with sex.
"Your Majesty, grass, grass people..."
Chen Hongxiu was thinking of an excuse to refuse, but Zheng Yi had already seen what she was thinking and couldn't help but be speechless.
He does like beautiful women, but not to the point of being cold-blooded.
There are thousands of beauties in the palace, but Chen Hongxiu is not a stunning beauty, on the contrary, she is a bit ordinary.
Moreover, Jin Yiwei reported that she had married a man in the army in the past few years since she disappeared. How could he like Chen Hongxiu?
Recruiting her as a bodyguard was just a springboard for the formation of the Knight Riding Battalion.
"Chen Hongxiu, you don't have to worry about the post of Ouchi Guard. You can go back and think about it. I'm waiting for your reply."
Chen Hongxiu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the matter could be discussed, and he immediately said: "The common people obey the decree!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, they have all been granted official positions. Look at me, Old Zhao!"
At this time, Zhao Tieshan shouted quickly.
Cui Xiawu was named a general, which was a third-grade official position.
Chen Hongxiu was named a royal guard. Although she didn't know what it was, she was definitely a close official of the emperor.
I don’t know myself...
Zheng Yi became interested and asked: "What kind of official do you want to be?"
Zhao Tieshan immediately said: "Your Majesty, just be higher than the official before your humble position!"
"Oh? What was your previous official position?"
"Before I held my humble position in the Forbidden Army, I was the Commander-in-Chief!"
Commander-in-Chief, a seventh-grade military attaché, has about a hundred managers under his command. He is also a middle-level official in the military.
Zheng Yi immediately said: "Zhao Tieshan, you are born with supernatural powers and are loyal. Why don't you come and be my bodyguard?"
"Ouchi guard?"
Zhao Tieshan blinked and said: "Your Majesty, I, Old Zhao, don't know many words. I wonder what kind of official position this imperial guard has?"
There are no imperial guards in Dayu. The guards who guard His Majesty on weekdays are all rotated on a regular basis by the Yulin Army, the Forbidden Army or the Imperial City Department. There is no official position dedicated to guarding the emperor.
The Ouchi bodyguard can be regarded as the first creation of Zheng Yi.
"The Ouchi guards are my full-time guards and are not under the control of any military commander."
"I have a special guard office, and each imperial guard is personally selected by me. The first-grade guards are third-grade military attaches, the second-grade guards are fourth-grade military attaches, and the third-grade guards are fifth-grade military attaches."
Although Zheng Yi did not elaborate, the ministers present had already guessed something.
This Ouchi bodyguard... is completely an armed force commanded by the emperor.
It is independent from the Ministry of War, the Forbidden Army, the Enshrined Court, and the Jinyi Guards.
Taken together, it is even an organization that combines all the advantages of these organizations into one.
Moreover, he is close to the emperor all day long, protecting the emperor, and is also the person whom the emperor trusts most.
Being trusted by the emperor in this way, once he has made great achievements, he will definitely be promoted to an official position.
In this case...
Zhao Tieshan didn't expect so much, but when he heard about the third-grade military attaché, he immediately said: "Your Majesty! I'll do it, Old Zhao! Hahaha, third-grade, Old Zhao, I am also a third-grade military attaché!"
Zheng Yi smiled and said: "That's great!"
A bottle of Chen Hongxiu also reacted at this time. It seemed that His Majesty really wanted to form a new military organization, not to bring her into the house.
There was no time to feel sorry, so he immediately said: "Your Majesty, ordinary people are also willing to join the imperial guard as an official."
"Okay!"
Zheng Yi immediately stood up and held the wine and said: "Today I have won the civil and military examinations for all the virtuous people. It is a great blessing for me."
"Gentlemen! Please drink this cup to the full!"
Now that the matter has come to this, the emperor has spoken so eloquently that many ministers can only stand up helplessly, holding the wine glass high and saying:
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
Late at night, the ministers gradually dispersed, and the civil and military officials also left the palace under the leadership of the eunuch.
Zheng Yi's sedan chair, however, slowly arrived at Jiaofang Hall, accompanied by Concubine Cui.
Under the dim light, the sandalwood is quiet.
Perhaps because he drank too much, Zheng Yi felt his body trembled and relaxed.
The Concubine Cui in front of her was also extremely beautiful and charming, exuding endless charm.
"Your Majesty, I will take care of you to undress and wash up."
"Well..."
Zheng Yi stumbled and held Concubine Cui in his arms.
"A-concubine, you, you are so beautiful, I, I..."
"Xiao'er, turn off the lights quickly!"
(End of chapter)