Rise From the Humble

The next day, after lunch, Zhu Ping'an and Zhang Zhitai asked Deputy Envoy Bai and Deputy Envoy Hu to go to the Ministry of War together. The Yamen of the Ministry of War was already full of officials, including Zhang Jing, Eunuch He, Duke Wei, Marquis of Linhuai and others.

Soon, everyone was here.

After Zhang Jing saw that everyone had arrived, he cleared his throat and said slowly: "Everyone, the angel is already on the way and will arrive in an hour or two. Please follow me to Chaotian Palace. I will wait for the angel at Chaotian Palace. .”

"Dare you disobey me?" everyone said in unison.

So, a group of people headed to Chaotian Palace.

The imperial envoy will arrive soon, and the rewards and punishments will be announced soon. Everyone has different expressions, some are excited and looking forward to it, and some are mourning for their heirs. Although the results have not yet been finalized, everyone is self-aware, and they know very well how they performed in dealing with the Japanese pirates in Shangyu.

Some cities were captured by Japanese pirates, some fled without fighting, and some were completely defeated in the battle with Japanese pirates. Even though they spent a lot of efforts, a lot of money, and a lot of money to clear the city, they were still panic-stricken.

Those who fought with the Japanese pirates managed to save the city, but those who killed one or two Japanese pirates were relatively calm.

Those who had made military exploits, such as Wei Guogong and Linhuai Marquis, looked forward to it and were beaming with joy. Thanks to Zhu Pingan, the two of them uncovered the Japanese pirates who had sneaked into Yingtian City in advance and the traitors who were instigated by them to rebel. They beheaded more than 40 people, including 24 real Japanese. Except for Zhu Pingan, they belonged to them. His military exploits were the greatest.

"Hey, thank you so much, nephew. If it weren't for my nephew's persistence, how could we have achieved this feat?"

On the way to Chaotian Palace, Wei Guogong and Linhuai Marquis found Zhu Pingan and pulled Zhu Pingan to thank him.

"Uncle, I was serious. I just made some suggestions with my lips. These achievements were truly achieved by the two uncles. The two uncles braved the doubts of the city officials and persisted in the screening, uncovering the Japanese pirates and internal agents who had sneaked into the city. , and later it was the two uncles who commanded the troops to annihilate the Japanese pirates and internal agents."

Zhu Pingan said modestly.

"My nephew, you don't have to be modest. Without my nephew, we wouldn't have achieved this achievement. Now is not the time to talk. We will be rewarded later." Wei Guogong and Linhuai Marquis patted Zhu Ping'an on the shoulder. He promised without any explanation.

"This time my nephew has done a great job and will be rewarded by His Majesty. We would like to congratulate our nephew in advance."

Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai smiled and congratulated.

"We are happy together. Our two uncles have also made great achievements this time. The Holy Emperor will definitely reward them. My nephew also congratulates the two uncles in advance."

Zhu Pingan also congratulated the two of them.

"Hahahaha. It's all thanks to my good nephew." The Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai were so happy that they couldn't hide it.

As the two said, now is not the time to talk. After the three briefly said a few words, they separated and went back to their respective positions.

In the feudal era, levels and camps were very particular.

Chaotian Palace is located on the bank of the Qinhuai River, not too far away. Not long after walking, Zhu Pingan saw a majestic complex of palaces and pavilions from a distance. Listening to the conversations of the people around him, Zhu Pingan knew that it was Chaotian Palace.

Speaking of which, this is Zhu Ping'an's first time coming to Chaotian Palace. Although Zhu Ping'an has been to Yingtian many times, he had been concentrating on preparing for the imperial examination in Yingtian before. He had never visited Yingtian or been to Chaotian Palace. After that, he was busy with official duties when he returned to Yingtian. , no time to visit.

Today, I finally got to see it.

Before entering the Chaotian Palace, the first thing that caught your eye was a dismounting square inscribed with "Officials dismounting their horses" outside the door, which immediately showed its majesty.

"Chaotian Palace and Shen Guangmang are both royal dojos. Chaotian Palace was a gift from Emperor Taizu, which means 'worship to heaven' and 'meet the emperor'. It used to be a dojo where the emperor's relatives burned incense and prayed for blessings. Before the festival, It is also here that civil and military officials practice the etiquette of worshiping the emperor." An official said softly.

It turns out that it was named by Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, and it is also a royal dojo. It is perfect to wait here to welcome the angels and listen to the imperial edict. In addition, the Linhuai River is in front of Chaotian Palace. If the angel comes by boat, he can dock on the bank of the Linhuai River and walk a few steps. The transportation is also convenient.

Such an arrangement is worthy of Zhang Jing.

Zhu Ping'an praised in his heart, and as everyone entered Chaotian Palace, Chaotian Palace was very large, covering an area of ​​more than 300 acres. There were halls such as Shenjun Hall, Sanqing Main Hall, Datong Mingbao Hall, Long Live Main Hall, etc., and there were enough buildings. Hundreds of rooms.

Chaotian Palace is very new, as if it had just been built a few decades ago.

Not far after entering the door, you can see a stele pavilion in front of Danchi. On the stele pavilion is "the stele for rebuilding Chaotian Palace according to the imperial decree".

Zhu Ping'an took a closer look and saw that the inscription contained more than 1,000 words and was written by Shang Ren, a bachelor during the Chenghua period. It recorded the positioning and scale of Chaotian Palace in the early Ming Dynasty and the whole process of its reconstruction during the Chenghua period. Zhu Pingan suddenly realized, no wonder it felt so new. It turned out that it was rebuilt during the Chenghua period, only a few decades ago.

Zhang Jing set the place where he would wait for the angels and listen to the imperial edict in the Long Live Main Hall of Chaotian Palace. There are twelve rooms in the main hall, which is spacious enough for use. Officials from the Ministry of Rites of Yingtian also led everyone to rehearse the reception arrangements in the Long Live Main Hall.

"Report, the imperial envoy's boat has entered the Linhuai River." After everyone waited in Chaotian Palace for more than half an hour, the general entered the palace to report the imperial envoy's movements.

"Everyone, follow me to greet the angel." Zhang Jing nodded and said to everyone.

"No." Everyone responded.

Officials of the Ministry of Rites of Yingtian had already arranged for the ceremonial guards to welcome the imperial envoy. The red silk and colorful sheds and other ceremonial guards were arranged for more than five miles. Under the leadership of Zhang Jing, Eunuch He and others, the crowd was surrounded by the imperial envoys. I walked along the Linhuai River to greet the imperial envoy. After walking for three miles, I finally saw several tall ships approaching the Linhuai River. The ships were decorated with yellow flags, yellow umbrellas, yellow fans, and yellow cards, showing the royal majesty. Several rows of brightly-clad factory guards guarded five eunuchs at the bow of the ship.

Among them, the person occupying the C position in the center is a eunuch in his forties or fifties. He is thin and tall, with an older appearance, a hooked nose, thin lips, narrow eyes, and a sinister look on his face, giving him a look of evil. A bad feeling to deal with.

"Why is it this guy!"

Eunuch He, the eunuch who was guarding Yingtian, saw the C eunuch on the building boat from a distance, and couldn't help but frown and curse in a low voice.

Zhu Pingan's ears are sharper than those of ordinary people. Although Eunuch He's voice was as small as a mosquito, Zhu Pingan still heard it because it was not far away.

Oh, is there any father-in-law’s rival among the eunuchs who announced the decree? !

Zhu Ping'an thought so.

In fact, if Liu Dadao were here, he would definitely recognize this eunuch. Zhu Ping'an once ordered him to go to Suzhou and send this eunuch a letter saying "The autumn weather is getting colder, I hope to keep my sanity." At that time, the eunuch's Liu Dadao was deeply impressed by his skill.

Yes, this eunuch is Chen Hong.