eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 906 I Meet Her

Chapter 906 I Meet Her

After a chaotic night, Zhu Houzhao returned to the garden built outside the palace.

I didn't take a shower, but just slept all night in a recliner with my clothes on. I woke up groggy the next day when the sun was high in the sky.

There was still only You Zhi by his side. After seeing that he woke up, he ordered people to line up and come in so that he could wash up.

"Your Majesty, how do you feel today?"

"I slept too long and felt a little dizzy. Why didn't you call me?"

You Zhi smiled and said, "Imperial Concubine Jing has long reminded you that Your Majesty is diligent and sometimes you don't get enough rest. It's rare to see Your Majesty sleeping soundly, so I don't have the heart to disturb you."

"I've been sleeping better lately."

After Zhu Houzhao finished washing, he twisted his neck and stretched his body, "Is there anything going on in the palace?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"That's good." Zhu Houzhao thought of another thing. "I've been away for a day and a night, so I guess there are a lot of memorials piled up. Go and pass on the imperial edict, and ask the eldest and second sons to come to the palace and ask them to review some memorials. Later, I will pick out some of them to read. Go quickly."

"Yes."

Memorials were a symbol of imperial power, and Zhu Houzhao was particularly strict with them. Even if young princesses liked to play with them, they were not allowed to play with them.

But this arrangement is not completely lazy.

After all, this country will eventually be handed over to the next generation, so asking him to see what these two people are like is a necessary procedure.

In fact, Zhu Houzhao always felt that the model of Qianlong and Jiaqing was very good and should be promoted, that is, the old emperor would retire first and let the new emperor come out to handle government affairs for three years to see if it worked.

It’s a pity that imperial power is always accompanied by swords and spears. If it continues to be like that, the risks are too great.

After a while,

When Zhu Houzhao walked out of the hall and down the stairs, Zhang Yong appeared in his sight.

Behind him was a guy with a sad face, who was none other than Wang Teng whom I saw yesterday.

"Your Majesty, I have brought this person here to be punished. I was careless in employing people, which led to such a scandal in the City That Never Sleeps. I deserve to die!"

Zhu Houzhao frowned and pointed at Wang Teng, "Come here."

This guy is now in a state of disgrace, crawling over like a lost dog, "Your Majesty, please punish me."

Zhu Houzhao squatted and beckoned him to come closer. "I tell you, I don't want to kill you anymore. It's not that you are special, it's Zhang Yong. I believe Zhang Yong would not let you sit in such an important position without any reason. Zhang Yong is an old man around me, and he is different from anyone else."

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Yong was deeply moved. "I deserve to die. I have failed your Majesty's kindness!"

Wang Teng was breathing rapidly. He knew that he could survive, which was a big deal for him. He felt as if his body was being roasted on fire and then frozen in water, as if his body no longer belonged to him.

"Your Majesty, this is all my fault. I am sorry to Eunuch Zhang, and even more sorry to Your Majesty! I deserve to die!"

"Tell me the truth, do all the shops in this city that never sleeps give you money?"

Wang Teng's heart suddenly tightened.

In the end, he still didn't dare to speak, he knocked his head on the ground, and burst into tears.

Zhang Yong yelled, "Wang Teng! Answer me!"

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!"

"Then it's true." Zhu Houzhao's eyes were dazed. He patted the guy's shoulder and said, "Okay, stop crying. Get up."

Even as an emperor, he could not eradicate this kind of personal connections.

If you insist on being obsessed with this point, you will actually be stuck in it.

"Wang Teng,"

"The villain is here."

"From now on, you will still be Lord Wang of the City That Never Sleeps. I will not take away your official hat."

Zhang Yong said, "Your Majesty, Wang Teng made a mistake, how can you reward him instead of punishing him?"

"You will be punished. You can escape the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life. Wang Teng, go get forty sticks and beat until you are bloody. Only then will you remember today's lesson more deeply. Are you convinced?"

"I am convinced and thank Your Majesty for not killing me!"

"Also, if these people give you money again in the future, you should keep it all. I will order someone to come and take it. There is no way to check this account, and I will not check it. Taking too much bribes is not your achievement as a governor. How much you take depends on whether you are honest or not. I only have one thing to say. If I catch you again, you don't have to beg for mercy. Zhang Yong,"

"The servant is here."

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "Take your people away and take good care of them."

"Your Majesty..." Zhang Yong hesitated to speak. This time his people made a big mistake and he felt really embarrassed.

"Go."

Zhang Yong did not dare to disobey and could only slowly withdraw.

He had severely taught Wang Teng a lesson before coming here. After meeting the emperor, there was nothing else to talk about between them. The main reason was that Zhang Yong didn't want to pay attention to him.

Wang Teng saw Zhang Yong's status in front of the emperor. This East Factory Supervisor was still the one who could decide his life or death.

So Wang Teng knelt down on Zhang Yong's way.

"Boss, I made a mistake. You can beat me or scold me. I won't say anything. But...but you can't ignore me."

"Recently, you should reflect on yourself. Haven't I said enough? You didn't listen to a word I said, so it's useless to say anything. It's better not to say anything.

You are lucky that the emperor didn't kill you today, but how much merit do you have to make to make up for such a big hole? Even though you survived today, from now on, even the slightest incident in the Never-Sleeping City could cost you your life! This is not something I can decide, and it's useless to say anything. Since teaching you is useless, saving you is useless, what else can I say? You can do whatever you want."

Wang Teng stood there in a daze. What Zhang Yong said made a lot of sense.

He had twenty reasons to lose his head, but he survived. But it was not easy to survive after that, especially since he had been through the gates of hell, and no one wanted to go through it again.

"Mr. Factory! Please teach me!"

Zhang Yong walked away with big strides.

It's not like he hasn't already taught the people from the factory how to survive in this area, so there's no need to explain it again.

On the other side,

Zhu Houzhao finally waited for Han Ziren at noon.

This Jinyiwei commander took on the big job of investigating the case and seemed to be moving quite quickly.

After all, hundreds of people were captured, and most of them were ordinary people. The Jinyiwei's formation alone was enough to scare 90% of them half to death. Even if some of them tried to hold on to their promises, it would be of no use.

Han Ziren followed the emperor as he strolled, and reported, "The courtesan Lin Qingyun confessed everything. It turned out that she had a blood feud with Wan Haiying, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue. Now that her vengeance has been avenged, she wants to die and not implicate her friends in Changle Terrace, so she took all the blame on herself and cooperated very well."

Zhu Houzhao was surprised, "Isn't she going to marry that man?"

"It's just a cover. If Your Majesty hadn't seen this, she would have left incognito and would never have married into the Wan family."

"Then what about the man surnamed Bai? What is his purpose?"

"He also said that he had a grudge against Wanhaiying."

"He also has a grudge? Is that true or false?"

Han Ziren said: "I ordered someone to check the Wanhai Camp, maybe it is true. This Ministry of Revenue doctor used to be the co-magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture. He has a bad reputation as an official. He flatters his superiors, bullies his subordinates, and excludes dissidents. He is really not a good official."

"Oh?"

Of course, Zhu Houzhao did not ask why such a person could be transferred to the capital. There were too many bastards and beasts in the officialdom, and it was meaningless to blame the Ministry of Personnel or anyone else.

But looking at it this way now, it seems hard to say whether these people are right or wrong in trying to kill Wan Haiying.

"So what do they say now?"

Han Ziren said: "They all pleaded guilty and accepted the punishment."

Zhu Houzhao was silent for a moment, but when he glanced at Han Ziren, he saw that he seemed to be hesitant to speak, "What's wrong? Are you hiding something?"

"I dare not. But... Lin Qingyun refuses to plead guilty."

"Why?"

"I dare not say it." Han Ziren knelt down on one knee.

"There are only two of us here, just tell me."

"Then, I will tell you then."

"Ah."

"Your Majesty, I personally tried Lin Qingyun. She admitted all these things. The court wanted to kill her, but she refused to admit that she had broken the law. She also asked, for someone like her, her parents were killed, and her enemies were officials. If this method is not used, how can she appeal for her grievances?"

Zhu Houzhao opened his mouth slightly. He was not shocked, but a memory rushed into his mind.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person among the vast majority of people. He still had deep memories of the occasional injustice he faced and the powerlessness he felt.

Does he have any reason to forget these people as an emperor today? Or is it really okay to ignore the micro-tragedies of the people who died unjustly with a grand narrative like the prosperous years?

The emperor himself should be a cold and ruthless political calculation machine.

But as a human being, one cannot completely lose one's emotions. If one's heart is as hard as a robot, then the rise and fall of a nation and personal achievements are actually meaningless.

From a longer perspective,

Today this country is prosperous, tomorrow that country is powerful, what is the use? Time passes, and everything returns to dust.

So we should not think like this, because happiness is meaningful because of sadness, and glory is meaningful because of humiliation.

"Ziren, go and bring this girl here so I can see her."

Han Ziren was surprised, "Your Majesty, this woman is a criminal, and she is also a prostitute."

"Let's not talk about that." Zhu Houzhao sighed, "Just follow my orders, I am not confused."

(End of this chapter)