The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 431: Entering the Palace to Give Gifts
Before the emperor finished speaking, Wang Zhen felt a heat in the palm of his hand where he held the yellow talisman, and at the same time, a coolness on the back of his head. A mysterious feeling arose in his heart.

He was a little dazed for a moment, his brain and heart were in chaos, he had no idea what he was thinking, but his innate sense of crisis made his hair stand on end and his back feel cold. He came back to his senses in an instant and got out of this mysterious state.

He was anxious to see the emperor's reaction.

The emperor was lowering his eyes and putting away the yellow talisman in his hand. There was nothing unusual on his face. He breathed a sigh of relief, but was still uneasy.

Only Cao Jixiang, who was standing nearby, witnessed everything.

After the emperor finished reading that sentence, Wang Zhen stood there as if he had lost his soul. Then the emperor's face darkened and became much darker.

After just one glance, Cao Jixiang didn't dare to look again. Only after Wang Zhen made a noise did he dare to look up again. By then, the emperor's expression had returned to normal.

Looking at Wang Zhen who knew nothing, Cao Jixiang lowered his eyes and felt more respect for the emperor.

The emperor extended his hand to Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen came back to his senses instantly, and respectfully presented the yellow talisman that was pressed against the palm of his hand, but his eyes could not help but carefully trace the patterns on the talisman.

The emperor pretended not to see his gaze, put away the yellow talisman, turned around and said, "It's late, you can go now."

Wang Zhen's mouth moved, but he didn't dare to say a word. He bowed his head, saluted, and then walked away.

The emperor placed the two talismans on the table, staring blankly in silence.

Cao Jixiang stepped forward to serve tea, but did not dare to say anything. He gently put down the teacup, bowed and stepped aside.

This movement caught the emperor's attention, and he looked at him intently.

Cao Jixiang was startled, and he bent his knees and knelt silently on the ground.

Emperor: "How old was Cao Banban when he entered the palace?"

Cao Jixiang: "I entered the palace when I was seven years old."

"Do you remember your family?"

Cao Jixiang lowered his head and said, "I remember that my family came to find me a few years ago and we recognized each other."

"Where are they now?"

"I farm in my hometown," Cao Jixiang said. "Rural people only know how to farm. They are satisfied if they can have a piece of land to cultivate."

The emperor looked down at his frosted hair for a long time, and finally said, "Get up."

Cao Jixiang lowered his head and got up from the ground.

The emperor took out the last yellow talisman and asked, "Cao Banban, do you know the function of this yellow talisman?"

Cao Jixiang swallowed nervously and said softly, "Yes, I was serving His Majesty at that time."

"Let's give it a try." As soon as the words came out, the emperor felt more and more that this was the case.

He couldn't compare Wang Zhen and Queen Qian, after all, their identities were different.

The queen was his wife, so it was natural for her to love him. Wang Zhen...

The emperor looked deep in thought and planned to find a reference for him.

The emperor pulled Cao Jixiang to the window and put the yellow talisman in his hand.

Cao Jixiang caught it in panic, his hands shaking a little.

The emperor seemed to think that he was not scared enough, and said: "Don't worry, I have experience. The Moon Fairy told me that it can penetrate illusions and reach the heart, so you don't have to pretend. I will know whether you really love me or just flatter me."

The emperor stared at Cao Jixiang's face, waiting for him to get even more frightened, but Cao Jixiang suddenly calmed down.

Cao Jixiang's eyes were firm, and he held the yellow talisman in his hands, as respectful and obedient as before, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

At this moment, for Cao Jixiang, it was a great honor for him to be tested by the emperor.

The emperor's eyes were deep, and no one knew what he was thinking, but he did hold the main amulet in his hand and asked Cao Jixiang and the moon behind him: "Moon, moon, please tell me, how much do I occupy in his heart?"

The heat seeped into his palms, while the coolness pressed in from the back of his head. Cao Jixiang also entered a mysterious state. He felt that his heart was being peeled open layer by layer, revealing emotions that he had never noticed before...

When Cao Jixiang regained consciousness, the emperor had already put away the main talisman in his hand and was looking down at him.

Cao Jixiang was still holding the yellow talisman in his hand with great respect. When he met the emperor's gaze, he felt that the emperor seemed to be in a good mood. He immediately lowered his head and offered the yellow talisman in his hand, "Your Majesty."

The emperor took the yellow talisman and nodded, saying, "You are not bad."

Cao Jixiang breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion.

The emperor picked up all the yellow talismans and returned to Kunning Palace with the service of Cao Jixiang.

Queen Qian helped him change his clothes, and the emperor no longer needed Cao Jixiang to serve him. He waved at him and asked all the palace maids and eunuchs to leave.

Cao Jixiang led everyone to retreat, but did not dare to go far, and waited for instructions outside the hall.

The emperor placed the three talismans side by side, and placed the main talisman alone in the next row, then sat on the chair and stared at them.

Queen Qian hung up her coat, took an empty tea bowl and poured warm water for him. Seeing that he was staring at the yellow talisman again, she could not help but advise him, "Your Majesty, these things are unorthodox. You can play with them, but you must not indulge in them."

The emperor came back to his senses, "Do you know what this talisman is?"

"I don't know, but the spell you chanted is just like a child playing house. It can be played as a game, but it can't be truly believed."

Emperor: "Didn't you also say that when you held the yellow talisman, you had a strange feeling, as if your heart was being cut open and seen through?"

"Who knows if this yellow talisman is contaminated with some kind of hallucinogenic drug?" Queen Qian said, "Even if it is a true mysterious technique, this method should not be used too often, and it should not be trusted completely."

Emperor: “Why?”

Queen Qian: "I don't understand the great principles, but I know that our ancestors were great and wise, and had great knowledge. If the country could be governed by mysterious arts, why would Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Renzong have exhausted all their efforts?"

"Moreover, people change," Queen Qian said, "Take me for example. I am completely different today than I was before I entered the palace. I believe that I will be different today than I will be ten years from now. How can you use me today to judge me ten years from now?"

"Since I today cannot represent myself ten years later, I cannot represent myself tomorrow either," Queen Qian said gently, "Your Majesty has so many civil and military officials, and so many common people. Can you use this talisman every day to judge whether they are loyal to you?"

"And..." Queen Qian paused here.

When the emperor saw that she had stopped talking, he grabbed her hand and asked, "Is there anything we cannot talk about between husband and wife? And what is it?"

Queen Qian shook his hand and said, "Besides, governing a country cannot be completely equated with loyalty."

Queen Qian said, "I have little education, but I have heard my father mention that governing a country depends on how Your Majesty employs people."

"Whether they are good or bad, competent or incompetent officials, it all depends on whether Your Majesty can put them in the positions they should be in. For some official positions, the key is not whether they are loyal or not, but their ability."

The emperor seemed to be thinking about something.

Queen Qian stopped there and did not ask him in depth who he used the other two talismans on and what the results were.

She could feel the emperor's mood and knew that the test results must not be good. At least one of them was very bad, otherwise he would not be so unhappy.

Zhu Qizhen was indeed very unhappy.

Before handing the yellow talisman to Wang Zhen, he had actually been prepared, but he did not expect that result.

This yellow talisman was really interesting. He asked Queen Qian how much she loved him, and the response he got was that her heart was full of love, with only a few places for her father, brother and other relatives.

When he asked Wang Zhen, it was as if the other person's heart was being peeled open layer by layer in his mind. He first felt that he occupied a large position, and he could feel his position in Wang Zhen's heart.

But after his heart was peeled open layer by layer, Zhu Qizhen instantly "saw" one picture after another from Huang Fu.

After countless versions of him were peeled off, the underlying color revealed was Wang Zhen himself.

At that moment, Zhu Qizhen suddenly had a question: if the emperor was not him but someone else, how loyal would Wang Zhen be to him?

At that moment, he instantly got the answer from Huang Fu.

exactly the same!
In other words, Wang Zhen did not rely on him, but on the emperor, so if someone else became the emperor, he would still do the same.

That's why the yellow talisman peeled off layer after layer in his mind, and underneath it all was Wang Zhen himself.

What he loves most is himself, which occupies the vast majority, while the corners are filled with his wife, children, clansmen, and relatives...

And he, Zhu Qizhen, putting aside the disguised surface, was actually Wang Zhen's position at heart, and he himself only occupied a tiny space as small as a fingernail.

The opposite is Cao Jixiang.

However, he was only slightly relieved and not very happy.

He understood and comprehended Queen Qian's advice. If it were any other civil or military official, he would have reluctantly accepted it.

But the eunuchs can't do that.

Isn't loyalty the only thing they can give him?

Especially Wang Zhen.

He treated him as a teacher, a confidant, and a man he trusted as much as his father, but when he dug deep into his heart, he found out that this was the case.

Zhu Qizhen rolled up the yellow talisman on the table and tightened it involuntarily, feeling uncomfortable.

A sneer sounded softly in his ears. The emperor shuddered and stood up suddenly. "Who?"

Queen Qian, who was making the bed, was startled and turned around quickly, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Qizhen turned around and picked up the sword hanging on the wall behind him. He quickly walked to the queen's side to block her. His eyes swept across the palace like lightning and he said in a deep voice, "Who is so bold as to break into the palace at night?"

Queen Qian grabbed his sword-holding arm and looked over at the desk. The bedroom was empty and there was no sound at all. She was a little speechless and hit his arm, "You scared me again."

Zhu Qizhen himself began to doubt, "Did I hear it wrong?"

Queen Qian hit him again, "You're still scaring me."

"I didn't scare you," Zhu Qizhen was so anxious that he didn't even say "I" and said directly: "I really heard someone laughing in my ear."

Queen Qian frowned when she saw that he didn't seem to be joking, "Should we ask the Royal Guards to come in and check it out?"

Zhu Qizhen was about to nod when a breeze blew by, causing the gauze curtain to flutter and directly hit their faces.

Zhu Qizhen's heart trembled, and he turned his head suddenly, only to see that the window that had been closed had been opened at some point.

Queen Qian didn't think too much about it. She was frightened by the gauze curtain floating on her face, "Why didn't they close the window..."

Before she finished her words, she reacted and suddenly grabbed Zhu Qizhen's arm.

A thin young man with broad shoulders and a slim waist, about five feet tall, walked out from behind the pillar in the hall and bowed, saying, "Greetings to the Emperor and the Empress."

That's the path that leads directly to the door and the window.

Zhu Qizhen pulled Queen Qian behind him, unsheathed his sword half an inch, but did not shout, but asked in a stern voice: "Who are you?"

Pan Yun touched the long beard on his face and said, "I am a hermit who lives in seclusion from the world. Your Majesty can call me Sanshi."

Zhu Qizhen was stunned, "What?"

Pan Yun: "The three in one two three, the corpse in corpse, is that hard to remember?"

Zhu Qizhen looked gloomy, sheathed his sword, and asked, "Are you a Taoist priest?"

Pan Yun flatly denied: "No."

"That's it. If you're not a Taoist priest, why do you have the name of the Three Corpses?" Zhu Qizhen was very unhappy and asked, "How did you get into the palace? How dare you enter the palace?"

"I flew in by stepping on the roof," Pan Yun said, "because I had three treasures to present to the emperor. There were too many corrupt officials outside, and the eunuchs were collecting extortionate taxes. I didn't dare to give them to them, so I personally brought them into the palace to present to the emperor."

Because it was just a one-time identity, Pan Yun spoke his mind and was not afraid of angering the emperor.

Zhu Qizhen was indeed very angry, and his face turned red.

For an emperor, being accused of having too many corrupt officials and extorting heavy taxes from eunuchs is equivalent to pointing at the emperor and saying that he is incompetent and stupid.

The young emperor naturally refused to accept this and was filled with anger.

But he temporarily suppressed his anger and asked with a glare, "What's the courtesy?"

Pan Yun reached behind the pillar and took out the two coral trees. "This is the first gift, a priceless coral tree."

Zhu Qizhen didn't know that there were two coral trees in Wang Zhen's secret room, and he didn't care that these two were those two.

After all, Wang Zhen wanted to carry all the treasures directly into the palace to present them, which would be more shocking than describing it in words and could better represent his determination.

Who knew that the treasure flew away halfway, and Wang Zhen didn't dare to mention it.

So when Zhu Qizhen saw this coral tree that was as red as blood, crystal clear and of high quality, he was stunned for a moment.

Is this really a gift for him?
Zhu Qizhen calmed down a little.

Zhu Qizhen was easy to please, and just as easy to please was Queen Qian.

Having gained the advantage from others, she no longer felt so disgusted with the young man who broke into the harem at night. She gently stroked Zhu Qizhen's arm to comfort him.

Zhu Qizhen put down his sword and asked, "Why are you giving me this gift?"

Pan Yun stroked his beard and asked, "Your Majesty, why didn't you ask me what the other two gifts were?"

Zhu Qizhen patiently asked, "What are your other two gifts?"

Pan Yun quickly pulled out a list from his sleeve and said, "A certain amount of grain, a certain amount of cloth, and a certain amount of copper coins."

Queen Qian was stunned for a moment and was about to step forward to take the list, but was stopped by Zhu Qizhen. He strode forward and grabbed the list himself.

Queen Qian hurriedly trotted to catch up and pulled the emperor back, fearing that Pan Yun would suddenly attack.

Pan Yun leaned against the pillar with his arms folded, and was very friendly to Queen Qian: "Don't worry, your Majesty, I came to the palace to give you a gift, and I will not harm your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen quickly scanned the list, and took the time to look up at him with a frown. Seeing that he was looking at Queen Qian with a gentle and joyful expression, his brows furrowed even more.

Pan Yun met his gaze and commented enviously, "Emperor, you have a good queen. The emperor of your Ming Dynasty is really lucky. The probability of having a virtuous queen is the highest."

Zhu Qizhen raised his chin and said, "Of course, from Empress Xiaoci Gao to my empress, they are all virtuous empresses."

Pan Yun just smiled and continued to talk to Queen Qian, "I heard what your majesty said to the emperor just now. You are right. Metaphysics cannot be used to govern a country. All knowledge in the world can be used in governing a country, and they are all auxiliary. The real knowledge of governing a country lies in the way of employing people and the will of the people."

　Only 4,000 words tonight
　　
　
(End of this chapter)