Chapter 540: The Prelude to the Emperor

When Tang Feng entered the capital, it was the morning when the ministers entered the palace to attend the morning court. Due to the system, Tang Feng could not go home first, but should go to the palace to meet the saint first. When they broke up, Liu Hui looked at her husband worriedly. Although he had not said anything, as a wife, she could still clearly feel his worries.

Seeing that his wife was worried about him, Tang Feng smiled and said, "Don't worry, the eunuch party was so powerful that it was difficult for me when it was so powerful. Naturally, nothing will happen now. You and Chuo'er were also exhausted. Go home and wash up well and have a rest."

Liu Hui opened her mouth and finally nodded and said, "I'm waiting for you to come back for dinner at home." As she said that, she resolved her doubts and waited for a group of people to go home, while Tang Feng took a few guards straight to the palace.

In the hall, the officials were each carrying some things they thought were more important. After getting used to Chongzhen's habits, these officials no longer dared to be as lazy as usual. They only thought about how to profit from it. It would be impossible for the people who were not resigned by the emperor until now. At this time, another censor mentioned the matter in Zhejiang: "Your Majesty, Tang Feng killed many officials in Zhejiang this time, which made the various yamen in Zhejiang still unable to operate normally, causing the local people to lose their support. It is really unforgivable to forgive him. I also asked the emperor to issue an imperial edict early and convict him!"

His words aroused the unanimous agreement of other officials. In their eyes, Tang Feng, a person who made his fortune by relying on the eunuch party but later became enemies with the eunuch party and gained his current status by stepping on the eunuch party, was really a loss of virtue. In the past, because he had no handle in their hands and the emperor's trust, he had no choice but to deal with him. But now that the matter in Zhejiang is naturally enough to deal with him, these officials will of course not let them go.

When Chongzhen heard them mention this matter again, a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes. Although he was the emperor, some things were not completely decided by him. This is where the Ming Dynasty was very different from the Qing Dynasty in later generations. At this time, someone from outside came in and said, "Emperor, Tang Feng, the Jinyiwei General, returned to the capital to reply to the imperial edict, and is now waiting outside the hall."

"Hmm?" Chongzhen said after being slightly stunned: "Super him come in."

Entering the hall, Tang Feng respectfully performed the great ceremony of kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times and said: "Long live my elders, long live my emperor, long live my life! I am ordered to go to Jiangnan to investigate the administration of the government, and now I am back to hand in my mission!"

"Please be calm. I heard that you have done a big thing in Zhejiang and killed more than ten officials below the governor in public. Is this a matter?" Chongzhen looked at Tang Feng and asked. With his words, the eyes of the officials in the hall bet on Tang Feng, waiting for his answer.

After being gathered by everyone's eyes, Tang Feng felt a little uncomfortable all over, but he still forced himself to wake up and said, "If you go back to the emperor, I did kill a group of officials below Zhang Siyuan, the governor of Zhejiang in Hangzhou. However, these people commit crimes against the national law, and they are not worth mercy..."

"Emperor, even if these officials have made great mistakes, they should be handled by the laws of our court. They should be handed over to the three courts to convict them, and the Ministry of Justice will be sentenced to death before they can be killed. But Tang Feng did this without warning. Although he was talking about maintaining the laws and regulations, he actually destroyed the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Please ask the emperor to sage!" Before Tang Feng finished speaking, the official from the Ministry of Justice stepped forward and made a speech.

With this person at the beginning, other people will naturally not be lenient, especially those censors, who are even more impeached Tang Feng’s faults, as if they can’t see anyone without using him.

Even Tang Feng, who was mentally prepared at the same time, was unable to resist it, so he simply stopped defending and stood there waiting for the emperor to make a decision. Chongzhen felt even more helpless when he saw that Tang Feng had no intention of refuting these people. It turned out that he thought at least Tang Feng could come up with some reasons. Now it seemed that he could only follow the wishes of the ministers. After everyone said a pause, Chongzhen said: "I have made a decision. Although what Tang Feng did in Zhejiang this time was to correct our country's laws, his methods were indeed excessive and were incompatible with the system. In order not to destroy the strict laws of our Ming Dynasty, I will first dismiss his position as the Tongzhi of the Jinyiwei and wait until everything was found out. Tang Feng, you should stay at home in close contact from today."

"I... thank you!" Tang Feng answered in discomfortably, then took off the official hat on his head. As for the flying fish suit on his body, he had to wait until he got home before taking it off, otherwise it would be too impolite. Even though Tang Feng knew that he might have such a result, when he really reached this point, he still felt very uncomfortable. After leaving the palace, Tang Feng's steps became a little heavy. He didn't know what kind of trouble he would encounter, and he had no original official position, so why would he protect himself?

He walked to the palace gate in disappointment and hesitation. When Tang Feng was about to go out, an urgent call came from behind: "Is the one in front of him Mr. Tang Feng?" Tang Feng heard that someone still called him that, just thinking that the officials wanted to humiliate him, he turned his head angrily and wanted to glar at each other, but saw that it was an eunuch in the palace. When the eunuch saw Tang Feng turn his head, he knew that he must be the one he was looking for, so he hurriedly chased him and said, "Please stay with him, Lord Tang!"

"Dadfather-in-law, why are you... looking for a book... to do the next thing?" Because you are not an official, Tang Feng had to change his claim. Tang Feng was still very curious about the purpose of the eunuch in front of him.

The eunuch came to Tang Feng, lowered his voice and said, "Master Tang, the emperor asked you to go to the Marquis of Xinuan Pavilion now."

"Ah?" After a little stunned, Tang Feng's face showed a clear look and nodded, "Yes, I'll go now."

Xihunting Pavilion was often visited before Tang Feng left Beijing and returned to his hometown, so no one needed to lead the way. After nearly a quarter of an hour, he came to the place where the emperor usually rested and reviewed memorials. Obviously, the emperor had conveyed his meaning, so the guards and eunuchs did not have any obstacles to Tang Feng, a foreign minister.

When he entered the inside, before the emperor arrived, Tang Feng simply sat on the Jindun beside him to rest. He had been busy with boating these days, but he had not had a good rest. In addition, he was not very etiquette, and even in the palace, Tang Feng would not be very reserved, let alone there were no other people here.

After waiting for a while, there was a sound of footsteps outside. Tang Feng stood up and stood respectfully in front of the door. He knew that it must be Chongzhen who had come to see him in the morning court. It was indeed Chongzhen who came. He nodded to Tang Feng's greetings, and then waved his hand and said, "Okay, you all retreat." After the eunuchs obeyed the orders, he said to Tang Feng, "You sit too." As he said that, he sat on the seat behind the Dragon Case first.

After thanking him, Tang Feng sat back to where he was just now. It was much closer to the emperor than in the hall, so Chongzhen's somewhat haggard expression also penetrated Tang Feng's eyes. It can be seen that the emperor's life in the past six months was not a bad thing for him. With day and night, Chongzhen was nearly five years older than when he was the King of Trustees.

When Tang Feng looked at Chongzhen, he was also looking at the other party. Suddenly he said, "Yizhi, you won't blame me for making such a decision and depriving you of your official position, right?"

"I don't dare." Tang Feng hurriedly replied respectfully: "When I learned that the adults in the court were criticizing my actions in Zhejiang, I knew that there would be such a day."

"Hey... why are you so Menglang? No matter what you are doing, you can't make decisions so well. Those are the senior officials of my Ming Dynasty. Even if I want to kill them, you have to think twice before you can succeed. But you..." Chongzhen's words were filled with some discomfort and regret.

Tang Feng said, "Emperor, although I did this wrong, I do not regret it. If I ask me to choose again, I will still choose to kill all these people without asking for permission."

"Why is this?" Chongzhen was stunned by his words and asked subconsciously.

"Because they are all damn people. Emperor, these officials are not very careful in taking the salary of the court, and they also have to greed for the local government's silver to protect the river, and even other funds. In order to cover up their mistakes, they were furious to let the officers and soldiers break the river embankment, causing the people of a county to lose their homes and hundreds of people to die in the flood..."

"What? There is such a thing?" Chongzhen asked in surprise. Although he knew that the officials in Zhejiang were at great fault, the details were unknown. Although Tang Feng had ordered someone to send the things he wrote to the emperor before, because of the busy daily affairs, the emperor had not read them until now, so these were unexpected for him.

"I dare not deceive the emperor. This matter is absolutely true. I have been to Jiande County, which has suffered from difficulties and witnessed the suffering of the people there." Tang Feng said as he said, he told everything he saw, including those who wanted to use the officers and soldiers in his hands to do things that were not good for him in the end. Everything happened made the emperor angry: "But it turns out that this is the case. These people not only care about human lives, but also have bad intentions. They are really worthy of death!" But after saying this a few times, Chongzhen still said: "But despite this, what you did is still too hasty. Now the ministers in the court attacked you with this point. Even if I am, it is not easy to protect you too much."

"I understand that the emperor did not convict me on the spot this time, and I am already very grateful." Tang Feng said hurriedly.

"It would be great that you can understand my hard work. This way, you are fighting with the White Lotus Sect again this time, and eliminated corrupt officials. It is not considered a rest. This time you can just think that being dismissed is a rest for a while. You are the minister I trust most. After the matter is over, I will still re-appoint you." Chongzhen said this and thought of one thing: "In fact, although the position of the Tongzhi of the Jinyiwei is of high power, it is not a good way after all. I have long thought of changing the place for you. This time, as they meant, I took your post in the Jinyiwei."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Tang Feng didn't expect the emperor to have such thoughts, so he stood up and bowed with gratitude and said.

"However, this Jinyiwei is also an important yamen in the Ming Dynasty. There must be a trustworthy person in charge. Yizhi, you have been there for a long time, do you think which person is more suitable to replace you?"|

"This... if you talk about abilities, the abilities of several thousand households are not the same, but if it comes to the foundation of the Jinyiwei, I think Luo Yang is the most suitable." Tang Feng said after thinking for a while: "His father Luo Sigong was the commander of the Jinyiwei. Because he has already been a Jinyiwei Qianwei, he is very supportive of some people. If he was in charge of the Jinyiwei's affairs, no one would have expressed his dissatisfaction."

"Okay! Then I will issue an order to promote him to the Admiral of Jinyi. By the way, I heard that a Qianhu named Lu An has always been very capable by your side. How do you plan to resettle him?" Tang Feng was shocked by the emperor's sudden question. He couldn't guess why the emperor mentioned this person to him. Are you still guarded against him? But he still honestly said: "Lu An is a smart person, a very vulgar martial arts, and has always been a bad person in the Jinyiwei, so I think it's better to let him continue to serve in the Jinyiwei."

"Then do you think you should be promoted to him?" the emperor asked with a smile.

This made Tang Feng even more puzzled. He had to say, "Everything is left to the emperor's holy decision!"

"Then you will be promoted to commander. He has done a lot of things for you and made great contributions. You can't let these people feel disappointed. Although you are no longer in the Jinyiwei, you always have to leave some of this kind of friendship."

"I thank the emperor for his kindness for his promotion on behalf of them!" Tang Feng said thankfully again. At this time, Tang Feng had vaguely felt the difference between Chongzhen and the past. He had completely entered the state that he should have in the role of emperor. He knew how to win people's hearts and temptation. Only such an emperor could have the power of the ruler and convince the ministers below. Otherwise, a person like Wei Zhongxian might appear again.

"Okay, let's leave the matter of the Jinyiwei to them in the future. You can rest at home for a while. When the matter fades, I will use you again." The emperor's words meant to make Tang Feng retreat. But Tang Feng suddenly thought of another thing. He had to leave the court in a short time, so he had to report to the emperor first.

"Your Majesty, I have another important matter that I need to report."

"Oh, come and listen." Although he was a little confused, the emperor still allowed him to speak.

"This time I went to Jiangnan, and I met an old friend. From him, I got this book." As he said that, Tang Feng took out the book "Sharp Artifacts" that had been in his arms and handed it to the Dragon Case: "This book records how to make better firearms like today. If used properly, it will definitely greatly strengthen the combat power of our Ming army. Even if the Jin people come to attack each other again, we will not be inferior."

Chongzhen raised his eyebrows and immediately opened the book and read it. However, his knowledge of firearms was almost gone, and the things written on it were too professional, so he naturally could not understand it. "Can you be sure that what is written on it can really improve my Ming firearms?" Finally, the emperor asked in confusion.

"The person who wrote this book is the father of my good friend. He was a craftsman in the Shenji Camp of the Ming Dynasty, and later he returned to his hometown because he was excluded. However, as far as I know, this person was the most capable among the craftsmen at the time. Since he dared to write this book, he must have a certain confidence. Of course, it would be even more safe to find some craftsmen who are good at making firearms to verify this." Tang Feng spoke without saying anything. After all, he was also a layman in the manufacturing of this firearm.

"Well, if it can be as you said, this is indeed a very beneficial thing for my Ming Dynasty. Then I will hand it over to the Shenji Camp, let them verify it first, and then put it into reality. If this book can really strengthen the military strength of my Ming Dynasty, it will be like making military achievements, and your friends will definitely be rewarded."

After explaining what he should say, Tang Feng retreated. In fact, there was one thing he wanted to say in his heart, which was about the sea ban, but after thinking about it, he gave up. It has been two hundred years since the Ming Dynasty Guanhai, and it is not something that he can change by just a small minister. Before there is no suitable time, putting forward this view will only make people object, and it will be even more difficult to mention it in the future.

Now as long as you guard the northern border defense first, and then Chongzhen can work hard to govern, the Ming Dynasty is safe for the time being, so it doesn’t matter even if you really can’t do anything for the time being.

After leaving the palace and returning home, Liu Hui was still worried about waiting for his arrival. It was not until she saw her husband coming home safely that she felt at ease and ordered people to serve food and drinks. Tang Feng knew that this time he was dismissed from his official position, and sooner or later everyone in the family would know, so he told him on the dinner table.

When he heard this, the waiter who was on the side showed anger and even Liu Hui said sadly: "The husband has done so many things for the court, but in the end it is... really disappointing."

"There are always ups and downs in life, and there is no reason to always take advantage of me. This time I am nothing. I was just dismissed from my official position, and the emperor did not let me leave Beijing. I believe I will get up again soon, so I will naturally make some achievements. Okay, don't be upset for me. During this period, I happen to have a good rest at home. To be honest, let me go to court before dawn every day. I would rather be an ordinary person at home." Tang Feng said with a smile and comforted them.

ps: Still a big chapter~~~~~*** Please collect it
Chapter completed!