Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 126

Chapter 126 Monarch Prelude To
Although he was at the end of the group of officials, because of the sound amplification effect on the Fengtian Sect Square and the fact that the officials did not make any noise, Lu Zhen could still hear the conversation of the high-ranking officials in front of him clearly.

Hearing that Zou Fang’s words were undeniably irrefutable, Lu Zhen unconsciously felt a little anxious. If the other party sees that everything is in his control, he doesn’t want to cause any complications for himself. But it would be troublesome. What was even more troublesome was that he had already let Lin Lie’s camera take action when he left, so there was no turning back. Once Wang Zhen’s plan could not be destroyed, there would be no chance in the future.

Just as he was worried about his gains and losses, but he was helpless, Lu Zhen suddenly heard his name being called in front of him. He actually announced that he had come forward to reply. This caused his spirit to tremble, and at the same time, he felt a burst of unjustified nervousness in his heart.

This was going to play face-to-face with Emperor at the court meeting. It was a lie to not panic. Before he crossed over, Lu Zhen was just a young man with little experience. Even though he had experienced a lot since he came to this era, this was the first time he had encountered such a grand scene. The tension caused by strangeness instantly filled his entire chest, and he couldn’t even remember how he had walked out of the queue.

What made Lu Zhen even more nervous was the jealous and vigilant gazes he faced when he came out. These gazes landed on his body one by one as if they had substance, making his movements even more stiff. Only with great self-control would he be able to move forward steadily.

Most likely, the officials standing in the queue were all of low status, and many of them had wasted many years in this small official position, so it would be difficult for them to go out and say a few words in such an occasion for the rest of their lives. But now, Lu Zhen, such a small county magistrate, was personally selected by Emperor to reply. How could this not make people feel envious and jealous from the bottom of their hearts?

Moreover, what he wanted to say this time was about the use of troops in the north. It was an idea that ran counter to the interests and views of almost all the civil servants. Naturally, it was even more annoying.

Facing countless hostile gazes, Lu Zhen finally walked behind a few high-ranking officials. After pausing for a moment, he paid his respects and said, “Long live my emperor! Long live my emperor! Long live my emperor!” As he spoke, his entire body crawled on the ground paved with white marble.

The originally quiet scene finally produced a buzzing sound because of his words and deeds. It was the snickering and sighing of many officials. Many gazes at him were filled with contempt and contempt. Many people had branded him in their hearts, “This is just a crafty and petty person wagging his tail and begging for mercy!”

This was also Lu Zhen’s panic, subconsciously learning from the scenes he had seen in movies and TV dramas in the past to pay his respects. But in fact, such behavior only spread in the later braid dynasties. As for the current Great Ming Dynasty, it was far from being so humble between the monarchs and subjects.

At this moment, the officials were still somewhat arrogant in their hearts. Even if they were to face Emperor, they still had an independent personality and firmly defended the bottom line. It was said that the Great Ming Dynasty was the world of the Zhu Clan, but it was better to say that this was the world held by both the monarchs and officials. To make an analogy, if the braided dynasty was a family dictatorship, Daming would be a joint venture. The Ming Dynasty emperor was more of a chairman than a president who held all the power, and the monarchs and ministers were more of a cooperative relationship.

Although the officials would also hold the courtesy of a monarch, looking at it like this was no different from throwing oneself into the ground. Unless they made a big mistake, no one would do it in public, because it was too damaging to their dignity and the dignity of their officials.

Not only were the officials beside him cursing, but even the orthodox emperor had a surprised expression on his face. After a long while, he coughed dryly and said, “You … lean up.”

After Lu Zhen bowed down and heard the commotion coming from the surroundings, he realized that he had gone overboard. But now, there was nothing that could be changed. He could only bite the bullet and kowtow again, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness.” Only then did he slowly stand up, and at the same time, he looked up carefully, and looked at the famous captive Emperor in history.

There were only three emperors who had truly unified the world and were captured by the enemy after thousands of years of the Chinese nation. They were Emperor Huiqin and Emperor Zhu Qizhen of the Northern Song Dynasty and the orthodox emperor Zhu Qizhen of the Great Ming Dynasty.

The first two of them were the Sovereigns of Destruction. It was fine that the Golden Armaments had captured Bianliang City before falling into the hands of the enemy. However, Zhu Qizhen was lucky that he had actually been sent to the door to be captured by others. He had truly disgraced his two ancestors.

Of course, losing face was secondary, his capture had a crucial impact on the future policies of Great Ming. It could be said that many of Da Tomorrow’s children were trapped in the small city of Beijing for the rest of their lives, all thanks to this orthodox emperor.

Lu Zhen had a lot of thoughts about Emperor, who had changed the situation of the Ming Dynasty by himself. However, when he saw this person’s appearance from a close distance, he was stunned. The current Zhu Qizhen was too young. Seeing that he was several years younger than him, his face was filled with all the green emotions and excitement of a young man. His eyes were gentle and filled with a bit of courage.

This was clearly a passionate and ambitious young man. Evidently, he had made those decisions to follow his ancestors’ ideals. It was only because he was deceived by Wang Zhen, who he trusted the most, that he ended up in such a tragic situation. After thinking through all this, Lu Zhen’s prejudice against him lessened a lot. His gaze lowered again and he put on a respectful look.

After a few glances at Lu Zhen, the orthodoxy asked with great interest, “You are the county magistrate who led hundreds of soldiers and civilians to defend the city at Guang Ling City several months ago?”

After the initial panic, Lu Zhen finally regained his composure. He immediately replied in a clear voice, “Your Majesty is referring to this lowly official. However, this lowly official did not dare to take credit. The reason why we were able to retreat in this battle was due to the concerted efforts of the army and the people in the city. Afterwards, the Datong Military Horse came to save us in time. Only then did we defend Guanling City.”

“If you can think like that, you really have the style of an ancient gentleman.” Emperor nodded to him with satisfaction, “Today, I declare that you have come forward to answer the question of the invasion of Mongolia. Since you are an official in the border area, you must have a better understanding of the Mongols. I would like to hear your opinion on whether or not to send troops.”

Lu Zhen bowed again and was about to say something. But before he could say anything, a voice rang out, “Wait a moment, Your Majesty, I have something to say.”

Emperor turned to look and saw that it was Minister of War Xu Xi who spoke again. This caused him to be slightly stunned, and he even frowned imperceptibly. However, he still had a good temper and asked, “What does Minister Xu have to say?”

“This official thinks that the Imperial Court can decide on matters of importance to the military kingdom. Why bother asking a small rank seven county magistrate? Once this matter is spread, I’m afraid that everyone in the world will laugh at me for not having anyone in the Imperial Court!” As she spoke, Xu Xi glanced at Lu Zhen with disdain.

Once these words were spoken, Lu Zhen was lucky. He knew that there would definitely be people who would raise objections in the previous dynasty before he revealed his identity, so it was reasonable for him to question his identity. However, some people didn’t look at Xu Xi like that. For example, Wang Zhen, who was beside Emperor, saw that his expression sank. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Xu Xi fiercely. It was obvious that he hated Xu Xi.

Although Lu Zhen could understand the other party’s reaction, he was not a person willing to suffer a loss. ‘”Minister Xu’s words are wrong,” he said with a smile. “Master Xu once said that there is no order in learning, and those who have reached are masters. This is also common here. Although I dare not boast about my understanding of the Mongols in the north, I’m afraid that none of you here really understand it better than me.”

The moment he said this, there was an uproar, not only because of Lu Zhen’s big tone, but also because of his playful words. Some people couldn’t help but laugh because of this, but they were even more dissatisfied. This was a great disrespect to Sage Kong.

Seeing this, Zou Fang, Wang Zhen, and the others felt extremely happy. They felt that they had indeed found the right person this time. This Lu Zhen was truly a bold person. He actually dared to directly choke with the Minister of Military Affairs as a rank seven county magistrate.

Xu Xi’s face turned red and she glared at Lu Zhen angrily, “You are really arrogant in your words. Could it be that you have ignored all the officials of the Imperial Court just because you made a small contribution?”

“I don’t dare, but what Xiaoguan said is the truth!” Lu Zhen looked at him with neither excitement nor contempt. At this moment, he no longer looked as reserved and nervous as before.

“Hmph, you’re just talking nonsense. You’re just watching the sky from the well!” Just as Minister Xu was about to teach this ignorant junior a lesson, Emperor finally said, “Minister Xu, let’s hear what Lu Zhen said first. After all, he really came from Shanxi and has just fought with the Mongols.”

Even if Xu Xi wanted to say something else, she could only bear with the Emperor’s words, “I will obey the decree.”

However, many officials nearby felt their hearts tighten. Obviously, Wang Zhen, the eunuch, had already done his job in Emperor. Now, he just wanted to find a more reasonable excuse. What made one feel helpless was that everyone was completely unprepared because of the sudden occurrence of this matter, and they didn’t even have the confidence to retort. What could be done about this?

“Lu Zhen, tell me, what exactly are the Mongols in the north? How should I, Daming, deal with them?” Zhu Qizhen’s eyes landed on Lu Zhen again and asked in a warm voice.

At this moment, a ray of sunlight that had just risen from the east shone on Lu Zhen’s face, causing him to involuntarily narrow his eyes. Afterwards, a faint smile appeared on his face, “This official obeys the decree!”