Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 431 Prince Su is a famous general in the world

January 8

Yingtian. Honglu Temple

This government office was in charge of court meetings, guests, auspicious and inauspicious events, and ceremonies. It was one of the five temples of the imperial court and an important part of the court.

But this government office is different from others. The existence of the Six Ministries can help Beijing to deal with some things, but all the powers and responsibilities of the Honglu Temple are closely centered around the emperor. Since the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, the Honglu Temple in Yingtian has completely become a decoration.

It's true that things change over time.

The fall of Beijing finally gave the various government offices in Yingtian an opportunity to play a role, and the Honglu Temple also had an opportunity to play a role.

At this time, the reception hall was brightly lit, with lanterns of various shapes hanging high on the beams, emitting a soft light.

Eunuchs and palace maids were also busy shuttling between the tables, and every time a guest put down his wine glass, someone would quietly and silently fill it up.

To be honest, such a scene has not appeared in the reception hall for hundreds of years. Although the Ming Dynasty put on such a grand scene, the atmosphere at the banquet seemed quite weird.

"Today's banquet is to welcome the Ryukyu envoys. Please drink this cup with me!"

Looking at the tables set up in the pavilion, Qian Qianyi's eyes couldn't help but flash with worry, but in such an occasion, the worry was only fleeting. Then he picked up the wine glass and said something to everyone present.

According to common sense, it is impossible for someone of his status to personally host a welcoming banquet for a Ryukyu envoy.

But a few days ago, some rumors arose in the city. Then Wang Zhengzhi, who was sent by the Qing court to negotiate peace, broke his usual habit and kept asking to return. Qian Qianyi and others finally decided to test the waters after discussion, which led to tonight's banquet.

Wang Zhengzhi was a Jinshi in the first year of Chongzhen, and later he was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of supervising the transportation of goods in the western route.

Such people who had received the emperor's favor not only surrendered directly to the Qing court after the Tartars entered the pass, but this time they also served as the Tartars' chief envoys for peace talks, trying to seek a split rule with the Ming Dynasty.

Honestly speaking, there were actually quite a few people in the court who supported this peace condition, but since His Majesty had been winning battles in the front, he was openly indifferent to this rebellion.

just
Alas~~~~~.

Qian Qianyi looked at everyone present with a smile on his face, but his real attention was always on Wang Zhengzhi, who had a sneer on his face. If the Ryukyu envoy had not stood up, he would have even wanted to pry open his heart to see whether the rumor was true or not.

"I, on behalf of our prince, would like to thank you, Lord, for your hospitality."

The Ryukyu envoy's performance was appropriate. He said thank you and poured the wine in the cup into his mouth with great gratitude. After that, everyone present behaved in the same way, and the atmosphere in the pavilion relaxed.

Although the small court in Yingtian was built in a hurry, it was based on the various government offices in Yingtian. After the opening wine was drunk, there were singing and dancing performances. However, the Ryukyu envoys, as the guests of honor, had no intention of enjoying them.

The envoy's name was Jin Yingyuan, and he was the chief minister of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

He had been sent by the Crown Prince of Ryukyu the year before to report the death of the former king of Ryukyu to the Celestial Empire. However, the peasant army was about to reach Beijing at that time, so he had to stay in Fuzhou and was not allowed to enter Beijing.

It is not difficult to imagine what happened next. When Hongguang succeeded to the throne in Yingtian, they reported the news to their own country and took on the task of congratulating him. However, the small court of Hongguang, which had only lasted for a year, was plagued by internal and external troubles, so no one paid any attention to them except leaving them in Yingtian. Their vassal state delegation had been staying there until this time.

"Mr. Zhengyi, the envoys from the Qing Kingdom are here today, so we should not be too attentive."

Just when Jin Yingyuan was thinking about the current situation, the deputy envoy beside him whispered this. After hearing this, Jin Yingyuan just nodded slightly, and it was unknown whether he had some resistance in his heart or was afraid of attracting Wang Zhengzhi's attention.

Ryukyu has always admired the glory of the Ming Dynasty, and its officials have all received orthodox Chinese education.

Deep down, neither the chief envoy Jin Yingyuan nor the deputy envoy had a good impression of the Tartars who were committing treason.

But the situation is stronger than the people.

Ever since Japan was severely punished by the Ming Dynasty, those extremist people simply closed their country to the outside world.

But that broken island had nothing, and even the necessities of life had to be obtained from the Ming Dynasty. So after several battles, the Satsuma Domain sent more than a thousand ronin to control the Ryukyu Palace, and paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty in the name of Ryukyu.

In the original history, the Ming Dynasty fell within a few years, and the Tartars were unable to influence the affairs at sea. Ryukyu, whose entire royal family was controlled, could only accept this matter with a pinch of the nose, until it was completely annexed by Japan several hundred years later.

Having said that, the current Ming Dynasty is different from the original one after all. The Ming Emperor not only recaptured Taiwan, but also sent a fleet to the Western territory to show off his power.

Seeing this situation, the Ryukyu delegation wanted to report the facts to the Ming Emperor, but who would have thought
Alas~~~~~~, the country’s destiny is no longer safe.

With a heavy sigh in his heart, Jin Yingyuan looked absentmindedly at the dancing singer. When his eyes swept over, he saw that Lord Qian had already walked to the side of the Qing envoy.

Faced with this extremely unusual situation, not only did Jin Yingyuan look away, but everyone in the pavilion also seemed to pretend not to see it.

After all, the Ming Dynasty was rotten from the inside out. If it weren't for the new emperor's wisdom and power, it's possible that all of them would have arrived in Beijing.

Now that the situation has already experienced major twists and turns, the fate of the Ming Dynasty will only last for a few years. I just don't know whether this trusted minister of the Ming Emperor is trying to turn the situation around or planning a retreat for himself in advance.

As time went by, the singing and dancing in the venue had changed twice. At this time, a eunuch hurriedly walked into the hall, and then walked around to the side of Lord Qian.

"Pavilion"

"Can't you see I'm talking?!"

The eunuch just uttered a word, and Qian Qianyi frowned and began to scold him. Then the eunuch was so scared that he knelt on the ground, while Wang Zhengzhi began to speak in a sarcastic tone.

"As the Prime Minister of a country, how can you be so impatient?" As he said this, Wang Zhengzhi slowly raised the wine glass in front of him, as if he didn't notice that Qian Qianyi's face had turned pale.

To be honest, he was extremely resistant to the assignment of going south to negotiate peace.

All in all, the little emperor in the south was winning victory after victory on the battlefield at that time. It was simply a pipe dream to want to divide the country and rule under such circumstances.

What's more, he only donated fifty taels when Chongzhen was raising funds, and later he surrendered first to the bandits and then to the Tartars. If the young emperor knew this, even if the two countries were at war and did not kill envoys as a precaution, his life would not be safe.

But then again, he was just a surrendered minister after all. Now that his master had spoken, what else could he do but obey the order?
It was not difficult to imagine what would happen next. He was ignored when he arrived in Yingtian. Whenever he mentioned Beijing's intentions to others, he would be ridiculed and mocked in various ways, until he received intelligence about Hanzhong a few days ago. "It's not a skill to vent your anger on a small eunuch."

After taking a sip of the wine in the glass, Wang Zhengzhi laughed and mocked again, then he raised his chin slightly towards the young eunuch, and then looked at Qian Qianyi with a slight provocation.

Faced with such an arrogant Wang Zhengzhi, Qian Qianyi finally suppressed his anger.

Although nothing out of the ordinary has happened in Yingtian City in the past few days, the weirdness of the situation is not enough to describe it as undercurrents.

Some were planning to collude with the Tartars, some were preparing to negotiate peace with the Tartars, and some had even colluded with the princes, intending to follow the example of Emperor Jing after the collapse of the sky.

Faced with such a situation, he took various measures to deal with it.

However, a new emperor appoints new ministers. If the crisis is not resolved before it gets out of control, His Majesty's confidants like them will probably not have a good ending.

Therefore, in the past two days, he has been trying to verify the accuracy of the rumors while trying to collude with the Qing court.

But this moment, that moment.

Wang Zhengzhi had obviously verified the authenticity of the news. Not only did he not show any respect to Qian Qianyi, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, but he even acted bossy, which made Qian Qianyi extremely angry.

"Tell me what's going on."

But after three or two breaths, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty finally regained some of his former composure. After he finished speaking, the young eunuch answered in a trembling voice.

"The eldest lady of Duke Wei's mansion went to the camp in the north of the city."

Miss?
Camp in the north of the city?

At this time, Qian Qianyi was so angry at Wang Zhengzhi that his head was buzzing. He didn't react for a long time after hearing what he said. At the same time, the smug guy sneered, and it was unclear whether he was mocking Qian Qianyi's performance or making fun of something else.

"What are you talking about, Miss Eldest, Miss Second! Are you bothering me with such matters?!"

A loud shout was heard, and not only did the dancers in the pavilion stop in fear, but everyone present also openly turned their attention over.

Qian Qianyi's loss of composure was only caused by his surging anger. He realized the meaning of the words in a moment. But when he was about to find a secluded place to ask about the whole story, the young eunuch was so scared that he started to explain.

"Lord! She wants to save His Majesty!"

Hiss~~~~~
As this voice was heard, there were several sounds of people gasping for air in the pavilion. Then Qian Qianyi closed his eyes in despair, as if this sentence had extinguished his last hope.

There are some things that even if everyone knows may be true, they will turn a deaf ear to it until it is put on the table.

Even at this time, the fact that the Emperor Ming was surrounded by the Tartars in Hanzhong had been confirmed from many channels, but at the moment no Ming court official would dare to put this matter on the table openly.

This is the opportunity for His Majesty's confidants. As long as they can reach an agreement with the Qing court before this matter is directly exposed, even if ten thousand people come to ask him, he can say that it is just a rumor.

But now.
Looking at the young eunuch who kowtowed repeatedly in front of him, Qian Qianyi no longer had the heart to punish him.

He knew very well that it would not be long before all parties would come to him to verify what happened at the banquet, and he could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, so he had to make the news that His Majesty was besieged in Hanzhong known to the public.

Things have come to this point, and probably no one will care about your Majesty's life or death. I think a prince will be designated as the crown prince before dawn tomorrow.

Or will he ascend the throne tomorrow?
As his thoughts turned, Qian Qianyi felt his whole body go limp and he had no strength left. At this moment, Wang Zhengzhi put the wine glass back on the table, glanced around and stood up.

"Now that the truth has been revealed, I will not hide it from you," Wang Zhengzhi said, and then he looked at every envoy present with a smile. After everyone showed a hint of flattery on their faces, he continued, "My Great Qing was originally a vassal of the Great Ming. It was only because of revenge for the late emperor that we had to enter the pass to quell the rebellion."

After these words were spoken, everyone knew what Wang Zhengzhi was going to say. However, the situation had come to this point, and the power comparison between the Ming and Qing dynasties was another matter. Everyone present naturally acted as if they were listening attentively.

"For two years, the whole Qing Dynasty fought bloody battles to pacify the Cheng and Han bandits. However, Zhu Cilang not only ignored the Qing Dynasty's kindness in avenging his father, but also went against the grain and started a war. Even though the Qing Dynasty tried its best, it was unable to eliminate the war and bring peace to the people."

At this point, Wang Zhengzhi showed a compassionate expression, and after glancing at Qian Qianyi who showed no reaction, he continued, "Fortunately, our Great Qing Prince Su was brave and good at fighting, and he finally surrounded Zhu Cilang in Hanzhong. After this, the dictator will find it difficult to cause chaos in the world again, and the envoys of various countries can complete their missions and return to report."

After an impassioned speech, Wang Zhengzhi glanced at everyone present. At this moment, the envoys from various countries seemed to be ready to make a move. If they were not still in the reception hall of Daming, someone would probably want to discuss with him about going north.

At this point, he was not in a hurry to win over those fence-sitters.

After all, everyone knows what the Ming Dynasty was like before the little emperor came to power, and they can naturally guess what the situation in the world will be like without him at the helm.

With such an understanding, becoming a vassal of the Qing Dynasty is their only way out. For Wang Zhengzhi, winning over Qian Qianyi is obviously more important.

"Sir, don't worry about that dictator. My Prince Su is one of the most famous generals in the world. Even Duoduo and Ajige can't compare to him. As long as you can show some respect to the Qing Dynasty, the princes of our dynasty will not treat you unfairly."

Faced with Wang Zhengzhi's solicitation, Qian Qianyi still looked idiotically foolish. But when the other party wanted to say something, a soldier carrying several command flags rushed in.

"Urgent military information! Please receive it, Lord!"

Emergency military information?!

When they saw the soldier, everyone present had already guessed it in their minds. When he said "urgent military information", everyone knew that the battle of Hanzhong was settled.

At this point, no matter what everyone in the field was thinking, they all looked at Wang Zhengzhi flatteringly. Seeing that Qian Qianyi still looked like he had lost his parents, he took the initiative and asked the soldier a question.

"But the battle report from Hanzhong?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead."

"Reporting to you, my Lord, your Majesty defeated the Jiannu Haoge's army five days ago. In this battle, you killed 12,000 enemy soldiers and captured tens of thousands of them, all of whom were cast into the imperial palace!"

(End of this chapter)