Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 124 Regret
If only the people of Turpan broke through Hami City, it would actually be fine, but the chain reaction was what the Ming court feared the most.

Now only the Turpan people are invading Hami, and the Tatars, who actually have greater plans for Hami, are still watching.

Now that there is such a huge gap in Hami's defense, there is no guarantee that the Tatars will not take advantage of it and invade. The series of follow-up events that will result from this will be the most troublesome.

Emperor Hongzhi finally couldn't bear it anymore and pointed at Ma Wensheng angrily and said, "You!"

But what could he blame or scold Ma Wensheng for? Didn't he set a good example himself? Didn't his son also remind himself?

"The meeting is dismissed!"

"Put on your official hat! As the Minister of War, if you don't solve the Hami issue, don't even think about giving up your responsibility!"

Ma Wensheng said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, thank you for your pardon. I will go to do my job right away."

After the meeting, Emperor Hongzhi hurried to the East Palace.

He was now full of questions. How could Houzhao be so sure that the Turpan people would invade Hami? Who was behind this?

How could Emperor Hongzhi not think of what the Third Cabinet Lords could think of?
……

Shuntian Mansion.

The news of Turpan's invasion of Hami could not be concealed and soon spread to various departments in Peking.

Ning Cheng was sitting in the Second Yamen, reviewing official documents seriously. The court was now focusing on this year's spring examination. The Ministry of Personnel had no time to inquire about the vacant position of Shuntian Prefecture Prime Minister for the time being.

Ning Cheng was feeling uneasy and had been running around these days. The document recommending him from the governor of Shuntian Prefecture had already been sent to the Ministry of Personnel, but he couldn't guarantee whether the Ministry of Personnel would promote him.

I have been the Tongpan of Shuntian Prefecture for several years, and have not made any outstanding achievements. I am afraid of this kind of person, who is just average, without making any major mistakes or making any major achievements, and it is difficult for the Ministry of Personnel to look at me differently when they evaluate me.

He needed an opportunity, but he hadn't found any in all these years.

One of Zhang Chong's clerks found Ning Cheng and asked him to go find Prefect Zhang.

Not long after, Ning Cheng appeared in Zhang Chong's guardhouse and said, "Your humble servant greets Lord Zhang."

"Junrui, sit down."

Zhang Chong took a sip of tea and asked, "Has the memorial been sent up?"

Ning Cheng asked doubtfully: "What memorial?"

He had long forgotten the so-called credit that Chen Ce gave him. His mind was full of his own promotion and he could hardly think of other things.

Zhang Chong reminded him, "Is it the prediction about Turpan's invasion of Hami?"

Ning Cheng just remembered it, smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No, I'm just being safe..."

"Hey!"

"Pity."

Zhang Chong sighed, "Otherwise, you will definitely be pushed up in this Ministry of Personnel's performance evaluation."

what?
Ning Cheng was stunned, and asked subconsciously: "What, what do you mean?"

Zhang Chong sighed, "I just received news that the Turpan people have conquered Hami City."

Hearing this, Ning Cheng stared at him in astonishment, and said in amazement: "Is this... news true?"

Zhang Chong nodded, "Absolutely true."

Ning Cheng stood there in a daze, his mouth twitching slightly. For some reason, an indescribable pain drilled into his chest, making him feel suffocated.

It was regret. Yes, he knew why his heart was hurting so much, it was regret!

Chen Ce did not lie, he did bring himself a merit, a merit that was enough to change his future!
Now, every word of Chen Ce's words is still vivid in his mind. They are like nails, constantly flying into Ning Cheng's chest, stimulating him and acupuncturing his heart of annoyance and regret!
People have few choices in their life, and if you miss it, you miss it.

If everyone's promotion in officialdom was a sure thing, then everyone in the Ming Dynasty would be a second-rank official.

Risks and benefits coexist, and it all depends on your own courage, but Ning Cheng is destined to lack this courage.

If he had chosen to believe Chen Ce at the beginning, then now...would he still need to worry so much about a Shuntian Prefecture Minister? The Ministry of Rites would definitely find this out when they evaluate the merits, and the chances of promotion would be greatly increased.

Unfortunately, he did not choose to listen to Chen Ce.

"Junrui, it's okay. There will be opportunities in the future." Zhang Chong comforted him and seeing that he didn't look very good, he let him go back.

Ning Cheng returned to the duty station in a daze. He was in a daze the whole day, as if he had lost his soul, and felt very uncomfortable.

……

East Palace.

Emperor Hongzhi found Zhu Houzhao who was teaching a class and asked Fei Hong to pause the class as he had something to ask Zhu Houzhao.

"Hou Zhao, tell me, father, who told you that the people of Turpan would invade Hami?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up, he stared at Emperor Hongzhi and asked happily, "Did Hami really get attacked by the Turpan people?"

He seemed to feel that his reaction was not right and he should be sad, after all, his territory was invaded, so he gritted his teeth and said, "That's what I knew!"

"I advised my father at that time, but what about you?"

Emperor Hongzhi's face twitched as he was being lectured by his own son, but he did not refute. If one made a mistake, he would be scolded and he had to stand at attention when being scolded.

Son of Heaven, lead by example!
Zhu Houzhao snorted and said to Emperor Hongzhi: "Father, when you have time, please tell your Minister of War a few words."

Emperor Hongzhi asked subconsciously: "What?"

Fei Hong was also very curious and sat aside listening with his ears pricked up.

"I have been working hard in the carriage, but I have not yet left the saddle. I have only just realized how hard it is to die. For three hundred years, the country has been in decline, and I am eight thousand miles away from the suffering of the people."

Zhu Houzhao held his head high, looked up at the sky, put his hands behind his back, and walked away dejectedly.

A feeling of sadness and grief arose spontaneously, and it seemed as if this world could see a loyal and iron-willed minister who was depressed and frustrated, and who had done his best for the country, but was shrouded in the sadness of not being valued!

Emperor Hongzhi's ears turned red after hearing these two lines of poetry. This is a mockery of me!
Fei Hong's cloudy eyes suddenly brightened up when he heard this. What a good poem!
But such an old-fashioned poem definitely was not written by Zhu Houzhao. It should have been written by a dying old man?

Who?
Emperor Hongzhi glanced at Fei Hong, who said with emotion, "I have recently read the history of the Song Dynasty and was inspired. I never thought that the Crown Prince could condense it into essence. Your Highness is indeed a talented person with great potential! I am pleased!"

Shameless! Never mind. He is old and doesn’t care about his reputation. Anyway, he is Zhu Houzhao’s teacher and he has read the History of Song Dynasty in front of Zhu Houzhao.

Maybe Zhu Houzhao wrote this poem after listening to what I said?
So, it is reasonable to say that it was I who taught him this poem, right?

As for whether this was a mockery of Emperor Hongzhi, I'm sorry, but that's how the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were. If they didn't talk back to the emperor, who would know of their own great reputation?

"Nonsense! I was clearly reading the history of the Southern Song Dynasty!" Another voice came out, it was Jiao Fang.

Emperor Hongzhi's face twitched violently. Do I need to know this?

He looked at the two old scholars of the Eastern Palace and asked, "Did you two predict that Turpan would attack Hami?"

Neither Jiao Fang nor Fei Hong dared to brag about this matter and shook their heads firmly. There should be a limit to the shamelessness of intellectuals, and since it involved sensitive political events, they did not dare to admit it carelessly.

(End of this chapter)