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

Chapter 227: Southwest Defeat
The Empress Dowager lived for more than eighty years. What kind of food had she not eaten?

Only the pastry made by Zhu Houzhao has a smooth and fragrant cream that melts in your mouth, and is soft and baked, and is the favorite of the elderly.

Moreover, the taste is so delicious that it is hard to describe. It is not greasy at all. It is many times more delicious than the pastries made by the Zhang brothers.

Empress Dowager Zhou looked at Zhu Houzhao in a daze. Everyone thought something had happened, but then they saw Empress Dowager Zhou said cheerfully, "Okay, okay, okay!"

"good to eat."

"This is the most delicious cake I have ever eaten! Your Highness, you are so thoughtful."

The Zhang brothers looked angry and thought, is it really that exaggerated? The prince made his own cakes, but we bought ours! Can his cakes be better than ours?
This old lady is so fake.

"Did the prince do it himself?"

Queen Mother Zhou asked.

Zhu Houzhao nodded obediently: "A friend of mine taught me this. He's really good at it."

Empress Dowager Zhou didn't care much about Zhu Houzhao's friends. It was enough for Zhu Houzhao to have this filial piety. However, Emperor Hongzhi fell into deep thought.

Needless to say, Zhu Houzhao's friend must be Chen Ce again.

Queen Mother Zhou said to everyone, "This cake is so big that I can't finish it all by myself. Everyone should try it. The Crown Prince's cooking skills are really good."

The eunuch immediately followed suit and began to cut the cake for everyone present.

Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang took a tentative bite. The couple's expressions were exactly the same as Empress Dowager Zhou's, but due to the dignity of the royal family, they did not show it. Only the way Emperor Hongzhi wolfed down the food seemed to say it all.

The Zhang brothers took a bite of the cream and found it delicious, then took another bite of the baked goodness. They tasted even better when they wrapped the two together.

This is indeed better than my own cakes!

"Give us another piece!"

"More cream, please!"

"I want another piece too. I want a big piece with more cream."

The Zhang brothers took another piece and ate it in no time. Then they walked to the eunuch and said, "Excuse me, I want another piece."

The eunuch was a little embarrassed and said, "My Lord... the others haven't received their share yet, how about you wait a moment?"

"Nonsense!"

Zhang Heling snorted and said, "Hurry up! Give me some more!"

Emperor Hongzhi glared at the two unruly guys.

Empress Zhang came over and scolded in a low voice: "Don't think I don't know what you did to the prince just now. If you eat again, I will stuff you into the toilet!"

Zhang brothers: "..."

……

There was great joy in the Renshou Palace, but the scene in the Ministry of War was quite different.

A knight came from the northwest wrapped in snowflakes, bringing bad news. Qian Yue suffered a crushing defeat in the southwest and lost more than 3,000 Ming troops!
When Ma Wensheng heard the news, he felt dizzy. He gritted his teeth and said to the doctor of the Ministry of War, "You... go and call Jiao Fang to the cabinet! Go quickly!"

"To the Cabinet, go!"

Jiao Fang had no classes in the Eastern Palace today, so he was sitting around reading a book.

According to calculations, there should be results in the southwest. He estimated that even if Qian Yue did not win a big victory, he would at least achieve some small victories. If it was only a small victory, how could he promote Qian Yue openly?

This requires the art of language. Jiao Fang needs to think carefully about how to get Qian Yue promoted. How to report to the emperor becomes a thorny issue.

But there is still no news from Qian Yue, I think it should be soon.

The military doctor found Jiao Fang at this time and said hurriedly: "Master Jiao, our master asked you to go to the cabinet for an urgent matter."

Jiao Fang nodded calmly and asked, "But is there any news from Censor Qian?" The military official said, "It's a report from the southwest. I don't know the details."

Jiao Fang hummed and walked towards the cabinet with his hands behind his back.

The atmosphere in the cabinet was a bit depressing. Jiao Fang came in and saw that the three cabinet elders and Ma Wensheng looked a little strange, which made her feel uneasy.

Liu Jian stared at Jiao Fang and asked, "Isn't Qian Yushi highly recommended by Lord Jiao?"

Jiao Fang had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Hey, Lord Jiao, you've made a mistake. Qian Yue suffered a disastrous defeat, with more than 3,000 elite soldiers killed and at least 4,000 wounded."

After hearing this, Jiao Fang almost lost her balance.

It’s not that he hadn’t thought about Qian Yue’s defeat, but in his expectation, even if Qian Yue lost, he wouldn’t lose so miserably!
If the emperor knew about this, I don't know how angry he would be.

Ma Wensheng said, "Master Jiao, you should report the person you recommended to the emperor."

Jiao Fang licked his chapped lips and said, "Master Ma, what are you talking about? This is your Ministry of War's business!"

Ma Wensheng said, "I can report this to you, but you have to go with me. It was you who strongly recommended Qian Yue, and it was you who provoked the Southwest War."

"Who knew Qian Yue was just an armchair theorist? The Crown Prince tried to dissuade you at first, but you stood firm against all odds. Now that something has gone wrong, you should take the responsibility."

The three cabinet elders looked at each other. If the previous salt permit incident was true, it might have been done by Jiao Fang who taught the crown prince.

The matter in the southwest must not have been taught by Jiao Fang to the Crown Prince, because the Crown Prince and Jiao Fang had different opinions.

This is strange.

When it came to solving the problem of the flood of salt permits and the opening of the Sino-Japanese War, the strategies were brilliant and one thing led to another. Why was it so radical when it came to the southwest?
Unless... the salt permit matter was not handled by Jiao Fang, but by someone else!

Recently, the Crown Prince seems to have become a different person, which has attracted the attention of the cabinet. At first, they thought that someone from the East Palace was teaching the Crown Prince behind the scenes.

At first they even suspected Yang Tinghe, but later Jiao Fang took the initiative to hint that it was he who was coaching the crown prince behind the scenes.

However, the incompetence displayed by Jiao Fang in the military affairs of the southwest was completely contrary to the Crown Prince's previous attitude, which seemed to indicate that Jiao Fang was not the one who was coaching the Crown Prince behind the scenes.

Could it be... the emperor himself?

The cabinet can only have such suspicion now. They never thought that there would be someone outside the palace to teach the prince. It's ridiculous!

Gathering his thoughts, Liu Jian said, "Let's go into the palace."

"Master Jiao, please think carefully about how to apologize to the emperor."

Jiao Fang’s body trembled slightly. Qian Yue…has misled me!
Even if you lose, you won't lose so many people, right? More than 3,000 elite soldiers died. Is this something a human could do?

Even if you replace me with a pig as coach, he will be better than you!

I was blind at the time, how could I believe your military analysis? Is this what you did after working as an inspector in Guizhou for three years?

……

When Emperor Hongzhi heard that the Cabinet and the Ministry of War wanted to discuss political affairs with him, he did not stay in the Renshou Palace at this time. He said a few words to Empress Dowager Zhou and then took Huai'en to the Qianqing Palace.

He was in a good mood today. Seeing the cabinet, the Minister of War, and Jiao Fang waiting outside the main hall, he smiled and said, "Don't stand there. It's freezing outside. Let's talk inside the main hall."

"emperor."

Liu Jian called out to Emperor Hongzhi and said, "In the southwest, Qian Yue... was defeated, miserably."

Emperor Hongzhi was stunned for a moment, and then he was silent for a moment, and said, "Master Jiao, don't come into the palace, just stand outside."

"Follow me into the palace and I will tell you in detail!"

(End of this chapter)