Volume 2: The Capital, I’m Back Chapter 46: Banquet at Prince Qing's Palace
Yu Qian was very busy. He had just returned to the Ministry of War from Wenyuan Pavilion when another guest came to visit.
He looked up and saw that it was Xu Yun, the lecturer of the Hanlin Academy.
Speaking of Xu Yun, he also has another name, Xu Youzhen.
Historically, after Zhu Qizhen was captured, the Oirat army marched southwards, heading straight for the capital. At this time, Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Qin, was the regent and summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures. Xu Yun, under the pretext of a change in the stars, suggested moving the capital to Nanjing to avoid war. Then, Yu Qian scolded him and even threatened that anyone who suggested moving south should be beheaded!
In the end, the pro-war faction took the dominant position, and under the leadership of Yu Qian, they won the battle to defend the capital.
From then on, Xu Yun became a complete laughing stock and was not promoted for a long time. After thinking about it, he finally came up with a solution: change his name!
It was Xu Yun who originally proposed the migration south. What does that have to do with me, Xu Youzhen?
Unexpectedly, this method really worked. From then on, this person had a smooth career until the restoration of Emperor Yingzong. He was promoted to the chief minister of the cabinet by virtue of his merit in seizing the palace.
As soon as Xu Yun came in, Yu Qian understood that he must have come for the matter of Prince Qing.
This person has no bottom line in his usual actions. Seeing Wang Zhen gaining power, he actually ran to him to claim him as his godfather. He is a disgrace to the Qingliu world.
Now that the emperor has gone deep into the desert and his life or death is uncertain, it is understandable that this clown would run to support King Qing.
To be honest, Yu Qian looked down on this guy from the bottom of his heart. He was about to refuse the meeting, but suddenly changed his mind and decided to take this opportunity to test his opinion.
"Minister Xu, you took time out of your busy schedule to come to the Ministry of War. I wonder what you have to say?"
Xu Yun quickly replied, "Master Yu, you are too polite. How dare I teach you? I just went to the Imperial Observatory and passed by the Ministry of War. I came to say hello to you."
"Oh, you went to the Imperial Observatory?"
"Yes, yes!" Xu Yun nodded repeatedly and said, "I observed the stars at night and found that Mars entered the Southern Dipper. I was very confused, so I went to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to consult with my colleagues."
"Mars enters the Southern Dipper?" Yu Qian looked at him with a half-smile and said, "What does this mean?"
"This..." Xu Yun looked around subconsciously, then came forward and whispered, "This is an ominous sign, indicating that the emperor will suffer a disaster."
Yu Qian pretended to be mysterious and said, "If that's the case, doesn't it mean that the emperor is in trouble?"
"I didn't say that!" Xu Yun waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I just observed that the stars have changed. As for what they predict, I dare not make any rash remarks."
Yu Qian thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid that Minister Xu is not just passing by when he comes here today?"
Xu Yun smiled and said, "I came here to congratulate Lord Yu!"
"Congratulations?" Yu Qian knew that this guy had already gotten into trouble, so he said calmly, "What are you happy about?"
"The imperial edict sent back from the front clearly states that Lord Yu will be appointed Minister of War and given the title of Left Commander-in-Chief. Isn't this a happy event?"
Yu Qian smiled faintly and said, "The emperor was worried about losing the war, so he wrote the edict in advance to prepare for an emergency. Now our army has won a great victory, and Minister Kuang is also fine. The position of Minister of War is still his. I appreciate Minister Xu's kindness."
Xu Yun immediately started talking: "Master Yu, what you said is wrong. Minister Kuang is already sixty-five this year. How many more years can he work? On the contrary, Master Yu, you are in your prime. Isn't it a matter of time before you get the position of minister? Besides, since the emperor only mentioned you in the edict besides His Royal Highness Prince Qin, what does this mean? It means that the emperor values you! Even if you don't take over as the Minister of War for the time being, there are still the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Personnel... In short, you are a big shot now, even His Royal Highness Prince Qin... "
Yu Qian subconsciously asked, "What happened to His Royal Highness Prince Qing?"
"Your Highness Prince Qing..."
Xu Yun was startled, as if he realized something, then he smiled and swallowed the second half of his sentence.
Yu Qian was immediately very dissatisfied and asked: "Does Xu Shijiang not trust Yu?"
"What are you saying, Lord Yu?" Xu Yun said hurriedly, "What I meant is that His Royal Highness Prince Qing thinks highly of you."
Yu Qian has been very upset these days, just because he had opposed the emperor's personal expedition in the past, and now everyone in the capital has subconsciously pinned the rumors on him.
I was worried that I couldn’t find the culprit, but now, he’s right at my doorstep!
"It's just that..." Yu Qian looked a little hesitant, and said, "I don't have a close relationship with His Royal Highness Prince Qing, so I don't know if His Royal Highness Prince Qing... this..."
Xu Yun's eyes brightened. He was worried that Yu Qian would reject him harshly, but he never expected that Yu Qian, who usually looked so noble, was actually nothing special!
This is no wonder. The emperor is going to the desert, where he is likely to be in danger. If he supports King Qing at this time, it would be a great achievement for him to follow the emperor. How many people can resist such temptation?
"You don't have to worry about this, sir. How about I introduce you?"
"From what Sergeant Xu said, he is very familiar with His Royal Highness Prince Qing?"
"We are not that familiar with each other. We just interact with each other occasionally."
"I see!"
Yu Qian nodded secretly and said, "You are a minister in the court and have occasional contacts with vassal kings. If this had happened during the Hongwu or Yongle period, you would have died a hundred times already."
Xu Yun did not notice it, but felt very happy, because because of that imperial edict, Yu Qian was now a very popular figure. If he could win him over, great things would be accomplished!
"Tonight, His Royal Highness Prince Qing is hosting a banquet at his residence. If Lord Yu can come, His Royal Highness will be very happy."
Yu Qian smiled and waved his hands, saying , "Don't joke, Minister Xu. I am just a small minister. The Prince of Qin's Palace is full of talented people. How could Your Highness..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw an invitation card appear in front of him.
Xu Yun held the invitation in both hands and said, "His Royal Highness Prince Qing said that as long as Lord Yu is willing to do us a favor, everything can be discussed."
Yu Qian took the invitation, glanced at it, and slowly closed it. After a long while, he said, "Please ask Minister Xu to tell His Royal Highness the Prince of Qing that I will attend the banquet on time."
Xu Yun smiled knowingly, said nothing more, bowed, and turned to leave.
Yu Qian looked at the invitation on the table and was very hesitant. He wanted to dig out the Qin Wang Party, and this was a perfect opportunity.
However, I am currently at the center of public opinion. If I am misunderstood again because of this matter, I will never be able to clear myself even if I jump into the Yellow River.
To go or not to go?
If you want to go, should you inform the cabinet?
After much thought, I decided not to notify the cabinet for the sake of safety.
Otherwise, if his plan was seen by those people, it would be ruined.
For the sake of the emperor and the stability of the country, I'm going to risk it all tonight. The worst that can happen is that mud falls into my crotch. Does it matter what others think?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly, Your Majesty, it's all because of your edict. I have no choice now!
I just hope you can return safely, otherwise, the scene of uncle and nephew killing each other in your Zhu family will be repeated!
