But Jiao Shun followed Qiu Shi'an out of Yunyuan. Thinking back to the exchange with the emperor just now, he couldn't help but sigh secretly.

How should we evaluate this Emperor Longyuan?

You say he is unreliable? Since he took office, he has developed industry, expanded diplomacy, opened up maritime trade, and established engineering. Is there anything that he is not stepping on the prostate of the times?

Putting aside the credit for Jiao's deliberate guidance, it is not an exaggeration to evaluate what Emperor Longyuan did from a grand strategic level and praise him for his foresight.

However, his foresight in grand strategy does not mean that he is a qualified emperor.

Impulsive and irritable, eager to achieve success, arrogant and lewd, these three negative buffs, coupled with the lack of sufficient means to control subordinates...

If I had to find a template, it would probably be Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty in the mid-to-late period.

By the way...

If the emperor is Emperor Sui Yang, then who should I compare myself to?

Could it be Yu Wenji?

Uh~

After all, the emperor had been kind to him, and no matter what he did, he should never be able to commit regicide and become self-reliant like Yu Wenhuaji, and even slept with Empress Xiao.

Besides, the Xia Kingdom's family wealth is much stronger than that of the Sui Dynasty. In recent years, the weather has been good and the harvest has been good, and there are no major demolition or construction projects. Besides, even if the emperor wants to build a big one, he will help steer the ship, so he will not cause trouble in the world.

A state of chaos.

Tsk~

Thinking about it this way, the template I should be comparing myself to should be a minister who can turn the tide, such as Yu Qian, Yu Shaobao or something like that.

Having said that...

What is the surname of the current queen?

"Master Jiao."

Jiao Shun's brain was habitually diverted to women, when Qiu Shi'an, who was leading the way, stopped, pointed to a few side rooms not far ahead, and said with a hint of pride: "This is where the elders are on night duty.

Even we would not dare to enter the temporary resting place - but because Sui Ge was old and retired, the room he usually used happened to be empty."

As he said that, he winked at Jiao Shun.

The emperor had previously only allowed Jiao Shun to rest near the Wenhua Palace, but did not say that he would live in the cabinet minister's room. This was probably Qiu Shian's own decision.

If you are an arrogant person, you may have to go with the flow to get a good result.

But Jiao Shun didn't want to be impeached again because of this.

So he hurriedly lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "Thank you for Eunuch Qiu's kindness, but the emperor has entrusted you with important errands tomorrow morning. It would be unwise to scare the snake here - I'd better trouble Eunuch Qiu to find another place to work."

Although he had a good relationship with Qiu Shi'an, such eunuchs were known to be petty, so he did not directly say that he was not willing to cause trouble for such trivial matters, but instead took advantage of the emperor's orders and acted like a tiger.

When Qiu Shi'an heard this, he showed a look of surprise and slapped his forehead: "Blame me, blame me, I almost missed something important by not paying attention for a moment!"

With that said, he led Jiao Shun to a secluded place to look for him.

His action just now reminded Jiao Shun of the abnormal behavior of the emperor before - Emperor Longyuan also looked confused and wanted to slap his forehead, but for some reason, he raised his hand in front of his eyes and suddenly replaced it with slapping the table.

That action looks a bit weird no matter how you look at it, but what is the reason for this?

"Right."

At this time, Qiu Shi'an turned back and asked: "The person on duty just sent a message that the censor is still waiting outside Donghua Gate. Is there anything you want to tell him?"

Got~

After chatting with the emperor for a long time, he had completely forgotten about Chen Tuo!

Jiao Shun hurriedly asked: "Does the emperor have any arrangements?"

Qiu Shi'an shook his head: "At least when we came out, we didn't see any plans for Long Live Master."

Alas~

If we don't say that this emperor is unreliable, even if he hates this kind of person who sells his teacher for glory at both ends, he is still of great use at the moment. Even if he is not willing to spend money to win over, he should still make some arrangements in advance.

, what’s the point of being indifferent?

Jiao Shun pondered for a moment and then told Qiu Shi'an: "Eunuch Lao Qiu told the guards on duty that if Chen Yushi does not do anything unusual, just ignore him and just make sure he doesn't leave Donghua."

That’s the door.”

"Furthermore, if Your Majesty has any arrangements for him, that's all. If there is no dispatch before dawn, send someone to inform Jiao."

It was not safe to leave Chen Tuo stranded outside the Donghua Gate, but the problem was that Jiao Shun could not do anything on his own, otherwise the emperor would suddenly think of Chen Tuo in the middle of the night, wouldn't it be self-defeating?

Because the emperor had held Jiao Shun for a long talk before, which further highlighted his trust in him, Qiu Shi'an was completely obedient to him, patting his chest and promising that he would send someone to keep an eye on him outside Donghua Gate.

While we were talking, we arrived at an inconspicuous side room.

This area is probably not inhabited by people permanently. Not to mention it is cold and damp, and there is also a faint musty smell.

Qiu Shian covered his nose and looked around with a frown, then turned back and said with a smile: "The Za family has never been here before. If we had known... we'd better find another place."

"It's just a temporary stay for one night."

Jiao Shun waved his hand and said: "It's pretty good here, at least you don't have to worry about being disturbed."

Seeing that he persisted in this, Qiu Shi'an said nothing. He only sent someone to deliver a brand new bedding, and asked the four little eunuchs who followed him to take turns keeping watch outside the door.

After he left, Jiao Shun lay fully clothed on the bed but couldn't sleep at all.

It's not a matter of the environment. The main thing is that there will be a tough battle to be fought tomorrow morning. Then he, the emperor's most loyal dog, will have to charge forward. If he doesn't think about how to deal with it, how can he sleep well?

That's it...

The emperor's spring night was short, and Jiao Shun could not sleep all night.

In the blink of an eye, there were five drums of chicken crow.

Hearing the rhythmic knocking on the door from outside, Jiao Shun immediately got up from the bed and asked in a loud voice: "What's the matter?"

"Master Jiao."

I heard a sharp and childish voice reply outside the door: "Then Yushi Chen is still waiting at Donghua Gate. He has not done anything unusual and has not been in contact with anyone."

Tsk~

The emperor really left him alone all night!

Jiao Shun rolled up the sheets silently, opened the door, and let a few young eunuchs take him to the door of Donghua.

After saying hello to the eunuch on duty, Jiao Shun stepped out of the palace gate and saw Chen Tuo standing in the leeward corner. His eyes seemed to be open and closed, and his body was swaying left and right, and he was actually upright.

I became confused.

When the young eunuch who accompanied Jiao Shun saw this, he rushed forward and called him.

But he saw Chen Gao startled and immediately knelt on his knees with a pop. Jiao Shun thought he had weak legs or cramps, but he didn't expect this guy to knock his head on the ground and shout: "I thank the Lord for your kindness!"

Jiao Shun: "..."

Is this a dream about something good?

There was a roar of laughter outside the Donghua Gate. The little eunuch who woke up Chen Tuo also laughed at first. Then he realized something was wrong and hurriedly stepped aside, shouting in a high voice: "What are you doing? Long live the Lord, you are fine in the palace. Why?"

I’ll see you here sometime!”

Only then did Chen He wake up. He hurriedly got up. His face was as red as blood, and he wished he could find a place to get in on the spot.

Jiao Shun waved his hand and signaled to the two young eunuchs following him to avoid him first, and then stepped forward and said to Chen Tuo: "If Chen Yushi wants to thank the Lord for his kindness, I'm afraid he has to go through the morning court first."

Chen He had noticed Jiao Shun a long time ago, but he had just made a joke and was embarrassed to speak up.

Now when he heard Jiao Shun mention the morning court, he was slightly startled, then blurted out and exclaimed: "Morning court? The emperor is going to let me go to the morning court..."

As he spoke, his originally red face turned the color of pig liver again, obviously he had guessed the emperor's intention.

Jiao Shun made a silent gesture and said seriously: "I have been waiting here all night. You should know in your mind what the emperor's attitude is towards Brother Chen - whether it will be thunder or rain and dew next, it all depends on

Let’s see how you behave in the morning.”

"This, this..."

How could Chen Gao have imagined that instead of being able to meet the emperor, he would receive such a fatal errand?!

His legs and feet went weak, and he almost knelt in front of Jiao Shun again.

Fortunately, Jiao Shun supported him in time and reminded him again: "The officials who will go to court will be arriving soon. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate if Zhang Shilang sees Brother Chen."

"Then I..."

Chen Tuo also knew that he could not alert the enemy, so he immediately looked eagerly into the palace.

"Without any intention, who dares to let Brother Chen enter the palace at this time?"

As Jiao Shun spoke, he put the sheet he had brought out of the palace into his hands.

Chen Tuo looked at the sheets in his hands and then at Jiao Shun, with a puzzled look on his face.

Jiao Shun raised his hands in front of him and made a high-flying gesture: "You can hold the bed sheet against the wall later. It's not bright yet, and the color of this bed sheet is not much different from the palace wall. It should be

It can be fooled - even if it can't be fooled, the superior officials will not deliberately come over to check if they are in a hurry to make an early appearance."

"This, this..."

Chen Tuo held the quilt with a bitter look on his face.

He is a high-ranking scholar and a high-ranking official. He risked his fortune and life to join the emperor. Not to mention the benefits, he still did such a clown act...

"It'll be fine as long as you get over this hurdle."

Although Jiao Shun didn't like him, he couldn't help but patted him on the shoulder sympathetically and said comfortingly: "Your Majesty has always been clear about love and hate. If Brother Chen can make a splash at the court meeting, there will be many opportunities to thank the Lord for his kindness."

.”

Hearing Jiao Shun mention the "Thank you Lord for your kindness" joke again, Chen Tuo gritted his teeth and his eyelids jumped, but he pretended to burst into tears with gratitude on his face and said with cupped hands: "Thank you Jiao Jijiu for reminding me, Chen will never forget your respect in the future."

Thank you for your kindness today."

"Serious words, serious words."

Jiao Shun waved his hand and pointed to the corner, then turned around and returned to the palace.

As soon as he left, Chen He's face suddenly fell, he lowered his head and clutched the sheets tightly with both hands.

No matter what, he was the first among the literati to seek refuge with the emperor. He only had one reason to buy horse bones for a thousand gold, so he shouldn't have fallen to this.

So it must be the Jiao thief who made slanderous remarks in front of the emperor!

Thinking of this, Chen Tuo couldn't help but throw the sheet to the ground.

As a result, the sheet spread out and floated forward a few feet, just covering a pair of military boots.

Chen Gao looked up in shock, only to find that four guards with swords had surrounded him. They stood with their swords in their hands, their faces and eyes full of indifference.

Chen Tuo was startled, and then he suddenly realized that "love and hate are distinct" has another meaning.

So he hurriedly lowered his head to pick up the sheets, smiled flatteringly at the guards, then walked honestly to the bottom of the palace wall, leaned his back against the wall, and raised the sheets high with both hands to cover his body.

When the four guards saw this, they stood not far or near him, pretending to be chatting.

About a quarter of an hour passed.

People are arriving one after another outside Donghua Gate - this is not a great court meeting, but an ordinary court meeting that only officials from important departments above the third rank will participate in. Therefore, they will not enter and exit through the Meridian Gate, but will go to Wenhua through Donghua Gate nearby.

The palace discusses politics.

Just as Jiao Shun expected, most of the courtiers did not notice Chen Tuo holding up the sheets. A few of them noticed the abnormality, and based on the idea that more things are worse than less things, they ignored it.

As usual, the courtiers first gathered at the duty room of Bunren Hall near Wenhua Hall, but they had just chatted for a few words when they suddenly saw Dai Quan walking in from outside the door.

When everyone saw him, they thought that the morning meeting was going to be cancelled.

Many people were secretly planning to go home early to prepare for the Double Ninth Festival tomorrow. They didn't want Dai Quan to bow and bow before raising his voice: "Long live the Lord, please go to Jingren Palace to meet you."

"Jingren Palace?"

Wang Zhe, the heavenly official of the Ministry of Personnel, said suspiciously: "The morning court will be held in the harem today. Isn't it against the rules?"

Dai Quan smiled slightly: "You will know the truth when you get to Jingren Palace."

As he said this, he made a gesture of invitation.

Although the courtiers felt that it was inconsistent with etiquette, there were many things that Emperor Longyuan did not respect etiquette, so it would not be surprising to add another one.

So cabinet bachelors He Tiren and Xu Furen took the lead side by side, and the rest also filed out, passing through Wenhua Hall, Wenyuan Pavilion, passing through Arrow Pavilion, Jingyun Gate, and the inner left gate to the East Sixth Palace.

At this time, everyone had heard the loud rumbling sound coming from Jingren Palace, and they all exchanged looks, not knowing what was going on.

Wang Zhe couldn't help but ask again, but Dai Quan still held back.

All the courtiers made various speculations in their minds and thought of almost everything they could think of. However, when they finally entered Jingren Palace, they were still surprised by the rumbling train.

Especially today, a few wooden boards painted black were temporarily added to the two sides of the front of the train. Although it is actually of no use, the steel monster that stands out becomes even more ferocious.

More than half of the courtiers could not help but stop in their tracks, pointing at the train and talking loudly.

A few of them immediately lowered their faces and looked at the emperor outside the Yuyun Garden gate.

Upon seeing this, Dai Quan urged again and again at the top of his voice, and the somewhat scattered courtiers then lined up again and headed towards Yuyun Garden.

When they arrived in front of the emperor, several young eunuchs shouted in unison, and the courtiers also shouted long live the mountain at the top of their lungs.

The emperor raised his hand in the distance and saw that the train had received the signal and began to slow down. He looked around at everyone and said proudly: "Everyone, let's try this thing."

What responded to him was a dead silence.

Several officials from the Ministry of Works wanted to say a few words, but seeing their colleagues acting like this, they couldn't stand up casually.

The emperor was not annoyed at all. He waited for a while with a smile, and then suddenly raised his voice and asked: "Jiao Aiqing, what do you think?"
Chapter completed!