Chapter 161 Return to Beijing

Thirty miles away on the outskirts of Beijing, people from the Criminal Department had been waiting here for a long time. After handing over the key criminals, they set out again.

Shengjing is in sight, it was early spring when we left fashion, and now it is May when pomegranate flowers are blooming on the branches.

There were many people waiting in front of the city gate, including the soldiers and horses of the five cities, the Gyeonggi Yamen, and many people watching.

Before the bandit-suppressing army returned to the capital, the news of Zhonglang's general Shi Yu's victory over the bandits had already spread throughout the capital.

The people in the capital are already praising him, he is worthy of being a member of General Shen's army.

The army had returned to the school grounds before entering the city. Shen Yu rode in front, looking for that person in the crowd.

She received his first letter on her way back to Beijing and read it every day before going to bed. Now the letter paper has been curled up by her.

Shen Yu was a little disappointed when she didn't see the person she wanted to see the most and looked away.

We agreed to pick her up. Could it be that in the past two months, while having fun in Beijing, she had been obsessed with Jiaofangsi or some vixen from Zuiyun Tower?

Xie Tingzhou stood on the hill on horseback, but he came anyway. He promised to take her home.

He watched her looking around on the horse, then swung the riding crop impatiently, and became angry when she couldn't find anyone.

Xie Tingzhou couldn't help but laugh and murmured: "Childish."

"I'm here! Here!" Pei Chunli jumped in the crowd, "I borrowed it, I borrowed it."

He squeezed forward and asked, "Are you looking for me?"

Xiao Chuan cupped his hands and said, "Little Marquis."

Shen Yu didn't answer.

Pei Chunli waved his hand to Xiao Chuan, "No courtesy." Then he said to himself: "I didn't know there were so many people, and the carriage couldn't get through. I came here on foot."

"What are you here for?" Shen Yu asked.

"I'm here to pick you up." Pei Chunli followed, "You don't have many friends in Beijing. I am your best friend, so naturally I have to come to pick you up."

Shen Yu thought of Xie Tingzhou again. He had clearly promised to pick her up. Could it be that he was sick again.

Thinking of this, Shen Yu became a little anxious and beat the horse a little faster. She wanted to go to the palace to recover as soon as possible so that she could go back and see him.

Pei Chunli couldn't keep up, so he asked Xiao Chuan for a horse to catch up with Shen Yu.

"You're finally back." Pei Chunli said, "This is the first time I've been out since you left Beijing."

"What are you doing in the Hou Mansion?" Shen Yu asked, "Are you studying hard?"

"I'm afraid." Pei Chunli said matter-of-factly: "You ran so far after receiving the official position. I'm afraid that Xie Tingzhou will break my legs when I go out."

Shen Yu smiled and said, "He's not that scary."

"It's scary. His name can stop children from crying at night in the border fortress. This is not the point. The point is that I don't want to be alone if you are not in the capital. So I studied hard at home for more than a month. My father was so happy that he ate more food. bowl."

Pei Chunli thought for a moment after finishing speaking, "But he seems to have some food accumulation. He can't eat every day for the past half month."

Shen Yu tapped him on the shoulder with a whip, "I'll return to the palace first, and we'll make another appointment tomorrow."

She was eager to hit the horse, and Xiao Chuan led a small team of people to follow her.

Pei Chunli's servant finally caught up with him, leaning on his hips and panting, "Sir, if you get lost, the Marquis must not beat me to death when you get back."

Pei Chunli was still looking around. When no one could be seen, he imitated Shen Yu's movements and tapped the young man on the shoulder with his riding crop.

"Go home."

The boy followed beside him, raising his head from time to time to look at the young Marquis on the horse. After a while, he couldn't help but ask: "Sir, why do you always like to play with Master Shi?"

Pei Chunli didn't expect him to ask this question, "I'm happy to play with him."

The boy hinted: "Master Marquis, you are the only son."

"What does this have to do with me playing with Shiyu?" Pei Chunli didn't know why.

The young man said: "The task of carrying on the family line has fallen on you. You must not go the wrong way."

Pei Chunli was a little at a loss and didn't understand how he could be the last to succeed. After he figured out what he said, he whipped the boy fiercely and said, "If you keep talking nonsense, I will tear your mouth apart. Shigure and I will do it. I will do it." ,That is……"

It took him a long time to think of a word and said: "A friend who cuts off his neck! Do you understand, an acquaintance who cuts his neck to death? Don't slander our pure friendship."

The boy touched his sore arm and smiled quickly, "That's right, that's right. I said the wrong thing."

After saying that, he shook his head. The young Marquis probably hadn't figured it out yet.

…

Shen Yu entered the palace to resume her life.

Emperor Tongxu was taking a lunch break, and Shen Yu waited outside Hanzhang Hall for a while before being summoned into the hall.

After entering the palace, Shen Yu knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I will live up to my trust and return to the capital to resume my duties."

Emperor Tongxu said nothing, and Shen Yu did not raise her head.

After a long while, Emperor Tongxu said: "I have read the memorial you urgently sent."

Shen Yu lowered her head, not knowing how to respond to these words, nor did she understand what Emperor Tongxu meant.

In Ge Liangji's case, she was convinced that Emperor Tongxu favored the person behind it, so she was not sure whether she would get the same result this time.

"You said in the report that the robbery of grain and grass was false, but they helped the ministers of the DPRK and China transport grain and grass and resell them to various places. Is this true?"

"It's absolutely true." Shen Yu said: "After the Qichang Mountain bandits were recruited, I took people up the mountain to investigate. The rations on the mountain were only enough for them to eat for less than a month. Among the 1,326 people on the mountain, half of them were It is simply a fantasy to say that the old, weak, women and children are capable of robbing food and grass.”

There was silence in the palace for a moment, and then Emperor Tongxu said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Yu stood up and saw Emperor Tongxu clearly.

Although he was wearing a dragon robe, he could not suppress the old age on his body. Compared with before leaving Beijing, he seemed a little older.

Emperor Tongxu's eyes fell on Shen Yu, "Do you have anything else to report?"

"Yes." Shen Yu presented a confession, "This is the confession of the twelve mountain bandits escorted to Beijing this time. One copy has been handed over to the Ministry of Justice, and one copy has been reported to Your Majesty."

Emperor Tongxu looked at it and slapped the confession on the table with his backhand, "My country has been hollowed out by these parasites!"

The eunuch Defu did not dare to respond, but silently poured a cup of tea for Emperor Tongxu.

Emperor Tongxu supported his head, feeling deeply powerless.

Shen Yu: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Emperor Tongxu raised his head, "What is it?"

Shen Yu understood the way of monarch and minister. There were some things that she should not have usurped, but she remembered the conversation between Emperor Tongxu and Ge Liangji that she had heard in the night.

Perhaps Emperor Tongxu was not stupid, but he was powerless.

Shen Yu knelt down on one knee, "Your Majesty may not be a holy ruler."

With just this sentence, Defu's heart rose to his throat, and he almost shouted "Bold".

"But Your Majesty is a wise ruler." Shen Yu said again.

The expression on Emperor Tongxu's face was obscure and difficult to discern. After a moment, he asked: "What is a holy ruler, and what is a wise ruler?"

Shen Yu said seriously: "A holy ruler only selects people based on their talents, and does not ask about other things. He only seeks their ability and not their virtue when employing people. He is good at starting a business but not good at maintaining it; a wise ruler devotes himself to his work until his death, is close to virtuous ministers but not necessarily away from villains, is good at maintaining the status quo but not good at starting a business, can share the joys and sorrows with the people, but..."

She paused, staring at Emperor Tongxu with burning eyes, "but he cannot make decisive decisions on major national affairs. He has great ambitions, but lacks the courage to kill and make decisions."

"Bold Shiyu!" Defu shouted loudly, "How dare you talk about the emperor."