After Zhang Mao's persuasion, although Xie Qian still did not give up on continuing to persuade the emperor, he eventually gave up some of the previous extreme practices, such as kneeling outside the leopard room to advise, or crying in the temple.

Xie Qian learned to be tolerant.

This was not his original intention, but it was forced out by Zhu Houzhao... Getting along with the emperor for a long time made Xie Qian realize that Zhu Houzhao was an emperor who was indifferent to the situation. Using the tricks he used to deal with Zhu Chuzhao before to deal with Zhu Houzhao was useless. No matter how mean he was to himself, it was futile. It would be better to think about other countermeasures.

As a result, Xie Qian did not react much, and Chenxi was also calm.

This made Zhu Houzhao feel a little uncomfortable. What he had to do in the past? The court opposes loudly. Before the matter was settled, a bunch of people made trouble, causing trouble. But this time everything went smoothly. After Xie Qian and Shen Xi's complaint against the dispatch of troops was rejected by him, the following was gone.

At sunset the next day, Zhu Houzhao woke up and Zhang Yuan came to report the matter. Zhu Houzhao even asked something specifically.

Zhang Yuan replied: "Your Majesty, Lord Xie and Lord Shen stayed in the mansion in the past two days. They did not go out, nor did they hear any abnormal movements. However, I heard that Lord Shen intends to give up the position of Minister of War, but I don't know whether it is true or false."

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "You can also hearsay about this kind of thing? I don't allow it. If anyone else discusses it, it will be against me and directly punished."

Zhang Yuan quickly explained: "Your Majesty, this news seems to be intentionally released by the Ministry of War, and it was instructed by Lord Shen. According to the rumors, Lord Shen is overwhelmed with affairs in the court. There is no war in the north now, but there are a few thieves in the south. It is better to step down and let others take over. This time, Lord Lu, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, said that he was doing his best to do his duty and helped His Majesty a great help."

Zhu Houzhao said: "Lu Wan? Does he have this ability?"

Obviously, when it comes to military affairs, Zhu Houzhao only trusts Chen Xi and sneers at others, mainly because Chen Xi fought south and north over the years and was invincible. His military achievements were too amazing and others could not reach it.

Zhang Yuan thought for a while and nodded, "Mr. Lu is very capable. When he was Xuanfu, he was at His Majesty's side to help him take into account the military aircraft."

It would be fine if Zhang Yuan didn't mention this. As soon as he said it, Zhu Houzhao was very angry. At that time, the wars he commanded in Xuanfu ended in shame. At that time, Zhu Houzhao felt that there were a bunch of wine bags around him, and Zhang Yuanfei said that Lu Wan was there at that time, which was equivalent to telling Zhu Houzhao that Lu Wan was actually among the buckets.

Originally, Zhang Yuan wanted to continue persuasion, but was interrupted by Emperor Zhengde. Zhu Houzhao stretched out his hand and said, "I have chosen many choices to decide the position of Minister of War. No matter when and where, Mr. Chen will not step down. I don't think others are capable and competent... As for Mr. Chen's previous persuasion to me, it was actually due to the duties of the Central Court of the Court, especially the Minister of War. It was not the original intention. It was just that the difficulties I faced could not be solved by the Ministry of War, so it was not adopted. Others were not allowed to say bad things about Mr. Chen in front of me."

“Yes, follow the order.”

Zhang Yuan originally wanted to win over Lu Wan, so he could have cultivated a minister of the Ministry of War. At that time, the Ministry of War would fall into his hands, and he, the chief supervisor of the rituals, would be even more powerful in the court.

However, he did not expect that Zhu Houzhao had no intention of replacing Chen Xi at all, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

...

...

After Chen Xi refused to let the move, he stayed in the mansion to recuperate.

Regarding the results of the Ministry of Personnel's assessment, he had already written a memorial in advance to present it to Zhu Houzhao. As for more details, Chen Xi would wait until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month before telling Zhu Houzhao, because Chen Xi knew that Zhu Houzhao had no intention of any ritual affairs outside the military at this time.

Since the emperor doesn't care, then don't just stop Chen's report for the time being. There are two obstacles in the court, Xie Qian and Zhang Yuan, who have caused him some trouble. The assessment results will be submitted early, and Chen Xi himself also wants to see who will jump out and use his assessment results to make a fuss.

Chen Xi has been walking between the mansion and the outside house these two days. Not only did he stay at home to accompany the women in the back house, but he also went to accompany Hui Niang and Li Jin from time to time, but he did not spend the night outside.

It was a troublesome autumn, and Chen Xi knew that people could visit his mansion at any time, so he simply left the house during the day and returned to his mansion before sunset.

In the past few days, he also dealt with the people he was following. All major forces in the capital sent people to keep an eye on the Chen Mansion. If you want to know his every move, Chen Xi needs to think about his safety and safety. In addition to going out from the other mansion through the tunnel, the necessary deterrence must be done.

Chen Xi arranged detailed security measures and strengthened a series of reconnaissance and anti-reconnaissance methods. Not only did he explain clearly to the guards around him, but he even conducted strict training in the home guards.

As for Hui Niang's side, he also greeted his intelligence personnel. If he found a suspicious person, he would take him down first and then urgently transfer the personnel. Chen Xi had already prepared two more residences for Hui Niang in the capital. When Chen Hong was not by Hui Niang's side, it was very convenient for Hui Niang and Li Jin to move. After all, the two girls traveled around the world and experienced many storms, and were used to adapting to the situation.

A wine shop near Longfu Temple in Renshoufang is the contact point of Chen Xi's intelligence system. At this time, Chen Xi was meeting Xier in a private room on the second floor.

"...Sir, my senior sister replied, saying that the Japanese pirates in the coastal areas cannot be removed for the time being. Those Japanese pirates have the firearms of our Ming Dynasty. Judging from the captured firearms, most of them are not of high quality. They are cast by the Japanese pirates themselves, which is easy to explode. However, even so, it will cause headaches for local people and officers and soldiers. The government is at a loss for quelling the chaos..."

Before Shen Xi sent Yunliu to conduct a field investigation, it was not clear how serious the generation of Japanese pirates in Jiangnan was.

Originally, during the Zhengde period, the Japanese pirates only sparked sporadic sparks, and the rampant spread was even more important in the middle and late Jiajing Dynasty. At that time, "thieves invaded in large numbers, hundreds of ships were blocking the sea," causing them to "massing thousands of miles from the coast, and they were alerted at the same time." They had to wait until Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou and other generals were born before they could be completely wiped out.

However, the butterfly effect brought by the crossing of Chenxi has been highlighted, especially when he was the governor of the three coastal provinces, he sent people to develop Qiongzhou and Baodao, and gave certain encouragement to maritime trade, the sea ban was actually abolished, and ocean trade in southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other provinces gradually flourished.

Many businessmen became rich by doing foreign trade, and pirates became profitable professions. At this time, Japan was in the Warring States Period. Many down-and-out Daming and retainers were wandering on the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty. They merged with pirates and were collectively called Japanese pirates. In addition, there was a leading party within the Ming Dynasty, so they developed and grew stronger.

Of course, there is also the shadow of Folang Jiren behind this.

To put it bluntly, the pirate group was a rule of the jungle of the rule of the strong. At this time, European governments publicly sold private licenses. When the Florian conquered the Americas, they never thought of fair trade and plundered a large amount of wealth from the Indians. In the Ming Dynasty, they originally wanted to do the same, but they hit a wall in Shen Xi.

The Folang Jiren did not sincerely and traded with the Ming Dynasty court. They bought supplies from pirates, which was cheap and labor-saving, which became an important source of the Folang Jiren's goods.

The Japanese pirates are now active behind the figure of Folang Jiren.

The Japanese pirates were not equipped with only the Ming firearms or imitations of the Ming Dynasty, but many of them were bought back from the Folang Jiren.

As a result, the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River were very lively. Japanese pirates, merchants, and Florians all participated in this big business, which means that the court declined and the people became fish and were slaughtered.

Xier was nervous when reporting on these situations, fearing something happened to Yunliu, but Chen Xi looked calm: "The court has no time to take care of the Japanese pirates. After the Central Plains is pacified, the Japanese pirates will not jump for long... Now His Majesty has transferred troops from the northwest to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion. I believe that this rebellion that affected the north and south of the Ming Dynasty will not last long."

Xier said: "Sir, here is a letter from my senior sister."

After talking for a long time, Xier remembered that she had not handed over the most important letter to Chen Xi. When she took it out and delivered it to Chen Xi, she obviously felt that Chen Xi looked a little unhappy. She simply lowered her head to avoid Chen Xi's gaze, knowing that she had done something wrong.

"I will not lead troops to fight for the time being."

Chen Xi quickly finished reading Yun Liu's letter. The contents on it were mostly written in essays, but for Chen Xi, these were as difficult as Chinese characters.

Xier asked, "Will you let your senior sister come back? There are so many thieves in Jiangnan, and the local governments are not doing anything. If the senior sister has a few good and bad luck there..."

Chen Xi said with a cold face: "Your senior sister is not that reckless. I don't believe she will have something wrong there. You should worry about your errands first."

"I understand the humble position."

Xier lowered her head, and she always felt a sense of frustration in front of Shen Xi.

Chen Xi said again: "I will write the reply letter and notify your senior sister in the shortest time. She will not let her take too much action for the time being. The Japanese pirates cannot threaten her for the time being. However, if the local governments collude with the Japanese pirates, it is impossible to say that many officials are human or ghosts, and they are not allowed to make their own decisions."

"As for the order of humble duties," Xier saluted again.

Chen Xi stood up and prepared to leave. Xier said, "Sir, there is also information from the north..."

Chen Xi did not stop and said, "I basically know the things in the north. The burden on you is very heavy now. It is impossible to count on you in everything. There is a dedicated person in the north to watch. This time, the border troops are transferred, so you must be cautious. You just need to do your own job well."

After Chen Xi left the courtyard, Xier looked at Chen Xi's distant back for a while before she remembered a major question: "What is the errand that sir now?"

...

...

In the blink of an eye, it was the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, and there was only two days left before the Shangyuan Festival, and peace was in the capital.

The border army's transfer was a foregone conclusion, and even Xie Qian did not confront Zhu Houzhao anymore. At most, he would submit a few words of persuasion and end it.

However, there was another incident at this time, involving the two brothers Hou Ning and Hou Jianchang. After discussing with Gao Feng, Empress Dowager Zhang decided to go to the Leopard Room to find Zhu Houzhao in person.

This time, the banner that Empress Dowager Zhang used was not to plead for her mother's family, but to bring Empress Xia with her, which was more like taking her daughter-in-law to "find her husband".

On the way, Empress Dowager Zhang gave earnest instructions.

"...If you see the emperor, you must show the empress's majesty, for fear that there will be other women around the emperor. Your own cultivation and demeanor are very important, representing the Ming Dynasty's national system. As for those women, they are not as good as the class..."

Empress Xia carefully supported her head and thought about it carefully, and she didn't understand the difference between "representing the national system" and "not in the ordinary" women.

For Empress Xia, she was not very concerned about the emperor's affairs, and she didn't think she was the emperor's wife at all. She didn't know that this time she came to the Leopard Room was more used by Empress Dowager Zhang. What she thought in her mind was not even what to do after seeing the emperor, she was completely immersed in her own little world, thinking about what else was fun in the palace.

Feng Jia stopped at the door of Leopard's room. When Empress Dowager Zhang brought Empress Xia down, Xiao Taozi and Zhang Yuan had already come to greet him. Seeing this, he quickly went up to salute and greet the two most noble women in the Ming Dynasty.

Empress Dowager Zhang had no good expression on Xiao Taozi and Zhang Yuan. Xiao Taozi knew that he was not a member of Queen Mother Zhang from the end and did not expect to receive preferential treatment. However, Zhang Yuan felt a little aggrieved. In his opinion, he was from Kunning Palace and did not admit that he had not done anything to be sorry for Queen Mother Zhang. Why should he bear the cold face?

"Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, Your Majesty is resting and has not yet set off. Will you inform me?" Xiao Zhuozi stepped forward and asked for instructions.

Originally, Zhang Yuan was by his side, so he was not qualified to speak, but Zhang Yuan didn't know much about the emperor's daily life. He just heard that Empress Dowager Zhang brought the queen to come, so he hurriedly came from the palace, and had not even had time to enter the leopard room to see what was going on.

Empress Dowager Zhang said: "This sunny day, the emperor is actually resting? What kind of morality is it? How do you servants behave?"

When Xiao Guozi heard that the Empress Dowager's words about the emperor's servants might face the risk of punishment, so she quickly defended: "Your Majesty worked hard these two days..."

Empress Dowager Zhang sneered: "Little Twist, you should pay attention to the occasion when you flatter. Even the Ai family dares to cheat?"

"The villain dares not, the villain dares not!" Xiao Taozi quickly knelt down and beg for mercy.

Empress Dowager Zhang said: "You are also loyal to your work. Get up and lead the way. The Ai family wants to lead the queen to meet the emperor and tell the emperor if you have something to do."

Xiao Zhuozi stammered and said, "Go back to the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty has issued an imperial order before, and no one from the inner palace is allowed to leave the palace and meet at the leopard room, otherwise it will be handled by military law."

"Damn it!"

Empress Dowager Zhang shouted sternly, "Do you know who you are talking to? If the Ai family wants to see their son, you need your servants to allow it? It seems that you really treat yourself as a dish. If you don't let go, don't blame the Ai family for being rude to you."

Xiao Tiaozi looked embarrassed, but he finally knew that relying on the door to block was useless, and he should ask Zhu Houzhao for instructions. In fact, Xiao Tiaozi didn't know that Zhu Houzhao didn't wake up at this time.

Zhang Yuan came over and said, "My father-in-law, the Empress Dowager has issued an order. Why don't you do as you please?"

"As long as you do, you have to do it."

Xiao Twist responded on his mouth, but he felt very sorry in his heart.

"Now when you see the Queen Mother and the Queen, Zhang Yuan seems to have changed his own people, trying to please the two masters, but after all, it is not him who is responsible for reporting to His Majesty... It is still our family who suffers..."

"Two ladies, please here."

Xiao Guozi led the way forward, Empress Dowager Zhang led Empress Xia, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law into the middle courtyard. Xiao Guozi pointed to a flower hall next to him and said, "The two empresses can wait inside first, please wait for the slaves to come in and report to him. All matters must be decided by Your Majesty."

Empress Dowager Zhang was very impatient and waved her hand and said, "I have to wait for my son when I come to Ai's family? It's really weird. Go quickly, go quickly and come back!"

...

...

Xiao Tiaozi was so amnesty that he quickly came out of the flower hall and stopped in the yard. He waited for his mood to calm down before he went to the bedroom to find Zhu Houzhao. As a result, he was stopped by Jiang Bin before he arrived at the backyard. This surprised Xiao Tiaozi somewhat. After all, there was nothing unusual about it when he left the private house in the morning.

"It's you?"

Xiao Tiaozi looked at Jiang Bin and said, "I have disappeared for many days."

Jiang Bin held a sword in one hand and stopped Xiao Tiaozi on the way with the other, saying, "I am just going out to do business and taking the emperor's order. What is the purpose of twisting my father-in-law?"

"Face Saint... can't even understand this?" Xiao Taozi said that and still wanted to break into the backyard, but without any surprise, he was stopped by Jiang Bin again.
To be continued...