The summer is long, and just three hours after the Yin hour, the sky begins to become clear. The sound of the Jingyang bell has changed from three drums to five drums, and it is time for all officials to attend court.

Zhou Tianhong returned from outside the border this time. Although he had recovered from the illness at this moment, his already low figure became more and more hunched. He turned his head and looked at Zhou Xian standing next to him, and suddenly stepped forward to help him tidy up his clothes. Zhou Xian wanted to refuse, but saw him and said, "Don't move. This time, Your Majesty met him in person. This is a blessing for a lifetime, and everything must be cautious. I am going to court now, so you are here to wait patiently. I think that after the morning court, someone will come to inform you."

Zhou Xian nodded and said, "Father, don't worry! You have said all of these at least a hundred times, and even a fool should remember them clearly." Since returning from the frontier, Zhou Xian found that his relationship with Zhou Tianhong has improved a lot. Whether it is the words of each other or the relationship, they have become much closer.

Zhou Tianhong felt the impatientness in Zhou Xian's heart, smiled faintly, patted his shoulder three times, and turned around and walked towards the inner hall with the big troop of officials.

All officials entered one after another. In a short while, Zhou Xian was the only one who was outside the extremely noisy Meridian Gate. The rising sun slowly rose to the east, and the shadows under his feet became longer and longer. Zhou Xian felt a little bored. Looking into the distance, the city wall was more than ten feet high, and the palaces of all sizes were stacked in the distance, which was extremely majestic. Beijing City has been built countless times in the past dynasties, and in contemporary times, it is no longer comparable to any other famous city in the world.

A noise suddenly came from a distance, and the guards in front of the door who were standing lazily suddenly became energetic. They stood bent and looked squinting, without the decadence they had just now. A middle-aged man who was nearly forty years old, with a white face and no beard, slightly fat body, and dressed as a eunuch in the palace walked out of the Meridian Gate. He walked straight towards Zhou Xian and said, "Is this Zhou Xian, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou Xian turned around and said, "It's Xiaoke, how dare you ask your father-in-law's name?"

The father-in-law smiled and said with a smile, "Our family, Wang Chengen, is currently the eunuch of the Sili Supervisor. The emperor asked me to take you to Wenhua Palace to rest first. When the morning court is over, he will meet you first."

When Zhou Xian heard this, he was shocked. Wang Chengen, wasn’t this the only eunuch who was with Emperor Chongzhen and hanged himself in Jingshan with him when the city of Beijing was broken? He concealed his inner shock and bowed and said, “I’ll ask the prince to lead the way.”

Wang Chengen smiled slightly and said, "Young Master, please follow me." As he said that, he turned around and went in first, and Zhou Xian lowered his head and hurriedly followed behind.

When Wenhua Hall was first built, it was used as a place for the princes of the Ming Dynasty to deal with government affairs. However, because the princes were too young to participate in politics, it was changed to the emperor's palace during the Jiajing period, and became a place for great scholars in the court to teach the emperor. Sometimes it was also used for the emperor to handle government affairs or to meet close ministers. If the title of descendants is used, it is equivalent to the study room of modern people.

Zhou Xian was wondering why Emperor Chongzhen met him here, but Wang Chengen smiled and said, "The emperor usually meets ministers in the Huangji Palace, but only those close ministers will change to Wenhua Palace. The young master first entered the imperial city, but he was valued so much by the emperor. This honor is really extraordinary!"

When Zhou Xian heard Wang Chengen's words, he was a little confused and at a loss. He felt that no matter how he responded, it seemed that he was wrong. It seemed that what Wan Ji said to him in the past, Yang Sichang said to Emperor Chongzhen about his achievements, which was certain. Otherwise, why would Emperor Chongzhen pay so much attention to a child like himself?

Seeing Zhou Xian standing there in a daze, Wang Chengen smiled and said, "Young Master, let's wait here for a while. The morning court should be about to end at this time. I'll go and take a look first."

Seeing that Wang Chengen was about to walk out of the hall, Zhou Xian suddenly thought of what Zhou Tianhong told him. He hurriedly stepped forward and handed a silver bag to Wang Chengen and said, "Eunuch Wang, you have been here just now. I have worked hard all the way. This is my little intention, and I hope you don't think it's too little."

Wang Chengen looked around nervously and found that no one was paying attention to this place. He quickly put his wallet in his arms. The silver bag should be as large as a hundred taels. He is worthy of being the son of an official and is generous in his actions. Wang Chengen smiled faintly and said, "Young Master, you are polite. It is our duty to serve the emperor. At this time, the young master is valued by the emperor and will surely make a fortune in the future. I hope you can take care of our family more in the future!"

Zhou Xian bowed and replied, "Eunuch Wang, you are polite. How dare you have such inappropriate thoughts?"

Wang Chengen smiled and did not say much here. Instead, he reminded him: "Young Master, I have a message below. The emperor is most afraid of connecting internal and external officials. If the young master becomes an official, he can only trade money in private. Never let the emperor discover it. Otherwise, sometimes he will not be able to get over it easily."

Zhou Xian's face changed slightly, and he hurriedly bowed and thanked him: "I understand, thank you for your reminder."

Wang Chengen ordered people to bring a cup of tea and walked out. Zhou Xian knew that this was just a polite person and dared not drink tea in the emperor's palace. He stood on the side of the door and looked around and found that the biggest feature of Wenhua Palace was that there were many books. In the small space, there were four large bookshelves, columns of classics, history, and collections, full of various books. On the copywriting placed in the center, there was a one-foot-high yellow document on the left, which should be the legendary memorial. On the right is a book that was opened, which was far apart and could not see the contents of the book clearly.

It is said that among all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, except for the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Chongzhen was the most diligent. Moreover, he was proficient in various Confucian classics and was far more studious than other emperors. Zhou Xian once read the poems he wrote for the female general Qin Liangyu. Although he was not very good at reading at his own level, he was indeed catchy.

Zhou Xian couldn't help but think of an evaluation of Emperor Chongzhen in later generations. Chongzhen was diligent, but he was suspicious and could not figure out the direction he should work hard. His diligence just pushed the Ming Dynasty to an end faster, which has to be said to be a kind of sadness. Zhou Xian sighed, gathered his mind, and forced himself not to think so much.

Zhou Xian suddenly noticed a team of people turning around the front hall. In front were guards holding ceremonial guards. Eight eunuchs behind were carrying a red chariot, surrounded by dozens of eunuchs and palace maids, holding yellow umbrella covers, and were slowly walking towards him. The palace maids on both sides saw Huagai and knelt down on the ground.
Chapter completed!