20demayo Chapter 742 Departure, To the Stars and the Sea
Chapter 742 Departure, To the Stars and the Sea
Several major events and some interesting things have happened in Beijing recently.
It became a topic of conversation among the people of the capital. Of course, since it involved the powerful and the royal family, no one dared to talk about it openly, but they all discussed it quietly in private.
Restaurants, teahouses, and even brothels were all buzzing with gossip about these topics, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
The first interesting thing is that the young master of the Lin family, the military commander of the Five Cities, and the young lady of the Wang family, the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, are engaged. Originally, these two families, one civil and one military, were completely unrelated.
Even when marriages were arranged, it was rare for civil and military officials to intermarry, and even if they did, it was usually between two families with such a high status and background.
After all, they are easily suspected and feared by those above. Why aren't the Lin and Wang families afraid?
Firstly, His Majesty has been spending less and less time in court lately and pays little attention to these matters.
Secondly, neither of the betrothed individuals is an important member of their respective families; one is an adopted son, and the other is a daughter born out of wedlock, so their influence on the family as a whole is quite limited.
Furthermore, Lord Lin of the Five Cities Military Command is getting old and will retire in a few years.
Although Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of Rites was considered the second-in-command, he didn't actually have much real power, since he wasn't the only Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Moreover, Minister of Rites Tong is a man of his word; with him in charge, no one below can cause any trouble.
Therefore, although the news of the marriage between the two families was quite unexpected, it did not cause a great uproar or attract the attention of the imperial court.
However, among the common people, the story of the marriage between the two families was told in a humorous way, much like the style of a teahouse storybook.
They piled up all sorts of beautiful words like "destined couple," "a match made in heaven," and "a perfect couple," almost as if they were celestial beings from a past life who were only here to fulfill their karmic bond.
The two met on the summit of the mountain behind Nanshan Temple in the suburbs, a place that few people usually set foot in.
After all, the mountains are high and the roads are long. If you just want to see the scenery, there are so many places to go. Why go through all that trouble?
Even if someone were to carry it up, it would be very tiring, since the mountain behind Nanshan Temple is extremely high.
As for the scenery, it's really just so-so.
So why bother?
The marriage of Prince Lin was the first novel event in the capital, and the second novel event was also the marriage between a man and a woman.
The coincidence is that it happened on the back mountain of Nanshan Temple, and everyone felt that Nanshan Temple had some kind of significance.
However, the second couple's family background was even less prominent. They were only mentioned multiple times because their engagement to Lin Wang happened around the same time.
Both of these are matters between men and women, and people talk about them briefly before the initial excitement fades.
The other two issues generated even more discussion, and if they were trending on social media at this time, they would definitely dominate the top of the headlines.
This matter concerns the Emperor's personal visit to the Tongzhou Wharf. This event came suddenly, as His Majesty had not actually made any special inspections of the counties surrounding the capital since ascending the throne.
Moreover, Tongxian is a remote place, and it is usually used as the first stop for local officials to rest when they go to the capital.
After all, there is a dock here, and many officials come here by official boat, disembark to rest and freshen up before going to the palace to see the emperor.
The docks here are used quite frequently, and the post station is the largest among the counties around Beijing. After all, it needs to accommodate many officials from other places, and it wouldn't be able to accommodate so many people if it wasn't large enough.
Although Tongxian is a major transportation hub, it has received little attention due to its geographical location.
After all, agriculture and commerce are not prominent here, and fishing is not as good as the fish and rice fields of Jiangnan.
It's nothing special, just an ordinary "bedroom community".
The officials would rest here for one night upon arriving in the capital, get a good night's sleep, and then board their carriages to go into the inner city to "report on their work."
Why would His Majesty the Emperor come here?
Why did he come to this territory that he had hardly set foot in since he ascended the throne?
That's closely related to the fourth new thing~
The fourth novel thing in the capital is that ships set sail.
It is said that this fleet of ships was built by His Highness the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, in order to create more value and find more opportunities for the people of the Great Zhou.
Ordinary people have no idea what's on the other side of the sea, but what everyone does know is that these ships are extremely expensive to build and can sail to very, very far places.
His Majesty the Emperor personally visited the Tongzhou Wharf because of these dozen or so ships.
These dozen or so ships are about to set sail, heading overseas to create more value and reap more benefits for the Great Zhou.
"Your Majesty, we have arrived at Tongzhou Wharf."
"Hmm, Qiu Cheng is the commander here?"
"Your Majesty, that's right! The person is already waiting outside, just waiting for Your Majesty to summon him."
"Yes, bring the rest of the officials along."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Qiu Cheng was both excited and apprehensive. His excitement and apprehension stemmed from the impending departure of the ship, but now he was also filled with apprehension about meeting the emperor.
His Majesty's arrival was rather sudden; His Highness the Crown Prince was not informed in advance.
If His Highness the Crown Prince had known in advance that His Majesty would be coming at this time, he would have sent a message by carrier pigeon or had someone deliver a letter to remind him.
His Majesty is coming in person, and we are completely unprepared. The docks are in chaos. Will His Majesty punish us?
Even after arriving before the Emperor, Qiu Cheng's heart remained unsettled, though he did not show it on his face.
He felt he had concealed his emotions very well, but unfortunately, the superiors were too sharp-eyed and saw through Lord Qiu's disguise at a glance.
"Minister Qiu, may I ask when you joined the Crown Prince's faction?"
!!!
The emperor's sudden question left Qiu Cheng's mind reeling. He had expected His Majesty to ask questions about docks and ships, but he hadn't anticipated that the first question would catch him off guard.
Should we report the truth or make up a lie?
How much does Your Majesty actually know about the matter between yourself and the Crown Prince?
Could it be that my whereabouts have been under the surveillance of His Majesty's shadow guards all along?