Huang Chunyao looked at Fu, who appeared to be hesitating to speak.
Although the Imperial Ancestral Mausoleum and the Imperial Mausoleum are important, they are not that important; if one truly wants to pay respects, shouldn't one pay respects at the Xiaoling Mausoleum first?
After all, that is where their Founding Emperor is buried!
This was clearly the Emperor's excuse.
It seems the Emperor will not return until he has taken Xuzhou.
Huang Chunyao was truly at his wits' end; he no longer dared to write memorials of remonstrance.
If he doesn't come back, then so be it. The Emperor's campaigning abroad hasn't been without results. Previously, they had disagreed, primarily because the Emperor was too young and they feared something might happen to him, another reason was.. after Emperor Yingzong, the Great Ming Dynasty had become quite reactive toward the idea of an Emperor personally leading a military campaign.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: You're comparing me to Mongol Scholars? Are you looking down on me? A kitten holding the Heirloom Seal of the Realm with a dissatisfied look. jpg
Next update at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 130
Huang Chunyao placed the letter on the study desk and said thoughtfully, "In my old view, this person can be sought or not."
Fu immediately understood and said after a long silence, "That may be so, but since His Majesty has ordered people to be sent there, then they shall go. It's just that we must make arrangements in Huaian and even Nanjing."
Huang Chunyao felt relieved immediately. This time, he had reached an agreement with the young but highly capable Grand Secretary Fu; regardless of whether the Heirloom Seal of the Realm was real or fake, they would simply insist it was real.
Although according to historical records, the Imperial Jade Seal was likely destroyed along with the Later Tang Emperor Li Congke, many legends of the Imperial Jade Seal appeared later on. For example, during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, someone presented the Imperial Jade Seal, during the reign of Emperor Shundi of Yuan, there was also an Imperial Jade Seal, so on.
This Imperial Jade Seal was, after all, excavated from a tomb, so its authenticity is much higher.
After reaching an agreement, Huang Chunyao and Fu invited Zhu Ci to join them as well.
The minor official sent on the errand did not know the reason, so Zhu Ci arrived at the Censorate looking completely bewildered.
After entering the Censorate, that half-sheet of letter arrived in his hands.
After Zhu Ci finished reading, he didn't seem as agitated, but he was completely stunned.
He looked at the letter and then at the two pillars of the state before him, only asking blankly after a long silence, "Really?"
Huang Chunyao and Fu nodded together, while Zhu Ci sat there, clutching the letter as tears fell blankly from his eyes.
Great Ming.. Great Ming still has hope.
Since fleeing south, he has basically been living one day at a time; even though the imperial court is currently prospering, a sense of despondency remains hidden in his heart.
The Great Ming court of those years was even more powerful than it is now, yet in the end, it was still conquered by the Tartars, the Capital fell.
He thought a lot on the road of escape, always feeling that perhaps this was the legendary decline of an era.
Heaven no longer favors the Great Ming.
Everything is different now!
After a long silence, Zhu Ci wiped away his tears and said, "I know what I must do."
Matters such as this ought to be proclaimed throughout the world, so that all those rebels will know who the true Son of Heaven is!
Promoting such matters would naturally be the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites, but the imperial edict would need to be drafted by the Grand Secretariat, stamped by the Emperor, reviewed by the Censorate, then handed over to the Ministry of Rites.
Fu said bluntly, "This Grand Secretariat will take men and make a trip to Fengyang."
If one is going to put on a show, one should do it properly. A heavy reward will certainly attract people, not to mention that if news of the Imperial Jade Seal is released, people will surely be willing to go and appraise it even for free.
Fu had many antiques on hand. Although it is said that in prosperous times gold is sought and in chaotic times antiques are sought, the truly wealthy also take advantage of chaotic times to collect antiques, as their prices are relatively low during such periods.
Accordingly, he had many appraisers under his command; this time, on his journey to Fengyang, he brought five top appraisers directly with him.
Among these five, some were refugees from the north, while others were renowned appraisers from the south.
Zhu Ci was startled when he heard that the Grand Secretary was personally leading people over, upon seeing Fu wearing sunglasses, he casually remarked, "Why are you wearing these sunglasses?"
With Fu's wealth, he could easily have manufactured many more pairs of sunglasses, but the pair he sent was not particularly well-made due to the rushed production.
Fu took off the eyeglasses, wrapped them up carefully, said, "Since they were bestowed by Your Majesty, they are naturally different."
Zhu Ci blinked, feeling as though there was a hidden meaning in the other man's words, but upon closer thought, it seemed like nothing was there.
The things he gave are now equivalent to an imperial gift, they are indeed different.
He asked, "Why have you come?"
Fu said with a serious expression, "The Imperial Seal is of great importance. After discussing it repeatedly with the Left Censor, I have decided to make this trip personally."
Huang Chunyao certainly wanted to come, but he lacked the connections. Although he knew one or two appraisers, he was far behind Fu's connections.
Moreover, in order to obtain the imperial decree as quickly as possible, the journey had to begin that very day. As Grand Secretary, Fu could write it while traveling, once he arrived in Fengyang, he could have His Majesty seal it directly and have it sent back with extreme urgency.
Zhu Ci was not particularly surprised to hear that it would be proclaimed throughout the world, but his expression changed when he heard that the edict had not yet been written.
Is he to write this decree as well?
If that were really the case, he would certainly protest; drafting imperial edicts was never the Emperor's responsibility; that was something the Grand Secretariat should handle.
Of course, it wasn't asking the heads of the Grand Secretariat to write them, but rather having the Secretariat Drafters of the Grand Secretariat do the writing.
Although the positions of Vice Grand Secretary and Grand Secretary within the Grand Secretariat have not yet been filled, there are still Secretariat Drafters assigned to handle such work; it wouldn't be right to have the Emperor write it himself, would it?
Perhaps because his expression was too obvious, Fu said with a smile, "Your Majesty need not worry. The imperial edict has been drafted, but it is not yet finalized; in the end, Your Majesty will still need to transcribe a copy and affix the seal."
Only then did Zhu Ci feel at ease, but.. he still had to transcribe it? Wouldn't that mean he'd be watched while practicing his calligraphy again?
Calligraphy is truly like rowing against the current; if the foundation isn't reinforced with a few days of practice, the strokes might lose their form the moment you pick up the brush. He was already impatient with such things, he didn't have the time to practice anyway.
What surprised him was that Fu actually stopped nagging him this time.
This left him very confused.
Facing the Emperor's suspicious gaze, Fu remained very calm. Although the Little Emperor was not yet old, he was not a three-year-old child; he knew in his own heart what was most important.
Giving advice like this might be acceptable once or twice, but by the third time, it becomes a bit annoying. Moreover, even if one intends to give advice, the timing must be right; is now really the time to have the Emperor practice his calligraphy?
Fu glanced at him and said after some consideration, "Your Majesty, let us use the Heirloom Seal of the Realm once as well."
Although this item's symbolic significance outweighs its practical use, it could still be used at a time like this.
Zhu Ci did not mind, but what surprised him was that Fu had actually prepared ink paste, this ink paste had a hint of purple amidst the red, looking quite unusual.
After stamping the Imperial Jade Seal, Zhu Ci asked, "What did those Appraisers say?"
The people brought by Fu appraised the Imperial Jade Seal that very day, though at the time, Zhu Ci was arranging for Liu Zhaoji and He Gang to attack Xiaoxian from Quli Town and Fangcunjie.
Once Xiaoxian is taken, the next step is Xuzhou.
In all the hustle and bustle, he had actually forgotten to ask for the final appraisal results. No matter what was said to the outside world, Zhu Ci still needed to be clear in his own mind; if they were fakes being passed off as real, he would end up being deceived himself, that would be a disaster.
Fu said in a low voice, "The appraisers have identified them as genuine."
Despite having prepared himself mentally, Zhu Ci was still somewhat surprised.
He couldn't help but rub his chin in confusion. "How could it appear here? That's a Han Dynasty tomb."
It is said that the last accurate records were burned by Li Congke, everything after that was merely legend.
Li Congke's time was during the Five Dynasties, which was several hundred years before the Han Dynasty.
Fu had already suspected this. He thought for a moment and said, "Although the ones discovered previously were all Han tombs, the location of the Heirloom Seal of the Realm might not necessarily be a Han tomb."
Zhu Ci immediately slapped the desk: "That's right."
Why hadn't he thought of that?
It's like in places with good feng shui, where burials aren't necessarily laid out on a single plane; they might be layered one on top of another. The Han Dynasty tombs are likely underneath, but it's unclear whose tombs lie above them.
Fu saw the look of sudden realization on Zhu Ci's face and couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hand to cough lightly, reminding him, "Your Majesty, your bearing."
Zhu Ci..
Aren't you annoying!
He rolled his eyes secretly, then sat up straight and said, "Since it has been confirmed, you should take it back and put it away properly when you return, my dear minister."
Fu asked, "When will Your Majesty return?"
Zhu Ci immediately said, "We must wait until Xuzhou is taken before discussing that."
Fu mused for a long while before saying, "If Your Majesty wishes to take Xuzhou within this year, I fear it will come at a heavy price."
Zhu Ci's expression grew slightly more solemn. "Has my dear minister heard some rumors?"
Fu said in a heavy voice, "There isn't much specific news, but I've heard that the Tartars are already manufacturing Earth Shields and Siege Towers."
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised: "What are Earth Shields and Siege Towers?"
“Earth Shields are made from rammed earth walls, Siege Towers are naturally made by surrounding them with carriages; among them, Siege Towers are the most effective against rockets.”
Fu handed over a map while speaking.
Before Jiang Xueyan could reach out to take it, Zhu Ci had already stood up and walked around the table to take the blueprint.
Fu Chunsheng also stood up, when Zhu Ci walked to his side, a thought suddenly popped into his head—the Little Emperor seemed to have grown taller.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: It's time to grow some taller, my 1.8-meter height has shrunk this much! A cat straightening its body and trying to perk up its ears to measure its height. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 131
Zhu Ci frowned the moment he first looked at the blueprints; what on earth was this mess?
However, even though it was drawn in a mess, he still managed to make sense of it.
He tapped the blueprint and said, "It looks like many transport wagons."
The wagons mentioned here were not like those of later generations, but were grain carts, supply wagons, wood carts, even carts used to transport weaponry.
All of these carts had one common feature: their sideboards were high, thick, sturdy.