Night, Chonghua Hall.
Just when the government and the public were talking a lot about the addition of cabinet ministers, Zhang Xi finally saw the opportunity and took Xu Youzhen to Nangong.
In fact, it was said that he had spotted the opportunity, but it was still impossible to completely deceive others. In fact, this was what Zhang Mi had always wondered about. However, the emperor pressed hard, and he had no choice but to do it again and again.
Keep a low profile and try not to reveal your whereabouts.
"I, Xu Youzhen, a scholar from Chunfang University, come to see His Majesty the Supreme Emperor!"
Perhaps because she felt that she had finally seen an opportunity to become a high-level member of the Supreme Emperor's party, Xu Youzhen seemed very excited. When she entered the palace, she bowed profusely. This appearance made Zhang Mi feel a little contemptuous.
"Get flat!"
The Supreme Emperor still only left a few personal servants, and sent out all the irrelevant people. His tone was calm and calm, and no emotion could be heard.
So, the two of them stood up and waited, and then the Supreme Emperor said to Xu Youzhen.
"He has already told me what you said to Zhang Qing last time. This is why I want to call you here today."
"I am terrified."
Although Zhang Xi had already given him some hints before entering the palace, after hearing this, Xu Youzhen still had a worried look on her face, bowed her hands in a bow, and did not dare to raise her head.
However, the Supreme Emperor didn't seem to care much, and asked directly without making any subtle moves.
"Zhang Qing told me, do you think the emperor's actions in recent days are intended to change the reserve position?"
As soon as these words came out, Zhang Xi stood at the bottom and couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
When did he say this? Although he did mean this at the time, only the Supreme Emperor dared to speak so bluntly.
Xu Youzhen was obviously a little cautious. After hesitating for a moment, she knelt down and said.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that the Holy Heart's will should not be arbitrarily predicted by the ministers. However, after the queen gave birth to her legitimate son in the palace, the emperor did have this intention. First he granted amnesty to the capital, and then he added relatives to the emperor's family.
The legitimate son gave him the name 'Jian Zhi'."
"If this is just such an honor and favor, that's all. But the last time the emperor came to the East Palace, it was called to inspect the prince's studies, but in fact, it was meant to be a test. As an official of the East Palace, I have the responsibility to protect His Highness the prince.
I have to think a little more, if I have offended the Heavenly Family, I hope your Majesty will forgive me."
These words were indeed a bit presumptuous, but there were no other people here, and the few people present knew very well that Xu Youzhen was called here for this matter. Therefore, it was not too surprising, especially Zhu Qizhen, who narrowed his eyes.
There was no big change in his eyes or expression, he just said.
"Scholar Xu is so loyal, how can I criticize him harshly? I have called you here today because I value your sincerity, loyalty and courage. Get up."
So, Xu Youzhen stood up carefully.
Later, Zhu Qizhen said again.
"Since I returned to the court, although I have the honor of being the Supreme Emperor, I have been trapped in the South Palace. Although I have been peaceful and prosperous and have never interfered in the government affairs, I have been frequently feared by the emperor. Everyone in the government and the public has said that the Tian family is harmonious, but since Xu Xueshi is in the East Palace,
I must have heard something about it. Although the emperor is respectful to me on the surface, in fact, he rarely comes to visit Nangong and does not follow the etiquette during festivals."
"After all, the prince is my biological son. Although he has a great reputation, he is actually also feared by the emperor. In the past, the emperor was able to maintain stability when there was no son in the palace. Now that the legitimate son is born, he has the intention to change the throne, and
Not surprisingly."
Xu Youzhen bowed her hands and said.
"Your Majesty is wise, that is exactly what it is."
Looking at the cautious and respectful Xu Youzhen below, an inexplicable look flashed in Zhu Qizhen's eyes and he asked.
"I know Xu Xuesheng's loyalty. Since you are an official of the East Palace, you should consider the prince. Now that the prince is in danger, I wonder if you have any good ideas, Xu Xu?"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became tense. Zhang Xi stood aside and his heartstrings could not help but tighten.
Xu Youzhen was obviously the same. After thinking for a moment, he spoke.
"Your Majesty clearly understands that I have the audacity to make false claims. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the eldest grandson of His Majesty Emperor Xuan Zongzhang. He was enthroned to the throne in accordance with the decree of the Holy Emperor and the Queen Mother. He has great righteousness and honor, and it is also the etiquette and law of the people. All ministers in the court, despite their positions,
They are different, but they all have the intention of stabilizing the throne. The emperor wants to change the throne, but in fact it is a violation of etiquette and law, and an act that goes against the people of the court. The ministers in the court have already criticized this a lot."
"According to what I see, the Emperor is also aware of this fact. Therefore, since he ascended the throne, he has cultivated minions like Lu Zhong and Shu Liang, who have repeatedly offended His Majesty, with the intention of damaging His Majesty's prestige and reputation. His Highness the Crown Prince is
If your Majesty's son is harmed, His Royal Highness's status will naturally be shaken. This is one of the reasons."
"Every minister in the court abides by etiquette and law, and upholds righteousness. If the emperor insists on forcibly changing the storage, it will inevitably lead to heated discussions between the court and the public. Because of this, after the war ended, the emperor used the army to suppress the honorable ministers in the court, and also
The loyal and upright ministers in the capital, such as Gao Xueshi and Peng Shidu, were transferred out of the capital by means of the imperial censorship. Now, after the reform of science and education, the ministers in the court have also been deprived of their right to advise the emperor. All these are for Yi Chu.
Get ready."
"I have thought about it and realized that the emperor's preparation for this matter was not a day's work. I once felt that if the emperor's intention could be made clear to the court and the public and the ministers would be aware of it, then with the power of the ministers in the court, the emperor might be able to be stopped. However,
After the kneeling remonstrance at Gongmen a few days ago, I feel more and more that it may not be easy for the ministers in the court to stop the emperor. I only hate that I am weak. Although I am determined to do everything for His Highness the Crown Prince, I may not be able to stop him.
Even if I try my best, I cannot guarantee His Highness the peace of the Crown Prince."
"Because of this, I told Governor Zhang everything I knew and thought about, and wanted to discuss with Governor Zhang to find a good plan. Unfortunately, the emperor was very thoughtful and planned every step. The ministers tried their best to think about it, but they couldn't come up with a good plan. Let's live up to the disappointment.
Your Majesty looks forward to it and hopes that your Majesty will forgive me."
Xu Youzhen's words were sincere and heartbreaking, making people moved when they heard them.
However, if you listen carefully, you will find that nothing is actually said.
Of course, the effect is still there, at least after hearing this, the Supreme Emperor was greatly moved and said.
"The Xu Qing family is indeed a loyal and upright minister. It is a blessing for the prince to have Xu Qing as assistant in the East Palace. The crown prince in the East Palace is the foundation of the country. Any slightest move will inevitably cause chaos in the country. This is a principle that has not changed through the ages. It is a pity that the emperor is too young.
, it’s hard to understand this.”
"At this time, there is a need for honest ministers in the country to speak out for the country. I know that your teacher is Chen Xun of the Ministry of Industry, who has always been a high-ranking scholar among the scholars. You are all the pillars of the country, and you should be more aware of this."
I will also ask the Holy Mother in the palace to give more advice to the emperor. Harmony between the heaven and the family is a blessing to the country. Do you understand?"
"I obey your orders."
Although he didn't understand it so well, Zhang Mian still raised his hand and accepted the order together with Xu Youzhen. Afterwards, after a brief pause, the Supreme Emperor said again.
"Xu Qing's family is the capital of the country. He has a unique vision of the situation in the DPRK. I entrust you with the safety of the East Palace. If something like this happens again in the future, you must come over as soon as possible and let me know."
As he spoke, the Supreme Emperor glanced at Jiang An beside him, and the latter immediately understood, walked down the imperial steps, took out a small tooth plaque from his sleeve, and handed it to Xu Youzhen.
"This is the token for entering and exiting Nangong. If you need to see me in an emergency later on, please take this token to the Nangong Guard Commander Meng Jun, and he will bring you to see me."
"Thank you, Your Majesty..."
Xu Youzhen knelt on the ground, looking quite excited.
This look made Zhang Xi a little envious. Although this token was only used to enter and leave the Nangong Palace, the Supreme Emperor's gift of this token showed his trust in Xu Youzhen. From then on, this token
Xu Xueshi no longer needs to rely on Zhu Jian's status to occupy a place in the Supreme Emperor's party.
After all, they came in secret, so it was not advisable for Zhang and the two of them to stay for a long time. After receiving the tokens, they left Nangong under the cover of night.
Seeing the two people leaving, Zhu Qizhen's expression was inexplicably profound. Seeing this situation, Qimuge on the side couldn't help but ask.
"Your Majesty said before that Mr. Xu can solve your Majesty's doubts. I wonder if your Majesty's doubts can be solved now?"
After hearing this, Zhu Qizhen slowly recovered his mind, a smile appeared on his face, his eyes passed through the night, and seemed to fall on somewhere, and said.
"Don't worry, wait a few more days, and you'll have the answer soon..."
At the same time, the lights in the Qianqing Palace were also bright.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Shu is back."
As the night got darker, Wynn looked at the emperor who was still reading under the candlelight, and cautiously stepped forward to report.
Zhu Qiyu waved his hands and said without even raising his head.
"Ask him to come in..."
So, within a moment, Shu Liang, dressed in plain clothes, walked in, knelt down on the ground and said.
"My slave, please pay your respects to your Majesty."
"Get up, how are things going?"
Shu Liang stood up and recounted what had just happened in Chonghua Hall.
"... Before Xu Xueshi left, the Supreme Emperor gave him a dental plaque for entering and exiting Nangong. However, this dental plaque was not a thing of the inner court and should have been privately carved. According to what Xu Xueshi said, if you find Meng Jun, the commander of Nangong, with this plaque, you will
Someone led him into Nangong."
"Nothing else?"
Zhu Qiyu put down the book in his hand, raised his head and asked.
Shu Liang shook his head and said.
"Nothing else..."
After hearing this, Zhu Qiyu tapped the eucalyptus with his right hand, as if he was thinking about something. However, it only took a moment for a smile to appear on his face and he said.
"It seems that my royal brother is not stupid at all. He saw the clues so quickly..."
As soon as these words came out, even Shu Liang below was a little surprised and said.
"Your Majesty, what you mean is, Xu Xu's identity?"
"Um……"
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said.
"Probably the Supreme Emperor has already noticed it."
Although he had a vague premonition, Shu Liang was still surprised when he heard the emperor say this.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu smiled and said.
"Nangong is heavily guarded. In addition to the Yulin Guards in charge of Meng Jun, there are also people from the Jinyi Guards. Moreover, in order to help Bodu escape during the Huichun Hunting, most of the cronies arranged by the Empress Dowager Sun for the Supreme Emperor were folded in. Have you forgotten?
?”
"How could this slave forget that at that time, I was the one who went to arrest him personally? But what does this have to do with Xu Xu?"
Shu Liang nodded, but the confusion on his face did not lessen.
So Zhu Qiyu said.
"The Supreme Emperor's cronies have all been exterminated, so now there are naturally many of my people in the Nangong. How can something like an audience with a foreign minister be hidden from my eyes and ears? The Supreme Emperor knows this very well."
"Zhang Min and Zhu Yi are just fine. Everyone knows that they have long been members of the Supreme Emperor. It's just whether they have been exposed to the public. But Xu Youzhen, in addition to being an official of the East Palace, has no other role in the court.
Above all, there has never been the slightest sign of leaning towards the Supreme Emperor."
"What's more, after all, Zhang and Xian are from noble families. Even if I knew that they had contacts with the Supreme Emperor, it would not be a crime to punish them. But Xu Youzhen is different. He is a civil servant and his official position is not high. If I
If you want to deal with him, it's not difficult to find any reason to release him."
"Tell me, in this situation, the Supreme Emperor gave Xu Youzhen this dental card and asked him to visit him at any time when he had something to do. Do you really trust him?"
this……
Shu Liang was also a smart man, so he understood immediately and asked.
"If that's the case, then why don't you tell Xu Xueshi..."
"No need!"
Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said.
"Since he wants something, he naturally has to take risks. This is what he deserves."
Shu Liang was surprised for a moment. He had long had a vague feeling that the emperor didn't have a good opinion of Xu Youzhen. However, regardless of his situation, Shu Liang still felt that it was not like the emperor's style.
You must know that what Xu Youzhen did was originally shady, but now that his identity has been discovered by the Supreme Emperor, the risks he faces have naturally increased greatly.
Again, although Xu Youzhen was an official of the imperial court, she was still not enough in front of such huge noble forces as the British Duke and the Chengguo Duke.
If the Supreme Emperor was really angry because of his deception and decided to deal with Xu Youzhen, then he would not be able to escape at any cost.
Not to mention anything else, just announcing his "estrangement from the Tian family" was enough for him to pack up and go home.
But the emperor doesn't seem to care much about this...
"Xu Youzhen, just ask him to follow my previous instructions. He is a smart man and always knows how to protect himself."
The emperor's voice was indifferent, but for some reason, Shu Liang always felt that there was a hint of mockery in this tone.
However, before he could think about it carefully, the emperor ignored the matter and asked instead.
"How are the preparations for the things I asked you to do before?"
Shu Liang recovered his thoughts and said quickly.
"Go back to Your Majesty, this matter is not difficult to handle. After reporting it to the Queen, I have already cleaned out several palaces on the west side of Qingning Palace and renovated them according to Your Majesty's wishes. All the manpower and utensils are ready.
Qi, various books have also been copied from Wenyuan Pavilion and have been moved in. With the Emperor's decree, His Highnesses can move them there."
"Okay, I understand. If this is the case, I will ask Wynn to go to the cabinet to deliver the order tomorrow."
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said nothing more.
Seeing this situation, Shu Liang was hesitant to speak, but in the end, it was just words.
"That slave will leave first..."
This chapter has been completed!