Nangong.
The night was getting late, the lights had been turned off everywhere, and people were falling asleep, but only in the Emperor's bedroom, there was still a glimmer of light.
These days, although the Supreme Emperor has played and sang every night, his schedule has been very regular.
Normally, out of every five days, he would spend three days staying at various palace concubines, one day staying at Queen Duanjing's place, and the remaining day he would return to his own palace.
Zhu Qizhen was leaning on the couch. Although it was late at night, he was still wearing his outer robe and showed no signs of sleeping.
In front of him, there was an envelope that had just been opened, and it clearly showed the status of today's court meeting.
The candlelight flickered, and in the huge palace, only a few palace lanterns were lit, which made Zhu Qizhen's face flicker.
Beside him, an old eunuch stood bowed and silent.
After an unknown amount of time, a sigh suddenly sounded in the hall. Then, Zhu Qizhen rubbed his forehead, finally moved his eyes away from the letter, and asked.
"Ruan Lang, do you think this court meeting is weird?"
The old eunuch raised his head, his expression respectful, and seemed a little unsure, but he still said.
"Since Your Majesty asked the question, the old slave said nothing. In fact, when Marquis Ren wanted to stop the rectification of the military camp, the old slave felt that something was wrong. However, at that time, the old slave felt that after all, Ren Marquis was in the court, so he could not treat it as such.
Many things must be much more thoughtful than the old slave, maybe it's because the old slave doesn't think carefully, maybe."
"But, now it seems that the reason why Marquis Ren is so anxious is because he is carrying such a shocking case, and he has indeed done something like plotting to assassinate an important minister."
"Moreover, even if you commit such a case, you dare not tell the truth to His Majesty, and now you are in jail. It is your own fault..."
After hearing this, Zhu Qizhen looked a little unhappy, as if he was recalling something unpleasant.
However, after thinking about it, he still shook his head and said.
"I always feel that it's not that simple."
"Look at the letter sent by Zhu Yi. Although it seems to be written objectively, in fact, there is one thing he never mentioned. That is, when Ren Li first came forward, why did they not follow up?
Only when things started to get out of control did I speak out to support Ren Li."
"Don't you find this strange?"
this……
Ruan Lang hesitated a little, as if he wanted to say something but didn't dare.
His expression naturally made Zhu Qizhen, who was already a little worried, feel even more irritated and said.
"If you have anything to say, just say it. If there is anything else you can hesitate to say in front of me."
With one sentence, Ruan Lang was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground, kowtowed and said.
"Your Majesty, I don't dare to deceive you. However, my knowledge is shallow and I don't have Your Majesty's vision, so I always feel that I have to look at people first before looking at things."
"The major affairs of the government are complicated and the old slave cannot understand it. However, when I was serving in Cining Palace, the old slave also heard the Holy Mother mention that the young master of Chengguo Duke's mansion is a talented person. Now, Chengguo Duke
If the government is married to the British government, it will be a good family relationship, and they will naturally do their best."
"Furthermore, although the young prince is not allowed to enter the palace during this period, he is still busy. When Yuan Xiaowei came here before, he said that many relationships outside the palace depend on the young prince.
Even with the current situation of the court discussion, the young prince immediately found someone to send him to the palace."
"Old slave, I shouldn't have said this. If the young master hadn't found some connections and arranged for the slaves in the mansion to be cleansed and sent to our Nangong, now, I'm afraid I wouldn't even find someone to send a message.
Convenient, so..."
It has to be said that Ruan Lang knows Zhu Qizhen.
After saying this, Zhu Qizhen's face was still quite ugly, and he even became a little more irritable, but his tone had changed.
"I didn't say it was Zhu Yi's problem. I know that he worked hard for me, but there is something wrong with Ren Li's matter..."
As he spoke, Zhu Qizhen sighed quietly and said.
"Furthermore, in the court now, for the courtiers who still care about Nangong, Ren Li is the most important. Now that he has entered the imperial prison, I'm afraid it will be difficult to escape. When the time comes, if something happens in the court, I will
Then it’s really hard to find a way.”
"You have also seen that the prince's resignation has been delayed from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, and there has been no movement until now. This is the case now, and I don't know what will happen in the future..."
Under the flickering candlelight, Zhu Qizhen's expression was complicated and difficult to understand. He seemed to be talking to Ruan Lang, but also seemed to be explaining to himself.
Seeing this situation, Ruan Lang carefully raised his head and advised.
"Your Majesty, why should you worry? I dare to say one more thing. This time, Marquis Ningyuan dared to hide from Your Majesty the matter of plotting to assassinate the minister. Next time, he might dare to hide something even bigger. This court meeting, to put it bluntly, is Marquis Ningyuan.
I am just seeking self-protection in the name of His Majesty."
"This old slave has little knowledge and may be wrong, but Your Majesty, no matter how powerful he is in the court, Marquis Ningyuan, if he is not calm enough and loses the way to be a minister, then it may not be a good thing!"
Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen's eyes suddenly turned cold, which made Ruan Lang feel cold in his heart and he quickly lowered his head.
I don't know how long it took before Ruan Lang finally heard it and sighed and said.
"Get up."
"yes……"
He slowly stood up and glanced at the Emperor's expression from the corner of his eye. Seeing that although the old man's expression was cold, he was not angry, Ruan Lang felt relieved.
After another pause, the Emperor's voice sounded again, saying with a bit of helplessness and disappointment.
"You are right, Zhu Yi is a useful person. As for Ren Li...well, I also know his difficulties, but what he did is indeed a bit excessive. It is a pity..."
Seeing this situation, Ruan Lang thought for a while and said again.
"Your Majesty, the matter has come to an end. Let me say one more word. In fact, the one in the palace is in charge of the matter of rectifying the military camp. Therefore, all the civil and military officials in the court, especially the civil servants, are
From the bottom of their hearts, they want Marquis Ning Yuan to fall. Even if they know that there is insufficient evidence for this matter, they will still pretend not to see it."
"The man in the palace took advantage of this and instigated Marquis Changping to fight against Marquis Ningyuan, which led to the current situation. But how can the man in the palace take over all the rights in the world?"
"You must know that your Majesty is the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty!"
Zhu Qizhen frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked.
"You mean, Brother Shen?"
Ruan Lang nodded and said.
"Yes, the ministers all agreed with the imperial council's proposal to rectify the military garrison. The one in the palace took advantage of the situation, and that's why we have the current situation."
"But by the same token, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince leaves the cabinet, it is also a matter of etiquette. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince leaves the cabinet to prepare for the affairs that have been approved by the court, it will have real honor and righteousness. When the time comes, there will be people in the court to protect him. This is
Your Majesty, what you should really worry about is..."
After the words fell, Zhu Qizhen's expression finally softened a lot, but it was only for a moment before he sighed again and said.
"That's true, but after all, this matter has to be handled by someone below. Now that Ren Li is in prison, it will be difficult to find someone capable."
"Moreover, this matter cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. They must be summoned to the palace, but now..."
As he spoke, Zhu Qizhen felt a sense of irritation again. He couldn't help but get up and walk around the hall. Ruan Lang followed closely behind, but he didn't dare to say a word.
He is a measured person. He can say some things that he should say, but he can't say a word if he shouldn't.
Finally, after a long time, there seemed to be a faint sound of pattering rain outside the window. Ruan Langfang saw the Emperor suddenly stop, as if he had made some decision, turned around and gave instructions.
"If I remember correctly, Sister Huang hasn't been here for a while, right?"
So, Ruan Lang knew what the Supreme Emperor meant, nodded obediently, and said.
"That's right. After Your Majesty came back, the eldest princess came to congratulate you once and then didn't come again. These days, the Queen often misses her."
Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen said: "In that case, you go and deliver the decree tomorrow... No, let's just say it's the queen's wish and let the imperial sister bring Xue Prince Consort to Nangong for an audience."
Ruan Lang hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to remind him of something, but in the end he did not speak. He just leaned over and bowed, saying.
"Old slave obeys the order."
Zhu Qizhen nodded lightly, and immediately waved his hand. Then Ruan Lang understood, took two steps back, and carefully closed the palace door, leaving only a few palace servants to wait on him.
With his last glance before leaving the house, Ruan Lang saw an inexplicable sigh flash across the face of the Supreme Emperor.
After leaving the palace gate, Ruan Lang's waist slowly straightened up.
Although he was respectful in front of Zhu Qizhen, as the general manager of the entire Nangong, his status was not low at all.
Not to mention anything else, he has a lot of disciples and grandchildren.
As soon as he left the door, a group of young eunuchs came forward to take the lamp in his hand and hugged him to the side hall. However, today Ruan Lang did not go back to rest as usual, but waved his hands to disperse the crowd.
Only one of them, a simple and honest little eunuch who looked quite inconspicuous, was left.
So, the others dispersed with envious eyes, and in a blink of an eye, only Ruan Lang and the little eunuch were left in the corridor.
Immediately, Ruan Langfang looked around and said.
"Our family has done our best on what the young master told us, and the case of Ren Hou is barely over. Tomorrow, your majesty will ask the eldest princess to bring her consort to an audience to discuss the matter of the East Palace. By then, there will definitely be a meeting.
If you ask about the status of the court meeting, the young prince must have a clear understanding with the prince-in-law in advance."
He said this in a low voice, obviously afraid of being heard by others.
After the voice fell, the honest little eunuch opposite Ruan Lang showed a cunning look that was not commensurate with his appearance and said.
"A little care will be enough to shock my godfather. If the matter is really done, the Duke's office will definitely thank him very much."
While talking, the young eunuch took out a small bag of gold from nowhere and stuffed it into Ruan Lang's sleeve without leaving any trace.
Ruan Lang weighed the weight in his hands, a smile flashed across his face, and said.
"That's polite. Our family is not greedy for this little gold and silver. Before our family came to the Emperor's side, the Holy Mother had always praised our young master as a loyal minister. She asked our family to remind the Emperor from time to time not to chill the hearts of loyal ministers and good generals.
.”
"Furthermore, the young prince asked me to do this for the sake of the East Palace. This matter is also a concern of the Holy Mother. By doing this, our family can be considered as sharing the worries of the Holy Mother. It is not just a favor to the young prince."
Although the young eunuch looked naive, he didn't really understand anything. He knew the elegant meaning of the song and immediately spoke.
"What my godfather said is obvious. You are sharing the worries of the Holy Mother. You are sharing the worries of the Holy Mother. But one thing is the same. Now that you have taken the risk for the young master in front of His Majesty and turned it around, how about this love for the young master?
I will definitely remember it."
"Don't worry, if this matter is really done, when the title of the Duke's Palace is returned, you will be the benefactor of the Duke of Cheng's Palace. By then, I hope to follow my godfather to get some glory!"
After saying these words, Ruan Lang's face suddenly relaxed, he laughed and cursed, and said.
"Don't be so glib. Hurry up and go on duty. The Emperor feels light at night. Those who serve him personally in the palace are not good-tempered. We don't dare to make any noise outside, lest we disturb the Emperor."
The young eunuch nodded and said with the same smile.
"Daddy, don't worry, go back and rest. Even if a mouse runs past this hall, I will make sure not to let it bark."
Ruan Lang nodded, with a satisfied look on his face, but without saying anything more, he turned around and walked towards the hut where he was resting.
However, if anyone who knows him well sees it, they will find that Ruan Lang's steps are much lighter now...
The next day, the eldest princess's mansion.
"What? The emperor's sister-in-law wants to see me? She also wants to bring her consort with her?"
The eldest princess of Changde sat in the flower hall, frowning slightly, looking at the palace maid in front of her, and asked.
That palace maid was none other than Zhi Luo, the eldest palace maid beside Queen Qian. However, no matter what her status was in Nangong, she was still respectful in front of the eldest princess of Changde, saying.
"Back to Your Highness, it is just like this. The Queen has not seen Your Highness for many days and misses her very much. Therefore, she specially summoned His Highness and his wife to the Nangong Palace to have an audience together and have a family banquet together."
Princess Changde was not a fool and understood immediately.
Nominally, this was Empress Qian's summons, but since it was a family banquet, it was impossible for the Supreme Emperor not to come, so it was self-evident who the person she really wanted to see was.
On the one hand, Princess Changde was surprised that her younger brother had taken such risks. On the other hand, she said decisively without even thinking about it.
"You go back to the emperor's sister-in-law and say that I am ill today and it is inconvenient to enter the palace. It is better to go to the palace another day."
Looking at the obviously energetic Princess Changde, Zhiluo couldn't help but smile bitterly and said.
"Your Highness, please don't embarrass me. The banquet has been prepared in Nangong, and the nobles are waiting for you. I sent you and the consort to the banquet..."
However, the eldest princess of Changde obviously did not give this face, narrowed her eyes and said coldly.
"I said that I am ill and cannot enter the palace. Don't you understand?"
"I told you to report it, then report it. What are you talking about!"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud noise outside, and then, a maid from the princess's house hurried in to report, saying.
"Your Highness, the Prince Consort has arrived..."
This chapter has been completed!