The atmosphere in the flower hall was a bit gloomy. Zhu Yi squinted her eyes and looked at Xu Youzhen in front of her. She finally had a clear perception of this person in her heart.
This Academician Xu is neither a loyal person nor a person with insight into people's hearts. The reason why he can guess these things is simply because he is a born conspirator!
A person like this always thinks the worst of everything, no matter how he treats others on the surface, but in actual interactions, he will always presuppose everyone in the role of a conspirator, because he himself is such a person
.
Because of this, he could not be confused by Zhu Yi's righteous words and could also guess part of the truth about this matter.
Of course, that’s just part of it!
After seeing Xu Youzhen's true face clearly, Zhu Yi felt relieved, because although such a person had clever strategies, it was impossible to guess his deepest secrets.
The reason is actually very simple. Xu Youzhen was able to make this speculation because he did not believe in advance that Zhu Yi would be truly loyal to the Supreme Emperor and consider the interests of the Supreme Emperor.
In his opinion, Zhu Yi always considers the interests of Duke Chengguo. As long as it is beneficial to Duke Chengguo, Zhu Yi will do it at any cost, no matter who is hurt in the process.
His reputation and interests are not important, even if this person is the Supreme Emperor.
This is also the reason why Xu Youzhen ruled out the possibility that Zhu Yi had defected to the emperor from the beginning, or to be more precise, the emperor's methods were too powerful...
After the civil war, Zhu Yi ran around, obviously trying to get closer to the emperor. The most typical incidents were the donation of silver to the court and the incident involving the Wang family's daughter.
The purpose of these two things is the same, but the results are different. The former helped Zhu Yi get a job as a guard, which can be seen as the relationship between the Duke of Chengguo and the emperor has slightly eased.
However, the incident with the Wang family daughter and the subsequent scene of Zhu Yi leaving the palace in despair undoubtedly announced the breakdown of the relationship between the two parties again.
In fact, now that Zhu Yi thinks about it, he feels that this was a stupid move.
It's not because using the draft to win over ministers will damage the emperor's reputation. Zhu Yi has long known that the emperor doesn't care about this.
The reason why this is a stupid move is because the person who is really offended by this move is the Queen in the palace.
Although it is said that the affairs of the harem have nothing to do with the outer court, everyone in the government and the public knows that the emperor and the queen have a deep love for each other, and they are just ordinary women. A woman from such a rich family who enters the palace will definitely offend the queen.
Therefore, it was natural that this move would cause the emperor to be "furious".
From then on, in the eyes of the outside world, the Duke of Chengguo completely hated the emperor, and Zhu Yi almost disappeared from the court. When he reappeared, it was Zhu Ji who had accepted the marriage gift from the Queen Mother and married the British Duke.
Therefore, the more she analyzes from the perspective of rational interests, the more Xu Youzhen will feel that it is impossible for Zhu Yi to hit the southern wall of surrendering to the emperor.
Moreover, the reason why the emperor's methods are so clever is that until now, his old man seems to have been really resenting the Chengguo Duke's mansion. If it weren't for the breeze following him every day, Mr. Zhu would sometimes really
I wonder if I am suffering from delusion.
In this case, Xu Youzhen's starting point was wrong, and his speculation would naturally be biased.
If you clearly understand what kind of person the other person is, you will naturally be able to respond in a targeted manner.
Facing Xu Youzhen's questioning, Zhu Yi calmed down and said.
"What did Xu Xueshi say? What is the attitude of Second Master and I? I should have made it very clear just now at the British Government House. We just feel that the current situation is unclear and a rash rescue is too hasty. If this is the case, Xu Xueshi said
Isn’t it a bit arbitrary for us to want to put Hou Ren to death?”
Although Xu Youzhen didn't know what Zhu Yi was thinking, she was already prepared for Zhu Yi's categorical denial and said as if I've seen through you.
"If you save, you will save. If you don't save, you won't save. Why don't you save first?"
"Actually, if Prince Consort Jiao and others in the British government were not in a hurry to save Renhou, perhaps Renhou would still have a chance to survive. However, since they have such an attitude, then Renhou's outcome is already doomed.
Already."
At this point, both parties felt that they had the confidence of the person in front of them, but they still had to ask what should be asked, Zhu Yi said calmly.
"How can I see it?"
Xu Youzhen said: "It's very simple. Since you want to use the East Palace incident to make a contribution and get back the title, then Renhou will naturally fall. Today, although the Chengguo Palace still has its foundation, if we want to talk about it,
Leading the nobles in the court to give remonstrances is not enough weight, especially when the prince is still there, and if he wants to remonstrate the East Palace to leave the cabinet, it is natural for him to come forward with the nobles, which is most suitable."
"However, in this case, the credit will fall on Marquis Ren. The young master has been planning for a long time, just to take this opportunity to get back the title. How can he be willing to make wedding clothes for others?"
"Xu even suspected that from the beginning, you had already planned to bring down Ren Hou, and the rebuttal memorial from the Yang family was probably just a cover, right? What you really wanted was to bring down the Yang family.
Go fight to the death with Ren Hou."
"If I'm not wrong, the matter of the Supreme Emperor will be a surprise to the young prince, right? Or in other words, even if there is no such thing, after Ren Hou is imprisoned, the young prince will instigate
Dear nobles, please exaggerate the tension and ask everyone to follow you to promote the East Palace matter?"
It has to be said that Xu Youzhen, as a conspirator, is indeed very good at this aspect.
Although it was a partial truth, his guess was very accurate.
Zhu Yi pondered for a moment, neither admitting nor denying, just looking away silently.
However, in Xu Youzhen's view, this kind of behavior was undoubtedly a guilty conscience and acquiescence.
So, he continued.
"So, just now in the British Duke's mansion, when the young prince heard that Prince Consort Jiao and others wanted to rescue Ren Hou, he flatly refused. The reason is very simple. What the young prince wants is for the nobles to work together to help the prince at this time.
Leave the cabinet."
"Once everyone's energy is spent on rescuing Ren Hou, we don't know how long this matter will be delayed. Moreover, once Ren Hou is released from prison safely, everything will be back to the original point, and the young master's busy work will be in vain.
How can I be willing to go to the market?"
"Therefore, at this time, the best way is to get Marquis Ren to be convicted as soon as possible. In this way, Consort Jiao and others will no longer think about it, and will naturally follow the young master wholeheartedly and help the East Palace get out of the cabinet."
"Young Master, am I right?"
Saying this, it almost made everything clear.
At this time, it would obviously be inappropriate for Zhu Yi to pretend to be confused. However, to Xu Youzhen's surprise, Master Zhu's face remained calm. He just continued to look up at him, then raised his eyebrows and said.
"Xu Xueshi, do you know that the public security in the capital has not been very good recently. The Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Department has arrested and arrested many people, but there are still many local gangsters who are provoking troubles and causing trouble. It is said that some people were beaten to death some time ago."
"It's getting late. Mr. Xu is so bold to speak out. Aren't you afraid of something unexpected happening on the way back?"
His tone was calm, but there was an inexplicable chill in his tone.
Xu Youzhen was already prepared, but when she saw the smile on Zhu Yi's face, she couldn't help but feel a cold sweat rising from behind.
However, he was able to remain calm and smiled.
"The young master is joking. Xu is an official of the imperial court. What accident can happen at the feet of the emperor? What's more, not a single case in the court has been investigated clearly. If the same thing happens again, I'm afraid that the court will
, it’s really going to cause some trouble..."
After the words fell, there was silence in the flower hall for a moment, only the fragrance of tea rose up and spread between the two of them.
Then, Zhu Yi's face slowly darkened, and finally she became serious. She looked Xu Youzhen directly in the eyes and asked.
Gu Cheng/span> "What do you want? Xu Xueshi came here specially to show off to me his extraordinary ability to understand people's hearts, right?"
This is a disguised admission that the kimono has softened.
Xu Youzhen couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Although he said that he was sure that Zhu Yi did not dare to mess around, but after all, he was on the territory of Chengguo Duke's mansion, and he also knew how lawless these noble disciples were.
Therefore, he had no doubt that Zhu Yi really had murderous intentions towards him just now.
If you put it this way, it was Ren Li's incident that saved his life. If Ren Li hadn't failed to assassinate Yu Qian and caused an uproar in the court, it's really hard to say that Zhu Yi would have done something to him.
In order to prevent irritating the young master in front of her, Xu Youzhen thought for a while, then softened her attitude a lot and said.
"Young Master, don't worry. Xu doesn't care at all whether Marquis Ren is dead or alive. Young Master wants Dong Gong to leave the cabinet. This is a great thing, and Xu will not stop him. Even in this matter,
Xu can still try to help."
"After all, leaving the cabinet in the East Palace is the general trend and the will of the people. Other ministers in the court also hope that His Highness the Crown Prince can leave the cabinet to study as soon as possible."
After saying a few soft words, Mr. Xu calmed down a bit and continued.
"However, since the young master is outspoken and Xu is not secretive, Xu will keep this matter in his stomach. If necessary, Xu can help persuade Jiao Consort and others. However, Xu wants to
A favor from Duke Chengguo!"
"Favor?"
Zhu Yi seemed a little surprised and hesitated.
"It's that simple?"
Seeing this situation, Xu Youzhen shook her head and said.
"Young Master, please don't forget that if this happens, you will be the only hereditary adult Duke in the entire capital. This favor is not light!"
This is true. There are four public houses in the capital today.
The heir to the Duke of Dingguo was still young and had not yet ascended the title. Although the British Duke had given favor to Zhang Fu's young son to ascend to the title, he was still underage. The Duke of Feng's Palace did have a serious Duke in charge, but unfortunately, this prince
My father-in-law is not of high quality, but he was forced to be promoted by the emperor.
To be honest, if Cheng Guogong's palace can get the title back, Zhu Yi will truly become the only Duke in the capital who has a world certificate. This favor is indeed of great weight.
Seeing that Zhu Yi's expression was still a bit ugly, Xu Youzhen pondered for a moment and continued.
"Don't worry, young master, Xu has no other intentions. You also know that because of the move to the south, Xu had a difficult time in the court. Although by chance, he got the post of bachelor of Youchunfang, but in fact,
It is better to be in the Hanlin Academy, at least there is an errand, the emperor has been reluctant to let the East Palace leave the cabinet, and Xu, a bachelor of Youchunfang, is just an idle person."
"Therefore, Xu is the one who wants the best for His Highness the Crown Prince most. What's more, the Duke of Chengguo is now on the same page as the British Duke. Since Xu wants to make a difference in the court, he will never fail to do so.
It opens my eyes that I want to go against the young master."
"Today I am here to visit you, not Prince Consort Jiao and others. Thinking about it, it is enough to show my sincerity. The reason why I want to ask for favors from the young master is just because I hope that the young master can help me at a critical moment in the future.
A helping hand with no other intention."
"Of course, if the young master feels that it is too much, just pretend that Xu has never mentioned it, and Xu will still remain tight-lipped about this matter."
"Okay, I promise you!"
Seeing Xu Youzhen being so 'frank', Zhu Yi's eyes flashed and she agreed.
Although Xu Youzhen sounds nice, in fact, he has this matter in his hands and it is impossible not to want benefits.
Therefore, while agreeing, Zhu Yi still said with a hint of threat in his tone.
"Since Xu Xueshi said this, I might as well tell the truth."
"The title of Duke Chengguo must be taken back. Anyone who stands in the way of this matter will be the mortal enemy of Duke Chengguo."
"Xu Xueshi is a smart man. I like to deal with smart people because smart people know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Therefore, I hope Xu Xueshi can do well for himself."
"Come, let's see the guests off!"
So, Xu Youzhen stood up to say goodbye, but Zhu Yi did not stand up to see the guests off. He just signaled the butler to send the people out, while she remained seated firmly where she was.
Xu Youzhen didn't care, she cupped her hands, turned around and walked out the door.
Until Xu Youzhen's figure completely disappeared from sight, Zhu Yifang turned his gaze behind the silent screen.
At this moment, a sound came from behind the originally peaceful screen, and then, Shu Liang's figure appeared in the flower hall.
Zhu Yi stood up and cupped her hands, a coldness flashed in her eyes, and said.
"Eunuch Shu, I must have heard what I just said. Xu Youzhen is not a simple person. He can guess this, which shows how deep his mind is. Such people are in the East Palace, and they have also turned to the Supreme Emperor.
I'm afraid that it will become a big problem in the future. Father, would you like to report it to Your Majesty, and then..."
Zhu Yi held a knife in the palm of her hand and gestured gently. Obviously, the conversation just now was all an illusion. On the surface, he was giving in to the snake, but secretly stabbed him twice. Now Mr. Zhu is very familiar with the game.
Seeing this situation, Shu Liang looked a little strange, as if he had something to say, but in the end, Eunuch Shu only shook his head slightly and said.
"Young Master, it's better not to have this kind of thought. Mr. Xu just said something right. If even the court official can die under the emperor's feet without knowing why, then the court will be in chaos. This person
...It is indeed not simple, but even if this person commits another heinous crime, His Majesty will not use such disgraceful means. You should know this."
Hearing this, Zhu Yi was a little disappointed, but as expected, he said.
"My father-in-law is right, but I got it wrong. Your Majesty acts with dignity and dignity, and he will not disdain to kill someone just because of his different stance. But father-in-law, even so, this man is indeed a disaster. Even if nothing can be done to him,
But even if we find a way to transfer him out of the capital, it would be a good idea. My father-in-law might as well convey this to His Majesty."
Shu Liang blinked his eyes, smiled bitterly, and said.
"Okay then, I will try to talk to His Majesty when I go back. However, young master, don't have too much hope. The reason why Xu Youzhen was able to enter the East Palace was partly because he was recommended by Chen Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry."
"On the other hand, some people in the court said that when the prince comes out of the cabinet, he cannot just study classics and have no practical knowledge. Although many ministers in the court have local experience, not many have real experience in building canals and rivers like Xu Youzhen.
, His Majesty has his own considerations about this matter, so we can just do our part."
This was said euphemistically, but the meaning was actually very clear, that is, there was little hope of getting Xu Youzhen to leave, so Zhu Yi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Seeing this situation, Shu Liang thought for a while and said again.
"In fact, from what he said just now, it is not difficult to see that although Xu Youzhen turned to the Supreme Emperor, it was only for his own career."
"Take the current matter as an example. Although he has guessed a lot, as long as the young master gives benefits, he is not necessarily an obstacle. If used well, he may be a helper."
"Young Master, you might as well try to show off your tactics in the future. After all, there will be a road to the mountain, right?"
Zhu Yi always felt that these words had a deeper meaning, but she couldn't figure it out for the moment, so she had to put the matter behind her for the time being and nodded lightly...
This chapter has been completed!