"Xiang Bei, is it such an exaggeration?"

Hearing that Shen Yichen had pulled out the guards from Fujian and Shandong, knowing that he might depose the queen, but not knowing that he thought it was a usurpation of the throne, Zhao Hongjie felt a little too nervous.

“Nip it in the bud.”

Shen Yichen didn't explain too much, and after a few simple instructions, he left the teahouse and prepared to take a carriage back home.

After getting in the car, Shen Yichen looked up at the gray sky, feeling like a storm was about to come.

The next day, Li Da and others, who had received the order from the Ministry of War, appeared outside the Anding Gate of the capital. Looking at the tower they had been away from for a long time, several people felt an indescribable sigh in their hearts.

"Boss, it's been almost five years since we left Beijing, right?"

Zhang Qi opened his mouth and said, compared with the appearance of a fat and white man when he left Beijing, he no longer looks fat and bloated. On the contrary, he looks like a powerful general with a strong back and a strong waist. A lot of things can change in five years.

】

"Yes, after five years, we finally returned to Beijing."

Li Da replied with a complicated mood. When he was in Liaodong, he often missed his relatives and friends in the capital, but now that he is back and looking at the bustling and lively scene around him, he seems to feel out of place.

At the moment when several people were having mixed feelings, Zhao Hongjie, the commander of the guards in flying fish uniform, walked out of the shadow of the doorway and looked at Li Da with a faint smile on their faces.

"Zhao Hongjie!"

Seeing Zhao Hongjie appear, Li Da and others got off their horses and rushed over, giving him a big bear hug.

"You're doing well now. You've put on your Feiyu uniform, and you're a true confidant of the emperor. I remember when Xiangbei asked you to enter the Zhenfu Division, and said you were not suitable to be a royal guard. It turns out that you are still a scholar with a flexible mind.

, can see further than us big bosses!"

Li Da said excitedly while patting Zhao Hongjie's arm heavily.

When he was in the outer courtyard of the Duke Ying Tiancheng's mansion, Li Da had amazing strength. His hand strength, honed over the years in the army, was far superior to ordinary people. Zhao Hongjie's expression was grinning from his slaps, but it was hard to damage him.

In the atmosphere of reunion, only a wry smile appeared on his face.

"By the way, Xiangbei asked the eldest son to transfer us back to the capital for shifts. Where are the others?"

After saying that, Li Da looked towards the doorway to see if Shen Yichen was hiding behind, but after scanning around, no one was found.

"Xiang Bei is a civil servant. In addition, he has a flaw in his reputation among the high-ranking officials in the court. He can easily be criticized and impeached if he associates with border generals. It is not convenient to welcome you in public. Today, I will take care of you."

Zhao Hongjie explained the inconvenience of Shen Yichen's identity. Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Li Da and others immediately became furious and said: "Whoever dares to criticize and impeach our eldest brother, I will have to kill him with a knife.

"

"That's right, a group of Qingliu chirp Wai Wai Wai Wai Wai Wai Wai, brothers, what's wrong with drinking?"

"The capital has so many bullshit rules, but I still have a great time in Liaodong!"

Faced with the yelling of this group of people, Zhao Hongjie instantly felt a headache. Now he is no longer the low-level official he was back then. The commander of the Jinyi Guards, despite being a third-level official, has actually stepped into the center of the court and understands the officialdom better.

operating specifications.

"Brothers, after all, we are at the feet of the Emperor here, so we have to be careful about what we say to avoid being overheard by interested people."

"I have already ordered the food and drinks at the restaurant. There will be many opportunities to meet Xiang Bei when I take up my post in the capital, so why rush?"

Compared with Zhang Qi, Wu Rong and others, Li Da had served as the head coach of one side after all. After calming down, he understood that such noise was useless. So he nodded with an unhappy face and said: "Okay, then let's not cause any trouble to Xiang Bei.

Okay, brothers, let’s have a few drinks first, and then we can do it again if we have the chance to not get drunk again!”

"Then just listen to the boss."

"Let's go, Hongjie."

The border generals were heroic in nature. Once they understood the moral principles, they no longer struggled. Soon, a group of people were heading towards the restaurant that Zhao Hongjie had set up to kill.

A table full of dishes was served in the custom-made private room. Zhao Hongjie didn't have much, and he drank happily with Li Da and other childhood classmates. It wasn't until after three rounds of drinking that he slowly said: "Li Da, actually go north through the road.

The young master transferred you back from Liaodong not only because of the rotation of the squad, but because something big may have happened in the capital recently."

Hearing Zhao Hongjie say these words, Li Da, who was a little drunk, suddenly sobered up.

In fact, on the way, he had also wondered why the eldest son Zhu Yi was so anxious to order him and others to leave the large army and rush to the capital in advance. If this had anything to do with Shen Yichen's deployment, then everything would make sense.

You need to wait for someone to come back and help.

"What will happen in the capital?"

Li Da's expression became serious. The transfer of the imperial court's civil servants and cabinet ministers to the border generals back to the capital was definitely not a trivial matter. Shen Yichen was probably in some big trouble.

When Zhao Hongjie heard Li Da's question, he followed Shen Yichen's previous instructions and told the truth about the recent changes in the capital and his worries.

After listening to Zhao Hongjie's words, the expression on Li Da's face changed from serious to serious. He never imagined that the situation in the capital would be so complicated, and that it might even be involved in the struggle for imperial power.

After looking around, especially in the direction of the door, Li Da said, "Hongjie, is Xiang Bei so nervous because he is worried about his relatives revolting, or is Cao Jixiang and Shi Heng conspiring against each other?"

"I have no idea."

Zhao Hongjie shook his head. He actually couldn't understand why Shen Yichen was so solemn and worried.

After all, in the eyes of others, Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu was at his peak in the Spring and Autumn Period. It was not a big problem to practice elixirs to get close to women. How could they think of his untimely death?

In addition, even if the emperor's eldest son Zhu Jianji is frail and sick, the worst outcome is to die young. The emperor is still young and there is no chance of having another child. This is not a big deal for the royal family, so there is nothing to be nervous about.

As for the rebellion caused by the deposed queen, it is not reliable to be honest. Empress Dowager Sun's biological father Huichang Bo Sun Zhong and the Supreme Emperor failed to seize the throne. How could Empress Wang succeed in rebelling when she has no children?

Cao Jixiang is an eunuch, and his rebellion is even more outrageous. The only one who has any influence is Shi Heng. But the problem is that Zhongguo Gong has risen to power. Apart from being a bit arrogant and domineering and planting cronies in the border army, he has not seen any arrogance or transgression.

, which is still far from the level of treason.

Zhao Hongjie couldn't understand, and Li Da's IQ was even less clear, so Zhang Qi, a fat man on the side, came over and asked nervously: "Hongjie, brother, is he trying to usurp the throne?"

?”

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the box turned to freezing point. All the people present did not dare to express their anger. They all stared at Zhao Hongjie, trying to determine Shen Yichen's true intention from him.

"What are you talking about? You don't understand the truth that trouble comes from your mouth. Don't cause trouble for Xiang Bei!"

After all, Zhao Hongjie is the commander-in-chief of the Jinyi Guards, and his political sensitivity is much stronger than that of the border army generals. Not to mention that Shen Yichen has not shown any ambition to seek the throne and usurp the throne. Even if it is written on his face, you cannot say it openly.

Once this matter comes out, what you will face will not be the reputation of "regicide" for Yan Guanqingliu, but will become a public enemy of the royal family and civil and military officials. Get rid of him quickly!

"Yes, yes, I understand."

Zhang Qi quickly bowed his head and admitted his mistake. As soon as he told the truth, he regretted it in his heart. It would indeed bring too much trouble to Shen Yichen if it spread out.

After the atmosphere calmed down a bit, Zhao Hongjie expressed his guess at this time: "If my prediction is correct, the fact that Xiang Bei is so nervous and planned in advance should have something to do with Li Chu."

"Li Chu, what do you mean?"

Li Da noticed the difference in Zhao Hongjie's wording. Even though there was only one word difference between "Yi Chu" and "Li Chu", the results were very different. Yi Chu had to choose between the eldest son Zhu Jianji and the crown prince Zhu Jianshen.

, there are too many possible choices for standing savings.

"Your Majesty wants to depose the crown prince, but the eldest son of the emperor is now rumored to be seriously ill."

"If there is no conspiracy, it would be better to say that if the emperor's eldest son becomes seriously ill and someone deliberately does it, it means that there is still another force in the court involved in the selection of the prince. If Xiangbei doesn't want to be controlled by others, it is better to support the new prince himself instead of following him!"

As the top officer of the spy intelligence agency, Zhao Hongjie has seen too many conspiracies and dark side of officialdom over the years. After Shen Yichen returned to the court in victory, the rumors of Yi Chu became more and more intense. The eldest son of the emperor immediately contracted the cold disease in the imperial garden. It was really a bit too much.

Too much of a coincidence.

The palace gate is as deep as the sea, and the habits he has developed over a long period of time make Zhao Hongjie not believe that there is such a coincidence in the world. Whoever controls the crown prince will control the future. So he speculated that Shen Yichen mobilized Li Da and others to return to Beijing, in addition to

In addition to ensuring their own safety, they also want to participate in this power game of establishing a reserve!

Silence, a deathlike silence once again appeared in the room. After all, Li Da and others had been at the border for many years, and they did not expect that the power struggle in the court would reach the point of supporting the crown prince.

Seeing Li Da and others silent, Zhao Hongjie didn't know what they were thinking, so he asked coldly: "Why, you don't dare to follow Xiang Bei, are you afraid?"

"Fuck you, don't think that you, Zhao Hongjie and Shen Yichen are brothers. If any of us are not friends with him through life, will you be afraid?"

Li Da was immediately furious. The reason for his silence was more of shock and had nothing to do with whether he was afraid of anything, let alone not daring to follow Shen Yichen and support him as the new king.

"Zhao Hongjie, you kid, don't think that you are just a commander of the Royal Guards, and you are just showing off in front of your buddies. We have been fighting on the battlefield for many years, and everyone has two shoulders and one head. Is there anything to be afraid of?"

"With just one word from my elder brother, I can brave mountains of swords and seas of fire!"

Zhang Qi, Wu Rong and others were also filled with indignation, as if they had been greatly insulted.

Seeing the appearance of Li Da and others, a smile appeared on Zhao Hongjie's face and he said: "Well, you should be mentally prepared to win over your subordinates after returning to Beijing in case of emergencies."

While Zhao Hongjie was cleaning up Li Da and others, a storm arose in the palace. Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu, who had not been in court for a long time, suddenly issued an imperial edict to announce to the world. It was announced that Queen Wang was harboring resentments and had violated religious orders several times.

Without the virtues of "Guanyong", but with the style of Lu and Huo, how can we jointly carry out the ancestral sacrifices and show the integrity of the six palaces? The queen will register treasures and retreat to other palaces.

Not only was Zhao Hongjie able to get the news about the emperor's abdication, but the civil and military officials of the imperial court had already been psychologically prepared for it. After all, as a wife, if you don't agree with your husband, it would be against the etiquette of marrying and obeying your husband in ordinary people in ancient times.

, let alone the imperial home.

In addition to the edict to abolish the queen, what really added fuel to the fire was the Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu who immediately issued an edict to establish the queen!

"Zi'er Hang, a member of the Yuxiu Xun family, is endowed with pure qualities. He has the virtue of being dignified and quiet, and has the kindness of gentleness and kindness. The teacher's training is simple, and the etiquette is not satisfactory. The bamboo slips are pure and graceful, and the style is original.

Turtle. Add the honor of Ti Zhai, and crown her with the position of Dragon. Special envoys are sent to hold the festival with a gold book and a gold treasure to make you the queen."

That's right, this Hang family is the concubine Hang who gave birth to the emperor's eldest son, Zhu Jianji. Relying on the superiority of mother and son, she replaced Empress Wang and officially became the Empress of the Ming Dynasty who rules the harem and has a mother-in-law in the world!

And courtiers with a little bit of political acumen can smell another flavor from the imperial edict. The emperor's appointment of Concubine Hang as his queen means that the eldest son she gives birth to will become the legitimate eldest son.

The ancient etiquette is the inheritance system of the eldest son. There are direct eldest sons, and there are no eldest sons. The crown prince Zhu Jianshen is the eldest son of a concubine. His ability to become the crown prince lies in the four words "without eldest son".
To be continued...