"Since Chief Hai doesn't want to tell the truth, you might as well let me guess."
Chu Nanzhi stood up slowly and walked towards the stables with small steps: "Chief Hai is the closest person to the Empress Dowager. He has served her for many years. It is not easy for her to let you out of the palace."
It is so simple to serve and take care of His Highness, and this must be an explanation of something that only the Sea Controller can accomplish for her."
"Why did the princess say this?"
Hai Da'a asked in surprise.
"This is not difficult to guess."
Chu Nanzhi picked up the bundle of fodder and threw it into the stable, while saying in detail:
"I have always been puzzled by His Highness's rapid promotion. You said that His Highness has been hiding in the village for twenty-two years. Even when he came to Beijing to serve as an official, he was never appreciated or summoned by the Empress Dowager or His Majesty. Why did you choose to do so?
Was it after the tax case that all the calmness came to an abrupt end and the situation changed drastically?"
"Of course it's because His Highness has met this person, and he is the leader of the Lin clan in Luyan Port."
Hai Da'a replied unhurriedly: "Now the imperial court is in a period of employment. Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager need your Highness to be able to command the heroes to rise up and protect the southern border."
"Hey, Chief Hai, we are all our own people, why bother saying such polite words anymore."
Chu Nanzhi turned her head and smiled at him with playful eyebrows twinkling: "You know many of these things and so do I, but His Highness doesn't. That's why I called you here to tell you, if Mr. Hai still wants to
If you go around in circles with me, then we can only go to His Highness to reason."
"I can't do it, I absolutely can't do it."
Hai Da'a's gray and sparse eyebrows trembled with anxiety: "What does the princess have to say? I just say it's okay, and I will never dare to deceive the princess again."
"This is the Chief Marine whom I respect."
Chu Nanzhi nodded with satisfaction, and then continued his analysis: "Yin Taiwei came here a few days ago. When I and my two mentors mentioned His Highness's life experience to him, they all realized that the former Prince's death had been leaked.
Rumor has it, I’m afraid even the Queen Mother doesn’t know who did this, right?”
Hai Da'a, who was always cautious, remained silent this time and did not answer.
"His Royal Highness was almost framed in the tax-bank case and had his whole family executed. Then he was assassinated at Duanlong Mountain. Neither the Empress Dowager nor Taiwei Yin could find out who was trying to harm His Highness. They were worried, so they had to fight against everyone's opinions.
, and promoted him quickly despite the risk of exposing His Highness’s identity, so that His Highness can protect himself.”
At this point, Chu Nanzhi raised his eyes and stared at him, and asked casually: "I wonder if Mr. Hai thinks what I said is true or not?"
Hai Da'a gritted his teeth and nodded silently.
"It wasn't until the news of Xiao Dingfang's death reached the city this morning that Mr. Hai suddenly realized that the people who wanted to harm His Highness were Xiao Dingfang and Yang Situ."
Chu Nanzhi turned her head and continued to answer his questions while feeding the horse leisurely and comfortably:
"Hey, this Yang Situ is probably very powerful. He was able to escape unscathed from the tragedy that year, and he is still respected by the Empress Dowager and Her Majesty. Even Xing Huan, who has been doing evil in Funing County for many years, last time
There are many officials implicated in the case in Haikang County, but he is able to sit firmly in the position of governor of Funing County without the protection of Yang Situ."
"My ancestors were also helpless."
Hai Da'a burst into tears suddenly, crying as sadly as a child: "If it weren't for the purpose of balancing the power of the government and preventing those Qinghe dignitaries from monopolizing power, how could our ancestors endure this bad breath and continue to rely on Yang Runchen?
Party, this is just a temporary measure, I only hope that the princess and your highness can understand the painstaking efforts of our ancestors."
"This move by the Empress Dowager is naturally a prudent move. Although the Qinghe dignitaries are quite powerful in the government now, they are still unable to cover up the sky with one hand. This is all due to her original plan."
After finishing her words, Chu Nanzhi couldn't help but sighed sadly: "It's just that she never expected that Yang Situ not only did not repay his kindness, but instead supported the King of Nandu, and even secretly wanted to attack His Highness."
"Who can say otherwise? This man is so ambitious that he instigated the kings to frame the prince, and now he wants to attack His Highness Prince Pingning. He really has failed the respect of his ancestors."
Hai Da'a was filled with anger and choked up again: "I am incompetent. I can't share the worries of my ancestors, and I can't kill this traitor. But the current situation is unstable, and His Highness's life experience must not be leaked. Xing Huan was just imprisoned yesterday, and Xiao Dingfang committed suicide."
In the army, the princess knows the whole story better than the old slave, so the old slave can only get rid of this person for the ancestor."
After saying that, Hai Da'a bent his old legs and knelt down, and confessed in tears: "I know that I am guilty, and I am willing to be punished. I hope that the princess will take the overall situation first and keep this secret for the time being, so as not to cause another death for Your Highness."
disaster."
"Commander Hai, please rise."
Seeing his expression of grief and indignation, Chu Nanzhi felt doubly sad in her heart. She helped him sit back on the stone bench and advised him earnestly:
"Don't I know the loyalty of Mr. Hai? How can I not understand the painstaking efforts of the Empress Dowager? Your Highness is jealous of evil. If he learns of his life experience, he will rush to the capital to avenge his deceased father-in-law and loyal ministers and generals, let alone the current King of Qinghe.
He is fierce and prepared to advance eastward. If he learns of His Highness's life experience, I am afraid he will not be able to hold back for a moment and will immediately send his troops directly towards Jinling City."
"The princess is extremely intelligent and full of strategies. You can see her power at a glance. I really admire her."
Hai Da'a wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, nodded with joy and said: "If our ancestors knew that the princess was so far-sighted, they would be able to sleep soundly."
"Judging from the current situation, Yang Situ would rather let Xiao Dingfang commit suicide than expose His Highness's secret. It can be seen that he is also afraid of this matter and only dares to frame His Highness secretly. Therefore, we can pretend not to know about this matter and don't go there again.
Let’s delve deeper into Xiao Dingfang’s death. As for how to explain it, I have just explained it to Kang Xiu. The two deaths were purely coincidental. Although it is not convincing, it is the official conclusion after all, and no one dares to question it openly.”
Chu Nanzhi smiled secretly. This reason was indeed absurd, but as long as Yang Runchen did not seek death, it would still only become a tacit secret among everyone.
Hai Da'a nodded in approval: "What the princess said, I heard Kang Sili mention it just now, is indeed a safe method. Now that King Nandu has lost power, even if Yang Situ is unwilling to do so, he does not dare to expose his highness's life experience.
After all, there are still many people in the world who recite the virtuous name of the late Crown Prince. Once they learn that the flesh and blood of His Royal Highness is still in the world, they will definitely come to follow them. Even if they meet at war, it will be difficult for these three princes to sit back and accept it.
I am afraid that the first person to be slaughtered will be the old ministers of Jingling."
"That's right."
Chu Nanzhi suddenly looked at Hai Da'a with some curiosity, and joked with a smile: "General Hai is so humble, and he can get rid of Xing Huan in the prison of the state capital without anyone noticing, I would like to think that
You know how the Seamaster does it."
"It's not difficult."
A strange smile gradually appeared on Haida's old Chen's face:
"To be honest, I came here this time just to find out for my ancestors the secrets of His Highness and get rid of the trouble. I know very well that Your Highness is a rare benevolent and righteous Lord who cares about the people. This Jiangnan officialdom
Corruption has been going on for a long time. His Highness will punish corrupt officials vigorously after taking office.
But after all, the state capital still has the power of the Tang family. When those officials who are being punished are desperate, they will definitely try their best to survive, so the old slave planted some spies in the prison of the state capital in advance. I learned yesterday
"
"I see."
Chu Nanzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This old eunuch's palace was not ordinary. To describe him as old and cunning was not an exaggeration.
If I hadn't been pretty smart, I really wouldn't have been able to defeat him.