The candlelight of Qianqing Palace flickered. Chongzhen and his son looked at the palace door and were speechless for a moment. There was an indescribable atmosphere in the air. After a while, Chongzhen let out a long breath and looked at Zhu Cixi with his eyes flashing: "I have extraordinary gifts. He has exquisite orifices, can be understood at a click, can express his emotions and anger, is meticulous in his thoughts, and has a profound knowledge of the city. However, he is also civilized and military, domineering and restrained, and ruthless. Who can compare with him in the civil and military affairs of the entire dynasty? This boy is definitely not a thing in the pool!"
At first Zhu Cixiang thought that Chongzhen was praising Chang Yu, but he soon caught a hint of evil in Chongzhen's expression and tone. He was shocked and immediately leaned over: "Father, Chang Yu is loyal to the Ming Dynasty and to our Zhu family. , there is absolutely no second intention!”
A trace of disdain appeared on Chongzhen's face: "You are very protective of him."
"My son is very close to Chang Yu, and I know that he is a man who is dedicated to the bright future. Father, looking at what Chang Yu has done recently, he has served our Zhu family wholeheartedly, not daring to be selfish, preparing military pay, investigating smuggling and arresting criminals, killing thieves and retreating. To fight against the enemy, do everything personally and not be afraid of being slandered by the government and the public..."
Seeing Zhu Cixiang getting more and more excited as he talked, Chongzhen looked on coldly and remained silent for a long time: "Get up and speak."
"Thank you, Father." Zhu Cixiang stood up and couldn't help but trembled. He sighed secretly in his heart. His father could just be on guard against Chang Yu, but this was the time when he was employing people. How could he be so suspicious and even murderous? Even if you want to kill them, you should wait until all the rabbits are dead before killing the dogs.
"My words of emotion actually attracted so many words of support for my son. My son is really close to him." Chongzhen said and sighed: "Fortunately, he is just a eunuch. If not, I would have left this son here. It is difficult to decide whether it is a blessing or a curse.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cixiang quickly said: "Chang Yu is an eunuch. He once told his son and ministers that his ambition in this life is not to be a high official and rich in salary, but to devote himself to the Ming Dynasty."
The implication is that he also knows that he is a eunuch, and his fame and wealth are all meaningless. It is better to spend his whole life to realize a grand ambition. To put it bluntly, he is not a sparrow, but has the ambition of a swan! Fame, wealth, and the emperor's picture Hegemony is not in his eyes at all, and his level is not comparable to that of ordinary people.
Hearing this, Chongzhen couldn't deny it. He was silent for a while and said, "Does he live in Duanben Palace?"
"He was originally a handyman of Shangshan Supervisor, but later he was asked to go to the East Palace from Si Li Supervisor by his son," Zhu Cihong said.
"Let him move out tomorrow and go back to Neidong Factory," Chongzhen said with a slight frown.
"Father, if Chang Yu is in the East Palace, you can stay with your son..."
"He is now the governor of the East Factory, not the eunuch of the Twelve Supervisors."
Chongzhen snorted coldly and interrupted Zhu Cixiang.
Zhu Cihong was excited and immediately reacted: "I know this, I have offended my father and asked for punishment."
Chongzhen's meaning is very clear. Chang Yu is now my minister and my person. What are you going to do if you, a prince, are restless and waiting for me to retire? Are you getting too close to my people and forming a clique for personal gain? What else do you want?
Anyone who has watched palace battles and power-seeking dramas knows that the royal family is ruthless. No matter how much affection there is between siblings or father and son, especially when it comes to the throne, there is no violation of the rules.
It was extremely cold outside, but Chang Yu would rather enjoy the breeze outside than the warm Qianqing Palace.
The atmosphere in the Qianqing Palace was too depressing, and the Ninth Five Lords he faced was an extremely suspicious and now a bit extreme person, so he was asked to be careful every step of the way, and to be careful in his words and deeds, without allowing for any mistakes.
Was he so sharp that Chongzhen began to feel defensive subconsciously? Chang Yu walked with his head lowered, meditating, and had no time to listen to the nagging of Wang Chengen beside him.
Wang Chengen was also a sensible person. When he saw Chang Yu's solemn expression, he knew that Chang Yu had something on his mind, so he didn't bother him with any words and just walked with him in the direction of Qianqing Gate.
It is difficult to serve the emperor if you are incompetent and will be discarded as if you are too sharp. Chang Yu secretly sighed in his heart. Fortunately, he did not have to enter the court, otherwise the muddy water would be even more disgusting and smelly.
While thinking deeply, he arrived at the door of Qianqing. Wang Chenen saluted: "Eunuch Chang, our family can't send you far away. Please go slowly." Although Chang Yu is slightly inferior to him in terms of rank, in terms of real power, ability and royal favor, he It was far from enough at this time. He had heard with his own ears the concessions Chongzhen had given to Chang Yu, so he no longer dared to rely on them.
"I dare not trouble you, Eunuch Wang, please come back." Chang Yu calmed down and returned the courtesy quickly.
At this moment, the Qianqing door creaked open, and two young eunuchs led someone in. That person was none other than Wu Mengming, the commander of the Jinyiwei who was shivering from the cold.
"Hey, Mr. Wu seems to be in high spirits. Have you been observing the sky at night? Have you discovered anything interesting?" Chang Yu couldn't help but joke.
"Ahem, Eunuch Chang is joking. I'm humble... Ahem, I'm humble and I have to go to see the saint. Let's not talk about it for now..." He cupped his fists and waved, then hurried towards the Qianqing Palace with the young eunuchs.
Chang Yu chuckled, bowed and saluted Wang Chengen again, turned around and exited the Qianqing Gate.
The outside of the Qianqing Gate is spacious and quiet. A group of personal guards can be vaguely seen patrolling in the distance. There are several figures at the door of the duty room on the side of the door looking over here. They must be the British public servants and others.
Chunxiang and Fang San had been waiting outside the door. Their faces were purple from the cold. When they saw Chang Yu, they hurriedly came up to them: "Manufacturer..."
"Go to the Prince's Mansion." Chang Yu shook his head gently. He knew that Chunxiang had something to tell him, but at this time, he was outside and the law was not passed on to his ears. In addition, his nerves were a little confused by Chongzhen just now, so he really wanted to be quiet for a while. .
In the side hall of the East Palace, Fang San packed up the mattress for Chang Yu, boiled hot water and made tea, then bowed out and left, leaving Chunxiang alone in the room.
Chang Yu soaked in hot water and closed his eyes tightly, leaning against the wall of the bucket. Chunxiang was massaging his head. When he saw new scars on his shoulders, he sighed: "Does the Emperor doubt you?"
"A companion to you is like a tiger, I have only realized this today." Chang Yu sighed, smiled bitterly, and then said: "There must be no peace in Beijing these days, let me tell you..."
Chang Yu always sleeps well, but he has never been so restful since he left Beijing. Especially during that period in Taiyuan, he was often awakened by police in the middle of the night, and his energy was always tense. Now after returning to the imperial city, There is no more anxiety at the emperor's feet. He goes to bed immediately and sleeps until he wakes up naturally.
At three o'clock in the morning, Chang Yu woke up and Chunxiang was no longer in the room. Fang San helped wash up and brought the meals, with a beaming expression on his face: "Mr. Factory, I didn't expect that the emperor loves you so much. At this time, the whole imperial city knows. You can walk in front of the imperial palace, the gates of the Nine Emperors City and the Nine Emperors City are open to you at all times..."
Chang Yu smiled slightly and started to eat, asking Fang three questions from time to time. He learned that the prince had only returned in the early morning and was still resting. Chunxiang left early in the morning and said that he would go to Neidongchang to reopen the Dongchang Yamen.
After dinner, he simply tidied up and remembered that Chongzhen asked him to meet the Holy Spirit last night, so he took Fang San and went straight to Qianqing Gate.
There were many people milling around outside the Qianqing Gate, including guards, courtiers, and eunuchs and maids. Seeing Chang Yu's arrival, some came forward to greet him, some greeted him, and of course more people watched indifferently and talked about it.
The eunuchs and maids were extremely close to Chang Yu and would greet him when they met. The guards on duty were also very respectful to Chang Yu. Of course, those who gave him a cold look were the courtiers and nobles who he knew or didn't know.
"Eunuch Chang, the emperor is discussing state affairs with the adults at the Qianqing Gate. He has no time to see you for the time being." A eunuch who walked out of the Qianqing Gate soon said respectfully.
"Thank you, thank you." Chang Yu nodded slightly and turned to leave.
"Mr. Factory, where are you going now?" Fang San asked, following closely behind.
"Go to the Neidongchang Yamen" Chang Yu responded absently. Chongzhen knew that Li Zicheng had gone east at this time, and Liu Fangliang's bandit army was unstoppable in the Central Plains. Why did he ask for a fight, but he remained unmoved? He was so calm Stay angry!
Neidongchang Yamen is just outside the Donghua Gate of the Imperial Palace, just a few steps north across the moat.
Emperor Tianqi re-appointed Wei Zhongxian, which brought Dongchang into disrepute. There were complaints from both the government and the public. The first thing Chongzhen did after he took over was to kill Wei Zhongxian and put Dongchang into the cold palace. However, it was only a few years later that Chongzhen realized how valuable a loyal slave and a good sword are. Only then can we understand the reason why Emperor Tianqi would rather bear the name of a faint emperor and remain unmoved despite the complaints and complaints from the government and the public. Apart from anything else, how much money Wei Zhongxian made for the royal family with the tea tax, if he had not been killed Now I am not so poor as this.
But Jun Wu joked that whatever he agreed to do, he had to do it with tears. Chongzhen regretted killing Wei Zhongxian, so he could only bury him secretly and look for candidates secretly. However, in the face of internal and external difficulties, the entire Ming Dynasty was confused from top to bottom. Waiting to see the end of his old Zhu family, no one is willing to work for him anymore, and there is no top candidate like Wei Zhongxian in the inner court.
Unexpectedly, there was a thunder in the sky, and a handyman eunuch appeared out of Shangshan Prison inexplicably. He heard that he was good at fists and kicks, but who would have thought that this man was deep-minded, resourceful, and his methods were simple, crude and effective. More importantly, he was also loyal to the royal family. Finally, he was used by the prince, and what he did after leaving the capital was even more unexpected, with surprises one after another. At this time, the captain, Jack, Chongzhen, who was alone at the helm of the boat in the stormy weather, reached out and grabbed the straw, it's you!
Chang Yu takes over and the East Factory restarts. (To be continued)