After Xu Jian said the previous sentence, he did not continue and only left time for the Holy Father and Eunuch Cao to think.
After thinking for a long time, the Holy Master said in a deep voice: "According to your statement, Zhu Chang doesn't even like Li Jun. Who can he like?"
Eunuch Cao's hand holding the teapot trembled slightly.
Just now, Duke Fu didn't point it out, but now the Holy Emperor asked him a question, but Eunuch Cao understood the meaning anyway.
Who else could be more powerful than the one from Yongji Palace who could make Zhu Chang, a man who values interests and power, "favour" him?
Aren’t there no restrictions on the former princes and grandsons?
The king of Jin who goes to court every day and the wise king?
Prince Ping who goes to court for about half a month?
Other princes and old princes who don’t go to court at all and are so idle that they don’t see anyone except for palace banquets?
Eunuch Cao couldn't help but have a toothache.
Xu Jian glanced at Eunuch Cao, then at the Holy Emperor, and finally looked back, as if he was considering his words.
As a courtier who is trusted by the Holy Emperor, he has his advantages.
In the past two years, he has even accomplished a lot of things under the lamplight.
But he also has things he must pay careful attention to.
The first one is that without clear clues, he cannot boast in front of the emperor and point the sword clearly at a certain royal relative.
It was so sharp, even if the sharp blade was facing outwards, the shining silver sword illuminated the eyes of the Holy Lord. No matter how dark it was under the lamp, it would never be dark again.
What's more, the person Xu Jian suspected the most was the King of Jin, the elder brother of the Holy Emperor.
"I don't know," he said very calmly. "I don't have the exact target of suspicion. I just feel that the person in Yongji Palace is not enough to make Zhu Chang die. The whole family was there without saying a word."
The Holy Emperor signaled Eunuch Cao to add more tea, took a sip, and said, "Yes, you and Shan Shen handled the Zhu family case together. You know better, and you can tell me more carefully."
Xu Jian said: "Zhu Chang acts arbitrarily and independently. He has been an old friend of Wang for six years.
He handed over this line to Zhu Cheng, who obeyed his orders, while his other children and grandchildren, and even the prince Zhu Chi whom he invited to ennoble, kept it in the dark.
At that time, I tried to drive a wedge between Zhu Chi and Zhu Chang and Zhu Cheng. It was obvious that Zhu Chi was extremely angry at being excluded and being implicated by his father and younger brother.
I heard that until before the beheading, Zhu Chi was asking who Zhu Chang was working for, trying to be an "understanding ghost".
With him being betrayed like that, from the crown prince to the soul under the sword in half a month, if he really knew the inside story, he would not die honestly.
In exchange for that man's name, it is better to keep his young son alive, even if he is exiled with his female relatives, than to be beheaded.
Even if he really doesn't know the name, as long as he still has a little clue that can be used for exchange, he will shout to negotiate terms with you."
The Holy One chuckled.
It wasn't pleasant, but I listened to it.
He was not familiar with Zhu Cheng, but he was familiar with Zhu Chang and had summoned the prince Zhu Chi several times, so he had some idea of the temperament of these two people.
Zhu Chi seems to be honest, but according to Zhu Chang's words, he actually has his daring behavior and consistent self-esteem.
Xu Jian is right.
Whenever Zhu Chi had any clues, he would use them to save his young son's life.
Zhu Cheng only knew Wang Liu for six years and knew nothing else. The only insider who really kept silent was Zhu Chang.
It is indeed unusual for Li Jun, who has been imprisoned in Yongji Palace by the late emperor for more than ten years, to receive "dedication" from Zhu Chang and his whole family.
But let's talk about other possible candidates...
The Holy Master's brows wrinkled again.
"There are still people who are determined to give up, right?" He asked in a low voice.
It's not like asking Xu Jian or Eunuch Cao, but more like asking myself.
"Your Majesty," Xu Jian said, "I would like to visit Yongji Palace."
The Holy Emperor was slightly stunned when he heard this and looked at him in surprise.
Xu Jian had originally planned to meet Li Jun, so naturally he would not miss such a good opportunity.
"Everything depends on evidence. Although I believe that the black hand is not Li Jun, Wang Gouzi's line all points to Yongji Palace," Xu Jian said seriously, "So I think it is necessary to ask Li Jun face to face."
"My third brother..." The Holy Emperor hesitated for a moment, "You have never dealt with him. He has such a mouth. It will not be easy for you to dig out information from his mouth."
"I know that I have little experience, and I have no experience in fighting with him," Xu Jian stood up and held up his hands to invite him. "But he is in Yongji Palace. Even if he has the intention to stir up trouble, he probably doesn't have the power to stir up trouble.
Thinking about it, even if I was at a disadvantage and could not find any clues from him but was tricked by him, there would be no use for him.
On the contrary, if he really sets out to do this and proves his crime of instigating Wang Liuliu and others, and even if he participates in planning the conspiracy of Dingguo Temple and Baoping Town, you can justifiably deal with him."
After the Holy Father listened, there was another long silence.
After a long while, he said: "What you said is that everything depends on evidence. It doesn't matter if you try it."
Xu Jian crossed Ming Road and took orders to exit the imperial study.
Eunuch Cao gave him a gift.
Today, after walking a few more steps until there was no one around, Eunuch Cao said in a low voice: "Since that person was so careful, he didn't let us follow Wang Gouzi to dig into him, and he took so many precautions in advance.
Then where is Feng Chang? Duke Guo, the Za family thought, maybe there is something that can be found on Feng Chang..."
"Not necessarily," Xu Jian said seriously, "Feng Chang is different from people like Wang Gouzi who are obviously 'dangerous'. He is a hidden chess player.
If he hadn't been eager for quick success and Eunuch Guo had figured it out, his identity would not have been exposed.
Besides, his experience in the palace before being transferred to His Highness was also very clean, and no clear fault could be found in it.
Being able to see through him and pick out his thorns is all due to Eunuch Cao."
Eunuch Cao's face turned red.
He should have some merit, but he doesn't like it and is not good at taking credit. He was a little embarrassed to be praised by the Duke of Fu.
"The Zajia family," Eunuch Cao exclaimed, "The Zajia family has stayed in the palace for a longer time and knows more people..."
"So I think that person wants to put people around His Highness, maybe himself, maybe someone around him, who can't see anything wrong with Feng Chang's whitewashed experience at a glance," Xu Jian added, "
I happened to bump into my father-in-law's hand."
"Hearing what Mr. Guo said, the Za family felt a lot more at ease." Eunuch Cao had a smile on his face. "The number of people connected to that dog really gave me a headache and made me feel like a snake."
After calming down, the two continued to communicate in silence and sorted out the clues.
After finishing speaking, Xu Jian breathed a sigh of relief, and to relieve the dull atmosphere, she joked: "Father-in-law, aren't you afraid that walls have ears?"
Eunuch Cao subconsciously turned his head and looked left and right, but there was no one in his field of vision.
He came to his senses and said with a smile: "My lord, please stop teasing me. With your ears, if someone is really eavesdropping nearby, you would have discovered it long ago."
Eunuch Cao sent Xu Jian away and returned to the imperial court.
The Holy Father was leaning against the back of his chair with his eyes closed to meditate. There were a few deep wrinkles between his brows, which clearly showed his state of mind at this moment.
"I have no confidence in my heart," he said. "It's not that I don't believe there are still people who won't give up, but that I want to be worthy of the late emperor."
Eunuch Cao bowed his head and listened respectfully.
The Holy One no longer had the desire to talk, and could only let out a long sigh.
He has personally experienced and seen the ferocity and cruelty of the struggle for imperial power.
Many years ago, there must have been countless undercurrents under the water. At that time, he did not participate, leaving the prince alone, and his understanding was not that profound.
But from the night he was dragged into the water at Dingguo Temple to the day he finally put on the dragon robe, it was only one year younger. His brother died, was banned, and demoted.
There are also more tragic events in history, but after all, words do not affect my heart as much as personal experience.
That year was really stressful.
The father's ban and demotion also put an end to the struggle for the throne.
Back then, Li Mi and Li Jun were not the only ones who used death row prisoners and disaster victims as thieves and bandits to pay for their crimes.
They were not the only ones who were aggressive and stubborn towards Prince Ding Li Cang, but in the end they were the only ones punished severely by their father.
For other people, there are admonishments, groundings, and fines, varying in degree and for different periods of time.
The late emperor's intention was very clear. Once the punishment was over, the matter was over, and the new emperor would not be allowed to settle old scores in the coming years.
The reason for this was gradually understood by His Majesty in the following years.
First of all, to the late emperor, they were all his biological sons, and because he was seriously ill, his love became even stronger.
Secondly, it is also for the sake of his successor.
If he comes from behind because he is "benevolent", he cannot cut off his own arms and lose his reputation for being benevolent.
The persecution of the brothers is too much, not to mention the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of the censors. In order to protect themselves, these brothers are very likely to cause trouble again.
In the late years of the late emperor's life, due to constant natural disasters and poverty among the people, there were indeed many situations where people fell into danger and became bandits. Rather than the new emperor and his brothers fighting for their own authority and safety, the late emperor hoped to rest and recuperate.
Not only to create a prosperous age, but at least to allow the common people to live peacefully.
It was in consideration of the late emperor's idea of putting stability first that for more than ten years, the Holy Emperor and his brothers had reached a good balance.
At least, on the surface, it looks really good.
If you want to be idle, just be idle; if you want to listen to politics, just listen to politics.
Now, I am being held up here, and it is almost useless to get up and down.
On the other side, Xu Jian entered Yongji Palace.
The guard guarding the door was sharp-eyed: "Why are you here? Lord, do you have a decree from the Holy One? If not, I can't let you in."
"Can't we enter without the Holy Emperor's handwriting?" Xu Jian asked knowingly.
"That's the rule," the chamberlain smiled apologetically, "Don't embarrass me."
"As far as I know, he went in twice after coming down to the main hall, and he didn't have any instructions from the emperor," Xu Jian said.
"Those two times were not minor errands," the chamberlain said hurriedly. "Those who were errands were punished by the steward afterwards..."
Xu Jian laughed briefly.
He didn't believe this. Didn't he come to Yongji Palace to cause trouble and go crazy "before"?
However, Xu Jian didn't catch a eunuch and just took out the Holy Oracle from his sleeve: "There is a red seal on it, look carefully."
The waiter took it over and looked at it. After confirming that it was correct, he led the way with Xu Jian.
After the announcement, Xu Jian was invited into the inner hall by Li Jun's people.
Li Jun was wearing a robe, with the collar half open, and the belt around his waist was neither loose nor tight, and he didn't look modest at all.
He didn't care about his manners at all, and just looked Xu Jian up and down: "Xu Mang's grandson? How old were you when I saw you last time? Are you as tall as this table?"
Xu Jian saluted and replied: "When you last met, I should be taller than this table."
Li Jun laughed loudly and asked again: "Tell me, what did my sixth brother ask you to do?"
Xu Jian glanced at the chamberlain standing aside.
Li Jun saw this and tutted: "I'm not afraid of them listening, are you?"
"Afraid." Xu Jian said.
It was so simple and clear, but it was a word that showed weakness, which made Li Jun feel confused.
In particular, Xu Jian used words to show weakness, but his tone was not weak at all. It could be said that he refused to give in even half a step, which was so contradictory that Li Jun was both muttering and angry.
Then, he raised his chin towards the waiter.
People in the palace filed out.
Li Jun took a sip of tea and said, "Everyone has retreated. If you want to have tea later, you can do it yourself."
Xu Jian stepped forward, took a teapot and put it on Li Jun first, and then said: "Once bitten by a snake, I will be afraid of well ropes for ten years.
Wang, who was next to Li Mi for six years, had molested him for more than ten years. Even until Li Mi died, he didn't even know that Wang was not one of his own.
Who knows if there is such a person around you in Yongji Palace?"
Li Jun raised his head, looked deeply at Xu Jian through the mist.
"The Holy One asked me to come to Yongji Palace because I want to talk to you about Baoping Town and Dingguo Temple." Xu Jian got straight to the point.
Li Jun's slender eyes narrowed and he was happy: "He hasn't given up yet? This sixth brother is really persistent. He has never forgotten the sixth brother and sister after their death for so many years.
Speaking of which, have you seen my sixth younger brother and sister before? They look good, but it’s not like there aren’t other beauties in Beijing.
Your biological mother-in-law was not married yet.
But it turns out that the sixth brother has a special liking for the sixth younger brother and sister."
Xu Jian is clear-minded.
Li Jun is used to talking about things here and there and takes the initiative in his own hands.
Xu Jian has no shortage of topics to "attract" each other today, and she will not let Li Jun lead her.
"Yes, you have met many people in and outside the palace," Xu Jian answered, and then changed the topic, "I wonder if you have ever seen a eunuch with a monkey face?"
Li Jun raised his eyebrows: "Monkey-faced eunuch? Such a clear statement, but what important matter is that person involved in?"
"This is the person who set fire to Dingguo Temple." Xu Jian said in a deep voice.
Li Jun's eyes flashed sharply, and he stared at Xu Jian for a moment.
Is this the truth, or did Xu Jianbian come to trick him?
If it is true, where did this clue come from more than ten years ago?
Li Jun was not sure for a moment, so he simply asked directly.
"My mother-in-law and my wife-in-law are dreaming about it," Xu Jian said.
Li Jun sneered and said: "You might as well say that that loser Li Shao has remembered it, and I might believe it more."
"You don't believe it?" Xu Jian nodded thoughtfully, "That's it. Not long ago, the Qian Mansion was struck by lightning. The late Queen couldn't bear to see His Highness Chaos, so she reminded him to be a good man and do things well. She also gave His Highness the power to remind him of the chaos.
