Standing at the door, watching as he got on the bullock cart and drove away, Su Ziji, accompanied by the Taoist priest, chatted with the remaining guests.
On the surface, his attitude was calm and cordial, as if he was not affected by the imperial edict, but in his heart, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
After carefully studying the words of the eunuch Yu Han just now, Su Ziji sighed: "The emperor's move is powerful. He immediately forced out people who might support me."
But even if you knew the emperor's plan, it would be difficult to avoid it.
Just like the empress, who is nominally his biological grandmother, she may not be unaware of the emperor's plan, but she still has to send someone over to express support.
Because if you don't support it, others may misunderstand it. If the empress (Shangguan) doesn't support it, it may be misunderstood that the empress (Shangguan) doesn't like it. If the subordinates don't support it, it may be misunderstood that the subordinates have different intentions.
Therefore, everyone has to celebrate and support.
"Thinking about it this way, the emperor's attitude towards me is more like the attitude of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty towards his eighth prince."
"Did Kangxi use this trick against his eighth prince back then?"
"Hold it first, and then see who supports it."
"Or you can confer several princes at the same time and observe which house the officials go to celebrate."
This method is indeed an emperor's trick. It is possible to know at a glance which prince has the most support and who the specific supporters are.
"But I still can't figure it out. Obviously, the biggest threat to the emperor right now is the King of Qi, followed by the King of Shu, and then the King of Lu. The three kings are all here. They want to check and balance them, and they use me as a pawn. This
It’s not surprising, but I was directly asked to become the commander of the Yulin Guards, and I still can’t figure it out.”
Thinking like this, Su Ziji checked his own experience.
"The way of government is already at the fourteenth level and is about to reach the fifteenth level."
Once each skill reaches level 15, it becomes a master. This is true for the previous skills, but I don't know if the same is true for "The Way of Government".
"Now that there are so many guests, I might be able to ask for advice. As long as I have to answer a few words for the sake of face, I can dig out some treasures, and at the same time, I can also discern the feelings of those who come to my house to congratulate me. It can be said that I can kill many people with one stone.
"
"I must have reached level 15, and I will have a deeper understanding of the current situation."
Su Ziji saw Fang Zhen walking towards him after talking to several officials, and planned to "act" on him.
"Congratulations, Duke Dai, for receiving the Commander of the Yulin Guards. This is a sign of the Emperor's trust." As soon as he came over, Fang Zhen congratulated him.
Su Ziji listened with a smile and looked at Fang Zhen.
Fang Zhen celebrated the New Year and seemed to feel one year older. He had grown a beard, spoke with great energy, and seemed to be much more capable. Su Ziji smiled: "Congratulations, I'm still worried and don't know what to do."
"I have never led a soldier. The emperor suddenly gave me a heavy responsibility. I was very frightened."
"Little Marquis, you once commanded an army. I have something to ask you for advice." There was no one else around the two of them, so Su Ziji asked directly: "How much does the Young Marquis know about the Yulin Guard?"
Fang Zhen was stunned for a moment and suppressed his smile. He probably didn't expect that Su Ziji would suddenly ask him such a question, but it was not good to refuse, so he could only say cautiously: "I don't know what kind of question Dai Guogong wants to ask?
"
Then he continued: "To tell you the truth, I don't know much about Habayashi Wei, so I'm afraid I can't help you with anything."
"Young Master, you are so humble." Su Ziji said, "Compared to you, I don't know anything. After all, in terms of being an official before, I only made one or two trips to Beijing and worked as a low-level official in the local area.
I really don’t know anything about civil servants and military attachés.”
"Especially this Yulin Guard belongs to the Beijing camp. The young Marquis who has been in the capital for a long time should have heard about this kind of thing. You can tell me whether it is true or not."
"Also, I really don't know where to start on how to manage the Yulin Guards, so I would like to ask the young Marquis to give me some advice."
What he said really made Fang Zhen speechless.
If you don't answer properly, won't you immediately offend Duke Dai?
Even though Dai Guogong is currently in a raging fire, he has not yet fallen. He is also the grandson of the emperor. How can he compare with himself?
But if you answer it well, doesn’t that mean you’re taking sides?
Since he knew that there might be something fishy about Dai Guogong's appointment, how could he dare to take sides at this time?
"Hey! I thought that I came here just to say congratulations. There are so many people here, and I have nothing to do here. I didn't expect that I was asked by Duke Dai about military affairs. How can I satisfy Duke Dai at the same time?
And it won’t arouse suspicion?”
With the closeness he showed to Duke Dai, it would be impossible to say anything.
"Dai Guogong, if that's the case, then I'll talk about some of the conditions of the Yulin Guards. I've heard about them in the past. As for management... I'm not familiar with the Yulin Guards, so I'll just talk about it casually."
Fang Zhen said it was "just talk", and it was really "just talk".
He told Su Ziji that the people in the Yulin Guard were basically the descendants of distinguished nobles.
"In a noble family, the eldest son and grandson will inherit the title and will not join the Yulin Guards. However, after all, there are only one or two who inherit the title. Most of the younger sons also have to fight for a future."
"According to the rules of the imperial court, most of them are sent to the pro-army for training, and the Habayashi Guards are one of them."
"It's just a concubine. I usually live with my tail between my legs, and I don't dare to offend you. But people like the youngest son are even more difficult to manage. They are all pampered and loved at home."
"Most of them are arrogant and extravagant people, all of them are bold and unruly. Many things in the capital are committed by these young masters. But because their ancestors have basically contributed to the country, and their father and brother are also high-ranking officials, they know that they are the ones who did it.
It’s not easy to deal with either.”
"You should be careful when you go there."
Fang Zhen also talked in general about his management methods when he was in charge of the army, but because the situation that Fang Zhen was in charge of was completely different from that of the Yulin Guards, he could not provide help to Su Ziji.
Su Ziji sighed inwardly. Although most of what he told him could be found out by a wild Taoist, there would be no disappointment if there were no expectations. Fang was really a smooth person, and Su Ziji had no extravagant expectations.
Just stand in line.
Although what Fang Zhen said was a commonplace, I don't know why, but he was still a little uneasy, as if he had revealed many secrets hidden in his heart. He couldn't talk any more, so he stood up and said, "I have been here for a long time, and I have to go back."
"Come back later."
Su Ziji stood up straight, thanked Fang Zhen, lowered his eyes, and saw half a rosewood shadow floating in his field of vision: "[The Way of Government] +1300, level 14 (11100/14000)"
"I have known this person, and I have always found him to be frank and forthright. I didn't want to find out today that this person is well-read in history and well versed in the art of concealment. It is too much to say that he has the dangers of mountains and rivers in his heart and the strictness of the city in his chest.
Some, but it’s not an exaggeration to say that he is a thoughtful person.”
"It's just that Fang Zhen has no way out."
Laymen always feel that they can do whatever they want if they have talent. Unfortunately, in official circles, origin and faction are the most important things.
Fang Zhen is a hereditary marquis, and now the court does not allow him to take charge of the military or join the cabinet. His ceiling is already doomed.