Just as Zhu Xiu was about to go out, Fu Jin came after him with a big cloak around him: "The weather is very cold, so you should wear more clothes."

Zhu Xiu smiled and opened his arms, letting her put the cloak on him and tie the knot at the collar.

Fu Jinhuan looked behind him and saw that he only had three or five guards with him. He frowned and said: "Dad sent someone to send a message, saying that there has been some unrest in the city recently. There is a group of assassins from the Northern Han Dynasty who have been hiding for a long time and took advantage of the chaos to attack the minister's car. You

It’s better to bring more guards, it’s best to call Shi Dalang.”

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "I have never met Liu Chong, the leader of the Northern Han Dynasty. If he wants to hate me, he can't bear to hate me. Besides, I am a fifth-rank official and cannot influence the situation of the court. Liu Chong should not be stupid enough to waste his manpower on me."

On me..."

Fu Jinhuan said angrily: "Anyway, you should bring more guards!"

"A few of them are enough. Shi Dalang and Bi Zhenhai have worked hard for the past few days, so let them have a good rest in the mansion. I won't go anywhere else. I will go to Mrs. Feng's mansion first, and then enter the palace. I should be able to do it in the evening.

return."

Fu Jinhuan wanted to say something else, but Zhu Xiu pinched her cheek: "If I were plotted by an assassin, wouldn't you just remarry?"

Speaking of remarriage, Fu Jinhuan remembered that a few days ago, he was in the study room in broad daylight... It was so embarrassing!

"Disgusting! You're talking nonsense!" Fu Jinhuan's face turned rosy and he slapped his claws off, while Mo Xiang covered her mouth and snickered behind her.

Zhu Xiu laughed, waved her hand and got on the carriage. Three or five guards followed the carriage, and drove out of the street towards Feng Dao's mansion.

Fu Jinhuan and Mo Xiang stood on the steps and watched the carriage go away before turning around and returning home.

~~~

When he arrived at the Grand Master's Mansion, he announced his intention, and Feng Dao's eldest son, Feng Ping, came out to greet him.

Feng Ping was just a secretary, and Zhu Xiu didn't dare to entrust him to him, so he respectfully bowed to him as a junior. After all, he was Feng Qingchan's father.

Feng Ping has a kind face and kind eyes, and is usually taciturn. At first glance, he seems to be an honest and dull person. Compared with the old and cunning Feng Dao, there is no similarity between father and son except for their appearance.

Feng Ping led him to the back house, and Zhu Xiu said, "I wonder how my old husband's condition is?"

Feng Ping glanced at him and said with a smile: "You will know when Lord Zhu meets my father."

Zhu Xiu was a little strange, so she didn't ask any more questions. She turned around and looked around, pretending to ask casually: "I wonder how Mrs. Feng is doing lately?"

Feng Ping sighed: "The elder imperial doctor died of illness. As a disciple, Chan'er went to the Yuan family to observe her filial piety."

"The elder doctor died of illness?" Zhu Xiu was surprised. He didn't know about this. "When did it happen?"

"The night before yesterday."

Zhu Xiu also sighed. Yuan Jingrun was a famous doctor in the country, and his death was a great loss to the court.

Calculating that Yuan Jingrun was already seventy-seven years old, he could be regarded as having passed away.

When he came to the archway of the back courtyard, Feng Ping said: "My father is inside, please go alone, Lord Zhu."

Zhu Xiu hurriedly cupped his hands and thanked him, Feng Ping nodded slightly, said goodbye and left, seemingly unwilling to stay any longer.

"I wonder what these two men are up to..." Zhu Xiu muttered to herself, straightened her robes and stepped into the courtyard.

Going around a snow-covered flower bed, Zhu Xiu saw Feng Dao under the eaves of the corridor, covered with a leather mattress, sitting on a recliner very comfortably, with a charcoal stove beside him, and hot tea simmering on the stove.

"Old man, what are you doing?" Zhu Xiu was stunned for a moment. There was no sign of serious illness in Old Man Feng's appearance.

Feng Dao opened his eyes narrowly and pointed to the chair next to him: "Sit."

Zhu Xiu sat down, rubbed his hands, took a few breaths, put his palms on the stove to keep warm, and looked at him with questioning eyes.

Feng Dao smiled and said leisurely: "The official family is cleaning the court, and I have too many old friends and disciples, so I can't help but be involved, so I can only claim to be sick at home and hide in peace."

Zhu Xiu smiled. It turned out that the old man was afraid that his old student friends would come to him and ask him to intercede for help, so he took a leave of absence and hid at home behind closed doors to thank guests.

His thoughts should not be hidden from Guo Wei. Guo Wei asked him to come to visit and also asked him to be responsible for contacting the court for Feng Dao. Presumably, he tacitly allowed Feng Dao to pretend to be ill to avoid suspicion.

"The old man is hiding out at home, but the younger generation is in a miserable situation. He has been guarding the Changhe Gate Tower in the West City for three days. Look, the dark circles under his eyes are still there to this day." Zhu Xiu took a sip of tea and began to complain.

Feng Dao glanced at him sideways: "You kid got a lot of advantage and still acted like a good boy! At such a critical moment, I can still hand over the military power to you, which shows that the officials trust you!"

Nowadays, the whole city is in panic, and many people want to show their loyalty but have no way. You only need to survive for three days, and you can get an important position as a member of the Zhongshushe, and you also have the command and authority of an army. You are already the envy of others!

"

"Haha, the old man is sitting at home, so he is well informed."

Feng Dao snorted: "Thankfully you didn't interfere with Li Chongjin's matter, otherwise I wouldn't be able to sit here today."

Zhu Xiu almost choked on her tea and widened her eyes: "Do you know this?"

Feng Dao curled his lips and said: "Cao Bin is also a nephew of the official family. The official family wants to mobilize the Tiger Wing Army, why not just use him directly, but instead of appointing you as the commander of the capital?

Do the officials trust you more than they trust Cao Bin?

Hehe~ How can I not see the reason?"

Zhu Xiugong cupped his hands: "The old man is really aware of the subtleties!"

Feng Dao snorted: "Now you understand what it means to be ruthless in heaven! Even monks can rarely truly cut off the seven emotions and six desires, but as an emperor, with the world in his hands, many times he has to cut off all personal relationships!

Regardless of the fact that the officials have always favored you and entrusted you with important responsibilities, in the face of imperial power, anyone who hinders the inheritance of the throne will inevitably die!

Even the official Li Chongjin can get rid of him, let alone you?"

Zhu Xiu smiled bitterly and said: "This junior is self-aware. Ever since I spent three days in the cold wind blowing in the Changhemen Gate Tower, I have figured out the fate of it, and I don't dare to have the slightest idea of ​​meddling in it! Heavenly family affairs have their own decisions, and we all

As a minister, just obey the will and do things."

Feng Dao stroked his white beard: "If you can understand this, it means that even if you become a Taoist official in the officialdom, your chances of saving your life will increase a lot.

I have been an official for nearly fifty years, and to be honest, I haven’t accomplished much. Fortunately, I have experienced enough and realized the biggest truth. No matter at any time, no matter what position you hold, don’t take yourself too seriously!

There are many things in front of you, and you can't control them! Whether you are in the prime minister's position or in a powerful position, once you have thoughts that you shouldn't have, you are not far from falling into the abyss!"

Feng Dao said in a very serious and solemn tone: "I know that you are knowledgeable and far-sighted, but people like this are often arrogant and easy to be conceited. Many times, they will make mistakes and even lose their lives!

Interfering with the succession of the throne is a taboo for ministers. Don't think that because you have won the emperor's heart and have a close relationship with Chai Rong and Li Chongjin, you can have both sides and become invincible!

People's hearts are fickle and can be dangerous and treacherous. If you take one wrong step, you will be doomed! I hope this lesson can teach you a lesson!"

Zhu Xiu sighed, bowed his head and said, "Feng Gong's teachings will be remembered by the younger generation!"

Feng Dao regarded him as a junior in his family, and that's why he said this to him with all his heart. He couldn't help but know good from evil.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Xiu whispered: "The old man is well-informed, does he know what happened in the palace? How will the officials deal with Li Chongjin?"

】

Feng Dao sat up abruptly, and the leather mattress he was covering fell to the ground: "Why can't you remember what I told you so earnestly? Do you still want to take care of Li Chongjin's affairs?"

Zhu Xiu sighed bitterly: "Li Chongjin is a fool, with a reckless temper, but he values ​​friendship and keeps his word. He will never do anything against human ethics! Even if he has thoughts that he shouldn't have, it must be because he was raped."

People are provoking!”

After a pause, Zhu Xiu lowered his voice: "Li Chongjin is the nephew of the official family. In terms of blood relationship, he is the person closest to the official family! In fact, he is indeed more qualified for the throne!

The government and the public had called for him to be the heir before, but the officials turned a blind eye to this. Since the officials had already chosen Chai Junhou in their hearts, why didn't they clarify it in time? Didn't they issue an edict to appease him?

Even if Li Chongjin really rebelled, the officials should also be responsible for it! He deliberately allowed the discussion between the government and the public to create a confrontation between Li Chongjin and Chai Junhou!"

Feng Dao opened his eyes wide in shock and pointed at Zhu Xiu with a trembling finger: "You, how dare you arrange for an official to be a member of the official family, don't you? You are so brave!"

Zhu Xiu gritted his teeth and said: "If Li Chongjin really went down the road of no return, it was because of the officials! Last year in Chanzhou, Chai Junhou almost went down this road, and now it's Li Chongjin's turn!"

Feng Dao was angry and anxious. He slapped the handrail and shouted: "If we don't create factional conflicts, how can we make it easier for officials to control the government?

The officials decided that Chai Rong would succeed him, a decision that was only made in the past six months!

Only when the political situation is in turmoil will people like Wang Jun be tempted to jump out and try to fish in troubled waters!

These are the emperor's thoughts, things that a king must consider!

If you don’t sit in that seat, you won’t understand the difficulty!”

Zhu Xiu was a little unconvinced: "It's a technique, not a way! A king should follow the king's way!"

Feng Dao laughed angrily, "You kid, tell me, what is the royal way?"

Zhu Xiu was at a loss for words and could only use a famous sentence from "Shangshu" to argue: "Of course it is 'no partiality and no party, the king's way is unrestrained'!"

Feng Dao sneered: "It sounds nice to say, impartiality, no parties and no disputes? Is it possible in such a large court? Remember, above the court, it is normal for parties to fight for power and gain! From the emperor down to the subjects,

In order to achieve the goal and take the overall situation into consideration, some means must be used and must not be used!"

Zhu Xiu was silent. He knew that Feng Dao was right and Guo Wei's methods were blameless.

It's just that he and Li Chongjin had a close friendship, and out of personal affection, he could not help but feel aggrieved and wronged for Li Chongjin.

Feng Dao sighed: "You are still a teenager and have a bit of a temper. I know you understand, and I just want to complain.

You can say these words in front of me, and then forget them all after you leave this door..."

Zhu Xiu nodded silently.

Feng Dao lay down again and said slowly:

"Li Chongjin is fine for the time being. I heard that he personally fought against the rebels, was bloody and wounded, and tried to keep the Daqing Gate intact. The officials issued a special commendation order and allowed him to live in the palace to recuperate.

This time there was a disturbance among the Imperial Guards in front of the palace, and Li Chongjin naturally had to bear the responsibility, but it was not mentioned in the official decree, and all the blame was attributed to Wang Jun for rebelling against the party.
To be continued...