Volume 1: Swan Goose Chapter 4: The World Is Like a New Game of Chess
It was at dusk, and the red-purple glow slanted through the gauze-like mist above Prince Yi's Mansion. Two figures were projected on the fringed window of the study.
Two people sat across from each other at the table. There was a lamp on the desk, a pot of warm tea, and a chessboard in the middle. A painting of "Seven Sages in the Bamboo Grove" was hung on the wall in the middle. In the gilt copper incense burner in the corner,
The blue mist is rising.
"What kind of tea is this? Why haven't I drunk it before?" Yan Rong picked up the black-glazed rabbit cup and took a sip.
"The tribute tea given by the emperor is made from silver water buds. Because the tea is as white as snow, it is called Long Tuan Sheng Xue." Yu Fengjin explained.
Yan Rong smacked his lips: "It's indeed the best! The emperor knows that you are a tea addict, and the rewards are getting rarer every year. But it's a pity..."
Yu Fengjin raised her eyebrows and asked, "What's the pity?"
Yan Rong curled his lips and joked: "It's a pity that you don't like wine! It's a waste of Fangyi's exquisite wine-making skills. The wine that has been studied so hard for so many years has not gained half of your favor!"
Yu Fengjin smiled slightly and said: "Being greedy can easily lead to trouble! Tea can purify the mind and is a gentleman's favorite."
Yan Rong put down the tea cup and asked boredly: "Brother, how long are you going to pretend to be sick and hide away?"
Yu Fengjin smiled bitterly and said: "It seems that the most prodigal son in the capital can't bear the loneliness. It doesn't matter, I'm the one pretending to be sick, you can go out."
Yan Rong patted his thigh and sighed bitterly: "I go to all kinds of romantic places. If the emperor knows that I am in the mood to go out and drink wine when you are sick, then you will know that you are pretending to be sick! That's all! I think it's quite good.
Go ahead! It’s a pity that my confidante must be crazy about lovesickness after not seeing each other for so many days!”
He glanced at the chessboard on the table and felt something strange: he saw two chess pieces, one black and one white, placed at one end of the chessboard, followed by a dozen black pieces, and dozens of white pieces surrounding the black pieces.
"Brother, what kind of chess game is this?"
"Guess what." Yu Fengjin raised the corners of her lips and said with a smile: "Let me give you a hint, this is not an ordinary chess game, but the current situation in Beiyu."
After hearing this, Yan Rong looked at it carefully and suddenly said: "In this case, the white man at the front should be the upright and honest chief minister Xia Yunqing, and the black man is the domineering and extravagant official minister Wang Su."
"Not bad!" Yu Fengjin nodded: "The current situation in Beiyu is basically divided into two camps dominated by these two."
Yan Rong curled his lips and said: "Xia Yunqing is too arrogant and arrogant, and does not leave any room for speech. He has made countless enemies in the court. I don't think the emperor can tolerate him for long!"
Yu Fengjin smiled and shook his head: "This is just the surface. Do you know why the emperor hates him, but still wants him to be the chief assistant?"
Yan Rong pondered for a moment and shook his head in confusion.
Yu Fengjin explained: "Emperor Yu is most afraid of ministers forming cliques and evading the imperial power. Although Xia Yunqing has an upright personality, he never forms cliques. This is what Emperor Yu needs most! Because only such a chief minister will only serve for
He serves! Therefore, as long as Xia Yunqing does not make a big mistake, his status will be unshakable!"
Yan Rong picked up the sunspot and asked, "Wang Su has always had a holy heart. Doesn't he have the chance to take the position of chief minister?"
A sneer appeared on Yu Fengjin's lips: "The current situation is like a chess game. The position of each chess piece is determined by the chess player. Emperor Yu is best at using strategies and means to attack and divide the people in the court.
power to gain control over the whole.”
"Look." He pointed to the chess piece behind the second piece and said: "This game of chess looks like the black and white pieces are evenly matched, but in fact they are not. In terms of status, the white piece represented by Xia Shoufu is slightly higher than the black piece represented by Wang Su, the Minister of Civil Affairs.
The black ones behind Wang Su are higher-ranking ministers, and most of these people are Wang Su's party members. The dozens of white ones around them are lower-ranking officials, and most of them are after Xia Yunqing. With this layout, you can see the clues.
Already?"
Yan Rong stared at the chessboard for a long time and then said: "It seems that the black stones separate the white stones from the beginning and the end, but if you look closely, you can see that the larger number of white stones also surround the black stones, forming a dead end that is difficult to break through."
"Yes." Yu Fengjin said with a look of joy on his face: "This is the genius of the emperor: the two parties, black and white, restrain and restrict each other, and no one party can dominate. So Wang Su cannot replace Xia Yunqing after all!
, For any leader, the stability of the current situation is the top priority."
Yan Rong's expression was a little complicated, and he smiled bitterly and said: "I have to say that this chess game is indeed brilliant. No matter how they fight, the only one who will benefit in the end is the emperor."
"Yes." A hint of coldness flashed in Yu Fengjin's eyes: "The emperor is suspicious. He not only values virtuous ministers but also favors treacherous ministers. When wooing eunuchs, he does not forget to promote his relatives! For twenty years, he has always kept the government in his hands.
No one dares to deceive him, and no one can deceive him!"
"Brother, have you forgotten that there is also Zhang Heng, the son of Zhang Heng, the son of the state leader Liu Bingwen and Ping Yanghou?" Yan Rong suddenly exclaimed.
Yu Fengjin took a sip of tea and sneered: "Liu Bingwen has little talent, has an impatient temper, and lacks political opinions. He only has his current status because he is the father of the queen! He knew that he would never succeed, so he could only fawn over Zhang Heng.
However, once the Pingyang Hou case was over, he completely lost power."
Yan Rong looked at the chess game and asked, "Brother, where are you?"
Yu Fengjin pondered for a moment, picked up a small stone, placed it on the table outside the chessboard, and smiled tacitly.
Yan Rong suddenly realized and said hurriedly: "I understand! Brother is a spectator!" He picked up the stone and asked: "In my opinion, who will take Ning Yuan's place after his death?"
Yu Fengjin pondered for a moment and then said: "The commander of the Royal Guards Department has always been the emperor's confidant. Who the emperor will hand over depends on who can best please the emperor."
The case of Marquis Pingyang has been going on for several days, and the records of impeachment and redress of grievances have been piled up in the Long Book Case. The Emperor of Chongqing hid in his palace all day without seeing anyone, except for his father-in-law Shuangxi.
As for the person who best understands the Emperor's thoughts, Eunuch Shuangxi is second, but no one dares to call him first.
He entered the palace at the age of twelve and has served two emperors so far. Because he is considerate and thoughtful, and good at observing people's words, he is deeply favored by both emperors.
When the late emperor was in power, he set up an internal study hall and ordered Hanlin officials to teach the eunuchs how to read and write. Eunuch Shuangxi was one of the first students. He was intelligent, agile, and had outstanding achievements. When the late emperor was in power, he was appointed to serve as the chief ceremonial supervisor.
After Emperor Yu ascended the throne, he was promoted to the most distinguished eunuch in the palm of his hand. He became extremely popular and became the most noble eunuch in Ziwei City.
After serving carefully for a few days, seeing that Emperor Yu's mood had eased a little today, he took the opportunity to persuade him: "Your Majesty, you have refused to see all the officials in the past few days, and the ministers in the court are very anxious. Especially Mr. Wang Su, the Minister of Civil Affairs.
, he stays outside the palace every day waiting for your summons. I heard that he was worried that the emperor would be angry, so he brought some good things for you to see."
Hearing Wang Su's name, Emperor Yu softened his tone slightly: "Let him come in!"
After a while, Wang Su walked steadily into the palace, leaned down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, Wang Su!"
Emperor Yu said calmly: "Ai Qing, please get up and speak."
Wang Su stood up slowly, carefully took out a brocade box from his arms, and offered it with both hands: "Your Majesty, Quanzi traveled around the world a few days ago and found a treasure. I think that only the emperor deserves to own such a treasure, so I brought it to you to take a look at.
!”
Emperor Yu took the brocade box and opened it. He saw a round luminous bead placed on the black velvet cloth. The bead was crystal clear and emitted a dark green light. If he looked carefully, there was a thin slit in the middle.
Emperor Yu said nonchalantly: "It's just a luminous pearl."
Wang Su chuckled and said: "Your Majesty, please separate the beads along the gap and look at them again!"
Emperor Yu separated the luminous pearl suspiciously, and the bead that had been glowing all over his body suddenly became transparent and dull. He was shocked, and then combined the two halves into one, and the bead actually emitted a faint green light again.
Emperor Yu immediately laughed and said: "It is indeed a treasure!"
Wang Su said flatteringly: "Your Majesty, this bead can illuminate hair within a hundred steps at night. If you put this bead in your account, you don't need to light a candle even if you get up at night!"
Emperor Yu raised the corner of his mouth and smiled, and half of the anger that had accumulated in his heart for many days was dissipated. He was not a person who liked playing with pearls and jade, but at this time he needed to find some fun to relieve himself from irritability.
He put the brocade box aside casually and sighed: "My heart is deeply touched by what I have given you. However, I am a very respected minister and my family is full of gold and jade. I don't know what I should reward you for..."
Wang Su hurriedly bowed deeply and said with sincerity: "It is my honor to be able to relieve your majesty's worries. I dare not ask for a reward!"
Emperor Yu looked at him with a half-smile, and then asked: "Wang Aiqing, does he know what I am worried about?"
Wang Su lowered his eyes and replied cautiously: "I dare to speculate that your Majesty is worried about the Pingyang Marquis case!"
"That day in the court, I didn't see Aiqing come out to speak, and I haven't seen Aiqing's memorial these days. I wonder what Aiqing's opinion is on this matter?" Emperor Yu's tone was calm and there was no hint of happiness or anger, but his eyes were a bit compelling.
.
Wang Su pondered for a while and then said: "I thought that Marquis Pingyang was old and unable to manage the affairs of the family. It must be the evil slave who is causing trouble in his name! The emperor only needs to punish the evil slave severely."
"The servant did evil because Marquis Pingyang mismanaged him. How should I deal with him?" Emperor Yu asked again.
Wang Su saluted again and said: "Your Majesty, the law of Beiyu does not punish the elderly over seventy years old. The Marquis of Pingyang is already seventy-five and should not be punished any more!"
Emperor Yu's brows moved slightly, and he added: "Even if what you say is reasonable, I'm afraid you won't be able to quell the criticism in the court."
Wang Su smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty, you can just call it sick and ignore it! As time goes by, this matter will naturally be forgotten by everyone!"
Emperor Yu finally showed a smile: "Ai Qing is right, but unfortunately, although Xia Shoufu is devoted to the public, he is too upright. As the second assistant, you have to provide more help from the side."
"Yes, I would like to obey the Holy Will." Wang Su responded respectfully.
"By the way." Emperor Yu suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Does your son Wang Jing have an official position?"
Wang Su sighed: "Quuzi is full of passion and has long wanted to show off his skills in the court and serve the emperor. However, as the minister in charge of personnel affairs, I have to let him stay at home to avoid suspicion."
"Well, you did a good job in this matter." Emperor Yu smiled slightly and said: "Since his ambition has not been fulfilled, he might as well give it a try at the Imperial Guards Department. The Imperial Guards Department has always been the department I attach most importance to, and the commander is even more important.
My confidant, after much deliberation, I think he is the most suitable."
"But..." Wang Su deliberately frowned and said hesitantly: "The dog is not talented, so I'm afraid he won't be able to take on this important task! Please allow the emperor to allow him to start from a small job."
Emperor Yu looked at him with a faint smile, and said with lips parted: "The commander of the Royal Guards Department has always been appointed by me personally. Don't worry, with my will, no one in the court dares to criticize this matter!"
"However." Emperor Yu suddenly stared at him, and said as if he was warning or admonishing: "I know that you have many supporters in the court. You, father and son, must be careful in your words and deeds in the future. As the saying goes, if you stand high, you will fall.
Seriously, I don’t want to see your two names on the impeachment memorial next time!”
Wang Su hurriedly bowed his hands and said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will be careful in my words and deeds, guard against arrogance and impetuosity. I will never let down the holy will."
After that, he raised his eyes slightly to look at the luminous pearl in the box. He felt even more satisfied when he thought that Liu Bingwen, the head of the country, and Xia Yunqing, the chief minister, were fighting to the death, but he was profiting from a single pearl. This chapter has been completed!