The early morning light bloomed at this time, and a piercing light rolled out of the hazy sky.
Ning Wang Zhu Jinjun held his hands, and he and Shang Gao Wang Zhu Chenhao walked slowly side by side under this ray of morning light. The guards, servants, and chariots behind him followed step by step.
"We suffered so much in Nanchang..." Zhu Jinjun looked at the Forbidden City in the distance and couldn't help but sigh: "When I was in Nanchang Mansion, I was just worried and angry. Today I arrived in the capital and saw this majestic palace.
Only then did my father know that our ancestors gave up these great mountains and rivers to others in a single thought. Compared with them, our wealth is like gold and jade and waste catkins."
Zhu Chenhao raised his eyebrows and said, "Father, the deal is done, so why should we care?"
Zhu Jinjun stopped and sneered at Zhu Chenhao: "Is the deal done? According to my father, it may not be possible. Back then, Song Taizong became the emperor, but decades later, the world has not returned to its original state again.
At the head of Taizu's line? Things are unpredictable, you know?"
"But..." Zhu Chenhao said worriedly: "But even if the world is unpredictable, my father should be more forbearing, so why use this opportunity today to humiliate them? After all, they are the emperor and the prince now. If they are provoked, they will be anxious.
…”
Zhu Jinjun interrupted Zhu Chenhao with a smile and said: "Chenhao, you are wrong this time. My father did this just to show my father's stupidity. In the eyes of my father, this current emperor is a promising king. He is such a person."
He is kind and generous on the surface, but he hides his hidden agenda and is unfathomable. How could he not know at all about many of our actions in Nanchang? No, he knows. He knows that we willfully insult the governor appointed by the imperial court, as well as the Chief Secretary and other officials.
He is one of our people, and he knows that there are many heroes in the palace..."
Zhu Jinjun sighed deeply, with a faint sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth. His eyes seemed to see through the mist. He continued slowly: "He knew, but he didn't take action. What was he afraid of?"
?It’s just that he wants to be a holy king and doesn’t want to be stained by clan fratricide. On the other hand, there is no solid evidence. We must reassure him and let him know that we can’t make any noise. Do you think you are submissive to him?
Is that it? Wrong! We want to make a fuss, make a big fuss, and let him know that recruiting heroes and winning over officials are actually the actions of fools. King Ning is eager to provoke the emperor here. This is to show his respect for the emperor.
When people express their feelings, they tell others that we have ambitions, but we don’t know how to be patient, don’t know how to advance or retreat, are too stupid, and can’t do anything big. Only in this way can he rest assured and turn a blind eye to what we do.
, so as to protect one’s reputation for generosity.”
Zhu Chenhao seemed to be digesting his father's words. After a long time, his eyes trembled and he suddenly realized: "My father is wise, and my child understands."
An emperor like Hongzhi, in order to protect his own reputation and cherish his own feathers, would never do anything with a prince who didn't even know how to tolerate, didn't know how to advance or retreat, and didn't have any scheming. To kill the clan is to be unkind, and to be unkind is to destroy one's own.
reputation.
In a sense, Zhu Jinjun did this, on the one hand, to vent his anger, but on the other hand, it was also a way to protect himself.
Zhu Chenhao secretly said in his heart: This kind of thing has happened since ancient times. At that time, King Yan Zhu Di pretended to be crazy and acted foolishly in order to show that he had no ambition to threaten Zhu Yunwen, but secretly he was very strong. After that, he won the Jiuding in one fell swoop at the Battle of Jingnan.
.And what the father is doing now, isn't it the same as that of King Yan? The father's scheming is indeed unfathomable.
At this time, Zhu Jinjun sighed again and said: "It's just that when the world is at peace and Hongzhi is here, my father is afraid that he will only be a strong man without reward. But that prince..." Zhu Jinjun sneered:
"That prince is not even as good as Zhu Yunwen back then. He is extremely naughty, addicted to pleasure, and ignorant. Chen Hao, this is your chance. In the future, when the prince ascends to power, the prosperous age of peace created by Hongzhi will also be over. Prince Ning and his family will
All my hopes are pinned on you, and what my father is doing now is to build bridges and pave the way for you. Once the time comes, don’t hesitate and act like a woman, do you understand?"
Zhu Chenhao's blood boiled when he heard this, he clenched his fists and said, "I understand, kid."
Zhu Jinjun smiled slightly and said: "Get in the car and enter the palace. You must go all out today to let the world see the prince's ugly appearance, and also let the world see the dragon son born by this king and that prince.
Who is the true destiny?"
At dawn, the two of them got on the carriage and horse respectively. Under the protection of many guards, the carriage gradually moved away. At the same time, the people of Honglu Temple, who were left far behind, gradually became louder, and one car after another
The horses were parked at the door, waiting for the princes of each family to prepare to set off.
The small river next to Honglu Temple winds into the distance. The weeping willows on the shore tremble in the breeze. Early in the morning, people are fishing along the shore. The fishermen are wearing big bamboo hats. Under the edge of the hats, their faces are blurry.
, covered by the shadow, one of them said in a deep voice: "Last night, King Ning had a dinner with the King of Tang. King Ning had many complaints and repeatedly mentioned the Jingnan incident."
"This matter is of great importance. Do you want to inform the deputy director of Beizhen and let their people in Nanchang Mansion investigate carefully?"
"No, what the factory owner meant..." The man wearing a bamboo hat said lazily, "Don't have any dealings with the Beizhen Prefecture in Dongchang. Naturally, the less people know about this kind of thing, the better."
……………………………………………………………………………………
In the small hall of the Forbidden City, Zhu Youtang got up early as usual. Liu Chengfeng's prescription had some effects. In the past ten days, Zhu Youtang had slept well and his energy was refreshed. He
After drinking a bowl of longevity porridge, he appeared in the small hall. After a while, the three ministers of the cabinet also came one after another.
This is the rule of the Hongzhi Dynasty. Because Zhu Youtang was diligent in his work, before the morning court, he would ask people from the cabinet to talk to him and work out the established methods, and then issue the decision during the morning court.
But today, the small hall was strangely silent.
Zhu Youtang felt a little uneasy, and there was a hint of anger between his eyebrows. The three cabinet ministers obviously knew what His Majesty was thinking, but they couldn't get involved in this clan matter.
After a while, a young eunuch came in quietly and whispered a few words into Zhu Youtang's ear.
Zhu Youtang nodded, pursed his lips, and couldn't help but sneer.
"Go down, tell Dongchang, and continue to inquire."
The little eunuch bowed and exited.
Zhu Youtang said slowly: "Prince Ning and the others have already set off. Today's court meeting should be very lively."
Liu Jian stroked his beard and remained silent.
Li Dongyang lowered his head and pretended to drink tea.
Xie Qian's face showed a trace of anger, obviously dissatisfied with Prince Ning.
Zhu Youtang continued: "Just now Dongchang reported that last night, at Honglu Temple, at three o'clock in the morning, King Tang and King Ning had a drink. King Ning repeatedly made arrogant remarks and was treasonous. Liu Aiqing, what do you think?"
Liu Jian was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that the emperor would name him this time. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and thought to himself: "How can foreign ministers interfere with the affairs of the prince? Isn't your majesty pushing me into a pit of fire?"
Foreign ministers have always been taboo about this kind of thing, and Chao Cuo was a precedent. At that time, Chao Cuo advocated the reduction of vassalage, which caused turmoil and was finally beheaded in the street.
But now that his name was called, Liu Jian had no choice but to speak. He smiled slightly and said: "Prince Ning is unprovoked, but according to my experience, this Prince Ning is ambitious but not motivated, and he doesn't even hide it when he gets to the capital. Such a person can't achieve anything great."
As for the matter, all it takes is a decree from Your Majesty to depose him as a commoner. Why should Your Majesty be angry about him? Such a person is not a problem."
"Well..." Zhu Youtang's expression softened a little, and he said calmly: "It's not a problem, so why should I care about him? It's just that this person is hateful."
Li Dongyang said: "What Liu Gong said is not necessarily true."
A hint of cunning flashed across Li Dongyang's eyes, and he remained silent for a moment: "Has your Majesty ever heard of the story about Emperor Wen in Beijing?"
This sentence suddenly woke up the dreamer. Almost everyone was stunned for a moment. Even Liu Jian couldn't help but be moved and said: "If this is the case, then isn't Prince Ning a treacherous and evil man? It seems that his intentions are very big."
Li Dongyang smiled slightly and said: "That's not necessarily true. No one can tell whether it is true or false."
Zhu Youtang's face was already turning green and red at this time. If King Ning really had such a big plan and was so scheming, this person would definitely be difficult to deal with. If you don't deal with him, you will create trouble. But if you do,
There is just one more stain on my life, and since there is no solid evidence now, taking action hastily will only cause unrest among the princes and kings.
Zhu Youtang was silent for a long time and took a long breath and said: "Let's discuss this matter later. The most urgent task now is to solve the prince's matter. King Ning provoked me. If the prince loses face in the court meeting, wouldn't I be laughed at by everyone in the world?
?”
Li Dongyang smiled slightly and said: "I heard that Your Majesty has entrusted Liu Chengfeng to train the crown prince. Liu Chengfeng is a smart man and may have achieved results."
The atmosphere gradually relaxed at this time. Liu Jian, who had been silent on the side, smiled slightly and said: "But that's not necessarily the case. Ten days of work is too short."
Just as he was talking, a eunuch outside reported: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Liu Chengfeng have entered the palace."
"Here we come!" Zhu Youtang couldn't help but perked up, caressing the imperial case and said: "People are coming, tell them to come in quickly."
Not long after, Zhu Houzhao and Liu Chengfeng entered the small hall. Zhu Houzhao obediently bowed to Zhu Youtang: "I have met my father."
Liu Chengfeng almost wanted to say that the student had seen Enfu, but he still held back his words and said obediently: "Wei Chen has seen His Majesty."