The night was dark, but the lamp was still in the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Qiyu was leaning on the couch, and Shu Liang stood respectfully underneath, saying.
"...Your Majesty, according to your instructions, Xu Xueshi has just gone to Nangong."
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu put down the book in his hand. Under the bright candlelight, his face was a little gloomy.
"knew……"
The weather was already sweltering in July, but for some reason, there was a cool breeze blowing tonight. Looking in the direction of Nangong, Zhu Qiyu stood up from the couch, walked slowly out, and stood on the porch.
The breeze gently lifted his clothes, making it even more obvious that the young emperor was unpredictable. Shu Liang followed cautiously, not daring to make a sound.
After serving the emperor for so long, his ability to observe people's emotions is naturally perfect. Moreover, after such a long period of experience, Eunuch Shu has already figured out the rules. At times like this, although the emperor seems calm, But my heart must be filled with turmoil, so it’s better to be careful.
A crescent moon hung high in the sky, and the gentle breeze brought the emperor's voice to Shu Liang's ears without a trace of emotion.
"Shu Liang, you can probably guess what Xu Youzhen is going to do, right?"
Hearing these words, Shu's conscience was shaken, and he quickly fell to the ground and said.
"I don't dare, slave."
"It's because I don't dare, it's because I can't guess, right?"
Zhu Qiyu turned around, looked at Shu Liang calmly, and asked.
From the time he woke up from the Prince's Mansion to the present, Shu Liang can be regarded as his number one confidant. Whether it is Wang Wen and Yu Qian among the ministers, or Cheng Jing and Huaien among the eunuchs, in terms of loyalty, they are all Not as good as Shu Liang.
Therefore, Shu Liang also knows the most secrets. For example, the identities of Xu Youzhen and Zhu Yi are not even known to each other, but Shu Liang knows them clearly.
This time, he did not let Shu Liang deliver what Xu Youzhen wanted to do, but wrote a letter to Xu Youzhen himself. However, Zhu Qiyu believed that even if Shu Liang had not seen the content of the letter, he should have guessed it more or less. .
Shu Liang lowered his head lower and said.
"This slave is terrified."
A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, Zhu Qiyu shook his head gently and said.
"Get up, don't be nervous."
So Shu Liang stood up, but the next moment, the emperor's voice rang again.
"Do you think he will succeed?"
Speaking of this, he definitely couldn't pretend to be stupid anymore. At this moment, Shu Liang also vaguely felt the emperor's emotional fluctuations at this moment, so he spoke carefully and said.
"Back to Your Majesty, since Xu Xueshi is the person of His Majesty's liking, I think he will definitely be able to get the job done."
"Yeah?"
However, after hearing this, Zhu Qiyu smiled mockingly and said.
"I'm afraid, it's not that easy."
"Let's see...
A dark cloud passed by, blocking the moonlight, and the Chonghua Hall in the Nangong was also brightly lit.
Xu Youzhen wore a black cloak and stepped into the palace gate under the leadership of Meng Jun, the commander of the Nangong guards.
Taking off her wide hood, Xu Youzhen looked at the Supreme Emperor sitting on the throne, stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said.
"Your Majesty, Xu Youzhen, comes to see the Supreme Emperor!"
However, unlike Xu Youzhen's excitement, Zhu Qizhen looked at Xu Youzhen kneeling on the ground, with a meaningful look flashing in his eyes and said.
"Scholar Xu, you came to see me so late, but what happened?"
Xu Youzhen's hands under her sleeves trembled slightly because of nervousness. He took a deep breath, slowly raised his head and said.
"I wonder if your Majesty has heard about the recent events in the capital?"
Logically speaking, as a minister, Xu Youzhen did not answer Zhu Qizhen's words, but instead asked questions, which was very rude.
However, Zhu Qizhen didn't seem to care and followed his words.
"Are you referring to the recent transfer of officials in the main hall and the court?"
Hearing this, Xu Youzhen's eyes darkened. As expected, although the Supreme Emperor lived in the Nangong Palace, he was still very concerned about both the palace and the court.
Moreover, in this sentence, the main hall is placed at the front, which is worth pondering...
"Back to the Supreme Emperor, that's right."
Then, Zhu Qizhen's face became very interested and asked.
"So you came here to tell me that the emperor has the intention to change the capital. The purpose of setting up the main hall is to prepare for his newly born legitimate son. To transfer Yu Qian away is to first remove the disobedient people in the court.
Push him out first?"
Ah this...
Xu Youzhen couldn't help but feel a little confused. For some reason, he always felt that there was a hint of mockery in the Emperor's words.
However, this was indeed what he wanted to say, and now that the Supreme Emperor had said it in advance, he didn't know whether to be grateful that the Supreme Emperor was still sensitive to the court situation, or to be worried that he had lost a strong reason for his subsequent persuasion.
The status of the prince should be the top priority for the current emperor. Starting from this, Xu Youzhen thought that it would be easy to achieve his goal.
But now it seems that it is not that easy. Regardless of the hint of impatience with him in the words of the Supreme Emperor just now, just saying that this person can see this level in advance and say it so calmly shows that at least at this level
On these two matters, the Supreme Emperor already has his own opinions and plans.
On this basis, it would be very difficult for him to exaggerate the seriousness of the matter and achieve his own goals.
However, thinking about where her current status came from, Xu Youzhen couldn't help gritting her teeth, but she still raised her hands and said.
"Your Majesty is wise, this is exactly the purpose of my visit today."
"I believe that today, the emperor's intention to control the court has become stronger. In addition, after the incident in the middle palace, the emperor's various actions can already be imagined. As long as the emperor's legitimate son is a little older, the throne of the East Palace will be shaken."
"As a subject of the East Palace, I know that this statement is offensive, but I still risk my life to remonstrate with Your Majesty. Your Majesty is still young and cannot protect himself. Your Majesty is the eldest son of the late emperor and the father of His Majesty.
Etiquette, laws, and plans for the country, how can your Majesty just sit back and ignore this matter? You must make preparations in advance to avoid something that will really shake the country's foundation in the future."
Xu Youzhen's words were extremely painful and sincere, but no one could see that the cold sweat on his back had soaked through his clothes.
But even so, he still had to say it, because Xu Youzhen knew very well that from the day he went to see Shu Liang, some things were beyond his control.
Originally, Xu Youzhen was quite confident before entering the palace, but the performance just now reduced his confidence by at least 50%.
Unsurprisingly, after saying these words, the Emperor's expression suddenly changed, the Chonghua Palace became quiet, and the atmosphere became a little tense.
"Have you prepared early?"
In the silence, the Emperor's soft voice seemed particularly heavy.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Youzhen felt a scorching gaze falling on him, followed by the Emperor's tone that suddenly turned cold.
"Scholar Xu, tell me, what does early preparation mean?"
Strictly speaking, this conversation is actually more like a continuation of the last conversation.
When Xu Youzhen was summoned last time, she sorted out everything in the capital in front of the Supreme Emperor. There were actually hints of it at that time. However, the Supreme Emperor did not take up the matter at that time, so Xu Youzhen came forward again today.
Come.
Having said this, some things really have to be revealed.
After taking a long breath, Xu Youzhen raised her head and said with firm eyes.
"Your Majesty has learned clearly, and I have the courage to speak out."
"The current throne belongs to His Majesty. However, Yu Qian, Hu Hui, Li Xian and others took advantage of the opportunity when the Supreme Emperor was hunting in the north to pass His Highness the Crown Prince and support the commander of the branch. This was against etiquette and law. Even if the matter was urgent at the time
To be in power, one needs to have a long-term monarch to take charge of the overall situation. But now that the war has subsided and the emperor has returned to the court, he should return to the distinction between monarch and minister. Is there any reason to overstep his bounds?"
"His Majesty is the eldest son of the late emperor. He succeeded to the throne as the Crown Prince of the East Palace. He is the legitimate direct descendant of the royal family. The same is true for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Although he is not the descendant of Queen Duanjing, according to etiquette and law, he is still the eldest grandson of the late emperor, and he should be the heir apparent.
stable."
"However, to this day, various actions today clearly have the intention of shaking the foundation. Such actions not only violate the etiquette and law, but also abolish the righteousness of brothers and the love of the heavenly family. Previously, we changed the name of the emperor's legitimate son, etc.
Thunder has already been caused to fall on the palace gate. The end gate is the main entrance of the imperial city. At this time, thunder fell. It was clearly a warning from heaven and the ancestors were angry. But now, the emperor has no intention of repenting and still locates the main hall next to the East Palace.
.”
"All the ministers in the court are afraid of the power of the emperor, and no one dares to speak out or give direct advice. What's worse, recently, in order to welcome the emperor, there are ministers in the court who use clever words and tricks to interpret the palace gate as the East Palace.
Losing one's virtue will only make God angry. This sincerity has sinister intentions. If it continues like this, I fear that one day the crown prince will be deposed and established. Even if the Supreme Emperor lives in Nangong, he will be implicated.
The family is at odds with each other, the government and the public are in turmoil, and the country is in unrest, then all ministers and others will be sinners."
Zhu Qizhen sat at the top, quietly looking at the excited and heartbroken Xu Youzhen below, but his expression showed no sign of excitement.
It should be said that Xu Youzhen's words are not without boldness.
Since he returned to the Ming Dynasty, this should be the first time that he dared to say outright, whether publicly or privately, that the current emperor was a minister who usurped the throne.
pity……
"Do you know that based on what you just said, I can stop you from alienating the Heavenly Family and making irresponsible remarks about the Emperor. If I send you to the Emperor, your life will not be saved!"
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Youzhen heard the cold voice of the Supreme Emperor again.
His tone was extremely serious, without any hint of joking.
The hands under the sleeves couldn't stop trembling, Xu Youzhen lowered her head and said.
"I am sincere and sincere. I am doing this for the sake of the country, the Supreme Emperor, and His Highness the Crown Prince. I sincerely ask His Majesty the Supreme Emperor to make a clear decision!"
You must know that although various signs indicate that the Supreme Emperor is very concerned about the state affairs of the court, he also has a vague intention to compete with the emperor for power.
But after all, they were brothers from the Tian family, and he actually didn't dare to conclude that the Supreme Emperor would really have such intentions.
Moreover, even if he really exists, it is indeed difficult to persuade him. If you are not careful, you will be in an abyss.
He knew very well that the Emperor's words were correct. If his words spread, the Emperor would never let him go.
Even though he has a secret identity, the material issues at court are there after all. As long as things get a little bigger, he will probably have to go to jail.
Thinking like this, Xu Youzhen kowtowed again and said.
"I know that the Supreme Emperor and I still have a brotherly relationship. However, I risked my life to speak out precisely to protect the relationship between the Supreme Emperor and this Supreme Being. Nowadays, there are still many ministers in the court who know that the throne is not right and can be restricted.
The situation, but dare not speak out. In addition, the emperor is now deliberately blocking the way of speech and suppressing the courtiers. All parties in the DPRK are not interested in political affairs. If things go on like this, the DPRK situation will inevitably be chaotic. Especially, the emperor has already intended to shake the capital. If the East Palace is easier, then
Above the imperial court, there will definitely be more divisions, and in this case, the ancestral community will be damaged."
"Therefore, although I know that I am in danger of dying by speaking out like this, I still dare not say a word. Please forgive me for speaking nonsense. The etiquette and laws of the court are all between your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince. If His Highness the Crown Prince still resides in the East Palace, as in
Today, family harmony can still be maintained, but if the government really goes against the grain and shakes the foundation, it will be impossible to restore the situation without His Majesty's personal intervention."
"However, Your Majesty is now living deep in the palace and ignoring political affairs. It is true that he is complying with the original agreement. But if what I said really comes true, Your Majesty is trapped in the Nangong and is unable to save it. Wouldn't it be a betrayal of the ancestors' inheritance and the entrustment of the late emperor?
Sheji?"
These words were different from what he had just said. Xu Youzhen was obviously filled with a trembling voice while feeling relieved. It was obvious that he was not as righteous as he showed.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qizhen's eyes became darker and he asked.
"So, what exactly do you want to say?"
In fact, the truth is now at this point. Xu Youzhen's meaning has been understood beyond comprehension. There is only a layer of window paper left between saying it outright.
However, even so, Zhu Qizhen still did not express his position, but forced Xu Youzhen to further explain clearly.
Xu Youzhen was kneeling down, with cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Obviously, he also saw the intention of the Supreme Emperor, and he was cruel. He kowtowed and said.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that Governor Zhang of the British Duke is now in charge of the Central Military Governor's Palace and is responsible for organizing the entire military palace. In the East Palace, Duke Cheng Guo is also in charge of the Young Army Camp. In the South Palace, Commander Meng is in charge of the Yulin Guards. These are all
People who are loyal to His Majesty."
"I believe that Your Majesty should rely more on such loyal and upright ministers and summon them frequently. If a hundred years later, according to the etiquette and law, he is still sitting under the Crown Prince's throne, then there should be nothing wrong with brothers, friends and brothers. But if in the future, the emperor really ignores
The etiquette and law and the people's support forcefully shaken the throne, and even...ignored the family ties and brotherhood, risked the world's injustice, and committed rebellious things. The Supreme Emperor can also rely on this generation of loyal ministers to clear the court and restore the foundation of the ancestors."
After the words fell, Xu Youzhen could feel that the Emperor's eyes were locked on him, with an inexplicable awe-inspiring power.
The palace became quiet, but the atmosphere became heavier and heavier. Xu Youzhen knelt on the ground and lowered her head deeply, as if she was waiting for the verdict...