Although in many cases, great principles cannot solve practical difficulties, this does not mean that great principles are useless.
At least, after the emperor's "teaching", the ministers present could no longer think of any reason to persuade the emperor to investigate the case thoroughly.
They can't always say that it's wrong for the emperor to insist on justice and morality, right?
Of course, the most important thing is that all the ministers can see that the emperor still has a sense of proportion.
If in the past, the emperor ordered Jin Lian to supervise the military affairs of the three sides and exercise arbitrary power on an ad hoc basis, it was to prevent possible mutiny in Gansu, then now, although it is the same decree, the intention is obviously different.
After this case was revealed, the most uncertain thing was actually the attitude of the Kansai Seven Guards.
Although the Seven Guards of Kansai have been very respectful to the imperial court for so many years, they are still affiliated with the tribes on the border outside the Great Wall, and they must be on guard against others. If anything goes wrong, the imperial court will suffer huge losses.
Therefore, the emperor's decree obviously requires preparation on both sides...
On the one hand, the case is kept secret for the time being to reduce the risk of investigation. On the other hand, Asu, the governor of the Mongolian Guard of Chijin, is declared to be in Beijing, in the name of testifying, but in fact it may be because of his loyalty to the court. If necessary, he may not rule out taking hostages.
possible.
Furthermore, Jin Lian went to Gansu not only to investigate the case and find evidence, but more importantly, to prevent the Seven Hygienic Changes in Kansai.
This is the emperor!
They also take the overall situation into consideration, but perhaps because the lessons of the civil war were too painful, what is prevalent in the court today is to settle down and settle for compromise.
But the Emperor is different. He upholds justice and morality. When faced with a dilemma, what the Emperor will do is never to reluctantly give up on a person or thing, but to rely on his own ability to carve out a third way.
.
As the ancients said, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but the emperor is a man who wants to have both fish and bear's paws.
This is almost impossible to achieve in the court.
However, it was not until they walked out of the Wuying Hall that the elders were surprised to find that everything that had happened since the emperor ascended the throne were all such miraculous examples.
After thinking about this, they also let go of the hanging person a little bit.
However, looking back at the tall Wuying Palace, everyone looked at each other and saw the bitter smile on each other's faces.
If nothing else, Yu Shaobao's life is probably not going to be easy now.
I just don’t know that after being scolded this time, I will be punished with several months’ salary. I still have to persuade Your Majesty to change the method of punishment. Yu Shaobao really has to live on his salary. He is punished and rewarded every day.
, leisurely tossing...
In the Wuying Palace, the matter of Ren Li was almost settled, so Zhu Qiyu asked all the ministers to leave first, but he only left Yu Qian behind.
At this moment, everyone in the palace had left. Only Huai En and a few close eunuchs were waiting around.
Yu Qian still lowered his head, but instead of sitting, he stood beside him, wondering what he was thinking.
On the throne, Zhu Qiyu looked at him and said nothing.
The monarch and his ministers remained silent. After a long time, Zhu Qiyu finally spoke first and asked.
"Yu Qian, do you know your guilt?"
The words were spoken in a low voice and he was called by his first name, which immediately made the atmosphere in the hall tense.
It should be said that this question was a bit confusing, but Yu Qian obviously knew what the emperor was referring to. He still lowered his head, but fell to the ground and said.
"I have betrayed His Majesty's trust and expectations. I am fully aware that I am guilty and feel extremely guilty. I ask Your Majesty to punish me."
This was said sincerely, but there was still no hint of an admission of error.
Zhu Qiyu sighed softly, his voice suddenly filled with emotion, and said.
"Yu Qian, do you know that sometimes I feel that you really deserve to die!"
In the empty palace, the young emperor spoke the most sincere words in the calmest tone. His voice echoed around, making people feel chills running down their spines.
However, Yu Qian had no special reaction. He just bowed his head and remained silent.
Zhu Qiyu didn't care, he just looked after himself.
"Just now in the palace, I can actually guess what you are hesitating about except for the Seven Guards of Kansai. However, what I want to tell you is that just like Ren Li's case, some things will never be buried no matter how long they are buried.
, it also exists. If you keep it under wraps, you will only gain temporary peace. In the end, it will harm others and yourself!"
Yu Qian's expression was a little complicated. He raised his head and looked directly into the emperor's eyes for the first time since entering the palace.
In this gaze, he saw coldness and determination.
And this is precisely what he is most worried about...
After pondering for a moment, Yu Qian kowtowed deeply, then raised his head, and finally spoke for the first time, explaining to himself, saying.
"Your Majesty, I am not disloyal, nor do I mean to let you down. However, now that the court is stable and the Tian family is at peace, although there are people with ulterior motives in the court, they are just clowns in the end. Your Majesty is a strategist, a wise judge, and a mere trivial person.
, it’s hard to become a climate.”
"Now the entire court is looking up at His Majesty, and all the edicts are obeyed. Everyone in the court and the public praises Your Majesty as a wise king. The Supreme Emperor is living in the South Palace, not caring about the government, and taking care of his life. At this time, Your Majesty once again raised the old case.
It will inevitably lead to disharmony in the Tian family, suspicions both internally and externally, and numerous discussions between the government and the public, which will damage your majesty's holy virtue. This is not what I want to see."
"I know that it is a serious crime to deceive Your Majesty, but I ask Your Majesty to be considerate of my loyalty. I will definitely not be responsible for Your Majesty's wishes."
Yu Qian said these words equally firmly. Obviously, this was his inner thought.
However, after listening to this, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but smile bitterly and didn't know what to say for a while.
In fact, from the time he received the living note, Zhu Qiyu had a vague idea that the reason why Yu Qian did not want to pursue the assassination case was not only because it involved the Seven Guards of Kansai, but more importantly, this case also involved
Nangong.
Even now, everything related to the Supreme Emperor is still a very sensitive topic. Although Yu Qian's words just now are still not very clear, it is the first time that he has revealed his feelings about the current relationship between the family.
view.
However, this view made Zhu Qiyu not sure whether he should feel happy or uncomfortable.
I am happy because Yu Qian's words are full of confidence in him as the emperor.
It should be said that after such a long time, the fact that the British government secretly supported the Supreme Emperor was no longer a big secret in the court.
Ministers like Yu Qian, the Seven Ministers, are already well aware of this kind of thing.
But, at least as far as Yu Qian is concerned, he doesn't care!
As for the reason, as mentioned just now, in Yu Qian's heart, after experiencing the Battle of Oara, the emperor's reputation and status have long been stable. Coupled with the emperor's proficiency in court affairs for more than a year, let
Yu Qian consciously or unconsciously felt that no matter how big the problem was, it would not be a problem in front of the emperor.
From Yu Qian's point of view, even if these people were relying on the Supreme Emperor, they were nothing more than clowns. As long as the Emperor wanted to manipulate them, he would always have a way to deal with them.
However, the emperor was concerned about the impact on the court and had not taken action against them.
In other words, in Yu Qian's mind, the emperor now holds great power and is fully capable of dealing with all possible unexpected situations, so there is no need to add to the chaos.
Ren Li can be investigated or he can die, it doesn't matter.
Even if Ren Li is not thrown into imperial prison at this court meeting, Yu Qian will not let him go easily when he inspects the military camps in the future.
After all, Yu Qian only cares about the overall situation, and is not a saint without desires. He was the one who was almost assassinated in Xuan Mansion. It is impossible for Yu Qian not to be angry in his heart.
However, even if Ren Li died, it could not be because of plotting to assassinate an important official of the imperial court.
Because once this case is investigated and the root cause is traced, the Supreme Emperor will inevitably be traced.
The new emperor's investigation of old cases is inherently vulnerable to criticism. What's more, the Supreme Emperor is still safely staying in Nangong. If this old case is really revealed, the government and the public will probably not believe that the emperor wants to preside over it out of justice and morality.
justice.
They would only think that the emperor now has great power, so they would try to embarrass the Supreme Emperor in any way possible.
No matter how big of a mistake the Supreme Emperor made, he was also the eldest brother of the Emperor. Such actions would definitely worsen the perception of the Emperor by both the government and the public.
After having been in contact with the Emperor for so long, Yu Qian knew very well that although the family seemed to be in harmony and the Emperor treated the Supreme Emperor with courtesy, in fact, in the Emperor's heart, he looked down upon the Supreme Emperor.
And, more importantly, although the relationship between the Emperor and the Supreme Emperor is neither salty nor weak, it is still peaceful.
However, once this case is revealed, the Supreme Emperor himself will inevitably feel that the emperor is deliberately targeting him.
By that time, the relationship between the Tian family will be bad, and if these two noble brothers really fight, even if the emperor has the power and is sure of victory, in the end, both sides will lose.
All these are the reasons for Yu Qian's hesitation.
Sighing, Zhu Qiyu thought for a while, stretched out his hand to call Huaien over, and gave him a few instructions in a low voice, so Huaien hurriedly retreated.
"Sir, please get up first."
The servant Yu Qian was ordered to help him up and sit down. Zhu Qiyu rubbed his forehead and opened his mouth, but he said nothing.
It wasn't until a moment later that Wynn hurried back with a secret letter sealed in wax in his hand.
This situation made Yu Qian feel a little surprised, but then he saw that Wynn handed the envelope directly to him at the emperor's signal.
Immediately, the emperor's voice sounded, with a rare hint of fatigue.
"I have something here, sir, you might as well take a look first."
Yu Qian didn't hesitate too much. He raised his hand to take the envelope, opened it, and looked at it intently.
"On the first day of the second year of Jingtai, the Supreme Emperor gave a banquet to the ministers in the Nangong. Ningyuan Hou Renli, Ningyang Bo Chen Mao, British Duke Zhang Shi, Prince Consort Jiao Jing, Xue Huan, Chengguo Duke Zhu Yi, Youchunfang University
Scholar Xu Youzhen and others were summoned by the Supreme Emperor during the banquet to have an audience at Qinghe Pavilion..."
After just reading the first two lines of words, Yu Qian straightened his back subconsciously, and his eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light.
Of course he was there when the banquet was given that day. Although there were many people and bustle at the time, he never remembered that a chamberlain came to announce the order and summon the ministers.
In other words, if what is said in this letter is true, then when the banquet was given, these people met in secret behind the backs of all the courtiers.
Yu Qian has been up and down in the court for many years, and his political sense is naturally keen enough.
Recalling the scene of the banquet that day, he reacted almost immediately. If nothing else, the banquet was a lie, and the intention to summon these ministers alone was the real thing.
However, the problem is that with the current status of the Supreme Emperor, summoning ministers alone is already a very sensitive matter, not to mention that it is done in secret without telling everyone.
Exhaling softly, Yu Qian lowered his gaze and continued to look down. What was recorded in the back was the specific content of the duel, and its level of detail was as if someone had witnessed the entire process.
Yu Qian couldn't help but be secretly alarmed. He had already guessed that the Emperor must have someone to monitor the Supreme Emperor in Nangong.
However, apart from these people, what everyone knows is that the people who are personally served by the Supreme Emperor are all personally arranged by the Holy Mother in the palace.
As for the matter of secretly summoning ministers, even if the Emperor was not careful, he would not let outsiders appear, but this letter was still placed in front of the emperor.
With a bitter smile in his heart, Yu Qian knew that he still knew too little about the situation in the palace.
The relationship between the Emperor and the Supreme Emperor seemed peaceful and stable, but in fact, there was already an undercurrent surging.
However, as the lines of small words fell into his eyes, Yu Qian had no time to think about these things anymore, because his mind had already been focused on the content of the memorial between the Supreme Emperor and these people.
So, he quickly summarized two points.
First, the Supreme Emperor was wooing the British princes and other dignitaries. This was reflected in everything from bestowing jade to encouraging him to praising the late Duke Zhu Yong.
As for the second one, it’s about military settlements.
Yu Qian couldn't believe that Ren Li's move to stop the military settlement at the court meeting was actually approved by the Supreme Emperor.
Although the emperor did not intervene explicitly in terms of words, his attitude was very clear.
Yu Qian held the secret instrument tightly in his hand, obviously feeling quite uneasy.
There was silence in the hall for a moment, and a long sigh sounded. Yu Qian handed the secret message back to Wynn who was waiting aside, and asked hesitantly.
"Your Majesty, this secret message..."
"It was handed over by Dongchang!"
The emperor seemed to be well prepared for what Qian wanted to ask, and replied calmly, but stopped short and did not continue.
However, this sentence is enough. Shu Liang, the admiral of Dongchang, is the emperor's confidant eunuch, and he is famous for only following the emperor's orders.
Since this secret letter came from his hand, it cannot be unverified.
Not for anything else, just because this is something given to the emperor. Shu Liang has no other benefits. However, he does treat the emperor with all his heart and handles things thoughtfully. Yu Qian knows this very well.
Yu Qian opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but before he could speak, the emperor raised his hand to stop him.
Immediately afterwards, he saw that the emperor picked up another envelope from his hand and had it delivered to him again.
This time it's not a secret message, but...
"Yang Neng handed me the self-introduction letter. Sir, please take a look at it as well."