Chapter 950 It’s great to have a good father-in-law
It is late autumn and the weather is cold and cool.
As the sky got darker, the British government palace became brightly lit. Since it was a secret discussion, it was naturally not suitable to hold a grand banquet.
Therefore, after discussing the matter, everyone gathered in the mansion almost left.
Of course, there are also people who stay...
"My lord, you gave us old guys more than one surprise today!"
After dinner, Zhang Shi and Zhu Yi moved to the study.
Separated by a small table, the two sat across from each other. They dismissed the attendants around them, leaving only two servants each.
The aroma of tea lingered around, Zhang Min took a sip of tea and looked meaningfully at Zhu Yi opposite.
However, in the face of Zhang Xi's obvious hidden meaning, Zhu Yi said calmly and calmly.
"My nephew treats me like the second master. This is a compliment."
"Praise?"
Zhang Min was startled, but after a moment, he laughed and said.
"Of course it's a compliment."
"Such an in-depth analysis, not to mention me and other nobles, even Mr. Zhuge is just looking at the smoke and mirrors, and needs the Duke of the country to come to the fore."
"Isn't it admirable that the Duke of Guo has such insight into the situation in the court despite his young age?"
This was said politely, but Zhu Yi could naturally hear the underlying fear and suspicion in it.
However, since he dared to say these words in front of everyone, he naturally thought about the situation he would face. He shook his head and spoke.
"As a folk proverb, having an elder in a family is like having a treasure."
"I think if the British prince were here first, he would have seen it more clearly."
Hearing this, a hint of sadness flashed across Zhang Xi's face at first, and then he sighed and said.
"Yes, in this court, in terms of understanding of the situation, only veterans like my brother and the eldest uncle can have a clear insight."
As he spoke, there was a rare hint of envy in his tone as he said.
"Your father was really far-sighted when he chose a girl from the Hu family to marry you!"
In response, Zhu Yi smiled and said.
"Thank you for the compliment, Shibo. My wife is indeed virtuous and intelligent, and she lives in a comfortable home."
Zhang Xi curled his lips, obviously dissatisfied with Zhu Yi's misrepresentation of his meaning.
However, this is not an important matter. He left Zhu Yi here today, so naturally he still had something serious to say.
After calming down his expression, Zhang Xi's eyes flashed and he spoke thoughtfully.
"My lord, your family and I are now firmly married, so if I have anything to say, I will say it directly."
"You...do you have any other thoughts in your mind?"
"Any other ideas?"
Zhu Yi also sat down and asked.
"What is the second master referring to?"
Zhang Xi sighed, hesitated for a moment, and said.
"I know that the title of Duke Cheng has been restored. You are young and have many connections in the court, not to mention that you have a great uncle sitting in charge."
"Logically speaking, there is really no need for you to continue to get involved in this muddy water."
This statement obviously carries the meaning of temptation.
Zhu Yi lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then he shook his head and said.
"What? In the eyes of the second master, is my nephew such an ungrateful person?"
"The title of Duke Chengguo can only be recovered with the help of the Supreme Emperor and a group of distinguished uncles."
"Is it possible that now that the title has been restored, my nephew can sit at home and ignore everything?"
"this……"
Zhang Min smiled bitterly. He knew that Zhu Yi's temperament and behavior had been quite public recently, but he still didn't expect that he would speak so directly.
After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head and said.
"My lord, you know this is not what I mean."
"only……"
Zhang Xi's expression became a little hesitant, and he continued.
"What you just said in front of everyone will indeed make people think too much."
What he said was still a bit veiled, so Zhu Yi simply made it clear and said.
"Second Master, you mean what I said about the Emperor?"
Zhang Min didn't speak, but his meaning was very clear, that is, he did have doubts in his heart.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Yi sighed and said.
"Except for the Second Master, other uncles must also have this suspicion in their hearts."
"But, alas..."
Rarely, Zhu Yi explained with a somewhat helpless look on his face.
"Second Master, you and I are both born as generals, so we should know something clearly about the art of war. Only when you know yourself and your enemy can you be victorious in every battle."
"We support the Supreme Emperor because of his profound kindness to us, because the Supreme Emperor is the late emperor's successor, because we are grateful for the late emperor's grace, and even more because..."
It's even more because people like them actually have no choice at all.
But these words are obviously not suitable to be said out loud, as one knows it well.
After a brief pause, Zhu Yi continued.
"However, with the current situation in the court being like this, do we really want to rebel and support the Emperor's restoration?"
"My lord, be careful what you say!"
Although he had heard Zhu Yi's shocking words many times, Zhang Xi still couldn't help but break into a cold sweat when he heard these words, and immediately blurted out:
However, Zhu Yi was not surprised by Zhang Shi's performance and said as if it was a matter of course.
"It seems that the second master has no such idea."
"well……"
Looking at the calm expression on the other side, Zhang Xi could not help but feel a little headache. However, since he had said this, he thought for a moment and said simply.
"I thought that you were just excited in front of everyone, but I didn't expect that you had really thought about it like this."
"However, since you have considered this issue, you should know that this is almost impossible to do."
Zhu Yi looked at Zhang Shi and said nothing.
Therefore, Zhang Xi had no choice but to continue.
"You are right. After all, the current emperor is not the heir to the throne of the previous emperor. However, he did not seek to usurp the throne and become emperor. Instead, he obtained the tacit approval of the court, both inside and outside the palace, and even the support of the emperor.
Today is the day."
"What's more, this emperor has always been scheming, especially concerned about the unification of France. He secretly encouraged Li Xian, Yu Qian and others to force the palace, first obtained the Holy Mother's decree, and then changed the throne in the imperial edict to the Zen throne.
After the Supreme Emperor returned to the court, he devised a plan to have the Supreme Emperor declare his Zen status in public, which completed all the procedures."
"Besides that, on the surface, he treated the Supreme Emperor with great courtesy. Even when the Supreme Emperor occasionally interfered in politics, he never directly opposed him. He only asked other ministers to come forward to impeach him, and at most he gave instructions to Shu Liang.
It's a shame to come looking for trouble."
"Even regarding His Highness the Crown Prince's affairs, I have repeatedly emphasized openly and secretly that I will never do anything wrong and will never waver in my capital, and I have repeatedly shown concern for His Highness the Crown Prince's daily life."
"You have done a good job to save face, and are praised by everyone from the government to the public, so how can you still have any chance?"
"What's more..."
After saying this, Zhang Xi's face became a little solemn and said.
"The Zhang family has received great favors from Taizu and Emperor Taizong, and has been honored and honored for generations. They have been loyal from generation to generation. They protect the safety of the Supreme Emperor out of loyalty and justice, not for their own selfishness. How can they coerce the Supreme Emperor, cause rebellion, and become a traitor and traitor?"
"My lord, if you have such an idea, I advise you to give it up as soon as possible. Don't let the family's reputation be ruined!"
Facing Zhang Shi's 'admonition', Zhu Yi thought about it for a while, but just smiled.
"Why are you so nervous, Master?"
"My nephew is not stupid. Now the imperial court is at peace. The Beijing Army, Imperial Guards, Imperial Guards, and Dongchang are all in the hands of the emperor. There are Yu Qian, Wang Wen, and others in the court who are loyal to the emperor. My nephew is crazy.
, that’s why you have such an idea.”
"but……"
These words were obviously meant to avoid the important and trivial, which made Zhang Shi feel a little uneasy. Hearing that there was a twist in Zhu Yi's words, he hurriedly leaned over and asked.
"But what?"
"However, it is precisely because of this that my nephew is going to say this today!"
Zhu Yi said with a sigh.
"Since you and I have no intention of rebellion, but only want to protect the safety of the Supreme Emperor, then this current style of opposing the Emperor in everything cannot continue."
"If we still can't change our minds and just feel that we all have to oppose what the emperor does, but cannot escape and have a clear grasp of the emperor's style and direction in government affairs, then sooner or later, either we will
Waiting to be cut off one by one by the emperor, or..."
Zhu Yi lowered her head and took a sip of tea, but did not continue.
However, Zhang Shi understood what he meant.
If things go on like this, the conflict between them and the emperor will become more and more serious, and sooner or later they will become irreconcilable, and eventually embark on the road of rebellion.
After a moment of silence in the study, Zhu Yi put down the cup in her hand and said.
"With what has happened in the past two years and more, the Second Master must also be able to see that the Emperor is not an easy person to deal with. If we must go against him, then there is a high probability that the result of the former will be our final outcome."
"So, even though I know that it will arouse your suspicion, I still say so much. I just hope that everyone understands that what we do is to protect the Supreme Emperor, not to grudge against the Emperor. Sometimes the two are consistent, but
Sometimes, not necessarily."
"Second Master, do you still remember that the emperor took His Royal Highness out of the palace for inspection a few days ago?"
Zhang Min frowned. Unexpectedly, Zhu Yi suddenly brought up this matter. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said.
"Of course, this matter aroused a lot of discussion in the court at that time. Many ministers felt that the emperor was willful and arrogant. On the contrary, His Royal Highness, at a young age, is calm and kind, and has the appearance of a wise master."
So, Zhu Yi said.
"The second master must have heard that the emperor was found by a group of ministers soon after he left the palace. Later, when he returned to the palace, all the ministers gave advice to the emperor, but in the end, he was rewarded and blocked by the emperor.
On the lips."
Zhang Shi naturally knew about this matter.
There was even a rumor at the time that the dignified emperor resorted to bribery in order to silence his subordinates.
The ministers below were even more outrageous. They actually accepted the reward and then never mentioned the matter again.
When this news first came out, many courtiers discussed it in private.
However, look at Zhu Yi's expression...
Zhang Min's eyes flashed and he asked.
"What, there's a hidden secret in this?"
Zhu Yi nodded and said.
"To be honest, Second Master, it was the eldest uncle who took the lead in accepting the reward."
After all, the news coming out of the outer court was not that detailed. Therefore, this detail was indeed new news to Zhang Shi, so he asked quickly.
"Oh, why?"
"This is a signal that the emperor is sending!" Zhu Yi said: "The emperor wants to leave the palace, so he will be incognito. But he chose a time when he was not in court, and he still wanted to bring the prince with him. That's all. He actually brought him with him.
Yu Qian and Shen Yi, the two ministers, it is clear that they have no intention of hiding from others."
"After this incident, although there were a lot of discussions in the court, everyone praised His Highness the Crown Prince for his kindness and love for the people. Especially many details in folklore said that the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince were very close, like father and son."
"Does Second Master understand the intention behind this?"
After listening to this, Zhang Min vaguely understood something. After pondering for a moment, he said.
"Your Majesty, is this a sign of goodwill?"
"good!"
Zhu Yi nodded and said.
"To be more precise, this move is intended to tell everyone in the court that the Crown Prince is benevolent and filial, and that the throne is stable. The Emperor treats His Highness the Crown Prince as his own son. Or in the words of the second master, the Emperor is showing goodwill to us and the Supreme Emperor."
"But, this doesn't seem like the emperor's usual style?"
Zhang Xi pondered, still having doubts in his heart.
So, Zhu Yi explained.
"Two reasons."
"First, there will be a big disaster next year. This is the conclusion given by Qin Tianjian. We don't care whether it is true or not for now. But after the earth dragon turned over, it is obvious that the emperor believed it. If this is the case, then the imperial court will
Stability must be the priority.”
"Moreover, in addition to stability, the national treasury is not rich now. In order to deal with possible disasters, the emperor will definitely take new measures. At this time, if we continue to be against him, it will be a trouble for the emperor, so
, that’s why we took His Royal Highness out of the palace.”
"second……"
When it came to the second one, Zhu Yi hesitated for a moment, but still said.
"Although it has not been announced in the palace, the Second Master should also know that the Queen is pregnant, and it is said that she has been pregnant for several months."
"If the Queen gives birth to a legitimate son, the status of His Highness the Crown Prince will inevitably be threatened. The Emperor's move is actually to stabilize the court situation in advance and let the government and the public understand that the throne will not be changed due to the birth of the legitimate son."
After saying this, Zhang Xi also had a sad look on his face and said.
"Yes, if the legitimate son of the middle palace is born, it is inevitable that there will be younger people in the court who will have other thoughts. In fact, even if it is as you said, the emperor's move is intended to stabilize the throne again, but if it is true that the middle palace has
Son, after all, alas..."
"In fact, in addition to this, there is also the recent incident of filling the East Palace. It can be seen that the emperor is preparing for this matter in advance."
When Zhu Yi saw this, he was also a little silent. After a moment of pause, he continued.
"Of course, as the second master said, having a son in the middle palace is not a good thing for His Highness, but that is a matter of the future after all."
"As of now, the emperor still prefers stability. For those of us who prefer the emperor, as long as there is no trouble, we still prefer comfort."
"In this case, the Emperor will definitely not do anything to harm the Supreme Emperor in the near future."
"Because of this, I feel it's time to change my thinking."
"As I said before, we are here to protect the Supreme Emperor, not to fight against the Emperor every day for the sake of superiority. If the Emperor and the Supreme Emperor can live in peace and safety, then there is no need for us to be caught in the middle."