On the way back, Zhu Yi and Zhang Xi sat opposite each other, and the large carriage did not seem crowded at all.
After a while, Zhang Mian said.
"The Duke of Guo was still a little anxious just now. The Supreme Emperor may be unhappy this time!"
This was said very calmly, not as a question, nor with any uneasiness or fear, but with a certain calmness.
However, Zhu Yi's reaction was similar. Although he was on a carriage, he was not afraid of the tea splashing at all. He stretched out his hand to pour a cup of tea for himself and Zhang Min, served it in front of the other, and said.
"But the old man still recognized him, right?"
Zhang Min's expression was a little complicated. After pausing for a moment, he reached out to take the tea cup in front of him, took a sip, put it on the small case in front of him, and said.
"Why bother?"
As he spoke, Zhang Xi's expression became a little wistful, and his tone became a little more serious as he said.
"Mr. Guo, we are members of our own family, so if there are certain things I have to say directly."
"The Emperor is right. You are still young, and you have not experienced some things after all. After all, the Emperor is the Emperor, and the distinction between monarch and ministers must be respected. At the beginning... Well, in short, it is better for the Duke to be more cautious."
Zhu Yi picked up the tea cup in front of her, but instead of sipping it slowly, she drank it all in one gulp and then said.
"Sooner or later, Shibo will be a little too cautious. What's more, now that you and I have made a plan, no matter what, we have to say it out loud. It's not beautiful to do it secretly. What's more, such a thing,
The next step is always unavoidable. Instead of being vague the next time, it’s better to know it in advance. What’s wrong with that?”
After hearing these words, Zhang Shi knew that his words were in vain.
This time they came to Nangong for one purpose, which was to obtain the Supreme Emperor's consent for the plan they had agreed upon before.
However, this is not easy to handle, because part of their previous calculations was actually reaching a compromise with the emperor. The most difficult thing about this move was the Supreme Emperor.
After all, based on Zhang Shi's understanding of the Supreme Emperor, he was a person who was more emotional than rational. Even if he could explain the truth clearly, his inner discomfort could easily lead to serious troubles.
Zhang Xi had made this mistake once before, and it was a big mistake, so he was particularly cautious this time.
But he was cautious, but he didn't expect that Zhu Yi didn't care about it. Recalling the duel in Nangong just now, Zhang Xi could faintly feel that the Supreme Emperor was afraid that now, a thorn had been pierced in his heart.
.
Having learned a lesson from the past, Zhang Xi knew very well that this thorn might be inconspicuous at ordinary times, but at a critical moment, it could very well kill someone.
Just imagine, if he had not been arrogant and thought he had manipulated the Empress Dowager Sun, so he sacrificed Huichang Bo in the Ningyang Marquis case, the Empress Dowager Sun would not have deliberately promoted Ren Li during the battle at Zijingguan, and ended up causing trouble.
Beat the chicken with the eggs.
To this day, it is useless to regret, but looking at the high-spirited Zhu Yi in front of him, Zhang Xi always feels as if he has seen his past self.
Seeing Zhang Xi looking at him with a worried look across from him, Zhu Yi finally put away his lazy look and said.
"Shibo, I know what you are worried about, but my nephew also has his own ideas about this matter."
As he spoke, Zhu Yi also corrected his attitude, pondered for a moment and then said.
"Of course the distinction between monarch and minister must be respected, but Shibo, today is different from the past. The Supreme Emperor is often powerless in many things in Nangong."
"In the final analysis, the real people in the court are His Highness the Crown Prince and ministers like you and me. It is not easy for us to stand on top of the court. If we have to consider how to deal with the emperor's suppression in everything,
, and we have to consider whether it will make the Supreme Emperor feel uncomfortable, and saying something unpleasant is tantamount to being attacked from both sides."
"Now that we have made plans to hide our capabilities and bide our time, the Emperor will understand sooner or later. My nephew admits that some of the words he said today were indeed rash. However, judging from the results, the Emperor did not say much after all, right?
?”
These words were spoken with sincerity.
However, listening to Zhang Shi's ears did not dispel any of his worries. On the contrary, he felt that the Zhu Yi in front of him was similar to him at that time.
This idea is simply copied from the same mold.
Sighing, Zhang Xi also understood that at this time, no more words would be of any use. He thought that Jiao Jing and others had tried to persuade him at the beginning, but wouldn't it be of no use if he said otherwise?
To put it bluntly, if you don’t put the facts before your eyes, you won’t learn the lesson.
However, while sighing in his heart, looking at the high-spirited Zhu Yi in front of him, Zhang Xi felt a sense of peace of mind for some reason.
Although the two houses are now connected by the same spirit, sometimes an ally that is too perfect is not a good thing.
This youthful madness may inevitably lead to Zhu Yi's failure, but for the British government, maybe...
"Oh, I hope my worries are unfounded."
After sighing with emotion, Zhang Xi changed the topic again and said.
"However, the Emperor's attitude is so firm this time, which makes me a little surprised..."
If we ignore Zhu Yi's slightly impatient behavior in Nangong, in fact, their goal was indeed achieved smoothly this time when they entered the palace.
Even Zhang Xi felt a little surprised.
The key question here is actually whether the emperor will fight this battle.
It’s about whether you will, not whether you think about it!
Judging from all the current signs, the emperor definitely wants to fight, but there is a gap between wanting to fight and actually being able to fight.
If the emperor just wanted to fight, but due to the pressure from the government and the public, or other factors, he finally suppressed it and would not fight.
Then, there is no need for them to stop it, and all plans will naturally come to nothing.
Only if they can convince the Supreme Emperor that the Emperor will really fight this battle, everything that follows can go smoothly.
After all, although they would not say it out loud, they all knew in their hearts that what the Emperor liked to see the most right now was the Emperor's deflated appearance.
But the problem is that the signs revealed now are just signs, especially during the court meeting, the emperor still did not take too tough an attitude after all.
Although action has been taken, the pressure from above and below the court, the impact on the people on the border after the war, and Yu Qian, the great murder weapon that the courtiers are proud of, are all factors that need to be considered.
Judging from the emperor's character in the past, these were all things he would worry about, which is why Zhang Shi felt unsure this time.
However, what he didn't expect was that the Emperor seemed to be more certain than they were that the Emperor would go to war, rather than just wanting to go to war.
Even vaguely, Zhang Xi felt that the Emperor seemed to have prejudged that the Emperor would go to war, and then found reasons to support it.
This did make him feel a little strange.
"This is not surprising. After all, the Supreme Emperor lives in the palace. There are some things that he considers more carefully than we do."
After hearing Zhang Shi's question, Zhu Yi shook his head and said.
This time, Zhang Xi suddenly became interested and asked.
"So, the Duke of Guo knows the reason?"
Although this is a question, in fact, it is just a tip of the tongue.
Because when Zhang Shi mentioned this matter, he knew clearly that Zhu Yi must know the reason.
You must know that since the Supreme Emperor returned to the court, he has always relied more on the Chengguo Palace. More importantly, after the spring hunting, Zhu Yi made his position clear in the court and could often enter and leave the Nangong openly and openly.
Zhang Xi alone knew that Meng Jun, the guard commander of Nangong, and the newly promoted eunuch who served as the Supreme Emperor after Ruan Lang's death, all had good personal relationships with Zhu Yi.
Therefore, if you want to inquire about Nangong's information, I'm afraid no one is more convenient than Zhu Yi.
Looking at Zhang Shi with an inquiring look on his face, Zhu Yi didn't care much and thought for a moment before saying.
"Actually, it's not a secret. It's just that because you and I are outside the palace and the Supreme Emperor is in the palace, sometimes we focus on slightly different things."
As he spoke, Zhu Yi's expression became cautious. Even though he was in his own carriage, he subconsciously lowered his voice and said.
"East Palace Reserve!"
After hearing these words, Zhang Xi also sat up straight and asked.
"What's the meaning?"
Zhu Yi raised her hand and pressed it down, signaling Zhang Shi not to be anxious, and then said.
"Don't worry, Master. As I just said, this is not a secret. It's just that we and the Emperor have different concerns."
Then, Zhu Yi continued to explain.
"It is no secret that the Queen in the palace is pregnant. Logically speaking, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already been appointed as the heir apparent. Moreover, his position as the heir apparent is due to his status as the son of the Supreme Emperor. There should be nothing to change."
"But in fact, you and I both know that the affairs of the Tian family are far more complicated than what we see with the eyes. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a current moral order, but after all, he is a concubine, not a direct descendant of the middle palace. He is honorable but not noble. Therefore, the Queen Mother
Once a legitimate son is born, the little prince's extremely noble status will probably make the younger generation in the court have other thoughts."
Zhang Min frowned and said nothing.
Of course he understands these principles.
In fact, this is something they have always been worried about, but as foreign ministers, it is useless for them to worry about this kind of thing.
Moreover, if the capital reserve is moved, all aspects involved will only be greater, and it is not something that can be used in a hurry.
"So, the Supreme Emperor is here because of this incident?"
Zhang Min vaguely understood something in his heart and said.
Zhu Yi nodded and said.
"In recent days, the queen and mother-in-law have been recuperating in the palace with great care. There are also rumors in the palace that this baby must be a prince. Although no one can be sure whether it is a prince or a princess, but the palace has always said that the baby will be a prince.
There is no smoke without fire, so since this rumor has come out, it naturally has its origin."
"You mean, where is the emperor?"
Zhang Xi's face became serious and he said.
"But, you also said that no one can tell whether this is a prince or a princess. How could it be..."
"I can't say for sure, but if it were Shibo, would he wait until everything is settled before making preparations?"
This time, Zhu Yi cut off Zhang Min's words before he could finish.
"Shibo should understand that a single move can affect the whole body. If the emperor doesn't want to make a big move, then he can only do it slowly."
"You and I are outside the palace, so we pay more attention to what's going on in the palace. But when the Supreme Emperor is in the palace, we naturally hear more news from the palace."
"And, more importantly, the Supreme Emperor understands the Emperor better than you and I. After all, the Supreme Emperor was also an emperor, didn't he?"
Zhang Min frowned, but gradually understood everything in his heart.
To put it bluntly, this truth is actually simple.
It's nothing more than creating momentum.
Although the emperor has repeatedly emphasized on various occasions, openly and secretly, that he will not waver in his capital, but only the emperor himself knows whether this is the truth or not.
Or to put it another way, it doesn't really matter whether it is the truth or not. What matters is whether the emperor has the ability to replace the prince.
Of course, this ability refers to the ability to become a prince more easily when the government is stable.
In fact, what the Supreme Emperor said just now in Nangong was right. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, if he is determined to do something, there is nothing he can't do as long as he is willing to pay the price.
Now that the emperor has taken charge of the power, it is not difficult to change the prince and force him to do so.
However, the price to pay is too high.
Changing the East Palace without any reason will lead to antagonism between the monarch and his ministers at the least, and the government will come to a standstill. At worst, the society will be in turmoil, and all officials will lose their reputation.
This is obviously not acceptable to the emperor, so in this sense, to be precise, the emperor just does not have the ability to forcibly change the prince without affecting the government.
However, the situation in the court has always changed rapidly.
As the emperor's control over the court strengthens, the emperor's personal prestige increases, and the power of the emperor's party in the court becomes stronger, they will have an indirect or direct impact, allowing the emperor to eventually possess this ability.
There are several key nodes in the process, one of which is whether the emperor's legitimate son is born.
The distinction between concubine and concubine in the royal family is much stricter than that of ordinary people. However, sometimes this strictness can be deliberately confused by interested people for profit.
As far as the current relationship between the royal family is concerned, moral order comes first and concubines come last.
To discuss concubines, we need to first discuss the concubines of the emperor and the emperor. The emperor is the eldest, the emperor is the youngest, the emperor is the concubine, the emperor is the concubine, and then we talk about the concubines among the princes.
But in fact, once the emperor has a legitimate son born, there will definitely be someone in the court who will deliberately ignore the moral order and overemphasize only the legitimate concubine.
From the perspective of the common people, it is easy to be confused about the relationship between them. They think that although the prince is older, he is a commoner, and the emperor's legitimate son is young but he is legitimate.
This set of out-of-context gameplay is used a lot in big families, so it is by no means a strange thing.
Zhang Xi had long known this, but, as Zhu Yi said, more of their energy was focused on the court.
After all, even if the emperor's legitimate son is born, it may only shake Chu's foundation. There is still a long way to go until Chu's foundation is really shaken, so there is no need to rush.
However, he overlooked one thing, that is, the emperor's style has always been to plan in advance, which has been reflected many times in the court.
Therefore, if we look at it from the emperor's perspective, we must prepare in advance for the birth of the prince.
Judging from the current situation, if this battle is really fought, the price will certainly be paid, but there is a high probability that it will not be defeated.
If the emperor really had something in mind, then it would indeed be appropriate to use a great victory as the background for the birth of the emperor's legitimate son.
With this thought, Zhang Xi finally understood. No wonder he had a preconception that the Emperor would fight this battle just by looking at the Emperor's appearance.
Whether it is the opposition of courtiers or the safety of the people on the border, in the final analysis, it is just a matter of weighing the pros and cons.
In a different place, if the Supreme Emperor sat in the position of emperor, the mere reason of being able to add a halo to the birth of the emperor's legitimate son would be enough for him to overcome all opinions and make up his mind to go to war...