After Feng Bao left Lu Fang's residence, an inexplicable smile appeared on his face.
If before this, he was still dubious about Lu Fang's fall from favor, then now, Feng Bao can be very sure that Lu Fang has really fallen out of favor!
In Feng Bao's view, if Lu Fang was still the powerful godfather who was deeply trusted by His Majesty, then he would not have used Shen Yishi as an example just now and let him give up as soon as he saw fit.
Not only that, Feng Bao also felt that the reason Lu Fang used to send him away was also very blunt. After all, Lu Fang was "staying sick at home" at the moment, and what matters in the court needed him as a "patient" to deal with? What about?
"Godfather, you are getting old after all, and it's time to give up your position to us young people!"
"Don't worry, godfather, when the child becomes the eunuch of the Chief of Ceremonies, the child will also provide for you until the end of your life!"
Feng Bao thought so and couldn't help but clenched his fists and said silently to himself.
Although Feng Bao thought he was 70% sure, he still did not plan to take action immediately. He must be fully prepared to avoid making the same mistake as Chen Hong.
After all, Lu Fang's method of dealing with Chen Hong was so ruthless and decisive, and it also shocked his godson.
As Lu Fang's godson, Feng Bao knew very well that this old man who always had a warm smile on his face was definitely not an easy person to deal with.
Sometimes, Feng Bao could even clearly see the "mountain of corpses and sea of blood" from Lu Fang's eyes!
In order to guard against Lu Fang's possible backhand, Feng Bao finally decided to send people to spread rumors and test Lu Fang's attitude.
At this moment, Feng Bao's face was full of a confident expression, and the joy in his heart urged him to quicken his pace.
What Feng Bao didn't notice was that from beginning to end, there was a pair of eyes staring at him silently.
…
On the other side, inside the Inspectorate.
At this moment, Hai Rui was on duty in the duty room of the Inspectorate. Although Jiajing asked him to rest at home for a while before returning to the Inspectorate for duty, Hai Rui only rested for three days before returning to work.
Since Hai Rui's current official position is that of Youdu Yushi, one of the highest officials of the Inspectorate, Hai Rui is busier than before.
At this moment, he was sitting in the duty room, processing the official documents sent by his subordinates.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door from outside the room. Seeing this, Hai Rui immediately stopped reviewing official documents and gave instructions.
"Come in!"
When Hai Rui finished speaking, there was a "squeak" sound, the door of the room was pushed open, and a subordinate staff member walked in and reported respectfully.
"Your Excellency, Mr. Zhao is asking for a meeting outside, saying he has something important to discuss!"
"Well, let him in!"
After hearing the subordinate's report, Hai Rui nodded and immediately gave instructions.
"Yes, sir!"
After receiving Hai Rui's instructions, the subordinate clerk quickly followed the order and left. Not long after, Zhao Zhenji was seen entering the room under the guidance of the subordinate clerk.
When Hai Rui saw Zhao Zhenji arriving, he quickly stood up from his seat to greet him.
"Hai Rui, I have met you, sir!"
"Hai Rui, there is no need to be so polite between you and me!"
When Zhao Zhenji heard Hai Rui's words, he waved his hand quite casually and responded.
Having said that, Hai Rui respected Zhao Zhenji very much in his heart. After all, it was Zhao Zhenji who personally recommended him to the imperial court so that he could serve in the Inspectorate.
Not only that, when he first came to the capital, with no relatives and no fixed place to live, Zhao Zhenji took the initiative to lend a helping hand and took out an unused mansion for himself to live in.
In addition, Zhao Zhenji has given him a lot of help whether in official or private matters.
It can be said that Hai Rui already treats Zhao Zhenji as his teacher!
After that, Zhao Zhenji, under the guidance of Hai Rui, sat down at an empty seat and took the lead in provoking the topic.
"Hai Rui, didn't His Majesty reward you with several mansions? Why haven't you moved in yet?"
"Sir, I am still more accustomed to my current residence. The neighborhood is quieter and not many people come to disturb me!"
Hearing this, Hai Rui shook his head imperceptibly and immediately responded.
Zhao Zhenji was not too entangled in Hai Rui's behavior of calling himself a subordinate in front of him. Afterwards, Zhao Zhenji looked around and after confirming that there was nothing unusual, he lowered his voice.
"Hai Rui, you must have heard that His Highness Prince Yu's son was seriously ill not long ago, right?"
"My lord, I have indeed heard about this. Isn't there news that His Highness Prince Yu's son has recovered?"
When Hai Rui heard what Zhao Zhenji said, a look of confusion appeared on his face, and he immediately asked.
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji glanced at Hai Rui, nodded, and continued to add.
"Yes, His Royal Highness Prince Yu's son has indeed recovered, but it has caused a bigger problem!"
"It is said that Eunuch Lu used illness as an excuse to recuperate at home after returning from Prince Yu's Mansion with His Majesty. In addition, the imperial doctors were also very secretive about the whole matter and did not want to mention it!"
"Right now, rumors are spreading in the palace, and many people are speculating that Eunuch Lu has fallen out of favor and is disliked by His Majesty!"
After hearing the news brought by Zhao Zhenji, Hai Rui's face was covered with shock and he immediately lost his voice.
"What!"
Hai Rui could not imagine that Eunuch Lu, who was always inseparable from His Majesty, would one day fall out of favor. Just when he was still immersed in this extremely sensational news, Zhao Zhenji's voice sounded again.
"Anyway, the reason why I came here is to remind you that the water in this matter is very deep, so you should be more careful!"
"In the recent period, please pay more attention to the direction of the wind, and don't take sides easily. Do you understand?"
When Hai Rui heard what Zhao Zhenji said, a look of gratitude suddenly appeared on his face, and he responded respectfully.
"Thank you for reminding me, sir!"
Seeing this situation, Zhao Zhenji nodded slightly, then stood up from his seat and said slowly.
"In that case, I won't stay here any longer. You can continue to do your work!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
Jiajing naturally couldn't hide the rumors in the Forbidden City, but when he learned the specific content of those rumors, he still couldn't laugh or cry.
"Obviously I plan to take this opportunity to send Lu Fang away to practice flying with my sword. Why is it that in the blink of an eye, the news that Lu Fang is disliked by me is spreading everywhere?"
The more Jiajing thought about it, the angrier he became. Soon, he came back to his senses, slammed the table and said in a deep voice.
"These damn bugs, they spend all day doing nothing but spreading these gossips. They are quite active. Just wait, I will never spare you!"
Just when Jiajing was still feeling extremely angry about this matter, he saw the guiding eunuch walking in and cautiously reporting the matter.
"Your Majesty, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Lu Bing, is outside asking for an audience!"
When Jiajing heard this, he couldn't help but have a look of surprise on his face. Immediately, Jiajing came to his senses and his expression became extremely calm. He nodded and said slowly.
"Well, I understand, let him come in!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's specific instructions, the guiding eunuch turned around and left Qianqing Palace without any hesitation.
Naturally, the guiding eunuch also knew a thing or two about the rumors currently circulating in the palace.
Although he himself did not believe that Lu Fang would fall out of favor for no reason, he still had a trace of unrealistic expectations in his heart.
"What if this is true?"
In this way, my position will be able to move upwards when the time comes.
Shortly after guiding the eunuchs to leave, Lu Bing, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, walked into the Qianqing Palace.
"I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
After Lu Bing finished speaking, he was about to kneel on the ground, but unexpectedly he was stopped by Jiajing.
"Okay, no need to be so polite!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
When Lu Bing heard Jiajing's words, he quickly raised his hands to express his gratitude.
Jiajing looked at the white hair growing on Lu Bing's head. After being silent for a long time, he immediately spoke out his instructions.
"Come here, give me a seat!"
As soon as the words fell, a eunuch came forward, prepared a seat for Lu Bing, and carefully covered it with soft cushions.
"Thank you for your grace!"
Seeing this situation, Lu Bing did not refuse, but sat directly on the chair.
After that, Jiajing looked away from Lu Bing and asked instead.
"You came to me suddenly this time. Is there anything you need to report?"
Lu Bing heard what Jiajing said. After hesitating for a moment, he mustered up the courage to ask.
"Your Majesty, rumors have been circulating in the palace recently, saying that it is Eunuch Lu..."
When Jiajing heard this, a smile appeared on his face, and he asked unhurriedly.
"Lu Bing, you grew up with me, don't you still know my temper?"
When Lu Bing heard Jiajing's words, he couldn't help being stunned for a long time, because he knew that Jiajing was an extremely nostalgic person. Lu Fang had been with Jiajing for so many years, how could he fall out of favor just because he fell out of favor?
And Lu Bing was also concerned about chaos. Although he was in charge of the Jin Yiwei and had all the power, he would inevitably be liquidated by the civil servants when he stepped down from the position of commander of the Jin Yiwei in the future.
Therefore, he and Lu Fang reached a tacit political alliance, with one party in charge of Jinyiwei and the other in charge of Dongchang.
On weekdays, although Dongchang and Jinyiwei had friction with each other, this was all caused by the instructions of him and Lu Fang. As Jinyiwei and the leader of Dongchang, the relationship between the two parties can be said to be mutually beneficial and mutually destructive. .
Currently, there are rumors circulating in the palace. If Lu Fang is really rejected by His Majesty as those rumors say, then Lu Bing will be in a difficult position as the commander of the Imperial Guard!
But the current rumor was denied by His Majesty himself, which made Lu Bing feel even more frustrated and ashamed.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, Wei... Wei Chen..."
Jiajing seemed to see what Lu Bing was thinking, and waved his hand to indicate that he did not need to continue talking.
After that, Jiajing's voice without any emotion sounded in Lu Bing's ears.
"Lu Bing, you grew up with me since childhood and saved my life."
"Don't worry, as long as I am the emperor, no one can touch you!"
"If those civil servants dare to go to court for impeachment, no matter who they are, I will kill them!"
When Lu Bing heard this, his face was full of disbelief.
In fact, Lu Bing came to meet Jiajing this time, and he was actually prepared for both. If Lu Fang really fell out of favor, then Lu Bing would ask Jiajing to remove him from the position of commander of the Jinyi Guards, so that he could retire and retire, thus preserving his life. family.
If Lu Fang had not fallen out of favor, then he would continue to be the commander of the Imperial Guard and serve His Majesty.
To Lu Bing's expectation, Jiajing not only denied the rumor that Lu Fang had fallen out of favor, but also made a promise to himself.
As someone who grew up with Jiajing, Lu Bing knew that Jiajing never made promises easily. Those two sentences just now were enough to protect himself and his descendants!
After Lu Bing thought clearly about the reason behind this, he immediately stood up from his seat tremblingly, knelt on the ground, and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, long live my emperor!"
"Well, get up!"
When Jiajing heard what Lu Bing said, he nodded and immediately gave instructions.
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, Lu Bing immediately returned to his seat and sat down.
Not long after Lu Bing returned to his seat, Jiajing's voice sounded in his ears again.
"Lu Bing, check for me to find out who is spreading the rumors behind my back. Once you find out, you don't have to report it to me. You can handle it yourself!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After hearing what Jiajing said, Lu Bing slowly stood up from his seat, looked at Jiajing who was sitting on the dragon chair, cupped his hands and said in a deep voice.
The eyes of Jiajing and Lu Bing met in the air, and then quickly separated.
Seeing that the matter had been settled, Lu Binggang was about to stand up and say goodbye to Jiajing, but was interrupted by Jiajing's words.
"Lu Bing, don't leave in a hurry yet, come here and have a good chat with me!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After that, a eunuch soon came forward and moved Lu Bing's seat to a location not far from Jiajing.
The content of the chat between Lu Bing and Jiajing was also very imaginative, ranging from interesting things in childhood, to the current situation between the DPRK and China, and Jiajing's complaints about certain ministers. In short, the topics were all-encompassing.
During this process, Lu Bing could feel that the person he grew up with when His Majesty was still a child has never changed!
Later, seeing that the night was getting dark, the two reluctantly ended the conversation.
After Lu Bing walked out of Qianqing Palace, a look of doubt appeared on his face.
"His Majesty is obviously over fifty, but not only does he not have a single gray hair on his head, he also doesn't even have wrinkles. He looks like a man in his thirties. Isn't this what it should be?"
"Moreover, Your Majesty shows no signs of being old and drowsy at all. On the contrary, he is still very energetic!"
"Alas, forget about this. Judging from His Majesty's current situation, he can live for at least another ten or twenty years!"
Lu Bing thought this, and immediately gathered his thoughts and quickened his pace.
(End of chapter)
