"Mother, it's all your sons and ministers who are incompetent, making you suffer!"
In Dongnuan Pavilion, Zhu Cixiang looked at Queen Zhou with a guilty look on his face.
After Zhou Hou saw that Zhu Cixiang had lost a lot of weight these days, she felt very distressed.
But because Shen Zhanran and Wu Mengming were still there, they were worried that they would lose their dignity by showing too much tenderness, so they had no mercy and shook their heads and said: "Prince, I don't blame you for this. Even I didn't expect them to be so bold."
As she spoke, she looked at Shen Zhanran and said, "Master Shen, why do you think they want to confirm His Majesty's whereabouts?"
Hearing this, Shen Zhanran bowed and said: "This matter is also quite puzzling to me. Although they have a noble status, they have no soldiers and horses. Even if His Majesty is not in Beijing, it will be difficult for them to do anything."
"At most, it is inciting the people to cause trouble, but this will not affect the overall situation..."
At this time, Zhu Cixiang suddenly said: "Mr. Shen, could their goal be Nanliang?"
"You must know that the war situation in Yu County is currently at a stalemate, and food is the top priority. Once the food in the south is damaged, our army may collapse without a fight!"
Shen Zhanran was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Queen Zhou again before nodding and saying: "Your Highness is very worried. Since ancient times, wars have always focused on cutting off the opponent's food supply, so this must be guarded against."
Hearing this, Empress Zhou frowned slightly and said, "Prince, I just ordered the eunuchs who neglected their duties to be executed with a stick. You and Wu Tongzhi will confirm again to prevent such things from happening again."
Zhu Cixiang was stunned for a moment, and after respectfully saluting Queen Zhou, he took Wu Mengming out of Dongnuan Pavilion.
After they left, Zhou Hou drank tea by herself.
Seeing this, Shen Zhanran wanted to speak several times, but in the end he remained silent.
Zhou Hou seemed to have forgotten Shen Zhanran's existence. After drinking tea, he silently looked at the tea leaves spinning in the cup, wondering what he was thinking.
For a moment, Dongnuan Pavilion was eerily quiet.
"Shen Zhanran, do you know your guilt?"
Suddenly, Zhou Hou broke the silence of Dongnuan Pavilion with a sharp voice.
Hearing this, Shen Zhanran hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty and said: "Wei Chen knows that he is guilty, but Wei Chen also has his own difficulties. Please give me a clear warning from the Queen!"
Seeing that Shen Zhanran had guessed her thoughts, Zhou Hou couldn't help but feel a little regretful and worried at the same time.
It turned out that after Shen Zhanran was promoted to a high position, Empress Zhou heard a lot of rumors in the palace about him climbing up the dragon and attaching himself to the phoenix.
It is probably said that he did not have much talent or learning, but because he was close to Liu Wenbing and was good at welcoming him, he suddenly became a close minister of Zhu Yuanzhang from an imperial student.
Queen Zhou was a smart person, and seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was so wise and powerful these days, she didn't take these rumors to heart.
But just now she discovered that Zhu Cixiang's statement was obviously different from Shen Zhanran's, but Shen Zhanran did not speak out and instead agreed with Zhu Cixiang, which reminded her of those rumors.
Therefore, she gave Shen Zhanran a warning and wanted to test Shen Zhanran's character and talents.
After this test, although she knew that Shen Zhanran had a quick mind, she was worried that he was arrogant because he did not take Zhu Cixiang into consideration, so she only agreed with him just now.
So she continued to test: "Your Majesty relies on you very much. Before leaving, he asked the prince to treat you as a gentleman. However, you knew that the prince was not thoughtful, but you did not speak out to advise him."
"At this moment, you are being beaten by me, and you are making sophistry here. Is this your loyalty to the emperor and the way to be a minister?"
Shen Zhanran had seen Empress Zhou's methods outside the Qianqing Palace before. Seeing that she was suspicious of him now, he hurriedly explained: "The Queen, it's not that I don't want to dissuade you, but the timing is wrong."
"If the minister only thinks about being a direct minister and fails to take into account the overall situation, it may be counterproductive in the end. Please be aware of this!"
Seeing that Shen Zhanran had a worried look on his face, he looked upright, neither humble nor arrogant, and she couldn't help but nod secretly in her heart.
However, she also knew the principle of treachery and loyalty, so even though she had some recognition of Shen Zhanran, she still probed with an angry look on her face: "When is the time when I am not here and you want to fool the prince?"
Shen Zhanran saw that Queen Zhou's face was getting colder and colder, and her body couldn't help but tremble, and then she kowtowed to apologize.
When Zhou Hou saw this, he stopped talking and picked up the teacup to drink tea again.
In fact, this was not because Zhou Hou was deliberately showing off her power and making things difficult for Shen Zhanran, but because she was worried that she would cause trouble if she could not control him.
It turned out that Zhou Hou had already seen from the conversation just now that Shen Zhanran had an extraordinary mind, but the more this happened, the more worried she became.
Because she knows that the more talented a person is, the more arrogant they are and will not give in easily.
Perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang had conquered Shen Zhanran, but she and Zhu Cixiang were not recognized by Shen Zhanran.
But Zhu Yuanzhang is not in the capital now. If she can't restrain Shen Zhanran and let him plan carefully, she may also cause trouble.
Therefore, she decided to make mistakes and see how talented Shen Zhanran was and how loyal he could be.
"boom!"
"boom!"
"boom!"
At this time, the sound of Shen Zhanran's kowtow replaced the original silence.
"Mr. Shen, get up!"
Just when Shen Zhanran was feeling dizzy, Zhou Hou's voice sounded again.
When Shen Zhanran heard this, he looked at Queen Zhou in surprise, kowtowed respectfully, and then stood up slowly.
Zhou Hou looked at Shen Zhanran carefully for a while and said in a deep voice: "I know that you feel aggrieved, but I hope that you can understand my intentions."
"The capital is currently surrounded by crises, and we must not make any mistakes. Therefore, I hope that you, sir, will do your best to assist the prince. I and the prince will also remember this kindness..."
After Zhou Hou's beating, Shen Zhanran felt a little aggrieved, but he also admired Zhou Hou very much and didn't even dare to say it.
"Mr. Shen, please tell me your reasons?"
At this time, Zhou Hou said to Shen Zhanran calmly.
When Shen Zhanran heard the words, he bowed and reported back: "The reason why I didn't say anything clearly just now is because Wu Tongzhi was present and I was afraid of hurting the prince's face. More importantly, the prince is like a flying dragon in the abyss. He is a big problem in his life." test."
"Your Majesty was originally planning to cultivate him slowly, but because of the rampage of the rebels, he had to advance the matter."
"But before he left, His Majesty repeatedly told the minister not to put too much pressure on the prince. In addition, this matter has nothing to do with the overall situation, so the minister did not speak out. Please forgive me, the Queen!"
After Zhou Hou listened to Shen Zhanran's story, he relaxed a little and nodded: "Can you tell me your opinion on this matter?"
Shen Zhanran said: "Although I don't know what the other party is going to do now, I am sure that their goal is not food."
"Because if they want to cut off our food channel, their first choice should be the 100,000 shi of food from the capital. Otherwise, they should rob the military pay shipped to Yu County. They should never go to the canal to grab food."
"After this happens, we will definitely step up our guard, and it will be even more difficult for them to take action, so Wei Chen feels that this is just a cover."
"Furthermore, I have reported the robbery of Nanliang to Your Majesty two days ago, but Your Majesty did not give any instructions. I think Your Majesty should have dealt with this matter before it would affect the overall situation."
"So Wei Chen thinks..."
As Shen Zhanran said this, he suddenly stopped and looked at Empress Zhou in panic.
