"The intruders negotiate a peace?"
In the meeting hall of Xiangyang Mansion, the gorgeous and wide floor is covered with Suzhou embroidery carpets, with clear and beautiful lines.
A semi-recumbent bench, facing north and south, with cotton pads placed under it.
There are several seats in two rows, along with tables, sitting side by side and facing each other.
Prince Yu was sitting on his bench, leaning against a pillow. The soft cotton pads made him feel comfortable. He was holding tea and was quite surprised.
On the side, Si Yangle, the minister, was holding a teapot and pouring tea and water for His Highness and the ministers. He was very diligent.
On the left, Zhao Shu is sitting upright with a smile on his face, confident and upright.
Sitting across from him was Zhang Shenyan, the left chief of the Yu Palace, with a dignified posture, appropriate actions, and calm manner, and his momentum was not inferior.
Yan Chongxin and Feng Xianzong sat opposite each other without squinting.
The person sitting at the end of the table was Sun Changzhou from the Search Department. He looked seriously and looked at the expression of His Royal Highness Prince Yu, always ready to stand up and respond.
Of course he understood that the reason he was able to be among them was because his intelligence was helpful.
Zhao Shu, Zhang Shenyan, Yan Chongxin, and Feng Xianzong were important ministers of the shogunate. They were responsible for heavy responsibilities and had a clear division of responsibilities.
"The intruders secretly sent people over, and they were talking about a truce and peace."
Zhao Shu raised his head and said softly.
"Armistice? Peace negotiation? It's fun!"
King Yu laughed.
Zhang Shenyan moved, cupped his hands and said:
"Your Highness, the imperial court is discussing the use of captives to suppress the thieves. It is estimated that the intruders were severely beaten by Jiannu. They are afraid that we will attack from both sides, so we are preparing to negotiate a peace in advance and concentrate on dealing with Jiannu."
"It's like seeking the skin of a tiger, it's beyond stupid."
When Zhao Shu heard this, he frowned and said, "This is exactly the same as the Song Dynasty uniting with the Jin Dynasty to fight against the Liao Dynasty, and the two Song Dynasties uniting with the Mongolian Empire to destroy the Jin Dynasty."
Zhang Shenyan looked a little unhappy. After all, the Nanjing court was his superior, so he felt a little uncomfortable.
"The imperial court naturally has its own ideas!"
King Yu didn't take it seriously and waved his hands and said: "They do their thing and we do ours without disturbing each other."
"However, it is possible to negotiate a peace with the intruders, but it must be done secretly and not be noticed by others, so as to avoid trouble."
"Yes!" Zhao Shu nodded. It was obvious that the trouble involved must be the Nanjing court.
"Your Highness, the intruders have a lot of gold and silver in their hands, and we have many things in our hands that they need, so we can cooperate with each other."
Yan Chongxin hurriedly raised his hands and smiled.
"You mean mutual business?"
Zhu Yixi's eyes narrowed, and then she said: "That's all, as long as it's not crucial, just trade with him!"
"I will save it." Yan Chongxin responded hurriedly, with a happy expression.
"By the way, the previous pig iron smuggling case can now be closed."
King Yu cheered up and said with a smile: "There should be many people arrested now!"
"Your Highness, there are more than 20 merchants, big and small, all backed by local gentry. Their total assets exceed one million taels. They are extremely bold."
Yan Chongxin said angrily: "If we round up these people and confiscate their homes, we can get a lot of money."
Zhu Yixi nodded: "I have been fishing for several months, and it is time to close the net."
"By the way, what else happened recently at the Nanjing court?"
These words were obviously addressed to Sun Changzhou, and everyone's eyes also turned to him.
Sun Changzhou hurriedly stood up. His status meant that he could not sit and talk like these civil servants. Then he said calmly:
"Your Highness, Nanjing has been very lively recently. First, a monk pretended to be a prince, and then a fake concubine was imprisoned. Now, a fake prince has been brought to the south. People in Nanjing are panicking and speculating wildly."
"Oh? Tell me in detail!" Gu
As soon as the gossip comes out, everyone becomes concerned.
Seeing this, Sun Changzhou spoke one after another.
First of all, the monk knocked on the palace gate and pretended to be a clan member in an attempt to gain benefits, but was discovered.
Then, a middle-aged woman said that she was the concubine of Emperor Hongguang. It was said that the prince was hidden among the people, which was quite accurate.
He was directly imprisoned by Emperor Hongguang and starved to death.
Finally, it was a young man who pretended to be a prince and even admired the lanterns in Hangzhou, causing uproar throughout Jiangnan.
After the false prince was imprisoned, the Donglin and Fushe factions naturally refused to give up.
As a result, they fanned the flames everywhere, scolding Zhu Yousong for being incompetent and unfair to the throne, accusing Ma Shiying of forming a clique for personal gain, arbitrarily exercising power, and complaining for the prince from the north.
Even Huang Degong, one of the four towns in Jiangbei, wrote a letter to distinguish the true from the false.
In the end, under the interrogation of the three halls, it was Wang Duoming, a great scholar, who identified him as the false prince and sent him to prison.
"Who is the false prince?"
King Yu listened with great interest. Of course he understood that these three major cases were fabricated by the Donglin Party members in order to shake the orthodox status of Emperor Hongguang.
The clan, personal ethics, and succession to the throne were suppressed and shaken step by step, and a public opinion offensive was launched, thus supporting King Lu to ascend to the throne.
Especially the final fake prince case, historically, it promoted Zuo Liangyu's admonition to "Qingjun side", which led to the demise of the Hongguang court due to internal and external troubles.
"He said that he is Wang Zhiming, the nephew of the consort Wang Bing."
"After being honored, no wonder you can tell the prince's story clearly."
Zhu Yixi smiled. Ma Shiying's dictatorship promoted the Donglin Party's absurd actions.
Now, without Zuo Liangyu, who will the Donglin Party members persuade?
It must be one of the four towns in Jiangbei.
"Monitor Nanjing closely and report every move every three days."
Zhu Yixi said in a deep voice.
"Yes!" Sun Changzhou responded.
"The country is not at peace, and demons and monsters are everywhere."
King Yu shook his head and sighed, full of emotion.
Only he can say this, and others can only express their opinions.
Unlike other people in the shogunate, Zhang Shenyan valued the imperial court more. He couldn't help but say:
"The imperial court is almost controlled by Ma and Ruan and is in chaos. Why don't your highness choose to support a faction in the court, and then understand the news and influence the imperial court, and you can also have a helper."
For traditional scholar-bureaucrats, their rightful status determines almost everything.
Therefore, Zhang Shenyan suggested to King Yu that he should support a faction to serve as a sounding board to influence and even control the court, thereby helping the Ming Dynasty.
The civil servants of the shogunate had too little qualifications, so they were more inclined to be self-reliant. They had little interest in, or even disliked, the Nanjing court.
"Apart from Ma and Ruan, isn't there only the Donglin Party?"
Zhao Shu said softly: "Most of the Donglin Party are hypocrites. The late emperor was displeased and demoted them to Nanjing. I never thought that even Ma Shiying, who has only a few people, can't defeat them."
This statement is a bit too broad.
"Except for the Donglin Party, there is nothing else in the imperial court." Zhang Shenyan said helplessly: "There are some constraints in the cabinet, but it is better than nothing."
"Then give me some support!"
Zhu Yixi was convinced. No matter how bad the Nanjing court was, it would not prevent him from reaping benefits. After all, it was a court recognized by the southern provinces.
"Nominal support is fine, but the rest, such as military advice and so on, can't be mentioned."
King Yu said seriously: "I am still loyal to the imperial court."
