Dongchang?
With the appearance of this name, the flower hall was quiet for a moment.
Everyone present knew that for the current Supreme Emperor, especially the position of guard commander, ability was secondary, and the most important thing was loyalty and reliability.
There are two reasons why Meng Jun was chosen. One is that he comes from an honorable family, and the other is that this man once served as a guard of the Supreme Emperor.
Meng Jun's grandfather, Meng Shan, was originally a general in Jingnan and was granted the title of Marquis of Baoding.
However, it was passed down to the generation of Meng Jun's father Meng Ying. Because Meng Ying was brave and brave, and had excellent strategies, he was deeply appreciated by Emperor Taizong and followed him to the north many times. As a result, he formed a deep friendship with the British Duke Zhang Fu.
When the Meng family was at its peak, Meng Ying assisted Zhang Fu in taking charge of the Beijing camp and took charge of the right army governor's office. Later, she went out to control Jiaozhi, which was full of honors for her family.
However, something unexpected happened. After Emperor Xuanzong succeeded to the throne, King Zhu Gaoxu of Han rebelled, and King Zhu Gaosui of Zhao was also implicated. Meng Ying's eldest brother Meng Xian was found to have helped King Zhao conspire to seize Emperor Renzong's crown prince.
Being implicated in this, the Meng family was deprived of their death title and sent to Yunnan to guard the border. It was not until a few years later that they were pardoned and returned to the mainland.
Later, Emperor Xuanzong selected honorary guards for the Supreme Emperor. The British Duke Zhang Fu took the opportunity to recommend Meng Shan, the son of Meng Ying, which reminded Emperor Xuanzong of his old friendship with Meng Ying during the Northern Campaign. The Meng family revived and was promoted to the capital. Guard commander.
Therefore, from the perspective of birth, Meng Jun and the British Duke have been friends for generations. Although the Baoding Marquis is no longer here, the connections and relationships in the past are still accumulated, which will benefit future generations.
With this relationship, no one has doubted Meng Jun's reliability, but Zhu Yi's words also don't seem to be fake...
After looking at each other, Jiao Jing's face became solemn and he asked cautiously.
"Young Master, this matter is important, are you sure?"
However, Zhu Yi shook his head and said.
"I didn't pay much attention to this matter at first. It was just a banquet with friends a few days ago, and I just heard a few gossips during the dinner. I dare not say the specific details, but, as the prince consort said, the relationship between the Nangong guards and commanders is To ensure the safety of the Supreme Emperor, even if there is any doubt, it needs to be investigated thoroughly."
Jiao Jing frowned and fell into thinking.
This is a good thing. After all, Meng Jun was chosen for reliability, but now, with such news, they themselves would not feel at ease if they did not find out.
He did not doubt Zhu Yi's words.
As the top power among the nobles, Duke Cheng's Mansion was so skinny that a camel was bigger than a horse. During this period, in order to contact more powers, Zhu Yi did regain many of his previous relationships.
These young people only go to those places, so it is normal to overhear this news.
What's more, since Mingyue is a famous prostitute in the capital, it is very simple to check her and her admirers and verify the news from the side.
Thinking like this, Jiao Jing heard Zhu Yi speak again.
"Actually, the prince-in-law doesn't need to worry. Ever since the emperor ascended the throne, Dongchang has been rampant. Not only is it openly rampant, but secretly it has also planted spies in many places in the capital."
"Meng Jun himself has great ambitions but little talent. It is normal for him to be infiltrated by people from Dongchang without any precautions, but..."
Zhu Yi didn't say the second half of the sentence.
However, everyone present knew it.
Jiao Jing and others are also aware of what Dongchang has been doing recently.
Because many of these things have happened one after another in their mansions this year, but due to the closed nature of the old family, these spies are often discovered before they can enter the inner courtyard, and then secretly Disposed of.
Maybe Meng Jun has no problem. After all, his origin determines his position.
However, if there is one concubine, there are two. If the concubine he took is really a spy from Dongchang, then there is no guarantee that there will not be other people from Dongchang who have not been discovered in his house.
In this way, if Meng Jun is placed next to the Supreme Emperor, it will be easy to leak all kinds of information, and there is no guarantee that something unexpected will not happen.
After all, the Meng family has been in decline for many years and is not as tightly guarded as the others. Although this risk is unlikely, it is still a risk.
After pondering for a moment, Jiao Jing said: "We still need to investigate this matter. Even if Meng Jun is not the commander of the Nangong in the end, having such a spy in the Meng Mansion will always be a hidden danger. After the investigation is clear, Meng Jun must be reminded to bring the Meng family to justice." Check it up and down.”
"As for the matter of the Nangong Commander, it should not be delayed, but we cannot make decisions on our own. After today, I will explain the news to General Yuan and ask him to report it to the Supreme Emperor before discussing the funeral arrangements."
It should be said that it is beneficial for the Supreme Emperor to live in Nangong.
After all, although Nangong is called Nangong, it is actually outside the palace city and within the imperial city.
In the past, if they had something to report to the Queen Mother, they had to go through layers of notifications and communicate it through the eldest princess before they could enter the palace.
But it is much more convenient for the Supreme Emperor to be in Nangong.
Although, due to various reasons, they could not go directly to Nangong to pay their respects, Yuan Bin and Ha Ming, who returned to the court with the Supreme Emperor, were still accompanying him in Nangong.
And because Yuan Bin had been granted an official position before and was given a residence outside, he could enter and exit Nangong openly. Naturally, he became the person who contacted internal and external sources.
Meng Jun's matter involves a lot of things, and it can't be replaced with just one or two sentences.
Jiao Jing actually had some confidence in his heart. The reason why the Supreme Emperor chose Meng Jun to be the commander of the Nangong Guards was not only because he believed in his loyalty and reliability, but also to appease the British government.
After all, Zhang Fu was killed in order to allow him to return to the court safely, and the British government was already on the decline.
Regarding the mission incident, it was actually Zhang Fu, Xu Bin and others who took the blame for him.
Therefore, all they can do is to find out the situation clearly, and it is up to the Emperor to decide what to do in the end.
Jiao Jing turned his gaze to Zhu Jian again and asked.
"I have troubled Mr. Zhu Ge about the matter of Commander Nangong. However, there is no result for the time being, so I will not mention it for the time being. I came here today to ask Mr. Zhu Ge, how is the progress of that matter?"
After the words fell, the flower hall became quiet again, and Zhu Jian did not speak.
On the contrary, Ren Li and Zhu Yi looked at each other with questioning looks in their eyes.
So, Jiao Jing explained: "You two, Marquis Ren, don't be surprised. This matter is of great importance and must not be leaked until it is fully prepared. I also followed the emperor's oral instructions and said directly to Mr. Zhuge Yes, but now the time has almost come, and we still need your help for some specific matters, so we have gathered everyone together today."
Ren Li's expression was a bit unsightly, but it only took a moment for him to return to normal. As for Zhu Yi, there was no big reaction, and she just nodded with a smile.
Relatively speaking, he knew more than Ren Li. After all, he was the one who helped bridge the gap between Jiao Jing and Zhu Jian in the beginning.
Later, when Zhu Jian returned to Beijing, he was also there when Jiao Jing came to visit him for the first time. Although he avoided him when the two talked, Zhu Yi always knew that they were plotting something.
Although I don’t know the specific situation, most of it is related to the Supreme Emperor...
After listening to Jiao Jing's words, Zhu Jian finally lost his scruples, pondered for a moment, and then said: "In that case, I'll just tell the truth.
With that said, Zhu Jian turned to Jiao Jing, with a trace of worry on his face and said.
"Prince-in-law, the Ministry of Rites is said to have made preparations. However, for some reason, the time has been pushed to the end of the year. Therefore, I am worried that the emperor has noticed something..."
What he said was unclear, leaving Ren Li confused.
However, Zhu Yi reacted almost instantly and asked.
"Mr. Zhu Ge, what you are talking about is the matter of leaving the cabinet under the East Palace?"
Zhu Jian nodded and said: "To be honest with you, the reason why I have been competing with Yu Shiyue these days is actually to prepare for this."
As soon as these words came out, many of Zhu Yi's doubts suddenly became clear, and his expression became a little uncertain.
However, at this time, Marquis Ren on the side felt a little depressed.
He was originally a warrior and was not very good at government affairs. In addition, he had been out of the capital for a while, and now his eyesight was completely dark.
At the moment, the four people in the flower hall, Jiao Jing and Zhu Jian, had obviously known about it for a long time. With Zhu Yi's appearance, it was obvious that he had guessed the inside story.
He was the only one who was kept in the dark.
With a muffled voice, Marquis Ren said displeasedly: "There are no outsiders here, why are you still making riddles? What happened? Did the Supreme Emperor have any orders? Can you make it clearer?"
This complaining tone made the atmosphere in the flower hall slightly more relaxed.
The three of them looked at each other, and finally, Zhu Yi opened her mouth to explain.
"Don't be anxious, Marquis. If my guess is correct, what Zhuge Lao wants to do in accordance with the will of the Supreme Emperor is to fight for Zhan Shifu for the East Palace!"
"Zhan Shifu?"
Ren Li frowned, still a little confused.
At this time, Jiao Jing took over and explained.
"The young master is really very smart, and he can tell the truth at once. Yes, Marquis Ren should know that the Emperor returned to Beijing in a hurry this time just for His Highness to leave the cabinet."
"However, after returning to Beijing and talking to the Holy Mother, the Supreme Emperor discovered that it was difficult to change the matter of leaving the cabinet. Therefore, the Supreme Emperor could only turn to seek the power and status he deserved on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince."
After Jiao Jing finished speaking, Zhu Jian continued logically.
"This time, the appointment of a cabinet in the East Palace is a matter decided by the imperial council, and it is difficult to change. However, it has always been custom-made for the East Palace to leave the cabinet to study and prepare subordinate officials. This time, the emperor ordered the East Palace to leave the cabinet without considering that His Highness the Crown Prince is still young. Preparing the government is really unethical."
"And since then, the Eastern Palace system has become increasingly desolate, and it is inappropriate to shake the capital. I was not in the capital during the court meeting, otherwise I would have stopped this matter at the court meeting. But now, the matter has become a foregone conclusion. I What we can do is to put things right out of the chaos, open up the Zhanshi Mansion in the East Palace, and allow the ceremony of leaving the pavilion to truly get back on track."
Okay, things are basically clear.
However, the tacit understanding of these three people's explanations still made Marquis Ren feel a little depressed.
Since I have to ask, I might as well ask clearly.
So, after thinking about it, he asked again.
"Then what does this have to do with Meng Jun's matter? Also, Mr. Zhuge, you just said that you deliberately made things difficult for Yu Cifu in the cabinet in order to prepare for this matter. What do you mean?"
Zhu Jian didn't speak, but Jiao Jing explained.
"Ren Hou, please think carefully. The emperor spent so much effort to let the East Palace leave the cabinet without preparing a palace. He just wanted to surround His Highness the Crown Prince and suppress it. In this case, he wanted to set up a Zhan Shi Palace for the Crown Prince. It must be very difficult for Your Highness to prepare subordinate officials."
"If you bring it up rashly at the court meeting, it will definitely be rejected, so you have to use some clever tricks."
With that said, Jiao Jing glanced at Zhu Jian and continued.
"And this breakthrough lies with Mr. Zhu Ge!"
"This time when the Supreme Emperor returned to the dynasty, Mr. Zhuge played the most important role. Especially after the Battle of Shawo, Mr. Zhuge went into Wala alone. It can be said that he single-handedly changed the relationship between Ming Dynasty and Wala. Later, he used With the title of Yushi of Youdu, I submitted to the Minister of Honglu Temple, sent an envoy to Wala, and welcomed back the Supreme Emperor. This is a great achievement."
"However, there are no vacancies in the six ministries and seven ministers of the imperial court. For such a great achievement, he can only be relegated to the cabinet and be an ordinary cabinet minister. There is already a lot of discussion in the government and the public."
"Under such a situation, there is something that can be exploited..."
Hearing this, Ren Li vaguely felt that he understood a little bit, but it seemed that there was a layer of window paper that could not be pierced. Zhu Yi, on the other hand, looked like he suddenly understood.
"So, Mr. Zhuge is deliberately trying to embarrass Yu Cifu? In fact, he is not coveting the position of Cifu, but building momentum?"
Zhu Jian nodded slightly, with a complicated expression on his face. After a moment, he sighed softly and said.
"I have always been upright in my conduct, but in this matter, it was indeed my fault."
During this time, in the cabinet, he was indeed targeting Yu Shiyue.
Moreover, it is targeted without distinction between right and wrong!
In all government affairs, he opposed everything that Yu Shiyue approved of, and approved everything that Yu Shiyue opposed.
To be fair, this is against Zhu Jian's original intention, but for the sake of great justice, he can only sacrifice small details.
And the reason why he did this was, as Zhu Yi said, to build momentum!
Seeing Ren Li's still confused look, Zhu Yi simply explained.
"During this period, the court actually sympathized with Mr. Zhuge. Therefore, when he and Yu Cifu had conflicts, everyone generally sided with Mr. Zhuge."
"If everything was good at the beginning, and we directly proposed the establishment of Zhan Shifu, then other ministers in the cabinet objected, and there was a fight in the court, and we fell into a quagmire. It is not clear whether it can be achieved."
"However, in the cabinet now, Zhuge Lao and Yu Cifu are on the same page. At this time, if the issue of establishing Zhan Shifu is mentioned again, those who oppose it will naturally gather around Yu Cifu."
"In this way, the attention of the courtiers will shift from the Zhanshi Mansion itself to the battle of the cabinet. At this point, Mr. Zhu Ge is in a favorable position for his great contribution in welcoming back the Supreme Emperor."
"Then, in the court discussion, this matter will be regarded as an excuse to compete for the position of second assistant. If it is guided properly, success is very likely..."
