Princess Changde?
As Zhu Yi's voice fell, the faces of everyone present were quite ugly.
As for the reason, it is actually very simple.
In what happened this time, although Princess Changde was not the protagonist, she was definitely the most critical figure.
Without her obstruction, Xue Huan could successfully enter Nangong to have an audience. At least they would be able to figure out what the Supreme Emperor was thinking.
Moreover, if she had not gone to the palace to plead in person later, the emperor would have had no legitimate reason to transfer Xue Huan away from the capital.
In addition, the eldest princess's mansion is now closed to all guests. From yesterday to today, everyone present has basically tried to go to the eldest princess's mansion to inquire about information.
They paid a visit with a famous invitation, bribed the servants in the house, and tried all kinds of methods overtly and covertly.
However, the eldest princess saw no one, and locked the consort alone in a small courtyard, with no outsiders allowed in or out. Even if they had the means, it would be difficult for them to be effective within a day or two.
So in fact, everyone present was more or less resentful towards Princess Changde.
However, Zhu Yi obviously didn't think so. Seeing dissatisfaction on everyone's faces, he went further.
"Everyone should be aware that the eldest princess of Changde is, after all, the eldest sister of the Supreme Emperor's mother. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. At such a critical moment, do you think it is normal for her to disgrace the Supreme Emperor like this?"
After a short pause, seeing that everyone was still a little confused, Zhu Yi turned to Chen Mao and Zhang Shi and said.
"Two uncles, I have heard you mention it before. When the Emperor was hunting in the north, the British government tried several times to report to the court to welcome the Emperor back. At that time, the person who was responsible for communicating with the Holy Mother in the palace , it is Her Royal Highness the eldest princess.”
"Even though His Highness and the Holy Mother later had conflicts, they were still communicated through letters. This shows that the relationship between His Highness and the Supreme Emperor is very deep."
"In that case, don't you find it strange that His Highness is acting so ruthlessly now?"
I have to say that Zhu Yi's words are still very inflammatory.
After the words fell, everyone present frowned, but they all looked thoughtful.
After a while, Chen Mao spoke again.
"You don't have to mince words about what you want to say, just say it!"
Zhu Yi pondered for a moment, obviously hesitant, but after a pause, he continued.
"I'm just guessing. Everyone, do you think it's possible that Princess Changde is cooperating with the Supreme Emperor to build momentum for His Highness?"
Seeing everyone's doubtful expressions, Zhu Yi continued to 'analyze'.
"Just imagine, if the Supreme Emperor had issued an edict to summon his consort to the palace, and the consort followed the edict and entered the Nangong Palace, there would have been a lot of discussion in the court, and there would even be some remonstrance officials who might directly impeach the Supreme Emperor."
"Only if the prince-in-law refuses to obey the edict, the emperor will have a reason to continue to have an attack. And if it is the prince-in-law who refuses the edict, then the crime of disobeying the edict will inevitably implicate the Xue family."
"Therefore, the best countermeasure is for Her Royal Highness the Princess to come forward and refuse."
"Your Highness is a Tianhuang nobleman with a distinguished status. It is not the prince's fault that she does not allow the prince-in-law to enter the palace. At the same time, it will also make the Supreme Emperor 'angry' and have reason to issue an order to Qianqing Palace."
"You all know the consistent attitude of the Qianqing Palace towards the Supreme Emperor."
"On the surface, the courtesy is great, but in fact... Therefore, if this edict is sent to Qianqing Palace, the emperor will definitely not obey it."
"However, this edict is based on etiquette and legal status. If the emperor fails to obey it without any reason, then his reputation will be damaged."
"So, the best way is to find an excuse to shirk the past."
"Then, what other reason is there to save face and face than to find a more suitable person to replace you?"
The angle of this explanation is a bit strange.
However, if you think about it carefully, it seems that it is indeed possible?
Everyone present looked at each other hesitantly, and then Chen Mao asked.
"So, what the young master is saying is that the Emperor and His Highness the Eldest Princess went through all this trouble, and even brought in a Prince Consort, just to fulfill His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation of loyalty and filial piety?"
There was obviously some doubt in the tone of these words.
At the same time, Jiao Jing on the side also asked.
"What the young master said is quite reasonable, but after all, it is all speculation. If what happened this time was really the cooperation of the Supreme Emperor and the eldest princess of Changde, then why did the eldest princess thank the guests behind closed doors and not tell the truth? How about explaining it to me and others?"
This sentence asked the doubts in the hearts of everyone present.
Again, the biggest problem they face so far is actually a black eye.
On the Supreme Emperor's side, it was difficult to deliver the news in a timely manner because of the palace restrictions. However, for Princess Changde, this problem did not seem to exist.
If she was really cooperating with the Supreme Emperor, then why hadn't she given them the slightest hint until now?
Hearing this, Zhu Yi also frowned, as if he was also questioned, but after a moment, he continued to speak.
"Right now we know too little information, so we can only speculate."
"Actually, until I came here, I was thinking that if all the speculations just now were true, then, just like what Chen Shibo had just suspected, the Supreme Emperor was not just trying so hard to show His Highness the loyalty and filial piety. It’s just a reputation.”
If not just for fame...
"Leave the cabinet to prepare for the government?"
Chen Mao and Jiao Jing looked at each other, raised their brows, and blurted out almost at the same time.
Zhu Yi nodded slightly, picked up the tea cup and took a sip, as if sorting out her thoughts, and then said.
"Years ago, Mr. Zhu Ge tried his best to promote this matter at the court meeting. Although... but after all, the court had reached a consensus, but later, the Ministry of Rites delayed it, and the court was also affected by the military affairs. With eyes closed, no one mentions it again.”
"In the final analysis, it's just that the Qianqing Palace is unwilling to let the prince leave the cabinet to prepare for the palace."
Regarding the inside story of this matter, Zhu Yi, who had a minister of rites as his father-in-law, obviously had a say.
"Therefore, the Emperor's move, in addition to fulfilling His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation for loyalty and filial piety, may not be the only way to bring the attention of both the government and the public back to the matter of leaving the cabinet in the East Palace."
This is not difficult to understand.
The appointment of the Eastern Palace was something that the emperor and his ministers had long discussed. However, for some unknown reason, the emperor suddenly changed his mind and quietly asked the Ministry of Rites to deliberately delay it. As for himself, he diverted attention through military camps and other matters to attract the attention of the crowd. Minister's attention.
This method has been used very skillfully by the emperor in the past year or so.
If nothing else goes wrong, once the reorganization of the military camp begins and the trial of Ren Li's case begins, the civil servants will be full of energy to compete with Xungui, and no one will have the time and energy to take care of this matter. .
Therefore, it was necessary to make some noise at this time to make the officials pay attention again to the fact that the important matter of the East Palace's appointment has been shelved.
For civil servants, it is certainly politically correct to attack nobles, but it is also the etiquette they insist on to promote the East Palace to leave the cabinet as soon as possible and stabilize the country. The two do not conflict.
This analysis is considered reasonable, but...
"What does this have to do with Princess Changde closing the door to thank guests?"
After all, the most critical issue is the attitude of the eldest princess of Changde.
If she is really cooperating with the Supreme Emperor, then she should at least tell them...
Having said that, in fact, with Zhu Yi's step-by-step 'guessing', everyone's position has actually begun to believe the news.
However, there are still unanswered questions...
However, facing this question, Zhu Yi did not continue the analysis as before, but just frowned.
"I can't explain this, but I think Princess Changde must have some difficulties. Moreover, judging from the results, His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation is getting better and better, and the government and the public have indeed begun to pay attention to this matter again. , Mr. Zhu Ge, who is in the center, should be aware of this, right?"
Suddenly being asked a question by name, Mr. Zhu Ge hesitated a little, but still nodded and said.
"Indeed, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince went to the Nangong Palace early in the morning to pay his respects. Not long after, the cabinet issued a memorial praising the Crown Prince's loyalty and filial piety. When I came, I heard people talking in the Zhongshushe. Yu Shiyue's place had already been impeached by several censors. A memorial to the delay and neglect of the Ministry of Rites."
Ming Dynasty's censor team has always been very efficient.
Because they heard about the existence of the special power of memorializing, these guys were very unscrupulous in submitting memorials.
As long as it is what they want to say, no matter whether it is right or not, they should read it first. Anyway, the superior and admonishing officials of the Ming Dynasty will not be punished for their words.
If you say the right thing, it's good. If you say the wrong thing, just pretend that nothing happened.
Now if the cabinet does not receive dozens of various impeachment memorials a day, they will wonder if the censors are holding back some big move.
These words obviously confirmed Zhu Yi's guess, so everyone present looked thoughtful.
Especially Zhu Jian, for him, the prince's resignation is of great significance to him. When he mentions this matter, he will naturally pay more attention to his heart.
So, after a brief silence, Zhu Jian seemed to have thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and spoke.
"Everyone, maybe I can make a bold guess as to why Princess Changde closed her door to thank guests."
As a result, everyone looked at Zhu Jian, and only Zhu Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
This group of people is so difficult to lead. He has given so many words overtly and covertly, but only now does anyone think of the key.
Fortunately, Eunuch Shu brought this news before he came, otherwise, it would be difficult for him to find the enemy in front of him.
Zhu Jian naturally didn't know what Zhu Yi was thinking, because it came to him suddenly, so at this moment, his thoughts were obviously still a little confused. After sorting out his words, Zhu Jianfang said.
"If what the young master said is true, then since the Supreme Emperor takes action, he will naturally want results."
"For His Royal Highness, the reputation of loyalty and filial piety is good, but it is false. If His Highness cannot leave the cabinet for one day, and if the East Palace cannot prepare the palace for one day, his status will not be stable. Therefore, the ultimate goal of the Supreme Emperor is to let His Highness the Prince leave the cabinet. Prepare the government."
"And now the reason why the Ministry of Rites is delaying is just to look at the emperor's face."
"As for the emperor, he already agreed to this matter years ago, which means that no matter what the reason, he always had this plan. However, if he hesitates now, he may have some worries in his heart."
Zhu Jian's thoughts became smoother and smoother, and his words began to become more coherent.
He didn't say what this fear was, but everyone present knew it.
"Therefore, if you want His Royal Highness to leave the cabinet as soon as possible and prepare for the government, you must first have the public opinion of the courtiers, and secondly, you must be able to appease the anxiety in the emperor's heart. Only through a two-pronged approach can success be achieved."
"Needless to say the former, just as the young prince said just now, His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation for loyalty and filial piety has gradually spread, and both the civil and military officials in the court and the Chinese government have begun to pay attention to the affairs of the East Palace again. It is considered to be more than half completed."
"However, the latter is difficult to handle. If you want the emperor to suppress his doubts, you need to make the emperor believe that even if the East Palace comes out of the cabinet, it will not be a major trend."
"so……"
At this point, it is actually quite obvious.
Everyone present is also a smart person, only a layer of window paper is missing. Since the words have been said, many people naturally thought of the joints involved.
So, Zhang Xian on the side said thoughtfully.
"So, the Supreme Emperor wants to make a fool of himself? It would be better if the whole city is in a state of turmoil and in a state of embarrassment, to the point where even the eldest sister, Princess Changde, can't stand it and doesn't want to be associated with her?"
If it is explained in this way, then what the Princess Changde is doing now can be explained clearly. She first quarreled with the Supreme Emperor in Nangong, then went to Qianqing Palace, and even proposed that her consort should go to Nanjing to assist in military affairs. No one was seen after the palace.
Anyone who sees such a wise and self-protective look will feel that the eldest princess of Changde wants to draw a clear line with Nangong!
As the elder sister of the Supreme Emperor's mother, Princess Changde has this attitude. Doesn't it mean that the Supreme Emperor has already betrayed her relatives?
In this way, coupled with the losses of Ren Li, Xue Huan and others, and the failure in the Qing'an turmoil, the emperor will surely let his guard down.
In this way, if the material disputes between the DPRK and the Central Government continue to boil over, then it will not be difficult to push the East Palace to leave the cabinet and prepare for the government as soon as possible.
After these words, everyone suddenly felt that things were gradually becoming clearer. However, what no one noticed was that Xu Youzhen in the corner still looked thoughtful.
After a while, everyone barely digested this explanation. Then, Jiao Jing glanced at the people next to him, and then hesitantly asked.
"Young Master, Mr. Zhu Ge, this explanation is reasonable and reasonable. However, with all due respect, up to now, we have neither seen the eldest princess nor the Supreme Emperor. Therefore, even if it is reasonable, it is still just a guess. It’s just words, so it’s more appropriate to find a way and continue to inquire for detailed information.”
This is a bit embarrassing, but it is not unreasonable.
However, at this point, there was only one last step left, so how could Zhu Yi let things go wrong for Jiao Jing.
At that moment, he spoke.
"What Consort Jiao said is wrong. If our guess is true, then no matter how the court finds out about the influence of the Supreme Emperor on us at this time, it will ruin the Supreme Emperor's affairs. This is probably not the case for Her Royal Highness the Princess. The reason why he refuses to reveal it even to the wind."
"So, at this time, what we should do is to cooperate with the Supreme Emperor, promote the name of Donggong's loyalty and filial piety, and help Donggong leave the cabinet and prepare the palace as soon as possible. This is the business."
