Cheng Guogongfu.
Ever since the emperor took away the world certificate and suspended him pending investigation because he asked the prince to come out of the cabinet, Zhu Yi had stayed in the mansion peacefully, as if he didn't care about his situation.
You must know that today's Duke Chengguo's palace is not as good as in the past. Without the world certificate and the loss of official position, I am afraid that the next step will be to completely lose the title.
Looking through history books, this kind of thing happened too often. First, he was suppressed to the lowest point, then forgotten in a corner, and finally, on an ordinary afternoon, he received an edict abolishing his title and completely disappeared from the court.
Therefore, logically speaking, at this time, Zhu Yizheng should be anxious and looking for connections. At least, he should continue to be active and maintain his sense of existence.
You must know that the emperor only suspended him pending investigation, but did not say that he was banned from the house. He was still able to come and go freely.
However, the young prince did not do anything. In these days, except for meeting with Zhang Shi from the British Duke's mansion to discuss the details of the "marriage" between the two families, other people, even if they came to Cheng Guogong, Even when the government came to submit posts, he politely refused to see them. It was really hard to understand what he was thinking.
No matter what the outside world is like, Zhu Yi is sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai. During this period of time, he has been staying in the mansion. In addition to practicing martial arts and studying, he is also accompanying his wife to watch flowers and raise fish. He has been living a very uncomfortable life.
On this day, Zhu Yi was studying in the study as usual. In front of him, the housekeeper lowered his head and was recounting what happened in the outside world during this period.
"According to the young master's expectation, the second master has visited many mansions during this period. Perhaps because of the reputation of the two palaces, most of them are willing to help. Of course, there are some hesitations. However, the public's Because of the favor and the fact that they didn’t need to step forward, I eventually persuaded them to stop.”
"In addition, the last time the second master came to the palace, he also brought back a message from the Supreme Emperor, saying that he asked the young master to be calm and calm. As long as he looks for opportunities, the Supreme Emperor will speak for our government, and..."
Although Zhu Yi seemed to have done nothing during these days, in fact, he was just immobile, which did not mean that the restoration process of the Chengguo Duke's Mansion had stalled.
One of the reasons why Zhu Yi sat firmly on Diaoyutai was to show everyone in the court that his appointment to the Crown Prince was out of public spirit and for the sake of the country, and was not asking for credit or reward.
After such a long time, Zhu Yi finally understood the duplicity of these civil servants. They clearly wanted it in their hearts, but they had to pretend that they didn't want it, euphemistically calling it "Qingming".
Although Duke Chengguo was not a civil servant, having this so-called "clear name" was very helpful in winning the favor of many civil servants in the court.
Of course, what's more important is that after all the previous calculations, by this time, he no longer has to do many things personally.
With the marriage between the two families tied up and the plot against Ren Li, it was Zhang Shi who felt more uncomfortable than Zhu Yi himself.
Although the British government was not as precarious as the Chengguo government, its life was not that good either.
Zhang Fu is dead, the Holy Mother has been offended, and now, Ren Li is also in prison. In the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army, Fan Guang, the new noble minister, is pressing every step. Among the ministers, Feng Guogong Li Xian is jumping up and down everywhere, trying to win people's hearts. .
If we continue to fail to find a way to reverse the situation, I am afraid that the noble leader of the British Government will inevitably decline and lose its sense of presence in the court.
Therefore, under the premise that Ren Li has now been abandoned, Zhang Shi's need for the help of the Duke of Chengguo is no less than Zhu Yi's own desire to regain his title.
In this case, he would naturally do many things, which was much more suitable than Zhu Yi.
Hey, after hanging out with the boss for a long time, you can really learn something, right?
Looking away from the book, Zhu Yi nodded slightly, but did not express any opinion on what the butler said, and just asked.
"Where's Qingfeng?"
The housekeeper replied: "He just went out to do some shopping. He didn't say when he would be back."
Apart from Zhu Yi, only the old housekeeper in the whole house knew Qingfeng's identity, and only the old housekeeper had a slight guess.
However, the old housekeeper has been in the Chengguo Palace all his life and is loyal. He naturally knows what should be inquired about, what should not be inquired about, and what should be controlled and what should not be controlled.
"Okay, I understand, back off!"
Zhu Yi didn't make any move, but if anyone familiar with him saw his appearance at this moment, they would know that this young master had a nervous look between his eyebrows.
The old housekeeper could only guess at Qingfeng's whereabouts, but Zhu Yi knew that the so-called 'purchase' was actually a code word.
Qingfeng said this, which meant that he had received a secret letter from Dongchang and needed to go to contact him.
In other words, if nothing else goes wrong, this matter has reached its most critical moment...
"Tuk-tuk-tuk!"
There was a knock on the door suddenly, followed by a voice.
"Master, Qingfeng wants to see you!"
When Cao Cao Cao Cao arrived, Zhu Yi let out a breath and glanced at the old housekeeper next to him. The latter immediately understood and said.
"Old slave, go ask Qingfeng to come in."
With that said, the old housekeeper carefully exited the door, then turned sideways, letting in Qingfeng, who was already waiting outside the door. He carefully closed the door, but did not leave. Instead, he dismissed everyone around him, and then stood Stand guard on the corridor not far from the door to prevent anyone from suddenly disturbing you.
This is something we are used to doing, so there is no need to say more. In the room, Zhu Yi is sitting behind the desk, seemingly calm, but the look in his eyes has already exposed his mood.
"You left suddenly, but what happened?"
Due to Qingfeng's special status, he can come and go freely in Chengguo Duke's Mansion. Just like this time, the situation was obviously urgent, so that Qingfeng didn't even have time to say hello to Zhu Yi. He only sent a message through the old housekeeper and left in a hurry. , it can be seen that there must be something urgent.
Although combined with the recent events in Beijing, there were already vague speculations in his mind, but on the surface, Zhu Yi still asked calmly.
Qingfeng was neither humble nor arrogant, maintaining his usual indifferent face and cupping his hands.
"Go back to the young master. I came here because I received an urgent call from the factory master. He said that the court is currently troubled and in order to avoid unnecessary complications, it is inconvenient for him to come in person. Therefore, I asked the young master to pass the message for him."
"What words?"
Ignoring the previous words, Zhu Yi went straight to the point and asked simply and concisely. There was a rare hint of urgency in his tone, and he even leaned forward.
Qingfeng lowered his body and said.
"The factory master asked me to bring a message to the young master. These words are the exact words that His Majesty commanded by the factory master just after he entered the palace."
As he spoke, Qingfeng's expression became solemn, and he bowed to the outside of the house before continuing.
"His Majesty said...the time has come!"
These four simple words made Zhu Yi suddenly rise from his chair. Unable to suppress the excitement in his heart any longer, he put his hands on the table and said.
"really?"
Qingfeng did not speak, but Zhu Yi did not need him to answer. You must know that Qingfeng said the exact words His Majesty ordered.
As people from Dongchang, even if they had a hundred courages, they would never dare to falsely preach the edict.
After taking a long breath, Zhu Yi sat down again.
The more it is at this time, the less likely it is to be impulsive, and we must not make any mistakes at this juncture...
Calm, calm, calm!
Zhu Yi kept warning herself in her heart and adjusted her breathing repeatedly.
It wasn't until a moment later that his mind gradually calmed down. At this time, Qingfeng cupped his hands again and said.
"Young Master, in addition to asking me to convey His Majesty's words, the factory master also ordered me to fully cooperate with all the instructions of the Young Master from today until the Duke of Chengguo returns to the throne."
After hearing this, Zhu Yi's eyes fell on Qingfeng, but he didn't say much.
Qingfeng's status in Chengguo Duke's Mansion has always been very special. In ordinary times, he is just like an ordinary servant.
But in fact, due to his special status, he has his own independent judgment on many things.
Zhu Yi knew it well, but he could only let it go.
And Qingfeng's statement now undoubtedly shows that he will do his best to help Duke Chengguo in the next period of time.
A mere breeze is nothing, but the huge power of Dongchang represented behind it is the most critical.
However, although the time just now was short, Zhu Yi had suppressed his excitement and pondered for a moment. He did not make any urgent request, but simply said.
"Prepare the car and go to the British government!"
…………
In Nangong, Zhu Qizhen rarely drank and had fun today. Instead, he sat alone on the throne of Chonghua Hall, holding a book in his hand and feeling lost.
After a while, a gray-haired old eunuch quietly walked in and came closer. Just as he was about to speak, the voice from the throne came down.
"Have you received your credentials from Qianqing Palace?"
Although the tone sounded plain, this proactive question actually represented the mood of the person on the throne.
After hearing this, Ruan Lang looked a little strange. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke.
"Your Majesty, I accepted the credentials, but..."
Hearing the first half of the sentence, a smile broke out on Zhu Qizhen's face, but when he heard the last two words, he frowned again.
Putting down the book that he hadn't turned a page in for a long time, he finally looked a little impatient and said.
"But what?"
Ruan Lang carefully looked at the expression of the Supreme Emperor in front of him, bowed his head, and then spoke carefully.
"Back to Your Majesty, there was a message over there, asking Bodu to send the certificate of credence to the Ministry of Rites, and then the Ministry of Rites would submit it. As for the person, he sent it back and said... He also said that there is no need to rush to the audience. If you miss the emperor, , I just went to Nangong to pay my respects."
As soon as the words fell, as expected, the Emperor's expression changed and he frowned.
After a while, Ruan Lang looked up again and found that the Supreme Emperor had stood up and came to the palace door. He put his hands behind his back and said in an inexplicable tone.
"A good method, but it is also expected. To put it bluntly, my brother is not like an emperor!"
These words were vaguely sarcastic, but they were really not something he could accept. Therefore, Ruan Lang could only follow the Supreme Emperor quietly and listen silently.
However, this is true for Ruan Lang, but for Zhu Qizhen, he has no scruples. The people serving in the Chonghua Palace are his confidants, and the others have already been sent out. Therefore, Zhu Qizhen Qi Zhen spoke a little casually, looking at the white clouds floating in the distance, and said calmly.
"When you are an emperor, you should be arbitrary, take everything and take away everything. You have the power of life and death, but you are always trapped in the so-called reputation. It is really stupid!"
Ruan Lang didn't speak, but he roughly understood what the Supreme Emperor was referring to.
Bodu came to visit Nangong, but the Supreme Emperor did not see him. Instead, he was asked to see the emperor first, and then come to Nangong to see him. In fact, it was not a matter of letting the emperor's army be seen by him, nor was it not seen.
However, the lesser of two evils can actually be considered.
As an emperor, if he really doesn't see Bodu, then at most he will be criticized for being narrow-minded and ignoring the overall situation. Maybe there will be a few disrespectful words about his elder brother, but not much. After all, the Supreme Emperor has already said He doesn't know how to get involved in politics. The messages outside Nangong are also for Bodu, not for the emperor.
It's just a little discussion. It's not worth anything to the emperor. You know, even when Emperor Renzong was the emperor, the cabinet received a lot of advice every day. But if the emperor didn't want to listen, , it can only be piled there.
However, now the emperor is concerned about the discussion in the outside world. He accepted the credentials and sent the person back to Nangong. In fact, he was treating the person in the same way as he was treated.
Bodu represents the Wala mission, so strictly speaking, his pilgrimage is a matter of state affairs. There is no room for the emperor who "does not intervene in state affairs" to speak.
This is also the reason why Bodu came to visit Nangong and was turned away.
However, although he refused at first, the Supreme Emperor kept a button, waiting for the Emperor to take into account his reputation and receive Bodu, and then he could naturally allow him to visit Nangong again.
But now, the emperor didn't want to be fooled. He accepted the certificate of credence, considered it as a courtesy, and made a backhand move, asking Bodu to come to Nangong to visit again.
This is testing the Emperor!
It won't be a big deal if we meet him. After all, with the emperor's words out there, there's nothing wrong with him on the surface.
However, it is inevitable that he will be criticized, and maybe even some imperial officials will give advice, accusing the Supreme Emperor of not meeting the envoys and interfering in state affairs.
If you don't see her, you can certainly maintain a good image of living in Nangong in the court and live a stable life, but it will be difficult to find such an opportunity in the future.
You must know that this time the emperor was so "generous" and "took the initiative" to let Bodu come to visit Nangong. However, the Supreme Emperor "understood the righteousness" and avoided seeing him, which shows that he no longer has the slightest interest in the government affairs of the court.
Then, if anything happens in the future, the emperor can naturally decide everything by himself without asking Nangong.
The visit of a Wala envoy seemed like a back and forth, but in fact, it was another secret confrontation between the Supreme Emperor and the Emperor.
Now that the emperor's tricks have been revealed, it is up to the Supreme Emperor to deal with it next.
The choice of the Supreme Emperor in front of him can actually be clearly understood from the two sentences he just said.
"Ruan Lang, go and deliver the message, and Xuanbo will come to Chonghua Palace to see you!"
.
