Because there were not many people serving, the Chonghua Hall seemed very empty. Zhu Qizhen's voice echoed around, which made Zhang Mian and Zhu Yi think deeply for a while. Combined with the sudden change of topic, what was in their hearts? A glimmer of understanding became more obvious.
At the same time, Zhu Qizhen's voice continued.
"If you want to achieve something, motivation alone is not enough. Xu Youzhen can only lobby if you can, but for me and the prince, if we don't have the slightest certainty of success, how can we take action?"
"Zhu Yi, I remember that some time ago, you just established the Xunwei. Does the emperor have any objections to the candidates on the list?"
"this……"
Zhu Yi blinked and cupped his hands.
"Back to Your Majesty, the Emperor really didn't say much. He just went through the list handed over by the minister."
"snort……"
Zhu Qizhen snorted lightly, his eyes becoming more and more unpredictable, and said.
"The Military Mansion, the Imperial Guard, and the Ministry of War, all these series of things are connected. Can it be said that you really can't see anything?"
"Your Majesty, you mean that these are all intentional actions by the Emperor?"
Zhang Xian hesitated for a moment, but finally had the courage to ask.
After hearing this, Zhu Qizhen also frowned slightly and said.
"It may not be intentional, but it is definitely going along with the flow."
"Now the British government is responsible for rectifying the military government, and can temporarily take charge of the five-army governor's office. Although the Beijing camp is still in Fan Guang's hands, if it is to be transferred, it must be approved by the military government. This is one of them."
"The Forbidden Army in the palace has close ties with the nobles of each family. In selecting the imperial guards this time, Zhu Yi followed my will and chose mostly the juniors from each family who are not capable but are the most favored. With their connections, although it is impossible To control the Forbidden Army, if you just inquire about the Forbidden Army's defense, it is completely enough."
"In addition, the Ministry of War is now leaderless. Wang Ao's parachute landing will definitely have rifts with the original officials of the Ministry of War. It is inevitable that government orders will be delayed. With these three factors, the most powerful forces in the capital can be temporarily suppressed. Contain it.”
"Although it won't last long, if we seize the opportunity and use Nangong's Yulin Army and the private soldiers of various prefectures, it is not impossible to achieve something."
"This is the capital that Xu Youzhen came to lobby for..."
Ah this...
It has to be said that these words of the Supreme Emperor were beyond the expectations of Zhang Shi and Zhu Yi.
Zhang Min did not expect that there were such deep inside stories and clues hidden behind various recent events in the capital. Zhu Yi was surprised that the Supreme Emperor could see the situation so thoroughly. It seemed that he had previously He really underestimated the emperor.
But no matter what, the surprised expressions of the two in Zhu Qizhen's eyes made him a little more confident.
After a while, Zhu Yi, who finally 'slowed down', asked hesitantly.
"Your Majesty, if that's the case, why not..."
As soon as the words came out, two eyes were cast towards him, one came from Zhang Shi, with disbelief, and the other came from the Supreme Emperor, who was stern but also revealed an inexplicable look. At the same time, the Supreme Emperor's voice The sound started ringing and he said.
"Zhu Yi, you are so presumptuous!"
"I am aware of my guilt."
After hearing this, Zhu Yi didn't hesitate, knelt down and said.
No matter what, you still have to work hard on face. Of course, this work on face does not refer to Zhu Yi, but to a certain emperor.
Zhu Yi knew this very well. Just like those who rebelled and usurped the throne in the past dynasties, no matter what they thought in their hearts, they were always 'forced' on the surface.
Therefore, the steps that should be given must still be given.
As for the other party's true attitude, it will be very clear just by looking at the subsequent handling. For example, now...
"Since you already know that these are the baits released by the emperor, you should know that the person who set the bait will not be unprepared."
As expected, the Emperor's anger was fleeting, he snorted coldly, and continued to speak.
"Don't forget, even though the Beijing camp is constrained by the military government, it is not in the hands of the military government after all. If Fan Guang has a secret order that he has obtained long ago, then in an emergency, he can bypass the military government and directly mobilize troops , it’s not impossible.”
"With the honorary guards, we can get the Forbidden Army to deploy, but the Forbidden Army is only subject to the emperor's imperial decree after all. Even if we can temporarily mobilize the patrolling Forbidden Army, it is only temporary after all. If the emperor had been prepared, he might not even be able to mobilize the Forbidden Army."
"Moreover, in addition, there are Jinyiwei and Dongchang. All these are the back-ups that the emperor has prepared long ago. The so-called possibility of success is just an illusion deliberately created by the emperor. Once he really takes action, It must be an abyss.”
After saying these words, Zhang Xi on the side was also sweating. Although Zhu Yi said what he just said, he still had the same idea in his heart. But now it seems that he is still too naive. .
At the same time, Zhu Yi also looked like he had woken up and said with a cupped hand.
"I did not think carefully and almost missed a major event. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qizhen didn't care much, he waved it casually and said.
"I know your loyalty. Get up."
So, Zhu Yi stood up and said.
"In that case, I would like to ask Your Majesty to tell you what to do next."
This look seemed to be one of extreme awe, as if he was bowing his head to the Supreme Emperor. Seeing this situation, Zhu Qizhen's eyes flashed with a trace of undetectable satisfaction, and then he said.
"I have always been unwilling to have another dispute with the Tian family. Therefore, since my return to the court, although the emperor has repeatedly been aggressive, I have made more concessions. I only live in Nangong and do not care about political affairs."
"But despite this, the emperor still refused to give up. Now that I think about it, before I returned to the court, the emperor had appointed Yu Lin as a guard to guard Nangong. I'm afraid he had this intention."
"After planning like this for a long time, it can be seen that the emperor has already ignored the family ties of the Tian family. If it is just like this, that's it. It can be stored in Bendong Palace, which is related to the country. After all, I am a descendant of Taizu and the country is strong. How can I ignore it?"
"Therefore, I need the help of two noble families!"
With these last words, Zhu Qizhen's tone increased and he looked closely at the two people below.
After hearing this, Zhu Yi, who had just stood up, immediately fell to the ground again and said.
"I am willing to swear allegiance to Your Majesty to the death!"
Zhang Min still hesitated a little, but Zhu Yi had already done this, and it was inappropriate for him to show no expression. Therefore, he took a step slower, knelt down on the ground, and said.
"I am also willing to swear allegiance to Your Majesty to the death!"
However, his slow step made Zhu Qizhen's eyes obviously feel a little bit more dissatisfied. Of course, this look only flashed across his face, and was covered up by Zhu Qizhen, and then , he said.
"I still say what I said, harmony between the heaven and the family is a blessing for the country. Therefore, even if the emperor is so aggressive, from the bottom of my heart, I still don't want my brothers to turn against each other. However, since it has reached this point, what Xu Youzhen said is not unreasonable. For the sake of the crown prince and the inheritance of the country, you and I should save some power to protect ourselves."
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Yi couldn't help but ask.
"Your Majesty, did you mean to go to court?"
Zhu Qizhen nodded slightly, raised his head, and looked at where he was looking. Then he lowered his head, looked at the two people below, and said.
"This is also the reason why I asked you to refuse sternly this time."
"In the final analysis, the emperor's purpose is nothing more than to seduce me to force the palace, and then he will naturally capture me and the prince together. If this goal is not achieved, the emperor will not give up."
"However, the so-called self-inflicted consequences, since the emperor has this intention, he should suffer the backlash. No matter what the outcome of Xu Youzhen's incident, as long as you are not involved, then the emperor will definitely release further bait."
"You can take advantage of this opportunity to grow your power without worrying about the emperor's deliberate restrictions. If something unexpected happens one day, you can still have the power to stop it..."
After saying these words, Zhu Yi finally understood it completely.
It turns out that the Supreme Emperor had this plan. To put it bluntly, the Emperor is plotting against Nangong, but conversely, the Supreme Emperor is also plotting against the Emperor.
If the emperor wants to seduce the Supreme Emperor into rebellion and resolve the matter once and for all, then he must give the Supreme Emperor enough strength and motivation. Otherwise, the Supreme Emperor will not take this risk easily.
In the opinion of the Supreme Emperor, Xu Youzhen's arrival was obviously because the Emperor felt that both the motive and the power in the Emperor's hands were enough.
However, when the Supreme Emperor asked them to reject Xu Youzhen, he was actually telling the emperor that he would not be fooled so easily.
In this case, if the emperor still insists on his original purpose, then he can only allow the emperor to continue to grow his power. Until one day, when the emperor feels that he has a chance of winning, it will be the time for the two to fight.
It should be said that this process is very dangerous. Both sides know that the other side is accumulating strength, and they also allow the other side to accumulate strength. The bet is that when the swords finally meet, their own methods will be superior to the other's.
No wonder the emperor had planned this secret move early, just because he was afraid that in the end the emperor's power would expand too much, to the point where the emperor would be unable to control it.
For the Supreme Emperor, this was the reason why he kept the two of them today. Now, the core team that Nangong could rely on were actually these two princes.
If the emperor allows Nangong to grow in strength, he will essentially give them the opportunity to increase their power in the court. If they agree to the emperor today, in essence, they will truly embark on a road of no return.
but……
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I already understand what I should do."
After taking a long breath, Zhu Yi suppressed the countless thoughts in his heart and spoke in a deep voice.
So, Zhu Qizhen turned his attention to Zhang Xi who was standing aside. Seeing this situation, Zhang Xi had no choice but to understand the situation.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will work even harder to serve Your Majesty from now on."
After hearing the two people's statements, Zhu Qizhen felt relieved and said.
"That's good. That's it for today. You can go back first."
"I resign..."
Zhu Yi and Zhang Xi bowed and saluted, and then slowly exited the Chonghua Hall.
After leaving the palace gate, the two of them remained silent until they got on the carriage. Zhang Xi raised his head and glanced at Zhu Yi, as if he wanted to say something.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Yi was the first to speak.
"Second Master, do you still have doubts about what the Emperor just said?"
This was a straightforward question, but at this moment, Zhang Shi was in a state of confusion, especially after learning about Xu Youzhen, he felt that his vision of people was really unreliable.
Relatively speaking, Zhu Yi, who is also a close minister of the Supreme Emperor and is related to his family by marriage, seems to be more credible at this time.
At least, his background and experience determined that he would not be someone like Xu Youzhen. Otherwise, the Supreme Emperor would not have believed in him so much.
Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xi sighed heavily and opened his mouth to explain.
"My lord, it's not that I don't want to do my best for the Supreme Emperor, but... it's this kind of thing..."
"I understand that if you are not careful about this kind of thing, it will be the crime of plundering the family and exterminating the clan. You and I are both from a noble family. How can I not understand the concerns of the second master?"
Seeing Zhang Min's worried look, Zhu Yi was considerate and spoke out for him.
Seeing this situation, Zhang Xi was silent for a moment, and finally nodded gently and said.
"It's good that the Duke understands. In this case, just now in front of the Supreme Emperor..."
"Second Master, do you think you and I have a choice?"
Seemingly knowing what Zhang Xi wanted to say, Zhu Yi narrowed her eyes and asked.
"ah?"
Zhang Xi was a little dazed when he asked this question. For a moment, he didn't know what Zhu Yi meant by this.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Yi also sighed and explained.
"Just now the Supreme Emperor specifically mentioned the matter of the military government and the Xunwei in the palace, doesn't the Second Master still understand?"
"Now you and I, in the eyes of the Emperor, are already the Emperor's people. The Emperor is right. If the Emperor wants to force the Emperor to take action, then he needs to give the Emperor some bargaining chips. These bargaining chips can only be with you and me."
"So now, it's not that the Supreme Emperor wants you and me to fight for power in the court, but that both the Emperor and the Supreme Emperor want this."
"Do you think it's still too late for you and me to back down at this time?"
Zhang Xi was silent for a moment, his expression extremely complicated, and after a moment, he spoke.
"You mean, the affairs of the military government are also..."
"I'm afraid there is indeed some factor of the emperor's connivance, otherwise, it would not have been so smooth."
Zhu Yi said.
"In order to rectify the military government, to put it bluntly, we are delegating power to nobles like you and me. From now on, if nothing unexpected happens, the emperor will further delegate power. Only in this way can the wings of the Supreme Emperor be truly full. However, every time you and I have power, If you are more prosperous, I'm afraid that the last battle will be more dangerous. However, you and I have no way out now. Otherwise, neither the Supreme Emperor nor the Emperor will let you and me go... "
In fact, Zhang Xi already understood the truth of these words, but he still felt a little desperate. To put it bluntly, even a noble family with their status could not escape the fate of being manipulated. The situation in the court was dangerous. Sure enough, he couldn't help it. He just wanted to keep the prosperity of the British government, but there were many things that he really couldn't control...
(End of chapter)
