The head of the chamberlain lowered his eyes, following the calico cat crawling slowly and casually on the ground with its tail hanging down. When he saw her crawling to the feet of the senior chambermaid, she looked up at him, then continued to crawl forward, and passed by the feet of the senior chamberlain. As she passed by, she bumped into the hem of the chambermaid's clothes. The hem swayed, instantly catching her eye, causing her to raise her paw and pluck it twice quickly.
Then he walked around the pillars, and after a circle, he walked across the middle of the hall in a boring way.
Staggering, as if drunk.
When she met the palace maids serving food, she immediately lowered her body, made a vigilant posture, raised her head to observe them, and then trotted quickly, running away from the walking range of the palace ladies.
The queen also loves cats and likes to raise cats.
But I have never seen such a smart and beautiful cat.
Not many people know about the banquet hosted by His Majesty in the palace tonight. However, if the conversation in Changle Palace at this time can be spread, I am afraid that many people will be willing to buy it with thousands of gold.
But not many people can hear it.
The Prime Minister of this dynasty has little power. Previously, the power was in the hands of the Imperial Advisor, and the Prime Minister has never been very capable. The reason why he can be the Prime Minister is just to be loyal to His Majesty and to check and balance the Imperial Advisor. Now that the Imperial Master has left the court due to important matters, the Prime Minister is unable to take over the power, but has returned to the Six Ministries. The reason why he is still the Prime Minister now is just because he is loyal to His Majesty.
The Prime Minister will not let anyone know about the conversation tonight.
There are often people who want to bribe these chamberlains.
Especially in the past two years.
However, although the dragon is old, his power is still there. Although the emperor in front of him is old, his prestige in the minds of these chamberlains is too high. They have seen too many storms with this emperor, and all the storms are at his feet. He stopped, so even now they still feel that he can control everything, so naturally they don't dare to make small moves.
However, neither the prime minister nor the chamberlain felt as peaceful and peaceful as this cat walking and playing.
"Then I have to ask Your Majesty first."
"oh?"
"Three years ago, His Majesty had a conversation with me and told me that he knew that Chen Ziyi had no rebellious intentions, but what does His Majesty think now?"
The prime minister, who had been sitting and eating, had unknowingly stopped using his chopsticks and raised his head to look at the Taoist opposite.
Many of the chamberlains lowered their heads, pretending not to listen.
The head of the chamberlain was still watching the cat.
Seeing that the calico cat had wandered in front of the emperor's desk, he felt something was wrong. He turned around and looked at the people in the palace strangely. He felt that there was nothing strange, so he shook his head and moved forward. He saw that he had already reached the feet of His Majesty. , and the servants did not stop it - not because this cat was unusual, but because the emperor was tolerant. Today was not a serious scene, even if it was just an ordinary cat raised by someone in the harem, it walked in front of His Majesty. , is also irrelevant.
The old emperor raised his head and looked at the young Taoist: "Who dares to rebel under my command today?"
For him three years ago, he would have been tougher.
Even now, I feel no less confident.
Even because of the great victory in the north and the extraordinary achievements through the ages, the prime ministers and chamberlains found it more credible.
However, the Taoist pursed his lips and said nothing, but asked again: "Could it be that your Majesty suspected that he had treason, but he did not dare to show it because of His Majesty's suppression?"
"well……"
The emperor sighed deeply.
"The world is complicated, and sometimes things can be decided by him alone? Just like the affairs of the court, even I often feel helpless, let alone other emperors throughout the ages. The emperor who built this palace cannot decide Brick by brick, not to mention the emperor who is just sitting in this palace.”
Song You heard it, and the emperor still felt that Chen Ziyi had no objection.
"Then what do you want to ask, Your Majesty? Tell me everything you know."
"To me, there is no one more trustworthy than Sir in this world."
"I invite your Majesty to ask questions."
"Sir, you went to the Zhenbei Army. Do you know how the army is like?"
"At this time, Dayan was upright and prosperous, and the people were all proud to be the subjects of Dayan, as were the officers and soldiers of the northern army." Song You only said truthfully, "Looking down, there are many loyal and righteous people in the army."
"I heard that Chen Ziyi has orders and prohibitions in the military, and no one disobeys them?"
"General Chen's prestige is extremely high." Song You still answered truthfully, "General Chen has selected a large number of warriors from the northern martial arts to check and balance the power of clan warlords in the army. In addition, after years of fighting, it has become a rare force with a hundred battles. General Chen has long been the heart of the army."
The prime minister raised his eyes and looked at them.
This is a double-edged sword.
If Chen Ziyi, who controls this army, is loyal to the emperor, the emperor's power will be at its extreme. But if he turns his gun around and goes south, the consequences will be disastrous.
Then the emperor on the throne asked: "Sir, do you know who will be in charge of the Zhenbei Army after Chen Ziyi returns to the court?"
"General Chen's younger brother Chen Yichen will be the acting commander, assisted by Military Advisor Zhang."
"How is Chen worthy?"
"The bravery, loyalty, and prestige in the military are all similar to General Chen, but they are not as good as General Chen."
"Sir, do you know that when I summoned Chen Ziyi back to the court, it was the two of them who were summoned?"
"Who is willing to die?"
Song You looked up at the old emperor.
Come to think of it, he knew this very well.
The emperor was indeed silent.
"well……"
"Why is Your Majesty sighing?"
"I know that Chen Ziyi is brave and invincible, and his loyalty is no less than brave. But I am already old. Even if I can hold on, I won't be able to hold on for long. People are fickle. Chen Ziyi is only in his early thirties. Now he is obsessed with killing enemies on the battlefield and building miracles. He has the feeling of success and no reluctance. Will he always be like this in the future?" The emperor looked at him and said, "I trust him for the time being, and I am not afraid of him. I don't have to kill him, but my descendants may be like me? Then? What will happen to Chen Ziyi at that time?"
"This question is too difficult. My master, Taoist Tiansuan, may know it, but I don't know it." Song You paused and said to him, "And what I know, your Majesty also knows."
"tell me the story."
"Nowadays, Dayan is in unprecedented prosperity, and His Majesty's reputation and power are resounding all over the world, even among the border troops. But if General Chen cannot return to the north, and the Zhenbei Army is loyal to him, Chen Worthy and his military advisors will definitely send troops south. , even if the soldiers and horses of other towns do not respond, there will be chaos in the north and this elite army will be destroyed." Song You said to him, "By then, the world will be in great catastrophe, and the corpses will be scattered thousands of miles away."
"..."
The emperor's expression changed slightly.
This was something he had already thought of, but thinking it in his mind was obviously different from being told it. Thinking it himself and feeling it to another person were also different.
"Just now I was talking about history and the affairs of the previous kings and kings with Your Majesty. It was actually interesting."
"Where's the fun?"
"Some traditions will continue, as if they are alive." Song You said, "For example, the previous dynasty had a bad start and the royal family fought fiercely, so subsequent generations followed suit. It is like a curse, until the dynasty is destroyed and the succession of thrones is full of It was bloody. Prior to this, the Wei Dynasty was frivolous, so for hundreds of years, the world was full of crazy people. The Yao Dynasty was fine at first, but in the middle, it began to emphasize culture over military affairs and guard against military attachés. Therefore, the military strength has not been strong since the first dynasty, and it was beaten everywhere. "
"rational……"
The old emperor smiled calmly.
This was the first time he heard this sentence from this angle.
In fact, sometimes the largest and more complex the power structure, the more afraid of making mistakes. Big families and royal families are more conservative than people think, and it takes more courage to change and create new ones. Therefore, a practice of the predecessors has an unimaginable impact on future generations, and it is likely to create a tradition.
But this is also a gamble.
Song You below looked at the emperor with calm eyes, knowing that the emperor would not make a decision based on a few words. Everyone's advice would only add a little weight to one side of his thoughts.
But at the same time, he also saw——
Even before tonight, the emperor already had an inclination in his mind, but he didn't make it easily, and naturally he didn't speak easily.
Your own words may speed up the process.
As the process speeds up, there are fewer variables.
Always good.
"It sounds like Mr. Song has great respect for General Chen." The prime minister next to him raised his wine glass and congratulated Song You from a distance with a smile.
"General Chen is a famous general through the ages. But who knows his deeds, no matter the predecessors or descendants, who can not respect him? It is said that even thousands of miles to the north, on the grassland of Saibei, people with upright character and even enemies will treat Chen The general has great respect for you." Song You also smiled and raised his glass, "But I don't like to lie in my life, so what I said today is all the truth."
The prime minister smiled slightly and put down the cup.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced inadvertently and caught sight of the old emperor's turbid gaze, and he immediately trembled in fright.
The Taoist laughed and shook his head.
The emperor was also disappointed.
After a long time, he looked at the Taoist and asked:
"Will the descendants of this generation of Fulongguan bear to see the world catastrophic, with corpses floating thousands of miles away?"
"I think even the most indifferent heir would not bear to see this scene if he didn't care about world affairs." Song You still answered truthfully.
"Sir, I feel relieved when you say that." The emperor said and sighed, "I can not hurt Chen Ziyi, and I can also let him go back to the north, but I don't have a few years left to live. Who can say what will happen in the future? Is it accurate?"
When the prime minister heard this, he knew that the matter was settled.
"The country of Dayan is peaceful and the people are safe. How can a person like Chen Ziyi easily rebel if the royal family does not force him to rebel?" Song You also replied, "It is not easy for your majesty to have such courage. If this courage can be passed on to future generations or even passed down from generation to generation. If it continues, it will be better if it helps the mutual trust between the monarch and his ministers in the future."
"Is it all based on mutual trust?"
"Your Majesty is generous, and General Chen is not a person obsessed with power." Song You said, "General Chen came to see me again a few days ago, and he also mentioned that now that the war in the north has calmed down, he will again lead the Five-Year Plan in Zhenbei. I want to hand over the military power of the three towns. I think I will come and talk to His Majesty in a few days."
"It is indeed tiring to lead the troops and horses of the five towns." The emperor waved his hand and said, "It would be better to let him have less burden."
“Prosperous times are hard-won, I just wish they could last longer.”
"Sir, the world is at your heart."
"I'm just a Taoist from the mountains. This world can be kept in your Majesty's heart." Song You shook his head and said, "It's just that before walking in the north, the north was difficult, and even in Yuezhou, bones are still exposed in the wild, and there is no rooster crow for thousands of miles. , I really don’t want other states to be like this.”
The prime minister lowered his head and remained silent.
The head of the chamberlain still lowered his head and looked at the cat.
The cat just circled around the emperor and looked at the emperor curiously for a long time, as if looking at the most powerful person in the world. After a while, she felt bored again, and now she has walked to the door, stood up and looked out at the threshold. Sometimes she would hear the Taoist talking, and she would look back at the Taoist. From the way she looked, it seemed that this was not the palace or the emperor's night banquet, but her. It was just a boring party that the Taoist invited his friends to in the small building of his home.
(End of chapter)
