In the study of Lord An Guo's Mansion, Young Master Xiu paced back and forth. He came to the bookshelf and took out a military book and flipped through a few pages, but could not read a single word. He was waiting for news from the palace, and he was waiting for the emperor's response. The result of Gongzi Zhuo's treatment.
After a while, the servants of the mansion came to the study to report: "To report to the Lord, someone is coming from the palace. Your Majesty has summoned him."
Hearing this, Young Master Xiu said, "I understand."
After saying that, Young Master Xiu went to the wing, straightened his clothes in front of the bronze mirror, and then left the house to wait for the summons outside Qingyang Palace. While he was waiting outside the palace gate, the King of Zhennan and Young Master Zhuo came one after another. After leaving the palace, everyone got into their cars and dispersed.
Young Master Xiu opened the curtain and looked at their car driving away, thoughtfully. It seemed that the Huadengfang incident had been resolved, and the emperor should have appeased the barbarian king.
At this moment, an eunuch from the palace gate came to ask for instructions before the young master repaired his car and said: "Mr. An Guo, your majesty has summoned you."
Young Master Xiu nodded slightly and followed the eunuch to Zhangtai Palace to meet the saint.
Young Master Xiu lowered his head and entered the main hall. He just raised his head and looked around, but his steps slowed down. He saw that there was only the emperor in the main hall. The surrounding palace guards, eunuchs, and maids had all withdrawn, making the whole hall extremely empty. Obviously, the emperor I have something to talk to him in private.
Young Master Xiu hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, knelt down and saluted the emperor and said, "My dearest minister, long live my emperor. Long live the emperor."
A slightly tired voice came from the throne: "Xiu'er, I have something to ask you."
Seeing that the emperor did not bow down without courtesy, Prince Xiu had no choice but to kneel on the ground and reply: "Hail your majesty, I would like to hear the holy teachings."
The emperor stood up and came to Young Master Xiu's side, and said in a leisurely tone: "I want to know if you are behind this matter?"
When Young Master Xiu heard this, of course he knew what the emperor was asking about. He didn't dare to look up at the emperor. He lowered his body and responded: "Father, I don't dare to deceive you. This matter was done by my son." .”
The emperor was a little surprised when he saw that Gongzi Xiu admitted so simply, but he simply asked two words in a deep voice: "Why?"
Young Master Xiu said: "Your Majesty is wise, I am just a prince. I act like this for the sake of the country and the country, and also for the orderly inheritance of our Jin Dynasty for more than 800 years. I don't want the past events of the previous dynasty to happen again in this dynasty. .”
The subtext of Gongzixiu is that I am not a prince, I am just a prince. If I do not establish a prince, the country is not upright. It is for the orderly inheritance of the country and the country that I have to take this policy. It is not something that has never happened in the history of this dynasty. If you fail to establish a crown prince, there will be a battle for the throne among the princes, which will lead to the country falling into decline. You are a sage, and you should know better than me, a son, the disaster caused by not establishing a crown prince.
Of course the emperor understood what Gongzi Xiu meant, and he recalled in his mind the old story of the former prince's brazen military revolt. This happened only a few years ago, and it was also an eternal pain in the emperor's heart. The prince's rebellion, and the Taiji Palace Incident were a poison in the emperor's heart. The thorn has been firmly pierced into his heart. It is impossible for the emperor to re-establish the prince.
The emperor pondered for a long time, left his throne, stepped forward, patted Young Master Xiu on the shoulder, and said, "Get up and answer."
Hearing this, Young Master Xiu quickly raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he stood up. He knew that he could not mention the matter of establishing a prince. Anyone who dared to mention it would suffer the same fate as Shaofu Zhao Chu. Now The dignified Shaofu Zhao was still serving as the magistrate of Huai'an County. He took the risk to raise this question just to test, what is the emperor's true attitude?
The emperor asked: "Mu Zhuo is a useless person. Is it necessary for you to hold on to him?"
Hearing this, Young Master Xiu looked around and said, "Father, my mother has not been by your side for a long time."
No one knows a son better than his father. When the emperor heard this, he knew that it was Gongzi Xiu who was reminding him that his mother had fallen out of favor for many years. He started to punish Gongzi Zhuo because he was afraid of the trouble behind Gongzi Zhuo's back. As long as the emperor did not make Gongzi Xiu the crown prince for one day, he would become the prince. With Gongzi Xiu's character, he will still try to punish Gongzi Zhuo if he finds an opportunity in the future.
After hearing the words, the emperor was silent for a long time, and seemed to have made up his mind. He said: "Xiu'er, don't worry, I will help you pull out those thorns, and the inheritance of the ancestors can only be handed over to you."
This was the first time that Young Master Xiu clearly knew the emperor's attitude toward him in wanting to pass on the throne. This was the confession. He was overjoyed and excited. He knelt down and kowtowed: "Father, you are worried about the unfilial piety of your sons and ministers. "
"Get up."
The emperor said calmly: "Xiu'er, what benefits did you promise King Zhennan?"
Hearing this, Young Master Xiu secretly sighed in his heart. Facing the emperor, he knew that he could not hide anything from the old man. Young Master Xiu did not dare to deceive him at all, so he revealed the details of his private transaction with King Zhennan.
The emperor heard this and sighed: "Xiu'er, do you really dare to promise? You are the Northern Emperor and he is the Southern Emperor?"
Young Master Xiu said awkwardly: "Father, please forgive me, but I have overstepped my bounds."
The emperor patted his shoulder and said, "Xiu'er, come with me."
"promise."
Young Master Xiu followed the emperor step by step and turned around to the apse. He saw this huge national map hanging in the center of the apse.
The emperor stood in front of the map, pointed in the direction of the four Lingnan counties, and said: "Xiu'er, if the country is handed over to you in a hundred years, I will never send troops to help the King of Zhennan dominate the southern border. Otherwise, I will go to the southern border." There will never be peace. The King of Zhennan has lived for hundreds of years and has a long-standing reputation. He has great merits in running the army and the country. Our dynasty and the mountain puppets allied forces to destroy Taisha's 600,000 troops in a battle in southern Xinjiang. Thanks to the great help of the King of Zhennan, Lu Sheng spoke highly of the King of Zhennan. My impression these days is that he is cunning and cunning, with far-reaching plans and the ability to endure humiliation. Remember, you must not let this person go to Nan. The territory is so large, otherwise over time, tigers will become a problem. The reason why I strive to make a good alliance with the mountain puppets is to use the Zhennan King to check and balance the two countries of Taisha and Xi. The Zhennan King is a double-edged sword. If he is good, he will always bring disadvantages, but if he uses it improperly, it will be a serious disaster for the country. Compared with this person, your moral conduct is still far behind, so be careful."
Hearing this, Young Master Xiu bowed and said, "My father's admonitions, I will always keep them in mind."
The father and son chatted in the back hall for a long time before Young Master Xiu left the main hall.
When the emperor saw that the young master Xiu had left, he summoned the chief steward of the inner court and said, "Lü Liang, please pass on my decree to deprive Mu Zhuo of his clan status and deprive him of his status as a commoner."
Lu Liang was stunned when he heard this, and bowed and said: "No, I will go to Zongzheng Mansion to deliver the order right now."
Almost as soon as the emperor's deposed young master Zhuo came out of the palace, Mrs. Li in the inner palace already knew about it. After knowing the news, her face changed drastically, and she hurried all the way to Changle Palace and entered the emperor's palace to meet the emperor.
After Mrs. Li entered the palace, she saw Mrs. Sun waiting beside the emperor. When Mrs. Li saw this, she secretly cursed a vixen in her heart. Then she remembered that her son had been deposed, so she immediately knelt down and cried: "Your Majesty, why did you depose Zhuo'er?" ? I don’t understand. Zhuo’er has already apologized to King Zhennan. What mistake did Zhuo’er make? He must be deprived of his clan status. Your Majesty..."
Mrs. Li knew very well in her heart that the old emperor would eventually ascend to the throne. When the old emperor died, as the saying goes, the mother is more valuable than the son, and what she could rely on was her son. If the young master Zhuo was deposed as a commoner, she would also Having lost the barrier to her future, she couldn't help but cry and make a fuss in front of the emperor.
Seeing this, the emperor turned his head and waved to Mrs. Sun, saying: "Please step aside first."
"No!" Mrs. Sun bowed and left the hall. When she came to Mrs. Li's side, she paused in her steps. Seeing Mrs. Li rolling around in front of the emperor, she curled her lips slightly and taunted secretly in her heart, "You are here today." It’s all thanks to the stupid son you gave birth to.
As a rising star, Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Li have been fighting openly and secretly in the palace for many years, and it is normal for them to dislike each other.
When the emperor saw Mrs. Li crying on the ground, he said in a deep voice: "Get up, I will give you an explanation."
Seeing this, Mrs. Li stopped crying. She kowtowed to the ground and said, "I ask your majesty to take back my life. As long as I can keep Zhuoer safe, your majesty, a hundred years later, I am willing to follow your majesty."
Mrs. Li planned to follow him to be buried. When the emperor heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little moved in his heart. He sighed: "I know what you are thinking. After the incident in Taiji Palace and the death of the rebellious prince, you have always wanted to support Zhuo'er to become a prince." The position of Crown Prince, isn’t it?”
Mrs. Li was speechless when she heard the words, neither admitting nor denying. She knew that it was useless to quibble in front of understanding people.
Seeing Mrs. Li crying with pear blossoms in the rain, the emperor felt soft in his heart because of his love for so many years, and comforted: "I acted like this to protect Zhuo'er. Don't worry, although Zhuo'er has lost his clan status, his treatment will not be the same." Still, I will give him ten thousand households in a few days, like Sheng'er, who can live in a distant land, which will be enough for him to live happily for the rest of his life."
Mrs. Li understood clearly that the emperor was paving the way for An Guojun's son Xiu to succeed to the throne. The temporary dethronement of his son Zhuo as a commoner was to convey an attitude to the outside world. Although I do not establish a prince, An Guojun is the one who holds the throne. The only candidate, let others have no illusions.
Mrs. Li felt unwilling and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, what is the difference between Zhuo'er and Lord An Guo? Zhuo'er is young, but he has some things to do. If he trains more in the future, he may not be able to compare with Lord An Guo. I sincerely ask your majesty to take it back." Success."
In the eyes of all parents, as long as it is their own child, even if it is a naughty child, it is still a "good child" in the eyes of the parents.
The emperor also understood this truth and said: "I see everything Zhuo'er does on weekdays. It is really embarrassing for him. Even Sheng'er, who lives far away in Zhixian County, is a hundred times stronger than him. I will challenge him today." It is clear that although Mu Zhuo is my biological son, what he does is not like a human king. I will never hand over the country to him, so you should give up this idea."
When Mrs. Li heard this, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. The emperor's meaning could not be clearer. Even if An Guojun is gone, there is still Anlehou of Zhixian County as a backup. As for a stupid and incompetent person like Gongzi Zhuo, who wants to rise to power? Two words, dreaming...
After the emperor finished speaking and was about to get up to leave, Mrs. Li suddenly stood up and hugged the emperor's leg, collapsed on the ground and cried: "Your Majesty, please have mercy on Zhuo'er, he is my concubine's lifeblood, Your Majesty... "
When the emperor saw that Mrs. Li was stalking her but refused to accept her fate, he said in a cold voice: "How can the emperor's order be tolerated? Now that the order has been issued, I will not take it back. Because you love your son so much, after a few days, I will I will let Zhuo'er resume his status as a clan member, but from now on, you will move to the palace, and I don't want to see you again."
After saying that, the emperor flicked his sleeves and left, leaving Mrs. Li sitting there paralyzed and at a loss. Although she begged for mercy and got back the status of Prince Zhuo's clan, she was also thrown into the cold palace by the emperor and lost her With the Holy Favor, no one will protect Young Master Zhuo from now on, which is equivalent to deposing Young Master Zhuo in disguise. Mrs. Li knows very well that without her own protection in the inner palace, with Young Master Zhuo’s IQ, he is not worthy of carrying Mr. An Guo’s shoes, let alone Fighting for a big position.
