It's still drizzling outside.
With Chang Qing holding an umbrella beside him, Rong Cang walked for a while with his hands behind his back and said calmly: "If the Duke Protector's Palace and Prince Yu's Palace are convicted of cliques for personal gain and corruption, what will those female relatives do?"
"It mainly depends on the emperor's wishes." Uncle Xie Xiaoguo replied, "If the emperor thinks about the relationship between father and son and cannot bear to kill Prince Yu, he may sentence the entire family of Prince Yu and the Protector's Palace to exile. If the emperor wants to rescind the sentence, the two palaces will The men and women will probably be beheaded, and the female relatives who have not left the court will be put into the priest's office."
Rong Cang was silent for a moment. Thinking of what Chu Yunfei said last night, he said lightly: "How is the official conduct of Luo Consort's father?"
Luo Consort's father?
Uncle Xie Xiaoguo was slightly stunned. He did not expect Rong Cang to suddenly ask an unrelated person. However, after all, Prince Consort Luo was also a relative of the emperor, and his family, Uncle Xie Xiaoguo, was not a stranger.
"Lord Luo has no real power. He has been stable these years. He has no chance to make political achievements and has no obvious criticism. It's just..." Uncle Xie Xiaoguo paused for a moment and said truthfully, "It seems that Prince Consort Luo's uncle He is not easy to get along with, and it is said that he comes to the door from time to time to cause trouble."
Rong Cang's voice was cold: "The eldest princess is the daughter of the emperor. The direct descendants of the Luo family are very brave. They dare to bully even the princess."
Uncle Xie Xiaoguo has always been a smart person and knows what he is saying. "I will send someone to find out the situation."
"Prince Yu and the Duke Protector's Mansion were confiscated and imprisoned. Some of the party members involved were also removed from their posts. There are many vacancies for officials in the court. Please pay attention and arrange a suitable position for Luo Bai." Rong Cang said lightly, "Grade It doesn’t have to be too high, just copying books and organizing files or something like that.”
Uncle Xie Xiaoguo nodded: "Yes, I will take care of the arrangements."
"How many officials involved with King Yu have been found?"
"There are two deacons from the Ministry of War. There is also a nail in the Ministry of Husbandry that King Yu arranged for them to take this opportunity to remove. There is also the Ministry of Rites..." Uncle Xie Xiaoguo pondered, "The Minister of Rites has had close contacts with King Chen. His Highness has no plans to do so for the time being. Touch him?"
Rong Cang slowly shook his head: "No need to worry."
"yes."
"Ji Xianlin, the left minister of the Ministry of War, has a good official style. He and Zhao Siyuan have not gotten along well over the years. He has a bastard who is just above the weak crown. It is said that he is good at reading and martial arts. He is a good young man."
"Both civil and military?" Rong Cang tilted his head, "Why haven't I heard of his name?"
Uncle Xie Xiaoguo smiled: "Master Ji has a good official career, but he is not good at running a family. There is a strong wife in charge of the family. As the saying goes, the mother is strong and the son is weak, and this is the case in his family. The mother is too strong, and the eldest son has been growing up since he was a child. He is pampered, not good at literature and martial arts, has a bad temper, and suppresses his concubine brother severely. In addition, his aunt is in charge of the family, so it is normal for a concubine's reputation to not spread. "
"It's rare for a repressed bastard to be able to learn both civil and military skills." Rong Cang said in a deep tone.
"Master Ji is actually quite fair in raising his children. Regardless of whether they are legitimate sons or concubines, he gives them equal opportunities to study. However, the legitimate sons are so incompetent that Master Ji later put all his energy on the concubines and specially gave them This bastard hired a famous teacher."
"Didn't you send it to the Imperial College?"
Uncle Xie Xiaoguo shook his head: "No, I am not qualified in terms of status."
Rong Cang hummed and was about to say something else when he saw a eunuch coming in a hurry. He came closer and bowed: "His Royal Highness, the Emperor, please go to the Qinzheng Hall."
Rong Cang nodded silently and walked towards Qinzheng Hall, while Uncle Xie Xiaoguo turned around and returned to the Yamen of the Criminal Department.
On the imperial desk in Qinzheng Hall, memorials were piled as high as a hill. Emperor Mu was sitting behind the desk and concentrating on reviewing the memorials.
When he heard that Yang Dexi reported the arrival of His Royal Highness the War King, he looked up at Rong Cang who had entered the palace together, and asked lightly: "Did you just go to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment?"
Rong Cang saluted and nodded: "Yes."
"Did Rong Yu want to see you?" Mu Di asked lightly, "What did he say to you?"
Rong Cang said: "Brother Four Emperors asked me why I didn't punish the Gu family first, thinking that I was afraid of the Gu family."
Emperor Mu frowned: "What did you say?"
Rong Cang looked indifferent: "I have never been afraid of anyone, but the responsibility of a general on the battlefield is not only to win the battle, but also to ensure that the soldiers under him survive the battlefield to the greatest extent within his own capabilities. The same goes for investigating cases. .”
Emperor Mu was silent for a moment, thinking of what Qi Jin had said about Rong Cang almost dying on the battlefield to save Qi Jin.
There was some hidden worry in his mind, but his face remained calm: "Rong Cang, those in higher positions should learn to be cruel."
"Father, this is not a question of cruelty and kindness." Rong Cang retorted calmly, "Elite soldiers and horses are trained hard. In addition to investing a lot of money, it also takes a long time and energy. If the general ignores them, If we only pursue victory at any cost, we will suffer great losses to ourselves, the army, and the court, and the lack of subsequent reinforcements will lead to unimaginable consequences."
"The same goes for officials in the DPRK. Whether they are students who have passed the scientific examination and entered the officialdom, or the upstarts recommended by the Imperial Academy, they are all talents cultivated by their hard work and their families' efforts for ten years. It would be a pity to lose even one of them."
"Young and promising talents with noble backgrounds like Qi Jin and Xie Lin are even rarer. There are also those well-trained bodyguard masters, which are not easy to train. We must not let them die in vain when they don't deserve to die."
"The same goes for my son. My son has concerns, and there are people who care about him, so he won't do anything he knows he can't do."
Emperor Mu relaxed his brows and nodded slowly: "If it is because of cherishing talents, you are right to think so, but those in power must be hard-hearted and ruthless in their methods. People cannot easily grasp their weaknesses, and a soft heart is the most fatal weakness. "
Rong Cang was silent and narrowed his eyes, neither refuting nor expressing agreement.
He has always recognized the rules on the battlefield and must be strict in running the army, in order to ensure minimal losses after going to the battlefield.
The rigorous training is to make the soldiers perfect, and the ruthless methods are to make them understand the bottom line of the generals, what should be done and what should not be done.
But what really wins people's hearts depends on their excellent skills and their compassion for the soldiers.
The same goes for those who are kings.
Cultivating talents requires a combination of kindness and power, and requires being strict and ruthless. You must have complete trust in those who can be reused and abandon suspicion.
Rong Cang has not yet sat in that position, but he already has a set of methods and standards for employing people in his heart, and these standards will not be changed by anyone.
As for being soft-hearted.
Compassion does not command troops, and he has never considered himself a soft-hearted person.
"You should go back first." Emperor Mu waved his hand, "I have talked with Uncle Xie before and asked him to select a few people from the Imperial College to serve you. If you have time recently, you can go to the Imperial College and have a look. There are also those who suit your interest. Ask him for someone."
"Yes." Rong Cang saluted, "I take my leave."
After he left, Emperor Mu silently leaned on the bright yellow brocade couch with carved dragon patterns: "Yang Dexi."
"The slave is here."
"Who do you think Rong Cang's temper looks like?"
Yang Dexi smiled respectfully: "His Royal Highness the War King and the Emperor are father and son, of course they are like the Emperor."
"I was like him when I was young?" Emperor Mu asked himself, frowning, and then shook his head, "It's not the same."
"My servant looks at it. Among the princes, His Royal Highness the War King is the most similar to the Emperor. He is decisive in killing, but also attaches great importance to love and righteousness." Yang Dexi said in an admiring tone, "Although His Highness the War King does not show his emotions, he Be filial to the emperor and queen, care for the princess, and cherish the ministers. He knows what should be done and what should not be done. He will not take everyone as a pawn for granted, and will not ignore the lives of his ministers and soldiers. Such a master is so precious. , is the blessing of the people."
He is worthy of being the number one steward around the emperor.
In the past few days, I have seen the emperor worrying about the matter of establishing a prince, thinking about it until midnight every day, and summoning ministers one after another during the day to discuss it. I am afraid that there is something wrong, but in fact, I have already decided that Prince Zhan will be the prince, but I still have some worries. .
Although Yang Dexi didn't know what the emperor was worried about, he understood the emperor. At this time, supporting the emperor's decision was more important than anything else.
"You are right." Emperor Mu sighed softly, "Draw up a decree and announce it to the court tomorrow morning."
