Concubine Li didn't know why the emperor suddenly mentioned such a thing. Although she was born in a peasant family and had encountered many hardships in life when she was young. She had a resolute personality and rarely wavered in her decisions, but in the final analysis she did not have any outstanding talents. In her mind, no matter what kind of person the emperor is, in the final analysis, he is her husband and her god. Therefore, when the emperor suddenly mentioned something like "the sky is falling and the earth is falling" to her, she felt a little frightened and didn't know what to do.
In her philosophy, as the emperor's concubine, even if she is a noble concubine, she should speak in accordance with the emperor's thoughts when it does not involve "the country, the country, the country". However, she didn't want to think about what the emperor was talking about right now, so how could she be willing to follow this line of thinking? Do you want to tell the emperor: Don't worry, I will take good care of your son after you die?
Long Qing sighed and said: "I've been thinking recently that no matter what Emperor Jing said back then, at least the emperor did not do a bad job, but in the end...it took so many years to be recognized posthumously. I am luckier than Emperor Jing, and this throne will last until the end. It can only be mine. However, I sometimes wonder, what was the problem that led Emperor Jing to seize the throne back then?"
Concubine Li felt a little weird and thought to herself: Yingzong is the emperor's great-great-grandfather (great-grandfather's father), why is he always thinking about Daizong, his great-uncle?
"Later I discovered one thing. When Emperor Jing found out about the incident and there was a commotion in the palace, he actually asked if Yu Qian had conspired to rebel... He was not unjustly defeated." Long Qing sighed: "Emperor Jing was able to commit suicide in the first place. To ascend the throne, firstly, the Empress Dowager approved it, but the most important thing was Yu Qian's support. Later, Emperor Jing seemed to favor Qian, but in fact he didn't really trust Qian in his heart, so he only asked if Yu Qian was treasonous."
He looked directly into Concubine Li's eyes and said: "So I understand a truth: even if the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty hold great power or even military power like Yu Qian did, they will not rebel. On the contrary, there are some people who are not satisfied with their status. Whether it is civil servants, military generals or eunuchs, they may engage in speculation and take desperate risks. Therefore, I have always unswervingly used Mr. Gao to govern."
At this time, Concubine Li somewhat understood what the emperor wanted to express. Although she did not know Gao Gong well at this time, she still knew Gao Gong's teaching and support to the emperor, and she had a good impression of him. However, she always heard people talk about Gao Gong's strong personality. , there are often some "conflicts" between words, which makes this good impression somewhat compromised.
"What does the emperor mean?" she asked tentatively.
Long Qing smiled bitterly and said: "If something happens to me in the future, you must trust my gentlemen. They may have different personalities, different ways of dealing with people, and even their political ideas may not be exactly the same, but they are all the same to me. Those who are loyal will not have any treacherous thoughts..." He wanted to be more clear, but he felt that he had said enough today, and it would be unlucky to continue talking, so he stopped.
Concubine Li did not dare to let the emperor continue speaking, and said hurriedly: "I understand, I remember: the emperor's gentlemen are all loyal and reliable ministers."
Long Qing opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally sighed: "Well, that's it." Then he stood up and said: "Xuan Guozhang."
Li Wei came into the palace and found his daughter standing next to the emperor, looking a little dazed. The emperor himself seemed to be distracted.
The old man's heart tightened and he did not dare to think too much. He stepped forward and bowed his head: "Li Wei, the commander of the royal guards, has met your majesty and the noble concubine."
Three cheers for long live and so on were not so strict in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, especially in such informal occasions.
"Well, the abbot of the country has a body, and I will give you a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
When Li Wei sat down, Long Qing and Concubine Li had already sat down in advance. Long Qing asked: "Is everything going well on the trip to the country?"
"Back to Your Majesty, everything went well." The little old man felt that the atmosphere today was not right and did not dare to say another word.
"That's good, thank you for your hard work, father-in-law." Long Qing said casually: "Does the father-in-law know what happened in Beijing these days because of a few children?"
Old man Li Wei rolled his eyes and did not dare to answer too harshly. He just said vaguely: "I... heard something."
Concubine Li Gui frowned a little while sitting next to the emperor, but Long Qing didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, she smiled slightly: "Actually, I'm just afraid that the prince will be lonely. After all, his brother is too young, and according to the ancestral teachings of the emperor, The two of them can't play together much, so I want to find him some companions who are similar in age."
"The prince must be extremely grateful for your majesty's love and care."
"Prince Renxiao naturally understands my thoughts." Long Qing said with a smile: "But the outer court is not satisfied. The outer court said that there are not many decent children from the noble family of military ministers. They have only been with the prince for a long time. I’m afraid that I might lead the prince into mischief... What do you think, father-in-law?"
Li Wei was so anxious that his forehead was sweating, and he thought to himself: What do I think? How the hell would I dare to think about it? You are the emperor, and if you say what you think, it will be over. How convenient is it for me to think the same as you! If I think wrong, will I be in big trouble?
"Cough!" Concubine Li coughed lightly.
Li Wei secretly glanced at his daughter and saw that her daughter was sitting still with no expression on her face. However, with her hands folded in front of her, she stretched out the index finger of her right hand and pointed in the direction of the cabinet, and then suddenly pointed upward again. .
The little old man suddenly felt blessed and said loudly: "Ah, I thought that Mr. Gaoge was knowledgeable and the temple was far away. If your majesty has any doubts, you might as well ask Mr. Gaoge to come and ask, and he will definitely be able to relieve your majesty's worries."
It turns out that this little old man can describe Gao Gong in eight words: "Hongwen and learned, and his temples are lofty." I don't know who taught him.
But Concubine Li's advice was spot on. Although Long Qing saw it clearly, the smile on his face still grew brighter. He nodded and said: "What the abbot said is true. I have asked the cabinet to submit a statement on this matter. Mr. Gao and others discussed the idea that since I am afraid that the prince will be lonely, it is better to select a few children with both ability and political integrity but similar age to the prince from the families of the third-rank or above civil servants in the court to accompany the prince to study together... I think this is a good idea. , but the range of selection is a bit too wide."
"Then..." Li Wei was a little confused after hearing this. He was about to say, "Then this won't be easy." He subconsciously glanced at his daughter again, only to see that her daughter had indeed extended a finger again, but this time , but it was pointing at him as a father.
Li Wei rolled his eyes and saw the emperor's face darken, and quickly continued the conversation: "That's it... I'll leave it to you now. Although I'm just an errand in Jinyi Guard, I still know some people after all. I'll leave it to you now." Go and talk to them, I believe there won’t be many ignorant people coming to join in the fun.”
Long Qing frowned slightly, thinking to himself, why did these words change their taste when they entered your mouth? But then I thought: Forget it, it’s not easy for him to understand what he means. Let’s leave it at that. It’s only appropriate to leave this kind of thing to people like him. Who else is willing to do this kind of work? If Meng Chong and Feng Bao were allowed to do it, other troubles would probably arise. Let him go. After all, he is the prince's grandfather, so it is convenient to say this.
So he finally nodded: "I am very pleased that the emperor is willing to share my worries. Come on, give the emperor a bullfighting uniform and two pounds of Fujian tribute tea."
Fujian tribute tea is probably Dahongpao. Probably Long Qing thinks this tea is suitable for the elderly to maintain their health.
Li Wei got up in a hurry to thank him.
Long Qing smiled and said: "The abbot has been working hard all the way. Go back and rest early."
Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him again, and left.
"Okay, Concubine, I will go first." Long Qing stood up and said to Concubine Li.
"I respectfully send you to your Majesty."
As soon as Long Qing left, Concubine Li frowned slightly. After thinking about it, she felt that something was wrong: Why did it feel like the emperor met my father here today just to let me give him some advice?
