After giving Concubine Zheng a good look and beating her up, the emperor only came to Yikun Palace again last night, and today he is here again.
Because of the news she heard from Princess Yongning, Concubine Zheng began to pay careful attention to the emperor's expression from the moment he came into her sight.
After several years of companionship, Concubine Zheng could tell at a glance that the emperor was in a bad mood, and there was always an indescribable sadness between her brows. Looking closer, she seemed to feel that the emperor's melancholy was half anger and half worry.
"Are you tired, Your Majesty? I originally wanted to see the lotus flowers, but they will be gone if the season goes by." Like a little girl who is inexperienced in the world, Concubine Zheng took the Emperor's hand and pressed him down. He sat down on the yellow pear wood chair, gently squeezed his shoulders, and said with some resentment.
The action of "pressing" is a bit transcendent, and probably only Concubine Zheng in the harem can do it, but Zhu Yijun doesn't mind, and even likes it.
"In a few days." Zhu Yijun sighed, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes gently.
"Is someone making the emperor unhappy again?" Concubine Zheng complained, "Why are there always these annoying things bothering the emperor?"
Zhu Yijun didn't open his eyes or think about it, but he just replied casually: "Qiu Zhen said before that the greater the power a person has, the greater the responsibility. I am the emperor, the supreme one in the world, so of course I have the greatest responsibility, and the responsibility is When you grow older, you will naturally have more troubles.”
"Gao Situ is a literary star, so what he said naturally makes sense." Concubine Zheng squeezed the emperor's shoulders while observing his expression. Seeing the corner of the emperor's mouth curling up slightly, she couldn't help but said: Sure enough, I can only say good things about Gao pragmatism, the emperor. will be happy.
But Concubine Zheng continued: "Since the Emperor has something troublesome, why don't you talk to Gao Situ about it? Although I don't know about the affairs of the outer court, I heard that Gao Situ has always been effective in doing things and has never disappointed the Emperor. .”
"It's different this time. The trouble lies with him." Zhu Yijun finally opened his eyes, but stared straight at the roof and sighed: "He was impeached a few days ago..."
"Ah?" Concubine Zheng was "shocked" and opened her eyes wide: "Which official is so ignorant that he even impeaches Gao Situ? What can Gao Situ do to impeach?"
Zhu Yijun said angrily: "I get angry when I talk about this. A group of people... hmph, they are making crazy lies and saying that Qiu Zhen's last "Qi Yong Shu" slandered you."
"Gao Situ slandered you?" Concubine Zheng looked even more surprised: "How... is this possible?"
Zhu Yijun said bitterly: "Of course it's impossible. These people just want to collect their business taxes because they seek truth, so they bite randomly without even knowing the severity. I think they just need to be dealt with!"
"Pfft!" Concubine Zheng couldn't help but smile and said with a smile: "Looking at the emperor's appearance, I think he has already taken care of it?"
"That's natural. Can I still get used to them?" Zhu Yijun snorted: "Two of them were sent to the Zhenfu Division, one was dismissed and repatriated, and the other was demoted and transferred to a foreign post."
Concubine Zheng pursed her lips and said with a smile: "The emperor helped Gao Situ by saying this, so Gao Situ must have come out and taken matters into his own hands, wouldn't that be the case?"
"That's the problem." Zhu Yijun sighed: "Qiu Zhen is a good person, but he attaches too much importance to reputation. He went to the bookstore and begged me to forget the blame, but I refused to agree, so he continued to stay at home and refused to go out. …Do you think I’m annoyed or not?”
"Oh, is the emperor sulking because of this?" Concubine Zheng shook her head and said: "It's nothing. Gao Situ is also afraid that outsiders will gossip about him, so why don't you just give him some gentle words to comfort him? It’s not like I’m going to disobey my superiors. If I can’t do one thing, I’ll do two things, and if I can’t do two things, I’ll do three things. It’s just that the secretaries are busy for a while, won’t Gao Situ have to come out sooner or later?”
"Of course I know this truth. The problem is that time will be delayed. If he doesn't come out, something big will happen!" Zhu Yijun became more and more troubled as he talked and put his hand on his forehead.
Concubine Zheng asked knowingly: "Now that everything has been settled, what big thing can happen?"
Zhu Yijun sighed: "Mr. Wang has entered Beijing."
"Which Mr. Wang?" Concubine Zheng asked again.
"Wang Xijue." Zhu Yijun thought that Concubine Zheng didn't know him, so he explained: "He is the new assistant minister who has just been promoted to the cabinet. He is the Sandingjia of the same year as Mr. Shen. He has been my lecturer in the past."
"He just went to Beijing. How come something big happened?"
Zhu Yijun was speechless for a moment: "He..."
Concubine Zheng pursed her lips slightly and said, "Oh, it's government affairs again, so I won't ask you about it."
"Well, it's not entirely government affairs..." Zhu Yijun was a little entangled. Seeing that Concubine Zheng really didn't ask questions, he felt a little sorry for her. He hesitated and sighed: "He advised me to rectify the country as soon as possible."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Yijun noticed that Concubine Zheng's hand suddenly stopped. He glanced at her and found that she was a little absent-minded.
Zhu Yijun couldn't bear it, so he grabbed one of her hands with his backhand and patted it gently: "Don't worry, don't have fetal force."
It turned out that Concubine Zheng was still pregnant at this time.
"What are you so anxious about, my concubine?" Concubine Zheng's eyes were filled with mist, and she looked away: "It is not my concubine who can decide on these matters."
Zhu Yijun felt a little blushed after hearing this - the implication of these words was too obvious. "Concubines" can't be the master, so why can't the emperor be the master?
In theory, of course the emperor can make the decision, but the fact is that the emperor really cannot make the decision completely. The previous third son of the emperor, Chang Xun (the second son was also the daughter of Concubine Zheng, but died in infancy on that day) was born in just one month. Zhu Yijun quickly promoted Concubine Zheng from a noble concubine to an imperial concubine. This had already aroused dissatisfaction among the courtiers and set off the first wave of national affairs. This dispute.
Fortunately, Chang Xun was just one month old at that time, and after Gao Pragmatic's advice, Zhu Yijun suppressed it on the grounds of "the virtual East Palace is waiting for his legitimate son", so there was no big fuss.
But this time it was a little different. Chang Xun was already over a year old. He was fair and fat, and had a strong body. He had never been sick. He also had Zhu Yijun's charm between his eyebrows and was very favored by the emperor.
As a result, the courtiers' worries about the emperor abolishing the eldest son and establishing a younger son increased day by day. From time to time, there would be one or two memorials asking the emperor to establish a prince. Although the emperor either ignored it or demoted the person who had been appointed to a foreign post, this situation did not change. improve.
At this moment, Wang Xijue returned to Beijing with his reputation as a scholar. As soon as he came, he sent a memorial asking the emperor to rectify the country as soon as possible. Even if Zhu Yijun didn't care about the situation in the outer court, he could fully guess that there must be many people in the outer court gearing up. I want to do a good job in this matter.
To put it simply, with Wang Xijue's actions, "Zheng Guoben" suddenly became the most important event in the government and the public, and everyone's eyes were focused on it. No matter what Zhu Yijun thought, he had to give an explanation.
What happened more than a year ago was actually Gao Pragmatic's cooperation with the emperor to suppress it. But now Gao Pragmatic happens to be "retreating", doesn't that mean something big is going to happen?
It's a big deal that I can't give an explanation that satisfies the courtiers.
Zhu Yijun blushed for a while, and said a little discouraged: "I hate you. Wang Xijue also made a fatal suggestion, saying that Chang Luo can be worshiped as the queen's legitimate mother and ask the queen to raise him. In this way, the 'Xudong Palace' that Qiu Zhen suggested last year will be waiting for him. The plan of the legitimate son was bypassed, alas!"
Concubine Zheng didn't say anything herself, but tears suddenly fell down. She was sobbing but refused to say anything, which made Zhu Yijun feel even more embarrassed.
He simply stood up, held Concubine Zheng in his arms, gently stroked her black hair with his hand, and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, I don't think Qiu Zhen will agree to this method..."
"He's still at home!" Concubine Zheng finally said with sobs.
"Yes, yes, I know. I will issue a decree tomorrow and ask him to come out and take care of the matter." Zhu Yijun stopped talking about me when he was anxious.
"But what about Wang Xijue's suggestion?" Concubine Zheng sighed: "I know what the outer court said about me. It's nothing more than a way of charming and bewitching the Lord. She is just afraid that the Emperor will bring down the Queen again... Maybe Gao Situ also has this kind of thing. Worry."
Zhu Yijun was about to speak immediately, but Concubine Zheng looked up into his eyes, shook her head, and said: "There is no need to say anything, Your Majesty. I can always guess what the outer court thinks of me. It's not surprising that Gao Situ is worried like this." . I think, maybe the emperor will grant their wishes..."
"Nonsense!" Zhu Yijun said with some annoyance: "Why? Am I the emperor or are they the emperor? They have the final say on who I want to make my son?"
Concubine Zheng smiled bitterly and said: "Why would the emperor say such angry words? Of course they don't have the final say, but... this is the ancestral system."
"I..." The emperor obviously wanted to say something "angry", but in the end he suppressed his words. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and said, "I think it's better to speak truthfully!"
Concubine Zheng was confused: "What?" After saying this, her heart tightened.
Fortunately, Zhu Yijun immediately said: "Qiuzhen once said, 'I want to follow the original intention of my ancestors, but I may not follow the old methods of our ancestors'. This is so right!"
This kind of thing is not what the harem is supposed to do. Concubine Zheng failed to turn around and thought to herself: What is the original intention of the ancestors? After the death of Prince Yiwen, Taizu would rather train the emperor's grandson than let other sons become princes. Isn't this... the original intention is to insist on establishing direct descendants?
Zhu Yijun saw the strange look on Concubine Zheng's face and knew that she did not understand what he meant, so he explained: "The original intention of our ancestors, if we look into it deeply, is not simply to establish a direct descendant. In fact, in the final analysis, it is for the stability of the world. Establishing a direct descendant is a name. To be fair and obedient; to establish a leader is to be the leader of the country. This is all for the sake of the stability of the world, and we cannot just think that our ancestors cannot violate the rules and blindly follow everything."
Concubine Zheng said in astonishment: "The last words..."
"Uh, this... is naturally speaking for the sake of truth." Zhu Yijun said, and immediately emphasized: "But he is right, I can't just act based on the original words of my ancestors, but I should delve into the original intention of my ancestors. Only in this way can I be considered true." True observance of the ancestral system.”
"What about now?"
"Now? Now that the ministers are forcing me, can the world be stable?" Zhu Yijun snorted coldly: "I have said before that unless the queen has a legitimate son, the country will be in vain for the time being, and we will deal with it later!"
Concubine Zheng felt unsure and thought to herself: Isn't this coming back again? Although there is no movement from the Queen's side, it seems that there is no need to worry for the time being, but the important ministers are pressing the palace with great momentum, and all the ministers are following suit. Can the Emperor really withstand it?
After much thought, Concubine Zheng still felt that it was not safe, but she had no good solution, so she had to use the old method: "If the world is in trouble because of this, it is the fault of the ministers and concubines, or the emperor still followed their wishes..."
Zhu Yijun said angrily: "I don't! I don't believe it yet. If I don't make this decree, can they still push Chang Luo to be the prince?"
Concubine Zheng sighed: "But it is not an option to continue like this."
"Don't worry, wait three or four years at most, and I will definitely be able to solve this matter." Zhu Yijun suddenly said proudly.
"Oh?" It was also the first time that Concubine Zheng heard the emperor speak so decisively about this matter, and she couldn't help but wonder: "Why is it that the emperor is sure that he can convince the ministers in the outer court in these three years?"
"Persuade? Why do I want to convince them?" Zhu Yijun snorted coldly and said proudly: "I want to convince them!"
Concubine Zheng obviously didn't believe it, but she couldn't say it bluntly, so she could only say: "Your Majesty... are you sure?"
Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and said: "As long as you use truth-seeking properly, you will be sure of this matter. Uh... at least 90% sure."
After all, it was about personal interests, and it was the greatest interests. Concubine Zheng finally couldn't help it, and asked cautiously: "Why is the emperor so confident that he can convince the foreign court in just three or four years?" She specifically used "to convince" here. The two words emphasized the tone.
Zhu Yijun was indeed very confident. He raised his chin slightly and said, "It has been 219 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Do you know what troubles have always accompanied me?"
Concubine Zheng thought for a while and asked: "Mongolia?"
"Of course!" Zhu Yijun showed a smile: "Mongolia has always been the great enemy of the Ming Dynasty. Even though Emperor Chengzu made several expeditions to Mobei, he could not wipe them all out. Today, they are still dead and not stiff. This is a problem that has plagued the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years. also."
Concubine Zheng understood a little and asked tentatively: "The emperor wants to destroy Mongolia, fulfill the unfulfilled wishes of the second ancestors, and then become powerful in the world, comparable to the majesty of the second ancestors after the founding of the country and Jingnan, so that no one in the world dares to compete with each other." ,Then……"
"Yes, that's it." Zhu Yijun took her hand, sat down on the brocade couch for a break together, and comforted: "I shouldn't tell you about this, but I don't want to hide this from you today. I and Qiuzhen have been planning this matter for many years. It can even be said that we started planning it when Mr. Gao was in power in the past. At that time, the late emperor was still in power...
In short, now that the general situation is clear, I, the Ming Dynasty, only need to accumulate some more money and food so that I will have no worries, then I can wipe out the northern barbarians and conquer the world. By then, I will naturally not have to say anything to some people in the outer court. The only thing I can worry about is that this year, due to the reduction of military pay, the rebellion in the northwest broke out, so I can no longer think of ways to reduce expenditures in the future, and that is why I use truth-seeking as my chief minister..."
