While the two ministers in Shen Da Shi's mansion were discussing how to deal with Gao pragmatism, the atmosphere in Shangshu Gao's mansion was also quite unusual.
What is unusual is that the atmosphere in the mansion is polarized.
The Rixin Building located in the core area is as peaceful as ever. From time to time, Gao Yuan's childish laughter and crying can be heard, as well as Gao Pragmatic's laughter.
Except for the Rixin Building, there are densely covered outposts and hidden stakes. There are now 394 armed servants in the entire Shangshu Gao Mansion, not counting the hidden sentries arranged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The flower hall in the front yard was transformed into a former enemy command post by Huang Zhiting. The military defense plans of the capital and even the entire Hebei Plain were hung directly on the wall of the flower hall. The calligraphy paintings of famous calligraphers, However, the wonderful paintings have already been moved to the Rixin Building for storage.
Huang Zhiting sorted out not only the defense plans, but also the family backgrounds, factions, ability evaluations, personal personalities, and even historical interactions with Gao Pragmatic of the generals who were guarding each place. Based on this, Huang Zhiting sorted out the garrison in each place according to different dangers. Levels are marked in different colors.
At the same time, Jinghua’s armed forces and quasi-armed forces within this range were also marked. In addition, the remaining stationed formations of the Beiyang Fleet in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea have also been integrated into this map.
In just a few days, Huang Zhiting, with the cooperation of Gao Mo's Ministry of Internal Affairs, has formulated what she considers to be the most reasonable and sure-fire escape plan - of course, the protagonist who wants to escape in this plan is not her, but her husband. Highly pragmatic.
This plan does not have just one path or one option. In fact, Huang Zhiting estimated various dangers and formulated up to seven branch plans to adjust to possible changes. The places where she finally escaped and boarded the ship were in Tianjin, Kaiping, and Laizhou. .
The flower hall itself has also been classified as a forbidden area. Gao Mo has sent one of the most elite teams from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to guard it, and has authorized it to be poured with kerosene in times of crisis and quickly set on fire to ensure that it is foolproof and that no secrets can be leaked.
It was getting late now. Huang Zhiting left the flower hall carrying a map drawn with charcoal and reduced many times, and returned to Rixin Building to find Gao Pragmatic.
When she entered, Gao Pangshi was admiring the snow by the window. What seemed to be a small bowl of medicinal soup on the tea table not far away was exuding a strong bitter fragrance.
Huang Zhiting was obviously very surprised when she saw the medicinal soup. She even forgot about her business and asked nervously: "Is the master sick? Weren't you all fine at dinner?"
Gao pragmatic turned his head and smiled and said: "Do you think this is medicine? Hahaha, this is not medicine, it is a drink. The Nanyang Fleet got it from the Arabs years ago. It seems that I haven't had time to give you a copy. .”
Huang Zhiting was worried that Gao Jingshi was just comforting her, so she walked over and took a look doubtfully, frowning and said: "Although it has some fragrance, I can smell the bitterness just by smelling it. Is this a drink? Is it the same thing as tea?"
"Well, this thing is called coffee. It is...a product from Kunlunnu. In the map I drew, it is a drink made from the fruit of a plant in East Africa, which is dried and ground."
"Bitter?" Huang Zhiting asked.
"Originally it is bitter, but tea is also bitter, and you can drink coffee with sugar, which is different from tasting tea." Gao pragmatically smiled: "But you know that I rarely eat sugar. This cup of coffee is bitter. There’s no sugar in it, so if you want to try it, you have to ask them to prepare another cup for you.”
Huang Zhiting shook her head: "No need, I don't dare to be so leisurely now."
Gao Pragmatic looked a little helpless and said: "Are you still preparing the escape plan? I have already said that I am very safe now, and the emperor will never have the slightest intention to kill me. He is just struggling with the contradiction between reason and emotion. , so after struggling to the end, I wanted to test it out and see what kind of reaction I would have.
In this case, I only need to hand over some power and influence that ordinary people think are dangerous without saying a word. Not only will the emperor not be dissatisfied with me, he will even secretly regret it afterwards and feel that he He did something stupid and unkind, and then he felt guilty towards me. "
Huang Zhiting said: "So what if you feel guilty? Once these powers are transferred out, the master's influence will always be weakened. And can he still hand these powers over to the master again?"
"Even if he hands it back to me, I won't accept it." Gao Pragmatic took a sip of the cup of coffee and said with a smile, "Sometimes, it's better to have someone owe you something than to have someone pay you back right away." It is much smarter and more advantageous. Of course, the premise is that the debt is not too big, because if the debt is too big, it will easily prompt the debtor to take risks - if the creditor dies, the debt will of course be written off."
"Are you sure that your judgment on the size of this 'debt' and the emperor's judgment on the size of this 'debt' must be consistent?" Huang Zhiting sighed: "If the master thinks this is not a big deal, but the emperor thinks it is not a big deal. This is a thorn in his heart, what should he do?"
"Based on what I know about him, he will find ways to compensate me elsewhere." Gao Pragmatic still smiled: "It's just that it may take a while."
"Maybe the master is right, but I can't sit back and watch like this." Huang Zhiting said: "It's not a bad thing to be more prepared. Even if you don't use it now, in the future, if the master's status is more respected and his reputation is higher, such a crisis may happen again. Show up… prepared.”
"Since we are worried about the future, why should we take such big action now?"
Gao pragmatically said gently and authentically: "The Great Learning said: 'Knowing to stop can lead to concentration, concentration can lead to tranquility, tranquility can lead to tranquility, tranquility can lead to thinking, and worrying can lead to gain.' My delegation of power this time can also be regarded as 'stopping' . Now that you know the cessation, you need to be calm and still. If you are still, you will be at peace."
Huang Zhiting said: "After Anzhi, I gained something, so I gave you a backhand?"
After hearing this, Gao Jingshi did not feel complacent. Instead, he pondered for a moment and then said with a slight wry smile: "Zhiting, what you call a backhand blow must be referring to my promotion of Li Wenquan's promotion, right?"
Huang Zhiting just blinked and did not speak, but it was obvious that she admitted it.
Seeing this, Gao Pragmatic shook his head helplessly: "Actually, if I had not carried the banner of practical learning, I would never have done this so-called counterattack.
As I just said, my best choice at this moment is to take the initiative to delegate power immediately, and never take any other actions or say any unnecessary words. The more behaved and honest I am, the deeper and heavier the Emperor's guilt for me will be, and the more compensation and respect he will give me in the future.
Any counterattack I make now - even if I try my best to push my uncle out - will not change the impression in the emperor's mind that I am not unconditionally obedient to this matter. In other words, he will assume that my loyalty is reserved and that I may still go against his wishes at some point. "
"Isn't this human nature?" Huang Zhiting frowned and said: "Even if we are the native people under the rule of the chieftain, if the chieftain is too unethical, they will resist."
"This is the truth, but as a human being, knowing the truth is one thing, but thinking about it is another thing." Gao pragmatically said: "In fact, I am not the same type of person as the late Emperor Mu Miao. Mu Miao... In terms of knowledge and ability, he is actually far behind what he is today. However, Mu Miao has one of the biggest advantages, that is, he not only knows people well and does his job well, but also never takes power himself. He is willing to leave things to him that he is really not good at. Let the person you think is appropriate take charge.
When I was a child, I was a close servant of the emperor and his son. I am afraid that there are few people in the world who know them well. Jinshang learned from Mu Miao in many aspects, taking his imperial father as a role model, but his knowledge was far more solid than Mu Miao's, and he was relatively more independent-minded. Therefore, he is not only more willing, but indeed more inclined to insist on carrying out his own will.
Although he seemed willing to accept advice, at least he followed almost all of my advice. However, Zhiting, you need to understand that his adoption is completely different in nature from Mu Miao's acceptance of the advice of my third uncle, Wen Zhenggong.
Mu Miao accepted my third uncle's advice because Mu Miao believed from the bottom of his heart that whatever my third uncle said must be the most correct and perfect, so his adoption was truly a joyful one; now, To adopt my advice, firstly, you need me to clarify the truth, and secondly, you need me to prove its effectiveness.
Third time... He also has a mentality that because I am his most trusted minister relatively speaking, and the close relationship between him and my monarch is known to everyone in the court, he subconsciously thinks that if he rejects my offer If you give advice, you will be considered mean and ungrateful by the civil and military officials of the dynasty and even the whole world, which will damage the name of the holy king.
With this mentality, as long as my advice does not seriously violate his wishes and will, he will not be able to object. Not only was it difficult to object, but he even had to publicly publicize that he accepted my advice without hesitation. "
Huang Zhiting suddenly realized and said: "Oh, I understand. A large part of this is actually for the civil and military officials of the dynasty, and even for the whole world to see. The purpose is to show that he accepts advice humbly and cares about his old ministers. He is not only a wise king. , and he’s still Renjun!”
"So now do you understand why I am unwilling to fight back?" Gao Pragmatic sighed and said: "Now that such a king has had me accompany him to watch the government since he was a child, I have long guided him to analyze many important matters. He has learned about it countless times, so he knows almost all the government affairs of the court.
He also knew very well what would happen after some decisions were made. As for the intrigues and intrigues in the court, he was even more familiar with them. Such a person, such a king, how do you think he could completely trust someone like Mu Miao?
Even if he does trust him in his heart, he will definitely compare this person's behavior with his own understanding to analyze whether this person is completely loyal to him. This kind of practice is not like the Mu Temple, but against the modern temple. It is a kind of...how to put it, it can be regarded as the inevitable worry and suspicion of smart people. "
"Then Master..." Huang Zhiting couldn't help but feel a sudden thought when she heard that the emperor was worried and suspicious, and worry appeared on her face again.
"How am I doing? I'm still safe." Gao Pragmatic shook his head: "Just because he is smart, even particularly smart, he is worried and suspicious, but he can definitely see that I have no regard for his status. There is no threat, and there is no coveting of his imperial power.
His current temptation was originally done because he was confused about it. As long as I delegated power decisively, he would immediately understand and confirm his opinion. He will think that my ideal is to be a famous figure who can be praised throughout the ages, and for this ideal, I can give up any seemingly extremely prominent reputation. "
Huang Zhiting interrupted at this time and asked: "Sir, wait a minute, you said that I am 'puzzled about this'. What does this puzzling specifically mean?"
Gao Pingshi said: "His confusion is ultimately about why I am indifferent to the imperial power, that is, why I have no interest in being the emperor. After all, it is the supreme power, the constitution of heaven, and the law. Whatever."
Huang Zhiting observed Gao Pragmatic carefully and asked as calmly as possible: "Is the master really not interested?"
"If you ask about the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, of course I have no interest in it." Gao Pragmatic, whose usual ability to observe words and emotions seemed to have been completely lost for a moment, said calmly: "The Ming Dynasty was founded on the great righteousness of the world, expelling the Tartars, and it is the right way to win the country. There is no such thing in the past dynasties, orthodoxy has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
What's more, the emperor has done nothing immoral, and the people everywhere have never felt that the emperor of the Zhu family is unworthy of his throne. Under such circumstances, no matter who covets the throne, it is all wishful thinking, and they are treating all people as nothing for their own selfishness, and will not get anyone's response.
And... let me give you an example, why did the Sui Dynasty die? Although there is a reason for Yang Guang's abuse of people's power, one of the reasons is that his father, Emperor Wen Yang Jian, did not win the country correctly. All the people in the world are unconvinced, and the Guanlong clan is not convinced... He was originally just like us, why did he suddenly become our king? Under such circumstances, he conquered Goryeo several times and was defeated, and the emperor's authority was lost. How could the world not rebel?
But the Ming Dynasty was completely different from that time. When Mu Temple paid tribute to Anda, the northern border gradually became peaceful, and the national treasury gradually became stronger. After today, the two Dukes of Gao and Guo first accumulated strength and gathered together for ten years, and then they won great victories in the north, south, and east. Today The power of Shangjun has long been consolidated.
At this moment, the people's support is stable and the military is extremely powerful. It is not because I have won almost all these great victories, so the emperor does not have to worry. "
"What about now?" Huang Zhiting asked.
"Now...the emperor will show his trust in me as always, and even more favor." Gao pragmatically said calmly: "But the belief now is different from the belief a few years ago."
"Is the entire crisis over this time?" Huang Zhiting asked again.
"Is there any crisis?" Gao Pingshi smiled: "You are always worried that the emperor will be unfavorable to me. This may be the sequelae of you staying in southern Xinjiang for too long and being wary of those kings.
My real crisis here is not at all the emperor, but someone will definitely take advantage of my delegation of power to poach the corners of my real school while trying to find ways to undermine my prestige. Even if you can't defeat me instantly, you can at least bring me closer to Xu and Shen. When the time comes for the real school to fight among themselves, they will be able to reap the benefits. "
"The master is such a godly person. Could it be that he has already made arrangements?"
Gao pragmatic curled his lips and said: "I can't say that the old god is here, but I can probably guess some directions in which they may exert their efforts, so... I plan to fall into the trap and make them happy."
"Ah? What did the master say?"
"I said, I am a junior, I suffer a little loss to make them happy. This is respecting the elders, which is a virtue!" Gao Pingshi smiled and said: "What's more, if I don't suffer a loss now, I will suffer a loss in the future. It’s not worth it.”
Huang Zhiting put her hand on her forehead, looking like she had a headache, and said: "If I don't want to say it, let it go, but I cannot shelve the arrangements for arming the servants that I have made."
"Okay, okay, it all depends on you, it all depends on you." Gao pragmatically said with a smile, then shook the almost finished coffee in his hand and said: "This can be grown in both southern Xinjiang and Yunnan, are you interested? "
"Thank you, sir, you should enjoy it by yourself." Huang Zhiting obviously had no interest in thinking about this at the moment.
Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "This thing can be sold to Hongyi for money... But forget it, there is no rush now anyway."
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