In Yikun Palace, Concubine Zheng's bedroom was filled with a faint fragrance, which was formed by mixing medicinal incense and sandalwood.
Concubine Zheng, who was dressed in winter clothes, was lying diagonally on the bed. Her left foot was exposed and wrapped in fine white gauze. Even the unwrapped area looked a little swollen.
"How on earth did you do things? If you hadn't been negligent in waiting, how could the imperial concubine fall down in her own palace!" Zhu Yijun glanced at the group of eunuchs and maids kneeling in front of him with an unkind look. He looked like he was eager to give an order with his angry look. It would be better to drag them all out and kill them with sticks.
No one dared to answer. Everyone could only kneel and remain motionless. The only thing they could do was to bow their heads deeply.
"Liu Cheng!" Since no one answered, the emperor simply named him directly: "You are the one serving in Yikun Palace today. Tell me what happened at that time!"
"Back to your lord, the servant was indeed present at that time." Liu Cheng also looked trembling, and said casually: "The empress originally just wanted to walk in the yard, and the servant and others wanted to be close, but the empress told me that she wanted to be quiet for a while. Therefore, the slaves and others had to stay a little further away. Who knows when the empress comes down the steps-"
"Your Majesty, there is no need to blame them. I was in a trance for a moment and missed my footing when going down the steps. It has nothing to do with them."
Concubine Zheng interrupted Liu Cheng's words and said softly to the emperor: "Nothing big happened to the left or right... But Liu Cheng, who has been serving the emperor and his concubine for so many years, is so ignorant that he goes to the emperor for such a trivial matter. You really deserve a beating for disturbing the Emperor during his lunch break."
Liu Cheng quickly took over the words, kowtowed vigorously on the ground and said: "Yes, the Imperial Concubine taught me that it was my slave who was reckless. My slave... I was also frightened at that time. I was so distracted that I actually disturbed the emperor's purity. I should be beaten." , it should be beaten, please punish me!"
Zhu Yijun ignored Liu Cheng and just asked Concubine Zheng: "I missed my foot in a daze? Why are you so careless? Look at it, it's so swollen. Does it hurt?"
Concubine Zheng pursed her lips and smiled, shook her head slightly, and said: "I was naughty when I was young. One summer, I wanted to catch a cicada. I even climbed a tree and fell from the tree. At that time, no one cared about me as much as the emperor. , I don’t even dare to let my parents know, so I can only pretend that it doesn’t hurt. Now that the emperor cares about me, even if my feet really hurt, I don’t feel any pain in my heart.”
The emperor was about to reply, but he heard Liu Cheng still kowtowing "dong dong dong". He turned his head and took a look and said: "Well, since the fall of the imperial concubine is not your fault, I will not pursue it. You get up—you get up too, and everyone except Pang Paul goes to wait outside."
Liu Cheng got up quickly. Zhu Yijun glanced at him and saw that his forehead was red from being knocked down, and said, "I'll get some medicine later."
"Yes, I thank you for your kindness." Liu Cheng said, but he immediately stepped aside and stood with his hands down.
Except for Pang Bao who stood up and stepped aside side by side with Liu Cheng, the others all retreated carefully.
The emperor himself pulled up a chair and sat next to Concubine Zheng. While looking down at her foot injury, he said: "Do you have any past experiences of catching cicadas? I think I had this idea when I was a child. It's just that. It's a pity that no one around me dares to let me climb the tree. Even if it is pragmatic, he only agrees to let him climb the tree, catch the cicada, bring it down and show it to me."
"Huh?" Concubine Zheng looked surprised and asked, "Did the Emperor and Gao Situ do such a thing back then? Hehe, can a scholar like Gao Situ also climb trees?"
"Then you must underestimate him. He has been in good health since he was a child, and he is also tall. He can only climb trees with ease." Zhu Yijun raised his head, as if remembering something, and said with emotion: "I did it with him at that time. I did a lot of extraordinary things, not only climbing trees to catch cicadas, but also rafting in the North Sea, shooting at the Ordnance Bureau, etc. According to what the foreign ministers said, these things are very dangerous, and I can't go there."
Concubine Zheng seemed to be curious about the baby and asked: "Then how did you go there in the end? Did you go there secretly?"
"How can that be done? At the time when we were rafting in the North Sea and doing target practice at the Ordnance Bureau, I was already the emperor, but I had not yet officially taken charge. How could it be so easy to conceal my whereabouts at that time?" Zhu Yijun shook his head and sighed: " It was only because I came up with the idea, and then negotiated pragmatically with the Queen Mothers of the two palaces and Mr. Gao, and tried every means to convince them, that we were able to make the trip."
"Is this... can you convince me?" Concubine Zheng Huang was greatly surprised: "I heard that during the Longqing period of Mu Temple, the late emperor wanted to go to Yudi to reminisce about the past, but he was rejected by the outer court, which made the late emperor resentful. I’ve been pregnant with you for a long time.”
Zhu Yijun sighed: "Yes, there are some people in the outer court who are so annoying most of the time. But you also know that pragmatic person. He is always very eloquent. As long as he is willing to agree, he can successfully persuade the Queen Mother and Mr. Gao. , I was really able to realize a lot of my dreams thanks to him at that time...but looking back, I think he had to worry a lot about it."
Concubine Zheng Huang asked: "Since Gao Situ can convince the Queen Mother and Mr. Gao, why do you say that he has a lot of worries?"
"You don't understand this. It's one thing for him to be persuasive, but since I'm here in person, I need a lot of preparations, just in case."
Zhu Yijun seemed to be in high spirits, and said with a smile: "Let's talk about rafting in the North Sea. I was actually thinking of just two of us going rowing in the North Sea. We would also prepare a pot of good wine with less stamina and a few on the boat. Plate small dishes, and then prepare pen, ink, paper and inkstone, the two of them took advantage of the night to drink wine and write poems..."
"Still at night?" Concubine Zheng was indeed not an ordinary concubine, she could interrupt the emperor's words at any time.
Zhu Yijun laughed: "Yes, my original plan was to go boating under the moonlight. It would be more interesting." After a pause, he sighed: "It's a pity that it didn't happen in the end. I pragmatically traveled back and forth between the Queen Mother and Mr. Gao in the two palaces. After talking for several days, the final negotiated condition was to go during the day, and a large group of Han generals with the best temperament were arranged to escort him.
At that time, there was not only a circle of people around the lake, but also more than a dozen accompanying boats. Pragmatism even sent people to make a set of things called "unsinkable clothes" in advance and put them on the boat he and I were on just in case. "
Concubine Zheng opened her eyes wide and asked, "Bu Chenyi? It sounds like it's very powerful. What kind of treasure is that?"
"Haha, baby?" Zhu Yijun laughed and said, "When I heard him talk about it before, I thought it was a treasure, but when I got it, I realized, oh, it's actually made of clothes that look like a raft.
His 'Unsinkable Clothes' are sealed air bags made of silk...I don't know what they are made of. These air bags are not big, but very dense. They are arranged side by side in rows, and the whole is made into a hood. Wearing those clothes, even people who don't know the nature of water can float on the water. In order to prove that this thing can ensure my safety, he even sent someone to wear it and demonstrate it to the two palaces and Mr. Gao. "
"It's so amazing. What do the two empress dowagers and Mr. Gao say?" Concubine Zheng looked quite happy, and her feet seemed to no longer hurt.
Zhu Yijun was very satisfied that he could divert his beloved concubine's attention and said very cooperatively: "The two palaces are fine. Not only is she relieved, Queen Rensheng also praised her for being pragmatic and thoughtful. However, Mr. Gao was not so easy to talk to, although he reluctantly agreed. He came down, but he blamed Pang Shi, saying that he was not doing his job properly and indulged in foreign things, and then ordered him to go back and copy Zhu Zi's "Zhongyong Chapters" ten times."
Concubine Zheng was very happy when she heard this. She covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes turned into a pair of crescent moons. She smiled and said: "Ah, it turns out that Gao Situ Daijun has been used to it since he was a child!"
Zhu Yijun was originally laughing, but when he heard this sentence, his face suddenly stiffened and his smile gradually faded away.
Concubine Zheng was usually able to change her attitude according to the changes in the emperor's expression, but today she was a little slow for some reason. It seemed that she noticed the change in the emperor's expression a little late, and asked tentatively: "What's wrong, Your Majesty? It's my concubine." Did you say something wrong to make the emperor unhappy?"
Zhu Yijun shook his head, stood up with his hands on the handrails, and walked silently. Concubine Zheng glanced at Pang Bao and Liu Cheng. The two nodded slightly, and then continued to lower their heads, not looking at the emperor and the concubine. They kept their gaze at the corner of their eyes, just enough to see the emperor's feet. .
Zhu Yijun walked around for a while and suddenly said: "Pang Bao, where did you go last night?"
The emperor asked this in a low voice, but in Pang Bao's ears it was like a thunder on the ground, so shocked that he almost knelt down and kowtow subconsciously. However, he still held back and subconsciously glanced at Concubine Zheng.
Unexpectedly, Concubine Zheng was very calm. She glanced at the emperor first and then nodded to Pang Bao.
Pang Bao immediately knelt down, kowtowed his head to the ground, and said, "Reporting to the emperor, I went to Gao Situ's house last night."
"What to do?" Zhu Yijun asked.
Pang Bao bowed his head deeply and said: "Go...ask for help."
"Ask for help?" Zhu Yijun raised his chin slightly and said calmly: "In the eyes of outsiders, if he doesn't say that he can't protect himself, at least he has too much time to take care of himself. You go to him for help at this time. What kind of help are you asking for, and who needs help? ?”
"Slave, this slave is..." Pang Bao hesitated.
Concubine Zheng Huang suddenly spoke and said, "Your Majesty, don't ask. He went to Chang Xun for help on my concubine's behalf."
Zhu Yijun did not turn around, and remained silent for a moment before saying: "You two, go down."
"You two" of course refers to Pang Bao and Liu Cheng, so the two of them responded and crawled out, leaving only the emperor and the imperial concubine in the room.
Zhu Yijun still didn't speak, and Concubine Zheng didn't speak either. The atmosphere suddenly became extremely quiet and strange.
I don’t know how long it took, but maybe the emperor, who was often suffering from foot ailments, was tired of standing. He sighed and sat back on the chair he had moved in front of Concubine Zheng. He looked at the woman in front of him and asked slowly: "Is Chang Xun in any danger? Do you need to send someone to pragmatically ask for help?"
Concubine Zheng Huang also sighed and said to the emperor with a wry smile: "Both the inner and outer courts are under the control of the emperor. No one's actions can escape the emperor's eyes. Does the emperor really not know about Chang Xun's danger?"
The emperor did not answer this sentence, but asked: "I want to know how you asked for help, and even more, I want to know how pragmatically answered."
Concubine Zheng Huang glanced at the emperor and asked: "Your Majesty, do you still remember the last time you asked me to use 'Shangfu' to test Gao Situ?" [Note: See Chapter 155 Zheng Guotai and Chapter 156 Guo Situ in this volume? My uncle knelt down and begged for advice]
Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and said, "I remember, so what?"
It turns out that Liu Xin's analysis last time was really right. Zheng Guotai promised in the name of Concubine Zheng that as long as Gao Pragmatic supports Zhu Changxun to become the crown prince, once Zhu Changxun inherits the throne in the future, he will call Gao Pragmatic "Shangfu". It was really Zhu Yijun's idea.
"Was Gao Situ's answer at that time not enough to satisfy the emperor?" Concubine Zheng asked.
"Satisfied." Zhu Yijun replied: "But this time is different from the last time. What I want to know is something else."
"So, does the Emperor know the answer now, and is he satisfied?"
Zhu Yijun frowned slightly and nodded: "I'm generally satisfied."
"I heard that Mr. Zhang Ge was impeached again this morning, and he stayed behind closed doors like Gao Situ?"
"Yes, what about that?" Zhu Yijun raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "You are beginning to worry that Mr. Wang will take the opportunity to mention Zheng Guoben again, and since Chang Xun has no supporters in the court, I can only According to the wishes of Mr. Wang and others, make Chang Luo the crown prince?"
"Of course the emperor doesn't have to listen, but in this case, the emperor will definitely be troubled by countless sparse essays. Those people quote every word from scriptures. Even the emperor can't catch them all, right?"
Concubine Zheng Huang sighed and said softly: "Although Gao Situ does not support Chang Xun, judging from Cathay's feedback, he at least takes the emperor's wishes seriously and believes that Chang Luo cannot be appointed as the leader under the current circumstances. Prince, otherwise the country will not be truly stable.
Your Majesty, although I don't understand the affairs of the country and dare not interfere indiscriminately, ministers like Gao Situ are hundreds of times better than...some people who don't care about what the emperor thinks at all, right? "
Zhu Yijun did not answer, but his eyes became softer and his facial lines were not as tight as before.
Concubine Zheng Huang knew that her words had an effect, and struck the iron while the iron was hot: "I don't have much knowledge, but I just don't want the emperor to get into trouble. If Gao Situ could come out and take a look at the matter earlier, Wang Ge and the others must be more careful, and Even if there are any moves, I have no choice but to go for Gao Situ, and Gao Situ... Judging from the previous situation, he is not afraid of them, wouldn't it be good to get the best of both worlds?"
"You really don't understand." Zhu Yijun sighed and said: "I am not in a hurry to let pragmatism take care of things. I just want to see how big some people's appetites are... Hehe, one official minister is not satisfied, and I want another. In the position of elder, some people really want to trample them to death in order to be satisfied with their pragmatism."
The emperor's answer obviously exceeded Concubine Zheng's expectations, and in fact completely exceeded her political understanding. Therefore, she wondered: "Where did the emperor's words come from?"
Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said indifferently: "For this pragmatic person, I already know what he wants, and I can afford it. However, I also told him that there are some things that he should not touch. , presumably with his intelligence, he has already figured these things out.
It's you, alas... You'd better stop talking about these 'businesses' with Pragmatic. Don't you even know his ability to do business? Right now, he is trying to save my face. He has no ill intentions towards you, he is just borrowing your strength.
If he gets upset one day and really has some bad intentions, although he may not come against you, he is very likely to scare the monkeys. He said that Pang Bao, Liu Cheng and others are Cathay Pacific... I am afraid that I will not be able to do it. Save it. "
Concubine Zheng was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a while. After a long while, she said: "I really can't understand what the emperor said."
"What can't you understand?" Zhu Yijun said with a wry smile: "I can't understand how he could be so evil to you and Chang Xun? I still can't understand why when he wants to kill chickens to scare monkeys, I might not even be able to protect the ones you raise. chicken?"
Concubine Zheng was speechless. She really had these two "can't figure out" things.
Zhu Yijun glanced at her, shook his head and said: "Since you know that he does not support Chang Xun, you should know that once... once the queen really has a legitimate son, he will definitely choose to support him. Then the relationship between him and you and Chang Xun's mother and son will The relationship changes.
As for killing chickens to scare monkeys, you see, over the years, whether in officialdom or on the battlefield, as long as you take action, how can you make a mistake? If he doesn't take action, it will be fine. If he does, it will be thunder, upright and impeccable. As for me, I may not know when he will take action, nor can I abandon him without any reason. Therefore, once that time comes, the most he can do is save a small life for the chicken he wants to kill - Zhang Jing of Sixiang Xiaoling and Feng Bao of Xiaolingwei growing vegetables are all lessons learned from the past. "
Concubine Zheng was so nervous that goosebumps arose on her skin. She sat up straight and said, "How about I never have contact with Gao Situ again?"
"No." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "I just asked you not to negotiate business with him, because no one in this world can have the upper hand in negotiating business with him. You just need to show goodwill, show trust, and show kindness Just leave it to him, but don’t make any demands of him—no demands at all.”
"Why is this?" Concubine Zheng was secretly dissatisfied, and thought to herself: Then I ended up at my grandma's house?
"Because he is the most intelligent person in the world, and you must have intelligent ways to deal with intelligent people." Zhu Yijun grabbed Concubine Zheng's right hand, patted it gently, and said: "Believe me, the only weakness of pragmatism is that he There is love and justice.”
"Well, I will listen to the emperor." Concubine Zheng reluctantly agreed, but asked curiously: "But since the emperor said so, why did he force him to let go of all the officials this time?" Already?"
"Have the Heavenly Officials been replaced by people from the Xin School now, right?" Zhu Yijun smiled and waved his hand: "Mr. Shen went to the Shu yesterday and said that the Heavenly Officials of the Ministry of Personnel are related to the stability of the world, and asked me to summon the court earlier. I only replied with three words: Got it."
Concubine Zheng suddenly realized: "The emperor is delaying it on purpose, waiting for... someone to jump out?"
"Originally, but now that you have made such a fuss, if I continue to wait, I am afraid that I will doubt my intentions, so I have to close this network in advance."
Concubine Zheng's face turned red, she lowered her head and muttered as if admitting her mistake: "The emperor didn't tell me first, how could I have known that the emperor had so many plans..."
Zhu Yijun glanced at Concubine Zheng, suddenly laughed, and said dotingly: "It's a good thing not to know. Although Pragmatic knows that I am acting, and I also know that he is acting, but fortunately, he and I have known each other for nearly two years. For ten years, they both knew that the other party had no ill intentions, and this time they just wanted to show each other the bottom line.
As for you, haha, it’s not all a bad thing if you make such a fuss. At least in the eyes of some people, things have become very real this time... This is a bit interesting, and I am also looking forward to what the plot of the next scene will be. "
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