In terms of nature, the conversation in front of Guanglu Temple can be regarded as a simple meeting between the inner court and the outer court in order to reach a consensus. However, if we take a closer look at the "parties participating in the meeting", it is far more than just the "inner court" and the "outer court".
Three people from the inner court participated in this meeting, namely Chen Ju, Wang An, and Liu Ping. These three are all the Supervisor of Ceremonies, with one holding the palm and two holding the pen. One of the holding pens also holds the special position of governor of the East Factory.
There were also three people from the foreign court participating in the talks, namely Wang Jiaping, the chief assistant, Gao Pragmatic, and Shen Yiguan, the group assistants. Although the latter two were only group assistants in name, they were actually members of the two major political groups in the outer court. The current real leaders of the School and the Heart School.
It can be seen that it is already very interesting just to look at the six candidates attending the meeting. The inner court and the outer court were three to three, and it seemed like the two sides were exchanging opinions on an equal footing, but in fact... that was not the case at all.
First of all, the most clear point is that today’s imperial court is by no means a political structure in which the inner court and the outer court are divided and compete.
Since Gao Jingshi began to get deeply involved in the power center of the Ming Dynasty, three powerful officials, Feng Bao, Zhang Jing, and Zhang Cheng, have been defeated by him. Therefore, the inner court currently behaves quite well in front of Gao Jingshi, at least there is no new one. Quan Huan dared to openly oppose Gao pragmatism.
This is like a special buff being added to the Holy Scroll after it reaches a certain level. When the powerful officials in the inner court saw him, they had to express their attitude: You are the most trusted person of the emperor. How dare you, the slaves, be so presumptuous?
But having said that, after today's meeting with Zhu Yijun in Xinuang Pavilion, Gao Pragmatic has already vaguely felt that it may be difficult for him to be as "indestructible" as before in terms of sacred scrolls in the future. It's just... who will be the next Quan Huan who may jump out to challenge?
The current inner court, on the whole, continues the "Huang-Chen Alliance" created by Gao Pragmatic back then, that is, the alliance between Huang Mengyu and Chen Ju. It's just that Huang Mengyu himself was forced to live in seclusion a few years ago, and now he rarely interferes in politics. However, his nephew Liu Ping has generally inherited his power and connections in the palace.
Now the palace is headed by Chen Ju, and Liu Ping relies on the connections left by his uncle Huang Mengyu to help him. As for Wang An, he should be regarded as Chen Ju's choice to succeed him in the future, but his performance today seemed a bit unexpected. I don't know if this overly principled chief pen and Dongchang admiral is really suitable to succeed Chen Ju.
Chen Ju must have some doubts about this now, right? Of course, no matter what, the overall situation in the inner court should not change much, and the overall situation should be fairly controllable.
In this way, the so-called inner court and outer court, at least the inner court, can basically be regarded as extensions of high pragmatic power, or as attachment forces.
As for the outer court, it's complicated. Overall, the people attending the meeting today are really a tripartite coalition. Of course, this "coalition" may only be able to reluctantly unite when it comes to demanding a thorough investigation of Yikun Palace, but don't expect it at other times.
Among the three parties, Wang Jiaping's attitude is both the most determined and perhaps the simplest. He just felt that if such a serious and vicious incident occurred and the finger was pointed directly at the emperor, he must get to the bottom of it, no matter who was involved.
Such things have already happened. If the emperor still tolerates adultery, it will cause great disaster in the future and may even endanger the world. Therefore, we must not back down even a little bit.
In addition to Wang Jiaping, whether it is Gao Pragmatic or Shen Yiguan, their reasons for demanding a thorough investigation of Yikun Palace are not that simple. Both sides have their own political considerations.
Gao Pragmatic's consideration is that he and the Suspicion School not only share the same interests with Zhu Changluo, but have already formed an alliance, and may even have reached an alliance with Concubine Zheng, or at least formed some kind of tacit understanding.
Therefore, by trying to attack Concubine Zheng, you can observe the reaction of the Heart School, and then judge the degree of this alliance or tacit understanding from its reaction, providing a reference for the next decision and action.
Of course, even if Concubine Zheng did not really have any collusion with the Xin School, her actions had already crossed the line. Therefore, the investigation of Yikun Palace itself was a warning to her, making her fearful, and she might not be able to do so in the future. Dare to act too recklessly.
To a certain extent, this is also saving her - at this point, Gao Pragmatic is really not deceiving the emperor. He did not blacklist Concubine Zheng and wanted to get rid of her quickly.
As for Shen Yiguang's considerations, Gao Pragmatic was not entirely sure. If he had already colluded with Concubine Zheng on behalf of the Heart School, then theoretically he should not have agreed to an action that might seriously hit Concubine Zheng.
However, Shen Yiguan was not very calculating. In the words of later generations, he had a strong anti-reconnaissance ability and would use various means to conceal his true intentions.
In addition, after Gao Pingshi carefully compared his past and present experiences and behavior patterns, he believed that it was very likely that he would choose to cut off his wrists when he felt he was in danger, and abandon Concubine Zheng in exchange for his own interests not being implicated. This is also true. Have to guard against it.
So now Gao Pragmatic has two guesses: The first guess is that Shen Yiguan and Concubine Zheng have no collusion. The reason why the two parties' behavior seems to be collusion is mainly because they have the same goal, so they both do things that suit their own interests. thing. Simply put, it's a coincidence.
If this is the case, then it is easier to explain that Shen Yiguan also agreed to conduct a thorough investigation of Yikun Palace - the emperor's legitimate son with high pragmatic support is certainly a threat to the Xin School and Zhu Changluo, but how can Zhu Changxun, the son of Emperor Zheng's noble concubine, not be a threat? Now that there is an opportunity to attack Concubine Zheng, of course we must seize the opportunity to attack.
They are all threats anyway, so it is human nature to attack one by one. What's more, this time the attack on Concubine Zheng did not require him to play the leading role. The leading role was naturally Wang Jiaping, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty. As long as Shen Guanyi hides behind Wang Yuanfu and shouts, he may have a miraculous effect on his opponents. Why not?
Of course, Gao Pragmatic believed that although this possibility was possible, it was not high. He still felt that Shen Yiguan should not be so superficial.
There are now three parties vying for the position of the crown prince, and Zhu Changluo and Zhu Changxun are actually weak parties. If Shen Yiguan, who is the supporter of Zhu Changluo, now takes action to attack Concubine Zheng and Zhu Changxun's mother and son, it will inevitably make them two sides. The worry of fighting may eventually lead to the queen and the emperor's legitimate son, mother and son being the fishermen.
They are orthodox and the strong side. If the snipe and the clam quarrel and the fishermen benefit, then the Wanli Dynasty's struggle for the foundation of the country can really come to an end.
For Shen Yiguan and Concubine Zheng, the correct approach at this time should be for the two weak parties to unite and deal with the queen and the emperor's legitimate son first, and then let them compete in the Prince's Cup finals.
This leads to Gao Pragmatic's second guess, that is, Shen Yiguan and Concubine Zheng are indeed colluding, and the reason why Shen Yiguan is now willing to join the "Allied Forces to Overthrow Zheng" is actually to serve as eyes and ears to facilitate the first move. Time to thoroughly check the progress, and then inform Concubine Zheng of the news, so that she can make targeted responses in the shortest possible time.
If this is the case, then Gao Pragmatic will have to make some arrangements for thorough investigation methods. Otherwise, if there is a big mole inside, why should we check for a hammer?
There is another point that Gao Pragmatic has been reminding himself in his heart, that is, even if Shen Yiguan and Concubine Zheng really collude, the alliance between them will still be very fragile, and there will definitely be a serious mentality of wariness of each other. This You can consider using this point.
Several flowers bloom, one on each side. After the meeting at Guanglu Temple, all parties involved returned to their respective residences. Let’s not talk about high pragmatism, but let’s talk about Shen Yiguan.
Shen Yiguan's residence is located in the south of Mingyu Square and west of Guangji Temple. If it were placed in later generations, it would probably be in the Yaojia Hutong area.
You need to take a detour to get here from Donghua Gate, which is further than the pragmatic Nanning Marquis Mansion. Therefore, it was already dark when Shen Guanyi returned home. Because there was a curfew in the Ming Dynasty, there were almost no pedestrians on the road at this time.
There were no carriages or horses in front of the Grand Master Shen's Mansion, and it looked deserted. If it weren't for the status of the master, it would even look like an ordinary family.
Shen Yiguan's green sedan stopped at the door. The Wenyuange University scholar got out of it calmly, but he entered the house with a straight face and his hands behind his back.
As soon as he entered the mansion, a steward came forward to report: "Sir, Section Chief Qian has been waiting for a long time..."
"Let's wait for now." Shen Yiguan said calmly: "Let me have a bath and change clothes, and let him come and have a meal together."
The steward was stunned and asked hesitantly: "A family banquet?"
"No, just me and him." Shen Yiguan replied as he walked inside. The steward understood it and said: "Yes, sir, let me go and inform you first."
Shen Guiyi didn't say anything, just nodded slightly and walked away. After he bathed and changed clothes, he went to the flower hall - since it was not a family banquet and only two people were dining, it was naturally inconvenient for outsiders to be present, so the dining place must be in the flower hall.
As soon as he entered, Qian Menggao stood up quickly and said, "Student, I have seen Enxiang."
"Well, take a seat. Since there are no outsiders, there is no need to be polite." Shen Yiguan said that he sat down first, while Qian Menggao waited for Shen Yiguan to sit down before respectfully sitting down on the chair with half of his buttocks.
It seems that it is very common for Chinese people to talk while eating, but in fact, in the Ming Dynasty, at least in the upper class society, "eating without talking" is still the mainstream etiquette, but...it also depends on the occasion. For example, it is not that kind of occasion now.
Shen Yiguan took the initiative and asked: "The beginning and end of Guangjinfang, are you clear now?"
Qian Menggao looked embarrassed and sighed: "The ones who can cook are good at cooking, but the students still feel that it is not reliable. After all, many people in Beijing know whose property Guangjinfang belongs to, and Enxiang The relationship with Jing Shigong is even more well known..."
"Relationships are relationships, and evidence is evidence. You are the chief of the Criminal Division, do you need this department to inform you?" Shen Guanyi took a mouthful of Dongpo pork, which was as soft as a mahjong piece but not rotten, fat but not greasy, and said slowly asked rhetorically.
Qian Menggao smiled bitterly and said: "Enxiang is joking. Of course students understand the truth, but I am afraid that the other party will be too tyrannical and they may not need to be reasonable at that time."
Shen Yigui paused in mid-air, glanced at Qian Menggao, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "What, are you scared?"
"Enxiang, since the student is willing to listen to Enxiang's instructions and has done so many things, he has naturally put life and death aside. The student really doesn't know where to start with the word 'fear'."
"Since you're not afraid, that's good." Shen Yiguan pondered for a moment and said, "A big event happened in the palace today. There may be many people in the outer court who don't know about it, but since you are in the Sixth Section, you naturally know about it. What?"
"Eun Xiang means that the emperor coughed up blood and fainted? The student was indeed aware of this matter, and was told by the Supervisor of Ceremonies not to leak it at the time."
"Not allowed to be leaked? Hahahaha..." Shen Yiguan laughed and said, "Chen Ju is really old. Now this ceremonial supervisor...how is he becoming more and more childish?"
It’s funny, the palace of the Ming Dynasty was like a sieve, and the Sixth Section was a loudspeaker for fear of chaos in the world. Since the news has been spread to the Sixth Section, is there any chance that it will not be leaked? The Supervisor of Ceremonies was so dreaming that his mouth was drooling all over the floor.
But Shen Guanguan laughed like this, and Qian Menggao shook his head and said: "Mr. En, the students think this matter is a bit strange. No matter what the Secretary Li said, he would not even know this. Their explanation is obviously superfluous. Therefore, the students always feel that the Supervisor of Ceremonies may have said this on purpose."
"Oh?" Shen Yiguan slowly stopped smiling and said thoughtfully: "You mean, the Chief of Ceremonies did this to remind the Sixth Section to spread the news as soon as possible?"
"The students do have this doubt." Qian Menggao frowned and said, "But the students don't understand why the Superintendent of Ceremonies wants the news to spread quickly. Is this good for the Superintendent of Ceremonies?"
Shen Yiguan did not answer immediately. Instead, he pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath and shook his head slightly: "Otherwise, this may not be the intention of the Supervisor of Ceremonies...or, in other words, this may not be the common intention of the entire Supervisor of Ceremonies."
"Common intention?" Qian Menggao asked immediately: "What Enxiang means is that the Supervisor of Ceremonies is no longer monolithic?"
Shen Guanyin nodded, but said nothing. Instead, he seemed to be stuck in some kind of memory or thinking state.
However, Qian Menggao couldn't control the doubts in his heart at this time, and he was a little surprised at the same time. He asked tentatively: "Is it the one who... finally dares to stand up and challenge?"
Shen Yiguan took a deep breath, put down the tachyon, and said slowly: "It's possible."
"What evidence did Enxiang find to prove this?" Qian Menggao asked immediately.
Shen Yiguan smiled, nodded slightly, and said: "You only know that the emperor coughed up blood and fainted, but you don't know what happened in Xinuan Pavilion after the cabinet meeting... Some interesting things did happen in Xinuan Pavilion at that time."
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ps: This chapter is from yesterday. I thought I posted it last night... Well, I was just about to start work today and realized that I didn’t post yesterday’s chapter. I made a mistake. Today's chapter should be updated normally tonight.
