The interior of Chongzheng Hall has a dark tone, and the curtains are not as wide open as in the past. There are no candles for lighting. Only the slightest sunlight penetrates through the gaps in the doors and windows, bringing a little light.
In this summer, some ice cubes were placed indoors to cool down the heat, which would bring a little coolness. Otherwise, Emperor Liu's body, which was afraid of cold and heat, would have been unable to bear it for a long time.
As he grew older and changed his temperament, Emperor Liu became more and more fond of hiding himself in darkness. Light seemed to have become his enemy, and black seemed to have become his protective color, giving him a sense of security.
At this time, in the Chongzheng Hall, all the internal servants were excluded, including the great eunuch Yan Tuo. In front of the royal eucalyptus, a man was kneeling in black clothes, black robes and black hats. His whole body seemed to be releasing a kind of... The black temperament matches the atmosphere in the palace.
The position where he knelt was relatively close to the imperial eucalyptus, and even further forward than where Zhao Pu and other ministers paid homage to the saint. This was obviously for the convenience of speaking and also showed Emperor Liu's "trust".
On the royal eucalyptus, there is a piece of white paper. Emperor Liu is holding a red pen in his hand and writing something seriously. His movements are very slow, his face is very serious, and his tone is very slow: "According to you, the Imperial City Division is not that clean. Zhang Dejun and the ministers also colluded, right?"
"According to a small investigation, there are indeed some private exchanges between the imperial envoys and certain ministers in the court, and gifts are also given during the holidays. As for the specific connection, there is still a lack of evidence!" The man who knelt down spoke straightforwardly, There was almost no emotion in his voice.
"If you are not clear, then there is something wrong! Otherwise, if everything is innocent, why would you need a personal relationship? Does Zhang Dejun need to rely on courtiers to maintain his power and wealth?" Emperor Liu said indifferently.
After a pause, Emperor Liu asked again: "How is the collusion with Zhao Pu?"
The person in front of him was silent for a moment, and then slowly said: "According to records, the relationship between Prime Minister Zhao and the Imperial City Envoy has been close for the past five years. Although there is no secret meeting, the exchanges do exist. Gifts between the two Although there are rare treasures from each other, they have never been extinguished. Prime Minister Zhao helped arrange the arrangements for several officials from the Imperial City Department who were sent to work abroad. As for what Prime Minister Zhao received from the Imperial City envoy, it still needs to be verified! "
"That's the so-called private giving and receiving!" Emperor Liu said indifferently, his tone was chilling.
In fact, as he said, there is no big problem in the communication between Zhao and Zhang. In the society of human relations, there are natural exchanges of human relations. Problems like this are more common in the officialdom. In normal times, it would not be possible at all. Not enough to talk about.
The key lies in what Emperor Liu thinks. With Wang Yinwu's incident foreshadowing, Emperor Liu is now in a highly sensitive and vigilant state. In his eyes, any small matter will expand into a big problem and lead to a catastrophe, and every incident will cause a major disaster. Every incident would leave a thorn in Emperor Liu's heart. While it stung his heart, it also made him colder and harder. Every move, every breath, brought great terror.
"Okay, you don't need to say any more, and I don't have the intention to listen anymore!" Emperor Liu waved his hand gently and said, "Step back and do what you should do!"
"Yes! I understand!" Without any nonsense, he stood up, saluted, turned around, and left. Except for his extremely respectful posture, there was no sloppiness.
Visitors are very ordinary when they come, and they are very low-key when they leave, but this situation of shielding others and meeting alone still inevitably attracts attention. Of course, the one who expressed the most concern was Yan Tuo.
Standing at the foot of the hall, looking at the walking figure with hands and head buried in his hands, Yantuo's fair face couldn't help but reveal some surprise, and there was suspicion in his eyes.
After pondering for a long time, it is difficult to understand why. Of course, speculation in my heart is inevitable. Yantuo still recognized the person. Zhou Fang, the chamberlain's regular servant, was now in charge of tea and wine affairs in the palace.
In terms of rank, it is already not low among eunuchs. In the eunuch system of the Han Dynasty, there are only two people who are in the fourth rank, one is Zhang Dejun and the other is Yan Tuo. This is already the upper limit of eunuch salary. At least that was the case at the time.
Below these two are the regular servants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the supervisors of the palace. Zhou Fang is just a tea and wine manager. He is usually very low-key and rarely competes with others.
I never noticed it in the past, but now it seems that this person is anything but simple. Although Yantuo is the head of the chamberlain and spends most of his time serving the emperor, it is not absolute. At least he has not noticed anything special about Zhou Fang before.
Of course, Yantuo's deeper feeling now lies in Emperor Liu. How many secrets are hidden in this deep palace? The emperor's unpredictability is probably reflected in this.
You should pay more attention to Zhou Fang next, Yantuo thought, maybe you can send someone to test it out. Such thoughts flashed through your mind, but they were quickly extinguished by Yantuo. Without him, it was a bit uncomfortable. Dare, I am more curious and afraid of something happening. This is probably the experience gained from staying with Emperor Liu for a long time.
While Yantuo was thinking, a young eunuch came out, bowed his waist at ninety degrees, and reported respectfully. Emperor Liu called him.
Upon hearing the news, Yan Tuo straightened his clothes and robes, put on a more respectful expression, and quickly walked into the palace.
In the palace, Emperor Liu was holding the page on which he had just written a picture, looking really fascinated. This is a list that covers important ministers from various ministries and departments of the imperial court, as well as some local officials.
In this string of names, Emperor Liu made various marks and circles. Among them, the most eye-catching one was undoubtedly Lu Duoxun, who was circled alone.
Looking at this name, Emperor Liu's cold eyes showed a rare emotion of disgust. Yantuo entered the palace and saw Emperor Liu's immersed expression. He immediately bowed his head and said, "Official, what do you want me to do?"
Emperor Liu raised his head and looked at him. Just one look made Yantuo nervous. He pondered for a moment and ordered: "Go to the political hall to inform the prince and Zhao Pu that the court will be held tomorrow."
Yantuo was stunned when he heard this. Tomorrow is neither the first day nor the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. What is the government going to do? Of course, this was just a thought that passed through my mind. I didn’t dare to ask any more questions, so I bowed and said, “Yes! I’ll go right away, little one!”
After Yan took off his clothes, Emperor Liu buried his head again and reviewed the list. Although there was a little doubt on his face, his eyes were very firm. Originally, Emperor Liu was still interested in watching a show, wanting to see what kind of big battle Lu Duoxun could create, how many people would take the lead, and how many forces would take advantage of the opportunity to add fuel to the flames and stir up trouble.
However, after this period of thinking, Emperor Liu finally made up his mind that the court was not his playground after all, and he felt a little tired, tired and annoyed in his heart.
In his opinion, the ten-year battle between Zhao and Lu should come to an end. At the beginning, a big move was carried out against the feudal officials across the country, and some ministers in the court were also sent out to replace blood, but there were no fundamental changes in the central personnel and power structures.
Although in the past twenty years, or more than thirty years of Emperor Liu's reign, there have been frequent personnel changes in the central court, but from the perspective of Emperor Liu now, it is still not enough.
At least, during the years when Zhao Pu was in power, it tended to be solidified and had to be adjusted. Lu Duoxun has a good understanding. Zhao Pu's phase is not really stable, and Emperor Liu's trust is not unreserved. As time goes by, this sign will only become more and more obvious.
Wang Yinwu's confession is just an introduction.
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Chapter 113: The ten-year war has come to an end. Read for free.
