Tang Youer received Zhu Sheng's instruction and came to Nuanfeng Pavilion at dawn.
After the routine greetings, Tang Youer dismissed the chambermaids and maids, and informed Concubine Xian of the information about Rong Fei that Dongchang had investigated overnight.
"How can there be such a coincidence in the world? It would be terrible if I made a mistake."
Concubine Xian said worriedly.
"Don't worry, mother. I haven't said for sure that Rong Fei is my aunt's son. That's why I thought of summoning him to the palace. During the chat, mother can pretend to be casual and ask about things about my hometown, parents, and relatives. If this is the case, If they are all correct, then there is probably nothing wrong. Moreover, Rong Fei did not tell Rong Fei in advance the purpose of calling him into the palace. He only said that he had a good chat with him last time and asked him to come in and chat with his mother. Again. Recently, Yoona has often asked to listen to Rong Fei's stories.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, my daughter-in-law thinks it’s close. Your mother also knows Yoon'er's temper. She is a clever and ruthless person who has angered many great scholars and teachers, but she has the same temper as Rong Fei. The stories Rong Fei told were talked about by Yoona and Xiaoba all day long.
Hahaha, if Rongfei's identity is confirmed, Yoona will call him uncle. They say they are uncles and nephews, and they have already seen each other right before they even recognized each other. "
Tang Youer smiled.
"Your method is feasible."
Concubine Xian couldn't help but feel a little moved. At her age, all power and status were irrelevant, and only family ties were the most cherished.
"But to be on the safe side, let's add another layer of insurance. Didn't Rong Fei also have a childhood sweetheart named Ji Rou'er? He sent someone to invite her into the palace. Hou San!"
With that said, Concubine Xian called out the door and called Hou San, the chief eunuch of Nuanfeng Pavilion, in, and ordered him to invite Ji Rouer.
After Hou San left, Concubine Xian patted Tang You'er's hand and smiled.
"Wait for Miss Ji to come over in a while. You and Hou San will take her to the back room to chat. It's enough for Rong Fei to be entertained by me and Yoon'er."
When Tang You'er heard this, she thought to herself, "Jiang is still very old."
It is estimated that she and her husband were a little too hasty, and Concubine Xian noticed a clue, thinking that everyone might be collaborating to deceive her.
Tang You'er suddenly became worried. According to the news from the Dongchang Newspaper, Rong Fei did not return to Xuanwu Hutong to rest last night, but stayed in the office of the Kyoto government office all night.
Ji Rouer stayed with Murong Qiushui from Qiankun Temple and a woman of unknown origin last night.
The husband just asked Mr. Yu to say hello to Rong Fei, but he ignored Ji Rouer's side.
Concubine Xian also had a precise vision and discovered this only flaw.
When Rong Fei and Ji Rou'er's words don't match up, wouldn't it be bad!
Although everyone has good intentions, they are afraid that it will be self-defeating and cause the mother's sadness.
How can this be done?
Tang You'er wanted to find an opportunity to send someone to inform Ji Rou'er before Hou San, but Concubine Xian kept holding her hand and chatting about something, not giving Tang You'er even the slightest chance.
Sigh... I'm afraid this is going to happen!
Tang Youer sighed helplessly.
"Grandma...grandma...grandson is here to say hello to you."
At this time, Zhu Yun's childish shouts came from outside, and with the sound of hurried running, the door curtain was opened to reveal Zhu Yun's flushed little face.
Behind Zhu Yun is Xiao Shunzi, who has just been promoted to the head of the Prince's East Palace.
"Slave, please give your regards to the empress and concubine."
Xiao Shunzi stood outside the threshold and bowed.
"My dear grandson, come let grandma hug you."
Concubine Xian picked up Zhu Yun and put him on her lap with a smile, and then said to Xiao Shunzi.
"You're here just in time. Go to Jixian Division to call Rong Fei and tell him that I'll treat him to dinner."
Xiao Shunzi didn't dare to delay, so he took the order and left.
"Oh! It's great, great. I can finally see Rong Fei. Grandma, grandma, my grandson tells you, the stories Rong Fei tells are really nice. I won't lie to you, by the way, grandma, can you tell the Eight Emperors Uncle and Sixth Aunt are also here, they also like to listen to the stories Rong Fei tells."
When Zhu Yun heard that Rong Fei was coming, he was so happy that he almost jumped off Concubine Xian's lap. However, Tang Youer understood her son's temperament and held him down in advance.
Concubine Xian's old arms and legs can't bear the jumping of this little fat guy.
"Hehehe, it's rare that I'm happy today, so I followed my eldest grandson's wishes. Where are the people coming? Go call Xiaoba and Yueyao and tell them to stay here for lunch."
Tang You'er, who was already worried, was even more confused when he heard this. Why did three more troublemakers appear?
But after thinking about it, I felt that if my husband and his plan were exposed, it would be good to have the three of them here, at least they could help coax the concubine.
It’s a blessing among misfortunes!
Soon, Zhu Yan and Zhu Yueyao rushed over, and the children's laughter and women's scoldings suddenly filled the room of Concubine Xian, adding a lot of joy.
…
There was no court meeting today, so Zhu Sheng simply stayed in the imperial study room and did not leave.
The Yong Party lost power, the Queen Mother left Beijing, and the three forces in the court tended to be balanced, and Dongchang established a powerful force to intimidate all officials.
Half a year after he ascended the throne, Zhu Sheng tasted the wonderful feeling of being in power and looking down on the world for the first time.
But this is not enough, far from enough!
Everything now is just the beginning, there are still too many things to do later.
Zhu Sheng's ambition is far more than just safeguarding the ancestral foundation safely, he also wants to make great achievements comparable to the founder of Dayan.
Time waits not for us!
"My lord, Shan Zhongji would like to see your Majesty."
The sound coming from outside the door brought the wandering Zhu Sheng back to reality.
"Shan Aiqing, come in."
After adjusting his facial expression, Zhu Sheng said in a deep voice.
The door of the imperial study room was pushed open, and Shan Zhongji, the new cabinet minister, who looked as if he was several years younger, stepped over the threshold and walked in slowly.
Although Liu Chuanfang, the chief assistant of the cabinet, woke up a few days ago, he was still too weak to get out of bed, so he never returned to work. As the highest power and decision-making body of Dayan, the cabinet became Shan Zhongji's world alone.
In recent days, the threshold of Shan Mansion has almost been crossed by people giving gifts and posting.
Shan Zhongji's mood at this time is exactly in line with the poem - the spring breeze is proud of the horse's hooves!
An old subordinate secretly sent a beautiful concubine to Shan Mansion, which made Shan Zhongji very happy. He spent most of the night playing with the beautiful concubine's delicate and soft body, and got up a little late this morning, so that The servants sent by Zhu Sheng blocked the house.
"The old chief minister is still seriously ill, and all the cabinet affairs are burdened on Aiqing alone. It is really too hard."
Zhu Sheng pointed to the embroidered pier that had been prepared and motioned Shan Zhongji to take a seat, and then spoke in a nonchalant manner.
Shan Zhongji's family knows his own affairs, but he has never done anything serious in the cabinet these days. He just hangs around all day long.
He could hear the sarcasm in Zhu Sheng's words, but he didn't panic at all.
In terms of talent, qualifications, connections, etc., Shan Zhongji can only be ranked in the middle among the big shots in the court. The reason why he was able to hold the post of Minister of Household Affairs was the result of the struggle between Yong Dang and the old chief minister Liu Chuanfang.
The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of Dayan's money bag, so the old chief assistant will naturally not let him fall into the control of the Yong Party. The Yong Party wants to plan big things, and the Ministry of Household Affairs is also a must-win area. The two sides fought back and forth, and finally Liu Chuanfang pushed the unknown Shan Zhongji up. The Yong Party felt that this man was mediocre and would not pose any threat even if he served as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, so they stopped competing with Liu Chuanfang and concentrated their efforts on grabbing the position of the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Unexpectedly, Liu Chuanfang was so cunning that he turned around and instigated the rebellion of Zhang Mian, the newly appointed right minister, and dealt a heavy blow to Yong Dang.
Shan Zhongji is not very capable, but he has a clear understanding of his own position. He didn't care about the two ministers under him, and just did their job with peace of mind.
The reason why Shan Zhongji was able to stand out from the big guys this time and enter the cabinet as a second assistant was also because of his mediocre attributes and clear self-awareness.
Does Emperor Yan Zhu Sheng really need a capable and capable secondary assistant?
of course not.
All he needs is a cabinet that is obedient, can take the blame, and will not secretly make things bigger.
Therefore, Shan Zhongji clearly knows that as long as he keeps one secret in mind, he can sit back and relax in the position of the second assistant in the cabinet, and even have the opportunity to move up to a higher level in the future, becoming the first assistant under one person and above ten thousand people.
That is: Do more and you will make more mistakes, do less and you will make fewer mistakes, and if you do less, it will be better.
But the truth is this, surface work is still essential.
Shan Zhongji made a panicked expression, moved his butt away from the embroidered pier, and knelt on the gold bricks.
"I have failed His Majesty's high expectations and deserve to die."
"Get up. Don't keep kneeling and kowtowing from now on. Your moral integrity as a scholar will almost be lost."
"Your Majesty is merciful, and I am determined to repay Your Majesty's kindness."
After expressing his loyalty and kowtowing twice, Shan Zhongji dared to sit back on the embroidered pier again.
"I asked people to come here today. It is actually rumored in the court that Aiqing is of great literary talent. I came across a poem last night and I would like your help to comment on it."
Zhu Sheng picked up a piece of paper with writing on it from the imperial desk and handed it to Shan Zhongji.
"In front of His Majesty, how dare I...how..."
Shan Zhongji lacked political talents, but his attainments in poetry were extremely high, and he was known as a rich poet in the Kyoto poetry circle.
Therefore, when he heard that the emperor asked him to comment on the poems, although his mouth kept being humble, his body was honest and he took the paper and glanced at it.
Who would have thought that with just one glance, he would be sweating like rain, shaking like chaff, and his face would be as white as paper.
I saw a poem written on the paper. The powerful handwriting was the handwriting of Emperor Zhu Sheng.
What frightened Shan Zhongji so much that he almost peed his pants was the content of this poem.
"The jade furnace is covered with mandarin ducks and brocade, and the powder melts incense and sweats on the mountain pillow. The sound of a windlass outside the curtain makes people frown and smile.
The willow shade is light and indifferent, and the cicada hairpin falls from the temples. I have to work hard all my life to make you happy today..."
Seeing that Shan Zhongji remained silent, Zhu Sheng simply opened his mouth and read out the poem.
"Good words! Really good words! What do you think, Shan Aiqing?"
