After not seeing each other for many days, Shen Qiaochen still had some new ideas and was about to talk to Ji Qingyuan.
After all, writing a letter is not as direct as communicating face to face.
"Sir, do you know what happened yesterday?" Shen Qiaochen asked softly.
Ji Qingyuan pondered for a moment and did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked Baizhu who was standing aside:
"The kitchen has made new tea cakes today. Go and bring some to the girl."
Bai Shu nodded, made a face at Shen Qiaochen, turned around and ran downstairs.
Seeing his small figure disappearing outside the door, Ji Qingyuan said softly:
"The news spread early this morning."
"Has it spread everywhere?" Shen Qiaochen repeated subconsciously after hearing the key point in his words.
Ji Qingyuan nodded, "In fact, I think that as early as last night, the various mansions in Beijing already knew what they should know."
Shen Qiao suddenly understood that all the forces in Beijing and China have been entrenched here for many years. The trees are big and have deep roots. Naturally, they have their own sources of information.
Moreover, most of the people who entered the palace yesterday were third-grade or above, high-ranking and powerful people. After suddenly hearing Emperor Chongming's decree, he must have rearranged the arrangements and explained them after returning home.
Shen Qiaochen thought of something and couldn't help but be surprised.
"What do you mean, sir?"
"I suspect that your Majesty's actions last night were intentional." Ji Qingyuan said slowly and solemnly.
A flash of surprise flashed in Shen Qiaochen's eyes, and then a trace of solemnity appeared on his face.
"So, the matter of the third prince..."
Ji Qingyuan immediately said, "The third prince is just killing the chicken to scare the monkey."
Shen Qiao thought to herself that indeed, establishing a heir apparent was never a child's play.
At the palace banquet last night, it seemed that Emperor Chongming acted impulsively out of anger. However, after Ji Qingyuan's analysis today, Shen Qiaochen suddenly felt that this might have been a layout carefully planned by Emperor Chongming.
Shen Qiao sighed deeply, Emperor Chongming made this move really well.
The eldest son of the emperor of the Jin Dynasty was born from the Shen family of the Empress Yuan Dynasty. Whether it was according to "establishing a direct descendant" or "establishing a eldest son", it was truly justified.
Apart from him, the other princes, even the third prince, could be said to be legitimate sons, but after all, they were descendants, and their status was not as noble as that of the eldest son.
However, Empress Shen of the Yuan Dynasty had passed away many years ago, and Emperor Chongming rarely mentioned his first wife and eldest son since he ascended the throne. This attitude also made many people feel eager to give it a try. After so many years, as the princes gradually grew up, they became even more helpless.
Emperor Chongming appointed him as the prince at this time, which was enough to show that the emperor valued Empress Yuan and his nostalgia for his old friends in Qianfu. It also made the Qingliu people in the court devote themselves to him.
You must know that these old ministers who only adhere to orthodoxy are now old and have long stopped participating in government affairs. They seem to be insignificant. But which one is not full of disciples and peaches and plums? Their decisions often affect the whole body, and their power cannot be underestimated.
On the other hand, as the only legitimate son still alive today, the third prince has many supporters.
As relatives of the Li family, relying on the status of Empress Li and the third prince, it was natural that the tide would rise.
In addition, the current head of the Li family, Queen Li's father Li Chun, was once the left prime minister.
According to the rules, once the queen is granted the title, the queen's father will grant the title of benefactor. However, in order to avoid the exclusive power of relatives, most of them will be granted sinecures after being ennobled.
When Emperor Chongming ascended the throne, Empress Shen of the Yuan Dynasty was already dead, so it made sense for the Shen family not to want this title.
But when Li Chun arrived, Emperor Chongming still had no reaction and still allowed Li Chun, who was a foreign relative, to occupy a high position and hold the power.
This move made the Li family famous in the court. In recent years, the third prince has grown older and has become even more prominent.
For a time, everyone in the court agreed that the position of prince must belong to the third prince.
But obviously, it seems that the Li family's luck only ends here.
With Emperor Chongming's thunderous behavior at the palace banquet last night, everyone suddenly realized that even though the third prince was the only legitimate son at the moment, to Emperor Chongming, he was no different from the other princes.
If you think more deeply, you will think that Emperor Chongming's seemingly sudden stroke of genius may be because he wanted to suppress the arrogance of the Li family.
Over the years, Li Chun and the third prince formed a clique for personal gain in the previous dynasty, Empress Li became domineering in the harem, the Li family also had a queen and a prime minister, and the younger members of the family bullied men and dominated women in private, doing all kinds of evil.
These Chongming emperors all saw it one by one, but they always looked on with cold eyes.
It was because of his deliberate "connivance" that the Li family's power continued to grow and grow to its current situation.
It looks like blooming flowers, but in fact, it is burning oil.
But after last night, the Li family and the third prince must have understood what it means:
"Thunder, rain and dew are all your kindness." Shen Qiaochen murmured.
It seems unintentional, but it connects to the overall situation.
The emperor's mind is indeed unfathomable.
…
Ji Qingyuan nodded, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
Shen Qiaochen is indeed the smartest junior he has ever seen. Although she is still young and a woman, she is very thoughtful.
Every time he just needs a little guidance, she can immediately draw inferences and see extraordinary things everywhere.
Back then, Ji Qingyuan's talent was not found, so these years he could only hide in the streets and stay away from the court.
On weekdays, we greet and send guests to and from each other, and there is no discussion of political affairs.
But for some reason, every time Shen Qiao asked for advice, he was willing to give him all he had.
He was a thoughtful person, and from Shen Qiaochen's occasional words, he knew that she was not as innocent and harmless as she appeared.
Even sometimes, he could faintly feel that this fragile-looking girl had unusual severity in her eyes.
This often makes Ji Qingyuan feel puzzled. You should know that restaurants are always crowded and well-informed places.
He naturally knew about Shen Qiaochen's origin.
The legitimate daughter of General Jianwei's Mansion, she has been infected with Shen Ke since she was a child, but she is still loved by everyone in the Shen Mansion. Even the Queen Mother and the Imperial Concubine in the palace dote on her.
And she stayed in bed all day long, rarely going out, and occasionally attending banquets with her mother. Because of her frail body, she needed someone to wait on her at all times. Gradually, rumors spread in the capital that the legitimate daughter of the General's Palace was very powerful, had a weird personality, and was not to be friends with.
But from Shen Qiaochen's first appearance in Zui Jiangyue and several subsequent correspondences, the feeling she gave Ji Qingyuan was completely different from the rumors he had heard.
She does look pale and thin, but she is well-educated and well-behaved. She is not at all as miserable as others say.
But what Ji Qingyuan finds strange is that it stands to reason that Shen Qiaochen was born in a family of Zhongmingdingshi. He has been favored since childhood, has a harmonious family and a smooth life. General Shen and his wife have always been in love, and the Shen family has none of the messy things in other people's back houses.
As Shen Qiao has grown up, she has mostly stayed behind the scenes. The biggest worry for other girls of her age is where the rouge is the most fragrant and whose clothes are the most beautiful.
But the look in her eyes from time to time is not like that of a noble girl of the same age, but more like that of a weather-beaten old woman...
But in life, it is rare to have a close friend. For Shen Qiaochen, a young "little friend", Ji Qingyuan also sincerely regarded her as a junior whom he valued.
So sometimes, he would tactfully persuade her, for fear that she would do something stupid at such a young age.
