An hour later.
Zhang Juzheng walked out of Huangji Hall with a complicated expression.
This conversation was the first time he had a close relationship with the little emperor, and it was also the first time he saw each other as chess players and political allies.
After personally and intuitively seeing the emperor's words and deeds.
Zhang Juzheng finally understood why Gao Yi was so fascinated by this holy king.
This holy king is really high-spirited and heroic.
It was said that it was Gao Yi, and even he had to be moved by it.
But... being moved does not mean that he believed the emperor's lies.
He has been in high and low officialdom for many years, and has long passed the age where he can bow down to someone when his heart is touched.
It doesn't matter what you say, what matters is what chips the emperor will use to persuade him to work together to resolve this setback in the court situation.
Fortunately, the emperor did not have the naivety expected at this age, and made a very generous concession as soon as he opened his mouth.
The chief assistant, the group assistants, the household department, the punishment department, and the emperor's master were all promised without money, which was far beyond his psychological expectations.
Of course, it is not without cost - the two have huge differences on the issue of handling Gao Gong.
The emperor hinted that he wanted to kill Gao Gong.
Zhang Juzheng was determined not to accept this attitude.
When the chief minister of the dynasty wanted to clarify the canonical punishment, it was too sensational.
If we really do this, the emperor's authority will be demonstrated, but the situation in the court will be turbulent again.
Even if Zhang Juzheng suspected that this was a bargaining chip to coerce him, he had to dissuade him.
Seeing that the emperor's decision was made, Zhang Juzheng could only make concessions in exchange for Gao Gong's survival.
I don’t know whether the emperor was waiting for him, or it was a temporary decision, but the emperor actually wanted to prepare the capital camp!
It's hard to say whether it was a win-win situation or a mutual compromise. In short, the two went back and forth for a while and finally reached a consensus.
Zhang Juzheng's promise for this purpose was to appoint Gu Huan.
However, the emperor did not promise not to kill Gao Gong, but only said that he would give Gao Gong a chance - he wanted to see whether Gao Gong was dedicated to the country or whether he had tampering intentions.
Zhang Juzheng sighed when he thought of this opportunity mentioned by the emperor.
This is not an opportunity, it is clearly to squeeze out the last bit of use from Gao Gong's old bones, and to force Gao Gong to bow his head and thank him.
At that time, Gao Gong would have no choice as long as he did not want to be accused of treason.
After selling someone, he still wanted to be remembered well. He wondered if the emperor secretly read the history of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty.
On the one hand, Zhang Juzheng felt pity for the emperor's unkind actions, but on the other hand, he could not suppress his feelings of admiration.
In such a contradictory state of mind, Zhang Juzheng came to the Ministry of Rites and found Lu Tiaoyang.
The Minister of Rites, under Gao Gong's win, still stood firmly on his side, and his trust naturally increased.
The two of them stood by the pool outside the Ministry of Ceremonies, holding their hands.
Zhang Juzheng got straight to the point: "He Qing, according to the rules, tomorrow the Holy Emperor will declare the emperor to take charge of the affairs of the family, and all the officials will pay tribute."
"At that time, you can come forward and ask the Holy One to declare forgiveness and reward."
The pardon and reward means a general amnesty for the whole world, as well as the award of rewards to the emperor's relatives, and it is most appropriate for the Ministry of Rites to come forward.
Lu Tiaoyang was stunned. Zhang Juzheng usually talks about emperor, how could he call him a saint today?
He glanced at Zhang Juzheng strangely: "What changes have been made about the pardon and reward?"
The amnesty and amnesty rewards have already been finalized, and the Xuanzhi Sect is just going through a process.
But since Zhang Juzheng said this, it must not be that simple.
"When the time comes, the Holy Emperor will be kind and honorable, and he will serve hundreds of officials."
Zhang Juzheng said, and then turned to look at Lu Tiaoyang, with a lot of relief in his eyes: "He Qing, you are the one everyone expects."
Lu Tiaoyang repeated doubtfully: "Where is everyone's hope?"
Zhang Juzheng nodded and said with a smile: "You are going to join the cabinet."
Lu Tiaoyang: "Ah...ah?"
The meaning in Zhang Juzheng's eyes was unclear: "Don't be nervous, it's not just you, all the meritorious officials will be rewarded, Yuan Fu is the most important among them."
…
At night.
The night falls, covering thousands of lights in the capital with their own agendas.
Among them, it cannot be said to be the brightest, but the most eye-catching one is the light in front of the high-arched mansion.
It reflects the endless stream of guests, the exchanges under the table, and the burning fire cooking oil in the high arch.
Under this lantern.
Chen Hong walked out swaggeringly.
This great eunuch, who was born in Prince Yu's palace and served as the Chief of Ceremonies, is now very proud of himself.
Not to mention the haze of being suppressed by Feng Bao, the power was only in front of his eyes.
The two most powerful people in the dynasty - the Queen Mother and the Chief Minister of the Cabinet - are all his backers!
Thanks to this, more and more people in the imperial court expressed their goodwill and sincerity to him.
Some court officials even made secret glances at him.
Such flowers and brocades are really a wonderful thing in life!
As long as the emperor worships heaven and takes the title of the two palaces, the Queen Mother Chen can walk out of Ciqing Palace to issue orders openly. She, Chen Hong, is one of the most powerful people in the Ming Dynasty!
By then, he will be even more prosperous than when he was the Chief Ceremony Supervisor!
Dongchang! Royal Horse Supervisor! Internal money! Everything is in his pocket!
He can also negotiate with foreign dynasties on behalf of Empress Chen!
If he could convince the Queen Mother Chen again, let him control the emperor.
Chen Hong can really walk sideways!
He still remembers Feng Bao's one-punch attack that day in the Ceremony Supervisor. If he waits a few more days, he will kill this thief!
Thinking like this, Chen Hong passed by a dark alley, and for no reason, his heart suddenly tightened.
His instinct of fighting openly and secretly for many years immediately alerted him!
He immediately turned around and ordered the two eunuchs accompanying him to retreat and leave the street.
However, as soon as he turned around, he saw a scene that was about to burst into flames - two black figures stood behind the eunuchs, covering their mouths and knocking them down.
Chen Hong's first reaction was to drink loudly and run away.
Before he could take action, his vision suddenly went dark, and he immediately fell to the ground, slowly losing consciousness. He only saw a few pairs of Jin Yiwei's shoes stepping on the puddle in front of him.
"Chen Qianhu is very skilled!"
Jiang Keqian knelt down, gave Chen Hong a blow with his hand, and praised him.
"Brother Jiang, please don't make fun of me." After receiving the compliment, Chen Mingming just smiled bitterly and got back to business: "How to deal with this person?"
He calls him brother and is close to him.
While the two were talking, a man from a household behind him heard the words and immediately came up to him: "Commander Jiang, Chen Qianhu, I am the best at torture!"
Jiang Keqian and Chen Guanyin looked at each other with strange expressions.
The former glanced at the latter and asked, "Does Chen Qianhu want to be tried?"
Chen Fuxing hesitated and said: "I'm afraid, you can't go to trial, right?"
Jiang Keqian nodded and looked at the hundreds of households: "Did you hear that? Chen Qianhu said he would not be tried and would drown."
The hundred households nodded and bowed.
He immediately knelt down and took out a pile of coarse cloth, pressed it on Chen Hong's face, took out a bottle of wine and poured it into his mouth.
Chen Hong seemed to be ready to wake up.
I saw the hundred households holding him down with a ferocious look on their faces, allowing Chen Hong to scratch and kick him with both hands, but to no avail.
Finally, it slowly returned to calm.
After everyone confirmed it, several people dragged the body to the river bank and kicked it into the river.
A great eunuch got drunk for no apparent reason and accidentally slipped and drowned in the river.
negligible.
…
When Feng Baofang came out of Cining Palace, he was stopped by Zhang Jing.
He looked at Zhang Hong's godson with vigilance and confusion.
Zhang Jing, however, was very respectful: "Feng Zhangyin, Your Majesty, please come over."
When Feng Bao heard this title, a hint of evil flashed in his eyes.
The eunuch behind him was very polite and immediately shouted: "You are a rankless thing, but you dare to call your ancestors by their rank!"
After being scolded and stared at expressionlessly by Feng Bao, Zhang Jing did not lose his composure and still acted with due courtesy.
He came closer and said softly: "Your Majesty said it's a matter of Gao Gong..."
Feng Bao's eyes flashed.
Now Gao Gong was so strong that he was forced into a corner.
The East Factory was lost, and the Supervisor of Ceremonies lost his voice. It can be said that his arms were chopped off.
He can no longer treat the emperor as a child like before.
In fact, he had already considered whether he should embrace the emperor's lap and join forces with Zhang Juzheng to deal with Gao Gong.
Now that the emperor summoned him privately, could it be that he thought of somewhere else?
Thinking of this, he nodded and told Zhang Jing: "Lead the way."
Zhang Jing led the way respectfully, and from time to time said the emperor's private resentment towards Gao Gong.
Feng Bao only thought that the emperor wanted to use him, which prompted Zhang Hong to use this method to show that he had no hostility.
The group soon arrived at Qianqing Palace.
Zhang Hong is already waiting.
When I saw someone coming, I hurriedly greeted him.
He reminded: "Feng Zhangyin, Your Majesty only wants to see you."
Naturally, Feng Bao came to Qianqing Palace frequently. This was indeed the rule.
He didn't bother, nodded, let the two eunuchs stay outside, and then followed Zhang Hong into the Qianqing Palace.
As soon as Feng Bao's back disappeared, Zhang Jing gave a signal with his eyes.
When the people on the side got the news, they all took action and immediately knocked out the two people brought by Feng Bao.
Zhang Jing came closer and kicked his feet in confusion: "Ancestor! Ancestor with dog feet!"
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Tear it away and bury it."
Feng Bao walked in for a while and heard some strange noises in his ears.
He looked around doubtfully.
Zhang Hong opened his mouth at the right time and said: "Feng Zhangyin, Your Majesty is waiting inside, and our family will be sent here."
Feng Bao's attention was called back and he had no choice but to press down on his feelings for the time being.
After thanking him, he turned around and entered the palace.
Although he is weak now, he still has the position of Chief of Ceremony.
The emperor probably summoned him here because of his identity - the two of them were naturally on the same side when dealing with the big situation of Gao Gong.
Feng Bao thought about his attitude later.
After being removed from his position in Dongchang and being suppressed by Gao Gong, he naturally knew that he had missed his last chance to take power.
If Gao Gong wins, his life may be in danger.
But even if Gao Gong is defeated, Feng Bao will never be able to return to his previous glory.
Thinking of this, Feng Bao sighed - he had to get closer to the emperor.
In addition to the reason of resisting the high arch, it is also because the current little emperor is too precocious!
Unless there is a tacit understanding between the Queen Mother and the outer court that they do not want the emperor to take power, they can suppress the young emperor.
But now Empress Dowager Chen supports Gao Gong, and Empress Dowager Li trusts the little emperor more and more.
He, Feng Bao, has no room to move.
With a thought in mind, Feng Bao rubbed his face to make himself appear more submissive.
The moment he stepped into the palace door, he would sing a compliment to show his attitude.
As a result, before he could make any move, two men in Feiyu suits immediately pushed him to the ground!
Feng Bao was horrified!
Just as he was about to shout for help, a ball of linen was stuffed into his mouth, making him unable to speak.
His arms were firmly clamped by two big hands, one on the left and one on the right, lifting half of his body up like a dog being dragged to death.
Only then did Feng Bao see the two people on the left and right clearly.
This is clearly Jin Yiwei!
How could it be!
How could Jin Yiwei attack his own palm in Qianqing Palace?
Could it be that Zhu Xizhong also took refuge in Gao Gong? Are you going to control him and the emperor in the Qianqing Palace!?
Or is it that Empress Dowager Chen has already taken charge of the Qianqing Palace, raised the emperor, and is just waiting to take the throne!?
"Woo...Woo..."
Feng Bao kept struggling and whining.
Suddenly, two Jinyi guards threw him to the ground and stepped on his head with their feet.
"Your Majesty, people have brought it."
Hear this noise.
Feng Bao's eyes widened in disbelief.
He suddenly realized what had happened to him!
Feng Bao was stepped on and unable to move, but he struggled to raise his head to confirm his suspicion.
Suddenly, a slightly thin lower body walked in front of him and slowly squatted down.
What caught Feng Bao's eyes was clearly the emperor's face!
Feng Bao suddenly closed his eyes.
He finally understood why Zhu Xizhong recommended Li Jin and seized his Dongchang that day.
I thought it was the head of the state who bribed Zhu Xizhong.
It turns out... it's the emperor! He actually took control of the Jin Yiwei without saying a word!
Just when Zhu Yijun was about to speak, he asked the Jin Yiwei to remove the linen cloth from Feng Bao's mouth, using this gesture to ridicule the winner.
But suddenly, I felt uninterested again.
He is not really here to fight for power, and there is no sense of pride in killing a eunuch.
If I can achieve something one day, I will have the dignity to say something from the bottom of my heart.
Think of this.
The scolding of Feng Bao for deceiving his master as a slave, the contempt for Feng Bao for deceiving the Empress Dowager Li, and the scolding of Feng Bao for colluding with foreign dynasties were all swallowed up.
When it came to his mouth, it turned into a sentence: "Give Feng Daban a red pill as a reward."
As soon as the words fell.
Feng Bao immediately struggled violently, and the emperor actually wanted to kill him!
He was ready to become a slave and maidservant and swore allegiance!
How can you kill him! He is still useful!
Feng Bao kept whining, begging vaguely for mercy, and blinking desperately, indicating that he was willing to be a dog for the emperor!
Zhu Yijun glanced at Feng Bao strangely.
Suddenly I understood something.
He smiled and said, "Feng Daban doesn't need to threaten me. I will naturally coax my mother to be nice."
After that, he turned around and stopped looking at him.
Jin Yiwei stuffed a red pill into Feng Bao's mouth, and soon he lost his breath.
One of them reached out and closed Feng Bao's unwilling eyes and dragged him out.
…
Feng Bao is not the focus of the night, in fact, he is just an addition.
Zhu Yijun didn't take things seriously.
His current focus is on Ciqing Palace.
There was still an hour before midnight, so he waited quietly.
Jin Yiwei would come in and out from time to time, reporting the latest progress to him.
From Jiang Keqian's news of Chen Hong's execution to Li Jin's confirmation that the East Factory had been cleaned up to a certain extent.
From the time when the palaces and pavilions were calm, to the time when the eunuchs guarding the gates occasionally stopped the eunuchs who were thinking of going out.
Until Zhu Xixiao's voice sounded again in the palace: "Your Majesty, Chen Hong, Feng Bao, Chen Suan and all their subordinates will be executed."
"Every palace door is locked, no one can escape."
"Everything around Ciqing Palace must be cleared."
It was rare for him to put on the robes given by the late emperor when he was awarded the title of Crown Prince and Tutor.
He looked solemn and solemn, befitting a good Imperial Guard Commander!
Zhu Yijun turned around and nodded expressionlessly: "Let's go, follow me to Ciqing Palace to ask for my mother's orders."
He gestured to the decree that had been prepared on the desk.
After that, he stepped out and walked straight out of the palace.
The broad-sleeved robe seemed to bring up a gust of wind as he walked, causing the candlelight to flicker.
Zhu Xixiao knelt down and raised his head slightly, only to see that the shadows behind the emperor seemed to be stacked together, flickering and flickering, and the shadows were longing.
Following the emperor's pace, it seemed as if something indescribable was about to come out.
Zhu Xixiao was distracted when he saw it. He quickly turned his head and didn't dare to look any further. He stood up, picked up the decree on the table, and followed quickly.
The moment you walk out of Wenhua Hall.
Zhu Xixiao suddenly raised his head.
On the sky, in the northeast, there is a pale air, as bright as a white rainbow, rising into the sky and piercing the night sky.
——
In the sixth month of the sixth year of Longqing's reign, at night, there was a pale atmosphere, visible in the northeast, which was as bright as a white rainbow, and gradually dispersed after a long time. - "Records of Ming Shenzong"
Chapter completed!