The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 116 The Strongest Back

Wenhua Hall is a little deserted.

Because the emperor made improper use of people, which led to the Japanese pirates wreaking havoc in the southeast and causing great suffering to the people, the retired emperor reprimanded the emperor and ordered that memorials should be reviewed by the cabinet and then sent to the retired emperor.

There wasn't much power to make decisions to begin with, and now it's completely sealed.

Everyone knew that the emperor did not have the energy to read so many memorials, so the real power fell on the cabinet. Although the emperor trusted Zhou Daofeng, he still added Zhou Daofeng's disciples to the cabinet, which was equivalent to dividing Zhou Daofeng's power.

His work style remains flawless, indicating that the emperor is conscious and there will be no problems in the short term.

The emperor leaned on the white marble railing and looked at the glazed yellow tile roof of the cabinet in the distance.

"What should we do now?"

It seemed as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was making up his mind.

"Don't do anything."

Liu Ru was standing behind the emperor. When he heard the emperor's words, he immediately issued a warning.

The emperor was silent for a moment, then turned and looked at Liu Ru in front of him. Liu Ru had already lost, lost to Zhou Daofeng, and had brought himself to this point. The emperor said in disgust, "Waiting to die?"

"Why does Your Majesty say that?" Liu Ru seemed not to notice the disgust in the emperor's eyes.

The emperor laughed angrily.

Liu Ru's attitude of having nothing to do with him made him angry. He said, "When the Supreme Emperor deposes me, you will kowtow to the new emperor and continue to be your subject. Of course, you will not be willing to do anything."

Liu Ru was not angry. He was the one who taught the emperor, and he knew that he was cold and ungrateful.

This is what an emperor is like. This is what an emperor is like.

Moreover, he had already lost and should bear the blame. However, there was no one around the emperor, so he could not leave. Liu Ru said respectfully as usual: "No one can depose the emperor. Especially at this moment, the emperor must not lose his composure. A wrong step would be a big mistake."

"Didn't the Supreme Emperor depose Prince Yi Zhong before?" the emperor said angrily.

"The past is the past, and the present is the present." Liu Ru knew what he was worried about because of the past, and patiently explained: "The emperor has been on the throne for fifteen years, and the status of the world has been determined. Waiting is victory. The more times like this, the more the emperor should not be anxious, because many people hope that the emperor will make mistakes, and the emperor should not make mistakes."

"In that case, I shouldn't have done anything in the first place. You were the one who had to do it before, and you are the one who doesn't have to do it now. I don't know whether I should trust you." The 30-year-old emperor had always behaved calmly, but now he was as excited as a child.

Liu Ru did not explain the emperor's accusations against him.

He did lose to Zhou Daofeng in the fight, and Liu Ru himself admitted that he was no match for him in this regard, but sometimes things cannot be viewed simply in this way.

During these years of struggle, many people were attracted, or many people had to express their opinions. In the end, no one dared to offend the emperor. Invisibly, the emperor was no longer a puppet emperor, but an emperor recognized by the world. This is the general trend.

Even the emperor emeritus has to consider the country and the people's wishes.

Zhou Daofeng is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot or an egg trying to hit a stone. Even if he wins for a while, he cannot win forever.

The emperor had been in a state of agitation recently and had no patience to listen to these truths. He could not understand them either. Liu Ru said, "People cannot live forever. This is the law of nature. What the emperor should do now is to be respectful and pay his respects to the emperor every day."

The emperor understood what Liu Ru meant, but he was afraid.

Very scared.

More and more afraid.

"When will my uncle enter the palace?"

The emperor asked.

Liu Ru sighed inwardly and could only say, "The Beijing Camp has returned victoriously. The Supreme Emperor ordered the cabinet to hold a banquet to reward the soldiers. Prince Zhongshun also attended. I guess he won't be entering the palace today."

Upon hearing that the Beijing army had returned triumphantly, the emperor of course knew that he should even summon those meritorious generals. However, the retired emperor himself did not have the energy to meet them, and would not allow himself to meet them, so he arranged for Zhou Daofeng to do it.

"Zhang Jifu has also arrived in Beijing, right? With this master-disciple duo now in the cabinet, Master Liu will likely be increasingly isolated and helpless." The emperor calmed down. "Salt Inspector Lin Ruhai has been replaced, and the chief officer of the Salt Road is Zhou Daofeng's man. I'll be without money, and I'm afraid I won't be able to keep the guards around me. How can I not be afraid? Why does Master Liu think I can do nothing?"

bet.

Use respect to gain the emperor's trust.

The retired emperor couldn't let go of power and didn't trust others, so all of this was given to him. After years of fighting, the emperor had already firmly secured his position. When he took power one day, everything would come naturally and no one would be able to cause any trouble.

This was equivalent to handing everything over to the retired emperor. Liu Ru thought he could take the gamble, but he couldn't say it because he knew the emperor. If he said it, the emperor would definitely refuse.

Because the emperor did not trust the emperor emeritus.

Even if it’s myself.

These are my own inferences. Although I am confident, I dare not say that they are definitely true.

Liu Ru reminded him, "Although Prince Zhongshun is the emperor's uncle and has always been respectful to the emperor, he is also a member of the imperial clan. You can only know a person's face but not his heart. If you rely on Prince Zhongshun, you will easily lose everything."

"hehe."

The emperor sneered twice and said dejectedly, "Do I have anything left to lose?"

Liu Ru knew that he could not persuade the emperor. The emperor was over thirty years old and was no longer the child he used to be.

Prince Zhongshun could no longer be stopped from entering the palace.

Liu Ru didn't know what to do in the future. He only knew that the emperor had let a wolf into the house, and he was afraid that the Great Zhou would never be at peace again.

The main hall of the Jia Mansion.

He had expected to see Jia She, but he hadn't seen him since returning to the Jia residence. Had he offended him? Wang Xin didn't know why, and he didn't dare to ask, so he just stayed in the hall talking with Jia Zheng.

"Nothing else matters, but there is one thing I need to trouble Master Zheng with." Wang Xin remembered Admiral Zhu Wei's reminder. Yesterday, the army returned victoriously, and they, the generals, went to the palace and the cabinet together. They were busy for most of the day, so they came here as soon as they were free today.

"What's the matter?" "I heard Admiral Zhu Wei mention Cheng Hong, the general of the right wing. He said that this man has a lot of background."

Jia Zheng didn't care at first, but his hands gradually stiffened and he slowly put the teacup back on the table, and began to fall into deep thought. Wang Xin was also puzzled when he saw this and waited patiently.

After a while.

Jia Zheng was speechless and said, "I have heard some news before, but you also know that the capital is crowded with people and has many eyes. The news is all over the place, true and false, with more false than true, so it is hard to take it seriously. So there are some things I can't be sure of. But the fact that the Eastern Army Commander Zhu Wei is so cautious seems to be true."

The most frightening thing is the unknown. As long as you understand it clearly and are prepared, you will not be afraid.

Now Jia Zheng obviously knew that Wang Xin was no longer anxious. He smiled and said, "It seems that he is from a rather important background."

"It's more than just not small. Do you know Prince Zhongshun?" Jia Zheng asked.

Of course I know Prince Zhongshun.

Wang Xin shook his head knowing that you almost beat Jia Baoyu to death because of Prince Zhongshun's matter in the future.

Jia Zheng took a sip of tea. This was a long story and could not be explained in a few words. After drinking the tea and moistening his throat, Jia Zheng slowly began to explain the whole story.

The four kings and eight dukes who founded the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The four kings are kings of different surnames. The Prince of Beijing is responsible for guarding Daning, and the current successor is Shui Rong. The Prince of Dong'an is responsible for guarding Liaodong, and the current successor is Mu Shi. The Prince of Nan'an guards Babai Damian, and the Prince of Xiping guards Yilibali.

Among the four princes, only Prince Beijing lost Daning, so the current Prince Beijing Shui Rong tried his best to return to Daning and win over the nobles.

The eight kilometers and two dukes refer to Ningguo Mansion and Rongguo Mansion, the so-called two dukes from one family, the highest nobility among the dukes.

This is also the reason why the emperor suppressed the nobles in the first place.

Not only did he suppress it, but he also maintained stability and did not provoke any rebellion, like boiling a frog in warm water. Speaking of this, although Jia Zheng is now taking the path of a civil servant, he is ultimately from a noble family and cannot help but admire the methods of the retired emperor.

Then there are the military towns in the nine border areas, as well as the military towns in the inland transportation routes and dangerous places. For example, the Ping'anzhou military town in Baoding Prefecture, the gateway to the capital, has a Jiedushi just like the original Beijing camp.

Thanks to the efforts of the retired emperor over the years, many military governors were abolished, such as the military governor of the Beijing camp, and military power was returned to the court. However, it could not be achieved in one go, and many problems still exist.

For example, the Prince of Nan'an was so far away from the Central Plains and lived in a wild area that even the local natives only recognized the Prince of Nan'an and not the imperial court, so the imperial court had no choice but to recognize him.

Another example is Mu Shi, the Prince of Dong'an.

Originally they were from the same hometown as the Jia family, and later they were stationed in Liaodong. The Hu people split into two groups, and one group moved eastward, namely the Donghu. They fought for many years, and only in recent years have they calmed down a bit, and they cannot be easily moved.

Then there are the royal family.

Prince Zhongshun was a member of the royal family and the emperor's uncle. He was also the power left by the princes who were enfeoffed at the beginning of the country. Unlike the four princes, who were far away in the four directions, the prince did not give them fiefdoms, but gave them military power.

For example, there were princes in the original imperial guards, including the old Prince Yi Zhong. Later, he was confiscated and beheaded by the retired emperor on the charge of treason. This branch was wiped out.

This is another complicated old story.

The Imperial Guards were gone, the Beijing Camp was reorganized, and many princes lost their military power. Prince Zhongshun still had some people in the Beijing Camp, but because they were not deeply involved in military power, they were not completely liquidated and were left behind for show.

Wang Xin suddenly understood.

This makes sense. Cheng Hong, the general of the right wing, was originally a man of Prince Zhongshun. He only made money over the years and did not get involved in military power. Instead, he became the key to the preservation of Prince Zhongshun's power.

"Prince Zhongshun must be so rich." Wang Xin sighed.

Prince Zhongshun is no ordinary person, as he has been making so much money for so many years.

"Not to mention his wealth, he is also a prince with real power and the emperor's uncle. No one dares to offend him. Do you have any connection with him?" Jia Zheng thought of something and was shocked.

Seeing Jia Zheng's attitude, Wang Xin knew in his heart that he could not rely on him in this matter.

"It's nothing."

Wang Xin did not disclose.

"Nothing is best." Jia Zheng said, observing Wang Xin's expression, hinting, "Prince Zhongshun has a good reputation, and many people are on good terms with him. It's best not to offend him lightly, otherwise it will be difficult to reconcile."

I never intended to offend anyone.

Unfortunately, my plate is getting bigger and bigger, and it always blocks some people's way. Am I cutting myself off?

So Jia Zheng has a good attitude, but lacks the ability. He can protect his family, but cannot protect Rongguo Mansion. It is beyond his ability.

I am afraid of trouble and don't want to get involved.

Wang Xin frowned.

Prince Zhongshun's identity is a bit difficult.

Regardless of whether they are obsessed with money or have other motives, unless they are willing to give up their independence and completely surrender to Zhu Wei, becoming Zhu Wei's lackeys, and the entire battalion moves to the headquarters, then there will be no conflict.

However, Zhu Wei is a stingy person, yet he can invest resources in his own headquarters. How could he allow a battalion to be out of his control? He must have full control over it.

Whether in Yangzhou or this time when he went south to suppress the Japanese pirates, he was unwilling to be easily controlled by others.

Lin Ruhai is still the best.

I almost forgot that I still have a letter.

Wang Xin no longer dwelled on this matter.

As long as you have a strong backbone, you don't need to ask others for help, and your backbone is always stronger than others.

(End of this chapter)