Why did the emperor rebel?

British government, in the study.

Zhang Yu was dressed in a soft robe for home use, and sat casually behind the table. Opposite him, it was not Zhu Yi or other honorable persons, but a middle-aged man in a blue official robe and white pheasant patch.

Xu Youzhen!
Ever since the Bachelor Xu came to him on his own initiative last time, even though Zhang Yu had doubts about him, he did not refuse his attachment.

So, he quickly saw what kind of person Xu Yuanyu was, who was secretly talked about by many courtiers as being good at drilling.

As a civil servant, and also an official of the East Palace, this Mr. Xu, now runs to the British government when he has nothing to do.

He would come here to discuss all the big and small things in the capital, inside and outside the capital, and all the big and small things. It can't be said that this kind of behavior is not a violation of the style of a civil servant, but for Zhang Xiang himself, he is still very useful.

At least, every time Xu Youzhen discussed current affairs, he could see the situation in Beijing more clearly. Therefore, during this period of time, their relationship has gradually improved. Otherwise, Xu Youzhen would not have been able to make progress. to his study.

"...Second Lord, I have heard that the request for the name of the fourth prince by the Ministry of Rites was rejected, and His Majesty personally bestowed the name, and it is taboo to see him. As soon as this name came out, there was a lot of discussion..."

Xu Youzhen looked up at Zhang Min, and said with a worried expression.

However, Zhang Min's reaction was flat, said.

"Now His Highness the Crown Prince is not the son of the Son of Heaven. The reason why he was able to obtain the position in the East Palace was nothing more than the result of a compromise forced by the situation at the beginning. No matter how much the Son of Heaven cares for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on the surface, he will never really love him in his heart. Relying on the stock as the reserve capital, this has long been a clue."

"Otherwise, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been out of the cabinet for so long, why the officials and subordinates of the East Palace are still not ready, not to mention, the matter of the Young Army has been started a long time ago, but it is forced to delay until now to really start."

"It's just that, before the emperor took over the throne for the first time, his foundation was not stable, and he had no heir, so he had to pretend to rely heavily on the prince, but now..."

At this point, Zhang Min stopped, so Xu Youzhen sighed and continued.

"Now that the fourth prince is born, this fourth prince is a legitimate descendant of the middle palace, with a noble status, even His Royal Highness is slightly inferior. I am afraid that this majesty is a little bit unable to suppress his own thoughts."

"Amnesty to Gyeonggi, great rewards inside and outside the palace, imperial conferment of the empress's mother clan, plus this name, this thought can be said to be revealed..."

Zhang Xiang glanced at Xu Youzhen, and saw that the other person was very sad, and he understood it in his heart. After entering the East Palace, he was branded as a prince. If His Royal Highness succeeds to the throne, then naturally he will follow the dragon. , but if the crown prince is deposed, then they, the officials of the East Palace, may not end well.

What's more, Mr. Xu was a participant in the case of attacking Xiangting at the beginning, intending to frame the emperor. If this matter is revealed, his own life may not be saved. So, for now According to Xu Youzhen, if the East Palace is stable, his official career will be hopeful. If the East Palace's status is not stable, then he may not only have no hope of official career.

Although the emperor has not yet shaken the capital, but he has been promoting the four princes non-stop, it is already visible, how could he not be worried.

but……

"So what if it's revealed? You civil servants always pay attention to the order of etiquette and law, the foundation of the prince and the country, but when it comes time to shake the prince, isn't it true that no one dares to say a word?"

Zhang Yu sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"It has been almost a month since the birth of the fourth prince. The emperor rewarded all the ministers and bestowed foreign relatives, but apart from a few censors who gave advice, look at the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty. Didn't everyone keep silent, didn't even an official of the Eastern Palace like you not present a defense?"

Xu Youzhen's face was a little ugly.

However, he also knew that this is the character of Zhang Erye. At best, he is straightforward, but at worst, he is brainless.

Ever since Zhang Fu was executed for leaking military planes, Zhang Fu has always held grudges and hostility towards the civil servants who denounced Zhang Fu in the court at that time.

Of course, it's also possible that because of his status as Xu Youzhen, he still can't get into the eyes of this Second Master Zhang. If it's really a minister of the Six Departments and Seven Ministers sitting opposite him, no matter how brainless he is, I'm afraid he won't say anything. This kind of words...

Shaking her head, Xu Youzhen reluctantly explained.

"The matter of asking for a name is not a big deal after all. What's more, His Majesty has not shown any obvious intention to abolish the establishment. At most, he just favors the fourth prince too much. But in the end, this is His Majesty's eldest son. Preference is also a common thing, and if the matter involves the harem, it would be a bit petty if the court ministers insist on it."

As she spoke, Xu Youzhen's face changed slightly, and she continued.

"What's more, although the ministers of the court did not have much reaction, hasn't the Duke already requested the selection of honor guards? Your Majesty must also know that suppressing the East Palace at this time will cause the courtiers to speculate. So happy to agree."

"Moreover, I heard that just the day before yesterday, His Majesty had ordered the Ministry of War to draw up the regulations for the rectification of the military mansion. If there is no accident, this task will be handed over to Yu Shaobao to preside over it. The most interesting thing is , His Majesty Zhu approved the imperial approval, it was Er Ye's memorial, I don't know, is there such a thing?"

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Min's face suddenly became a little ugly.

He nodded slightly, but didn't say much.

Seeing this situation, Xu Youzhen said with a look of hating iron but not steel.

"Among the ministers in the court, only the Second Master and Yu Shaobao can take on the matter of rectifying the military mansion. His Majesty has not made a decision, which shows that he is still hesitating. Has the Second Master never thought about why His Majesty didn't directly hand over the matter to you?" Yu Shaobao?"

Zhang Min was stunned, and asked with a frown.

"Why?"

But this time, Xu Youzhen didn't answer his question directly, but asked rhetorically.

"Dare to ask the second master, the idea of ​​recommending Yu Shaobao to take charge of this matter, but Cheng Guogong gave it to you?"

The answer is of course yes, but Xu Youzhen's question made Zhang Min hesitate.

He was weighing whether Xu Youzhen was trustworthy or Zhu Yi was trustworthy.

Seeing this situation, without him answering, Xu Youzhen showed a clear look and said.

"It seems so..."

While talking, Xu Youzhen shook her head and said.

"Last time I said that although the British government and the Chengguo government are related by marriage, the second master also needs to be vigilant, but I didn't expect that the second master is still so unguarded. I'm afraid this time, this time An errand, the second master can't get it..."

As soon as the words fell, Zhang Min's face suddenly became extremely ugly.

Looking at Xu Youzhen on the opposite side, his expression changed for a while, obviously he was a little confused, but in the end, he still couldn't overcome the suspicion in his heart, said.

"I know that His Majesty may directly hand over this task to Yu Qian once this memorial is up, but..."

"However, if Yu Shaobao is defeated, and the matter has been advanced halfway, and it cannot be abandoned, then in the end, naturally, the second master can only be chosen, right?"

Xu Youzhen continued Zhang Min's words, but her tone was slightly mocking.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Min frowned, but he didn't speak.

Because, he did intend to do so, in fact, this was also the method that Zhu Yi discussed with him at first.

However, Xu Youzhen's expression now made him feel uncertain...

Seeing Zhang Min's expression, Xu Youzhen knew that her guess was correct, so she spoke.

"Not to mention other rights, I only have one question. How can Cheng Guogong have the ability to be sure that he can bring down Yu Shaobao?"

This……

Zhang Min's eyes moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he remained silent and did not speak.

So Xu Youzhen shook her head and said.

"I know that Cheng Guogong must have some means to persuade the second master, or, Yu Shaobao has some kind of handle in Cheng Guogong's hands."

"It doesn't matter if the second master doesn't tell me, but I just want to ask the second master, this trick is conspiracy?"

This question was beyond Zhang Min's expectation, he subconsciously shook his head and said.

"Naturally not..."

If there is evidence of Yu Qian's rebellion, how can it be so troublesome...

So, Xu Youzhen sneered and said.

"Since it is not such a serious crime, Yu Shaobao's personal morality is not about corruption, fraud and other things. Apart from these, other things, in Yu Shaobao's status, if there is any negligence, I am afraid that he himself will If it's dealt with, it won't be the Duke Cheng's turn to catch it."

"So, if there is no accident, the blame should not lie on Shaobao, but on his old relatives and friends, right?"

Zhang Min's gaze turned serious, and he once again raised his evaluation of Xu Youzhen in front of him.

He already knew that this person was smart, but he didn't expect that he was so smart that he could guess so much based on these clues.

The matter has come to this point, there is no point in concealing it any more, so Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, and said.

"Speaking of which, this matter is still related to Song Wenyi. A few days ago, Duke Cheng's mansion accidentally learned..."

"Is that so?"

Although Xu Youzhen had already guessed, but after hearing what Zhang Min said, she was still surprised.

Afterwards, Zhang Min said.

"Once this matter is uncovered, Yu Qian must be inseparable. As long as you prepare in advance, even if you can't really bring him down, it is not difficult to make it difficult for him to preside over the military government."

Hearing this, Xu Youzhen also frowned. In the final analysis, Cheng Guogong was able to persuade Zhang Min not by rhetoric. He thought that Yu Shaobao's character and ability should be blameless, but But he didn't expect such a thing to happen. As Zhang Xiang said, if this matter is true, then Yu Shaobao is indeed hard to get rid of it.

but……

After pondering for a moment, Xu Youzhen spoke.

"Second Lord, with all due respect, even if there is such a thing, if you deal with it properly, with Shaobao's favor, you may not be able to move him at all."

Having said that, Zhang Min immediately became unhappy and asked.

“How come you see?”

Xu Youzhen thought for a moment, seemed to be considering how to organize her words, and then spoke.

"This errand was originally brought up by the second master. At that time, His Majesty first promoted Wang Qin, and then recalled Yu Shaobao. It can be seen that at that time, His Majesty intended to let the Ministry of War take charge of this matter. It was not surprising. After all, at that time, Er The purpose of this matter is to prevent His Majesty from sending troops to the grassland, and the British government has always been close to Nangong, so it is common for His Majesty to guard against it."

"But the strange thing is that after Yu Shaobao returned to Beijing, His Majesty never mentioned this matter. Don't you find it strange?"

Zhang Min's brows also slowly frowned. He really didn't think about this question very carefully. Looking up at Xu Youzhen, he continued to ask.

"So, what do you think is the reason?"

"The tail is too big to lose!"

Xu Youzhen spoke softly, spit out four words, and immediately, he explained.

"Second Master, please think about it. A few years ago, Yu Shaobao was just a minister of the Ministry of War, an ordinary third-rank official. One, after that, with the support of the old heavenly official Wang Zhi, he presided over the internal and external affairs of the capital, and his prestige grew day by day."

"At that time, the capital was panicked, internally and externally uneasy, and it was Yu Shaobao who bitterly remonstrated with the Virgin Mary to support the establishment of the Changjun, and he has made great contributions in supporting him. After the current emperor ascended the throne, Yu Shaobao concurrently served as the admiral of the Beijing camp, in charge of internal and external defense, Although the battle of Oirat was a decisive and strategic plan by the Holy One, its contribution to protecting the country cannot be ignored."

"Prestige, status, official position, and merit are all so rich. How can His Majesty be unscrupulous? Although His Majesty is behind the support of the rectification of the army, but for the sake of smooth government orders, the Ministry of War was almost built by Yu Shaobao. A piece of iron bucket, except for the servant Yu Shan, all the officials in the Ministry of War were either promoted by Yu Shaobao, or they had a close relationship with him."

"Under such circumstances, if the Ministry of War is in charge of the rectification of the military mansion and Yu Shaobao's influence spreads from the court to the military mansion, will His Majesty really be at ease?"

In all fairness, there is some truth to what I said, but...

Zhang Min frowned, hesitated for a moment and spoke.

"Having said that, the Son of Heaven has always trusted Shaobao. If he was really afraid, how could he take it lightly and let it go hastily?"

"Besides, you also said just now that the emperor summoned Yu Shaobao back to the capital because he intended to let him preside over this matter. If he is really afraid, why is it so?"

"Besides, if what you said is correct, the emperor is really afraid of Shaobao, then, shouldn't the possibility of bringing him down when such an opportunity arises, shouldn't it be greater?"

This series of questions made Xu Youzhen slightly taken aback, and after a while, he shook his head and said.

"Second Master, your thinking is still too simple. To be honest with Second Master, Xu also made such a mistake at the beginning, and because of this, he was sidelined in the Imperial Academy for a long time, and he has not really turned himself over until now. To this day, I have only realized this truth.”

"That is, above the court, it's not such an either-or argument..."