Why did the emperor rebel?

Night, Nangong.

Logically speaking, after nightfall, the palace city is closed, and the courtiers are not allowed to visit unless there is an emergency military administration. This is not only to ensure that the emperor will not be disturbed, but also for the sake of safety.

However, Nangong is not an imperial palace after all. Although it bears the word Gong, it is actually outside the palace city. Therefore, the management is much looser.

Since the last spring hunt, most of the attendants in Nangong were replaced, not only did Nangong's management not become stricter, but the Jinyiwei who were on duty outside became much more lazy.

Although Zhang Min made a temporary decision, with the help of Meng Jun, the commander of the guards, he was summoned without disturbing others.

When Zhu Qizhen got the report, he was also very surprised. Recently, he got a new beauty, who is like a willow, delicate and charming, and is different from the few beautiful women he has accepted these days. It is the time of holy favor .

Today he just summoned Concubine Shen Yi to serve him, and just when he was about to go to bed, Jiang An brought the news, which unavoidably made him feel a little bit impatient. asked rightly.

"Zhang Qing came late at night, what's the hurry?"

The implication is, if there is no urgent matter, just wait for me...

However, Zhang Min's mood at the moment was extremely complicated. Although he was aware of the dissatisfaction of the Supreme Emperor, he had no time to take it into consideration.

Glancing at the many court ladies serving around him, he said.

"I do have something important to report to Your Majesty, but it's very important, so I ask Your Majesty to back off."

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Qizhen frowned immediately. When Jiang An came to report just now, he knew that Zhang Min came here secretly this time.

Although, given Nangong's current state, this secret may not actually be a secret, but this in itself means that Zhang Wei does not want to make too much publicity, nor does he want others to know about his visit this time.

This kind of sneaky behavior made him feel strange, but now that Zhang Min made him back away again, he naturally felt even more displeased.

But even so, out of trust in Zhang Min, Zhu Qizhen hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand, and asked Jiang An to get rid of all the irrelevant people.

Soon, apart from Jiang An and Qi Muge, there was no one else in the hall, and those who retreated left and right were idlers, and even if they retreated, it was impossible that there would be no servants in the hall.

So, Zhu Qizhen opened his mouth and said.

"Zhang Qing, do you know that most of the people who just left were sent to me by the Holy Mother, so there is no doubt that they are loyal and reliable, but there are countless eyeliners outside the gate of the palace. , there may not be news leaked, but as long as they all go out, then such a big movement will definitely attract the attention of many parties."

Zhang Yu naturally knew this truth, and what he knew more was that the Supreme Emperor also knew that he knew this truth. Therefore, when the Supreme Emperor said this, he was secretly expressing his dissatisfaction. This is the so-called emperor's mind technique.

Sighing silently in his heart, Zhang Min fell to his knees and said.

"Your Majesty's kindness and trust have met me so deeply, I am always filled with gratitude. I hurried into the palace today, and indeed I have something important to report to Your Majesty. The cause of this matter is that Xu Youzhen, a scholar of Youchunfang University, came to the minister's mansion this afternoon and talked with me about it. Recent events in Beijing and China..."

As he said that, Zhang Xiang told Xu Youzhen's conversation with him today, as well as all of Xu Youzhen's dealings with him before, without any concealment. conspiracy.

It should be said that this is the first time that Zhang Xiang has unreservedly exposed all his affairs in front of the Supreme Emperor. Of course, it is not accurate to say that he is completely unreserved. At least, the two of them joined forces to plot Ren Li. He didn't dare to speak out.

However, even so, he still felt uneasy, because strictly speaking, his conspiracy with Zhu Yi was for personal gain. He was still a little uncertain about his reaction, but at this point, he could only gamble.

What Xu Youzhen said to him today, Zhang Min knew very well that they were trying to sow discord between him and Zhu Yi, so that Zhang Min would rely more on Xu Youzhen, a think tank.

However, what he knew better was that what Xu Youzhen said was correct. Zhu Yi was a man with deep scheming and extremely sophisticated handling. More importantly, just like himself, Zhu Yi had always considered Duke Cheng the first thing in his life. The interests of the government itself, on this basis, is how to preserve the interests of the British government.

This difference can't be seen normally, but once it encounters a critical moment, it is especially obvious. From the previous restoration of the title, the reinstatement of the young army, to the calculation of Ren Li, intending to take back the authority of the military mansion, and then to the Now that the selection of honor guards, the ones who get the benefits are the Duke of Chengguo first. Although the Duke of England also benefits, it is far less than the Duke of Chenguo.

Zhang Wei had already felt it before, but Xu Youzhen pointed it out. However, it was difficult to change this situation after he realized it, because fundamentally speaking, Zhang Wei knew that it was due to his own lack of talent and ability. So I can only rely on Zhu Yi to help him with ideas.

Since these ideas are all Zhu Yi's thoughts, then he will definitely give priority to the interests of Cheng Guo Gongfu. This point, no matter how good the relationship between the two families is, it cannot be changed.

So in fact, it is a good thing for the two governments to get married, but the marriage only represents the integration of the resources of the two governments, and they can rely on each other to help each other, but whether they can use this power depends on the ability of the principals of the two governments.

And this is the reason for this situation. At the beginning of the union of the two governments, the British government was powerful.

The difference between primary and secondary, when one side does not have an absolute overwhelming advantage over the other, does not depend on who is stronger or weaker, but depends on who has a more unique grasp of the court situation, he or Zhu Yi.

Obviously, on this point, Zhang Wei is not as good as Zhu Yi. It's not that Zhang Wei didn't realize this before, but he ignored it intentionally or unintentionally. To put it bluntly, people don't want to admit their incompetence Yes, even if he has screwed up so many things before, as long as he is not pointed out in person, it will be difficult for him to face this on his own initiative.

Perhaps this itself is one of the reasons why he has been losing...

However, Xu Youzhen's words made it impossible for Zhang Xiang to evade this question. He had to admit that even if he was inferior to Zhu Yi in terms of strategy and calculation, he also had to admit that although the relationship between the two governments is still close, Chengguo The government has gradually expanded, and there is a faint tendency to surpass the British government.

Therefore, it is obviously unrealistic to continue pinning his hopes on Zhu Yi's help. He must have his own plan, and then he can use the power of Cheng Guogong's government to achieve the goal of the British government, just like Zhu Yi So-so as done before.

Xu Youzhen's purpose is obvious. He just hopes that Zhang Min can turn to rely on him. However, there is Ren Li in the front and Zhu Yi in the back. Zhang Min has eaten enough and he doesn't want to use it in the name of cooperation. Repeat the same mistakes again, then Xu Youzhen will be different from the previous two, just a civil servant, who will not pose any threat to the British government, and he is not willing to go back to the old way.

But if we don’t follow the old path, where is the new way out?

Zhang Yu thought about it, but he still had no idea, until he started to try to change his thinking, that is, if the third brother was still there, what choice would he make in the face of such a situation?

He is not Zhang Fu, so he is not as thoughtful as Zhang Fu, and it is impossible to really know what Zhang Fu will do in the current situation.

However, he is very clear about what choice Zhang Fu has been insisting on before...

Too emperor!
Ever since the Civil War, Zhang Fu has been firmly on the side of the Supreme Emperor. In the palace, he tried his best to maintain a good relationship with the Holy Mother and the Empress Dowager, and assisted the Holy Mother to control the situation. Try to welcome back the Supreme Emperor.

You know, at that time, the current Holy Majesty had already ascended the throne, but Zhang Fu still insisted on this choice, and he did not waver at all. In some matters, he would rather give up the interests of the British government, just to satisfy the Holy Mother, and to welcome back the Supreme Emperor , He did not hesitate to take personal risks and went to Oala for rescue. Although he never expressed his position clearly in the court situation, he never concealed his loyalty to the Supreme Emperor.

Did he do so much just because of his loyalty?
Zhang Fu used to think so, and sometimes, he even felt that Zhang Fu was a little too disregarding the British government's own interests, but now, he found more and more that the third brother's choice was right.

He used to have a little thought of being compared with Zhang Fu, but now, he suddenly found that the biggest gap between himself and Zhang Fu lies in the structure and long-term vision.

Zhang Fu never cared about the pros and cons of momentary gains and losses, but only considered how to achieve the ultimate goal, but he was different. His structure was too small, and he was often limited by the small profits in front of him, which led to wanting everything and wanting everything. not available.

Above the imperial court, there are rulers and ministers. Since the British government belongs to the Supreme Emperor's faction, then the stronger the Supreme Emperor's power, the more confident the British government will be in the court. The government is like a rootless apple, and it is difficult to do anything.

It's a pity that he didn't see this clearly before, and was used repeatedly for selfish reasons. From this point of view, Zhang Fu is much smarter than him.

Since Zhang Xiang knew that he was not resourceful enough, that he didn't have the ability to assess the situation and change with the times, the best choice was to stick to one path and never change it, follow it to the end, and bet that his choice was not wrong.

During this process, no matter what kind of situation you encounter, don't waver, otherwise, in his situation, you want this, you want that, and you end up with nothing.

Now, he finally wakes up to this point, but he doesn't know if it's still too late...

The Supreme Emperor’s complexion was inexplicable, which made Zhang Wei feel guilty. It was the first time for him to make such an attempt, so it was a bit unclear what the result would be. He had even prepared it, and the Supreme Emperor was furious. Prepare.

However, to his surprise, the Supreme Emperor was not as furious as he thought, but instead asked him an unexpected question.

"What does Zhang Qing think of Xu Youzhen?"

Zhang Yu was stunned for a while, not knowing what the Supreme Emperor's intention in asking this matter was, but since he had made up his mind, he naturally knew everything, spoke truthfully, and said.

"Returning to Your Majesty, I feel that this person has strategy and courage, but also has ambitions, and... Your Majesty forgives me, I feel that he is too serious about being an official. Compared with him, loyalty is ranked second. "

Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen said with a smile on his face.

"Speaking ill of people behind their backs, isn't this Zhang Qing's usual style?"

Although the question was asked with a smile, the meaning revealed in it was vaguely reproachful, which made Zhang Wei's heart beat again.

However, thinking of the determination he made when he came here, his heart settled down again, and he spoke.

"Your Majesty clearly learned that it's not that I criticize others behind their backs, but that I really treat Xu Youzhen in this way. When His Majesty asks a question, I answer truthfully, and I dare not lie in the slightest."

This answer sounded like a cliché, and it was a little weak. Therefore, Zhang Wei was not sure whether he could satisfy the Supreme Emperor.

However, it is still the same sentence, since it has been decided that everything should be based on the Supreme Emperor, then one should not pay attention to the immediate gains and losses.

Just when he was ready, the Supreme Emperor would continue to question him, but unexpectedly, the old man jumped to another topic and asked.

"Xu Youzhen said that we should do our best to help and protect the crown prince, regardless of cost or means. What do you think of this?"

As soon as the atmosphere in the hall became quiet, Zhang Yu's heart also became tense. This topic was very sensitive, and he knew very well that once some words were spoken, they would be irreversible.

However, up to now, he had no choice. He took a deep breath and said.

"I think he's right!"

"His Royal Highness is the orthodox of the country, the eldest grandson of the first emperor, the eldest son of His Majesty, and should inherit the great rule in the future."

"No matter who, even if it is the emperor, if he wants to shake the crown of the Eastern Palace, it will be usurpation. The British government has received the favor of the previous emperors, so naturally we can't just sit idly by. No matter what the price is, the minister must be the prince. place."

It should be said that compared to Xu Youzhen's words, what Zhang Bi said at the moment was more explicit, directly pointing out that the biggest threat to shake the East Palace is the current Holy Majesty, in order to express his attitude.

However, what he didn't expect was that after the words were finished, the Supreme Emperor pondered for a moment, and did not make any affirmative or negative statements to his words, but asked.

"Then what if... I think the prince has no virtue and want to change to another prince?"

The tone was understated, as if talking about a trivial matter.

However, the moment he heard these words, a trace of cold sweat oozed from Zhang Min's forehead, his expression changed suddenly, and he didn't know how to answer...