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Chapter 224 Conspiracy Part 2
"You don't know something. His Majesty has been deliberately trying to seize power since he ascended the throne. However, his methods are very smooth, his methods are very clever, and he is disguised very gently. He has never attracted the attention of the public in the DPRK."

"Mr. Dong Lin is exaggerating! Your Majesty is indeed very intelligent, but he is just young and impulsive. In addition, he has only just ascended the throne and has not really understood the way of governing the country!"

Gu Xiancheng didn't beat around the bush, he still stood beside Shen Li and slowly began to tell.It's just that his opening remarks were a bit abrupt, which made Li Tingji feel a hint of ridicule, and he raised questions before he finished speaking.

"In recent years, Gu has hardly stayed in the academy for long, and has lived in the capital all year round. After making a comprehensive summary of his actions, he was inevitably shocked. As we all know, His Majesty was enlightened very late, and the Jingyan and the East Palace were less than a year old. He was not At the beginning of his succession, he had many means to contend with the courtiers.

However, the result was not like this. First, the cabinet was selected, then Tian Yi and Chen Ju were recruited to control the harem, and then Baizhong was killed and Zhang Ran was appointed. The targets were ruthless and clear, and there was no delay.

From the introduction of the grace order, the new disaster relief law, the use of Yuan Keli to build sea-going ships, the transfer of Li Zhi to Guangdong and Guangxi, the purchase of Nanyang rice with the Folangji people to solve the food shortage, to the abandonment of Liaodong Town and the attack on Jinyiwei, one by one they will be connected. We found that everything was beyond our expectations, and the results strengthened the imperial power.

Recently, Gu also discovered something, which probably showed his intentions more than anything before.From the beginning of the 32nd year of Wanli, His Majesty gathered a large number of young eunuchs under the age of ten called the Cuju team in the palace.To the outside world, he used the excuse of accompanying him for fun, but in fact he lectured constantly every day and supplemented it with martial arts training.

Nowadays, most of these young eunuchs have reached adulthood and serve in various prisons in the harem. They have become a pair of eyes for His Majesty to closely monitor the harem.We only know that Chen Ju, Wang An, and Zhang Ran are His Majesty's supporters, but we don't know that these little eunuchs will be a serious problem in the future.

His Majesty has deliberately tried to hide it from the government and the public, and has been operating carefully for several years. Perhaps it is not just for the safety of the harem, but his long-term intentions. Could it be the work of a kind and dull prince? "

It doesn't matter if you don't believe him. Since he dared to leave Li Tingji to chat alone, Gu Xiancheng must have a proven method to convince him.It was after hearing this rhetoric that Shen Guanyi, who was far away in his hometown in Ningbo, made up his mind to put aside the differences between the two factions and unite to deal with the emperor.

"It is not uncommon to reuse eunuchs and relatives since ancient times. Although your majesty has extraordinary intelligence, he only has extraordinary skills and is nothing to worry about." But Li Tingji was not as easy to persuade as Shen Yiguang. In his eyes, the emperor It is true that he has some small skills and tricks, but it is not enough to compete head-on with the entire civil service group.

The previous achievements were nothing more than taking an unexpected approach on marginal issues, and it didn't hurt to take advantage of them.After all, he is the emperor, and he is still young and energetic. He cannot suffer losses everywhere, so he should act impatiently.

Most officials did not want to push the emperor to a dead end. If they really raised the butcher's knife, who could guarantee that it would not fall on their own necks.The best result is to simmer slowly over a slow fire. As age increases and experience accumulates, the emperor's energy will gradually be worn away, and he will naturally know how to choose.

"Grandmaster Li is too optimistic. Do you have to wait for someone to put a knife to your neck before you wake up!"

Li Tingji's stubborn performance made Shen Li a little annoyed. Originally, he didn't believe that the emperor had any premeditation, but after listening to Gu Xiancheng's analysis, his back was soaked and he was filled with fear.The current Li Tingji is the same as he used to be, no matter how stupid he looks!

"Mr. Pavilion, don't be impatient for a moment! Let's listen to what Gu has to say for now, and then decide where to go." Although Shen Li is the chief minister of the cabinet, Li Tingji is not afraid at all, and will fight back when his face turns dark.Upon seeing this, Gu Xiancheng quickly stepped forward to comfort him and stood at the corner of the Eight Immortals table, separating the two men who were staring at each other eagerly.

"...Mr. Donglin, please speak." Li Tingji looked at Gu Xiancheng, then at Shen Yiguan's envelope, took a deep breath to calm down, and acted like he was all ears.

"Chen Ju, Wang An, and Zhang Ran are just eunuchs, and they are not a concern if they occupy the harem. However, they suppressed the bandits, including Yuan Keli, the governor of the Yamen, Zhao Shizhen, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, Li Zhizao, the foreign minister of the Yuan Dynasty, Xu Guangqi, the governor of Liaodong, Yuan Yingtai, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Li Zhi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. His cronies are the real thorn in his side.

After careful investigation, Gu found that what these people were doing in the local area was very organized, not like they were working independently, but more like a huge chess game.His Majesty sits in the palace and strategizes, and everyone is a chess piece at his mercy.

At present, Li Zhi is gaining momentum in Guangdong. Under his protection, snowflake sugar mills are blooming all over the country, monopolizing more than 36% of the sugar in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian. He also colludes with the [-] companies to sell large quantities to the Folangji people. It is not an exaggeration to describe him as making money every day. .

In the past two years, a group of pirates has suddenly appeared in the East China Sea, with a scale of more than a thousand. They are called Sea Harriers. They often travel between Ningbo Prefecture, Wenzhou Prefecture, and various ports in Fujian for private sales, and their goods all come from Japan.

According to businessmen from Zhejiang who travel to and from Japan, they have seen a black Folangji sailing ship more than once outside the local port. They also heard a local Japanese interpreter talk about it privately. This sailing ship is not owned by the Folangji people, but is specially escorted by Ming people to escort sea harriers. ships come to Japan for trading.

In addition to the Fo Langji people on our coast in the Ming Dynasty, probably only the bandit-suppressing admiral Yamen has such sailing ships. Yuan Keli is so blatantly colluding with the pirates to carry out smuggling. Yuan Keli's plan is definitely not just a piece of silver. The people behind him must have a bigger conspiracy.It's a pity that the imperial court can't restrain his behavior, and he doesn't even know the depth of it. The navy of the admiral's office for suppressing bandits has a certain number of guards. If the sea kite is added to help, the strength cannot be underestimated.

It is currently unknown how many workshops and factories Zhao Shizhen, Li Zhizao, Xu Guangqi and others have opened in various places. With these incomes, the royal family and refugees gathered in the imperial village by His Majesty may not only be for relief.

According to reports from Shuntian Prefecture, Daxing County and Wanping County, in several Nanhaizi grassland farms under the jurisdiction of Shanglinyuan, there are often hundreds of young people working together, running around, playing and fighting.

Gu specially sent people to visit Haikou, saying that some Europeans built temples, and in the name of Huangzhuang, they often helped the poor, gathered orphans and widows, and granted them acres of land for farming. They were very popular among the local Haikou.The young men all come from the Europa Temple and are called little monks. "

Gu Xiancheng indeed had a logical thinking ability that exceeded that of most literati of his time, and he did not hesitate to practice it. Through the observation and summary of multiple independent events, he finally boiled it down to a main line.Although the specific details are still vague, the general direction is very correct.

"Little eunuch... I remembered that a few years ago, there was a Europa Temple outside Bei'anmen, built in the imperial village. It was reported many times by people nearby for abducting children. Shuntian Prefecture once asked Your Majesty to try to enter for inspection, and then it was Nothing more to say, I didn’t expect to move to Nanhaizi!

In this way, the chess game played by the emperor is indeed quite big, including hundreds of little monks from the navy, pirates, Huangzhuang workshops from various places, and Nanhaizi... If the Jin Yiwei is added to the list! "

In fact, there are very few people who can reach the top in various dynasties who lack IQ. The reason why they turn a blind eye to some things or are slow to respond is not because they are not smart enough, but because they are in different positions and angles.

Li Tingji didn't wait for Gu Xiancheng to finish speaking, and the reluctant and reluctant look on his face disappeared. He turned into a solemn expression and entered a state of listening and thinking, and finally thought of today's topic.

"Yes, the current Holy Emperor has been planning a game of chess since he ascended the throne, and the princes are in the chess game, but it is difficult to see the whole picture from within. Gu could see some clues when he was far away from the court, but it was too late. This has led to today’s unfavorable situation, I’m extremely ashamed!”

Seeing that Li Tingji had come to his senses, Gu Xiancheng did not show much joy, but instead felt more guilty.A few years ago, he began to suspect that the emperor was planning something secretly, but it was a pity that he could never grasp the clue and could not convince the public.After finding sufficient evidence, when he raised his head again, the emperor was already full-fledged and unable to cope with it.

"Is it possible that I should sit back and wait for death?"

At this time, Li Tingji started to become impatient. Thinking of how he had always taken the lead in opposing the emperor's proposals in the cabinet in the past, he felt even more frightened.If it is true as Gu Xiancheng said, the emperor has done enough preliminary preparations, and if he does not fight back, he will die without a burial place once the imperial power reaches its peak.

"Don't panic, there is a way, but it requires us to put aside all our past grudges and work together to make it work." Shen Li is good at seizing opportunities. Seeing that Li Tingji was a little confused, he first made eye contact with Gu Xiancheng, and then Immediately throw out a life-saving straw and wait for the target to reach out.

"...Despite Mr. Ge's instructions, as long as the country and the country can be sustained, Li is willing to go through fire and water and sacrifice his life for righteousness!"

Should he be arrested?Even if Li Tingji knew that this straw was covered with spikes, he had no choice. Instead of waiting to be manipulated by the emperor at will, he might as well serve as a spearman for others, and maybe he could still preserve some of his power and wealth.This is also the price that should be paid. There is no free help in the world.

"Hahaha... That's very good. I wish for it. With your help, I will be more confident. Please come here!" Seeing the leader of the largest faction in the court express his position like this, Shen Li couldn't help but feel elated and laughed heartily.

In his mind, although the young Emperor Jingyang acted decisively, thought carefully, and planned well, and temporarily gained an advantage, he was ultimately alone and could not compare with the political veterans who had spent most of their lives in the court. .As long as all factions are willing to cooperate with some sincerity, this battle will be a complete victory.

"Crack... boom... whirring..." Just as the three people were whispering to each other, their faces uncertain, the sky outside gradually darkened.As a bright blue lightning flashed across the sky, thunder rolled and strong winds blew, indicating that a storm was coming.

(End of this chapter)