Jiuxi

Chapter 811 809 [Getting Better]

After Han Lingfu passed away, at the emperor's insistence, the Han family still retained the lintel of the Dongyang County Prince's Mansion.

At first, Han Zhongjie was conferred the title of Marquis of Yongyi and Minister of Military Affairs. Although his reputation was not as great as Han Lingfu's, it was not an insult. But now he was demoted from a marquis to a viscount, and his military position was nothing, which cast a shadow on this magnificent mansion.

"Lord Han, His Majesty hopes you don't worry. When the time is right, you will be reinstated."

In the main hall of the front house, Yuan Yuji, the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, had a friendly look on his face.

Compared with his former high-spirited self, Han Zhongjie now looks much older. Although he is only 45 years old and most of the important officials in the court are older than him, he is obviously inferior to them in terms of spirit.

This is also normal. Han Zhongjie had been silent for nearly ten years before. He finally seized the opportunity of the rebellion in the capital to come out. He originally wanted to use the Northern Expedition to completely establish his reputation so that he could compete with Lu Chen's prestige in the army. Unexpectedly, he suffered heavy losses in the defeat in Kaocheng, which made him fall from the clouds to the abyss.

Having suffered such a heavy blow in middle age, Han Zhongjie was able to show his strong will by not giving up on himself.

Looking at Yuan Yuji's cautious attitude, Han Zhongjie said frankly: "Your Majesty values ​​me so much, which is already an honor for me. How dare I expect more? Please ask the eunuch to convey to Your Majesty that I am committed to Your Majesty. Even if I am a commoner, if there is a time to serve Your Majesty, I will not hesitate to die."

"Lord Han is truly a loyal minister."

Yuan Yuji was led to stand up by him, then smiled and said: "If you have no other instructions, I will take my leave."

"I send you."

Han Zhongjie personally escorted the emperor's confidant out, then slowly returned to the main hall.

The moment he sat down, his face suddenly became solemn, with a bit of hostility that was difficult to conceal.

"Snapped!"

A white jade teacup was smashed to the ground by Han Zhongjie and broke into pieces in an instant.

"Father, calm down!"

A young man walked quickly into the main hall, his face full of worry. It was Han Zhongjie's eldest son Han Yi.

Han Zhongjie said coldly: "What a righteous Lu Chen!"

Han Yi already knew the details of yesterday's grand court meeting in the palace. Of course, he understood the reason for his father's anger, and he also felt some hatred in his heart.

When Han Lingfu was still alive, due to his strict requirements, none of the Han family's children had the chance to join the army. Even though everyone knew that Old Man Han was the founder of the Great Qijing Army, they, the younger generation, could not enjoy any glory. It was not until the late emperor promoted Han Zhongjie to the position of Minister of Military Affairs and Han Lingfu was unable to manage affairs that young people like Han Yi joined the army one after another.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. The defeat in Kaocheng caused Han Zhongjie to completely lose his power. Five Han family members who had just joined the army and had not yet established their foothold were killed in the Jiangbei battlefield, and the rest were forced to withdraw from the army.

Han Yi was still able to maintain his rationality. He first tried to comfort him, then said carefully: "Father, Duke Qin did not express his opinion at the court meeting yesterday."

"You can't even figure this out?"

Han Zhongjie looked unfriendly and said in a deep voice, "Back then, Xue Nanting wanted to kill your father, but Xiao Wangzhi stood up and spoke fair words. Now he has changed his ways, isn't it because he wants to speak for Lu Chen! Before, Your Majesty hosted a banquet in the palace to entertain Lu Chen, which was a gesture of respect, but Lu Chen still dared to contradict Your Majesty in person and refused to give in. Now that Your Majesty wants to appoint me as the Minister of War, this guy still wants to interfere. Even Your Majesty can't do anything about him, which shows how tyrannical he is."

"Father, please do not be angry. His Majesty will certainly not sit idly by."

Han Yi was not worried about being eavesdropped on by others at home, but even the emperor had to make temporary concessions, let alone the Han family which had no real power now?

Han Zhongjie said slowly: "Your Majesty's grace is great, you and I must remember it."

This is a true statement.

Although Han Zhongjie was depressed about not being able to be reinstated, he had no resentment towards the young emperor, because the emperor had tried his best. He first discussed it with Lu Chen in private, and then took a roundabout way. The continuous adjustment of officials was only to vacate the position of Minister of War, so that Han Zhongjie could stand in the court again.

Han Yi quickly agreed, then hesitated to speak.

Han Zhongjie said: "If you have something to say, just say it."

Han Yi asked cautiously: "Father, I have always wondered why His Majesty thinks so highly of the Han family?"

After a brief silence, Han Zhongjie's eyes were filled with admiration. He motioned for him to sit down, and then said meaningfully: "You are my eldest son, and the head of the Han family after many years. There are some things you should know."

Han Yi bowed his head slightly and said, "Father, please speak."

"The first time I had private contact with His Majesty was eight years ago."

Han Zhongjie's first sentence shocked Han Yi.

"At that time, he was a carefree prince who indulged in romantic affairs, and I was an unemployed military hero who was frustrated and unhappy. We seemed to be two completely different people, but because I could see the deep resentment and desires in your Majesty's heart, we became closer and closer."

Han Zhongjie took a sip of tea and continued, "I helped Your Majesty establish a strategy for the competition for the throne and continued to maintain the previous style of doing things, but I was determined not to get close to the Jiangnan clans. This is because the late emperor was restricted by the power of the clans throughout his life, and it took him thirteen years to launch the first Northern Expedition. He had long wanted to eradicate the Jiangnan clans but was unable to do so. On this basis, that idiot Li Zongjian has no hope of inheriting the throne. The closer he gets to the Jiangnan clans, the further away he will be from the throne." Han Yi was shaken when he heard this. He never expected that his father could have done so many things without telling his grandfather.

Han Zhongjie looked at his expression and couldn't help but smile. He said, "Your Majesty's biggest rival is the eldest prince. Only by getting rid of the eldest prince can Your Majesty ascend the throne. Therefore, I tried to arrange spies in the eldest prince's mansion to tease the eldest prince to get drunk and scold the servants, so as to leave a bad impression on the late emperor. The eldest prince is too upright and can't stand the slightest grievance. Such a person is not suitable to sit on the throne."

Han Yi nodded and agreed, "Father is absolutely right."

Han Zhongjie adjusted his sitting posture slightly and whispered, "But the late emperor has not made up his mind. Although he admired the current emperor more before the rebellion in the capital, no one can be sure that the late emperor will not change his mind. So I advise Your Majesty to take the initiative. Since the late emperor forced Guo Congyi and Wang Yan and others to take risks, why not take advantage of this opportunity and use these traitors to kill the eldest prince!"

It was as if a thunder exploded in Han Yi's mind, making his face turn pale.

"Now you should know why His Majesty values ​​the Han family so much and why he has made all kinds of plans just to restore your father's life."

Han Zhongjie looked at his eldest son with cold and solemn eyes.

Han Yi nodded subconsciously.

Han Zhongjie said slowly, "If I hadn't covered it up, how could Guo Congyi and Wang Yan have so smoothly coerced the Beijing army into rebellion. What they don't know is that I had someone suggest it to them to hold the eldest prince hostage for rebellion. What they can't imagine is that in the end, the people I arranged dealt a fatal blow to the eldest prince in the chaos. As a result, the late emperor had no choice but to make the present emperor the crown prince. All of this was decided after secret discussions between your majesty and I."

Han Yi thought about it carefully and finally understood why that slightly strange rebellion happened.

The late emperor had the idea of ​​luring the snake out of its hole, otherwise he would not have allowed Lu Chen to lead the elite troops to wait outside in advance.

Han Zhongjie fanned the flames. On the one hand, he followed the late emperor's wishes and allowed the rebellion to happen. On the other hand, he secretly laid an ambush in order to kill the eldest prince with the help of the rebels.

As for Guo Congyi, Wang Yan and others, they had been forced into a corner at the time. In addition, the news that Hou Yu died in exile reached the capital, forcing them to take risks.

After suddenly hearing such a horrifying secret, Han Yi finally calmed down a little.

Han Zhongjie stared into his eyes and said word by word: "The reason why I tell you this today is because you are the eldest son of the Han family and will inherit all the foundation in the future. You must remember that you must not be soft-hearted when you need to be ruthless, otherwise you will never be able to make a breakthrough in your life."

Han Yi stood up and said, "I will definitely keep this in mind."

Han Zhongjie nodded slightly, and then said: "Another point, because of the arrangements I made secretly over the years, the fate of the Han family has long been closely linked to your majesty's throne. Therefore, you must be loyal to your majesty and Da Qi like a father, so that you can protect the Han family from falling."

"Yes, father."

Han Yi bowed.

……

After pacifying Han Zhongjie, Yuan Yuji immediately returned to the palace.

When he arrived outside the imperial study, he gradually slowed down his pace, looked at the eunuch in the corridor, and nodded inside.

The eunuch lowered his voice and said, "Eunuch, His Majesty is currently discussing matters with Li Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel. No one is allowed to enter and disturb them."

"I know, you can go down too."

Yuan Yuji stood outside the door of the imperial study, like a door god.

Even though he couldn't hear any noise inside at the moment, he knew the atmosphere was definitely not good.

This was indeed the case. Li Zongben sat behind the imperial desk with eyes as cold as ice.

Li Shizhi could only console him, "Your Majesty, Duke Rong and Duke Qin did not object to Ding Hui's appointment to Dingzhou, which shows that they are aware of the overall situation. As for Lord Han... Your Majesty has done his best. Since it is impossible to do it, we can only take it step by step."

"I am not angry because they oppose Han Zhongjie's reinstatement."

Li Zongben's tone was gloomy and he said coldly, "I just want Han Zhongjie to serve the country, and I have already issued an edict of repentance. Why can't these warriors show some understanding for me? What's even more infuriating is the means by which they oppose me. They often threaten to resign from their posts and give up their titles, simply because they are sure that I dare not accept it. But why don't they think about it? Using this method to force me to submit, is it the way of a monarch and his subjects in the long run!"

Li Shizhi remained silent.

The emperor was used to dealing with civil officials, and he really couldn't adapt to the habit of people like Xiao Wangzhi and Lu Chen who would overturn the table at every turn.

If Lu Chen's tough attitude in the imperial garden that day made Li Zongben lose face, then Xiao Wangzhi's behavior at the court meeting yesterday completely angered the young emperor.

"My dear, what should I do?"

After hearing Li Zongben's words, Li Shizhi felt that the stone in his heart finally settled down.

Because he could hear the emperor's suppressed murderous intent from this short sentence.

(End of this chapter)