Emperor Zheng Rong said, "No hurry, I still have something to discuss with you. Third brother, Mr. Zhongli, please follow me into the palace." After that, without waiting for the three to agree, he turned around and walked away to the "Shuli Palace".
The three people who were called looked at each other and followed.
A charcoal basin was lit in the middle of the "Shuli Hall", making the small meeting room warm.
Emperor Zheng Rong sat on the dragon throne closest to the inside, reached out and picked up a tea bowl in front of him, frowned, then put it down and shouted loudly: "Someone come! Is there anyone breathing?"
A eunuch stepped out tremblingly and knelt on the spot: "What does the emperor want?"
"You ignorant servant, the tea is cold, and you don't even know how to warm it up! And these ministers, all of you, please take a seat and watch the tea." Zheng Rong lectured, "Bring a few more of the best palaces over, I want to discuss matters with you ministers all night long."
The eunuch agreed and quickly retreated to prepare.
Zhong Li Kuang said, "Your Majesty, remember that you have been working hard all day. If you work all night, you may hurt your body. Besides, Your Majesty is very strong, and I, an old minister, may not be able to bear it..."
However, Zheng Rong's expression, which had been stern and calm just now, seemed to be melted by the warm air in the "Shuli Palace". The corners of his tense mouth lifted into a stretched arc, revealing a long-lost smile: "Mr. Zhongli handles more than three times more official business than I do every day. If you are really exhausted, I can send someone to send you back. We are discussing major issues in the world, but I am afraid that I will be worried after you leave!"
These few words were obviously joking, which actually shut Zhongli Kuang up.
As they were talking, the eunuch who had just gone out brought seven or eight other eunuchs, big and small, with him. They walked into the room on tiptoe, carrying tables, chairs, benches, and bringing tea and snacks. They set up the room very quickly and then left again.
Zheng Rong nodded with satisfaction, walked down from the dragon throne, and said to the three standing people with a smile: "Come, you are all my confidants. Today we will not be bound by etiquette. Let's talk by candlelight at night. It will be a good story passed down through the ages. Come, come, everyone, sit down, everyone, sit down."
As he spoke, Zheng Rong pulled out a chair beside the table and sat down. He then casually picked up the snacks on the plates and distributed them to the three people.
Seeing this, the three of them had no choice but to sit down, holding the snacks in their hands and eating them carefully.
Emperor Zheng Rong was in a good mood. He picked up a piece of dessert for himself, chewed half of it and swallowed it with tea. Then he said in a joyful voice: "Ever since Zheng Gui started the rebellion, I have been unable to sleep or eat well, and have not had a peaceful meal. Today I am finally happy. I actually realized that the desserts in the palace can taste so good." After that, he laughed out loud.
Heluo King Zheng Hua quickly said, "When the master is worried, the minister is humiliated; when the master is humiliated, the minister dies. Your Majesty is worried about state affairs because we are not fulfilling our duties and not cultivating virtue. Please punish us, Your Majesty."
Zheng Rong waved his hand and said, "No need to do that. No need to do that. I just said that today we don't need to talk about any empty formalities. We just want to have a good time together."
Zhong Likuang on the side said: "Your Majesty, although the King of Lingnan has been captured, the power of the Lingnan Palace is still there. Jiangnan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Bashu, Lingnan, and Huguang are still in the hands of the enemy. The cause of suppressing the rebellion has not yet been successful. Please pay attention, Your Majesty."
Zheng Rong knew that Zhongli Kuang was always stern and cold, so he didn't feel disappointed after hearing what he said. He nodded, then turned around and asked Qiu Yizhi, "Yizhi, the one who is leading the Lingnan army now is Zheng Gui's second son Zheng Yu. I heard that you fought with him several times, I wonder how strong he is?"
Qiu Yizi hurriedly put down the tea in his hand, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Zheng Yu is ambitious but incompetent, angry but small-minded. Compared with his father, the Prince of Lingnan, he is like dust to the sun and the moon, so he should not be taken lightly." Having said this, he felt that he was a little too confident, so he changed the subject and said, "However, the Lingnan Palace still has troops, and as the saying goes, an army of sorrow will win. Your Majesty must be careful that Zheng Yu will be desperate and get hurt by him!"
Zheng Rong listened to Qiu Yizhi's words seriously, and suddenly laughed: "I didn't expect that after two years of not seeing you, Yizhi has learned how to speak tactfully. Mr. Zhongli, you didn't expect that either, did you?"
Zhongli Kuang replied, "It is great that Yizhi has been able to temper his character and get rid of his childish and frivolous habits. But I am afraid that he will become worldly-wise and lose his edges, which would be counterproductive." He had no expression on his face when he spoke, making it impossible for others to guess what he was thinking.
Zheng Rong smiled again and said, "Mr. Zhongli wants to teach Yizhi to be a sage, to be both flexible and outstanding. Yizhi, listen carefully. Your master has such high expectations of you. You must be careful in the future. Watch out for him hitting you on the hand."
Qiu Yizi knew that Zheng Rong was joking with him, but he just couldn't laugh. He could only bow slightly and said, "I will try my best." He didn't know what else to say.
Zheng Rong added: "Yizhi, don't be nervous, I was just joking. As for Zheng Yu, I will never underestimate him. I am determined to lead the army in person, to completely eliminate this hidden danger of Lingnan Palace for the court and the country!"
When Zheng Rong said this, the three people present were stunned.
Prime Minister Zhongli Kuang was particularly surprised. He discussed military affairs with the emperor every day, but had never heard the emperor mention his intention to lead the army in person. He said, "Your Majesty, this matter of leading the army in person is of great importance and cannot be made rashly. Please think twice."
Qiu Yizhi also echoed, "Your Majesty, Zheng Yu is fighting like a trapped beast, and he can't withstand the thunderbolt of Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty sends two or three generals, each leading 100,000 heavenly soldiers, to the south from Shanxi, Shaanxi, Huguang, and Jiangnan, how can Zheng Yu, a mere mantis arm, resist?"
As for Heluo King Zheng Hua who was sitting with him, since he knew nothing about military affairs, he felt that the emperor's personal expedition was too much of a show, but he didn't know how to advise him.
Zheng Rong was somewhat disappointed when he heard that two of his most capable ministers opposed his decision to lead the army in person. He said, "Since I ascended the throne, I have been tied up by tedious government affairs every day, and I haven't led the army into battle for a long time. Didn't I just ask Yizhi? He knew that Zheng Yu was easy to deal with, so I decided to lead the army south in person. My old bones have been getting more and more tense recently. Can't you let me take a break as well?"
Zheng Rong's words were humorous, causing everyone present to smile.
Zheng Rong then said, "I have made up my mind to lead the army in person. We have to send people south to quell the rebellion anyway, so it doesn't matter if I go there myself. As long as I keep things simple and bring fewer ceremonial objects, it won't cost much money or food. Mr. Zhongli, don't you think so?"
At this point, Zhongli Kuang saw that the emperor was determined to lead the army southward, and knew that he could not persuade him. He also thought that Zheng Rong was an outstanding commander, and if he led the army to fight against the rebels, it might play an unexpected role. It might shorten the time to suppress the rebellion, giving the whole country more time to recuperate...
Zhongli Kuang stopped trying to persuade him, and continued to follow Zheng Rong's intention, saying, "Since the emperor has decided to lead the army in person, I can only do my best to protect him. However, without the emperor guarding the capital Luoyang for the time being, many things still need to be considered. For example: Which princes will the emperor bring with him? Which princes will serve as regents? Which matters can be decided by the regents? Which matters must be reported to the emperor? How many troops will the emperor lead in person? How many troops will accompany him?"
Zhongli Kuang asked more than a dozen questions in a row, which made Qiu Yizi dumbfounded - it turned out that such preparations were required for a simple sentence of "leading the army in person".
Zheng Rong smiled and said, "I have already thought of these things. This time, the third son Zheng Miao will be the regent, the eldest son Zheng Xin will accompany the army to protect the emperor, and the second son Zheng Sen will be the vanguard. We will advance all the way from Jiangnan, and strive to defeat the Lingnan rebels in one fell swoop. All matters in the world, except for the military affairs of the front army, which must be decided by me personally, can be handed over to the regent. Including the logistics and food supply of the front army, it will also be handled by the regent prince..."
Zheng Rong was talking non-stop, but Qiu Yizi was already daydreaming -
By letting Zheng Miao stay in Luoyang to supervise the country and ordering his two elder brothers Zheng Xin and Zheng Sen to follow the army, it was clear that he wanted Zheng Miao to take this opportunity to exercise his ability to command the overall situation so that he could be prepared to take over the throne in the future. And he brought his eldest son Zheng Xin and second son Zheng Sen, who were far away in the front line of Shanxi and Shaanxi and Youyan to guard against the Turks, to his side. It was obvious that he did not trust these two people, so he transferred them to his side in the name of using troops to prevent them from having any improper intentions.
From these changes inside and outside, it is not difficult to see that Emperor Zheng Rong is determined to pass the throne to Zheng Miao.
In fact, among the emperor's three sons, Zheng Xin is both civil and military, and is not mediocre in any way; Zheng Sen is good at military strategy but neglects government affairs, but he is not someone who cannot accept advice; Zheng Miao is kind-hearted and has the appearance of a wise monarch - no matter who becomes the emperor, he will not be a mediocre or incompetent ruler.
Among them, Zheng Miao seemed to be the most outstanding. In addition, Qiu Yizi had a long-lasting friendship with Zheng Miao since childhood. Therefore, when he heard the emperor's arrangement, he was very happy both publicly and privately, and couldn't help looking at Zhongli Kuang beside him.
However, Zhongli Kuang's face seemed to be frozen, and there was no detectable psychological change. He just looked at the emperor seriously and listened to him deploy the matters of the personal expedition one by one. When he encountered something he didn't understand or was not clear, he didn't forget to interrupt and ask a few questions.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizi could only suppress her excitement and tried to focus her attention on the emperor, listening to him patiently outlining the matters of his expedition to the south, one by one.
After listening to this for who knows how long, Emperor Zheng Rong finally let out a long sigh and said in summary: "This is basically the plan for the expedition. Although the Lingnan Army is doomed, it cannot be underestimated. There are some details that require your advice. If you have any kind words, I will definitely take them into consideration."
After hearing this, Zheng Hua, Zhongli Kuang and Qiu Yizhi hurriedly stood up, clasped their hands and said in unison: "We obey your order."
But then King Zheng Hua of Heluo continued, "It is already dawn. Thanks to my brother who was a general in the army, he has a strong body. I am a lazy man. Although I am two years younger than the emperor, I can't hold on any longer. Why don't you let me go back and rest first, so that my brother can also recuperate. I don't know how many important things are waiting for you to decide!"
Qiu Yizi listened and glanced at Zheng Hua. He couldn't help but admire him very much - he was indeed a scholar. He was clearly advising the emperor to save work, but he was also beating around the bush. She was far inferior to him in terms of speaking ability.
Zheng Rong also understood the meaning of his younger brother's words, and nodded with a smile, saying, "That's fine. But you should take a good rest these days, because I will personally lead the army to the south of the Yangtze River, and I will take you with me!"