Zuo Ji looked at the emperor with a smile on his face, full of confidence, convinced that the emperor would give in, he didn't even want to take more measures, just looked at the emperor, as if he was persuading ignorant children to eat the last few bites of food and not waste it hard-earned food.
It has been more than two months since he entered the palace. As a puppet, Han Ruzi felt the deepest feeling of loneliness and neglect, but at this moment, he felt humiliation. , simply because it was not a priority for the Queen Mother.
There were no ministers or even eunuchs around, and the last veil of the emperor's majesty was torn off, revealing falsehood and powerlessness.
Han Ruzi's heart was surging, but he held back, he didn't even forget to run the counter-breathing method quietly, he kept silent, tasted the bitterness of it patiently, searched for all available means of self-protection, and finally found the only one he could use." The weapon" is Zuoji himself.
"Is Duke Zuo trying to teach me the way of husband and wife?"
The smile on Zuo Ji's face disappeared, "Of course it's not me. The way of husband and wife is not difficult to learn. Your Majesty doesn't need to worry, just let it go. The queen mother chooses from thousands of choices and chooses three beauties in the palace..."
"Three?" The humiliation in Han Ruzi's heart deepened.
Zuo Ji did not pause, and continued to say: "The prime minister and the doctor have all seen it. These three people have a gentle personality and a plump body. They will be able to give birth to a noble son in the future. If your majesty has an empress, then you will have no worries."
"You and the queen mother are also worry-free."
The last smile on Zuo Ji's face also disappeared, "It's useless to talk too much, please go to bed and enjoy the boundless joy, Your Majesty eats the marrow tonight, I'm afraid I will think that the three beauties are too few in the future. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I The order of living with Nei will be kept outside the door to record what happened tonight, so as to keep a proof in the future."
Han Ruzi didn't quite understand the eunuch's words, but the disgust in his heart arose spontaneously. He took two steps forward and said, "How old is Duke Zuo? It's less than thirty."
Zuo Ji was slightly taken aback, "Twenty-five."
"Did Duke Zuo cleanse himself from childhood?"
"What is your majesty asking this for?" Zuo Ji's face was a little ugly.
"I heard that eunuchs can't practice the way of husband and wife. Zuo Gong said it so nicely. I want to know the feelings of people who come here, or just hearsay?"
Zuo Ji's face flushed, he took a step forward and was close to the emperor, "Is Your Majesty playing a trick on me?"
Zuo Ji couldn't hold his breath and was easily provoked. Han Ruzi planned to take advantage of his weakness. As for the consequences, he couldn't predict and didn't want to think about it. Anyway, he would rather make a scene than surrender.
"How dare you, I still rely on Zuo Gong's care, but I am a little nervous, so I want to ask more clearly."
Zuo Ji was confused. He couldn't figure out whether the emperor's attitude towards knowledge was true or not, and his face softened a little. "I was clean at the age of sixteen. I have never done or heard of some things. Don't be nervous, Your Majesty, I will call the palace maid to come in."
"Wait." Han Ruzi was thinking about how to make Zuo Ji instantly furious, "One more thing, one last thing."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"The wound on the Queen Mother's hand... Did you cause it?" Han Ruzi really had nothing to say, so he threw out the sentence without thinking.
The effect was immediate, Zuo Ji's face suddenly changed greatly, and he said sharply: "How do you know... Who do you listen to..."
Zuo Ji turned and ran outside, too flustered and almost fell at the door.
The room was quiet, Han Ruzi went back to the bed and sat down, thinking that he really caused a big disaster this time, but this is something that will happen sooner or later. The Queen Mother never regarded him as a real emperor. The new puppet will abandon him.
But he was still a little scared, his heart was fluctuating, he forgot how to breathe backwards, he thought of his mother he hadn't seen for a long time, of Yang Feng who was thousands of miles away, and even of the elusive Meng E... He needed someone to help him too much. .
A figure walked in gently and stood quietly beside the bed.
Han Ruzi looked up at the little eunuch Zhang Youcai, "Zuo Ji asked you to watch me?"
Zhang Youcai shook his head blankly, "The slave is here to serve His Majesty."
Han Ruzi forced a smile, "You shouldn't come in, it will cause you trouble."
"The servants are not afraid. Since the servants are sent to serve His Majesty, they must do their best."
Is this another loyal eunuch Liu Jie, or a tempter with ulterior motives? Han Ruzi was so tired that he didn't want to think about it any longer, "You go... Please come to the imperial concubine."
Han Ruzi said casually, but Zhang Youcai really took it as an imperial edict, said "yes", turned around and left.
The little eunuch estimated that he couldn't even see the face of the empress dowager. Han Ruzi didn't even know what was the point of finding the empress dowager. She was the queen mother's sister, and she was with the empress dowager, so she was more difficult to deal with than Zuo Ji.
But he did not withdraw the order, and was determined to use all means. Up to now, what he is arguing about is not whether to be a husband and wife, or whether to have a prince, but whether he can keep the bottom line.
There was a ringing sound from the ring, and Shangguan Huang Taifei actually came.
The two palace maids sent the imperial concubine to the chair and then stepped back, but Zhang Youcai did not appear.
"Why is your majesty depressed?" asked the imperial concubine.
The two are far apart, the candlelight is dim, and the empress dowager and the concubine are more similar.
"Why do you have to choose me as emperor?"
"Your Majesty should know why."
"Because my mother is weak and has no foundation, is it easier for me to manipulate?"
"This is part of the reason." The imperial concubine paused, "No matter what outsiders say, the Empress Dowager chose her majesty for the sake of the great Chu Jiangshan. The Cui family has already dominated the government and the government, and if another emperor is born, the Han family is in danger. When Emperor Huan was alive, he wanted to clear the Cui family, but unfortunately he never made it. Emperor Si inherited his father's will and had already made a plan, who knows... So the heavy responsibility fell on the shoulders of the queen mother, she had to use some means, and she had to first Reconciling with Cui is all about preparing for the future."
"Since the empress dowager's goal is the Cui family, why... why do you rush to let me practice the way of husband and wife and give birth to a prince?"
The imperial concubine showed a smile, and immediately became serious again, "If your majesty has no children for a day, the King of the East Sea will be qualified to succeed your majesty, and Cui's ambition will not disappear. Your majesty is worried about your own safety, your majesty can rest assured. , With the Crown Prince, His Majesty's position will only be more secure."
The concubine's words were more convincing than Zuo Ji's, but Han Ruzi still felt that something was wrong and did not speak for a long time.
"But the queen mother is also a little anxious. After all, your majesty is still young, how can you force such a thing? I will talk to the queen mother and persuade her not to be too anxious. It will be a long time in Japan, and the King of the East Sea is in the palace, Cui Shi dare not be arrogant for a while. , it will not be too late to deal with the Cui Clan when His Majesty is able to take charge of government affairs personally."
The matter was actually settled. While Han Ruzi was relaxed, he was also puzzled. Could it be that he misunderstood the queen mother and the concubine? Could it be that Yang Feng has been exaggerating all the time
"You won't force me any more..."
"The empress dowager is reasonable and will listen to my persuasion. The maid will stay, but she will not do anything to her majesty." The empress dowager smiled, apparently also thinking that such a thing is a bit ridiculous.
Han Ruzi finally felt relieved, "I asked Zuo Ji about the injury on the Queen Mother's hand. I may have offended the Queen Mother."
"The emperor will not offend anyone, and the empress dowager is not so easily offended." The imperial concubine got up and was about to leave, "Your Majesty will work hard, and there will be a day when she will be in power."
Han Ruzi didn't know what to say, "Thank you..."
The imperial concubine smiled, "Your Majesty does not need to thank me, everything the Queen Mother does is for the sake of the great Chu Jiangshan, and this Jiangshan will be handed over to Her Majesty sooner or later."
The imperial concubine left, leaving Han Ruzi alone in a daze, this difficulty seems to be too easy to get through, in this case, why send Zuo Ji before the empress dowager
Zhang Youcai and Tong Qing'e came in to serve the emperor and rested peacefully that night.
Han Ruzi fell asleep relatively late and had many bizarre dreams. When he woke up in the morning, his mind was cloudy, but suddenly he wanted to understand one thing: the queen dowager answered many questions, but the empress dowager injured her hand. The issue went by, no, not even mentioned at all.
This morning, in the Hall of Diligence and Administration, Han Ruzi understood why the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager should make concessions to him.
The Kwantung war was undecided, and most of the imperial court’s energy was spent on dispatching troops, but some people were not affected by the general situation, and kept their duties, watching the smallest details like a house dog.
Prime Minister Yin Wuxian deliberately waited until the arrival of the emperor before picking up a memorial, sighed, and ordered someone to be sent to the Tingzheng Pavilion to the Empress Dowager, and then said to his colleagues: "The ninth seal, the Ministry of Rites, Taichang Temple, and Taixue. , Guozijian has people who have written letters, and now even the Censor's Office has sent me a memorial."
"What does this matter have to do with the Censor's Office? Who is so daring to commit him to the crime of overstepping his duties first," an official said.
Yin Wuxian shook his head, "There are quite a few madmen in the Censor Station, if you participate in one, ten will come up, it's better to be cautious."
Han Ruzi sat there quietly as a decoration as usual, and did not understand what the ministers were saying. Soon, the concubine Shangguan came out of the warm pavilion and spoke on behalf of the queen mother, solving the doubts in the emperor's heart.
"It's just the reign name of the previous emperor, why are so many ministers opposed?" The imperial concubine shook the memorial in her hand, "According to the argument here, not changing the reign name will lead to yin and yang imbalance, up and down, and rebellion against the king of Qi. The threat is even greater."
Several ministers involved in politics all looked at the prime minister.
Yin Wuhua was helpless, so he had to go forward and said: "The rules set by the ancestors, the officials dare not change them at will. The new emperor's new year's name has always been like this. One rule was changed today, and other rules can be changed in the future, the foundation of the imperial court…”
The imperial concubine shook her head, "There are so many rules, so what if you change one or two? Could it be that Emperor Wu and Emperor Huan never changed the rules? I won't argue with you either. The title of the year belongs to the emperor, so let His Majesty decide for himself."
Yin Wuhao had an obvious surprised expression on his face. It was originally one of his strategies to raise the issue of the title in front of the emperor. He didn't expect that the imperial concubine would take the initiative to ask the emperor to decide.
Han Ruzi was not surprised at all, and finally understood why the queen mother would let him go. The only thing she didn't understand was: is it so important to change the era name or not to change it, so that the minister and the queen mother are opposed to each other
Regardless, he knew that his answer was important enough to trade.