In the Ganlu Palace, dozens of servants were busy all day, and it was only at this time that everything was finally sorted out.
When Liu Kang saw Xiao Kezhi coming back, he didn't care about wiping the sweat off his forehead, so he hurried out of the hall and said, "Everyone, the dormitory has been tidy up and dinner is ready, do you want to use it now?"
Xiao Kezhi nodded, and after changing his clothes, he sat down on the couch and ate a meal.
The meal in the Taiji Palace | Delicate and rich, it is almost one heaven and one underground with the roughness in the Ganzhou palace and the military camp.
But even after eating for many days, he was still not used to it, and he still felt that the most common flax cakes in Ganzhou were better than the cakes with a lot of crispy in the palace.
When he was young, the delicacies on his father's food table, which he was very envious of when he was young, seem to be nothing but the same when he tasted it now.
After eating a bowl of mutton houto with some snacks, he put the wooden chopsticks on and asked, "Where's Vimalakirti? How is your day?"
Liu Kang was staring at the meals on his case, so that he could take the opportunity to find out what Mr. Qing wanted. Hearing the words, he quickly replied, "Everything is fine today. Before everyone came back, the wild pheasants were fed."
Xiao Kezhi made an "en", took a sip of tea, and said, "Let the domestic servant take it out more, don't hold back."
Liu Kang was busy answering "Hey", thinking in his heart that the beast bit off the minister's neck in front of the Taiji Hall yesterday, and he couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat again.
Following such a new gentleman who teaches people to be incomprehensible, I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse.
Xiao Kezhi clearly saw what he was thinking and asked, "Do you know why I specifically pointed you to the former Chief Supervisor of the Imperial Palace?"
The Chief Supervisor of Zhongyu is in charge of the emperor's daily life and can be regarded as the highest title in the inner minister. Liu Kang entered the palace at the age of ten and spent more than 20 years in the Yeting Palace, but he was only a small butler. It was not until Xiao Kezhi entered the palace not long ago that he was transferred to his side.
After thinking about it for a long time, he still didn't understand how he could get into the eyes of this new prince, so he could only shake his head honestly: "I don't know, the old slave, please enlighten me."
Xiao Kezhi got up and walked in front of him, his majestic eyes filled with a bit of nostalgia: "When my mother was still alive, because of the Empress Dowager Qi, she was quite neglected, and the palace servants and palace people also neglected her a lot. With you, I haven't done such things as seeing the wind and stepping on the rudder, stepping on the low and holding the high. These are all in my heart. "
Liu Kang raised his head in surprise and looked at the tall, valiant young man in front of him, slowly remembering the old things more than ten years ago, and said ashamed: "Old slave is ashamed, I dare not hide from everyone, I just saved it at the beginning. The heart that no one can offend, thinking that no one can say whether Cairen and the Six Kings will function from time to time in the future.”
Who would have thought that the six kings, who were inconspicuous at the beginning, had been dormant for more than ten years, and they would turn around in real time and become the new king of Great Liang!
Xiao Kezhi patted his shoulder and said, "That's enough. I will remember your good day, and in the future, you will also remember my trust in you."
Liu Kang's heart was moved, only to feel that all the previous doubts and fears had disappeared, and he hurriedly bowed his head gratefully: "I will remember it in my heart for a lifetime, I dare not forget it."
"Okay, let Jin Jiang come over."
He walked to the book table on the other side of the hall, and while he was writing, he gave instructions.
After a while, Jin Jiang in silver armor stepped into the hall and bowed his hands.
He was originally the commander of the palace guards of the Ganzhou palace, but now he follows Xiao Kezhi into the Taiji Palace, and he is in charge of the palace ban and city defense.
"These few people, go and check their bottoms. If there is something unclean, you'd better find evidence." Xiao Kezhi handed over a list that he had just written.
Among the more than ten names written on the paper, except for two who belonged to the Empress Dowager Qi, the rest belonged to the Crown Prince.
Jin Jiang took a quick glance and knew that he was ready to do it, so he carefully put it away and responded "Now".
"I have already asked people to draw up a decree, still take Xiao Yu as the reserve, and you will send it to Wanchun Hall in person tomorrow."
"Your Majesty?" Jin Jiang was amazed when he heard the words, and he didn't understand why he didn't take the opportunity to abolish the prince, but kept the calamity by his side.
He considered it for a moment, but still bluntly persuaded: "Although the prince is His Majesty's nephew and temporarily surrendered, he is not a person without ambition, and must not be taken lightly. Moreover, His Majesty's Spring and Autumn are prosperous, and when he gets married, he will soon be able to get married. After giving birth to a prince, why do you need to hand over the throne of the East Palace to others?"
"I understand." Xiao Kezhi patiently listened to him before he said, "Jin Lang, you have followed me for many years, and you know best what kind of life I have lived in these years."
Jin Jiang's worried eyes paused, and he immediately remembered what happened in Ganzhou in the past.
Back then, the eleven-year-old King of Qin went to the northwest frontier alone. In the face of the wind and sand that covered the sky and the sun, and the palace, which was deliberately shut down before the construction of the framework, he didn't even have a decent place to live.
Ganzhou was far away from the capital, and did not know the affairs of the court. However, after realizing that he was a disfavored prince with a dead mother who was ignored by him, he gradually became neglected.
He is clearly the son of the emperor, but his days in the frontier are not as good as those of ordinary wealthy people. However, the empress dowager, the emperor and other royal clansmen in the capital lived a luxurious life with peace of mind, leaving him alone in the sands of the frontier.
Such relatives, where is it worth showing mercy
Jin Jiang's worries slowly calmed down. His Majesty has always had a long-term vision and will never be emotional.
"It's the minister who thought too much, your Majesty must have other plans."
Xiao Kezhi didn't explain much, just waved his hand to retire.
Jin Jiang only wanted to be half right.
He left Xiao Yu, although he wanted to temporarily stabilize people's hearts, and he did not mean to be extra kind because of blood kinship, but he knew in his heart that he did have some compassion.
This compassion is for a woman, the daughter of Chu Qianyu, the Princess Chu of the East Palace.
When he first entered Chang'an, he could only see her standing by Xiao Yu's side from a distance, respectful and submissive, without fear in the face of shocking changes.
He was astonished in his heart, kept his mind a little more, and then remembered that she was Chu Qianyu's daughter.
The gentle, quiet, innocent little girl from the past has grown into a beautiful, slender, swaying mature woman without knowing it.
He raised the palm of his left hand in front of the light, and leaned close to the tip of his nose to sniff for a while, as if he could feel the faint fragrance when she approached in the Wanchun Hall just now.
The dream fragment that appeared in the middle of the night for two consecutive days suddenly reappeared in his mind, making him restless.
Although he didn't know what the restlessness in his heart meant, he instinctively told him that it had something to do with his niece-in-law.
He has lived for twenty-five years, even if he lives in the frontier all the year round, it is not that he has not seen any women. But in the past, almost all his exuberant energy was vented in the barracks and on the racecourse. This was the first time that he had a different mind for a woman who was in front of him.
Since he hasn't figured out what he wants, he might as well leave her behind. After all, he has always been extremely patient.
…
In the Wanchun Hall, Xiao Yu finally woke up leisurely after sleeping for nearly an hour.
Chu Ning has been in the hall since Xiao Kezhi left. When he saw him wake up, he ordered someone to bring the warm soup and feed him to drink it himself.
"Does your Highness feel better?"
She took the tea from the maid and handed it to him to rinse his mouth.
After taking two sips, Xiao Yu rubbed his forehead and nodded: "It's much better. I was fine, but I stayed up for two nights, so I couldn't hold it any longer."
He lifted the quilt and sat on the edge of the bed, asking, "What time is it?"
Chu Ning twisted the handkerchief in the warm water to wipe his face, and said, "It's already time, can your Highness have dinner?"
"Call me some steamed cakes and flax porridge."
The maid on the side rushed to give instructions, but Xiao Yu seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes flashed, he held her wrist, pulled her closer, and said, "When I fell asleep, I vaguely felt that someone came."
Chu Ning moved for a while, put the towel on the side of the copper basin, nodded and said, "It's Uncle Liu Wang, the saint who came here."
As soon as the word "Saint" came out, Xiao Yu's face suddenly turned cold.
"What is he doing?" He pulled her into his arms. Although his body was still a little weak, the movements of his hands were unquestionable, and his eyes were fixed on her, "What did I tell you?"
"The saint naturally came to see His Highness." Chu Ning put his hands on his shoulders, his movements were gentle, but there was a distance between him and him invisibly, "He said, the prince is the foundation of the country, and His Highness does not need to worry, he has not yet Married, there is no child under the knee, henceforth, the seat of the East Palace will still belong to His Royal Highness…”
Her voice became lower and lower under Xiao Yu's gradually gloomy eyes.
"He will let me continue to sit in the East Palace?" He sneered, pinching the palm of her Hao wrist with unstoppable force, "Is this treating me as a child with a yellow mouth, to be coaxed arbitrarily?"
"Don't you believe it, Your Highness?" Chu Ning couldn't help frowning because of the slight pain on his wrist, but he didn't break free from his palm.
"You believe him?" He looked over with a sharp look in his eyes.
Chu Ning avoided his gaze, endured for a moment, and broke free from his palm.
"Is there any reason to believe it or not? I just feel that at this time, he doesn't need to joke about such a thing. Besides, His Highness has many courtiers to support him. How can the position of the East Palace be moved by persuasion."
Even so, she was thinking the exact opposite. If it was her, she wouldn't do anything unnecessary at all, she would just take the opportunity to kill the other party early and avoid future troubles.
She didn't know what his idea was, but one thing was almost certain - this new gentleman did not reject her niece, and even had some vague intentions.
After two years of marriage, she is no longer an ignorant girl in her boudoir, and the things between men and women are naturally clearer. She knew that she was beautiful. In the past, when she was in the boudoir, she was chased by many Wuling youths. Later, when she was in distress, many noble children wanted to bring her into the backyard.
When she was an ordinary girl from a noble family, she naturally disdained these things, but the later ordeals had already eroded her modesty little by little, and now she is not ashamed to fight for her own interests.
However, that little difference to her is not enough to explain anything, she still needs to think about it.
"Hmph." Xiao Yu squinted at her for a moment, then slowly retracted his gaze, "Even if I really don't move for a while and want to wait for him to marry and have children, there will be no place for me in Chang'an City."
At this time, the two waiters came in with the food boxes, and placed the steaming mutton cakes, flax porridge, and a few pickles on the table one by one.
Xiao Yu didn't ask any further questions, he just ordered Xu Rong to be summoned, and sat down at the desk to have dinner.
Chu Ning always ate less at night, only drank two mouthfuls of flax porridge, and then knelt down and prepared vegetables for him.
After a while, Xu Rong arrived in a hurry, Xiao Yu asked Chu Ning to go back to the house as usual, and closed the door to talk about what happened just now.
After listening to Xu Rong, he pondered for a moment, and his face was suspicious like him: "Your Highness, is there another reason for this? Now every wrong step may cause a catastrophe. The minister thought that His Royal Highness should be careful, not exhausted. Believe it."
Xiao Yu put down the silver chopsticks and said, "Yes, I naturally don't believe that he is really merciful. However, no matter what he wants, we can't leave any flaws."
"Your Highness means, something like the Hou Shilang?"
They all suspected that Hou Tongyi's sudden death was not a coincidence. As for the prince's subordinates, many courtiers are more or less because they or their family members violated the law, and the prince's help escaped the disaster, and then slowly fell to the East Palace.
"Yes, you will go to the Punishment Department tomorrow, and let Wei Shangshu quietly check whether they still have the criminal record, and destroy as much as possible. At the Censor's Desk, people should pay more attention, that is Qi Mu's. In the world, we don’t want to interfere too much, we just try our best to look over the past impeachment papers, handle people and things properly, don’t miss anything, and teach people to grasp the evidence.”
Chu Ning's words just now reminded him. If Xiao Kezhi wants to slowly weaken the people behind him, there must be a proper reason, and there is no better excuse than punishing the courtiers who violate the law.
Xu Rong wrote them down one by one, and before leaving, he couldn't help but stop and whispered: "Your Highness is still in the heat of filial piety, this minister should not have said this, but after thinking about it, I still feel that I should Speaking bluntly to His Highness - In the past, many courtiers wanted to marry His Highness, but His Highness refused one by one. For two years, the East Palace has always been the Crown Princess alone, which is understandable. But now the situation is different, if His Highness wants to keep them, You might as well wait for the period of filial piety to pass, and fill in the backyard of the East Palace."
Xiao Yu stared at the flickering candlelight and remained silent. After a long time, Fang said: "You go down first, let me think about it."
Xu Rong didn't get the answer he wanted, regretted in his heart, and was afraid that the persuasion would backfire, so he had to step back.