Murong Jie listened to her words, thought for a while, and slowly frowned, "I don't know whether it is right or wrong to teach you like this. The struggle in the palace is not as fierce as that in the court, but I think it should be the same. If you are not careful, you will lose your life. If I make a mistake, I will lose the Great Zhou. That's why I am so cautious and plan everything. Now I have to tell you the truth. The situation in the court is very tense. One vortex, conspiracy and even assassination after another will come to me. So, if you don't have the ability to protect yourself or are too soft-hearted, I will have to worry about you."
It was the first time that Zi'an heard him talk about political affairs so seriously. He had never said these words before.
She asked softly, "I know."
Seeing that his expression had softened, she asked tentatively, "What is the emperor's illness? How is his condition now?"
Murong Jie shook his head. "Even I don't know. Ever since my brother became seriously ill, my mother has been arranging his treatment. She has also set up a team of imperial doctors to take care of my brother's condition. These doctors eat and drink in Xiwei Palace and are not allowed to leave without my mother's order."
"That is to say, you haven't seen the emperor since he became seriously ill?" Zi'an couldn't help but be surprised.
"I have seen him. It was when he issued the decree to appoint me as the regent. He personally summoned me in to explain the matter and ordered Eunuch Bao to draft the decree. My mother, the queen, and the prince's tutor were present at the time, so I was unable to find out anything."
"So mysterious?" Zi'an really didn't understand. What kind of disease could be so mysterious
Murong Jie's face was slightly scarred. "This king guessed that my brother had passed away. My mother was afraid that it would affect the stability of the Great Zhou, so she kept announcing that my brother was still receiving treatment."
This is not impossible. Zi'an recalled that when Murong Jie proposed that she go to treat the emperor, the empress dowager opposed it outright and very decisively, without even room for negotiation.
Murong Jie looked at her, "If you are smart enough, you should know that I would make such a guess, and others would also make such a guess. Once they all guess that the emperor has passed away, then who will sit on the throne?"
Zi'an nodded, his face a little pale, "I understand, your current situation is actually worse than mine, you are attacked from all sides."
"They have been attacking me frequently. The Grand Tutor's intention is to support the Crown Prince to the throne. The Crown Prince is incompetent and mediocre, and he is self-righteous. It will be easy for Grand Tutor Liang to control the government. Such a powerful minister has enormous power. It will be easy for him to seize the throne of my Murong family."
Although Zian had thought about these things before, she had never thought about them so deeply because her own situation was not very good.
When his situation was so dire, he still had to worry about her, and she suddenly felt guilty and... touched.
She has always been very selfish, and everything she thinks about is only for herself. Even when she gets close to him, it is only to give herself a stable backer.
But what does he want for himself
A woman who is infertile, has a bad reputation and is not very attractive.
"By the way, what are you looking for in the Prime Minister's Mansion today?" Zi'an suddenly remembered this.
Murong Jie said, "I searched the entire capital, but couldn't find the madman who bit people, so I suspect that Xia Huaijun might have hidden him in the Prime Minister's residence."
Zi'an thought it was impossible. "If he hid in the Prime Minister's residence, how dangerous would that be? Isn't he afraid that the madman would bite someone in the Prime Minister's residence?"
"In fact, I know that it is hopeless. I just came here to take a look. Besides, Ximen Xiaoyue made so many requests before entering the house. You are stubborn and cannot stand the slightest grievance. You will definitely offend them."
In other words, he came here today specifically for her.
Why were there so many touching things today? She almost thought that this life was very beautiful.
"Is that madman so important?" Zi'an didn't think that a madman bit someone and then the person died, so the life was not important, but the regent of his dynasty actually investigated the matter personally. Isn't that a bit of an overreaction
Murong Jie looked at her with a very heavy expression, "Last night, there was a biting incident in the Southern Army, and three soldiers were bitten."
"What?" Zi'an was shocked. "Did they make trouble in the military camp?"
"The Southern Army is an elite force stationed in the capital, commanded by me. When something like this happens in the Southern Army, we have to be more suspicious," said Murong Jie.
Zian didn't expect the situation to be so serious and involve the military.
If the entire Southern Army had turned into a biting "zombie", would it still be capable of fighting? If the Southern Army commanded by the Regent Prince did not have the ability to fight, then he would not have many people in the capital to mobilize. By then, not to mention that Prince Nan Huai would lead his army into the capital, the army that Taifu Liang could mobilize would be more than his, and he could directly force the emperor to abdicate.
"Who has the power over the troops stationed in various places now?" Zi'an asked.
Murong Jie couldn't help but admire her when she asked this. "You know how to ask this question, which proves that you are not a simple girl. Let me tell you this. The military power of the Great Zhou is now divided into three parts. One part is in the hands of the emperor, one part is in my hands, and the other part is in the hands of the princes of various places. However, except for the Southern Army stationed in the capital, the rest of the military power in my hands is scattered in various provinces or border garrisons. To be precise, the only people I can mobilize at present are the Southern Army and the Imperial Army in the capital, about 50,000 people."
"Then, how many of the troops stationed in the capital belong to Taifu Liang?" Zi'an asked again.
"If there is a transfer order from the Ministry of War, he can transfer the Northern Army and the Infantry Battalion, which has a total of about 30,000 people. If there is no transfer order from the Ministry of War, he can only mobilize his old troops, which has about 9,000 people. This is against the rules, but he has the appeal. Once he wants to force the emperor to abdicate, these 9,000 people will definitely be used by him."
Zi'an understood that Taifu Liang wanted to weaken Murong Jie's military strength first. Once the Southern Army was wiped out, Murong Jie would only have the Imperial Guards left. If he then captured the commander of the Imperial Guards, once a rebellion broke out, the garrisons from various places would not be able to rescue in time, and Murong Jie would have no way to resist.
Seeing that the topic was getting heavier, Murong Jie stood up and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. We should go check on the bride. I don't know if she's burned to death."
Zi'an smiled and said, "I left them a chance to survive. They won't be burned to death. I just don't know if their beautiful faces have been harmed."
As they walked out, Murong Jie suddenly grabbed her arm and said, "By the way, you said you would show me something, but you haven't seen it yet."
Zi'an rolled his eyes at him, "Aren't you disgusted by the lack of material?"
"It is true that there is no material, but it is not your fault. Even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice. You just want to pretend that there is material, but I am not blind."
"Sooner or later I will poison you blind, and then make you mute." Zi'an opened the door and said harshly.
Murong Jie walked out slowly, "I have Doctor Xia, am I afraid that you will poison a duck egg?"
After the two left, Su Qing and Xiao Tuo jumped down from the roof. Xiao Tuo looked at Murong Jie's slow back and couldn't accept it. He said in astonishment, "Just let it go like this? Not even a beating? Isn't the prince too easy to bully?"
"Yes, I am very disappointed with the prince!" Su Qing said sternly.
(End of this chapter)