When Mu Qing and Zhu Yu arrived at the gate of the Qinzheng Palace, they happened to meet Yan Yong, the chief eunuch who walked out of the palace. Gonggong Yan bowed down and said, "Concubine Chen, the emperor is waiting for you inside." ”

Mu Qing took the food box in Zhu Yu's hand and ordered, "Zhu Yu, you are waiting outside." ”

In the Qinzheng Palace, Emperor Liang Yinhao leaned on the back of the chair and closed his eyes, and it was difficult to hide his fatigue between his eyebrows. I heard the sound of Suosuo's footsteps, and then slowly opened my eyes. "Concubine Ai is here." Liang Yinhao showed a doting smile, and raised his hand to signal Mu Qing to approach him.

Mu Qing cautiously walked to the table with the sweet soup, and said coquettishly: "The emperor hasn't come to the concubine's Chenzhi Palace for several days, and the concubine thinks that the emperor thinks about it tightly, so she has to dare to come to the Qinzheng Palace to find the emperor by herself." ”

Liang Yinhao took the beauty into his arms and whispered comfortingly: "Okay, well, when I am done with this while, I will immediately go to Chenzhi Palace to see my concubine." ”

Mu Qing scooped a spoonful of white fungus soup and put it into Liang Yinhao's mouth, "It's right that the emperor is diligent in government and loves the people, but you should also pay attention to your own body and don't overwork." There are some things that can be handed over to the ministers to do, so let them be responsible, why should the emperor do everything himself? ”

Liang Yinhao took two sips at random, but felt tasteless. "Hmph, leave it to them? It's because I trusted them too much in the past that so many incidents have happened now! ”

Mu Qing's movements paused slightly, and he asked puzzledly, "Is the emperor talking about the fraud case that has been in a uproar recently?" Hasn't the emperor already punished all the officials involved? Why are you bothered about this? ”

"This matter is obviously a fraud by the Ministry of Rites, but this is secretly intertwined and widely implicated!" Liang Yinhao said sadly, and waved his hand again after speaking, "Hey... You don't understand it. ”

Mu Qing got up from the emperor's arms, walked around behind him again, and gently pressed his shoulder and neck for him. "The concubine is just a woman's family, so she naturally doesn't understand the affairs of the previous dynasty, but at least one thing the concubine knows, although some bold officials in the court secretly use power behind the emperor's back for personal gain, and do some shady deeds, but there are also loyal ministers like Huo Xiang in the court, who share worries and solve problems for the emperor, and are loyal."

"Him?" Liang Yinhao said coldly, "Hmph! Maybe it's because of him that there is so much right and wrong. ”

Obviously, Liang Yinhao's words were unexpected by Mu Qing, she opened her small mouth and said in surprise: "Why did the emperor say this?" Huo Xiangke is the pillar of the imperial court, and his loyalty to the emperor over the years is obvious to all! ”

"He was loyal to me in the past, but I didn't treat him badly! I gave him supreme rights, gave him endless glory and wealth, and even married his daughter as the mother of a nation. He can be regarded as below one person and above ten thousand now, right? Liang Yinhao groaned slightly, with a cold luster hidden in his eyes. But man is always greedy, and he will never be satisfied if he thinks twice. ”

The reason why Emperor Liang Yinhao said this is not groundless. A few days ago, Wei Ming entered the palace with the results of the investigation of the fraud case, and the excerpt clearly stated that in the recent imperial examinations, a number of officials who were suspected of accepting bribes and enriching their own pockets. Not only the Ministry of Rites, but even the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of Officials, and even the Beijing Mansion that is eight poles away are also in a series of lists, and these people are inextricably linked to Huo Pei'an, saying that he has nothing to do with this matter at all, who believes it?

What's more, all the top three in the palace examination 'selected' by the Ministry of Rites will undoubtedly become the backbone officials of the court in the end, and since they have received his favor, they will naturally work for him. Therefore, it is not so much that Huo Pei'an made a lot of money through the imperial examination, but that he used it to inject fresh blood into his power in the court.

However, even if Liang Yinhao is angry again, after all, Huo Pei'an has been a party for many years, and private doormen are all over the world, if he rushes to move him at this time, the ending will be either good or bad. Moreover, if all the officials in the list are investigated and all of them are involved, it will definitely cause a sensation in the government and the opposition and become the first scandal since he ascended the throne, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to deal with the aftermath. Liang Yinhao didn't dare to take such a risk, and after thinking about it repeatedly, he finally decided to make the big thing small, but he was dismissed and sentenced to a few small minions, and the matter was hastily settled.

Liang Yinhao was trapped in his thoughts, and suddenly felt that the people behind him were silent, so he turned his head to look. I saw that Mu Qing was silent, and a pair of clever little eyes kept turning. Liang Yinhao pointed to her head and asked, "What kind of ideas are you thinking about in your little head?" ”

Mu Qing faked his anger and said, "How can the concubine have any ghost ideas?" Doesn't the concubine want to share the emperor's worries! ”

Liang Yinhao raised his eyebrows and said, "Hmm? Let's hear it. ”

Mu Qing hesitated for a moment, as if he was considering the words, and said after a while: "In fact, in the final analysis, the emperor is just afraid that Huo Xiang will have too much power in the court, so he will cover the sky with one hand. Since this is the case, then let's find a way to suppress or disperse Huo Xiang's forces. ”

Liang Yinhao immediately retorted: "You said it lightly. At present, Huo Pei'an is in power, who dares to oppose him openly? ”

"Not necessarily." Mu Qingrao shook his head meaningfully, "Isn't there a ready-made old stubbornness in the court now?" ”

Liang Yinhao paused, thought for a moment, and asked, "You mean... Wei Ming? ”

"Exactly." Mu Qingzheng said, his eyes burst out with a cunning light, "Lord Wei and Huo Xiang are not in harmony, this is a well-known thing, and he is the only one in the court who dares to blatantly call out Prime Minister Huo Cheng." Why didn't the emperor use Lord Wei to suppress Huo Xiang? With the help of strength, this will not only not damage the relationship between the emperor and the prime minister, but also effectively divide Huo Xiang's power in the court, so that Huo Xiang can no longer pose a threat to the emperor. ”

Liang Yinhao lowered his eyes and pondered: This is indeed not unreasonable! Zhongshu Ling Wei Ming is a veteran of the Three Dynasties, who is upright and honest, which can be described as a rare stream of clear water in the court. When the first emperor was in power, he was particularly appreciative, and he personally inscribed for the Wei Mansion, such an honor is not something that all courtiers can obtain, which is also an important reason why Huo Pei'an has not yet made a move on Wei Ming. Whether in terms of official title or reputation in the court, Wei Ming will never be inferior to Huo Pei'an, and he is probably the only one who is qualified to compete with Huo Xiang.

"Sandpiper and clam fighting....makes sense!" Liang Yinhao stood up suddenly, paced two more steps, turned to look at Mu Qing, and asked, "But it's not right, this Wei Ming has no henchmen in the court, he has always been self-respecting, and he doesn't bother to form gangs, and the strength of the party can be said to be far from Huo Pei'an!" What is he going to do to fight Huo Pei'an? ”

Mu Qing covered the smile on his lips with a silk handkerchief, and looked at Liang Yinhao's eyes with extremely charming and gentle. "The emperor is busy! The power of the officials is big or small, isn't it all up to the emperor to make the decision, and let the emperor say a word? Although Lord Wei has no wings now, the emperor will not be able to install it on him! ”

"Attach it to him? Who to choose? Liang Yinhao asked, the Sichuan character between his eyebrows was a little deeper than Fang Cai, "Among the six departments, except for the military department, which is under my full control, the rest are probably Huo Pei'an's people!" ”

Mu Qing walked slowly towards the emperor and whispered in his ear, with a bewitching voice, provoking people's hearts. "Really? Your Majesty, think about it again! ”

"Zhou Wenxin! The new Ministry of Rites Shangshu Zhou Wenxin! The sparks in Liang Yinhao's eyes flashed, but they dimmed again in an instant, "No, it's still not right." This week, Wenxin was invited by Huo Pei'an from outside Beijing, how could he stand on the opposite side of Huo Pei'an and openly oppose Huo Pei'an? ”

The concubine didn't think so. Zhou Wenxin was not invited by Huo Pei'an, but by the emperor! Mu Qingding looked at Liang Yinhao, his eyes flowed, he smiled smartly, like a fairy in a painting, smart and beautiful. Huo Xiang is just a lobbyist sent by the imperial court, and the real reason why Zhou Wenxin returned to Beijing was because the imperial court needed him, the emperor needed him, and the people needed him. He is the emperor's courtier, not Huo Pei'an's courtier! ”