The emperor raised his eyes and looked at the Western clock on the black lacquered crescent case: "It's not early, you send someone to pass a message, and I will go again tomorrow." ”

"The Emperor said that no matter how early or late you come back, please be sure to go." The worry on Wang Zhi's face deepened, "Qiao Anguo ...... in the afternoon I have been to Ciqing Palace. ”

The emperor's footsteps froze, and his face became stern: "How could you let him go?" What about the people arranged by Qiu Yu? ”

Wang Zhi sighed: "I haven't heard from me for the time being, I don't know if I was conspired against or bought." ”

The emperor was silent and frowned tightly.

In the past year, whenever an important minister is facing being sent by him, he will go to Ciqing Palace to find the emperor crying nose, and even reminisce and plead. Qiao Anguo, as the most favored eunuch around the Emperor, naturally inevitably wanted to use this trick.

The emperor had long been guarding against him, and in addition to sending Jinyi guards to spy on him, he also had to strictly prevent Qiao Anguo from coming to see the emperor. Even if he can't stop it, at least report it to him in time, and he can take countermeasures as much as he can, Qiao Anguo doesn't dare to cry to the emperor in front of him and complain that he is innocent.

Unexpectedly, on the day he left the palace, the old fox got rid of the brocade guard and entered the palace to meet the emperor. Now, if you want to kill it with one blow, it will be difficult.

The emperor was upset: "Then why didn't you say it earlier?" ”

Wang Zhichao waved his hand at the little yellow door that carried the food box and entered the door, and sighed: "Anyway, the person has already left, doesn't this mean that I want you to stop eating?" ”

The Emperor said nothing, turned and walked out again.

Ciqing Palace is located in the western part of the entire palace, larger than the six palaces in the east and west where the concubines lived, and has its own separate garden, which was originally used as the residence of the queen mother. After the abdication of the emperor, he moved the concubines to the more remote Xiyuan, and he and the queen lived here, and rarely interacted with the vestibule and harem. Longxi Pavilion is the closest palace in the palace to here, and you need to pass a long road to Guò. The royal couple lived here, which was a bit of a seclusion.

When the emperor arrived, the emperor was sitting with the queen and the eldest princess in the east room of the main hall and chatting. At night, I saw the lights outside the hall, and the laughter came out from the sash window of the three and six Linghua flowers, revealing warmth and beauty, just like an ordinary family sharing the family.

The emperor went in and saluted his parents, but his face was still cold and indifferent, and he was not infected by this happy scene.

When Empress Taishang saw his cold face, her smile also dispersed, and she said lightly: "The emperor is here, I just listened to Zhuo Jin's story about today's news, and I didn't expect you to have such an adventure when you traveled." ”

The emperor looked at the eldest princess, and sure enough, he saw her sly smiling and glaring at him, as if asking him to help keep it secret. He couldn't guess what kind of bizarre story she told her parents, but at least she was sure that she would not dare to tell the truth about the two cases of insisting on trying the case on the street and bringing the daughter of a criminal into the palace.

If the former case is said, it will definitely attract a scolding, and if the latter case is said, Qiwen will be sent to the Teaching Department tomorrow. The emperor secretly felt helpless, this little sister was loved by her parents and two brothers at the same time, and her behavior became more and more out of line, and she simply had the momentum of lawlessness.

Empress Taishang stood up, stroked her clothes and said: "The emperor came up to talk to the emperor, Zhuojin and I are a little tired, so let's go and rest first." After speaking, he took the hand of the eldest princess and walked towards the door.

"Congratulations to the queen mother." The emperor flashed aside, and apart from the scene, there was not a single superfluous word to say to his mother.

The Emperor Taishang was loosely tied with a goose-yellow middle single, his gray hair was curled very casually, sitting on the couch, holding the kang table with one hand, looking very good, and he was no longer as sick and weak as when he abdicated the throne last year. When Empress Taishang and the eldest princess left, he smiled kindly and raised his hand: "Sit down." ”

The emperor sat down as he said, but he only sat on the Taishi chair at the bottom, and did not sit on the opposite side of the kang table. He was worried about the distance between them, and if he didn't want to be merciful after a while, it would probably be cheaper.

"Today, another old minister came to Ciqing Palace to visit the sick, and what he said, you must be able to guess it." The Emperor Taishang said a little hesitantly, and paused, "Of course, someone may have already reported you, but in fact, ......"

"Erchen has never been staring at Ciqing Palace." The Emperor interjected coldly.

The Emperor Taishang was stunned, and smiled awkwardly: "Look at you, I'm not teaching you, why do you need to explain?" Besides, even if you really come and people pay attention to my movements, you have a reason, and it is not a sin; If you don't arrange it, it is even more natural for the people below to take the initiative to report it to you. Now that you are the master of this Zhiyang Palace, they should be loyal to you. ”

The emperor lowered his head slightly: "It's me who is reckless, father is not strange." "Secretly persuade yourself to be at ease.

He changed his name, which was to ease his attitude. The Emperor sighed lightly: "Now that I have abdicated the throne for a year, they still don't give up, but anyone who is slightly dissatisfied with you wants to come out to talk to me, I have to reiterate to them every time, I will not interfere in the government again, I am really tired of saying it." ”

He owed, and his tone was more sincere, "As early as a year ago, when I abdicated the throne, I told you that the power of the country and the dynasty is in your hands, and you can manage it as you see it, and I won't say a word." If I don't trust you, how can I pass on the throne to you? You can be free and don't have to worry about anything. When these people are handed over to you, it is up to you to decide whether to raise or degrade, whether to kill or stay. ”

Father is always like this, first reiterate that he will decide by himself, and then come to a "but", and begin to intercede for the old minister, asking him to see what part of the Internet to open one, kill the head and change the dismissal, and copy the house to change the fine, he is always bad to refuse to the seriously ill father, and he must be accommodating as appropriate.

Familiar with this routine, he gradually turned to more vigorous and resolute methods, so that those criminal ministers and the emperor had no time to react, and this time the treatment of Zhao Shunde's family was like this. Fortunately, Zhao Shunde is dying, otherwise he would inevitably have to come to Ciqing Palace to miss the great achievements of his father for Dayan with Emperor Taishang.

But Qiao Anguo is different, different from any of the huge corrupt criminals he dealt with before. sentenced Qiao Anguo lightly, and the future troubles are endless.

The emperor raised his gaze from the gold-painted teacup in his hand and looked at his father: "My father sent someone to call me over tonight, just to say this to me, worried that I heard that someone had come to my father to intercede, and I would be troubled?" ”

The Emperor Taishang slowly leaned back on the pillow, and his eyebrows showed a little old look: "I want to admonish you, if you want the people below to obey you, you need to be a little more patient." Blindly treating them as adversaries and confronting them to the core, sometimes it will not solve the problem, and it may even be self-defeating. ”

He paused to consider his words, and continued to explain in a rambling manner, "Of course, it is necessary to be tough on those who are really committed to adultery. I mean, some people don't support you, not because they're afraid you're hurting their selfish interests, but because they don't trust you enough and don't manage the country well. Such a person is a loyal and good general, what you should do is to take your time and let them see what you are capable of. Then they will be willing to be your arms, not tear down your platform. ”

The emperor didn't have the heart to go on anymore, tried his best to hold back his irritability, and said earnestly: "Father Mingjian, Qiao Anguo's incriminating evidence is innumerable, he is not a loyal minister and a good general, he is the first evil in the country, if you don't eradicate him, there will be endless troubles." If he hadn't taken the lead in embezzling disaster relief food and wages last year, how could he have led more than 100,000 people in Shaanxi to rebel? If I don't bring him to justice, how can I calm the people's anger? Now there are border troubles outside, and the people are changing everywhere inside, and if we don't vigorously eradicate it, the country is in danger! ”

The Emperor raised his hand and made a downward posture, still smiling: "I know, I know." Don't worry, blame me for always going around the bend and not speaking directly, which led you to misunderstand. What Anguo has done is indeed excessive, and I have no intention of letting you not blame you in the past. He has come today only to beg me to spare his life for the sake of his many years of service, so that he may have a good life. It's better to let him resign from his position in Dongchang, come back to serve by my side, and be my companion. For my face, spare him his life. ”

The emperor was silent for a moment. Qiao Anguo This is a move to lose the pawn to protect the car, he has countless henchmen, the power is huge, most of the courtiers in the court look at him and act, without the titles of Dongchang and the celebrant supervisor, he can still be a real and nameless leader, those people still have the backbone of his emperor. If you don't kill this first evil Ming canonical punishment, how can you suppress the rest of the people?

What's more, he knew who was standing behind Qiao Anguo......

Without waiting for him to argue, the Emperor Taishang sighed and said: "I also know that this is embarrassing you, people say that old children and old children, when I am old, I have a deep understanding of this." The reason is clear, I just can't be ruthless. Thinking that his time is short, it is even more difficult to harden his heart and ignore the people who were with him in the past. If you spare him for his life, you will only save it until I die, presumably ...... It won't be long. ”

There is no way to say more, when he abdicated the throne last year, the imperial doctor made it clear that the emperor was afraid that time was running out. It is not easy to survive this year and maintain a stable situation. No one can say for sure how long he will live.

That's it, the family and the country, the family and the country first, and it is indeed a big blow for my father to watch his most trusted close eunuch being executed. If it is for this matter to force his father's illness to recur, it will do more harm than good to both public and private.

The emperor had no choice but to endure it, and said with his head bowed: "Let's do it according to my father's wishes." ”

Put yourself in his shoes, if Wang Zhi commits a crime, no matter how unbearable he is, he can deal with it ruthlessly and fairly, but his father is not a person like him. If the Emperor had half of his courage, how could the country have fallen to the state it is today?