Zhong Nan also agreed with Sun Chengzong's opinion: his foundation is unstable, and it is thanks to the emperor's trust and many military exploits that he has today's high position. If you stir into that muddy water, you will definitely lose your holy grace, and the gains outweigh the losses.

Now that he has made up his mind, Zhong Nan plans: Whether it is Shen Shixing or any other minister, he must be a person who waives the flag and shouts, and he must not agree to the other party with a hot brain. Even if they say flowers or make tempting promises, they must be principled. At least until Zhu Yijun's intentions are fully understood, he must not stand in line indiscriminately.

But "life is unsatisfactory, nine times out of ten", he didn't want to wade into troubled waters, but people didn't let him go, and they had to pull him in. And this person is none other than Concubine Zheng Guifei, who is the most pleasing to the emperor in the harem.

Zhong Nan received Zheng Guifei's will on the third day after that early court, and the other party sent a eunuch named Xiao Stool to Zhong Mansion directly. Although Zhong Nan said from the bottom of his heart that he was unwilling to go, he couldn't refuse, and he couldn't refuse. Because if he doesn't go, it will be clear that he will not give Zheng Guifei face, and the other party will never have good fruits for him to eat in the future.

The small stool took Zhong Nan through various Langting pavilions before arriving at the Yonghe Palace, where Concubine Zheng lived.

After meeting, Zhong Nan bowed his head respectfully and saluted, and only dared to look up at the other party after Concubine Zheng gave him a seat.

Before the crossing, although Zhong Nan didn't watch the so-called "palace fighting dramas", the female colleagues in the company especially loved this kind of drama and often discussed it with each other. According to them, the women in the harem are all scheming, and if they are not careful, they will be sold. Therefore, Zhong Nan was afraid that Zheng Guifei would come up with something to do, so he gave him a trick, and he kept nervous about dealing with the other party after entering the door.

"Lord Squire, don't be nervous, this palace has summoned you today, and there is indeed something important to discuss."

I'm just afraid that you have something important to discuss with me, ghosts can think of it as a matter of establishing the prince, Zhong Nan scolded in his heart, but his face pretended to relax. Seeing that Zhong Nan didn't answer, Concubine Zheng could only continue to speak.

"This palace heard that Lord Shilang is the first person in this dynasty to change from a military attache to a civil official, I think it must be both civil and military, otherwise the emperor would not have set a precedent for Lord Shilang."

As soon as the other party came up, he put on a high hat of "both civil and military" for Zhong Nan, so that he couldn't help but answer, "The concubine is serious, and the lower officials are lucky to be appreciated by the emperor, so they should do their best for the emperor." ”

"That's nature. It seems that the emperor really did not see the wrong person, and Lord Shilang's loyalty can be learned. Concubine Zheng paused slightly, "I heard that Lord Shilang has been serving in the army before, and he has performed well in the Korean Campaign and the Mongol War not long ago. In particular, the deeds of the 600,000-strong Mongolian army have been widely spread in Beijing, and it is estimated that even three-year-old children have heard of the prestige of Lord Shilang! ”

Zhong Nan didn't know the other party's intentions, so he had to be modest, "This is all thanks to the emperor's wisdom and martial arts, and the lower officials are just a fluke." ”

"Lord Squire, don't be humble, I heard that your riding skills and archery skills are quite good, and even the Mongolian iron horsemen have to bow down!"

The more Zheng Guifei boasted, the more outrageous it became, which made Zhong Nan very embarrassed, and said in her heart, what kind of medicine is sold in this woman's gourd? It's just that he can only admit it: "Don't listen to rumors, although my riding and archery skills are good, they are not superb." ”

"yes, the squire-sama himself said yes. It just so happens that my emperor is very interested in horseback archery, so why don't you give some advice? Concubine Zheng suddenly pulled the topic to Zhu Changxun, and Zhong Nan immediately became alert. After a little thought, I understood that this was a trick.

How to say it, in ancient times, it was a society that respected teachers, and the status of teachers was not much lower than that of parents. If he agrees to Concubine Zheng Guifei's request today and instructs the third prince Zhu Changxun, then he can consider himself a disciple of Zhong Nan. In this way, to some extent, Zhong Nan was tied to the boat of the third prince, and there was no other way to help him ascend to the emperor's throne than to do his best.

If the third prince is lucky enough to sit on the dragon chair, then it's okay, Zhong Nan's status as an emperor is somewhat useful, maybe one day, he can enter the cabinet to worship the prime minister, it is also uncertain. For example, like the former first assistant Zhang Juzheng, and the current first assistant Shen Shixing, they have all been Zhu Yijun's teachers, and they have also taken the position of first assistant.

But if the succession fails, it is likely to be an abyss from which there will never be recovered. Even if the third prince can die well, it is estimated that the cadres who assisted him before can only be marginalized, and it is difficult to find a suitable position in the team of the eldest son of the emperor.

After thinking clearly about the powerful relationship, Zhong Nan will not be fooled, "Thank you for your love, but I also said it just now, my riding and archery skills are not particularly good; Second, since entering Beijing, Xia Guan has not had the opportunity to ride a horse and shoot arrows, and this skill has long been abandoned, where do you dare to go out to offer ugliness. ”

"What's more, whether it is the third prince or other princes, there are many capable people in their mansions, and it is better for the lower officials not to go to the class gate to get an axe, hehe......"

Although Zhong Nan politely rejected Zheng Guifei's request, he also explained that he would not side with the eldest son of the emperor, and in his opinion, Zheng Guifei should not be too difficult for him.

Sure enough, Concubine Zheng Guifei's originally unhappy face regained her calm calm when she heard the end, and she said in a calm tone: "It's still Lord Shilang who thinks about it thoroughly." ”

"The lower officials can't live up to the emperor's love, naturally everything can only be seen by the emperor!" Zhong Nan moved out of Zhu Yijun, and the implication is that as long as you can make Emperor Wanli open your mouth and make Zhu Changxun the crown prince, I should do my best to assist him.

How could Concubine Zheng not hear the extraneous sound, she didn't answer, just beckoned the palace maid in the distance to come over to renew the tea. Zhong Nan also understood the other party's intention to send off the guest, and after drinking two sips of tea, he left Yonghe Palace on the pretext that the military department still had affairs to deal with.

Out of the Forbidden City, Zhong Nan breathed a sigh of relief. This Concubine Zheng is really a character, and she has set a trap for people quietly; After he saw through the trick and politely refused, the other party was still able to remain silent, and he did have some scheming and city government. When dealing with her in the future, I must pay more attention, Zhong Nan thought.

On the way back, Zhong Nan kept thinking about Concubine Zheng's performance. The other party not only has a good face, but also has a much brighter brain than ordinary people, and in Zhong Nan's opinion, his emotional intelligence is indeed not low, no wonder he can be favored by Zhu Yijun as always.

Back in Zhongfu, Zhong Nan summoned Sun Chengzong again and asked him to briefly introduce the deeds of Concubine Zheng before and after entering the palace.

After Zhu Yijun ascended the throne, he married three wives, Queen Wang, Concubine Liu Zhao and Concubine Yang Yi. The appearance of the three should not be bad, but since they were not chosen by himself, he naturally can't talk about how much he likes them. After that, Concubine Yang Yi died of illness, and Zhu Yijun only had two wives in his harem.

So the Empress Dowager Li pondered, let's choose some concubines for her son, so that the harem can be enriched, otherwise if you want to hold your grandson, you will have to wait until the Year of the Monkey. Zhu Yijun also thinks that Wang and Liu are not the types he likes, although Queen Wang is "cautious" and Concubine Liu Zhao is "cautious", but for him, it is not attractive.

After that, a vigorous beauty pageant was launched across the country. It was in this beauty pageant that Zheng stood out. In fact, if you really want to talk about it, Zheng's selection into the palace can be regarded as very accidental.

Zheng was born into a poor family in Daxing County, a suburb of Beijing. When she was thirteen years old, the announcement that the emperor was going to choose a concubine spread to Daxing County, and the whole county was in an uproar - no one was willing to send their daughter to the palace at that time. As a result, the people of Daxing County, who heard the news of the concubine election, were not cheering, on the contrary, many school-age women in the county actually married overnight in order to avoid the election.

Zheng was no exception, she didn't want to marry into the royal family at first. His father, Zheng Chengxian, thought about his daughter's happiness, and also had the same thoughts as others. He hurriedly looked for a "filial piety", planned to let his daughter marry each other as a concubine, and discussed with the man's parents to get married quickly. What is "filial piety"? It was the common name for lifting people at that time.

Everything is arranged, just wait for the day, and the man will come to pick up people. Unexpectedly, when he was about to get married, Zheng thought that in order to avoid the selection, he was a yellow flower girl, and he did not hesitate to be a concubine. Zheng Chengxian also felt that he had wronged his daughter, and the two were grief-stricken and hugged their heads and cried.

Coincidentally, their cries were heard by the eunuchs who passed by outside the house. When the eunuchs broke into the door, Zheng was very handsome, and immediately reported to the presiding officer. Shangguan checked, Zheng's quota was not reported, and everyone understood the twists and turns, so they couldn't help but say that they brought Zheng back to Jingshi.

After that, things were logical, and Zheng was selected and became one of the "Nine Concubines". Later, because he was favored by Zhu Yijun, his identity rose and rose, and his status in the harem became more and more stable.

Zhong Nan didn't know what kind of person the original Zheng family was, and he didn't know how the former Zheng family evolved into the current Zheng Guifei. But he knew that the emperor's harem was by no means a clean place, and even if a simple and clear person arrived there, he would inevitably turn black.

There is only one piece of "Tang monk meat", and if the rice is eaten, others can only drink the wind. In the same way, there is only one emperor, whether it is the queen, the concubine or any other woman, who has taken most of his favor, and the rest of the women will have little way to live.

So some people say that in ancient times, the emperor's harem was the place that women most yearned for, and it was also the place where women feared the most. In a thought, heaven and hell!