After retreating from the court, the emperor withdrew his entourage and walked to the imperial garden. What happened in the main hall just now was like a thunderbolt on the ground, which caught people off guard, so that he did not rush to the imperial study to deal with the paperwork as usual, but quietly brewed tea and tasted tea in the pavilion covered with curtains around him, so as to relieve the chaos in his heart. The cold wind blew the curtains, sweeping away the warmth in the curtains, but the emperor didn't care, because this chill dispelled his tiredness and made him feel refreshed. Since Zhan Long had secretly discussed with him about the descendants of the Protector a day ago, he was not surprised by what the Prime Minister asked for today. But he never expected that the inside story would be so full of twists and turns, and the person who could inherit the position of the protector of the country was not Zhan Long, but An Ruiqi, the second young master of Anfu, as for Zhan Long, he was not even his own blood brother, but an abandoned son of unknown origin. After a previous conversation, he greatly appreciated the temperament and talent of this imperial brother, and wanted to take him under his command after he restored his status as a prince, but now that the life of the war dragon is a mystery, if Mu Ran promises a high position, I am afraid that it will cause criticism, and it seems that he can only find another way, and this matter is not difficult. The emperor looked at the thin water bubbles that continued to pour from the bottom of the pot to the surface of the water, raised the corners of his mouth, and showed a faint smile, and the water boiled. On the contrary, it is the newly promoted protector of the country, who really doesn't know how to deal with it. An Ruiqi has a good character and a clear heart, even if he has thousands of troops and horses in his hands and thousands of acres of fertile land in the future, it is not enough to worry, what is really worrying is...... Thinking of this, the emperor unfolded the paper ball in front of him and looked at it carefully. It was the secret letter submitted by the prime minister and written by the first emperor. On the way here, he crumpled it into a ball and clutched it tightly in his hand, but fortunately, the long sleeves of the dragon robe were able to hide his indignation. It is passed on to the son of the imperial concubine, and it must not be violated...... The vigorous handwriting is distorted by the folds of the paper, making it look particularly glaring. There is no lack of virtuous ability under the father's knees, but no matter how the princes do their best to do what they like, they will never be favored by the father. On the other hand, this brother of the emperor, his father has never met him, but he has tried his best to cultivate him. not only searched for famous teachers to teach him the art of war, but also made the two ministers of the humerus protect him, who can compare with such a preference? Day after day, year after year, he tried his best to help his father run state affairs, and did not dare to slack off for a moment, thinking that his father valued his perseverance and forbearance temperament, and took care of his sincerity for the country and the people, so he was named the crown prince. He knew that he was not worth mentioning in the heart of the first emperor, after all, Zhuyu was in front, and his father and emperor looked down on them as mediocre people. But knowing that he was the second best choice, he was willing to do it. His background is not as noble as that of Prince Rong, among the princes, his talent and martial arts are not the best, the first emperor chose him to inherit the unification, it is a great grace, how can he not be grateful. The emperor cherished and smoothed the crumpled letter paper by him, and sighed lightly. Ayou is talented and talented, and it is reasonable for his father to want him. When his father wrote this secret letter, he was just a newborn baby, and it was difficult to predict how his natural endowment was, but his father didn't seem to care whether he could become a Ming monarch, and insisted on passing the throne to him, and he still did not change his original intention until his death. The father gambled with the country, is it just to smile for the concubine? The mother concubine repeatedly warned him about his red face and troubles, thinking that it meant that the imperial concubine was favored as soon as she entered the palace. has learned from the previous experience, so that he never forgets self-denial and self-sufficiency. Although the harem is as beautiful as a cloud, he has never touched his true feelings for anyone, so as not to repeat the mistakes. It is true that the Protector's testament can suppress the ambitions of those who seek to usurp the throne, but if it is justified, it is a different matter. Thinking of this, the emperor picked up the letter and silently sent it to the stove. Seeing the red flames burning above the letter, the emperor withdrew his hand, and watched in a daze as the flames quietly devoured every word on the paper, and his heart suddenly felt melancholy, even his fingertips were burned by the fire. Eventually, the letter was reduced to ashes and drifted away with the wind. Looking at the corner of the letter that remained in his hand, the emperor smiled bitterly and laughed at himself: What can you do if you burn it, the prime minister is far-sighted, and there is more than this one certificate hidden, otherwise, he will not hand it over to me to dispose of. Since the death of the imperial concubine, he thought that he was tired of the power struggle, but when he was forced to the predicament of having to Zen the throne, he suddenly realized that he still had a little nostalgia for the throne, but what was worth nostalgia, he himself couldn't figure it out.

"Your Majesty, Major General An Ruiqi asks to see you." An attendant eunuch hurried to report.

The emperor came back to his senses from his contemplation and stared at the churning water in the pot with an inexplicable expression. "It came at the right time."

After a while, An Ruiqi slowly walked to the pavilion and bowed to the emperor.

Seeing An Ruiqi's figure through the curtain, the emperor smiled lightly and said in a harmonious voice: "No need to be formal. It's better to meet by chance, and the emperor's brother will accompany me to drink tea. After speaking, he pointed to the stone bench on the opposite side and motioned for An Ruiqi to sit down.

"Thank you for the emperor's reward." After An Ruiqi bowed, he stepped forward.

The emperor seems to be in great interest, he lifted the copper kettle, slowly poured boiling water into the purple clay pot, a wisp of white smoke rose leisurely from the purple clay pot, the wind blew, scattered as a burst of tranquility, in an instant, the pavilion was filled with the refreshing fragrance of tea, quite calming the heart and calming the nerves.

"The paths in the Imperial Garden are winding and complicated, and the imperial brother can remember them clearly after walking once, and he really has the ability to never forget." The emperor gently put the lid of the pot on the spout of the pot and said meaningfully.

"The emperor praised it." An Ruiqi replied humbly,

After a moment of silence, the emperor picked up the purple clay pot, poured two cups of tea, and then invited: "Please use it." Seeing An Ruiqi casually pick up a cup and savor it quietly, the smile on his face deepened. If he inherits the unification, it is not a good thing for the country and the people. "The emperor's brother came this time, but it was for the sake of his name?" The emperor fixed his eyes on An Ruiqi, but saw that his expression was indifferent, and his eyes were deep, making it impossible to see through what he was thinking.

Hearing this, An Ruiqi put down the white porcelain cup, lowered his eyes and was silent, thoughtful.

The emperor thought that it was inconvenient for him to speak clearly, so he looked at him squarely and said solemnly: "I have ordered someone to draw up a decree, and I will announce it to the world in a few days and restore your status as a prince." As for the military territory, after you ascend to the position of protector, I will also return it, please rest assured. With the emperor's golden words, An Ruiqi should have been glad to thank him, but he still looked unfazed, which made the emperor puzzled. The emperor looked at him quietly, his thoughts turned a thousand times, and only then did he speak: "If the emperor brother has any difficulties, he might as well say it directly." ”

An Ruiqi raised his eyes to look at him, and asked modestly and solemnly: "Dare to ask the emperor how he plans to deal with Duan Nantian, the secretary of the military department?" ”

Suddenly asked about this, the emperor was speechless for a while, and his eyes showed a bit of fierceness. A few days ago, Mo Niancong asked to see the evidence of the Rong family's crimes that he had been collating for days without sleep, and the file he submitted listed Duan Nantian's crimes. Although his crimes are not exhaustive, they have reached the point where he cannot turn a blind eye and cover up and connive. However, if Duan Nantian is dismissed from his post and investigated, the position of the secretary of the military department will be vacant, and for him, it will undoubtedly be a self-defeating arm. After all, the revival of the Protector clan is imminent, and it is difficult to guarantee that it will not become another Rong clan when it will monopolize power at that time. The first emperor knew that Duan Nantian was arrogant and self-controlled, and he would not be easily manipulated by others, so he handed over hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses to him to command, with the intention of balancing the Rong clan. It would be great if he could take this opportunity to take the military power in Duan Nantian's hands for his own use, but he was afraid that the prime minister would get in the way, and before he could take back the military power, he would make a plan to make his cronies sit on the throne of Shangshu. At present, the only way to do this is to protect Duan Nantian first, and then find a virtuous person to replace him. Helplessly, An Ruiqi's eyes were awe-inspiring, and he had no intention of retreating, which really made him unavoidable, so he could only show the majesty of the Ninety-Five Honor, forcing him to retreat despite the difficulties.

The emperor's face sank, and he replied coldly: "I have my own measure in this matter, and I don't need the emperor's brother to bother. ”

"Duan Shangshu City Mansion is extremely deep, and he is definitely not a person worth relying on. Why didn't the emperor find another credible person, Kuang Fu Sheji? An Ruiqi didn't seem to notice the emperor's anger, and continued to say without humility or arrogance.

Seeing this, the emperor frowned and asked unhappily: "So, according to what the emperor has seen, who can take on this important responsibility?" ”

"I don't have talent, but I want to give it a try." An Ruiqi replied calmly.

Hearing this, the emperor was shocked. Is he sincerely obedient, or is he pretending to be honest and secretly Chencang? The emperor looked at An Ruiqi suspiciously, and after all, he couldn't see the reason from his calm face. Just when he was in a dilemma, the emperor remembered someone, and the big stone in his heart suddenly fell. "It's really rare for the emperor's brother to have this heart, how can I not allow it." The emperor chuckled lightly, and then said: "I vaguely remember that one of the emperor's deceased relatives is still being imprisoned for interrogation, so I hereby decree to pardon her innocence, so that the emperor's brother can assist me in handling political affairs with peace of mind. "The emperor's move, firstly, is to buy people's hearts, so that An Ruiqi is willing to obey his orders, and secondly, he wants to test the weight of the woman in his heart, so that he can use it for future planning.

Unexpectedly, An Ruiqi did not think about it and politely refused: "The emperor's good intentions are well received by the ministers, but the ministers have always firmly believed that the heavens are clear, if she is really innocent, she will eventually be able to keep the clouds open and see the moon. ”

After hearing this, the emperor muttered, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: It turns out that the original desperate self is nothing more than that.

After that, the two were relatively silent, poured themselves a drink, and after the first tea was drunk, An Ruiqi got up and retired.