Both sides stopped arguing, and the ministers looked at Empress Dowager Zhang, who was a little nervous, after all, she rarely participated in the important affairs of the court, if it weren't for Yang Tinghe and others who had been pushing her behind, she would almost have given up. The psychological pressure is too great, which makes it difficult for her to be stable in her heart, who is not ruthless in nature.

Every time she sees Zhengde, who is no longer in human form, Empress Dowager Zhang has an indescribable apology in her heart, her son is still the emperor, even if he is mediocre and poor, it is also the emperor, he has not yet lost his breath, and he and the ministers of the outer court elected a new emperor; What's even more excessive is that he actually listened to Yang Tinghe's nonsense and came up with an edict, which is a big rebellion.

However, Empress Dowager Zhang also understood in her heart that there was no way back in this matter, and the reason why she decided to walk on the same road with Yang Tinghe and others was because she understood that once the new emperor's candidate was controlled by Song Nan, she would have a hard time in the future.

I think that because of Kangning's matter, I greatly offended Song Nan and asked the emperor. Prosecuting Song Nan's house, I am afraid it is impossible to hide this matter from Song Nan. And he later recommended King Ning as his heir, Zhu Chenhao's rebellion was tantamount to a slap in the face, and Empress Dowager Zhang hid in the harem for a long time and didn't dare to come out, holding her ears to probe the reaction of the ministers.

How could the civil servants of the outer court forget about this matter so easily, they would have been biting on this matter, but they were just waiting for an opportunity, or for someone's approval and instruction in the cabinet. At this time, Yang Ting and Tong Guò Liang Chu came to find themselves and discuss the selection of the emperor's heir, which clearly meant that they wanted to agree to the candidates they recommended, so that they could avoid the dilemma of verbal criticism and written criticism.

Empress Dowager Zhang can't help but agree, Song Nan and Yang Ting and the two sides, she can only fall to one side, there is no doubt that Empress Dowager Zhang is more inclined to Yang Ting and Liang Chu and others, she is like a lamb roasted on the fire, and she has no choice but to take risks.

"All of you are loyal and patriotic, and you know it in your heart. However, the edict was drawn up by the emperor himself, and he also agreed with the mourning family to announce in advance that it would stabilize the hearts of the people, and the mourning family believed that today was the time to announce it, so the mourning family decided to immediately issue the edict and announce it to the world. Empress Dowager Zhang tried her best to keep her face solemn and sad, so that her lies could be more realistic.

"Dare to ask the Queen Mother, I heard that the emperor is speechless, but I don't know how the emperor instructed the Queen Mother to issue an edict today." Wu Miao said loudly.

The ministers were humming, Yang Tinghe couldn't get rid of his indifferent image, rushed up and grabbed Wu Miao's neck and strangled him to death.

"This ...... Mourning ...... "Empress Dowager Zhang was at a loss for a while, she didn't think about how to answer this question.

"Lord Wu, don't you know that mother and son are connected? The emperor is the queen mother's own child, knowing the son Mo Ruo's mother, does the emperor's meaning still need to be said in person? But a demeanor, a movement can be understood. But if your children do not speak, you will not know what is in their hearts? Yang Tinghe said lightly.

Wu Miao shook his head and said, "Xia Guan really doesn't know, if my sons and daughters don't speak, I don't know what he's thinking." ”

Yang Tinghe said lightly: "Lord Wu, then you have to reflect on it, it shows that you are not dedicated to your children, but all your own children, that parent does not think about their thoughts, their own flesh and blood, stay together all day long, and there are traces of behavior and demeanor, could it be that Lord Wu never takes care of your children, and never cares about their words and deeds?" ”

"Maybe I should ask Lord Wu's wife if those children are born to Lord Wu." Someone whispered.

As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of snickering.

Wu Miao said angrily: "This is your reason? It's really a person who reads in vain. ”

Yang Tinghe also shouted angrily: "Above the main hall, who said such boring words? The next time anyone speaks like this, they will not forgive. ”

At this time, Wu Miao didn't have any powerful words to refute, parents are naturally familiar with their children, if the emperor really expressed his approval in his demeanor and actions, it would be unreasonable for him to oppose it again, and today he can be regarded as arguing on the basis of reason, as for the inability to prevent this from happening, Wu Miao thought that he had done his best, and he was worthy of Yang Yiqing's instructions before.

"Yang Tinghe, you will read the edict and tell the ministers, and then immediately announce it to the world, so that the officials and people of the state capitals in various places will know about it." Empress Dowager Zhang looked at Yang Tinghe and said.

"Obey." Yang Tinghe stepped forward slowly, took the edict handed over by the chamberlain, and slowly untied the tied yellow ribbon, and the hall was silent.

Suddenly, there was a noise in the side hall, and the shrill voice of the chamberlain sounded: "What are you doing?" This is the main hall, and the adults are deliberating. ”

The ministers heard clearly, and they all looked sideways at the curtain leading to the side hall, and the face of a eunuch poked out from behind the curtain, and at a glance they saw that the eyes of the whole hall were looking at them, and they were so frightened that they retracted their heads.

Empress Dowager Zhang shouted angrily: "Wang Dequan, what are you doing sneakily? ”

The eunuch named Wang Dequan crawled in, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "The slave and maid should die, the slave and maid did not mean it; Just now, a guard from the Heart Cultivation Hall came to deliver the letter, and the slave felt very urgent after hearing it, and wanted to see if she could tell Li Neng and Li Gonggong to tell the Queen Mother. ”

Empress Dowager Zhang frowned and said, "Heart Cultivation Palace? What happened? ”

Wang Dequan swallowed and foamed at the mouth: "The guard with a knife said that Song Nan, the prince of Zhenguo, took Chang Sheng, an official with a knife, to break into the Yangxin Palace, and also said that he was holding a firearm in his hand, and he was afraid that it would be unfavorable to the emperor." ”

"Huh?"

"What? How can it be? ”

"When did Song Nan return to Beijing?"

The ministers were stunned, some people didn't know the news of Song Nan's return to Beijing at all, and they were surprised that Song Nan would actually take hostages and break into the Palace of Heart Cultivation, this news was shocking, but it seemed a little ridiculous.

"It's the other way around, the Duke of Zhenguo would do such an outrageous thing, Chen Jian yì immediately gathered the guards to go to the Heart Cultivation Palace, don't let Song Nan do anything unfavorable to the emperor." Liang Chu said loudly.

"Yes, arrest him at once, and ask him what he wants. Taking advantage of the emperor's serious illness, I am afraid that this guy has a different heart. Someone chimed in.

"Zhenguo Gong saw that the emperor didn't need to do this, why did he do this? Could it be that the guards didn't open their eyes to block him and prevent him from facing the saint? He traveled all the way back to Beijing to visit the emperor, and if the guards stopped him, it was no wonder that he would be furious, which was reasonable. Someone whispered.

"What makes sense? Rules are rules, the emperor needs to recuperate, the queen mother decrees that no one should be disturbed, even if Song Nan is a prince, he has no right to break into the emperor's residence, let alone take hostages and carry firearms into it. Some of you actually think that it is reasonable in your hearts, where do you put the etiquette and national laws and regulations in the palace? Fei Hong shouted angrily.

Empress Dowager Zhang didn't want to listen to their quarrel, stood up on the throne and left, Yang Tinghe was stunned and said: "Queen Mother, the edict has not yet been read." ”

Empress Dowager Zhang said angrily: "What edict is still being read out now?" The emperor is afraid that it is in the hands of Song Nan, and if he doesn't save the emperor, is the matter of the edict more urgent than the emperor's life? ”

Yang Tinghe regretted his speech, and hurriedly said: "The minister should die, come here, immediately mobilize people to go to the Heart Cultivation Hall to rescue the emperor, if Song Nan intends to be unfavorable to the emperor, he can be killed on the spot, and there is no need to keep his hands." ”

The ministers looked around in panic, their hearts were worried, today's events were covered with clouds and mountains, and many people didn't understand what was going on, but only vaguely felt that a big change was coming.

……

In the East Warm Pavilion of the Heart Cultivation Palace, the conversation between Zhengde and Song Nan Junchen continued, Zhengde's face was flushed, and the medicinal power of the two Dragon and Tiger Rejuvenation Pills just made up for what he needed most in his body; Part of the reason why his illness was difficult to heal at the beginning was because he took too much and too often the Dragon Tiger Rejuvenation Pill, which made his already empty body even weaker. But once the drug is stopped, his body suddenly can't bear it, which is the basic characteristic of general addictive drugs, that is, when he quits, the body will be extremely uncomfortable, and after forcibly quitting, the body will quickly deplete vitality without the support of drugs.

Of course, this can't be blamed on Song Nan forbidding him to take medicine, when Song Nan dissuaded him, his addiction was not big, and later he was weak-willed, and he was deliberately lured by Zhu Chenhao and Ma Yongcheng to take a large amount of food, which was the reason for his final physical collapse.

And Song Nan gave him two pills just now, just like a blank of water in a dry pond, winning a moment of respite for the fish at the bottom of the pond that was about to die, but this action only raised the last vitality in his body, which was equivalent to extracting his life force, allowing him to directly enter the state of returning to the light before death.

In this state, Zhengde's face was ruddy, he didn't cough and wheezing, and his body also regained some strength, and even had some appetite. But Zhengde didn't ask for something to eat, he himself knew very well that this was a return to the light. There is not much time, he has to explain things quickly, there are still too many things to explain, there are too many things to say, he can't waste time.

"Song Nan, in the past ten days, when I was conscious, I have been thinking about the past, thinking about my days in the East Palace, and thinking about the people and things that have happened since I ascended the throne. I actually know very well in my heart that I am not a good emperor in the eyes of the ministers, I am too willful and casual, and even a little absurd, but I have never wanted to change, and I do not regret what I have done. Zhengde spoke slowly, looking at the unknown place with empty eyes.

Song Nan didn't know how to interface, Zhengde was not confused, on the contrary, he was a smart person, but I don't know why he would do some ridiculous things, which was also what Song Nan was puzzled about, at this moment Zhengde himself mentioned this matter, Song Nan was willing to listen to him and listen to the true thoughts in Zhengde's heart.

"You know what? I went out of the pavilion to study at the age of ten, and every day the teacher of the Hanlin Academy entered and exited the East Palace like a flowing water, and lectured endlessly every day; The cabinet scholars were also arranged by my father to come to the school every now and then to inspect my studies, and my father ...... My father didn't take me to the imperial city at night after I went to school, and the first thing he said when he saw me would ask about his studies, which was a little scary. I'm so annoyed, really annoyed. It's not that I don't know that they want me to be a good emperor in the future, but I really don't like them like that. ”

Zhengde's face was flushed, his nose was agitated, and he was very excited. Song Nan hurriedly whispered: "The emperor will take a break, let's drink saliva." ”

Zhengde waved his hand and said: "Don't drink, I don't drink, I won't say anything to you today, I'm afraid I won't have a chance to say it." You know what? When I was in the East Palace, I had been thinking in my heart that after I ascended the throne, I would burn all the books in the East Palace, and I would do something rebellious to go out of the cabinet, so that those who thought they would teach me well would be stunned by the cabinet scholars. I want them to know that the more they want me to become, the less I will become. I'm going to slap them in the face, and the more unhappy they are, the happier I'll be. Hahaha. ”

Zhengde laughed like a naughty boy, laughed and coughed violently, Song Nan hurriedly took a cloth towel and handed it over, Zhengde covered his mouth and coughed out a large mouthful of black and sticky blood clots, he only glanced at it lightly, but threw it in the slag hopper disapprehantly.

Song Nan persuaded: "Don't say it, don't say it, the emperor said, the ministers all understand." ”

Zhengde gasped for a moment, and said with a smug smile: "You only understand now, every time I do something that seems strange and absurd, I hide in the dark and watch the reactions of those courtiers, I am very happy to see them panicked and surprised and overwhelmed, and I feel a sense of happiness in my heart." Hahaha. ”

Song Nan smacked his lips, not knowing how to explain Zhengde's behavior, Zhengde was like a child who didn't grow up, full of rebellion in his bones, it turned out that his behavior was deliberate, in order to fight with everyone, with his father and queen mother, with the cabinet ministers, and with the lecturers of the Hanlin Academy who forced him to study, it turned out that Zhengde's heart was suppressed so much, no wonder his personality and behavior were a little deformed.

"Last winter, I read a poem by Tang Yin, a genius in Jiangnan, and the two lines of the poem I felt were written in my heart. Others laugh at me for being crazy, and I laugh at others for not being able to see through it. Haha, isn't that so? The ministers think I am an absurd emperor, and I am the only one who understands that I am doing this to tease them, and I am happier than anything else when I look at their sad faces. ”

"Others laugh at me for being crazy, and I laugh at others for not being able to see through it." Song Nan recited these two lines of poetry in a low voice, and suddenly he began to pity the Zhengde Emperor in front of him, Zhengde's nature is romantic and uninhibited, but his identity is the prince, and he wants to be the emperor. So the court, including the former emperor, hated to train him to become the first Ming monarch in the past and present, and forced him to learn the way of governing the country and the world, learn the order of etiquette and morality, and learn the strategy of being a person in the world. The slightest suppression of Zhengde's nature is gone. Zhengde had to be an obedient prince in front of the emperor and cabinet ministers, and he had long longed for the day when he broke out, and when he ascended the throne, all the previous repressions would be released, and this perverted psychological behavior appeared. He took pleasure in the absurdity and casualness, and he took pride in making his ministers miserable, which he himself understood was wrong, but he was going to do it.

"Song Nan, I don't expect you to understand me, I told you that this is just that I don't want to take this qiē into the grave, so that future generations will misunderstand that I am a madman. In fact, I know what is important, have I ever made any stupid decisions about national affairs? I have fulfilled my duties, my Ming Dynasty is still stable, and if I pass him on, I will be worthy of the emperor and the ancestors, this is the only place where I will not be ridiculous. ”

"Of course, I am very glad to have you to help me, every time the court is in crisis, I know that you will come forward to solve it for me, you think about it, I am not a favor to you Song Nan, or even ...... Even after you did a lot of things that should have been done to destroy your family, I forgave you and still reused you. Because I know that you are the only one who can make me sit on the throne with peace of mind, and I am willing to give you the utmost respect. ”

Song Nan said in a low voice: "The minister sincerely thanks the emperor for his love, and it is also the greatest blessing in the minister's life to meet the emperor." ”

Zhengde sighed slightly and said: "Whether your words are sincere or false, I will be sincere." You don't think you're doing things that are secretive, I know all about them. I actually knew about you and the imperial sister for a long time, you must know that I am the master of this palace, how can the big and small things in the palace escape my ears and eyes? But I have been pretending to be confused and pretending not to know, because I pity the imperial sister, and I hope that you can be sincere to her and comfort her. I know in my heart the pain of being bound by all kinds of rules, wanting but not being able to ask for it, and suffering from not wanting it, so after knowing the secret relationship between you and the imperial sister, to be honest, I really want to deliberately disclose this matter, and then watch the ministers do this rebellious thing for you to panic. Later, when the matter was finally exposed, the Queen Mother and the ministers came to me and forced me to raid your home and cut off your head, but I only gave you a small punishment. This is because I am unwilling to obey them, and because of my kindness to you. ”

Song Nan said in a low voice: "The minister has no face. ”

Zhengde continued: "Liu Jin's rebellion, I understood from the beginning that you were playing ghosts, you thought you were doing it very skillfully, but in fact, I had already seen through it. The dragon robe that was searched from Liu Jin's Xishan Courtyard saw it at first glance and understood that you were designing Liu Jin. ”

Song Nan was startled and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the ministers ......"

Zhengde said: "You don't have to explain, since I have made these things clear to you, I have no intention of settling old accounts with you." You don't have to deny it, you are not without flaws in what you do, there is a piece of ink on the cuffs of the dragon robe that has not been washed, which one is worn by the emperor; When the imperial sister and I were young, they often wrote in the middle school of the Qianqing Palace, and the imperial sister often got her hands full of ink, and when my father came to see it, the imperial sister pulled my father's sleeve and was coquettish, and the ink was made at that time. Later, the Shangyi supervisor said that he would dismantle and re-weave, and his father said that there was no need to re-weave, and it was a memorial to keep it. After the death of his father, the dragon robe has been hidden in the treasury of the Shangyi Supervisor. If Liu Jin colluded with the King of Anhua to rebel and prepare a dragon robe for the King of Anhua, how could he take this old clothes from Shangyi Supervisor? That was obviously taken by you from Shangyi Prison, and then put it in Liu Jin's mansion to frame it. Am I right? ”