In the hearts of all the central courtiers, the afternoon and evening of August 21 of the fifth year of Taiping were very difficult, because they had to submit a very fatal report at the court meeting on the second day, which might affect their own future, and even worse, their own family children and grandchildren.

It's just that no matter how long the night is, there will always be a time to pass.

At the halfway point of August 22, the front of the Xuanzheng Hall was already crowded with courtiers, and standing at the forefront were naturally the head of the civil officials, Shangshu, the right servant, Gongsun Baoyu, and the head of the military generals, Zhang Ziyi.

Slightly further behind are the two adults who have extremely heavy authority and have the opportunity to go further in the court, namely Xiao Daocheng, the squire of the Chinese book, and Wei Shanhui, the protector of the army.

After that were the rest of the courtiers, they stood in different postures, and some of them even took a nap at the back of their positions, presumably intending to rest for a while to replenish their energy before entering the temple, in case the court would last too long to run out of energy.

Hearing only a heavy sound of the door opening, the door of the Xuanzheng Hall slowly opened under the joint impetus of several internal officials, revealing the main hall behind the door and the dragon chair hanging above the Majesty's steps.

Gongsun Baoyu and Zhang Ziyi glanced at each other, and then stepped up to the front steps of the hall at the same time, and the two crossed the threshold of the Xuanzheng Hall almost at the same time.

After the courtiers lined up and stood, His Majesty the Emperor entered the Xuanzheng Hall surrounded by the officials and palace maids.

After the emperor, who had stayed in the inner study last night and had not rested well, sat down, the ministers made a big salute under the command of the internal officials, and then stood in their seats respectfully and carefully, for fear that His Majesty the Emperor would cut himself first.

Everyone in the hall waited for a long time, but they still didn't wait for His Majesty the Emperor to speak, and their hearts couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, and their thoughts flowed between their chests and abdomen, and they raised their heads from time to time to exchange glances.

After a long time, Zhang Ziyi, the first pillar on the right, came out of the ranks, took a letter in his hand, and hissed: "The old minister has something to play, please ask Your Majesty to agree." ”

The emperor's brows furrowed slightly, and he motioned to the internal officials to go and pick up Zhang Ziyi's recital.

After holding the fold in his hand, he only looked at it for a moment, and the emperor's brows were twisted, and then he handed the fold in his hand to the internal official, and instructed indifferently: "Stay in the middle and don't send it." ”

Zhang Ziyi seemed to have guessed the emperor's reaction in advance, and did not say anything, quietly returning to the queue.

The emperor coughed lightly and said to the courtiers: "Hand over all yesterday's recitals, I want to read them one by one." ”

Subsequently, an internal official descended from the rank of His Majesty and collected the folds in the hands of the ministers of civil and military affairs in the palace one by one, but Zhang Ziyi did not submit it.

After collecting it, the emperor picked up the fold from the hands of the internal officials and slowly flipped through it.

After reading a few lengthy and redundant and cumbersome recitals, His Majesty the Emperor became a little impatient, and directly reprimanded the internal officials holding the recitals, and shouted to the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs: "Since they have all been put on the recitals, let's talk about it roughly, if there is something, talk about it directly in the palace, if it is just some inconsequential nonsense, a fine of one year." ”

The ministers said yes.

Those who conscientiously wrote about the twists and turns and the disadvantages of the times were all worried and uneasy, and those who had written a brilliant article full of flattering articles and sang praises of virtue were secretly rejoicing.

As for the so-called fine for one year, for the courtiers, it is just a show, after all, the adults who can stand in this Xuanzheng Palace, who really lacks those silver taels.

The first to speak was naturally Gongsun Baoyu, the head of the civil officials named by the emperor, and after this old man came out of the ranks, he said a sentence that shocked the eyes of many courtiers: "The minister is old and frail, and I implore Your Majesty to let the ministers return to their hometowns." ”

After a few pauses, the emperor simply replied, "No." Now is an eventful time, if there is no boss in the court, I will not be at ease. ”

Gongsun Baoyu did not continue to pray, but returned to the queue according to the emperor's instructions, after all, the posture had been put out, and His Majesty the Emperor could no longer force him to analyze Qin Tianjian's criticism.

The emperor sitting on the dragon chair glanced at Gongsun Baoyu and Zhang Ziyi, his face was silent, but he had already secretly cursed 'two old foxes' in his heart.

The next speaker was naturally Xiao Daocheng, the Chinese scholar, and Wei Shanhui, the protector of the army.

Xiao Daocheng stepped out of the ranks, bowed to the emperor, and said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, the matter mentioned by the minister in the recital is for the establishment of the prince. ”

As soon as these words came out, before His Majesty the Emperor could react, a small buzz sounded among the originally quiet courtiers.

After a dozen breaths, the sound did not stop, but intensified.

The emperor squinted his eyes and coughed very majestically, and there was no movement in the hall immediately, and many courtiers quieted down one after another, but it was not the rolling eyes that revealed their mood and state at the moment.

The emperor bowed his head and motioned for the Chinese scholar to continue.

Xiao Daocheng paused for a moment and continued: "Double stars with the moon, this is a good sign. It means that there are outstanding talents in the world, who will assist His Majesty and establish a foundation for all generations. And the talented people in the world are headed by the princes. Therefore, the minister implored His Majesty to establish a prince as soon as possible, so as to share His Majesty's worries and solve problems. ”

The corners of the emperor's mouth curled slightly, and he asked neatly, "Then who does Xiao Aiqing think is the most suitable for entering the East Palace?"

As soon as these words came out, the heartbeat of everyone in the hall immediately became a little faster, as if it was themselves who were about to enter the East Palace.

Xiao Daocheng didn't let the emperor and everyone wait, and said his thoughts very crisply: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that the second prince is the most qualified to enter the East Palace. ”

The emperor didn't ask the reason, just looked at the other courtiers quietly, and asked in a flat tone, "What do you think?"

There is support, and naturally there is opposition, and more is silence.

After all, the matter of Lichu has been the most difficult to do well since ancient times, and it is also the most difficult to stand in line, no one knows who will end up in the end, if you accidentally say the wrong thing and support the wrong person, it will not be a good result waiting for you.

The emperor's gaze swept between the ministers a few times, and finally fixed on the uncle Wei Shanhui.

Many courtiers who noticed this were relieved, after all, if they shot the first bird, whether they agreed or opposed, they would displease the other princes, and maybe they would be hated.

The emperor asked expressionlessly, "Uncle Guo, do you think Dan'er can take on this great responsibility?"

Wei Shanhui's eyelids jumped for a moment, and then he slowly stepped out of the ranks, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the second prince is not only the eldest son, but also has the best literary and martial arts, and is the most suitable for entering the East Palace." ”

The emperor smiled slightly, and continued to ask, "What did Uncle Guo play in the song?"

Wei Shanhui arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, the things that the minister played are similar to those of Lord Xiao. The princes have reached adulthood, and the minister suggested that His Majesty should divide the princes as soon as possible, after all, the dignified prince is now only the king of the county, which is really not in line with the ancestral system. ”

The emperor bowed slightly, and asked the ministers of the palace, "Do you have any objections?"

The answer, of course, is that there is no objection, since the matter of the prince has been mentioned on the table, it is also a matter of course to give other princes the title of prince, but whether or not to be a vassal is all decided by the emperor himself.

The emperor waved his hand and said, "Then you Aiqing should start talking about this matter and make a charter as soon as possible." ”

......

When the courtiers were struggling, the Wutong Palace in the imperial city welcomed a guest, it was the sixth prince Liang Tong, the corner of his eyebrows had a small opening, red and gorgeous, and it seemed that blood could flow out at any time.

Naturally, it was his acquaintance who led the way for Liang Tong, Gonggong Wei, who went to the Eight Princes' Mansion yesterday.

This Gonggong Wei is really not simple, it took 20 years to climb from a small internal official with no foundation background to a young eunuch of the Inner Service Province who is now from the fourth grade, and is in charge of half of the power of the Inner Service Province.

It is said that this great eunuch was not originally surnamed Wei, but because he was clever and understood the current situation, he entered the eyes of Wei Guifei of the previous dynasty, that is, the biological mother of His Majesty the Emperor today, and was given the surname Wei, and since then he has regarded himself as a servant of the Wei family.

The emperor's biological mother only lived in Xingqing Palace for five or six years, then fell ill and died in a few days, so now there is only one queen mother in the palace, that is, the former queen, the current emperor's mother-in-law.

There are rumors in the outside world that this great eunuch from the fourth rank only obeys the orders of the Wei family, and even the emperor is difficult to command.

Gonggong Wei smiled at the sixth prince Liang Tong, and said sharply: "The miscellaneous family knows that the sixth prince is a smart person, and he will not let the miscellaneous family run more." ”

Liang Tong's face changed slightly, and the cold sweat on his back broke out all of a sudden, and he only felt that the place where his clothes met his skin was wet and sticky, which was very uncomfortable.

Grandpa Wei smiled, didn't say much, just walked silently in front.

As for Liang Tong, the sixth prince behind him, he raised his sleeves and wiped the beads of sweat that did not exist on his sideburns, and followed behind the great eunuch with a respectful attitude, walking cautiously and walking on thin ice with every step.

When I entered the main hall of Wutong Palace, I saw Wei Guifei dressed in gorgeous clothes, showing her noble temperament, and she was drinking morning tea there slowly.

After Liang Tong saw this scene, he gave a deep salute and greeted respectfully in his mouth: "Liang Tong has seen the concubine Niangniang. ”

Wei Guifei put down the teacup and said in a gentle voice: "It's Xiaoliu, find a place to sit by yourself, wait for me to finish morning tea, and talk together." ”

Liang Tong did not sit down as he said, but stood there with a solemn expression, his head slightly lowered, like a child who had made a mistake.

Wei Guifei smiled lightly, her well-maintained cheeks bloomed like flowers, and the luxurious objects in the room instantly lost their color.

After laughing, Concubine Wei said coquettishly: "Your child is already born, and you are still so restrained when you come to Aunt Wei, take it easy, just treat it as if you are in your own house, and don't have any pressure." ”

Liang Tong smiled very stiffly and walked towards a chair.

Even after receiving Wei Guifei's special advice, Liang Tong still didn't dare to sit there steadily, but just put half of his butt on the flowery Shu embroidery mat.

In this regard, Wei Guifei just smiled helplessly, and her eyes revealed a doting and warmth.