Why did the emperor rebel?

Ending of Chapter 1275: The Battle of the East Palace (Seventeen)

After summer, the weather gradually gets hotter, and the streets are filled with cicada cries, which is annoying. Only after dusk falls, we are willing to stop for a while, but even so, the long street is still sultry and windless, which makes people feel uncomfortable. Standing on the street, I felt anxious.

Next to a green gauze sedan chair, Yu Shiyue stood with his hands behind his hands, looking up at the familiar yet unfamiliar plaque in front of him, feeling filled with emotion in his heart.

Since the incident in Nangong, he and Yu Qian had gradually drifted apart due to the incident in the East Palace. Although they still had contact with each other, they rarely visited the house in person like this.

Thoughts were swirling in my heart, but at the small door in front of me, the boy who went to deliver the message had returned and said respectfully.

"Greetings to your lord, my master said that it is getting late and it is inconvenient to see guests. If you have official business, please come to my master to discuss it with me when you go to court tomorrow."

Hearing this, Yu Shiyue's expression became more and more complicated. He gently pinched the decree he had just received in his sleeve. He couldn't help but shook his head, showing a look of anticipation and said.

"Reporting to your master, I have something important and I must see him today. If he doesn't come out today, I will wait here."

Ah this...

The boy didn't expect that the dignified Minister of the Ministry of Justice would act like a rogue. In desperation, he had no choice but to salute again and then hurried in to report.

As expected, the door opened quickly this time, and the person who came out to greet him again was already Yu Mian.

After a few words of greeting, Yu Mian led the way, leading Yu Shiyue all the way to the study of the Yu Mansion, while Yu Qian greeted him outside the study.

When the two met, Yu Qian obviously knew his purpose. He sighed softly. After greeting him, he extended his hand and welcomed Yu Shiyue into the study.

In early summer, with the window open and the two of them sitting across from each other, a wisp of green smoke from the incense burner rose up and became a thin line.

After a while, Yu Qian spoke first and said.

"Brother Shichao, why are you doing this?"

Seeing this situation, Yu Shiyue knew that his guess was correct. With a complicated look on his face, he took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and placed it in front of the two of them.

Now, less than half a year has passed since the crown prince changed his title to Prince Yi, and everything has already been settled. Three months ago, the fourth prince, Prince Zhu Jianzhi, was officially crowned crown prince and took over the East Palace. A month ago, the new crown prince came out of the cabinet. Studying, attending the imperial court, this series of processes are progressing steadily, the only surprise is...

"It seems that Master Yu already knows the news. If so, don't you plan to say something?"

Looking at the imperial edict in front of him, Yu Shiyue said with a smile that was half self-deprecating and half teasing.

Facing Yu Shiyue's question, Yu Qian was somewhat silent.

Of course he knew what the content of this imperial edict was. The most important thing for the new prince to study when he left the cabinet was to form his own East Palace team. There is no doubt that who will serve as the new official of the prince's palace has been determined in recent times. , the hottest thing in the court.

However, no one expected that this job would eventually fall into the hands of Yu Shiyue.

In fact, it is not accurate to say this, because although the former prince was renamed King Yi, Yu Shiyue's official Zhan Shi in the prince's mansion was never removed.

However, almost everyone in the court agreed that it was only a matter of time before Yu Shiyue was pushed out of the center of power. After all, he had tried so hard to protect the former prince. Now that the former prince was deposed, he would inevitably be implicated.

Therefore, even if Yu Shiyue's official assignments remained unchanged, most ministers in the court believed that it was just because the emperor had not yet decided who would serve as the new official of the Prince's Palace.

However, things are so strange. After more than a month, the emperor has changed many officials in the East Palace. However, Yu Shiyue's Prince's Mansion Zhan affairs have not been changed. And now, the imperial edict in front of them has been broken. Everyone’s previous knowledge.

The content of the imperial edict is actually very simple. It does not even mention the words "Zhan Shi of the Prince's Mansion". Strictly speaking, this is a reward edict. It praises Yu Shiyue a lot and warns him to continue to teach the prince well in the future. , Of course, these may all be just words, and everyone has their own judgment on whether they are true or false.

The real key point is that in the end, Yu Shiyue was asked to nominate a new list of subordinate officials of the East Palace again. This shocked both the government and the public.

You must know that when the East Palace was first built, because the former prince was young, almost all the officials in the East Palace were carefully selected by Yu Shiyue. This is understandable. But now that the new prince has entered the East Palace, the emperor has no regard for the original officials and subordinates of the East Palace. There have been many adjustments, but Yu Shiyue is still the one to propose the new list. This move is undoubtedly announcing to the entire court that the minister who will assist the new prince next will still be Yu Shiyue!

This news puzzled and shocked countless people, including Yu Shiyue himself, but...

Looking at Yu Qian who was silent in front of him, Yu Shiyue knew that he was right. Yu Qian must have known something for a long time.

Sure enough, after a long time, Yu Qian raised his head and said with a complicated expression.

"Brother Shichao, you shouldn't have come..."

However, facing Yu Qian's words that seemed to be a sigh and an admonishment, Yu Shiyue just smiled and said.

"Keep your body upright, speak uprightly, do right things, walk the right path, and if your mind is upright, why fear the waves?"

"Tingyi, this is what you warned me back then. Did you never think that I would be asked to say it to you today?"

As soon as these words came out, Yu Qian was stunned for a moment, and then burst into a wry smile.

After a moment, he shook his head helplessly and said.

"It's not that I didn't mean to say anything, it's just that I don't know much more than you do. There are a lot of things that I can only guess at."

Looking at Yu Qian who was finally willing to speak, Yu Shiyue smiled, his eyes fell on the candlelight shaking in front of him, and said.

"Then let's talk about it one by one. Well, let's start with your sudden neutral and taciturn attitude after the Nangong Incident..."

Yu Qian looked at Yu Shiyue in front of him who was stubborn and wanted to get to the bottom of it. He had no choice but to remain silent for a moment. He sighed softly and had no choice but to speak.

"Brother Shichao, you should know that after the Nangong incident occurs, it will be a matter of time before His Highness Prince Yi's position in the East Palace is no longer guaranteed."

"I know!"

This should be regarded as the first time that Yu Shiyue said it so frankly. You must know that before this, whether in private or in public, he had firmly protected the prince and never showed a trace of hesitation.

"His Royal Highness King Yi is not His Majesty's son after all. Even if Your Majesty loves you deeply, it is impossible to go against the government and the public. Even if His Majesty's Dragon Body is in full swing and can survive us veterans, none of the ministers in the court have any old disciples. , the descendants of the next generation, even if they don’t have these, they always have a family. Once His Highness King Yi ascends the throne, no one can guarantee that he will not be angry because of the affairs of the common people. Therefore, all the officials in the court will definitely try their best to depose the prince."

Yu Qian raised his head and glanced at Yu Shiyue, a little surprised that he said it so straightforwardly. However, this is indeed a fact, so after hesitating for a while, Yu Qian nodded slightly and said.

"Yes, it is inevitable that King Yi's position in the East Palace will not be guaranteed. Therefore, in my opinion at that time, this matter should be resolved sooner rather than later. The earlier it is resolved, the less impact it will have on the government and the country. So...actually... When Your Majesty summoned me for the first time after putting down the Nangong Rebellion, I remonstrated with Your Majesty and asked Your Majesty to depose the Crown Prince!"

"what?"

As soon as these words came out, Yu Shiyue was suddenly surprised.

No way, this news is really surprising. You must know that before this, Yu Qian had always maintained a neutral state in the court. Even when the dispute between the prince and the prince was at its most fierce, he never had any bias and stance.

There has never been any news in the court that he had any advice to the emperor on this matter, but now, Yu Qian personally told him that he had given advice to the emperor during his first summons after the Nangong Rebellion. , demanding that the prince be deposed?

This news was so shocking that it took Yu Shiyue a while to digest it. He let out a long breath, looked at Yu Qian, and asked with some surprise.

"Tingyi, if I remember correctly, there was a lot of discussion in the court and the central government about you quelling this rebellion. Some people thought that you had made great contributions and should be heavily rewarded. Some people thought that you mobilized troops without permission, which violated the law and should be punished. , in such a whirlpool, you went to see His Majesty to depose the prince?"

Yu Shiyue really didn't know what to say. You should know that at that time, there was a fierce debate surrounding Yu Qian in the court, and he was at the center of the whirlpool in the court.

And his behavior of mobilizing troops privately could easily arouse the emperor's suspicion and fear. Logically speaking, Yu Qian should have kept a low profile at that time.

But at such a sensitive time, he dared to interfere in the affairs of the East Palace. Was he really not afraid that the emperor would regard him as an ambitious and powerful official?

"Just do your duty faithfully and stick to your heart."

However, Yu Qian obviously didn't particularly want to talk about this point, so he quickly brought the topic back and said.

"At that time, His Majesty rejected me and said that this was not the time to depose the crown prince."

Yu Shiyue was not stupid. Seeing Yu Qian changing the topic, he had some guesses in his mind.

At that time, Yu Qian was at the forefront of the storm. Whether he was rewarded or punished all depended on the emperor's thoughts. When he mentioned the East Palace incident at that time, if nothing else, he meant to retreat bravely.

Originally, it was a serious crime to mobilize troops privately, but the rescue effort was more than enough to make up for it. However, this kind of behavior would definitely arouse the emperor's jealousy. Under such circumstances, Yu Qian also interfered in the affairs of the East Palace, which would undoubtedly make the emperor suspicious of him. , and impeaching the prince for no reason can also give the emperor a reason to punish Yu Qian.

In this case, the best choice for Qian, or for all parties involved, is for him to retire and leave the court. This may be what Yu Qian wanted at that time.

Of course, this is very risky, because the emperor's heart is the most difficult to predict. The prerequisite for achieving this result is that the emperor still cares about the previous love. If the emperor does not care about love...

Shaking his head slightly, Yu Shiyue did not ask more about the inside story, because it obviously involved a deeper communication between Yu Qian and the emperor. At least, the fact that Yu Qian is still stable in the court means that he has passed this level.

Moreover, Yu Shiyue's purpose of coming today was not to explore this, so he quickly retracted his thoughts and asked following Yu Qian's words.

"You are not someone who gives up so easily. What did His Majesty say to you?"

Then, a flash of memory flashed in Yu Qian's eyes, and after a moment, he spoke.

"His Majesty asked me something at that time, what happens after the crown prince is deposed?"

Yu Shiyue frowned, a little confused for a moment.

If you depose the prince, you will depose the prince. What does it mean to depose the prince?

Seeing this situation, Yu Qian pondered for a moment and then explained.

"I didn't understand what it meant at the time, but His Majesty didn't say much. He just said that this matter is related to national affairs and should not be acted upon. He also said that even if the prince is deposed, two princes must be arranged... These are me Know all there is to know.”

Seeing Yu Qian's understatement, Yu Shiyue couldn't help but be speechless for a moment.

And that's all...it's already too much, okay?

You must know that for the ministers in the court, the most difficult thing to guess is the Holy Will, especially on such a sensitive and critical matter as the East Palace. Knowing the location of the Sacred Heart in advance means that there will be no mistakes when lining up.

For so many years, whether he was facing the ministers who advocated deposing or the ministers who tried to protect the East Palace, the emperor's attitude had always been ambiguous. As a result, the emperor had given Yu Qian the all-clear from the very beginning... With such trust, what else could he do? !

After once again expressing his envy for Qian's importance in the emperor's heart, Yu Shiyue quickly put these emotions behind him.

If nothing else, part of the reason why the emperor revealed his plans to Yu Qian in advance was because he was afraid that Yu Qian's stubborn temper would cause trouble to the emperor, but...

"So, this is the reason why you have been neutral for so many years?"

Facing Yu Shiyue's question, Yu Qian nodded slightly and said.

"To be honest, I couldn't figure out what His Majesty's plan was at that time, but since His Majesty said so, I can only wait and see what happens."

Yu Shiyue lowered his head slightly, frowned and pondered for a moment. There seemed to be some vague understanding in his heart, but with these understandings came more doubts.

He leaned slightly, shook his head slightly, looked at Yu Qian opposite, and said.

"Then let's talk about your guess?"

If what Yu Qian said is true, then the emperor should have made plans for the ownership of the East Palace reserve very early, and judging from the current situation, everything should not be beyond the emperor's calculations.

From the effect to the cause, we can try to slowly peel off the surface of everything that has happened in these years and analyze the truth.

Seeing Yu Shiyue getting to the bottom of things, Yu Qian couldn't help but smile bitterly and said.

"Brother Shichao, where do you want to start from?"

So, Yu Shiyue pondered for a moment, a trace of memory flashed in his eyes, and said.

"Let's start from...when I stopped you outside the palace after the Xu Youzhen incident..."

(End of this chapter)