Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 564 The speculator's left and right

Outside the flower hall, a full moon hangs high in the night sky. The silvery white moonlight shines on the earth, reflecting on the white snow, with bits and pieces of light flickering, like a galaxy falling to the ground, silent and distant.

Li Xian raised his head and looked at the person in front of him. After a long time, he sighed and said.

"Yuanyu, you are a genius, but you are too serious about being an official. This is not a good thing. Now the old man will go to the land of Yunnan and Guizhou. I don't know when he will be able to make his debut. You are two years younger than the old man. Why are you so impetuous?"

The face of the person sitting opposite Li Xian froze, and under the light of the candlelight, half of his face was hidden in the darkness, which made people feel a little chill inexplicably.

Xu Yu, now called Xu Youzhen, character Yuanyu.

He and Li Xian, oh, and that nasty little fair-faced Xiang Wenyao, were both born as Jinshi in the eighth year of Xuande, and Jinshi of the same discipline will often have contacts in the officialdom in the future, so they are naturally closer.

In the past, the three of them maintained a good relationship for quite a long time because they were similar in age, had similar temperaments, and had no conflict of interest.

But now...

"Brother Li asked me why I was so impetuous. Why don't you ask Brother Li yourself?"

Letting out a long breath, Xu Youzhen turned the cup in front of her eyes, raised her head and laughed at herself, and said.

"There is no one else here, and I am not afraid of Brother Li's jokes. When I first entered the official position, I was proud of my outstanding talents and learning, and I had the heart of managing the world and helping the people, and the ambition to stabilize the country."

"However, the court is dangerous, and if you make a mistake for a while, you will be lost forever."

"Back then in Benren Hall, I only said one wrong sentence, but it became an indelible brand for the rest of my life. Seeing you... and Xiang Yingchang have been promoted step by step, and you are already a third-rank servant."

"But I have been lingering in the Imperial Academy all the time. I can't get in or out. I don't get rewarded for meritorious deeds. I'm punished for innocence. If it's you, Brother Li, would you be willing?"

Xu Youzhen said these words with a smile, but the more so, the more Li Xian knew how excited he was at the moment.

As if realizing that she had lost her composure, Xu Youzhen let out another long breath, slowly let go of the cup that was about to be crushed by him, smiled wryly, and said.

"Although I am the assistant manager of the Ministry of Industry's river control, I presided over more than half of the exploration, blueprints, material selection, embankment construction, and manpower deployment. However, after returning to Beijing, such a huge project With a little money and silk reward, Master Chen and I will be sent away."

"That's all right. After all, when you reach Master Chen's position, a stable position is the most important thing. Everything else is outside your body. With that big canal standing, Master Chen's Minister of Industry can sit firmly. Master Chen contributes, and I am also willing."

"However, Brother Li, do you know that even in this Hanlin Academy, there is almost no place for Xu to stand. Just the day before yesterday, His Majesty ordered Mr. Xiao, the president, to compile the "Huanyu Tongzhi", and the Hanlin Academy Most of the people with less seniority than Xu were selected, but Xu was excluded."

"Brother Li, do you think that in such a situation, can you not be anxious?"

That's right, if it was him, he might be worse than Xu Youzhen.

One must know that the three of them took the exam together, especially Xu Youzhen's grades were the best. The so-called literary talent and talent to help the world are not empty words.

On the spot of the imperial examination, he was praised by the first emperor several times, and he was taken under by Chen Xun, who was the head of the Imperial Academy at that time, and entered the Imperial Academy directly.

On the other hand, Li Xian and Xiang Wenyao were put into the six parts and started as the principals because their results in the palace examination were not so good.

At that time, Qingliu Huaxuan of the Hanlin Academy, the minister of close attendants, was the place where all scholars flocked to. Relatively speaking, although the head of the Six Departments was also a good place to go, it was obviously not comparable to the Qingliu of the Hanlin Academy.

However, everyone's circumstances are different. Who would have thought that when he ascended the throne today, he would be lukewarm to the Hanlin Academy, which should be the closest, but promoted many officials from the six ministries and departments.

Even Chen Xun, the leader of Qingliu, took the initiative to transfer to the six departments.

For Li Xian and Xiang Wenyao, this is naturally a great opportunity. After the Civil War, the court was seriously short of officials. Six servants, third-rank officials.

But on the other hand, for Xu Youzhen, this was the beginning of his nightmare.

First in Benren Hall, the proposal to move to the south was opposed by all the ministers, and then he was ignored. After finally finding a chance to control the river, he found that he had already hated the emperor.

There is a saying that Xu Youzhen is right, this time the Ministry of Industry built the canal, he did a great job.

On the one hand, Chen Xun was born in the Imperial Academy and was not proficient in these practices, so he was willing to delegate power. On the other hand, Xu Youzhen himself cherished this opportunity, hoping to use it to save his official career.

however……

Nothing has changed!

After returning to Beijing, Chen Xun received a few compliments, but Xu Youzhen didn't even appear in the court hall.

It's not that Chen Xun took the credit. For a minister of his level, he doesn't have to do everything himself. If things are not done well, he should be responsible. I took the next step.

Therefore, Chen Xun naturally reported Xu Youzhen's achievements truthfully, but the court didn't show the slightest sign, only gave him some rewards, and then dismissed him.

There are no real promotions, transfers, and changes in official positions!
He, Xu Youzhen, was a Hanlin when he left Beijing, and he was still a Hanlin after he returned to Beijing.

This compilation of "Huanyu Tongzhi" made Xu Youzhen realize the fact that he may be just a Hanlin all his life!
It made him feel hopeless, so...

"Yuanyu, in the officialdom, there is no one who does not want to be an official, but..."

Li Xian's expression was complicated, and he seemed a little hesitant.

After a while, Li Xian gritted his teeth and said for some reason.

"There is no one else here, and you and I have known each other for many years. Having said this, Brother Wei will reveal the truth to you. This trip to the land of Yunnan and Guizhou is the result that Brother Wei wants most. Do you understand?"

Xu Youzhen frowned, a little silent.

He and Li Xian have the same temperament and have known each other for many years, so they naturally understand what he means.

So, Li Xian sighed and continued.

"The current court situation will not be stable within ten years. With such a treacherous court situation, I think I can't get lucky again and again. At this time, staying away from the court is the wise way to protect yourself." .”

"Yuanyu, you and I are still young. Even if we waste ten years, we will only be in our early fifties. By then, the court will be stable, the East Palace will be mature, and everything will be calm. What's the problem if we plan to plan later?"

If the previous sentence is still relatively cryptic, these two sentences will almost puncture the window paper.

If Zhu Jian, who had just left, heard these words, he would definitely feel guilty for paying wrongly.

Who would have thought that Li Xian was not forced to leave the imperial court, but he did it by himself.

For Li Xian, he didn't want to be with Zhu Jian and others at all. In fact, when Zhu Jian first approached him, he hesitated whether to agree.

However, it didn't take long for him to realize what his situation was.

You know, there are so many officials in the imperial court, why is he promoted alone to be the minister of the Ministry of Rites?

Of course it was because he was once the Minister of Attendance of the Supreme Emperor.

The Taishang Huang Nangui needs someone of his background to meet him, and the official position should not be too low, so he was singled out.

In other words, it was because of the grace of the Supreme Emperor that he got his current official position.

This point determines that he cannot stand alone in the current court situation.

Because even if he didn't do anything, the court would regard him as the overlord, and even if he stood by in this matter, others would only think that he was ungrateful, mean and ruthless.

Although Li Xian was not selected by Qingliuhua, he was also a serious scholar. If his reputation is ruined, it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold in Shilin.

So, he could only agree.

However, at the same time, Li Xian also realized that this was just the beginning.

The more he got in touch with Zhu Jian, the more Li Xian could feel what a huge force was behind him, operating secretly and plotting something.

This made Li Xian feel scared.

He knew that if he continued, he would only sink deeper and deeper.

In front of him, what can be foreseen immediately is, once the officials of the Eastern Palace are prepared, who will become the voice of the crown prince when he is young?

The answer speaks for itself!

Not to mention, in recent days, as the empress was about to give birth, there were all sorts of vague rumors, although in the end, these groundless rumors disappeared with the birth of the little princess.

However, Li Xian was keenly aware that the wind in the court had already blown, and the court in the next few years must be in a dangerous situation every step of the way.

So, you have to stay away.

In fact, even if Yu Shiyue didn't stand up, Li Xian had already made plans. He wanted to stand up with Zhu Jian and open up for the East Palace. suffered relegation.

At that time, before going to court, he was even ready to be demoted from a third-rank official to a seventh-rank magistrate.

Therefore, what he said to Zhu Jian was actually half true and half false.

The current situation is indeed much better than he imagined.

Although, in recent years, it is impossible for him to be transferred back to the center, but it can also avoid many turmoil, and, when it comes to the place, he is still a member of the third rank, and more importantly, he has not offended The emperor, although he said that he offended Mr. Hu, the oldest person in the court.

However, firstly, Li Xian felt that Mr. Hu's character is not so fussy, and he deliberately suppressed him after he was relegated. Second, he is still young. Mr. Hu is already 75 this year. To put it bluntly, Li Xian can boil him to death.

As for the matter of violating the unspoken rules of the court, it is still the same sentence, time will dilute everything, after five or eight years, who still remembers such a court meeting.

Besides, it may not really take that long...

Judging from the current situation, at least the crown prince is grateful for his "goodness". If it is said that in the past few years, the crown prince has grown up and the East Palace has stabilized, then there is great hope for him to recover.

This is almost the most beneficial result that Li Xian can achieve under the current situation.

Of course he has nothing to dissatisfy...

Therefore, what Li Xian said to Xu Youzhen was not about standing up and talking without pain in the back, but what he said from the bottom of his heart.

As for ten years later, the crown prince should also be crowned and married. At that time, if he can still get through it safely, it means that everything is done, and this is exactly the opportunity for Li Xian to show his strengths when he returns to the court.

However, Xu Youzhen obviously couldn't listen to these words.

He put down the cup in his hand, and said in displeasure.

"Brother Li, you and I are different. Even if you leave the capital, you are still a third-rank official, one of the border officials, but what about me?"

"Among the Hanlin Academy, there are many old Hanlin who are depressed and unsuccessful. They spend their whole lives buried in their files. Now, I have no hope of being a minister. No expectations."

With that said, Xu Youzhen stood up, cupped her hands and bowed, saying.

"Therefore, brother Li, please help me! Even if there are all kinds of difficulties, it will be more enjoyable than being unable to advance or retreat."

Li Xian sat on the chair, not knowing what to say for a while.

In all fairness, he really didn't want Xu Youzhen to get involved in this matter, but even if he was a close friend, it was difficult to influence others on such a big matter.

After a while, Li Xian asked.

"Have you ever asked Master Chen for his opinion on this matter?"

In the palace examination in the eighth year of Xuande, Li Xian, Xiang Wenyao, and Xu Youzhen were all the examiners of Chen Xun, so they naturally belonged to Chen Xun.

Xu Youzhen didn't speak, but, needless to say, how could Li Xian not know the character of Chen Xun, the teacher.

Looking up at Xu Youzhen, Li Xian asked seriously.

"So, even if Master Chen and Brother Wei disagree, you still want to do it?"

This time, Xu Youzhen remained silent, but nodded, firm and without hesitation.

So, Li Xian leaned back on the chair weakly, with a complicated expression on his face. After a while, he spoke again, and his voice became extremely calm, saying.

"Since that's the case, it's up to you. Mr. Zhuge, I do have a bit of a face. I'll write a letter later. When you visit Zhuge's mansion, he will know what I mean when he sees it."

"Besides, I will also say a few words for you to the young master of Duke Cheng's mansion. This young master... In short, his words are very useful among today's relatives."

After hearing these words, Xu Youzhen was immediately overjoyed, bowed down and said.

"Thank you, Brother Li. If he is lucky enough to have a green cloud, he will never forget the kindness of Brother Li's help today."

Li Xian sat up straight and accepted the gift calmly. After Xu Youzhen straightened her waist, she said seriously.

"Yuanyu, I will help you if I can help you. I have explained the truth to you clearly. However, since you insist on taking risks, you can do whatever you want. However, what you do afterwards has nothing to do with Li Yuande. The letter will be delivered to your house tomorrow."

"Uncle Li, see off the guests."

In the past, every time Xu Youzhen came to visit, Li Xian would send her to the gate, but this time, he didn't move.

Xu Youzhen was silent for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything, she just cupped her hands again.

Then, he turned around and left without any hesitation.

As the moonlight fell, Li Xian came to the window and looked at the bright moon in the distance. He didn't know what to feel for a while...

On the other side, Xu Youzhen left Li's residence with an extremely complicated expression.

Immediately, he smiled self-deprecatingly.

For a moment just now, he was really about to be persuaded.

but……

Xu Yuanyu, Xu Yuanyu, don't you understand that you can't follow Li Yuande's wise way of protecting oneself?

You are asking for the same thing, but the path you take is different.

There are some things that cannot be forced, Xu Yuanyu, the opportunity is right in front of you, if you sink your life or risk success, you can't have the slightest hesitation!
Taking a deep breath, Xu Youzhen strode towards the warm sedan chair not far from the gate of the mansion.

"master……"

Waiting outside the gate of the mansion was a entourage in his fifties. He looked ordinary, and his movements were even a little slow. When he saw Xu Youzhen coming out, he immediately stepped forward to greet him.

Xu Youzhen didn't speak, and stepped onto the sedan chair, but his voice came out in a subtle way, he said.

"Call back to Mr. Shu, the matter...is done!"

(End of this chapter)