Emperor Taizong's Growth Plan

Chapter 440: The Harem of Yunguo, the beginning of the party struggle

In Zhongqing City of Yunguo, in the Kunning Hall of the Imperial Palace, pearl and jade curtains were raised at this time, and several screens were set up to block the line of sight.It was only faintly visible, and two figures were sitting behind it.

The eunuch Chu Li, who was in the palm of the hand of the chief inspector of ceremonies, dragged out his voice and sang:
"Xuan all ministers go to the hall to pay their respects!"

The voice fell, and the door of Kunning Hall opened.

Taiwei Tao Ai, Shangshu Wen Tiren of the Ministry of Justice, Nan Jiyun of the Central Guard, Wang Zhi, Governor of the East Factory, and Lu Bing, Yiwei envoy of the Shangyu Preparation Office, all walked into the hall together.

As soon as they entered the hall, all the ministers bowed to the two figures behind the screen and shouted in unison:

"My lord, please pay my respects to the two empresses!"

At this time, the people sitting behind the screen and bead curtain are naturally Nan Rongshu and Bian Liuyun who did not accompany Xiao Cheng on the tour.

And the officials in the palace who came to pay their respects to the two were Xiao Cheng who stayed in the capital and presided over the overall situation.

Nan Rongshu saw so many people came to visit today, her eyes moved, and she asked expectantly:
"But there is news from His Majesty?"

Taiwei Tao Ai heard the words and replied aloud:
"If you go back to your mother, Your Majesty's guard of honor has already set off to return to Beijing."

Hearing this, Nan Rongshu's face was overjoyed, she couldn't help clapping her hands, and said with a delicate smile:
"Okay, His Majesty is finally back!"

Seeing that Nan Rongshu lost her bearing, Bian Liuyun couldn't help stretching out her hand and tugging at her skirt, signaling her to restrain herself a little in front of people.

Nan Rongshu was reminded by Bian Liuyun, and only then did she realize that there was something wrong with her posture in front of the courtiers.With a light cough, he opened his mouth but didn't know what to say to change the subject.

In desperation, Nan Rongshu could only turn her head to look at Bian Liuyun, with her mouth tightly pursed and her big nimble eyes blinking again and again.

Bian Liuyun looked at Nan Rongshu's eyes begging for help, only sighed secretly, and said:
"His Majesty returns to Beijing, and he should prepare for his arrival as soon as possible. Please take care of this matter, my lords."

The ministers who didn't know how to answer the words at first breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly said in unison:

"Minister, please obey your mother's order!"

Bian Liuyun glanced at Nan Rongshu, seeing that she had no intention of speaking, she asked again:
"If it's just this matter, send someone to report to the palace immediately, you shouldn't need your lords to ask for orders to enter the palace... Right now, in the Kunning Palace, there are all loyal slaves. If you lords have anything else to do, just speak up!"

Hearing this, the old Taiwei Tao Ai nodded, cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty is really smart! When you come here, I do have something to report."

Having said that, Tao Ai evaded slightly, getting out of the way.Wang Zhi and Lu Bing behind them stepped forward quickly, knelt down on the ground, and said loudly:
"My lady, Dongchang has found out that recently in the capital, there have been frequent forces secretly contacting and buying the servants of the palace. Judging by their handwriting, it seems that they have evil intentions and want to attack the palace!"

"My lady, I have also found some clues in Shangyu's preparation office, and this matter is true!"

Nan Rongshu, who had kept her mouth shut, frowned at this moment, and couldn't help but say:

"Want to attack the palace?"

Wang Zhi lowered his head and said in a low voice:
"Yes! My lords and servants, after thinking about it, I feel that the target of this dark force is, I'm afraid..."

"What is it?" Nan Rongshu may have guessed in her heart at this time, her eyes became extremely dignified.

"The target is probably the two His Royal Highnesses in the palace..."

There was only a "pop" sound, and Nan Rongshu slammed the table, her face suddenly gloomy.

"Who dares to have such courage?"

As the saying goes, a mother is strong, Nan Rongshu is not a weak-tempered person, and at this moment when she heard that someone wanted to attack her son, it was even more difficult to restrain her anger.

Even Bian Liuyun, who has always been mild-tempered, looked a little ugly even though she was holding Nan Rongshu's arm and comforting her constantly.

"Although there is no real evidence, but judging from the recent movements in Beijing, it should be the Confucian forces in Jixia Academy." Lu Bing said.

Upon hearing this, Nan Rongshu stood up abruptly and said angrily:

"Nan Jiyun, what are you waiting for? Call the Imperial Army to surround the Jixia Academy, and take down everyone involved in this matter!"

Nan Jiyun heard the words, stepped forward quickly, cupped his fists and said:
"Your Majesty, please don't rush this matter for the time being!"

"Can't you be in a hurry? It's about the safety of the two princes, so you can't be in a hurry?"

Nan Jiyun was born in the Ailao clan, facing the anger of Nan Rongshu, the current head of the Ailao clan, he did not dare to disobey.What's more, it was about Xiao Chengze, the eldest son of Emperor Yun and the young master of the Ailao Clan, so he didn't dare to speak at this moment, so he could only bow his head and dare not speak.

Seeing Nan Rongshu's angry appearance at this time, Wen Tiren hurriedly came out to persuade:
"Your Majesty, this Confucian school has great influence. Its disciples are all over the world. If you act rashly without any real evidence, it may damage my reputation and your Majesty's benevolent reputation..."

Bian Liuyun got up and supported Nan Rongshu, and said softly:

"My lords are not people who don't know the importance. Confucianism has a great influence. This matter really cannot be rushed..."

Having said that, Bian Liuyun looked at the ministers again, and continued to ask:

"Your Majesty, did you ever know about this?"

"Go back to your empress, Your Majesty only knows about the private changes of the Confucianism. He told us to wait for the Confucianism to take action, and not to startle the snake... As for the Confucianism's plan to attack the palace, Your Majesty has not yet known."

Hearing the words, Bian Liuyun said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty also told you not to startle the snake by making fools of it."

Hearing Xiao Cheng's order, Nan Rongshu took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and said:

"When will it wait?"

"The layout in the palace has already begun, and it will not be long before it will show its flaws... In short, please rest assured, all the movements of Confucianism are under the supervision of my Dongchang!" Wang Zhi said.

Seeing this, Lu Bing quickly said:

"The guards and spies of my Shangyu Preparatory Office have also been watching. No matter what Confucianism does in private, I will be able to receive the news immediately!"

Nan Rongshu was also helpless at this time, she could only sit back in resentment, her tall chest rising and falling, forcefully suppressing the anger in her heart.

Although Bian Liuyun was already calm, but the expression on his face was rare and ugly, and said in a deep voice:

"Strengthen the security in the palace, and there must be no mistakes!"

Nan Jiyun breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the words, and said quickly:

"Please rest assured, the imperial guards in the palace are under martial law. All the masters of the yamen have been transferred to the palace to assist in the defense. The Buddhist master Huiqi, in the name of chanting scriptures and praying for blessings, personally sits in the palace! The patriarch of the Yinyang family Xu Su, Ge Shang, the military master of the military family, and Jin Shengyuan, the master of the miscellaneous family, have also led their confidant disciples to settle near the imperial city. Ji Xu, the imperial physician from the official medicine bureau, has also returned to the capital, and sits in the imperial hospital day and night to prevent accidents."

Hearing the words, Bian Liuyun turned to look at Nan Rongshu who was at the side, forced a laugh, and said:
"It's so appropriate, you should feel at ease... No matter what, you and I are still here!"

Both Bian Liuyun and Nan Rongshu are high-level warriors.Moreover, whether it is the martial arts of the Ailao clan or the classics of the Yin family, they all have a long history of inheritance, and they cannot be compared with ordinary martial artists of the same level in the world.

Even though there were some omissions in the defense of the palace, the assassin caught the loophole.But as long as the two of them are there, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to hurt the two princes!

Hearing this, Nan Rongshu calmed down and nodded slightly.

When all the ministers saw that the matter had been reported, they wanted to bow and leave.

But at this time, Bian Liuyun seemed to suddenly think of something, and said suddenly:

"and many more!"

When the ministers heard the words, their steps froze, and they turned around to salute again.

"Is there any other orders for your mother?"

Bian Liuyun grabbed Nan Rongshu's hand and said in a deep voice:

"From today, the two of us, together with the prince, will move to the Kunning Palace, where we will eat and live together!"

As soon as this remark came out, Nan Rongshu looked at Bian Liuyun blankly.

All the courtiers in the palace also had strange expressions on their faces.
-
Tao Ai, Wen Tiren and other confidant courtiers walked out of Kunning Palace slowly.

At this time, in the entire imperial palace, the elite generals of the forbidden army patrolled and inspected endlessly.On the palace wall, there were even sharp killing weapons such as bed crossbows.

Dongchang fanzi and the guards at the sticky pole were also transferred to various important places in the palace at this time, as well as the priests who could be dispatched.

Such a cloud country palace is guarded like an iron bucket at this time!
Wen Tiren looked at the palace with a heavily guarded, dignified and imposing posture, but suddenly chuckled and said:
"Good thing!"

The old Taiwei Tao Ai nodded subconsciously when he heard the words, then turned around and sighed, saying:
"It's a good thing, but it's a pity..."

"Hey, already in my Dayun Empress Palace, and being favored by His Majesty, the rest of her status is not worth mentioning... Besides, the status of the Empress of the Xia Kingdom is extremely honorable. After His Majesty rules the world, It may not be a banner to attract the old people of the Xia Kingdom!"

When the old Taiwei Tao Ai heard the words, he responded silently, turned and left.

Wen Tiren also chuckled, bowed slightly to Nan Jiyun, Wang Zhi, and Lu Bing who were behind him, and then left with his hands behind his back.

Nan Jiyun heard that he didn't know much, and there was still doubt between his brows. He absently bowed to a few people and turned to leave.

In the end, only Wang Zhi and Lu Bing were left standing in place.

At this time, Wang Zhi subconsciously glanced at the other party.It just so happened that Lu Bing also turned his gaze to Wang Zhi at this time.The two looked at each other, their eyes narrowed together.

Sticking pole place and Dongchang, although they originated from the same branch at the beginning, were divided into two yamen by Xiao Cheng.However, with the development of the two powers, there has been overlap in terms of power.

The so-called peers are enemies, there are already many open and secret struggles between the two places.

And at this time, the two of them, with such a posture, are afraid that they are thinking of fighting again...
-
The officers and soldiers of the imperial guards patrolling the palace saw Nan Jiyun approaching with his head bowed, and hurriedly stood still, bowed their heads and clasped their fists together, shouting:

"I've seen the Central Guard!"

Nan Jiyun nodded absent-mindedly, without pausing at all, and walked forward full of thoughts.

A group of officers and soldiers of the Forbidden Army saluted, although they were amazed at why Nan Jiyun looked like this, they didn't dare to ask any more questions, so they could only continue to patrol the palace.

At this time, a loud shout was heard:
"General Nan, please wait a moment!"

Nan Jiyun paused, turned around to look, and saw Lu Bing, the envoy of Yiwei at the sticky pole, quickly chasing after him.

"Ah, I don't know if Master Lu is looking for this general, but what else do you need to explain?" Nan Jiyun slightly cupped his hands.

Lu Bing chuckled lightly and said:
"It's nothing, just seeing the suspicious look on the general's face, so I thought to come here and answer the doubts in your heart for the general!"

Nan Jiyun was taken aback when he heard the words, and said hesitantly:

"Ben, is it obvious..."

When Lu Bing heard the words, he laughed and said nothing, all in silence.

Nan Jiyun hesitated for a while, and was about to say something, but suddenly woke up again, and quickly waved his hands and said:

"Forget it! This general will be appointed by His Majesty to guard the army, and control the troops inside and outside the capital. There are some things that this general will not touch!"

After finishing speaking, Nan Jiyun turned around and was about to leave quickly.

At this time, Lu Bing said loudly:

"General, you've thought too much! I came here today to tell the general one thing!"

After hearing the words, Nan Jiyun pondered for a while, then paused again, turned to look at Lu Bing, and said:
"whats the matter?"

"Following the clues of buying the servants in the palace this time, my spies at the sticky pole made inquiries all the way, but found out that the Ma family was also involved!" Lu Bing said solemnly.

"The Ma family? Which Ma family?" Nan Jiyun frowned.

"Of course it's Yizihou Maminwen Ma's house!"

Nan Jiyun's eyes sharpened, and he said in a deep voice:
"The in-laws of the Yang family, Yizihou Ma Minwen, who was once the minister?"

"I just found out that I was involved in it. Whether I really participated in it, or was just released to confuse the direction of my investigation at the sticky pole, I can't confirm yet..."

Having said that, Lu Bing paused slightly, raised his head and said in a deep voice:
"However, this incident has indeed reminded me. With the birth of the two princes, some things, even if the ladies in the palace don't care about them, it's time to come to a conclusion."

When Nan Jiyun heard the words, his eyes flickered again and again.

That's right, after the birth of the two princes, the distinction between the concubine and concubine, the ownership of the empress position, has become a major issue concerning the stability of the court!

After a moment of silence, Nan Jiyun said in a deep voice:
"Master Lu's behavior today, can this general think that Lord Lu has already made a choice?"

Hearing this, Lu Bing smiled helplessly and said:
"Where is the choice I made? It is obviously the choice that Dongchang forced me to make!"

"I heard that when the imperial concubine was still the emperor of Xia, she was very close to the disciples of the Yin family. Now, the disciples of the Yin family are even more aggressively entering the East Factory. Wang Zhi, the governor of the East Factory, has obviously selected the noble concubine Empress. In this case, I have no choice but to choose Empress Zhaoyi for the Shangyu Preparatory Office!"

Under Xiao Cheng's deliberate arrangement, Bian Liuyun's master, Bian Borong, has entered the East Factory to be in charge of thousands of households. He is the one with the highest official position in the East Factory, except for the factory supervisor.A group of disciples of the Yin family, relying on the information network of the Yin family, wantonly worked in the East Factory.

The sticky pole is facing the East Factory tit for tat, so it is natural to choose another one to support.

But for the remaining two Zhaoyi empresses, the Yang family is the most powerful. The Yang family's sons are well-educated and talented, and they are very promising. They also have the support of old officials from the Ma family and the Qu family, so they don't need the support of the stick.

So at the sticky pole at this time, the only choice is Nan Rongshu, who gave birth to the eldest son of the emperor and represents the power of the Ailao clan.

Hearing the words, Nan Jiyun hesitated for a while, but bowed his hands slightly and said loudly:

"Master Lu's intentions, this general already knows... It is related to the identity of the eldest son of the emperor, and it is closely related to the future of our Ailao clan. How can I just sit by and watch? After today, this general will report to His Majesty and remove the responsibility of the Central Guard Army." job!"

It is very important for the Central Guards to guard the imperial palace in the capital!

With such a position and such a background, Nan Jiyun can only truly participate in the struggle for the queen's position if he resigns from this position.

Lu Bing laughed lightly when he heard this, and said:
"The general's wisdom is really admirable! From now on, I dare not say that I will fully support Nanrong Zhaoyi when I stick to the pole. But there are some things that I will naturally stand on the side of the empress!"

Hearing the words, Nan Jiyun nodded slightly, cupped his hands in thanks, and then turned to leave.

(End of this chapter)