Chapter 89 Whetstone
"Congratulations, Your Highness!"
Xu Jie stared at the "tiger painting" for a while, then looked at Prince Yu's emotionally released expression, and he immediately understood.
"After all, the emperor still has Your Highness in his heart." Xu Jie said seriously.
The people present were all shrewd men, veterans of officialdom, and good at guessing their superiors' intentions. Naturally, they understood the meaning of this picture.
This is a disguised way of telling Prince Yu that even though he is the Tiger King, he still has infinite tolerance towards his own children.
Prince Yu is too afraid of the emperor. The emperor is telling Prince Yu not to be afraid, because father and son are father and son after all, and blood is thicker than water.
"I think there are two possibilities for the emperor to let Prince Jing come back," Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard, and when everyone looked at him, he hesitated for a moment and said:
"We all know that His Majesty might..." He paused for a moment, then continued, "The first possibility is that he is choosing the most suitable successor for the dynasty."
When everyone heard this, they all nodded secretly, indeed.
"Second," Zhang Juzheng said, staring at Prince Yu, and said in a deep voice: "This is a test for Your Highness, and also a kind of tempering. Prince Jing may be a whetstone for Your Highness."
Hearing what Zhang Juzheng said, Prince Yu's eyes fixed, he took the scroll, took a deep breath, motioned for everyone to sit down, and said, "On the way back, I also thought about this possibility."
"But no matter which one it is, I need to work hard. Just as my father said today, the chirping cicadas and the grass insects, the day and night and the yin and yang... Under the sky, all things are fighting, and I want to fight too!"
"I want to prove to my father that I am better than my fourth brother!"
Seeing this moment, Prince Yu seemed to be full of energy all over his body, and a group of upright people also stood up and saluted with solemn expressions.
"We are willing to sacrifice our lives for your Highness, even until our death!"
From the beginning of the national policy of stationing troops to promote agriculture, they knew that the battle between the Qingliu and the Yan Party in the north would ultimately end in a dispute between Prince Yu and Prince Jing. Whoever wins the battle in the north would win the world.
At this time, in the study room of Yan's house.
"Dad, what the emperor means is..." Yan Shifan lay on the small table, leaning forward and looking at his father Yan Song.
"Either the emperor wants to select a qualified successor for the Ming Dynasty," Yan Song raised his eyelids and said gently, "or he is using Prince Jing as a whetstone for His Royal Highness Prince Yu."
Hearing this, Yan Shifan raised his eyebrows and said, "Then why can't it be Prince Yu who serves as the whetstone for Prince Jing..." As he spoke, his voice gradually became softer.
Because he found that his father was looking at him like that.
"Yan Shifan, our Yan family is a vicious dog in the hands of the emperor. A new emperor chooses new ministers. We know what our Yan family has done over the years."
"Do you think that if the emperor were to choose an assistant, he would abandon the upright and use us, the 'Yan Party' that everyone in the world hates?" Yan Song looked at his dumbfounded son, snorted dotingly, and said, "We are the bad guys, huh?"
"Yes, we are the bad guys..." Yan Shifan opened his mouth and said, "So, for our Yan family, the emperor's intention can only be the first."
"That is to say, we must let His Majesty see Prince Yu's failure and Prince Jing's success in this battle in the northern border!"
"Bring me paper and pen. I want to write a letter to Yingde and His Royal Highness Prince Jing." Yan Song pushed Yan Shifan's arm.
Yingde is the courtesy name of Tang Shunzhi.
"Dad, although Tang Shunzhi is from our family, he is not a person who seeks profit for us. I feel uneasy about nominating him as the governor of Xuanda..."
"Why don't we use some means to control Tang Shunzhi's family!" Yan Shifan said with a vicious look in his eyes.
"Shut up!" Yan Song's tone sank, and he said angrily: "Yan Shifan, I tell you, you have to do whatever I say in all the affairs in the northern border from now on, otherwise the building will collapse and there will be no possibility of recovery!"
Seeing his father getting angry, Yan Shifan gritted his teeth and stood up angrily to get paper and pen.
Tang Shunzhi was different from Hu Zongxian. He did not have a so-called teacher-student relationship with the Yan family. At most, he was just a figurehead.
Nominally a member of the Yan Party, and although he has been very obedient in recent years, he has received some help from the Yan family, which has enabled him to realize his ambitions.
But he is not a confidant. After all, he feels that he is not as reliable as people like Yan Maoqing and Luo Longwen.
However, although he felt uncomfortable, Yan Shifan also knew that the next matter in the northern border was very important.
Today's conversation between his father and Xu Jie had completely broken off relations. Although he was conceited, everything Xu Jie showed today made him feel that there was still some gap between him and Xu Jie.
Only my father can defeat the Qingliu gang. Jiajing naturally didn't know what the Qingliu and Yan party were thinking at the moment, as he was busy writing poems.
Yuxi Palace, side hall, in front of the desk.
After Prince Yu left, Lu Fang and Lu Bing immediately served him.
Looking at the desk, he took out another scroll he had prepared before, and the master who was writing on it lowered his eyebrows. He knew that this painting was prepared for King Jing.
Before this, the Guo Xiyan case had caused such a big stir and turmoil in the court and the country that the master had to drive King Jing, his most beloved youngest son, out of the capital. The rain that day was as heavy as it is today.
He still remembers the scene when King Jing knelt outside the West Garden and shouted goodbye to his father, but his master just hardened his heart and refused to see it that day.
No one understands the master better than him. The master also has some tenderness in his heart, although it is not much.
"Huh," Jiajing picked up the pen and looked at the poem he had written. His expression relaxed slightly, and he exhaled softly, saying, "When Prince Jing comes to Beijing, I will give this one to him..."
"If His Royal Highness Prince Jing knew, he would be very happy." Lu Fang quickly flattered him.
Lu Bing on the side turned his head slightly, speechless about the "morality" of this old fellow Lu Fang.
For some reason, he always felt that the relationship between the emperor and his sons was a little weird.
He could feel the concern for Prince Yu's old father just now, and it must be genuine, because he had also expressed such true feelings to his son, but the same painting was given to this one and then to that one.
But I also feel that this fatherly love is too... well, frivolous?
"Zhu Zaigui has been suppressed for too long." Jiajing put down his pen, stood up and walked towards the backyard. Seeing this, Lu Fang and Lu Bing immediately followed him. "He is patient enough, but lacks some of the imperial bearing."
Listening to their master's comments on his two sons, Lu Fang and Lu Bing kept their mouths shut, not daring to interrupt, and just listened quietly.
"Prince Jing is magnanimous enough," Jiajing pushed open the door to the backyard, stood at the bottom of the steps, looked at the rain falling into the Lingtian courtyard, and was bounced away by a layer of faint light, and said, "but he is not cunning enough."
"My two sons still need training..." As he spoke, Jiajing raised his hand and cast a 'Cloud and Rain Talisman'.
I saw the talisman floating into the courtyard, followed by a gray mist rolling, and then formed a black cloud the size of an adult floating above.
"Boom." With a thunder, lightning appeared in the rolling dark clouds, and then the dark clouds began to rain spiritual rain.
Seeing this magical scene, Lu Fang and Lu Bing were also amazed. Although they had seen their master use talismans many times, this kind of talisman that could make clouds and rain appear with a wave of the hand was the first time they had seen it.
With the falling of spiritual rain, the spiritual energy in the spiritual field courtyard seemed to be stirred up, and waves of rich spiritual energy whirlwinds rushed towards the three people, accompanied by moist spiritual rain.
After Lu Fang and Lu Bing looked at each other, they took a deep breath in tacit understanding, and then drank the "Northwest Wind" in big gulps.
"The battlefield in the north? It is the best whetstone for my two sons." After hearing Jiajing's words, Lu Fang and Lu Bing looked at each other and bowed together, saying, "Your Majesty is wise!"
"Lü Fang, after dinner, go and call Hai Rui to the palace for me," Jiajing said with a smile, "I guess he has a lot to say, or a lot of questions to ask me."
After hearing Jiajing's words, Lu Fang and Lu Bing looked at each other and understood that their master was going to make use of Hai Rui, a lone minister.
Hai Rui is a double-edged sword, and they have all experienced its power.
Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, only the master can control it.
If the battle in the northern border decides the outcome, Hai Rui's sword will have to be unsheathed again. If he is not careful, he might kill both the loser and the winner. Naturally, his master will have to strengthen him in advance.
"Yes." Lu Fang said, glanced at Lu Bing, then turned and headed towards Yuxi Palace.
Hmm? Didn't the emperor say that we should go after dinner? Looking at Lu Fang's back, Lu Bing frowned.
"Oh," seeing this, Jiajing suddenly chuckled, looked at Lu Bing, and said, "If you don't go, that pot of spiritual porridge will all belong to that old wily Lu Fang..."
"Buzz!" Upon hearing this, Lu Bing's head buzzed on the spot!
"...Me!" Cursing in his heart, Lu Bing hurriedly saluted Jiajing, then turned around and rushed into the hall.
"Lu Fang, you old bastard, shut up!" Hearing Lu Bing's shouting in the hall, Jiajing shook his head and chuckled.
"..."
(End of this chapter)
