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On this night, what Emperor Deqing did in Zhao Ying'er's dormitory soon spread throughout the harem.

After receiving the news, the reactions of everyone in the palace were different, some were worried, some were gloating, and some were envious of Zhang Zhaodi's "luck".

However, the eunuchs in the palace didn't have too many ideas, they were born dependent on the imperial power, and no matter how out of line Emperor Deqing's actions were, they all turned a blind eye and tried their best to cooperate, as long as Emperor Deqing was happy.

In fact, just when Emperor Deqing was messing around in Zhao Yinger's dormitory, a group of great eunuchs in the palace also gathered together to celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve.

The eunuchs in the palace are also people, and after serving the emperor and concubines on Chinese New Year's Eve and ending the palace banquet, they also have their own Chinese New Year's Eve banquet.

The twelve eunuchs of the inner court yamen, on weekdays are also constantly conflicting, fighting for power, among which the contradiction between the ceremonial supervisor and the imperial horse supervisor is the most significant, the two yamen are in charge of civil and military affairs, it can be said that the power is high, in the past few years, it has been the ceremonial supervisor suppressed the imperial horse eunuch, but in recent times, because of the unfavorable affairs of the ceremonial eunuch, he gradually lost his holy favor, and the imperial horse eunuch has gained some merits in the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu and the Hetao region, and the influence of the two sides has gradually become balanced.

But every year on Chinese New Year's Eve, these great eunuchs of the inner court will temporarily put aside their contradictions, get together to drink and eat a banquet, no matter how unhappy they are in their hearts, they will not show it at this banquet.

This is because the person who hosts this Chinese New Year's Eve banquet every year is Liu Qing, the head of the Inner Book Hall!

Since the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty had the right to participate in politics, the palace set up an inner study hall, which was specially used to teach the eunuchs to read and write, and Liu Qing had been in charge of the inner study hall for more than 20 years.

Therefore, Liu Qing's prestige in the inner court is high, his qualifications are deep, and his connections are naturally unmatched, and anyone has to sell Liu Qing a little face.

Every year on Chinese New Year's Eve, Liu Qing would set up several tables of wine banquets to entertain the great eunuchs in the palace, which was not only to maintain his influence, but also to resolve the contradictions in the inner court and unite the twelve eunuchs.

And this year's Chinese New Year's Eve banquet, compared with previous years, but there are some differences, because the Deqing Emperor has several rectifications and purges, several eunuchs have been implicated, and eventually all died tragically from the cane, so this year's Chinese New Year's Eve banquet has fewer familiar faces, but also many new faces.

These newcomers can be summoned by Liu Qing to participate in this Chinese New Year's Eve banquet, which means that they have entered the upper echelons of the inner court, and they are naturally full of pride and excitement at this time.

Among the many new faces, there are two people who are the most dazzling, namely Li Ru'an, the Shaanxi and Gansu overseer who has just returned to the capital, and Sun He, the new eunuch of Dongchang Bingbi.

Among the many eunuchs in the inner court, the two of them are now the most popular and the most trusted by Emperor Deqing, especially the two of them are not very young, and they can be described as the leaders of the new generation of the twelve eunuchs of the inner court.

Liu Qing was also very optimistic about the two of them, thinking that Li Ru'an and Sun He were the future hope of the twelve eunuchs of the inner court, so he deliberately invited them to sit at the same table with him and talk cordially.

Several of the big eunuchs sitting next to Liu Qing were Wu Xinquan, the master of ceremonies, Xu Sheng, the commander of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, Kong Zhen, the governor of the East Factory, Wu Xinyan, the governor of the West Factory, Zhang De, the eunuch of the long envoy next to the Emperor Deqing, and Sun Zhong, the chief eunuch of the Inner Carrier Warehouse, were all important figures in the inner court.

After the opening of the banquet, the topic of the great eunuchs also revolved around the two newcomers.

Sun He is also a student of Liu Qing, and the relationship between the two is relatively familiar, so after Liu Qing and Sun He chatted a little, they quickly turned their attention to Li Ru'an.

Speaking of which, among the great eunuchs, only Li Ru'an was not born in the inner study, so Liu Qing also had some rejection of Li Ru'an in his heart, and did not want this kind of "outsider" to occupy a high position in the inner court, but Li Ru'an's rise was too fast, and he became the confidant of Xu Sheng, the commander of the imperial horse eunuch, in less than a year after joining the inner court, and then followed the imperial army in the Shaanxi-Gansu trilateral and Hetao regions and made outstanding achievements.

Therefore, when talking with Li Ruan, Liu Qing deliberately showed some closeness.

"Ru'an, what you did after entering the palace, our family has listened to Xu Sheng talk in detail, your performance on the frontier battlefield during this time, our family also sees it all, it can be called an example of the inner court, our family appreciates it very much!

In recent years, the inner court has been ineffective several times, and it has gradually lost its holy family, and has been rectified and purged by His Majesty many times, and our family's former protégés have also suffered heavy losses...... Alas, it's also that our professors have no way, and most of the former disciples and students are mediocre, and let people like Ru'an who are not from the inner study hall come forward to win glory for the inner court, whenever I think of this situation, our family feels ashamed of Your Majesty......"

As he spoke, Liu Qing's old face was full of loss.

Li Ru'an's mind is exquisite, hearing Liu Qing's statement, why don't you understand Liu Qing's hints?

So, Li Ru'an hurriedly said: "As we all know, all eunuchs in the inner court can only be taught by the inner court to take charge and be entrusted with important tasks, how can the younger generations be an exception?" Although the younger generation has not really studied in the inner study hall, but the younger generation has always followed Xu Du's side, and today's achievements are all because he was deeply taught by Xu Du's words and deeds, and Xu Du is a student of President Liu, so to speak, the younger generation is the apprentice grandson of President Liu, and it can also be regarded as the origin of the inner study hall, so you don't have to see the outside! ”

Hearing Li Ru'an's statement, Xu Sheng was also proud, only feeling that Li Ru'an was still loyal to himself and the Imperial Horse Supervisor after gaining power, so he followed up and said: "Yes, Mr. Liu, don't think too much about your old man!" Li Ruan is by no means an outsider, I taught him according to the methods you taught me back then! Therefore, he is your old man's apprentice and grandson, if your old man still feels that it is not enough, Li Ru'an has now returned to the capital, and he will always stay in the palace, let him go to the inner study hall a few more times in the future, make up a few lessons, and you will also help me teach him a good life at that time. ”

Liu Qing's face softened slightly, and he nodded: "Since this is the case, then I will recognize Ru'an as a student, from now on, Ru'an, you are also your own person, and the people in our inner court are all pitiful, not only from a poor background in the past, but now it is also precarious, and we need to unite the most." ”

In this way, with just a few words, Li Ruan has found a "master" and become the orthodox origin of the inner court, and his various achievements have a share of Liu Qing's contributions.

Next, Liu Qing deliberately cared about Li Ru'an's family background, and the closeness between the attitudes was a little more sincere, but there was no lack of temptation between the words.

And Li Ruan was also prepared for such a situation, and when he responded, he did not leak, showing an image of an ordinary eunuch with ambition but no foundation.

Afterwards, Liu Qing quickly got to the point and asked, "After you returned to the capital, you have already met Your Majesty?" ”

Li Ruan hurriedly nodded and said: "After the junior returned to the capital, he immediately replied to His Majesty, and also told His Majesty in detail about the war between Shaanxi and Gansu and the Hetao region during this time, Your Majesty He was very satisfied, and also rewarded me with a sum of gold and silver." ”

Liu Qing asked again: "After you stepped down as the overseer of Shaanxi and Gansu, what new arrangements does Your Majesty have for you?" ”

Li Ru'an replied again: "Your Majesty did not make detailed arrangements, but just asked me to go to the imperial study room to do things after the New Year." ”

Liu Qing nodded, his old face was full of earnest teachings, as if he was wholeheartedly planning for Li Ru'an's future, and said slowly: "Some time ago, the imperial study leaked the news of His Majesty, and all the relevant eunuchs were killed by His Majesty's staff, and the position of the eunuch in charge of the imperial study has been vacant, according to our family, this position is deliberately reserved for you by Your Majesty!"

Now, Your Majesty has ordered you to go to the Imperial Study to do things, which also confirms our family's speculation, and after you study in the Imperial Study for a period of time and are personally inspected by Your Majesty, the position of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Study will soon fall into your hands......

The imperial study is no different from other places, many major affairs of the imperial court have to be decided there, and many secrets of His Majesty will also appear there, so the eunuch in charge of the imperial study must not only have outstanding literary and ink skills, but also know how to observe words and feelings, and the most important thing is that the mouth is tight, and the people below must be taken care of, and there must be no more news leaks! Some news is irrelevant, and it is just a matter of leaking it to foreign courtiers to earn some favors and benefits, but there are other news that must not be leaked to outsiders......

The size of this is grasped, you have to ask Zhang De more in the future, he has followed His Majesty for many years, has always been trusted by His Majesty, and at the same time can get along with the powerful ministers of foreign courts, the kung fu and heat in this are not comparable to ordinary people! ”

Li Ruan hurriedly said that he was taught, and then expressed his intention to ask Zhang De for advice in the future, and Zhang De also agreed with a smile.

However, when Li Ru'an expressed his position, he secretly had some speculation and vigilance in his heart, and he only felt that Liu Qing's teaching seemed to have other meanings.

According to Liu Qing, the sensitive and confidential information in the imperial study is not absolutely impossible to leak, but only cannot be leaked to "outsiders", but which people belong to "outsiders"? And who are the "own people"?

Just when Li Ru'an was secretly thinking, Liu Qing immediately revealed the answer.

"Tomorrow is Your Majesty's birthday, and there are all nations coming to the court and worshipping the heavens, which is really lively...... When all this is over, our family will find an opportunity for you to meet with His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince, you should have heard some news, Your Majesty He has disliked the current Prince Prince, and intends to make His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince the new Prince, and this matter will soon have a result! For our inner court, this is also a good thing, His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince is different from the current crown prince, he has always been kind to us rootless people, and he is willing to reuse us...... Therefore, if you can make friends with His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince in advance, there will only be benefits and no harm in the future, you must seize this opportunity! ”

Hearing Liu Qing's remarks, Li Ruan suddenly remembered the message Zhao Junchen sent to him.

After Li Ru'an returned to the capital, he naturally couldn't go to see Zhao Junchen openly, and the two could only secretly communicate through some notes that could not be identified and the source.

After Li Ruan informed Zhao Junchen of his situation, Zhao Junchen's reply to Li Ruan was only five words - "Be careful of the Seven Princes".

After receiving Zhao Junchen's reply, Li Ruan couldn't help but feel a little strange, because the seventh prince Zhu Hejian has an excellent reputation, and he is not a ruthless person with a deep city government, why should Zhao Junchen let himself be wary of him?

At this time, seeing Liu Qing personally come forward to match the gap between himself and the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, Li Ruan finally sensed that something was wrong.

Then, Li Ru'an secretly observed the reactions of the big eunuchs around him, but saw that among the people, those who were slightly younger big eunuchs, such as Sun He, the head of the Dongchang Bingbi, Sun Zhong, the head of the internal transport warehouse, and Wang Ye, the palm seal of Shangshan Supervisor, all smiled and nodded, and seemed to agree with Liu Qing's statement; And those older eunuchs, such as Wu Xinquan, the master of ceremonies, Xu Sheng, the governor of the imperial horse supervisor, Zhang De, the personal eunuch of Emperor Deqing, and others, at this time, they all looked at their noses and mouths, as if they had not heard Liu Qing's words at all, and did not react at all.

Obviously, these eunuchs of the inner court have either secretly thrown themselves into the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, or they have acquiesced to the infiltration and control of the Inner Court by the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian.

Seeing such a situation, and thinking of Zhao Junchen's warning, Li Ruan couldn't help but be shocked in his heart!

The Seventh Prince's infiltration of the inner court by Zhu Hejian is already so serious, this is by no means an overnight effort, it must have been arranged many years ago!

In this way, the humility and gentleness shown by the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, as well as his observance of etiquette and etiquette, are all disguises!

For so many years, Zhu Hejian's disguise has not been discovered, and he has quietly gradually controlled the inner court, such a deep city can be described as terrifying, no wonder Zhao Junchen wants to remind Li Ruan to be careful of him.

While secretly horrified in his heart, Li Ruan felt that this might be an opportunity for him to get rid of Zhao Junchen's control, at least so that he could fight for his own benefits.

So, Li Ruan quickly replied: "The younger generation is a member of the inner court, so naturally he advances and retreats with the inner court, and everything is arranged by Mr. Liu!" ”

*

Compared with the liveliness and warmth of the Zhao Mansion and the absurdity and undercurrent of the palace, the prince Zhu Heyu, who was far away in Luoyang City to investigate the case, was cold and lonely at this time, and his heart was also full of desolation.

It was obviously the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve reunion, even the eunuchs were together, but Zhu Heyu had to stay away from the capital, and could only stay in Luoyang City, and there were few close people around him to accompany him, so he could only drink alone to relieve the sorrow in his heart.

In addition to the grief, Zhu Heyu still felt a little angry and helpless in his heart.

He rushed to Luoyang City this time to investigate King Fu's chaos and discipline violations, but everything was extremely unsmooth.

To this day, anyone knows that he will soon lose his position, and officials at all levels can't help but secretly despise him after seeing him, leaving only superficial respect, and will not cooperate with Zhu Heyu wholeheartedly to do things.

When Zhu Heyu left the capital, the attitude of the three divisions of the yamen and the factory guards was a little sluggish, and they only arranged for some low-level officials who were not taken seriously to follow Zhu Heyu, and these officials were also reluctant and resentful after following Zhu Heyu to leave the capital, and only thought that Zhu Heyu delayed their New Year's time, which was also perfunctory and inefficient.

After Zhu Heyu arrived in Luoyang, not to mention King Fu's hostility and extreme rejection, Luoyang officials' orders to Zhu Heyu were also all in defiance and deliberate delay, and they were dragged on until Chinese New Year's Eve, and Zhu Heyu's investigation still made no progress.

Luoyang is a big city, Chinese New Year's Eve night is also the lights of thousands of homes, illuminating the whole city, the sound of firecrackers is constant, occasionally you can hear some laughter, quite lively.

And in such an environment, Zhu Heyu felt desolate, and only felt that he was the only one in the world.

But loneliness also has the benefit of loneliness, allowing Zhu Heyu to calm down and think seriously about some things that he has never had the opportunity to think about seriously before.

For example, the rulers!

Among the officials of the Manchu Dynasty, why are there always many corrupt officials and few clean officials? Why are traitorous ministers always proud and good ministers losing power? I obviously have noble aspirations, why can't I get more help? Why are there always very few officials who are willing to sincerely contribute to the country? Why can't I always find a few like-minded people?

In response to these questions, Zhu Heyu once consulted the former prince and master, and also asked Zhao Shancai, and even deliberately asked Zhao Junchen what he thought.

Their answers were different, which made Zhu and Yu more and more puzzled.

So, Zhu Heyu decided to think for himself.

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Well, the second more.

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