The air pressure in the hall suddenly dropped, and the original joy on the face of the Son of Heaven had long been replaced by an angry look on his face, only to see that after he angrily reprimanded the Xu family for being ungrateful, he suddenly turned his attention to Lu Jin, who was below.

At this time, Lu Zhen had already knelt on the ground again, and there was a sigh in his heart, after the emperor had done it in the past few years, Zhu Qiyu's momentum had become stronger and stronger, and he was about to be overwhelmed. At the same time, it can also be seen that the emperor is really angry this time, and this time the Xu family almost made a disturbance in Nanjing, which really had a great impact on him.

In fact, this is also very understandable, it is enough for the Son of Heaven to have objections from important local officials, not to mention that this is still in the line of the Xu family, the Duke of Wei, who has a great reputation in the government and the opposition. In addition, this incident happened not long after he re-established the crown prince, if something really happened, the emperor would definitely suffer unimaginable pressure.

So even if Lu Zhen had given a reasonable reason before, even if the matter had been interrupted just in the middle of brewing, but in the future, the emperor would inevitably be angry.

But this alone was obviously far from enough for Zhu Qiyu to vent the anger in his heart, and after a while, he got up and walked in front of Lu Jin, staring condescendingly at the courtier he trusted the most, and said in a cold voice: "And you Lu Jin, I have always been kind to you, and I have a lot of trust, why do you want to hide it from me in this matter?" I know that you have a close relationship with Xu Chengzong, so is it because of this that you have to abandon me? There is no concealment of anger and resentment in these words.

Lu Jin hurriedly kowtowed and defended: "Your Majesty really doesn't dare to accept this statement!" Your Majesty treats the courtiers with the grace of heaven and earth, and the ministers do not forget for a moment, let alone fail Your Majesty, and hide it from Your Majesty. ”

"Why, then, did you not play this to me until today, instead of earlier? If he really starts a rebellion, how should I deal with myself? Emperor Senran asked.

"Your Majesty, the minister did not play in the court at that time, it is really a hardship."

"What can you do? Isn't it to protect Xu Chengzong's family? Although he said so, Zhu Qiyu still allowed Lu Zhen to say the reason, in fact, he didn't want the other party to be like what he said, and actually put himself, the son of heaven, behind the Xu family.

Lu Jin's heart was slightly settled, and he immediately said the rhetoric he had already prepared: "Your Majesty, although the Nanjing incident is dangerous, in the eyes of the minister, it is only a minor illness to really cause chaos, and what really threatens Your Majesty is the opinion of the subjects of the world once this matter is reported.

Therefore, after persuading Xu Chengzong to give up that wrong idea, he only devoted himself to dealing with the local White Lotus Sect traitors, and did not rush to explain everything to the imperial court. As for the reason, I am still afraid that once the matter is known to the court, it will bring more trouble and criticism to His Majesty. ”

"Hmph, that's a good thing to say, didn't the ministers of the court blame the Xu family for being bold and reckless after learning about this, but instead complained about this king?" Zhu Qiyu asked angrily.

I didn't want Lu Jin, but I nodded boldly and said, "That's right." Your Majesty, please think about it, this Wei Duke Xu is a rare loyal and good general in my Ming Dynasty, and he has been deeply trusted by the Son of Heaven for several generations, and he has also entrusted the important land of Nanjing with full authority. For several generations, the Xu family has been my Ming minister, but when I came to Your Majesty, suddenly Xu Chengzong did such a rebellious thing, how will the people of the world think about it?

"Maybe everyone will accuse the Xu family of being disloyal, but it is inevitable that many people will have thoughts of criticism of Your Majesty because of this. thinks that it was His Majesty's immorality that forced a generation of loyal families to suddenly rebel. And once some people with ulterior motives grasp this statement and make a big fuss, it will be a big obstacle to His Majesty's sage.

It was precisely because of this that the minister did not dare to report the matter to the imperial court in a hurry, but only thought about quelling the chaos in Nanjing. But the minister didn't dare to hide His Majesty in such a big matter, so even if he knew that His Majesty would blame the minister for the crime of late reporting and concealment after learning about it, he could only do so. If Your Majesty still thinks that it is wrong for the minister to do so, the minister is willing to accept all punishments. So saying, he fell to the ground again, and assumed a posture of being willing to be punished.

The expression on the emperor's face changed several times, there was resentment, there was understanding, and in the end, he was even a little moved.

The panic and anger at the beginning calmed down a little, and after listening to Lu Jin's explanation, he really understood the other party's painstaking feelings. Yes, it is indeed the most beneficial result for himself and the court that he did this, otherwise the court will inevitably have a storm because of this, and he will not be stable again.

After being silent for a long time, Zhu Qiyu let out a long sigh: "Lu Qing, get up and speak." ”

Lu Zhen heard the relief in his tone, and he was sure in his heart, so he quickly thanked him and stood up. At the same time, he continued: "Your Majesty, the minister knows that some of the minister's practices in this matter are indeed inappropriate, but the situation was urgent at that time, and if he didn't do so, Nanjing would inevitably cause chaos. ”

"yes...... If I think about it carefully, I don't know what to do with his Xu family after listening to your words at this time. The emperor's face was full of confusion and hesitation. When he calmed down, he realized that it was still difficult to do. If the truth is revealed, it will inevitably cause a shock to the government and the opposition, and it will not be something that can be controlled by the subjects below what will be criticized. But if he doesn't do anything, he is very unsure.

Nanjing is the most important city under Beijing in the Ming Dynasty, and now the Xu family, who is guarding it, has already thought of making trouble once, and it is difficult to guarantee that there will not be a second time, how can he rest assured?

Seeing this, Lu Zhen said again: "Your Majesty, in fact, the Xu family's loyalty to the imperial court is still evident every day. However, it is indeed not appropriate to entrust his family to guard the country, especially in military affairs, and there should be a person who can fight against it. Therefore, the minister thought that His Majesty should choose another trusted minister to go to Nanjing, in the name of assistance, but in fact, it was a containment. ”

This method had actually been discussed with Xu Chengzong long before Lu Zhen left Nanjing. After such a big incident, it is obviously unrealistic to expect the Son of Heaven to trust them as much as ever. So what needs to be done at this time is to make concessions and convince the Son of Heaven of their sincerity and loyalty.

Sure enough, after hearing this proposal, Zhu Qiyu's face looked a little better: "Xu Chengzong, is he willing to let the imperial court send someone to thin out the power of the Xu family in Nanjing?" ”

"The power of the Xu family in Nanjing was originally given by the imperial court, and now it is a matter of course that His Majesty wants to take back some of it. Moreover, after this incident, he also knew that he was at great fault, and understood that taking sole control of the military would do more harm than good, so he asked his ministers to make this request to His Majesty. Lu Zhen said a good word for Xu Chengzong again.

The emperor nodded: "If he can think like this, it is not in vain that I trust him." In this case, I will discuss this matter with others and make a decision at that time. ”

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that in addition to this, he can also let Xu Chengzong send one of his sons to Beijing to study, presumably he will not refuse." Lu Zhen offered another way.

Zhu Qiyu was stunned for a moment, and then understood. Of course, this is the so-called proton, and at the same time, it can also be regarded as the importance and reward of the Son of Heaven for the Xu family, and it is indeed a good strategy to prevent them from rebelling again. With these two magic weapons in hand, even if Xu Chengzong and his descendants have any disobedience in the future, they have to weigh it.

"I understand, this matter will be decided by the Ministry of Rites." The emperor nodded with satisfaction, and finally showed a little smile on his face: "The tone of what I said just now was a little heavy, Lu Qing don't blame me." ”

"The minister doesn't dare, the minister did hide His Majesty in this matter, even if His Majesty condemned the minister, he didn't dare to complain."

"You have done a great job for the imperial court in Nanjing, so why are you guilty?" The emperor smiled apologetically as he spoke: "But as you said, this matter cannot be passed on, so I can only remember your merits." ”

"It is the duty of the minister to share his worries for His Majesty, as long as His Majesty does not blame the minister for being bold, the minister is grateful."

"Okay, it's not too early at this time, you just came back from Nanjing and the journey is tiring, so go back and rest first." Zhu Qizhen smiled gently at him and commanded.

Lu Zhen put his mind at ease, kowtowed again, and wanted to leave. But at this moment, the emperor suddenly asked again: "You mentioned just now that Xu Chengzong had such an idea not only because he was bewitched by the White Lotus Sect, but also because he was related to a person who went to Nanjing in Beijing?" ”

"Exactly." In this regard, Lu Zhen did not mean to hide it, and directly nodded and admitted: "As far as Xu Chengzong said, that person left him an edict. As he spoke, he took out the edict written by Zhu Qizhen himself from his sleeve and handed it over carefully.

Just now, because he wanted to speak for the Xu family, he really almost forgot about it. For Zhu Qizhen, Lu Zhen has always been very vigilant, and he also hopes that he can get rid of it as soon as possible, otherwise it will be a disaster after all. Originally, it was because there was no chance and evidence that it was difficult to make a move. And now, with such conclusive physical evidence, of course he will not let it go easily.

Zhu Qiyu took the so-called edict with a somewhat strange face, and after only two glances, he recognized the handwriting on it and the identity of the owner of the seal, which made his body shake suddenly.

But this time, he didn't have a seizure immediately, just waved his hand lightly: "You go." ”

Lu Zhen gave him a strange look, didn't say anything more, and gently retreated.

When the door of the palace was closed again, the emperor's face suddenly distorted, and he tore this "edict" to pieces, his breathing became extremely heavy, and there was a trace of murderous intent in his eyes: "Wow, to this day, you still don't give up." Do you really want me to do that kind of thing? ”