In the Forbidden City, under the respectful and courteous leadership of a little eunuch, Wang Dehua walked through a long hall with several high red walls on both sides, and appeared in front of a small secluded courtyard.

This is the back garden of a certain palace room, and now it is the living room of a certain big bell in the palace. Walking along the winding bluestone slab road through the courtyard, Wang Dehua saw Tu Wenfu, wearing a big red python robe, standing in the shadow under the eaves of a palace house, smiling at him and bowing his hand.

On weekdays, in the private discussions of the palace people, Wang Dehua, the eunuch who was considered unapproachable, moved the corners of his mouth at this time, showed a smiling face, and greeted him affectionately.

The two stood under the porch of the house, exchanged a few words, and Tu Wenfu stretched out his right hand in front of him, and said with a smile: "It's hot today, let's go into the room and talk." Although the disdain is simple, there are still a few cups of coarse tea. ”

"It's okay, the miscellaneous family has walked so far and wants to moisten their throats." Wang Dehua was not polite, and after replying, he walked into the room behind Tu Wenfu with a big grin.

The façade of this room is small, but the space inside the room is not small, the spacious room is divided in half by a jade screen, the entrance is a hall, and behind the screen is a more intimate study.

Just bypassed the screen, Wang Dehua looked up at the environment in the study, and suddenly stopped.

He originally thought that today's invitation was just a one-on-one meeting between him and Tu Wenfu. But now there is more than one person sitting in the study.

Li Chaoqin, Wang Chengen, and Li Yi and Wang Cheng, two old eunuchs of the same generation as Wei Zhongxian. After seeing these people, Wang Dehua couldn't help sneering and said, "It seems that Grandpa Tu is very busy today, I think we'll meet next time." ”

Tu Wenfu noticed that although Wang Dehua was shouting to leave, there was no movement under his feet. He immediately stopped Wang Dehua and said, "Why do you have to be like this, you don't know these people."

Today's gathering, but Gonggong Li and Gonggong Wang ask me to invite you and Gonggong Wang to come to meet with me. You won't just walk away, don't give me this face. ”

Before King Xin ascended the throne, Wang Dehua had a good relationship with him in the palace and accepted his help several times, so Tu Wenfu could speak to Wang Dehua like this.

Wang Chengen ignored Wang Dehua's actions, while the other three immediately got up, stepped forward to persuade Wang Dehua, and finally let him sit down.

After Wang Dehua sat down, Tu Wenfu found a position to sit down, to show that he was not the person in charge of today's meeting.

Seeing Tu Wenfu behave like this, Li Yi had to ask Li Chaoqin beside him: "Gonggong Li, why don't you talk about it." ”

Li Chaoqin hurriedly waved his hand and said humbly: "Since it is the idea of several uncles, of course, it is better for the two uncles to speak by themselves, and I am clumsy and short-tongued, so I will not offer this ugliness." ”

Li Yi and Wang Cheng glanced at each other, the two nodded slightly to each other, and the gray-haired Li Yi said to Wang Chengen and Wang Dehua: "The two princes are now the leaders of the palace, and we are not qualified to bother the two fathers-in-law."

However, some children in the palace are always clamoring in front of us old bones. Since we old bones have enjoyed their offerings, we have no choice but to pull down our faces and ask the two fathers-in-law to make it easier. ”

Li Yi stood up as he spoke, and made a deep gesture towards the two, Wang Chengen suddenly got up and helped him and said, "Why is Uncle Li so polite, if there is something, please command." As long as you can do your best, the miscellaneous family will do your best. ”

Wang Dehua was obviously not interested in Li Yi's words, but got up slowly, and sat back again.

Looking at Wang Dehua, who looked uninterested in them, Li Yi sighed slightly in his heart, and then said with a bitter face: "Today, we are showing this face, just to invite two small officials who are suspected of corruption in Tongzhou Cang. ”

Wang Chengen paused for a moment, and before he could think of how to answer, Wang Dehua had already stood up excitedly and replied: "This is not good, let's not mention that the Tongzhou Cang case is not investigated by my family, that is, with Your Majesty's attention to this case, it is not a case that we say will let it go." ”

Wang Chengen, who has always liked to provoke Wang Dehua, has taken a rare tacit attitude towards this.

Wang Cheng, who was sitting at the head of Li Yi, looked at the scene and suddenly became cold, and then said slowly: "Both of you are now celebrities in front of Your Majesty, why don't you make it convenient for us."

Our please is not just for ourselves, as the so-called: flowers are not red for a hundred days, and people are not good for thousands of miles.

The two of you seem to have limited scenery now, but you also need to think about the days ahead. Like Father-in-law Wei, even if the power is tilted towards the government and the opposition, isn't it still far away in the end?

To be convenient with others is to be convenient with oneself. If the two of you can let these little officials go, everyone of us and others will be willing to serve the two fathers-in-law. ”

Regarding Wang Cheng's coercion, neither Wang Chengen nor Wang Dehua reacted. If it was at the beginning of Chongzhen's ascension to the throne, the two might still succumb to these eunuchs, who represented the traditional forces in the palace.

However, now, the 24 yamen in the palace have been rectified more than ten times, nearly half of the personnel have been dismissed, and the reorganization of the capital governor and Dongchang has been reorganized, and these traditional forces that called for wind and rain in the palace back then have no effect on the two of them.

Whether it is Wang Dehua or Wang Chengen, the power in their hands is a brand new organization. In the new organization they control, they don't need a small group of their own to disperse their control over the new organization.

It is in the interests of the two of them to let the old forces in the palace continue to be marginalized and continue to decline. Besides, when Wei Zhongxian was in power, he didn't give up profits to these people, but when Wei Zhongxian lost power, what did they do.

The so-called future returns in the mouths of these people are, in the final analysis, nothing more than empty words. People like them, except for relying on the emperor's tolerance, no one can help them after they lose the emperor's favor.

However, Wang Chengen and Wang Dehua also know one thing, although these people may not be able to help them, they still have the ability to give them bad things by relying on their familiarity with the traditions in the palace for more than 100 years.

Therefore, the two simply remained silent and did not respond to Wang Cheng's request at all. After being silent for a long time, Li Yi couldn't help but sigh and said, "After entering the palace, we will become crippled people."

Although we will have no children and grandchildren in the future, the fate before entering the palace is also difficult to give up. There are thousands of Tongzhou Cang officials, and more than thirty percent of them are related to my palace, why are the two so ruthless?

Besides, Your Majesty is rich all over the world, and we will serve Your Majesty even if we have no merit and hard work. These little officials fished for some oil and water in Tongzhou Cang, which dynasty and which generation were not like this? If you drive them away and replace them with a group of people, won't there be people who are corrupt?

If you want me to say, since corruption cannot be avoided by changing people, it is better to let my relatives and others gain some benefits, at least we are still loyal to Your Majesty. ”

Wang Dehua sneered, and couldn't help but say: "Your loyalty is really..."The corner of his eyes swept to Wang Chengen, who was expressionless, and quickly changed his words: "The governor is just cooperating with the Independent Commission Against Corruption, if you can say that the Independent Commission Against Corruption is moving, the miscellaneous family will have no objection." ”

The Independent Commission Against Corruption directly belongs to the emperor, and only Wang Chengen can deal with the office on behalf of the emperor. Wang Dehua said this, but he just wanted to take the opportunity to dig a pit for Wang Chengen.

Although Wang Chengen was a little hesitant to do things, his political consciousness was not bad, and he immediately heard Wang Dehua's intentions.

He hesitated for a while, then said perfunctorily to Li Yi and Wang Cheng, who were looking at him eagerly: "It's not that the miscellaneous family is unwilling, but they really don't have this ability." I can only forward the letter on behalf of the Independent Commission Against Corruption and I have no authority to inspect the contents of the booklet.

Moreover, His Majesty's mind has been decided, and there is absolutely no possibility of change in this Tongzhou Cang's case. As long as the crime is not very serious, the miscellaneous family can give you 20 places to avoid being implicated in this case. ”

Li Yi and Wang Cheng were entangled for a long time, but they just forced Wang Chengen to increase the quota by half. When the two of them stretched their faces and left unhappily, Wang Chengen let out a long breath.

When Wang Chengen was about to say goodbye, Tu Wenfu kept him and said: "The princes, please stay, in fact, we invited the two princes to come over, not just for the sake of Tongzhou Cang's bad thing." ”

Wang Chengen and Wang Dehua both glanced at each other vigilantly before sitting down again. After watching the two of them sit down, Tu Wenfu said very straightforwardly: "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, he has worked hard to improve himself.

Whether it is the inner court or the outer court, they are now making drastic changes. I would like to ask my two fathers-in-law, what do you think of His Majesty's changes? ”

Wang Dehua just glanced at Wang Chengen, and said: "In the past ten years, whether it is the inner court or the outer court, they have been entangled in the three major cases and cannot extricate themselves, resulting in the ruin of state affairs and chaos in the government. Miscellaneous people think that this change is indeed a good thing. ”

Wang Chengen thought for a while before replying: "This world is Your Majesty's world, and how to govern the world is Your Majesty's business." We are only ministers who serve Your Majesty, so what right do we have to comment on Your Majesty's way of governing the country? Father-in-law Tu, what do you want to say? ”

Tu Wenfu was silent for a while before saying, "Although Your Majesty has the heart to change the law and try to become stronger, he is too radical. The twenty-four yamen in the palace have been rectified to this day, and almost half of this personnel has been cut off.

Nowadays, except for some financial power and the right of supervision, our inner court is actually much worse than before. And the celebrity supervisor approval system has been changed, and the inner court has become more like a subsidiary body of the cabinet.

I discussed with Gonggong Li and a few others, just to talk to the two of you, if our inner court is weakened like this, I am afraid that there will be no inner court in the future. ”

Wang Dehua and Wang Chengen's faces changed, and after a while, Wang Chengen said with a solemn face: "It shouldn't be like this." Besides, Your Majesty has always acted firmly, could it be that Grandpa Tu wants to advise Your Majesty? ”

Tu Wenfu hurriedly waved his hand and said: "I have no intention of doing so, I just hope that everyone can be in the same boat, so as not to suffer losses to the foreign dynasty in the future." ”

After Wang Dehua looked at the people present, he suddenly asked, "I don't know if those two just now are on Grandpa Tu's boat?" ”

Tu Wenfu lowered his head and thought about it, then smiled and said: "They don't know the general trend, and they still want to restore the old rules of the past, I don't think they will get on this boat." ”

Wang Chengen thought about it for a long time and felt that Tu Wenfu's words were still good. He and Wang Dehua are two, and now no one can suppress anyone. And Xu Xingsheng beside Wang Dehua and Lu Qi beside him are now more and more trusted by Chongzhen.

For him, it may be time to compromise with Wang Dehua. After all, there is no irreconcilable contradiction between the two.