The Child Emperor

Han Ruzi returned to the palace and used the treasures of the Shaofu to reward Fang Daye's family. Unfortunately, there were no outstanding children and grandchildren of Fang Daye, and the old general had no successor.

On the first day of the restoration of the Qinzheng Palace, the scene was a little embarrassing. Zhuo Ruhe pretended that everything was normal, but the other ministers quietly observed their words and expressions, hoping to find out the emperor's true intentions.

Han Ruzi did not show any dissatisfaction, and as usual, discussed the state affairs with several ministers.

The first thing is to go to the East China Sea for a hunting tour. The emperor's request has been met, and the remaining issues are the time and route.

With winter approaching, Zhuo Ruhe suggested starting next spring and heading eastward through Luoyang, which is the safest way, and there are many counties to pass through.

Han Ruzi was more urgent, and asked to set off in ten days. Instead of going to Luoyang, he would go south first, then go east along the river, and visit the newly settled Yunmengze by the way, and arrive at Donghai Kingdom before winter.

Zhuo Ruhe objected slightly, but soon agreed on behalf of the ministers.

In return, Han Ruzi praised the prime minister's credit, expressing his willingness to entrust the entire court to the prime minister during his absence from the capital.

The rest are trivial matters. Han Ruzi handed over the list of dozens of generals recommended by Fang Daye to the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War mobilized them and sent them to the emperor as soon as possible.

Zhuo Ruhe raised the issue of the vacancy of the right patrol censor again, thinking that the vacancy should be filled earlier.

Everyone was interested in this issue and discussed it for more than an hour.

Han Ruzi asked the ministers to come up with a plan, hoping to solve this problem before going on the hunt again.

In the afternoon, Han Ruzi summoned the King of the East Sea and others at Lingyun Pavilion to personally arrange the hunting tour.

It was a dull day. The ruler and ministers were in harmony and the court was stable. Han Ruzi returned to the harem before dark, teased his daughter for a while, and then went to greet the two queen mothers.

Empress Dowager Cining called the emperor to her residence and asked, Your Majesty is having trouble with the minister again?

Han Ruzi smiled and said, It's just a little misunderstanding, it's all right.

Empress Dowager Cining knew that the emperor would not tell the truth to her, and sighed softly, Actually, I am not surprised, we mother and son are always separated from the imperial court by one floor. Your Majesty has never received the benefits of the imperial family and the imperial court since childhood, so she naturally treats the ministers. Not a good impression.

The queen mother has been thinking too much. The late emperor has been the prince for many years. Didn't he also have conflicts with the ministers at the beginning of his enthronement? I am groping, and the ministers are also groping. After both sides find out the situation, it will be fine.

To Han Ruzi, the first emperor was always his father, Emperor Huan, not his elder brother, Emperor Si.

Your Majesty is good, but don't delay for too long.

Don't worry, the Queen Mother, things are going well now. Han Ruzi said confidently.

The Empress Dowager Cining shook her head slightly and changed the subject, That Wang Pingyang, what do your Majesty think? He has also read books for a few days in the Wang family.

Yes, he has done a lot of things along the way, which is quite in line with my opinion. Han Ruzi did not tell the truth, Wang Pingyang was indeed very good at doing things, and because of this, the emperor was not happy, and he guessed that he had received the empress dowager Cining. pointing.

That's good, there is finally someone in the Wang family who can serve His Majesty, so he won't bear the name of a foreign relative, but always stay out of it.

The mother and son chatted for a while, and the Empress Dowager Ci Ning said, Your Majesty is leaving the capital again. Before leaving, let's visit the Cishun Palace. The situation there is not very good.

Han Ruzi and her mother came from Cishun Palace. The Empress Dowager Shangguan did not show up. Since last winter, her body has been weakening day by day, and it seems that she is approaching the end of her life.

The Empress Dowager Shangguan is not too old, but has lost most of her vitality, and will fight back only when threatened.

Yes, I will go tomorrow.

Han Ruzi fulfilled his promise, and went to Cishun Palace in the afternoon the next day to greet him beforehand.

The two have no mother-son affection, and even hate each other, but they have one thing in common.

How do you feel about your Majesty's fight with the minister this time? The Empress Dowager Shangguan took the initiative to bring up the matter. There were two maids in the room, both of whom were close followers of her, and the other was the eunuch Zhang Youcai, who was close to the emperor. leak.

Han Ruzi didn't intend to talk about the government, but looking around, Yang Feng died, Zhao Ruosu betrayed, Donghai King and others had their own interests. The emperor had no one to talk to. language.

It's not a fight, it can only be said to be a test, everything is expected. Han Ruzi could not be honest with the Empress Dowager Shangguan at first.

The Empress Dowager Shangguan did have an obvious sick look on her face, but she became interested in the political affairs again, and said with a smile, Your Majesty is just watching the changes, would you like to see which ministers will stand up against the Prime Minister and Zhongshu Sheng?

Han Ruzi nodded reluctantly, There is something wrong with the imperial court, but it is not terminally ill. I hope to maintain the status quo for the time being, and do not want to change again.

Your Majesty is doing the right thing, but be careful, the ministers will take advantage of this. The Empress Dowager Shangguan pointed.

Han Ruzi was a little curious and asked, The Empress Dowager...how did you deal with the ministers when she was in power? They seem to be very afraid of the Empress Dowager.

Hey, the so-called fear is just an illusion. Your Majesty, think back, apart from the open rebels, have I ever replaced the important ministers in the court?

Han Ruzi shook his head. The old prime minister, Yin Wuxian, served at the end of Emperor Wu. He had experienced four generations of emperors who died of illness and died in phase.

The Empress Dowager Shangguan continued: I once tried to start a new business in Guanghua Pavilion, but it turned out to be a fiasco. The criminal is also an official and a minister. After gaining power from me, he felt unstable and always wanted to find a backer. Your Majesty should I understand that in the eyes of officials, the imperial court is always more stable than the emperor, so the more important support is the imperial court. Those criminal officials secretly joined the ministers and worked for me on the surface, but took the opportunity to exclude dissidents. During my administration, the important ministers did not change, There are a lot of changes underneath, I thought it was me, but I finally realized that I am the tool.

The empress dowager Shangguan looked sad. She was willing to give up power for many reasons, one of which was that she felt that she could no longer control the court.

After Emperor Wu's strong pressure, everyone thought that the imperial court had become weak, but another way of thinking, which of the ministers who can persevere during Emperor Wu's time is not an old fox? Weakness is their bait, to induce His Majesty to relax their vigilance, they can Do whatever you want.

Perhaps, the queen mother made a mistake. Those in power should not be wary of ministers, so let them act according to their own rules.

The Empress Dowager Shangguan stared at the emperor and was surprised to find that the emperor seemed to be telling the truth, she shook her head, If you follow the rules of the minister, your majesty should live in the imperial temple while he is still alive, and come out several times a year to accept the worship of the ministers. , the rest of the time is unheard of.

Han Ruzi smiled slightly, and the person who initially regarded him as a statue was precisely the Empress Dowager Shangguan.

Emperor Wu is the emperor's role model. The more the Empress Dowager Shangguan thought about, the more she admired Emperor Wu, and realized that there was a big difference, Emperor Wu fought with ministers all his life, endlessly, he was always the victor, the only defeat was death, wait for him After his death, the court returned to its original state, but no one inherited the achievements of Emperor Wu.

The Empress Dowager Shangguan admitted that she had poisoned Emperor Huan, and she did not regret it at all. In her eyes, she was really not a good emperor or a good husband.

Han Ruzi didn't want to pursue this matter, but it didn't mean he could accept it calmly. He would always be vigilant towards the Empress Dowager Shangguan, even more so than towards ministers in the DPRK.

Endless?

Yes, it's endless. The older Emperor Wu got to his old age, the more intense the battle with the ministers, and the ministers of Yin Wuxian were able to persevere. First, they had some real skills, and second, it was a fluke that Emperor Wu lived two or three years longer. , no one can stay now.

Han Ruzi suddenly understood what the Empress Dowager Shangguan wanted to say, Did the Empress Dowager say that ministers should be replaced regularly?

The Queen Mother nodded.

The queen mother had a chance, why didn't she do it?

I haven't been in power. The Empress Dowager Shangguan has been in power for several years, and the Southern Army has always been her confidant, but she has never been able to get rid of it, I am a woman after all, and it is difficult to gain the loyalty of soldiers, people from the Shangguan family... let alone. Your Majesty is different. Although His Majesty has suffered in the army, he has also won the favor of the soldiers. Your Majesty may not have noticed that His Majesty already has the capital of Emperor Wu.

Han Ruzi smiled, Thanks to the Queen Mother for looking up, the Queen Mother should rest in peace, and it is not advisable to worry about it.

The Empress Dowager Shangguan also smiled, I'm just unwilling to see the ministers proud.

Han Ruzi retired, it was still early, he went to the inner study to sit for a while.

Zhang Youcai was serving on the side. Seeing that His Majesty was not reading, he couldn't help but said, The Cishun Palace is a bit weird.

Huh? What did you see?

Though I don't understand what she said, she shouldn't have said it. Zhang Youcai was even more vigilant than the emperor.

A person who had been silent for a long time suddenly started talking. Of course, there was a reason, but Han Ruzi didn't want to mention it to outsiders. It was his mother who reminded him to visit the Empress Dowager Shangguan. The reason was of course here.

It's best if you don't understand, Han Ruzi said.

Your Majesty... do you really plan to change the minister?

Han Ruzi looked at Zhang Youcai, You still said you didn't understand?

Zhang Youcai laughed twice and did not dare to ask again.

Three days later, the Minister of Qinzheng Hall recommended several people to be the censors of the right patrol for the emperor to choose, and Han Ruzi appointed Qu Zixi.

After another two days, an inconspicuous appointment was passed: Nan Zhijin, who had been a member of Zhongshushe for decades, finally left Zhongshu Province and went to the Censor Terrace to become a sixth-grade censor. Qu Zixi's direct subordinate.

Nan Zhijin's first task is to cooperate with the Ministry of War and go to the East China Sea to jointly investigate the disappearance of the general Huang Pugong of the building ship.

Ten days later, the emperor went out to the capital for a hunting tour again, still with only 3,000 people, and went east along the river, and the destination was also the East China Sea. The dozens of generals recommended by Fang Daye all joined the emperor on the road.

Nan Zhijin felt that this was an opportunity, and was only puzzled by one thing: why did the emperor appoint himself to investigate this case?

Han Ruzi also felt that this was an opportunity, and was most perplexed by one thing: besides Zhao Ruosu, who else was leaking his thoughts?