Chapter Thirty-Three Conversation

  The struggle is still going on, everything has not stopped, but all of this seems to have nothing to do with one place, that is the Ciqing Palace of Crown Prince Zhu Youjian. Here it is still a peaceful and tranquil scene, as if nothing had happened.

  Zhu Youxiao was still reclining in his rocking chair, eating grapes and occasionally teasing the beauties beside him. The atmosphere seemed even more harmonious and cordial amidst the women's giggles. The eunuchs and palace maids standing not far away all saw this scene, and no one would think that the crown prince knew nothing. On the contrary, the crown prince's actions would make them feel at ease, because their master was fearless.

  But all this was disrupted by the arrival of a person, whose arrival made all the palace maids and eunuchs tense up, they also knew that the crucial moment had arrived.

  She smiled lightly and motioned for Li Ran, who was sitting on her lap, to get up. Looking at the newcomer with a meaningful gaze, she said, "Isn't this the eunuch Li from the Imperial Palace? What brings you here today, having nothing better to do?"

  "Your Highness is joking, I have always been your humble servant." Li Jinzhong's words were spoken with a calm and steady tone, without the slightest fluctuation, clearly showing that he had made all necessary preparations for this visit.

  He nodded slightly, took the tea bowl handed over by Li Lan, and said indifferently: "It's really not easy, it's rare that you still know who your slave is!" Zhu Youxiao's words were full of sarcasm, he couldn't muster up any interest in such a person. After thinking for a moment, he continued: "You're a foolish slave, not because you're disloyal, but because you don't understand the situation at hand. Do you really think this is just an ordinary struggle? That those ministers can't accept Li Xuan as empress dowager? There are too many things involved here, I'm telling you, before you see through to the essence of things, don't blindly walk in, or you'll only bring disaster upon yourself."

  Zhu Yuxiao handed the tea to Li Ran on one side, ignoring Li Jinzhong who was lost in thought, and said in a low voice: "What did that woman ask you to come here for?"

  He seemed startled by Zhu Youjian's words, and this eunuch who thought he was clever was somewhat stunned, only subconsciously saying: "Li Xuan let me come to invite the Crown Prince."

  She nodded slightly, slowly got up, and just as Zhu Yuxiao was about to lift her leg, she was pulled back by someone. Looking at Li Ran's worried face, Zhu Yuxiao gently stroked her hair and said softly, "Stay here quietly, wait for me to come back."

  Zhu Yuxiao tidied up his clothes, and Li Lan suddenly smiled softly. That smile was like the warmth of spring, making people feel refreshed. "Don't worry, Your Highness! I'll personally make your favorite jade porridge, waiting for you to come back and eat."

  Zhu Youxiao nodded slowly and turned to walk out, followed by Li Jinzhong who was lost in thought. Apparently, this eunuch who knew the palace rules well seemed to have figured out many things at this time.

  Watching the crown prince Zhu Youxiao slowly disappear into the distance, Li Ran's expression was quite complex. She slowly clenched a small cloth package in front of her chest and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, Ran'er is waiting for you to come back here. If anything unexpected happens, Ran'er will accompany you together."

  The Palace of Heavenly Purity seems unchanged, still with its red bricks and green tiles, magnificent and majestic. The only change is perhaps the atmosphere here. The usually solemn and dignified palace now has a gloomy and tense air.

  As he entered the warm pavilion, Zhu Youxiao saw that there was only one person here, and the large door behind him had also been closed. It seemed that this conversation would unfold between himself and this woman.

  He walked slowly into the house, sat down gently, and smiled at Li Xuan Shi. Zhu You Xiao seemed to be indifferent to everything.

  Seeing the expression of Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao, Li Xuan suddenly felt that this crown prince was not the one who had been manipulated by her at will. Once she lost control of him, her own fate could be imagined.

  "Your Highness seems to be in a good mood? Do you think I'd just admit defeat like that?" Li Xuan's voice was firm, with no hint of anything out of the ordinary, his eyes fixed straight on Zhu Youjian.

  With a pitiful glance at Li Xuan Shi, Zhu You Xiao smiled lightly and slowly stood up, saying in a deep voice: "This palace doesn't understand, someone as intelligent as you, how could you not have understood by now?"

  Li Xuan's expression changed slightly, what did he realize? Had he missed something?

  Without waiting for Li Xuan's surprise to subside, Zhu Youxiao continued: "Although Father Emperor was only on the throne for a month, he did many things during that one month. The first thing he did was to strongly promote the Donglin Party people. Perhaps in your opinion this is a very wrong decision, don't you think?" As he spoke, Zhu Youxiao sized up Li Xuan with a playful gaze.

  Li Xuan's servant was at a loss for words, he really thought so, until now he still didn't understand why his useless husband would do such a thing, compared to the gentle and easy-to-control Fang Lao.

  "That was to restrain the Qi Zhe Chu Party, when my father ascended to the throne, the leader of the Chu Party, Fang Congzhe, became the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet. The other two Grand Secretaries also belonged to the Qi Zhe Chu Party, which gave them a chance to control the imperial court. But such things are absolutely not allowed to happen, so my father strongly promoted the Donglin Party, which had long been at odds with the Qi Zhe Chu Party." Looking at Li Xuan's puzzled face, Zhu Youxiao smiled lightly.

  "In this way, two extremely powerful factions were formed in the imperial court. However, when Father Emperor knew he was about to pass away, it was not possible to leave only these two factions behind. Because once one side retreated, the imperial court would be completely controlled by the other side." At this time, Li Xuan's maid was a bit stunned. As a woman, she was naturally familiar with **'s struggles, but she didn't expect the imperial court's struggles to involve so many people.

  He sat back in his chair and continued, "So the emperor thought of arranging a force. Originally, this force should have been the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The reason why the emperor did not do so was first because there was no one to entrust with it. These two forces were not only difficult to control but also had severe consequences, and it would be hard to avoid another Liu Jin or Lu Gao. Second, the resentment between civil officials and the depot/guard was too deep. Once the depot/guard rose to power, it would be hard to prevent the Donglin Party and the Qi-Zhe Party from uniting together, which would lead to a struggle between civil officials and the depot/guard. This would mean going back to the old path, and the court would definitely be thrown into chaos again, and the world would once again fall into turmoil. Based on these two points, the emperor did not choose either of these two forces. In the end, the emperor thought of a person, someone who could involve both forces and ensure the normal operation of the court until his son grew up and became a good emperor."

  I've heard that falling down is painful, and now I've finally experienced it for myself. From yesterday to now, the number of collections has only increased by two, which is really a bit painful. However, I saw your recommendation votes, thank you all! The pond is grateful beyond words. Also, thank you to my dear friend Shao Jia for the reward.