Chapter 290 The Emperor Talks About the Zhen Family
Jia Cong winked at Dai Quan, who immediately stood up and brought a small bowl of porridge over. Jia Cong took it and pulled a stool from the side, "It is said that people are made of iron and rice is made of steel. If I don't eat for a meal, I will be very hungry."
As he spoke, he first wiped the emperor's face with a handkerchief, and then used a spoon to scoop porridge and feed it to him.
The retired emperor did not refuse, and the old man and the young one fed the other. The others watched in dumbfoundedness. They had known for a long time that the retired emperor was close to Jia Cong, but such a scene had never happened even in front of his grandson.
After the emperor finished eating, Jia Cong wiped the corners of his mouth with a warm towel and said, "I will be in the palace these few days. If you don't mind, I will come to Daming Palace to eat every day."
"Okay, okay!" The retired emperor nodded. "You are a very filial child! Emperor, you don't have to stay here with me. Go and get busy. The palace will be busy these days. Let Meng Zong stay here and talk to me."
The emperor and his entourage paid their respects to the retired emperor, and then left. Jia Cong naturally followed them out of the Daming Palace.
In the hall, after everyone left, the emperor looked at Meng Zong and said, "You old thing, do you still want me to ask you to sit down?"
Meng Zong chuckled and sat down without any hesitation.
He is of similar age to the retired emperor, and they have been ministers and lifelong brothers. Otherwise, how could it be possible that Meng Zong was the only one left when several dukes of the Yuanping lineage had died?
"This kid has the same demeanor as I did in my old days!" said the emperor.
Meng Zong pondered in his heart. He really couldn't understand. To say that the emperor was soft-hearted? That was bullshit. Why did he move the capital from Jinling to Shenjing in the first place?
The power of the great families that followed Taizu and Taizong was too great. The entire Jiangnan region was filled with great families, and they had deep roots. Even if the emperor wanted to move them, it would be very troublesome. Therefore, after he succeeded to the throne, he ignored the dissuasion and directly moved the capital. The graves of those who opposed it were now covered with grass three feet high. The family businesses and foundations of those great families were also greatly damaged.
All of a sudden, the imperial power overwhelmed all the big families.
Including the Yuanping lineage, it can be said that it was created by the emperor. In addition to the four kings of different surnames, the founding lineage also has a number of mansions headed by eight dukes and twelve marquises. If the Yuanping lineage is weak, how can it compete? Therefore, in its heyday, the Yuanping lineage also had several dukes and more than a dozen marquis families.
Nowadays, although the Yuanping lineage is still quite powerful, including Meng Zong, there are only a dozen or so big cats and small cats.
The hands of this retired emperor were stained not only with the blood of countless foreigners, but also with the blood of his own people.
But such a person showed an attitude towards Jia Cong that he shouldn't have! If we say that we can appropriately promote the founding lineage and make the two forces more evenly matched, it wouldn't be surprising. But now it is obviously not the case. According to Meng Zong's opinion, this is simply a pair of grandfather and grandson, and they are grandfather and grandson who are friendly to each other.
Others may not know, but how could he not know? Jia Cong seemed to be promoted step by step by Emperor Longxing, but which step did not have the approval and support of the retired emperor?
In a word, this is not right, very wrong!
"Other old ministers may not know this, but this kid is really brave! He even dares to argue with an old minister. Unlike other kids, when they see an old minister, they are like mice seeing a cat, not daring to even fart."
"Hahaha!" The emperor laughed. "Why? You, an old fellow, also suffered a loss at the hands of this little monkey?"
Meng Zong curled his lips, "I am just giving him some leniency because he is young! I am old enough to be his great grandfather..."
"You old bastard!" The emperor cursed Meng Zong in dissatisfaction. He suspected that the old man was taking advantage of him, and he had evidence. "If I find out that you bullied this little monkey, I will throw you on the Chengtian Gate and whip you to see if you have the face to do it."
The two of them bickered for a while, and then the emperor asked in a serious tone, "Has he been behaving well these days?"
Meng Zong's expression also became solemn. "I haven't received any other news. He should be relatively well behaved! Moreover, with you, the Supreme Emperor, in charge, he dare not reveal his thoughts even if he has any."
" After , he did not hesitate too much and went straight into the palace. Moreover, everything in the mansion was still normal, with no one coming in or out."
"I hope he hasn't. Otherwise, I can give him honor, but I can also take his life!" said the emperor calmly.
"There's something strange about what happened in the south this time!" The emperor continued, "Although the little monkey has pacified the rioters and the White Lotus Sect members, the person behind the scenes has not been found. Moreover, this matter is actually related to the eunuchs in the palace, and it has not been investigated until now. I suspect that it is probably related to the Zhen family. At least, the Zhen family will know about it."
Meng Zong also nodded. The Zhen family had been rooted in Jiangnan for decades, and they had spies almost everywhere . He would not believe that the Zhen family did not know about such a big move.
"Ah!" The Emperor sighed softly, and then said quietly, "In fact, I am not completely ignorant of the affairs of the Zhen family in Jiangnan, but I cannot but repay the kindness of the old concubine to me. Therefore, I have been taking good care of the Zhen family over the years. Even if it is the Emperor's thoughts, I have temporarily suppressed them."
"I thought that as long as I am here, I can keep the Zhen family safe. Even if the Zhen family loses power in the future, I can still make them rich for a hundred years. This will not be in vain for the old concubine's care in the past. However, if the Zhen family is not satisfied, I can't leave such a mess to my descendants in the future."
"Also, if I were to take action against the Zhen family, I would at least leave a bloodline for them. But if I wait until I'm gone, the emperor won't show any mercy."
Meng Zong just listened and didn't interrupt. The Zhen family was the vassal of the emperor, so the life and death of the Zhen family should be decided by the emperor. No matter what he said, it was not necessarily right.
Moreover, it was true that Meng Zong was a close minister of the retired emperor, but the retired emperor did not have only him as a chess piece. Even in his mansion, no one knew how many people the retired emperor had. Therefore, in front of the retired emperor, he not only had to show his closeness, but also be cautious in his words and deeds and dared not say a word.
The two chatted for another half an hour, and only when the emperor was tired and fell asleep did Meng Zong leave the Daming Palace.
