Chapter 823: There are two suns in the sky, and the lord and the minister are suspicious
Li Shuncheng bent his body and retreated step by step until he was out of the door of the west study of Jingren Palace, then he turned around and hurried away.
As he left, Emperor Guangde also dropped the memorial in his hand, and a slight smile appeared on his calm face, but he quickly restrained it and said lightly: "After all, he is not comparable to mediocre people."
Although he didn't mention any names, Qiu Shi'an beside him immediately smiled and said, "Lord Sun came back from Huguang this time and handed over the job of the Northern Pacification Office. This made me feel distressed for several nights."
As he spoke, he stole a glance at the emperor's face and said tentatively, "From what I heard, Li Enxian seems to be a useful person. Do you want me to find a way to get in touch with him again?"
Emperor Guangde shook his head, and raised his slightly thin chin slightly: "Go and invite Lord He."
After a pause, he added another name: "And Xu Furen."
Qiu Shi'an bowed in response, knowing that Xu Furen's position as assistant was secured this time.
In fact, this is normal. If it weren't for the solar eclipse and the Prince's Dragon Root Case, the cabinet would have been ruled by two people.
Now that he had received the "definite news", Qiu Shi'an naturally would not miss the opportunity to do a favor. He left the study, pushed the task of summoning He Tiren to someone else, and then personally led the team to Xu Furen's residence.
No conversation along the way.
When they arrived at Xu's residence, the first two captains of the Tiger Guard Camp called out the doorman and the steward from the corner gate.
Qiu Shian's carriage slowly stopped in front of the corner gate. Three young eunuchs, some lifting the curtain, some stepping on the feet, and some supporting him, helped Qiu Shian out of the carriage with great effort.
The old eunuch cleared his throat and shouted in a long, sharp voice: "There is an imperial decree~~~!"
"Hurry and open the middle door to welcome the angel!"
The steward of the Xu Mansion was waiting for this shout. He called a few servants and opened the middle door as soon as the shout was raised.
Someone inside brought in boiled clean water and spread it all the way to the door of the atrium hall.
He is very skilled in the job and it is obvious that he has rehearsed it long ago.
Only then did Qiu Shian pull up his trouser legs and prepare to step onto the stairs of Xu's mansion, accompanied by a group of eunuchs and officers.
But after just two and a half steps, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at a carriage near the corner gate, frowning and asking, "Is that the carriage of Sun Shaoqing from the Dali Temple?"
"My father-in-law has good eyesight!"
The steward gave a thumbs-up and said with an apologetic smile, "Lord Sun arrived a quarter of an hour ago and was just drinking tea with our master in the study room in the backyard."
Before he finished speaking, Qiu Shian's face changed color .
Although Xu Furen's visit to Beijing this time could not be considered top secret, it was rarely revealed to the outside world. In recent days, only a few of his trusted disciples were allowed to enter and leave the house.
Now there is another Sun Shaozong...
Qiu Shian was not surprised that Sun Shaozong and Xu Furen had a relationship. After all, during the Long Gen case, he went to the Prince's Mansion many times to convey his orders to these two.
It can be said that before Xu Furen was forced to resign, the person he had the most contact with was Sun Shaozong.
However, the friendship of just one or two months is still a long way from being someone that can be relied upon as a confidant.
Moreover, in order to avoid suspicion, apart from a few disciples, Xu Furen's few confidants in Beijing were not in a hurry to visit him...
If something is abnormal, it is a demon, so Qiu Shian naturally cannot help but think about it.
In the current situation, either Xu Furen thinks too highly of Sun Shaozong to avoid suspicion; or Xu Furen is showing some kind of attitude by using Sun Shaozong's visit.
The former is also easy to say.
If it's the latter, then I'm really asking for trouble by rushing here this time!
Thinking of this, Qiu Shian's face became tense and his legs felt like they were filled with lead and he couldn't take a step.
But no matter how long he delayed, when an old man with fluttering sleeves appeared in the courtyard, Qiu Shian had to quickly cross the threshold - otherwise it would not be doing a favor, but ruining the place.
"Eunuch Qiu."
"Lord Xu!"
The two of them bowed and Qiu Shiyan smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "I really want to congratulate you. Your Majesty has ordered you to come to the palace with Lord He to discuss matters."
Xu Furen was not modest. He smiled and accepted the title of the elder, and stepped in with his arm. "Since your majesty has summoned you, I can't delay. Please wait in the living room for a while, Eunuch Qiu, so that I can change my clothes."
"Please do as you please, Sir. Please do as you please, Sir."
Qiu Shian was polite in words, but he felt miserable in his heart.
He knew Xu Furen's character. If he didn't have the intention of leaving no way out, how could he be so careless?
If I had known this earlier, I should have gone to see Lord He!
Not to mention how Qiu Shian complained about himself in the living room.
However, Xu Furen returned to the backyard with his sleeves fluttering. Without waiting for any orders, people had already prepared all kinds of food to keep warm. As soon as he raised his hands, they rushed forward to serve him.
Xu Furen let them manipulate him, but tilted his head and said calmly: "His Majesty has summoned me, I am afraid I don't have the time to escort Lord Sun out of the palace - someone, bring the gift I prepared, and ask Lord Sun to present it on my behalf."
Before he finished speaking, another servant came over with a few packages of gifts, mostly worthless local products.
But when Sun Shaozong received it, he felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Although these gifts themselves were not worth much money, Xu Furen specially asked him to deliver them to the Prince's Palace!
Although Sun Shaozong had a vague feeling that the banquet would not be a good one when he was invited, he did not expect that Xu Furen, who had just arrived in Beijing and had not yet re-entered the cabinet, would dare to support the prince so openly!
What’s even more tragic is that he chose himself as the middleman to show his political leanings!
This is really the case of the tree wanting to be still but the wind does not stop.
Although Sun Shaozong also gave the prince advice to sacrifice the crown prince to stabilize the situation, he never thought of openly provoking a dispute over the royal succession.
Besides, Jia Yuanchun hasn't given birth to a son yet.
Don't scholars always say "A gentleman does not speak of strange things, supernatural powers, or demons"? Why are you all in such a hurry?
If the matter really gets brought to a head, Xu Furen is already in his seventies after all, and the worst that can happen is he can just walk away and go home to enjoy his retirement.
What did our Master Sun do to offend anyone?
The situation that seemed to be going well with both sides was about to be pushed into a sea of fire and swords!
No way!
We must not let the old man do whatever he wants!
Seeing Xu Furen fully dressed, Sun Shaozong knew that if he didn't make his point clear, he would have no chance. He gritted his teeth, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Old Sir, I have a few words from the bottom of my heart. I hope you can dismiss the people around you for now!"
Xu Furen glanced at him sideways, waved his hand with a smile, and all the servants in the room immediately dispersed.
"Old man!"
Sun Shaozong immediately said seriously: "At present, the Empress Defei has just become pregnant, and it is still unclear whether it is a boy or a girl. You will not believe those sorcerers..."
Xu Furen raised his hand to stop him from speaking, met Sun Shaozong's gaze, and said calmly: "I would rather the Empress Defei was pregnant with a prince."
Clam?
What does this mean?
The old man's attitude just now made it clear that he was determined to protect the prince at all costs, so how come he suddenly changed his mind?
Sun Shaozong was confused when he heard Xu Furen say, "If Concubine De gave birth to a prince, if things get out of hand, the heir can live a few more years, which is better than your Majesty wasting your body again and again."
At this point, the old man raised his hand and patted Sun Shaozong on the shoulder, saying sadly: "The two days of the heavens have already exhausted the efforts of the court, and now war is raging everywhere. Our Great Zhou can no longer afford the 'suspects of the lord and the ministers'."
After saying this, he left without caring about Sun Shaozong's reaction.
