Yang Tinghe glanced at Jiao Fang angrily, feeling deep hatred for Jiao Fang. At this juncture, Jiao Fang was still here to make his little plans. It was a joke that the country allowed such a person to join the cabinet.
But Jiao Fang¡¯s reasons couldn¡¯t be faulted, and she was verbally planning to visit the emperor. Although Yang Tinghe could guess Jiao Fang¡¯s intentions, it was hard to argue with him at this time.
However, Yang Tinghe could not help but think at this time that the King of Chu had already taken control of the military. Not to mention other troops, the new army and the Chu army who came from afar were now the die-hard confidants of the King of Chu. Now his confidants were also After taking control of the factory guard, the country has never seen such a powerful person in the past hundred years. No matter Jiao Fang just proposed Zhang Yong as the candidate, he was going to ask the King of Chu for credit, or the King of Chu had hinted that he would do it in the future. I'm afraid I have to be more careful.
Queen Mother Zhang was not in the mood to care about this at this time. The struggle for power, gains and losses, had nothing to do with this old lady at this time. She just wanted to find her son, and she only had this idea.
She sighed and said: "In any case, try your best to find him. The emperor has a child's heart. He will have to endure a lot of hardships when he is outside. Besides, the court can't live without him. We must find him back." Her eyes fell on Liu Cheng. Feng said, "How is the peace negotiation going?"
In fact, Queen Mother Zhang only asked inadvertently. She couldn't just ask about her son. Now that the emperor ran away and the whole group was leaderless, as the Queen Mother, she always had to ask about political affairs.
Liu Chengfeng hurriedly explained the conditions he and Li Ruofan had reached. Empress Dowager Zhang said: "This is a great achievement. Even I, an old woman, know that with these conditions, there will be no more foreign troubles in the north of the Ming Dynasty. It's a pity. It's a great achievement." Although it is very big, the court has no reward for you, so hurry up and do it. As for Li Ruofan, since she can understand the general situation, the court will not treat her badly. The Ming Dynasty will be kind to her, as long as she is willing to sincerely repent. From now on. After that, he will serve me in the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, he will be given grand treatment and be given a vassal king. It seems inappropriate to call him King of Mongolia. What does Liu Aiqing have in mind?"
Liu Chengfeng pondered and said: "Although his country is Mongolia, it is really inappropriate to call him the King of Mongolia, so how about calling him the King of Zhengbei? In the future, all the men in his country will be recruited by our Ming Dynasty to serve as brave cavalry in all directions. There is plenty of water in the south. . It is not suitable for cavalry fighting, but in the future it can serve as a barrier for our Ming Dynasty in the north. Although it is inappropriate to use the name of conquering the north, it is inappropriate to the etiquette."
Empress Dowager Zhang nodded and said: "Let's do it this way. This matter cannot be delayed. The Ministry of Rites will immediately prepare the gold seal and gold book. As for other matters, you can discuss it yourself. The Ai family is a womanly family, so this It's not appropriate to come forward for such matters, Liu Chengfeng, the emperor is not in the capital now, so you have to take care of many things."
?Maybe to others. Liu Chengfeng was not trustworthy, but to the Queen Mother, Liu Chengfeng was someone worthy of trust, and he was the closest to her now. I'm afraid it's only Liu Chengfeng.
Liu Chengfeng said hurriedly: "I obey the order."
When everyone came out of the palace, Yang Tinghe approached Liu Chengfeng. He bowed to Liu Chengfeng and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness."
Liu Chengfeng said calmly: "Why are you so happy?"
In fact, he knew that Yang Tinghe came to congratulate him rashly, and actually meant to test him. This Yang Tinghe was very wary of him.
Yang Tinghe smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness has made great achievements again. Isn't it a happy event?"
Liu Chengfeng looked at him and said coldly: "The emperor is missing, is this a happy event? Mr. Yang is too confused to distinguish the importance." After saying that, he walked away.
Yang Tinghe was stunned for a moment, watching Liu Chengfeng who got on the carriage gradually drive away without moving for a moment. But Li Dongyang heard clearly the conversation between him and Liu Chengfeng. He came over and said to Yang Tinghe, "What is Mr. Yang thinking?"
Yang Tinghe said with a gloomy face: "Your Majesty is nowhere to be seen, and there are powerful people in the court. I am worried that the Ming Dynasty may have a disaster, so we must be careful."
Li Dongyang looked at Yang Tinghe silently and did not speak at this time.
Yang Tinghe continued: "We are deeply blessed by the country, and we must not wait until the end of the world to make up for it. Once someone has ulterior motives, it will be too late to regret it. What is Mr. Li's advice?"
Li Dongyang said: "When that time comes, who can stop it? Haven't you seen Jiao Fang? Old foxes like Jiao Fang are dead-set, and now there are Zhang Yong, Qian Fang, Chen Hongyu and others who are following suit. If they really have different intentions, I¡¯m just afraid that you and I can¡¯t survive alone.¡±
Yang Tinghe narrowed his eyes and said: "So he must not be allowed to stay in the capital anymore. He must be allowed to return to his fiefdom."
Li Dongyang smiled bitterly, saying it was easy. When the late emperor passed away, the cabinet also played a trick to force Liu Chengfeng to surrender. What was the result? As a result, they came back again, and now they are back to their old tricks.I'm afraid it's not easy to do it.
"Now that the Emperor is missing and Empress Dowager Zhang has no one to rely on, how can she be willing to let King Chu return to his territory? Mr. Yang, I'm afraid this won't be easy."
Yang Tinghe said: "So we must find the emperor as soon as possible. Only by finding the emperor can we wait for the opportunity to let Liu Chengfeng go from there."
Yang Tinghe looked heartless. His thoughts were indeed for the good of the country, but don't forget that when Liu Jin was in chaos, he watched Liu Chengfeng arrive in the capital. When Liu Chengfeng took care of Liu Jin, he He was so impatient that he wanted Liu Chengfeng to go back.
Li Dongyang was silent for a moment and said slowly: "But what if the emperor cannot find it for a while."
"How long did you mean?" Yang Tinghe raised his eyes and looked at Li Dongyang.
Li Dongyang said: "Maybe in March, maybe half a year."
Yang Tinghe also fell silent.
This is a very complicated issue. If the emperor was kidnapped by the enemy, maybe it would be better to say something, or if news of the emperor's death was reported, it would be easier to handle. After all, the Ming Dynasty had established precedents, and everything should be done according to precedents. But he just disappeared. What if there is really no news for such a long time?
After a long time, Yang Tinghe gritted his teeth and said, "A country cannot live without a king for a day." He put aside these words, glanced at Li Dongyang with deep meaning, and said, "What do you think, Mr. Li?"
Li Dongyang nodded and said, "Good!"
The two of them looked at each other and reached an agreement.
In fact, this consensus is not what they think. This is the consideration of almost all the court officials. There is no news from the emperor. It is impossible to delay it like this. Since the emperor himself refuses to come back and cannot find anyone for a while, the only way is to It is to establish a new king. They can pat their chests and tell people frankly that this is all for the sake of the country and the country. In fact it is indeed the case.
The two of them said goodbye and went back to their homes without mentioning anything.
Liu Chengfeng returned to the palace. As soon as he arrived, Jiao Fang arrived behind.
Of course Jiao Fang came to pay homage, not just to flatter him. Of course an old fox like Jiao Fang knew that for a person like the King of Chu, no matter how much you try to flatter him, it is useless. If you want to be his pawn, the most important thing is It's not flattery but value. Jiao Fang has been showing off for this value. He wants King Chu to know that he is a person worth using. This is enough.
Liu Chengfeng asked someone to arrange for him to stay in the flower hall and took a bath before meeting him. When Jiao Fang saw Liu Chengfeng, she smiled bitterly and said: "Your Highness"
Liu Chengfeng raised his hand and said tiredly: "If you have anything to say, just say it straight to the point. Don't be polite."
Jiao Fang nodded and said: "In this current situation, it would be fine if the emperor can be found, but has His Highness arranged a way out for himself? What if the emperor cannot be found?"
Jiao Fang is also straightforward enough to ask questions like this bluntly.
Liu Chengfeng looked at Jiao Fang and said, "The emperor must be found. As long as the emperor is still alive, I will continue to search for him. Jiao Fang, what do you mean by these words?"
Jiao Fang said: "But a country cannot live without a king for a day"
His words were also very bold, but the fact that he was so bold in front of Liu Chengfeng really showed his absolute sincerity towards Liu Chengfeng. He continued: "It is true that His Highness has deep feelings for the Emperor, but the ministers are different. Once the emperor fails to return from his visit, the ministers will have to make other plans, and if they support a new king in the future, what will happen to His Highness?"
Liu Chengfeng squinted his eyes and remained silent.
He has a headache now. Where did this damn Zhu Houzhao go? He doesn't care whether Zhu Houzhao is a good emperor or not, or whether he is suitable to be an emperor. For Liu Chengfeng, only when Zhu Houzhao becomes the emperor can he feel at ease. This It was also his promise to the late emperor.
Jiao Fang continued: "If His Highness does not support the new monarch, and His Highness is already a very popular minister, and the Chu State is also suspected of getting stronger, I am afraid that after the new monarch ascends the throne, he may not be able to accommodate His Highness. "
Liu Chengfeng looked at Jiao Fang with naked eyes and said bluntly: "If you have anything to say, don't mince words, just say it directly."
Jiao Fang puffed up her chest and said: "I think that if the emperor really comes to visit and does not come back, I have two strategies. The best strategy is that when the time comes, His Highness personally proposes to establish a new monarch. In this way, a successful victory can be achieved." , and then returned to the vassal state. The new emperor was grateful to His Highness, and naturally he would not embarrass His Highness. The best solution is for His Highness to simply petition to return to his vassal state now, and never interfere in the affairs of the court again. From now on After that, the Ming Dynasty will be the Ming Dynasty, and the Chu State will be the Chu State. Only in this way can His Highness stay out of the matter and protect himself. OtherwiseIf one of them is not good, it will be a disaster. "
Liu Chengfeng sneered and said, "Is this your idea?"
Jiao Fang said sincerely: "Of course, the emperor may not be able to come back after a visit. As long as he can come back, things will be easy to talk about. The reason why I said this is just to ask your highness to think carefully, just in case."