If you don't want to be a dog for others and don't want to take off your official hat, then you can only think of other ways.

As the saying goes, make up for what you lack.

In Luo Sigong's view, what he lacked was someone who could speak for him in front of the emperor.

So, if he could make up for this shortcoming, he would be able to compete head-on with Wei Zhongxian.

Since I can't speak in front of the emperor, I might as well find a partner.

In Luo Sigong's opinion, the most suitable person is Chen Hong.

Now everyone inside and outside the court knows that the emperor's two most favored eunuchs are Wei Zhongxian, the head of the East Factory, and Chen Hong, the eunuch in charge of writing.

I and Wei Zhongxian were in a competitive relationship, and so was Eunuch Chen Hong. Since both of us were in a competitive relationship with Wei Zhongxian, there was a natural basis for cooperation.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In this situation, Luo Sigong felt that the two of them would hit it off.

If the two reached a cooperation, then in front of the emperor, he would have Chen Hong, and outside the palace, Chen Hong could have himself. If both sides worked together, they could definitely suppress Wei Zhongxian.

"Eunuch Chen," Luo Sigong walked up to Chen Hong and said with a smile, "You look good, so I think something good is going to happen. If there is any happy event in your family, please let me know and I will definitely give you a gift."

Looking at Luo Sigong with a smile, Chen Hong said, "We don't have anything happy about this, but it seems that Your Excellency will have some good news. However, our family sometimes has some matters outside the palace. If we ask Your Excellency for help, I hope Your Excellency will not refuse."

After hearing what Chen Hong said, Luo Sigong understood immediately and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Eunuch Chen, I will do my best."

The two smiled at each other, and no one said anything more.

Just one look at each other and everything will be said without words.

"Lord Luo, let's not delay too long. His Majesty is still waiting to summon you." Chen Hong shook the whisk in his hand and made a gesture of invitation with a smile.

Luo Sigong clasped his fists towards Chen Hong, then said with a smile, "Thank you, Eunuch Chen."

The two of them walked into the Palace of Heavenly Purity together.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Luo Sigong who had walked in, waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to be polite, and asked directly, "Have you come to any conclusion on the task I assigned you?"

Luo Sigong did not dare to neglect it and quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it has indeed been done. I have found Chen Kedao and brought him to the capital."

After hearing his words, Zhu Youxiao's face immediately showed joy.

The person finally arrived.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Youxiao said directly: "Bring the person into the palace."

Luo Sigong was stunned.

He didn't expect that His Majesty would summon Chen Kedao.

He had originally thought that His Majesty would hand this person over to him, but now it seemed that was not the case. Although he wanted to ask, he knew that it was not his place to ask.

"Yes, I will arrange it right away." After agreeing respectfully, Luo Sigong retreated.

Looking at his back as he left, Zhu Youxiao sighed helplessly.

Zhu Youxiao didn't know what to say about what he was going to do next.

Playing power games is a tragedy for an emperor, but that is exactly what he wanted to do.

Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the one who played power politics the best was Emperor Jiajing. As a vassal king, Emperor Jiajing came to Beijing to inherit the throne. It can be said that the situation at that time was very complicated.

The death of Emperor Zhengde was unclear, and the ministers in the court were not Emperor Jiajing's close friends; no one supported him, not to mention that the relatives left by the previous emperor were still there.

It can be said that in the entire palace, or in the entire court, there are wolves in front and tigers behind.

Under such circumstances, Emperor Jiajing had few options. However, it was under such circumstances that he forged a path that could be considered broad and successful as an emperor.

Isn't this also the case with my current situation?

He ascended the throne at a young age, and the Donglin Party promoted by his father was in power. Who would listen to him?

Perhaps the Donglin Party wanted to do something, but what they wanted to do was definitely different from what I wanted to do.

If you use them yourself, who should you listen to?

What can you do if they don’t do what you ask them to do?

Whether it was the Xiong Tingbi case this time or the Chen Kedao that he had found, there was actually only one purpose, which was to seize power.

In Zhu Youxiao's eyes, there was no difference between the Donglin Party, the Eunuch Party, or the Qi, Zhejiang and Chu Party.

The reason why the Donglin Party was targeted was very simple, that was because they were in power now.

If I had traveled through time a few years later and Wei Zhongxian's eunuch party was in power, I would definitely have taken action against the eunuch party.

On the one hand, there was a case being investigated in the court, and on the other hand, there was a dispute over the orthodox doctrine. In fact, Zhu Youxiao was not interested in either of them.

Zhu Youxiao was only interested in seizing power, just like the Jiajing Emperor.

Soon after Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne, he had a dispute and struggle with the old ministers of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, headed by Yang Tinghe and Mao Cheng, over who should be the emperor's father (father in the patriarchal sense) and the title of Emperor Shizong's biological father.

The "successors" headed by the chief minister Yang Tinghe demanded that Sejong change his parents.

Zhang Cong, a Jinshi who was observing the government at the time, wrote a memorial to criticize the court officials and put forward the theory of "succession to the throne".

On the surface, this is a struggle for status, but in reality it is not the case.

Hidden deep down is actually a struggle for power.

In Zhu Youxiao's view, the officials who welcomed Emperor Jiajing to the capital wanted to control him, and Emperor Jiajing was unwilling to give in, so he naturally wanted to fight back.

His choice of counterattack was grand etiquette, which was also the emperor's usual practice.

If there was a struggle over government affairs, new problems would usually arise, causing the government to be unable to function properly, thus affecting the stability of the country. This was something the emperor could not accept.

Usually the emperor would choose to depose the empress or replace the crown prince as a battlefield, on the one hand to eliminate disobedient ministers, on the other hand to select obedient ministers.

The same principle applies to the grand ceremonies of Emperor Jiajing. This is not a question of the emperor's status, but a real question of standing in line.

This time Zhu Youxiao did the same thing. Chen Kedao's Li Zhi theory was designed to make officials fight with each other.

He wanted to use Li Zhi's theories, and if there were officials who opposed it, he would dismiss them; if there were officials who obeyed him, he would retain them.

The Donglin Party's case of forming a clique for personal gain could directly implicate some officials without having to investigate anything or take the trouble to accuse them of any crime.

This two-pronged approach can bring power back into our own hands.

As for whether it was the Donglin Party, the Eunuch Party, or any other party, Zhu Youxiao didn't care at all.

As the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers. Those in the court who are willing to follow you can stay; otherwise, get out.

This is not a party dispute or a dispute over orthodoxy; it is simply a clear crackdown on dissidents.

If we have to say it, this is a dispute over the route.