Shen Zhixiu said to Su Qingyu, "I can go by myself. If you feel tired, go back to the West Courtyard. There are many people here to take care of mother, and you are not a big problem."
Su Qingyu agreed and told Shen Zhixiu to go without worry, as she and her second sister-in-law would support the family.
When Shen Zhixiu walked to the outer courtyard, he saw Hu Lu standing in the courtyard holding the imperial edict.
He looked outside past Hu Lu and saw two sedan chairs parked at the door. They should be the two people Song Hongshen mentioned.
Seeing Shen Zhixiu coming out, Hu Lu unfolded the imperial edict and said, "Shen Zhixiu, accept the edict."
Hu Lu thought that Lord Shen should kneel down when he heard this.
But who would have thought that he would quickly walk up to him.
"Eunuch Hu, you don't need to read out this imperial edict, and I will not accept it."
Hu Lu was startled. "What does this mean, Lord Shen?"
Are you disobeying the order?
Shen Zhixiu said, "Don't worry, Eunuch Hu. I won't make things difficult for you. I will go to the palace with you. Return the imperial edict and the people."
"I will personally explain this to Your Majesty, and I will bear the punishment myself."
Seeing that Shen Zhixiu knew about this, Hu Lu put away the imperial edict and whispered advice.
"Why are you doing this, Lord? His Majesty has given him a gift, so just accept him. If you don't want to keep him, then find a reason to get rid of him. Can the servants of two music halls really affect you?"
"Your Majesty only wants you to show your attitude and submit."
Song Hongshen knew that what Eunuch Hu said was from the bottom of his heart.
He serves the emperor and would not easily say these words to others.
Shen Zhixiu didn't explain much, "There's no need to persuade me, eunuch. Let's go into the palace."
Eunuch Hu knew that it was not his place to persuade Elder Shen to make his decision. He sighed and turned to walk out.
After entering the palace, Eunuch Hu led Shen Zhixiu to Qianyang Palace.
He gestured to Shen Zhixiu to wait at the door while he went in to inform His Majesty first.
Hu Lu pushed open the door and walked in quietly.
The Concubine Chen is not here today. The Emperor is lying on the couch and taking a nap. There is an empty medicine box next to him, and it is obvious that he has just taken some medicine.
When Hu Lu approached, Emperor Xuande also woke up.
She glanced at him and asked, "Did Shen Zhixiu take him in?"
Hu Lu whispered, "Your Majesty, Lord Shen has entered the palace and is waiting outside. I have brought back the person and the imperial edict."
Emperor Xuande's eyes suddenly turned cold. "What? Is Shen Zhixiu going to disobey the emperor's order?"
Eunuch Hu bowed and said, "Lord Shen wishes to see Your Majesty and explain things to you in person."
"Let him in." Emperor Xuande ordered.
Hu Lu walked outside and signaled Shen Zhixiu that he could come in.
Shen Zhixiu walked in, knelt on the ground and apologized, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I cannot take those two people in."
Emperor Xuande did not wake up, still leaning on the small couch, "Can't accept them? Is it because those two people are not to your liking, or can't the Shen family afford them? Or maybe, you, Lord Shen, don't take the imperial edict seriously."
Shen Zhixiu said respectfully, "Because I don't want to take a concubine. Now my old mother is not in good health, and my wife is pregnant. If I have another concubine at this time, there will be more trouble."
"Your Majesty, please understand my difficulties and withdraw the imperial edict."
During this period, the Crown Prince often disagreed with Emperor Xuande on court affairs. In the end, if the cabinet made a decision, it would usually follow the Crown Prince's opinion.
Therefore, Emperor Xuande became increasingly dissatisfied with Shen Zhixiu.
Hearing him say this, Emperor Xuande smiled and said, "Shen Qing can't even keep his family stable, how can I hand over the cabinet to you?"
"Just two concubines, can they affect your filial piety and your wife's pregnancy?"
Shen Zhixiu continued aloud, "I believe that the stability of the government and the peace of the inner chamber are the same. We should not be lax and indulgent just because of trivial matters."
Emperor Xuande naturally understood the hidden meaning of Shen Zhixiu's words, but he felt nothing but disgust in his heart.
He didn't show it on his face, and asked, "Shen Qing, do you think that I am too indulgent to the Jiang family? Then according to Shen Qing, what should I do? Should I make use of the crown prince?"
Shen Zhixiu came today to advise the emperor.
So, upon hearing his question, he said, "Your Majesty, Marquis Jingyuan has been forming cliques recently. I've received more than a dozen impeachment memorials against him. And that Second Young Master of the Jiang Family is truly unfit for important positions."
"I believe that Your Majesty can promote the Jiang family, but cannot entrust them with important tasks."
"As for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he is Your Majesty's biological son and the crown prince personally appointed by Your Majesty. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince possesses both virtue and talent. It would be a good thing for Your Majesty to allow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to gain appropriate experience."
Shen Zhixiu weighed every word carefully.
Emperor Xuande was still furious after hearing this and sternly said, "You've been wanting to say this for a long time, haven't you? In fact, what you really want to say is that I should give up my power and let the crown prince ascend the throne, right?"
"I've noticed it too. Over the past year or so, you and the Crown Prince have been practically inseparable."
"But don't forget, you are my cabinet minister, not the crown prince's."
A bitter smile played in Shen Zhixiu's lowered eyes. He said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you and to the Great Zhou. Every word I say is for the sake of the Great Zhou."
Emperor Xuande murmured coldly, "Loyal to the Great Zhou? That depends on whether it's my Great Zhou or the Crown Prince's Great Zhou."
Shen Zhixiu sighed in his heart, the emperor's mood today was so similar to the one he had when he faced the King of War.
When Song Hongshen first returned to his ancestral home, the emperor was delighted by his exceptional talent. However, when Song Hongshen demonstrated abilities even greater than his own, his mind changed.
So what he said was not important, what was important was what the emperor thought.
Emperor Xuande asked again: "Do you really want to disobey the imperial order? Think carefully, disobeying the imperial order is a serious crime."
Shen Zhixiu's voice was still clear and without any emotion, "Yes, I have thought it through."
Emperor Xuande sneered and said, "Shen Zhixiu disobeyed the imperial order and broke the law knowingly. He is dismissed from office and sent home to reflect on his mistakes."
Hu Lu was horrified and wanted to persuade him but didn't dare. He could only quietly signal to Shen Zhixiu that if Lord Shen said a few soft words now, there would still be room for maneuver.
Shen Zhixiu, however, remained neither humble nor arrogant, and kowtowed, saying, "I obey your command."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the outer door being pushed open.
Song Hongshen's voice followed, "What is your father trying to do? He must drive all the loyal ministers and generals back to farm. Are we father and son the kings of a ruined nation?"
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