Jiang Hong was relieved to see that Xie Shu had finally figured it out. It was worth it that he had deliberately sent Yu Chuxi away just now.
Jiang Hong had long discovered that his student, who was calm, resourceful and decisive, was a rare talent in politics. However, for some reason, he was quiet and reclusive, and unlike others who were keen on fame and fortune, he seemed to be born to be non-competitive.
Although Jiang Hong was indeed impressed by Xie Shu's open-mindedness, he didn't want him to develop such a mature personality at such a young age. It was good enough that he could arouse some of his ambition now.
Jiang Hong smiled generously and said, "It's a good thing that you can focus on the general situation in the world. I once told you the reason why the Gu family targeted you, and you should know that the key point is not in the Gu family."
Xie Shu pondered and said, "Teacher, are you talking about the third prince Shao Zhen? In the past few months, he has not made any other moves, just like the Gu family. But this time he accompanied the emperor on a southern tour, and I am also very worried... Now facing the Gu family is already helpless, let alone the third prince. But teacher, you mentioned the third prince's character before, and his unreasonable reaction is strange."
Seeing that Xie Shu had already guessed something, Jiang Hong motioned for him to continue.
Xie Shu no longer hesitated and said, "Teacher once said that the relationship between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince is like fire and water. This time, the Emperor went on a southern tour and ordered the Crown Prince to supervise the country and handle state affairs on his behalf. This undoubtedly increased the Crown Prince's prestige and gave him more leverage. The Third Prince is now at a disadvantage. If he wants to save the situation, there are only two ways. Create some difficult troubles for the Crown Prince in the capital, or please the Emperor by his side. Of course, the latter is much easier than the former. Under the current situation, the Third Prince will naturally not act rashly."
Jiang Hong nodded and shook his head and said, "Rongzhan, your analysis later was good. These are indeed some of the reasons why the Third Prince did not take action."
Jiang Hong continued, "But you don't know that the Third Prince is tied with the Crown Prince at this moment."
Xie Shu didn't expect his teacher to say this. The Crown Prince's regent was equivalent to the Emperor's approval of the heir. Handing over the country's affairs to the Crown Prince was both a trust and a test. Could it be that there was something inside that he didn't know?
Jiang Hong explained: "Rongzhan, you are well-versed in ancient and modern times and have read many history books, so you should know what the rules are for the crown prince to govern the country?
First, the Crown Prince is in charge of state affairs, with the three dukes and nine ministers assisting him, but the Emperor still has to let people report military and national affairs to him for processing. Second, the Crown Prince's regent is equivalent to the deputy monarch, so there will be some changes in the etiquette, and the Crown Prince should be crowned, but the Emperor did not agree. Third, the situation of the Crown Prince's regent often occurs when the Emperor is either personally leading an expedition or seriously ill, but this time it is a southern tour, and the Crown Prince has the power to regent. The princes should have been in the capital to obey his orders, but now, the Emperor has brought all the other princes here......"
Xie Shu frowned when he heard this. According to what the teacher said, the Crown Prince did not have the upper hand. Instead, the Third Prince who followed the Emperor still had some room for maneuver.
Moreover, the emperor's actions made this already unpredictable battle for the crown prince even more confusing.
No wonder Shao Zhen was so jealous of this position, because he did see enough hope.
Jiang Hong also sighed and said, "Your Majesty's uncertainty about the crown prince will cause people in the court and the country to be unsettled. In addition, there are already many factions in the court. Such actions will only cause the two sides to fight against each other and consume national strength."
After saying this, Jiang Hong regained his composure and said in a deep voice: "However, Rongzhan, this is also your chance."
Xie Shu was thinking about the situation the teacher had just described. Suddenly, he heard the teacher mention him. He was surprised and said, "Teacher, I am stupid and don't know what to do."
Jiang Hong shook his head calmly and said, "You don't have to do anything. As my disciple, you are already at the forefront of the storm. Do you know why Shao Zhen is silent now? In addition to the tense situation, he is just waiting for a result. This result depends on the emperor's attitude towards me."
When Xie Shu heard this, he immediately understood. The emperor would pass through many places during his southern tour, and the last one was Jinling, and his teacher was also in Jinling now.
In addition to inspecting the rivers and investigating the administration of officials, the emperor also paid homage to the Confucius Temple along the way and understood the people's sentiments, in order to achieve the goal of educating the people and winning their hearts and minds. Therefore, if the emperor is willing, then the teacher, who is the former chief academic officer of the Imperial College and a great Confucian scholar of the time, will be summoned by the emperor.
But the teacher had said before that before he left Beijing, he and the emperor had a disagreement over something...
Jiang Hong sneered, "He is quite cunning and knows what to provoke and what not to provoke. And I have always known His Majesty's temperament very well. Although His Majesty has some complaints about me and will not summon me at the first time, he will not really avoid me later. It's just that by that time, it will be a little too late. So Rongzhan, before that, you only need to do one thing."
Xie Shu was even more curious: "Please teach me, teacher."
Jiang Hong's eyes flashed with a complicated light, and he slowly uttered two words: "Lü Shuo."
Xie Shu didn't know how to react when he heard this. Although the teacher had never mentioned Lv Shuo in the past few months, rumors about him continued to circulate in the streets.
Xie Shu had always known that the teacher once had a disciple named Lü Shuo, who was now the current Ziwei Ling. However, Xie Shu also knew that the relationship between the teacher and Lü Shuo was not good, otherwise there would not be so many rumors of discord between the teacher and the student.
Because Ziwei Ling has the duty of helping the emperor deal with court affairs and can also report "secret matters" directly to His Majesty, Lu Shuo was also in the entourage this time.
But why did the teacher ask him to find Lu Shuo?
Seeing that Xie Shu was just looking at him in confusion, with no other expression, Jiang Hong was somewhat surprised and somewhat amused. Jiang Hong also opened up and said, "Rongzhan, have I never mentioned Lü Shuo to you? Actually, he is your senior brother. I accepted him as my apprentice when he was thirteen years old. He is extremely gifted and talented. He soon became well-versed in classics and history, and was especially good at poetry. But I did not teach him a good temper at that time, which made him a soft and flattering person who only cared about power! Now he is rising rapidly and is already the Purple Star Order. He is deeply favored by His Majesty. He is also good at dancing with his sleeves and handling things smoothly. Even the censors can hardly say anything about him. But his only stain is that he is not in harmony with me.
So this time when he comes to Jinling, whether he is willing or not, he will come to see me."
Xie Shu understood immediately after hearing this. There is a saying in Confucianism called "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness; heaven, earth, monarch, parents, and teachers", which originated from "Xunzi" and showed the value orientation of ancient literati. These five constants are the basic moral norms of being a human being. In addition to respecting heaven and ancestors, being filial to parents, being loyal to the monarch and patriotic, respecting teachers and honoring morality is also particularly valued.
Such rumors had a great impact on Lu Shuo, so even though he knew that his teacher would not see him, he would come to see his teacher as soon as he arrived in Jinling to show his respect.
Now that he is the teacher's disciple, Lu Shuo's attitude towards him will not be bad. But since Lu Shuo has such a personality, would he be willing to get involved in such trouble?
Jiang Hong seemed to understand what Xie Shu was thinking, and said calmly: "You don't need to worry about this. He is also tying himself up in knots. If there is anyone in the court who is most afraid of getting close to the princes, it is undoubtedly him. In the eyes of His Majesty, he is a loyal minister, so he was given such a position. Therefore, he must not participate in party disputes, let alone participate in the fight for the throne. He can even openly have a bad relationship with the princes, so that the emperor can be more at ease."
Hearing this, Xie Shu also understood the teacher's good intentions. In fact, the teacher could still refuse Lu Shuo, but now...
Xie Shu couldn't help but thank the teacher deeply, but Jiang Hong waved his hand and said with a self-deprecating smile: "Rongzhan, I won't hide it from you. In fact, I also have selfish motives. This is an opportunity. I want you to start doing something."
Xie Shu was not surprised, he just said quietly: "Teacher, if you have anything to say, just speak frankly."
Jiang Hong looked at him deeply and said, "Rongzhan, you are my last disciple. I have high hopes for you. You will soon enter the court. But the current situation is extremely complicated, hiding countless crises, and it is not something you can easily shake. I don't want you to be like Jia Yi, who is just a flash in the pan and disappears quickly.
I have been thinking about it for a while. You are calm and open-minded. You don't care about fame or other people's opinions. But you are actually very tough. You have your own principles in dealing with things. So I believe you can do it, but it is a bit difficult because you need to hide your true feelings and be patient from time to time. "
Xie Shu was silent for a moment after hearing this. He did not agree immediately, but thought about it carefully and said, "I know that you are doing this for my own good, so I consider so much. I also know that you have great righteousness in your heart. I am not as good as you, but I am willing to share the worries of the world. Now that I have achieved what I wanted, I am not afraid of what others say."
When Jiang Hong heard this, a relieved smile appeared in his eyes. With such a disciple, what did he have to worry about?
Jiang Hong patted Xie Shu on the shoulder and said word by word: "Very good, from now on you only need to remember these eight words 'be different from others inside, and try to blend in outside'."
After a while, after Jiang Hong and Xie Shu finished explaining some things, they walked out of the inner room of the palace. Xie Shu walked faster, and as soon as he came out of the outer room, he saw a corner of his lover with fluttering clothes, looming in the corner.
Xie Shu couldn't help but smile slightly, walked towards where Langjun was hiding, and grabbed Langjun's waist.
Unexpectedly, Xie Shu actually found him. Yu Chuxi was held in his long arms, at a loss, with an obviously guilty look on his face. His long eyelashes flickered, but he just didn't look at him.
Xie Shu could guess what Langjun had just heard. He smiled and whispered in Langjun's ear, "Don't worry, Langjun. I know you didn't mean it. You're just concerned about me, right?"
Hearing Xie Shu say this, Yu Chuxi didn't know whether to admit it or not, so she could only blush and purse her lips and nodded.
Seeing Yu Chuxi finally turn around and look at him, she looked so well-behaved that people couldn't help liking her.
At this time, the teacher had already left, and Xie Shu could no longer restrain herself. She lowered her head and kissed Lang Jun's lips secretly: "Don't worry, Lang Jun. I said before that I would not hide anything from you. When we go back tonight, if you have anything you want to know, just ask me, okay?"
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