Chapter 38 Difficulty getting off the boat
The debate in the court ended temporarily, but the matter was obviously not over yet.
At least Zhang Fu could be sure that the matter was not over.
Today, Princess Shunde was clearly in the capital, but she did not appear in the court, which has already made her attitude clear.
Empress Dowager Cihui always reserved her attitude towards letting Princess Shunde act as regent. It can be seen that both mother and daughter knew very well that acting as regent was beyond the scope of assisting in government, not to mention having to deal with the emperor who might be captured, and then having to deal with the empress dowager's request to redeem the emperor and the issue of succession to the throne.
Compared with the eldest princess and the eldest prince, Prince Qing is naturally a better choice, and can even inherit the throne naturally.
But looking at Prince Qing's attitude, we know that he is not a fool. This thankless task makes him, a vassal king who is originally one of the emperor's heirs, feel a lot of pressure.
In other words, if the emperor returns in the future, the first person he will have to deal with is the regent.
Princess Shunde had already suffered such hardships on her way back. How could she be willing to continue to sacrifice for the emperor?
No matter how good the princess is, she is definitely not a fool, not to mention that this is a matter of life and death.
Zhang Fu was also very clear that it was a blessing that he did not go to Tumu Fort to die, but on the other hand, he now had to take responsibility.
However, Princess Shunde's attitude was clearly that she did not want to face the ministers directly, and the only thing Zhang Fu could think of was to persuade her privately.
Time waits for no one. The princess may not take this responsibility, but they, the ministers, must be responsible for the rise and fall of the country, and they cannot shirk it, whether now or in the future.
Zhang Fu made up his mind and sighed, but another voice came from behind him:
"The Duke of England."
Zhang Fu turned around and saw Yu Qian, who had just committed "rebellion" during the court meeting, walking towards him quickly. It was obvious that he had something to say to him. Behind him was Xu Yun, who was also speaking for Princess Shunde.
Zhang Fu stopped and asked, "Do you two have anything to discuss with me regarding the defense of the capital?"
He didn't know much about these two people. It was okay for someone like Xu Yun who was good at socializing, but Zhang Fu knew nothing about Yu Qian.
However, at this moment, Zhang Fu had an idea of why Yu Qian came to him. It was nothing more than the issue of regent that was discussed in the court today.
As Zhang Fu expected, Yu Qian said, "This is a matter related to the Regent. Please move over, Duke Ying."
Xu Yun also said, "Please don't refuse, Duke Ying."
Zhang Fu knew that the two of them had probably figured it out, and neither he nor Hu Yi wanted to take over this mess.
As long as the two of them remain silent, if they are really investigated in the future, these two old ministers from the time of Emperor Taizong to the present will naturally be able to escape.
But the problem now is that both Prince Qing and Princess Shunde know that this stall is not easy to take over and no one is willing to get involved...but now they need someone who can take the overall situation into consideration.
Thinking of this, Zhang Fu didn't care about the looks of the people around him and said, "Let's go."
Even if he wanted to stand by and watch, he couldn't choose this time, otherwise he would be infamous for thousands of years.
The three of them left the palace together. Zhang Fu was about to get on the carriage when he suddenly remembered something and asked the other two, "Where are you going...?"
Yu Qian and Xu Yun exchanged a glance, and Yu Qian said, "The residence of Princess Shunde."
Zhang Fu was silent for a moment and said, "Okay."
Just now in the court, Yu Qian insisted that Princess Shunde should be the regent. He thought that Yu Qian was considering Princess Shunde's favor in recommending him, so he wanted to persuade Zhang Fu to support Princess Shunde together with him.
But now seeing that Yu Qian was planning to take him straight to the residence of Princess Shunde, Zhang Fu understood what Yu Qian meant.
This person wanted to get him to help persuade Princess Shunde, or to take him to endorse Princess Shunde.
Yang Pu, the regent Zhu Zhanji had left behind, had passed away the previous year. Now, only Zhang Fu and Hu Yi remained alive, the only two of them with a relatively high level of influence. Hu Yi had always followed the emperor's wishes and now remained neutral, keeping his mouth shut. The only person these two could possibly win over was Zhang Fu.
After all, Zhang Fu's son Zhang Zhong has a good relationship with Princess Shunde. From the perspective of interests, it is also a good thing for Zhang Fu's family that Princess Shunde can take charge of the overall situation.
Because the incident at Tumu Fort could no longer be concealed, the people in the capital were bound to be in chaos. The Five Cities Military Division suppressed the rebellion everywhere, drove all the people back home, and strictly prohibited them from entering or leaving at will.
The streets, which are usually bustling with people, are unusually desolate and quiet today.
Not to mention the defenses of the capital, even the people's morale has been completely demoralized.
If things continue to develop naturally like this, I'm afraid the people in the capital will be in chaos before the Wala even arrive.
Before the three people's carriage arrived at the princess's residence, they heard noisy sounds at the door, which was completely different from the previous quiet street.
Zhang Fu asked, "What's going on?"
The driver responded and went to check. After a while, he returned and mumbled, "Some people are crying in front of the Princess's residence."
Zhang Fu was a little confused and asked, "Crying? Crying about what?"
"I heard they're the families of soldiers from the Imperial Garrison who accompanied His Majesty on border patrols. Some of them were originally the Princess' personal guards..." The driver leaned over to the curtain and whispered, "They've come to ask the Princess for help... They haven't been causing any trouble, they're just waiting at the gate, begging to see the Princess. The Princess' family members at the gate said they've been here all morning, but the Princess couldn't see them. She only sent food, but they refused to eat. Now they've sent for gold, silver, jewelry, food, and cloth. I guess she's trying to comfort these people."
Zhang Fu immediately understood that this was the "reason" why the princess had not attended court, and these ordinary people at the door were the biggest reason.
That being said, if Zhu Yuhuan wanted to, she could naturally bypass these people and enter the palace directly to participate in politics, but now she just stays at home, which is enough to let people see her attitude.
As a result, Zhang Fu couldn't help but hesitate.
Even if Princess Shunde possessed intelligence, wisdom, and a talent for great things, as well as benevolence, loyalty, and harmony, if she truly refused to accept this mess, what was the point of him coming here to persuade her? Instead, he would offend both her and the Prince of Qing, who would most likely assume the responsibility of regent, and would be of no benefit to the country, the people, and the people...
Just as he was about to move forward, Yu Qian had already stepped out of the sedan chair and walked to the side of Zhang Fu's carriage. He said, "It is inconvenient for us to move forward. I will go forward to ask for an audience. Please wait for a moment, Duke Ying."
Before Zhang Fu could say anything, Yu Qian had already left. He had no choice but to look at Xu Yun next to him. However, Xu Yun had a sincere look on his face, as if he had no idea that Zhang Fu intended to take the opportunity to leave.
Faced with Xu Yun who pretended to be stupid, Zhang Fu felt helpless, but he still stayed where he was, waiting for Yu Qian to come back.
It seems that it will be difficult for him to get off this "pirate ship" today.
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