Early in the morning, Prince Fu was in his mansion taking care of official business when suddenly a eunuch from the Palace of Heavenly Purity came to report that the Emperor was summoning the Prince. Judging from his expression, it was not a small matter. Prince Fu had a guilty conscience, so he was unusually timid. Recently he had been plotting to usurp the throne and had already started to make arrangements. Could it be that he was not careful and the Emperor had found a loophole?
Before his eyes everything had not been completed, he did not have enough power; even if he started the rebellion immediately, he would not have any chance of success. He could not help but panicking. On the way, he tried to sound the eunuch out several times, but the eunuch always said he did not know. He did not know whether it was the eunuch who kept everything watertight, or whether the Emperor was also keeping him in the dark.
A short while later, they arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The eunuch guarding the gate announced in a loud voice that stung Prince Fu's ears. It was the first time that he was so fed up with the eunuch's voice. Without waiting for him to wake up, he was dragged in. Shunzhi was sitting in front of the table reading memorials. As soon as he saw him, he immediately dismissed the attendants by his side and said, "Prince Fu, quickly sit down." Prince Fu was even more nervous; he deliberately put on a humble front to sound him out. With an obsequious smile he said, "In front of Your Majesty, how can there be an official's seat?"
Shunzhi said, "Zhen has something to ask of you. Today we are meeting as uncle and nephew, there is no need to be restricted by the monarch and his minister relationship. Zhen tells you to sit, so sit. "
Prince Fu saw his friendly smile, who knew whether there was a deadly blade hidden behind his back? Cold sweat trickled down his face as he sat down. At the same time, he saw that there were only the two of them in the Palace Hall, so he was slightly relieved. He hoped that the Emperor had not thought things through and was too careless. If he had a large number of soldiers and generals lying in ambush outside the Palace, once they made their move, Prince Fu might be able to hold him hostage. But the time had not come yet; as long as he did not lose his face, he would do his best to maintain a peaceful appearance.
Shunzhi pushed the mountain-high pile of memorials to the side, leaving an empty space on the table. "Prince Fu," he said, "Recently Zhen has been troubled by a matter that is very difficult to solve. He wanted to find someone to discuss this matter with, but this matter was related to the royal family's secrets. It would be inappropriate if news of this were to leak out. Zhen has thought about it. You are the elder who watched Zhen grow up, and you have long been loyal to the late Emperor. Today's matter … You are not a relative of the imperial family, and you have no interest in it. If we were to talk about the best person to discuss it, you would be the first. The longer this matter drags on, the more implicated it will be. Therefore, zhen is anxious to ask for your opinion. You didn't delay the prince's business, did you? "
Prince Fu cautiously and cautiously replied, "To be able to resolve Your Majesty's worries and difficulties, chen … is truly honored." Do you know about the exorcism of the Lord Baylor Ling in the palace yesterday? "
Prince Fu said in his heart, "So what? Do you suspect that I instructed him to play the fool? " He thought for a moment before replying, "Although I wasn't present at the time, I heard my son recount the story afterwards." Shunzhi nodded and said, "The shaman told Zhen that the Xuan Shuang is infected with evil spirits. If we want to completely eradicate this strange disease, we must make him the Crown Prince as soon as possible, and bestow him with a palace to live in. In your opinion, how should this matter be handled? "
Prince Fu had heard these words, and assumed that Shunzhi's summons had nothing to do with him. He could not help laughing inwardly at his groundless fears. After silently weighing the pros and cons in his heart, he replied, "The final decision will naturally be made by Your Majesty. Chen was merely expressing my humble opinion … in Chen's opinion, it is not appropriate to make him the Crown Prince. "
Shunzhi's heart resonated; he blurted out, "Zhen also thinks the same …" But then he realized that this matter was a secret that should not be revealed to the public. Before the decision was made, it would be best if he did not let anybody know his thoughts. But since he had already spoken to this point, whether he continued or not was no longer important. He changed his tune and asked, "How do you know?"
Prince Fu was very quick-witted; he pretended not to hear Shunzhi's previous slip of the tongue. He continued, "Replying to Your Majesty, Chen does not know everything about this matter; I can only say it for Your Majesty to take a look."
If Shunzhi's opinion coincided with his, then Your Majesty is very wise. If our opinions differed, then it was Chen who did not see the matter clearly. He continued, "Chen has always felt that the Lord Baylor Ling's insanity was faked, perhaps it was to seize the Crown Prince position as soon as possible. If it was not his intention, then there must be someone else behind the scenes directing him. Those shaman masters are also colluding with the Prince Regent; they have already been bribed, and deliberately slandered Your Majesty. If we act according to what you say, won't we fulfill the wishes of those people who are plotting against us? When did the Great Qing confer the title of Crown Prince? Presumably Your Majesty has your own considerations. How can you be easily led by the nose by other people? When that time comes, where will Your Majesty's prestige be? "
Shunzhi sighed, "That's right, you have spoken to the bottom of Zhen's heart. It's not that Zhen does not believe in evil spirits causing mischief. Ghosts bewitching people; this kind of legend has existed since ancient times. It's just that what kind of person would be bewitched just because he did not want to be the Crown Prince? This matter is too bizarre; how can Zhen be convinced, how can the subjects of the world be convinced? "
Prince Fu said, "Chen is afraid, this inference is only a bold guess; from the words and deeds of the Lord Baylor Ling, I cannot see any flaw. But the only thing that Chen cannot figure out is that since he has the intention to deceive Your Majesty, he must have come prepared; how could he come up with such a lame lie? In today's world, there are still many strange diseases that are difficult to diagnose, I am afraid this evil spirit causing mischief is one of them … "
Shunzhi said, "This child Xuan Shuang is very young, but he is extremely clever and clever; he has always been Zhen's favorite son. But to deceive Zhen like this, I think he will not do it. I am afraid he has other accomplices; who knows how many people will be implicated in this matter. Zhen wants to use this opportunity to investigate thoroughly. I want to see how many people in the Palace are truly loyal to Zhen, and how many are secretly restless? "
With a hollow laugh Prince Fu said, "Your Majesty, there is something that you may not like to hear, but Chen has Your Majesty's best interest in mind, so I must say it. Perhaps the Lord Baylor Ling is not as naïve and simple as Your Majesty thinks. His scheming is even more profound than the other old schemers. "Shunzhi was startled." Beloved subject, "he asked," Why do you say that? "
Prince Fu said, "The Lord Baylor Ling has a good relationship with my son Yao Hua, so his relationship with Chen is also close. He has repeatedly complained to Chen, saying that Your Majesty clearly promised him the title of Crown Prince, why did you delay in fulfilling it? When people complain, the words they say are often not pleasant to hear, but Chen has already forgotten it. He has also told Chen that his patience is limited, if Your Majesty still cannot give him a satisfactory answer, he will … secretly usurp power and rebel, forcing the Emperor to abdicate! He also asked Chen to cooperate with him, to send troops to help if necessary. If this matter is successful, I will definitely not forget today's grace! "
Shunzhi was greatly moved. "How is that possible?" he asked. In his mind, the image of Xuan Shuang's lovable and adorable appearance appeared. But when he recalled his words and deeds when he was exorcising the ghost, there was indeed some deeply suppressed resentment. The most important thing was that he remembered that the struggle in the Palace had always been extremely filthy; there were too many cases of brothers and sons turning against each other to count. Only he did not expect that there would come a day when the same thing would happen to him.
In his heart, it would be best if he never heard about it, but he could not help asking, "What was the situation at that time? Tell me in detail, you must not hide anything. "
Prince Fu said, "When he proposed, Chen did not reject him outright, but pretended to be somewhat moved, to obtain his trust, so that I could hear more of his thoughts and his future plans. Sometimes in order to make the play more realistic, I have no choice but to do a lot of extra plays. Everything that Chen did, in the end, was for the sake of Your Majesty and the Great Qing. "
He made the arrangement in advance, so that if there were any unforeseen events in the future, he would be able to absolve himself in front of the Emperor, and he would also be able to obtain a legitimate excuse for his actions. "Naturally Zhen believes you," Shunzhi said, "What else is there to explain?"
Prince Fu laughed and said, "Admittedly Your Majesty is wise and brilliant, but Chen has been a high-ranking official for many years, I am afraid there are many who do not agree. If someone with ulterior motives slightly tampers with the story, it will be erroneous and the truth will be completely reversed. There are many unnecessary misunderstandings between a ruler and a minister, often this is the reason. If these words reach Your Majesty's ears, if it can stir up even the slightest ripple in Your Majesty's heart, it will be Chen's fault. "
Shunzhi said, "Zhen is clear in rewarding and punishing, handling matters has always paid particular attention to conclusive evidence, Prince need not worry. Xuan Shuang … so what? "
Prince Fu said, "At first Chen also did my utmost to advise Lord Baylor Ling, to let him understand that Your Majesty is first and foremost the ruler of the world, and then you are his father. Whatever His Majesty does, he must consider the big picture. Even if he has given you the cold shoulder recently, in his heart, he still cares about you, his son. You must understand His Majesty's difficulties, don't give him any more trouble. But you must not harbor any thoughts of opposing His Majesty. That would be tantamount to making an enemy out of the entire Great Qing dynasty. Your Majesty, Chen has also tried my best to persuade Lord Baylor Ling to return to the right path, to assist Your Majesty once more. I have not added fuel to the fire, I hope Your Majesty can understand this clearly! It's a pity that Lord Baylor Ling has already fallen too deep, even after Chen's repeated persuasion, it is still useless. "
Shunzhi said, "You are loyal and devoted, wholeheartedly serving our Great Qing. This Emperor understands the core meaning of this. It's just that Xuan Shuang … Ay, I did not expect that he has been deceiving Zhen all along, all that I can see on the surface is fake, this is really frightening. Then Zhen has always been in the middle of someone's scheme? … Ay, this is the sorrow of being the ruler of a country, even your own son views you as an enemy. Now Zhen really envies you, sometimes your own flesh and blood is not as considerate as an adopted child. Yao Hua must be very filial to you, right? "
Prince Fu smiled charmingly on the surface, but in his heart he sneered coldly, "Yao Hua? Don't mention him. My son colluded with your son, villains in cahoots with each other, this is nothing. But he actually learned from Xuan Shuang, that little bastard, in every aspect, and still wanted to rebel against me? How can I let him off so easily? "
Shunzhi's thoughts were constantly circling around the issue of the heir apparent. He said, "Originally Zhen thought that Xuan Shuang was being willful for a moment, which was why he did that kind of thing, it was not unforgivable. But now Zhen has no choice but to reconsider. No matter how strong his ability is, at such a young age, he already has such a heavy scheming heart, in the future when he has power in his hands, won't he be even more selfish and have the power to kill and seize? For the sake of tens of thousands of years of the country, the throne cannot be handed over to him. Tell me, what should Zhen do to really settle this matter? Zhen also does not want to see a son turn into a fool for no reason … "
Prince Fu said, "In Chen's opinion, it would be better to let nature take its course. The more the Lord Baylor Ling is waiting for an answer, the more we will let him waste time; let's see how long he can endure. If he really has the patience and is willing to play the fool for the rest of his life, Zhen will have nothing to say. But the Lord Baylor Ling ought to understand the gains and losses in this matter, I am sure he will not make such a loss-making deal. "
Shunzhi muttered to himself irresolutely, "Although this method is feasible, it will inevitably drag on for a long time, I am afraid things will change if we delay … is there any way to settle this matter once and for all?"
Prince Fu said, "If we really want to talk about it, it's not that there is none. It's just that although the Lord Baylor Ling is still a child, he is extremely patient. If we want to force him to make his move as soon as possible, we will have no choice but to use some extreme methods … "Shunzhi happily said," Then what are we waiting for? Quickly say it, don't keep us in suspense! My beloved subject knows how to whet Zhen's appetite! "
Prince Fu paused for a moment, and then replied word by word, "Quickly appoint a crown prince!"
Shunzhi was startled, his face immediately sank. He said, "What kind of method is this? If we appoint a crown prince now, won't we be playing into the hands of some disloyal subjects? "
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