Inside the palace, Zhu Yijun sat in front of the table, propping up his chin as he pondered over Feng Bao's intentions.
Zhang Juzheng wouldn't be able to avoid getting involved after Qi Jiguang's matter. But weren't they allies?
As his imagination ran wild, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of the founding father of the later generation. Or rather, what the founding father had said: unity through struggle leads to unity's survival. Unity through concession leads to unity's demise!
Looking at it from this perspective, it was clear. Although they were allies, they weren't the same.
Even if they were allies, there had to be a struggle for dominance.
Wasn't the Cold War in the later generation a struggle for dominance? There were allies on each side.
Allies were allies, but the leaders were America and Su Xiu. The UK could only follow behind America. Didn't they want to be in charge?
Of course not. Who didn't want to be in charge? The essence of the matter could be seen from here.
Zhu Yijun rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "This is the struggle for dominance!"
"Zhang Juzheng wants to restrict Feng Bao to the palace and even extend his hand into the palace. But Feng Bao isn't resigned to this. He wants to extend his hand out and occupy a dominant position in the alliance.
This is a bit like the founding father and Jiang Guangtou in the later generation. They're united against outsiders, but internally, they fight for unity. "
After understanding this, many things suddenly became clear. So this was the case.
Feng Bao didn't want to fall out with Zhang Juzheng. Instead, he wanted to use this matter to control Zhang Juzheng. Qi Jiguang was one of Zhang Juzheng's points.
Even when Feng Bao dragged Zhang Juzheng into it, it was just to scare Zhang Juzheng.
No, this wasn't a simple scare. It was a warning and paving the way for what was to come.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhu Yijun stood up with a relaxed and playful look on his face.
At this point, things seemed to be getting interesting.
He had to admit that Feng Bao was really brilliant.
With the appearance of the assassin incident, the direction of the palace was shifted, the favor was regained, the authority was expanded, the prestige was established, and the dissidents were dealt a blow.
Feng Bao had made use of this matter from inside to outside, and this was only the beginning. There were bound to be more tricks later on!
"Your Majesty, Master Zhang has entered the palace!" Eunuch Zhang Cheng, who was standing beside Zhu Yijun, said in a low voice.
Zhu Yijun was stunned. Zhang Juzheng was here?
"Come on, let's go to the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful," Zhu Yijun said without hesitation.
Zhu Yijun was very curious about how Zhang Juzheng would react and counterattack.
As an idealistic politician, how could Zhang Juzheng give up his dominant position in the alliance? It turned out that Zhang Juzheng won in the end.
Zhang Juzheng had been in power for so many years, and Feng Bao had always been suppressed. Obviously, he couldn't beat Zhang Juzheng. So, he had to learn from Zhang Juzheng's means.
When Zhu Yijun arrived at the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful, Zhu Yijun found that Zhang Juzheng was already chatting with his mother.
However, before they got to the main topic, after the greeting, Zhu Yijun sat next to his mother, ready to see how Zhang Juzheng would handle things.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Bodyguard is responsible for guarding the palace. This time, the assassins sneaked into the palace, which shows the negligence of the Imperial Bodyguard."
Zhang Juzheng said with righteous indignation, "I impeach Liu Shouyou, the commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, for his inaction."
Hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, Zhu Yijun was stunned. He didn't expect that Zhang Juzheng would target the Imperial Bodyguard.
No, no, this matter is not right. Everyone knows that the Imperial Bodyguard and Dongchang are not on good terms.
Although Feng Bao was famous, Feng Bao didn't have much control over the Imperial Bodyguard.
After all, the Commander of the Imperial Bodyguards, Lu Bing, had died not long ago. When Lu Bing was still alive, the Imperial Bodyguards had suppressed the East Faction Guards to the point where they couldn't even lift their heads.
Moreover, at that time, Yan Song and Xu Jie were still in power. How could Dongchang have a chance to attack them?
After his father took over, Gao Gong had power in the court. Dongchang had to listen to Gao Gong. After all, both Chen Hong and Meng Chong were recommended by Gao Gong.
Although Feng Bao became the eunuch in charge of the ceremonial department and commanded Dongchang, Feng Bao couldn't subdue the Imperial Bodyguard.
The Imperial Bodyguard and Dongchang were not on the same side. Helping Dongchang suppress the Imperial Bodyguard was definitely not what Zhang Juzheng should do.
Helping the Imperial Bodyguard and Dongchang fight each other was what Zhang Juzheng should do. In other words, Zhang Juzheng was implying something.
"Master Zhang, how do you think this matter should be handled?" Queen Dowager Li agreed with Zhang Juzheng's words.
You guys were guarding the palace, but an assassin sneaked into the palace. Isn't this a dereliction of duty?
"I think the most important thing now is to investigate the assassination case. Although the Imperial Bodyguard Commander Liu Shouyou has dereliction of duty, compared to investigating the assassination case, his dereliction of duty can be put aside."
Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said with a frown, "I think it's better to let the Imperial Bodyguard Commander Liu Shouyou atone for his crime. If he can solve the assassination case, then he will be absolved of his crime.
If he can't, then he will be punished severely for both crimes. "
Queen Dowager Li nodded. She felt that Zhang Juzheng's suggestion was right. He was sincere.
Zhu Yijun sighed inwardly. It was just as he thought. Zhang Juzheng was fighting back!
First, he joined the Imperial Bodyguard Commander Liu Shouyou. Then, he protected him to prevent others from using this matter to attack Liu Shouyou. In other words, he was preventing Feng Bao from reaching his hands into the Imperial Bodyguard. This was a brilliant move!
Letting Liu Shouyou atone for his crime was actually giving the Imperial Bodyguard the right to investigate the case.
Originally, this right belonged to Feng Bao. Feng Bao was there to bully Zhang Juzheng. Now that the Imperial Bodyguard was involved, Feng Bao naturally couldn't create a case without scruples.
Zhang Juzheng's counterattack was sharp and straightforward. It was like an antelope hanging its horn.
It seemed that he didn't do anything at all, but in fact, he had done everything.
"In that case, let's let the Imperial Bodyguard Commander Liu Shouyou also investigate!" Queen Dowager Li didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Anyway, it might be faster to investigate with Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard.
Zhu Yijun glanced at San Dezi beside him and shook his head helplessly.
Feng Bao was careless. Or it could be said that he was not capable enough. He was not here at this time and went to work on his big case.
If he was here, he might be able to stop it.
However, Zhu Yijun felt that the possibility was not high. Zhang Juzheng was right!
From participating to atone for his crime, there was no trace of the transition. He was definitely a model of serving the public wholeheartedly!
After Zhang Juzheng left, Zhu Yijun was still thinking about this matter. He felt that this was just the beginning, or it could be said that the two sides were testing each other.
Whether it was Zhang Juzheng or Feng Bao, neither of them went all out.
Feng Bao tested Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Juzheng counterattacked. As long as Feng Bao stopped, Zhang Juzheng would not make any more moves.