Tuoba Zichu had no descendants in his life. He worked diligently, and was never ambiguous about the internal and external issues of the empire. He was cautious in front of the old emperor. He was the head of the central province, and all the memorials sent to the imperial capital would be reviewed, screened, and submitted to His Majesty. He should have been a person below one person, but Tuoba Zichu was not interested in anything other than state affairs, and never managed interpersonal relationships, so that the officials had no respect for him and even spoke ill of each other behind his back.

On the issue of becoming a crown prince, he was the only one among the most influential people in the empire who had not yet taken the team. General Wang Shangguan Hongri stood on the side of the eldest prince Tuoba Yuanji; Princess Tuoba Fenghuang stood on the side of the eleventh prince Tuoba Lie. These two people who had not been on the side before but had their status could not be ignored have chosen sides in the past year, which means that the princes' competition for the throne has reached the final stage. Only Tuoba Zichu, the old minister who was regarded as an alien by the court officials, still patiently held his troops.

Tuoba Zichu is the one who knows the old emperor's thoughts best. He never moved and said that the position of crown prince was still undecided. The old emperor came to the door for this reason.

This day is undoubtedly a big day. Before, the imperial concubine Ling Ruyi entered the Heavenly Prison alone to accompany the emperor; later, His Majesty the Emperor stayed at the Prime Minister's Mansion and had a close chat with the left prime minister of the Empire. I believe that even greater turmoil will begin soon, affecting everyone in the imperial capital.

Shortly after His Majesty's decision to take over the Prime Minister's Office was made, another man with high power, a man who was used to hiding under the halo of the Murong family, Murong Nan, the right prime minister of the Empire, got the news from the hidden thread he placed in the palace.

When he received the news, His Majesty had not yet walked out of the main entrance of the palace. The speed and accuracy of the source of the news showed that he had placed the harem under his own surveillance. Murong Nan got a note, and after reading it, he looked at the lantern twice and threw it into the lantern. The flames of the candle were completely burned out. He stared at the undecided flames in the lantern with special eyes, and the expression on his face changed several times: "The imperial concubine made a ruthless move, and his Majesty really couldn't sit still. Let's hold on to the army, see what tricks you can do."

"Uncle, what happened." It turned out that the eldest prince Tuoba Yuanji was sitting in the room. As soon as the imperial concubine was imprisoned, he took the initiative to come to Murong Nan to discuss countermeasures.

The latter looked at him and said, "The storm is coming and the wind is filling the building. Yuanji, your good things are probably not far away. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." Murong Nan seemed to have had something foreshadowed, and he was very happy to laugh.

...

There are four mansions in Chang'an City, which are closest to the palace, which is incomparable to everyone's mansions. The owners of these four mansions are Tuoba Zichu, the current left prime minister, the current general, Wang Shangguan Hongri, the current eldest prince, Tuoba Yuanji, and the current tenth prince. As the tenth prince was raided, the prince's mansion was abandoned, and now only three houses are closest to the palace, which are the three other than the tenth prince.

Chang'an is not as good as other places. In Chang'an City, you have to follow the rules. The house you live in, the sedan chair you sit in, the tableware you use, and everything you eat have strict rules. Once you are overthrown, it will be a serious crime, and you will be beheaded or even punished.

The residence of the four people, because the General Wang was always in charge of the army, there was only a family of young people in the residence, and he walked with people relatively few times on weekdays. The tenth prince Tuoba was really easy to make friends with heroes in the world, with the most guests; the eldest prince Tuoba Yuanji was mostly monks and officials, and relatively speaking, the people entering and leaving the mansion were relatively complicated; only Tuoba Zichu, in terms of actual power, was the second-ranked figure in the empire after His Majesty, but the door of his house was always deserted, and even the guards were old. It was probably because he had been with his master for many years.

Tuoba Zichu's house has always been closed, with no sounds, no singing, dancing, and only a unique ink flavor. Tuoba Zichu's only hobby in his life was painting. Every picture of his paintings was priceless and priceless, but he never took out because he was worried that someone would bribe him with this. This habit has been maintained from the day he became the left prime minister of the empire until today.

The arrival of the old emperor did not cause much sensation in the house. Those servants followed their masters for the rest of their lives, and naturally they had seen the emperor many times.

When the old emperor arrived, he reported and served him easily, and everything was orderly and rational.

Tuoba Zichu rushed from the study room, knelt down and kowtowed, "Long live my emperor!"

The old emperor came forward and helped him up, and smiled and said, "There is no need to be too polite between the king and the minister, get up quickly."

"Your Majesty, sit in the room!"

"I haven't been here for a long time, but I'm still the same as before. Zichu, you have been doing it for decades."

"The old minister's loyalty to His Majesty has not changed in decades."

"Okay, okay, I know you are loyal. Let's go and talk to you. I want to ask you if I have something to do."

"Your Majesty, please follow me." Tuoba Zichu led His Majesty to a hidden room in the backyard and said to his servants, "You all retreat to the door of the yard." He then looked at the old emperor, "Please enter the house, Your Majesty."

The old emperor nodded with his eyes narrowed and he sighed in his heart. As expected, only Zichu knew my feelings best and walked into the house with the other party.

When the door of the house was ready, the old emperor stood in front of the ink hanging on the wall opposite the desk, and whispered the words on it: "Do your best, don't forget the holy grace! Zichu, your loyalty really touched me."

"It is the duty of a minister to be loyal to the empire and share his worries with His Majesty." Tuoba Zichu replied modestly. He was thin and had a very literary style in an elegant outfit.

"Who mentioned this character?"

"I'm not hiding it to Your Majesty, it's Zichu's teacher Fang Jingxiao."

"You still have that person's calligraphy and paintings hanging?" The old emperor's tone suddenly changed, because he clearly remembered that it was the great scholar of the previous dynasty whom he gave to death.

"Although the teacher died, I will never forget the teacher's teachings. Our Confucian scholars will share the worries of the king in life and be loyal to the country when they die."

"Oh, what a pity, that great scholar."

"The teacher has always adhered to the duties of Confucian scholars, and finally the monarch has been declared after his death, which is considered to be the only way to die."

"Do you Confucian scholars care so much about reputation?"

"Confucian scholars regard reputation as life, and scholars can be killed but not humiliated."

"Although this sounds strange, the empire needs people like you to prosper and develop."

"No, what the empire needs is a wise monarch like His Majesty."

"Zichu, you have also learned to flatter me."

"Zi Chu is definitely not flattering. I think that for the thirty-two years of Your Majesty's reign, the empire's territory expanded thousands of miles, and the people of the empire live and work in peace and contentment, it can be said that it has forged a prosperous era that has never been before and has never come. Your Majesty's wisdom should be worshipped by the world, and Your Majesty's achievements should be remembered by future generations."

"Zichu, you really think so."

"Zi Chu will never lie to His Majesty."

"real?"

"Your Majesty has something to do, don't refuse Zichu's death." Tuoba Zichu seemed to know what the old emperor was going to say, and knelt on the ground and bowed down.

The old emperor stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes left from the calligraphy and painting, turned to look at him: "Zichu, I really have something to do now, and it is a very difficult thing to solve, and it needs your help."

"Your Majesty, Zichu has no children and no daughters. He only wants to spend his old age and never intervene in the disputes between the princes."

"Remember what you said before?"

"Zi Chu remember."

"Who is your lord?"

"His Majesty."

"Then should you share my worries?"

"Your Majesty, do you want to listen to your heart."

"You just say it's okay. Even if the conversation in this room offends me, I will forgive you for not guilty."

"Then I'll forgive me for speaking boldly. I've always wanted to say something, and I've mentioned it to you indirectly, but unfortunately you're indifferent. The so-called emperor is the best, and the state affairs are the most important. The crown prince is just a minister of Your Majesty. How can you indulge the princes to fight with each other under the throne? Such an approach will undoubtedly consume national strength invisibly." As soon as this was said, it caused a storm. It turned out that this was the reason why Tuoba Zichu had never intervened in the struggle of the princes. It turned out that this was his true thought. "The monarch has the art of controlling the subordinates, and checking and balance are just one of them. However, indulging the princes to become a big force and indulge the princes to fight with each other will undoubtedly aggravate the division of the court, and it will undoubtedly consume national strength and make the country in internal friction. I have always thought it was undesirable."

The old emperor looked at Zichu who lowered his head and bowed his head. He heard him speak out his thoughts for the past. Not only did he not feel disobedient, but he felt relieved. This proves that Tuoba Zichu is really dedicated to the empire and himself. Even so, the words he said from His Majesty are serious, "Zichu, think about it, when did the princes' struggles intensify? If I could stay young forever and be as energetic as in the past, would I sit idly by the struggle between them?"

"I think if you feel exhausted, you should establish a crown prince in advance so that the ministers can rely on the court. Such a way of stopping but resting is the real cause of the chaos now."

"You are blaming me."

"It's over here, I have nothing to say."

"Zi Chu, if you are not in my position, you will not understand the difficulties of being in the throne. There are some things and some things, I have to be careful of." The old emperor sighed heavily: "The whole country is controlled by me. How many people are staring at my position and are always ready to attack and wait for replacement. Even my biological son has to be careful. There are no such examples in history. You should understand."

"I know your Majesty's difficulties, so I always suppress it without saying a word."

"Yes, I can vaguely guess what you think. As you expected, I am facing difficulties now and need your help."

"I have made three strategies for Your Majesty, namely the best, the middle and the worst."

"Oh? What's the worst thing to do?"

"Deprive the military power of the General Wang Shangguan Hongri, remove Murong Nan's position, and continue to imprison the imperial concubine and the tenth prince."

"What about Zhongce."

"Take the concubine back to the palace and release the tenth prince from imprisonment."

"What's the best way."

"Immediately, Shangguan Hongri, Murong Nan, Tuoba Lie and Wei ministers all stripped of their official positions and were imprisoned at home."

"Oh? None of the three strategies is beneficial to the imperial concubine. How do you know I won't establish him?"

"The imperial concubine has never had the capital to establish a crown prince, but just a pawn to restrain others."

"Then tell me who I want to establish."

"It wouldn't be the eldest prince Tuoba Yuanji, because Yuanji is stupid and incompetent and cannot bear great use; it wouldn't be the sixth prince Tuoba Shou, who is still like a vain person today. He is too cunning and only cares about his own country. Apart from these two people, other princes are even less worth choosing."

"Haha, you really know me the most."

"Your Majesty's only choice is to continue to be the emperor and take charge of the government for generations. Only in this way can the country's cause become more and more prosperous, and the country will one day control the land of Jiuzhou."

"You are very strange to be the emperor forever." As you said, the old emperor's voice became strange.

"Your Majesty, I have followed you for the rest of my life. No one knows you better than me. I am afraid that you have already planned the future. The reason why you indulge princes in fighting each other is to weaken their power and prepare for your future plans."

"Zi Chu, it turns out that nothing can be hidden in your eyes."

"You need a strong minister to suppress the ministers and maintain the stability of the court during the period when you cannot directly control the court. You are obviously sure of the candidate, and you are the minister."

"Zi Chu, you are simply a worm in my stomach. No matter what I think, I can't hide it from your eyes."

"Please rest assured that your Majesty is loyal to the imperial power for the rest of your life, and will never change."

"Yes, only you can reassure me. I do need to hold the throne forever, because only in this way can the empire be stable forever, but I cannot survive forever, because there are strange people from all walks of life outside the human country, and they will not sit idly by my abnormality, so I need to set up a plan, a plan that can be re-elected as a natural one."

"The chess piece is the newly born prince Tuoba Rui!"

"Yes, would he be so happy that he can be integrated with me, right?"

"I believe this must be the case."

"After testing so long, the nature of the ministers and princes is fully demonstrated. I have already understood who to punish, who to deal with, who to use, and who to use it. It is time to close the net."

"I am dedicated to Your Majesty and will die."

"Zi Chu, it's time for you to play. Use your remaining energy to fulfill your last loyalty for me. Go and do a big fight and let it go."

"I have received the order, long live my emperor, long live my emperor, and unified the country for thousands of years."

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." The old emperor Zhang Yang laughed without hesitation, very happy.
Chapter completed!