After coming out of the palace, Zhang Yuan was extremely depressed. When he returned to the mansion, he began to lose his temper and smashed the things he saw.

When Zang Xian learned that Zhang Yuan had returned home, he rushed to report the matter. As soon as he arrived at the door, he heard the huge sound from the yard. He stopped and did not dare to go in and get into trouble.

Zhang Yuan was almost venting, and his mood calmed down a little. He saw Zang Xian hiding outside the door, and shouted angrily: "What are you hiding? Are you afraid that our family will eat you? If you don't know if you have something, come in and spread it. It's simply ignorant..."

Then Zang Xian came in and saluted with fear.

Zhang Yuan asked with a dark face: "What's going on after Shen Zhihou led his troops out of the frontier? Is there any news coming back?"

Zang Xian looked embarrassed: "The villain has checked it. The last news about Lord Shen was that he led his troops out of the Qiangbao line in the town of Qiangbao. There was no more news."

"Useless stuff!"

Zhang Yuan cursed angrily, "I can't find any information, what can I do to raise those idle people?"

Zang Xian would be very disgusted when Zhang Yuan said this in the past. After all, Zhang Yuan never paid salaries to the people below. At the beginning, the people who joined Zhang Yuan with Zang Xian were "bringing their own food". But now even though Zhang Yuan is still stingy, the people below have gained enough benefits through Zhang Yuan's power. Now they treat Zhang Yuan as a money tree, and can only be submissive.

Zang Xian explained: "Dadfather, this cannot be blamed on the villain and his subordinates. After Lord Shen went out of the frontier, he never conveyed any news to the pass. His Majesty also ignored him and never thought about sending someone to contact Lord Shen's troops... In this case, where can I check it?"

Zhang Yuan frowned: "You can't find a way to send some fast horses to follow Shen Zhihou's troops and send the news back at any time?"

This request scared Zang Xian very much and said quickly: "Eunuch Zhang, aren't you laughing? How could you follow me? It's not in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and... Lord Shen is very good at managing the army. If he follows him, he will easily be caught by the scouts in his army and dealt with as a spy from the Tatars!"

Zhang Yuan frowned and realized that it was not reliable to send someone to follow Shen Xi's troops, but he would not admit his mistake. He immediately panted and frowned.

After a while, Zhang Yuan spoke: "Send someone to inform Yang Wu, Your Majesty will transfer him to Henan to control the water, so that he can work hard, and don't waste this great opportunity to make achievements!"

Zang Xian looked puzzled and asked tentatively: "Why aren't Lord Wang and Lord Hu going to control the water?"

"Why, do you have any objections to Your Majesty's decision?" Zhang Yuan asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Zang Xian finally understood why Zhang Yuan was going crazy today. He was obviously angry at Zhu Houzhao, and even his general Yang Wu was pulled away from him.

Zang Xian thought to himself: "Mr. Yang is obviously exiled, but when it comes to Eunuch Zhang, it becomes a heavy use. Needless to say, I want to blackmail him again, but how can I be embarrassed to ask Lord Yang for money? Look at this...

Zang Xian suddenly remembered something and reported: "Father-in-law, Sima Zhenren came to Xuanfu from the capital. He entered the city in the afternoon and came to ask for a visit to the palace after hitting a wall."

Zhang Yuan jumped high and said angrily: "Your Majesty asked him to stay in the capital to refine alchemy. Why did he come here to fight? Should he go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, or would he want to cause trouble with our family?"

Zang Xian shook his head slightly: "I don't know."

"This charlatan is ignorant. Needless to say, he came to Xuanfu this time to flatter and seek reward... This man is shameless and colluded with Qian Ning. He must block his way to meet the saint!" Zhang Yuan shouted.

...

...

However, Zhenren Sima had never thought of visiting Zhang Yuan, but went to the palace to ask for the saint to meet the saint, but was blocked by the guards at the door. He was not comfortable at all and reported it. He had been persuaded and told that Zhang Yuan was the master of all matters in the palace. Only then did he realize that Zhang Yuan's power in the Xuanfu has now expanded to the point of doing whatever he wants.

After a long time of hard work, he could not find a familiar face, especially Qian Ning, who called him brother, seemed to have suddenly disappeared and could not be contacted at all.

Sima Zhenren ran to invite Zhang Yuan but failed. When he returned to the inn, he kept complaining: "Why did those familiar faces disappear when they arrived at Xuanfu? It's so difficult to see His Majesty?" He was really annoyed. He remembered the scenery he had in the leopard room in the past and the cold treatment he received in Xuanfu. Compared with the two, he felt that he had made a wrong idea.

After Zhengde left the capital, he lost the emperor's blessing, and Sima Zhenren's status plummeted. He thought about it and still felt that he could only make money with the emperor, so he rushed to the Xuanfu Palace in the name of giving elixirs and relied on Zhu Houzhao's favor to get benefits from local officials. However, when he arrived at the local area, he realized that the situation was very different from what he imagined.

Just when Sima Zhenren asked for help, no one was hiding in the room and sulking, someone suddenly looked for him and came out to take a look. He was still a strange face.

"... The villain comes to see the real person on behalf of the nobles in the palace." The visitor is very polite. He listens to the sound and movements, and should be the eunuch in the palace, which makes Sima Zhenren very puzzled.

However, Sima Zhenren usually lives by thinking about people's psychology, and he noticed the clues in a short period of time. He soon realized that there were different factions in the palace, and the only one who could use eunuchs might be the close servants around the emperor.

Sima Zhenren asked with a smile: "But I wonder which father-in-law has invited him?"

The man replied, "It's not my father-in-law, but a noble man... but I don't know if the real person is willing to join us?"

Sima Zhenren was a little hesitant. He brought very few bodyguards on this trip, and they were all entourages who were looking for outside, rather than factory guards or officers and soldiers who were calling. If he followed the person in front of him, he might encounter trouble. After all, he had a high opinion of himself and felt that as a big man, he had to pay attention to safety at all times.

Sima Zhenren said: "I have to practice, it may be... not convenient. Please go back and tell the noble person who appointed you that if you want to meet me, it is best to come forward in person."

The other party immediately pulled his face down and said, "Real person, you are a bit rude to say this? Since you are a noble person, it is naturally inconvenient to come out of the palace... If you don't take you back, how can we get a job with us?"

Sima Zhenren suddenly realized that he finally knew who the noble man was, and thought to himself: "Concubine Li is really not simple. She will know when I enter the city. She also sent someone to the inn to block me. Maybe it would be related to her if I was blocked when I met His Majesty."

Sima Zhenren smiled and said, "If it's going to be a palace, it's naturally different. Please lead the way."

...

...

Half an hour later, Sima Zhenren finally saw someone.

"Empress, I am polite here."

Sima Zhenren smiled and looked at Concubine Li sitting on the back of the veil tent. She felt extremely proud. The favored concubines around the emperor tried to win him over. For a moment, she felt a little fluttering and felt that her status had improved.

As for the reality that he could not even meet the emperor before, he naturally ignored it.

Concubine Li nodded and pointed her slender hand: "Please sit down if you are a real person."

Sima Zhenren was not polite and sat down on the chair on one side of the house. Concubine Li waved her hand again and someone immediately presented Sima Zhenren with fragrant tea.

Concubine Li said: "The journey of the real person is hard... I heard that from the capital to Xuanfu, the cities along the way are all martial law. Why should the real person risk his life and send elixirs to His Majesty himself?"

Sima Zhenren thought to himself: "What does she mean? She wants to intercept the elixir I gave to His Majesty and go to ask for me for me? Or is she planning to ask me for help in refining the elixir? Or is she unable to be favored and wants to play with some side-by-side tricks, such as lowering her head?"

Sima Zhenren thought that Concubine Li had something to ask for him, and her attitude became more arrogant and rude. She twisted her beard under her jaw and said, "How hard is it to work for Your Majesty? The elixirs refined this time are of special properties. I need to explain the usage and dosage to Your Majesty themselves, so I have to come here in person."

Concubine Li smiled faintly. She knew very well in her heart that what the other party did was to deceive the world and steal reputation. The magic pill was the common Dali Pill on the market. However, this person dared to deceive the emperor, and it was not an exaggeration to describe it as bold, so she did not compete with Sima Zhenren.

Concubine Li said: "The real person has a heart. When I look back, I will show my merits to Your Majesty and ask Your Majesty to reward you... The real person's loyalty to the emperor and the country is very much admired. I think when the real person met the saint before, he would also appreciate it by Your Majesty, right?"

The arrogant expression of Sima suddenly became gloomy. He had not seen the emperor yet. Concubine Li said this on purpose, which was not much different from deliberately sarcasm.

However, Sima Zhenren is very eye-catching and understands that Concubine Li is coming to him. In fact, he has long known his actual situation. Now Concubine Li is hinting that they can choose to cooperate with each other so that he can have an extra pass to meet the saint at any time and have a powerful helper.

Sima Zhenren stood up and bowed respectfully: "Empress, I am not invisible to you. I have not had the chance to meet the saint since I entered the city."

"How could this happen?" Concubine Li asked in discomfort.

Sima Zhenren smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty is working hard for the state affairs and has no time to see me. In fact, it doesn't matter whether you see Your Majesty or not, but unfortunately those elixirs..."

Concubine Li smiled and interrupted him: "Maybe I can help the real person?"

"this……"

Sima Zhenren looked ecstatic, "I would like to thank the Empress here first."

Concubine Li shook her head: "Don't rush to thank the real person. No matter what you do, you have to follow the rules. Does the real person meet the saint through the channels of this palace? Isn't it any sign of it?"

Originally, Sima Zhenren didn't look down on the women around Zhu Houzhao because this playful and playful young emperor was different from the monarchs of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor's women originally had the title of concubines and were officially enthroned by the imperial court. However, now Zhu Houzhao is completely useless and is reluctant to give a title. The women around her have changed one after another. The so-called status and respect for these women are extremely short-lived. They finally curry favor with one, but they fall out of favor tomorrow, which is equivalent to doing useless work in vain and may even be implicated.

Zhu Houzhao was the favorite concubine who was fighting in front of him, and she was not as good as a Taoist priest.

But the situation is different now. In front of Zhenren Sima, there is a mountain Zhang Yuan, and Qian Ning is missing, so he has to make some compromises.

Sima Zhenren said, "If Empress Dowager has instructions, I am willing to be driven away!"

...

...

Concubine Li would not believe Sima Zhenren's nonsense, but now is the critical moment for her to expand her power.

Even if Zhang Yuan is willing to cooperate with her, she still has to consider the conflict of interest behind the two parties and can only make a false concession. On the contrary, people like Xiao Zhuozi and Sima Zhenren who have not entered the core power are more worthy of her win over.

Although Qian Ning did not have the capital to gain a foothold in the court, he was appreciated by Zhu Houzhao. In addition, his status in the Leopard Room was unshakable, which forced Concubine Li to find another partner.

With the help of Concubine Li, Sima Zhenren finally met Zhu Houzhao and presented elixirs to please the emperor. Not only did he receive a lot of rewards, he also received the token of free entry and exit of the palace.

Because of Zhu Houzhao's gift, Sima Zhenren obtained the opportunity to meet the saint, and then he no longer took the previous agreement with Concubine Li seriously.

However, it seems that Concubine Li didn't demand too much, which made Xiao Guozi feel very uncomfortable.

Originally, Zhu Houzhao only had to plot against two competitors Zhang Yuan and Qian Ning, but now there is a Sima Zhenren who is neither an enemy nor a friend, which further reduces his presence around the emperor.

Xiao Guozi was well-informed. He knew that this was caused by Concubine Li, so he went to Concubine Li to complain, which was actually a disguised expression of his dissatisfaction.

"...Empress, this Sima Zhenren is not a good person. I tried to bribe him before. He promised to sell himself and defect to him. Not long after, I saw Yi Siqian and got along with Qian Ning. He did not follow principles at all. In my opinion, the elixirs he refined were all fooling people..."

The little knitted boy was like a bitter person and talked endlessly, because he was so angry that he urgently needed someone to tell him about it.

Concubine Li held a cat in her arms, and gently stroked the cat with her hands, while saying in an understatement: "Isn't it good to have an extra partner?"

"But it depends on who you are working with." Xiao Zhuozi shook his head, "A despicable and shameless villain like Sima Zhenren is not worthy of winning over."

Li Fei put the cat down and looked up at Xiao Tiaozi: "No matter who it is, as long as it is disgusted by the enemy, it is worth buying and winning over. To unite all the forces that can be united. Perhaps Sima Zhenren cannot be used for us now, but when he is targeted by our enemies, he has no choice, and he will think that we can help him and then ask us for help... Everything we do now is just to lay the groundwork for the future!"

Xiao Zhuozi asked in surprise: "The Empress never intended to buy him?"

Li Fei said: "Grandpa Tiao, you must know that I have never bribed anyone. The bribery has to pay a price. And when the price offered cannot satisfy a person, he will betray... The cooperation between me and Grandpa Tiao is the same. There is no saying that anyone does things for anyone. They seek profits on their own, but they are just mutual benefit."

Xiao Guozi couldn't quite understand it. In the environment and system he was in, forming an alliance was actually very unreliable. It was far better to buy a few more subordinates to be stable.
Chapter completed!