After Mei Changsu pacified Beiping, King Jing successfully ascended the throne. On that day, Princess Jing and Concubine Jing took their children to play in the palace. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the old court minister Gao Gonggong coughed a few times. Princess Jing was concerned about the physical condition of Father-in-law Gao, and stepped forward with concern and said, "Father-in-law, you are old, you need to wear more clothes, you see, the wind is rising again." When Gonggong Gao heard Princess Jing's words, he replied unhurriedly: "It's not that the wind is rising again, it's the wind in the palace wall that has never stopped." ”
Gao Gonggong is really a hidden person. One of his words, a pun. It not only responds to Princess Jing's concern, but also alludes to the environment they are in, reminding everyone to be vigilant at all times. This means not only being cautious in what you say and do, but also learning to observe the changes around you. Many people believe that in "Langya Bang", Gao Gonggong's wisdom and scheming are comparable to Concubine Jing. If Gonggong Gao participates in the power struggle, I am afraid that even Mei Changsu will be jealous. But Gao Gonggong chose Mingzhe to protect himself, which is why the audience loves him.
So, what did Grandpa Gao do to make everyone respect him? When King Jing had not yet emerged, he was ignored by Emperor Liang. King Jing returned from the battlefield, and he did not dare to go back to the house to rest, but took his subordinates to the palace to meet Emperor Liang first. However, Emperor Liang studied calligraphy with the crown prince and King Yu, and ignored King Jing. This made King Jing feel very cold. Therefore, when the little eunuch told King Jing that he was waiting outside the palace, the prince impatiently offered to let him wait outside. The little eunuch was so frightened that he hurriedly retreated. At this time, Gonggong Gao gave the prince a look.
Gao Gonggong glared at the prince, a detail that showed his dissatisfaction with the way the prince handled things. Although the crown prince is the future prince, Gao Gonggong judged based on his many years of experience by the emperor's side that it would be difficult for such a prince to become a Ming monarch in the future. Gao Gonggong's glare, also expressed sympathy for King Jing.
Although King Jing was not valued by his father, he always fulfilled his duties dutifully. Gao Gonggong is a smart and shrewd man, and he is very clear about his position and tasks. After Emperor Liang finished admiring the calligraphy, he cleaned up the table and reminded Emperor Liang that King Jing was waiting outside. Although the crown prince and King Yu were present at the time, these two people did not remind Emperor Liang, hoping that Emperor Liang would forget King Jing. But Gonggong Gao was not optimistic about these two princes, and he chose to inadvertently remind Emperor Liang while cleaning up his calligraphy.
Grandpa Gao's cleverness lies in his ability to skillfully handle all kinds of complex situations. He found that although King Jing didn't have anything to do, the way he reported his work made him feel that this person was suitable to be an emperor. In order to help King Jing win the heir, when Gonggong Gao accompanied Emperor Liang to visit the garden, he led Emperor Liang to Concubine Jing's Zhiluo Palace, so that Concubine Jing had the opportunity to regain favor and become the big boss of the harem.
When King Jing was promoted to the crown prince, Gonggong Gao personally went over to read the holy decree and stood in front of King Jing to constantly remind him how to observe the etiquette of the crown prince. These tasks were not within the scope of his duties, but his "one more word" made King Jing understand the characteristics of Emperor Liang's emphasis on etiquette, so that King Jing could strictly abide by etiquette at critical moments and avoid being caught by King Yu.
Overall, Gao Gonggong was a very intelligent man, and his shrewdness and wit provided important assistance to King Jing's success. His help to Meng Zhi and his concern for Concubine Jing and King Jing both demonstrated his wisdom and charisma. In that court of power struggle, Gao Gonggong may be able to gain some benefits from certain events.
However, for Meng Zhi, he didn't have much to do with this father-in-law. But even so, Gao Gonggong still used his way to save Meng Zhi once. After the death of the Empress Dowager, a period of mourning was established in the palace, and all entertainment activities were forbidden. The Prince, the always energetic young man, ventured at this time to drink, play music, and dance in the East Palace, completely ignoring his father's ban. His actions were undoubtedly challenging his father's authority, which made Emperor Liang feel extremely humiliated. When Emperor Liang found out about this, he angrily ordered Meng Zhi to seal off the East Palace.
Meng Zhi, the straightforward general, felt that there should be a clear imperial order to carry out such an action. He stubbornly hoped that the emperor would issue a holy decree so that the whole matter would have a clear basis. However, Emperor Liang did not do so. He understands that the crown prince has made mistakes, but he also has certain responsibilities as a father. Therefore, he chose to punish the prince with verbal reprimands, and perhaps over time, everything will return to its original state and the prince will still be able to secure his position.
But if he acted according to Meng Zhi's advice, it would be tantamount to explicitly abolishing the crown prince, which was not the result that Emperor Liang wanted. Gao Gonggong fully understands the thinking behind all this. Therefore, when Meng Zhi began to hesitate, Gao Gonggong immediately took action. He used the two brief commands of "passing on" and "returning to the palace" to clearly tell Meng Zhi what he should do now. Why did he help Meng Zhi? First of all, his kindness makes him reluctant to hurt others, even in this palace full of intrigue. Secondly, Meng Zhi is a loyal general, and he has a deep friendship with the emperor. He is one of the guardians of the Great Beam, and such a person cannot be bogged down by a struggle for power.
If something happens to Meng Zhi, then it will be difficult for Da Liang to find a more suitable person to take his place. At that time, King Jing may be pushed to this position, but he already has too many positions on his body, and his energy to participate in the succession will become even less. This is not good for King Jing. Therefore, Gao Gonggong decided to protect Meng Zhi. As for Su Zhe, although Gonggong Gao had never fought against him, he knew from the beginning that this person was not to be underestimated.
He had a hunch that Su Zhe would become an important character in this story, and his appearance would also bring unprecedented challenges and opportunities to Daliang. Su Zhe, who suddenly appeared in Jinling City, aroused everyone's doubts, and his identity was by no means simple. In the meticulous investigation, coupled with Xia Jiang's confession, Gao Gonggong gradually revealed Su Zhe's true identity. When Emperor Liang eagerly summoned Su Zhe, Gonggong Gao was keenly aware that Mei Changsu was in danger.
For Gao Gonggong, Mei Changsu's safety is insignificant. However, Mei Changsu's influence on King Jing cannot be ignored. Without the support of Mei Changsu, it would be difficult for King Jing to rise from an unknown prince to a crown prince. Therefore, Gao Gonggong made a decisive decision. When he saw Concubine Jing's maid ring coming to deliver sugar water, he quickly stepped forward and whispered: "Tell Niangniang that Mr. Su is not allowed to enter the palace." ”
When Yahuan conveyed it to Concubine Jing, she mentioned that Gonggong Gao deliberately lowered his voice. This move was meaningful, implying that Gao Gonggong was well aware of the impending crisis and took the risk to convey this important message to Concubine Jing. Lowering the voice not only avoided Emperor Liang's detection, but also highlighted the seriousness of the situation. Unfortunately, Mei Changsu was not able to learn of this warning in time, and stepped into the palace under the guidance of the guards.
In the confrontation between Mei Changsu and Xia Jiang, although Emperor Liang was not sure whether he was Lin Shu or not, he had no intention of letting go of Su Zhe in front of him. So, Emperor Liang assigned Gao Gonggong to present two glasses of wine. When Father-in-law Gao put the wine on the table, Mei Changsu immediately noticed that one of the glasses was poisoned wine. Facing Mei Changsu and Emperor Liang, Gonggong Gao stood in front of them, picked up one of the glasses of wine, and said, "This cup is Mr. Su's." Then, he looked embarrassed and pretended to be "old and confused".
Gao Gonggong's hint was not that he was really confused, but that he reminded Mei Changsu with good intentions: Emperor Liang can't tolerate you. His "pretending to be stupid" not only saved Mei Changsu, but also freed himself. It must be known that Gonggong Gao's unintentional words completely disrupted Emperor Liang's plan. If Emperor Liang couldn't deal with Mei Changsu, his anger would inevitably pour out on Gonggong Gao's head. And Gao Gonggong's pretending to be stupid was also just right, making Emperor Liang think that this "old thing" was really old and became confused.
When people are old and forgetful, they should not be held too accountable for doing wrong. As a result, Gao Gonggong was able to escape. After the incident, Gonggong Gao still stood firmly by Emperor Liang's side, and even Emperor Liang was still willing to confide in him. When Emperor Liang asked him suspiciously, "Do you believe Xia Jiang's words, he will really be Lin Shu?" Gao Gonggong only responded succinctly with two words: "I don't believe it." ”。
These two words are full of firmness, because Gonggong Gao has been in front of Emperor Liang all his life, and if such a person says affirmatively, it will undoubtedly be more convincing. His subsequent explanation, which was clearly organized, made Emperor Liang's doubts about Mei Changsu shift to Xia Jiang. If it weren't for Gao Gonggong's "disbelief", Mei Changsu's crisis might be difficult to resolve, and Xia Jiang might have a chance to turn over.
Gao Gonggong, he is like an old fox in a robe, he acts cunning but never takes the initiative to hurt people. He seems to be a villain, but in fact he is silently doing righteous things. Although he did not directly participate in the battle for succession, he was a master of palace fighting, and more importantly, he could maintain his innocence and not be tainted with any right and wrong. It is no wonder that such a person can serve two emperors. Because, he is the real master behind the scenes, and he controls everything quietly.