Chapter 321 The Empress's Chess Game
Chapter 321 The Empress's Chess Game (Two in One)
Did Xu Zhenguan want to be a wise ruler?
There is no doubt about it. Even if we don't look at it from the perspective of our heart, just from a practical point of view, she must acquire such an image.
In Zhao Du'an's previous life, he looked through history and found that Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was very interesting. This emperor wanted to be a good emperor in the eyes of the world throughout his life. The reason was nothing more than "obtaining the country in an unjust way."
Just like when launching a war, one must first have a legitimate reason so that one can stand firm.
If Xu Zhenguan wanted to secure her position as empress, she needed to address those criticisms.
"She obtained the power by unjust means"... This is the rumor that the Kuangfu Society has been spreading all the time, and it has been widely circulated. The story about her killing her brother and father to seize power is naturally a fabricated rumor.
But even if this rumor was dispelled, she, as a woman, ascended the throne and became a rare empress without the imperial edict of the late emperor and the crown prince. In the eyes of the people of the world, this was already considered "improper".
If the name is not correct, the words will not be correct.
Therefore, Xu Zhenguan paid special attention to his words and actions.
When faced with many constraints, she did not choose to rely on the imperial power or her cultivation to act arbitrarily, but instead tied her own hands and feet in a somewhat aggrieved manner, and did everything according to the "rules".
It’s very interesting that as the person in the world who is most qualified to break the rules, the empress is the one who cares the most about “rules”.
However, tonight, someone broke this rule, forcing the empress to make a choice.
……
"I was actually surprised."
Inside the carriage, Zhao Duan stared at the candlestick lampshade on the table and said softly:
"Your Majesty actually sent you here."
Mo Chou looked at him quietly, as if she understood something:
"So, you are worried that His Majesty can't make this decision, or you don't want His Majesty to make a decision, so you choose to take action?
As long as Gao Lian dies, the southern nobles will still lose this fight. If you act secretly, you will solve His Majesty's urgent problem.
But have you ever thought about what outsiders would think? What would the southern nobles and officials of the Li Party think? They would not be able to tell who did it, they would only think it was Your Majesty who did it. "
Zhao Duan looked calm, looked at her quietly, and said with a smile:
"But it's better than asking you to do it yourself. Many things, even if they are done right, will be different after all."
"Even if outsiders can't tell the difference? Can't distinguish it?" Mo Chou retorted.
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"As time goes by, the truth will always come out. At least I will do it. Even if Your Majesty is temporarily misunderstood, as time goes by, the truth will be clarified one day. But if it is really Your Majesty who did it, it cannot be cleared."
Mo Chou is silent.
At this moment, she was a little dazed and absent-minded: "So, what you did tonight was to protect your Majesty's reputation as a wise ruler?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "What else?"
Mo Chou looked at him quietly for a long time, then shook her head and said, "I don't believe it. You must have other thoughts in mind."
Her expression suddenly became strange: "You are not trying to get rid of harm for the people, are you?"
Zhao Duan was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. His fur stood up and he glared, "Don't slander the bad guys! Do I look like a foolish knight who stands up for justice?"
Don't slander bad people...
"..." For a moment, Mochou had a mouthful of saliva stuck in her throat and was unable to speak.
So, is fairness and justice something dirty and shameful to you?
Oh, yes, a scumbag like you... indeed...
These four words "eliminate harm for the people" should not be associated with your name at all.
Well, he came here and deliberately brought up the topic because he wanted to show off his merits and demonstrate his contribution in helping His Majesty share the worries. His ultimate goal was to curry favor with His Majesty and covet his body... It barely made sense... Mochou nodded, feeling that she had found a reasonable explanation for Zhao's behavior tonight.
But I still feel that this guy is a little insincere...
"You shouldn't be involved in this matter," Mo Chou exhaled and said stiffly:
"Your Majesty has told you before that you don't need to worry about the conviction of Gao Lian."
Zhao Duan smiled frivolously and said, "It's okay. Those who are capable should do more work."
Mo Chou was so angry that her head hurt. She raised her hand and pressed it on the small table in front of her, as if to increase her authority with this action:
"Your Majesty is protecting you. He doesn't want you to be drawn into a more complicated vortex too soon. Do you understand?!"
Zhao Duan blinked his innocent eyes, showing his innocence: "What do you mean?"
Mo Chou said unhappily:
"Do you really think that His Majesty only has you at his disposal? The investigation is entirely up to you? In fact, His Majesty has long since discovered that the Prince Jing's Mansion was behind the Taicang case. Who do you think Song Tiju, who submitted the report and then disappeared, belongs to?"
Zhao Duan frowned and became a little more serious: "You mean, he is Prince Jing's subordinate?"
Mochou nodded and sighed:
"According to the clues Your Majesty has now, it is very likely that Song Tiju was picked up by the secret agents of Prince Jing's Mansion and fled to Jiancheng Road after sending the letter of accusation. The reason why he reported at this critical moment and stirred up this storm was to put the blame on Li Yanfu and the southern nobles."
No wonder the evidence left by Song Tiju was so abundant. I was wondering how a small Tiju could investigate without anyone noticing... If it was done by Prince Jing's Mansion, it would make sense...
Zhao Duan's face became serious: "Keep talking!"
He had already guessed most of it in his mind, but he still needed confirmation from Big Ice.
Seeing that he had already gotten involved, Mo Chou simply did not hide it and said:
"The first step of your new policy is to open a market on the border of the Huai River, and then to distribute the tax according to the amount of land... When the news came out, the century-old families in the south were the most concerned.
Firstly, the imperial court wanted to make money from them through financial management.
Secondly, those big families own the most land, which makes people uneasy.
The Eighth Prince is even more unwilling to see the court implement the new policy smoothly and will certainly take action to stop it.
Therefore, Prince Jing is likely to set up a game, using Song Tiju as a chess piece to detonate the "Taicang Silver Mine" bomb, thereby provoking conflicts between Your Majesty and the Li Party, and between the court and the southern gentry. "
“This is an open conspiracy, because even if Your Majesty is suspicious, it is difficult for him to ignore it. Moreover, the implementation of the new policy is bound to collide with the interests of the aristocracy. This matter cannot be avoided or evaded.
Moreover, at that time, Your Majesty did not know that this matter was related to Prince Jing, so you were sent there, first, to investigate the case; second, to kill the chicken to scare the monkey and rectify the administration; third, to warn the southern nobles. "
"And after Gao Lian came to Beijing, he did indeed attract resistance from the Li Party... Among the people who came to Beijing recently, the second master of the Shen family, Jiancheng, is the most important."
Zhao Duan interrupted, "Shen family? Which clan is Gao Lian's father-in-law from?"
He learned about this when he was younger than Gao Lian.
Mochou nodded and said:
“According to the secret investigation by the shadow guards, the Shen family has most likely already defected to Prince Jing’s Mansion. On the surface, their visit to Beijing was a normal lobbying operation, but in fact, the people they came into contact with were mainly Li Dang officials in Beijing.
And Wang Chusheng's sudden death tonight, judging from his behavior, is not something Li Yanfu would do."
Zhao Duan's eyes suddenly became sharp:
"You mean, the one who silenced Wang Chusheng might be the Second Master of the Shen Family? His purpose... was to further provoke conflict between Your Majesty and Li Yanfu?"
At this moment, with several key clues completed, the entire chain of evidence in his mind became clear:
In order to obstruct the implementation of the new policy, Prince Jing tried to stir up conflicts between the empress and the "Li Party".
Detonating the Taicang Silver Mine was only the first step, and instigating the second master of the Shen family to kill people was the second step.
...Once the murder was revealed, everyone would suspect Li Yanfu, and Li Yanfu was firmly tied to the Jiangnan gentry and could not be separated from them. In this way, the furious empress would naturally further suppress the "Li Party"...
If Li Yanfu continues to stick to his original strategy, shrinking his power and abandoning some members in exchange for the survival of the entire Li Party, it will inevitably lead to the disunity of his subordinates...
In order to keep his position as the "party leader", he went to war with the empress, which would cause the newly stabilized political situation to become unstable again... The implementation of the new policy would be hindered...
At the same time, the Shen family took advantage of the "lobbying" opportunity to openly contact the other officials of the "Li Party" in Beijing. It is hard to say that they did not extend an "olive branch" to Prince Jing and secretly win him over...
Zhao Duan’s mind was full of thoughts and he took a deep breath.
I felt that the fog that had been covering my eyes since I arrived at Taicang Prefecture suddenly dissipated.
"So, even if I didn't catch Wang Chusheng, Prince Jing's Mansion might find a way to send him to me..."
"The assassination attempt on my return to the capital was most likely not aimed at Gao and Wang, but at me... If I, the imperial envoy, die, and the blame is put on Gao Lian or Li Yanfu... it will further provoke the conflict between Your Majesty and the Li Party... After all, the one with the greatest motive to assassinate me, apart from the Kuangfu Society, is the Li Party involved in the silver mine case..."
Zhao Duan whispered to himself. For the first time since he traveled through time, he felt a little horrified.
One thing leads to another, and it turns out that the silver mine case was just a trigger.
The real battlefield was in the capital from beginning to end.
If there is a chessboard of heaven and earth outlined by the territory between the capital and Prince Jing's Mansion.
Zhao Duan was the chariot pushed out by the empress, which crossed the river and captured an enemy horse.
And this crappy horse was sent out intentionally by Prince Jing, and the pawn with the crappy horse was Wang Chusheng.
Mo Chou sighed softly and said helplessly:
"So, you know why His Majesty doesn't want you to get involved, right? In a fight of this level, your current position is not high enough to get on the table."
Zhao Duan rarely responded, but said with a strange look:
"Speaking of which, Zhen... Your Majesty had already anticipated that Wang Chusheng would be silenced, right?"
If Zhenbao had already seen through the real opponent in this game when he returned to Beijing to report, would he really not have provided sufficient protection for Wang Chusheng?
Or are you just letting it all go?
After all, if Wang Chusheng was not dead, then according to the current situation, Li Yanfu's best efforts could at most prolong the case, try to keep Gao Lian alive temporarily, and then seek subsequent turning points.
In the end, the game ended with the execution of Gao Lian, and the empress once again warned the Li party.
In the final analysis, it was nothing more than a routine weakening of the Li Party, similar to the overthrow of Pei Kaizhi.
And if we let Mr. Shen kill people, he would kill Gao Lian.
First of all, the empress will still win this battle, and this major premise will not change.
The majesty of the imperial court and the purpose of deterring local officials can still be achieved.
Secondly, although it seemed that Prince Jing's conspiracy succeeded, the premise for Prince Jing's success was that the empress was enraged and severely punished Li Yanfu, and even because of this silencing incident, she launched a thunderous revenge on the entire Li Party and the southern gentry behind them!
In other words, Prince Jing was trying to provoke and get the Empress to take the upper hand.
As soon as Empress Hong Wen came to power, she no longer maintained her image as a "wise ruler" and began to destroy the Li Party by force.
Then Prince Jing’s goal was achieved.
but……
"What if Zhenbao doesn't fall for it?"
This thought suddenly came to Zhao Duan’s mind.
"What if Zhenbao didn't fall for it and didn't use thunderous means to attack the Li Party, but instead tried to win them over and divide them? With Li Yanfu's wisdom, he would definitely realize that he was tricked by the Shen family and Prince Jing. Perhaps he has already prepared for a direct battle with Zhenbao...
But as long as Zhenbao doesn't get carried away and chooses to put away his rage, or pour it on the Shen family, instead of pursuing other people... In this way, Li Yanfu can be stabilized, and the division within the Li Party can be completed, thereby weakening it..." The more Zhao Duan thought about it, the clearer his mind became.
He suddenly thought of the conversation he had with the old supervisor.
Sun Lianying once told him that Zhenbao was using the "new policy to open the market" to win over and divide the gentry of the Dayu Dynasty.
Zhao Duan only listened to the old eunuch's words at the time and didn't take them too seriously. But now thinking back on it, wasn't it some kind of hint?
Prince Jing placed pieces on the chessboard, trying to trick the empress into getting angry and strike at the Li Party.
The more the Li Party is hit, the more united they will be. With the help of Mr. Shen's solicitation, they may gradually turn to Prince Jing.
The empress pretended to be ignorant and deliberately got involved in the game. When the time was right, she could just turn around and split the Li Party.
"Well... this move is not perfect, because in the final analysis, it only temporarily stabilizes Li Yanfu, but cannot make him return to his loyalty. Moreover, this divisive situation will further force the situation to become tense... But, where in the world is there a perfect move?"
Zhao Duan closed his eyes unconsciously.
Many thoughts were rising and falling in my brain, as if I could "see" this game with the earth as the chessboard and all the officials as chess pieces.
"Hiss...I think I underestimated Zhenbao." Zhao Duan thought with a bit of toothache.
"Lord Zhao?" Inside the carriage, Mochou saw that he had been silent for a long time and seemed to be distracted, so she finally couldn't help but call him softly.
"Oh, sorry, I just thought of something." Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Where were we talking about?"
"..." Mo Chou said speechlessly: "You ask me about Wang Chusheng's death..."
"Ahaha, I just said it casually. Think about it, it's impossible." Zhao Duan interrupted her and took the initiative to change the subject.
They had talked too much tonight.
As for how much truth or false his guess was, there was no need for him to answer the female official.
We'll know after we see how this matter ends.
Zhao Duan knew that many people in the capital could not sleep tonight.
"Then I won't delay you from returning to the palace to report?" Zhao Duan asked with a smile.
“…” Mochou sighed.
Zhao Duan jumped out of the carriage with a smile, took two steps, and suddenly turned back to add: "By the way, don't forget to greet His Majesty for me, okay?"
After saying this, without waiting for Da Bingtuozi to get angry, he put on the grease and ran towards the imperial yamen.
Mo Chou rubbed her forehead with a headache and ordered, "Return to the palace."
……
……
Prime Minister's Mansion.
"Father, father!"
Li Yanfu had just laid down and wanted to take a nap to prepare for tomorrow's troubles.
An ordinary person would suffer from insomnia if encountering such a thing, but the prime minister, who had experienced countless hardships in his life, had the ability to force himself to fall asleep.
However, after sleeping for a while, I heard the voice of Buxiaozi coming from outside the door.
Li Yanfu woke up with a start, his right eyelid twitching uncontrollably. For the first time ever, he did not reprimand his son for his behavior. Instead, he got up on his own initiative and walked out the door in his loose pajamas.
"What's the matter?" The old man opened the door and went straight to the point.
Li Yinglong's robe was stained with night dew, his face looked extremely ugly, and he said almost tremblingly: "Gao Lian is dead."
Li Yanfu's breathing tightened.
He held the door with both hands and stared at his son: "How did he die?"
"They said it was a sudden death. There were no injuries, except for a bitten finger. He died while sitting cross-legged in the cell. There was a confession written in his own blood on the ground in front of him."
Li Yinglong quickly described the intelligence he had obtained:
"Before he died, there was no movement. It was Mo Zhaorong who discovered it. She led a team of people out of the palace and went to the Ministry of Justice's prison. She specifically asked to interrogate Gao Lian alone. It took only a short while for him to be in and out, and he was dead.
The people over there said that when Mo Zhaorong went in, the person was already dead, but how is that possible? Clearly, someone went to see when Wang Chu was alive or dead, and Gao Lian was fine at the time. "
Li Yinglong was also anxious. He finished speaking in one breath, his face twitching as he said:
"Father! It was His Majesty who did it! It must have been His Majesty who sent Mo Zhaorong to kill him, and he didn't even bother to hide it!"
Don’t even pretend!
We all know how to do it behind people's backs when we kill people!
The young minister felt a chill down his spine after being frightened by the loss of two lives tonight.
Li Yanfu remained silent, with an expression of "unexpected, but reasonable" on his face.
There was an inexplicable hint of mockery in his eyes. The Shen family... Haha, they were just a noble family living in a corner. How could they have ever seen a real bloody storm? Did they really think that they had the courage to run rampant in the capital just because they were associated with the "Eighth King"?
These rats from the south only knew that the empress was a woman, but had they ever witnessed the scene of the Xuanmen coup d'état with their own eyes?
"Prepare the carriage." Li Yanfu sighed and said calmly, "Tell the servants to help me dress. I want to go to the palace to meet the emperor."
Things have come to this point, and he knows that he can't avoid what is coming.
It has to be faced eventually.
"Father, it's so late, Your Majesty should rest, why not tomorrow..."
"I want you to prepare the car!"
Li Yinglong was so frightened by the reprimand that he trembled in fear and hurried to make arrangements. This minister who thought he had seen all the ups and downs in the court only realized his own immaturity at this moment.
At least when it comes to the crisis of the Li Party's survival and the Li family's prosperity and decline, his shoulders are far less capable than those of his aging father.
……
The palace is brightly lit.
Xu Zhenguan sat in the imperial study, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.
She didn't open her bright eyes until she heard familiar footsteps outside the door.
"Your Majesty, I'm back." Mo Chou bowed respectfully before stepping over the threshold and entering the room.
Xu Zhenguan said "yes" and asked with a smile: "How is it?"
"Gao Lian is dead, and he left a confession. We have arranged for someone to tell the public tomorrow that he committed suicide out of fear of punishment." Mochou said.
"Very good," Xu Zhenguan said calmly. His pale face looked like a gilded Buddha in the light. "Anything else?"
Mo Chou lowered her head, took a deep breath, and said:
"But it was not me who executed him. Someone had already done it for Your Majesty just before I arrived."
Xu Zhenguan was obviously stunned and showed genuine surprise.
Fortunately, Mochou didn't let her wait too long and spit out Zhao Duan's name.
He recounted in detail how he met Zhao Duan after leaving the prison and what they said in the carriage.
This matter could not be concealed, and the other guards saw it.
Of course, more importantly, Mochou was able to assist the empress in handling state affairs as a maid, and the most important thing was that she never concealed anything from the empress, let alone deceived her.
Even though she was a "rival in love", she was extremely reluctant to take credit for Zhao Duan, but she still did not hide it.
Mo Chou still clearly remembered that when she was in the Third Emperor's Palace, she had asked Sun Lianying for advice. At that time, the old eunuch did not say anything profound, but only taught her a simple and plain truth:
"As slaves, we only need to serve our masters wholeheartedly and not lie to them. That is our duty."
Mo Chou wrote this sentence on her sleeve, and would read it whenever she had nothing to do. She has been acting according to this advice ever since.
Without ever having done anything to gain personal advantage, she became the head of the six female officials in the imperial court. Without having the slightest desire for power, she became the "Miss Mo" who walked for the empress.
"Zhao Duan?" The empress was stunned, with an extremely complicated expression. After a long while, she just asked: "So, he finally asked you to pay respects to me on his behalf?"
"Yes." Mochou nodded honestly.
Xu Zhenguan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said in an indescribable way: "You are honest and have repeated everything. If he said something indecent to me, would you have repeated it too?"
Mo Chou, who used to be smart, suddenly didn't understand what the empress meant. She was stunned and confused: "This..."
Fortunately, she didn't hesitate for too long before she heard someone outside the door report: "Prime Minister Li Yanfu wants to see you."
In the room, the smiling Xu Zhenguan restrained his relaxed look and pursed his red lips:
"Xuan."
……
The night is extremely dark.
Li Yanfu stepped into the Meridian Gate and walked on the dark square. He wrapped himself tightly in his scarlet official robe because of the cold.
As far as he could remember, it had been a long time since he had entered the palace to meet the emperor so late at night.
At first, the old emperor ignored state affairs in his later years and just left the cabinet affairs to him to deal with. Secondly, the prince also shared the meal box with him.
From then on, there were fewer opportunities to enter the palace late at night.
During the three years since the empress ascended the throne, the Li Party was constantly suppressed. The empress supported the Qingliu Party to check and balance him. Whenever there was something, she would summon members of the Imperial Party or the Qingliu Party into the palace.
"Woo-"
The cold wind of the autumn night blew over Li Yanfu's robe as he walked across the square and was led to a side hall.
He was ready to be left here by the angry empress and stay awake until dawn.
I remember that the late emperor once got angry and left him alone to wait for three full hours. It was winter and there was heavy snow.
Li Yanfu stood in the snow-covered palace until he was almost collapsed, and that was when he started to feel the pain in his bones.
He thought that he would have to go through this tonight so that His Majesty could calm down.
However, to his great surprise, when the eunuch led him to the side hall, he saw Empress Dayu standing under the eaves, waiting quietly.
Xu Zhenguan smiled gently and said, "The Prime Minister is old, how can he work so hard? Come and sit down and drink some soup."
Li Yanfu was stunned, and suddenly realized that the third princess in front of him was very different from the deceased emperor.
(End of this chapter)