Chapter 66: The Empress is worried, the Minister sends an invitation When Zhao Duan and Pei Siniang reached a cooperation and completed the first step of the plan. royal palace. A conversation was also going on in the imperial study. "…The above is the direction and movement of the various government offices after the morning court today." The "female prime minister" Mo Zhaorong, who was wearing a female official robe and a wingless black gauze on her head and had a rather androgynous beauty, closed the book in her hand. She raised her head and looked at the fairy-like figure standing by the window with her back to her. There was no concealment in her eyes; as a woman, she admired the empress's beauty. Queen Dayu placed her hands lightly on the windowsill, gazing towards a lake in the distance. Her white clothes were whiter than snow, and the scenery of the lake and mountains was reflected in her eyes. Without looking back, she only opened her red lips:
"How is the Privy Council?" "Everyone is already feeling insecure. I'm afraid that with such a huge momentum, it will be even more difficult to catch the traitor." In the past two days, the empress has made a big fuss about the firearms craftsman case, causing panic in the court. Not only the Privy Council, but all the civil and military officials in the court kept a low profile and kept their heads down, for fear of angering the empress at this juncture. Xu Zhenguan shook his head and sighed: "When those people in Prince Jing's Mansion were arrested, the traitors in the court had already withdrawn their hands and feet and hid under the surface. I didn't expect to catch them." Just as what the empress and Yuan Li discussed that day when they were playing chess in the garden. In the current situation, Xu Zhenguan focuses on "defense" rather than "attack". It is not easy to grab a thread and pull out a large number of internal traitors. Besides, is such a brutal method really the best solution? not necessarily! As an emperor, one must not tolerate any sand in one's eyes, but must also learn to turn a blind eye... This is the truth she learned from reading Taizu's daily records. It is unrealistic to expect all officials to be loyal. The correct way to manage a person is to allow those under you to have different intentions. Killing a chicken to scare the monkey from time to time is just a kind of unspoken understanding between the monarch and his subjects. So, when all the civil and military officials in the court thought that Xu Zhenguan was doing his best to screen and look for corrupt officials. Little did they know that the empress's real purpose was just to intimidate the ministers and make those "traitors" completely lie dormant and quiet for a period of time. She joined hands with Yuan Li to weave a big net of strangulation, which was quietly spread out under the cover of this huge storm. Mingxiu plank road, dark Chencang. Mo Chou smiled and said, "Your Majesty's move will surely exceed many people's expectations."
Xu Zhenguan was not optimistic: "Has Lord Yuan sent any news? How is the progress?" Mo Chou hesitated and said: "No, Minister Pei has deep roots in the court. It is not easy to move him, even with Lord Yuan's ability. But after so long in preparation, I think the only thing missing is an 'opportunity'." Opportunity...helplessness flashed across Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes. Minister Pei is the mainstay of the "Li Party" and has been operating for many years. How could it be so easy to find a breakthrough? If her power was stable, she could use her position as an emperor to kill him on the pretext of "false accusation", but she was not stable enough... Even a cultivator at the Heavenly Man Realm is powerless in the face of the political situation, as this is not a game that can be played with violence. Xu Zhenguan suddenly had an idea: "Tell me, if Zhao Duan comes to bite, can he bite a hole?" Mo Chou said helplessly: "Your Majesty, you may not think too highly of this man! How can the petty quarrels with the Zhang brothers be compared with the bloody battles in the imperial court?" She felt that the empress had been bewitched again and her impression of Zhao Duan became worse. "I was just saying it casually." Xu Zhenguan smiled in her beautiful eyes: "I just thought you had a bad impression of him, so I just teased you. I know that he is just a little ant and has no ability to participate in such a big event." Although Zhao Duan's performance twice in a row impressed the empress. But in the final analysis, they are all just clever tricks that are not worthy of being put on the stage. Taking advantage of the power of another to deceive a minor boss and please her... as well as dealing with the two brothers of the Zhang family, are all just "funny stories". The involvement in the "Prince Jing's Mansion" case was purely accidental. Of course, she would not be so foolish as to think that Zhao Duan, who was a little clever, was really capable of participating in the storm to strangle Minister Pei. Yuan Li would never tell the empress about her unintentional move. "I am just giving an objective evaluation," Mochou breathed a sigh of relief, looking cold: "He is definitely not a good person. Your Majesty, don't be fooled by his appearance." Xu Zhenguan smiled. At this moment, a gentle breeze blew outside the window, and her black hair fluttered in the wind. The empress narrowed her eyes: "Is the wind blowing?"... Baima Prison is Zhao Duan’s duty room. "He's not in now?" The sudden visit of the old eunuch with gray hair and sunken eye sockets startled the white servants who stayed behind. A servant said: "My envoy went out this morning."
Sun Lianying frowned: "Where did you go?" Although the Baimajian Envoy was not an official position, he had more flexibility when he was out. But you cannot skip work at will, and your whereabouts must be recorded if you go out. The servant trembled and held out a blank registration book: "Your Excellency never likes to write about these things." "Humph," Sun Lianying asked with a slightly unhappy look, "Did he say what he was going to do or who he was going to meet this morning?" The servant said, "The envoy's good friend Qin Qiu came to visit this morning..." A detailed description follows. And Sun Lianying's expression became uglier as she listened. In the end, he just walked away without saying a word. The old eunuch had originally learned that Zhao Duan had made great contributions, and his impression of him changed. It was thought that after the "Zhuang Xiaocheng" case, he had gained enlightenment and turned over a new leaf. Therefore, I came here in a good mood and wanted to give him some advice. This is to prevent Zhao Duan, who is too young to understand the unspoken rules in officialdom, from falling into traps. But after learning that he was once again hanging out with Qin Qu, a playboy whom he despised, and that they were even arm in arm, calling each other brothers, and even openly skipping work to go out and have fun. The impression that had been reversed turned bad again. There was disappointment in Sun Lianying's weathered face and old eyes. "The prodigal son returns? Is it just a flash in the pan?" "Or is there another reason?" Not sure... Well, let's wait and see. He shook his head and walked back to the back hall, pretending that he had not been there that day. …… …… The next few days were uneventful. Zhao Duan occasionally hung out with Qin Qiu in order to paralyze those who might be spying on him secretly. The dandy persona cannot collapse and must be maintained. Only in this way can people be sure that a villain like him with a stain all over his body would never join hands with Yuan Li and work for the Censorate. There was no news from Pei Si Niang for a long time, and she did not appear in the theater again.
In terms of spiritual practice, I have been trekking in the desert, which is boring and tedious. Until another morning. Zhao Duan pushed open the bedroom door and felt refreshed by the cold and damp wind outside the window. Dark clouds came last night, and today it is drizzling, and it is drizzling in Beijing again. Eugene Hua hurried across the courtyard in the rain, holding an oil-paper umbrella and wearing a dress made of Shu brocade. Because the wind blew on the umbrella, half of my body got slightly wet. "Why is Auntie here?" Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows, raised his hand to put on his inner garment, and slowly buttoned it up one by one. Eugene stopped outside the door, turned sideways to avoid looking at her stepson, and took out a dry letter from her bosom with one hand: "Someone just knocked on the door and handed me this letter, asking you to open it yourself. Auntie is worried that it is an important matter, and the servants have delayed me, so..." "understood." Zhao Duan took it, tore it open and scanned it. With a gleam in his eyes, he said to Eugene Hua who was waiting under the porch: "I won't have breakfast at home. Pack me a few meat buns. I'm going out right away." The letter was sent by Pei Si Niang. Speaking of his father, Minister Pei has agreed to meet with him. But he was asked to go alone and in a low-key manner, and was given a time and place, which was this morning. “Rainy days are good for fishing…” Zhao Duan took a deep breath and clenched his fists: "After waiting for so many days, the big fish finally took the bait." (End of this chapter)