"What happened in Yangzhou has nothing to do with Prime Minister Li..." Zhao Jiu paused for a moment before making a formal statement. "It's a pity that a child has convulsions, but it's also a common thing. It's not worth shaking up the overall situation."

"I don't agree with that."

The voice of opposition came from Lu Haowen, who had not expressed opposition to others for a long time, and this made Zhao Jiu, who was sitting on the throne, almost helpless.

"That's right." Xu Jingheng also stepped out of the line and faced him seriously. "Your Majesty, this matter is not about whether you are magnanimous or not, and whether you are willing to let Li Gongxiang go; nor is it about how much the matter itself is related to Li Gongxiang... Li Gongxiang is a super-ranking Pingzhang Xianggong, who is in charge of military and political affairs in Yangzhou and controls the southeast. To put it bluntly, it is the emperor who entrusted the southeast land, the southeast people, as well as the empress dowager, the virtuous concubine, and the royal heir to him... Under such a premise, let alone the death of the royal heir is related to the mutiny, the mutiny was caused by him, even if it has nothing to do with him, he will still be responsible for it!"

"Your Majesty." Wang Boyan also stepped forward and followed with a serious expression. "Although the heir to the throne does not have the title of crown prince, he has the status of crown prince in reality. To Li Gongxiang, he is half the crown prince in name... If you do not punish Li Gongxiang, you will put him in the position of a traitor. In fact, Your Majesty might as well think about it. If a crown prince is lost outside your body, someone has to be held responsible. If you do not punish Li Gongxiang, do you have to punish the Queen Mother or Concubine Pan?"

"Your Majesty." Lu Yihao stood up helplessly at this time. "I have always thought that Li Gang was rude and incompetent, and I have always been at odds with him, but I used to be the governor of the southeast, and I know a thing or two about Yangzhou... When Tokyo fell, the emperor settled the empress dowager, the virtuous concubines, the royal heirs, and even the royal family in Yangzhou and the southeast. The dignitaries heard the news and moved there. There were countless wealthy families and nobles, and many of them brought gold and silver treasures... Therefore, once they heard about the war, they lost control, which was also a reasonable thing. So the chaos in Yangzhou this time really can't be blamed on Li Gong."

The four ministers expressed their opinions one by one, and there was complete silence… The only one who had previously criticized Li Gang is now the only one protecting Li Gang. Those who previously wanted to maintain the stability of the court have now all expressed their intention to punish Li Gang… This is politics, reasonable politics.

"Then forget it." Zhao Jiu was helpless. "He has been dismissed from his post, so he doesn't have to travel all the way to Tokyo, and he doesn't have to be promoted to the imperial court. He can find a small state near his hometown and ask Li Xianggong to settle him down for a while, so that he can take care of the people's livelihood and make use of his remaining energy."

The four ministers breathed a sigh of relief together, but they did not dare to be negligent. The Shangshu Yushi, Bachelor's Degree and other officials around them were also as quiet as before, because everyone knew that there were too many troubles today.

"Now that Li Gang is gone, may I ask the emperor, who will replace him as the governor of the southeast? Or will there be no more envoys to the southeast after Yue Fei puts down the rebellion? Will there only be ordinary transport envoys, pacification envoys, and military governors?" Lu Haowen did not dare to delay because this matter could not be delayed.

"I think we should appoint a prime minister to be in charge of the southeast," Zhao Jiu said bluntly. "It should not be dismissed lightly."

"Please give me clear instructions, Your Majesty." Lu Haowen also became serious.

"Because Dongjing is located on the front line, if the Jin army comes again and gathers a large army here, it may not be safe." Zhao Jiu answered frankly. "And if it cannot be saved, we still have to retreat to Nanyang. At that time, Bashu, Jingxiang, and the southeast were naturally divided. If there were no envoys and ministers stationed here, there would be chaos. For the same reason, the Queen Mother and the royal family are in Yangzhou, and it is not easy to recall Dongjing."

"So, Your Majesty, are you not going to negotiate peace with the Jin people?" Lu Haowen suddenly changed the subject. "Your Majesty, this peace negotiation was initiated by the Jin people, and they sent envoys with the two princesses. It was not initiated by us, and it does not violate the opinion of Huai Shang...Everyone in Tokyo City is looking forward to it."

"Of course I know that the Jin people took the initiative to negotiate peace this time, and they did not violate the words of Huai Shang." Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhao sneered. "Besides, they also sent back two princesses, so I can't chase them away... But if we want to negotiate peace, I also have expectations, but the Jin people must first return Taiyuan and northern Shaanxi, and hand over Zhe Keqiu and Liu Yu as a sign of sincerity, and then we can make specific discussions!"

This was just forced hooliganism, so there was finally a buzz below, and this time the ministers below the prime minister finally took the initiative to step forward.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Ziyu raised his voice. "The victory in early spring did not change the overall situation between Song and Jin. Now the Jin are still strong and Song is weak, and the offensive and defensive momentum has not wavered. Even the emperor himself said that the Jin will come again next time, and Tokyo may not be saved next time... In this case, why not postpone it for a while and discuss with them to delay it? If we can delay it for one or two years, two or three years, gather 200,000 elite soldiers, 100,000 soldiers, save three years of food and fodder, and hang a million gold and silver, we can go out of Taiyuan and fight the Jin army in the mountains, and then there is no need to worry about the overall situation being uncertain."

"Who else thinks peace can be negotiated?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly.

"I think it's okay." Hanlin scholar Li Ruopu also stepped out solemnly.

"I also think it is feasible." Li Guang, the Imperial Censor in the Palace, took a deep breath, then mustered up the courage to step out.

"I second the motion." Zhongshu Sheren Fan Zongyin followed suit.

"I think it's okay." Suddenly, Xu Jingheng also stepped out. "Your Majesty, it is good for us to negotiate peace at this time, and we..."

"I know!" Seeing that even the prime minister had come forward, Zhao Jiuqing knew that he could not bear it any longer, but he immediately interrupted the other party. "I know that you are all public-spirited. I know that Liu Canjun's father died in the Jingkang War, and only one person was left in his brother's family. I also know that Li Ruopu is Li Ruoshui's younger brother, and his brother is the most fierce and loyal person among the ministers who died in the Jingkang War. I also know that you, Prime Minister Xu, have always protected Li Boxi and Zong Zhongwu during the most difficult time in the court, and your heart is firm and loyal. I also know that Li Guang, the Imperial Censor, is a close friend of Prime Minister Li. He has made a statement at this time. If he is not careful, he will be doomed... I know that each of you is really selfless and really cares about the country. You don't want to surrender or kneel... But I just don't want to negotiate peace! If you want to negotiate peace, first deal with the matter of abolishing and enthroning, and then talk about this matter!"

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