Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Hu Yin who were in Guanxi at that time, were the friends who had shared hardships when they fled to the Imperial College to avoid the war during the Jingkang Incident in the past. Then, they saw the opportunity at the same time when the emperor fell into the well in the Mingdao Palace, and then they caught the emperor's attention and rose to prominence one after another.

However, by now, the three of them have all reached high positions in the government, but it is difficult for them to be as frank and intimate as they were in the past when they shared a plate of ginger and fermented black beans... According to rumors, Zhao and Zhang have already been in a state of confrontation and are determined to fight to the death.

Of course, this is a bit ridiculous. The two were at most in opposition, which was far from the party struggle before Jing Kang.

And to be honest, this situation is not necessarily the so-called sharing of adversity but not of wealth. To a large extent, the three of them have grasped the secret. Once they have reached this position, it is difficult to continue to be close to each other... Because at this point, who doesn't have his own group of people? Who doesn't have his own political views? Who doesn't have his own ambition to leave a name in history?

How is it possible that people don’t have different opinions and behaviors? Once differences or structural contradictions arise, who should we listen to?

Of course, no matter what, this peace negotiation has brought the two of them together again.

"Brother Yuan Zhen, what do you think of today's incident?" After all, the two of them were so close that they didn't exchange unnecessary politeness when they met in private. Zhang Jun directly placed cold tea under the grapevines in his yard, drove away the servants, and then got straight to the point. "What exactly does the emperor mean?"

"I was thinking about this, too." Zhao Ding lost his prime minister's demeanor in front of Zhang Jun. He was panting and obviously panicked. "Today's incident was definitely not the government's doing. It was most likely that those people colluded with each other, and at most Wang Shu, Chen Gongfu, Hu Anguo and others fanned the flames..."

"Actually, I was somewhat lax about this." Zhang Jun suddenly interrupted, and was honest. "Although I didn't participate, I turned a blind eye to it."

"I've already said that the key to today's situation is not the situation itself. Even if you are behind the scenes, it has nothing to do with what we are talking about now." Zhao Ding shook his head repeatedly. "The key point today is that among the bureaucrats and scholars in the capital, those who advocate war are a minority after all, but the smoldering has become a fire burning the camps today, and the army, especially those preparing around Tokyo, are mostly people from the two rivers. There is no reason why there is a commotion here while the army is so quiet? What General Hu said today is actually too late. Unless..."

"Unless the emperor has made arrangements and said something in advance, I can't think of going anywhere else." Zhang Jun said. "And today the emperor only sent Lan Gui to suppress the riot easily, and what he said in the stone pavilion that day shows that the emperor has made up his mind and is bound to do something...Brother Yuan Zhen, to be honest, I am at a loss!"

"Who wouldn't be flustered?!" Zhao Ding shook his head repeatedly, but picked up the herbal tea and gulped it down in one gulp.

"Brother Yuan Zhen, I advocate war, you advocate defense; I am young, you are old; I am in charge of the cardinals, you are in charge of the world's affairs; I hope to conquer the north and establish the reputation of Ge Gong, you hope to assist the restoration of Wang Dao's career... But today, Wu and Yue should be in the same boat." Zhang Jun took a long breath, and then became serious. "I am in my private residence now, and there is no servant around. Do you want to speak first or should I?"

"I'll speak first." Zhao Ding put down the tea bowl heavily and gritted his teeth. "And to say something that is extremely treasonous... The government must not kill their fathers or brothers!"

"That's right! We must not let the emperor kill his father and brother... This is the basic principle! It is also a big worry in my mind!" Zhang Jun nodded heavily, but then he became panicked. "But what if? I thought about it. Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Li Yanxian, Yue Fei, and Wu Jie are all OK. What about Qu Duan, Zhang Rong, and Li Qiong? Qu Duan is a disobedient person. Zhang Rong was born a pirate and was forced to rebel by the Emperor Taishang Daojun. Li Qiong's army and the Eight Character Army he led are mostly refugees from Hebei who have a deep hatred for the Jin people... What if the emperor really did it?"

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate." Zhao Ding was also a little depressed. "It is a last resort. We can't let the government bear this bad reputation even if we bear it. There has never been a wise emperor who killed his father since ancient times. Emperor Taizong of Tang only killed his brother who was fighting for the throne, and his father was only imprisoned..."

"We have no choice but to do this, but if we take on this kind of thing, will people in the world believe it?" Zhang Jun also became depressed. "It would be better to let the Jin people in the north deal with it..."

"Ridiculous!" Zhao Ding immediately scolded. "Let's not talk about whether we can hide this from the people of the world and the history books. The emperor is so smart, how could he not know the pros and cons? Even if he hates the two saints, he may not do this... If we really do this, it will backfire. The emperor will lose the support of the people, the world will be unstable, and the Northern Expedition will be a long way off. We will also be sinners for all eternity."

Zhang Jun shook his head and said, "Then we should be prepared. Otherwise, it will be too late to regret once the emergency comes."

"Let Emperor Taishang Daojun go to Mingdao Palace as soon as he comes back! Let Yuansheng go to Dongxiao Palace!" Zhao Ding said gritting his teeth.

"What do the two queens say?"

"Send it to Yangzhou!"

"What about the royal family? They are all brothers, sons, and nephews of the emperor..."

"If you cannot protect your father and brother, you will be stripped of your titles of prince and duke, and sent to Dongxiao Palace!"

"Dongxiao Palace is in the south of the Yangtze River, across a river from Yangzhou. The three queen mothers, Yuan Sheng, and all the royal family members are in the southeast..."

"Then let Empress Dowager Zheng go to Mingdao Palace, and Empress Dowager Wei stay in Tokyo..."

“…”

“…”

Just like this, the two of them talked to each other and made many plans of heinous crimes, but in the end, they were just some preliminary words that remained verbal.

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