Let’s start with Mr. Gu. One day, he will be looked at with new eyes and will put away his ridiculous superiority and arrogance.

Thinking of this, she spoke slowly, "Master Gu is truly an upright gentleman, always abiding by the rules and regulations. He is truly admirable. The phrase 'each content with his place' is truly well-speaking. I heard that Master Gu became famous at a young age, but because of Prime Minister Xue's suppression, he was never prominent in the court. Now it seems that Master Gu is content with his lot."

If everyone stayed in their place, Gu Zheng would continue to be buried in the Hanlin Academy and would not be able to make a breakthrough for at least twenty years.

It is such an overbearing rule that you only need to break the rules yourself and suppress others.

Even though Gu Zheng was a man of great cunning, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly said frankly, "Of course. Prime Minister Xue was trying to hone me, and I am deeply grateful. Without Prime Minister Xue, I wouldn't be where I am today."

He Qing found that compared to him, he still had a lot to learn.

The first rule is not to let other people’s words sway your own thoughts. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, you must hold on at the moment, otherwise you will lose.

Secondly, he didn't understand the affairs of the court. Gu Zheng could even take on the entire court alone. There was no chance of winning an argument with him. If he wanted to suppress him, he had to find a topic that he was good at but he didn't understand.

A topic that Gu Zheng didn’t understand... He Qing’s mind instantly flashed with the five words he had used to express pity for Gu Zheng: the limitations of the times.

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and a leaf fluttered between the two of them. Affected by the air currents created by the carriage, it swirled in the air. He Qing immediately pointed at the leaf and asked, "Master Gu, have you seen that leaf?"

"Hmm?" The topic jumped too quickly and Gu Zheng could hardly keep up.

He Qing was very pleased with this reaction and asked with a smile, "Look at things suspended in the air. Whether they are as light as a leaf or a feather, or as heavy as a stone, they will eventually fall to the ground. Why is that?"

Gu Zheng: ???

Diverting conflicts is a very simple but proven method in politics, and the Empress Dowager naturally knew it.

However, she had just expressed her stance in front of all the ministers, even walking out of the morning court session. If she were to change her mind just like that, it would be embarrassing. Furthermore, since it was the ministers who first proposed the idea, then after it was accomplished, the credit would naturally go to everyone. How much benefit would it really bring to her?

What if the court officials thought that she changed her mind because of their coercion? Who knows, she won't use the same method again next time?

After thinking about it for several times, I still couldn't make a decision.

At this time, the Empress Dowager urgently needed someone to discuss with, preferably someone who could provide reliable advice for her reference.

This person must be absolutely loyal and reliable. Neither He Qing nor a court official would be a good choice. So, after a long period of hesitation, the Empress Dowager turned her attention to the people serving her.

These are the only people she can come into contact with in the palace. Others are not familiar with government affairs, but those in the Ministry of Internal Affairs accompany the emperor day and night, so they must learn these things.

However, the Empress Dowager was not very satisfied with either Huang Xiu, the governor or Huang Xiu, the official in charge of the Inner East Gate Division.

Although she had always lived in the deep palace and had limited experience, she also vaguely knew that her husband and son were not wise monarchs. Whether she was queen or queen mother, there were always court officials who found ways to pass memorials to her, asking her to advise the king.

For nearly twenty years, the government was actually controlled by the ministers, and the emperor did not participate much.

As such, it was naturally difficult for the eunuchs who followed them to gain much knowledge and progress. This was especially true for Huang Xiu, who had been highly regarded by Emperor Ling because of his deep understanding of Taoist scriptures and was able to help him manage many Taoists.

It is obviously impossible to ask them to share their worries.

But just because they can't do it doesn't mean others can't. The Empress Dowager thought of this and ordered Huang Xiu, "Go and get the list of people entering the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Although he didn't know why she suddenly wanted to look at something, Huang Xiu still quickly fetched the list and presented it to her. There were so many eunuchs in the palace, and the list alone was several thick volumes. The Empress Dowager felt a headache after just one glance, but she still had to patiently look through it carefully.

She temporarily forgot about what happened in the court and spent most of the day looking around, feeling dizzy before she finally picked out a few available people from the list.

She wrote these names on a piece of paper and handed it to Huang Xiu, "Call these people to see me."

"Yes." Huang Xiu lowered his head and glanced at the note, then wrote down the five names on it. His mind raced as he began to wonder why the Empress Dowager wanted to see them.

With thousands of eunuchs serving such a small number of masters, the competition was incredibly fierce. Especially for those positions in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, everyone from top to bottom was watching closely. Even though Huang Xiu already stood above all the eunuchs, he didn't dare to let his guard down.

The eunuchs' futures all depended on their masters. With just a word from the Empress Dowager, he could be Huang Xiu, the Chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or nothing at all.

Now that there are so many people available, the Empress Dowager doesn't use them. She personally picked out these five people from the list. No matter what she wants them to do, Huang Xiu should be vigilant.