He Qing paused. She locked herself in the house for half a month, and the matter in Ruizhou was almost over.

I just don’t know if Tang Lichen has been rescued.

With this matter on his mind, He Qing stopped in his tracks and turned back to see the Grand Empress Dowager unpacking the Ruizhou report. After reading it, a hint of joy immediately crossed her face. Turning to He Buping, she said, "Excellent! Zhang Kang has defeated the rioters, rescued Tang Zhizhou, and captured the culprit. He will be brought to the capital soon!"

This unconcealed attitude made He Qing's heart skip a beat. He quickly turned his head back and continued walking out.

After all, it was good news, so there was no need to suppress it. So when He Qing arrived at Kunhua Palace and sat down to speak to Empress Dowager Zhang, the news spread everywhere. Not only the imperial court and the imperial harem, but even the people of the capital had probably heard the news.

The messengers traveled day and night, so the main force behind them moved much more slowly. So sometimes it was ten days later that He Qing saw Tang Lichen in the Ziping Palace.

First, he worked tirelessly for the government affairs of Ruizhou, and later he was besieged in the government office and the situation was dire. Although he was rescued now, he had to accept the punishment of the court because he had caused the situation in Ruizhou. He then rushed back to the capital in a dusty manner... All these things added up to make Tang Lichen look thin and out of shape.

But his spirit was not affected by this. He sat on a low stool with his back still straight and his eyes so bright that people dared not look at him directly.

This is Tang Lichen.

He Qing did not hesitate to interfere in court affairs and revealed his methods in front of the Empress Dowager and Gu Zheng, all for this person.

If Gu Zheng is the person who will influence the overall situation of the world in the next ten years, then Tang Lichen is undoubtedly the person who can bring peace to the world.

Although he was now only known in the court as a judge, in reality, domestic affairs were his real strength. It was just that his achievements in this area were rarely outstanding, and were overshadowed by his achievements in the criminal justice system.

But more than ten years later, when the Xin Dynasty was conquering the world, it was because of the presence of Tang Lichen, the actual prime minister, who governed the local area, allocated money and grain, arranged everything properly, and provided the most stable rear base. Only then was the army in the front able to be invincible and unstoppable, and finally recovered the country and established the Xin Dynasty.

The reason why he defected to the Xin Dynasty was because of the Ruizhou uprising.

In the previous life when there were no two butterflies, He Qing and Gu Zheng, the last emperor He Yuan, who was anxious to clear his biological father's name, was like the empress dowager before him and was unwilling to start a war for Ruizhou, which was thousands of miles away.

The matter was delayed for a long time before a decision was hastily made: the official position and honors of Tang Lichen, the former governor of Ruizhou, were stripped away, and he was demoted to a commoner. At the same time, the local government of Ruizhou was ordered to pacify the rioters and prevent further fighting.

It was equivalent to sacrificing Tang Lichen in exchange for calming the anger of the rioters and resolving the matter.

Even without saying it, there was a certain implication that Tang Lichen was being handed over to the mob. After all, this was an era where there was a clear distinction between officials and civilians. His official position and fame were like a talisman that protected Tang Lichen, preventing the mob from doing anything to him, even in their rage. If this talisman were to be uncovered, he would be overwhelmed by the angry masses, leaving no trace of his body.

Fortunately, this decision was made too late, having already been delayed for nearly a month. Tang Lichen could no longer wait and had to organize the remaining soldiers in the government office and fight a desperate breakout. During the breakout, he injured his left leg, and after healing, he became lame.

For this reason, Tang Lichen hated the Chu Dynasty so much that he was willing to join the rebel army and overthrow the old dynasty he once served.

Now that the Chu Dynasty has not abandoned him, Tang Lichen's thoughts will probably change. And He Qing saved this man because he hoped that he could support the Chu Dynasty together with He Qing.

However, before today, all she knew about Tang Lichen was just on paper. Now that she had met him in person, and was certain that his spirit hadn't faded after all he had been through, she finally felt at ease.

However, this joy only lasted for a moment and was quickly replaced by worries about how to keep Tang Lichen in the court.

The Grand Empress Dowager had clearly expressed her dislike for Tang Lichen. Even more surprising to He Qing was that, without even consulting the court, she had directly convicted Tang Lichen and issued a draft imperial edict to disqualify him: strip him of his official position and send him back home.

"Your Majesty, this may not be appropriate!" He Qing had been sitting aside listening with a low profile, but now he had to stand up.

The eunuch who had summoned the important ministers to the palace had just left. There were only a few people in the palace, and she was the only one who could speak.

"What's wrong?" The Grand Empress Dowager didn't say anything. He Buping stood up behind her. His sharp voice made He Qing's temple ache. "This criminal, as the governor of Ruizhou, didn't care about governing the local area. Instead, he blindly oppressed people, which eventually led to the civil unrest. The Grand Empress Dowager is only stripping him of his official position. It's already a special favor!"

As soon as He Qing heard this, he knew that it was He Buping who had given the Grand Empress Dowager another idea. After this man came to her side, the Grand Empress Dowager had obviously become more confident in court affairs, and her personality had gradually become stronger. She was no longer as helpless and dependent on court officials as when they first met.

From the perspective of those in power, there's nothing wrong with doing so. But what's the difference between listening to He Buping and listening to the court officials? Both are controlled by others, but the court officials at least mostly prioritize state affairs. He Buping, a eunuch, probably only cares about power.

However, this is also the reason why he is favored.

——The court officials were loyal to the state and inevitably had to disobey the Empress Dowager's wishes, but he was a loyal dog, so it went without saying who the Empress Dowager liked.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!