Chapter 219 Sowing Discord Between Ruler and Minister…

Chen Liu learned of the rebellion in Yingzhou Prefecture within two days.

She paced angrily in the hall, "I knew Chen Jue was a wolf in sheep's clothing, plotting rebellion. And Zhang Ting, the prefect of Yingzhou, is no better. Today they've finally shown their true colors!" Her sinister eyes shot out of the hall, and her plain white linen robes made her look even more sinister.

"The Empress's body is barely cold, and Chen Jue is already eager to seize power. It's a pity the Empress spared her life! Zhang Ting, as the prefect personally appointed by the Empress, deceived the Emperor and colluded with treacherous officials. He is guilty of heinous crimes! These cunning traitors, I will definitely have them skinned alive to appease the spirit of the Empress in heaven!" Chen Liu said sternly, his eyes narrowing.

Having said that, she immediately turned to Zheng Zeyan, the Minister of War, "Minister Zheng, this is a critical moment of life and death. I hope you will consider the overall situation, assess the capital, and join me in eliminating the rebels!" A mere cripple dares to challenge me for the throne? Ha, overestimating himself. That Zhang Ting usually seems somewhat intelligent, but at this crucial moment, he can't even see the situation clearly, following the cripple's example. Clearly, he's nothing but a pretty face with no substance.

When she went to war, she wiped out the two women and their henchmen, condemning them to eternal damnation.

At that time, she will use their blood to irrigate the path to imperial dominance!

Chen Liu wandered in his beautiful inner world, a faint smile on his lips, as if he were about to ascend to the throne and be subdued by all.

Zheng Zeyan pondered for a long time before interrupting her reverie: "Your Highness, I believe it is not advisable."

The eldest princess's pursuit of the throne was futile, the fourth princess was not well-known, only the fifth princess came from a prominent family and was renowned for her virtue. To the court officials, the fifth princess was the undisputed crown princess, and Zheng Zeyan was no exception.

Chen Liu frowned: "Zheng Qing, what makes you say that?" Refusing to help her suppress the rebels, does that old hag Zheng Zeyan intend to serve her master in a different way?

Her heart sank immediately. If that were really the case, she would have no choice but to secretly eliminate this person.

Zheng Zeyan, who had already decided to make Chen Liu the crown prince, said earnestly, "Your Highness, you must not only refrain from continuing to berate Zhang Ting, but also do everything you can to win her over to the court."

Chen Liu breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing that she wasn't refusing to send troops, but after understanding the meaning behind her words, he glared at her angrily: "What do you mean by this? Zhang Ting is a traitorous minister, and I should tear him to pieces and grind his bones to ashes!"

Ever since Zhang Ting swindled him out of 100,000 taels of silver, Chen Liu has held a deep grudge. This immense humiliation can only be eradicated by personally tearing the villain apart.

Zheng Zeyan sighed, "Your Highness, please forgive my words." She then explained the reasons in detail, "You only know the surface, not the essence. Although Zhang Ting is the prefect of Yingzhou Prefecture, she is more than just a prefect." Although she did not have much interaction with Zhang Ting, her opinion was based on objective observation.

She met Chen Liu's eyes directly and said with certainty, "Your Highness, I can tell you with certainty that as long as Zhang Ting is in the rebel camp, the two prefectures of Zhang and Yin will surely rebel."

"In the past, Zhang Ting rose three ranks in quick succession based on her merits in Zhangzhou Prefecture. Many people thought she only got the position of prefect by luck and connections, but the truth is quite the opposite. On the surface, it was the corrupt Prefect He who petitioned for Zhang Ting's release, but in reality, countless common people spontaneously worked for her. Your Highness, her promotion was not accidental but inevitable!"

Chen Liu was stunned for a moment, then forgot to speak.

Zheng Zeyan continued, "I used to underestimate Zhang Ting, and I thought it was good luck that brought her to where she is today." She shook her head gently and sighed.

"Your Highness, you probably don't know this, do you? Back then, when the dike in Yinzhou Prefecture collapsed, the people were displaced, and many people gathered to rebel. But as soon as Zhang Tingfu appeared, those people suddenly stopped rebelling, and to this day, they still worship her as their master." Zheng Zeyan paused, as if sighing, "She is like a saint reincarnated, always attracting people to her involuntarily, captivated by her aura, and her soul is as heavy as a thousand pounds, inspiring admiration and worship, making people unable to help but follow behind her."

"The people of Zhangzhou Prefecture regard her as a goddess, and they have made a golden statue of her and built a shrine for her. Throughout history, not to mention famous ministers, even the most rebellious emperors have not won the hearts of the people as much as she has."

"The people of Yinzhou Prefecture revered her as their own father and mother, and traveled thousands of miles to see her off, hoping that she would return to govern Yinzhou Prefecture... As for Yingzhou Prefecture, as long as Zhang Ting is alive, it will be as solid as a rock!"

Zheng Zeyan had never heard of, nor ever imagined, that someone's power could be so great as to shake the foundation of a building and almost determine the outcome. She had lived for decades and had learned a great deal.

Chen Liu was stunned by these words. "Then... what should I do?" She had never realized so clearly how powerful Zhang Ting was.

Zheng Zeyan: "I believe that Your Highness should prioritize the overall situation, set aside personal grudges, and spare no effort to win Zhang Ting over to your side." She had lived for more than ten or twenty years, and although she did not know the reason, she could see that the Fifth Princess and Zhang Ting had a grudge against each other.

Chen Liu nodded, finding it reasonable. She decisively went to the table, dipped her brush in ink, and wrote a letter offering Zhang Ting a large sum of money and power to submit to the imperial court.

After a moment, she put down her pen, exhaled, and looked at the long letter on the table. Today, she was enduring humiliation for the sake of the throne, but she would never swallow her grievances.

Zheng Zeyan walked over and praised her, "Your Highness is righteous! It is a blessing for all people to have you as a wise ruler." She glanced at Chen Liu's message, pursed her lips, and remained silent for a long time.

"Perhaps my words just now were biased and misled Your Highness." She apologized first, then whispered to Chen Liu, "For a virtuous minister and general like Zhang Ting, honor, loyalty, filial piety and righteousness are the pursuits of life. Tempting with material gains will only make people sneer."

Chen Liu pressed for an answer, and Zheng Zeyan continued, "Why don't we try a divisive tactic? We can offer the commoner Chen Jue a great reward and get her to hand Zhang Ting over to the court. This will create discord between the emperor and his ministers, giving us an opportunity to recruit virtuous officials and generals."

Chen Liu learned his lesson. "Zheng Qing is truly shrewd... oh, I mean, incredibly clever." The old woman has lived up to the expectations of the past ten or twenty years; she's got some skills.

Zheng Zeyan ignored her words and nodded slightly.

Chen Liu quickly tore up the letter and wrote another one. In it, she said that she had been humiliated by Zhang Ting in the past, and that if Chen Jue would hand over the person obediently, she would give him a city in exchange.

After finishing writing, she looked up and saw her beloved Zheng Qing raise his hand to make a three. Chen Liu hesitated for a moment. This was a city that could actually produce grain and iron. But in the end, she gritted her teeth and added two more lines under the 'one'.

Three days later, Chen Liu's handwritten letter arrived in the hands of her dear sister.

Chen Jue unfolded the letter and gasped, her face lighting up with joy. Her adorable little sister was actually going to send her older sister food, money, and even people! What a good child!

But her heart stirred for only three breaths before she calmed down. Could Zhang Qing really be sent out so easily?

But... those are three cities! The entire Great Yong Dynasty only has twenty-nine prefectures. With three cities, even if she loses, she will definitely have the strength to make a comeback!

Chen Jue couldn't help but steal a glance at Zhang Ting. She knelt upright on the mat, her posture graceful and elegant, as beautiful as a painting. Sigh! A gentleman like jade, refined and polished. How could she possibly let her go?

Chen Jue's brow furrowed in worry, and she sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead. Why did he have to test her limits with such an irresistible temptation?

The courtiers remained silent, yet they observed their lord's actions and felt a deep sorrow for Zhang Ting. Lady Zhang had worked diligently for the Eastern Palace Guard, doing so much for them, and yet their lord wanted to replace her…

Looking at Zhang Ting, he clearly knew everything, yet he remained unmoved and sat calmly. Did he sense his lord's thoughts and no longer harbor any illusions?

Yesterday's glory, today's lament; life is unpredictable, and fate plays tricks on us.

Lord Zhang must be feeling very bad.

Several people stepped forward to explain what Zhang Ting had done for the army, hoping that their lord would not hurt the feelings of a loyal minister. Chen Jue waved her hand, dismissing the ministers; she had a headache.

One person remained where he was, sitting down next to Chen Jue, in the same spot opposite Zhang Ting.

The room was silent. Xu Qiushui pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, "What are Your Highness's plans?" To be fair, exchanging one person for three cities, no matter how beautiful the woman, even a fool would know to make the exchange. But that was Zhang Ting!

Today, there's no need to even mention her glorious achievements; simply calling out her name carries unparalleled power and inspires deep conviction.

Chen Jue's mind was in complete turmoil. On one side was her beloved virtuous minister, and on the other were the three golden cities. The scales tipped slightly to one side, only to immediately tip back to the other. No matter which she chose, she couldn't bear to give up the other.

It is rare in this world to have both; to be true to the city and to love.

well!

She didn't respond for a long time, which meant she had already given Xu Qiushui the answer.

It's not Chen Jue's fault. Faced with enormous benefits and on the road to the pinnacle of power, anyone can be sacrificed. If Xu Qiushui put herself in his shoes, she would probably be even more hesitant than Chen Jue.

But as the Grand Master, she had to consider the long-term perspective.

As night fell, soldiers came in and lit oil lamps. The dim, yellowish light illuminated the space between the emperor and his ministers, and the flickering lamplight distorted their shadows.

Xu Qiushui didn't mention how many things Zhang Ting had done that were beneficial to our side in the past. Instead, she looked at the entire Dayong Dynasty and told Chen Jue what the next step should be and what conditions we should have in advance.

The most ruthless are those in the imperial family. What can move them is never past friendships, past contributions, or blood ties, but rather the benefits they can obtain in the present and future.

The conversation went on until late at night, and Xu Qiushui concluded by saying, "Single-handedly facing hordes of enemies, one man can withstand a million soldiers. Has Your Highness ever considered that the strength of one person can determine the rise and fall of the world?"