Chapter 595 Going Against the Grain
Qiao Qinghe didn't know how she got out of Dali Temple.
Even after returning to the Qiao residence in Nancheng, she still couldn't believe what she had heard from Grand Secretary Zhao.
It wasn't until Zhu Xi appeared and asked her, "Madam, is Grand Secretary Zhao the same person as Marquis Ji?"
Qiao Qinghe smiled bitterly, "He can be, or he can not be."
Zhu Xi was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"
What does "can be, or can not be" mean?
How is she supposed to report this to her superiors?
Qiao Qinghe took a deep breath. "Just tell His Majesty that the current Grand Secretary Zhao is not Min Ji."
He paused, then added, "Report what I said earlier as well."
"If His Majesty has any doubts, he might summon me."
Sure enough, after Zhuxi reported Qiao Qinghe's words, someone from the palace came in the evening and asked her to come to the palace to meet the emperor the next morning.
Qiao Qinghe tossed and turned all night, and was woken up by A Shuang just as she fell asleep.
After getting up, washing up, and having breakfast, Qiao Qinghe changed into her elaborate imperial robes and went to the palace.
An hour later, Qiao Qinghe met Emperor Xiaozhao in the imperial study.
It was clear that Emperor Xiaozhao did not look well.
"Do you know why I summoned you here?" Emperor Xiaozhao asked bluntly.
Qiao Qinghe nodded in response: "Yes."
"Then tell me, what is the meaning of the message you had someone convey to me?" Emperor Xiaozhao rubbed his temples.
Upon seeing this, Liu Xin, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward without making a sound and began to massage Emperor Xiaozhao.
"Yesterday, I was ordered to visit Grand Secretary Zhao at the Dali Temple." Qiao Qinghe then recounted the events of the previous day in detail.
Emperor Xiaozhao was slightly impatient. The entire process of Qiao Qinghe meeting Zhao Quan was being watched by people from the Dali Temple, so he naturally knew everything Qiao Qinghe was saying.
That's not what he wanted to ask.
Qiao Qinghe didn't keep Emperor Xiaozhao waiting long. After explaining the whole story, she said solemnly, "Your Majesty, Min Ji no longer represents just one person, but an entire force!"
"Everyone who participated in Min Ji's plans represents Min Ji's will."
"Or, to put it another way, it is the gathering of all those who believe in Minji that has brought about the Minji we know today."
"Grand Secretary Zhao had interacted with Min Ji before and had even contributed to Min Ji's schemes. So even though he later wanted to have nothing more to do with Min Ji, he still couldn't escape being schemed against by Min Ji."
"Grand Secretary Zhao said that he had spent his whole life trying to figure out what Min Ji really wanted to do."
Qiao Qinghe sighed; she was finding it increasingly difficult to understand Min Ji.
Emperor Xiaozhao closed his eyes, his gaze sharp as he looked at Qiao Qinghe. "So, after all this time, not only have you failed to find Min Ji for me, but you've also told me that Min Ji is omnipresent and omnipotent?"
"Aren't you overestimating him?"
Qiao Qinghe said nervously, "This old woman is incompetent and has disappointed His Majesty."
"However, I have some guesses about Min Jimu."
Emperor Xiaozhao raised his chin, signaling Qiao Qinghe to continue.
Qiao Qinghe quickly said, "Min Ji initially planned to infiltrate Xixi, claiming it was to help the Emperor conquer Xixi. But in reality, it was to start a war."
"Dayan and Daxi did not ultimately fight, but Shang'an was indeed destroyed."
Emperor Xiaozhao's expression gradually turned ugly, and his gaze toward Qiao Qinghe became hostile.
Ignoring Emperor Xiaozhao's expression, Qiao Qinghe quickly said, "The corruption in Jiangnan, the Crown Prince's coup, the Earl of Annan's rebellion, the uprising of the Shang'an Feng clan... all of these seem to be forcing Dayan into war!"
"I dare to guess that Min Ji's true purpose is not to protect the Xuanping Marquis's mansion, not to reach the highest position in the court, and certainly not to enjoy peace and tranquility."
"Instead, they manipulate people's hearts, stir up trouble, and watch the world descend into chaos, with war raging and people suffering!"
Emperor Xiaozhao narrowed his eyes slightly. "What benefit would this bring him?"
Qiao Qinghe gave a wry smile, "There's no benefit to it at all!"
"But I just feel that Min Ji doesn't care about the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion, the Min family, his wife and children, or anyone or anything."
"He is meticulous and has a flawless mind, but his actions are chaotic and haphazard, making it impossible for people to understand his true intentions."
"But it is precisely these seemingly illogical and unclear pieces of information that, when pieced together, led me to this speculation about his true intentions."
Qiao Qinghe took a deep breath and said in a heavy tone, "Min Ji is a monster who harms others without benefiting himself, and only wants to destroy everything!"
After Emperor Xiaozhao waved for Liu Xin to leave, he said seriously, "What you've said is just your speculation."
"It doesn't seem to help in finding Min Ji either."
Qiao Qinghe said seriously, "Before, I thought that after Ji Huailang was deposed, the Xuanping Marquis's mansion was confiscated, and the Min family was destroyed, I would lead the descendants of the Min family to establish a new mansion and change their surname, and stab him in the heart, so that I could force him to show himself."
"But it turns out he had no heart!"
"Therefore, all my plans have failed."
Qiao Qinghe sighed and quickly continued before Emperor Xiaozhao could speak: "Now, I have a guess about his true intentions. Perhaps if we do the opposite, we can better lure him out of his predicament."
Emperor Xiaozhao gestured for Qiao Qinghe to continue, showing great interest.
Qiao Qinghe thought for a moment, then slowly said, "To quell the war, allow the people to recuperate, and bring peace and prosperity to the country..."
These are all things that Emperor Xiaozhao should worry about. Qiao Qinghe twitched her lips uncomfortably and said again, "I will also work hard to manage the Qiao family, to ensure that our descendants are loyal to the emperor and serve the country, and to make the Qiao family prosperous."
"If Min Ji is really as I suspect, then he will definitely cause trouble!"
"Among those who go against the peace, beauty, tranquility and harmony that we yearn for, there may be Min Ji."
Emperor Xiaozhao gave Qiao Qinghe a deep look and waved his hand.
Liu Xin understood and came up to ask Qiao Qinghe to leave.
Qiao Qinghe was puzzled, but she still bowed respectfully to Emperor Xiaozhao and withdrew.
Qiao Qinghe didn't know if her words would have any effect on Emperor Xiaozhao.
All she knew was that a few days later, the punishments for the families of the officials involved in the Crown Prince's rebellion were finalized.
Apart from the officials who were killed on the spot, all the family members of the remaining officials, regardless of age or gender, were sentenced to exile.
Grand Secretary Zhao also narrowly escaped disaster and was exiled with his entire family.
However, after the affair in Jiangnan was made public, all the family members of the officials involved, regardless of gender, who were over the age of twelve, were sentenced to beheading. Those under the age of twelve were all demoted to slavery.
When the punishments for these two cases were announced, some said Emperor Xiaozhao was too ruthless, while others said he was too soft-hearted; opinions were divided.
However, it cannot be denied that Emperor Xiaozhao resolved the case with swift and decisive measures, which can be considered a temporary solution to the troubles in the capital.
The next step was to resolve the border conflict that had been deadlocked for several months.
Perhaps Emperor Xiaozhao's attitude gave his men confidence, and many military generals volunteered to lead troops into battle to assist the Earl of Enping in suppressing the rebellion and dealing with the army of Xixi.
At Qiao Qinghe's suggestion, Li Sanqi took the lead in donating money and grain to support the army.
With Li Sanqi taking the lead, many officials followed suit.
Qiao Qinghe, on behalf of the Qiao family, donated a large sum of money and grain in the name of merchants.
Afterwards, accompanied by Qiao Qinghe, Li Sanqi personally visited the homes of several prominent merchants in the southern part of the city.
Soon, wealthy merchants took the lead in donating money and grain, and small merchants followed suit.
Within half a month, the army's provisions were almost complete, and Emperor Xiaozhao was overjoyed. He then allocated funds from the Ministry of Revenue to cover the army's expenses.
Soon, the 50,000-strong army set off, with the Marquis of Yongchang as commander-in-chief and the Duke of Jin as his deputy. Emperor Xiaozhao personally saw the army off at the city gate, and the people of the capital flocked out of the city to see them off.
The scene was incredibly lively; anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was a triumphant army returning home.
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