Chapter 221 Using the Mission to You Kingdom as a Test
“Someone did offer me a plan,” Xiao Qidi said slowly, looking at the people in front of him. “All we need to do is go to You Kingdom and persuade its king to attack An Kingdom. This will keep An Kingdom from launching a surprise attack on Da Xuan.”
The ministers' eyes lit up immediately.
Youguo was located northeast of Anguo, making it the northernmost of all the states in the Central Plains.
Using You Kingdom to restrain An Kingdom is indeed a good strategy.
However, while the plan looks good, it seems very difficult to implement.
After a moment's thought, their expressions turned serious again.
“Your Majesty,” a minister raised a concern, “the You Kingdom is separated from our Great Xuan Kingdom by the An Kingdom, which is extremely far away, and we have never had any contact with each other before. In comparison, it would be easier for the You Kingdom to join forces with the An Kingdom.”
"Moreover, how could the king of You Kingdom not understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'? If An Kingdom is conquered by Da Xuan, You Kingdom will have to face the process of Da Xuan unifying the world."
"So, how can we persuade the King of You to help our Great Xuan? I'm afraid... no one can pull off this plan..."
The other ministers also nodded slightly.
Xiao Qidi said calmly, "Among you, is there anyone willing to give it a try?"
The ministers looked stiff, glancing at each other with obvious reluctance.
“You all…” Xiao Qidi smiled, “You are all the most powerful and influential people in the current court, so why is there not a single one of you willing to go on a diplomatic mission to You Kingdom for me?”
The group felt a sense of unease and quickly explained that it wasn't that they were unwilling, but rather that they felt the plan was too idealistic and practically impossible to implement.
It might even arouse suspicion in the king of You Kingdom, leading to You Kingdom joining forces with An Kingdom to deal with Da Xuan.
If things go wrong, it will definitely have a negative impact on the great cause of unifying the world.
Xiao Qidi could tell that they weren't making excuses. After all, the current high-ranking officials of Da Xuan were all true gold that had been selected through a series of major cases involving the Marquis of Le'an, the Empress Dowager, the former Prime Minister, and princes and nobles. They were all loyal ministers who cared about Da Xuan and did not seek personal gain.
Therefore, Xiao Qidi did not blame them.
“Since none of you are willing to go, I will appoint one,” Xiao Qidi said. “Summon Lin Sui.”
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Lin Sui?"
Who is this person? Does anyone know him?
"The name sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it..."
"I have a vague recollection of him. It seems he was a retainer recruited by Situ Wei many years ago, who was given a minor job compiling books and classics."
"What?! Situ Wei's men?"
"..."
As they were talking, a refined-looking man with a long beard entered the hall, bowed his head and clasped his hands in greeting, and said in a loud voice, "This humble servant, Lin Sui, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
The expressions of the ministers present changed slightly.
It really was him!
To put it nicely, he was once an insignificant retainer of Situ Wei.
To put it bluntly, they might be remnants of Situ Wei's faction!
Why did Your Majesty summon such a fellow?
"Lin Sui, are you willing to go on a diplomatic mission to You Kingdom?" Xiao Qidi asked.
Lin Sui raised his head, chest puffed out, "The plan to go on a diplomatic mission to You Kingdom was proposed by this humble servant, and this humble servant is naturally willing to go!"
The ministers were even more surprised.
"You actually suggested that?!"
"Well, Lin Sui! What are you up to!"
"Your so-called plan may seem good at first glance, but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny at all! Do you think the emperor is easy to fool? Do you think none of us can spot the problem?"
The group reprimanded Lin Sui sternly for a few moments, then immediately and earnestly pleaded with Xiao Qidi not to let him continue his nonsense and reckless behavior.
Lin Sui was a little angry and wanted to argue back.
Xiao Qidi slightly raised his hand to signal him not to get agitated, then said to the angry ministers, "Lin Sui is someone highly recommended by Fairy Jinli. Don't you trust the fairy?"
The ministers were stunned, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Even Lin Sui was quite surprised. He had heard a lot about Fairy Jinli and had long admired this fairy who was highly respected by countless people, soldiers, and even the emperor. However, he never expected that he would have the opportunity to offer advice to the emperor, all thanks to the fairy's kindness.
“It’s not that I don’t trust the Fairy,” a minister said, frowning. “But I don’t understand why the Fairy would recommend him? And why would she recommend him so highly!”
Several people, including Lin Sui, had this question and were eagerly waiting for Xiao Qidi to answer it.
Xiao Qidi couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Some historical records that Ning Jinli had mentioned came to mind.
In her world, Lin Sui, who was appreciated by the Prime Minister of Xuan Kingdom and taken in as a retainer, later played a crucial role in Xuan Kingdom's unification of the world and the establishment of a great dynasty.
After the establishment of the Xuan Dynasty, Lin Sui was appointed as the prime minister and assisted Emperor Xuanzu in abolishing the enfeoffment system, eliminating the root cause of the previous division and fragmentation of the feudal states, thus laying the foundation for the cohesion of the Chinese nation for more than two thousand years thereafter.
At the same time, it made great contributions to the unprecedented and great initiatives such as unifying weights and measures, currency, and standardizing writing and cart tracks.
His thoughts and vision were far ahead of his time, and he also possessed outstanding governing abilities.
His contributions to the entire Chinese nation shine exceptionally brightly throughout the long river of history.
Of course, such a genius was also a double-edged sword. In his later years, he became too ambitious and greedy for power, and his actions became more and more extreme. After the death of the founding emperor, he colluded with a powerful eunuch to kill the founding emperor's eldest son with a forged edict and put the incompetent and cruel founding emperor's second son on the throne.
As a result, he himself was framed by that eunuch and executed by Emperor Xuan Er for treason and rebellion, his entire clan was exterminated, and the Xuan Dynasty later perished under the cruel and incompetent Emperor Er Shi, and was replaced by a new dynasty.
Combine this with the secret history of Xiao Qidi being replaced by a puppet.
Historically, the eldest son of the founding emperor, who was virtuous, talented, and widely supported by the people, was the true bloodline of Xiao Qidi.
The second son, who was cruel, incompetent, and infamous for all time, was born to a puppet who took his place.
Therefore, Lin Sui was still an accomplice in the death of Xiao Qidi's own son.
After hearing Ning Jinli's story, Xiao Qidi was deeply troubled and even felt a sense of lingering fear.
If Ning Jinli from a parallel world more than two thousand years later hadn't come to him, his fate would have continued along its original trajectory.
He will die as a human puppet in a dark and sunless underground palace; his only flesh and blood will be deceived into committing suicide by a forged imperial edict; and the Great Xuan Dynasty he created will perish at the hands of a puppet son.
Fortunately, he has Ning Jinli, which has already changed the course of this world.
Considering that Lin Sui's overall merits outweighed his demerits, and that the puppet emperor would not happen in this world, after personally studying in detail the historical books and materials given to him by Ning Jinli, he still followed Ning Jinli's advice and gave Lin Sui a more important position.
At the same time, we must take precautions against Lin Sui. If Lin Sui loses his mind in his old age and shows any sign of harming the country and the people, Xiao Qidi will not hesitate to eliminate him.
The main hall was completely silent.
Seeing that Xiao Qidi had not spoken for a long time, the ministers did not dare to urge him.
One of the ministers thought for a moment. Whether the emperor was unwilling to say or could not provide an explanation, they, as his subjects, had to give him a way out. So he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. Since it was recommended by Fairy Jinli, there must be a reason. As the saying goes, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."
“Yes, yes, that makes sense.” The other ministers chimed in with a few words of agreement.
Xiao Qidi chuckled to himself.
That's good, everyone's so conscientious, it saves us trouble.
He changed the subject, "I told you before that I would set up a cabinet in the court to assist in governing. Its function is the same as that of the former prime minister, but it will no longer concentrate a lot of power in one person. Are you willing to become members of the cabinet?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers answered in unison, "Your Majesty, we are willing!"
Xiao Qidi then asked, "The cabinet members share the functions of the former prime minister, but we also need a cabinet head. If you think you are capable of doing the job, you can recommend yourselves now."
The ministers hesitated.
They considered themselves to be the pillars of the Great Xuan Dynasty, but if they were to serve as the head of the cabinet... they felt somewhat uncertain.
After a moment's thought, the group began recommending each other.
One person said that person was good, another said that person was suitable; in short, no one recommended themselves.
Seeing this, Lin Sui stepped forward and said, "Since all of you are making excuses, I am willing to take on this important task!"
The ministers fell silent instantly, instinctively wanting to reprimand him, but remembering that this person was recommended to the emperor by Fairy Jinli, they swallowed the harsh words that were on the tip of their tongues and carefully chose their words, speaking in a kind tone:
"This position is no small matter. Although it is not the position of prime minister, it still requires the ability to serve as prime minister. Lin Sui, you have not yet entered the court, so you should not be too eager."
"Yes, not only do you need to be exceptionally capable, but you also need to manage cabinet affairs without being too powerful. This requires a very high level of mental fortitude. You are still too young and need more experience."
Lin Sui was well aware that these ministers harbored doubts about his abilities.
That's normal.
After all, we don't know him yet, and he hasn't shown us anything.
However, he was very confident and said with a smile, "This humble servant will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty and all the officials."
Several ministers looked troubled.
They didn't want this unknown guy to become the head of the cabinet, but they also had to consider the emperor's thoughts. The main problem was that they didn't know what the emperor was thinking.
"Lin Sui," Xiao Qidi said slowly, "are you really so confident that you can shoulder this great responsibility?"
Lin Sui replied without hesitation, "This subordinate is full of confidence!"
"Alright, then you can be it!" Xiao Qidi readily agreed.
The ministers gasped in shock.
Before they could figure out how to dissuade him, Xiao Qidi immediately said, "But you have to prove yourself so that the officials will believe you can do it, right? Otherwise, not only will they find it hard to accept, but I will also have a hard time explaining to the officials and the people. How about this, since you are willing to go to You Kingdom as an envoy, let this matter be a test. If your plan succeeds, you will be appointed as the head of the cabinet when you return to Da Xuan."
"My lords, is this acceptable?"
Xiao Qidi looked at several ministers.
The group exchanged glances, then bowed and said, "Okay."
"And you, do you accept it?" Xiao Qidi looked at Lin Sui.
Lin Sui readily agreed, "This subordinate accepts!"
Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes slightly, "If your plan fails, it will inevitably lead to the situation that the officials just mentioned, causing You Kingdom and An Kingdom to unite against Da Xuan. The consequences of this are particularly serious, so..."
Lin Sui immediately swore an oath, "This humble servant swears that if I fail, I am willing to be executed by slow slicing!"
Based on that one sentence, several ministers began to look at him with new respect.
He made such a solemn vow for something so difficult to accomplish. Whether it was out of bravado or because he was in a difficult situation, his courage is commendable.
This is exactly the effect Xiao Qidi wanted.
If successful, it will win over the people, and Lin Sui will be able to fully utilize his abilities to assist in governing the country.
If it doesn't work out, it proves that this person lacks ability and is not as powerful as the historical records in Ning Jinli's world, so there's no need to reuse them.
Xiao Qidi nodded and said, "It's settled then. I will host a banquet to see you off later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, but there's no need for a banquet," Lin Sui said loudly. "It's still early, so I'll set off now."
"You're all ready?"
"Your Majesty, this humble servant is preparing at all times!"
"Hahaha, good! Go ahead!"
"Yes! This subordinate takes his leave!"
After Lin Sui finished speaking, he bowed to Xiao Qidi and several ministers, then turned and strode away.
"For the next period of time, I will be leaving the capital. All matters of state will be decided by you. Consider this a trial run of the regent cabinet. Alright, you may all leave." Xiao Qidi waved his hand.
Several ministers responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, it's getting cold. Please wear more clothes." The eunuch attending to the throne draped a fox fur cloak over Xiao Qidi's shoulders.
Xiao Qidi raised his eyes and stared at the eunuch's face.
The eunuch felt extremely uncomfortable and quickly bowed his head. "Your Majesty, does this cloak not fit you? This old servant will get you a different one."
Xiao Qidi asked, "How many years have you been in this palace?"
The eunuch was taken aback, not expecting the emperor to ask this question. Although puzzled, he still answered truthfully, "Your Majesty, this old servant was castrated at the age of twelve and entered the palace, and it has been forty years since then."
“You’re fifty-two years old…” Xiao Qidi pondered. “You served my grandfather, then my father, and then me. I think it’s about time.”
The eunuch panicked and knelt down with a thud. "This old servant is still very capable and can work. Please, Your Majesty, do not send this old servant away!"
Xiao Qidi laughed, "Get up, get up. I don't mean to drive you away. You have served me diligently for the past forty years. I'm glad you've worked hard. I plan to let you return to your hometown to live out your old age in peace. What do you think?"
The eunuch burst into tears instantly. "This old servant was born to serve His Majesty and will die to serve His Majesty. I have never thought of returning to my hometown to retire. This old servant only wishes to serve His Majesty until my last breath!"
"Stand up and speak," Xiao Qidi ordered again.
The eunuch stood up tremblingly, wiping away his tears, and said, "If this old servant has done anything wrong, Your Majesty... please punish me, even... even if you beat me to death, I will have no complaints. This old servant only hopes that Your Majesty will not send me away. This old servant's hometown... I have no relatives left..."
Xiao Qidi frowned. "I see. Then that's settled. I'll arrange an easier job for you in the palace or the capital, and also get you a nicer house."
The eunuch, tears streaming down his face, his eyes pounding with panic, cried out, "Your Majesty, are you forbidding this old servant from serving you? This old servant has displeased Your Majesty, and deserves to die! Your Majesty... you might as well execute this old servant!"
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