Chapter 800: Deterrence
The Queen spoke loudly, and with the King of England screaming outside, the palace seemed unusually quiet.
After shocking the court officials with thundering means, Tang Ning calmed down a little and continued to appease them.
"My Lords, there is no need to worry too much. Your Majesty conquered Southern Qi to eliminate the hidden dangers in the southern border and to use Southern Qi to supplement the needs of our Great Wei in the war with Beiling."
"Your Majesty and General Yin have already captured several cities in Southern Qi, and food and military supplies are being continuously transported back to the southern border. The ruler of Southern Qi has even begun to seek peace and is no longer willing to form an alliance with Beiling."
"The battle for Beiling may seem urgent, but with General Di leading the Zhen'an Army and Guo Linyi, the Dragon Court Guard, guarding the northwest, Beiling will not be breached for a moment. As long as Luoyan Pass can hold out until Southern Qi is stabilized, and Your Majesty leads the troops back to reinforce, the north will have sufficient food and supplies and a strong military force, and the Beiling Rong tribe will no longer be a threat."
Tang Ning glanced down.
"Your Majesty trusts me, and you all. I only hope that you can help me quickly stabilize the court and appease the people, and work together to do your utmost to support the border battlefield."
"The morning court session will continue tomorrow. Do you have any objections?"
The guards around were watching closely, and the screams of the King of England outside gradually subsided.
Everyone in the palace felt a chill in their hearts at the sight of the extremely powerful queen, as if they were seeing the new emperor forcefully seizing the throne.
Everyone lowered their heads.
"Your Highness, I will obey your Majesty's command."
The originally tense atmosphere dissipated. Tang Ning sat on the dragon throne and discussed the next steps with everyone without letting the court officials disperse.
After she tore off the superficial disguise, she no longer needed to issue orders in the name of Xiao Yan.
She was extremely familiar with the affairs of the six ministries, and could speak of every single government matter in the court with ease and substance.
The court officials in the hall went from being full of disbelief and suspicion at first to being convinced later, and their words gradually became respectful and fearful. Even those royal relatives who originally wanted to find fault became more obedient and quiet than each other. Cao Dejiang couldn't help but smile.
The queen, like a crabapple flower, was "trained" by the new emperor himself. Although the flower blooms beautifully, it is covered with thorns. Anyone who dares to look down on her because of her young age and beauty will probably die without knowing how he died.
He looked at the court officials from the aristocratic families, and after scanning everyone's faces, his gaze finally fell on Liang Guangyi.
Liang Guangyi was also observing those people, but although everyone had a different expression, he couldn't tell that anyone was abnormal.
When Liang Guangyi noticed Cao Dejiang looking at him, he frowned and shook his head slightly at him.
Cao Dejiang's eyes suddenly turned cold.
That rat in Beiling hid really well.
"My Lords, please proceed as we have just discussed."
On the high platform, Tang Ning looked at the Minister of War with particular attention: "The Armament Department of the Ministry of War should step up the production of weapons. The department must strengthen supervision and will not allow any tampering with the military equipment. Weapons and armor must be of high quality. Fraud and substandard production are not allowed."
"I understand."
She looked at Qian Baokun again and said, "Minister Qian, the Ministry of Revenue must have compiled the figures for winter grain, storage, and taxes from various regions last year. Please quickly calculate the amount you can raise now, as well as the differences and losses required for the war in the northwest and southern regions, and submit it to me within two days."
"Yes, Queen."
After explaining all this, she thought of other things.
"Have the disaster victims outside the city been properly resettled before the New Year?"
The Minister of Works stepped forward quickly and said, "Don't worry, Empress. The Ministry of Works has followed His Majesty's instructions and has recruited refugees to provide them with work-for-relief and repair their homes. Only half of the funds allocated by the court have been used, and almost all of the refugees have been properly resettled. For those who have lost their families and homes, the adults have been arranged for work, and the children have been sent to orphanages."
"I have already sent the remaining money back to the Ministry of Revenue and handed it over to Minister Qian."
Tang Ning smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Minister Wang."
She looked up at everyone and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Your Majesty is away at present. I, a mere woman, am far less savvy than you gentlemen. I still need your full support in the affairs of state. I believe that as long as you, the gentlemen, work together with me and Your Majesty, we will be able to protect the Great Wei."
"When Southern Qi achieves a great victory and His Majesty returns, I will have His Majesty reward you all according to your merits."
Everyone bowed their heads in thanks.
Tang Ning said gently, "It's getting late today. My lords, please go back first. If there is anything undecided, we can discuss it again at the morning court tomorrow."
"Prince Ji, please stay for a moment."
…
The court officials in the Imperial Hall came out one after another. When they reached the door of the hall, they saw a pool of bright red blood on the steps. The old Prince Ying who had been beaten with a stick before was placed on a shelf beside him. Pan Xi came out from the inner room and flicked his whisk towards the outer room.
"The Empress has decreed that the King of Ying, whose filial piety moved Heaven, remembers the hardships endured by the Xie family's ancestors during their battles and is willing to sacrifice his life to protect their reputation. The Empress has granted him permission to bring the women of the palace into the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray day and night for Your Majesty and the soldiers of the Northwest and South Borders until the army returns victorious."
Pan Xi held his whisk and said, "Commander Yu, please escort the King of Ying over there and have someone escort the King of Ying's family to the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
Yu Yanfeng lowered his head: "Okay."
The King of England was carried away unconscious, and Pan Xi looked up at the other royal relatives.
"My lords, the Empress said that if you are worried about the war being too intense to stop in the palace and would like to go out, the Empress will allow you to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and pray for the country with the people of the Prince of Ying's Palace."
The faces of the princes of the clan all changed. Ever since the report of the Beiling battle arrived, many of them had done a lot of things in secret because of their uneasiness. Later, when they realized that something was wrong in the palace, they also had private interactions with many court officials. They thought they were doing it very secretly, but they didn't expect that the queen knew everything.
They understood that the Queen was using the incident at the King of England's Palace to warn them. They remembered the Queen's previous methods and the King of England who was beaten and carried away bloody.
Several people hurriedly lowered their heads: "We dare not."
Pan Xi glanced at them, then flicked his whisk with a smile.
"It's getting late, and the roads are slippery. My lords, please be careful and walk slowly when you leave the palace. I will take my leave first."
After Pan Xi left, the court officials in front of the palace felt chilled to the bone.
There was no sign of the warmth of spring in the first month of the year. When the cold wind blew, many people couldn't help shivering.
"Your Majesty, you are truly amazing."
The Queen's methods are no less capable than your Majesty's. No wonder your Majesty dared to hand over the imperial seal to the Queen, ordering her to take charge of government affairs while he secretly left the capital to lead troops to attack Qi.
Someone muttered in a low voice, "What do you think? The Queen single-handedly destroyed the Lu family and her own relatives, the Duke of Song's Mansion. If she wasn't powerful, how could the entire Lu family be wiped out..."
Those who had some concerns at first calmed down. With the Queen in charge and Cao and Liang as her assistants, the power of the Imperial Guards, the Black Armor Guards, and the Four Battalions in the capital were all in her hands. The imperial seal was "legitimate" and the Queen was a powerful person. What could happen even if His Majesty was not in the capital?
Who dares to act rashly?
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