Chapter 837: Where I go, I will never regret my move
Cao Dejiang, Qian Baokun and others left in a hurry and went directly to find the queen.
Min An, standing outside the main hall, saw their backs and approached Liang Guangyi, excitedly saying, "Prime Minister Liang, the Queen is indeed afraid."
After they had tested the Queen's true strength that day, they began to think about how to attack her. Feng Qiuli suggested starting with the Shi family. As long as the Queen was concerned about the Southern Qi battlefield and didn't dare to cause chaos in the capital, she would definitely not dare to bring out the evidence left by Guo Changming.
Although Guo Changming was only the son-in-law of the Shi family, many of the things he had done over the years were related to several other families. If he was really pried open by the Queen and left a confession as evidence before his death, then what he confessed could not have been just about Shi Qingrong's family.
This concerns all the noble families. The queen dare not gamble that if they fight to the death, the capital will be in turmoil, and the unrest in the court will affect the border. Then she will definitely endure it.
really.
The Queen backed off.
"Master Feng's method is the best. The Queen has indeed given in."
"The Ministry of Justice will re-examine Shi Qingrong. When he is released, we will see how the Empress will explain it to the outside world."
Min An and his companions looked as if they had won a battle, with smug expressions on their faces. Wang Huailu on the other side also had a slight smile on his face. King Hui, who had been sitting on the sidelines and watching, was even more eager to fight as if he was sure of victory.
Liang Guangyi glanced at the expressions on their faces, his eyes full of obscurity. No wonder they lost so completely.
And Feng Qiuli...
He looked up at the young man standing beside him, who was smiling gently and calmly from beginning to end. He looked at him with full respect, always half a step behind him, without any arrogance.
Liang Guangyi felt even more bitter in his heart. His life seemed to be very glorious, but he didn't expect that the only two people he cared about were wrong.
Back then, Lu Chongyuan was arrogant and stubborn, refusing to bow his head. His overbearing and domineering behavior destroyed half of the family's territory. Now, Feng Qiuli is patient and dormant, and is extremely cunning. He should have been the best leader of the family, and with him, the family could have prospered for decades, but his heart is not with the family.
"You are very good." Liang Guangyi said hoarsely: "I didn't realize you have such ability."
Feng Qiuli bowed her head slightly, still as humble as ever: "Teacher, you are so kind."
Liang Guangyi took a deep breath and wanted to ask him why he did this, why he betrayed the aristocratic family, and why he chose the emperor and empress.
He wanted to ask him when he had such an idea and actually sold out his aristocratic family to serve Xiao Yan. Did he ever think that he was also from an aristocratic family and had the entire Feng family behind him? Wasn't he afraid that after he helped the emperor and empress to eliminate the aristocratic family, Xiao Yan and others would cross the river and demolish the bridge, and his Feng family would be doomed?
But when he met Feng Qiuli's calm eyes, he swallowed back all the words that were on his lips. It was useless to ask any more questions now that things had come to this point.
Liang Guangyi whispered: "I hope you won't regret it in the future."
After he finished speaking, he turned and left. The spring breeze was blowing as he left. His figure had become much thinner, and the purple official robe looked empty. His back looked even more hunched.
Feng Qiuli quietly watched the powerful official who once dominated the court gradually walk away, holding the jade sceptre in her hand and looking at the palace where the officials gathered.
"I will never regret my move."
After Min An and the others chatted for a while, they realized that Liang Guangyi had already left. They turned around and happened to hear the vague words, but they were not very clear: "Master Feng, what did you just say?"
"nothing."
The frost in Feng Qiuli's eyes melted away, and when she raised her eyes, she looked gentle as usual.
"Prime Minister Liang is still angry about what happened before, so he left first. But before he left, he told me to tell you something: the Queen's retreat means the war is likely to be extremely unfavorable. Her fear is your best opportunity. If you want to do anything, you must do it as soon as possible."
A few people were originally a little dissatisfied when they heard Liang Guangyi leaving, but Feng Qiuli's following words made them not care about it.
Let Liang Guangyi go, as long as his heart is with the aristocratic family. Moreover, the opportunity has come today, and there is no need for Liang Guangyi to interfere in future matters. However, if the Liang family gives in today, they will not be able to share the benefits with them in the future.
Min An and the others looked at each other, and their thoughts became clear. However, Feng Qiuli, since he was willing to stay and said these words, obviously he had already made a choice.
Although he was angry that the Feng family had not given any money before, Feng Qiuli was smart after all, and Liang Guangyi had high hopes for her. Most importantly, the Feng family had some connections in the Beijing Patrol Camp and the City Guard that they did not have.
After a few people discussed it with each other, they decided to bring him along as well.
"Nephew, do you have anything else to do later? If you are free, why not come with us for a cup of tea?"
Feng Qiuli said gently, "Since my uncle has invited me, I am naturally free."
Min An and the others laughed when they heard this, and Feng Qiuli's smile became even warmer.
…
Cao Dejiang and others hurried to see Tang Ning.
Fu Laiqing was young and hot-headed. He asked the Queen why she gave in on the Shi family matter without waiting for three sentences. He was angry and full of confusion. He couldn't believe that the Queen could act so cautiously and leave such a big loophole without interrogating Guo Changming before executing him.
Qian Baokun was also full of doubts. The noble families had clearly sent so much money before because they were wary of Guo Changming's affairs. Now they took the initiative to surrender and wanted to calm things down. It was obvious that they had something on Guo Changming. The queen must know what to do to force them to surrender.
But now that the evidence is clearly in hand, why doesn't the Queen produce it in the court? Instead, she is forced to re-examine Shi Qingrong's case by those clumsy tricks of the aristocratic families.
Lord Chang and the others were also puzzled. They didn't understand why the queen was coerced by the aristocratic families.
Only Cao Dejiang remained calm. He was silent for a long time before asking pointedly, "Empress, has something happened on the battlefield in the South?"
Everyone in the imperial study who was originally filled with righteous indignation quieted down. Some even recalled the rumors in the capital in recent days. Seeing the heavy expression on the queen's face, everyone's heart skipped a beat. Tang Ning's next words made them feel like they were struck by lightning.
"The various tribes of Western Xinjiang have entered the battlefield, and Your Majesty is trapped in Yijiang, Southern Qi. A few days ago, reports came from Munan Pass that General Yin was ambushed and seriously injured by people from Western Xinjiang, and that the food and fodder previously shipped to Southern Qi was also ambushed and burned. The Third Prince of Qi entered Munan not to negotiate peace, but to explore the way for the tribes of Western Xinjiang."
Even though Tang Ning tried his best to keep his expression steady, his tense face still looked a little pale.
"The Southland is in urgent need of food and fodder, and the treasury is already empty. I originally wanted to use the Ministry of Justice incident to suppress the aristocratic families. Firstly, to intimidate them into behaving more peacefully, and secondly, to raise some military rations for the Southland. However, the aristocratic families may have learned that the war in Southern Qi is not going well, so they suddenly launched an attack."
"Guo Changming did leave a confession before his death. It not only concerns Shi Qingrong, but also the corruption and abuse of power by several other major families. I cannot reveal it."
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