Chapter 827 Request for an interview
In the palace.
Ever since Tang Ning had Shi Qingrong arrested, all kinds of memorials have been pouring into the palace, some begging for mercy and some testing her.
"The people of the Qingliu faction are living a peaceful life." Tang Ning said as he flipped through the memorials.
Hua Wu stood aside, her earlier immaturity gone, now more composed even when facing state affairs. She snorted softly, "With Cao Gong keeping an eye on them, they certainly wouldn't dare act recklessly."
Yue Jian whispered, "Although the Qingliu faction didn't submit a petition, many of them have made several visits to Lord Cao. Many of them have also been secretly uneasy. Lord Cao has warned them twice, but profit motivates people, and many want the Shi family to fall completely."
After His Majesty ascended the throne, he has never openly taken action against the aristocratic families. Although the aristocratic families' influence in the court has been reduced, their power is still considerable.
The court officials of the Qingliu faction have been fighting with the aristocratic families for decades, and the deep hatred and old grudges between them have long been irreconcilable. They wish that this "cancer" of the aristocratic families could be completely eliminated, and they wish to catch all the people of the aristocratic families in one fell swoop and expel them all from the court, not to mention that the aristocratic families still hold many important official positions.
If the aristocratic family collapsed completely, they would have the opportunity to replace it or even go further, but the aristocratic family was cautious before and they could not find any evidence to support it.
Now that he finally has the opportunity, Cao Dejiang may not be able to suppress it all.
Tang Ning naturally understood what Yue Jian meant. Although most of the court officials of the Qingliu faction came from humble backgrounds, not all of them were upright. They also had their own thoughts and were greedy for high positions. It was not impossible for them to pretend to obey Cao Dejiang but secretly disobey him when their desires were overwhelming.
Tang Ning ordered: "Send someone to keep an eye on it. If there's no big noise, forget it. If anyone dares to cross the line, arrest them and make an example of them. Also, tell Cao Gong to put more attention on it. I don't want to start a war and kill his men. It will take a while to make up for it later."
The atmosphere was originally solemn, but Tang Ning's words made Yue Jian and the others laugh out loud.
Hua Wu chuckled, "If Lord Cao hears this, I'm afraid he'll glare at you again."
Tang Ning laughed. Cao Dejiang was a serious man on ordinary days. In the court, he was more powerful than other ministers and acted like a role model for civil officials. He was very strict in his words and deeds. But who would have thought that he was actually a violent, sharp-tongued and bad-tempered old man in secret.
My brother was reorganizing the court, and the war broke out between the North and the South. A lot of things fell on Cao Dejiang, and she had to take care of all the important affairs of the court. Every time the old man saw her, he would curse and talk non-stop, but on the surface he had to work diligently and look capable, as if saying, "I will devote my life to Your Majesty and die for him."
Tang Ning's sudden move against the Shi family made things even worse for Cao Dejiang, who was already busy with numerous government affairs. If she met him at this time, she would definitely be so tired of hearing his nagging that her ears would hurt.
She was very self-aware, so she asked someone to pass on the message. Even if the old man glared at her, he couldn't hit her.
"How's things going at the Wang family?" Tang Ning asked.
Yue Jian suppressed her smile and said seriously, "That day, Wang Huailu brought a memorial to the palace reminding you to be careful of the aristocratic families. He then met Min An. The two of them stayed together for about half an hour before Min An left."
"Did Min An meet Min San and Duan Zhiru?" Tang Ning asked.
Yue Jian said, "They probably did. Duan Zhiru and the others have been hiding in the Min family's courtyard since they returned to the capital. Almost all the people in that courtyard are Min An's servants, and many of them are Min An's confidants. Even if they could hide it from Min An at the beginning, it would be impossible to hide it later."
Tang Ning narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this: "So the one who assassinated Guo Changming that night was from the Min family?"
Yue Jian's face was a little unclear: "No, it's King Hui."
Seeing Tang Ning looking at her in surprise, Yue Jian said:
"I've sent people to keep an eye on the Min family. Although Min An and his men have made some moves, they haven't attacked Guo Changming. After all, the noble families still have Liang Guangyi and Lord Feng to keep them in check. Min An and his men are probably afraid they won't be able to win over the others, so they want to slowly plan to tie everyone up on the boat before taking action. But King Hui can't sit still when he sees that the noble families haven't taken any action."
King Hui's collusion with the aristocratic families was a matter of life and death, and the lives of his entire family, young and old, hung on their belts.
He risked his life to do a lot of things for the aristocratic families in secret, some of which were taboos. If the aristocratic families changed their minds at the last minute, they could still get out of it. As long as they took the initiative to surrender, His Majesty and the Empress would most likely let them go. But it was different for Prince Hui's Mansion. He had no way out at all.
Moreover, those people from the aristocratic families promised him huge benefits. Once some desires arose, how could he be willing to return to being ordinary?
Who doesn’t want to be the best?
Yue Jian said, "King Hui saw that Min San and the others were hesitant to act, and Guo Changming's affairs were about to be exposed. Even though the aristocratic family had lost the Ministry of Justice, they didn't intend to take action."
"He was probably afraid that Min San and the others would go back on their word, so he simply attacked Guo Changming directly and made such a big commotion to lure Wu Kui and the others over in advance. This way, he could cut off the aristocratic families' retreat and force them to not abandon Prince Hui's Mansion and go down one path."
Listening to Yue Jian's words, Tang Ning couldn't help but think of the round-faced and seemingly honest royal prince who surrendered without hesitation after his brother seized the throne.
"He's quite courageous."
Even though I’m old, I’m not afraid to take my children and grandchildren on the road with me.
Yue Jian heard the murderous intent in the Empress' words and continued, "Besides Wang Huailu and Lord Feng, Madam Cui also delivered the letter to the palace that day. She still remembers the kindness Your Majesty has shown her, and the people of the Cui family are also unusually well-behaved."
Tang Ning raised his lips when he heard that. After all, they were the ones who gave half of their fortune to them. Madam Cui was the first one to bow to them and show goodwill to them. The mine she gave them was a great help before.
"Mrs. Cui... Oh no, it's time to call her Madam Cui now."
After Cui Lin and his son died, the former young lady took control of the Cui family with thundering means, and borrowed people from her to suppress those who caused trouble in the Cui family. Even those who wanted to control her by relying on their seniority were either sent to the family temple or died of old age.
Now Mrs. Cui is in charge of the Cui family.
Tang Ning had a good impression of her and admired her methods. She instructed Yue Jian, "Find a day and have Madam Cui come to the palace to see you. Then pick out a few things and send them over secretly."
Yue Jian nodded: "I will go right away."
Yuejian turned and went out, only to come back after a moment.
Tang Ning: "Why are you back?"
Yue Jian: "Liang Guangyi is here again."
Tang Ning smiled and said, "No."
Yue Jian didn't ask why, nor did she say anything. She just nodded and walked out.
Tang Ning took Hua Wu to talk to Qian Qiyue, and Liang Guangyi heard Pan Xi say that the Queen refused to see him, so he pleaded, "Eunuch Pan, please tell the Queen that I really have something important to discuss with you."
"Prime Minister Liang has embarrassed me."
Pan Xi quickly stepped aside and said, "The lady who serves the Empress, Miss Yue Jian, said it herself. The Empress is too busy to see you. Why don't you go back and come back tomorrow?"
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