Upon hearing Yuan Xiu speak, Wei You slowed down the speed at which he was combing his hair and said, "Ministry of Justice prison."
Looking at the toys all over the room, Yuan Xiu said, "Those guys were quite composed and didn't take the opportunity to kill Wen Tai."
Wei You said, "After all, Wen Tai has a deep relationship with His Majesty, how could they dare to make this decision?"
Yuan Xiu snorted coldly and said, "In my opinion, it's not that they dare not, but that they are unwilling to bear the consequences of killing Wen Tai."
Yuan Xiu climbed out of the cradle and said, "Let's go see him."
Wei You advised, "Your Majesty, you'd better not go to the Ministry of Justice's prison, it's such a cold and gloomy place..."
“It’s alright.” Yuan Xiu waved his hand, straightened up, and said, “If he were dead, I would naturally never see him. But he is still alive, and not seeing him makes my heart ache.”
The Ministry of Justice prison.
Someone of Wen Tai's rank would naturally be locked in a special single cell. Just like the rooms in the inn outside are divided into Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, the special cells in the Ministry of Justice prison also have names.
The cell marked 'Han' was where Wen Tai was imprisoned.
It was already mid-April, yet Yuan Xiu still wore a thick cloak when he arrived at this place.
"Open the door."
After Wei You ordered the jailer to open the door, he saw Wen Tai sitting upright in the cell.
Wen Tai had changed into prison clothes. Although his hair was not disheveled, strands of white hair were sticking out, and his back view alone showed his vicissitudes.
Hearing the door open, Wen Tai didn't move, as if he were sitting asleep.
Wei You said, "Prime Minister, His Majesty has come to see you."
Upon hearing this, Wen Tai gently twisted his neck, slowly stood up, turned around and said, "Lord Wei, my official position has been revoked, so please don't mention the title of Left Prime Minister anymore."
After speaking, Wen Tai bowed deeply to Yuan Xiu and said, "This sinful subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
Yuan Xiu did not respond. Supported by Wei You, he paced around the cell as if on a tour, and finally sat down in the spot where Wen Tai had sat.
You are still very young.
When Yuan Xiu suddenly said this out of the blue, Wei You didn't understand what it meant, but Wen Tai understood it after a little thought.
He was much younger than Zhao Huan and Yuan Zhang, and neither Zhao Huan nor Yuan Zhang were in the central government. Yuan Xiu could leave them alone and not take action against them. As long as they behaved themselves and had no disloyal intentions, Yuan Xiu could outlive them.
But he can't.
At the age of forty-two, he was already the powerful Left Chancellor, in the heart of the court, too close to the throne.
With him around, Yuan Xiu could not rest in peace.
Therefore, Yuan Xiu followed the Central Secretariat's wishes and uttered these five words, which can be considered as an explanation of Wen Tai from a personal perspective.
Wen Tai continued, "From His Majesty's perspective, His Majesty has not done anything wrong."
Yuan Xiu said, "But they were still a bit too hasty."
Wen Tai said, "Once you start something, you can't stop."
Yuan Xiu glanced at Wei You and said, "Give the deposed prime minister a coat."
“Yes…” Wei You was prepared and went over to put a coat on Wen Tai.
"In the court, some wish you dead, some long for your life, but what about yourself?" Yuan Xiu finally asked this question; it was the main reason he had come all this way.
Without much thought, Wen Tai said, "My fame, fortune, status, position, power, and even the years I have lived are all bestowed upon me by Your Majesty. Therefore, I leave the final decision of my life to Your Majesty."
Yuan Xiu said, "Wenhu's title of Earl of Shaxian was earned on the battlefield. He has the ability to lead troops and fight. You have kept him hidden for too long. Now I want to use him and give him a bigger stage. Replace the generals of Wang Ren's faction and let Wenhu take the position. What do you think?"
Wei You took a few steps back and stood in the corner. He knew that the emperor and Wen Tai were talking about the most important thing, and he even controlled his breathing to be quieter.
Wang Ren's faction of military officers constituted Wen Tai's strongest force in the military. If they were replaced, Wen Tai would truly have no influence in Dajing. However, Yuan Xiu couldn't easily touch these officers. Yuan Xiu's discussion with Wen Tai was in the hope that Wen Tai would cooperate.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate,” Wen Tai replied directly.
Yuan Xiu smiled and said, "Why are you so stingy? Although Wen Hu betrayed you, he is still your blood relative. If your children are being looked after by him, he has not mistreated them."
“Perhaps His Majesty has forgotten my character.” Wen Tai shook his head and sighed, “Even if I am now a prisoner, my loyalty to His Majesty and Da Jing will not change. The reason I do not recommend Wen Hu to replace Wang Ren is not because I hate Wen Hu, but because Da Jing cannot do without General Wang at present.”
Yuan Xiu said, "Now that Ye Dan is gone, the small countries of the Western Regions have submitted to Da Jing, and the pirates have been almost wiped out by Du Yucheng. Da Jing has never been more stable than it is now. What does it matter if I lose Wang Ren?"
"To put it bluntly, Your Majesty is overconfident."
Wen Tai smiled and said, "Yedan is gone, but if Da Jing wants to incorporate all of Yedan's lands into the empire's territory, it can only do so gradually, bit by bit. Wang Ren's faction has experience in managing the three northern prefectures, and no one is more suitable than them."
"Furthermore, if the lost territory of Yedan is left unattended for too long, who can guarantee that a powerful figure won't emerge from among those rioters? Will the Yedan people, who have gone deep into the snow mountains to recuperate, return to fight again? As for the small kingdoms of the Western Regions... Your Majesty knows their character better than I do. If they cause trouble again, who in the western part of Dajing can keep them in check? Only General Wang, who is closest to us."
Yuan Xiu frowned and said, "Although Wen Hu is not as senior as Wang Ren, I believe he is a man of real ability. There are also the four young generals whom I personally appointed; they are the future hope of the Great Jing."
Wen Tai shook his head and said, "They are still too young. Let alone growing into commanders like the Right Chancellor and the Champion King, they are still a long way from reaching Wang Ren's level. If Wang Ren is no longer here, there will be a gap in the strength of the Da Jing military."
Yuan Xiu stood up, walked to Wen Tai, and said, "Isn't your opinion a bit too decisive?"
Wen Tai was silent for a while, then walked to the corner of the wall and slowly turned his head to say, "Your Majesty, you have forgotten the most important point."
Wei You kept her head down, focusing on her inner thoughts, barely daring to breathe.
After a long while, Wen Tai's voice rang out again.
"The Southern Zhou dynasty still exists."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu's pupils suddenly contracted.
Wen Tai raised his head and sighed, "When the Champion King left Changsui for Yunjing, he made a vow: 'I will die in Yunjing as long as the Southern Zhou is not destroyed.' To this day, because of the Champion King's existence, the Southern Zhou can only find it difficult to move further north, but the Great Jing's unification of the world is still a long way off."
"Although the Night Pill has been destroyed, is the Great Jing the only beneficiary?"
"Southern Weekly is also a beneficiary; they are growing rapidly!"
As Wen Tai continued his analysis, Yuan Xiu's expression gradually darkened.
Wen Tai's words to the Southern Zhou still resonate, standing firm and powerful!
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