Chapter 1070: Watertight Argument
The shadows of bamboos danced outside the window, and Ge Lianxiang's hand holding the pen trembled slightly.
The ink spread on the rice paper and turned into a clump of ink bamboo.
She suddenly remembered the remaining incense wrapped in candle wax in front of the shrine when she prayed for her lady last night. Now it was reborn as tall and straight branches under her pen.
Chinen's eyes sparkled with excitement: "Even if you don't pray specifically for your wife, the Buddha will definitely protect her.
Madam is copying scriptures in the Buddhist temple every day. There is no one else in the mansion who is as pious as her. But your kindness is rare."
Ge Lianxiang's fingertips trembled slightly, and the knuckles holding the teacup turned slightly white: "Madam, do you copy scriptures in the study every day?"
"Isn't it?"
Chinen lowered her voice, "Since she got pregnant, we all advised her to take a break. But Madam always said that this was a great thing to do for the general. Although she has reduced the amount now, she has never stopped."
“It’s really well-intentioned.”
The corners of Ge Lianxiang's lips curled up slightly, and she lowered her eyes to hide the dark tide surging in her eyes.
She was worried about not finding an opportunity, but she never thought that this opportunity would knock on her door.
When the morning sun rose, Jiang Xue entrusted Jiang Xiaoan to Fu Dong's care, and walked into the council hall side by side with Xiao Zhan.
Under the gilded dome, officials from aristocratic families exchanged tacit glances.
They originally wanted to take advantage of Feng Ziqing's stay outside the palace to make trouble, but unexpectedly the eldest princess acted decisively and welcomed her back to the palace overnight.
"Your Majesty, now that the Queen Mother has recovered, she should return to the court to assist in government affairs."
The Minister of Rites Wang Chang stepped out with a jade tablet in his hand, and voices of response immediately rang out behind him.
Jiang Heng slowly turned the jade ring on his thumb and said, "My dear ministers, you may have remembered it wrongly. The pulse report of the Imperial Hospital yesterday said that the Queen Mother needs to rest."
"Forgive me for speaking frankly."
The Chief Censor suddenly stepped forward and said: "It has been more than three years since the late emperor passed away. The empress dowager's 'illness' is really strange.
When the late emperor passed away, the empress dowager stayed in front of the coffin for less than half an incense stick before moving to the hot spring palace. "
Sporadic suppressed laughter was heard in the court.
Everyone knows that Feng Ziqing and the late emperor were at loggerheads in the past. To say that she would become sick from missing the late emperor now is like believing that the koi in the imperial garden can fly.
Jiang Xue glanced coldly at the people in the hall. The jade steps under her feet shone with a cold light.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw the young emperor on the dragon throne tapping the armrest:
"Speaking of assisting the government, it reminds me of the old story of the two saints who founded the country. When Empress Zhaolie was in charge of government, no one dared to talk about men and women."
These words were like a red-hot iron thrown into ice water, and all the civil and military officials in the court were instantly silent.
Xiao Zhan caught a glimpse of the eldest princess's wide sleeves moving slightly, and knew that the black iron arrow hidden in her sleeve had quietly returned to its sheath - the little emperor's ability to use a little force to achieve a great result was indeed a true inheritance from the Regent.
A smile appeared on Jiang Xue's lips.
Although she couldn't figure out the young emperor's thoughts for a moment, she knew that there must be something hidden in those amber eyes.
Her fingertips beneath her sleeves stroked the jade ring as she admired the various scenes in the court with great interest.
The faces of the ministers below the stairs were glowing, as if they had received nectar bestowed by the emperor.
The Minister of Rites Wang Jin exchanged glances with his colleagues as he bowed his head - after all, mother and son are connected by heart, and the little emperor will eventually side with his mother.
This realization made everyone feel as if they had found the key to a secret door, and their tense backs relaxed a little.
"Do you know that the late emperor once wrote a letter warning the world?"
Jiang Heng's wide sleeves fluttered lightly, and the black dragon pattern looked like golden scales in the morning light.
The young man's clear voice echoed under the dome of the hall: "Those who are appointed to office must be capable. This is the foundation of governing a country."
The court was boiling like boiling water. Zhang Ge Lao, a veteran minister of three dynasties, stepped out tremblingly: "The late emperor was wise! An incompetent person in power is like a rotten wood beam, which is a sign of disaster for the country and the people!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the voices of agreement flooded over the gold bricks like a tide.
Xiao Zhan's hand holding the jade sceptre trembled slightly.
He glanced sideways at the pearl curtain hanging beside the throne, and vaguely saw the eldest princess's hairpins swaying gently, like apricot blossoms about to bloom on the branches in early spring.
"In that case..."
Jiang Heng suddenly stood up, and the twelve tassels on his crown clashed like broken jade. "You all may as well tell me what achievements your mother has made. Did you dig a canal to relieve the drought in the north? Did you personally go to the southern border to quell the Miao rebellion?"
The young man's fingertips slid across the gilded imperial desk, making a sound of metal and stone in the silence: "Everyone, please think about it carefully. If there is any contribution comparable to that of my aunt in providing disaster relief to the people, I will immediately draft an order."
All the dignitaries in the court were instantly transformed into clay sculptures and wooden carvings.
Li Maozhi, the Vice Minister of Works, broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, and suddenly remembered the chance encounter in the Imperial Garden half a month ago.
When the young emperor held the late emperor's letter and asked the princess for advice, he could clearly see traces of new ink at the end of the scroll.
"Your Majesty!"
A voice as thin as a mosquito came from the corner: "The Queen Mother gave birth to a real dragon. This is... This is a great achievement for generations to come."
The speaker wrinkled his crimson official robe into deep folds, as if he was holding a life-saving straw.
A clear and gentle laugh came from behind the beaded curtain. Jiang Xue stroked the cloud pattern embroidered with silver thread on her cuffs, and thought of that night in the cold palace many years ago.
When Feng Ziqing held the baby in the swaddling clothes and begged her for protection, the Vermillion Bird birthmark on the baby's neck was frighteningly red.
Jiang Heng glanced at the ministers in the palace and said, "If you, my dear ministers, cannot cite the Queen Mother's achievements in assisting the government, I can only conclude that the Queen Mother did not make any achievements in governing the country."
The young emperor's words hit the nail on the head, and no one in the court responded.
Xiao Zhan stood at the steps like a sharp sword. Everyone knew that this genius of sophistry had not yet opened his mouth. At this moment, even the little emperor could not withstand his sharpness.
All the ministers were secretly shocked. They had thought that the young master was just precocious, but they did not expect him to have such extraordinary talent.
The secret memorial in the sleeve of the Minister of Rites was soaked with cold sweat. He was afraid that he would not be able to gain the upper hand in today's game.
"I want to be filial, but I dare not allow my mother to take charge of government again."
Jiang Heng tapped the dragon table lightly, the sound like a jade chime: "First, the Queen Mother's body is not in good condition, and second, the palace has been neglecting state affairs for a long time.
If I force the Supreme Position, wouldn't that put my mother in a situation where she would suffer from physical exhaustion and her reputation would be damaged?"
The officials in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment. The young emperor continued:
"Our dynasty governs the world with filial piety. Protecting parents' health and keeping their reputations is the ultimate filial piety. Since I have set an example for the world, how can I put myself in an unjust position?"
This airtight argument completely blocked the voices of the gentry.
When the court was dismissed, several old officials wiped their foreheads with their sleeves.
Seeing that the regent princess Jiang Xue was gradually destroying the foundation of the family, she had a military order and made great achievements in battle, and had a wise counselor like Xiao Zhan to assist her. Unless...
"Unless there is a disaster."
In the secret room of the Grand Tutor's Mansion, the veteran of three dynasties slammed his teacup heavily on the table: "But has she ever been hurt by any open or secret attacks over the years?"
Everyone looked at the flickering candlelight and fell into silence. Thunder suddenly sounded outside the window and a rainstorm was approaching.
Ge Lianxiang's hand holding the pen trembled slightly, and the ink spread out in strange patterns on the rice paper.
Chinen sighed and took away the wolf hair brush: "Forget it, just use your usual charcoal pencil."
As dusk fell, the woman sprinkled charcoal ash carefully under the roots of the peonies in the courtyard, and raised the corners of her lips slightly as she watered them with clean water.
Dark red powder mixed with ashes seeped into the soil, and flower branches swayed without wind under the moonlight.
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