"What are you standing there for?" Queen Mother Gu smiled calmly, "Tingchen, why don't you thank me quickly?"
Gu Tingchen kowtowed nervously and said, "I thank your majesty for your grace."
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction, then pointed the finger at Prince Yan: "Prince Yan has deceived the emperor and colluded with Xue Jiu, committing heinous crimes. Severe punishment will not quell public anger. Does your mother have any objection to this?"
Queen Mother Gu knew it was impossible to save Prince Yan, so she could only agree, "Prince Yan's crimes are indeed heinous and unforgivable. He should be demoted to a commoner and exiled to Qianzhou, where he can fend for himself."
"Just do as my mother says." The emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that the two princes favored by the Queen Mother have been demoted, he also seized the opportunity to speak out what he was thinking.
"I heard that Prince Yongning turned the tide this time, leading 10,000 Yingzhou troops to resist 100,000 pirates invading the interior. He is indeed a man of both courage and strategy. The situation in the northern border is critical right now, and I would like to transfer him to Lin'an to entrust him with important tasks. What do you think, Queen Mother?"
How could Empress Dowager Gu not see through the Emperor's thoughts? She had just let her nephew be the Prince's Grand Tutor, and then wanted to summon Fu Mingchi to Lin'an. This seemed to indicate that she had already made up her mind to make that arrogant bastard the crown prince.
Prince Qi and Prince Yan were not up to the task, and she couldn't find a suitable candidate for the time being. She didn't know how to refute the emperor, so she could only look silently at the father and son of the Gu family.
Gu An and Gu Tingchen both felt helpless.
Seeing this, the emperor was secretly delighted: "I know that the Queen Mother has some complaints about Ming Chi, but now that the country is in danger, I ask the Queen Mother to put aside past grudges and welcome Prince Yongning to Lin'an to jointly resist the northern invaders."
Queen Mother Gu closed her eyes impatiently, not wanting to agree at all.
Just at this moment, Zhou Fuhai came in with a messenger.
"Your Majesty and the Queen Mother, the new academician of Yuezhou, Ji Yunze, has sent back a secret letter."
Zhou Fuhai signaled the messenger to hand over the secret letter. When the emperor opened it, his face immediately turned cold.
Empress Dowager Gu saw something was amiss. She took the letter and glanced at it. She smiled to herself, then flew into a rage and said, "Prince Yongning is so bold that he actually plotted a rebellion. The Emperor's ability to judge people is truly remarkable."
"Your Majesty, calm down." The emperor hastily defended himself, "The people of Yuezhou, remembering Prince Yongning's contributions to the nation, are coming to greet him. This is understandable. I'm afraid Ji Xuezheng is being a little overly sensitive."
"Sensitive?" Empress Dowager Gu carefully read the contents of the secret letter and said sternly, "Guan Qing is an official appointed by the imperial court. Is it reasonable for him to order his generals to kill him privately?"
Glancing at the Emperor with dissatisfaction, Empress Dowager Gu coldly rebuked, "This Ji Xuezheng is the number one scholar hand-picked by the Emperor. He has always been fair and selfless. Could it be that he would wrongly accuse Prince Yongning?"
Gu Tingchen stepped forward and took the letter from Empress Dowager Gu. He read it carefully and his heart was immediately filled with joy.
I underestimated that nerd. I tried my best but failed to find evidence of Fu Mingchi's guilt. I didn't expect that this nerd actually did it.
"Your Majesty, Prince Yongning must have different intentions."
Gu Tingchen said righteously, "Even when I was inspecting Yuezhou, this man arbitrarily mobilized troops to besiege the Pacification Commissioner's Office. In order to win people's hearts, he also arbitrarily exempted Yuezhou from taxes for two years. It is clear that this man has long been ambitious and must be guarded against."
"It seems that allowing that young lady Zhang from Dingyuan Marquis's mansion to lead the Mu family army into the northern border was a mistake." Queen Mother Gu immediately ordered, "Gu An, tell the generals at all the northern passes to strictly guard them. They are not allowed to assist the Mu family army, let alone allow them to enter the country."
The emperor's face turned pale upon hearing this, and he cried out anxiously, "For the past two months, the Marquis of Wuping's army has been losing ground, losing cities and territory and countless soldiers and generals. The Mu family army has just entered the northern border and has recaptured several cities. They are currently engaged in a fierce battle with the northern invaders. The Queen Mother's move is undoubtedly intended to annihilate the Mu family army."
"The emperor is truly becoming more and more confused as he grows older."
Queen Mother Gu slammed the table in anger, "I was apprehensive when you allowed little Zhang to enter the northern border, but I, mindful of our mother-son bond, allowed you to do as you pleased. Look at all the good things you've done. If Prince Yongning and the Mu family army had joined forces, I wouldn't have to wait a hundred years; I could have handed over the kingdom of Daye to him today."
The emperor shook his head helplessly and pleaded, "I am willing to guarantee with my life that Prince Yongning has absolutely no intention of rebellion. Please, Queen Mother, please do not listen to slanderous words."
"Even now, the Emperor still refuses to change his ways?" Empress Dowager Gu said, her face livid with anger. "Does the Emperor really have to wait until he sees his troops at the gates of the city before he gives up?"
Seeing the deadlock between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, Gu Tingchen's eyes flickered, and he smiled and advised, "Since Your Majesty is so confident in Prince Yongning's loyalty, I have a plan. Why not summon Prince Yongning to the capital to confront Ji Xuezheng? If he has no intention of rebellion, we can simply punish the general who arbitrarily killed an imperial official."
"Just as the Privy Councilor said." Empress Dowager Gu, no longer bothering to pay attention to the emperor, stood up and said, "Gu An, you will personally lead 300,000 troops to the border of Yuzhou. If that evil creature dares to disobey your orders, we will destroy it even if we have to raze Yuezhou City to the ground."
"Yes, I obey your command."
Gu An glanced at his son with a sullen look on his face, feeling that this bastard was becoming more and more unfamiliar.
Father and son left the Yangxin Palace. On their way back, Gu An suddenly asked, "Why did you incite the Queen Mother to deal with Prince Yongning?"
"Father, why do you ask when you already know the answer?" Gu Tingchen said unhappily, "Does father want to watch Ji Yuan welcome Fu Mingchi to Lin'an?"
"Even if we want to deal with him, it shouldn't be now." Gu An said angrily, "I think you are now blinded by selfishness."
Since the empress dowager has decided to reduce the power of the princes, he can no longer blame his son. He only hopes that Fu Mingchi can put the overall situation first and enter Lin'an as soon as possible. This will not only relieve the danger in the northern border, but also avoid a war.
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