Chapter 222: Lip Battle
Zhang Xian: "Master Zuo is truly well-informed."
The new emperor's face froze slightly when he heard this.
Zuo Anmin snorted at him. Originally, after Zhang Xian came to power and he realized he couldn't get rid of him, he began to show goodwill towards him, hoping to reach a consensus with him.
On the surface, everyone is friendly and harmonious, but behind the scenes, they fight and clash with each other. Isn't that the case with everyone?
But Zhang Xian refused to do so and insisted on clearly setting up his chariot and horse camp to fight against him, which was outrageous.
But this was not the time to argue with him. Zuo Anmin said again, "Your Majesty, you must not let Lü Desheng leave Chang'an."
"How dare you! Zuo Anmin, you're doing something to the Pope?! You've overstepped your bounds!"
"You are the one who is being presumptuous. The Emperor is young and easy to talk to, and can be easily fooled by you. As a subject, I have the responsibility to assist the Emperor and give him advice."
"But the Emperor has already carefully considered and decided what to do. You are clearly using the power of a minister to advise you to interfere!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the new emperor's face darkened.
"Zhang Xian, stop sowing discord!"
Zhang Xian asked him in return, "Sir Zuo, do you want to see how many ministers in the court have impeached you? Are you the only one in the entire court who is right? Are we and the emperor both wrong?" His words directly pulled Zuo Anmin to the opposite side of the emperor.
Now Lu Desheng is determined to be a troublemaker to make everyone uneasy.
At present, the attitude of all the ministers towards Lu Desheng is that this guy can't be killed, so he can only be sent away! Send him away! Send him thousands of miles away, preferably so that he will never come back!
Zuo Anmin heard it and deeply hated his sinister intentions. He immediately expressed his position, "Your Majesty, I have a pure heart. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this. Everything I say and do is for the sake of Your Majesty and our Dali Dynasty."
Zhang Xian asked doubtfully, "Master Zuo, isn't this what we, as subjects, should do? We are paid by the emperor and must be loyal to him. Why are you trying to gain credit for this?"
The new emperor felt quite relieved, but when he heard it, the look in his eyes when he looked at Zuo Anmin became strange.
Zuo Anmin was so angry that he vomited blood. He shouted in his heart, "Zhang Xian, can you please shut up!"
The new emperor raised his hand and signaled Zhang Xianxian to stop talking.
Zhang Xian shut up obediently, but his hands were not idle. He personally added tea to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, we really can't let Lu Desheng be exiled."
"Reason?" The new emperor slowly uttered two words.
Zuo Anmin hesitated. In fact, before Zhang Xian came to power, he agreed with Lu Desheng's exile. After all, he had just come to power at that time, and he was also worried that something might go wrong with Lu Desheng.
But Zhang Xiandu had already come to power, and with Lu Desheng behind him, how could he let Lu Desheng get his wish after he had caused him so much trouble?
In addition, the letter from Nandi coincided with his own thoughts, so he decided to take action.
But the reason given in the letter was too outrageous. If he used it now, saying that a woman like Lu Songli had the intention of rebellion? He kept Lu Desheng and his family to contain her. He would be laughed at.
If Zuo Anmin talked to the Empress Dowager, she would definitely get her approval, as the Empress Dowager would also think that she was rebellious.
Zuo Anmin didn't want to use the reasons given in the letter, so he could only say, "The Qin family is a family of military commanders. Now that they have been exiled to Pingzhou, how can we know that they don't have any resentment in their hearts? The emperor must be on guard. After all, after Lü Desheng was exiled, no one can control the Qin family."
He couldn't tell the reason for the Qin family's exile, so he could only gloss over it vaguely and state the facts directly.
The new emperor's expression froze when he heard this. No one knew the inside story of the Qin family's exile better than him.
Zhang Xian was amazed. What the letter said was true. They actually used this excuse! They anticipated the enemy first. What a great achievement.
Zhang Xian immediately asked him, "Master Zuo, are you speculating that the Qin family has rebellious intentions?"
Zuo Anmin: “It’s not impossible.”
The new emperor pursed his lips.
"Isn't it wrong for you to speculate about the Qin family like this? The Qin family has been loyal for generations, and has always understood righteousness. It's true that the late crown prince was in trouble in the northern border, but the late emperor only exiled him, which was already magnanimous. Thunder and rain are all the emperor's grace, and the Qin family will not dare to complain."
"Besides, this isn't the first time the Qin family has been punished for their mistakes. It doesn't make sense. Previous generations were fine, but now that the Emperor has come to power, the Qin family is going to rebel, right?"
"Finally, what you just said is also incorrect, Lord Zuo. The Lu family is just one of the Qin family's in-laws. Besides the Lu family, the Qin family also has the Gu family and the Ding family in Chang'an. How can you say that no one can restrain the Qin family? Why not just say that you are targeting Lu Desheng?"
Your reason is untenable.
The new emperor listened silently. During this time, he had understood the real reason why his father exiled the Qin family. It was because he wanted him to show kindness to the Qin family, and he was already somewhat tempted.
Last year, after Qin Yue inflicted heavy damage on the Qiang and Hu tribes, he faced a wave of attacks from the Wuhuan.
Deputy Commander Fu Jiangong was directly promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Northern Border Army, taking full control of the military power in the Northern Border. Unfortunately, this war, despite the prestige of destroying the Qiang and Hu tribes, lasted for two or three months, and the imperial court also withdrew a large amount of food and fodder. It was simply a waste!
In comparison, the Qin family is really useful.
The new emperor restrained his emotions and waited to see how Fu Jiangong, Yan Zheng and others performed this year...
Zuo Anmin gritted his teeth and decided to use the reasoning in the letter. "Your Majesty, things are different now. Qin Sheng's wife, Lü Songli, is a person with a strong sense of revenge. The Empress Dowager forced her to marry Qin Sheng, and she must have some resentment in her heart. This woman is very strategic and intelligent. After being imprisoned, she was able to single-handedly bring down the Xie and Zhao families. Your Majesty, do you still think you can allow Lü Desheng to be exiled?"
In order to attract the attention of the new emperor, Xie Zhan did not hesitate to expose his own scars.
The new emperor's heart stirred, and he pondered. This wasn't the first time someone had mentioned Lü Songli's prowess to him. Xue Huaimin had mentioned it before, and now Zuo Anmin had mentioned it again. But he had seen this woman before, in Dali Prison, and hadn't thought her particularly impressive. He just felt that, like her father, she was particularly good at talking.
Zhang Xian was horrified and predicted Zuo Anmin again in the letter.
"Master Zuo, how did you become so timid? First, it was the Qin family's fugitives that made you extremely wary. Now, a little girl also makes you so wary? If I remember correctly, Lu Songli is Master Lu's second daughter. She is only sixteen this year, right?"
Zuo Anmin looked at him, his eyes gleaming coldly, "Can you completely eliminate this possibility?"
After questioning Zhang Xian, Zuo Anmin turned to the new emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Lü Songli's talent should never be underestimated just because she is a woman. This woman's marriage was forced upon her by the Grand Empress Dowager. How can you not feel resentful?"
Zhang Xian retorted, "Master Zuo, isn't what you said a bit contradictory?"
"Based on your assumptions about the Qin family, you said that Lu Songli was dissatisfied with the royal family because of the Queen Mother's arrangement for her marriage to the Qin family. In other words, she was also dissatisfied with the Qin family as her husband's family. If she was dissatisfied, how could she be in collusion with the Qin family?"
"If he is satisfied, he must be grateful to the Queen Mother for granting the marriage. How could he have such outrageous thoughts?"
Zuo Anmin, "You——"
Zhang Xian was mistaking the subject for the other. While this statement might sound reasonable at first, it didn't bear scrutiny. So, he added, "Master Zuo, you've never been to Pingzhou, right? No wonder you're so alarmist and worried. You don't know how harsh the environment is there. As exiles, they live in constant danger, their survival uncertain. It's a mystery whether or not they can survive, and how long they can live. It's truly strange that the Qin family, for example, has caused Master Zuo to be so wary."
Finally, he said maliciously, "Lord Zuo has always wanted to kill the Qin family. Could it be that he has something to do with the Northern Territory—"
Zuo Anmin was furious, "Zhang Xian, stop slandering me!"
Zhang Xian lowered his head and muttered softly, "You're only allowed to slander the Qin family and Miss Lu Er. I say a few words to you, and you can't stand it. Are you bullying them because they're so far away that you can't talk back?"
Zuo Anmin wanted to argue again, but the new emperor raised his hand and said, "I have made my decision. My dear minister, there is no need to say more."
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