Even from a distance, you could smell the alcohol on the two of them; they had clearly just returned from a banquet. No wonder I had summoned them long ago, yet they took so long to enter the palace.
Empress Dowager Liu Ning suppressed her anger: "Don't you know what happened today?"
Although the two people opposite her were her elders, she had been the Empress for many years and was now the Empress Dowager. There was a distinction between the emperor and his subjects, so she didn't need to be too polite when speaking to them.
"It's just a few short-sighted ministers who submitted a memorial criticizing the Empress Dowager. Don't worry, we'll find some of our subordinates to impeach those ministers for their insubordination," Liu Yao said with a nonchalant smile.
"Foolish!" Liu Ning finally couldn't suppress her anger and stood up abruptly. "Recently, rumors have been spreading in the capital that the reinforcements we sent to support the demon race were ambushed and wiped out by the demons. The key point is that we really can't contact the troops at the front. People are using this to attack me. Do you really think it's a small matter?"
At this moment, Liu Guang also spoke up: "Ning'er, to be honest, I didn't agree with this matter at first either. You favored that Zu too much. You are the Empress Dowager, yet you listen to everything he says. Who is really in charge of this Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ning's face darkened: "Do you dare say that to his face?"
Liu Guang's breath hitched. Thinking of the fate of the Meng family in the capital not long ago, he didn't want to repeat their mistakes.
At this moment, Liu Yao tried to smooth things over, saying, "Ning'er, why are you siding with outsiders? It's true that the man surnamed Zu is very capable, but he's not one of our own. We can't completely trust him in many things. Sigh, I said earlier that we should find a suitable woman from the Liu family to marry into the family, but unfortunately you all disagreed."
Liu Guang said irritably, "Easy for you to say. His ex-wife, Chu Chuyan, was a renowned beauty, even as famous as Yu Yanluo back then. How could our Liu family have a girl like that for a marriage alliance? We might end up offending someone instead of forming a marriage alliance."
Liu Yao chuckled awkwardly: "It's a pity that Ning'er is already married, and with a special status, otherwise she would be more than a match for that Zu guy."
"Shut up!" Liu Guang glared at his younger brother. How could he say such things carelessly?
Now that Ning'er is the Empress Dowager, how could she possibly be allowed to have any dealings with the Zu family?
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore!" Liu Ning blushed slightly, thinking to herself that you don't need to worry about it, she had already taken care of it.
At this moment, Liu Guang spoke up: "Actually, not having a marriage alliance before might not have been a bad thing. Look at how the demon race openly ambushed and killed our reinforcements. This kind of blood feud will definitely be irreconcilable from now on. As the regent of the demon race, Zu was the one who strongly advocated sending reinforcements. He can't escape responsibility for this. He will most likely become the biggest traitor in human history. No matter how strong he is, he will be disgraced. It's good for us to take this opportunity to cut ties with him."
Liu Ning raised her phoenix eyes: "Don't you understand the situation? I agreed to this matter in the first place. To outsiders, it looks like the Regent and I worked together to make it happen. Otherwise, why would any minister dare to impeach me openly in court today!"
“So we should take this opportunity to cut ties with the Zu family,” Liu Yao said. “Next, I will stop my confidants from launching a propaganda campaign to pin the whole thing on him. The Empress Dowager will be misled, and then no one will hold you or even our Liu family accountable.”
Liu Ning was startled: "Who said we wanted to sever ties with the Regent? Have you forgotten how terrifying the Regent's cultivation is? Is there anything he can't subdue?"
She couldn't openly discuss her close relationship with Zuan, so she could only offer these "reasonable" reasons.
"No matter how high his cultivation level is, can he really be an enemy of the entire human race?" Liu Guang said dismissively. "Moreover, according to the intelligence we received recently, he seems to have gone to the sealed land of the demon race. You should know that the sealed land of the demon race is a deadly place where one has a slim chance of survival. He has been there for so long and has not returned. It seems that he is probably in grave danger."
"Impossible! He'll be perfectly fine!" Liu Ning immediately stood up and shouted.
Liu Guang and Liu Yao were both taken aback and looked at her with suspicion.
Realizing she had lost her composure, Liu Ning quickly said, "Given the Regent's previous display of combat prowess, even if there were some truly dangerous place, it wouldn't be a problem for him. You shouldn't place your bets so easily, lest you offend someone and then be unable to recover."
"What else can we do? Are we really going to let those people attack our Liu family for making wrong decisions?" Liu Yao was somewhat dissatisfied. Ever since back in Mingyue City, he had disliked that kid Zu'an. In just a few years, he had risen above him. It was outrageous.
"We'll meet force with force and water with earth. Are we afraid?" Liu Ning said in a deep voice. "The situation on the front lines is unclear right now, so let's not make any decisions lightly."
Seeing her resolute attitude, Liu Guang and Liu Yao exchanged a glance and decided not to say anything more: "Then we'll do as you say for now."
At this moment, Liu Ning continued, "However, the recent winds are a bit off. I have a feeling that something is going to happen. Be vigilant these days. Father, you should keep in touch with the Liu family's trusted confidants and observe the movements in the court. Uncle, you should send more people to patrol the capital. If there are any signs of troop movements, you must notify me immediately."
"Okay!" The two agreed, and after chatting about various matters, they took their leave and left the palace.
After they left, Eunuch Lü entered the room: "The two gentlemen seem quite dissatisfied with the Regent. Shall we reveal something about the relationship between the Empress and the Regent?"
“No need,” Liu Ning said, a hint of weariness flashing across her face. “Their satisfaction or dissatisfaction cannot affect the Regent in the slightest. By the way, have you investigated the information I asked you to look into?”
"This servant has already sent spies infiltrating the demon race to investigate the Regent's whereabouts, but so far they have only found out that he has entered the sealed land, and there is still no news of his return," Eunuch Lü replied, bowing.
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