Chapter 126 Hug
Huo Zheng's words "Your son does have selfish motives" made the emperor laugh out of anger.
Huo Yuan said: "You are very honest."
Huo Zheng knew that he couldn't hide the truth from his father, so he just told the truth.
He said, "I do have selfish motives in bringing up Mu Qingshan's order to enrich the people, but it's not entirely selfish... It's a fact that the national treasury has been increasingly empty over the past decade, and it now appears that Mu Qingshan's proposals were quite far-sighted."
Huo Zheng discussed the matter at hand and told the emperor the various benefits of the Enriching the People Order.
Moreover, Mu Qingshan had offended the emperor and his property was confiscated and he was exiled for a while. This was because Mu Qingshan offended many aristocratic families because he advocated enriching the people, and was attacked by the crowd. Enraging the emperor was just an excuse.
Huo Yuan heard Huo Zheng mention the name Mu Qingshan repeatedly, and looking back at the past, he and Mu Qingshan also had a time when they were a king and his subject.
When Huo Yuan was a prince, he was neither the eldest nor the legitimate son. Not many civil and military officials in the court stood on his side from the beginning. When Mu Qingshan was the third place in the imperial examination, everyone tried to win him over, but he dared to stand up and speak frankly for him before anyone else stood on his side.
Huo Yuan also liked Mu Qingshan's upright character very much, but after he became emperor, he wanted all his ministers to submit to him, but Mu Qingshan always looked like he didn't know how to read his mood.
Once the seeds of displeasure were planted, they would take root and sprout. Later, when Mu Qingshan insisted on implementing the order to enrich the people, he finally angered the emperor.
When the emperor was angry, corpses floated for hundreds of miles.
Huo Yuan was reluctant to kill Mu Qingshan, so he only sentenced him to confiscation of property and exile.
Over the past ten years, Ji Jun, who was in the same class as Mu Qingshan, has become Prime Minister Ji, but no one mentions the most talented third place winner back then.
The reason Huo Zheng mentioned it this time was probably because of his daughter.
Huo Yuan felt indescribable.
Once people get older, they tend to reminisce about the past.
Mu Qingshan also had a place in his past.
Seeing that the emperor's expression seemed to have softened, Huo Zheng immediately knelt and bowed deeply, "Your Highness, I kneel down and beg you to summon Mu Qingshan back to the capital!"
Huo Yuan came to his senses from his memories and said slowly, "I'll think about it again. You go back first."
"Father..."
Huo Zheng wanted to say something else.
Huo Yuan just waved his hand, signaling Huo Zheng to leave.
Huo Zheng swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and stood up to take his leave. "Your son will take his leave."
There are dark clouds outside the door, and it looks like it's going to rain heavily.
Huo Zheng hurried out of the palace. As soon as he got on the carriage, raindrops as big as beans began to fall.
After the court was dismissed, the ministers had already left one after another.
The only carriage left in front of the palace gate was the one belonging to the Prince of Chang'an's Palace.
Huo Zheng ordered the driver: "Go to the Song residence."
"Yes." The coachman had been picking up Prince Chang'an every day these days, and he had long been accustomed to Huo Zheng going to the Song residence first after finishing his work every day.
It rained heavily today, but we still went.
The carriage passed through many streets and soon stopped in front of the Song residence.
The heavy rain has been falling, and a lot of water has accumulated on the ground. The raindrops keep falling, forming one water flower after another.
As soon as Huo Zheng lifted the curtain of the car, he saw Chunzhi standing in front of the Song residence waiting for him.
Heavy rain fell and dark clouds covered the city.
Lanterns have been lit in front of the Song residence.
Chunzhi was standing in that warm color. When she saw him, she immediately opened her oil-paper umbrella and ran over. She stood in front of the carriage and held the umbrella high.
Huo Zheng got off the carriage and took the oil-paper umbrella to shield Chunzhi from the wind and rain. "It's raining so hard, why did you come out?"
Chunzhi said, "It's because it's raining so hard that I came out to pick you up."
She said this very naturally.
As if it should be so.
Huo Zheng walked in with Chunzhi and whispered to her, "Don't stand in front of the door in the wind next time. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Chunzhi said: "No, I'm in good health."
The two walked in together. The wind and rain crept into the corridor. Huo Zheng tilted his oil-paper umbrella to block Chunzhi.
The maids and servants of the Song residence stopped and saluted when they saw the two men.
Chunzhi nodded and told them to be careful as the road was slippery.
After walking for a long time and finally seeing no one ahead, Chunzhi asked Huo Zheng, "Did the Emperor scold you for mentioning Lord Mu at the court meeting today?"
Huo Zheng said: "No."
Chunzhi asked again, "Really?"
Huo Zheng smiled and looked at her sideways, "What are you going to do if my father blames me?"
"I..." Chunzhi thought seriously, "I'll hug you."
Huo Zheng stopped and held up the oil-paper umbrella, "Then you can hold it."
Chunzhi thought to herself that she knew that Huo Zheng would be blamed by the emperor if he mentioned Mu Qingshan at the court meeting. In fact, Huo Zheng must have thought of this beforehand, but he just couldn't do it when the time came.
Chunzhi opened her arms and hugged Huo Zheng under the corridor that was swaying in the wind and rain.
She knew that if Huo Zheng hadn't wanted to marry her, there wouldn't be these troubles.
But he didn't complain.
"Chunzhi." Huo Zheng called her name softly and said to her, "It is only a matter of time before I mention Mu Qingshan in front of my father. It's not entirely for you, but also for the people of the world..." So, you don't have to blame yourself too much.
He didn't say the last sentence.
But Chunzhi already understood.
Chunzhi hugged him tighter and asked him softly, "Huo Zheng, are you hungry? Can I go make you some food?"
Huo Zheng whispered in her ear: "Okay."
Chunzhi sent Huo Zheng to the front of the hall and went to the kitchen with an umbrella.
Huo Zheng stood in front of the door and watched her walk away before turning around and entering the hall.
Song Anlan was waiting for him in the hall.
"The prince is here." Song Anlan stood up to greet him. "How did things go at the grand court meeting today?"
"I asked Minister Zhang to mention Lord Mu in public, and Minister Zhao immediately said that someone had sent a letter of accusation yesterday, exposing Chunzhi as the daughter of the treacherous minister Mu Qingshan. Prince Rui and my ninth brother were both very busy, and the ministers were arguing fiercely."
Huo Zheng told Song Anlan what happened at today's court meeting in just a few words.
Song Anlan frowned slightly, "The person who exposed Chunzhi acted faster than we expected."
Huo Zheng said, "Minister Zhao is a student of Prime Minister Ji Jun. Although Ji Jun and Lord Mu were from the same department, they have always held different views. If Lord Mu had not angered the emperor and been exiled to the northern border, Ji Jun might not be the Prime Minister today."
Ji Jun and Mu Qingshan were political enemies in the past.
If it was just because his son-in-law Lu Jingyun wanted to marry Wang Yiyue, the daughter of the Grand Tutor, as his co-wife, Prime Minister Ji would not have to take action. However, once Mu Qingshan was reinstated, the impact on Ji Jun would be extraordinary.
Ji Jun definitely doesn't want Mu Qingshan to be reinstated by the emperor.
Song Anlan naturally understood this as well. He said to Huo Zheng, "I'm afraid this matter will be debated in the court for quite some time."
Huo Zheng said: "This is inevitable."
He said: "No matter how long the argument lasts, there will always be a result."
Seeing that Huo Zheng was as calm as usual, Song Anlan's heart also calmed down.
There was a heavy storm outside, and the candlelight in the hall was flickering.
After an unknown amount of time, Chunzhi came in holding an umbrella, opened the door, and said to the two of them, "Huo Zheng, brother, it's time for dinner."
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