Gu Ting is gone!
In the spring when flowers are blooming, he bid farewell to his wife and children with his personal soldiers and set off south.
He will go to the smoky and humid areas in the south to train troops and fight.
I don’t know how many years have passed since I left.
Pei Man sat in the carriage, watching Gu Ting's back gradually disappear from her sight.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I felt empty inside.
She is very sad.
It's hard to have everything in this world.
She wanted to accompany Gu Ting south, and she was not afraid even of that smoky and dangerous place.
But she still has to think about her children.
The child is growing up day by day, and he can only have a bright future if he stays in the capital.
When I went to the smoky and miasmic area in the south, I saw mountains all around and all the people coming and going were local natives. It was hard to find a suitable in-law, let alone build up a network of relationships.
If the children followed them to the south, their lives would be ruined.
Pei Man wiped away her tears.
Gu Ting wanted to go south to train troops and fight, and she did not stop him.
The capital was too unfriendly to him.
Just because he was the Queen's brother, the court officials rushed over like sharks smelling blood, wanting to tear him to pieces.
Let's go, let's go. Stay away from this place of trouble.
The family will be reunited one day.
…
The courtiers cheered.
Finally, Gu Ting was driven away and "exiled" to the smoke-filled and miasmic land in the south.
Since Liu Zhao ascended the throne, the court officials have fought wits and courage with the emperor and empress, and have been defeated countless times, with countless people dying.
Finally, God did not give up on them, and they won an absolute crushing victory for the first time.
Marquis Chengping Gu Ting went to the south to train troops and fight!
Ha ha ha ha……
The courtiers laughed.
In their eyes, going to the smoke-filled and miasmic areas in the south is equivalent to "exile."
This was a great victory, a victory that will be recorded in history books.
Thanks to everyone's unity and concerted efforts, their fierce firepower made it so that even though he was the Queen's brother, he was still driven out of the capital and "exiled" to the smoky and dangerous area in the south.
"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, a gap has finally been opened."
"Your Excellency means that the Gu family is a weak point?"
"No, no, no, what I mean is that even the Emperor and Empress have their own limitations."
"The Gu family is a weak spot."
"But judging by the Empress's attitude, she seems particularly indifferent to the Gu family. This time, Marquis Chengping was driven out of the capital because the Empress didn't intervene from beginning to end. If the Empress had defended Marquis Chengping with all her might, would we still have had a chance to 'exile' him to the smoky, malaria-ridden south?"
Huh?
Why does this sound like the words of a traitor?
This is to increase the queen's arrogance and destroy her own prestige.
It turns out that their victory was not due to their unity and concerted efforts, but because the Queen let them go?
How can this be possible?
Everyone was very dissatisfied and stared at a colleague who dared to tell the truth and reveal the truth.
"It seems that it was the Duke of Chengping's choice to go to the smoky and humid land in the south."
"That's because he has nowhere else to go. We've blocked all the ways out."
Are you sure?
Don't ignore the facts just to flatter yourself.
If you think about it carefully, it seems that the fact that Marquis Chengping Gu Ting went to the smoky and miasmic area in the south had nothing to do with the court officials.
The court officials only asked His Majesty to severely punish Gu Ting, but did not say how to punish him, let alone mention the South.
"Your Majesty is not someone who would compromise just because of the censor's impeachment."
"Shut up!"
Is it interesting to expose the truth?
Can’t we let everyone enjoy the joy of victory a little longer?
Which side do you stand on?
If you want to be the emperor and empress's running dog, get out of here right away.
"Everyone, stop arguing. Stop arguing. Have you read today's newspaper?"
"Not yet. What's in the paper today?"
"The Way Out for the Northwest," a commentary by the chief commentator of the Shanhe Academy Newspaper.
"What's the way out for the Northwest?"
"You'll know when you see it."
"In a few days, there will be a grand court meeting. His Majesty might ask about the Northwest issue. Everyone should be prepared."
"It's spring plowing season, and the Ministry of Revenue is bustling with activity. I see the furnaces at Universal Steel are burning brightly. And the Minister of the Treasury is so mysterious, I wonder what he's been up to."
"Why are you bringing this up?"
"Don't you think it's strange? It's spring plowing, not summer or autumn harvest. What's the Ministry of Revenue supposed to be busy with?"
"Ask around if anyone has connections in the Ministry of Revenue."
A few days later, at the grand court meeting, the Northwest issue was discussed as expected.
How to govern the Northwest?
A big discussion took place at the grand court meeting.
The ministers pointed their fingers at the Northwest Army and the Marquis of Lu.
"Although the Northwest is vast, it does not need two military command offices. Now that we have the Northwest Grand Military Governor's Office, I believe it is time to begin dismantling the Northwest Army."
"The war has ended, but the court still maintains so many soldiers and generals. This is a waste of money and food!"
"Your Majesty, please issue an order to disband the Northwest Army."
"I'm asking you how to govern the northwest, not how to engage in internal strife."
"Your Majesty, this is wrong. The Northwest Army is the largest cancer in the Northwest. If this cancer is not eliminated, how can the Northwest be peaceful and governed? Half of every penny the court sends to the Northwest will go into the pockets of the Northwest Army. If the Northwest Army is enriched, the court will be impoverished, and the Great Zhou Dynasty will be unstable!"
"Stop exaggerating!"
"What benefits did the Marquis of Lu give to Your Majesty that made Your Majesty defend him and the Northwest Army?"
"Without any evidence, you wantonly slander me. What is your crime?"
"Even if Your Majesty kills me, I will still tell you."
Liu Zhao was filled with rage. Every court meeting turned into a fierce battle. Enough is enough!
He walked away in a huff.
Lin Shuping raised his voice and shouted, "Withdraw from the court!"
He hurriedly caught up with Liu Zhao and left the Golden Palace.
The court officials looked at each other in dissatisfaction.
"Your Majesty is too willful."
"Every time there was a grand court meeting, he would walk out in anger before a conclusion was reached."
"We can only count on the small court meeting."
"Let's go find Lord Lu. He is the head of all officials and should persuade Your Majesty to make the right decision."
Lord Lu, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, saw that the situation was not good and slipped away early.
Leave Renqiu to deal with those court officials.
Renqiu is a chatterbox. He can talk about everything from all corners of the world, astronomy and geography, folk customs, nobles and commoners, the Four Books and Five Classics, Buddhist scriptures and Taoist scriptures.
It can also make people dizzy with conversation.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he spoke like a charlatan, "I observed the celestial phenomena last night and gained some insights. My fellow officials, please listen to me as I explain them one by one."
But the court officials just fell for his tricks.
Confucius did not talk about strange and supernatural things, but that did not prevent everyone from listening with great interest.
After all, Renqiu's strength has been proven in practice.
A charlatan who is recognized as having real abilities.
There's no harm in listening more.
Maybe he could turn danger into safety and win victory after victory in the struggle with the emperor and empress.
…
Liu Zhao held a small court meeting in Xingqing Palace.
Several bigwigs in the Political Affairs Hall, as well as officials from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of the Imperial Household, were present.
Most of them are old faces, but some are new ones.
How to govern the northwest was discussed for the first time at the grand court meeting.
But in this small group, we have been busy with this matter since last year.
"According to spies, the first group of Northwestern Army troops set out for the Western Regions half a month ago."
Liu Zhao nodded, a little excited.
The plan finally started.
The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Lu, said, "We should catch up on the publicity."
"Is the Northwest Army ready?"
"The Marquis of Lu plans to use 5,000 men disguised as soldiers from Xiliang to start a 'war.' This way, the Northwestern Army can legitimately march to Xiliang."
"Your Majesty, by then, must be resolute and will not give up until Xiliang is conquered."
"It would be better for the court officials not to know the truth, as this will be more conducive to the implementation of the plan."
"The Ministry of Revenue must hurry up and prepare food and fodder."
"The Northwest Army will relocate some of their families to Xiliang."
"No need to stop them. Since we want to occupy Xiliang and then conquer the Western Regions, population is of paramount importance. The Northwest Army's ability to relocate the population is a testament to their ability."
"Your Majesty, it's time to activate the hidden stakes buried in the northwest."
"Everything is proceeding according to plan. By May, can this 'war' begin?"
Only when the war breaks out in the northwest can the imperial court and the Northwest Army conceal their true intentions.
He concealed the truth from the court officials and the people of the world, and sent troops to Xiliang to control the Western Regions.
"By May or June, if nothing unexpected happens, this 'war' will definitely begin."
Once the war breaks out, the Northwest Army can start to leave the Northwest and head to Xiliang, and eventually take root in Xiliang.
The king and his ministers worked together to perfect the plan and were busy until noon.
Liu Zhao went to Chang'an Palace for dinner.
The food was served and the emperor and empress sat side by side.
Gu Jiu didn't have much appetite, so he put down his chopsticks after eating half a bowl.
Liu Zhao had a good appetite. He ate three bowls in one go and felt a little full.
Gu Jiu reminded him, "If you can't compare to a young man in his twenties, don't eat too much. You should also pay attention to your health and eat less and move more."
"I walk around every day, and occasionally go to the training ground to practice."
Gu Jiu reached out and touched his abdomen.
Liu Zhao asked curiously, "Am I fat?"
Gu Jiu shook his head, "I'm not fat. I just don't know if my weight has changed."
"Nothing has changed, of course."
"Are you in a good mood today?"
Liu Zhao grinned, waved his hand, and sent all the palace servants away.
He then said to Gu Jiu: "Lord Lu has started to move."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "It's really good news. I heard from the servants that you ran away before the morning court was even halfway through."
Liu Zhao looked aggrieved and disgusted, "The grand court meeting is a complete waste of time. I even want to cancel it completely."
Gu Jiu's face was serious as he firmly objected: "No! Many officials in the capital city look forward to the grand court meetings on the first and fifteenth day of each month to see the emperor, speak out, and express their opinions. If you cancel the grand court meetings, it will be tantamount to strangling their hopes and spiritual sustenance. The consequences will be serious, and you absolutely do not want to see it."
"I have to endure the spit of those court officials all the time." Liu Zhao looked aggrieved and asked for comfort and a hug.
Gu Jiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "There is always a price to pay for every gain, just bear with it."
"You're still speaking for those officials. They drove my brother-in-law out of the capital. Aren't you angry?"
"I'm thinking of you. Also, my brother wasn't driven away by them. He was originally going to the south to train troops, but he just moved up the plan a little bit."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
