Chapter 119
The attack on the Rongdi should be carried out sooner rather than later, but Xue Jin'an went to Cining Palace first before starting.
Although Xue Jin'an genuinely felt that the emperor was useless and was prepared to anger the emperor and seize military power, he would not truly disregard an emperor who held great power—it sounds hard to believe that such an overly benevolent and weak emperor had not lost power, but that was the truth.
Emperor Ling of Han, who was considered the main culprit for the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the last emperor with real power, was known for selling official positions and recognizing eunuchs as his parents. The current emperor of Daqi smoothly transitioned to full imperial power from the Empress Dowager. Apart from the conscription reform, the current policies are all inherited from the time when the Empress Dowager abolished the position of prime minister and established the cabinet. Apart from being incompetent, the emperor has not actually done anything outrageous that would destroy the country.
While the excessive leniency towards officials led to the formation of numerous factions among them, these officials were often oblivious to the consequences and prone to hindering progress. This became particularly evident as the princes grew up and entered the court, making one almost doubt whether the person sitting on the throne was merely an empty shell.
However, judging from the fact that none of the princes who challenged the imperial authority met a good end in the original text, this emperor was indeed an emperor with real power.
Therefore, Xue Jin'an could be certain that the current state of affairs in the court, characterized by extremely low efficiency and a bunch of people talking nonsense, was created by the emperor himself. Upright remonstrating officials like the Right Censor-in-Chief were extremely rare. Most of the ministers who could stand in the Hall of State Affairs were shrewd and capable of becoming whatever the emperor wanted.
Xue Jin'an truly didn't understand why the emperor wanted to make the court like this. Was it for the sake of a reputation for being open to public opinion and benevolent to the people? Or was it to completely get rid of the influence of the Empress Dowager?
In any case, Xue Jin'an couldn't understand it.
In short, although the emperor is useless, he does have power. If Xue Jin'an wants to develop and expand his own power, he must find an ally who can arouse the vigilance of the emperor and his court officials, so that they have no time to look elsewhere.
Well, "scapegoat" might be a more accurate description than "ally."
Such a person could only be the Empress Dowager.
...
The Cining Palace is empty and desolate, standing quietly in the darkness, like an ancient building gradually fading into silence in the long river of time, exuding a sense of loneliness.
When Xue Jin'an arrived, it was already late at night. Although there were few people around Cining Palace, he still decided to climb over the wall to avoid attracting the attention of the patrolling Imperial Guards. However, he did not expect that as soon as he landed, before he could even see the Cining Palace clearly, a hand silently reached out from behind and landed on his shoulder.
Xue Jin'an's reaction was incredibly swift. The moment he felt the weight on his shoulder, he immediately grabbed the outstretched hand and prepared to throw it to the back.
The back throw didn't send the person flying. His body was incredibly flexible. Xue Jin'an first heard a cracking sound from the joints, and the hand he was holding immediately went limp as if it had no bones. This scene, which violated human osteology, made Xue Jin'an pause for a second.
An ordinary person can't even sneeze in a second, but for a martial arts master, that one second of distraction is enough. Xue Jin'an's fingers were forcibly pried open, and amidst the cracking sound of bones, the hand reached out like a ghost towards Xue Jin'an's neck.
Xue Jin'an had already forcefully broken free from the body that was wrapping around him from behind. He suddenly turned around, stepped back, and leaned back, narrowly avoiding the vicious attack with a series of moves. Regardless of who the person in front of him was, he threw a punch directly at them.
The two exchanged blows several more times, neither gaining the upper hand. It was clear that they were losing control, and the commotion was getting louder and louder. He heard a faint sound of movement coming from the direction of the main hall, and the other side quickly stopped.
Xue Jin'an had no intention of fighting, especially since he already knew who the person in front of him was. He stopped and lowered his voice to say, "Governor Lu, I wish to pay my respects to the Ancestor."
"Seventh Prince, what brings you here so late at night?" Martial arts practitioners have sharp eyes, and for someone with profound internal strength like Lu Bingzhu, seeing in the dark is perfectly normal.
The people in Cining Palace had already been mostly dismissed. Apart from one or two maids who did rough and tiring work, only Lu Bingzhu and Granny Su remained. As people get older, they naturally don't sleep much. In addition, there were not many people in the palace. Lu Bingzhu, who was the best in martial arts, naturally took charge of the safety of the entire Cining Palace.
Lu Bingzhu actually knew who it was as soon as he started fighting Xue Jin'an, but he did not stop there. On the contrary, he deliberately suppressed his internal energy and guided Xue Jin'an to fight him until the noise could no longer be concealed and it was about to wake the people in the hall. Only then did he stop.
Lu Bingzhu admired Xue Jin'an's formidable fighting prowess, as he had managed to hold his own against him for so long, even though Xue Jin'an was using no internal energy and his strength was only a fraction of what it used to be. However, Xue Jin'an was also not using internal energy, so they could put up a fight. Many of Xue Jin'an's grappling and throwing techniques were ones that Lu Bingzhu had never seen before and were quite ingenious.
All of this made Lu Bingzhu's attitude towards Xue Jin'an quite good, but it didn't stop him from refusing outright, "No. It's late now, and Her Majesty has already gone to bed. If you have something to say, come again tomorrow."
Lu Bingzhu spoke with great conviction, and Xue Jin'an, without the slightest hesitation, stated directly, "I have come because of the great war that will soon begin between Daqi and Rongdi."
Lu Bingzhu's expression turned serious. He naturally knew the gravity of the matter and frowned, saying, "This old servant has never heard of His Majesty having any such intention."
Xue Jin'an nodded without hesitation: "Yes, the emperor will know when he sees the battle report after the battle is over."
Lu Bingzhu: "..."
"Ah, I'm getting old, my ears aren't working properly anymore, I misunderstand what I'm being told." Lu Bingzhu pretended to be stupid and tried to forget about it, and even urged Xue Jin'an to go back quickly. "Seventh Prince, please come back tomorrow if you have anything to do. It's getting late, Your Highness should go back."
Go back and wash up and go to sleep. You must be so tired that you're starting to talk nonsense.
“I already have plans for tomorrow, and things might change if we delay. Let’s talk tonight instead,” Xue Jin’an said expressionlessly.
"What? You're planning to force your way in?" Lu Bingzhu looked at him with interest, but his expression suddenly turned cold, and he no longer had any of his usual smiling and indifferent demeanor.
However, the two did not fight again. The candles in the main hall were lit, and the darkness was immediately dispelled. Granny Su came out from inside carrying candlesticks, first bowing to Xue Jin'an, and said with a smile, "Seventh Prince, Her Majesty invites you."
Xue Jin'an successfully met the Empress Dowager. She wasn't wearing any formal attire; she had an outer robe draped over her shoulders, looked somewhat tired, and her hair was simply tied up in a casual style. It seemed she hadn't slept well and had been woken up. She hurriedly sat up to receive Xue Jin'an.
"What do you intend to say to me?" The Empress Dowager sized him up, her tone revealing little emotion.
Xue Jin'an got straight to the point, but before talking about the war, he first mentioned that Batu had tried to kill him but was killed by him, which angered the Empress Dowager and Lu Bingzhu. Only then did he naturally bring up the matter of the Northwest Army's imminent attack.
Of course, Xue Jin'an's data analysis taught him to speak to people in a way that suited them. When dealing with Zhou Yushu, he would proactively offer to lead the Northwest Army in battle, which was to appease Zhou Yushu and reveal some of his own strengths. However, when facing the Empress Dowager, he had to hide this fact and only say that he was from the Northwest Army.
But the Empress Dowager's political acumen was extremely sharp. She knew very well that no one would act without a reason. The fact that Xue Jin'an had connections with the Northwest Army was already confirmed when he mentioned the Northwest Army.
The Empress Dowager was not the emperor. She was quite dissatisfied with what the Rongdi had done and had the idea of striking them down. However, she was also a staunch supporter of imperial power and would never allow anyone to shake or divide her authority. She rejected Xue Jin'an's proposal outright.
Her gaze was sharp and went straight to the point: "You are trying to seize military power."
The Empress Dowager firmly supported the centralized imperial power and would never allow anyone with disloyal intentions to appear. She had already sensed from Xue Jin'an's words that he had no respect for imperial power or the emperor. No matter how nicely he spoke, he could not escape the fact that he was trying to divide imperial power.
"When the country is in turmoil, the people are displaced; when the people are displaced, the country is unstable; when the country is unstable, great dangers arise." The Empress Dowager's eyes were very sharp. "A country can only have one voice of command. Power cannot be divided; division is the beginning of disintegration."
"Xiao Qi, you have overstepped your bounds." The Empress Dowager's voice was not stern, but her aura was very strong, even more intimidating than the emperor's anger.
Xue Jin'an's expression remained calm; he even flashed a friendly smile, though to others it looked like a provocation.
Xue Jin'an bluntly stated: "The possibility of decentralization leading to turmoil in the country is 75%, and the possibility of the north losing control due to inaction is 98%."
The Empress Dowager's lips twitched. She herself was a proponent of war and knew that, according to Xue Jin'an's analysis, this was the best time to send troops. Only by catching the Rongdi off guard could they gain the real initiative. She had nothing to say about this.
Xue Jin'an keenly seized upon her momentary hesitation, dipped his finger in tea, and casually drew a few strokes on the table, roughly outlining the map of the northwest. The Empress Dowager was astonished by his display of skill.
For modern liberal arts high school students, drawing maps on the fly is just a basic skill; they can even point out what rivers and mineral deposits are in what places. However, for the ancients at that time, geomantic maps were extremely important strategic resources. Ordinary people could not obtain or learn them, and only high-ranking generals knew a lot about them. Anyone who could draw terrain so casually would be a strategist in the military.
What surprised the Empress Dowager even more was what happened next. Xue Jin'an pointed to the location of Qizhou and said, "This is the gateway to the Northwest. Once it is lost, the entire Northwest, including Yanzhou, will become a playground for the Rong and Di tribes."
"The Great Qi Dynasty has been established for over fifty years, and the officials in the court have long been replaced. Those who haven't experienced it have gradually become numb to the false prosperity, believing that their situation is safe." Xue Jin'an asked sharply, "Ancestor, are you one of them?"
The Empress Dowager remained silent.
The Empress Dowager gazed at Xue Jin'an for a long while, then sighed deeply. She said in an ambiguous tone, "It would have been better if you had been born earlier."
Xue Jin'an knew that she had finally been persuaded and was on his side.
Everything is ready.
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