Chapter 120
Since the two sides had reached a tacit understanding, Xue Jin'an naturally wouldn't be stingy with the information he had. Without concealing it from Zhou Yushu, he revealed in detail that the Rongdi envoy, Batuna, had attempted to assassinate him.
The Empress Dowager frowned deeply, her anger settling in her eyes, replaced by a more rational deliberation. She immediately guessed that someone was cooperating with the Rongdi, but she thought further: "Even if the royal family could stop the Imperial Guards from planting spies inside, they shouldn't have left the Imperial Guards undetected. The Emperor's control over the harem shouldn't be this weak."
Xue Jin'an's mind stirred slightly. A thought that he had once had but had suppressed resurfaced in his mind, but he did not speak immediately. Instead, he silently looked at the Empress Dowager, trying to convey the idea that "the emperor is useless" with his eyes, and asked in a slightly raised questioning tone, "Father?"
Xue Jin'an's voice was somewhat stiff and lacked the proper emotion, but his disdain for the emperor was genuine, which inadvertently made the Empress Dowager understand what he was trying to say.
The Empress Dowager couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. After thinking about it, she realized it made sense. "Your personality is more like what you inherited from your mother. You are gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. You don't fight or compete in ordinary times, but once your bottom line is crossed, you are decisive. Good child."
When the Empress Dowager mentioned Zhou Yuting, she couldn't help but sigh. Although Zhou Yuting was the most favored concubine, she had already retired to Cining Palace for several years, and the power of the harem had been transferred to Consort Min. She had no obsession with serving her children, and Cining Palace was always quiet and deserted during festivals. Even when Zhou Yuting's position threatened the other concubines and she was considered to be the next empress to enter Weiyang Palace, the Empress Dowager did not pay much attention to Zhou Yuting.
Moreover, at that time, the Empress Dowager thought she didn't have many years left to live, so she let everything go as it pleased. Therefore, she and Zhou Yuting didn't really have much interaction, and naturally, she shouldn't know Zhou Yuting's personality.
In this situation, the Empress Dowager's words sounded like a perfunctory greeting, but she genuinely meant it.
Xue Jin'an didn't respond, and the Empress Dowager didn't seem inclined to continue the conversation. She didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Your temperament is indeed not compatible with the Emperor's. I know you think the Emperor is weak and easily bullied, and the harem has repeatedly stirred up trouble, which inevitably makes people think he is incompetent. However, the fact that he can hold onto this position means he is definitely not someone who can be easily bullied."
"Heaven has its constants, but man has no constants." Xue Jin'an neither agreed nor disagreed with the Empress Dowager's words, only saying this one sentence.
Xue Jin'an's meaning was very clear, which can be summarized in one sentence: People change.
Perhaps the emperors of the past were gentle yet firm, like the eldest princess who was cunning and ruthless. However, so many years have passed, who knows how much power has corrupted an emperor? Xue Jin'an deliberately conveyed this idea to the Empress Dowager.
To be fair, Xue Jin'an's acting skills are really bad. In the entertainment industry, he would probably be called a "wooden beauty." But he has one advantage: no matter what the situation is, without him deliberately changing it, his voice is always flat and calm without any emotional fluctuations. He is naturally suited to chanting scriptures.
Anyway, even if he lies, there won't be any trace of it.
The Empress Dowager then truly believed that he completely disdained the emperor. She remained silent for a while before giving her answer: "It is true that power corrupts people's hearts. In the past, when Dong Zhuo dominated Liangzhou, he was a powerful figure. However, when he entered the capital by chance, seized the emperor's power, and became the fat Dong Zhuo who couldn't even ride a horse, a story that has been passed down for thousands of years."
"However, he will not last long. Every person corrupted by power, no matter how human they may seem, is still just an evil spirit." The Empress Dowager stated the facts in a calm tone. "Although the Emperor is stupid, he is not so stupid as to be beyond redemption. If you continue to harbor contempt to seize power, I advise you to leave immediately, and pretend that today never happened."
Xue Jin'an looked at the Empress Dowager for a while, then suddenly said, "Grandmother, do you also think that Father Emperor is intentionally allowing the frequent actions of the inner palace?"
Xue Jin'an directly fixed the answer on yes or no, effectively blocking the Empress Dowager's path of deception. The Empress Dowager would only have two choices: to answer or not to answer.
The Empress Dowager chose the latter and proactively changed the subject, "What do you plan to do?"
Xue Jin'an wisely refrained from asking further questions. He revealed the plan he had discussed with Zhou Yushu: to send troops as soon as possible and postpone the matter with the Rongdi envoys.
The Empress Dowager gave a fleeting smile. "Why drag it out? Just announce the assassination of Batu Na directly. Say that I was injured by the assassin and am bedridden. Have the post station surrounded and not let a single one escape."
"When the city is under martial law, I will have people cut off military news. Your men can take this opportunity to recruit more Northwest Army troops." The Empress Dowager had clearly seen from Xue Jin'an's late-night visit that he didn't have much time to waste.
Upon hearing this, Xue Jin'an immediately asked, "How long can it be delayed? Can it be three months?"
Three months would be enough for him to directly overturn the Rongdi's northern royal court.
The Empress Dowager shook her head and gestured: "Ten days at most."
"That's enough." Although it was a pity that he couldn't wipe out the Northern Desert Royal Court in one fell swoop, it was enough for him to win a major battle steadily.
Of course, Xue Jin'an has never been the type to play it safe; what strategy to use will depend entirely on the intelligence gathered on the other side.
Afterwards, the Empress Dowager asked Lu Bingzhu to follow up on his situation, since the Empress Dowager was "seriously ill and bedridden".
Lu Bingzhu came with Xue Jin'an. He just consciously kept quiet and stood to one side like a ghost, almost blending into the wall. Only when he was mentioned did he seem to "come alive" and his eyes became bright again.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. Although I have been away from the Imperial Clothing Service for many years, I still have some lingering ties with them and can do what I can to help." Lu Bingzhu spoke very humbly, but it also carried a hint of arrogance and disdain that he himself might not have realized.
Xue Jin'an understood the deeper meaning behind this statement, and at the same time, he became more wary of the Empress Dowager.
Since Lu Bingzhu made his guarantee so certain and clear, it meant that he did indeed have some ability. Xue Jin'an immediately guessed that Lu Bingzhu's feelings for Fengyi Chu were probably more than just a simple matter of mutual respect.
As it turned out, although the Empress Dowager had retired, she was well aware of the principle of being used and then discarded, and thus she made this preparation. The Emperor was probably aware of this as well, so he always respected her while she was alive.
No wonder the emperor always wanted to recruit Lu Bingzhu to serve by his side. In the original text, when he was about to die, he even went to the imperial mausoleum to find this incredibly old eunuch to be the guardian of the imperial edict. At that time, Xue Jin'an simply thought it was because Lu Bingzhu had high martial arts skills, but now he thinks it was because Lu Bingzhu could command the Imperial Guard.
There were so many exchanges of interests that Xue Jin'an couldn't help but wonder if Li Hechun's existence was also a kind of mutual compromise and check, after all, Li Hechun and Lu Bingzhu had a deep adoption relationship.
"Go all out in Qizhou, there's nothing to worry about," the Empress Dowager concluded.
She didn't ask how Xue Jin'an got involved with the Northwest Army, or how he could guarantee victory against the Rongdi Army without Helian Cheng's command. The Empress Dowager was quite decisive and bold, and she carried out the principle of trusting those she employed and not employing those she didn't trust to the end. Since she had chosen to cooperate with Xue Jin'an, she only wanted to know how to cooperate with him, without trying to find out the methods behind her partner.
The Empress Dowager was also very open-minded. She knew that with her actions today, regardless of the situation in Qizhou, she would inevitably become a player in the power struggle once again. Moreover, she was not as powerful as she used to be, and it would not be easy for her to regain control of power. She might even be uprooted by the emperor.
Even faced with such an outcome, the Empress Dowager showed no intention of backing down.
"I understand." Xue Jin'an was quite impressed with the Empress Dowager's decisiveness and couldn't help but sigh again, "When will the Emperor step down and abdicate? Even if he doesn't want the throne, he can give it to the Empress Dowager."
"What?" The Empress Dowager was taken aback.
Xue Jin'an deliberately revealed his true feelings, planting a seed of doubt in the Empress Dowager's mind. Even if the Empress Dowager felt she was too old to do anything, it wouldn't matter, as long as she heard it, her mindset would change.
The current Empress Dowager is on his side, but this is only in terms of the interests of the Northwest Army. It does not mean that she will support Xue Jin'an's ultimate goal, which is to change the dynasty.
Xue Jin'an had long ago planted the seeds of this problem. Even if he couldn't get the support of the Empress Dowager, he would never push her to the Emperor's side.
Ten days is more than the original two days, but it is still very tight. Xue Jin'an did not intend to delay any longer. After finishing his conversation, he climbed over the wall and left Cining Palace. When he returned to Zhaoyang Palace, the midnight drum had already sounded. However, Zhaoyang Palace was unusually brightly lit, and everyone was waiting in the courtyard with solemn expressions.
In fact, it wasn't just Fu Lu Lingzhi and his group; the Imperial Guards at the gate stood exceptionally straight, their entire bodies radiating a tense aura, as if a storm was brewing.
At that moment, Xue Jin'an emerged directly from the darkness. The Imperial Guards guarding the gate first shouted warily, "Who's there?" But upon seeing his face, they immediately exclaimed with delight, "Seventh Prince, you're finally back!"
"Hmm." Xue Jin'an didn't say much and went straight into Zhaoyang Palace.
The Imperial Guards did not stop him, but instead turned their backs to him and ordered someone to quickly bring their commander, Commander Wei. However, Commander Wei did not see Xue Jin'an. As soon as he returned to Zhaoyang Palace, he sent his men to sleep without saying a few words to them and went back to his own bedchamber.
It was late at night, so Commander Wei didn't want to disturb him. He assumed the man was just tired and had gone to sleep, and ultimately gave up.
After washing up, Xue Jin'an sat on the bed and opened the fitness app, entering the Northwest Army channel.
The Qizhou Northwest Army camp was awakened by the sound of bugles in the dead of night. While everyone was still in a daze, Xue Jin'an had already arranged everything. He mustered an army of 100,000, with the main force remaining in the rear to await orders. He then led 3,000 elite light cavalrymen into the darkness, heading towards the place he believed the Rongdi army might be stationed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
