Chapter 83 For the Greater Good
Many people in the capital knew about what happened in the north back then.
The biggest news was that the red-haired barbarians suddenly launched an attack on Dayu, mobilizing the entire nation to invade the northern lands.
Thanks to General Shen and the steadfast efforts of the northern soldiers, those foreign barbarians were finally driven back.
The people of the capital, no, it should be said that the people of the entire Dayu region have the greatest trust in the Shen family, the Duke of Dingguo.
They all felt that as long as the Shen family was in the North and General Shen was there, nothing would happen in the North.
As for what exactly happened in the North... they didn't know very well.
...
"King Zhou had a good plan. He first plotted to kill Shen's eldest son, which would definitely affect General Shen."
At the same time, King Zhou left some clues that General Shen's men discovered, and it turned out that he was the one who killed Shen's eldest son.
He was sent by me. He killed the eldest son of the Shen family, which, in a sense, is equivalent to me killing the eldest son of the Shen family.
When General Shen discovered these things, he might very well have thought it was the Emperor's will.
I believe the Shen family's achievements are too great and they threaten my position, so I want to get rid of them.
In that case, General Shen will definitely harbor resentment and be dissatisfied with me and with Dayu.
Even more extreme actions might be taken by General Shen.
At that time, foreign tribes invaded the northern lands, and the Zhou king led his troops to besiege the capital.
The Southwest Army is far from the capital, and its distant influence cannot quench immediate thirst; it is not a cause for concern.
The Pingnan Army had to attend to the south and could not return to the capital in time to provide reinforcements.
General Shen and his Weiyuan Army could either remain in the north to suppress the barbarians, or return to the capital to provide reinforcements.
However, after learning that Shen Jia Dalang died at the hands of the Dayu royal family, will General Shen still be able to guard the northern lands with the same single-minded focus as before?
That was exactly what King Zhou was planning.
He thought that as long as he took the capital and deposed me from the throne, he could control the situation.
However... he underestimated General Shen and Duke Han.
General Shen found out who killed Shen's eldest son immediately.
However, at the same time, General Shen also found evidence of collusion between the Zhou king and foreign tribes.
General Shen sent the message back to the capital via carrier pigeon.
Furthermore, he assured me that as long as the Shen family remained in the north, they would ensure that no barbarian would set foot on the land of Dayu.
Even if there is only one descendant of the Shen family, they will only stay in the north.
At that time, King Zhou had already led that army toward the capital.
I immediately informed the Empress Dowager and the Duke of Han of this news.
The Empress Dowager was also distressed, but she said she would write a letter to persuade the Prince of Zhou to pull back from the brink and return to the capital to apologize.
But what about him...?
I was thinking that if he could really pull back from the brink, I wouldn't take his life, but would only demote him to a commoner and imprison him for life.
Haha, but he remained obstinate and led his army to besiege the capital.
They even said that I was misled by treacherous people, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and indifferent to black and white.
The Duke of Han immediately led the Imperial Guard to capture all those he had brought with him.
Qingyao, do you know why I killed all the people he brought with him?
Because they killed Shen Jia Dalang and the soldiers who followed him.
They devised a plan to cause the two cities that Shen Jia Dalang was stationed in to fall into the hands of foreigners.
They made those common people into the lowly people in the mouths of the foreigners.
It was because of them that the once rock-solid northern lands suffered a huge blow, giving the foreign tribes an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Furthermore, on their way to the capital, they harassed the people along the way, committing arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities.
Therefore, they must die!
My original order to the Duke of Han was to leave no one alive, and to use their blood to appease the soldiers and people of my Great Yu.
"Xiao Qingyao, tell me, if it were your Emperor, would your father and those people deserve to die?" Emperor Xiao Xuan looked at Xiao Qingyao coldly.
Xiao Qingyao's eyes were filled with despair.
She didn't believe a single word Emperor Xiao Xuan said.
Emperor Xiao Xuan smiled again.
"Back then, I didn't say anything, General Shen didn't say anything, the Duke of Han didn't say anything, and neither did the Empress Dowager!"
That's because we all need to consider the interests of Chongqing.
If the things that King Zhou did were to be publicized, it would inevitably arouse the dissatisfaction of the soldiers of the Weiyuan Army.
This will further destabilize the northern regions.
For the sake of the bigger picture, we chose to say nothing.
The decision regarding your father was made by my own orders.
General Shen meant that for the sake of the north and to prevent the army from becoming unstable, King Zhou... could only be blamed on one person.
That's treason; he just wants to seize my throne.
The affairs of the north are none of the Zhou king's business.
General Shen always wanted to preserve the dignity of the royal family, and for the safety of the North, he was willing to swallow his greatest suffering.
But I cannot bear to see General Shen suffer such a great injustice!
The Shen family has been stationed in the northern region for generations, starting with the Duke of Dingguo, then the Prime Minister Shen, Princess Ping'an, and finally General Shen...
They gave almost everything to the North.
I must give an explanation to the Shen family, General Shen, and the eldest son of the Shen family who was framed and killed by his own people.
King Zhou must die!
Your father must die! Everyone in your Zhou royal family who was involved in all of this must die!
However, at that time, Princess Zhou was pregnant.
She's carrying you.
When dealing with the Prince Zhou's residence, I did not see anyone.
King Zhuang knelt outside the Hall of Diligent Governance for a whole day, trying to save King Zhou's life, but I did not see him.
But I was thinking that since Princess Zhou is pregnant, perhaps we could make an exception.
Later, I instructed someone from the Ministry of Justice to secretly tell Prince Zhuang that they could use a fake death to get Princess Zhou out.
King Zhuang then went to handle this matter...
Later, under the arrangement of King Zhuang, the Queen of Zhou disguised herself as a peasant woman and left the capital.
They settled in a farmhouse in Tianjin.
Seven months later, you were born, and your mother named you Xiao Qingyao.
Because you are a woman, the name Qingyao was chosen for you.
If you are a man, then it's the other two characters, Qingyao.
What happened after that... I don't want to talk about it anymore. In the end, it was because I wasn't ruthless enough that you had the opportunity to take advantage of me.
Xiao Qingyao, I've always known what you've been up to.
I know those people who associate with you will not have a good ending.
I know what you're plotting.
The firearms of Dayu have always been the most powerful siege weapons.
No matter how much trouble you cause, I can ignore it, but if you set your sights on firearms and intend to sell them to foreign merchants, that is a serious crime.
So, after you went to great lengths to get those five muskets from the firearms workshop, I set this trap for you.
I'm just waiting for you to jump into this trap.
Xiao Qingyao, you are just like your father, selfish and self-serving.
"These people... all died because of you!" Emperor Xiao Xuan waved his hand after saying that.
In an instant, all those who had been captured had their heads chopped off by the guards.
Blood flowed freely in the Linde Hall...
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