The Grand Empress Dowager had long forgotten her previous intention of betrothing He Qing to Gu Zheng. Seeing the two of them getting closer, she couldn't help but frown and asked, "Why are you two together? What do you want to report?"
He Qing ignored the first question, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, there's been a civil uprising in Ruizhou. The messenger who brought the news is in the side hall. He's disheveled and exhausted from the journey, so I had him taken to the side hall to rest, have some water, and eat something to regain his strength before I could inquire in detail about the situation in Ruizhou."
The Grand Empress Dowager nodded slightly, approving the arrangement. She turned and instructed Huang Xiu, who was standing at the side, "Go and invite the ministers from the Council of State and the Minister of War over."
Liu Muchuan frowned, twirling his beard as he spoke, "Natural disasters plague the Ruizhou area year after year, and we've always relied on relief from the imperial court to survive. It's just that it borders the white people, where the two ethnic groups live together, and its geographical location is extremely crucial, so the imperial court has no choice but to do so. Because of the hardships people face, many unruly and unruly people have emerged. But they are, after all, the people of Anhua, and have lived in peace for decades. How could this sudden uprising have erupted?"
"I'm afraid the source lies in the intermingling of these two tribes." Gu Zheng said on the side.
Liu Muchuan turned to look at him, his brows furrowed even tighter. "What do you mean?"
Gu Zheng, however, did not address him but the Empress Dowager, "I remember that the current acting governor of Ruizhou Prefecture is Tang Lichen."
Liu Muchuan's expression changed slightly.
The name Tang Lichen sounds like he was a dignified Confucian scholar, but in fact he was a cruel official who advocated Legalism. He was indeed good at governing the local area, especially in criminal litigation and hunting down bandits, where he achieved remarkable results.
During his three years as magistrate, he cleared all the county's long-standing cases and apprehended many fugitives. He even collaborated with his superiors on several major cases spanning multiple prefectures.
Because of this resume, during the reign of Emperor Xian, he was recommended by Liu Muchuan and sent to Ruizhou, where the people were very tough, in order to put an end to this trend.
However, Ruizhou was originally a place where Han and Bai peoples from the Central Plains lived together, and with different customs, many twists and turns were inevitable. The court had always been committed to preferential treatment. Suddenly encountering an official like Tang Lichen, the harsher the pressure, the more likely it was to cause riots.
Gu Zheng led a group of people through the entire front court. Before he even reached the door of Mr. Xue's house, the news that the Empress Dowager sent him to appease Xue had spread throughout the court.
Anyone who didn't know the situation would have thought that the Empress Dowager relied heavily on Xue Xianggong, that there was no rift between the monarch and his subjects, and that they would definitely work together to support the government. However, at the Xue residence, upon seeing Gu Zheng, Xue Zhizhi smiled and sighed, "Seeing Yu Sheng, I can finally put my worries to rest."
Gu Zheng was a little surprised. "Could it be that Prime Minister Xue mentioned me to the Empress Dowager?"
"I only mentioned it in a memorial." Xue Zhidao stroked his beard. "The Empress Dowager's methods and courage are far greater than I imagined. It is a blessing for our dynasty. With Yu Sheng's assistance, I think we can rest easy!"
"As a student, I still need the guidance of my predecessors." Gu Zheng said with his head down.
Xue Zhidao smiled and said, "I'm old now. It's time to make room for you young people."
"Prime Minister Xue is still in good health. It's too early to bring up these things now." Gu Zheng did not lose his mind because of the other party's praise.
Indeed, Prime Minister Xue had mentioned him in his memorial, and the Empress Dowager had sent him to deliver this imperial edict, indicating that he would be used in the future. Xue knew that his time in the court would not last long. But no matter what, it would not be this year. At least, we would have to wait until the child in Empress Dowager Zhang's belly was born before we could know the outcome.
So no one can tell what the ending will be.
The two men really had no friendship. Even though Xue Zhidao had written a letter to Gu Zheng before, asking him to speak for the empress dowager in the court, and seemed to be recommending him to replace his position, Gu Zheng was grateful for this favor, but he also did not forget that before that, it was Xue Zhidao who had been suppressing him and not letting him stand out.
Although it was well-intentioned, people were worried that he was young and impulsive, and if he rose too quickly, he would be easily defeated. But it was more because of their different political views.
It is an indisputable fact that there are huge differences between the two in all aspects.
So, having said this, Gu Zheng stood up and said goodbye. Xue Zhidao walked two steps away, but he repeatedly declined. As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered someone and turned to ask, "Prime Minister Xue, do you know the Supreme Master Huiru?"
"Of course I know that. The title of Princess Anping was handed down by me. This princess is a miserable person. She is like an invisible person in the palace. No one would think of her unless something happens. She is very low-key and there are few rumors about her outside. Why?" Xue Zhidao looked puzzled.
Gu Zheng shook his head, "I saw it in the palace today, and suddenly remembered it."
In fact, he is knowledgeable and well-informed. As a member of the royal family, how could he not remember He Qing's life?
Born in the last years of Emperor Hui's reign, she was less than a year old when he passed away and was succeeded by Emperor Ling. This emperor, who cared little for the throne, naturally paid no attention to his infant sister, not even bestowing her with a title, allowing her to grow up in obscurity. It wasn't until his nephew, Emperor Xian, ascended the throne that he discovered there was another young aunt in the palace. He bestowed upon her the title of Grand Princess Anping, briefly bringing her into the public eye, but she was quickly forgotten.
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