So this time, Gu Zheng did not speak rashly to test the waters, but instead planned to wait and see what would happen.
The eunuchs and guards took the postman to the side hall. Because the emperor could not determine the time to summon the ministers to discuss matters, sometimes the ministers would eat and rest here, so the side hall was well-equipped and he could rest here for a while.
He Qing and Gu Zheng took the initiative to walk to the front of Ziping Palace and asked the eunuchs guarding outside the door to go in and pass on the message.
Someone was already in the hall; it was Liu Muchuan, the Prime Minister. However, the eunuch said there was something extremely urgent, so the Empress Dowager summoned the two of them immediately. As they entered, Gu Zheng took a step back, letting He Qing walk ahead. He was already half a head taller than He Qing, so following behind him, they seemed perfectly harmonious, like a perfect match.
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 the Han and Bai peoples of 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 more severe the pressure, the easier it would be to seduce.
Her expression grew slightly colder as she spoke of this. "But if there really are such rumors out there, I'm afraid some people are just too conceited."
She isn't dead yet, so how come this outsider has already gotten into the palace?
He Qing hadn't actually heard such rumors; he simply wanted to take this opportunity to warn Queen Mother Lin. Seeing that it had taken effect, he remained silent. After a moment's thought, he asked Queen Mother Lin, "Are all the people selected around the same age as the King of Zhongshan?"
Empress Dowager Lin sighed slightly, "Isn't it? The country relies on the eldest prince, not to mention that there have been too many changes in the court in the past two years, and it has become a mess. If there is no elder emperor to keep the pressure, I am afraid..."
She didn't say anything else, but He Qing already understood what she meant.
I'm afraid both the court officials and the Empress Dowager herself were frightened by the late Emperor He Qi. That child was truly unruly, his mind completely distracted from the real work, and at his age, he was most prone to disobeying adults. He ignored everything the Empress Dowager said, as did the gentlemen in the government hall. It was truly a headache.
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