He Qing watched him leave. When he reached the door, he suddenly seemed to remember and asked, "I vaguely remember you saying that He Buping wrote a book?"
"Yes. It's called "The Whisk Record."" Zhang Cai stopped and answered while half turning his body.
"That name is quite interesting. Since it's called 'The Whisk Record', doesn't that mean it was once a pearl covered in dust? Is this a comparison to himself?" He Qing said calmly, "If that's the case, it shows how arrogant he is. Using literature to describe others, does he really think of himself as a scholar?"
Zhang Cai was slightly stunned and shook his head, "I don't know about this."
He couldn't comprehend these words, so he returned to Yangshou Palace and sought clarification from his master. He had a good memory and a rare talent: the ability to imitate. Huang Xiu had accepted him as his disciple because he had seen him memorize an entire opera word for word after only one performance, and could even mimic the actors' performances. This was truly remarkable.
He then repeated what he had said, imitating He Qing's tone, and asked, "Master, what do you mean by this? I don't quite understand."
Huang Xiu lowered his head and thought for a while before he smiled and said, "You'll understand after a few more years of experience."
"What does it mean?" Seeing that his master was keeping him in suspense, Zhang Cai hurriedly urged.
Huang Xiu then smiled and said, "Do you know how many scholars throughout history have been killed for their poetry?"
The fundamental principle of writing lies in the principle of "voicing discontent when injustice is felt." Literati always enjoy expressing their feelings and aspirations through words. However, such acts can easily violate taboos. If the monarch is enlightened, no one will pay attention. However, if someone with ulterior motives carefully interprets the words, and the ruler refuses to let them go, then the situation becomes more complex.
No matter how you look at it, the Empress Dowager is not a generous person.
However, He Buping's book happens to be about the life in the royal court, involving the emperor and his concubines. As long as you pay attention, you can always find taboos.
Zhang Cai's eyes widened when he heard this.
Master Huiru looks so ethereal and otherworldly, but unexpectedly, his idea turned out to be so cruel!
Huang Xiu knew what he was thinking at a glance and reached out to tap him on the head. "Don't think too much. Didn't you say that when Master Zhen heard He Buping's name, he even knocked over the teacup? Perhaps there is something else going on. But it has nothing to do with us. There's no need to ask, and don't worry about it."
"Yes." Zhang Cai nodded quickly in response.
That night when He Buping was on duty, the Empress Dowager indeed asked him for advice, and she also deliberately sent everyone around her away. Even Huang Xiu was unable to find out what the two of them talked about.
Afterwards, the Empress Dowager announced the appointment of He Buping as the chief eunuch to serve by her side.
This position is only below the governor and deputy governor, which shows that the Empress Dowager must be very satisfied with the result of the consultation.
And the Empress Dowager took him to the morning court the next day.
The slightest movement among the masters spread quickly down below. Just as the Empress Dowager had given her orders and the procession to court hadn't even departed, Huang Xiu noticed that the way people looked at him was no longer the same as before.
At the morning court session, the Empress Dowager changed her aversion to the pro-war faction from yesterday and softened her attitude. However, she still raised many unresolved issues, and each of them hit the point, which impressed the court officials.
At the same time, she offered several specific suggestions. "Moving troops from elsewhere is too slow. It would be better to dispatch troops from nearby Qinzhou, with Zhang Kang, the Qinzhou military commander, leading them. While increasing the siege, we can send a small group of elite troops into the city to rescue Prefect Tang. This way, we can seize the initiative and bring the rebellious people to their knees. What do you think?"
This suggestion was well-reasoned and comprehensive, and naturally received the support of court officials, thus regaining the initiative.
All of this was naturally thanks to He Buping's guidance. He was indeed very insightful in court affairs, and now that he had seized the opportunity to return to the center of power, he naturally spoke without reservation, which earned the Empress Dowager's trust more than He Qing's half-hearted and concealed statements.
Now these suggestions have taken effect immediately and have been effective in the court, and the Empress Dowager has become more and more trusting of He Buping.
According to He Buping, advocating for war would not only unite the court officials and demonstrate the power of the court, but more importantly, from the perspective of the Empress Dowager herself, as long as she won this battle, she would be able to consolidate her voice in court affairs.
Having just experienced the pain of being controlled by others, the Empress Dowager was eager to consolidate her own power, so she finally agreed to this plan.
But He Buping also said that although sending troops was inevitable, all decisions should be made by the Empress Dowager, and she should not be led by the court officials. Only in this way could she demonstrate her control over the court.
Now all these words have come true one by one, and the matter of sending troops was quickly decided. The Empress Dowager was naturally very satisfied and ordered the Council of State to draft an edict and send it to Qinzhou as soon as possible without delay.
Although the palace was heavily guarded, it was difficult for high-ranking officials to conceal news from the palace unless the emperor was forceful and deliberately suppressed it. The Empress Dowager clearly didn't possess such means, so her use of He Buping had already spread to the ears of important officials, and their behavior today was not at all surprising.
The eunuchs being in power was a very sensitive matter for the court officials.
But now that He Buping was able to persuade the Empress Dowager to change her mind, it was a good thing for them, so everyone was happy to see it happen.
So, despite numerous lawsuits, no one was willing to speak up about the matter. After all, He Buping had just arrived at the Grand Empress Dowager's side, and it was still unclear what he would do. It would be better to keep him for now and see what would happen. If he could truly assist with government affairs, it would save a lot of worry. If he was a traitor, it wouldn't be too late to eliminate him later.
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