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.
Of course, she also couldn't destroy her image as a "worldly person", so she only talked about metaphysics and philosophy with the Empress Dowager. Unless she was asked, she would never involve state affairs. Even if she mentioned it, she would only touch on it briefly.
The Grand Empress Dowager obviously had a good impression of her and trusted and relied on her more and more. Now she talked to He Qing almost every day, which was a bit like the "confession" in Western religions or the "tree hole" in fairy tales in her memory. She would pour out all her troubles to her, and she would feel much more relaxed.
Once they found their place in the relationship, He Qing quickly adapted. She wasn't one for talkativeness, so being a listener was perfectly suited. As the Empress Dowager's control over the court deepened, their relationship grew increasingly harmonious.
But that afternoon, when He Qing went to the Yangshou Palace to pay his respects as usual, the Empress Dowager looked worried.
"What's wrong, Her Majesty?" He Qing greeted her, sat down opposite the Empress Dowager, and asked.
The Grand Empress Dowager sighed softly, and Aunt Qiu said, "Isn't it for the Empress Dowager and the dragon child in her belly? Master, you don't know, the Empress Dowager's body is already fragile, and pregnancy has made it even more difficult. Therefore, the Grand Empress Dowager specially allowed her to rest in Kunhua Palace without being disturbed, but she hasn't seen any improvement."
"We received a report this morning that she has fallen ill. The Empress Dowager has already gone to see her, and the imperial physician said it was due to difficulty in eating and sleeping. These are normal signs of pregnancy, but if this continues, how can her body withstand it? How can we not be worried?" Probably because He Qing was a trustworthy person, although Aunt Qiu spoke in a tactful way, she pointed out the real reason: Empress Dowager Zhang was overly worried.
This is not difficult to understand.
Empress Dowager Zhang was originally a palace maid of humble origin, fortunately chosen to teach the late emperor about human affairs. With such a status, even if she gave birth to an imperial heir, it would hardly have truly changed anything. Suddenly becoming empress dowager, with the entire world watching her unborn child, Empress Dowager Zhang was likely terrified by the immense pressure before she could even enjoy the honor and glory.
What if she didn't take good care of the child? What if it turned out to be a dragon girl? What would she do if the outcome wasn't what she had hoped for?
There were no answers to these questions, and they were very tiring. No wonder she had trouble eating and sleeping.
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