Therefore, He Qing disagreed with Empress Dowager Lin’s evaluation of her being “young”.
After all, geniuses are rare in this world, and a genius among geniuses only appears once in a thousand years. For such a person, would age become a constraint?
Three years later, Gu Zheng was able to make alliances with his mouth alone. If the entire Chu Dynasty was entrusted to him, with the court's backing, then... would it be possible to preserve the Chu Dynasty from the impending disaster and avoid the ending of the previous life?
Thinking of this, He Qing's heart beat faster.
Perhaps because of her increased knowledge, she felt she could never return to being the girl who lived in the deep palace, seeking a simple life. The thought of being able to personally experience, witness, and even change history with her own hands filled her heart with an indescribable courage.
He Qing hadn't thought about changing before because he knew that he was definitely not cut out for it, so he didn't dare to interfere.
But if Gu Zheng was there, and I was just pushing and assisting from the side, perhaps the outcome would be different.
Thinking of this, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you're worrying too much. Since this person can argue with reason in the court and leave everyone speechless, how can he be said to be 'unconvinced'?"
Empress Dowager Lin's eyes lit up. "That's right. I heard that he's young and talented, already a figure like the Emperor of Literature. All scholars are convinced of his virtue. But I'm not sure how he's doing as an official. Talented scholars are often too rebellious and unacceptable to the world, which makes me worried."
If she entrusts the task to the wrong person and ruins her own reputation, it would be fine. But if it brings disaster to the Chu Empire, how can she face others?
He Qing looked at the memorial in his hand thoughtfully. "I don't think so. In this memorial, Lord Xue also recommended him to join the Council of State. It shows that even someone as mature and prudent as Lord Xue believes that he is capable of such a great responsibility. I don't think he is such a reckless person."
Seeing that Empress Dowager Lin seemed moved, she continued, "Besides, it is precisely because he is young and others have doubts that he needs Your Majesty's grace to give him a chance. I believe that when Lord Gu achieves something in the future, he will surely be grateful for Your Majesty's kindness in recognizing him."
"Well," Empress Dowager Lin took a deep breath. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. There's nothing we can do about it."
…
The next day, the Ministry of Rites issued an edict, citing the late emperor's will as the criterion for the crown prince to be born. Zhang was also named Empress Dowager, and Lin was honored as Grand Empress Dowager. With the Grand Empress Dowager presiding over the government, this completely established the political landscape of the imperial harem for the next decade or so.
The Empress Dowager moved to Yangshou Palace, while Empress Dowager Zhang temporarily lived in Kunhua Palace to rest and take care of her pregnancy.
The following day, the Empress Dowager held court at the East Gate of the Imperial Palace. She issued an edict to discuss the late emperor's posthumous title and decreed that the Tianshun reign title would continue to be used for the current year, with no change to the reign title. She also summoned Gu Zheng, the head of the Hanlin Academy, and others to compile the late emperor's Veritable Records. Finally, she bestowed titles and rewards on numerous ministers.
This series of measures thoroughly demonstrated the Empress Dowager's control over the court and reassured the fearful subjects. Even the sudden death of the late Emperor had no impact on the court.
But secretly, there are still some waves.
On the first day of March in the third year of Tianshun, more than a dozen ministers in the court jointly wrote a letter to impeach Prime Minister Xue Dadao on ten charges.
Such important news naturally could not be explained in words. The postman took out the token and the memorial of apology from the prefect Tang Lichen and presented them. Only then, under the questioning of everyone, did he tell what had happened in Ruizhou.
The cause of the incident was indeed the friction between the Han and Bai peoples.
The two ethnic groups live together, and their living habits and beliefs are quite different from each other, so conflicts are naturally a long-standing issue.
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