"Okay, please have some tea and food first, and we'll discuss this later," she said.
Then she stood up and was helped to the back. The Empress Dowager's dining experience was much more complicated. She had to change into a new dress, have the table set, and serve the dishes. The eunuchs who tasted the food tasted it before presenting it to her. She had to eat every dish, but she couldn't eat too much. With more than a dozen people waiting on her, this process was incredibly tedious.
Several ministers who were discussing the matter were also invited to the side hall.
Gu Zheng deliberately used all possible angles, leaving only the last one. When he reached the door, he took the opportunity to turn sideways and looked back. He Qing was still standing in the same position, a pair of bright eyes staring at him, his mouth opening and closing silently, saying two words.
Garden. Gu Zheng repeated it, nodded slightly at him, and then turned and walked out.
He Qing was sure that he had received her signal, so she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go to the garden behind. She had a special status in the palace, and as long as the Empress Dowager didn't say anything, no one would care what she did.
When they arrived in the garden, He Qing had tea and snacks served. He ate a few pieces of cakes to fill his stomach and then waited anxiously for Gu Zheng's arrival.
She herself couldn't explain why she chose to believe Gu Zheng.
Perhaps there was no better way, or perhaps she was still willing to believe that although Gu Zheng was annoying, the praise he received in history books was true. In the current situation, there might be many people who could save Tang Lichen, but He Qing could only bet on him if he was willing to do so.
Besides, she didn't know the other person, so even if she wanted to bring up the matter, she wouldn't know where to start.
Fortunately, not long after, Gu Zheng appeared in her sight. He Qing quickly stood up and waited in the pavilion. Gu Zheng did not come over to the pavilion, but stood at a distance not too far away, convenient for conversation, but even if someone saw them, they would not suspect anything was going on between them.
"Master, do you have anything to tell me?" Time was pressing, so Gu Zheng asked directly without any greetings.
He Qing asked, "Master Liu and Master Wang each insisted on their own opinion. Master Gu, who do you think is more reasonable?"
Gu Zheng wasn't surprised by her question, as he had always felt that He Qing had an unusual interest in government affairs and was eager to get involved. So upon hearing this question, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Master, who do you think is more right?"
"Both make sense, but both are too extreme," said He Qing.
Gu Zheng nodded slightly and said nonchalantly, "They might not be unaware of this themselves. We're just saying this first so we can discuss a compromise later."
This was something He Qing hadn't considered. She was slightly taken aback, but then she said, "Your Majesty meant to appease the people. What do you think they will do to appease the people of Ruizhou?"
"You want to save Tang Lichen?" Gu Zheng was really surprised this time.
After several contacts and understandings, he had formed his own judgment of He Qing and would not hastily assume that she was missing the point and dwelling on these trivial details. Even so, the fact that she took such a risk to come see him in order to save a complete stranger was enough to move Gu Zheng.
In the court, no one could predict what the future would hold. If he ever fell into deep trouble, would someone stand up for him like this?
Although saving Tang Lichen is troublesome, it is not impossible.
But he still needed a reason, "Why?"
He Qing lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Master Gu, you think I'm too soft-hearted to tolerate such a thing, right?"
After thinking about it for several times, I still couldn't make a decision.
At this time, the Empress Dowager urgently needed someone to discuss with, preferably someone who could provide reliable advice for her reference.
This person must be absolutely loyal and reliable. Neither He Qing nor a court official would be a good choice. So, after a long period of hesitation, the Empress Dowager turned her attention to the people serving her.
These are the only people she can come into contact with in the palace. Others are not familiar with government affairs, but those in the Ministry of Internal Affairs accompany the emperor day and night, so they must learn these things.
However, the Empress Dowager was not very satisfied with either Huang Xiu, the governor or Huang Xiu, the official in charge of the Inner East Gate Division.
Although she had always lived in the deep palace and had limited experience, she also vaguely knew that her husband and son were not wise monarchs. Whether she was queen or queen mother, there were always court officials who found ways to pass memorials to her, asking her to advise the king.
For nearly twenty years, the government was actually controlled by the ministers, and the emperor did not participate much.
As such, it was naturally difficult for the eunuchs who followed them to gain much knowledge and progress. This was especially true for Huang Xiu, who had been highly regarded by Emperor Ling because of his deep understanding of Taoist scriptures and was able to help him manage many Taoists.
It is obviously impossible to ask them to share their worries.
But just because they can't do it doesn't mean others can't. The Empress Dowager thought of this and ordered Huang Xiu, "Go and get the list of people entering the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
Although he didn't know why she suddenly wanted to look at something, Huang Xiu still quickly fetched the list and presented it to her. There were so many eunuchs in the palace, and the list alone was several thick volumes. The Empress Dowager felt a headache after just one glance, but she still had to patiently look through it carefully.
She temporarily forgot about the affairs of the court and spent most of the day looking around, feeling dizzy before she finally picked out a few available people from the list.
She wrote these names on a piece of paper and handed it to Huang Xiu, "Call these people to see me."
"Yes." Huang Xiu lowered his head and glanced at the note, then wrote down the five names on it. His mind raced as he began to wonder why the Empress Dowager wanted to see them.
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