He Qing had been following this matter closely, and had almost come to ask for an audience on time. The Empress Dowager, thinking that she had considerable insights into many matters, summoned her to meet with her.
The broken porcelain on the ground had not yet been cleared, which became He Qing's best starting point. "This is the Empress's favorite set of porcelain. Could it have been accidentally dropped? That would be such a pity. This set was fired during the reign of Emperor Hui, and later generations could never produce such fine colors."
As she spoke, she squatted down, picked up a piece of broken porcelain, placed it in the palm of her hand, shook her head and sighed.
"Can't you see I'm angry? Instead of trying to comfort you, you're just looking at the porcelain." The Empress Dowager scolded her. But after being interrupted by He Qing, her mood calmed down a little.
He Qing then asked with a smile, "Who made the Empress Dowager so angry? She deserves to be punished!"
The Empress Dowager's voice sank. "The law doesn't punish everyone. He's got a good plan! I was just angry for a moment. If he really punishes me, I'm afraid I won't be tolerated in this court anymore!"
"What do you mean?" He Qing showed a little panic. "Your Majesty, are you worried about the affairs of the court?"
"It's about the Ruizhou incident," the Empress Dowager said. "It's a civil uprising. Since it has a cause, it just needs to be resolved. Wouldn't a real war be a waste of money and manpower? Yet, the ministers at court all seem to think war is necessary. They don't consider that the court is now somewhat stable, and if war breaks out, I'm afraid new trouble will arise."
"So it's about this." He Qing put down the broken porcelain pieces in his hand and said to the Grand Empress Dowager, "I don't understand what's going on outside, but if Your Majesty is not angry, I have something to say."
"What?"
"This battle really needs to be fought."
The Empress Dowager's face turned pale with anger. "Why, you're the one asking for help too?"
"I'm an outsider, and a woman at that. Who would ask me to be their lobbyist? Your Majesty, please listen to my explanation," He Qing said calmly. "Regardless of external affairs, it is precisely because the court is currently unstable that this battle must be fought."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Perhaps because He Qing was not a person with a vested interest, the Empress Dowager was more patient.
He Qing said, "During the Spring and Autumn Period, Chu was one of the Five Hegemons and a powerful nation. However, King Zhuang of Chu died young due to illness, and the ten-year-old King Gong of Chu ascended the throne, plunging Chu into crisis. To stabilize the situation, the Queen Mother, acting as the acting governor, consulted with the ministers and decided to ally with Qi to attack Lu. I've also heard that to alleviate internal divisions and conflicts, the grassland peoples often band together and launch military operations against the Central Plains. Grand Empress Dowager, please consider why this is the case."
The Empress Dowager had also read a great deal of history, so she naturally understood the meaning of the music. "Having a common enemy outside can smoothly divert conflicts, which is actually conducive to internal unity."
"That's right," He Qing nodded. "Ruizhou is certainly a minor problem, but if it can boost the prestige of the court and rally the ministers to work together, then even if we mobilize a large force, what's the harm? We need to mobilize a large force, so that everyone knows that the country remains stable."
He Qing saw Queen Mother Lin's expression change drastically, and he also hesitated, as if he was so shocked that he forgot to avoid suspicion. "How... is it true?"
Empress Dowager Lin was so shocked that her mind lost its composure, revealing something. She didn't hide it from her, nodding slightly and saying, "I originally had a good opinion of him. Our family is small, and he's the only one of this generation. He's only a teenager, both his parents gone, yet he's managed the regent as the Crown Prince quite competently. Now that he's inherited the title, he's even more composed and steady. I think he can shoulder the weight of this empire."
Her expression turned slightly cold 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.
So they chose the young, mature and steady King of Zhongshan.
This choice was originally correct, but...
He Qing shook her head slightly. Before she could decide whether to speak, Empress Dowager Lin could tell she had something to say. She said, "Why, Master, are you worried? It's just you and me here. No matter what you say, once it's out of your mouth and reaches my ears, no one else will know."
"This is a matter of grave importance, and I shouldn't make casual comments." He Qing raised his head and looked directly at Empress Dowager Lin, maintaining a somewhat disrespectful attitude. "But has your Majesty ever considered... the country relies on the eldest prince, but the eldest prince doesn't need an elder who is not close to him. When the time comes... to put it bluntly, who will the Empress Dowager rely on?"
These words were so bold that Empress Dowager Lin couldn't help but gasp and stared at He Qing in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
After a while, she finally came to her senses, looking at He Qing with a serious look for the first time. An inexplicable sadness welled up in her, but she remained silent for a long moment, finally letting out a sigh, "Now, only you can say these words."
"I'm an outsider, so I shouldn't be interfering in these matters." He Qing lowered his head and said, "But given the current situation, the Empress and I are in a relationship of shared success and failure, so I can't care less."
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