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."
Gu Zheng was a little surprised. "Could it be that Prime Minister Xue mentioned me to the Empress Dowager?"
"I only mentioned it in a memorial." Xue Zhidao stroked his beard. "The Empress Dowager's methods and courage are far greater than I imagined. It is a blessing for our dynasty. With Yu Sheng's assistance, I think we can rest easy!"
"As a student, I still need the guidance of my predecessors." Gu Zheng said with his head down.
Xue Zhidao smiled and said, "I'm old now. It's time to make room for you young people."
"Prime Minister Xue is still in good health. It's too early to bring up these things now." Gu Zheng did not lose his mind because of the other party's praise.
Indeed, Prime Minister Xue had mentioned him in his memorial, and the Empress Dowager had sent him to deliver this imperial edict, indicating that he would be used in the future. Xue knew that his time in the court would not last long. But no matter what, it would not be this year. At least, we would have to wait until the child in Empress Dowager Zhang's belly was born before we could know the outcome.
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