This was the first time the Grand Empress Dowager had experienced such a terrible feeling. Even though she knew she was not the true Supreme, she was still filled with shock and anger.
At this time, she could not meet with the court officials calmly, so it was better not to meet them.
After the eunuch who delivered the message left, she sat down again, raised her hand and pinched her eyebrows, feeling a severe headache.
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."
Although she hadn't seen it in person, she could imagine He Yuan's attitude towards such a thorn in her side. And in the history that the self-proclaimed time-traveling woman had learned, this unfortunate posthumous child died before the age of three.
I don’t know whether it was a blessing for him that he didn’t become a slave of a conquered country.
But now, this is undoubtedly a better choice for both He Qing and Empress Dowager Lin.
Having the bloodline of the late emperor is naturally better than selecting a suitable person from the royal family to take the throne. At least they can take the initiative to control the current situation instead of letting another person make the decision.
Although this suggestion was somewhat fanciful, Empress Dowager Lin, looking at He Qing's expression, took it to heart. The next day, when she summoned important officials to discuss matters, she did not first raise the issue of the new emperor's selection, but instead summoned the imperial physician.
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