"So what if he was born in a poor family? I think that children from poor families are more loyal and reliable than children from aristocratic families," Fang Zhonglian said with a smile as he looked at Zhao Changrong. "If His Majesty promotes a child from a poor family to be the General of the South, he will surely be grateful and loyal to His Majesty, and the South Frontier will naturally be able to settle down and be peaceful in the future. It will also inspire all the children from poor families in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and by then the court will be full of talents. The Great Zhou Dynasty will be thriving. Just thinking about that scene, I am happy for His Majesty."
"What the Left Prime Minister said is true, but if this happens, I'm afraid that many noble families will be disappointed," Zhao Changrong said coldly, "The noble families followed our ancestor emperor to build the country. They saved our ancestor emperor from danger several times. They made countless sacrifices and made outstanding contributions. The ancestor emperor taught us that the younger generation should not forget their gratitude. The noble families should be given priority in everything. But the Left Prime Minister is so concerned about the children of poor families. Could it be that he has forgotten that he is also from a noble family? Or maybe he has forgotten the ancestral teachings left by the ancestor emperor?"
Zhao Changrong's words were definitely not polite, but Fang Zhonglian still had a kind smile on his face: "The emperor of our ancestors valued friendship and loyalty. That's why he left this ancestral precept to repay the kindness of the noble families, but I don't know. When will this kindness be repaid? Even if there is a scoundrel like Xu Chengjin in the noble families, will the court still forgive the past and protect and reuse the noble families? In addition, according to the right prime minister, the Zhennan General should still be selected from the children of the noble families, so I am also curious, which noble family does the right prime minister think can replace the Xu family? Could it be the Zhao family?"
"Fang Zhonglian, you are so insolent! I didn't mean that at all!" Zhao Changrong was furious and suddenly slammed the table and stood up. However, as soon as he saw Zhong Zhiheng's gaze, he was so scared that he fell to the ground again with a plop, and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I am so insolent, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
"It's just a meal. Why does the Right Prime Minister kneel down at every turn? Stand up." Zhong Zhiheng said calmly.
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty," Zhao Changrong stood up with the help of a chair, and said nervously, "Your Majesty, I think the selection of the Zhennan General is of great importance, and we must..."
"Alright, let's not talk about this for now," Zhong Zhiheng raised his hand, interrupting Zhao Changrong's words, and looked at Fang Zhonglian again, "Left Prime Minister, don't send me any more memorials about the Prince of Hui. It gives me a headache just reading them."
In recent days, the news of Prince Hui's homosexuality has been spreading in the capital, and many court officials could no longer sit still. They have written to the emperor, asking him to issue an edict to enclose land for Prince Hui so that he can go to his fiefdom as soon as possible, to prevent the rumors in the capital from getting more intense.
"Yes, I also think that Your Majesty doesn't need to read such memorials," Fang Zhonglian said with a smile, and looked at Zhao Changrong, "Right Prime Minister, what do you think about the false accusation that Prince Hui was gay?"
Zhao Changrong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately said, "Of course the message cannot be trusted."
"Yes, what the Right Prime Minister said hits the mark exactly," Fang Zhonglian nodded, sighing, "But this kind of thing is really hard to handle. If we use heavy blows to track down the rumormongers and kill them quickly, it will certainly serve as a warning to others, but it will inevitably arouse public anger. The provincial examination is coming up soon. If those stubborn scholars cause trouble, it will probably be more difficult than the matter in southern Xinjiang. But if the rumors spread, it will certainly affect the dignity of the Tian family. It is really difficult to deal with."
"I have been worried about this matter these days," Zhong Zhiheng nodded, and said in a deep voice, "Ming'e has been wronged this time."
Fang Zhonglian took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "Since Your Majesty knows that Prince Hui has been wronged, then Prince Hui's grievance should not be in vain."
"Oh? It seems that the Left Prime Minister wants to ask for favors from me on behalf of Ming'e?" Zhong Zhiheng said with a smile.
"Your Majesty is wise," Fang Zhonglian nodded with a smile, and while putting the teacup back, he continued, "During the Zhongyuan Festival, Prince Hui went to the imperial mausoleum on behalf of the emperor to pay homage, but Your Majesty has not yet rewarded Prince Hui. Now it is inconvenient to deal with those rumors, but if Your Majesty rewards Prince Hui, Prince Hui will naturally be relieved, right?"
"That's true." Zhong Zhiheng nodded.
"Your Majesty!" Zhao Ruhai walked in quickly and whispered in Zhong Zhiheng's ear, "Empress Hui is making a fuss again. She said she has been crying and making a fuss since before dawn. Maybe she had a nightmare again. Dean Qin has already rushed over. Your Majesty, do you want to go and take a look?"
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