Hu Tianyong smiled faintly: "You think this issue is very important? Hehe, don't worry, as long as we ruin the marriage between Qin Kou'er and Lan Linxue, the Emperor won't have time to think about this. Because the Emperor will immediately know that I can push Qin Kou'er up, and I can also pull her down just as easily! In this court, the person surnamed Hu still carries the most weight!"
Feng Zhouyuan felt the problem was handled somewhat far-fetched. He glanced at Hu Tianyong's expression, thought for a moment, and then smiled as he spoke, "Prime Minister, what we're doing might really give the Emperor something to say. I don't think this method is very good. If we really want to fight the Emperor, we might as well try to subtly influence him from other angles. For example, those vacant positions in Jiangnan. I believe that as long as we control these positions, the Emperor won't dare to easily touch the Hu family, no matter what! Nor will he dare to underestimate the Fifth Prince! What do you say, Prime Minister?"
Hu Tianyong glanced at Feng Zhouyuan, nodded slowly, and said with an appreciative expression, "As expected, the advisor is truly exceptional! His thinking is so thorough. But have you considered this? The moment Jiang Ming arrived in the capital, he was caught red-handed not going to see the Emperor but instead secretly meeting with me. What a huge handle that is! How could the Emperor be pleased to hear this? Moreover, last time, the people in Jiangnan were all our people, and now such a huge incident has practically paralyzed the Jiangnan officialdom! Do you think we can still smoothly obtain so many official positions this time? Hmph, I'll be lucky if I can even protect Jiang Ming. Don't forget, besides our family, there's the Xu family and those upright officials in the court. If we force those people to the Emperor's side because of this incident, we'll be needlessly making enemies and further isolating ourselves!"
After hearing Hu Tianyong's words, Feng Zhouyuan immediately lowered his head in shame: "Indeed, the Prime Minister is far-sighted, and I, your student, am ignorant!"
Hu Tianyong shook his head slightly: "What you said is not wrong. We should strive for it, but this time, we should help the Xu family!"
Upon hearing this, both Feng Zhouyuan and Hu Feifan were stunned for a moment.
Hu Tianyong smiled faintly: "What? Surprised? Don't be. Let me tell you, the Emperor first killed our Lady, and then he'll send Xu Jinlan to take her place. With Xu Ming's brains, he'll inevitably turn against the Hu family. We'll be left speechless, unable to voice our grievances. And now is the time for the succession struggle; we must proceed cautiously and keep Xu Ming in the dark, at least for now. If we hand over the throne to Xu Ming while we're facing the Emperor, it will be extremely disadvantageous for us! Therefore, if the Emperor wants to muddy the waters, we must remain calm. By keeping Xu Ming calm, we can slowly strategize. As for those official positions, hehe, let's give them to Xu Ming! He's good at leading troops, but far from being a good official. Sooner or later, those positions will be ours!"
Feng Zhouyuan and Feifan both nodded in agreement. "Old ginger is spicier," they said, "and Hu Tianyong's thoughts are much more profound than others'."
"Now you all listen to me! Now that the Emperor has taken action, we can't just sit here and wait to die."
First, you must continue investigating Qin Kou'er's background. Expose all the somewhat shady methods she uses that we currently know about her.
Secondly, we must remain as discreet as possible regarding the Emperor. We must ensure that the palace investigates thoroughly to find out exactly how the Empress died!
Thirdly, tomorrow is my birthday, Feifan, Grandpa will go to the Xu family to propose marriage on your behalf!
After the first two points were mentioned, both Feng Zhouyuan and Hu Feifan nodded repeatedly. However, when the last point was mentioned, Hu Feifan was immediately taken aback.
"Grandfather, what did you say? A marriage proposal? To the Xu family?"
Hu Tianyong glanced at him indifferently. "What? You're not willing?"
"Of course I don't want to!" Hu Feifan blurted out without thinking. "I don't like that young lady from the Xu family! I don't want to marry her!"
Hu Tianyong's face immediately turned cold, and then he suddenly raised his hand and slammed it hard on the table.
"What kind of time is this to be thinking about your romantic entanglements! Hmph, do you really want to see the entire Hu family wiped out one day?"
When Hu Feifan saw that Hu Tianyong was angry, he immediately lowered his head and stopped talking, but his face was full of aggrieved expression.
Hu Tianyong wasn't in a good mood, so he couldn't stand Hu Feifan's current state. He waved his hand and said, "Go out and think it through yourself! Zhou Yuan stays here to talk to me!"
Hu Feifan immediately looked up at Hu Tianyong, bowed respectfully, and then quickly withdrew.
After watching Hu Feifan leave, Hu Tianyong sighed deeply and said wearily, "There's really no place in this old man's life that I can have peace of mind! How can I entrust the Hu family to such a child in the future!"
Upon seeing this, Feng Zhouyuan quickly smiled and said, "Prime Minister, don't be angry. The eldest son is just having a momentary lapse in judgment! Rest assured, he is the most filial son and will definitely agree to the marriage you proposed!"
Hu Tianyong shook his head helplessly: "They still don't fully understand the Hu family's current situation!"
He closed his eyes wearily and rubbed his forehead: "Zhouyuan, you have to give Xiuyuan a good talking-to later. Tell him he absolutely can't keep fixating on Qin Kou'er, or he'll be the one who suffers in the end! Understand?"
"Yes! I understand. I will do my best to persuade Fifth Master!"
After listening, Hu Tianyong nodded and then waved his hand.
Feng Zhouyuan immediately bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind him as he left.
After everyone had left, Hu Tianyong opened his eyes, his eyes gleaming.
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