Chapter 315 Ending
Shen Qing had just answered the previous question, and now he was actually asking the next one.
As for the question just now, he must have thought it through and asked it casually. It was just a punishment for Zhou Zhoumu. It was a personal matter and would not have a big impact. Even if she let him go, Xuanyuan Ling would not mind. It was just that she did not want to act so stupid on purpose.
But if he asked other...
Chen Qing looked at Xuanyuan Ling with a sad face: "I will not come to the imperial study room anymore, why do I have to be tested on my homework?"
Xuanyuan Ling always felt that Chen Qing was a person who seemed to refresh his senses every time he thought she was like this. He asked again just to take a closer look at what she looked like.
As a result, he got angry.
Xuanyuan Ling looked at her and wondered if she didn't know or didn't want to say it?
She has always been sensible and avoided talking about court affairs. For a moment, he really couldn't figure out whether she didn't know or didn't want to talk about it. In fact, he didn't suspect anything at first, he just wanted to know how much she knew that he didn't know. But she knew how to handle things so well. What else could he say: "Okay, I won't ask."
Shen Qing just listened to his words and let it go.
Xuanyuan Ling didn't ask any more questions, and it happened that he had just finished dinner, so the matter was over. After dinner, Xuanyuan Ling still had something to do, so he asked someone to send Shen Qing back.
Chen Qing was wearing a cloak and had someone carry her back to Zhaohua Palace. Chunhua had already prepared hot water to prevent her from catching a cold on the way.
Shen Qing really wanted to sigh while soaking in the hot water. Xuanyuan Ling liked her sensibleness at the beginning, but now he was eager to try it out. It would be best if she was not unruly only in Zhaohua Palace.
She could see that Xuanyuan Ling was not suspicious or testing anything, but could she tell him? Rather than telling him and surprising him that she actually knew all this, it would be better to stop at the right time. After all, there was no benefit in saying too much, and there was no harm in not saying anything. In Shen Qing's heart, it was better not to say anything about this kind of problem.
It’s not that she really didn’t understand. In fact, when Shen Qing asked Xuanyuan Ling that question, she knew in her heart what Xuanyuan Ling was doing.
The incident with Zhouzhou Mu actually happened at the right time, and Xuanyuan Ling discovered that he was now balancing the court but his ability to manage officials outside was not that strong. Since ancient times, it took emperors a process to consolidate power, and no emperor was able to take charge of all political affairs as soon as he ascended the throne. There have been various situations in the court since Xuanyuan Ling ascended the throne, and now the court is almost under his control. Party struggles cannot be eliminated as long as there are conflicts of interest, but they can be dispersed and balanced. It is nothing more than mutual checks and balances between officials, such as mutual reporting, or the establishment of institutions to supervise officials. However, with Xuanyuan Ling's style of doing things, he should not be a dictator, but more of a one-party suppression of multiple parties.
Shen Qing thought, since he already had this idea, he would naturally do it. In fact, at this point, Zhou Zhoumu's matter was not the focus.
Sure enough, Xuanyuan Ling issued several imperial edicts not long after. The first thing to be dealt with was naturally the matter of Zhouzhou Mu. The imperial edict directly stated that the family would not be harmed, but Zhouzhou Mu concealed the disaster and caused rebellion among his subordinates, which was an unforgivable crime and he was sentenced to death.
This was to serve as a warning to others. Later, when all the court officials were silent because of this matter, the Censorate's reporting system was promulgated. The Vice Minister of War, Zhao Qian, reported thirteen major crimes of the Minister of War to the court. Because of this incident, the former Minister of War was brought down. When people in the court realized that Xuanyuan Ling was making a fuss about this matter, they were speechless.
Concubine Zhou was waiting for Xuanyuan Ling's verdict on Governor Zhou as if she was waiting for the guillotine, but the news she got was that he would be executed.
Concubine Zhou was stunned. She blacked out and passed out. When she woke up again, she couldn't stop crying. Her mind was blank and she wanted to find Xuanyuan Ling to plead for mercy.
She no longer cared about the rules at this moment. The person was about to die. If she couldn't do anything now, she would be unworthy of being a daughter.
This time, Concubine Zhou did not inform anyone, but knelt at the door of the imperial study, kowtowed and shouted, "Your Majesty, please spare my father's life."
Xuanyuan Ling frowned when he heard this. Zhao Hai was terrified inside. This nobleman Zhou couldn't help it after all. But it was also human emotion. He was also waiting for the emperor's order.
Xuanyuan Ling did not blame him, but just said to Zhao Hai: "Take him away and put him under house arrest."
She was not demoted or blamed for anything because of her father's affairs.
When Concubine Zhou saw Zhao Hai calling a few people out, she looked at Zhao Hai eagerly. Zhao Hai then conveyed Xuanyuan Ling's meaning to her. Concubine Zhou fell to the ground, and the feeling of powerlessness she had felt these days turned into despair at this moment.
In Yingzhou, Li Yu received Xuanyuan Ling's order. He was shocked by the emperor's intention. He was sentenced to death directly, and the other orders that followed also made him know why the emperor did this.
He sighed. Originally it was just an exile, but now he was going to be executed. However, the emperor didn't want to bring disaster to his family. If he really sentenced him to exile, wouldn't the whole family be implicated? It was also a mercy.
Li Yu and Zhou Zhoumu knew each other after all. Seeing that things had come to this point, Li Yu went to see Zhou Zhoumu for the last time. Zhou Zhoumu's hair and beard were all white at this time. He had been locked up in the prison and looked much older. Seeing Li Yu coming with good wine and delicious food, he knew what would happen to him. He just asked, "Has the noble lady Zhou in the palace been implicated?"
Li Yu felt a little sad when he heard what he said: "The emperor said not to harm his family." At this point, he couldn't help but say: "You, why bother? The emperor has been on the throne for so many years, and you can't tell what he does. This person is different from the previous emperor. He can't tolerate any sand in his eyes. What if you report it earlier?"
Zhou Zhoumu was thinking about Concubine Zhou. He had a good relationship with his wife, but his wife fell ill when Concubine Zhou was born and could not have children. She was obsessed with not giving birth to a son for him, so she took him a concubine. Later, he had a son, but his wife died of depression, leaving Concubine Zhou. He was always thinking about his daughter. After his daughter entered the palace, he could not help her. Wasn't he hoping that if he could do better in politics, the emperor would treat Concubine Zhou better? Therefore, it was not the first time that he reported good news but not bad news, but this time, something happened.
Zhou Zhoumu did not answer Li Yu's question, but said: "I wonder if I can trouble you with one last thing."
Li Yu saw that he was leaving his last words, so he sighed and replied, "You say."
Zhou Zhoumu wanted to ask Li Yu to tell Concubine Zhou a message, but then he thought about it and realized that his daughter had always respected him. If he did something like this, his daughter would be sad and disappointed, right? Finally, he sighed and said, "Forget it, that's not necessary."
After the incident of Zhou the governor came to light, no one in the harem dared to speak publicly about the fact that Concubine Zhou's father had suffered such a disaster but Concubine Zhou had not been punished. However, as the matter was settled, the father and son of the Chu family returned to the capital to report.
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