Liu Jin's pupils contracted slightly. The usually docile Grand Secretary Li Dongqian had surprisingly shown some backbone for a moment.
"Your Excellency is mistaken. Let's stick to the facts. No one is impeaching any of the Grand Secretaries right now."
Li Dongqian said, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Since Minister Liu cannot tolerate the cabinet, Your Majesty should abolish the cabinet."
"Why bother making an example of them, and keep targeting two retired officials who have already returned to their hometowns?"
Liu Jin gritted his teeth and sneered repeatedly, "Our family has already found out that most of the people who spread rumors and damaged our family's reputation around the New Year's Day were from Yuyao."
"If we cannot capture the king first to deter others, how can we deter the lesser villains?"
Li Dongqian said, "Speaking of which, the late emperor personally approved the recommendation of virtuous and capable officials back then. Since this is going to implicate the cabinet, shouldn't we also request an imperial edict to have the late emperor issue a self-reproach edict?"
That's an overstatement.
Emperors usually only issue edicts of self-reproach when the country faces a major disaster, to give an explanation to their subjects.
To make a mountain out of a molehill by involving an edict of self-reproach in a mere case of recommending virtuous and talented individuals is truly an overreaction.
Liu Jin's expression shifted between light and dark.
He didn't know when Grand Secretary Li Dongqian had become so close to the Su family.
Did he truly incur public wrath, or have these people already colluded together?
He felt increasingly fearful and uneasy.
Grand Secretary Jiao, standing to the side, tried to smooth things over: "Since that's the case, why not demote Grand Secretary Su and Grand Secretary Xie to commoners, and exile those who were recommended to the frontier, and each of them be fined three hundred shi of rice?"
Liu Jin's sharp gaze swept over the various Grand Secretaries.
The cabinet members are not on my side.
Finally, in a fit of resentment, they compromised and added a clause: "From this day forward, people from Yuyao shall not be selected for official positions in the capital!"
The emperor had verbally agreed to this decree, but it was never actually implemented.
Now that he's brought it up again, it doesn't necessarily provoke public outrage.
At the end of February, on the birthday of Empress Dowager Zhang, the court ladies were exempted from paying homage, and the palace held a banquet for civil and military officials at the Meridian Gate.
However, the emperor did not appear, causing widespread unease.
There are all sorts of opinions.
Su Wanwan was also extremely anxious.
Lu Xingjian said he would be back in about a month when he left, but more than a month has passed and there is still no news of him.
She was worried, so she sent an urgent letter to summon Liu Qi back, and also sent messengers to Xiao Bin, who was far away in Ningxia, and the Su family.
Liu Yu, the Minister of Personnel, was assassinated and narrowly escaped death.
Su Wanwan could no longer sit still and summoned Zhang Yong to the palace.
"My lord, I entrust the palace guards to you."
Zhang Yong's expression was quite serious, and his deep eyes held a coldness:
"Does Your Highness know that the heir of the Marquis of Ruian lost his wife last month and has already proposed to marry the daughter of Zhang Yue, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
Su Wanwan's heart tightened: "Is she Empress Dowager Zhang's cousin?"
"Exactly."
Su Wanwan sensed danger.
The Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager's family formed a marriage alliance.
What is their intention in forming a community of shared interests?
At this critical juncture, with Emperor Lu Xingjian's whereabouts unknown and Prime Minister Liu relentlessly suppressing the Su family.
Are they planning to stage a coup, announce the emperor's death, and install a member of the imperial clan as the new emperor?
The Zhang family's in-laws hold important positions in the Beijing army, and it was Su Wanwan who recommended them.
Su Wanwan frowned: "Could it be that you've found out what their plans are?"
There are no princes or nobles in the capital. Even if they wanted to support a new emperor, who would they support?
"I haven't found out the details yet, but I've already ordered all checkpoints leading to the capital to be on high alert, so that no vassal kings from other regions will have the opportunity to enter the capital."
Su Wanwan nodded and ordered that surveillance of Renshou Palace and Cikang Palace be strengthened.
However, Empress Dowager Wang took the initiative to seek her out.
“That slut Sun Qingyu said that when she was serving me in the palace, she secretly became pregnant with the emperor’s child.”
Su Wanwan looked sharply at Madam Wang.
Oh.
So that's what the plan was.
She leaned back leisurely, her tone soft and languid:
"Grandmother, this matter concerns the royal bloodline; you must not speak carelessly about it."
Madam Wang slammed her hand on the table: "Whether I am speaking nonsense or not, we will know once we have the Emperor come and discuss it with me."
"Alright, then let His Majesty decide on this matter."
Wang said with a forced smile, "Someone, go and invite the Emperor over."
Su Wanwan said calmly:
"His Majesty has caught a cold and is afraid of lingering on his illness. He doesn't want to bother His Majesty. Let's discuss this matter after he recovers. Why rush things?"
As she spoke, she slightly raised her eyelids, "Could it be that Grandmother is worried that things might change over time, and that something unexpected might happen?"
Wang hesitated slightly, "What do I have to worry about? It's just that the imperial heirs are scattered outside, which is not proper. It is only right to bring them back to the palace to be raised as soon as possible."
Su Wanwan retorted, "How can you be so sure it's royal blood? If it's royal blood, and bringing it back to the palace would confuse the bloodline, can the Empress Dowager bear that responsibility?"
Wang was trembling with rage: "You insolent wretch! You disobedient shrew!"
Su Wanwan was not intimidated at all: "Someone, the Empress Dowager is ill. Summon the imperial physician to come and examine her."
She stood up and looked down at the white-haired, wealthy-looking Madam Wang. "Grandmother, this matter is not up to you. After all, Sun Qingyu is your sister-in-law. To think that the Lu family's empire can be handed over to the Wang family is a rather naive plan!"
Wang pointed at Su Wanwan with her finger, gritting her teeth: "You, you..." but couldn't say anything for a long time.
Most of the people serving her were replaced by those arranged by Su Wanwan and Lu Xingjian.
It cannot be ruled out that some of them have been turned to secretly pass messages to the Wang family, but for now, the harem is still firmly in Su Wanwan's hands.
They were not afraid that Lady Wang and Empress Dowager Zhang would cause trouble.
What she was more worried about was Lu Xingjian's safety.
If he does not return soon, the unrest among the former court officials will be beyond her control.
She was a little worried if the Wang family didn't make a move.
Now that the matter has been resolved, she feels much more at ease.
She wrote several letters, leaving Heying in Kunning Palace, and quietly left the palace herself.
...
Liu Qi leaned against the side of the carriage, holding a knife in his arms.
Seeing that Su Wanwan was alone, he raised an eyebrow and straightened up:
"I can't guarantee I can protect you, madam. If something happens on the way, I might just abandon you and run away."
Su Wanwan glanced at him gently:
"You can run away, but you can't hide. If something happens to me, what about your mother, brother, sister-in-law, and your infant nephew? Will they survive?"
Liu Qi shrugged. "You're really easy to tease."
"You helped me stab Prince Rong in the back, and he didn't even say a kind word."
Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow: "Why did you stab Prince Rong?"
Liu Qi stretched out his arm, waiting for her to help him onto the carriage:
"Who told you to call me back like a death knell? If I stabbed him, he'd be bedridden for months. That would save me so much trouble."
All right.
"Then why didn't you just stab him to death?"
Liu Qi: "..."
It hit a nerve.
"You think stabbing a prince is easy? If I really killed him, the local officials would hunt me down like mad to finish their job. Would I even have survived?"
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