He could tell that Wanwan actually quite enjoyed reviewing the memorials.
Actually, we complement each other quite well.
In that case, he might as well relinquish this power and focus on military affairs.
Su Wanwan, however, was listless and felt as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.
He never truly respected the Su family.
Even when they arrived at the Su family's door, they refused to go in and even glance at their father-in-law.
No matter how sweet his words, he is still the emperor, high and mighty, and he will not bow down even slightly.
He was only willing to say a few nice words to coax her because she was useful to him.
Back in the palace, several urgent memorials were already laid out on his desk.
One of the letters was from the Ministry of War, saying that Liu Liu, Yang Hu, and others had escaped from Shanxi.
Liu Liu and his group traveled from south to north through Huguang and Jiangxi, passing through Changqing and Qihe counties in Shandong, reaching Bazhou, and then heading south again through Shandong.
Yang Hu and his group traveled from west to east through Henan and Shanxi, passing through Quzhou and Weixian counties to reach Wen'an, then went to Hejian, Botou, and Qingyun, and also went through Yangxin and Haifeng in Shandong.
They moved back and forth as if traversing uninhabited territory.
There was also a memorial to the throne, the contents of which were horrifying.
When bandits broke through Zaoqiang County, the county magistrate led the people to defend it, killing more than 200 bandits and their leader.
Enraged by their initial looting and escape, the magistrate launched a three-day siege. Despite being struck by several arrows and a spear, he glared and raised his arms, shouting, "Kill the traitors! Kill the traitors!"
When the city fell, the county magistrate drowned himself.
Enraged, the bandits beheaded the county magistrate and ordered a massacre of the city.
More than 4,800 people died, and more than 50 families were wiped out.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Song Zhen stationed his troops at the east gate of the county, spoke with the bandits, and did not fire a single arrow, allowing the bandits to disappear.
When Lu Xingjian saw the memorial, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his hands clenched into fists but were still trembling slightly.
"You bastard!"
"You bastard!"
Meng Yue, unaware of what was happening, came in with a teacup, only to have it knocked to the ground and kicked several times.
Su Wanwan arrived upon hearing the news and quickly stopped him.
What mistake did Meng Yue make?
Lu Xingjian handed her the memorial.
Damn it!
Still not satisfied, he smashed everything on the table!
When Su Wanwan saw the words "massacre" and "more than 4,800 dead," her blood almost froze.
She summoned Meng Yue, her voice trembling, "What did Chief Minister Li say?"
Meng Yue was so frightened that he trembled with fear.
He knew this was a big deal.
"Chief Minister Li submitted a memorial requesting retirement today."
He found the memorials among a pile on the ground and handed them to Su Wanwan.
Su Wanwan looked at the endless stream of nonsense above.
One of the lines, “Living in seclusion, reporting to the emperor at the appointed time, and eating and drinking in moderation, in order to preserve the emperor’s health and continue the lineage,” made her sneer repeatedly.
Li Dongqian was the instigator of this man-made disaster!
How dare they even try to persuade the emperor to have a son!
Su Wanwan said, "Your Majesty, what's the use of being angry? Why not summon Chief Minister Li to the Imperial Study for an audience?"
When Li Dongqian saw Lu Xingjian and Su Wanwan in the Imperial Study, his expression darkened slightly.
The empress is interfering in politics; nowadays, she doesn't even bother to avoid the topic.
Lu Xingjian threw the memorial about the massacre of Zaoqiang County in front of Li Dongqian:
"Grand Secretary Li was a minister appointed by the late emperor. He would resign every three days and ask for leave every two days. The massacre of Zaoqiang County was all due to his assistance."
These sarcastic words made Li Dongqian's heart skip a beat, and he immediately knelt down to admit his mistake.
"This old minister is old and has no heir, and his health is failing. Your Majesty has been in power for many years, but the stars of the past have not yet shone. This old minister has no way to face the late emperor. The crime of misleading the country is a crime for which even death cannot atone."
Lu Xingjian remained silent for a long time, his face ashen.
He's a real old fox who takes advantage of his seniority.
His fist clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
In the end, he couldn't resist.
"Are thousands of lives just child's play in your eyes, Li Dongqian?!"
Li Dongqian remained unperturbed by the honor or disgrace: "Your Majesty's words are too much for this old minister to bear!"
“Of course you wouldn’t dare accept that.” Lu Xingjian chuckled.
"In your eyes, Zhao Sui led a righteous army, settled accounts in each county, caused no major harm, and did not harm the people in the slightest."
“Those villains and bandits who massacred the city have nothing to do with you, so you have a clear conscience.”
"Don't you feel guilty when you're dreaming in the middle of the night?!"
Li Dongqian lowered his eyes: "This old minister is occupying a position without performing his duties, and naturally finds it difficult to eat or sleep. I hope Your Majesty will grant this old minister's request to retire."
Just as Lu Xingjian was about to agree, Su Wanwan stopped him.
Calm expression:
"Your Excellency, the Grand Secretary, bears a heavy responsibility and is an extraordinary talent. You are not yet seventy years old. How can you claim illness and ask to retire? You should devote yourself to your duties to comfort His Majesty and secure the nation."
Li Dongqian lifted his eyelids and glanced at Su Wanwan.
"This is a matter from the previous dynasty. Emperor Taizu said that the empress dowager should not interfere in politics. Your Majesty, you have overstepped your bounds."
Lu Xingjian chuckled silently.
This is a crazy world.
Su Wanwan glared at him fiercely.
Lu Xingjian suppressed his resentment and finally said patiently:
"The Empress's will is my will. Li Dongqian, step down."
After the door to the Imperial Study was closed again, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop for a long time.
"Why won't I grant him permission to retire?" Lu Xingjian was in an extremely bad mood.
Su Wanwan snapped out of her thoughts, "He has won over so many local officials. If you approve his retirement, I'm afraid the world will immediately descend into chaos."
Do you want the massacre of the city to happen again?
The bandits initially numbered only a few dozen, including Liu Liu and Liu Qi.
From initially fighting for food and clothing to survive, to the current massacre of the city, things have spiraled out of control.
...
Admiral Ma Zhongxi and Zhang Yong went to the rebel camp to meet with the Liu brothers and persuade them to reform and surrender.
Ma Zhongxi said, "The Emperor decreed that although your crimes are unforgivable, you only wanted to survive. If you repent, you can surrender and confess."
Liu Liu was somewhat tempted.
The brothers had been waiting for the imperial court to grant them amnesty.
I just didn't expect that the offer of amnesty would come so late.
There are too many people now using their brothers' names to cause trouble everywhere.
For example, the massacre of Zaoqiang County had nothing to do with them, but it was still attributed to them.
Liu Qi did not trust Ma Zhongxi and Zhang Yong.
Seeing that Zhang Yong was pale and beardless, she knew he was a eunuch and asked, "Does the Empress have anything to say?"
He would only agree to this if Su Wanwan promised to keep them safe.
Zhang Yong frowned and called Liu Qi aside to speak.
"Her Majesty the Empress has very little medicine left, and her life is in danger. His Majesty has specially decreed that you be recruited to make medicine for Her Majesty. If you succeed, your past mistakes will be forgiven, and you will be promoted and rewarded."
Liu Qi took a deep breath, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"I want to see Heying."
...
Teahouses in the suburbs of Beijing.
Liu Qi disguised himself and made a surprise appearance.
He Ying stood at the door of the private room, her face solemn.
As she moved away, Su Wanwan was sitting behind the tea table.
Liu Qi was taken aback.
"The bandits are currently in Wen'an, and their army has grown to tens of thousands. Does Your Majesty disregard your own safety by appearing here?"
Su Wanwan gestured for her to sit down, but didn't rush to answer.
Instead, he went about grinding tea powder, preparing the paste, and brewing the tea himself, just as he had done when he first tried to persuade Liu Qi to accept the money.
Liu Qi's gaze fell on her movements, and his heart sank lower and lower.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
