A few days later.
Inside the Golden Palace in the Imperial City of Beijing.
The daily court assemblies of the Great Xin Dynasty continued as usual.
Prime Minister Qin Ruhui, along with all the civil and military officials, knelt down to pay their respects and wish the Emperor a long life.
In the main hall, the young emperor Zhao Lingwu, who had just turned three, sat on the large dragon throne, drowsy.
Not far away, behind a semi-transparent gauze curtain, sat Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, who ruled from behind the curtain.
According to the usual practice of the court assembly, Prime Minister Qin Ruhui gave a brief report to the Emperor and Empress Dowager on the memorials and reports received from various places the previous day. After waiting for their approval, the court assembly was over.
But today's court assembly seems different from the past.
After Prime Minister Qin Ruhui finished reporting everything, Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, who was ruling from behind the curtain, neither refuted nor agreed. Instead, in front of all the civil and military officials, she asked Qin Ruhui a question:
"Prime Minister Qin, is there something you've forgotten to report to the Emperor?"
Um?
Below the main hall, Qin Ruhui's cunning and shrewd face immediately furrowed, showing considerable shock.
On the one hand, he was shocked by Su Wan'er, a widow and orphan, speaking to him in a questioning tone in front of all the officials in the court for the first time.
On the other hand, he did indeed conceal one thing from the Emperor and Empress Dowager: the war at the front in Mozhou.
While Qin Ruhui was still in a daze, Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, behind the curtain in the Golden Palace, spoke again: "Prime Minister Qin, I have heard..."
"A few days ago, the Imperial Army's Commander-in-Chief, General Wu Sanjia, launched a preemptive attack on the front lines of Mozhou, severely damaging the morale of the rebel army outside Longcheng."
"Such momentous news, enough to boost the morale of the entire court and the people of the nation, yet Prime Minister Qin forgot to report it to the Emperor. This is somewhat derelict of his duty!"
"but--"
Then, Su Wan'er changed the subject and continued, "I suspect that Prime Minister Qin must have been overworked with state affairs these past few days, which is why he forgot to report this matter. I can understand that."
"Prime Minister Qin is concerned about the country and its people, and he works very hard and worries a lot!"
Su Wan'er's self-serving actions, seemingly giving Prime Minister Qin Ruhui a way out, actually put him in a very difficult position.
These words immediately sparked endless speculation among the civil and military officials.
Prime Minister Qin Ruhui's old face turned a deep, gloomy liver color.
Yet he remained as steady as an old dog, standing quietly below the main hall, eager to see what kind of show Empress Dowager Su Wan'er would put on today.
In the main hall, Su Wan'er, seated behind a curtain, spoke once more, saying, "My beloved ministers, since Prime Minister Qin has forgotten this matter, then I, on behalf of Prime Minister Qin, will speak to you all about it."
"On the twelfth day of the fifth month of the second year of the Lingwu reign of the Great Xin Dynasty, the treacherous minister Chen Huai'an gathered 350,000 rebel troops from Longcheng and besieged Mozhou, intending to capture Mozhou and advance directly towards Yingzhou;"
"They are attempting to completely drive the troops of my Great Xin Dynasty out of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, thereby occupying half of the Great Xin Dynasty's territory!"
"The Imperial Army Commander-in-Chief, General Wu Sanjia, led the garrison of Mozhou to launch a proactive attack outside the city, severely damaging the Longcheng rebels under Chen Huai'an's command and thwarting their plot to occupy Ying and Mozhou!"
After a pause, Su Wan'er continued, "Wu Sanjia has already sent messengers to report to the Emperor and to me that he is seeking a suitable opportunity to lead his troops out of the city and annihilate the rebel army in Longcheng."
"Then we will launch a northern expedition to recover lost territories and restore the former glory of the Great Xin Dynasty!"
brush!
When Empress Dowager Su Wan'er finished speaking with great enthusiasm and excitement, the scene of the court officials celebrating in unison, which she had imagined, did not occur.
The vast Golden Palace fell into complete silence.
All the civil and military officials subconsciously turned their gazes toward Prime Minister Qin Ruhui.
"General Wu is awe-inspiring, the Tiger-like New Army is awe-inspiring! This is a blessing for the court and for His Majesty!"
Just then, an untimely voice rang out from a corner inside the Golden Palace.
It was a bombshell, drawing everyone's attention.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Gao Wu, a third-rank official of the imperial court and the Vice Minister of War, suddenly stood up, walked to the center of the hall with his head held high and chest out, and knelt down to the emperor and empress dowager in the Golden Palace.
Then, he called out loudly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"
"In my opinion, General Wu led his troops to inflict heavy losses on the rebels in Longcheng twice, saving the dynasty from collapse at a critical moment. He should be rewarded with additional honors to boost morale and inspire the army!"
"Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, this humble general also agrees with Lord Gao's words!"
Immediately afterwards, He Changdong, the commander of the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital and a third-rank military officer of the court, also stepped forward, knelt before the Emperor and Empress Dowager, and continued:
"With a major battle imminent, General Wu has rendered outstanding service, repeatedly inflicting heavy losses on the rebel army in Longcheng. According to the military reward system of the Great Xin Dynasty, he should indeed be promoted to the rank of General Wu."
Even if Qin Ruhui, the prime minister of the current dynasty, was foolish, he could naturally see the mystery and connection between them.
No wonder the usually timid Empress Dowager Su Wan'er dared to launch a heavy attack on the prime minister who held real power in the Great Xin Dynasty during the court assembly today.
It turns out that this crazy woman had already prepared to "force her way into power"!
Unexpectedly, the counterattack of this woman and the mad dog Wu Sanjia came so quickly and fiercely that even Qin Ruhui, who had dominated the court for nearly thirty years, was caught off guard.
A few days ago, when Qin Ruhui's spies in the Tiger Warriors were sent back from Mozhou by Minister of War Huang Silang;
When it was said that Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, frequented the Tiger Warriors' new army camp and had close ties with the deputy general Zhao Kui, raising suspicions of a conspiracy, Qin Ruhui had already become suspicious.
Therefore, he deliberately omitted the military report from the front lines in Mozhou during today's court assembly, failing to report it to the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
Qin Ruhui originally planned to handle the matter discreetly once the dust settled down.
Who would have thought that Empress Dowager Su Wan'er and Wu Sanjia would use this incident to directly attack him? Judging from their intentions, they wanted to continue to promote Wu Sanjia and give him more official titles in order to check and balance him, the powerful prime minister, in the court.
What surprised Qin Ruhui even more was that Gao Wu, the Vice Minister of War, and He Changdong, the commander of the Imperial Guards in the capital, were actually Wu Sanjia's spies planted in the imperial court in the capital.
This makes things complicated!
Just as Qin Ruhui's mind was filled with wild thoughts, Su Wan'er, sitting in the Golden Palace, immediately followed up on what Gao Wu and He Changdong had said, adding:
"Lord Gao, General He, I am but a woman and am not very familiar with the military reward system of this great new dynasty;"
"You two, one a Vice Minister in charge of the Ministry of War, the other a General commanding the Imperial Guards to protect the capital, speak to me and my ministers about this."
"This Wu Sanjia twice dealt heavy blows to the rebel army in Longcheng, held firm the imperial court's two cities in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and also shouldered the heavy responsibility of launching a northern expedition to quell the rebellion and recover lost territory;"
"What reward should be given for this?"
Upon hearing this, Gao Wu, the Vice Minister of War, who had already prepared his answer in his mind, replied without hesitation: "Your Majesty, I believe that General Wu is brave and valiant, and has won many battles."
"If the power to control all the troops of the Great Xin Dynasty could be granted to General Wu, it would be more beneficial for General Wu to lead his troops to defeat the rebels in Longcheng, unify the command of the national troops to launch northern and southern expeditions, quell the rebellion in Longcheng, and suppress the rebellions in Nanzhao and Nanyue!"
"No!"
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, this is absolutely unacceptable! We must not grant Wu Sanjia the power to control all the troops in the land!"
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