When the emperor heard what Queen Mother Han said and her attitude, how could he not understand what she meant! For the sake of the Han family's mother, she really did what she should do, what she could do, and what she shouldn't interfere with. I just don't know what position she puts her own son in?
"You know clearly that the Han family has committed the heinous crime of treason, but you still shield them. Even if they really rebel, you will stand on the side of the Han family without hesitation and watch the world change its ruler and surname." King Jing walked up to Queen Mother Han, looked her straight in the eyes, and spoke slowly.
"They won't. You must believe in me. I will never allow such a thing to happen. There will only be people with the surname Yun in this world, and they can only belong to my son, not the Han family. I just hope that they will not be killed. Let them stay in Kyoto and keep their titles, okay?" Queen Mother Han knew that the mother-son relationship between her and her youngest son was almost gone, so she had to turn around and ask her eldest son for help.
After a long standoff, Queen Mother Han saw that her two sons had no intention of giving in. As a mother, how could she not understand her sons? Let's talk about the youngest son first. He must have no good feelings towards the Duke of Qing's Mansion. This can be seen from his lukewarm attitude towards his younger brother and his constant indifference to his niece over the years. Now that the Han family is in trouble, it is absolutely impossible to expect him to help save the situation.
Besides, the emperor must have been on guard against the Han family for so many years! Otherwise, how could he produce so much evidence? Since ancient times, the emperor has been suspicious and would rather kill someone by mistake than let him go. It is probably hopeless that he will show mercy and not pursue this matter.
Queen Mother Han calmed herself down, she knew that now she could only rely on herself.
"They did such a thing, and you still want your son to keep their titles and keep them in Kyoto. Do you want others to follow suit? Then everyone will treat Tianyu's laws as a decoration, and those with power and status will be able to do whatever they want, right?" the emperor asked.
"Even if you punish them, you can only punish the Duke of Qing's family. What does the so-called evidence of collusion between Duke Han and Han Yaowu prove? Are you also not allowed to buy or sell grain?"
"Then I will deal with the affairs of the Duke of Qing's Mansion first, and then deal with the affairs of the Duke of Han. What do you think?"
"Wouldn't it be enough if you took back the rights of their two mansions, only retaining their titles, and letting them be Dukes in name only? If you really demoted them to commoners and expelled them from the capital, could you rest easy?"
Originally, the emperor hadn't intended to let them go. Just as his mother had said, he couldn't rest assured no matter where he put them. Since he couldn't kill them, nor could he let them go, he had no choice but to keep them. If the Han family dared to make another move, don't blame him for being cruel. The emperor weighed the pros and cons, glanced at his brother again, and was about to nod when he heard his brother snort beside him.
"I have survived a near-death experience. I have no other requests, except that you should not allow the Han family to enter the palace again. I am not happy myself, but I hope that Ah Chen can be happy."
"Are you blaming your mother? What's wrong with Ying'er that makes you dislike her so much? Is your princess perfect?" Queen Mother Han made such a suggestion with the idea of stabilizing the situation first and then helping the Han family to recover what they had lost bit by bit.
In her opinion, nothing was as safe and quick as an arranged marriage. As long as she could bring her sons together with the Han family through arranged marriage, what the Han family had lost would soon be recovered.
Now her youngest son wants to shatter her dream. Queen Mother Han cannot hate her son. She can only hate Yin Qianhua more and more in her heart. It was she who made her son alienated from her, and it was she who made her grandson become increasingly cold towards her.
"My son also has one thing he wants to say to mother. In consideration of the kindness you and the Han family have shown to me when I ascended the throne, this matter can be stopped here. If my two uncles are willing to live a leisurely and wealthy life, my son can guarantee that they will have no worries for the rest of their lives; but if they make any unusual moves again, please don't blame me for not caring about family ties." The emperor gave a look to King Jing, telling them to stop here today and not to extinguish their mother's hopes all at once. As long as the Han family falls, there is nothing to worry about!
"You..." He truly had good sons. Now, each of them was warning him. If the Han family was gone, wouldn't he be even more pitiful? Therefore, the marriage arrangements should not be stopped, but accelerated. No matter what means were used, Yueyan must be made to marry Achen. If one girl couldn't hold his heart, he would have his brother find a few more beautiful women and send them in together. No matter what, he had to make someone else the future Princess Jing. There couldn't be another Yin Qianhua. Absolutely not.
If King Jing knew what Queen Mother Han was thinking, he would probably want to cry. He had worked so hard for so long, but not only did it not work, it made her even more determined. Hadn't he worked in vain?
The two brothers left Fengxiang Palace together as they had when they came. Just as they stepped out of the main hall, the emperor looked around at the large group of eunuchs and palace maids standing outside and said sternly, "Duke Qing and Duke Han are not feeling well. They will stay at home to recuperate from now on. I don't want anyone to disturb them. If anyone disobeys my advice and something unexpected happens, don't blame me for not informing you in advance. If anything unexpected happens, it has nothing to do with my mother or the palace. Did you understand?"
"In reply to the emperor, I have heard it clearly." A group of people knelt down. No matter they were the maids or old servants who had served the empress dowager since the Han family, or the confidants whom the empress dowager accepted after entering the palace, they were all trying to figure out the meaning of the emperor's words in their hearts.
It was obvious that the emperor was warning the people of Fengxiang Palace not to act rashly or think of tipping off the others. If they went to the two dukes' mansions, they would probably never come back.
After hearing her son's warning, Queen Mother Han slumped down in her chair dejectedly. Her son was not threatening the palace maids, he was clearly warning her, the queen mother, that she was afraid that she would send people to the two dukes' mansions to inform them. It seemed that not only the Han family would fall out of favor, but she, the queen mother, was also among those they were guarding against!
Returning to the imperial study, Prince Jing slumped down in his chair. He felt extremely tired after being so nervous for so long.
"You are becoming more and more unruly." I, the emperor, was still standing, but he, a prince, sat down first. This is too much."
"You're welcome, my royal brother. Please take a seat." King Jing acted like the master of his own house, as if the imperial study was his own study. He was so generous that he was not embarrassed at all.
"Then should I thank you?" The emperor also found a seat and sat down casually. Although he looked very relaxed on the surface, only he himself knows how tired he is.
Chen He hurriedly brought teacups to the two of them. After everything was arranged, he quietly retreated.
"My Royal Brother, are you really going to listen to what Mother says?"
"why not!"
"Aren't you afraid they'll be desperate and make a comeback? You know, being soft-hearted is a big no-no for those in power."
"Killing them is impossible with the Queen Mother here. Expelling them? That's one option, but there's nothing more reassuring than having them right in front of you! Besides, if they don't continue to operate, how can we have a reason to completely eradicate them?"
It seems that the emperor's brother has mastered the strategic planning and the proper balance of power of those in power. The more capable he is, the easier it will be for him. Thinking that this is a good thing, King Jing's mouth curled up.
"Now is not the time for you to be lazy. There are many things waiting for you to do. You should know that the Han family has been dominating Tianyu for many years. Whether it is financial resources or connections, they are second to none. It will take at least three to five years to completely eradicate them."
"I understand. Don't worry, I'll take care of things outside. I won't be careless. To be on the safe side, in addition to you and my trusted aides, I plan to dispatch some people from the local area to participate in this matter. That way, you don't have to worry about the Queen Mother's retribution later."
"I'll leave the outside affairs to you. The Han family is rich enough to rival a country. I really don't feel at ease leaving them to outsiders."
"Royal brother won't let his younger brother run errands in vain, right? Achen is not a child anymore, and Prince Jing's Mansion should also prepare for his marriage. It's a headache!" Prince Jing held his forehead with one hand as he accompanied his sad description. Royal brother is such a smart man that he will definitely understand his intention, right!
"Don't disgust me here. We can just divide the confiscated items into 30% and 70%." No one could accurately estimate how much private collection the two dukes' mansions had. Even one floor would be an unexpected good thing for others, let alone three floors. What a huge astronomical figure that would be!
"Why not fifty-fifty?" King Jing felt that he was at a disadvantage. He was the one who worked hard and offended people, but he only got three levels. It was too much of a loss.
"Your son alone has taken three floors. What about me? I have a whole bunch of sons, not to mention a lot of space to fill. It seems inappropriate to give you three floors. How about changing it to two or eight?"
"I suddenly remembered that I have something important to do, so I'll leave first. I'll take office tomorrow and make sure the Han family has nothing left except the title."
"Don't go too far. So many people have to make a living. We should leave them a portion of our inheritance to sustain their daily lives. It's not the last moment yet. We can't let the Queen Mother and the Han family get hold of us, and we can't let the Han family discover our true purpose."
"I see. In fact, most of the Han family's wealth comes from the palace and the Queen Mother. We should take it all back."
"No matter what, that's our maternal uncle's family. Killing them will chill many people, so we must be careful about this matter. We can be more ruthless with matters outside, but we should hold back in the two mansions. Do you understand?"
"I just said that, please don't take it too seriously, okay?"
"You!" Sometimes, my younger brother is not as steady as Achen! "The emperor shook his head.
Prince Jing really left this time. Was he afraid that the emperor would change his mind or was he worried about his wife and daughter? Maybe it was both!
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