After the rebirth, the queen took the Meiqiang tragedy script

Chapter 265 Recommendations
Ye Qinghuai never expected Wang Lisong to suddenly offer such high praise, leaving her momentarily speechless.

It should be noted that this was the first time she had received such a serious affirmation from Wang Lisong.

This learned old man was somewhat similar in temperament to Lin Yuxiu. He was strict with himself and even stricter with others. His demands on the emperor were extremely high. Ye Qinghuai rarely heard any flattering words from them.

Therefore, upon suddenly hearing his words and receiving such a grand gesture, Ye Qinghuai was somewhat at a loss.

Fortunately, Wang Lisong quickly returned to his normal state. He straightened up and said to Ye Qinghuai, "Since Your Majesty has made a decision, I have three suggestions to offer Your Majesty."

Upon getting to the topic that Ye Qinghuai cared about most, she immediately said seriously, "Please speak, Master."

"Firstly, to eliminate the ringleaders, one must first appease the remaining followers; to cure a serious illness, one must first strengthen the entire body. If Your Majesty wishes to eradicate evil completely, you must ensure that there is no war outside and no enemy within. Otherwise, the state will surely be shaken."

Ye Qinghuai said, "Indeed. I am keeping a close eye on the Northern Barbarians. Their civil war has not yet ended, and they will probably not make any moves this year. There are also no signs of military action from Jinchuan and Liang. As for the court, Grand Secretary Chen is my ally."

After listening, Wang Lisong said, "In addition, I should also remind Your Majesty that the imperial clan is also a force to be reckoned with. As far as I know, Grand Secretary Gu and Prince Yu have a private relationship."

Ye Qinghuai paused for a moment. Although there were many members of the Great Jing imperial family, very few of them had made significant contributions to the court. Prince Yu was the head of the three current princes and also the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, in charge of managing the clan. Although he didn't personally participate in the daily affairs of the ancestral temple, many important matters of the imperial clan required his approval. Prince Yu's fief was in Qizhou, which wasn't very close to Shengjing. Ye Qinghuai had only seen him a few times at grand banquets in the palace. In the past two years, he had heard that Prince Yu's health had been poor, and last year he moved to a mountain temple for recuperation. He rarely went out and made public appearances.

"Prince Yu? Does the Grand Master think Qizhou might send troops to aid Gu Shihai?" Unlike Wang Lisong's euphemism, Ye Qinghuai asked directly.

"That won't happen. However, His Highness Prince Yu has many followers and retainers in the court and the army. If His Highness Prince Yu is mindful of his old friendship with Grand Secretary Gu, these people may become an obstacle for His Majesty."

Ye Qinghuai nodded: "Yes, Wen Xinzhong is one of Prince Yu's men. He is very adept at maneuvering and can mediate between the Gu and Chen families. We should be wary of him."

Wang Lisong nodded slightly in agreement, a fleeting hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

"As for the reinforcements from Grand Secretary Gu that Your Majesty is worried about, I believe that if Your Majesty can first bring Yizhou under General Lu's command, Your Majesty should be more concerned about the governors of Yunzhou, Rongzhou, and Zhongzhou. Among them, Zhongzhou and Yunzhou can be divided, but the governor of Rongzhou is likely to go all out to help Grand Secretary Gu. In terms of military strength, Your Majesty is probably more aware of the situation than I am. My second suggestion is that Your Majesty should make preparations in advance in these three states to ensure safety."

Ye Qinghuai nodded but said nothing more. She already had a plan for the military deployment, but it needed to be more detailed. However, the Chief Minister was, after all, a scholar. Although he had a broader perspective than Ye Qinghuai, it was more appropriate to discuss military strategy with Lu Yanchen.

"Thirdly, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. The Commander-in-Chief system is a reform that overturns the entire military system. Your Majesty must not rush into implementing it. It must be done step by step, first in local areas, and then widely."

Ye Qinghuai lowered her eyes. She was actually anxious, but not only the Grand Master, but Lu Yanchen had also told her several times to "take it slow." She knew that this matter could not be rushed, so she replied, "I understand what the Grand Master says."

Wang Lisong pondered for a moment and said, "I have something else to say, but I'm not sure if I should." "Please speak freely, Your Excellency."

"If Your Majesty wishes for the smooth implementation of the new system, you must be cautious in dealing with Grand Secretary Gu. If Grand Secretary Gu commits a heinous crime, given his deep-rooted connections in the court and the military, he will likely implicate a wide range of people. Once implicated, the new policies will be seen by the court officials as a quick way to eliminate the old faction, rather than a sharp blade to remove the deep-seated problems in the military and government. At that time, the implementation of the new policies will be fraught with obstacles. Even if Your Majesty is willing to recruit talented people, you will probably only attract opportunists and sycophants."

Ye Qinghuai understood the meaning behind Wang Lisong's words; he was speaking up for Gu Dang.

Everyone in the court knew that the Emperor and Gu Shihai were sworn enemies; one side wanted nothing more than to sideline the Emperor, while the other wanted nothing less than to eradicate him completely. Even the matter Ye Qinghuai discussed with Wang Lisong today was entirely aimed at Gu Shihai. For Wang Lisong to speak for Gu's faction at this time risked offending the Emperor's authority and was somewhat inappropriate.

Having spent more than a year together, Ye Qinghuai had come to understand Wang Lisong's character. Although he was as upright and incorruptible as Lin Yuxiu, he spoke much more tactfully than Lin Yuxiu, always considering his words carefully and rarely offending the emperor. The reason he could speak like this now was firstly because the emperor had not consulted with anyone else and no one else could advise him, and secondly because this matter was indeed far-reaching and could potentially destroy the century-old foundation of the Great Jing Dynasty if not handled carefully.

Ye Qinghuai was not offended. She smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness and helplessness in her smile. Then she said seriously, "I assure the Grand Master that if I bring down Gu Shihai, I will not implicate anyone afterward."

Wang Lisong seemed surprised that she agreed so easily, and said it so decisively, as if she had already made this decision.

Seeing the undisguised surprise on Wang Lisong's face, Ye Qinghuai said, "In the Grand Master's opinion, do I hate Grand Secretary Gu so much that I wish I could tear him to pieces? How could I possibly let his clansmen and disciples go?"

Ye Qinghuai had hit the nail on the head regarding what Wang Lisong was thinking. Perhaps because her words were too direct, the old man couldn't help but look away for a moment.

Before Wang Lisong could speak, Ye Qinghuai laughed and said, "It's no wonder the Chancellor thinks that way. I'm afraid it's not just the Chancellor who thinks so, but all the court officials think so too, and even I think so."

"When I first took over the reins of government, Grand Secretary Gu humiliated me several times. He ordered the killing of Qin Baozhu and forced me to make a woman from the Gu family empress, attempting to support the young crown prince and eliminate all those I could use. Grand Secretary probably never imagined what Grand Secretary Gu had said to me privately during the imperial examination cheating scandal. He asked me if I found the harem boring, which is why I always wanted to interfere in court affairs."

This was the first time Wang Lisong had heard of this, and he was so shocked that he was speechless. In addition to his surprise, he even felt a bit of admiration.

Throughout the entire history of the Great Jing Dynasty, over the past hundred years, perhaps only Gu Shihai and his family dared to speak to the emperor in such a manner.

"Tell me, shouldn't I hate him?" Ye Qinghuai paused here, lowered his eyes, and a look of sorrow appeared in them. "In fact, when Baozhu died, it was already destined that Grand Secretary Gu and I would never be friends again."

When Qin Baozhu was mentioned, both of them fell silent for a moment.

Immediately, Ye Qinghuai changed the subject, saying, "The longer I fight with Grand Secretary Gu, the more my opinion of him changes."