Jiuxi

Chapter 985 983 [What to do]

"You all get down."

These words from Empress Dowager Ning after she calmed down made Yuan Yuji and Ruolan inexplicably nervous.

Seeing their hesitation, Queen Mother Ning said calmly, "Yuan Yuji, I don't want anyone to hear the conversation that follows, including the two of you."

Yuan Yuji and Ruolan were shocked. As the closest people to the Queen Mother, they understood the weight of this sentence, so they bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Qin Zheng did not interrupt from beginning to end.

After the two men left, Queen Mother Ning seemed to have made up her mind and said slowly: "Qin Qing, I know that something happened in the past that made Lord Li Wenzheng and you quite disappointed in the royal family. At that time, although I was the queen, I was powerless to change it. I could only give some advice, but it was useless. Today--"

She stood up and said politely, "I apologize to you on behalf of the late emperor."

Qin Zheng's expression changed slightly.

Although he was not in a state of panic, the principles of monarchy and subjectivity that he had upheld for decades prompted him to stand up and step aside, saying with a sigh, "Your Majesty, there is no need for this. How can an old minister dare to accept this?"

"I asked them to leave because I didn't want you to misunderstand and think that I was trying to force you to do this."

Empress Dowager Ning seemed to have let go of the huge stone in her heart, and said softly: "The late emperor did several wrong things in the past, such as his private discussion with Han Zhongjie to drag the eldest prince into the rebellion, as well as his suppression of Qin Qing and his suspicion of the Prince of Huai'an. I know all these things. Whether Qin Qing believed it or not, I have advised the late emperor, but with little effect. Now thinking back, I really did not fulfill my duties as the queen. If I had done better at the time, perhaps the chaos that followed would not have occurred."

"Your Majesty, please do not blame yourself."

Qin Zheng paused for a moment, then said impartially: "After the death of the previous emperor, your majesty has fought against powerful enemies abroad and cultivated virtuous policies at home, and there is almost nothing to criticize. To be fair, the Prince of Huai'an was able to lead the army to achieve unprecedented achievements on the border, which was inseparable from the support of a stable rear. In the past two years, the court has tightened its belt and his majesty has almost emptied the treasury, which ensured that the Jiangbei army has no worries. Without your majesty's example and without the unity of the court, even if the Prince of Huai'an had natural talent, he would not be able to accomplish such a feat today."

This is certainly not the credit of Empress Dowager Ning alone.

If Li Duan had not worked day and night for fifteen years, especially if he had not dealt a heavy blow to the foundations of the aristocratic families during his lifetime, thus laying a solid foundation for the successor monarch, the resistance from the court alone would have made it difficult for the border troops to move forward.

If it weren't for the hard work of civil and military officials headed by Li Daoyan, and even if a traitor like Jing Qingshan had not made contributions like the Jingjie Law, the court of the Great Qi Dynasty would not have been able to afford tens of millions of taels of silver to support a national war that stretched for thousands of miles.

But Qin Zheng knew very well that those who have been in power throughout history may not necessarily be able to accomplish anything, but it is not difficult for them to do bad things.

Queen Dowager Ning not only did not do anything bad, on the contrary, she did her best to support and trust Lu Chen, which in itself is a rare mind.

Perhaps the only thing she didn't expect was that Lu Chen destroyed the main force of Jing's army in one battle, and even Emperor Jing died on the battlefield, so that the situation became out of control in an instant.

At this point, the checks and balances in the usual sense were no longer effective against Lu Chen.

Qin Zheng had a thorough understanding of these key points. His previous remarks showed that even though he was far away from the capital, he still knew everything that was happening in the court and the country, which meant that he still had enough power in his hands.

Queen Mother Ning also knew this, but it was not what she cared about at the moment, so she shook her head and said, "I just did my duty. After all, this country was passed down by successive kings of the Li family, and the royal family should shoulder its own responsibilities. It is impossible that the ministers are trying to turn the tide while the royal family is dragging its feet. Isn't such behavior ridiculous?"

Qin Zheng nodded and said, "It is indeed not easy for Your Majesty to think this way."

This is the second time he mentioned that it is not easy.

Empress Dowager Ning smiled bitterly, and then said sincerely: "Qin Qing, even if the late emperor had some faults, he would not do evil things that disregard human ethics. I assure you that Emperor Gaozong's illness was not caused by someone secretly, but I also admit that the death of your highness did aggravate Emperor Gaozong's condition."

"Your Majesty, I know."

Qin Zheng shook his head, indicating that she didn't need to continue, and then said with a little regret: "During the time when I stayed in Jinlin County, I discussed this matter with Prime Minister Li. We have similar views. Even if the late emperor wanted to seize the throne, he would only plot against the eldest prince and Lieutenant Fengguo. He had no need to do such a treasonous act as patricide. In fact, after the late emperor passed away, Lu Chen sent someone to deliver a secret letter. He confirmed from Li Shizhi that Emperor Gaozong's death had nothing to do with the conspiracy."

Empress Dowager Ning was slightly startled.

She didn't expect Lu Chen to tell Qin Zheng the inside story.

For Qin Zheng, he remained silent during that special period two years ago. On the one hand, it was because Li Zongben's murderous intention disappointed him. On the other hand, he suspected that there was another mystery behind Li Duan's death. In fact, the latter was more important to him.

If he had not left the capital and continued to control the Weaving Bureau, it would be unlikely that Li Shizhi would have had the courage to collude with Empress Dowager Xu and commit regicide and seize power.

But this does not mean that he can let go of the nearly twenty years of friendship between him and Li Duan.

People are always so complicated.

In the eyes of Queen Mother Ning, although Li Zongben had many faults, he had never murdered Li Duan, and from this point of view, he had not crossed Qin Zheng's bottom line, so she recalled him to the capital. Originally, she was not absolutely sure that she could make Qin Zheng believe it, but she didn't expect Lu Chen to help her lay the groundwork.

It is difficult to describe in words how complicated Queen Mother Ning's mood is at this moment. She knows that Lu Chen can choose not to do this, allowing Qin Zheng to continue to be suspicious and thus continue to be estranged from the Royal Family.

"Ugh……"

She sighed and said sadly, "At this point, I will no longer hide the fact that it doesn't matter whether the Prince of Huai'an is loyal or not. He can't trust the royal family. No matter what I say or do, in his eyes, it's just a delaying tactic."

"Yes."

Qin Zheng responded concisely.

This is a contradiction that has basically no solution.

At present, the two sides can still barely maintain a peaceful situation, that's because Lu Chen and Queen Mother Ning are people who take the overall situation into consideration. But even if everything is calm when Lu Chen is alive, who can guarantee that the Lu family will not be liquidated after his death?
Looking through the glorious history, we can see countless bloody examples.

"Your Majesty, although I look like I can still move, I am actually fifty-six years old. I don't have much time left before I go to see Emperor Gaozong."

When Empress Dowager Ning was in a depressed mood, Qin Zheng slowly opened up: "When I received the decree, I knew your majesty's intention. In fact, I could have declined. After all, my old bones can't stand a few more tossings. I think even if I plead guilty and stay in my hometown, your majesty will not send people to arrest me."

Queen Mother Ning nodded and said, "I will never do such a thing."

"Your Majesty, I believe that Da Qi has been getting better and better under your governance in recent years. I am sorry to hear that if the late emperor had listened to your Majesty's advice, the unspeakable chaos would not have happened. Moreover—"

Qin Zheng paused slightly, a bit of sadness appeared in his old eyes, and he said softly: "Let's not talk about the late emperor. You are the daughter-in-law chosen by Emperor Gaozong himself. The emperor is the grandson of Emperor Gaozong, and the greatest fortune of this old minister in this life is to be able to follow Emperor Gaozong. So even though I know this trip is difficult, I still came. Now I want to know, Your Majesty, what are you thinking in your heart?"

Queen Mother Ning suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said slowly: "Although I am in power, I am just a woman after all. My greatest hope is that the emperor can grow up safely and inherit the legacy of his grandfather. Lord Qin, I am actually very clear about the current situation, and I also know that the Prince of Huai'an is not a treacherous minister. But as you said, from the moment I became the daughter-in-law of the royal family, I have shouldered the responsibility of protecting the royal heir."

"In the past two years, I have hardly slept peacefully at night. I am either worried about the Jing Kingdom in the north moving south or afraid of unrest in the court. I am trembling with fear all day long, fearing that I will make a wrong step and let down the millions of people in Daqi and the trust of Emperor Gaozong and the late emperor."

"I am shallow-minded, have no talent, and no ambition. But the emperor is young and his royal family is weak. How can I just let it go?"

Having said this, she smiled sadly, with a look of misery on her face.

This time Qin Zheng fell into a long silence.

The empress dowager who holds power in front of us is actually still very young. She has been able to remain calm in the face of such a difficult and complicated situation. This may be because she is a strong mother.

Qin Zheng slowly raised his head and asked the question again: "Your Majesty, what do you need me to do?"

Queen Mother Ning said: "I hope Qin Qing can take charge of the Weaving Department again. Now that the capital is about to be moved, there are many things to deal with. The Weaving Department needs Qin Qing to be in charge so that it can exert its full strength and minimize the losses during the relocation process. When we return to the old capital in the future, I also hope that under Qin Qing's leadership, the Weaving Department can protect the safety of the imperial city."

This answer surprised Qin Zheng a little.

He thought of many possibilities along the way. Perhaps Empress Dowager Ning asked him to return to the capital because she wanted the Sutra Weaving Bureau to take action against Lu Chen. After all, this seemed to be the easiest way that would not cause unrest.

As if she could see what Qin Zheng was thinking, Queen Mother Ning said, "Now the Jiangbei army is integrated, because there is Prince Huai'an in charge. If he gets into trouble, those generals will definitely have different intentions. They may not have the mind of Prince Huai'an. By then, I am afraid that we will fall into the situation of warlords fighting each other two hundred years ago, the court is in danger, and the people of the world are suffering. I don't want to see this scene either. Therefore, I just want to protect myself, or to be more precise, to protect the young emperor."

Qin Zheng nodded slightly, feeling a little emotional again.

Queen Mother Ning forced a smile and continued, "I have another intention. Qin Qing is in charge of the Textile Bureau, and the two prime ministers lead the ministers. The three of you were the arms of Emperor Gaozong back then. I am willing to hand the safety of the royal family over to you. If -"

She met Qin Zheng's gaze with a determined look in her eyes: "If that day really comes, and even the three of you feel that the Li royal family is not worthy of sitting on the throne and are unwilling to speak for the emperor, then I will not fight for it anymore."

There was silence.

Qin Zheng did not give a clear answer. He slowly stood up and bowed, saying, "I, your honor, accept your order and am willing to take charge of the Textile Bureau."

Queen Mother Ning did not ask him about his true thoughts and nodded, "Thank you, Qin Qing."

Qin Zheng then bowed and took his leave.

Queen Mother Ning sat quietly for a long time, two lines of tears slid down her cheeks and fell to the ground like pearls.

(End of this chapter)