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Chapter 475 Chaos
Empress Dowager Zheng had been holding back her worries for days, and now she let them out: "Heaven is so unfair. My son is gone just like that. Now my grandson is only eighteen years old, he hasn't gotten married and had children yet, he hasn't been able to control the court and show his talents, but he has been diagnosed with such a serious illness. What will happen in the future!"

As he spoke, tears fell from his eyes.

At this moment, Empress Dowager Zheng was extremely grief-stricken and it was definitely not pretended.

She loves power, but she is old after all, and her love for her children and grandchildren is genuine.

Jiang Shaohua was in a heavy mood, but he had to cheer up to comfort the Queen Mother Zheng: "My cousin is so young, he will get better after some recuperation."

Empress Dowager Zheng choked up and said, "The imperial physician said the same thing. But the court officials are like wolves and tigers, ignoring the overall situation and fighting endlessly. There is no time for the emperor to take good care of himself. It's only been a month since he last attended court, and the court has already become a mess."

Prime Minister Wang said he was ill and could not attend the court, and Duke Anguo was impeached and could not attend the court. The officials of the Prime Minister's party and the Queen Mother's party never stopped, attacking each other and submitting memorials one after another. The government affairs of the prefectures and counties of the Daliang Dynasty would not stop because of Emperor Taihe's illness, and memorials from all over the country were also submitted one after another.

Unfortunately, the Emperor Taihe could not attend court or review memorials. It is no exaggeration to say that the backlog of memorials in the Zhaohe Hall was really piled up like a mountain. The calls for an audience with the Emperor were also getting louder and louder.

"I don't know which black-hearted bastard spread the rumor that I imprisoned the emperor and controlled the government." Empress Dowager Zheng gritted her teeth in anger: "The emperor is my eldest grandson and the apple of my eye. How could I imprison him? Besides, I am too old, why should I control the government?"

However, the rumor spread very quickly. Combined with the previous rumors of the Jingyang Palace keeping a male concubine, the reputation of Empress Dowager Zheng fell to the bottom.

It is definitely not a pleasant feeling to be pointed at and scolded by everyone.

There is no smoke without fire. There must be an invisible hand behind the rumors that directly point to Empress Dowager Zheng.

Jiang Shaohua was silent for a moment, then whispered, "How many people know the inside story of the emperor's illness?"

Empress Dowager Zheng frowned, "More than a dozen imperial doctors couldn't hide this, and I have issued a gag order. If any word gets out, I will kill them. Empress Dowager Li cried all day and wanted to see her son. I tried to stop her for seven or eight days, but then I gave up. After all, she is the emperor's biological mother, she should know."

"Eunuch Ge in the Zhaohe Palace, Zhao Chunming beside me, and a few of the emperor's servants. Apart from them, no one else knows."

Jiang Shaohua: "..."

Is this still not enough?

The palace is a big sieve, and it is difficult to keep secrets. How can I hide something that so many people know from the ministers?
The emperor was seriously ill and unable to attend court, and the ministers were leaderless, so chaos was inevitable.

"Prime Minister Wang should have guessed it." Jiang Shaohua said in a tactful way: "He has been claiming to be ill and not attending court and not attending government affairs, just to threaten the Queen and the Emperor to give in."

Empress Dowager Zheng angrily slapped the tea table, causing the tea bowl to jump and make a crisp sound. "I have already sent people to the palace twice to visit him and ask him to return to the court. What else does he want? Does he want me to come to his house in person to apologize? Even if I go, can he bear it?"

"Wang Rong is the Prime Minister of Daliang, a veteran minister of three dynasties, and highly valued by the late emperor. At this critical moment, he did not stand up to support the court, and ignored the overall situation for personal grudges. How can he be worthy of being the Prime Minister of Daliang!"

Jiang Shaohua said: "Now is not the time to be angry. No matter what, we must let Prime Minister Wang stand up and hold the situation. If the chaos continues, I am afraid there will be more troubles."

"The rebellion in Pingzhou was quelled not long ago. Your Majesty would not want another rebellion by refugees to plunge Daliang into war! And the Rouran cavalry have tasted the sweetness. What if they take advantage of the emptiness and chaos in the court to invade the border again? Can General Fan and the border troops who have not yet returned to their loyalty resist them?" The Empress Dowager Zheng was hit in a sore spot and was speechless.

Jiang Shaohua whispered, "I know that the queen is upset. However, things have their priorities. To be honest, the court will not be in chaos without Duke Anguo. It doesn't matter if Duke Anguo stays in the Zheng Mansion for a while to reflect on himself. When the emperor recovers, the impeachment of Duke Anguo will fade away. Just deal with him lightly and it will be over."

"The most important thing now is to quickly stabilize people's hearts and the court. This person must be Prime Minister Wang."

Empress Dowager Zheng said nothing.

Jiang Shaohua sighed inwardly. Even at this time, they were still fighting for supremacy. The Daliang court was really rotten to the core.

Of course, you can't say such things.

Jiang Shaohua continued to comfort him in a low voice: "Prime Minister Wang is dissatisfied and resentful because of the two things that happened: General Zuo was questioned and Governor Wang was taken to prison. If you want Prime Minister Wang to come to the court, it will definitely not work just by a few light words. We have to start with these two things."

Empress Dowager Zheng frowned, looked at Jiang Shaohua and said, "Zi Xian said the exact opposite of what you said. He said that at times like this, we cannot give in. Otherwise, when Prime Minister Wang comes to court again, he will become even more arrogant and conceited, and no one will be able to suppress him."

Behind the chaos are selfish desires and a group of driving forces.

Jiang Shaohua raised his eyes and looked at the Empress Dowager Zheng: "Duke Anguo is Zheng Sheren's father. As Zheng Sheren is a son, he naturally has to speak up for his father. From his point of view, it's right to think so."

"I am the Princess of the Jiang family. I must consider the Jiang family's country and people. There must be no chaos in the palace, the court, and the capital must be stable. This dispute must be settled as soon as possible."

"What is more important to my great-aunt?"

Is his own face and the strength of the Zheng family more important, or is the stability of the court and the people's hearts more important?

Empress Dowager Zheng's expression changed from bright to dark.

Jiang Shaohua sighed again in his heart. Empress Dowager Zheng was not a person who cared about the overall situation. She was just an old lady with excessive greed and mediocre political literacy. If the harem struggles were moved to the court, wouldn't it cause a big mess?
"Great aunt, I want to meet the emperor." Unable to persuade Empress Dowager Zheng, Jiang Shaohua simply changed the subject.

More than five years of hard work have finally paid off.

The trust that Empress Dowager Zheng placed in Jiang Shaohua was second only to that of the Zheng family father and son. Now that everything was in turmoil, Empress Dowager Zheng was at a loss and had few opinions. Jiang Shaohua was clear-headed, calm and organized, so Empress Dowager Zheng naturally listened to him.

"That's fine. You and your sister have been separated for two years. You missed him so much that you rushed to the capital. You really should meet him."

Empress Dowager Zheng quickly made up her mind: "I will take you to the Zhaohe Palace."

(End of this chapter)