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Chapter 710 Cutting the Meat (I)

Given Empress Dowager Zheng's temper, she would never admit it in person.

She said in a nonchalant tone, "Eunuch Lin, please go see Zhao Jingming on my behalf and give him some external medicine. Hope he gets better soon."

Eunuch Lin responded respectfully.

After returning to Jingyang Palace, Eunuch Lin went to Eunuch Zhao's residence with a box of medicine.

The wound on Eunuch Zhao's back looked bloody, but it was actually just a superficial wound. Who among the eunuchs who were beating with a stick dared to lay a hand on Eunuch Zhao? The emperor also sent some excellent medicine for his wounds, and Eunuch Zhao lay on the bed for five days to recover. In fact, he was almost healed.

At this time, Eunuch Lin came to visit, but Eunuch Zhao looked very weak and seriously injured. He was humming and groaning and could not utter a few complete sentences.

Eunuch Lin glanced at him and said something with a hidden meaning: "Eunuch Zhao has indeed been wronged this time. Since the queen has given him medicine for his injuries, Eunuch Zhao's face has been restored and he should get better. There is no shortage of smart servants who are good at climbing up the social ladder in the Jingyang Palace."

"Who knows, in ten days or half a month, the queen will have a new person by her side. By then, there will be no place for Eunuch Zhao."

Eunuch Zhao's heart tightened, and he dared not pretend anymore: "Please ask Eunuch Lin to report to the Empress Dowager on my behalf, thanking her for the medicine. I will recover as soon as possible and return to serve her in two days."

now it's right.

I am just a lowly eunuch, and I am so glorious today because of the favor of the Empress Dowager. If I am rejected by the Empress Dowager, how can I have a good life in the future?
Eunuch Lin sneered in his heart, put down the medicine and went back to report.

Eunuch Zhao looked at the medicine at hand, and it was unknown what he was thinking. His expression changed constantly and was quite complicated.

The eunuch who was serving beside him whispered, "It's time to apply the medicine, eunuch. Otherwise, let's change to the medicine sent by the Empress Dowager today?"

Eunuch Zhao let out a sigh of resentment and said, "Change it!"

After a pause, he ordered, "Please carefully keep the medicine given by the emperor."

……

Inside the Showa Palace.

Her Majesty, who had not appeared for several days, walked slowly over with the support of Earl Changning and sat on the dragon throne.

The wide dragon robe could no longer cover the bulging belly of Her Majesty the Empress. Usually, the ministers tried their best to ignore this. This time, Her Majesty the Empress was furious and had a miscarriage. She stopped attending court to take care of the pregnancy. The subtle impact of this incident was revealed at this moment.

All the ministers would take a look at the emperor's bulging belly, whether consciously or unconsciously. As for what each of them was thinking and weighing in their hearts, no one knew.

Jiang Shaohua swept his eyes around, and the cold and sharp pressure made the ministers feel a chill in their hearts, and any unnecessary thoughts were quickly swept away.

"Minister Ji," Jiang Shaohua said, "First, tell me about the Ministry of Revenue's efforts to raise military funds and food."

Her Majesty the Empress never talked nonsense when she was in court. She was straightforward and talked about the matter. The court officials, who were used to dawdling and talking nonsense, were not used to it at first. After a few months, they finally got used to it.

Minister Ji bowed and accepted the order. He stepped forward and reported the Ministry of Revenue's mission.

Next, it is the Ministry of War’s turn.

Minister Ding of the Ministry of War had been so worried about the war horses and weapons these days that he had lost his appetite and sleep. In just a few days, wrinkles appeared on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes.

Minister Ding, with a face full of shame, told the Ministry of War about the serious shortage of weapons and armor in the arsenal and the uneven quality of war horses. This immediately aroused the anger and dissatisfaction of the ministers, and the spearhead was directed at Duke Anguo. Duke Anguo has not yet resigned from his post as Minister of War. Moreover, the Ministry of War had such a big problem under his charge, so the blame must be on Duke Anguo.

In addition, the fact that Zheng Chen and Zhao Wu appeared in the Yuzhou Army directly confirmed that the Zheng family had a direct relationship with the disastrous defeat of the border army that year. The court officials' memorials impeaching the Duke of Anguo were almost three feet high.

Now it all depends on the attitude of Her Majesty the Empress. Once Jiang Shaohua shows the intention to take advantage of the opportunity to eradicate the Zheng family, the ministers will immediately submit memorials and bite the Zheng family to pieces.

Minister Dong was the emperor's confidant. Others did not dare to ask directly about this matter, but Minister Dong had no taboos. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, there have been many memorials impeaching Minister Zheng in the court in the past few days. I wonder how Your Majesty plans to deal with Minister Zheng?"

Jiang Shaohua rarely sighed in front of the ministers: "To be honest, I have been resting in bed for five days, and the Empress Dowager came five times. Before going to court today, the Empress Dowager stopped me and begged me with soft words. I am really in a difficult situation!"

A bunch of old foxes in the court quickly figured out the meaning from these words.

The Zheng family must be dealt with, but because of the Empress Dowager, they cannot be uprooted.

In this way, they would not need to submit a memorial to impeach the Duke of Anguo. If the people were too excited and enthusiastic, the emperor would be in a dilemma and would not be able to step down.

Minister Dong immediately changed his words and said, "The Emperor has always been filial to the Empress Dowager. For the Empress Dowager's sake, he has no choice but to tolerate the Zheng family a little."

Minister Yang immediately took over the conversation: "Speaking of which, there is no solid evidence of the connection between Zhao Wu and the Zheng family. We should wait until General Zuo sends troops to pacify the Yuzhou army and capture Zhao Wu alive before questioning him in detail."

Only by capturing Zhao Wu alive can we interrogate him thoroughly and convict the Zheng family.

On the contrary, if they want to give the Zheng family a chance to live, they just need to kill Zhao Wu. Then there will be no evidence and it will be impossible to convict the Zheng family.

The specific operation depends entirely on the emperor's will.

Jiang Shaohua looked at Minister Yang approvingly: "Minister Yang is right. Let's leave this matter to Minister Yang. When Zhao Wu is brought back to the capital, we will open a case for investigation."

Minister Yang solemnly bowed and accepted the order.

Zhang Shangshu snorted in his heart. Zhao Wu was still in the military camp in Yuzhou. It would take at least several months or even one or two years for General Zuo to lead the troops to quell the rebellion. With such a long shot, it was obvious that the emperor wanted to let the Zheng family go.

Such a huge momentum in the court was wasted in vain!
Zhang Shangshu was just complaining in his heart when he heard the emperor say, "Let's not talk about Zhao Wu for now. The sudden rebellion of the Yuzhou army is closely related to Zheng Chen."

"The court wants to send troops to quell the rebellion, so Duke Anguo should no longer be the Minister of War. The Ministry of War is short of war horses and weapons in the arsenal, so Duke Anguo must also give an explanation for these matters."

"I will give Duke Anguo some face and wait for him to submit his memorial."

……

Within this day, the Zheng family received a lot of news from the palace.

After hearing the message from the Empress Dowager, Lady Anguo fainted again. The imperial physician who was waiting by her side was used to it and gave Lady Anguo emergency treatment without panic.

However, Duke Anguo's reaction was the opposite of his wife's. He let out a long sigh of relief.

Resigning from office and losing his title, cutting flesh and bleeding, all were excruciating pains. However, the Zheng family was finally saved.

"Come here, help the Duke of this country... help me to the study. I want to write a memorial!"