The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Chen Liang's words left Pei Jingzhi somewhat stunned.

He was very surprised. Why would Chen Liang think that way?

However, he knew that in recent years he had devoted himself to politics, or stayed at home reading, or teaching his children, and was not very familiar with many trends in Kyoto.

On the contrary, Chen Liang, this young man, knew much more.

We still absolutely respect Chen Liang's opinion, saying, "The armory and the inner treasury are not entirely under Wei Chengye's control. After all, Ren Tianye has also placed people in them. Since we want to launch a surprise attack, why don't we have Wei Chengye pretend to be sick at home these days?"

"He will step in when the time is right."

"Use his long-standing prestige in the arsenal to mobilize weapons and soldiers."

As Pei Jingzhi spoke, he made plans: "As for Wei Chengye, I will find him a courtyard and assign an old woman to take care of his daily needs."

"I doubt he would develop any feelings for that old woman, would he?"

Chen Liang's eyes lit up: "Sir, this plan is brilliant. An old woman who does servant work, how could Lord Wei Chengye possibly take notice of her?"

With Chen Liang's affirmation, Pei Jingzhi felt somewhat at ease and said, "Now that the external enemy has been dealt with and the troops and equipment have been secured, everything is ready."

"But I would like to add another layer of insurance."

Chen Liang, as expected of Pei Jingzhi's confidant and a leading figure among the younger generation, immediately realized the possibility and asked, "Does my lord perhaps intend to bring in outside help?"

"Not bad!" Pei Jingzhi nodded approvingly.

When he enters his area of ​​expertise, his demeanor changes, becoming shrewd and resolute: "Nowadays, the only outside help we can attract is from aristocratic families."

"My wife, née Liu, is from the Liu family of Hedong."

"At times like these, it's time to seek her help."

Chen Liang's enthusiastic expression instantly dimmed: "Sir, is this... alright?"

"Is the Liu family of Hedong truly willing to help?"

"His Majesty is imprisoned, and the country is on the verge of collapse. At such a critical moment, why shouldn't the Liu family, who are paid by the emperor, share his burdens?" Pei Jingzhi said angrily. "Moreover, while it's true that the Liu family is a top-tier aristocratic family, it has been declining in recent years."

"It's not necessarily true that they don't want an opportunity to improve themselves."

"Ren Tianye is nothing but a traitorous minister, and he has no right to rule. If he were to ascend the throne, he would surely be condemned by the people. The Liu family is not stupid; how could they possibly not flatter His Majesty and instead try to please Ren Tianye?"

"Sir, that's not what I meant," Chen Liang said, knowing that Pei Jingzhi was right.

Despite Ren Tianye's current power, he is unpopular and lacks supporters. This world still belongs to the Great Yu Dynasty. The Liu family of Hedong must either remain inactive and protect themselves, or they must pledge allegiance to His Majesty.

From this point of view, Chen Liang knew that Pei Jingzhi was right, but... that wasn't what he was thinking.

He asked, "My lord, what I wish to say is..."

"Your wife wields considerable power within the Liu family of Hedong, but she seems to dislike your erratic behavior. Is she willing to stand on your side?"

"Of course!"

Pei Jingzhi resolutely refused to listen to the iron road.

"real?"

Chen Liang still didn't believe it.

After all, he, as a "capitalist in the capital," knew some of Pei Jingzhi's romantic escapades in his youth.

When Madam Pei was young, she had a childhood sweetheart, but unfortunately he died in the army at a young age. Madam Pei cried and wailed for him, and almost died several times. Later, for some reason, Lord Pei Jingzhi came to Madam Pei's side.

Over the years, the two have indeed appeared to be a loving couple in front of outsiders, but during his several visits to the Pei residence, he could clearly sense that Madam Pei was not paying attention to Pei Jingzhi.

even……

Not very respectful.

This made him suspicious.

Pei Jingzhi laughed and said, "Of course it's true!"

"My wife, Liu, suffered a great setback when she was young. It was I who took care of her day and night and gradually entered her heart, pulling her out of the shadows. She also promised to be with me for life."

"Although she has a somewhat impatient temper and often puts me in an awkward position, she is good at heart and has given me a son and two daughters."

"My wife and I have a deep and loving relationship."

"The matter at hand concerns not only the Great Yu Kingdom, but also my Pei family. Even if she thinks of the care I gave her when she was young, she will certainly not refuse."

"Don't worry."

Chen Liang then nodded.

However, I was already thinking about it.

Although Pei Jingzhi was full of confidence, he would still prefer to come up with a backup family in case of problems, so that he wouldn't be caught off guard at the last minute.

He casually picked up three imperial edicts from the desk: one was for Pei Jingzhi, one for the Princess, and one for Ren Tianye.

He looked at it more closely, then pointed and said, "Sir, you said..."

"Don't mention Ren Tianye..." Pei Jingzhi's voice suddenly rose, "Even now, His Majesty is still so muddle-headed when it comes to such matters."

"How can we place our hopes on Ren Tianye!"

"Ren Tianye's wolfish ambitions are obvious. He must want Tuoba Xiangtai to kill His Majesty so that he can install a new emperor. Such a simple matter, yet His Majesty still relies on him."

"It truly breaks my heart."

"We must never make such a mistake."

Pei Jingzhi spoke decisively, cutting through Ren Tianye's thoughts in one sentence. After a pause, he continued, "However, although Ren Tianye is unusable, his men have the opportunity to serve the court."

"His deputy general, Wang Ming, is honest, kind, and chivalrous. If we can win his loyalty, we can achieve great things."

"Even if Wang Ming cannot pledge allegiance, we can take this opportunity to sow discord between him and Ren Tianye. After all, it doesn't matter who holds the position of Grand Commandant; why should it be Ren Tianye?"

"Wang Ming, I simply do not believe that someone who holds such great power would not have the slightest ambition."

Chen Liang's train of thought had clearly been interrupted by Pei Jingzhi, so he had no choice but to follow Pei Jingzhi's lead and say, "But as far as I know, Wang Ming is indeed extremely loyal to Ren Tianye..."

"So, we'll have to resort to some tricks." Pei Jingzhi laughed. "Chen Liang, to be honest, my wife, Lady Liu, and I are deeply in love. She once selected a group of singers and dancers for me to enjoy."

"Although I do not like this profession, I have still supported those singers and dancers. Among them is a woman named Hongxiu, who is a beauty of unparalleled grace and charm, truly a rare find in the world."

"I intend to present her to Wang Ming first, and after Wang Ming is moved, I will present her to Ren Tianye. Then I will have Hongxiu whisper in his ear to sow discord between Ren Tianye and Wang Ming."

Chen Liang was somewhat confused by these words.

What does it mean to have deep feelings and therefore choose song and dance?

Is it really that affectionate?

Furthermore, is it really possible that a woman alone could cause Ren Tianye and Wang Ming to part ways? As far as he knows, neither Ren Tianye nor Wang Ming are lecherous people!

Could a single woman really cause them to drift apart?

Just how beautiful must this woman be?

Soon, Chen Liang glimpsed a possibility.

Pei Jingzhi probably also felt that Chen Liang didn't believe him, so he specifically sent a servant to Madam Liu's room to retrieve the portrait of Hongxiu.

Chen Liang was startled at just one glance.

This woman is indeed alluring and captivating; she is truly a beauty.

Even he couldn't help but swallow hard.

He asked, "Sir, are you willing to part with this woman?"

"For the Great Yu, what is a mere woman worth mentioning?" Pei Jingzhi's eyes were clear and his heart was open. He said directly, "Besides, I am not interested in women. In my life, I have only ever had my wife."

"A beautiful woman is lovely, but she should be used where she is meant to be used."

Chen Liang was deeply impressed.

My heart was filled with passion.

It was because of people like Lord Pei that the Great Yu Dynasty was able to rise again and again amidst countless disasters throughout its eight-hundred-year reign.

He said, "Your Excellency's righteousness is admirable."

"However, what I was about to say was not His Majesty's edict to Ren Tianye, but rather to the Eldest Princess..."

"My lord, in His Majesty's edict to the Princess, there is a sentence that says if the Princess is unsure of what to do, she may go to Chongning Nunnery."

"If I remember correctly, there is a person hiding in this Chongning Nunnery."

Pei Jingzhi's body trembled.

Quickly reopen that imperial edict.

In fact, apart from the one for Ren Tianye, which he simply couldn't bear to read, he had read the other two edicts dozens of times. He not only knew the contents but also the words clearly.

However, the people living in Chongning Temple had been living in seclusion for many years, and he had somewhat forgotten about it due to habit. Now that Chen Liang had mentioned it, he quickly went to see it.

Sure enough, I saw that sentence.

But his brows furrowed.

"Is that person so important that His Majesty had to specifically mention him?"

Chen Liang said, "After all, she is a close relative of the former empress, and her status is more than ten thousand times higher than that of Aunt Xiao. At this point, His Majesty should mention her."

"But what skills does she actually possess?"

"Why would His Majesty entrust him with such a task?"

"They even had the eldest princess specifically inquire about it?"

Pei Jingzhi shook his head, unable to explain, and said, "In any case, if the Princess doesn't go to visit, I will go myself."

"Fortunately, everything has been agreed upon, and we can proceed according to plan."

After a pause, Pei Jingzhi continued, "There is no time to lose. I will go find Lu Qing and the Princess now, with His Majesty's blood edict, to find out their attitudes."

"Chen Liang, besides dealing with your elite cavalry, you should also try your best to contact the ministers in the court. At that time, I believe there will be countless people who are loyal to the emperor and love their country."

Chen Liang nodded: "Yes, sir."

"Your Excellency, I will take care of it immediately."

After they reached an agreement, they acted swiftly.

Pei Jingzhi rushed to the Duke of Fuguo's residence, where he saw patrols everywhere, demonstrating Ren Tianye's control over the capital.

But even a glimpse of the whole picture reveals only a part of its essence.

This also shows that Ren Tianye's control over the capital was far from complete; otherwise, why would he have resorted to military force to intimidate the people instead of winning them over to his own advantage?

All of this was within Pei Jingzhi's expectations.

Therefore, he only sighed and was not surprised. Soon, he arrived at the gate of the Duke of Fuguo's mansion.

"I, Pei Jingzhi, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, request an audience with General Lu Qing. Please inform him of my presence."

The guards at the gate dared not delay and immediately went to report. They returned shortly afterward, looking apologetic, and said, "I'm sorry, sir, my general is not in the mansion."

"Please come back another day."

"Nonsense!" Pei Jingzhi said, "With the morning court session canceled and the capital in chaos, where else could Lu Qing be if he's not in his residence?"

"Perhaps you don't want to see me?"

The guard's stammering only convinced Pei Jingzhi that Lu Qing refused to see him, causing his previously calm heart to boil over instantly.

When His Majesty wanted to promote Lu Qing to General of the Cavalry and put him in charge of all military affairs in the capital, he disagreed and publicly confronted Lu Qing in the court.

He criticized Lu Qing for losing 70,000 pieces of equipment and suffering a defeat while leading his troops south, saying that he was completely unworthy of the position of General of the Cavalry, both in terms of character and ability.

They should not only not be promoted, but also demoted, or even punished.

But His Majesty was determined to do things his own way, and he had no other choice.

Is it because of these political differences that Lu Qing is deliberately avoiding seeing him?

However, His Majesty is currently imprisoned and in imminent danger. Whether Lu Qing is willing to help or not, he has to give it a try!

So he said, "Go ask again, has Lu Qing returned yet?"

"If he does not return, I will wait in front of the Duke of Fuguo's mansion until he is willing to see me."

The guards went again, but soon turned back.

"My great general has really not returned."

Pei Jingzhi gave a bitter laugh, then... bowed deeply and said, "Please go and inform them that I, Pei Jingzhi, am ungrateful and have been disrespectful to the General in the past. I beg the General to forgive my rudeness and not hold it against me."

"Right now, I have a very urgent matter concerning the fate of the nation. I implore you, General, to make time to see me no matter what."

This posture was too humble, which startled the guards at the gate. They had originally intended to resolutely avoid provoking trouble, but seeing this situation, they gritted their teeth.

He said, "Please wait a moment, my lord, while I go and inquire further."

"Perhaps the general will return."

The guards then went to inform the steward of the Duke of Fuguo's mansion and explained Pei Jingzhi's stance. The steward then went to inform Lu Qing.

As soon as the butler entered the study, Lu Qing, who was sitting behind the desk, jumped up: "How is it? Have they arrived? Have Ren Tianye's men arrived?"

"No..." The butler didn't really want to meet Lu Qing's face, but he still had to say, "Master, it's Lord Pei Jingzhi..."

"Tell him to get the hell out of here!" Before the butler could finish speaking, Lu Qing roared, "If that old bastard Pei Jingzhi dares to come and make a fuss again, I'll tear his mouth apart."

"I will not see anyone except those sent by Ren Tianye. Even if His Majesty himself comes, I will not see him!"

Lu Qing kicked the butler away, his anger not diminishing at all. After all, Ren Tianye had told him that he was allowed to see Ruyue once every three days.

But this time, three days and half an hour have passed, and Ren Tianye's men still haven't arrived. How can he possibly care about anything else now?

He's going to see Ruyue!

Go see Ruyue immediately!

Not a moment, not even a breath, can be wasted!

Must, immediately, right now!

In fact, if Ren Tianye hadn't used Ruyue to blackmail him, he would have led his men to kill Ren Tianye right now. Why should little Ren Tianye not let him see Ruyue?

……