The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Xingqing Palace.

"Grandson greets His Majesty the Empress."

Li Ang took off the fur robe covering him, shook off the cold air, and then took two steps forward, bowing respectfully.

"Sit down." Empress Dowager Guo held her prayer beads in her hand, her expression as calm and kind as ever. "These are fruits your uncle brought back from Henan. They were just delivered yesterday. Try some..."

A palace servant presented a plate of pastries. Li Ang bowed slightly, picked up a piece, and perked up his spirits.

"Uncle has returned to the capital? Why haven't I seen him come to the palace?"

This so-called uncle-in-law naturally refers to Du Cong, the husband of Princess Qiyang and the military governor of Zhongwu Army.

Empress Dowager Guo also picked up a piece of pastry, took a small bite, and put it down, saying.

"When he returned to the capital to report on his duties, he first submitted a memorial to the Council of State Affairs. It was not appropriate to go off-time. At present, he is still at the post station outside the city and has not yet entered the city. However, in order to show his filial piety, he sent someone to bring back all the gifts."

"I heard he's back, and your aunt is overjoyed. The doctor at the princess's residence says his condition has improved considerably..."

There was a hint of relief in his tone.

It seemed like a casual chat, but Li Ang keenly sensed an unusual meaning in it.

"Is Auntie still not better?"

Empress Dowager Guo sighed, a hint of helplessness on her face.

"As you saw last time, it's a chronic illness that won't improve anytime soon. She can only recover slowly. The doctor said that she has a lot of emotional distress, and if she continues to worry like this, she might not only fail to get better, but her condition might even worsen."

Li Ang fell silent upon hearing this.

He had a rough idea of ​​what Empress Dowager Guo wanted to say to him today.

After a slight hesitation, Li Ang asked.

"I've heard that Aunt and Uncle have always had a very good relationship. If Uncle could stay in the capital to take up a post, Aunt's mood would probably be better. It just so happens that recently, many ministers in the court have submitted memorials, believing that Uncle's talents are sufficient to serve as prime minister."

"How about we take advantage of this trip back to the capital to report on our duties and have my uncle appointed as the Grand Secretary? What does Grandmother think?"

His grandmother had actually brought up the topic of Du Cong several times, both openly and subtly.

Recalling the times he was summoned to Xingqing Palace, Du Cong was almost always mentioned. Therefore, ever since his last meeting with Princess Qiyang, Li Ang suspected that Empress Dowager Guo actually wanted Du Cong to enter the Council of State Affairs and become prime minister.

However, to his somewhat surprise, when Empress Dowager Guo heard this, she gently twirled the prayer beads in her hand for a moment, then shook her head and said...

"No, Du Cong is, after all, the imperial son-in-law. Although our dynasty does not prohibit relatives of the empress from serving as prime ministers, it is not a good thing. I have heard about some of the things that have happened these days. Now is the time to do things, and it is not good for people to say that you are practicing nepotism."

"Even if we want to keep him in the capital, we can just give him a sinecure. As for the position of prime minister, the court has plenty of ministers who are more qualified and capable than him."

"Royal Grandmother..."

Li Ang was taken aback at first, then was about to speak again.

But to his surprise, Empress Dowager Guo was not just making excuses; she had truly made up her mind.

"You need not mention this matter again. Although appointing a prime minister is a matter of state, Du Cong is my son-in-law and my elder. If the emperor does not want him to be torn between loyalty to his country and filial piety, then he should not do this difficult thing."

Having said all that, Li Ang naturally couldn't insist any further.

So he could only say, "In that case, your grandson will obey your grandmother's command."

After he finished speaking, the grandfather and grandson talked for a while longer.

Soon, Empress Dowager Guo grew tired and sent Li Ang away.

However, even after leaving Xingqing Palace, Li Ang still had many doubts lingering in his mind.

He was quite certain that Empress Dowager Guo had previously hoped that Du Cong would return to the capital to become prime minister.

Otherwise, there would have been no need to specifically summon the ailing Princess Qiyang to the palace and have the physician examine her in front of her.

But now that Du Cong has truly returned to the capital and is on the verge of becoming prime minister, Empress Dowager Guo has summoned her again, with the aim of opposing Du Cong's appointment as prime minister.

It has to be said that these changes are something that Li Ang really can't understand.

Surely the old lady doesn't just want her son-in-law to come back to Beijing to spend time with her daughter?

The thought flashed through his mind for a moment, but Li Ang quickly shook his head.

It's not impossible that this is possible, but to view an empress dowager who has lived peacefully in the palace for many years and steadily served several emperors in this way is rather naive.

If Empress Dowager Guo truly had nothing to hide from him, she should have directly stated her request for Du Cong to return to the capital during their first meeting.

But she didn't. On the contrary, she always maintained an attitude of being detached from the court, yet in various details, she revealed her influence on the court and the inner palace.

Such a person would never act solely out of personal feelings...

After pondering for a while, Li Ang couldn't come up with any clues no matter what he did. So, he had no choice but to instruct Qi Baozhen to have the Eastern Depot investigate Du Cong's movements and see if they could find anything.

The trip to Xingqing Palace was just a minor interlude.

Li Ang's current focus is still on the reform of the Shence system.

The debates that took place during the morning court session revealed the current communication breakdown between the two sides.

Therefore, Li Ang did not break his promise. After returning to the palace, he immediately sent someone to issue an imperial edict, formally appointing Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi as Left and Right Commanders-in-Chief, and ordering them to be ranked after the Prime Minister in the court.

However, to his surprise, trouble struck just the day after the edict was issued...

This day marked the first time that Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi attended the morning court session as court officials.

The two changed into their new official robes and arrived at the waiting courtyard early in preparation for court.

However, to their surprise, an imperial censor stopped them as soon as they arrived at the gate of the waiting room.

"Lieutenant Liu, Commissioner Yang, this is the residence of court officials. As you are both eunuchs, it is inconvenient for you to enter. Please forgive us."

The censor in front of me was in his early thirties, clearly a newcomer who had only recently entered officialdom.

Although he was not well-known, he remained neither humble nor arrogant even when facing these two renowned eunuchs.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongyi frowned and was about to lash out.

Yang Qinyi reacted similarly, but he was better-tempered and patiently spoke up.

"His Majesty has issued an imperial edict appointing us two as commanders of the Shence Military Command. According to regulations, we should be in the court. I think you may not know the details, so please step aside quickly and don't delay our court session."

To be fair, this explanation already shows that Yang Qinyi considered his current status as an official in the outer court and gave the other party enough face.

However, to his surprise, the young censor showed him no respect whatsoever, and instead sneered and said.

"What a joke! Officials in the court have always been distinguished between those inside and outside the palace. You two are palace officials, originally servants of the imperial family. How can you be ranked alongside ministers in the court?"

"As an imperial censor, I am responsible for overseeing the waiting room and naturally must uphold the rules. This is not the place for you two; please leave!"