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

Unlike the Li faction, which consistently advocated for the suppression of eunuchs, the Niu faction, represented by Niu Sengru, consistently advocated for peaceful coexistence on the issue of eunuchs.

They not only thought this way, but they also did it.

This is one of the reasons why the Niu Party lived a better life than the Li Party in previous years.

This is why the Niu faction knew more about the power structure within the eunuchs' ranks and some palace secrets.

Take Empress Dowager Guo of Xingqing Palace as an example. The ministers of the outer court had a greater impression of this empress dowager who had served several emperors, as she was not involved in politics and was highly respected.

But Niu Sengru knew that this Empress Dowager was far more complex than most people perceived her to be.

"Perhaps, it's for Du Cong?"

After pondering for a long time, Linghu Chu offered a suggestion.

"Shortly after I received Liang Chengmin's message, news spread from the palace that the Empress Dowager had summoned Princess Qiyang back to the capital to recuperate."

"As everyone knows, Princess Qiyang and Du Cong have always been a loving couple. The Empress Dowager's decision to send her back to the capital must have been presumably because she had already planned to have Du Cong return to the capital to take up his post as well."

"If Li Xun falls, Du Cong can fill his position perfectly..."

Upon hearing this, Niu Sengru slowly nodded.

"It's not impossible. Du Cong is on good terms with you and me. If he were to take over after Li Xun's downfall, it would have some restraining effect on Li Deyu's faction."

"But if that's the case, how do you explain what happened today?"

"Could it be that opposing Liu Hongyi and the others is also that person's intention?"

Linghu Chu shook his head and said, "I'm afraid only Du Cong himself knows the answer to that."

A huge question stood between the two, but because there was so little information, neither of them dared to draw any conclusions.

So Linghu Chu quickly turned to him and asked, "Tell me about yourself. Did you come to the palace today to explain to the Emperor what happened in court?"

Clearly, Linghu Chu was more concerned about Niu Sengru's situation than Du Cong's actions.

It should be noted that the reason why the "Niu Party" in the imperial court was called the "Niu Party" was because its core figure was Niu Sengru.

Although Linghu Chu had more seniority than him, Niu Sengru was the true core figure in terms of talent and reputation.

Now that Li Deyu has entered the Council of State as prime minister, if the Niu faction cannot produce anyone to rival him, then it is foreseeable that their own days will not be easy.

"Yes..." Niu Sengru nodded, and after a moment's thought, he gave a basic account of his audience with the emperor in the palace.

Unsurprisingly, Linghu Chu was also stunned after hearing this.

"You...you just said that to the sage?"

Upon seeing this, Niu Sengru laughed instead and said, "What, do you think I'm being ridiculous?"

Linghu Chu shook his head, looking like he didn't know what to say, and said.

"It's not just absurd, it's downright... it's downright..."

He tried to find a word more fitting than absurd, but after thinking it over, he couldn't find a suitable adjective for the time being. He could only look helplessly at Niu Sengru in front of him and say...

"Si'an, Li Deyu has already taken the lead over us. After the Shence Military Governor's Office is completed, he will be even more trusted by the Emperor. Therefore, the opportunity to meet the Emperor is extremely precious, especially for you. You should understand this."

Clearly, Linghu Chu was quite puzzled by Niu Sengru's behavior in the hall.

However, in the face of his questioning, Niu Sengru simply shook his head and said, "Lord Linghu, although I have not been back in the capital for long, I have inquired about some information in advance. During this period of time, the Sage's temperament has changed greatly. He is less reserved and timid, and more sharp and resourceful."

"Therefore, our thoughts and words when facing a sage cannot be the same as before..."

Linghu Chu frowned: "What do you mean?"

However, as before, Niu Sengru did not answer his question directly, but instead asked a question in return.

What's your opinion of the Eastern Depot?

Linghu Chu was taken aback, not expecting Niu Sengru to suddenly ask this question.

After a moment of thought, he said, "The Eastern Depot was established, ostensibly, to bring down Li Xun and others and to investigate major cases. But if it was only for Li Xun, there would be no need to set up a special agency. The Emperor is probably doing this to support another eunuch force to restrain the original four powerful figures."

"Moreover, the Eastern Depot has a special nature and can intervene in cases outside the court. Perhaps after the emperor learned of Li Xun's true colors, he felt that such things should not be allowed to happen again, so he specially set up the Eastern Depot, which can be regarded as another constraint on the court."

It should be said that Linghu Chu, having served in the court for many years, still possessed the necessary political acumen.

However, after hearing his words, Niu Sengru shook his head and said...

"These things certainly exist, but what I want to say is that the reason the emperor established the Eastern Depot might be deeper, stemming from his inner unease..."

"disturbed?"

Linghu Chu frowned, seemingly not quite understanding Niu Sengru's meaning.

Seeing this, Niu Sengru's eyes flashed with a shrewd light, and he continued, "Lord Linghu should know that since the reign of Emperor Xianzong, the palace eunuchs have been rampant and the Shence Army has been controlled by one hand. When Wang Shoucheng was the lieutenant, he was arrogant and domineering, and often refused to obey the imperial edicts."

"Therefore, the emperor promoted Li Xun and Zheng Zhu to eliminate the eunuchs. However, the incident involving Qiu Shiliang also shows that Li Xun and his ilk were ambitious and also had the intention to seize control of the Shence Army."

"The palace eunuchs and officials below them deceive their superiors, and the ministers in the outer court are ungrateful and selfish. As far as the emperor is concerned, there is probably no one left to trust in the court and the country."

Linghu Chu remained silent for a moment.

He wanted to say that it wasn't that there were no trustworthy people, but rather that the previous sages were too suspicious, so much so that they rejected all truly trustworthy people.

Frankly speaking, although the ministers of the Niu Party and the Li Party may have huge differences on other matters, even the Niu Party, which advocated coexisting with eunuchs, had a consensus on supporting the emperor.

Ultimately, ministers like them, who rose through the ranks step by step, all harbored ambitions to serve the country and its people.

While securing their positions of power is one aspect, they actually devote more of their energy to governing the country.

To achieve this goal, the stability of the upper echelons must be ensured, and the core of the entire Tang Dynasty's upper echelons is undoubtedly the Sage.

From this perspective alone, they were all capable ministers to the sage.

Unfortunately, the sage was too eager for quick success and instant benefits, and naively trusted a villain like Li Xun. In the end, he suffered a complete loss and had to lament that he had no one to rely on...

With mixed feelings, Linghu Chu sighed and quickly composed himself, returning to the topic at hand.

"So you think that the Emperor established the Eastern Depot not only to divide power, but also to investigate all officials?"

This conclusion is actually not difficult to reach: since no one can be trusted, then we might as well not trust anyone at all.

Thinking of the so-called supervising eunuch and two commanders in the Eastern Depot, Linghu Chu sighed again, feeling somewhat helpless.

If that's the case, then even the Emperor might not fully believe the Eastern Depot these days, otherwise he wouldn't have allowed the two sides to check and balance each other.

Niu Sengru nodded and said, "That's right. Li Deyu thought he could use the Eastern Depot to lure me into a trap, but he didn't expect that his actions would give me an opportunity instead."

"My 'impeachment' before the Emperor today, though seemingly childish, actually exposed Li Deyu's intention to exploit the Emperor."

"In this way, at least the Emperor will no longer blindly trust Li Deyu, and we will finally have a chance..."