After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 420 Take the initiative
Everyone in the room was stunned.

Cao Gengyun and Lu Bainian were both officials who had dealt with the emperor. They both lowered their heads and thought about it carefully, and couldn't help but hesitate: "Your Majesty... it seems that you are indeed capable of such a thing..."

Cao Gengyun said in a low voice: "Fan Hui wrote a letter not long ago, and he also sent me one by the way. He mentioned that when he first returned to the court, the emperor summoned him and said that he was not rehabilitated, but pardoned. Those who were there when he was in office Any resentment towards the court cannot be treated as if it never happened. It was only the emperor’s magnanimity that allowed him to be forgiven. Therefore, if he is allowed to return to the court, he must make some demands of him..."

The emperor summoned Fan Huizhi, a former member of the Wu clan, to deliberately emphasize his dark history and show that he was magnanimous and did not care. Therefore, he hoped that he could become a force in the court to counteract the old faction of Sun Ge, but he could not attack Sun with the reform. He should not criticize the shortcomings of the reform and new deal provisions, but also ask him not to be too arrogant when targeting officials sent by Sun, but at the same time effectively weaken the power of Sun Ge Lao... In short, it is necessary to both If the horse runs away, the horse must not eat grass. If Fan Huizhi refused to listen, the emperor would dismiss him from office at any time. Anyway, he "deserved what he deserved."

Fan Huizhi was so angry that he laughed. Even if he had ever thought of fighting to the death with the Sun family after returning to the court and repaying the king's kindness with his life, he lost his motivation after hearing what the emperor said.

He complained to his old friend in the letter, saying that he wanted to do something practical in the court, but at the same time he had to face the persecution and suppression of the Sun family and the emperor's many restrictions, which was really boring. If he continued to stay, he was afraid that he would be pissed to death by the emperor and Mr. Sun Ge before anything could be accomplished. Therefore, when the Sun family planned to send him out of Beijing, he took advantage of the situation and sought a foreign post. As a local official, he can do more practical things and be less constrained, which is much better than staying in the capital and suffering from both sides.

Now that Cao Gengyun took out the letter from his old friend and talked about it, everyone felt that the emperor's character was really hard to describe. He clearly needed to re-activate the old disciples of the Wu clan to compete with the old Sunge faction, but after pardoning their charges, he insisted on emphasizing that they were still guilty and refused to admit that he had wronged the loyal ministers. Not only could he not provide help afterwards, but he There are also many restrictions on the Wu family's old lives. Who dances in shackles and can still dance out of flowers? Fan Huizhi was very kind and loyal if he could endure it for a few years and seek another job.

Now, the emperor clearly wants to use the Zhou family to protect the eighth prince and ensure that the eighth prince ascends the throne, but he also deliberately accuses the Zhou family first, throws dirty water on the Zhou family, and then shows magnanimity and "forgives" Zhou. family, so that the Zhou family would be grateful and take the initiative to obey his orders... Is he thinking too much?

After doing so many things, isn't he afraid that the Zhou family will guess the truth and not only be ungrateful, but also hold a grudge against him?
The Zhou family has been guarding the border for nearly a hundred years, and countless of their sons have shed blood and sacrificed their lives. The emperor has no sympathy, but he has to accuse the Zhou family of collaborating with the enemy before he is willing to use them again. What does this mean to people? !
Hai Jiao thought of the Zhenguo Palace, which had been suppressed and bullied since he entered Beijing in his previous life. At that time, the emperor watched the Sun family beat the children of the Zhou family to death and maimed them, and then showed kindness to the children of the Zhou family, allowing them to serve as small guards in the Forbidden Army. , is it also based on this idea? That's why after the Sun family fell, the Zhou family would express themselves so actively and strive to return to the frontier leadership!
Hai Jiao felt a little uncomfortable and found this kind of calculation disgusting.

Cao Gengyun curled his lips and said: "If the emperor really has this plan, then no matter how unhappy the Duke of Zhen is, he can only go along with the situation, right? Duke Zhen will definitely take the overall situation into consideration and would rather wrong himself..." After all, the old Duke is already quite old. , but his children, grandchildren and clansmen are still very young. The talents in the northwest frontier army are always insufficient. For the sake of border stability, the old man was willing to do anything.

Lu Bainian sighed: "The emperor still values ​​​​the results of the reform too much. In order to continue the reform policy, he would rather endure the misbehavior of the Sun family for so many years..." Because he was worried that hitting the mouse would hurt Yu Ping'er, the emperor himself also Dancing in shackles! If he is still young and strong, that's it. If someone who is in poor health and falls ill easily still does this, it will only increase the arrogance of the Sun family. The Sun family has been so arrogant in the court, and the emperor has an unshirkable responsibility.

Lu Bainian had long since given up on his intention to make a comeback, so now he just sighed a few words. But if the Duke of Zhenguo knew the emperor's true intentions, I'm afraid they would have no choice but to accept the emperor's "grace" with disgust. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel aggrieved for the Duke of Zhen and his family.

Cao Gengyun whispered in a low voice: "In this way, nothing will happen to the third room of the Zhou family, right? After all, the emperor wants to show favor to the Zhou family... But this is too cheap for that evil woman!"

Haitang whispered: "This is just my guess, but it may not be accurate. Maybe the emperor and Tu Rong have other ideas?"

Hai Jiao suddenly sneered: "It doesn't matter if they have other ideas. The emperor is most worried about the matter that the prince has yet to decide. If the Zhou family takes the initiative to share the emperor's worries, it will be difficult to pour out the basin of sewage. Bar?"

The others were stunned when they heard this. Cao and Lu didn't understand why Hai Jiao said that. Haitang guessed it first: "Brother means that Duke Zhen Guo can take the lead? If the Zhou family takes the initiative to express support for the Eighth Prince. , The emperor and his confidants can't just sit back and watch their loyal ministers be stigmatized. In order to ensure that the eighth prince can successfully establish himself as the heir apparent, they may even take the initiative to solve the hidden dangers of Mrs. Ma, the third wife of the Zhou family!"

After the Zhou family expressed their loyalty first, it was impossible for the emperor to bring up any charges of collaborating with the enemy. That would only make the loyal ministers mistakenly think that their loyalty was being fed to the dogs. If this first step can be taken, the Zhenguo Government will be able to turn its passivity into an initiative. But the emperor is thousands of miles away in the capital, and Tu Rong's investigation is already halfway through. Will Duke Zhen Guo really have time to express his stance to the emperor before his investigation comes out?

In this regard, Hai Jiao could only say: "We just tell Lord Zhen Guo what we think. How to make a decision is his business."

Anyway, if the emperor's intention is really as the younger sister guessed, the worst outcome for the Zhou family is to carry out the crime of "collaborating with the enemy" to work for the emperor and ensure that the eighth prince succeeds to the throne. But if things go well, not only can the Zhou family get rid of the stigma, but they can also improve their current bad relationship with the emperor and become a general trusted by the royal family again.

Isn't it just that he wants to try his best to serve the dragon again? This is not the first time this has happened, the Zhou family is quite experienced.

The eighth prince was still young and had no help behind him. He was far from the age of marrying a wife, taking concubines, or having relatives to help him. Even if he was a white-eyed wolf like his father, he would not turn against the Zhou family so quickly. In the next dozen years, the Zhou family could slowly make plans for their own children and the northwest frontier army.

If the emperor's intention is not what Haitang guessed, but he really wants to bring injustice to the Zhou family, then if the Zhou family actively expressed their willingness to support the eighth prince's ascension to the throne, can the emperor really refuse?

The Zhou family now not only has the military power of the Northwest Frontier Army, but also has a certain prestige in the circle of Qingliu civil servants because they have rescued many former students of the Wu clan. With so many civil and military officials, as long as the emperor issued an order, there would be many generals who supported the holy will and would be appointed as officials in the capital, which would instantly change the Sun family's current situation of being the dominant one in the court.

Can the emperor really refuse?

No, no matter how unhappy he is, he will still bite this bait!

Haijiao sneered again.

Cao Gengyun and Lu Bainian looked at each other, but they could feel a deep desire welling up from deep in their hearts.

As a former student of the Wu clan under the protection of the Zhou family, that seemed... to be a very pleasant future.

Haitang watched the changes in expressions on everyone's faces and smiled slightly.

(End of this chapter)