The mistress of the Hou family went crazy after doting on concubines and killing their wives.

Chapter 118: Trying to figure out the emperor’s heart
"Wei Chen has been out in the past few days, and the affairs of the Imperial City Department have not yet been fully supervised. Wei Chen will inquire immediately after returning and report to His Majesty."

Emperor Heng suddenly sighed: "It is a pity that Marquis Yongcheng and the Crown Prince died in the battle with Rui'er. The queen was heartbroken because of this. She has been in poor health and can no longer take care of the affairs of the harem. If he can be found, the queen's family will Having a wife can also bring comfort to the queen."

The Rui'er mentioned by Emperor Heng was Li Haorui, the queen's first son and second prince.

Li Haorui was named the prince when he was born. After his death in battle, Emperor Heng made Li Haoyu the prince instead.

At a young age, he was talented in both civil and military affairs, and was brave and good at fighting. Unfortunately, he was killed in battle with his uncle Yongchenghou.

At that time, Li Haorui was only fourteen years old. He was highly praised by both the government and the public, and he was deeply supported by the people.

Yongchenghou is the queen's biological brother.

Twenty years ago, the battle in the Northern Territory was fought fiercely, and all the men of Marquis Yongcheng's family were killed.

Rumor has it that the second son, who was only three years old, was captured by the enemy in front of the battle and used him to blackmail Marquis Yongcheng into surrendering, but Marquis Yongcheng gave up on saving him...

Xie Zhiyan lowered his head and stared at the tea foam in the tea cup, his eyes dark, hiding the turbulent waves under his eyes.

He said slowly: "The hatred of destroying the country and destroying the family is irreconcilable. How can the remnants of the previous dynasty swallow this breath? It is not necessarily impossible to collude with the courtiers to plot rebellion."

He raised his head and looked calmly at the gloomy Emperor Heng.

"I don't know how many criminals and remnants like Jiang Furong were secretly replaced by them. Just like her, they forged books and secretly changed their faces and lurked around our court."

Emperor Heng narrowed his eyes slightly and rolled the beads in his hand very fast. The words of 'Yan Yunhe' kept swirling in his mind.

Once the seeds of doubt are planted, they will quietly take root and sprout.

Xie Zhiyan stroked the edge of the cup: "Don't be afraid of others. Like Xu Guogong, Yongcheng Hou and Qin Guogong, these hairpin families have heavy troops. Your Majesty wants them to fall, don't you think they will fall? The family has nothing to be afraid of. There is nothing to be afraid of. Your Majesty's bloodline was involved and was used by the family, making it difficult for Your Majesty to make a choice."

Xie Zhiyan had been with 'Yan Yunhe' for more than half a year, and he knew very well that, apart from being less ruthless than Yan Yunhe in his methods, his ability to guess the emperor's heart could rival him.

Emperor Heng is not afraid of aristocratic families.

At that time, the old dynasty was under a cruel regime, and people all over the world were living in dire straits. People everywhere rose up in rebellion, and he was just one of the stronger ones.

Once he won the throne, he wanted his position to be permanent and the world to be in his hands for generations.

Therefore, after seizing power, he reused old ministers to appease the people and create the image of a good emperor. He wanted to slowly devour the aristocratic family and could not act too hastily.

He even turned a blind eye when the noble family targeted Qin Guogong and others.

The world is basically dominated by the weak and the strong.

The prince is different.

The reason why Emperor Heng made Li Haoyu the crown prince was not because he was the legitimate direct descendant of the queen, but because he wanted to use him to contain the Lu family.

As long as the position of prince is not in Lu's hands, Lu will obey his orders.

The art of the emperor is the art of balance.

"Marquis Wenxin dared to help the Lu family deceive His Majesty. This can be a good opportunity to give Marquis Wenxin a beating and at the same time give Duke Sun a warning."

Emperor Heng's eyebrows jumped.

The Lu family and the Xie family were not enough troubles, but Sun Guogong and Xinhou Lu Chongshan were his serious worries.

Especially Lu Chongshan.

This man was very ambitious. His aunt was the wife of Sun Guogong and his sister was a noble concubine. He received so many benefits, but he was still not satisfied. He teamed up with the noble family to repeatedly intimidate him for power and position in the court, and they did not give him the face of the emperor at all when they quarreled.

If I could take the opportunity to teach Marquis Wenxin a lesson and at the same time beat Duke Sun Guo...

Or maybe we can take the opportunity to unseat Lu Chongshan. Then wouldn’t the forces on both sides be balanced?
It would be even more perfect if the remnants of the previous dynasty could be caught. Emperor Heng's eyes lit up.

Seeing Emperor Heng's face relax, Xie Zhiyan knew that he was tempted.

"Your Majesty, the tea is getting cold."

Emperor Heng picked up the tea and took a sip: "That's good. Your tea-ordering skills have improved a lot."

Xie Zhiyan smiled slightly: "His Majesty praised me, and I am ecstatic."

"Come on, when did your stinky face become so happy?" Emperor Heng glanced at him sideways.

Xie Zhiyan chuckled: "Actually, the humble minister has selfish motives in this matter. Lu Wan's mother is a close friend of the Queen. She has also played with the Crown Prince and the Princess since she was a child. If anything happens to her, the Crown Prince and the Princess will definitely stand up for her. In the name of defending Lu Wan, Wei Chen convinced the court officials that Wei Chen was on the side of the prince. "

"The Imperial City Secretary holds the ministers' handles and obeys the emperor's orders. If the Wei minister pretends to be the prince's person, the Lu family will be nervous, and it will be easier for him to reveal his fault. The Wei minister openly sends a betrothal gift for Prince Xie, which is to tell everyone that the Wei minister I have a close relationship with Prince Xie, and her wife Wei Chen protects me."

Emperor Heng glanced at him again: "How come I heard that you were very close to Lu Chongshan before?"

Xie Zhiyan smiled and said: "The attacks in the east and west make it impossible for any of them to know who Wei Chen is on. Your Majesty understands that Wei Chen can only obey your orders."

Emperor Heng snorted: "I'm just afraid that you, a bastard, will be a mother if you have milk."

Xie Zhiyan raised his eyes, looked directly into Emperor Heng's eyes, stood up, lifted his robe and knelt down.

He said seriously: "Everything we have is given by Your Majesty. He is Your Majesty's most sincere servant. Your Majesty knows Wei Chen's ambitions very clearly. Wei Chen is indeed a man of revenge. He has been hunted down for half a year. This time with the death of Shi I fell off the cliff together and almost died. It was Prince Xie who blocked the beast with his body and gave me a chance to escape. Even if Wei Chen and Prince Xie have no personal relationship, the wife of my savior will never be bullied. "

"What's more, His Majesty personally granted Lu Wan the marriage and the royal decree. I am protecting His Majesty's face by protecting it. If His Majesty punishes you for this, I am willing to accept it. But I never want to deceive Your Majesty and let Your Majesty treat you." Wei Chen was suspicious and disappointed."

Emperor Heng was very happy.

It is not easy to sharpen a sharp knife.

Yan Yunhe was personally selected by him. From a young eunuch, he was trained and supported all the way to the top.

What is needed is to be ambitious, ruthless, retributive, and show no mercy to any courtier.

But the premise is to be absolutely loyal.

The younger generation of civil and military ministers that Emperor Heng most admired were Xie Zhiyan and Yan Yunhe, not to mention that they looked a bit alike.

It's a pity that Xie Zhiyan had a good relationship with the prince and had the bad habits of a civil servant, so Emperor Heng was somewhat defensive.

Yan Yunhe was different. He was ruthless and determined to retaliate, which reassured him.

Only those with plans can make better use of it.

Among the powerful people in the court, all of them are evil-minded and have no selfish motives. They all want to eradicate dissidents and climb up the ladder by stepping on others.

Therefore, the knife in his hand must have a purpose and must be ruthless.

Emperor Heng picked up the tea and glanced at him: "You, this little slave, are getting more and more courageous. You have already said all your bad words. Do you really think I won't punish you?"

Xie Zhiyan knelt straight and said, "Your Majesty's dog slaves are naturally beaten by Your Majesty at will."

Emperor Heng laughed angrily at him: "Remember this, get me the evidence of Marquis Wenxin and his party's deception as soon as possible, otherwise, your ass will be smashed."

"Yes, I will obey the Holy Order!"

"Get out of here." Emperor Heng put down the tea cup.

Xie Zhiyan stood up: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for forgiving me."

He knew very well that the aristocratic family was a thorn in the flesh of Emperor Heng. If there was a chance to uproot it, what would a mere Marquis Wenxin mean?
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