NCCnovel Chapter 627: Somewhat Smart
Chapter 627: Somewhat Smart
Chapter 627: Somewhat Smart
The room was silent. Emperor Qianwu did not say a word. Only the faint sound of the Buddhist beads turning in his hand could be heard, which made people feel uneasy.
The emperor lowered his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him, with whom he had spent half his life, with an unclear expression.
Back then, the person he liked was actually the gentle and kind Yuan Shulei. He felt at ease just by seeing her, and he felt that the timid and cowardly Lu Qing was more like a younger sister.
But over the years, under my training and indulgence, she has been transformed, and I seem to have gotten used to having her around.
Marquis Zhaowu is a bastard. Although he has some abilities, he is of no use.
As a result, the children of the Lu family did not have a good life. Unlike other families who were constantly fighting among themselves, they were instead united as one, supporting and understanding each other.
Fortunately, the Lu family is also very hardworking and has produced many talented and heroic people over the years.
It's not that he is completely ignorant of what the Lu family has done, but since ancient times, those who have too much power will inevitably go down this path. The so-called "prosperity must inevitably lead to decline" is just like this.
However, as long as the Lu family did not go too far, he would just give them a light punishment and a severe warning.
But this time, when Xie Jingchi presented the evidence, he clearly realized how greedy the Lu family was!
Lu Qing was still lying on the ground, her throat tight and her heart uneasy.
Although she had been with the man for decades, she never dared to say that she truly understood him.
Even if the Lu family could evade blame for what they have done right now, I believe it would still make him wary.
"Get up. The matter has not been investigated clearly yet. Why does it seem as if the Lu family has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and destroying the entire family?" Emperor Qianwu spoke in a deep voice, his tone softened a little, but he did not reach out to help Lu Qing.
Concubine Rou felt a little relieved, and when she raised her head, her face was covered with tears.
"I just feel ashamed. Even if the Lu family is not the mastermind of this matter, being involved in it is an unforgivable crime."
Emperor Qianwu said in a deep voice: "Well, how the Lu family should be punished depends on the results of the inspection by the censors. I will make the decision myself and will not let you suffer any injustice."
Hearing this, Concubine Rou felt a little relieved.
As an emperor, there are many things to consider. Now He Yu and Xiao Yuncheng are both powerful and they check and balance each other. If the Lu family falls, Xiao Yuncheng will inevitably become the only one in power.
Unless Your Majesty wants to make Xiao Yuncheng the crown prince, this is definitely not a good choice.
The so-called imperial art is mostly about containment and balance. If the Lu family falls, the Third Prince and his party will suffer a heavy blow. Is this the result that Your Majesty wants?
"How much do you know about embezzlement of official funds and collecting salaries without doing any work? Tell me about it..." Emperor Qianwu called Concubine Rou forward. He did not get angry, but chatted with her like an ordinary couple.
Concubine Rou was very nervous, knowing that the more the situation came to this, the more she had to be cautious.
Fortunately, she had anticipated this moment and was prepared.
Concubine Rou knew very well that it was impossible for the Lu family to get away with it this time, and it would be ridiculous to pretend to be innocent.
Therefore, the best option is to launch a side branch and cut off one's own branches, hoping that Emperor Qianwu will forgive the past for the sake of their past friendship.
After all, the so-called evidence, life and death, all depend on the emperor's thoughts.
In addition to pushing the side branches to take the blame, Lu Qing also abandoned several families. After all, the commotion was so big now that even the emperor would find it difficult to end it without bloodshed.
Emperor Qianwu didn't know how much he believed Lu Qing's words. After asking, he had dinner with her in Rouxi Palace.
*
After leaving Rouxi Palace, Emperor Qianwu had an unfathomable look on his face and turned the Buddhist beads in his hand.
It was not until he returned to the study that Emperor Qianwu called Wang Xi.
“Wang Xi, go and secretly check for the eunuchs in the palace who are participating in martial arts competitions. It would be best if they have outstanding martial arts skills. See if you can find a few of them.” Emperor Qianwu spoke in a deep voice, his slightly cloudy eyes filled with cold light.
"Yes." Wang Xi's heart tightened.
"Remember not to let the news leak out." Emperor Qianwu said anxiously.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Wang Xi left, Emperor Qianwu said slowly: "Li Yun, tell me, am I getting old?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yun immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty! You are in your prime, and you are a wise and holy ruler praised by everyone!"
Emperor Qianwu sneered: "If it's not because I'm old, then someone doesn't take me seriously? Otherwise, how could they have such a great ability to keep me in the dark!"
Li Yun's heart tightened. Having been with Emperor Qianwu for many years, he knew that this emperor never showed his emotions on his face. The calmer he was, the deeper his plans were.
Li Yun lowered his head and spoke carefully.
Emperor Qianwu raised his hand and said, "Forget it. Why am I asking you?"
Li Yun stood up, stepped aside, and breathed a sigh of relief.
As if remembering something, Emperor Qianwu asked again: "Didn't Princess Changning always investigate my brother's past affairs? How is the investigation going now?"
"Your Majesty, the county princess has visited the palace several times to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. I think there should be some progress on this matter, but we haven't been able to investigate it thoroughly yet."
Emperor Qianwu nodded: "It is not easy for her to be loved by the Queen Mother."
After he finished speaking, Emperor Qianwu began to review memorials. Not long after, he saw the memorial submitted by Xiao Tingshan.
Emperor Qianwu glanced at them one by one and nodded: "It is quite meaningful and quite clever."
Xiao Tingshan proposed in the hall to nominate Zhao Qi as the chief general in the war, which was indeed considering the overall situation. As for the proposals in the memorial, some of them were indeed feasible.
If there had not been the letter from Mingde, Emperor Qianwu might indeed have felt enlightened and summoned Xiao Tingshan to question him in person.
But with such a good example, he felt that many of Xiao Tingshan's suggestions were not practical and were far from what Mingde had proposed. In addition, he had previously shown off his strength during the autumn hunt and then used Huang Ying to force the entire Huang family to death. Emperor Qianwu really had no good impression of this sickly prince.
Therefore, in the mind of Emperor Qianwu, Xiao Tingshan could not compare with this Prince Mingde in terms of court affairs, and he was even less capable than Xie Jingchi in terms of marching, fighting, and deploying troops.
What's more, Xiao Tingshan suffered a series of setbacks and was depressed and frustrated. The strategies he proposed were inevitably radical and greedy, which made Emperor Qianwu feel that he was just talking big and did not have the ability like Xie Jingchi.
*
Cheng Guogongfu.
Lou Yulan looked at Xiao Tingshan, who was coughing, with concern: "Sir, go to bed early."
Xiao Tingshan shook his head: "No hurry, His Majesty will summon me to the palace tonight."
Lou Yulan didn't know what to say, and was silent for a moment: "You go to sleep first. If anyone summons you, I will call you."
Xiao Tingshan still shook his head. The candle in front of him had burned down to a short stump. Although the court was dismissed late today, His Majesty had summoned many ministers for evening talks.
He was certain that once His Majesty saw the strategies he proposed, he would definitely summon him to the court. Those strategies were not only his own ideas, but also the result of suggestions from many great scholars and retainers he had won over.
In order to get this opportunity, he even left some mysteries in many of the strategies he proposed, and his analysis of the current situation was quite sharp.
But now it was almost midnight, why had he not received a summons from His Majesty...