Chapter 81

Xie Xie Chunan stated calmly:

"Northern Wind sent two groups of people, one group is the regular envoys, which is fine. However, the other group has quietly headed to Cining Palace this morning."

"According to the spies, they met Tuoba Tuoba Hongyan, the son of Tuoba Tuoba Shuyi, in Cining Palace."

"It is worth mentioning that Tuoba Tuoba Hongyan was also present at Mount Zhongnan back then."

Zhou Zhen nodded slightly, lost in thought.

Cining Palace is the residence of the Empress Dowager. For these years, even if he went to pay respects, he had to follow the etiquette and wait.

Now!

The envoys of Northern Wind could easily enter Cining Palace, which he found unimaginable.

It is the biggest joke under heaven!

Zhou Zhen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the portraits of emperors in the history of the Great Qing hanging in the hall and said:

"Could she think this is Between Qianyuan, where there is talk of women becoming emperors."

There has never been a woman becoming emperor in Between Qianyuan for thousands of years, but now one has appeared.

The world is shaken, and there is much discussion.

In troubled times, how ridiculous it is for a woman to become emperor!

Xie Xie Chunan's expression remained unchanged:

"The Empress Dowager actually has no heart for the country; she just doesn't want to see the world fall apart after the late emperor died."

"The Empress Dowager is worried that she will have no face to see the late emperor after she dies."

After the late emperor passed away.

Zhou Zhen ascended the throne in the capital, while the Eighth Imperial Prince established his own portal in the Jing Prince's Mansion in Jiangbei, not subject to the Son of Heaven's orders.

The Sixth Imperial Prince Zhou Jin called himself the Heavenly King, forming a situation of three-party confrontation.

Zhou Zhen said faintly:

"Actually, no matter what the Empress Dowager does, I will not intervene. After all, I could not have sat on the throne without her support."

He paused slightly and continued:

"However, the current situation is not that I cannot tolerate her, but that she wants to put me to death."

Zhou Zhen's gaze stared deeply at the portraits of the ancestors on the wall, the first three.

His voice was solemn and firm:

"When the founding ancestor started his business, he experienced seven ups and downs, and finally settled the Central Plains, relying on the unity of brothers in a county."

"During the reign of Emperor Jing, there was Master Zhu assisting him in governing the world, implementing benevolent governance, and in less than twenty years, he made the Jiangnan region prosperous."

"Under the command of Emperor Wu, there were five famous marshals who followed him to conquer east and west, opening up territory."

Zhou Zhen turned around and said seriously: "Now, I have Master Xie assisting me, and even Master Zhu is not as good."

Xie Xie Chunan heard this and hurriedly bowed: "Your Majesty overpraises, the minister is ashamed and dare not accept."

Zhou Zhen's expression was solemn, and he said seriously:

"Why don't you dare to accept? When the late emperor was alive, he once said that with your talent, the Great Qing is too small."

I don't know when it started.

Zhou Zhen's address to Xie Xie Chunan had quietly changed.

From "Lord Xie" to "Master."

From "I" to "I."

Recalling the past, several of their imperial princes benefited a lot under Xie Xie Chunan's teachings.

All called him Master!

At that time, Xie Xie Chunan was just a commoner from the north, and when he first arrived in the capital, he was just an inconspicuous clerk in the government office.

However!

In just five or six years, Xie Xie Chunan leaped from a small clerk in the government office to a leader among the powerful in the court.

After the change of dynasty, his prestige did not decrease at all, but became more stable.

Nowadays, Xie Xie Chunan is already one of the few people in the court who truly holds great power.

He acts cautiously, step by step, whether dealing with major court affairs or solving complex interpersonal relationships, he appears to be at ease.

He never easily reveals his intentions, always able to accurately grasp the timing and make the most favorable decisions for himself.

It is also exactly!

Xie Xie Chunan chose the Second Imperial Prince Zhou Zhen, and most people in the court followed suit.

There is no other reason; for these years, this Minister Xie has never taken a wrong step.

A trace of curiosity and confusion rose in Zhou Zhen's heart, so he asked sincerely:

"Master, I have always had a question, why did you turn to favor me after the late emperor passed away and decide to assist me?"

Before, this Xie Xie Chunan never intervened in party strife and was not concerned with the whirlpool of imperial power.

Always staying out of it.

This Minister of Rites said faintly:

"My wife and children are all in the capital. For them, the minister can only follow the trend and be loyal to Your Majesty."

Zhou Zhen heard this, his face did not show displeasure, but instead added a knowing smile.

If a minister has nothing to rely on, then it is dangerous.

Zhou Zhen suddenly remembered something and said:

"I remember Master, what you learned in the north back then was neither the way of Confucianism, nor the art of Daoism, nor the law of Legalism."

"But rather, you entered the Ghost Valley sect, studied the art of vertical and horizontal, and learned the theories of the Yin-Yang school."

Two thousand years ago, during the Warring States period, theories could be said to be a hundred schools of thought contending, each expressing their own opinions, methods of governing the country, and arts of seeking the Dao, all blooming.

The Daoist school, which pursues the unity of heaven and man, attempts to transcend the world with its own great power.

The demonic path wants to take the world and add it to itself.

The Legalist school advocates governing the country with laws, viewing the world as a plow, and putting all people on a chariot.

The Mohist school advocates the philosophy of universal love and non-aggression, and only I am unique.

There are also seventy-two outer paths, each with its own strengths.

At that time!

The countries were at war, and the war between countries was a contest between theories and orthodoxy.

A smile appeared on Zhou Zhen's face:

"In the early years, Master still opened a fortune-telling stall in the capital. It is said that there were countless people seeking marriage and wealth, which was also a great spectacle."

Xie Xie Chunan responded honestly:

"Life in the capital is indeed not easy, especially with several children at home, the expenses are quite large."

"The court's salary is meager, making it difficult to maintain a living, so I had to make a living by fortune-telling to subsidize the family."

Zhou Zhen smiled and didn't care.

Chatting back to the main topic, he asked respectfully:

"This time, Master taught me to lead the Junior Guardian into the capital. Do you really favor this Junior Guardian Lu so much, thinking he can definitely defeat the Empress Dowager?"

It is both a question and answer between monarch and minister, and master and student.

Xie Xie Chunan heard this and pondered slightly:

"Your Majesty, if you only want to hold the Great Qing, inherit the Jiangnan, be a monarch who guards the achievements, and establish a foundation like Emperor Jing, then having me, Xie Xie Chunan, assist you is enough."

He paused, his gaze becoming deep:

"But if Your Majesty has great ambitions and wants to sweep across the world and establish achievements far exceeding Emperor Wu, then only Lu Shen Zhou."

"This is an peerless treasure sword, but if there is no true famous master, it cannot be used. If used well, it can open ten thousand generations of peace, but if not used well..."

"How to choose depends on Your Majesty."

Xie Xie Chunan did not continue.

Zhou Zhen heard this and was silent for a moment.

Back then, the late emperor only conferred Lu Chen a Junior Guardian and the power of three mansions.

He suddenly smiled:

"Master is too small to underestimate the student's spirit. There are so many monarchs in the Great Qing, with Northern Wind in the north, and Great Chu, Korea, and Between Qianyuan on all sides."

"How many emperors have there been throughout the ages!"

Zhou Zhen looked at the portraits of the ancestors again and said in a deep voice:

"I, Zhou Zhen, can't I bear to give him an exotic king to sit on."

"Zhou Zhen wants the descendants of the Great Qing to stop for the longest time and yearn the most under my portrait when worshipping ancestors!"

Xie Xie Chunan heard this and bowed respectfully:

"Then Xie is willing to display his lifelong learning to help Your Majesty achieve this ten-thousand-generation cause!"

PS: I borrowed a sentence from Feng Huo here.

(End of chapter)