The royal tent had become a bit crowded with the arrival of the ministers. But with everyone gathered together, none of them dared say a word as they sensed the tense atmosphere between the Empress Dowager and the Taifei.

Nobody noticed Yuan Jue’s eyes scanning over everyone present before ultimately landing on Liu Zhenqing, who was looking directly at Yao Hua.

“Empress Dowager, are you trying to exonerate Liu Zhenqing by saying this? This minister once heard that before you married into the royal family…..” The minister who came forward spoke in a strange tone, but when Jian Shuang’s cold eyes swept over him, he clammed up in fear.

Yao Hua chuckled faintly: “Since I’ve dared to speak, I’m not afraid of being questioned by you all. Everyone present, except for those with evil intentions, represent three generations of veterans. Do you still remember why you first feared and resented Liu Zhenqing?”

Some of the old ministers exchanged glances when this question was issued. When had they begun to feel that Liu Zhenqing had wicked intentions and could become a domineering minister? After all, he and Huo Feihan had worked hard to save the emperor before. Why had everyone begun to fear that he would wrest away control of the government?

At this moment, everyone recalled the first conflict between Liu Zhenqing and the ministers in court.

Back then, Yuan Jue had just returned and succeeded the throne. He had to observe filial piety and worship Heaven, but had contracted a slight fever. He couldn’t afford to be sick at that juncture.

It was obviously just a cold, but even though there were so many renowned doctors in the capital, they were unable to cure it. Such a strange situation naturally caused rumors to spread.

The government remained in Liu Zhenqing’s hands, and the Three Kings began to think quickly. In order to deal with him, they manipulated public opinion in the court, saying that Liu Zhenqing was deliberately drawing out the young emperor’s illness in order to monopolize power.

Such rumors naturally aroused everyone’s suspicion, and everyone insisted on seeing the young emperor with their own eyes. But Liu Zhenqing deliberately kept him away from everyone, and the court became increasingly dissatisfied.

At the same time, rumors were circulating among the common people that the young emperor was dying, and that he had contracted the illness due to praying all night for their troubled nation. At that time, various locations were experiencing famine, and the common people were anxious. The news spread like wildfire, and everyone was deeply moved.

Just when the situation was becoming increasingly difficult, Yuan Jue suddenly recovered. It was as if his illness had been cured overnight, and the various disasters slowed down accordingly. The situation was excellent, and folk rumors said that the return of the true dragon had changed the luck of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Although things ended well, everyone had been fearful of Liu Zhenqing at that time and felt that he had complete control over the life or death of the young emperor, which was alarming.

Yao Hua looked around and sneered: “In fact, the emperor had been cured by the medical fairy Li Xingruo and was hiding in the palace, waiting for the right opportunity.”

In an instant, many ministers raised their heads to stare at Yao Hua with disbelief in their eyes.

Yao Hua was the Empress Dowager. Since she was saying this now in front of the Taifei, the emperor, and the rest of them, it was naturally impossible for her to be making it up.

Then, the truth was that…..

“The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty were worried about the emperor, who had been held hostage outside. In order to stabilize the peoples’ hearts for the emperor, quickly stabilize the throne, and prevent the Three Kings from acting rashly, the quickest way was to rely on destiny. And this so-called destiny was Liu Zhenqing’s doing. When the disaster situations changed along with the emperor’s recovery, this was attributed to the emperor’s destiny, so that everyone in the country would believe in him. Liu Zhenqing stood up to all of your suspicions and pressure for this purpose, but this became the beginning of your fear of him.”

If such a perception hadn’t begun here, everything Liu Zhenqing did later on wouldn’t have come under suspicion from the outset.

There were some veterans present who still remembered that scene, and their expressions went slack. They seemed to behold the slightly green Liu Zhenqing from back then, his face livid as he gritted his teeth under the attacks of the ministers.

Yao Hua closed her eyes and, one by one, began to list the crimes that had put Liu Zhenqing’s name on the sinner’s column, questioning the relevant officials present on each of them. Seeing that they didn’t dare to make a sound, Yao Hua spoke with increasing straightforwardness.

In fact, those matters were ones Liu Zhenqing had encountered when he went south, and were also the truths that Bai Su had sorted out over the past few days. All of the ministers present had more or less heard of them, but none had dared to face them head-on. They only sent people to suppress Bai Su either overtly or covertly, unaware that the Empress Dowager was actually supporting Bai Su’s investigation behind the scenes.

“Hahaha.” Jian Shuang suddenly laughed. Everyone was taken aback by the sound, and didn’t dare to speak up. It turns out that Jiejie has always wanted to clear his name, and has long been dissatisfied with me because of it? Jiejie has been putting on an act in front of me and hiding it from me? So…..Zheng Wei betrayed me and followed you?”

Liu Zhenqing, who had been listening in a daze, abruptly returned to his senses. Many things may not have been written into Bai Su’s book, but Qin Yu knew about them. So it was Qin Yu who informed Zheng Wei, and Zheng Wei was working for Yao Hua, so Yao Hua was the one who had secretly sent someone to inform Huo Fenglie and help him avoid danger.

Zheng Wei should have been working for the Taifei on the surface, but secretly taking orders from Yao Hua. Since that was the situation, Qin Yu still chose to follow his adoptive father once he found out the truth, because his adoptive father had indeed not betrayed the emperor.

Liu Zhenqing gradually understood, and looked at Yao Hua incredulously.

Yao Hua regarded Jian Shuang with an indifferent expression. She had been waiting for this day for a long, long time: “Shuang’er, do you understand what I just said?”

The sound of ‘Shuang’er’ put a startled expression on Jain Shuang’s face. “Jiejie, what do you want me to understand? Isn’t it that I guided public opinion and added fuel to the fire to turn Liu Zhenqing into a treacherous official? But Jiejie, you’re really too simple. Do you think I was the only one behind this? Could I really slander the Imperial Preceptor and Prime Minister on my own? 

Jian Shuang sneered at the emperor on the couch, and said instead of continuing: “Although everyone slandered him for their own benefit, even if those things Liu Zhenqing did are explained clearly and people regard him as a loyal minister a hundred years later, will they feel the same way now? Since he took office, his punishments were severe and the people feared him, which was not something I was able to guide.”

Yao Hua looked at Jian Shuang calmly: “I won’t demand that the common people praise him. I just want everyone to know the truth. If even one person can clearly understand how hard he worked, it is enough that other peoples’ evaluations are not blinded by false appearances. This is what he deserves.”

Jian Shuang shook her head and swept a slender finger aover the crowd, saying: “Jiejie really treats them as mediocre people. Even if they were stupid, they could still see the results of one or two of Liu Zhenqing’s designs when he was in power, but why did they go with the flow and blame Liu Zhenqing together? 

Those who fell under her finger couldn’t help but lower their heads in apparent guilt.

“Taking control of the golden seal of the regent on behalf of the late emperor, assisting the young emperor prior to him taking power – with absolute power over his life and death, even a change of regime would not have been a difficult task. The officials feared that he would become too powerful to control, and wished to replace his influence with a cabinet. This mighty action was able to be forcibly suppressed by Liu Zhenqing. Who wouldn’t cower before such absolute power? Who wouldn’t be afraid?”

“I will even admit now that when I assisted Liu Zhenqing, I was aware of his intentions and knew that he was deliberately pretending to be a domineering minister. As a loyal official, one must put the emperor first, and too many worries will only lead to chaos. Only if he was a treacherous official and domineering minister, and had cleared all obstacles, could he retire successfully. But in the eyes of others, this was regarded as persecuting good and loyal men, covering the sky with one hand and manipulating the young emperor as a puppet. If such a person had a change of heart, he would bring eternal damnation to everyone. And who could guarantee that he wouldn’t change? Thus, guarding against a treacherous official could make people feel at ease.”

Yao Hua said coldly: “Back then, the Three Kings were in chaos and the court officials lacked stability. Only by making those people think that the emperor was weak and that their greatest enemy was him was he able to act as a check and balance so that the enemy wouldn’t kill the emperor. Instead, they would sincerely pray for the emperor to live a hundred years. The emperor encountered nearly no assassination attempts in those years, but Liu Zhenqing was injured and poisoned numerous times. That last year, if Li Xingruo hadn’t kept him alive, he would have long been dead. Don’t you understand that? How could such a person have a change of heart?”

Jian Shuang’s eyes narrowed slightly: “Jiejie underestimates him. Ambitious people will fight for their life even if they only have one day to live.”

“He wanted to leave.” Yao Hua’s voice suddenly became a bit unsteady, and her eyes even reddened. “Didn’t he tell us that he was leaving? Once the emperor took power, he was going to go. He had even chosen a place to recuperate and retire.”

Yao Hua was a little unsteady on her feet. Unable to calm her emotions, she looked at everyone: “Didn’t you see everything when you searched his home? He had no allies, no property. He gave everything to Great Zhou. At that time, all of his accomplices had been sent away, because by then, the situation had been decided and he intended to leave.”

Liu Zhenqing’s heart trembled, and his breathing grew a little rapid.

Jian Shuang seemed to become agitated when she heard this. She scoffed: “Is that so? Then just consider him unlucky.”

It seemed Jiang Shuang no longer had the patience to waste her time on a dead person. She approached Yao Hua and pressed her down to sit, saying: “Jiejie, if you really want to clear his name, wait until King Jing ascends the throne. Don’t worry, I will make all of Jiejie’s wishes a reality.”

Jian Shuang thought that Yao Hua was opposing her only because of Liu Zhenqing, which wasn’t a big deal.

There was no time to waste now. It was unknown how long Huo Fenglie could be delayed, and everyone must first recognize King Jing’s qualifications.

She directly got back to the point: “Everyone, the edict is here. What else is there to say? The envoys are here now and the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. If the envoys were to discover this situation, it would not go well for our Great Zhou. Everyone, think carefully.”

When Jian Shuang coldly pressured them to make a choice, some ministers finally wavered.

Some of them wouldn’t agree and wanted the emperor to be treated, some stood forward and directly pointed out that King Jing had rebelled, and some insisted on waiting for Huo Fenglie to arrive.

Jian Shuang watched with some satisfaction as two thirds of them came under her command, and scoffed coldly.

“Your Highness King Jing, kneel and accept the edict.”

King Jing had always been well-behaved, but upon hearing this, he excitedly knelt before Jian Shuang with his hands raised high.

“Empress Dowager, please say something, ah!” Some older officials began to plead with the Empress Dowager for justice. They didn’t understand how she could be so calm, only caring about Liu Zhenqing from beginning to end with no thought for anything else.

Yao Hua looked toward Jian Shuang, who said: “Jiejie, don’t stop me. You know that everything I’m doing is for your own good.”

Yao Hua smiled bitterly and said: “You don’t know what good is. I’ll ask you one more time – do you really want to do this?”

Jian Shuang was extremely intelligent, and couldn’t help but frown when she heard this. But now that things had come to this point, she had no way out. “King Jing will succeed the throne, and Jiejie will still be the Empress Dowager. Please don’t make things difficult for me, I’m also just obeying the edict.”

Yao Hua smiled: “How dare I make things difficult for you? When he was at the height of his power, you were able to take advantage of Bai Yu and Liu Qiao’s absence to get rid of the other guards around him, create chaos in the court, and trick King Zhao into perishing with him together. How could I dare?”

Jian Shuang was stunned. She finally realized that the reason Yao Hua was willing to oppose her to such an extent was not just because of Liu Zhenqing’s reputation.

And Liu Zhenqing also looked over in surprise. He had thought it was happenstance, never suspecting that it had been arranged by Jian Shuang. After all, he was exhausted back then and couldn’t afford to divert attention to being suspicious of everyone around him. He still had power at that time and just wanted to prepare for his retirement.

Yao Hua had found out about it when she slowly investigated later on. She hadn’t expected Liu Zhenqing’s death to be connected to Jian Shuang, and was horrified that her most trusted sister had done such a thing. With her weak abilities, she could only concentrate on making arrangements and testing Jian Shuang’s strength bit by bit until an even more terrifying fact surfaced: Jian Shuang was planning a rebellion.

How could the dynasty protected by the crown prince, Liu Zhenqing, and Huo Feihan be destroyed? Yao Hua was the current Empress Dowager, and could not allow such a thing to happen.

Her actions were discovered by Zheng Wei, and the two joined forces to secretly collect evidence and make plans based on Jian Shuang’s movements. And while defending against the rebellion, they also collected evidence to clear Liu Zhenqing’s name.

Liu Zhenqing also understood that Yao Hua had been secretly planning to not only expose Jian Shuang and the forces in her hands, but also to…..clear his name, which was why she had never told Yuan Jue.

Just as Liu Zhenqing was feeling melancholy, he heard Jian Shuang laugh: “You think I killed him?”

Yao Hua was taken aback, and Liu Zhenqing’s expression shifted slightly.

Jian Shuang could only shake her head. “Forget it,” she said. “We’ll speak of this later.”

Having said this, Jian Shuang stopped talking nonsense and turned to read out the Imperial edict.

And at this moment, a hand reached out from behind and placed the cold blade of a dagger against Jian Shuang’s neck.

Due to the flock of ministers and Yuan Jue’s poisoning, the old man had retreated to the edge.

No matter how fast he was, there was no way the old man could get past Yuan Jue where he was lying behind Jian Shuang, and he could only move closer to him.

“This dagger of mine is poisoned.” Yuan Jue’s words caused the old man to stop in his tracks, eyes wide.

Then, dozens of secret guards rushed in.

When the Huo Family troops outside saw the situation, they rushed in too, and in an instant, the entire situation was reversed.

And at this time, all of the ministers present were dumbfounded. Even King Jing was so frightened when he saw Yuan Jue jump up to hold Jian Shuang hostage that he fell back onto his ass.

Yuan Jue didn’t even spare him a look, and just calmly issued orders. The old man seized the opportunity to save Jian Shuang, but he was besieged by the secret guards and beaten out of the royal tent. With King Jing restrained and Jian Shuang also under the watch of secret guards, someone came to report that the old man had died outside, and that the various assassins arranged by Jian Shuang hiding in the dark had also been killed by Yuan Jue’s men one after another. Now, Jian Shuang no longer had any underlings.

Jian Shuang’s expression didn’t change much from beginning to end, perhaps because she had anticipated that such a risky endeavor would be a mixed bag of success and failure.

She even tossed aside the so-called edict, because according to Yuan Jue’s character, there was no point in arguing over such a superficial thing. If she lost, she lost. She could accept that.

Yuan Jue’s cold gaze swept over the ministers present, and he ordered the eunuch attendant to deal with them well. He knew better than anyone what treatment each person should receive. It was only then that everyone realized the Imperial Physician was also Yuan Jue’s man. Everything had been a setup from the beginning.

Some officials burst into tears on the spot, accusing Jian Shuang of blackmailing them and saying they had no choice but to obey her. After all, Jian Shuang was the best at controlling people’s weaknesses, and most of the people following her had actually been coerced.

But Yuan Jue had no interest in listening to them at all. With a wave of his hand, he commanded everyone to leave.

The royal tent became empty, and Yuan Jue directly ordered the camp to be moved back to the palace overnight.

As for Jian Shuang, Yuan Jue still arranged for a carriage to take her back.

Jian Shuang had nothing to say about this. She turned and asked: “Jiejie, will you come see me later?”

Yao Hua stared at her, then nodded.

Jian Shuang smiled slightly and said: “That’s great.”

Once Jian Shuang left, Yuan Jue looked at Yao Hua: “Many thanks, Empress Dowager.”

Yao Hua’s face seemed to be missing half of her original emotion: “Your Majesty, you heard everything I said just now, right?”

Yuan Jue’s smile remained unchanged: “You risked waiting until this moment to speak in front of everyone. You didn’t count on me to be the only one to hear it.”

“I know you might not do anything even after hearing all this. I don’t know what kind of friendship you had with Liu Zhenqing, but I did what I should have done. I supported the book compiled by Bai Su and arranged for people to spread it around. You won’t be able to stop it. I want to let the world know who Liu Zhenqing really was. I want to erase his name from that pillar.”

The purpose of saying everything in front of all the ministers was to make the matter known in a way that couldn’t be covered up.

Yuan Jue smiled faintly and said: “I will follow the Empress Dowager’s teachings. Rest at ease. I will do it.”

Yao Hua was stunned by Yuan Jue’s reaction, and thought that perhaps Yuan Jue still cared about the master-disciple relationship. Her last layer of defense seemed to have been removed, and she felt empty inside.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, she noticed Liu Zhenqing in the corner.

Yao Hua stared for a moment. Just as she was about to speak, Yuan Jue took a step forward and blocked her line of sight.

“He…..”

“Zhanyuan has yet to return. I fear he has encountered trouble. It isn’t safe here, and he is the most important person to Zhanyuan. I’ll take him back to the palace first.”

When Liu Zhenqing heard this, he looked up at Yuan Jue’s back.

But he just said: “Your Highness, Yunci and Yunqian are still at your camp. Please ensure their safety.”

Yao Hua froze, then left with a nod.

Even at this moment, Yuan Jue didn’t look at Liu Zhenqing. He just handed him over to a secret guard and said: “Escort Young Master Liu back to the palace.”

This secret guard was Yuan Jue’s most trusted captain, and was somewhat taken aback to hear this. He responded automatically, but upon looking up, he found a strange expression on his master’s face.

Was it elation or fury? The secret guard couldn’t tell, but once Yuan Jue left, he said to Liu Zhenqing: “Please.”

Liu Zhenqing silently followed.

Just after leaving the tent, he looked around and saw that Mo Qi and Mo Yu were gone. He was unfamiliar with the other Huo Family soldiers, and was unable to convey a message to them. He could only resign himself and continue to walk.

He accidentally stumbled, but was supported by a young man.

“Young Master Liu, be careful.”

Looking up, Liu Zhenqing found that he was the young official who had asked, “Did Liu Zhenqing know about this Imperial edict?” He seemed to be the next prime minister.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It turned out that Yuan Jue had suspected he knew about the edict, so he arranged for this person to ask questions. No wonder he had spoken up so abruptly.

This person was very unassuming. He stabilized Liu Zhenqing and bowed, saying farewell.

Liu Zhenqing sat in a carriage, closely watched by secret guards. All he could do was close his eyes and rest.

More than half the people camping left one after another, and the envoys were inexplicably woken up and transferred in the middle of the night. Amongst the chaos, nobody noticed that there were fewer people on the Kingdom of Xiheng’s side.

And when Yao Hua returned to her tent, she found that the two little troublemakers were nowhere to be seen. They had left a note, saying that they were going to look for Huo Fenglie. Yao Hua didn’t panic, because she knew that Jian Shuang had arranged for Zheng Wei to spring the trap. Since the performance was already finished, he would naturally return safely. Thus, Yao Hua arranged for people to find Huo Fenglie and notify him.

She didn’t care much about other matters, and simply thought in silence.

And at this time, Zheng Wei had already helped the injured Qin Yu into hiding.

“Zhanyuan…..”

“Don’t worry, he was rescued by a top martial arts master, and the Huo Family Army has also sent reinforcements. Those people have retreated as well. It’s just strange…..”

“What is it? Yifu?”

“There is something I don’t understand. Zichuan, can you go on alone? I must hurry back to the palace.”

“I’m fine, Yifu. Go!”

Seeing that Qin Yu would be able to manage, Zheng Wei left. Not long after his departure, Qin Yu was picked up by He Lan, who had come after hearing the news.

When He Lan saw him in black clothes and holding a bow, his expression was extremely ugly. Just as he was about to question him, Qin Yu saw that it was him and passed out in relief.

He Lan could only take this person away with a gloomy face.

On the other side, the young official who had just assisted Liu Zhenqing was the last to leave. As he was gazing at the moon, he saw two people descend. One of them was somewhat disheveled, and radiated hostility from head to foot.

The minister said calmly and frankly: “He has been taken away by His Majesty under the protection of secret guards.”

The two figures vanished in an instant.

The young minister sighed. Serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. As subjects, they served the ruler, the country, and the people, and even if they sometimes went against the ruler, they should remain firm in their inner choices.

Some of what the Taifei had said was incorrect.

There were certainly people in the world who recognized Prime Minister Liu’s painstaking efforts, as well as those who took him as an example as they quietly did their work. It was just that most of them didn’t reveal these things to others.

. . . . . .

Inside the palace, Liu Zhenqing was placed in the main hall, while Jian Shuang was imprisoned in the hall next door. Light coughing could be heard, and Liu Zhenqing was able to see her through a window. But Yuan Jue did not appear.

Soon after, Yao Hua arrived and placed a cloak on Jian Shuang.

“Jie…..”

“Why did you treat Liu Zhenqing like that? I want to know the reason.”

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Chapter 140 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 142