Fushou Palace was very quiet. Hua Zhi tied the bag around her waist casually and strode in.
"As expected of a descendant of a military advisor, Master Hua is very courageous."
In the main hall, a white-haired old man stood at the door and looked at her. He had his hands behind his back, his posture was calm, and there was even admiration in his eyes.
"I don't have a choice do I?"
The old man smiled and turned sideways to make a gesture of invitation.
When Hua Zhi saw the empress dowager, she was sitting on the chair she usually sat on, tied up, with something stuffed in her mouth, and her eyes were cold. Yuxiang was standing behind her, just like the master and servant who had depended on each other for many years.
Hua Zhi walked forward, not caring how many people were in the room, she pulled out a dagger and tried to cut the rope. Yuxiang subconsciously tried to stop her, but the dagger changed direction and went straight towards her.
Yuxiang stepped back in a hurry.
Hua Zhi didn't even look at her. She cut the rope and took the cloth out of the empress dowager's mouth, returning self-esteem to the old woman who had been trapped in the palace for a lifetime in such a satisfactory way.
The Queen Mother patted Hua Zhi's hand and rubbed her wrist without saying anything. It was all because of her failure to judge people that the palace was in such a crisis. She was to blame. And now, because she had dragged Hua Zhi into such a dangerous situation, she wished she could cut Yuxiang into pieces and then commit suicide to make amends.
Hua Zhi understood her anger and did not offer any comfort. She just sat down on the chair next to the empress dowager, put Dou Dou on her lap and looked around. There were only fourteen people in the open, and it seemed that there were a few more in the dark.
"Mr. Wise?"
"The Chaoli are just a small clan, so how can there be a master? They are just the elders of the clan."
Hua Zhi nodded, "I forgot, but the Chaoli tribe is even more brave than before, but Daqing is far inferior to it."
"Daqing is blessed by God. Two hundred years ago, Daqing was given Hua Jingyan. Now, even though Daqing is at its weakest, there are still people fighting for it. I once thought that Daqing could not accommodate you, but I didn't expect that you could break the shackles and gain a foothold in the court as a woman, and also receive so much support."
"It can be seen that Daqing's fate has not yet ended, so God allowed me to reincarnate into the Hua family and do my best for Daqing under the blessing of my ancestors."
The old man laughed loudly, "This is not a small effort. If you hadn't exposed Jin Yang's secrets and cut off our financial resources, if you hadn't saved the Sixth Prince and made him what he is today..."
Hua Zhi interrupted him, "Did you have a hand in Xiaoliu's distress?"
"Of course, given the Sixth Prince's background, those princes don't have the guts to really take his life."
Hua Zhi's smile gradually faded. "Throughout history, dynasties have always changed, but only one tribe, the Chaoli, has been resisted so fiercely. Moreover, the hundred years since the founding of the Chaoli Kingdom are known as the darkest hundred years in history. Elder, do you know why?"
"It's just that they think our Chaoli people are not of the same race as them."
"The one who really carried this out to the end was your Chaoli Nation. You treated the people of the Central Plains as livestock rather than subjects. You treated the elderly with no kindness and showed no mercy to the young. Killing was your usual way of solving problems. You did not allow them to learn to read, to open their minds, or to have their own thoughts. If they did not resist, their descendants would really become livestock with human forms in vain. That is why they united together and fought to the death. The people of the Central Plains are not as strong as you Chaoli people, but elder, you underestimated their perseverance."
Hua Zhi patted her chest and said, "It is because of pride in the heart and in the body that we have the brilliant civilization that you envy and the flourishing of our country today. I tried my best because I don't want to be your livestock, I don't want my brothers and sisters to be bullied, and I don't want to go through the dark hundred years again. Today's result is just the cause of yesterday. Obviously, even in the past two hundred years, you haven't made any progress and still solve problems by killing. The existence of wise men has not made the Chaoli people more civilized, but has made killing more methodical."
The wise man lost his immortal demeanor. "Great things can be accomplished without caring about small details. How can things be accomplished without killing? Didn't Hua Jingyan also scheme to kill his way into the capital? Without killing, would you Daqing still be able to hand over the country to others?"
"I only know that our ancestors didn't kill you all, and we didn't kill you even though we used heavy troops to defend you after you were safe in a corner." Hua Zhi raised her chin slightly, "Now we haven't made things difficult for the descendants of Chaoli and Daqing who have surfaced. Even the elder's grandson is alive and well. I would like to ask, elder, is it possible for you to do it?"
The elder knew that the Chaoli tribe would not leave any hidden dangers behind, so he could only smile and said, "What a sharp tongue you have. You are worthy of being the prince's teacher. But so what? You are still here, and the queen mother is also here. Does the little prince dare to take action?"
Hua Zhi leaned back and pulled down the edge of her pocket to reveal the black gunpowder inside. "Elder, do you know what this is?"
"You used this thing to defeat our Chaoli warriors before?"
Hua Zhi took out the tinder and shook it at the fuse. "As long as I blow and light the fuse, everyone here...can't escape."
The old man's expression finally changed, and the other Chaoli people gathered around the old man. If they had known that the thing she was holding was so dangerous, they would never have let her bring it in!
And now…
The old man's eyes changed again and again, and he raised his voice while retreating, "Hua Zhi, are you really willing to work hard for a royal family that attacks meritorious officials? Hua Jingyan contributed a lot to the establishment of his Gu family. Later, his Gu family was able to maintain their rule because the Hua family cultivated pillars of talent on their behalf. But how did the emperor treat the Hua family? He confiscated the Hua family's property and exiled them, and almost took their lives. Do you think they will be grateful for you fighting for them now? When they feel that your Hua family threatens them, they will still forget these things and attack the Hua family. Are you really willing?"
"I'm from Daqing." Hua Zhi sneered. "No matter how bad Daqing is, it allows the people to live and work in peace. When there is a disaster, he will exempt taxes so that the people can struggle to survive. There are people like Qisusi to stabilize the situation, and there are generals like General Sun to guard the border. What can you do in the hands of your Chaoli tribe? The elders must have run out of tricks and resorted to such tricks."
"If that's the case, why is Master Hua so angry?"
"Because you said that Daqing is not good. No matter how bad this country is, only I can say it. What qualifications do you have to judge it? No matter how bad it is, can it be as bad as the Chaoli Kingdom for a hundred years? Yes, the late emperor separated my family members, but your Chaoli tribe made tens of millions of my fellow countrymen in Daqing like rootless duckweed. May I ask the elders, how can we compare?"
Hua Zhi stood up and walked towards the crowd, "Elder, do you think that by provoking me you can find a chance to hurt me and take my weapon? Believe me, before your people take action, I will drag everyone to be buried with me."