In a side hall of the Cining Palace, the master and his two servants were discussing the case of the Meng family being ransacked and their property exterminated.
Liusu was kind-hearted. When she heard that all of Meng's family members, except for children under the age of ten, would be beheaded, she felt it was unbearable. She tentatively asked Xie Nanjia whether the emperor's punishment of Meng was too harsh.
Biluo, however, did not think so. She listed the crimes of Prime Minister Meng and his daughter one by one on the spot: raising private soldiers, colluding with King Wei, cuckolding the Emperor, and conspiring with Song Jingxing to force the emperor to abdicate and usurp the throne. Any one of these crimes was enough to punish the entire family by execution. If all of them were added together, it would be more than enough to punish all nine generations of the family. The Emperor had been kind enough to leave the ten-year-old child for them, and he had already done his utmost.
What's more, during the process of the house search, many descendants of the Meng family took the initiative to confess a large number of Meng's followers in order to seek amnesty. Those people only drew a clear line with the Meng family on the surface, but were actually still under the control of Queen Meng. Many of their descendants were also fighting side by side with Song Jingxing in the north at this time, just for the purpose of being granted titles and appointed generals and becoming the new generation of founding elders after Song Jingxing seized the throne in the future.
"To be kind to the enemy is to be cruel to yourself. They have become so rampant. If the emperor still shows them too much kindness, how can he intimidate the ministers and govern the world in the future?" Biluo said confidently.
Liusu was stunned by what she said. She couldn't say a word to refute. She was dumbfounded for a long time and praised sincerely: "Why didn't I see that you are also a good strategist before."
Biluo raised her eyebrows proudly and asked Xie Nanjia: "Miss, do you think I'm right?"
"That's right." Xie Nanjia teased her, "If women can serve as officials in the court, I will recommend you first."
"But Miss, I'm not saying that the Emperor's decision is wrong. I'm just worried that if others knew that this was your idea, would they think you are a vicious person? Would the Empress Dowager and the Emperor be more dissatisfied with you because of this?" Liusu said worriedly.
"What did I do?" Xie Nanjia said, "I just wanted to suppress the outside public opinion that was unfavorable to me and to avenge the humiliation by Princess Wen'an. That's why I had Meng Taiyang drunk and wanted him to make a fool of himself in public. I didn't ask him to beat up the two young masters in the street, and it was even more impossible for me to manipulate his mind and make him speak nonsense. So, what does this have to do with me?"
"That's right, no one forced him or induced him to say those words. He just spoke the truth after drinking. Who can be blamed?" Biluo said, "This is what they call "you reap what you sow."
Since both of them said so, Liusu didn't say anything more. As long as the young lady was not implicated, everything else had nothing to do with her.
Xie Nanjia knew that Liusu had not fully understood the twists and turns of the matter. Although she was the one who led the matter, in the final analysis, the emperor had wanted to deal with the Meng family for a long time, but just couldn't find a reason. She just provided the emperor with the right excuse at the right time.
Normally, when the emperor sentenced Prime Minister Meng and Queen Meng, he could have executed the entire Meng family at that time. However, Zhao Jingyu had not been recognized by the public at that time, and had not yet gained the trust of the court officials. There were even some ministers who did not accept Zhao Jingyu's identity and strongly advocated that Song Jingxing continue to be the crown prince. Therefore, the emperor could not do anything too drastic when Zhao Jingyu had not yet established a firm foothold.
Things are different now. Zhao Jingyu not only put down the rebellion of King Nanzhao, but also recently conquered Yuze Kingdom in one fell swoop, turning Yuze Kingdom from a vassal state of Da Zhou directly into the territory of Da Zhou. Therefore, his impression in the minds of court officials and people has completely changed, and no one will question his ability anymore.
Under such circumstances, the emperor would naturally take the opportunity to clear all obstacles for Zhao Jingyu. How could he allow the Meng family and their gang to continue to make trouble
Therefore, the emperor needed a legitimate reason to deal with Meng. Even if she did not create the opportunity, the emperor would find another excuse. As Zhao Jingyu's future wife, she would naturally stand on Zhao Jingyu's side and pave the way for him to the top.
A general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of men. Which dynasty's palaces were not built on the foundation of a pile of bones? Which emperor's enthronement carpet was not stained with blood
She was not worried that the emperor would think she was a cruel person. There were many gentle, lovely and delicate women in this world, but the emperor would never want to find such a woman to be his son's future queen, because a queen who was too soft-hearted would not be able to help the emperor to secure his throne.
Of course, as to whether the emperor would be wary of her because of this, afraid that she would become the next Queen Meng, and afraid that the Su family would become the next Meng family, she believed that as long as Zhao Jingyu protected her, it didn’t matter what the emperor thought of her.
As for whether Zhao Jingyu will protect her, that depends on Zhao Jingyu himself.
Thinking of Zhao Jingyu, she subconsciously flipped through the almanac at hand. It was now the autumnal equinox, and after the autumnal equinox it would be the Cold Dew. Shanyang Pass was located in the northern border, and the Cold Dew would officially mark the beginning of winter. If this battle could not be ended before the Cold Dew, it would not only be disadvantageous to Song Jingxing's side, but also to the imperial army.
The soldiers did not have enough cold-resistant materials, and it was difficult for them to survive, let alone fight.
We can't go on like this, we must find a way to end this war as quickly as possible, of course, the prerequisite is to win.
"Let's go to the study room." Xie Nanjia stood up and called the two maids.
Liusu and Biluo didn't know what ideas she had, so they didn't ask her and followed her out of the Cining Palace silently.
As soon as I walked out of the palace gate, I ran into the eunuch who was in charge of running errands in the upper study.
"Miss Xiu'er, what a coincidence. I was just about to look for you." The young eunuch greeted her and said with a smile on his face.
"What do you want me to do?" Xie Nanjia asked.
"The emperor asks you to go to the study." said the young eunuch.
“…” Liusu and Biluo looked at each other in surprise, thinking that this was really a coincidence.
Xie Nanjia was not surprised at all. He let the young eunuch lead the way and went to the study room at a leisurely pace.
Xie Nanjia hadn't seen the emperor since the day Concubine Shu gave birth. When she saw him today, she felt that he was in more than ten times better mood than that day. He was in a cheerful mood, and his smile was as good as that of an old man selling candy figures on the street.
He should be happy that his biggest worry has been solved, Xie Nanjia thought, and bowed to him: "Xiu'er greets His Majesty, may His Majesty live long and happy."
"No need to be polite." Song Wanji didn't intend to hide his joy at all. He smiled and waved to Xie Nanjia, "Come, come, sit over here. I just got a good tea. It's a good opportunity for you to taste it together."
"Xiu'er dare not." Xie Nanjia said modestly, "It's rare that the emperor is in a refined mood, so let Xiu'er pour tea for the emperor!"
"Hey, there are so many idle people here, why do we need you? Come and sit down." Song Wanji tried his best to invite her to sit down.
Xie Nanjia couldn't refuse, so she had to sit down below him and asked directly: "Did the emperor just ask me to taste tea?"
"..." Song Wanji was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, "You little girl, you didn't even give me time to prepare. So guess why I'm looking for you today."
Xie Nanjia pretended to think for a moment and asked, "Is it because of the war in the north?"
Song Wanji looked at Si Fangzheng in surprise and smacked his lips, "You really guessed it right. When did you become so smart?"
Si Fangzheng held the whisk and bowed: "It's not that I'm smart, but I know that the Crown Princess is very intelligent and will definitely understand the emperor's intention."
Xie Nanjia smiled and said, "In that case, I would like to thank the chief steward for his high opinion of me. In fact, I am not as smart as he said. I just happened to look through the almanac and found that winter has already arrived in the north. I was worried about the soldiers there and was about to come and discuss it with the emperor when the emperor sent someone to call me."
"So that's how it is. It seems we are thinking the same thing." Song Wanji suddenly realized and stroked his beard with satisfaction. He thought that this girl's vision and mind were indeed extraordinary. She was not like his princesses who would think of buying new clothes first when talking about the change of seasons.
As a father, he felt that he was not as successful as Young Duke Su Xian because Su Xian was better at educating his daughter than he was.
"In that case, Xiu'er, if you have any good suggestions on the war, you might as well tell me." He said with a smile.
Xie Nanjia asked, "Has the emperor discussed this with the court officials?"
"We have discussed this several times at the morning court, and all the ideas those old fogies came up with are ones that would require a lot of manpower, so I want to hear if you have any unique ideas," said Song Wanji.
Xie Nanjia wanted to take a closer look at the expression on his face, but because he was the emperor, she couldn't be presumptuous, so she quickly glanced at his face, then quickly lowered her eyelids and said seriously, "I don't have any clever tricks, but I do have a shady trick, but I'm afraid the emperor will think I'm vicious."
"..." Song Wanji couldn't help laughing again, "Girl, how can you say that you are vicious? Tell me how vicious you are."
Xie Nanjia solemnly stood up from her seat and was about to express her thoughts when a pink figure suddenly rushed in from outside the door and threw herself into Song Wanji's arms regardless of Si Fangzheng's attempts to stop her.
"Father, you have to make the decision for your son!"
Song Wanji was startled and pushed the person away a little. He recognized that it was his third daughter, Princess Wen'an, and immediately scolded her: "Wenan, what's wrong with you recently? You are becoming more and more unruly. Can you just enter the upper study room casually?"
Princess Wen'an ignored him and cried in his arms, "Father, don't you want me anymore?"
Song Wanji had always doted on his daughters. Even though Princess Wen'an was born to Queen Meng, he never disliked her. Seeing her crying so heartbroken, his heart softened unconsciously and he slowed down his tone and said, "What happened? Tell me."
Princess Wen'an sobbed, "They all said that my father killed my grandfather's entire family, and my mother will be the next. Father, please have mercy. I don't want to lose my mother. Even if she lives in the cold palace, it's better than having no one. Father, please..."
Song Wanben was originally worried about her, but when he heard her still addressing Prime Minister Meng as her grandfather and Empress Meng as her mother, he could not help but get angry and asked her harshly, "So, in your heart, no matter how disrespectful and hurtful they are to your father, you still love them more than your father, right?"
When Princess Wen'an saw her father getting angry, she took two steps back in fear and said timidly, "No, father, I love you the most..."
"Then why do you want me to spare that deposed queen? Don't you know what she did to me?" Song Wanji said angrily, "She has been sent to the cold palace, but she still has evil intentions and wants to manipulate the remnants of the Meng family to bring chaos to my Great Zhou. You actually want me to spare such a woman. Have you ever thought about my feelings?"
Princess Wen'an had never been scolded like this by her father since she was a child. Even when she stepped on Xie Nanjia's hand the day before yesterday and was punished by her father to kneel, her father never yelled at her so loudly. He even asked the eunuch to bring her a cushion to prevent her from hurting her knees.
But now, she looked at her father's furious face in horror, and felt a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
So this is what people often call the emperor's wrath. She never thought that one day she would experience it herself.
It seems that what the queen mother said was right. The emperor's love for them has a prerequisite, which is that they must be obedient, submissive, and regard the emperor as the heaven in everything.
She was shocked and frightened, worrying that not only would she fail to save her mother, but that she would be disliked by her father instead. If that happened, she would never have a chance to make a name for herself in the palace.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she didn't dare let her father see them. She turned her head hastily, but suddenly saw Xie Nanjia.
She was so anxious just now that she didn't even look closely at who was next to her. Unexpectedly, it was Xie Nanjia.
Her mind buzzed, and her rationality was immediately replaced by anger. She stepped forward and grabbed Xie Nanjia's collar: "It's you, it's all because of you. You killed my cousin and my maternal grandfather. Now you want to slander my father. Whose life do you want to kill? You vicious woman!"
She gritted her teeth and slapped Xie Nanjia hard in the face.
Xie Nanjia followed her gesture and turned his face away, half dodging and half giving in, so as to avoid being hurt by her while allowing the emperor to hear the noise.
When Song Wanji heard a crisp sound, he was immediately furious and loudly ordered Si Fangzheng to capture Princess Wen'an.
"I have been tolerant of you again and again, but you still don't repent. In this case, you should go to the cold palace and keep your mother company!"
Princess Wen'an went completely crazy and yelled, "Father, why are you protecting her? You know clearly that cousin Taiyang was framed by her and the Zhenguo Mansion..."
"Shut up!" Song Wanji raised his hand and slapped her to stop her shouting, and said to Si Fangzheng sternly, "Take her away!"
Si Fangzheng agreed and called two eunuchs to drag Princess Wen'an out together.
Princess Wen'an struggled to turn around and cursed Xie Nanjia: "Poisonous woman, vicious woman with a heart of a snake and a scorpion, just wait for me, one day, I will cut you into pieces!"
Everyone in the room was stunned by Princess Wen'an's shrewish behavior. Song Wanji's face turned black and he comforted Xie Nanjia, "She was just talking nonsense. Don't take it to heart."
Xie Nanjia smiled slightly and rubbed her face. "Your Majesty, don't worry. I won't argue with the princess. Just now, the emperor asked me if I had any good ideas. I think we can send Queen Meng to Shanyang Pass to persuade Song Jingxing to surrender. Didn't the King of Silla send an envoy to ask for the princess' hand in marriage a few days ago? If Queen Meng doesn't cooperate, we can marry Princess Wen'an to Silla for peace."
Princess Wen'an's pretty face turned pale in an instant, and she hysterically cursed Xie Nanjia as a vicious woman.
Xie Nanjia replied calmly: "Yes, I am a vicious woman, so I have to do what a vicious woman should do."
(End of this chapter)