Eunuch Lu thought for a moment and said, "Then the emperor asked General Zhang to investigate. After the investigation, how should he deal with it? According to the emperor's analysis, it seems that Prince Nan Huai was also tricked."
"It's okay. We still have to investigate. Wouldn't it be good if the batch of bows and crossbows fell into my hands? It doesn't cost a penny." The emperor smiled slowly.
"Then the emperor originally wanted to promote Prince Nan Huai to the position of Grand Marshal..." Eunuch Lu asked hesitantly.
The emperor waved his hand and said, "No, what happened tonight reminded me that I have been biased recently. If I don't stop it, I will lose my balance. I think that Lao Jiu is doing a good job as the Grand Commandant. Let him continue to do it."
Eunuch Lu smiled, "Isn't it? The Night King is no longer making trouble now. He is more than qualified for the position of Grand Marshal!"
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Eunuch Lu. "Tell me, have I been too extreme recently?"
Eunuch Lu smiled and said, "Your Majesty's thoughts and concerns are all for the stability of the country. How can it be called extreme?"
"I care about the country and the people, and I also cared about brotherhood, but now..." He didn't say anything else. It's not that he didn't care, but he always felt in his heart that he was not that important.
In the past, he felt that no one in charge of government would have his courage and wisdom. However, it was obvious that the Seventh Brother could do it, and he did no worse than him. When he ascended the throne in the past, he had to rely on the help of his ancestors to stabilize the hearts of ministers. Now, the Seventh Brother can still stand firm in the face of many dangers, which makes him feel very insecure.
Seeing that he looked deep in thought, Eunuch Lu did not dare to say anything and stood aside with his head down.
After a while, the emperor said, "Let's give some warning to Lao Ba. This time he held the King of Liang hostage, and someone saw it. If I don't do something, I will lose my justice."
"Well, we have to wait until General Zhang retrieves the bows and crossbows before we can deal with them, right?" said Eunuch Lu.
"Hmm!" The emperor was half lying on the chaise longue, with a thousand thoughts in his mind.
After thinking it over, he said, "You issue an order to have the regent go to Beimo together if he recovers from his injury. If the emperor of Beimo disagrees, have someone send the princess back."
"Your Majesty, why is this happening?" Eunuch Lu was stunned.
The emperor looked up at him. "I'm afraid that the Seventh Elder has already informed Qin Zhou and Prince Qi. He left the military camp for this matter. How could he let Xia Zian go to the Northern Desert alone? If I don't issue this decree, he will definitely make some trouble. I'm tired and don't want to compete with him. He is my brother and he is devoted to the Great Zhou. Maybe I should fulfill his wish, and... and, when he goes to the Northern Desert, maybe he can contact the peace faction in the Northern Desert. It's better not to fight this war if possible."
Eunuch Lu was a little surprised, "Your Majesty, you still want to assign tasks to the Regent?" Doesn't this mean that the Emperor still trusts the Regent
"Yes, he is still my brother. If he has no ulterior motives, he is still a loyal minister of our Great Zhou. Xia Lin and Princess Danqing are in the palace, so he should know the importance of this matter. Besides, isn't there Old Eight in the capital to restrain him? If he fails in his trip to the Northern Desert, Old Eight will not sit idly by and will inevitably cause some trouble, which will undermine his prestige. If he succeeds, he will be held accountable for his crime of leaving the army without permission before. His merits and demerits will offset each other, and he will not be able to establish his prestige either."
Eunuch Lu smiled and said, "The emperor is far-sighted."
Eunuch Lu couldn't laugh. It was a torment for them, the servants, to see their brothers plotting against each other like this.
The regent's talents are actually obvious to everyone, and he is loyal. With him in power, nothing will go wrong in the Great Zhou. However, if the emperor continues to be suspicious and suppress him, it will be bad.
Although this time, it seems to be in line with the Regent's wishes, he may not be able to see the calculations behind it. After seeing it, I am afraid he will be chilled.
General Zhang found a batch of bows and crossbows in King Nan Huai's backyard.
King Nan Huai was powerless to defend himself and could only wait for his fate. It seemed that the hexagram was correct, and he was really a bird that missed its opportunity and fell into a cage. This time, the emperor could charge him with treason and beat him to death without a burial place.
Shangqiu was very confident, because this hexagram indicated that there might be a change. The so-called change meant a chance of survival. This glimmer of hope was the emperor's plan for his brothers.
Sure enough, the emperor only issued an order, asking him to return to Prince Nanhuai's Mansion to reflect and not to interfere in the affairs of the court. As for the matter of bows and crossbows, the emperor did not mention it in the order. Since he did not mention it, there was no treason, and everything was charged with the crime of bullying his nephew.
The emperor did not even reprimand Prince Nan Huai in person. He simply had him tied up and taken back to his mansion. He replaced all the people in his mansion and had the imperial guards guard them all.
The emperor's move can be used for both offense and defense. Once Murong Jie and Zi'an return after performing meritorious deeds, Prince Nan Huai's sins will have been redeemed and they can stir up trouble for him.
The news reached the Regent's Palace.
Xiao Tuo stamped his feet and said angrily: "We have put in so much effort, and all you get is house arrest?"
Su Qing unfolded her feather fan, "House arrest is good enough. Do you think we did it very carefully? The emperor must have seen through it, otherwise, why would he order the prince to accompany me to the Northern Desert? The emperor is not stupid, he is very smart."
Murong Jie remained calm, "Su Qing is right. We didn't plan to kill him right away. This is good. It's good for everyone."
"But," Zhuangzhuang frowned, "Do you think the emperor would believe that Sun Fang'er really betrayed him?"
"He will believe it," Murong Jie said firmly, "He didn't trust Sun Fang'er in the first place. When he doesn't trust someone, he will magnify any slight mistake infinitely. If the little aunt is afraid that he won't believe it, why not find someone to spread the word that Old Eight was poisoned by the noble concubine before, but no one knows who helped him get rid of it in the end."
Zhuangzhuang smiled, "Who else can help him detoxify? Of course it's Sun Fang'er. Under the emperor's nose, Sun Fang'er can detoxify Lao Ba, so it's not surprising that they have contact in the future."
"Old Nine!" Murong Jie shouted towards the door, "Where's Lingli? Has she been brought back?"
"It was changed back when the emperor was plotting against us," the Night King replied as he sat at the door.
"Are you sure Sun Fanger won't reveal anything?" Zhuangzhuang asked.
The Night King smiled, "Lingli has no other skills, but making some ecstasy drugs is her strong point. Although Sun Fang'er is a master of poison, she is not a master of using poison. So, if the emperor asks her where she went tonight, she will only have one answer, that is, she went to sleep."
"Who would believe it? The emperor sent people to check and found out that she was out." Zhuangzhuang said with a smile.
"So!" The Night King shrugged.
In fact, all the plans for tonight cannot be hidden from the emperor.
However, King Ye and Murong Jie were both certain that the Emperor would not really delve into the matter because of the issue of Sun Fang'er. Sun Fang'er's so-called leaving the palace tonight to meet Shangqiu and others was actually separate from the whole thing, but because it happened tonight, on the surface it was the same thing.
In the same matter, whenever the emperor felt that something was out of control, he would reflect, be alert, and be rigorous.
Sun Fang'er is that little bit out of control, because she knows everything about the emperor, and the person the emperor fears the most is actually her.
(End of this chapter)