Guo Shao was settled in Xu'en Hall, a small courtyard in the palace where he usually lived. Jinzhan replaced all the people there, and those who could come in and out, except for the imperial physician, were all people she knew.
The emperor's condition was still very bad. Every day when he woke up from his coma, he had to drink a lot of detoxifying and recuperating medicine.
Jinzhan said to her second sister: "My sister has to take care of His Majesty's daily life, I can't stay here on weekdays. If His Majesty asks, no matter what I am doing, you should answer that I am handling state affairs in Jinxiang Palace."
Fu Ermei wiped her tears as soon as she opened her mouth, and looked at her with tears in her eyes, with panic in her eyes: Big sister, won’t His Majesty blame you for saying this
Jinzhan gritted her teeth and said: Your Majesty will not blame me.
She held her second sister's slender hand and said, "It doesn't matter what His Majesty thinks of me, but he must not worry all day long. The state of mind is also important to the body. It is best to let him know that someone is maintaining the country."
You tell him that the court has many things to do and I am very busy and have no time to accompany him; but according to what I said, Daxu is relatively peaceful inside and outside, thanks to the rules and prestige established by Your Majesty and the loyalty of the court officials to Your Majesty. Li Chuyun also wrote a letter expressing his sorrow and worry, and the troops outside are returning to the court at full speed.
The second sister choked up and said: Sometimes I feel that my eldest sister has a hard heart.
Jinzhan said softly: I feel no less pain than my sister. If I could be exchanged for Your Majesty, I would be very happy. Your Majesty is like a big tree, but now the tree can no longer hold up an umbrella to protect people from wind and rain. Someone has to maintain everything.
At this moment, Jingniang walked to the door and clasped her fists silently. Jinzhan glanced sideways and patted the back of her second sister's hand: Remember what I said, don't cry in front of the emperor all the time. Crying is useless except making him uncomfortable and irritated.
Jinzhan glanced at Jingniang and walked out of the room. The courtyard was very small, and there were only a few rooms except for the office of the imperial doctors. Jinzhan picked an empty room at random and invited Jingniang in.
When he walked into the room, he saw that the scene inside was out of tune with the furnishings of the palace. There were many anvils and hammers used by blacksmiths, etc. In the palace, no one used such things except Shao Ge'er.
However, things have changed.
Jinzhan felt a pain in her heart and clenched her teeth without making a sound.
Jingniang said in a deep voice: After the government set up the inner factory, we first targeted Fan Zhi and others because we thought he was not a loyal minister. As expected, we recently discovered something strange.
When Jinzhan heard this, she said coldly: How do you know
Jingniang said: "Guo Jin, the defense envoy of Shouzhou, had people who had contact with Fan Zhi. Since Fan Zhi was the prime minister, it was not uncommon for him to have correspondence with local officials, but it was unusual for him to send two letters in a short period of time. The inner factory asked the empress to order that if she found him again, she would arrest his messenger halfway.
Jinzhan said in a deep voice: "Don't act rashly for now, to avoid alerting the enemy. This group of people really only has Fan Zhi and Guo Jin.
Jingniang thought for a moment and said: Han Da, a junior official in the Political Affairs Hall, often goes in and out of Fan Zhi's residence, so the inner factory specially set up two people to keep an eye on him. Yesterday, the Political Affairs Hall sent a document to the Privy Council, but it was Han Da who went there, which is not his job normally. But we have limited manpower, so we couldn't follow him in to see who he met. Afterwards, we found out that when sending documents, he usually meets the Privy Councilor Wang Pu.
After listening to this, Jinzhan pondered for a long time and said, "I understand."
She paced back and forth in the messy house, looking a little uneasy. The Privy Council was the most important office in the entire court, and it could issue orders to mobilize the army. Although it was not only the Privy Council that was needed to mobilize the imperial guards, the most critical part of the whole process was still this office.
Fu Jinzhan quickly left the Xu'en Hall and arrived at the outer court.
She worked in the rooms on the west side of the Jinxiang Palace, but Guo Shao had not been to the East Palace for a long time, and the cabinet assistants also worked in the east. Jinzhan went to the East Palace, where Guo Shao often stayed.
She quickly issued an edict and sent someone to invite Wang Pu to the East Palace for an audience.
Jinzhan sat in the Yangde Hall, her attention drawn to the chess on the table, because it was something Guo Shao had played with. She stroked the chess pieces and thought, while waiting for Wang Pu.
Soon, the eunuch's voice came: Her Majesty the Queen, Lord Wang of the Privy Council requests to see you.
Let him in. Jinzhan sat beside the table.
Wang Pu entered and saw Jinzhan with his own eyes, without any curtain between them. He looked a little surprised and stepped forward and saluted, saying: Wang Pu pays homage to the Queen Mother in accordance with the Queen's order.
"Please take a seat, Lord Wang," said Jinzhan.
I thank you. Wang Pu walked to the opposite side cautiously and sat down a little more carefully.
Jinzhan said: When the emperor met with ministers in the past, he often played chess here.
Wang Pu said calmly: It is said that the emperor likes to gamble, but I have never gambled with him.
When Jinzhan heard this, she thought: What Envoy Wang said is quite interesting. She put the chess piece in her hand back into the jar and had no intention of playing chess with Wang Pu. She observed Wang Pu carefully and suddenly said, "Although I am the queen, I am just a woman. Do you accept my regent, Envoy Wang?"
This sentence was a bit harsh, and Wang Pu was a person whose words were not pleasant to the ear, and Fu Jinzhan had experienced this before. Wang Pu said calmly: Prime Minister Fan Zhi sent someone to find the old minister and asked the same question, which was about the same meaning.
Fu Jinzhan was startled and narrowed her eyes. How would Wang Shijun answer
Wang Pudao: This old minister is being vague, I want to see what they want to do.
Fu Jinzhan said: "How would you answer me, Lord Wang?"
Wang Pu said: If this old minister expresses loyalty to the Grand Queen, will you believe it? But it doesn't matter whether you obey the Grand Queen or not. If the emperor cannot manage the government, the best person to control the government is the Grand Queen, and only the Grand Queen can maintain Daxu.
The two princes are still young, and the real rulers in the future will be the Fu family or the Li family. I will not judge which family is more loyal. Loyalty is something that no one knows except themselves.
However, the Li family is a general of the imperial army, with its roots in Tokyo, so it is easier for them to replace the Daxu Guo family. The Fu family is a vassal king, with its roots far away in Hebei, and its strength is outside, which is different from the people in the imperial army.
If I have to choose, I will choose the Fu family
Wang Pu's small eyes were shining, and from his eyes, Jinzhan believed in his sincerity and feelings at the moment. He said in a strange voice: The emperor saved my life, which is a small favor. I am not repaying a favor, and I am most loyal not to the emperor, nor to the queen. I am loyal to the hope that the Daxu Dynasty has brought to the people of the world. The people of this country want stability and no longer kill each other, want to have enough food, want to bring glory to their ancestors and not be enslaved by foreign races, want to raise their chests and be vigorous and enterprising. This is the national policy of the Daxu Dynasty. If for this great ambition, blood must be shed and life must be sacrificed, I am willing to pay the price with the lives of my entire family.
Fu Jinzhan felt a warm current flowing silently down her throat. She was not moved by Wang Pu, but by Shao Ge'er's passion. Wang Pu just understood the emperor's dream.
She seemed to see that strong and tall figure, his resolute yet warm eyes, and hear his low and often apologetic voice asking about her well-being.
Wang Pu said calmly: The emperor has entrusted the affairs of state to the Queen. I, an old minister, believe in her ability to judge people, and am willing to be loyal to the Queen. I have already put my life and death aside. After that, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Fu Jinzhan.
Jinzhan sat upright on the couch, finally calming down her turbulent emotions. She said slowly: "Your Majesty entrusted an important task to Envoy Wang, and trusted him in everything. He was right. Envoy Wang, please stand up."
Wang Pu climbed up and said thoughtfully: Fan Zhi is not a person, but a group of former officials who were not cleaned up but neglected. The Queen does not need to worry. In the opinion of this old minister, they have no chance.
The strong and the weak are clear; over the years, those who have been given important positions have already recognized the big picture. It is impossible for powerful people to support an already weak force in order to restore the previous dynasty. People strive for higher positions, and most people will choose the most powerful and strong, rather than risking everything to sympathize with and commemorate the weak.
Jinzhan nodded and said: What countermeasures does Wang Shijun have
Wang Pu said: Send someone to find out the details of Fan Zhi and his party, and if possible, find out the evidence that they have committed a crime. Then send the central army together with the local army to catch them all. The old minister has another word to say. If the old party raises its flag, it will surely use the King of Zheng as a puppet. The Queen will be very hostile to the King of Zheng.
Fu Jinzhan knew what Wang Pu meant. She was the adopted mother of Zheng Wang Chai Zongxun, so she should have some feelings for him. Unexpectedly, she said without hesitation: Don't worry about Zheng Wang. What should I do
Wang Pu said in a deep voice: "When King Zheng is involved, the old party will surface, and then King Zheng will be beyond rescue. However, it is much better to let most of the old party surface than to wait for them to hide in the dark and become a hidden danger."
Jinzhan clenched his hands, paused and said: Guo Jin was originally a good general. The government asked him to guard the important place of Shouzhou, but he felt that he was neglected and was dissatisfied. The King of Zheng lived in Yingzhou. If Guo Jin went north along the Yingshui River, he might try to win over Xiang Gong, the governor of Zhen'an Army.
Xiang Gong Wang Pu seemed to be recalling the past, and suddenly smiled. Xiang Gong's son is probably still singing the ballads written by the government. If he is willing to return to Zhou, he must be crazy.
After hearing this, Jinzhan calmed down a little and said: The most important thing now is to save the emperor.
Wang Pu said calmly: The person who did this is angry with the government and the Great Xu Dynasty, and regards the government as his mortal enemy, and he should have great power. Therefore, the old minister believes that it is either Fan Zhi's party or the Liao Kingdom, and the latter is the most likely.
Jinzhan nodded and said: That makes sense.
Wang Pu continued: The emperor is a powerful ruler. Anyone who dares to harm him will pay a heavy price if he makes a mistake. Most people don't have the courage and ability to do it. But the Liao Kingdom is not afraid. Daxu has always regarded it as a great enemy. If it can be destroyed, even if there is no hatred for poisoning the emperor, it will not be soft-hearted. Moreover, the Liao Kingdom is very afraid of Daxu's strength. They think that the key to the survival of the country is to be in the hands of the enemy. They have sufficient reasons. .