In the court hall, everyone's expressions became a little grim after hearing this.
Yongzhou's Silver Armor Army originally numbered 800,000, and together with the 500,000 new recruits, the total strength was 1.3 million.
What does King Yongshan want to do?
The empress' face remained unchanged, but a solemn look flashed across her eyes.
With over a million troops, King Yongshan indeed violated the ancestral precepts set by Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"The demon tribe in southern Xinjiang is ready to move. King Yongshan has increased his army by one million, just to prevent the demon tribe's army from raiding the territory of Great Zhou. Mr. Qin should not be suspicious and sow discord between me and the Six Emperors."
"Your Majesty, I am definitely not...!"
"Okay, let's put this matter aside for now. Is there anything else?"
The empress interrupted Qin Zhong's words, glanced at everyone, and continued: "If there is nothing else, then retreat from the court."
Hearing this, everyone bowed and saluted.
Until the empress and everyone left completely.
Qin Zhongcai raised his head, his old face a little solemn.
It is said that the empress wished that King Yongshan would disappear from this world. Why did the empress defend King Yongshan at all times when he discussed this matter again and again?
Or does the empress have another purpose?
Walking out of the Tai Chi Hall, I saw Cao Dachun coughing lightly next to the big red pillar.
Qin Zhong frowned and then walked slowly over: "Mr. Cao has something to do with me?"
"Our family has met Marquis Zhongyong."
Cao Dachun spoke slowly, with a sarcastic smile on his face.
Qin Zhong could certainly hear it. He glanced at Cao Dachun, then at the civil and military ministers who were slowly leaving the Tai Chi Hall, and said coldly: "If Mr. Cao has something to say, just say it."
"Our family has been feeling unwell. We haven't had tea with Marquis Zhongyong for a long time. Today we feel a little better. I would like to invite Marquis Zhongyong to sit in the Chengxuan Department."
Cao Dachun spoke slowly.
Qin Zhong frowned for a moment and said, "Then go to the Chengxuan Department to sit down and taste the Jade Guanyin collected by Cao Gong."
Cao Dachun said slowly: "Marquis Zhongyong, please!"
Kou Shize walked out of the Tai Chi Palace and watched Qin Zhong and Cao Dachun leave together. He snorted coldly and headed towards the Yongle Palace.
In addition to Tai Chi Hall, the empress worked in the main hall of Yongle Palace.
Yongle Palace.
When Kou Shize saw the empress, he bowed and saluted: "Old minister Kou Shize sees your majesty."
The empress glanced at Kou Shize, who was looking haggard, and said coldly: "Just now in the court hall, I asked you, why didn't you say anything?"
"Back to Your Majesty, what is discussed in the court is a matter of state. I am looking for Your Majesty to talk about some private matters."
When Kou Shize spoke, he glanced at Lu Ning, intentionally or unintentionally.
"Private matter?"
The empress' phoenix eyes flashed slightly and she said, "If you have anything to say, just say it."
Kou Shize nodded and said: "Your Majesty, it's like this. The murderer of the death of my veteran son Kou Wei is still at large. For this reason, my wife has been ill for more than a month."
"Coupled with the assassination of the old minister, my wife is now in a trance and in urgent need of medical treatment."
"The old minister wants to resign from his post as the right minister of the Ministry of War, and take his wife to the Beiming Immortal Sect to visit the senior medical immortal and ask for medical treatment and salvation."
The empress, Lu Ning and others were a little surprised.
Kou Shize actually took the initiative to resign as the right minister of the Ministry of War. Although he had been suppressed by Pei Tong, he still held a position of real power and controlled the 30,000 garrison in Beijing. Should he resign just because he said he was resigning?
The empress did not immediately agree to Kou Shize, but asked: "The Demon Suppressing Division has not traced the murderer yet?"
Kou Shize clenched his fist fiercely and said: "Your Majesty, I want to participate in the performance of Gu Fengtang, the commander of the Demon Suppression Division. If he does nothing in his position, otherwise the murderer would have been traced long ago."
The empress nodded secretly: "I have just ascended the throne, and Gu Sizheng is also very busy, so he may not have time to take care of it. Besides, isn't the Jingzhou Mansion still investigating this case?"
Jingzhou Mansion?
Kou Shize sneered in his heart, even the Demon Suppressing Division couldn't trace it, and the Jingzhou Mansion was even more clueless.
"I have made up my mind, and I hope your majesty will grant you permission." Kou Shize was determined to resign.
He knew very well that as the right minister of the Ministry of War, he had been suppressed by Pei Tong. Although he had 30,000 troops under his control, he had no power to mobilize them at all.
He could mobilize only 3,000 people.
It's hard for three thousand people to accomplish anything.
It is too uncomfortable to sit in the position of right minister and be guarded by others every day.
It is better to take the initiative to resign and still retain the status of Marquis of Wu'an.
Gradually, he was able to fade out of the sight of civil and military ministers.
In this way, he can do more things.
Lu Ning's eyes flashed slightly. Did Kou Shize want to protect himself, or did he have another purpose?
The empress pondered for a long time and said: "I promise you for the time being. After registering with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, we will make a handover so that you don't have to go to court again."
"Old minister, thank you for your kindness!"
Kou Shize quickly bowed, then turned and left Yongle Palace.
"Tell me, why did he resign?"
It wasn't until Kou Shize was far away from Yongle Palace that the empress slowly asked.
"Be wise and protect yourself."
"Maybe I don't want to assist His Majesty."
"You must be unable to defeat Qin Zhong and don't want to serve as an official in the same court with him."
Bai Xue, Bai Wei and Pei Tianbei said separately.
The empress looked at Lu Ning and said, "Chang'an, what are you talking about?"
Lu Ning pondered and said, "Maybe I want to dilute everyone's attention."
After hearing this, the empress smiled and said nothing.
…
Chengxuan Department.
Qin Zhong drank three cups of tea in a row, but was stunned that Cao Dachun didn't say a word.
"Mr. Cao, this tea is almost tasteless. If you have anything to say, just say it." Qin Zhong stared at Cao Dachun with a frown.
After Cao Dachun coughed lightly, he said slowly: "Ever since he was conferred the title of Zhongyong Hou by the new emperor, Mr. Qin Ge has lost his patience."
Qin Zhong's eyes flashed: "It's not that I'm impatient, but that I'm busy with things and have to do it quickly, otherwise Your Majesty will blame you, and I can't bear it!"
"Marquis Zhongyong speaks like your majesty. I wonder if he thinks so in his heart?" Cao Dachun said slowly.
Qin Zhong frowned: "What do you mean by Mr. Cao's words?"
Cao Dachun coughed lightly and said: "Since you have His Majesty in your heart, you should try your best to participate in the performance of King Yongshan. If you are not strong enough on your own, then you should lead the ministers to participate in the performance collectively, so that Your Majesty must pay attention to it."
"Otherwise, when King Yongshan finishes his army and conquers Beijing and Zhou Dynasty, the first person to be killed will probably be you, Mr. Qin Ge."
There was a hint of sarcasm in Qin Zhong's eyes. Before, Cao Dachun was the one who fully supported King Yongshan, but he didn't expect that in just a few months, he would change.
The old eunuch is indeed unreliable.
"Thank you, Mr. Cao, for reminding me that your Majesty is wise and powerful, and has his own decisions in his heart."
After saying that, Qin Zhong stood up and said in a deep voice: "If Mr. Cao has nothing else to do, I will take my leave."
"Ahem...!"
Cao Dachun coughed lightly and said slowly: "Our family wants to raise a Sand Moon Night Flower. I heard that Mr. Ge has planted one. Can you give me one for our family?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhong's eyes narrowed slightly, then he shook his head:
"I don't understand what Sand Moon Night Flower is, and I have never grown it."
Cao Dachun said slowly:
"You must be confused, right? Eight years ago, you personally told our family that the envoy from the Sharo Kingdom presented you with three rare Shayue Night Flowers, which were among the flowers in your residence. What? We still need to remind you.
Say something to you?"
Qin Zhong sneered and shook his head: "Mr. Cao is old and has a very good memory. The flowers from eight years ago have long since withered and died."
"Gong Cao wants one. It happens that the princess of the Shaluo Kingdom lives in Honglu Temple. You can send someone to ask for one."
"I'm busy with official duties, so I won't drink tea. Say goodbye!"
With that said, Qin Zhong strode towards the outside of Chengxuan Department.
Cao Dachun stood up slowly, stared at Qin Zhong's back, and coughed several times.
Not long after, a figure slowly walked out of the inner hall of Chengxuan Division, it was Si Zheng and Gu Fengtang.
Gu Fengtang also stared at Qin Zhong's leaving figure. It wasn't until the latter completely disappeared that he looked at Cao Dachun and said with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Cao."
Cao Dachun also smiled and said: "Master Si Zheng is too polite, but I wonder what this Shayueyehua is that makes Master Si Zheng care so much?"
Gu Fengtang smiled and said: "It is a strange flower that only blooms on moonlit nights. It is said that the moon blooms and the sun fades. If the flower blooms all night, it can compete with the bright moon. Its beauty is endless. It is very magical."
Cao Dachun nodded and said in surprise: "I never expected that there are such magical flowers in this world."
"Eight years ago, our family heard Qin Zhong mention it once, but we didn't pay attention at the time. If we had known it was so magical, we should have taken a look."
Gu Fengtang didn't answer any more, chuckled lightly, hugged Cao Dachun and walked out of Chengxuan Department quickly.
Cao Dachun walked to the entrance of the palace, and then watched Gu Fengtang go away as quickly as the wind.
…
Wu'anhou Mansion.
After Kou Shize registered the handover with the Ministry of Personnel, he returned to the mansion and ordered people to prepare quickly, planning to set off that day to seek medical treatment from the Beiming Immortal Sect.
The old man surnamed Ji and Wei Ying did not expect that Kou Shize would really resign as the right minister of the Ministry of War. Even if he could only mobilize 3,000 troops, he would still make the civil and military ministers very afraid in the imperial city of Beijing and Zhou Dynasty.
Now that the third-rank official status is gone and there is only an empty identity of 'Marquis of Wu'an', who will care?
"Stop sighing!"
Kou Shize said coldly: "I'm just a third-rank right servant, so I don't mind. Without this official status, no one will care about me."
"Only by fading out of people's sight can I make a difference."
Hearing this, the old man named Ji and Wei Ying nodded secretly.
"Hurry up and get ready, leave Beijing and Zhou first." Kou Shize waved his hand and said.
Without an official, you don't have to tell anyone where you want to go, you can just go.
Wei Ying nodded and said: "Master Hou, my subordinates have been waiting in Guanshan for three days and three nights, but they still haven't seen the old madman. I wonder if something happened to him."
Kou Shize's eyes flashed slightly: "The old madman is the tenth-ranked person on the Earth Ranking of Combat Power. The only people in the world who can kill him are the people on the Heavenly Ranking."
"If there is no deep hatred, people on the Tianzi List will not easily kill the old madman."
"Maybe the old madman has other things on his mind."
Wei Ying nodded, then bowed and left.
The old man surnamed Ji frowned and said, "Master Hou, are you still taking action against the Lu family?"
A cold look flashed in Kou Shize's eyes: "You alone can't do anything about Lan Yunhui. It's better to stop for a while and go to the Beiming Immortal Sect first."
His wife's illness was serious, and even though she had asked the imperial doctor for diagnosis and treatment, there was no sign of improvement. If she continued like this, she didn't know whether she would be able to survive this winter.
The old man surnamed Ji turned around and went to prepare.
Just after noon, a luxurious carriage and more than a dozen followers left from the back gate of Wu'an Hou Mansion and headed towards the north gate of the city.
The news soon reached the Empress' ears.
The empress stared outside the main hall and raised her lips slightly: "Beimang should get the news soon."
When Kou Shize left Beijing and Zhou Dynasty, the person who wanted to kill him the most was Beimang.
After all, in the Battle of Yunlu, Kou Shize killed the 100,000 Iron Buddha Tu in Beimang. Even after forty years, Beimang still did not forget his hatred and vowed to kill Kou Shize to avenge the 100,000 Iron Buddha Tu.
Lu Ning leaned into the empress's ear and whispered: "Your Majesty, do you want to get rid of him?"
The empress shook her head: "Kou Shize dared to go out of Beijing and Zhou Dynasty, he must have planned it. Everything is under his control. If you go after him, you will only fall into his trap."
I added in my mind: Just let Beimang deal with it.
"Play chess with me." The empress turned around and said.
Lu Ning turned around and stared at her back, then quickly followed her.
The next day.
The twenty-seventh day of the winter month.
The empress summoned the envoys from the five Western Regions in the Chengtian Palace, accompanied by Qin Zhong and other civil and military officials.
The princess of the Sharo Kingdom covered her face with a silk scarf, her light blue eyes were very beautiful, and her language was the same as that of the Zhou Dynasty, so Lu Ning could understand her.
Princess Sara's name is Luo Yuena.
She first paid homage to the empress and praised her, then expressed deep regret for the death of Emperor Mingwu, and finally presented some rare things such as purple coral trees and clams brought from the Sharo Kingdom.
Then came the prince of Moyun Kingdom, who was dressed in gold and had many braids on his head. He was somewhat similar to the prince of Beimang, named Mo Heng.
The prince of the Huo Tuo Kingdom was wearing a fiery red robe and looked arrogant. Ever since he entered the Chengtian Palace, he had not looked at the empress in the eyes, and he only said a few words when he paid her respects.
The prince of the Star Wolf Kingdom went even further and was extremely arrogant: "Isn't there a prince in the Zhou Dynasty? A princess is allowed to be the emperor. It seems that it is really declining day by day."
Hearing this, the civil and military officials showed angry faces and rebuked Prince Star Wolf for being too arrogant.
Prince Xinglang didn't care, and looked around everyone with his wolf-like eyes: "Did I say something wrong? I would like to ask how a princess will become the emperor, how can the Great Zhou Dynasty continue after a hundred years?"
"Is it going to be passed on to her son or to someone else in the royal family?"
Everyone was stunned speechless.
This is indeed a big problem. They have thought about it for a long time, but they just didn't dare to speak out.
After Qin Zhong glanced at the empress, he said in a deep voice: "This is a state matter of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and it is not Prince Xinglang's turn to care about it. Prince Xinglang should be concerned about how the Star Wolf Kingdom can stop the barbarian invasion. This is the real business.
"
Prince Star Wolf's face darkened when Qin Zhong said that, and then he changed the topic.
He did not praise the empress, but on behalf of the Star Wolf Kingdom, he expressed deep regret for the passing of Emperor Mingwu. A generation of wise and powerful emperors quietly left.
The last kingdom is the Fire Kingdom, which is the most difficult to attack among the kingdoms in the Western Region.
There is no prince in the Kingdom of Agni. The princess came as a young envoy. He looked like he was in his thirties and gave people a very gentle feeling.
Seeing Prince Star Wolf sitting down, he stood up in a hurry. After praising the empress, he expressed deep regret for the death of Emperor Mingwu on behalf of the Fire Kingdom, and finally presented him with rare treasures brought from the Fire Kingdom.
The luncheon was held in Chengtian Hall, with singing, dancing and drinking, and the atmosphere was pretty good.
Only Prince Xinglang looked down upon the civil and military ministers with a look of disdain.
When the wine is half full.
Prince Xinglang put down the golden bottle, raised his eyebrows and glanced at the empress above, and said in a deep voice: "Empress of Great Zhou, what's the significance of this song and dance? Great Zhou founded the country with martial arts. I, the prince, sat down with a martial artist. I have always wanted to see the powerful martial arts of Great Zhou.
The strength of the person.”
"This time, I happen to be coming to Beijing and Zhou Dynasty with my prince. Why not let me open my eyes and use force to cheer up."
The sound fell, and only a loud 'dong' sound was heard.
Came from the door of the main hall.
Everyone looked at the heavy voice and their expressions could not help but change slightly.
…
…
There are few updates, but they all have over a thousand orders! As agreed, I owe you one update (4,000 words).
I've been busy recently. After this period of busy time, I will update the eight thousand and make up for the missing updates.