"Does the official know what the consequences will be if your words are spread?" After a long time, Queen Mother Xiang finally came to her senses and asked in a low voice.
His eyes couldn't help but look left and right. Fortunately, no one else was present at this time, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
At this time, she had realized the reason why the other party ordered all the servants to leave when he came in. It turned out that he had already known the seriousness of the matter.
"What other consequences can there be? It is just to find a way to oust me from the throne. Then, you can also replace me with an honest emperor, obediently obey their arrangements, and dominate the world." Zhao Ji smiled and said
Looks like he doesn't care.
"Smile, do you still have the heart to laugh?" Seeing the other party's expression, Queen Mother Xiang was immediately trembling with anger.
"Don't you know that this sentence offended all the scholar-bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty? Who else will govern the country for you?"
"So, the empress also admits that the scholar-bureaucrat group is becoming more and more powerful, and even I can't offend you?" Zhao Ji looked at the other party again and said word by word,
"Then, I, the emperor, am indeed just a puppet."
"..." Queen Mother Xiang opened her mouth and remained silent. After a long time, she sighed and said,
"In the past, King Jinggong's reform failed, and your father had to compromise with the civil service group. At that time, he had such emotions, so the Ai family can understand your thoughts.
However, you can't deny that this is a fact and an irrefutable trend. Even if you are unhappy, you can only follow it. Otherwise, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"
"Your Majesty is very knowledgeable, even my father is not as knowledgeable as me."
Zhao Ji looked at Empress Dowager Xiang carefully for a while again. Although she was in her fifties, she could not hide her age and frailty even though she was carefully dressed. According to orthodox history, the queen mother also died in the next year.
Of course, after he succeeded to the throne, he offered some elixirs that nourished the body and strengthened the body many times. Xiang took it regularly, and it did not cause any serious problems in a short period of time. This was not only to repay the favor of the other party for supporting his rise to power, but also to
The need for a stable harem.
For example, Mrs. Liu? The Queen Mother is in charge? She is suppressed at all times. Even if she has some messy thoughts, she does not dare to be too presumptuous.
In the past, he only regarded her as an old woman who was good at fighting in the palace but had no foresight. After all, the Zhao Ji whom she valued was not a qualified emperor.
It just dawned on me today? How could the other party have been the queen and empress dowager for so many years? It was indeed not that simple. At the very least, she was very clear-headed in her understanding of the reform in the past.
"When your father came to the throne, he was arrogant and youthful. He always wanted to do something groundbreaking. Later, he met Wang Anshi and he fell in love with him. He ordered him to preside over the reform affairs with all his strength.
It's a pity that he ignored the essence of our Zhao and Song dynasties and offended the interests of too many people. Faced with huge pressure? In the end, he had to compromise and terminate the reform.
After that, his whole person changed? He became mature? But he also became lifeless..."
Seemingly recalling those memories from the past? She was very interested in talking to the Queen Mother, and she talked a lot without realizing it. Of course, she did not forget her duty. In the end, she still tried her best to advise,
"Today, the interests of all classes in the country are more stable than in the past during the Shenzong Dynasty. Officials must not do those reckless things, otherwise, it will lead to political instability and great disaster is not far away."
"I understand your thoughts in my heart. However, since I understand this but still do it, it is naturally not without purpose." Zhao Ji smiled, knowing that the other party would not easily agree with him, and he stopped entangled like this. Suddenly, he
Suddenly, he let out a soft drink, and in the next moment, he saw a golden light flash, and an illusory dragon shadow emerged from his body, circling and flying above his head.
"This...this is..."
Empress Dowager Xiang was so frightened that she almost screamed. If it had not been for the continuous adjustment of the elixir in recent times, otherwise, given her previous physical condition, she would have been frightened to death.
I still rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Yes, it was indeed a golden dragon. It had a head like a camel, horns like a deer, eyes like a rabbit, and ears like a cow... It was vivid and lifelike, exactly as described in the portrait.
"Guan...Guan family, what is...what's wrong with you?"
"My Lady, there is no need to panic. This golden dragon is not an evil thing, but a dragon-shaped body formed by the condensed national destiny of the Song Dynasty." Zhao Ji waved his hand, and the golden dragon circled at high speed again, but it submerged into his body again.
"Your Majesty, you should know that I have been obsessed with cultivating the Tao since I was a child and have devoted a lot of effort to it."
"What do you mean...is this a success in cultivation?"
"You can say that." Zhao Ji nodded,
"Your Majesty, you should have heard of the name Master Feiyun, right?"
"Master Feiyun?" Queen Mother Xiang was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly said,
"Is that the Taoist priest who made a big name in Bianjing City a few months ago?"
"It's him." Zhao Ji nodded again and continued,
"In fact, this Master Feiyun is a real Taoist master. Not only does he have magical powers, but he is also proficient in all kinds of thaumaturgy. Even the Yangyuan Pills that the empress takes daily are also refined by this Master Feiyun.
.”
"That's it." The Queen Mother nodded slightly and said with a smile,
"This Yuan Yang Pill is indeed a rare treasure. After taking it, Aijia just feels that his body is getting better and better day by day. Even some of the old habits accumulated in the past are no longer committed. Speaking of which, Aijia still thinks about it.
, meet this pharmaceutical expert in person."
"Your Majesty, your health is better than anything else. As for the meeting, let's forget about it." Zhao Ji shook his head slightly.
"Master Feiyun has a cold and arrogant nature and doesn't like to interact too much with secular people. Therefore, since I ascended the throne, I have only contacted him privately without any publicity."
"Everything an expert does is always unpredictable, which is understandable." Nodding to the Queen Mother, she suddenly asked,
"The Ai family remembers that you had contacts with Master Feiyun before you ascended the throne. Could it be that the scene just now was also related to him?"
"Your Majesty's wise eyes, I can be considered successful in cultivation now, although I am not considered an immortal. However, it is no longer possible for me to be harmed by the common people in the world. Moreover, I have also been recognized by the Dragon Qi of the Great Song Dynasty.
, merged into one, he is already the real Dragon Emperor, any move that dares to challenge my throne will be impossible to succeed."
"Is it really?"
Queen Mother Xiang became somewhat silent, and her expression showed an unconcealable confusion.
That was all before, she could still use her past experience to advise the other party, but now, everything the other party showed was far beyond her understanding, and she didn't know what to say.
Looking at the other party again, he had a vague premonition that the other party was definitely going to do something earth-shattering, just like his father in the past.
To stop the other party? As soon as this thought arose, it was extinguished by him in an instant. At his age, what else could he do? Even to admonish the other party, he was powerless, let alone to stop him.
"It doesn't matter, children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, and the Ai family can't control it." Thinking of this, Xiang Queen Mother slowly asked,
"Tell me, what are your plans?"
"Did those officials outside the palace secretly inform the Queen Mother?" Zhao Ji did not answer immediately, but asked a question.
"The Ai family is not hiding anything from you. Someone has actually sent someone outside to ask the Ai family to find out what you are saying. Of course, they should have no other intentions." Now that he had made up his mind, Xiang Tai did not hide any more and replied directly.
As the Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty, she was one of the core figures of the old party. If there was any trouble in the court, she could not hide it from her.
"It's not possible now, but I can't guarantee it in the future." Zhao Ji replied with a half-smile, then continued,
"To be honest with you, I do have the idea of drastic reforms. Moreover, it is to fundamentally change the current constitution of the country. This will definitely attract a lot of opposition. I will deal with the rest, but I hope that your Majesty can
Try to be supportive, and even if you can't, maintain an impartial and neutral attitude."
"Completely change the country's system!" Although I had already speculated in my mind, I didn't expect that it was still a bit underestimated. How can a country's system be so easy to reform? If you are not careful, the world will be in chaos?
"Don't you want to improve the status of the warrior?" Queen Mother Xiang suddenly thought of the imperial edict issued by the other party some time ago and asked.
"This is just one of them." Zhao Ji nodded and continued,
"Don't worry, Madam. Although I have set a higher goal, I will not be unprepared."
"Then...okay." Seeing his firm attitude, Empress Dowager Xiang knew that she couldn't persuade her, so she had to warn her again,
"The Ai family will no longer advise you, but you must remember to act with caution, and you must not make the same mistakes as your father in the past."
…
Once the Empress Dowager Xiang is settled, there will be no worries. At the very least, the harem will be stable.
As for foreign officials, there are many ways to deal with them. How can a group of mortal officials resist his extraordinary methods? Of course, as mentioned before, he will not rush and mess around. It is best to move forward little by little.
s Choice.
"Guanjia, there's something going on at Madam Liu's place again." Halfway through the journey, Zhang Yan suddenly came over and whispered back.
"Oh?" Zhao Ji looked serious and asked,
"When did it happen and what did she do?"
"Just last night, a palace maid next to Empress Liu went out to make purchases, and received a letter."
"Or Cai Jing?"
"No." Zhang Yan shook his head and continued,
"I specifically asked someone to check it out. That person is one of Liu's brothers in Bianjing City."
"Where's the letter?"
"Young man, let me arrest the palace maid. The letter has been obtained." As he said this, Zhang extended his hand and touched it from his arms. The next moment, he took out a yellowed envelope and handed it over respectfully.
“Well done.”
Zhao Ji nodded and opened the envelope immediately. After reading the contents in his heart, his brows suddenly furrowed.
There was nothing extraordinary in the letter. It was just that the Liu family secretly raised a sum of money for the Liu family and planned to send it to the palace some time later. In addition, just like the Empress Dowager, it was vaguely mentioned that the Liu family should
Find out what he has to say.
"To inquire about my thoughts?"
Zhao Ji sneered, not only the Liu family, but also everyone in the Liu family was a little restless. If he guessed correctly, the Liu family's brother's gift of silver was fake, and the real purpose was for the latter.
Of course, after the death of the late emperor, the Liu family had no power and the Liu family was no longer prominent. Naturally, they were not important figures and could not be interested in the country's policies.
I'm afraid that the Liu family are just puppets pushed to the stage to cover up, and the real characters are hidden behind the scenes.
"I just mentioned something. Everyone started to get restless. Some of you didn't know but thought you had stabbed Ma Feng's nest?" Zhao Ji sneered, then reinstalled the letter and said again,
"Remember some time ago, I asked you to check the letters exchanged between Liu and Cai Jing. Did you gain anything?"
"Official Rongzhi, there is no gain from the Cai Mansion, but Liu Empress's palace was discovered by the younger one."
"Oh!" Zhao Ji's eyes suddenly lit up and he asked,
"Where is the letter? Do you have it with you?"
"The officials will wait a moment, and I will go and get it myself."
After saying that, Zhang Yan did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly excused himself and left in a hurry.
"I'm still a little frizzy."
Zhao Ji shook his head slightly, but had no intention of blaming him. Zhang Yan was very fast, and he returned within a short time, holding a stack of envelopes in his hand, about four or five in total.
"I think you've read the contents of the letter, right?"
"The official apologizes. In order to confirm the authenticity of the letter, I did read it. However, the letter is full of respectful responses, and there is nothing inappropriate."
"Yeah?"
Zhao Ji chose one at random, opened it and read it carefully. As expected, it was all nutritious nonsense. It can be seen that Cai Jing is old and cunning and will not leave any clues for himself.
I don’t know what was written in the letters sent by Mrs. Liu. I think she was definitely not as cautious as Cai Jing. Unfortunately, those letters were most likely destroyed by Cai Jing.
Zhao Ji frowned, still feeling a little unwilling, and then opened all the letters and read them one by one.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, he suddenly made a sound of surprise, read all the letters carefully again, and murmured,
"I see."
At this time, Zhao Ji had already realized that although Cai Jing was cautious enough, it was not without flaws. From these unsatisfactory answers, one could roughly guess Liu's thoughts.
"This woman is really crazy. At this time, everything in the past has long disappeared. Why can't she let go? Do she have to make things difficult for the Meng family?"
Zhao Ji frowned, and at this time, he couldn't help but feel a headache for this woman. Fortunately, although the other party secretly contacted Cai Jing, she didn't go too far. After all, Empress Dowager Xiang is still alive. With her here, Meng
The family will not be able to fall.
However, we can't let the other party continue to act like this, otherwise it will be more and more difficult to end without scruples? In the future, if there is another scandal like in the original history, wouldn't it be a disgrace to the royal family?
Thinking of this, his expression suddenly sank and he asked:
"Where is the palace maid now?"
"I was temporarily detained in a room as a child."
"That's fine." Zhao Ji smiled and said
"You ask someone to go and bring the palace maid here. I will go to Yuanfu Palace later and I want to have a good talk with the imperial sister-in-law."