Tiger Guards

Chapter 709 Learning from Others
Several days later, at the Jinyang Imperial Palace.

A female official with a sword carried a wooden box with a clay stamp as she hurried through the corridor toward the Empress's bedroom.

At the threshold outside the hall, she saw the female official on duty nod to her, and without waiting for an announcement, she went straight inside.

Turning through a side door inside the main hall into the study in the side hall, the female official bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor's document has arrived."

Although it was called an official document, it was actually just Zhao Ji's private letter. It did not go through the hands of the shogunate's clerks, nor did it bear the shogunate's official seal.

Fu Shou was reviewing the confession. After patiently finishing reading the remaining half of the scroll in his hand, he got up and walked behind the screen: "Bring it here."

"only."

Another personal maid stepped forward and took the wooden box. She first checked the mud marks on the box, which were three in total, each two inches square.

From left to right are 'Duke of Hedong', 'Wild Man of Jishan', and 'Master of Langya Terrace'.

The characters "Langya" in the clay seal are complex and appear somewhat blurry and unclear.

Seeing that the mud print was intact, she took the wooden box and went behind the screen.

Inside the screen, Fu Shou leaned his left elbow against the warm couch, watching his personal maidservant cut open the mud seal and take out the letter from the wooden box.

In addition to the letter, there was also a blue-tinted mirror, only the size of a palm.

When the lady-in-waiting picked up the novel mirror to check herself, she was so frightened that she almost dropped it.

Although she was holding onto the mirror tightly, she couldn't help but let out a gasp.

Fu Shou glanced sideways at her, and the female official immediately knelt down, carefully holding the mirror: "Your Majesty, this is a rare treasure sent by Lord Zhao."

"Bring it here."

"only."

The female official bowed and stepped forward, holding her breath as if she dared not breathe.

With the mirror in hand, Fu Shou held it up for comparison. What she saw was an incredibly clear image; it was the first time she had ever seen her own face so clearly.

Although she could clearly see her appearance through the water mirror and bronze mirror, the mirrors lacked luster and had a certain degree of blurring effect.

Now, reflected in this mirror, she could see every tiny flaw on her face at a glance, even the finest blood vessels.

After looking at her for a while, Fu Shou was somewhat displeased.

In terms of looks, she is indeed somewhat inferior to her younger sister... She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she has a clear self-awareness, this judgment naturally comes to her.

My younger sister stayed in Langya and did not experience the turmoil in Chang'an, so at the age of sixteen, she was already two or three inches taller than Fu Shou, and her figure was also much fuller.

Her complexion was also better, and there were almost no obvious blemishes on her face.

Fu Shou was in a bad mood and felt no surprise or joy at the novel treasure.

She placed the mirror on a small cabinet to the side, then reached out and picked up the private letter handed to her by the female official. The female official lowered her head and stepped back. The hem of her skirt was not very large to begin with, but the female official stepped back steadily and silently, as if drifting away.

Zhao Ji sent her three private messages, each with different content, written at different times and in different moods.

One document recounted recent daily observations, another inquired about the current situation in the palace and expressed longing, and the third was a reply to Empress Dowager Fu Shou's opinion on the sentencing of those who had rebelled in Hedong.

Zhao Ji's response was simple: learn from others' mistakes.

Despite the fact that surrendered generals, Hu righteous followers, or Langya fellow villagers supported their ruthless attack on Hedong... there were factors of self-interest and factional strife involved.

However, people are bound to feel sorrow for their own kind. If a large-scale massacre were carried out against those who had defected from Hedong, the surrendered generals and fellow townsmen from Xuzhou who joined later would naturally have negative opinions and conclusions. Therefore, Zhao Ji's approach was to kill the most and let the lesser, without going to extremes.

Fu Shou patiently read Zhao Ji's reply, a slight smile playing on her lips... She had actually achieved her goal.

Relatively speaking, Zhao Ji's innate kindness made her feel at ease and secure, which is why she dared to repeatedly order the Court of Justice to torture him severely.

No matter how strong her counterattack is, Zhao Ji will definitely hold her back and prevent the situation from getting out of control.

Fu Shou didn't really care about the lives and deaths of ordinary soldiers from Hedong or other prefectures.

In her eyes, these low-level officials didn't even have basic human rights, so they weren't accomplices of her rivals.

Even military officers below the rank of battalion commander were not considered a significant threat by Fu Shou.

Having experienced several military coups, she not only feared but also hated those who could launch military coups.

The elite warriors of Hedong clearly possessed the ability and courage to launch a military coup. These men could launch another coup for the Han dynasty under the guidance of the Pei clan, or they could launch a coup against her for the sake of other women and children from Hedong.

In response to her harsh demands, Zhao Ji's reply was actually more severe than she had anticipated.

Having experienced many acts of rebellion, Fu Shou had become somewhat numb to them and had a higher tolerance threshold.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji's bottom line was that all military officers, regardless of rank, would be executed unless they surrendered themselves to the authorities.

What she didn't know was that this was precisely the key to Zhao Ji's predicament.

Zhao Ji has been calculating and weighing the negative impact and costs of eradicating the problem completely.

Zhao Ji held a zero-tolerance policy towards treason and rebellion.

For some time, Zhao Ji was torn between executing all the soldiers or only the officers.

He hadn't expected Fu Shou to be so ruthless towards the officials and soldiers plotting rebellion in Hedong, so he could only advise Fu Shou to back down, and he would also back down.

After all, if too many officials and soldiers from Hedong were to be executed in a truly ruthless manner, the surrendered generals would feel uneasy, and the new and old officials and soldiers under their command would feel insecure and be more easily coerced and instigated by the surrendered generals.

Therefore, in the face of a successful or failed military coup, it is necessary to give a way out to the larger number of soldiers who are only responsible for carrying out the operation.

Admittedly, the benefits of a military coup are substantial... but the greatest gains fall on mid- to high-ranking military officers, while the risks borne by lower-ranking officers and soldiers far outweigh the benefits, making it a very unprofitable situation.

This was the inherent tradition of the Qin and Han dynasties: in principle, military officers involved in failed rebellions, whether through suppression or forced surrender, were to be executed.

Treating soldiers and officers differently can also divide the troops under other surrendered generals.

Soldiers and officers bear different risks and receive different rewards, making it easier for officers' rebellions to be exposed. Even if they successfully coerce the army, soldiers below the rank of officer will not be eager to fight or resist when suppressed.

Therefore, killing the big and letting the small can effectively reduce the cost of future repression.

Many things can be reconciled, coexisted, and mutually beneficial; there's no need to escalate them to the point of mutual destruction and loss.

After reading the letter, Fu Shou picked up the mirror and examined it, but still felt that she couldn't give in so easily.

It wasn't about forcing Zhao Ji to submit, but simply about establishing the authority of the Empress Dowager who was in charge of the country... The reason why the emperors and empress dowagers of the Han Dynasty were able to seize power and hold power was because they dared to kill and were able to kill.

Not to mention soldiers, most officials of higher rank are even more timid when faced with power, and they know the supreme principle that the tongue is more resilient and enduring than the teeth.

Fu Shou also had a keen sense for power. As long as she could make the vast majority of people believe that she was capable of killing and dared to kill, then she would naturally possess power.

She doesn't need the power to control the whole situation; just maintaining her small palace is enough for her.

(End of this chapter)