Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"Your Majesty, before answering your question, may I ask a few questions first?"

Lu Xiao hesitated for a moment, then probed.

This made Emperor Dehong smile, indicating that he didn't need to be nervous:

"Speak freely. Today, besides you and me, even that dog Wang Fu is one of us. No one else will hear us."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao finally spoke:

"If you ask me, Prime Minister Zhou's merits outweigh his faults. If Your Majesty has no suitable replacement, it would be best to remain patient for now."

"Oh? Even you think I should always give in to that old scoundrel?"

Emperor Dehong was somewhat pleased to hear him say such things, thinking that Lu Xiao was gradually treating him as family, and he spoke more casually.

Lu Xiao, on the other end, shook his head:

"It's not that we're giving in at every turn, but rather that we still need the Prime Minister."

"Your Majesty, please consider this: if the Great Zhou Dynasty were to lose the Prime Minister, could it still function normally?"

For a moment, Emperor Dehong fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he shook his head, indicating that the Great Zhou Dynasty really couldn't do without Zhou Kang.

He quickly organized his thoughts:

"Since I ascended the throne, the Prime Minister has worked tirelessly day and night. Whenever there is a drought or flood in the Great Zhou, or a crop failure in a certain place, and the people are facing a crisis of food shortage, he always comes up with a solution to resolve the problem properly as soon as possible."

"Although he turned a blind eye to the corruption in the court, he still had his bottom line, and ordinary people did not dare to be too unscrupulous in front of him."

"In foreign affairs, Prime Minister Zhou advocates war, preferring to fight to the death rather than negotiate with the enemy."

"In these respects, he lived up to the late emperor's dying wish."

Lu Xiao nodded approvingly, understanding that it was extremely difficult to reach this level as an official.

But a short while later, Emperor Dehong changed the subject:

"But he'll stop at nothing to gain power!"

"It is not uncommon for colleagues to be framed, or even... even for subordinates to be forced to submit by their position."

"He even openly defied the imperial authority!"

At this point, he finally managed to vent some of his anger and resentment.

Wang Fu watched from the sidelines, sighing inwardly, but he had no right to say anything.

Lu Xiao laughed at this:

"Your Majesty, what the Prime Minister is doing is actually giving you the opportunity to build your own real team."

"Oh?"

Emperor Dehong was stunned, and Wang Fu was dumbfounded.

He continued:

"Your Majesty, think about it. The Prime Minister is arrogant and domineering, and has already offended all the civil and military officials in the court. You can tell from the impeachment memorials that the officials have submitted to you."

"Over time, those officials who oppose the Prime Minister will inevitably find themselves on your side."

"Never mind their reasons for supporting you. Your Majesty should use this opportunity to test the waters and identify the loyal ministers and treacherous officials among them. After careful selection, you can gradually seize control of the discourse, eventually taking control of the court and reclaiming all your power!"

This time, Emperor Dehong remained silent for a long time, until Lu Xiao thought that his words might have offended the emperor. He slapped his thigh and shouted:

"good!"

"As expected of my good brother-in-law, he solved such a big problem for me with just a few words!"

"Really, how come I never thought of that before?"

He was telling the truth.

For three years after ascending the throne, he heard nothing but complaints from his court officials about how bad and presumptuous Zhou Kang was, and he himself felt deeply offended by Zhou Kang.

Under these circumstances, Emperor Dehong subconsciously regarded Zhou Kang as a mortal enemy with whom he could not associate.

But they never imagined they would have the chance to turn their opponent into a weapon in their own hands!

He hates Zhou Kang, but don't other officials hate Zhou Kang too?

After regaining his senses, Emperor Dehong still couldn't help but be excited about it:

"Minister Lu is truly my lucky star. First, you won a brilliant victory for me, and now you are offering me advice. It seems that the position of Imperial Guard Captain that I prepared for you before was a bit too low."

"A man of your caliber, skilled in both literature and martial arts, is fit to command an army!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao was greatly surprised, and then refused under the astonished and puzzled gaze of Emperor Dehong:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being unable to comply. I am currently only willing to stay at the White Wolf Outpost to defend against the Hu people and protect the elders and folks behind me."

"In addition, I also intend to use White Wolf Mountain as a base, and when the time is right, march north into the lands of the barbarians to completely eliminate the threat that the barbarians pose to the Great Zhou!"

"good!"

Emperor Dehong realized he had underestimated his brother-in-law, and nodded emphatically after listening:

"It was I who was narrow-minded!"

"I do need you, but I still have the ability to protect myself. As long as nothing unexpected happens, I can successfully outlive Zhou Kang. But if you enter the capital, the people of Yuyang County will lose their hero and their deterrent against the Hu people."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Lu Xiao didn't hold back in flattering him.

Having said all that, Emperor Dehong had no choice but to let them go.

"Then you should rest in the capital for a few days and then go back."

"Tell the soldiers that I can't help them right now, but give me time!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao looked completely puzzled:

"Your Majesty, this entire realm belongs to you, and so does the army. Why do you say that?"

"hehe……"

Emperor Dehong chuckled self-deprecatingly before explaining the reason:

"Now, only the four forbidden zones in the capital are in my hands, personally granted by the late Emperor. That old scoundrel Zhou Kang cannot take them away, nor dares to!"

"Besides that, almost all the other four forbidden areas, including the county troops and border troops in various parts of our Great Zhou, have generals planted by Zhou Kang, so most of the military power has fallen into his hands!"

"And many of those officers were already convicted!"

Lu Xiao was horrified.

No wonder Emperor Dehong could no longer suppress his determination to kill Zhou Kang.

He was a little puzzled, though. Since Zhou Kang controlled most of the army, how could he still ensure that the soldiers' pay was paid on time?

Before he could figure it out, Emperor Dehong patted him on the shoulder and let out a deep breath:

"Brother-in-law, don't be fooled by the splendor of this palace. I am like a caged bird, living a life of luxury, but I have no freedom whatsoever."

"If it were an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, but I am the ruler of a nation!"

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Come with me to the training ground. It'll be a good way to relax and let me see what you're capable of."

"Here you go!"

Before long, Lu Xiao arrived at the training ground.

He demonstrated his marksmanship to Emperor Dehong, and also showed him what it meant to hit a target from a hundred paces away, which drew cheers from the latter.

After the exhibition, Emperor Dehong had him walk with him for a while and they chatted for a bit.

As one was about to return to the Hall of Diligent Governance and the other was about to meet the Prime Minister, Emperor Dehong was slightly curious:

"Lu Xiao, what are your plans after defeating the Hu people?"

"You must understand that our Great Zhou has more than just the Hu people as enemies!"

Have you thought about it?