Denghuangtai

Yun Zheng knelt before the table, with wisps of white smoke rising from the tea stove beside it. He picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, and as the steam rose, his cold and fierce demeanor vanished, revealing a hint of his former self.

Just like Yun Zheng in Pei Qingyan's dream...

Pei Qingyan looked at him, feeling dizzy and unsure whether she was dreaming or not.

"Pei Qingyan, is this all you've got?"

Yun Zheng picked up the teacup, looked down at the ripples inside, and spoke with a sarcastic tone.

I didn't dream.

Pei Qingyan immediately came to his senses and retorted sarcastically, "I am certainly no match for the Grand Minister of Works, but it is impossible for you to make me submit with some low-level means."

Her memory was still stuck on Yun Zheng's whip. When she suddenly woke up from her dream, she didn't realize that she was too weak to withstand the whip and had been knocked unconscious.

Yun Zheng's sarcasm about her lack of ability was taken by her as a mockery of her actions.

Yun Zheng raised his eyes, looking at her with a half-smile, "I've already experienced General Pei's ability to be stubborn. Don't worry, no one will force General Pei to submit anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Pei Qingyan looked on in disbelief. Could it be that she had escaped?

impossible?

Although she has made arrangements, she needs to proceed gradually and it shouldn't be effective so quickly.

"What do I mean?" Yun Zheng sneered. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm here to send you on your way, General Pei."

He spoke the last three words slowly and deliberately, gritting his teeth.

After saying that, as if afraid that Pei Qingyan still hadn't reacted, she "kindly" added, "General Pei, I am here on the Empress Dowager's orders to bring you a white silk ribbon. After you have your meal, you can set off."

Pei Qingyan finally realized what was happening, his heart pounded like a drum, and his mind went completely blank.

Before she entered the capital, she had considered that Empress Dowager Yun would be eager for revenge and choose to act secretly. Therefore, on the way from the north to Chang'an, she deliberately had people spread the news that "General Pei, the Marquis of Yin'an, has been escorted back to the capital" to the streets and alleys.

After she entered the capital, the news spread to almost half of the people of Dazhao. Given such a grand scale, Empress Dowager Yun, who had only been regent for a few months, would normally be wary, worried about public opinion and the evaluation of future generations, and would not dare to secretly take action.

Moreover, since she entered the capital, Empress Dowager Yun has indeed tried to coerce and entice her into submission, just as she had anticipated.

If that's the case, why did Empress Dowager Yun suddenly change her mind and be so eager to take her life, even at the risk of offending the world?

Pei Qingyan's mind raced, but she was trapped in the imperial prison and had not yet received any new information from her subordinates. In this isolated state, she racked her brains but could not figure out the reason.

"It's kind of you, Grand Marshal, to come all this way." Pei Qingyan got up from the haystack, walked to Yun Zheng, and slowly picked up another unused teacup in front of him.

Since her life was at stake, she was naturally very flustered, but in a battle between two armies, it is most taboo to show weakness. Even if she had no confidence, she had to pretend to be calm.

Pei Qingyan took a sip and commented with a smile, "Good tea."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Yun Zheng's eyes. "I never knew that General Pei, so fearless of death, could still have the mind to enjoy tea even when facing imminent demise?"

Pei Qingyan put down his teacup, shrugged, and said, "What can I do now that things have come to this?"

She appeared calm, but various thoughts and plans were constantly flashing through her mind. The problem was that time was too short, and there was no time to notify the troops outside to advance the original arrangements.

Since we can't rely on external resources, we can only look to the present.

"Grand Marshal," Pei Qingyan gazed into Yun Zheng's eyes, his gaze softening with a hint of past tenderness, "Now that things have come to this, could you please clear up a few of my doubts and let me die knowing why?"

Yun Zheng scoffed, "You're trying to stall for time?"

Pei Qingyan countered, "Can we delay it for a while, or for a lifetime?"

Of course, she was just stalling for time! Things in this world can't be said to change in an instant, but at least the longer she could delay, the more time she would have to come up with a plan.

Yun Zheng was well aware of her intentions, but he was also stalling for time.

Thus, the two people, with different intentions but the same goal, came together.

Yun Zheng took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Since you've humbled yourself so much to beg me, I'll be merciful. Tell me, what do you want to know?"

"Has anyone gone to see the Empress Dowager today?"

"The Empress Dowager is in power and countless people come to pay their respects every day," Yun Zheng said, feigning mystery.

"Are there any people who rarely enter the palace in the past but have entered today?" Although Pei Qingyan was anxious, he did not panic and his logical thinking was always on point.

In short, you've hit the nail on the head.

Yun Zheng didn't hide anything and told Pei Qingyan everything about Ban Qing and his wife entering the palace.

Upon hearing this, Pei Qingyan's expression turned serious. "Besides those two, did any other officials in court plead for me today?"

"Of course. This morning, the Grand Minister of Works, together with the Chancellor and the Supervising Secretary, pleaded on your behalf, begging the Empress Dowager to spare your life in consideration of your skill in battle."

Upon hearing this, even the dull-witted Pei Qingyan understood where the crux of the problem lay.

She composed herself, raised her eyes, stared directly at Yun Zheng, and said with a smile, "Grand Commander, how about we make a deal?"

"In the autumn of the seventh year, on the day of Wuyin in the eighth month, Emperor Hui died. During the funeral, the Empress Dowager wept, but could not shed a tear. Zhang Piqiang, son of Marquis Liu, was a fifteen-year-old court attendant. He said to the Chancellor, 'The Empress Dowager only had Emperor Hui, and now that he has died, she weeps without sorrow. Do you know why?' The Chancellor asked, 'Why?' Piqiang replied, 'The Emperor had no strong sons, and the Empress Dowager fears you all. You should now appoint Lü Tai, Lü Chan, and Lü Lu as generals, commanding troops in the northern and southern armies, and have all members of the Lü clan enter the palace to govern. This will put the Empress Dowager at ease, and you will be able to escape disaster.' The Chancellor followed Piqiang's advice. The Empress Dowager was pleased, and her weeping became sorrowful. The power of the Lü clan thus arose. A general amnesty was declared. On the day of Xinchou in the ninth month, the funeral was held. The Crown Prince ascended the throne and visited the Gao Temple."

In the Xuan Shi Hall of Weiyang Palace, the young emperor sat cross-legged in front of his desk, holding the "Records of the Grand Historian," and recited the difficult passages of the ancient book word for word in his childish voice.

The palace was quiet. All the palace servants had been sent outside by the young emperor. At this moment, besides the young emperor, only the tutor who accompanied him to study every day remained in the palace.

The young emperor put down his book and put on a stern face. He intended to imitate his elders and show an imposing demeanor, but little did he know that no matter how hard he tried to put on a stern face, it would have no effect. Instead, it made him look even cuter, like a child pretending to be an adult.

"Master, will the calamity of the Lü clan be repeated? How can we prevent its recurrence?"

The Master, stroking his goatee, slowly and deliberately said, "The disaster caused by Empress Lü was that she set a precedent for interference by maternal relatives in politics, giving the Lü family members too much power, which led to the later 'Disaster of the Lü Clan.' Furthermore, Empress Lü was cruel, persecuting and killing important officials. She manipulated Emperor Hui, used political maneuvering to undermine the system, destroy the rule of law, and fostered a climate of power struggles in the court."

He paused, looked at the young emperor who was staring intently at him, and smiled, "If you want to avoid the disaster of the Lü clan, you need to start from a few points. First, if the maternal relatives have no power, the country will be at peace. Second, you need to ensure a good balance of power, support the forces in the court and the maternal relatives' regime, and prevent a situation where one family becomes too powerful. If all forces check and balance each other, supervise and fight against each other, then Your Majesty can rest easy."

"Your words seem to be an attempt to sow discord between me and the Empress Dowager."