"If you don't dare to speak, just listen quietly." Emperor Mu sighed, "The stability of the Chu Kingdom is not easy to come by. I have been at war in the years since I first ascended the throne. The national treasury has been empty all year round. The taxes collected often cannot make ends meet, and most of the income is spent. We have raised troops, but southern Xinjiang is not stable, and Mobei is not stable either. I am so worried that I can't sleep every night."
The queen looked slightly startled and suddenly felt guilty: "I was immersed in the pain of losing my son in those years. I failed to relieve the emperor's worries. I was derelict in my duty."
"It's all over." Emperor Mu waved his hand, "Besides, fighting at the border is a man's business. What worries can you, a woman, help me with?"
The queen had a subtle expression but said nothing.
"Stability is hard to come by, and I don't want to destroy it with my own hands." Emperor Mu's tone was calm, and there was a hint of exhaustion in his voice, "With Zhongyihou in the south and Rongcang in the north, the Chu country can have a few years of peace. Once Zhongyihou or If something happens to Rong Cang, those two ambitious countries will surely take action, and the Chu State will fall into endless war again."
Emperor Mu rarely told the queen and concubines about important national affairs.
Especially when the emperor was young, he probably had a lot of arrogance. The more difficult it was, the less willing people were to see his fragility. He always maintained his imperial majesty and inscrutability, hiding all difficulties and uneasiness. Behind the mask of indifference, one cannot see the true emotions.
On the contrary, after he turned fifty, he could still talk about the difficult situation back then with a little calmness.
The queen refilled a cup of tea for Emperor Mu and said in a calm voice: "I understand how much the emperor cherishes the stability of the country. After surviving such difficult years, this matter in the court is nothing at all."
"It's really nothing." Emperor Mu sneered, "I didn't care before because I knew what they were thinking. I once really preferred King Chen as his heir, but recently I suddenly realized that if the Chu Kingdom really fell into the hands of King Chen, I’m afraid that in less than ten years we will end up with a ruined country and a ruined family.”
"Your Majesty, be careful." The Queen frowned, "The Chu Kingdom had just reached a period of prosperity and stability, so how come the country was ruined and the family was destroyed?"
"Prince Chen cannot tolerate Rong Cang." Emperor Mu sat up straight and leaned on the backrest, with a cold look on his face. "Once Prince Chen ascends the throne, Rong Cang will either be dealt with by him or forced to rebel. In short, it will be a fight to the death.”
The queen's expression changed slightly, and she hesitated several times, but in the end she just listened quietly and did not comment easily.
In fact, she didn't fully understand the princes, and she didn't know what King Chen was doing outside.
She just felt that King Chen was not as gentle and virtuous as he appeared on the surface, and Rong Cang was not as ruthless as he appeared on the surface. Moreover, the concubine's preference for her two sons indirectly caused her heart to be involuntarily biased towards Rong Cang.
It's just that her position was inappropriate, so she never paid attention to Rong Cang's situation.
Now that I think about it, under these understatement words of the emperor, I am afraid that King Chen did so many disappointing things that he has completely lost his Sacred Heart.
"Chu cannot lose Rong Cang, nor can it lose Zhongyi Hou." Emperor Mu did not want to talk about his son's rights and wrongs anymore, but just expressed his inner thoughts, "Whether King Yu ascends the throne or King Chen takes power, Rong Cang There is no guarantee of a happy death. I don't want to see such an outcome happen, so I want Rong Cang to take the throne. He will be the most qualified prince."
The queen nodded slowly: "Yes."
"But Rong Cang's foundation in the court is still weak, and he needs more help." Emperor Mu said, unable to help but become angry, "I kindly gave him a concubine in order to give him more wings, so he is good , he refused the marriage without even thinking about it, what a bastard!"
The queen raised her eyes slightly and saw his expression of hatred for steel. She couldn't help but laugh: "Your Majesty, you should be happy. The King of War is very capable and naturally does not need to rely on nepotism to get to the position. He chose Yun Fei at the beginning. Being a royal concubine, doesn’t it illustrate this point?”
"So I can only think of another way." Emperor Mu sighed, looking at the queen with a bit of hope, "I want the Xie family to be Rong Cang's help."
The Queen pursed her lips: "Whatever the Emperor says, I will do as I please."
"If Dan Shu can marry Qi Jin, Marquis Zhongyi and the Xie family will be tied together." Emperor Mu said calmly, "Marquis Zhongyi is in charge of the military, and Uncle Xie is in charge of the Imperial Academy. He has many disciples under his command, which are enough to compete with the power of the Prime Minister. , in this way, there will be no obstacles for Rong Cang to become the heir general."
The queen quietly looked at the tea cup on the small table, eyes closed and deep in thought.
"In addition, I also understand your concerns." Emperor Mu reached out to explore the small case and held her hand. "The marriage between Marquis Zhongyi and the Xie family will make people fearful. No king would do that." Peace of mind, except for Rong Cang."
The queen raised her eyes: "Your Majesty?"
"His ability and courage are enough to deter anyone's ambitions." Emperor Mu did not say what Rong Cang's ambition was or what his conduct was, only that his ability was more convincing, "The reason why a king is afraid of his courtiers is mostly because of the courtiers. The power is too great and it overwhelms the imperial power, which creates uneasiness. Can Cangruo be allowed to ascend the throne as the emperor? The only people who are uneasy are the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty."
It has to be said that Emperor Mu is worthy of being the king of a country in a high position, and his words immediately wiped away the scruples in the queen's mind.
She was indeed worried that the Xie family would be too powerful and would eventually be wiped out. However, if the person in power was Rong Cang...if it was Rong Cang, perhaps all her worries would cease to exist.
Moreover, no family can guarantee that it will prosper for thousands of years. Sooner or later, it will decline. She worries too much now, worrying about this and that. What will happen to her a hundred years from now?
The energy of a royal family has its limit, let alone the ministers of this royal family.
"I understand." The queen nodded slowly, "I listen to the emperor and call Dan Shu into the palace tomorrow to ask."
Emperor Mu hummed: "Rong Cang doesn't want to choose a concubine, so I can only pave the way for him through other methods. I will adopt him to your name at the Qianqiu Banquet next month, and the Xie family will naturally become his support." , it is enough to have Qi Jin and Rong Cang’s backing.”
After a pause, "Rong Cang once almost died from an enemy arrow in order to save Qi Jin. With this life-saving grace, Qi Jin should not betray Rong Cang."
"What?" The queen's face changed in shock, "Is there such a thing?"
"Yes." Emperor Mu nodded, "Qi Jin told me personally that it happened three years ago."
A lingering fear appeared on the queen's face: "It's really dangerous..."
"It is indeed dangerous." Emperor Mu rubbed his brows, "I was shocked when I heard this, and I felt very scared. But that bastard Rong Cang has not revealed anything in the past three years, and has kept everything secret. Yes, sometimes I feel really angry and hateful."
Talk about Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Dexi stepped into the palace door, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the King of War and the Princess of War would like to see you."
Emperor Mu's expression fell silent and he looked at the queen.
The Queen chuckled: "Let them wait outside."
"yes."
