At noon, the sun is hot.
Cao An sat in the shade outside the palace wall, dozing off now and then.
Until the little chamberlain came out.
Seeing this look, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head: "My Lord Cao! How big of a heart you have... Wake up, the Queen Mother is calling!"
"Well?"
Cao An blinked slowly and stood up in a daze: "It's time to eat? Where to eat? I like elbow the most, and the braised one is the best."
you……
The waiter laughed angrily: "There are no elbows! If you don't stay awake, the Queen Mother will probably let you raise pigs, and then you will be able to eat elbows!"
Um?
Cao An was stunned for a moment, and then he realized where he was at the moment.
He quickly tied up his clothes and followed the young chamberlain into the palace quickly...
In the side hall, Liu E was sitting outside drinking tea.
Behind is her sleeping place, separated by a large screen with gold and jade carvings on it. It looks like a very valuable object at first glance.
Cao An briefly glanced at the surrounding environment and bowed his head respectfully.
"Wei minister pays homage to the Queen Mother!"
"Get flat..."
Liu E waved her hand and said, "Please sit down."
The young chamberlain serving next to him was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly moved a stool and placed it not far from the door. Then he looked at Cao An in surprise.
It is already a great honor to be able to enter the Queen Mother's palace, but to be given a seat!
Could this young man be the yamen of a powerful family?
I'm afraid even the heirs of the prince's family don't have such a big face, right?
"Thank you, Queen Mother!"
Cao An was also a little flattered. He sat on the chair neatly, lowering his head and not daring to look directly.
It’s nonsense to say you’re not afraid!
That's Liu E...
Just his aura of looking down on the world can make all the courtiers unable to lift their heads.
What a piece of shit he is!
Liu E didn't care about his embarrassment, put down the tea cup and said calmly: "Today you are thoughtful, I would like to thank you on behalf of the official family... I will give you a reward later."
You thank me?
Let's not make trouble, okay?
Cao An shuddered, stood up subconsciously, lowered his head and said: "Don't dare! I don't dare! This is just my duty as a minister, I don't dare to accept the Queen Mother's thanks!"
"Sit down and talk."
Liu E smiled slightly and continued: "The officials are still young, so it is inevitable that they will be induced by the ministers. If you can correct the chaos in time, you are a good minister."
"The Queen Mother praises..."
Cao An sat down with his head lowered.
Liu E then said calmly: "Zhang Zhibai wants to instigate discord between the official family and Lu Yijian. If he succeeds, the court will be in chaos..."
Also, Zhao Zhen's rank is too low.
In that situation, he only saw the benefits, but did not see the danger behind it.
If Yan Shu really squeezes Ma Xun away at this time, can Lu Yijian not hold a grudge?
Although he is the emperor, the power of the prime minister is also huge... Besides, they want to keep you in power, but you want to stab you in the back!
Is this appropriate?
Even if everyone believes that Zhao Zhen was unintentional, but everyone was 'killed', do you still want others to remember you?
Cao An cupped his hands and said, "With the Queen Mother here, the Song Dynasty will definitely be at peace!"
"Haha, you have a good mouth."
Liu E smiled: "It's been half a year since you returned to Bianliang, right?"
"More than seven months..."
"That won't be long."
Liu E nodded: "I originally thought of calling you into the palace, so that I could have an explanation of what happened at the beginning. However... you made a turmoil at that time, so it's hard for me to express my position."
These words are very kind!
Cao An sat there, his heart already starting to tremble.
What on earth is this bitch trying to say?
"Do you blame me?"
Liu E changed the topic and made it clear: "If I hadn't demoted Cao Qing back then, the Cao family might have escaped disaster..."
Cao An's hands in his sleeves trembled.
“I don’t complain if I’m a humble minister!”
"You really don't complain?"
Liu E's eyes flashed with a chuckle: "Speaking of the Cao family's death, I am indeed responsible."
"...The Queen Mother dare not say this!"
Cao An hurriedly handed over his hands, lowered his head and said: "Although I am young, I know that the court is ruthless! If I insist on blaming the Queen Mother for this matter, it would be a bit forceful."
Cao used to be demoted because of the imperial dispute.
Liu E demoted him because of the situation at that time. Old Cao was already too strong to be ridiculous... If he was allowed to continue, the court might have to be named Cao!
Besides, it's just a relegation and a reduction of rights.
Whether it was because of the preferential treatment of officials by the Song Dynasty or because of Liu E's mercy, in the final analysis, it was impossible to distinguish right from wrong.
"You are sober."
Liu E nodded and sighed again: "This country is so big! It's so big that the sacrifice of one person is nothing at all... I have no intention of making enemies, but I can only overcome obstacles!"
If you don't mess with him, he will mess with you.
There is no solution to this matter...
Cao An calmed down a little and said softly: "With the Queen Mother in charge of the Song Dynasty, we will be safe and sound!"
Naturally, Liu E would not be moved by such compliments, and said calmly: "But if you say that you have no selfish motives, who can be without selfish motives? But I ask myself, I am worthy of the Song Dynasty!"
"Yes, the Empress Dowager's merits are known to everyone in the Song Dynasty."
Cao An was a little unsure of Liu E's pulse.
Although this kind of words didn't make much sense, and even sounded a bit like "Pian'er Tang" talk, it was not something that a small minister like him could listen to.
But what does she mean by this?
Liu E looked at Cao An's restless look and said with a smile: "I can ignore the Cao family's affairs and leave it to you! But there is one thing... you must not touch the order of the court, and you must not provoke disputes in the court! Otherwise, , I won’t let it go!”
"yes!"
Cao An respectfully bowed his head.
The meaning of this is too clear...
You can take revenge. No matter who you take revenge on, I don’t care, ask, or interfere. As long as it doesn’t harm the interests of the Song Dynasty, no one in heaven will care about you.
It’s rare!
Cao An never expected that Liu E could say this sentence.
If he retaliates, it will definitely affect the interests of the Queen Mother's party.
But Liu E not only didn't care, she even acquiesced...
on the other hand.
At this moment, in Liu E's heart, she felt that Cao An's value was already higher than that of some people! So she no longer protected him, and even wanted to see how far this son could go.
And all of this is because of Cao An's subconscious move this time...
You helped my son, then I will repay you once!
Liu E quickly dropped the topic and said: "You are the right Sijian, you should give more advice and guidance when you are around officials..."
"yes!"
"We should come to the palace more often and talk to the officials about things outside the palace more, so that he can make correct judgments on worldly affairs. You can also talk to him more often..."
"……yes."
Cao An raised his head slightly.
He felt that Liu E didn't look like a decisive and powerful queen at this moment, but more like a... loving mother looking for mentors and friends for her son.
"The courtiers are often utilitarian, so their behavior is not pure."
Liu E smiled and said: "And the fact that you can stand up shows that there is still some authenticity left! An official is a pure and kind person, and it is inevitable that he will be induced by others... I need people like you to avoid being led away." Crooked."
Why could Yan Shu become the emperor's master, but Fan Zhongyan could only be a powerful minister?
Many things are not determined by ability, but by whether the person's values are appropriate...
If the emperor is surrounded by utilitarian people, then he will never hear the truth again, and over time he will become an emperor who only knows utilitarianism.
It's not good or bad, it's just a different concept.
In that situation, there was actually no need for Cao An to take action. After all, Zhang Zhibai had already hated him before. If he took the lead again, he would probably cause misfortune.
But he still spoke.
So what is this but loyalty?
Cao An cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I will definitely remember the Queen Mother's instructions."
