The news that Li Shengxuan had appointed a woman as the commander-in-chief to quell the rebellion in the north quickly spread throughout the capital, and naturally also reached the ears of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager in the harem.
At this time, in the Yuzhang Palace, the two of them were sitting together with their brows furrowed, and kneeling in front of them was the Queen Mother's biological son, Li Shengxuan's nephew, King Yucheng Li Qiyou.
"My grandmother and mother have always prevented Qiyou from standing up, but now that the emperor has appointed a woman as the coach, what is the reputation of Dajing?" Li Qiyou knelt down and looked up at the two people on the main seat with an expression. Unspeakably indignant, "What's more, this woman's surname is Fang."
"Have you checked, what is the relationship between this woman and the Fang family?" The Queen Mother glanced at the secret guard below. Seeing this, the secret guard hurriedly stepped forward, "Have you checked, there is indeed a third lady in the Fang family. Also called Fang Zilan, but this third lady has been recuperating in her boudoir since she fell into the water a few months ago and has never appeared in front of others."
"Have you seen the third young lady of the Fang family with your own eyes?" The Empress Dowager frowned even more tightly. The secret guard did not dare to neglect and nodded like garlic, "You have seen it with your own eyes. She is a skinny, sickly young man, and the one assigned by the Emperor. This girl Fang is completely different."
"Does this mean that Fang Zilan has nothing to do with the Fang family?" The person who spoke this time was the Queen Mother, and her expression was not much better than that of the Queen Mother. Hearing her question, the secret guard still nodded hurriedly, "I have checked it carefully. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with it. This girl Fang was with His Highness in the Northern Territory before, and I even heard that she killed General Shangguan Yun in order to save His Highness."
"Kill Shangguan Yun?" the Empress Dowager repeated, and couldn't help but sneer, "This little girl is quite capable, but how can the person who killed Shangguan Yun survive in the north?"
"Grandma!" Li Qiyou couldn't help shouting. Now that the chaos in the north is a national crisis, his grandmother and queen mother still have the heart to engage in these power struggles. Even if this Fang Zilan can kill Shangguan Yun, she is at best very skilled and leading troops to fight as a woman. This is simply a joke.
Seeing that her son looked unhappy, the Queen Mother hurriedly said a few words of relief, "You child, your grandmother and I are not thinking about you. The battlefield is so dangerous. If you go, if something happens, what will you do to the Queen Mother and grandmother?" Is good?"
Li Qiyou retorted without thinking, "The emperor has been fighting on the battlefield since he was a child, why can't I?"
"Shut up! Who are you? How can you be compared with that bastard of the Xiahou family!" The Queen Mother had a look of hatred on her face, but Li Qiyou didn't care at all, "That's the current emperor, why should the Queen Mother please Be careful what you say."
"That's all!" The Queen Mother on the side waved her hand, signaling the Queen Mother not to argue with Li Qiyou anymore, "If you want to go, the Ai family can just ask the Emperor for a position today and let you go with them."
"Mother!" Seeing the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother suddenly relaxed and looked dissatisfied. She wanted to say something but was stopped by a look from the Queen Mother, "But you must pay attention to your safety and put yourself first in everything. If that girl named Fang is If something is done improperly, just replace it."
"Thank you, grandma!" Li Qiyou kowtowed and stood up to leave.
Seeing Li Qiyou leave, the Queen Mother said, "Mother, what are you doing? How can you agree to Qiyou in such a dangerous place as the battlefield?"
The Empress Dowager said faintly: "You just heard that Fang Zilan killed Shangguan Yun. The northern border is the Shangguan family's territory. What good fruit can she get if she goes there? Since Li Shengxuan sent her, it means that she must be capable. Yes, when she does things we pray for and just sit back and enjoy the results, isn’t it good?”
"What do you mean by the Queen Mother?" The Queen Mother stared blankly at the Queen Mother in front of her, seeing her smiling inexplicably. "She is just a woman. Do you think Li Shengxuan can give her a promotion?"
"That's what the Queen Mother said." The Queen Mother nodded, feeling relieved, "What about us now?"
"Of course I'm going to ask for a job for Qiyou." The Empress Dowager said and stood up. "Let's go to the imperial study. It's time to meet our new emperor."
At this time, Li Shengxuan was in the imperial study, frowning at a stack of memorials in front of him. Although he had already told Tianxia Zilan at the time of his appointment that he was recommended by the Xiahou family and borrowed the name of the Xiahou family, he still could not stop everyone from talking.
The body of a woman, the surname Fang, and the commander-in-chief of the three armies are all shocking to the world.
Li Shengxuan was thinking about how to deal with it more appropriately when he heard Xia Houzhang on the side saying that the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were asking for an audience. at this time? He shook his head helplessly, most probably because of Fang Zilan's decision to take charge.
Ever since the news of his appointment of Fang Zilan to go on an expedition spread, memorials from the censors in the court have come one after another. Now that the people in the harem are getting involved again, they really don't give him a chance to breathe.
"If the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother are also here to oppose me, please come back." Li Shengxuan looked at the person in front of him coldly. Unexpectedly, the person in front of him suddenly laughed, "Look at what the emperor said, the Ai family How can you oppose the emperor? The Ai family just came to ask for the position of military supervisor for that child Qiyou, so that he could accompany him on the expedition."
"Let King Yucheng accompany him on the expedition? You two are willing to do so." Li Shengxuan glanced at the person in front of him, with a half-smile but not a smile that made the Queen Mother feel a little uncomfortable. She couldn't help but interjected: "Of course you are reluctant, but now the country is in trouble. , who can stay out of it?"
"It's rare for the Queen Mother to have such an awareness, but why should I agree to you?" Li Shengxuan remained unmoved, and the smile on the Queen Mother's face grew wider, "Because of the Aijia's conditions, the Emperor cannot refuse."
Li Shengxuan did not understand the true intention of the Empress Dowager, so he could only act step by step, "If the Empress Dowager has something to say, you might as well say it directly."
"Fang Zilan took command, the Yushitai exploded, and no one in the whole court objected." The Empress Dowager paused for a moment, and then said confidently: "But if the Emperor agrees to let Qiyou supervise the army, the Ai family will I will personally accompany the emperor to suppress the objections of the officials and ensure that the emperor will not hear a single word of objection because of Fang Zilan in the future."
"The Empress Dowager has a good idea. It seems that I really can't refuse." Li Shengxuan agreed and turned to Xia Houzhang to draft the decree. The Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother got what they wanted and did not stay long.
After confirming that the person was gone, Xia Houzhang couldn't help but say what he was thinking, "The Empress Dowager said on the surface that she was accompanying her Majesty to suppress the objections of all the officials, but behind the scenes I'm afraid she might secretly stir up trouble."
"No." Li Shengxuan shook his head and said: "The Empress Dowager has always been arrogant. Although she is accustomed to fighting for power and doting on her children and grandchildren, but now that the safety of the capital is involved, she will not cause another incident. If she really wants to do something, she will wait until the Jinren After the defeat, I can just take advantage of this turmoil to find out the chess pieces she has hidden in the court."
Xia Houzhang was still frightened and couldn't help asking: "Is your majesty really sure?"
A smile escaped Li Shengxuan's lips, and a flash of sadness passed in his eyes, "After so many years, I know the Empress Dowager to some extent. No matter how she fights openly or secretly, she knows better than anyone else in her heart that if the Dajing Kingdom Zuo has Damn, her glory and power are just like a mirror, fleeting."
Xia Houzhang was still worried and asked Duoyan: "What about King Yucheng? Your Majesty agreed to let King Yucheng supervise the army. Who knows what he is worried about?"
"That's why I agreed." Li Shengxuan's expression became more solemn, "I can't trust either Fang Zilan or Li Qiyou. But if I have to choose one, I'll choose Fang Zilan."
"Is it because she mentioned the name of the Xiahou family?" Xiahou Zhang asked cautiously, but Li Shengxuan did not answer.
Just when Xiahou Zhang thought that Li Shengxuan would not answer him for a long time, he heard Li Shengxuan's voice, "Xiahou Yunzhao is no longer the head of the Xiahou family."
"Even if Xiahou Yunzhao is no longer the head of the Xiahou family, he is still irreplaceable to His Majesty, isn't he?"
Hearing the sound, Li Shengxuan and Xia Houzhang looked at the door at the same time, and saw a cyan figure standing at the door of the imperial study, with an unknown smile on the corners of his lips, and his eyes were as clear as water as usual. It was Zhuge Yu. .
"Second Young Master Zhuge, I don't remember when I summoned you." Li Shengxuan looked solemn, and Zhuge Yu walked in and bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty did not summon you, but the master of the family gave me this."
Zhuge Yu said as he held out a token with both hands. Li Shengxuan reached out to take the token and said coldly: "I gave you the tokens of the nine great princes. As expected, you are the future head of the Zhuge family."
"That day when I went to Prince Xiang's Mansion to announce the decree, His Majesty had already noticed it, didn't he?" Zhuge Yu still curled his lips, but Li Shengxuan's expression did not change at all. He returned the token to Zhuge Yu with a calm face, "Even if If you are hiding at the door and eavesdropping, I will not forgive you lightly."
"Zhuge Yu accepts the punishment, but I still ask your Majesty to clarify his doubts." Zhuge Yu said and smiled, "Why on earth should Fang Zilan be appointed as the commander-in-chief and let her quell the chaos in the north?"
"Fang Zilan has extraordinary skills, and that alone is enough." Li Shengxuan replied lightly, but Zhuge Yu shook his head, "Extraordinary skills and leading troops in battle are two different things. Your Majesty will have been on the battlefield for many years."
Li Shengxuan looked a little colder, "You have no words to say, I have already issued an order."
"Since Your Majesty refuses to say it, why don't you let me say it for Your Majesty." Zhuge Yu looked at the emperor in front of him steadily and took a deep breath. The appearance of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers is exactly the same as that of Xiahou Yunzhao back then, so His Majesty was shaken, right?"
"Zhuge Yu, you are indeed extremely intelligent, but the heart of an emperor is far from as simple as you think." Li Shengxuan looked at the person in front of him leisurely, "To me, Xiahou Yunzhao and Fang Zilan are just chess pieces. . If it can be used by me, it must be in my hands. But if it cannot be used, the chess piece will naturally be discarded. "
