Volume 6: Demons Rise from the East Sea Chapter 396 Combing Hair
The cabinet meeting ended earlier than everyone expected, giving them the impression that the Queen Mother had already made all the overall arrangements, and the so-called cabinet meeting was just a formality.
From today on, Daxuan will mobilize all the troops along the coast and prepare to pacify the entire East China Sea.
After the meeting, the Queen Mother returned to Wanfu Palace.
In a certain bedroom, the voice of Lin Chaofeng, the former chief steward of the inner guards, was heard:
"Queen Mother, why have you changed your mind? Didn't we agree before that even if we don't kill Xu Zun, we have to lock him up in the inner guard prison?"
Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw two people standing behind Empress Dowager Lin. One was the Empress Dowager's younger brother Lin Chaofeng, and the other was the current Chief of the Internal Guards Cai Kun.
After hearing Lin Chaofeng's words, Cai Kun remained silent , but the expression on his face clearly showed his dissatisfaction with Lin Chaofeng's words.
"This Xu Zun is indeed smart, and his ability is beyond my expectation," said Queen Mother Lin, sitting in front of the dressing mirror, looking in the mirror, "Perhaps, he already knew who the real murderer of the prince was!
"Or maybe, he has already figured out my plan behind the Iron Coffin Case!"
"Yes," Lin Chaofeng urged, "It is precisely because he is too smart that we cannot keep such a person! He knows so many inside stories. Keeping him here will definitely bring disaster."
Hearing this, Cai Kun frowned and took a step forward, wanting to raise an objection, but at this time, the Queen Mother spoke.
"However..." The Queen Mother simply trimmed her sideburns and said, "He asked those twenty-two warriors to join the Divine Constable Department, so I have to reconsider my decision on how to deal with him."
"Hmm?" Lin Chaofeng was puzzled. "Divine Constable? Warrior? What does that mean? What does this have to do with anything?"
Cai Kun also looked confused and couldn't figure out what the relationship was between the two.
"Hehe..." The Queen Mother smiled slightly, "This Xu Zun is also a bit thoughtful. Think about it, if he is convicted and imprisoned in the Inner Guard Prison, what will those warriors who are about to join the Divine Capture Division think?"
"Oh?" Lin Chaofeng was stunned. After savoring it carefully, her eyes suddenly widened. "Xu Zun, are you trying to blackmail the Queen Mother with this? You are so bold!"
"He is smart, that's where his cleverness lies," Empress Dowager Lin turned around and said to Lin Chaofeng and Cai Kun, "If Xu Zun had asked those warriors to follow him instead of the Divine Constable, the effect would have been completely opposite!
"This kid must know that I have networked with many people in the underworld. If I punish him, it will definitely damage my reputation among the underworld.
"The reason why he invited those people to join the Divine Detective Division," Empress Dowager Lin said, "was moral coercion, but more importantly, he took the opportunity to show his loyalty to me.
"Tell me that he will not reveal any secrets and is willing to work for me."
"Oh..." Lin Chaofeng finally understood and nodded, "Xu Zun is so young, but he has such thoughts. It's really formidable for the young! In this respect, he is much better than his stubborn father!"
"Chao Feng, please be mindful of your status when you speak," Empress Dowager Lin said angrily, "Xu Siqing has a very stubborn temper, but he is exactly the talent that my Great Xuan needs the most!
"If everyone is good at dealing with people, how can I feel at ease?"
"Yes!" Lin Chaofeng quickly followed the instructions.
"Queen Dowager," Cai Kun finally found an opportunity and spoke, "In this case, why don't you let Xu Zun continue to serve as the Grand Xuan Judge to share your worries and have an extra think tank? Why do you want to remove him from his position?"
"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind," said Queen Mother Lin. "If I don't punish him for this, the outside world will think that I don't care about the death of the prince, and it won't be a good thing for Xu Zun himself."
oh……
Cai Kun took a deep breath. It was still the Queen Mother who was the most politically sensitive.
Indeed, if Xu Zunjing did not receive any punishment for this incident, he would inevitably become the target of attack by the royalists.
Removing him from his official position is not a bad thing.
"I only dismissed Xu Zun from his official position," the Queen Mother continued, "but I did not take back the Lily Order, the guards, his property, and his rewards. So..."
At this point, the Queen Mother stared at Cai Kun and asked, "Do you know what to do?"
"I understand!" Cai Kun bowed and accepted the order. "Please rest assured, Queen Mother. I will send someone to keep a close eye on him!"
"Remember," the Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction and warned, "I rely on my understanding to employ people. Don't reveal any information to him. Just keep a close eye on him and don't let him out of your sight!"
"yes!"
Cai Kun quickly accepted the order.
"All right," the Queen Mother said, "you two go down! Remember, you two are still in a state of separation, and you can't let anyone see any flaws."
"yes!"
Cai Kun and Lin Chaofeng agreed at the same time, and they looked at each other with extremely complicated expressions.
Cai Kun and Lin Chaofeng had just left when a eunuch came to report that Princess Ronghua was asking for a meeting outside the palace.
The Queen Mother nodded, and soon she saw her daughter, Princess Ronghua, hurried into the bedroom.
"Mother..." Princess Ronghua was a little hurried. After paying her respects to the Queen Mother, she immediately asked, "Mother, why did you ask me to come here? What do you want me to do?"
"Ronghua," Empress Dowager Lin smiled and said gently, "Come, help me comb my hair! I find that I can never comb my sideburns properly."
"Ah?" Rong Hua was slightly stunned at first, then he quickly stepped forward and lowered his head to check, "Really? Let me see..."
The Queen Mother turned around and looked into the bronze mirror again.
Ronghua stood behind the Queen Mother to check and indeed saw that her temples were messy, so she picked up the comb and began to comb her hair.
The empress dowager wore a phoenix coronet and a red hairpin on her head, so combing her hair was naturally not an easy task, and Ronghua needed to handle it with extra care.
"Rong Hua!" Seeing Rong Hua combing her hair, the smile on Queen Mother Lin's face gradually disappeared. She said faintly, "The assassin who killed the prince was one of yours, right?"
Swish…
Rong Hua's hand holding the comb suddenly stopped in mid-air, and then began to shake violently.
"Mother," Rong Hua finally realized that the situation was not good. His face turned pale, but he said calmly, "What did you say? Why don't I understand?"
"The killer is called Yu Lao," the Queen Mother said calmly, "He is from Fengxiang County, Chuzhou, and his father Yu Yuan is the last disciple of Blood Evil Palm Mao Jifang.
"Yu Yuan went astray in his practice and before he died, he entrusted the feather brand to Mao Jifang, hoping that Mao Jifang would accept the feather brand as his disciple.
"But Mao Jifang was a strange person and never accepted female disciples. So Yu Lao took a kind of evil medicine that turned her body into a neutral one, and Mao Jifang was willing to accept her as a disciple.
“This person is extremely talented. He has already mastered martial arts at a young age, so he left his master.
"Two years ago, you used a secret elixir that could restore her daughter's body in exchange for her to be your subordinate and use her for your own purposes..."
The Queen Mother's words were like knives, and every word stabbed Princess Ronghua's sore spot.
She was trembling all over and her mind went blank. How could she still have the heart to comb the empress dowager's hair?
"Ronghua!" The Queen Mother sighed and said earnestly, "You imitate me in everything, but you learn everything wrong.
"The way to scheme lies in the means, but the way to employ people is to be trustworthy!
“Just like when I recruited those people from the underworld, if I don’t keep my word, who would be willing to work for me just for the sake of profit?
"You've gone astray!" The Queen Mother looked at her daughter in the bronze mirror and said disappointedly, "Take Shen Tiande as an example.
"On the one hand, you let Shen Qian work for you, but on the other hand, you want her to force her father to death, and even use her family to threaten her.
"Using people like this, do you still expect her to be loyal to you?"
"I...I..." Princess Ronghua was already speechless.
"Although political schemes depend on means, they must also be done in moderation!" The Queen Mother shook her head and sighed, and said with regret, "Li Xun is not only my Daxuan's only bloodline, but also your nephew. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. How could you be so cruel and kill him?
"How can you be so heartless and ungrateful? How can you face your ancestors?!"
