In the Taiji Hall, all the servants had retired at some point, leaving only the emperor and Zheng Shanguo.
The empty environment made Zheng Shanguo more and more uneasy.
When he came to his senses, he immediately fell to the ground.
"Your Majesty, Mrs. Zheng is guilty, please show mercy!"
At this time, he could not quibble. Because Zheng Dayong and Zheng Yuancong were both caught, his quibbles were useless.
"Be merciful?" Li Zhiyun said with a smile: "If you ask me to be merciful, who will be merciful to the people of Luozhou?"
The simple rhetorical question left Zheng Shanguo speechless.
"I deserve to die, I'm guilty, I shouldn't be obsessed with my own thoughts, I'm sorry for the late emperor, I'm sorry for Your Majesty, I'm sorry for the Tang Dynasty, I'm guilty..."
Bang bang bang!
Zheng Shanguo kowtowed frantically, making a loud banging sound.
Li Zhiyun stood up, walked down the imperial steps, and stood in front of Zheng Shanguo.
"That's enough."
Zheng Shanguo stopped and looked pitifully at the hem of the emperor's clothes.
"You kowtow to me, you might as well kowtow to the people who died in vain." Li Zhiyun's indifferent voice made Zheng Shanguo lower his head, extremely frightened.
Tick tock!
Blood fell from Zheng Shanguo's forehead and dripped on the smooth floor.
Li Zhiyun said: "The Zheng family soaked their corpses in millet and mixed them with the court's disaster relief food, causing the people to fall ill. A plague broke out in Luozhou, causing countless deaths and injuries. According to the law, how should I deal with the Zheng family?"
According to law, this kind of crime was enough for the court to kill the Zheng family.
Because what Zheng did was no longer a simple trivial matter, but an evil deed that devastated people. Its serious nature was comparable to rebellion.
What's even more frightening is that once the news about Zheng's creation of the plague spreads, the reputation of the famous Zheng family in Xingyang will be ruined!
This is what scares Zheng Shanguo the most.
"Please have mercy on your majesty, Mrs. Zheng is willing to listen to your majesty's arrangements, please have mercy on your majesty!" Zheng Shanguo fell to the ground, lying on the ground, begging the emperor.
He knew very well that if the emperor did not let the Zheng family go today, their hometown in Xingyang would be completely killed by the army tomorrow.
Li Zhiyun asked: "Why do you do this?"
"I...I am seeking the position of governor of Luozhou, so I did this evil thing." Zheng Shanguo still lay motionless.
"Who else is conspiring with you?" After asking, Li Zhiyun added, "You'd better tell the truth, otherwise..."
Zheng Shanguo's heart has completely sunk.
He knew that the emperor must know much more than this.
"And Pei Ju."
really!
Li Zhiyun narrowed his eyes and continued to ask: "Tell me everything about you!"
"Yes." Zheng Shanguo apologized to Pei Ju in his heart, and then said: "Pei Ju said that he would help Zheng win the position of governor of Luozhou. Even in the future, when I am transferred back to Chang'an from Luozhou governor, he will also give me
help.
In response, he asked his ministers to support Pei Shiqing in becoming prime minister."
So brave!
What a good old fox.
Knowing that he was going to die, in order to maintain the Pei family's status in the court, he actually dared to plan for the position of prime minister.
Still in this way.
Pei Ju, you are so brave!
Li Zhiyun's face was ashen and he wanted to kill Pei Ju.
"If there is anything else, tell me everything!"
"yes."
After a stick of incense, Zheng Shanguo told the emperor everything he knew.
After listening, Li Zhiyun fell into deep thought.
The most direct way for him now is to announce the truth and then kill Pei Ju and Xingyang Zheng family.
In this way, he can instantly eliminate the leaders of the two aristocratic families.
But the problem is that if the Pei family of Wenxi and the Zheng family of Xingyang are ignored, the power of the DPRK and China to fight against the Guanlong family will be greatly weakened.
This is not a good thing.
Do you want to endure it?
The fists were squeezed so hard that Li Zhiyun didn't want to bear it.
But for the sake of the overall situation, he had to endure it even if he couldn't bear it. Otherwise, if Pei Ju is removed now, the power of the Guanlong people will inevitably increase and overwhelm the already weak Shandong family.
If the balance is lost, he will have to think of ways to target the Guanlong people and introduce other forces to balance the situation.
For now, the power of Shandong aristocratic families is very scattered. For example, Liang Cui and Lu family have not completely turned to themselves.
Perhaps, this is a good opportunity to take advantage of the Zheng family in Xingyang.
"This time, you have failed the court and the people of Luozhou. I will give you one day to think about how to make up for it. Once you have thought about it, write a memorial to me."
After speaking, Li Zhiyun added: "Remember, don't reveal even a single sentence."
"Yes!" Zheng Shanguo agreed quickly.
As long as the emperor gives him a chance to atone for his sins, how dare he speak nonsense.
After driving away Zheng Shanguo, Li Zhiyun looked ugly.
He originally thought that he could deal with the aristocratic family forcefully by killing the Turks. But now he realized that he still couldn't do it. A single move could affect his whole body.
Through this incident, he was indeed able to wipe out the Zheng family in Xingyang in an honest and fair manner and ruin Pei Ju's reputation.
But what happens after that?
Without the Wenxi Pei family, the power to fight against the Guanlong people will inevitably weaken.
When the time comes, the people from Guanlong jump out and ask for a photo, what will happen?
When Pei Ji and Tang Jian left, Dugu Cheng from Guanlong was dancing the most happily. If he deals with Pei Ju this time, Dugu Cheng will definitely jump out to add fuel to the fire and prepare for his own entrance.
However, he must not let the Guanlong people enter the political hall!
The late emperor finally drove away the Guanlong people, how could he reverse the course of history?
balance!
However, Pei Ju cannot be let go easily this time.
In addition, the person who ousts Pei Ju and replaces him must also be carefully considered.
After Zheng Shanguo returned home, he found Zheng Yuanxuan and told him about his meeting with the emperor. After hearing this, Zheng Yuanxuan was stunned where he was at a loss.
After a long time, he asked: "How does your Majesty know this?"
"What's the use of pursuing this now?" Zheng Shanguo said with a depressed expression: "If we can't satisfy His Majesty, the Zheng family in Xingyang will be defeated by you and me. At that time, how can we face our ancestors?
"
"But, what should we do to satisfy His Majesty?" Zheng Yuanxuan lamented.
Zheng Shanguo thought about it carefully and said: "I have thought about it. For the sake of the Zheng family, let's give everything we have to the emperor. Give him food, money, silk, and land."
Zheng Yuanxuan whispered: "It's okay to have food and money. If it's gone, we can still accumulate it slowly. But if the fields are gone, how will we feed the people?"
"Stop talking, do you think I am willing?" Zheng Shanguo felt distressed and said helplessly: "The imperial court wants land to be distributed to the people. In the Central Plains, the Zheng family has the most land. If we don't give it, the emperor will think that we are not sincere.
Give it.
Who made us stupid? Believing in Pei Ju will lead to disaster."
"Okay." Zheng Yuanxuan agreed. In the face of the catastrophe of genocide, just give up these things if you can.
Immediately afterwards, he asked: "What about Yuan Cong?"
"Don't ask." Zheng Shanguo said: "There is a fate between life and death. If he dies, it can temporarily calm the emperor's anger and save the Zheng family. It is worth it. You have to know that once this matter is announced, the reputation of the Zheng family in Xingyang for hundreds of years will be ruined.
It will be destroyed in one day. This is more terrible than losing money, food and land."
Zheng Yuanxuan fell to the ground weakly.
"How did it become like this?"
Hearing this, Zheng Shanguo was ashamed.
"I shouldn't have listened to Pei Ju's words!"
The next day.
Zheng Shanguo sent a memorial to the emperor.
Soon after, the emperor issued an order to appoint Daiwei, the governor of Weizhou, as the pacification ambassador of Henan Province, and Zheng Shanguo as the deputy pacification envoy of Henan Province. They went to Luozhou to help Cen Wenwen relieve the victims and control the plague.
When the news spread, Pei Ju immediately came to Zheng Shanguo to ask the reason.
Zheng Shanguo naturally did not dare to tell the truth. He only said that when he met with the emperor, he did not answer some questions to the emperor's satisfaction, so he only got the position of deputy envoy.
In this regard, Pei Ju hated that iron could not become steel.