When Concubine Duan's sedan was carried out of the palace, Cao Jiasheng's wife, Cao Liushi, was waiting outside the palace gate.
"Mother, my uncle's wife is in front!"
"Get off the sedan!"
The terrain here is relatively wide, there are almost no people around, and it is very safe to talk here.
The sedan came down, Concubine Duan had stepped out of the sedan and walked slowly towards Cao Liu.
Lingsu wanted to follow her and serve her, but Concubine Duan refused.
"Empress!"
Mrs. Cao Liu was about to salute, but Concubine Duan stopped her. She only heard her say: "You have also suffered in these years!"
"It's hard work", this was the first time Concubine Duan said this, so that Cao Liu was stunned on the spot.
Then Mrs. Cao Liu replied: "Mother, there is nothing hard to do. We are all a family!"
Concubine Duan nodded and said slowly: "If you have anything to say, just say it quickly. I don't know how many people inside and outside the palace are staring at me!"
"Empress, Liu De is back!"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Duan became excited.
Then he asked: "How is my son doing?"
Cao Liu replied: "Liu De said that His Highness is doing well and is about to regain Longyou!"
In fact, when Liu De left, Zhao Yanxun had just decided to start using troops.
But Liu De had absolute confidence in Zhao Yanxun, so he directly said that Zhao Yanxun would regain Longyou.
A smile suddenly appeared on Concubine Duan's face, and just then the gloom in her heart was swept away.
How could she not be happy when she had such a promising son?
"You see, we have not lost. Life may be difficult now, but in the future... there will be a day when we can feel proud and proud!"
Seeing Concubine Duan's energetic appearance, Mrs. Cao Liu admired this sister-in-law, she was really capable of doing things.
Ms. Cao Liu had no idea what to do about it. She actually just wanted to live a peaceful life and didn't want to bother with it anymore.
But as Cao Jiasheng said, they are highly tied to Concubine Duan, and they can't just retreat.
"Empress, Liu De also brought some letters to you!"
After saying that, Ms. Cao Liu took out a small cloth bag from her arms. This thing did not take up much space and was very concealed.
Concubine Duan's eyes lit up when she heard that there was a letter from her son.
After wrapping up the cloth, Concubine Duan said repeatedly: "Okay... okay!"
"Jia Sheng asked me to tell my empress that she must take care of herself when she goes to Changshou Zhai!"
This was a brother's concern for his sister, which made Concubine Duan feel warm in her heart.
"I understand, you should also take care!"
Seeing Mrs. Cao Liu hesitate to speak, Concubine Duan couldn't help but ask: "What else is there?"
"Empress, I don't understand..."
"What don't you understand?"
"What I don't understand is why the empress wants to fast for a long time!"
Now that the words had been spoken, Mrs. Cao Liu immediately said: "Your Majesty can succeed to the throne because of your great efforts. Even if you don't respect your Majesty as the Empress Dowager, you should let your Majesty live your life in the palace!"
"As long as the empress opens her mouth and asks the emperor for preferential treatment, the emperor will definitely agree!"
Hearing these words, Concubine Duan was unmoved.
Immediately, Concubine Duan showed a smile and said: "You, if you can't see the situation in the DPRK, don't teach me how to do things!"
"Go back and tell your brother so that he can prepare for a hard life!"
Concubine Duan said it very generally, but Cao Liu still couldn't understand it.
"Your Majesty, I still don't understand!" Mrs. Cao Liu answered simply.
Concubine Duan sighed: "How can the situation in the DPRK be explained clearly in a few words? Even the emperor does not know everything!"
After more than ten years of fighting for the right to inherit the throne, Concubine Duan accumulated rich experience in political struggle.
She could foresee that after the death of Emperor Tai'an, there would inevitably be a struggle in the court, and the winner would have to liquidate the loser.
It is actually difficult to say clearly who is the loser, after all, the situation is still unclear at the moment.
But one thing can be understood, the officials of Duan Fei's line can all be classified as losers.
After fighting against the princelings for more than ten years, Concubine Duan built her own power, but she also attracted more enemies.
Now that the old emperor is dead, it is impossible for the new emperor to suppress these people. It is almost inevitable to liquidate those in Duan Fei's line.
Therefore, for Concubine Duan, staying in the palace was like setting up a target for others to attack.
Emperor Tai'an also saw this, so he made such arrangements for Concubine Duan, which shows his love for his beloved concubine.
Leaving the palace to become a monk was equivalent to banishing Concubine Duan. Those who opposed her could no longer be aggressive. After all, there were other things worth fighting for.
In fact, liquidating the people of Concubine Duan and his family is not considered a major event in the court.
The most intense battles were over the national policies of the imperial court, the authority of cabinet ministers, and the appointment and dismissal of ministries and departments.
The two were speechless for a while, but Concubine Duan finally broke the silence and said: "From now on, someone will definitely be watching me. Don't come looking for me. If anything happens, I will send someone over!"
"There is something I need to let the Queen know. The people sent back by His Highness have arranged for ten people to stay in the mausoleum to ensure that the Queen is safe!" Cao Liu almost forgot about this matter.
Every imperial tomb has guards, and Zhao Yongcheng's is no exception, with about three hundred people.
Concubine Duan's expression changed and she asked, "Can it be done secretly?"
"Don't worry, Madam, we didn't take action, they were selected by themselves!"
Concubine Duan felt at ease in this way. With someone she trusted to protect her, her safety was improved to a higher level.
"Okay, it's time for me to get on my way, you go back!"
"yes!"
…………
Concubine Duan's guess was correct, there was indeed a storm coming in the court.
The cause of this storm was just a memorial from the county magistrate.
The content of the memorial is very simple, asking the court to reduce taxes.
Logically speaking, such a trivial matter would not be presented to Zhao Weilong.
But now it has happened, and the main ministers have different opinions on this, so there is an article in it.
In Qian'an Palace, Zhao Weilong sat behind the imperial desk and looked at the dozen ministers below.
The three cabinet ministers in front stood with their eyes, nose, and heart in mind.
At this moment, an official was heard to say: "Your Majesty, I think... we should agree to the request of the Magistrate of Changping County to reduce or reduce the taxes of the people under his rule. The people are suffering from the drought!"
The person who spoke was Luo Wenqi, the Minister of Rites.
But just after he finished speaking, Wang Cunzhang, the Minister of War, stood up and severely rebuked Luo Wenqi: "Master Luo, the people in Changping are suffering, but the people in other places are not suffering? Does the imperial court have to reduce taxes?"
Seeing that Luo Wenqi was about to refute, Wang Cunzhang continued to accuse: "If this is really the case, will the court still be running? How will the food and wages of the soldiers at the front be provided? Do you, Mr. Luo, go to the front to resist the monsters?"
Luo Wenqi was speechless and had nothing to say. He saw Yang Wenlin, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, walking out of the train, bowing and saying: "Your Majesty, it is not easy for the people to survive. Please show love to the people and live a healthy life with the people!"
Then someone retorted: "Your Majesty, in these extraordinary times, we must not harm the overall situation by benevolence!"
Next, the officials spoke more and more, and finally they started to quarrel, and the hall became extremely noisy.
"Quiet, quiet!"
The scolding of the great eunuch Chen Changhe gradually made the palace feel safer.
The ministers were noisy in the court, and Zhao Weilong was very angry because of such disrespect.
But he still had to endure it, and there was no trace of anger on his face.
"Pavilion elders, what do you think should be done?"
The three of them didn't speak, which made Zhao Weilong even more angry.
So Zhao Weilong could only name him and said, "Mr. Wang Ge, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, I think... what the Minister of War, the Minister of War, said is reasonable. In these extraordinary times, state affairs must be given top priority!"
Generally speaking, Wang Tinghe will not express his position clearly on some matters.
Once this happens, it means that the struggle has reached a fierce stage, and he must stand up and speak out, serving as a banner to rally followers.
Wang Tinghe had just finished his answer, and before Zhao Weilong could continue to call his name, he heard Xie Xiaofang say: "Mr. Wang Ge, the court has imposed heavy taxes in recent years, and the people have been miserable. What if we force people to rebel?"
Seeing this situation, Zhao Weilong thought to himself: "The war between the North and the South seems inevitable!"
When the north fell, officials from the northern department took the lead in fighting, while the southern department had little interest in the war.
The officials and gentry of the Southern Department either wanted to persuade the court to move the capital, or they planned to divide the river to rule. Asking for tax reductions and exemptions was the lowest trick.
