diskusbooks Chapter 189 Why didn't you want to sit in that seat?
Chapter 189 Why didn't you want to sit in that seat?
Inside the inn
Zheng Luoqi and Pei Wenzhao sat facing each other, and Pei Wenzhao spoke first.
"May I ask who you are, sir?"
“My surname is Zheng, you can also call me Lord Zheng,” Zheng Luoqi replied.
Upon hearing this, Pei Wenzhao was taken aback, as if he remembered some things Pei Wenyu had told him before he came to the capital. Then he bowed to Zheng Luoqi.
"Thank you for your help today, sir," Pei Wenzhao said.
"It's alright. Speaking of which, your brother and I are old acquaintances. There's no need to worry about such a small matter!" Zheng Luoqi waved for Pei Wenzhao to sit down.
Pei Wenzhao nodded, indicating that he knew his elder brother and the person in front of him were old acquaintances, but his elder brother warned him to be careful of the person in front of him.
At this moment, Pei Wenzhao didn't know what to say. He felt extremely uncomfortable and looked around. The entire private room seemed to be shrouded in an invisible atmosphere of awkwardness.
After a long silence, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Indeed... I have heard my elder brother mention you, sir."
"Oh? I wonder what your brother thinks of me?" Zheng Luoqi seemed intrigued, a smile playing on his lips as he asked with a hint of mockery.
Pei Wenzhao was speechless. He knew that his elder brother had never said a good word about this person. Before Pei Wenzhao came to the capital, Pei Wenyu had told him and his sister to stay as far away from Zheng Luoqi as possible.
Seeing Pei Wenzhao suddenly fall silent, looking so embarrassed, Zheng Luoqi couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Judging from this, it probably wasn't anything nice! Well, well, I have important matters to attend to, so I won't chat with Second Young Master Pei any longer!"
Before she could finish speaking, Zheng Luoqi had already stood up and turned to leave.
Pei Wenzhao watched Zheng Luoqi's departing figure, lost in thought...
Night falls
Inside the Prime Minister's Mansion
Looking at the message from the palace, Zheng Luoqi realized that Xue Huaiyu was beginning to wonder why he still had no children.
None of the imperial physicians dared to tell the truth. They simply told Xue Huaiyu that the emperor's health was compromised due to his busy official duties and that he needed rest before he could have children. Xue Huaiyu was temporarily intimidated by the physicians' words.
Zheng Luoqi pondered as she looked at the letter: If Xue Huaiyu had no children, it was hard to guarantee that some old foxes would not be tempted to make a move. If they knew that the Xue family was going to perish, it was not impossible that they would want to use this as an excuse to take this opportunity to purge the court of corrupt officials.
The Northern Rong are stirring up trouble. At this time, the court must not have any major problems. Xue Huaiyu must stabilize the situation for the time being. The court cannot afford any major upheavals at present.
Zheng Luoqi had considered usurping the throne; she and Zheng Yuxiang had discussed it. Given the current power of the Prime Minister's Mansion, they could easily force it.
Since the Wen family was wiped out, the power of the Prime Minister's Mansion has long been beyond the control of the imperial faction. Therefore, if the Prime Minister's Mansion wanted to, this moment would indeed be a good time to usurp the throne.
But the question is, who will ultimately sit on this throne? Zheng Yuxiang doesn't want to, and neither does Zheng Luoqi!
Why? Because Zheng Yuxiang's initial intention in passing the imperial examinations and entering the court was simply to seek justice for Zhong Shufang and the common people. It wasn't until later, when the late emperor had disillusioned him, that he chose to gradually seize power.
Zheng Yuxiang's original intention in taking power was to eliminate the Wen family. Now that everyone in the Wen family is gone, Zheng Yuxiang has achieved his goal.
However, the grudges accumulated over the years are considerable, and it is impossible to extricate oneself. Therefore, Zheng Yuxiang will still choose to stay in the court and continue to serve as the prime minister, who is second only to the emperor. As long as the emperor remains a puppet, the prime minister's residence will remain peaceful.
Zheng Luoqi also asked Zheng Yuxiang, "Father, do you really not have even the slightest interest in that position?"
Zheng Yuxiang answered without hesitation: "Yes! Of course there is! How could there not be? Once you have had power and experienced the feeling of wielding it, no one can escape the temptation of power. Everyone will fall in love with power and yearn to ascend to that supreme position."
Zheng Luoqi couldn't help but feel puzzled and asked, "But Father, if that's the case, why are you unwilling to take that position?"
Zheng Yuxiang smiled slightly and explained, "It's not because I don't want to sit, but because of you!"
Hearing this, Zheng Luoqi was even more confused: "Me? What does this have to do with me?"
Zheng Yuxiang suddenly burst into laughter, and then said, "Hahahaha! That's right, part of the reason is you, but more so because your father is getting old! And since avenging your mother, I don't have many worries anymore."
“Now we’ll live one day at a time. Qi’er has grown up and become someone I’m proud of. To be honest, I don’t have many regrets anymore. My only regret is not being able to see you get married. I hope that when I meet Shufang in the future, she won’t scold me!” He looked deeply at Zheng Luoqi, his eyes filled with fatherly love and worry.
Zheng Yuxiang continued, "I have indeed considered this: if I ascend the throne and then die, who will inherit that position?"
“Your father is now approaching fifty years old, and you are my only child. Your father is over fifty years old, so he can no longer have children. Therefore, the only person who can inherit is you.”
Zheng Yuxiang's voice turned low and serious: "But if you were to inherit the throne, would you do so as a man or as a woman?"
"Women? Let's put aside the matter of ascending the throne for now. Just think about what will happen if your identity is exposed. Let your father analyze it for you!"
“If I were still alive, I could have protected you to some extent, but at the same time, my situation would have fallen into an unprecedented low. I have the power and status I have today through my own means and by gaining the support of those people.”
“They saw a path to promotion and wealth in me, and they knew that by following me, they could rise rapidly in rank and continue to live a stable life in the court. That’s why they were willing to work for me.”
"Today, I am able to achieve a position second only to the emperor, which is inseparable from the support of every official behind my prime minister's faction. It is because of them that the power behind my prime minister's office has been created. Just as a country cannot become strong by relying on one person alone, the same applies to my prime minister's office."
"In the eyes of outsiders, you are both my helper and my weakness. But because of your identity as a man, coupled with your behavior and style, you are able to suppress them and gain their trust! They know that they have no way to attack you."
"But once they discover you're not a man, once this identity is exposed, what do you think they'll do? What will those enemies of the Prime Minister's Mansion do? And what will those officials who support our Prime Minister's faction do after they feel they've been tricked?"