"They are still poor, and they still live a life without a meal. In addition to fighting, most of the men in the family have to go to the battlefield. When will this kind of life end? The Ai family advocates marriage because they want to give them a The opportunity to recuperate, even if the Xiqiang people come again in a few years, the challenge is to at least allow the people to live in peace for a few years, what's wrong with that?" the Queen Mother said.
How could the Queen Mother be so stupid after being in power for eight years? It's just that in the past few years, she has been in control of the whole court, and she has always said the same thing. As time goes by, she naturally relaxes.
It has never happened in the past few years that so many people have opposed her like today.
The last time everyone joined forces to oppose her was eight years ago.
The opposition of the ministers not only made the Queen Mother sober up a lot, but also broke into a cold sweat, and a sense of crisis arose spontaneously.
It turned out that she did not have complete control over the entire court. Once she encountered something that the ministers felt was inappropriate, she would still speak out against it.
She still has a way to go before she wants to be a queen mother who speaks her mind.
The Queen Mother was not discouraged, but instead aroused her fighting spirit.
As soon as she said this, some of the courtiers who had previously opposed it began to waver.
Everyone was whispering to each other and talking in low voices.
Not only did the Queen Mother not stop him, but she breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as these people don't blindly oppose her, it proves that the decision she made today is correct.
There are pros and cons to getting married. If the pros outweigh the cons, even if it is something unprecedented, she can do it.
These courtiers always used the rules of Emperor Taizu and the rules of the previous emperors of the Zhou Dynasty.
But she is the one in charge now, not those old antiques who have long since been buried.
What's the use of following the old ways?
She just wants to change the old rules set in the past.
In the tea room next door, Meng Shu and Princess Jiahe looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
It turns out that the Queen Mother is quite powerful, no wonder she has been able to suppress the courtiers all these years.
However, Meng Shu did not agree with what she said.
Is it possible for a princess to exchange for five years of peaceful life?
Just hold on for two years!
If the Zhou Dynasty married a princess and went to the Western Qiang Kingdom, it would mean being soft and bowing to the Western Qiang Kingdom.
Based on Meng Shu's understanding of the Western Qiang people, they would only go south unscrupulously and invade the Zhou Dynasty.
Even if a princess can buy two years of peaceful life, what about two years later?
It will only lead to a more violent invasion by the Xiqiang people.
In the eyes of the Xiqiang people, Da Zhou, who had already bent his back, was just a piece of fat!
As for the people and soldiers on the border, the result of two years of rest and recuperation was a decline in combat effectiveness.
The peaceful days will make them lose their blood and determination to fight to the death with the Xiqiang people. By then, not only will there be a large number of deserters, but also the common people will flee Guiyun City and Qingzhou, and the entire dynasty will also Hence the chaos.
The border defenses will collapse, and the Xiqiang people will enter the hinterland of the Zhou Dynasty, burning, killing and looting...
Thinking about this, Meng Shu felt frightened.
The current Guiyun City and the current northwest army have their own beliefs in their hearts, and they have the courage and determination to dare to fight.
Defending the country and protecting the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty behind them is the obsession of the Northwest Army.
Once they get married, this belief will slowly collapse.
It will be difficult to reunite again in the future.
"Empress Dowager, do you really think that by marrying a princess and giving her gold, silver, jewelry, silk brocade... you can get five years of peace? Let alone five years, I'm afraid that in one or two years at most, the Xiqiang people will come again. "Okay, do you believe what these barbarians say? Could it be that the Queen Mother has forgotten the bloody lesson of the previous dynasty?" Lu Guangren, the imperial censor, said loudly.
"The previous dynasty married several princesses to the Western Qiang Kingdom and rewarded them with countless gold, silver and jewels. But what happened? During the more than 20 years since the last king was in power, the Western Qiang people massacred the city twice and completely destroyed Guiyun City. , even drove straight into the capital, and almost hit the capital. Because of this, the previous dynasty was severely damaged and unable to resist the wars around it. It acquiesced to the strong mercenaries from all over the country to respect themselves and resist foreign enemies. This gave our Emperor Taizu the opportunity to rule the world. "
"If the Queen Mother insists on letting the princess go and get married today, she will put our great Zhou Dynasty in the flames of war. I am afraid that the country's foundation built by our ancestors' bloody battles will also be destroyed. I ask the Queen Mother to take back her fate."
"Lu Guangren, you old man, don't slander the Queen Mother. She is dedicated to the people, but you are slandering others. What is your motive?" Xie Qianping, the Queen Mother's brother, did not dare to continue watching the show and quickly scolded her.
"You are a commoner and a treacherous traitor who helps the tyrants to persecute the emperor. You have no right to roar here." Lu Guangren retorted directly, then knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Your Majesty, please say something. I know that since ancient times, filial piety has been Da Da Tian, but you are the king of a country. You have become a filial son by indulging the Queen Mother. Who can the people rely on? If the marriage leads to continuous war and damages the foundation of the Zhou Dynasty, what will happen to you in the future? To meet the ancestors?”
"Well, Lu Guangren, you not only committed the crime below and slandered the Ai family, but you also dared to instigate the emperor and the Ai family against each other, bringing trouble to the country. Such a sycophant should be punished for his crime." The Queen Mother shouted loudly with a pale face.
"Since I dared to remonstrate with you today, I have no intention of returning alive. The Empress Dowager ignored the general ethics and took advantage of the emperor's illness to control the government and exclude dissidents. She refused to return to the emperor and ignored the civil and military dissuasion of the entire dynasty. She married the princess and went to the West. The Qiang country's marriage blatantly violates the ancestral system established by the great ancestor. As a censor, if I don't dissuade you, it will be dereliction of duty. If the empress thinks that I deserve to die, then I will issue an edict to give him death!"
Lu Guangren said and laughed heartily: "As a censor, the old minister died for admonishing the Queen Mother. There should be a mention of the old minister in the history books. The old minister died well."
After Lu Guangren finished speaking, he fell to the ground and said, "I beg the Emperor and the Queen Mother to grant this old minister a death."
"Lu Guangren, aren't you afraid that the Ai family will issue an order to kill all nine of your clans?" the Queen Mother shouted sternly.
"Your Majesty, you won't!" Lu Guangren raised his head and said with a smile: "In the past dynasties, there has never been a royal official who has not spoken out to dissuade the nine clans. The old minister is loyal and dedicated to the country. If the Queen insists on doing this, then the old minister can only thank you. "
The queen mother trembled all over when she heard this.
This old man was simply challenging her authority and her bottom line.
Since she has been in power for eight years, Lu Guangren, an old man, has warned her once a year to return power to the emperor.
The Queen Mother disliked him extremely, but he was the leader of the public officials, and it was his duty to advise those in power.
In addition, this old man was very good at winning people's hearts. Although he made many enemies in the court, he also helped many ministers because of his outspokenness, and there were many people who turned against him.
