The Grand Preceptor was the head of the Three Dukes and the leader of the civil officials. It was clear that his words had already begun to affect the Holy Emperor. Although it was just 'We understand' and did not express his stance, this was a massive change and favor compared to the previous struggles of the court.
"Not good!"
The generals in the hall felt their hearts sink. With the weight of the Grand Preceptor, the Holy Emperor was clearly beginning to lean toward the civil officials. The situation at Talas was urgent, and several urgent letters requesting reinforcements had already arrived. If they could not pass the resolution and send troops to Talas, Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi were almost certain to lose.
These were two Imperial Protector-Generals!
Up in the hall, the Sage Emperor was just about to make his decision when a light breeze blew in. At the same time, a voice could be heard in the ears of everyone present. "You're the Sage Emperor, you're the Sage Emperor.
"Your Majesty, this old subject has something to say!"
As these words were spoken, a warm energy, like the warm sun bathing the earth, appeared in everyone's perception. In a flash of light, an elderly figure dressed in a white robe and dressed in white robes stepped over the threshold and slowly walked in. Wahhh!
The sight of this figure caused the hall to fall into an uproar.
"Duke … Duke Jiu!"
It was unknown who cried out, but in that instant, all the generals erupted, and the many civil officials were stunned. Even in the great hall, Grandmaster who was just about to turn around and sit down, his entire body shook, his heart abruptly sinking.
Duke Jiu of the Tang Dynasty!
A virtuous minister of the golden age!
The most respected and virtuous existence in the entire Tang Dynasty. Even though he had abdicated decades ago and lived in seclusion in the Four Quarters Embassy, he still possessed enormous influence and prestige in society. In this aspect, not even the Grand Preceptor could compare to him.
And the name 'Duke Jiu' was enough to represent everything.
"Father!"
Wang Gen stood in the hall, his heart trembling. He had not expected his father to appear at a time like this. Just as he was about to go over, Duke Jiu shot him a glance, causing him to stop in his tracks.
"Grand Preceptor, long time no see!"
Wang Jiu Ling leaned on his walking stick and smiled as he looked at the palace. He then stepped forward.
"Duke Jiu!"
"Duke Jiu!"
"Duke Jiu!"
…
Seeing this old man, all of the officials in the hall, regardless of whether they were of the civil path or the martial path, respectfully lowered their heads and retreated to the sides, opening a path for Duke Jiu. Even an existence like Grand Scribe Yan Wenzhang had a serious expression on his face. He respectfully bowed and retreated to the side.
As one of the founders of the flourishing Tang dynasty, Duke Jiu's influence in the imperial court was unimaginable. Many of the ministers in the imperial court had grown up listening to Duke Jiu's legends.
Clack! Clack!
Duke Jiu held a white wooden walking stick in his hand as he slowly walked into the hall. The clear sound of his walking echoed throughout the hall.
"Jiuling greets Your Majesty!"
After walking several dozen feet, Duke Jiu suddenly stopped and bowed slightly. He faced the figure behind the bead curtain at the top of the hall and respectfully bowed.
"You've come as well."
A voice came from the top of the hall. The voice was still lofty and majestic, but it carried a hint of gentleness.
The Holy Emperor and Duke Jiu, one monarch and one minister, the monarch benevolent and the minister respectful, brought out the best in each other. Together, they had founded the Tang dynasty for thirty years, an unprecedented flourishing era that had become a legend of the Tang dynasty. Although Duke Jiu had already resigned from his post and retired for several decades, he still carried an extraordinary weight in the hearts of the imperial court and the Holy Emperor.
On the other side, the Grand Preceptor's heart sank. Although Duke Jiu and the Holy Emperor had only exchanged a few simple words, the friendship between the monarch and the minister made the Grand Preceptor's eyelids twitch.
"Jiuling, have you come for your grandson?"
The Grand Preceptor got straight to the point, his eyes extremely sharp.
"Yes and no."
Duke Jiu smiled and said calmly.
"According to the laws of the Tang dynasty, all related personnel, including relatives, are to be excused during court discussions. Jiuling shouldn't be unaware of this. "
Of all the civil and military officials in the court, only the Grand Preceptor, the leader of the civil officials, could directly address Duke Jiuling as' Jiuling '. The two were both old officials of two dynasties, and they were also over seventy years old.
"Outwardly we do not avoid enmity, inwardly we do not avoid family."
Duke Jiu smiled faintly.
"However, Wang Chong is your grandson!"
The Grand Preceptor's eyes were sharp as he stared at Duke Jiu.
"Haha, Zhongmi is still the same as before. She hasn't changed at all."
Duke Jiu smiled faintly, dispelling the Grand Preceptor's attack like a spring breeze. The Grand Preceptor was a person of virtue and prestige. Even old and important officials like Jiang Yunrang and Yan Wenzhang, and even imperial princes like The King of Song and King Qi, had to be respectful to the Grand Preceptor. There was probably no one other than Duke Jiu who could call the Grand Preceptor in front of all the civil and military officials of the court.
"Although the matter of Talas arose because of my mischievous grandson, it involved the very foundation of 'war' and 'peace' in the Imperial Court. Thus, even though Wang Chong is my grandson, he does not need to avoid it."
Duke Jiu stretched out his cane and continued forward.
In the royal court, everyone's gaze was focused on Duke Jiu. Duke Jiu walked very slowly but steadily. Looking at his figure, everyone felt a strange sense of harmony in their hearts. It was as if the spring rain was nourishing everything, silently merging with the entire world.
The Grand Preceptor's face was ashen. This was no ordinary court dispute, but one that involved the very foundation of the struggle between civil and military officials. At a time like this, the person he least wished to see was Wang Jiuling.
"Jiuling also heard the Grand Preceptor's words just now. This time, Jiuling made an exception and left Four Quarters Embassy to step into the Imperial Court to say one thing: 'Seek peace through war and peace will exist, but seek peace through peace and peace will perish.' Thus, when this old subject was Prime Minister, when the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates invaded the border, even though we could have chosen to negotiate peace, this old subject still led the army to the Turkic steppe and routed the Turks. It was precisely because of this war that ten-some years of peace were won, and the Turks no longer dared to invade the border.
"The Arabs have never had any dealings with the empire. If we seek peace before a battle, the Arabs will become complacent and underestimate the Tang Dynasty, leading to endless wars. Thus, for the sake of the long-term stability of the Tang Dynasty and for the sake of the people of the world, this old subject believes that it is best to reinforce Talas as quickly as possible."
After saying that, Duke Jiu straightened his back, flicked his sleeves, and bowed respectfully.
The hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Duke Jiu was a virtuous and renowned minister of the Tang Dynasty, the creator of a golden age. For someone of his status to speak these words was truly powerful and carried an extraordinary weight. This was not just his view on the Talas incident, but also his experience in governance that he had developed over his decades as Prime Minister. This was something that no one could deny.
To deny Duke Jiu was to deny the golden age of the Tang Dynasty and its current peace.
For a time, the entire hall was deathly silent while everyone revealed expressions of contemplation. Even Yan Wenzhang, Zheng Chengli, Zhou Taiqin, and the others were silent and seemed to be lost in thought.
"Wonderful."
Beneath the pillar, The King of Song gave a long sigh of relief. Not even he had expected Duke Jiu to leave Four Quarters Embassy and arrive at a time like this. The Grand Preceptor was an old minister of two emperors and possessed an extremely high status. Not even he, an Imperial Prince, had the right to speak to the Grand Preceptor. If not for Duke Jiu, the matter at Talas would have been settled and the army would have been withdrawn.
The Tang Dynasty's operations in the Western Regions would have been completely destroyed. The alliance between Arabia, Ouzan, and the Western Turks would have been for naught, and all their previous efforts would have been for naught, bringing endless disasters.
"Damn old thing, you ruined my plans!"
At this moment, no one was more furious than King Qi. He gnashed his teeth, his expression incomparably resentful. He had originally believed that by borrowing the strength of the civil officials, he could completely suppress The King of Song and the Wang Clan. He had not expected that a single Duke Jiu would immediately cause his plans to fail. The Grand Preceptor Zhan Zhongmi had a nasty grimace on his face.
"Jiuling, don't forget that you are a civil official!!"
Zhan Zhongmi could not help but warn.
In the most serious conflict between civil and military in the history of the Tang Dynasty, the final twist had come not from the martial path, but from the civil path. Zhan Zhongmi had never imagined that this would happen.
"Haha, after so many years, Zhongmi was like this when I was with Teacher. Why do you still not understand? Why do you still cling rigidly to the difference between civil and military? In Jiuling's heart, there is no distinction between civil and military, only the family and the country. Everything is for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, the country, and the people. In Talas, only by seeking war can peace be achieved, and if peace is sought, only war will ensue. This is also why Jiuling supports the northwest! "
Duke Jiu's voice was powerful and resonant, his expression slowly turning solemn.
'When one raises one's affairs, one does not avoid one's enemies, and when one raises one's affairs, one does not avoid one's relatives. In one's heart, there was no distinction between civil and military, and everything was for the sake of one's country. This was Duke Jiu!
This was easy to say, but how many people could actually do it?
"Buzz!"
Duke Jiu's words caused the entire Imperial Court to buzz. The officials glanced at each other and began to chatter. They only knew that Duke Jiu and the Grand Preceptor both belonged to the civil path, but from Duke Jiu's words, it seemed like the two had once been classmates. This relationship left them all flabbergasted.
"Your Majesty, this old subject objects! Although the country is vast, warmongering is sure to perish! The Tang Dynasty has spent an enormous amount of the nation's funds on successive wars. It is inadvisable to start another border war with Arabia! "
The Grand Preceptor sternly said.
"Your Majesty, this subject agrees with the Grand Preceptor!"
At this moment, a resounding voice rang out. Next to the coiling dragon pillar, King Qi's face chilled as he stepped forward and loudly agreed. Duke Jiu's words carried far too much weight in the Imperial Court. King Qi was worried that if he did not speak now, he would not have another chance.
"This subject agrees!"
"This subject agrees!"
"This subject agrees!"
… …
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