"That's true. I've heard of the Marquis of Zhongyong's heroic military exploits many times in the imperial court. He was a very remarkable man, but unfortunately, time didn't pass. "Qin Huaiyuan sighed, feeling very regretful.
Qin Yining also felt that it was a pity that the man had married such a wife, but in the end, she died in such a tragic way.
Qin Huaiyuan then asked Qin Yining, "Sister Yi, Father wants to ask you, do you know why the Marquis of Zhongyong's wife is targeting you?"
Qin Yining said, "She has a good relationship with Anyang Princess Royal, and Anyang Princess Royal hates me, so she also hates me."
Qin Huaiyuan nodded, "What else?"
Qin Yining thought for a moment, then said, "Based on her temperament, I think it's because she's always wanted to attract Pang Zhixi's attention, but failed, so she's unwilling to accept it."
"That's one of the reasons. What else? "
Qin Yining thought for a moment. Some ideas flashed through his mind, but he couldn't be sure.
Qin Huaiyuan said, "Your Majesty conquered Northern Ji with the financial support of the aristocratic families. However, after the war, when peace came, the aristocratic families clashed with the imperial power. The aristocratic families have deep roots, so Your Majesty doesn't dare to act blindly without thinking. The aristocratic families also can't act blindly without thinking. For the past few years, the two of them have been wrestling with each other. On the surface, they've always been calm and peaceful. Although there have been many small frictions, it hasn't reached the point where they've completely fallen out."
Qin Yining nodded, somewhat understanding.
Qin Huaiyuan saw Qin Yining's expression, so he explained with a smile, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and the aristocratic families have been fighting for a long time.
"Your Majesty's struggle with the aristocratic families has been going on for a long time. All along, Your Majesty has relied on the military power in the hands of his trusted aides and nobles to fight to a draw with the aristocratic families. But Your Majesty is, after all, suspicious, and does not completely trust the nobles. Just look at how he seized the military power of Pang Zhixi, and this is enough to see."
"Your Majesty is also aware that some of the nobles have a grudge against him. I believe that Your Majesty has had many conflicts with the aristocratic families. The accumulated friction has caused the balance between Your Majesty and the aristocratic families to tilt. The Imperial Court is now in urgent need of new forces to help him balance the aristocratic families, the nobles, and the old officials of Northern Ji. But they don't want the new forces to be as difficult to control as the nobles who hold military power. "
After listening to Qin Huaiyuan's words, Qin Yining felt as if he had been enlightened.
"Father, I understand! Dayan officials like you who surrendered to Your Majesty are the forces that Your Majesty urgently needs. At first, I only knew that there were surrendered officials of Northern Ji and Your Majesty's trusted aides and nobles in Da Zhou's Imperial Court, but I didn't know that there were other aristocratic families behind the scenes. "
"After all, you were raised in the boudoir and had limited contact with people, so you didn't know everything," Qin Huaiyuan said with a smile, "Once I tell you about this, you'll soon have a chance to succeed."
Qin Yining's face reddened at Qin Huaiyuan's words, but he still said, "Thinking about it, those aristocratic families have existed for more than a hundred years. Their foundation might be comparable to that of a country like Northern Ji. They have many descendants and are involved in all walks of life. They must have a wide network of connections in the Imperial Court."
"You're right," Qin Huaiyuan nodded and said, "This is the power of aristocratic families, and also the reason why Your Majesty is afraid of them. The Great Zhou Dynasty had only been established for a little over three years, less than four years. The Northern Ji Country that it took over was riddled with holes and its treasury was empty. The rebels of the Great Zhou Dynasty were not all orthodox soldiers. The peasant army that started the uprising also had many political problems. However, aristocratic families have existed for more than a hundred years and have formed their own factions. Not to mention Your Majesty, even the former officials of Northern Ji and nobles like Pang Zhixi have to be courteous when they see the Lu Men aristocratic family. "
"So that's why Princess Royal of Anyang calls Madam Lu 'Elder Sister' and is so polite to her?"
"Yes," Qin Huaiyuan said in a low voice, "Although Your Majesty is sitting on the throne, his heart is very uneasy. In the army that he leads, his prestige and voice can't be compared to that of Pang Zhixi and Ji Lan.
"The Tiger Army and the Tiger Army are both amazing, but the Tiger Army is more of a headache for Your Majesty. This is because Pang Zhixi is too charming. There are many people in the Tiger Army who are loyal to Pang Zhixi, and there are many who want to die for him. Just by the fact that Pang Zhixi can secretly mobilize the Tiger Army to look for you without using the Tiger Tally, you can see that.
"In comparison, Ji Lan is arrogant and cold. Although he is famous in the army, he is not as charming as Pang Zhixi. The men in the Dragon Army are loyal to him and follow his orders, but they are not easy to mobilize."
Qin Yining nodded and said, "I understand. Your Majesty's trusted subordinates are the nobles who have military power. However, the two big shots among the nobles are unstable factors, especially Pang Zhixi. This is why Your Majesty is suppressing Pang Zhixi in every possible way. On one hand, Your Majesty took away his military power and gave him a battlefield among the civil officials. On the other hand, Your Majesty tried to sow discord between him and Ji Lan and made Ji Lan the son-in-law of the royal family."
"You are right." Qin Huaiyuan nodded.
"That is why Your Majesty's trusted subordinates are so troublesome, not to mention the aristocratic families that have provided Your Majesty with gold and silver.
"In the eyes of those aristocratic families, Your Majesty's rebel army might not even be able to reach the top. Furthermore, with the grudges between the surrendered officials of Beiji and Your Majesty, although they have surrendered, do you think that most of them do not have any regrets about dying to save their country? It is difficult to mediate between these forces. No wonder Your Majesty wants to take in the surrendered Dayan officials. "
"You are right. Your Majesty hopes to control the surrendered Dayan officials. Even if he cannot control them immediately, he can at least buy their hearts. Sending charcoal in snowy weather is often more memorable than adding flowers to a brocade. "
Qin Huaiyuan finished speaking and picked up the teacup to drink. The room became quiet, and only the red candle in the silk lamp emitted a bright light.
Qin Yining pondered for a long time before saying, "Father, the way I wanted to deal with the Marchioness of Zhongyong was not appropriate. I was muddle-headed. Although it would be easy to tell my people not to sell the house to her, it would be a slap to the Marchioness of Zhongyong's face and also a slap to the Lu family's face. The loss would not be worth it. I think we need to think of a way to punish Madame Lu without offending the aristocratic families. "
Qin Huaiyuan said, "We have just arrived, and it is indeed inappropriate to offend the Lu family at the beginning. But if we let a widow suppress us at the beginning, it will inevitably make people look down on us. Won't more people follow suit in the future? "
"Father is right." Qin Yining nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. He lowered his voice and said, "Father, do you think this matter was arranged by Your Majesty?"
Qin Huaiyuan looked at Qin Yining, a smile appearing in his eyes again.
"This is what I came to tell you tonight."
Qin Yining thought for a moment and felt that the matter was more suspicious. The speed of his speech also became more urgent.
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