Let Xue Xuan Return

In other words, he would never become a favored minister like Wang Zhen, nor could he ever replace Wang Zhen's place in the Emperor's heart.

Cao Jixiang lowered his brows and said nothing.

Pan Yun continued, "Let's return to the matter at hand. Official Cao, was Deng Maoqi's rebellion in Fujian not without cause?"

Cao Jixiang drooped his brows and answered honestly, "It indeed had its reasons."

"Is that so?"

Cao Jixiang said, "But there were no shortage of people fishing in troubled waters among them. Take Ye Zongliu, for instance. What sort of thing was he?"

"He wanted to imitate the Grand Ancestor High Emperor."

Cao Jixiang shrieked, "He thinks he deserves to?"

"He didn't, so when I pinched my fingers and calculated, I found that his life would soon be at an end."

Upon hearing this, Cao Jixiang's expression softened considerably.

Only then did Xue Shao speak. "Ye Zongliu deserved death, but the miners who followed him, as well as Deng Maoqi and the others, all had understandable reasons. An army of one hundred and fifty thousand consumes no small amount every day. Once fighting begins, there will not only be casualties on both sides, but the local people will be caught in the crossfire. Rather than suppressing them by force, it would be better to grant them amnesty."

Pan Yun nodded repeatedly.

Cao Jixiang said, "You just said it yourselves. I am far inferior to Wang Zhen, and I have been squeezed out of the palace. What use is there in telling me this?"

Pan Yun said, "You may not surpass Wang Zhen, but your standing in the Emperor's heart is not low either. Wang Zhen is the first man, and you are the second!"

"Yes," Xue Shao said, becoming deferential as well. "Moreover, Official Cao's credibility