Even the Truth Can Become a Lie

Zhang Xuezhou tried to trick Tian Fen into saying something, but Zhang Xuezhou couldn't tell whether Tian Fen was stupid or just pretending to be wise, so he didn't fall for it.

Compared to addressing the needs of a group, addressing the needs of an individual is always the simplest approach.

Emperor Jing even suspected the Empress Dowager, was always wary of his younger brother, the Prince of Liang, and kept his own son in the dark, not telling the new emperor about the matter. How could such Emperor Jing regard Dou Ying as a loyal minister who would never betray him?

In Emperor Jing's mind, Dou Ying was not a loyal minister at all, but a pawn to be used to incite turmoil against Anle Palace and Changxin Palace.

In the early years of the new emperor's reign, things did indeed proceed in this direction. Dou Ying and others took charge of the government, and together with Confucian School, they entered the court, attempting to form a third-party force.

However, Dou Ying served as prime minister for less than a year before being stripped of his power by the Empress Dowager. He didn't even make a fuss, and his performance was not as good as that of Shen Peigong and others.

Emperor Jing clearly overestimated Dou Ying's abilities and the influence of the marquises that Dou Ying could guide, thus leaving behind this troublesome matter.

"Report! Grand Master of the Palace, Wei Qing, requests entry into Changxin Palace!"

"Report! Grand Master of the Palace, Gongsun He, requests entry into Changxin Palace!"

"Report! Grand Zhufu Yan Fuyan requests entry into Changxin Palace!"

Inside Changxin Palace, the Queen Mother exuded murderous intent, while Zhang Xuezhou kept dodging the question, and Tian Fen looked frustrated, pondering the safest way to escape.

When the many close officials summoned by the urgent imperial edict began to gather, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but blink.

Wei Qing, with his dull and introverted nature, is not someone you can rely on for schemes and tricks. Gongsun He is a loyal and dedicated man, so he wouldn't be able to pull off this kind of thing. But Zhufu Yan is truly skilled at it.

After exchanging a few words with him, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Zhufu Yan definitely knew what to do and would try his best to make a good impression in such situations.

Upon hearing the announcement, Zhang Xuezhou immediately turned his gaze toward the entrance of the main hall.

Wei Qing, adhering strictly to etiquette, strode in and bowed first, while Gongsun He appeared somewhat reserved, glancing at the new emperor from time to time.

"I have something to discuss with the Empress Dowager. Dongfang Shuo, you go and say a few words to them, and clarify this matter!"

After a discussion, the new emperor and the empress dowager reached a consensus, clearly deciding to abandon the incompetent marquisate.

Even Dou Ying, the strongest of the marquises, met a near-death experience, which dashed the new emperor's hopes.

Although they were seriously ill, Dou Ying and the others were both sick and incompetent.

These marquises' ancestors were all decent people, almost every one of them was presentable, but the marquises three or four generations later enjoyed the benefits, but also became complacent and incompetent.

If the new emperor were to rely on these people to govern the Great Han Dynasty, he felt that the Great Han Dynasty was only a hair's breadth away from its demise.

He made his choice and gestured for Zhang Xuezhou, who was listening in, to share his thoughts and see what others thought.

"Prime Minister Tian, you are the person involved. Tell me how Dou Ying framed you!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't follow the conventional explanation; instead, he pulled Tian Fen, who had all sorts of ulterior motives, along with him.

His words defined Dou Ying's character, which aroused Tian Fen's righteous indignation. After a fierce scolding, he quickly added fuel to the fire and described all sorts of faults of Dou Ying, while saying as little as possible about the secret edict that Dou Ying held.

"The problem now is that Dou Ying is holding the late emperor's secret edict," Zhang Xuezhou emphasized.

"Tch, what secret edict from the late emperor? Dou Ying said that the edict was from the late emperor, so what?" Zhufu Yan spat out, "I could tear off a piece of cloth, write a few words on it, and then claim it's the late emperor's will!"

"Exactly!" Tian Fen exclaimed, jumping up and down. "If you ask me, Dou Ying couldn't possibly have such a thing. He and Guan Fu not only stole the Red Empyrean Sword, but he also stole my family's ancestral genealogy. This secret edict must have been stolen from somewhere too!"

"Stolen?"

The new emperor and the empress dowager were quickly discussing how to fill the vacancies by setting aside the influence of the marquises, that is, to gather talented people to replace them, and even to form a new marquis system.

The numerous rules and regulations covered how to rise to the rank of marquis and how to step down.

He observed that while the Empress Dowager seemed to occasionally exchange a few words, the two primarily communicated privately via telepathy.

When he was suddenly distracted, he heard Zhufu Yan Tian Fen expressing their opinions. The new emperor frowned, and he finally remembered something.

"The fake Red Empyrean Sword became the real Red Empyrean Sword, and the real Red Empyrean Sword became the fake Red Empyrean Sword. Even the late emperor's edict could change from real to fake!"

A sudden realization dawned on him, and he quickly understood many things.

Besides repressive killings, there are indeed better ways to stabilize the situation.

"Mother, may you write secret edicts in the late Emperor's handwriting?"

The new emperor whispered among himself, and when the Empress Dowager nodded, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and the Empress Dowager clearly realized something as well.

"You mean Dou Ying's secret edict is fake?" the Empress Dowager whispered.

"Fake!"

"If it's a fake imperial edict, no one would dare to help Dou Ying!"

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath.

As long as the new emperor denies it, and the empress dowager denies it, Dou Ying's will, if not completely deemed a forgery, will at least be subject to a debate over whether it is true or false.

If you delay, things won't seem so serious.

If Emperor Jing were to write another edict in his own handwriting, implying that Dou Ying and others were colluding with the Immortal Court, the situation would inevitably reverse, rendering Dou Ying's edict invalid.

The real problem isn't a confrontation, but rather holding a will that doesn't give anyone a chance to refute or respond.

The Empress Dowager's steps became lighter, and after the new emperor helped her into the inner palace, she quickly spread out her writing brush and ink.

Having followed Emperor Jing for many years, how could the Empress Dowager not know some things? She only needed to highlight the key points in her writing. The confusion between the true and false secret edicts would inevitably lead some people to protect themselves, thus causing the group that supported Dou Ying to quickly break apart.

"These people are like a loose bunch; they're easy to gather, but they'll also be easy to scatter. But people have their strengths and weaknesses. Your Majesty must be wary of these people causing trouble in your busy schedule," the Empress Dowager cautioned.

"It's time to get rid of a bunch of people," the new emperor murmured. "They were nowhere to be seen when we were accomplishing great things, but they all jump out when it comes to infighting. What they want are real power and titles, but if they had real ability, why would we be in such a difficult situation in Mayi!"

"This matter requires a gradual approach. We must ensure that their marquisate is lost indisputably," the Empress Dowager said. "The newly selected marquis must possess genuine ability, and the rules must be clearly stated upon their ascension to prevent their next generation or subsequent descendants from becoming incompetent!"

"What the Empress Dowager says is true; the order of the court needs to be changed!"

The new emperor nodded. He wasn't one to disregard old friendships, and he hadn't forgotten the contributions of these people's ancestors.

It would be one thing to simply enjoy the glory bestowed upon him by his ancestors and cooperate with the emperor, but to be incompetent yet still act recklessly and follow this group of marquises in cheering and waving their flags is something he can no longer tolerate.

If there is a mechanism for incorporating marquises, then there must also be a mechanism for removing marquises from the ranks.

As long as the power of the profit-seeking group exceeds that of these individuals, the mechanism for the entry and exit of marquises will inevitably be widely adopted.

"The Empress Dowager has racked her brains to come up with this plan, which may bring about a complete transformation for our Great Han in the future," the new emperor said in a low voice.

"That's not what I thought," the Empress Dowager shook her head and said, "Dongfang Shuo and I discussed cultivation, and I only made some additions. He also recommended that Zhufu Yan add an exit mechanism!"

"Zhufu Yan?"

The new emperor wasn't surprised that Zhang Xuezhou came up with some good ideas, but he was curious about what terrible ideas Zhu Zhufu Yan could add to force those who had withdrawn to agree.

Of course, those things can be postponed appropriately.

The most pressing issue right now is resolving the major problems caused by Dou Ying.