Compared with the previous dynasty, the harem life is stable and peaceful. Zhao Tuo didn't take the chariot, he just walked with his hands behind his back and hummed, and the eunuchs and palace maids behind him didn't dare to come out.

The emperor was happy when he went to the court, but his face was full of clouds, everyone didn't know what was going on, seeing that the emperor passed by his Qianyuan Palace but did not enter the door, and went straight to the Deqing Palace where the queen mother lived.

"Hey, Your Majesty went down so early today?" The Empress Dowager was watering the flowers under the east corridor, and she was slightly surprised when she saw the emperor hurrying into her front hall without looking at the road.

Eunuch Liu motioned for Liang Wu to come over and whispered about the affairs of the court, and the queen mother knew in her heart, smiled slightly, turned around and continued to water the flowers, and then handed the water spoon to the palace maid, wiped her hands and entered the house.

Zhao Tuo was a little embarrassed, after all, he was angry when he patronized, and he came in and took a turn only to find that his mother was outside, and it was not good to rush out again. Seeing the queen mother come in, she hurriedly asked An to see the ceremony and apologized to the queen mother.

The Queen Mother smiled: "That's it, I know that you have a basket of things in your heart, don't vomit or be unhappy? Come, sit down, let's talk slowly."

The emperor sat down on the embroidered pier brought by the palace maid, and was about to speak, when the queen mother raised her hand and waved it down.

Qin Rang, the eunuch in charge of Deqing Palace, immediately beckoned, and retreated with a group of people, and Zhao Tuo told the story of the former court just now.

After hearing this, the Empress Dowager asked him, "Where is the emperor's anger? The mourners didn't figure it out."

yes, why the hell are you angry? Zhao Tuo thought for a while: "Queen Mother, Erchen is very excited to hear the news of the great victory, and I really want to go to Liaodong to see how the soldiers fought bravely to kill the enemy!

Of course, the ministers can only think about it, those courtiers of the previous dynasty even want to call Li Dan back, let alone let me go to the battlefield."

"Your Majesty is angry that you can't lead the troops yourself?"

"Not really." Zhao Tuo shook his head: "As an emperor, how can I travel easily? I just think ...... It's just a small victory, and they can't wait to jump out and shout for peace, don't they believe that our army can annihilate the ugly captives?

The minister of the Celestial Empire said such things in the palace, which was both disappointing and faceless! Also, Li Dan has only been in Liaodong for a few days, and some courtiers proposed to replace him, and they also said that they wanted to prevent the tail from falling out, which is really ridiculous!

I see that they are in the position of the red eye, and I want Li Dan to move the nest, so that they can easily install their own people!" He snorted a lot, but the Queen Mother laughed and said nothing.

Whose child knows, how can a mother not understand her son's mind?

She knew that the emperor had a strong character, and he was now angry, but in fact it was because this group of "loyal" ministers, when he enjoyed praise and compliments, jumped out to openly oppose His Majesty's strategy of using troops against the Karkata, and at the same time said something that "if you see it, you will take it".

On the surface, they were worried about Li Dan, but in fact, these people were turning a corner to raise objections and criticisms about the issuance of treasury bonds by the imperial court.

When the Empress Dowager euphemistically analyzed the mystery for the emperor, Zhao Tuo suddenly woke up to the fact that they were still aiming for their own employment and the issuance of treasury bonds.

"But ......, Li Dan's method of issuing and managing treasury bonds is really good, without this army stationed in Liaodi, I am afraid that it has been broken by Yebi Khan, crying and collecting the corpses of his own people instead of celebrating the victory!"

Zhao Tuo frowned: "These ministers are all rich and rich, can't they see the benefits inside?" Why do you want to deny it when you get the chance?" He had no scruples when he confided in his mother:

"In addition, Li Zedong was a very capable civil servant, and I sent him to Liaodong not only to supervise the military, but also to let him use the funds brought by the war bonds to renovate roads, ports, bridges, and build factories, trading companies, and schools in Liaodi.

So many things can't be done in two or three years, how can they be transferred back to the capital in less than a year?

They said that they were transferred back to give him a higher official rank, but in fact, I think they want to replace him with their own people, and then they can make a lot of money in Liaodong! I don't think I can see these hypocritical things? You still treat me like a child!" The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

"Tattooed orange, take the handkerchief embroidered with cat Wangmei from the mourning family." The Empress Dowager suddenly interrupted him and said. When the handkerchief was in hand, she handed it to the emperor:

"This is your father's veil, when I broke the plum and pierced my finger and was stained with blood, the mourning family embroidered these two cats lying in the snow to watch the plum blossoms."

Zhao Tuo hurriedly got up and respectfully took it, and listened to his mother continue: "Back then, when your father was in charge of the country, a minister said that there was a Lingzhi auspicious rui in a garden near Luoyang. Do you know what your father's attitude was?"

"I'm afraid that I sent an imperial historian to check the authenticity of the case, and if it is a hypothesis, it will be severely punished!"

The Queen Mother covered her mouth and laughed: "But it's really father and son, didn't he want to do this in the first place?"

"Didn't my father do this in the end?" Zhao Tuo was surprised.

"Emperor Renzong called him and spoke to him. After coming back, your father and the emperor issued an edict to celebrate this auspicious day, and the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival was held one day earlier!" After the queen mother finished speaking, she looked at Zhao Tuo's puzzled appearance and smiled slightly:

"Two months later, the official was said to have been sued for unfairness in judging the case, and the emperor ordered him to be demoted by two levels, and he went to Chang to close the position and do everything." Her eyes flashed, "Do you know what I'm going to tell you?"

"The Queen Mother didn't want to tell a story, then...... What you mean is that useful advice is adopted, and sometimes the right and wrong officials do not have to rush to rectify it, but depend on the timing and reasons. Okay?"

"It's kind of interesting, but it's not quite there." The Empress Dowager swiped her hanging sideburns to the root of her ears: "The generals of any dynasty are good at war, and when they hear about the war, they scream, like this time in Liaodong, why even Sun Zongbing praises Li Dan?"

Because he made the Liao army strong and strong, everyone jumped when they heard that there was a battle. And what about civil servants? They will repay these auspicious fortunes.

But whether it is a military general winning a battle or a civil official reporting auspiciousness, in short, it means pleasing His Majesty, which is called 'flattery'.

But as long as it is good for the country, it is fine, and if it is not, His Majesty should punish him, which means that he should not encourage unhealthy tendencies.

If there is something good at the top, it will be very bad at the bottom. But if one thing is too much, it will become a bad thing, no matter how novel the idea is, the original intention is good, it is all an evil way. Xiangrui is a thing that the people believe in but have no practicality.

Therefore, Renzong advanced the Lantern Festival by one day to boost the morale of the people. However, it has no practical benefit for governing the people in a place, and it is easy to be manipulated by those officials, and it has become a pretext for the tiger.

Therefore, Emperor Renzong will not ignore it, and he can't cut it with a knife. The Lantern Festival is a day earlier, which seems to be a celebration, but in fact there is no encouragement or reward.

Emperor Renzong used this kind of indifferent measures to tell the world his attitude and way of Xiangrui.

As for the official being demoted, it was also a warning to him, and the envoy sent by Emperor Renzong told him not to be clever in the future when he interrogated him face to face, and the official was ashamed, and honestly went to Changping to close the position, and never dared to do anything more sycophantly.

Emperor Renzong saved face for him, and through him he warned all officials not to make mistakes. Since then, these auspicious people only dare to vote to the palace gate, and do not dare to vote directly to the cabinet and the Zhongshu. Therefore, the first emperor deserves this 'benevolent character!'"

After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she looked at the emperor: "Regardless of whether those ministers' speeches are right or wrong, at least they have no bad ideas, and they are speaking and arguing from the perspective of benefiting the court, which is much better than those auspicious ruikes!"

As for whether this is true or false, whether it is right or wrong is another matter. The Emperor must not choose to listen because of his own feelings, and must remember that if he listens partially, he will be dark."

After she finished speaking, she asked for a few bites of tea and asked, "In this way, Your Majesty's opinion is to continue fighting?"

"Before leaving, Li Zedong told me a sentence: All favorable negotiations are the result of the superiority of force over the opponent. Now we have only a small victory, and there are still 200,000 people in the Khan.

It was unclear whether he would continue southward or shrink back to the grasslands, but Erchen thought it would be better to have one or two more victories, so that he would retreat in the face of difficulties, and seek a dignified retreat.

Then we will not only be more confident in negotiating, but we can also demand compensation or cession from him. At that time, the initiative was in my hands, and I could talk about it as much as I wanted. To negotiate peace now is like wagging my tail and begging for mercy even though I am victorious or defeated, I am not ashamed to do so!"

"Well, then do it according to the emperor's wishes. The mourning family also felt that there was no need to give it

Good face. Otherwise, he thinks that the Central Plains is easy to deceive, and if he comes again and again next year and the year after next, won't the imperial court be too poor to cope?"

The Queen Mother understood the difference between the two sides, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "But has Your Majesty ever thought about how to deal with these courtiers who speak?"

"Queen Mother, is this a test?" Zhao Tuo smiled. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to them, at most I will make them kneel for two hours under the imperial book!"

"No!" The Empress Dowager said angrily, "Those literati, if you tell him to take a dip in the shade of a tree, and kneel under the sun for two hours? In case one falls, it will be enough to compare you to Emperor Yang of Sui in the history books in the future!

Don't answer now, go back and think about it." After she finished speaking, the topic changed: "Then what kind of person does Your Majesty think Li Dan is?"

"I thought that Li Zedong was the best in the world, connecting China and the West, and running through the past and the present, so that the household department and the military department could fight a war in Liaodong without paying money, which was unprecedented in ancient times.

At present, he has achieved very good results in the transformation and training of the new army in southern Liaoning, and 16,000 muskets have participated in this battle, and the Kerr people are at a loss.

I thought the firearms were excellent, and I planned to have him make up another 16,000 or 7,000 firearms. In this way, even if the Shandong New Army withdrew, the Liao Army could still fight independently.

He gave me a report saying that the roads of Liaojin, Jinshan, Liaoshen, Fushen and Tieshen should be rebuilt, and the labor would come from the tens of thousands of prisoners.

He is also preparing to build the Fushun Coal Mine, the Fushun Iron and Steel Plant, the Liaonan Iron and Steel Plant, and the Shenzhong Quilt Factory, hoping to expand the scope of immigrants, solve the problem of population congestion for the hinterland, and accept 150,000 new immigrants ......!"

He said very excitedly, and the Empress Dowager asked coldly: "In Your Majesty's heart, is this Li Dan and Li Zedong a loyal minister or a female cadre?"

"Of course it's a loyal minister, so I'm angry. As soon as the seedlings were pulled out, they were about to pick them, so how could it be justified!" Zhao Tuo said angrily.

After he finished speaking, he suddenly felt that the Queen Mother would not ask this for no reason, and looked at it suspiciously: "......What does the Queen Mother mean?"

"If Huo Guang and Wang Mang were in Emperor Wu's dynasty, would they be female ministers or loyal ministers?"

Zhao Tuo was silent, and said for a moment, "Li Qing is just a new civil official of the sixth grade, how can he be compared with Huo and Mang?"

"However, Huo and Mang Ke were eighteen years old to pacify one side and bring 200,000 armor?"

"It's ......." Zhao Tuo hesitated for a long time before asking, "Does the Queen Mother think that he is ascending too fast? I can't wait for him to come to the cabinet tomorrow!"

"Your Majesty!" The Empress Dowager put her hand on the emperor's knee: "The mourning family knows that this Li Dan is different, he is young, both civil and military, and he is old and calm, and he has the style of a countryman.

Your Majesty is thirsty for talent, but we can't be too hasty and not too over-promoted. This is not only a matter of qualifications, but also whether Li Qing himself can experience the ups and downs of the court, and whether he can see the danger in it?

Is his gratitude to the royal family just to repay His Majesty for clearing the Chen family's grievances? Once he encounters turbulent waves, how likely is it that he will abandon his life and death and net worth to continue to protect my Zhao family's world?

These can only be seen over the years, and they cannot be solved in one or two sentences or three or a few pots of wine. Don't you say?"

Zhao Tuo was stunned, but he had to admit that the queen mother had a point. As an emperor, what he has to consider is not friendship, but the interests of the empire and the inheritance of the throne.

He nodded with difficulty, admitting that he was indeed quite decentralised in the use of Li Dan, and he was too indulgent. Think about it, is this kind of give-and-give approach good or bad for each other? Hardly.

After re-examining, he began to slowly understand the courtiers who wanted to withdraw Li Dan.

Li Dan is now calling for wind and rain in Liaodi, and he is working fast, so other people have the idea of "maybe the tail will not fall";

That's why some people are not convinced of this kid's ability;

Therefore, some people are eager to try to stuff themselves or others into a place where no one shirks and refuses to go to work; Because he was too young and rose too fast, many people thought: he can, I can too, and even better!

This will not work! Zhao Tuo also began to realize the problem. He thought for a long time, then looked up and asked, "

Queen Mother, what is a female minister?"

The Empress Dowager smiled: "Your Majesty, there are two kinds of excellent courtiers: capable ministers and female cadres. Xu Zixiang once commented on Cao Cao's 'ruling the world and being a female male in troubled times, and this sentence is very reasonable.

Fang Cai's mourning family also asked His Majesty, if in the Emperor Wu Dynasty, Huo and Mang were female cadres and ministers, and they were capable ministers?"

"Mostly...... It's a capable minister." Zhao Tuo replied with a deep groan.

"Oh!" The queen mother clapped her hands: "So whether the courtiers are capable ministers or female cadres depends on the emperor, the emperor is strong, the subordinates are weak, and the emperor is weak, and the subordinates are strong." Got it?"

"Does the queen mother say that it is difficult for the weak lord to convince the people, and it is difficult to control the people?"

"Exactly." The Empress Dowager got up and walked a few steps: "Look at the courtiers of the foreign court, they don't want Liaodi to be in the hands of someone close to the emperor, they will definitely send someone over to be an official and control.

No matter how much our Zhao family treats civil officials preferentially, the imperial power has always been opposed to the cabinet and the imperial court. It is impossible for civil officials to stand on the side of the imperial power because they are grateful to the emperor, their loyalty is not immutable!

When the lord is strong and the ministers are weak, even Huo and Mang have to be obedient like cats, make a loyal appearance, and rely on the power given to them by the imperial power to manage the place.

But if the era of the weak lord and the strong minister comes, they will be impatient with the weak lord in power, and they will want to show their ability to govern, so the loyal ministers will also become what everyone calls 'female ministers'."

"Hehe, according to what you say, if those female ministers hadn't met a weak master, they could have actually been capable ministers?"

"This brings us back to the question you just asked: What is a female minister?" The Empress Dowager lovingly put her hand on the emperor's shoulder:

"Remember, to the weak lord, those people can be described as 'female cadres, but to the scholars and the common people, these people are 'males.' In the world of the weak lord, there are such people who are pressing, and the world can be relatively stable, otherwise it will be a chaotic world and the lives will be ruined."

"Is there no female cadre in the prosperous world?"

"Wow, like Li Linfu." The Empress Dowager was very satisfied that the emperor had followed the train of thought: "But the era in which Li Linfu lived was an era in which Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty changed from prosperity to decline, from a strong lord to a weak lord.

The appearance of female cadres has nothing to do with whether it is prosperous or troubled, but only related to the strength of the monarch. Therefore, if the Zhao monarch is strong, the country will be able to live for a long time, and once the weak lord appears, it may be the beginning of a change of dynasty and earth-shattering!"

"The mother's teachings are profound and incisive, and the sons and daughters will keep them in mind, and will make them record by the historians, pass them on to their descendants, and never forget them from generation to generation!" Zhao Tuo got up, solemnly bowed and said.

"Don't worry about the courtiers' words." The Empress Dowager helped the emperor up: "As long as my son is a famous lord, he will definitely be able to control a capable minister like Li Dan."

However, governing the country is like cooking a small fresh, and employing people should not be impatient and rash, so that everyone can be fortunate to enter, and Li Qing breeds pride and pride, so it is not a matter of time! Your Majesty needs to be careful!"

"The Queen Mother is an old lady who understands things."