Now that Xiao Liu Xie behaved like this, he defended his half-brother Liu Wei, which made Ma Chao a little dilemma. After all, it was something he had to do to fight He Jin, and He Jin had to die if necessary. But Xiao Liu Xie is his apprentice again, and Ma Chao doesn't want him to be sad about it. After thinking about it, Ma Chao still decided that since he had already recognized this apprentice, he couldn't ignore his feelings. So Ma Chao ignored the unhappy faces of Empress Dowager Dong and Princess Wannian, and squatted down to be on par with Xiao Liu Xie.

Ma Chao looked at Xiao Liu Xie's bright eyes and said, "You and your brother are very good, aren't you?" ”

Xiao Liu Xie nodded and said, "In this palace, only he will play with me, and only I will play with him." He will remember me first if he has anything delicious and fun, and I will remember him too. ”

Ma Chao thought about it too. Emperor Liu Hong only had three children, Princess Wannian Liu Man, Shi Hou Liu Bian, and Dong Hou Liu Xie. And Liu Man is nearly ten years older than Liu Xie; It's a girl again, and I can't play together. In a huge Han Palace, there are only two little boys watching and helping each other, day and night; In addition, the relationship between the children is pure and clean, so naturally the relationship between the two brothers will be very close.

Ma Chao looked at Xiao Liu Xie's eyes and said, "Don't worry, being a teacher won't hurt your brother." ”

Hearing this promise, Xiao Liu Xie became happy, he looked at Ma Chao gratefully, nodded with great trust, and said, "Hmm." ”

Ma Chao patted Xiao Liu Xie's shoulder, stood up, and looked at Dong Chong, Fan Ling, Feng Zhen, and Xia Yun on the side. Sure enough, as he guessed, in addition to Dong Chong, who had already received the promise, the other three people, Fan Ling, Feng Zhen, and Xia Yun, all looked nervous, looking at Ma Chao with eager eyes.

How could Ma Chao not know their thoughts? Ma Chao thought to himself that he really needed more helpers, so he arched his hand to the Empress Dowager Dong and said, "Your Majesty, in addition to Your Majesty's nephew, the rest of the Fan Shaofu and the two permanent attendants and ministers will also be entrusted with important tasks." ”

Hearing this, Fan Ling, Feng Zhen and Xia Yun's eyes when they looked at Ma Chao became straight. When Empress Dowager Dong heard this, she was also very satisfied, because these four people were all the henchmen she could fully trust. Ma Chao said again: "However, these four His Majesty's henchmen must also listen to the dispatch of the ministers and be used by the ministers." ”

Empress Dowager Dong nodded and said, "Okay, the old woman will promise you this condition for them." ”

Ma Chao said: "Thank you, Your Majesty." ”

Empress Dowager Dong asked: "Since Qing wants to crack down on the family, but I don't know when it will start?" ”

Ma Chao said: "Before cracking down on the family, the minister has to try to crack down on He Jin and the Ten Standing Servants. They are the most powerful people in this dynasty, and only by defeating them can the ministers gain the power of the court. ”

Empress Dowager Dong frowned slightly, and asked curiously: "There is a gap between the Ten Standing Servants and Qing, and the old woman has also listened to Xia Yun's report." But the Ten Standing Servants have always been loyal and have always competed with the He family. Good and decent, what do you do to get rid of them? ”

Ma Chao guessed that those eunuchs in the palace were rootless, and they would inevitably have to be left and right to ensure safety. Therefore, probably the ten permanent servants are also friendly with the Empress Dowager Dong, otherwise the Empress Dowager Dong will not excuse them. When their interests were at stake, it was estimated that the Empress Dowager Dong was not interested in the so-called "chaos of the dynasty" and "treacherous power" on the grounds of the so-called ten permanent servants. But as long as it is in the interests of Empress Dowager Dong to get rid of the Ten Standing Attendants, she will naturally gladly agree with him to get rid of the Ten Standing Attendants.

Ma Chaoji came to his heart, looked at Xia Yun, and asked, "Dare to ask Xia Changshi, is it Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong who are powerful, or you and Feng Changshi are powerful?" ”

Xia Yun blurted out without thinking: "Naturally, Zhang and Zhao are powerful. Although the slave maid is among the ten permanent servants, they are just supporters of the two. Zhang and Zhao, brothers, nephews, guests, and even family members are all located in the state and county. Regardless of the weight of the military, the power of the two is far above He Jin and He Miao. ”

Ma Chao showed a mysterious smile, and he said: "Xia Changshi has been following Jean and Zhong for many years, has he never imagined that he will be able to replace him one day?" ”

As soon as Ma Chao finished speaking, he keenly saw Xia Yun's pupils dilated instantly. Xia Yun was nervous and excited, arched his hand to Ma Chao, and asked expectantly, "Could it be that Ma Gong has a way?" ”

Ma Chao smiled and said, "It depends on whether Your Majesty agrees or not." Although there are many eunuchs in the palace, there are no more than one or two leaders. Let the two of them sit, and the two attendants can't sit down. Think about it. ”

As soon as they heard this, Xia Yun and Feng Yu tacitly walked to Ma Chao's side, knelt down on the knees of Empress Dowager Dong, who was facing upwards, and said, "Your Majesty, you know that the two slaves and maids have always been loyal to Your Majesty!" ”

Xia Yun and Feng Yu are both begging like this, what else can Empress Dowager Dong say? Empress Dowager Dong knew in her heart that the two were completely instigated by Ma Chao, and Ma Chao used this to force her to agree to get rid of the Ten Standing Attendants. She looked at Ma Chao with a smug smile on her face dissatisfied, and said, "Okay, okay!" Rise up, both of you. The old woman agreed to get rid of Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong! ”

Ma Chao was overjoyed, getting rid of the Ten Standing Servants was not only his need to concentrate the power of the imperial court, but also the need to form an alliance with Lu Zhi and others and consolidate the oath. Empress Dowager Dong was on his side, and he planted a nail in the north and south palaces controlled by the ten permanent servants. In the future, the action of killing the ten permanent servants, perhaps the Empress Dowager Dong can provide him with favorable conditions.

Ma Chao and Xia Yun and Feng Yu, who were even more excited, bowed their hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." ”

Empress Dowager Dong said: "Get up!" ”

Ma Chao straightened his waist, and the Empress Dowager Dong said expressionlessly: "Since you want to provide full support to Qing, the old woman will naturally not be stingy." The old woman, the queen mother, did not do it for nothing, and these old women also accumulated some money. Although it is not as generous as Qing who looted the Sanfu clan, it is not less. If you are in need, just ask the old woman. ”

Ma Chao has long heard that the historical Empress Dowager Dong was extremely greedy for money because her background was not too high, relying on her supreme status and supreme status to accumulate money in various ways and methods. Otherwise, He Jin would not have forced her to return to Hejian Country on the grounds that she instructed Xia Yun and Feng Yu to accept bribes. Now listening to her bold words, you can imagine that she is rich.

Ma Chao arched his hand and said, "Your Majesty." The minister did not take the liberty to ask, how much money has Your Majesty had so far? ”

Empress Dowager Dong was stunned and said, "About eight billion." Qing wouldn't want it all, and wouldn't leave it for the old woman at all, right? ”

Ma Chao waved his hand, thinking that in the future, he would have a way to make those wealthy families obediently hand over the money to him. Ma Chao said: "The minister doesn't need it for the time being, thank you Your Majesty." ”