Free Web NovelChapter 1186: Chapter 939 Truth 18_2
"Only after I obtained my merit did she finally have peace."
As Prime Minister Lin said this, the Emperor and the Ji brothers, Youzhi and Youze, showed expressions of realization.
"As expected, it was Mr. Wu. The old Mrs. Lin was gravely ill, and you sought medical help with a hefty sum!
A puppet clone of Xunyang helped you treat her, allowing her to die of old age in peace. Thus, you became a mere pawn in Xunyang’s hands!"
"I don’t know who this Xunyang mentioned by Divine Hunter Ji is, but Mr. Wu indeed exists. According to him, he is a Miao doctor, skilled in witchcraft, who can heal my mother, relieve her pain, and allow her to live peacefully until her natural end. However, he wanted me to agree to one condition."
"What condition?"
The Emperor hurriedly pursued the inquiry.
"He didn’t state it at the time; it was a promise he sought to fulfill later!"
"If I’m not mistaken, his condition was to find a way to keep Li Xu in the Capital City, wasn’t it?"
Prime Minister Lin shook his head, "That was just one part of it!"
"Just one part of it? That means before I ascended the throne, you had already committed acts of betrayal against our Great Han!"
The Emperor followed Lin’s words, contemplating the possibility, but it was only for a moment, and then he dismissed it.
"No! I can’t think of anything you did before this that harmed our Great Han!"
"Your Majesty forgets, when the young ruler ascended, and the Empress Dowager held court from behind the curtain, how did you come to rule yourself, even before your grand marriage?"
Emperor: "..."
Ji Youzhi and Ji Youze: "..."
"With the ruler young and the Empress Dowager holding court, whether concerning civil life or Imperial Court matters, all ran smoothly. At that time, without the Empress Dowager, the young ruler would have lacked a safe harbor. Should he make a wrong decision or behave recklessly, our Great Han would be on the brink of danger!"
Ji Youze murmured to himself.
The Emperor scoffed, "Who would’ve thought, back then, the act between me and mother, inadvertently, wasn’t only for your eyes, but it also showed that old immortal Xunyang!"
Prime Minister Lin: "..."
"Do Your Majesty’s words imply that back then, Empress Dowager’s autocratic hold on the government was part of a performance for me?"
The Emperor leaned back on the chair, looking at Lin Yushu with an ambiguous smile.
"If not, would Prime Minister Lin have returned power so willingly?"
With the young ruler’s ascent, the Empress Dowager held court from behind the curtain; the civil and military ministers assisted, with Lin Yushu among the civil ministers, and Prince Yi among the military, then still Prince Yu, and Master Duke Dugu.
Master Duke Dugu and Prince Yi, then known as Prince Yu, balanced the power among the military officers, leaving little for them to do within the Imperial Court.
But on the civil side, Lin Yushu’s word was law!
"I ask you, aside from convincing the Empress Dowager to return power to me, what else did you do afterward?"
Lin Yushu closed his eyes in pain, "After doing this, I worried for a long time. With the young ruler’s age, I feared disturbances in the court, afraid that Mr. Wu had ulterior motives."
But I didn’t expect, His Majesty, that the court affairs were managed so orderly, and later, the Divine Hunter Stand was suddenly established.
Divine Hunter Ji gradually stood out, becoming Your Majesty’s right-hand man. It was then I realized, on the surface, the Divine Hunter Stand was set up to investigate serious cases.
But in reality, it was to monitor the major officials within the Capital City. Without it, Your Majesty couldn’t have known who among the court’s officials was loyal or traitorous, and it took only a year to firmly grasp the court’s power!
At this moment, the Emperor felt a pang of guilt.
Ji Youzhi rubbed his nose; the secret compartment was indeed well-hidden, and Old Ji Ba was a mere attendant on the outside, but all the credit for the secret work was claimed by him.
"Let’s leave these matters aside for now. Tell me, what else did Xunyang have you do?"
Prime Minister Lin chuckled softly and nodded, "Indeed, these are stories for later. Actually, not long after Your Majesty took over the reins, Mr. Wu came.
He asked me to find a way to keep Li Xu in the Capital City. That was when I realized Li Xu was his man. I refused and told him that I had repaid his favor."
Yet he said, "That favor should be owed by the little emperor of the Great Han!"
The Emperor, Ji Youzhi, and Ji Youze exchanged bewildered glances.
"How many of Mr. Wu’s men are in this palace?
So much so that he knew even the performance between me and my mother was meant for your eyes!"
Prime Minister Lin just gave a wry smile.
Ji Youze spoke expressionlessly, "Without the palace’s spies, once the Empress Dowager stopped controlling from behind the curtain, any sensible person could figure it out."
