LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 138 Duke of Jin
After the fall of Nanzhao, it was time to clean up the aftermath.
Not all Nan Zhao officials were executed. When Shen Ning was the eldest princess, she had been on the battlefield and in the court, so she knew more or less which loyal ministers were available.
It's not much, but it's no problem to stabilize the situation for the time being.
Shen Ning wrote a list and gave it to Concubine Ying, asking her to invite all the ministers on the list to the palace. Ji Yucang and Shen Ning summoned them in Qinzheng Hall.
Regarding the matter of the destruction of the country and the destruction of the family, the more loyal the ministers were, the more they could not accept the invaders' persuasion to surrender. The oldest of the ministers who were brought into the Qinzheng Hall was over sixty years old, and the youngest was just twenty-five. Six years old.
Facing the enemies who led troops to break through the imperial city, these officials showed hostility and obviously had no intention of having a good talk with them.
Shen Ning didn't care about their attitudes and only said: "Ever since Han Xun married the eldest princess Zhaohua and was named Zhongyong Marquis, the status of the Duke of Jin has plummeted. The three sons of the Duke of Jin have been suppressed to the point where they are not even allowed to enter the officialdom. , Your Excellency is not resentful at all?”
As she spoke, she looked at a middle-aged minister calmly and said, "The Duke used to be most worried about state affairs. He once angrily criticized the Ministry of War for not delivering food and grass to the border in time, causing the border soldiers to starve and only eat one meal a day; He was angry at the Prime Minister for disrupting the government and causing chaos in the imperial court, and he was even more disdainful of Han Xun's access to the throne through Princess Shang. In the end, he was ungrateful and killed the eldest Princess Zhaohua with his own hands... The Duke was unable to turn things around on his own, and he often felt helpless. The Nanzhao Kingdom has been destroyed, the foolish king has been captured, and the treacherous ministers have been executed, and you don’t want to do anything at all?”
The middle-aged man looked shocked and looked at Shen Ning in disbelief: "How do you know these things?"
"The collapse of the Nanzhao Kingdom means that its strength has been exhausted, and the foolish king and traitorous ministers are in power, which is a disaster for the people." Shen Ning said, "So its demise is destined, but after the collapse of the country, someone needs to stand up and do something for the people, so that this country can The land was restored to life as soon as possible, so we had a detailed understanding of the situation in Nan Zhao before the troops came to the city. "
The Duke of Jin is a middle-aged scribe who looks elegant and elegant. He is dressed simply and indifferently on weekdays, and has an indescribable literati character.
Therefore, when he went to the battlefield, the enemy troops always ridiculed him for being so weak. They also mocked Nan Zhao for having no one to use, and even a weak scholar who could lead an army.
However, there were only a dozen enemy generals who died at the hands of the Duke of Jin in those years. They were beaten to such a state that they were so embarrassed that they no longer dared to utter arrogant words.
Because of his brilliant military exploits, the Duke of Jin was granted the title of Duke by the late emperor and could attack for three generations.
However, during the reign of the late Queen, the Duke of Jin had too much power. There were treacherous ministers and rebels in the court who slandered the late Emperor, saying that the Duke of Jin was self-respecting and had no king. The Duke of Jin had a strong temper, so they tried to impeach him in the court. people started fighting.
In this way, the fact that he had no kingship became more and more confirmed, and he was naturally deprived of military power. Fortunately, he had great prestige in the army, acted steadily on weekdays, and was protected by highly respected ministers in the court. Even if the treacherous officials wanted to kill him Even before he died, the late emperor had to consider whether it would chill the hearts of his loyal ministers.
The Duke of Jin stood in the hall, looking at Shen Ning with a deep look, and felt a strange feeling in his heart.
Even though these things could be investigated in advance, when it came out of Shen Ning's mouth, it was as if he had experienced it himself.
Who is she?
Turning his eyes slightly, the Duke of Jin looked at Ji Yucang, who was sitting behind the case without saying a word. This man was the regent of the Yong State. He held a high position and was in charge of almost the entire Yong State's political affairs and military power. He had much more power than the emperor.
He wants to destroy Nan Zhao. With Nan Zhao's current strength, there is no room for change no matter what, so why would he bring a woman to the battlefield?
Even if Shen Ning is his wife, there is no reason.
After all, Ji Yucang didn't need anyone's help on the battlefield, not to mention that the Yong Kingdom had never heard of any precedent of a woman fighting.
With thoughts racing in his mind, Duke Jin said calmly: "So what do you want me to do?"
"The destruction of the country has always been accompanied by the slaughter of the royal family and the execution of old ministers." Shen Ning said calmly, "So there are two paths before the Duke of Jin. One is to fulfill his reputation as a loyal minister, sacrifice his old master, and protect his whole family. be executed; the second is to continue to be a loyal minister of the new dynasty, save the lives of your own family, and do what you want to do for the people of Nanzhao. The premise is that your reputation is not guaranteed, and you may be reviled and betrayed in the next few years. The previous one had the reputation of being greedy for life and afraid of death, and turning his back on the Lord and seeking glory.”