Xu Xian didn't have time to comfort the child before the eunuch came to summon him to the palace.
"Your subject, Xu Xian, kowtows in salute to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor!" Xu Xian bowed to the little Emperor, who was wearing a bright yellow nine-colored dragon robe.
The little Emperor's face was originally blank, but when he saw Xu Xian, his eyes suddenly brightened. Without needing the reminder from the eunuch beside him, he said, "Quickly rise."
Xu Xian rose and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Behind the bead curtain, the Empress coughed and reminded the little Emperor to pay attention to his image. "Xu Xian, do you know why His Majesty and I have summoned you back to the capital?"
"It's because of the Lingnan rebellion."
"Then how do you explain it?"
Xu Xian said, "I have nothing to explain."
"No?
Those rebels named you by name to kill you for revenge. "
Liang Xiangguo said, "Xu Xian, it's clear that you have ulterior motives. You provoked the relationship between the Hua and the Yi, causing the Ling people to rebel and destabilizing the country. You have failed to live up to the previous Emperor's love for you. What else do you have to say?"
Xu Xian knew that it was meaningless for him to explain how killing the Snake Dowager was legal and just. Entangling himself on this kind of thing would only cause an endless debate. He didn't want anyone to worry about him. If he couldn't solve this kind of small matter, then he would be a god in vain.
He smiled and said, "That night, I went to the Ling King's camp."
As soon as these words came out, the entire court was in an uproar.
The officials all looked at Xu Xian in disbelief. He dared to say that he went to the Ling King's camp. He was not afraid of blowing his own trumpet.
Wang Wenrui repeatedly signaled to Xu Xian with his eyes, telling Xu Xian not to speak nonsense and that he would explain for Xu Xian.
Liang Xiangguo sneered. Originally, he didn't know how to deal with him, but he didn't expect that 'Hell has no doors, and you'd barge in'. In this imperial court, any lie was a crime of deceiving the monarch, and he actually said such a stupid lie.
The little Emperor was interested and said, "Really?
They didn't kill you?
I heard that those barbarians are all cannibals. "Obviously, he took this as a thrilling and interesting story.
Xu Xian did not pay attention to these expressions. He smiled slightly at the only decent listener, the little Emperor, and continued, "Then I asked him why he wanted to rebel."
The little Emperor said, "Tell me quickly, why?"
Xu Xian said: "He said that it was not entirely out of his own will. There was a sect called the Sect of Flame behind it. The rebellion of the Ling people was only a part of the overall plan. They also contacted the Hu people in the north and the Wokou people in the east. They wanted to rebel together and divide the world. Even in the imperial court, there were high officials and nobles who were their spies."
The court was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. All the civil and military officials, including the Empress, were shocked speechless by the news.
They had never heard of such a great conspiracy that could topple the world. They instinctively felt that it was not true.
Only the little emperor asked seriously, "And then?"
"I told him not to do it again. You're courting death."
"Did he listen?"
"Of course he didn't listen. He even wanted to kill me."
"Then what should I do?"
Xu Xian spread his hands and said, "What else could I do? I used my iron fist of justice to teach him a lesson. I told him to go back to where he came from. Then they retreated!"
These words terrified Prime Minister Liang. He reprimanded, "Xu Hanwen, how dare you say such alarmist things in the imperial court? Do you think His Majesty will believe such a ridiculous lie?"
The officials also thought so. Only a child would believe Xu Xian's words.
The little emperor slapped his thigh and said, "Amazing. No wonder my father thinks so highly of you. Xu Xian, you are indeed the pillar of the country. I will reward you heavily. Hmm, you will be the Prime Minister from now on."
Prime Minister Liang was stunned. The civil and military officials were even more stunned. What was going on? Xu Xian had suddenly changed from a criminal official to a Prime Minister.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xu Xian did not wait for them to react. He immediately sang loudly and bowed.
The Empress said in a loud voice, "My son, shut up. Xu Xian, you are not allowed to kneel."
The Emperor's words were like gold and jade. If Xu Xian agreed to it, it would be difficult for him to advance or retreat.
"Okay." Xu Xian straightened up again.
"I won't shut up. Xu Xian, thank me." The little emperor was reprimanded by the Empress in front of so many people. He immediately felt very embarrassed.
Xu Xian looked at the Empress innocently. The Empress glared at him fiercely. She deeply understood what it meant to be badly battered. From the moment Xu Xian entered the hall, the situation was out of control because of his words. However, her son was so disappointing. He actually listened to these words full of loopholes.
However, she was now in the imperial court. When she heard such a big event, she had to treat it cautiously. She said, "Xu Xian, is what you said true?
Do you know what it means to talk nonsense in the imperial court? "
Xu Xian said, "Of course, it means that no matter what I say, I can't change my words."
That was all he could say. It was not up to him to decide whether it could attract the attention of the imperial court.
"You!"
The Empress was angry. Xu Xian's indifferent attitude of "believe it or not" made her very angry. She wanted to order people to drag him away and behead him now.
The little emperor was different. He was used to the cautious and fearful attitude of the civil and military officials towards his mother. Xu Xian's behavior was particularly outstanding and admirable.
Wang Wenrui tried to smooth things over. "Your Majesty, the Hu envoy and the Dong Ying envoy are outside. Why don't we invite them into the hall and listen to what they have to say? If there is really a conspiracy, we need to be careful."
The Hu envoy was summoned to the hall first. He still wanted to marry Princess Hongxiu to Xia Kingdom.
This envoy was proficient in Chinese. He tried his best to put in a good word for their Khan Yamucha, saying how sincere he was.
King Pan said, "If he is really sincere, what is the meaning of the army outside Yanmen Pass? Are they trying to force us to agree by force?"
"You may not know, but it is bitter cold beyond the Great Wall. It is not as rich as the Central Plains. When winter comes, the grasslands wither and the people have no food and clothing. Invading your country's borders is a desperate act of survival. Even our Khan cannot stop it.
People yearn for peace. Who would be willing to let their own men fight?
The Great Xia Kingdom is a vast country with abundant resources. If we can exchange goods with our relatives and give them food for the winter, our Khan is willing to offer cattle, sheep and horses to turn hostility into friendship. We will protect the Great Wall and there will be no wars. "
These words were dignified and seemed to be very reasonable. People could not help but imagine such a harmonious and peaceful scene.
Prime Minister Liang said, "I think it is reasonable. The Ministry of War spends a lot every year and the soldiers at the border are suffering.
Now, as long as we take one-tenth of the money and give it to the Hu people, they will not die of cold and hunger. We can avoid wars. Why not? "
Xu Xian finally understood the purpose of these Hu people. It was not only for the marriage but also to swindle money.
Most of the time, giving money directly was much cheaper than mobilizing people for war.
In the original history, the Song Dynasty gave the northern minorities the so-called "New Year's Coins", also known as "New Year's Gifts". It was not that the Song Dynasty was powerless. Otherwise, whether it was the Jin or the Liao Dynasty, they could directly destroy the Song Dynasty and did not need the money.
But in Xu Xian's view, this kind of behavior could not escape the label of "giving money to the enemy". Those barbarians who bowed their heads and submitted to the Song Dynasty would quietly accept the Song Dynasty's "gifts" when the country was weak. When the country was strong, they would brazenly invade and gain more.
It was simply impossible to satisfy the invaders' endless desires with limited resources.