HLnovel Chapter 898 The King of Qin's Plans
Chapter 898 The King of Qin's Plans
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Zhang Ping'an asked politely.
Qin Qingshan smiled, his hands behind his back, and gestured towards the pavilion in the distance, "Let's talk there."
"it is good!"
Zhang Ping'an followed the other person's footsteps, and the two sat down in the pavilion. The pavilion was surrounded by gauze curtains, so there was no need to worry about being spied on by others.
"Lord Zhang, there's no need to be so nervous. I know that the officials are in a state of panic because of the Second Prince's rebellion. Now that the late emperor has passed away and the new emperor has ascended the throne, it is the time to stabilize the court. A pillar of the state like Lord Zhang should step forward to share the burden for the new emperor," Qin Qingshan said slowly.
At the same time, he didn't forget to personally pour Zhang Ping'an a cup of tea.
Zhang Ping'an bowed and said, "Thank you for your high regard, King Qin. It is my duty as a subject to serve the king. I will do my utmost to fulfill this duty."
"Hmm, I believe I haven't misjudged him," the King of Qin nodded slightly, then suddenly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, do you know Li Mingxuan?"
"Li Mingxuan?" Zhang Ping'an lowered his head as if thinking, then nodded: "I do know this person. We were neighbors for a while back in our hometown county. What happened to him?"
"Oh, you may not know this, but he used to be Bai Chao's strategist. He was also involved in the Second Prince's rebellion and was the Second Prince's right-hand man. He not only helped the Second Prince steal court secrets, but also secretly gathered Bai Chao's remnants and led people to ambush in the capital. The beacon fires we saw yesterday were lit by his men."
Qin Qingshan spoke casually, but in reality, he was closely observing Zhang Ping'an's reaction in secret. First reactions don't lie.
Although Zhang Ping'an had remembered the address while at the imperial tomb and had already guessed what was going on, he was still startled. "What? How could he be so audacious?"
Qin Qingshan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he is indeed quite bold. But the most regrettable thing is that he managed to escape. He is also the only one who slipped through the net in this case of the Second Prince's rebellion."
Zhang Ping'an sat up straight and said solemnly, "Does the Prince of Qin suspect that I have some kind of relationship with him? Does he doubt my loyalty to the court? In any case, I am also an important minister of the court. If the Prince of Qin has no evidence, he cannot make baseless accusations!"
Qin Qingshan raised his hand and made a downward pressing gesture, calmly saying, "Lord Zhang, please calm down. I am merely inquiring as per protocol."
At this point, Qin Qingshan calmly lowered his head to take a sip of tea, tapped his hand lightly on the table, and then looked up to continue: "The reason why Lord Zhang came to my residence to propose marriage before is actually known to both of us, but now that His Majesty has passed away and the new emperor has ascended the throne, I do not wish to cause any more trouble and bring this matter to light. Today, I do have a favor to ask of you."
Zhang Ping'an's expression remained unchanged. "Oh? What is it, Your Highness? Please speak frankly."
"The Fourth Prince has been away from the capital for some time now and has settled down in Lingnan. As one of the few remaining bloodlines of the late Emperor, Lingnan is still a bit harsh," Qin Qingshan said, then looked at Zhang Ping'an.
Although Zhang Ping'an found this kind of half-truth quite annoying, he still guessed along the lines, "Does the Prince of Qin want to take better care of the Fourth Prince?"
Qin Qingshan nodded with a half-smile: "That's right! But this kind of care is not the same as that kind of care. Lingnan is close to the border, and most of the people there are barbarians. Without the protection of the imperial court's military force, the Fourth Prince alone would not be able to stay safe."
"You mean..." Zhang Ping'an frowned, not expecting Qin Qingshan to be even more ruthless than the emperor.
Qin Qingshan, however, did not hold back and said bluntly, "The Fourth Prince is not a peaceful person. To nip the problem in the bud, you must eliminate the root of the problem. Lord Zhang is a smart man, well-versed in the classics, and should understand this principle better than I do!"
Zhang Ping'an smiled, surprisingly not feeling too angry. "Is the King of Qin threatening me?"
"If His Majesty were still alive, you would know what your fate would be. You should be grateful. I am far more merciful to you than His Majesty is!"
"Should I thank you then?"
Qin Qingshan waved his hand and said calmly, "That's not necessary. I just hope to help the Crown Prince eliminate all future troubles. As the Privy Councilor, this matter is not difficult for you, is it?"
Zhang Ping'an knew that his top priority was to stabilize the situation, so he nodded and said, "Okay, deal!"
Qin Qingshan was not surprised by the result. With a confident look in his eyes, he raised his cup and said, "Lord Zhang is a straightforward man. I admire people like you. Don't worry, I do things according to the rules. This matter is settled. As for your previous affairs, I will keep them to myself and pretend I don't know anything about them."
Zhang Ping'an smiled, picked up his teacup, clinked glasses with it, tilted his head back, and drank the tea in one gulp, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He firmly believed that it's better to rely on yourself than on others!
After finishing their discussion, Zhang Ping'an took his leave and returned to his office.
When his subordinates saw him return, most of them looked on with envy.
Anyone with eyes can see that the Crown Prince is incapable of handling affairs, and after ascending the throne, he will inevitably have to rely on the King of Qin and Cui Ling.
From now on, the two of them will definitely be favorites of the new emperor.
Given the extraordinary circumstances today, the fact that the King of Qin was able to speak with Zhang Ping'an alone is enough to demonstrate his high regard for him. With the King of Qin as his powerful patron in the court, his career path is already visibly set for a smooth one.
They were favored by the late emperor before, and now they have the Prince of Qin. Their luck is extraordinary.
Zhang Ping'an was used to this kind of look. He didn't say much, exchanged a few polite words with everyone, and then went into his room.
She pondered how to handle the matter concerning the Fourth Prince without leaving a trace.
Although Qin Qingshan instructed him to do this, it's hard to guarantee that he won't use this as leverage to blackmail him again in the future.
He needs to do it so that it leaves no trace.
However, there is still time for this matter; his biggest worry right now is Xiaoyuer.
It's not good to send him messages these days, and I don't know how he's doing in Datong. He went out to run errands after eating and hasn't returned yet. I'm not comfortable sending messages to others.
However, Zhang Ping'an could not have guessed that Xiaoyuer was not in Datong at this time.
This whole thing was thanks to Sanya.
Sanya had already found out about the current situation of her family. Her sisters were all doing better than the other, and they were all wives of officials.
Her most favored younger brother was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, whose life was smooth sailing from studying for the imperial examinations to getting married and becoming an official, making others envious.
Looking back at her, one can only imagine how much suffering and hardship she has endured throughout her life.
She is really unwilling!
Jealousy can completely change a person; this statement is absolutely true.
She has no way of reflecting on whether the problem lies with herself.
So instead of targeting the other family members as Zhang Ping'an had predicted, she turned her attention to Xiaoyuer, the apple of everyone's eye.