I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 74 - 28: Serving the Dragon—Gu Xi and Liu Zhao (Part 3)

Chapter 74: Chapter 28: Serving the Dragon—Gu Xi and Liu Zhao (Part 3)
"How is it?" Liu Zhao asked anxiously, "Has the Champion Marquis responded?"
"No."
Liu Qing shook his head directly and sighed slightly, saying, "I observe that the current Champion Marquis does not possess the wisdom and decisiveness of the late Marquis Zhongwu and Marquis Wencheng, not even comparable to Marquis Huan."
"However, his son... gives me a rather extraordinary impression."
"He seems to have the bearing of the late Marquis Wencheng."
"Oh?" Liu Zhao instantly furrowed his brow and asked in surprise, "What’s going on?"
Liu Qing did not conceal anything and directly recounted what had just happened at the Champion Marquis Mansion.
Liu Zhao listened intently throughout.
Until the end, a smile appeared on his face.
"Interesting, interesting!"
"Truly worthy of the Gu Clan’s scion, to have such courage at the same age as me."
Liu Zhao was rarely this happy.
Perhaps because of the influence of Emperor Guangwu and Emperor Xiaoming.
Having a particularly talented Gu Clan scion as an assistant was a matter of pride for Liu Zhao.
Especially in the current situation.
Although he was still young, he was quite aware of his current predicament.
The Dou Clan had pushed him too far!
Although he was the Emperor, he had no real power, and was even under surveillance in daily life.
Now being able to get help from the Gu Clan was a good thing for him!
"Brother, do you really think this person has the talents of Marquis Wencheng?" Liu Zhao asked again.
Liu Qing was silent for a moment, "Marquis Wencheng was a person of extraordinary talent, as for this boy, I cannot say for certain now."
"But I believe he has understood the deeper meaning in Your Majesty’s words."
"And he will certainly take action!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhao nodded slightly, "I hope so."
"Now that all the ministers are gathered around the Champion Marquis, it has indeed spared me a lot of trouble."
He stood up slowly, his gaze growing colder at this moment: "Hmph!"
"The Dou Clan has been far too disrespectful to me; otherwise, I would not have this notion."
"It’s a pity that Marquis Wencheng passed away too early, and the late Emperor was too benevolent."
"If Marquis Wencheng were still alive, just the incident of Guo Ju privately accessing the harem in the past would have been enough to completely abolish the Dou Clan."
"If so, how would today’s troubles have arisen?"
Liu Zhao tightened his fist, his eyes full of murderous intent, "If there comes a day when I hold power, I will never be this merciful!"
"Your Majesty."
Liu Qing immediately lowered his head and advised, "The situation is still uncertain, such words must not be spoken again."
"I know."
Liu Zhao quickly restored his calm expression, smiling self-mockingly, "In all history, where has there been an Emperor like me?"
"To even have to be so cautious when speaking within the palace."
"They truly take advantage of my youth, don’t they?"
Liu Qing lowered his head, sighing deeply.
The next day, news came that Gu Xi had entered the palace to study.
Liu Zhao and Liu Qing were both overjoyed, although they were well aware, they didn’t act impulsively.
The Gu Clan was now the flag of opposition against Empress Dowager Dou.
It was already under much scrutiny.
And within the Imperial Palace, the Dou Clan had also arranged many people to keep an eye on Liu Zhao.
Gu Xi’s sudden entry into the palace would definitely draw a lot of attention; how could they possibly meet under such circumstances?
But whether it was Gu Xi or Liu Zhao,
Neither was in a hurry.
Even though they had never met, it was as if they had made a pact, not revealing the slightest flaw.
Meanwhile, disputes continued in the court and beyond.
Empress Dowager Dou’s autocracy had angered everyone, and no one was willing to give up their family’s interests to the Dou Clan’s new nobles for free.
This inevitably caused great friction.
Minister Zhi Shou presented a memorial impeaching Dou Xian for arrogance, even bringing up the example of Wang Mang.
This caused a shock throughout the court and the common folk.
In the Great Han of today, to be labeled with the name of Wang Mang meant leaving a legacy of infamy forever.
Dou Xian, being a person who harbored deep grudges, immediately moved to impeach Zhi Shou for buying public land and slandering the court.
He should be punished by death.
Gu Liang and Yuan An protected him, changing the sentence to exile.
However, Zhi Shou, disheartened, committed suicide at his residence before leaving.
This changed the entire atmosphere of the court.
The ministers were in fear of the Dou Clan’s power.
But with the Gu Clan still present, many people continued to struggle in the court under the Gu Clan’s influence.
They petitioned together for several consecutive days.
In such a situation, Empress Dowager Dou surprisingly made a concession.
She sent Dou Xian out to take command of the troops.
This caused a great shock in the court and the common folk.
The Dou Clan had been prominent till now, and now Dou Xian was going to take the military power again?
The entire court was shrouded in gloom.
And amid this countless overt and covert struggle, over three months of lurking passed.
The number of people sent to monitor Gu Xi gradually decreased.
There was no choice, after all, Gu Xi was indeed too young.
Monitoring him for more than three months was already a considerable favor to the Gu Clan.
On this day, an eunuch named Zheng Zhong suddenly found Gu Xi.
When Gu Xi heard that this eunuch claimed to be sent by the Emperor, he was extremely surprised.
But after some thought, he felt that this might indeed be a way to break the situation.
It was impossible for him to meet with the Emperor.
That was certain.
Liu Qing was obviously very sensitive, wanting to contact external ministers, and eunuchs who weren’t under the Dou Clan’s watch were the most suitable.
"What are the Emperor’s plans?" Gu Xi directly asked.
Zheng Zhong, with utmost seriousness, saluted Gu Xi without any underestimation and said solemnly:
"The Emperor wishes to ask the Champion Marquis, Dou Xian now holds command outside, is there any way to deal with him?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Perhaps it can be tried."....