PFC Chapter 394 Even a tiger cub can choose its prey.
Chapter 394 Even a tiger cub can choose its prey.
Inside Yongning Palace.
The expression on Guo Tai's face already betrayed an undeniable struggle.
If it's just the same nonsense as the day before, then of course she can ignore it.
Killing a couple more palace maids wouldn't be a big deal to her.
But when Liu Bang brought up the Chen family of Yingchuan and Guanqiu Jian, who was leading troops in the field, she could no longer remain calm.
She realized that the person standing in front of her was not a puppet that the Sima family could manipulate at will.
This is clearly a tiger cub about to devour its prey!
Even though the tiger is young, it already poses a significant threat!
"Mother, there are many spies of the Sima family in the palace. If I can get your support and avoid the eyes and spies planted by the Sima family, I will be more confident."
"Two days from now, I will meet with Chen Tai in the palace. If the Sima family's spies find out and hear something they shouldn't, then things will definitely not end well. I will have no choice but to break ties with them in advance."
"The Empress Dowager only has two days to hesitate."
Empress Dowager Guo: “!”
Seeing that Liu Bang had finished speaking and was about to leave, she hurriedly got up.
"and many more!"
Liu Bang stopped and turned to look at her.
"Oh? Does Mother have any further instructions?"
"What would I gain if I helped His Majesty?"
"Can Your Majesty guarantee the safety of my father and brothers?"
The way we address each other has changed.
Noticing this, Liu Bang's lips curled up slightly.
The goal of using someone else's name to intimidate others has been achieved.
From now on, he truly has a tiger skin on him!
"That's natural. My mother's father and brothers are my maternal uncles and my maternal grandfather."
"As long as I win in the end, even if they are the lackeys of the Sima family, I will not harm them, and I will give them a lifetime of wealth and honor."
"Even if Your Majesty wishes, I will still support the Guo family, and they will no longer be anyone's lackeys, they only need to be loyal to me!"
"As for you, Mother Empress, you will naturally remain the Empress Dowager, your power will remain the same, and I can even agree to allow you to rule from behind the curtain."
In any case, Liu Bang's goal was to throw the Sima family's empire into chaos, so he didn't think twice about the promises he made to Empress Dowager Guo.
Of course, it doesn't matter even if you realize it later.
It's fine to let you listen to her ruling from behind the curtain, since Empress Lü Zhi herself interfered in court affairs quite a bit in the past.
As long as it wasn't excessive or crossed any red lines, Liu Bang could accept it.
Having received these promises from him, Empress Dowager Guo's eyes visibly lit up.
"Let's skip the idea of ruling from behind the curtain. I don't understand matters of state and family, so Your Majesty will have to take care of them yourself."
"As long as Your Majesty can determine the remaining conditions, then..."
"At least I can think of a way to help His Majesty by using the Sima family's spies in the palace."
Essentially, she was just a simple woman, lacking the ambition of Empress Lü.
She didn't care about ruling from behind the curtain or interfering in politics.
Not only do they not care, they also find it troublesome.
What she truly cared about was the power she held and the safety of her father and brothers.
"A ruler's word is law. What I say is like water spilled; it can never be taken back."
"I will meet with Chen Tai in the palace in two days. I do not want the Sima family's spies to see this."
Before leaving, Liu Bang gave Empress Dowager Guo her first task.
To expect her to completely eliminate all the spies in the palace is pure nonsense.
After all, Sima Shi couldn't possibly tolerate suddenly becoming blind, even though he was indeed close to it.
What Empress Dowager Guo could really do was to find excuses to transfer some people away within a certain period of time.
As the Sima family's most loyal lackeys, the Guo family was quite aware of the Sima family's spies in the palace.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will have my elder brother come to the palace in two days. He will then help train some servants. As for what you want Sima Shi to hear on that day, you can tell Eunuch Guo and let him figure it out. He is also my uncle, so he can be trusted."
There were even extra bonuses!
Liu Bang glanced at Empress Dowager Guo with a hint of surprise.
I never expected her to have such abilities.
"If necessary, I will send someone to inform you; if I do not send anyone, then nothing has happened."
"From now on, I will come to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager every two days in the early morning. I ask that the Empress Dowager make adequate preparations in advance."
……
As Liu Bang's figure disappeared into the distance, Empress Dowager Guo couldn't help but sigh deeply.
"Empress Dowager, are we really going to trust this young lad?"
Guo Gonggong entered the palace at some unknown time. He stood beside Empress Dowager Guo and asked softly.
"What can we do if we don't believe him?"
"He may not be trustworthy, but everything he said is true."
"After the Sima clan usurped the throne, I was unable to maintain my position, and the best outcome was to be deposed."
"But if I'm crippled, will I still have a place in the Guo family?"
Empress Dowager Guo had a very clear understanding of herself.
A clever little woman.
Moreover, her status was awkward; every time she appeared in public, it might remind others of the fact that the Sima clan had conspired with her to usurp the throne.
If she were Sima Shi, she wouldn't be able to find a reason to live either.
Although Liu Bang did not say it explicitly, she was well aware of this.
After the Sima clan successfully usurped the throne, those involved in the usurpation either became loyal ministers or simply disappeared.
"But that young lad... can he really defeat the Great General?"
Guo Gonggong was somewhat worried.
"It doesn't matter whether he can defeat the Grand General or not. Even if I openly side with the Emperor, the Grand General won't kill me at this time."
“Even if he wanted to depose this young emperor, he would need my imperial decree as the Empress Dowager.”
"If this young emperor loses, he will die, but if I lose, it won't be any worse than the original outcome. I'll still be a puppet, obediently waiting for the Grand General to usurp the throne."
While she lacked a broad perspective, Empress Dowager Guo did possess a degree of shrewdness.
He agreed to Liu Bang's request after much deliberation.
If she doesn't agree, there will be no hope for her future.
To place one's hopes on the benevolence of a man like the Great General is no different from having no hope at all.
If she agreed, the worst outcome wouldn't change, but if the gamble paid off, she could be the Empress Dowager for life!
"Understood. In the next two days, I will bring some of my own people to replace those palace servants and guards."
"What if he has other requests besides these?"
Eunuch Guo nodded, then asked another question.
"Give him what he wants, as long as it's not excessive, and as long as you can fulfill his requests."
"Since it's a bet, we should at least show this basic level of sincerity."
"If he forces you to do something against your will, you don't need to refuse. Just give him a perfunctory answer and tell me when you get back."
Empress Dowager Guo patiently gave her instructions.
Although it wasn't exactly a high-stakes gamble, she still hoped she could win.
Even though hope remains slim.
"According to the order."
After the old eunuch left, it took Empress Dowager Guo a long time to calm down.
Even without Liu Bang's words these past two days, how could she not know that she would not have a good end in Sima Shi's hands?
That's a ruthless person who doesn't even spare his own family members. Do you expect him to have a change of heart?