Only after being reborn did I realize that I was the white moonlight of a powerful minister.

Inside the Renzheng Hall, the ministers were arguing fiercely.

"Make peace? Do you really think he'll behave himself if we don't wipe out the rebel king?"

"That's right, the rebel king wants to divide the country and is indulging in his pipe dream. Our emperor inherited the throne according to the late emperor's will, and the rebel king is a traitor and a villain. Of course, he must be killed without exception!"

"But if we do this, it will be exhausting and costly. What will happen to the Emperor's reputation?"

"His Majesty is acting on the orders of Heaven and our ancestors to suppress the rebellious king. If we fail to recover our lost territories, we will be unable to face our ancestors. War always results in death. Some small sacrifices are worthwhile for the sake of our dynasty's lasting legacy. We need not worry about what the people of the world say."

At this moment, the Crown Prince said, "Since ancient times, those who win the hearts of the people win the world. If we force a war, the world will be unstable. But as long as the rebel king is still alive, the court cannot be stable. We still need a way to satisfy both sides."

The Crown Prince's meaning was clear: Prince Cheng must die, but the Emperor's reputation as a benevolent ruler must be preserved.

But achieving the best of both worlds is not so easy. The ministers discussed it for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. Just then, Xie Bohuai arrived.

When the crowd saw Xie Bohuai, some looked expectantly at him, believing him to be omnipotent. Others, however, secretly scorned him, thinking that Xie Bohuai's decisive and ruthless nature would surely lead him to support the continued campaign to eliminate the rebel king.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty," Xie Bohuai bowed and inquired.

"My dear minister, please rise. I have a terrible headache. What do you think we should do about the rebellious king's peace negotiations?" The Emperor looked at Xie Bohuai earnestly, hoping he could come up with a good solution. The late Emperor had just passed away, and the court was not stable. If he were to secure the throne, he wouldn't need to worry about so many things and could simply send troops. However, the court officials had differing opinions, making it too difficult to maintain his position.

When the late emperor was still alive, the current emperor was the most low-key one. He did not try to win over the court officials, nor did he vigorously cultivate his own power.

As a result, now that he has ascended the throne, he has few trusted confidants in the court. They are either people left behind by other princes or some neutral parties.

Who can use it and who needs to be replaced are still being explored.

Therefore, at this time, the emperor must demonstrate his true abilities to make those who are wavering make a firm choice, resolve some major concerns, and cultivate capable talents.

Xie Bohuai was a retainer of the late emperor, and the emperor trusted his abilities. Continuing to use Xie Bohuai at this time was a sign of respect for the late emperor, and also a way for the emperor to use him to suppress court officials. Other matters could be considered after the emperor had cultivated his own trusted confidants.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the capital will not be at peace until the rebel king is eliminated," Xie Bohuai said. "Since we are going to eliminate the rebel king, it is impossible to avoid losing a single person; those who must be sacrificed will have to be sacrificed."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in the Emperor's eyes.

At this moment, the Crown Prince said, "The rebel king's wife and daughter are still in the capital. Why not use them as hostages to force the rebel king to submit? If the rebel king does not submit, it will also affect his reputation."

"Does Your Highness think that someone who has already been abandoned will be chosen again?" Xie Bohuai asked calmly. "Moreover, using women and children to go to the front lines will only damage the Emperor's reputation. Since we've declared that the rebellious prince secretly murdered the virtuous prince, we can refuse to negotiate with him because of that reputation. As for benevolence and righteousness, that's something to consider after the country is unified. If everything could be perfect, there would be no problem in the world."

The Emperor asked, "Is this really the case?"

"Your Majesty, I am merely fulfilling my duty as a subject. From a long-term perspective, it would be best to eliminate the rebel king once and for all," Xie Bohuai said.

Upon hearing this, the other ministers, who had previously held the same view, all knelt down and pleaded for the emperor's permission.

As for the others, they didn't dare to say much because Xie Bohuai was there.

Clearly, everyone feared Xie Bohuai more than the Emperor.

After the matter was settled, the emperor had no choice but to issue an edict ordering Lu Fengnian to lead troops to suppress the rebel king. After Xie Bohuai left the Renzheng Hall, he left the palace with the crown prince.

The other ministers walked behind, some distance from the two. One of them whispered, "The late emperor valued Xie Bohuai highly, but I never expected that the emperor would listen to Xie Bohuai in everything. If Xie Bohuai continues to control the government, we will all be in trouble."

They were all important officials in the court, yet they argued for a long time, and the emperor still couldn't make up his mind. In the end, Xie Bohuai came and proposed a solution that didn't satisfy both sides, and the emperor still agreed with Xie Bohuai's suggestion, which shows how much the emperor valued Xie Bohuai.

This is not a good thing for them.

They had been suppressed by Xie Bohuai before, and no one wanted to continue.

“Who says otherwise? Look, even the Crown Prince is very close to Xie Bohuai. When we came out of Renzheng Hall together, the Crown Prince only spoke to Xie Bohuai, and all of us were relegated to the back.”

Some scoffed, "I don't believe the Emperor and the Crown Prince truly value Xie Bohuai. It's just that there's nothing they can do, since Xie Bohuai controls the court. Just wait and see, once the Emperor has someone else to use, Xie Bohuai will be the first one to be dealt with."

"You said it yourself, I won't agree." Some people are afraid of dying, especially afraid that these words will reach Xie Bohuai's ears, and they won't even know how they died.

“I’ll just say what I’m saying. What’s there to be afraid of? I haven’t done anything wrong. Do you think Xie Bohuai would frame me?” The speaker was Minister Zhou. He and Zhou Yi were distant relatives. Because of this matter, he had been restricted in many ways for the past few months and had been holding back his anger for a long time.

No one agreed with him, so he simply walked faster, not wanting to listen to anyone else's rambling. He thought, "If you're going to talk nonsense here, you'll have to really fight Xie Bohuai; that's what makes a real man."

After Minister Zhou left, the others looked at each other and tacitly stopped discussing it, otherwise, if someone overheard, they would all be in deep trouble.

Xie Bohuai had already arrived at the palace gate. The Crown Prince invited Xie Bohuai to come over for tea, but Xie Bohuai politely declined, saying, "I have been too busy with official duties lately. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

“Indeed, you are the busiest. My father and I both have to rely on your abilities. You have worked so hard.” The Crown Prince smiled warmly. “Farming will begin soon. I hope this war will end quickly, otherwise the people will have a hard time by the end of the year.”

If the planting season is missed, the autumn harvest will fall short of expectations, and unrest will occur when the weather turns cold.

The Crown Prince was concerned about farming, and Xie Bohuai also had to take it to heart. After the two parted, Xie Bohuai returned to the government office, just as Si Yan came looking for him.

“Last year, the Huai River area was flooded, which created a plain. Local officials led people to cultivate it, intending to lease it to the people to increase production. Please take a look and see if there are any problems.” Si Yan handed over the memorial.

Xie Bohuai opened it and started reading.

Si Yan glanced at his master, and there was something he himself hadn't quite figured out. "There's something I don't quite understand..."

"Is it about suppressing the rebel king?" Xie Bohuai asked.

"Hmm, if Your Excellency has a way to achieve both goals, why not speak directly to the Emperor?" Si Yan was puzzled. He thought about it again and again, but there were still some things he couldn't understand. Since that was the case, it was best to ask directly. After all, he was someone close to his master, and he needed to know his master's thoughts in order to handle things well.