Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 415: Sir, why are you rebelling?

The third watch bell struck.

Cen Qiheng's black boots crushed the thin frost on the east side hall of the Qianqing Palace.

The eight personal guards behind him were holding Mo Dao, and the black cloth wrapped around the blades was oozing dark red - half an hour ago, they had just sunk the night patrol eunuch sent by Ci Shou Palace into the Jinshui River.

Zhao Xu stood behind a rosewood screen, listening to the sound of boots and armor colliding coming from far away.

On the desk, "The Memorials of Fan Wencheng" was spread out on the page with "Chart of Officials". The three words "Select Chief Officials" circled in cinnabar were reflected red by the candlelight.

When Cen Qiheng lifted the cotton curtain, the young emperor suddenly pressed down on his shoulder as he was about to kneel down and asked, "Is Fan Chunren at Xishuimen now?"

"Your Majesty, I have followed your instructions and have taken them into the Left Wing Battalion of the Imperial Guards under the pretext of inspecting the city's defenses."

Cen Qiheng glanced at the "Border Affairs Memorial" on the imperial desk - it was the one that was rejected by the Empress Dowager three days ago, but now it was densely annotated with new garrison plans.

At the beginning of the morning hour, Fan Chunren hurried in wrapped in a sable fur coat.

As soon as this old minister, who was over sixty years old, stepped over the threshold, he was forced to stop by the cold light of the armor in the hall.

Zhao Xu walked over quickly and took the cloak from his shoulders. His fingertips touched the unmelted snow on the sable fur. "When Duke Xiwen was stationed in Yanzhou, did he teach you to 'worry first and then enjoy'?"

Fan Chunren looked at the bloodshot eyes of the young man and thought of the stubborn child in front of the late emperor's spirit.

On the desk, the "Chronicle of Fan Wencheng" was spread out at the chapter on "The New Deal of the Qingli Period", with a half-broken fish symbol pressed next to the annotation with wet ink.

"Old minister..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Zhao Xu had unfolded a document, and the candlelight illuminated the title "Proposal for the Reform of the Qingmiao Law" - it was the memorial that had been shelved several years ago.

"The Queen Mother burned your "Current Affairs Memorial" the day before yesterday."

Zhao Xu's fingertips slid across the edge of the paper that was burned by fire. "But I had people make three copies. One is at Lu Huiqing's place, one is on Zhang Dun's desk, and the other one..."

He suddenly opened the rosewood box, revealing a box full of secret memorials impeaching the Queen Mother's cronies. "I would like you to sign your name on this one."

Amid the ticking of the night watch, Fan Chunren stared at the copy of Fan Zhongyan's handwritten "Reply to the Imperial Edict on Ten Suggestions" in the box.

Between the familiar iron painting and silver hook, there was Zhao Xu's childish red comment: "If Duke Xiwen were here, he would teach me how to break the impasse."

Fan Chunren's Adam's apple rolled twice, and his robe sleeves swept off the "Table of Officials and Ministers" on the desk, revealing the "Imperial City Defense Map" hidden underneath - next to each imperial guard post, the relationship with his disciples and former officials was marked with cinnabar.

"What does the government plan to do..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhao Xu had already stuffed half of the fish talisman into his palm, and the coolness of the bronze seeped into his skin.

Outside the palace, the night watchman's clapper sounds could be heard, mixed with the faint sound of horse hooves in the distance - those were the elite troops from the Palace Front Division that Cen Qiheng had mobilized as planned.

Zhao Xu glanced at the faded jade belt around Fan Chunren's waist and said, "I don't know what to do. Please teach me, Mr. Fan."

Fan Chunren was stroking the mottled bronze rust on the fish symbol when he suddenly heard something slipping from Zhao Xu's sleeve.

When he bent down to pick it up, he found it was a piece of plain silk - the relic that the little prince had held in his palm until he cried out blood on the day the late emperor passed away. There were also child's teeth marks on the corners.

"The third year of Jingyou," Fan Chunren's voice became hoarse.

"My father impeached the prime minister at the Censorate and was accused of 'speaking beyond his authority'.

He said: 'It is better to die with a voice than to live in silence.'"

Zhao Xu suddenly knelt down, his dark-colored uniform covered with frost stains: "Now I am trapped in the Nine Heavens, war is raging in the northwest, the court is in turmoil, and the Queen Mother..."

The boy choked, and when he looked up, the corners of his eyes turned red.
"The day before yesterday, the Cining Palace gave a meal, and the bottom of the meal bowl was engraved with 'Hanging the curtain is the family rule of our ancestors'."

Before he finished speaking, Fan Chunren knelt down in a hurry and put his head on the floor.

When the clepsydra sounded for the fifth time, Fan Chunren unfolded the "Imperial City Defense Map".

Between the sentry posts marked with cinnabar, he used wolf hair to circle three places: "The commander of the left wing camp is a disciple of the old minister, and the guard of the right army was saved by the predecessor."

The tip of the pen stopped at the three characters "Wen De Hall". "Tomorrow morning, if the Empress Dowager rejects the border report again, the Emperor may..."

He suddenly turned his pen and drew a slash on the picture.

"He threw the memorial on the steps, shouting, 'This is a matter of national security, not for the harem to decide.'"

The sound of horse hooves was getting closer outside the hall, and Cen Qiheng's armor was reflected on the window paper.

Fan Chunren picked up the "Memorials of Fan Wenzheng" on the desk, tore off the page about "selecting chief officials" and covered it on the defense map: "Back then, when our father rectified the administration of officials, he relied on the 'Anchashi' to patrol the border."

He dipped the brush in ink and wrote the six characters "Ancha Huangchengsi", the ink soaking through two layers of paper. "This old minister is willing to take this position and find out who is spying in the inner court within three days."

When the water in the copper pot was gone, Zhao Xu embedded half of the fish talisman into Fan Chunren's palm.

The old man's wrinkled hands suddenly exerted force, squeezing the young man's knuckles white. "Does the emperor know why our father always carried a double-edged sword when he was stationed at the border?"

Zhao Xu was a little confused.

Fan Chunren said softly: "The blade is facing the enemy, and the hilt is facing yourself - to break the situation now, we need the courage to cut off our own arm."

The morning bell startled the crows under the eaves. When Fan Chunren stepped out of the palace, he saw that the palace walls were already turning pale.

Fan Chunren strode out of the Qianqing Palace. The cold morning mist filled the palace road, but it did not cool the burning flame in his heart to uphold orthodoxy.

As soon as he walked out of the palace gate, he saw his disciple, the commander of the left wing camp, waiting on the side. When he saw Fan Chunren, a trace of expectation and determination flashed in his eyes. He quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice: "Master, do you have a plan?"

Fan Chunren nodded slightly and said in a deep voice: "Pass my order quickly, gather the elite troops in the camp, strictly guard the important gates of the palace, and do not let the Queen Mother's confidants enter and leave at will."

After saying this, he showed the fish token in his hand and said, "This is a token of the government. You must not lose it when you carry it with you."

The commander took the fish token, knelt on one knee, took the order and left. He walked hurriedly and disappeared into the thick fog in a flash.

Fan Chunren turned around and walked towards the attendants' duty room next to the Wende Hall, where several censors who he had carefully cultivated over the years were waiting.

Stepping into the duty room, the candlelight was flickering in the room. When several censors saw Fan Chunren coming in, they all stood up and saluted.

Fan Chunren glanced at everyone and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, today's morning court session is the time for us to show our loyalty to the country.

The Empress Dowager has been in power for a long time, and the court is plagued by many problems. The Emperor wants to rule the country himself, but is blocked at every turn.

As subjects, we eat the emperor's salary and are loyal to him. If we don't do it now, when will we do it?"

After that, he took out the memorial personally approved by Zhao Xu, which impeached the Queen Mother's cronies. "This is the emperor's will. All of you should join me in submitting a joint memorial to impeach the Queen Mother's cronies for controlling the government and deceiving the emperor. We will force the Queen Mother to withdraw her curtain and return to power."

Everyone gathered around and looked at Zhao Xu's vigorous and powerful comments on the memorial. Their blood boiled in their hearts. They picked up their pens, dipped them in ink, and solemnly signed their names on the memorial.

At the same time, Fan Chunren secretly instructed his eldest son Fan Zhengping to quickly contact several old ministers in the court who were known for their loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, inform them of the plan for today's morning court, and urge them to stand up and support the government at that time.

After receiving the order, Fan Zhengping put on a straw raincoat, braved the heavy snow that was still falling, and rode his horse through the streets of the capital, visiting every household.

When he met the old ministers, he explained the whole story in detail with earnest words. After listening to him, many old ministers were moved by Fan Chunren's loyal act, and expressed their willingness to speak up for the emperor and the Song Dynasty at the morning court.

After arranging everything, Fan Chunren took a short rest to recuperate and gather his strength for the morning court session.

As the sky gradually brightened, the palace bells and drums rang, announcing that the morning court was about to begin.

Fan Chunren straightened his clothes and walked steadily towards the Wende Hall, carrying the memorial that embodied everyone's hopes.

Along the way, he recalled his father Fan Zhongyan's courage and perseverance in implementing the Qingli New Deal, and silently said in his heart: "Father, today I will definitely follow your example and do my best for the integrity of the court of the Song Dynasty."

When I stepped into the Wende Hall, I saw that all the civil and military officials were already lined up in an orderly manner. Zhao Xu was sitting on the dragon throne. His eyes showed both nervousness and trust and expectation for Fan Chunren.

Fan Chunren took a deep breath. He was determined to help Zhao Xu take power and turn the situation around, but the road ahead was full of thorns, and numerous challenges and difficulties lay ahead.

Empress Dowager Gao has been in power for many years and her power is deeply rooted.

The empress dowager had many confidants in the court. From the senior officials of the Privy Council who were in charge of confidential matters to the important officials of the Censorate who were in charge of supervision, all of them were obedient to the empress dowager.

For example, Otomo Liang Weijian, as the confidant of the Empress Dowager, had a tight control over the palace. Everything within the palace was handled by him, making it impossible for the emperor's orders to leave the palace.

If Fan Chunren wanted to break this situation and take back power from the Queen Mother's followers, he had to face these entrenched forces in the court. If he was not careful, he might be suppressed by them and fail. Furthermore, the party struggles left over from the reform struggle were serious.

During the Xining reign, Wang Anshi carried out reforms, splitting the court into the old and new parties. For many years thereafter, party disputes continued and resentment grew. Although Fan Chunren cared about the country and tried to transcend party disputes and unite all parties for the sake of national justice, the reality was extremely cruel.

The members of the Old Party have deep prejudices against the remnants of the New Party. Even if Zhao Xu intends to re-employ some talented people who once supported the reform to reform the government and promote the response to the northwest border affairs, the Old Party will strongly oppose it out of party stance.

Fan Chunren had to persuade the old party to put aside their prejudices, and appease the new party and make them work for Zhao Xu. It was not easy to reconcile the conflicts between the two parties. Any slight mistake could trigger a new round of fierce conflicts in the court, making the situation even more chaotic.

Although Fan Chunren was the son of Fan Zhongyan and had considerable prestige, he still encountered many obstacles when contacting the forces in the court.

Some officials, fearing the empress dowager's power, did not dare to openly express their support even though they agreed in their hearts that Zhao Xu had to rule the country personally.

Although some local officials are Fan's former students, after weighing their own careers against the risks of participating in this power game, their attitudes are ambiguous and they may not be willing to devote themselves wholeheartedly.

What's worse, some were coerced and bribed by the Queen Mother's followers to turn against them, pass on false information to them, and disrupt their deployment.

Moreover, time is pressing and there is no room for slackness.

What we have to do today is to connect all the forces together in a very short period of time, unify their thoughts, and formulate a practical plan that can force the Queen Mother to withdraw the curtain at the morning court session. This is undoubtedly a huge challenge.

Any mistake in today's process may lead to the failure of the plan, which will not only fail to help Zhao Xu to rule the country, but may also put Zhao Xu into a more dangerous situation and even endanger his own life and the lives of his supporters.

Inside the Wende Hall, the ambergris rising from the bronze crane furnace was somehow wrapped in a faint smell of sulfur, which inexplicably added a sense of solemnity.

Fan Chunren tightly grasped the border newspaper in both hands. His knuckles had turned white due to excessive force, as if he was about to embed the thin parchment in his palm.

Dark red bloodstains were clearly visible on the corners of the parchment. They were splashed by soldiers guarding the border in a bloody battle. Under the flickering candlelight, they exuded a horrifying atmosphere.

Fan Chunren took a deep breath and looked towards the dragon throne. Although his voice was steady, it could not hide the sadness in it: "Your Majesty, an urgent report from Huanqing Road said that the Jingsai Army brazenly broke through Jinming Village three days ago, and the defending general Zhe Kexun led his troops to fight to the death and died in battle for his country.

Now, Su Ni's cavalry is like a surging tide, and has reached the south bank of Luo River. The situation is precarious! "

As soon as he finished speaking, the beaded curtain began to sway violently like fallen leaves in a strong wind, making crackling sounds.

"Present it." Empress Dowager Gao's anxious voice came from behind the curtain.

Liang Weijian hurried down, took the memorial from Fan Chunren's hand, turned around and presented it quickly.

Behind the pearl curtain, Empress Dowager Gao, wearing a phoenix-patterned Zhai robe, stood up hastily. Her wide sleeves swept across the gilded bronze hook, and the pearls on the jade hairpin collided with each other, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

"This Zhe Kexun is a son of the Zhe family, and his family has been loyal for generations!"

As a censor, Wang Yansou was of upright character. He could no longer hold back and swung his sleeves violently. The sleeves embroidered with the xiezhi patch were like a sharp blade, sweeping the ink on the desk to the ground. The bright red ink spread on the blue bricks, just like a pool of blood.

He raised his tablet high with both hands and pointed directly at the curtain, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "The Queen Mother made a prompt decision and quickly dispatched the Jingyuan Army to rush to the rescue overnight, and ordered..."

"enough!"

Zhao Xu strode down the Panlong Steps with big strides and shouted.

He was wearing a black dragon robe, and the soles of his boots rolled heavily on the golden bricks of the imperial road. Every step he took was firm and powerful.

Suddenly, the shock of all officials spread throughout the hall. The corners of the robes of the civil and military officials under the red steps trembled slightly. The fish symbols hanging on the waists of the front-row officials collided with each other, making a series of tinkling sounds, as if it was the bell counting down to fate.

Zhao Xu's roar was like a thunderclap that suddenly exploded, instantly cutting off Wang Yansou's words.

The jute memorial in his hand was slammed heavily in the center of the hall. The originally clear three words "Please take charge of the government" were wrinkled due to excessive pressure, and the handwriting seemed a little blurred.

The young emperor's dragon-patterned robe fluttered in the wind, sweeping across the white marble dragon head. He stared at the curtain with a sharp gaze and shouted angrily: "The flames of war are raging in the northwest, burning all over the border, the people are suffering, and the soldiers are bleeding on the battlefield!

However, the red paper reviewed by the harem was filled with instructions to disband the border troops. How would such an act affect the safety of the country? How would it affect the lives of the people? Is this what our ancestors advocated?"

After saying this, he was furious. Suddenly he reached out and grabbed the bronze paperweight on the table, and smashed it against the imperial table with all his strength.

There was a loud "clang" and the pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the imperial desk fell to the ground. The bronze paperweight rolled several times on the blue brick floor before it stopped. The lingering sound echoed in the silent hall for a long time.

In an instant, the hall was filled with deathly silence, as if it were a tomb, and no one dared to even breathe.

Fan Chunren only felt that the jade belt buckle in his hand was digging into his palm hard, causing severe pain. The sandalwood tablet in his hand also felt slightly hot. He didn't know if it was because of the sweat on his palm or because of the extremely tense atmosphere.

He gritted his teeth and stepped out of the train. This step was so heavy that his boots actually kicked over the tablet stand beside his feet.

There was a rustling sound, and thirty-six ivory tablets scattered to the ground like flowers from heaven. Some broke into two pieces, and some rolled to the feet of the officials.

Fan Chunren straightened his back and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I beg you to take charge of the government!"

This old but powerful shout kept echoing in the Panlong caisson, like rolling thunder.

Upon hearing this, the twenty-three imperial censors behind him took off their Xiezhi crowns in unison.

The morning light filtered in from outside the palace, sprinkling on their white hair, making it seem as if their hair was covered with a layer of snow.

The old censor in the front row had his turban slip down due to his excessive movement, revealing a shocking old scar on his head. It was the mark left by being caned for giving advice in the past. At this moment, it was particularly eye-catching in this tense atmosphere.

When Empress Dowager Gao heard this, her fingers that were holding onto the gold-lacquered screen with dragon pattern suddenly tightened, and her knuckles turned bluish-white.

The Dongzhu bracelet on her wrist couldn't bear the weight and broke with a "snap".

The round pearls fell like wild horses, rolling wildly on the steps, and one of them happened to stop in front of Zhao Xu's boots.

Empress Dowager Gao was already panicking at this point, but she still managed to stay calm and shouted at the top of her voice, "Cen Qiheng!"

Her shout penetrated the three layers of curtains and echoed in the palace: "Quickly bring the imperial guards to clean up the emperor's entourage and capture all these traitors in one fell swoop!"

"Empress Dowager!" Accompanied by a deafening shout, the palace door burst open.

Cen Qiheng was wearing a black armor and standing at the door in a majestic manner. However, because he used too much force, the armor knocked off several copper nails on the door.

The Mo Dao in his hand gleamed coldly under the shining of the rising sun, like a flash of lightning.

Behind him, three hundred imperial guards rushed in like a surging tide, and their armor plates collided with each other, making a sound like sea waves.

The red tassels of the spears in their hands danced in the wind, like burning flames, quickly sweeping across the corridors.

The eunuchs who tried to stop it were frightened by the powerful momentum and panicked. They all tried to avoid it and knocked over the gilded palace lantern beside them. The lantern fell to the ground, the light went out, and wisps of black smoke slowly rose.

Cen Qiheng held his head high and said in a loud voice: "The Palace Guard has followed the order of His Majesty and is guarding the palace."

After saying that, he turned over the fish talisman in his hand. The bronze fish talisman fit perfectly with the half piece that slipped out of Zhao Xu's sleeve. The collision sound was crisp and loud, which was particularly harsh in this silent hall, as if announcing the transfer of power.

Wang Yansou looked at the sudden change in front of him, and the memorial in his hand slipped quietly and scattered among the pile of pearls.

His eyes were dull as he stared at the new Suanni-patterned pendant on Cen Qiheng's waist. He suddenly felt a chill at the back of his neck and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

He suddenly remembered that the eight eunuchs who had mysteriously disappeared in Cishou Palace three days ago were the ones responsible for checking the imperial guards' talismans.

Thinking of this, he felt his legs go weak and he almost couldn't stand.

Empress Dowager Gao was also confused at this time. The hem of her chastity robe swept across the ground full of oriental pearls. She staggered and almost fell. Fortunately, the female official next to her was quick-witted and supported her in time.

The nine feathers and four phoenixes on the phoenix crown on her head also swayed as she trembled, and the gold foil tail feathers fell and scattered on the ground, as if foreshadowing that her power was about to disappear like these tail feathers.

"Your Majesty is in the prime of life!" Fan Chunren seized the opportunity and shouted again.

He raised the tablet high in both hands, pointed at the dragon flag fluttering outside the hall, and with a wave of his robe sleeve, swept the "Curtain Ceremony" on the desk to the ground.

“At the age of 14, Emperor Renzong took power, made great plans, and created a prosperous era;
As soon as Yingzong ascended the throne, he stopped the harem from interfering in government affairs and revitalized the government!

Now that your majesty is wise and wise, you should take charge of the overall situation and lead our Song Dynasty to prosperity!"

The imperial censors behind him responded one after another, shouting in unison. The sound was like surging waves, causing the gold foil on the coiled dragon caisson between the beams to flutter down like snowflakes. A few flakes happened to fall on the trembling hand of Empress Dowager Gao, but she was unaware of it. She just stared blankly at everything in front of her, her eyes full of astonishment and unwillingness.

She had never thought that she would end her reign in such a humiliating way. This was even more humiliating than when her aunt, Empress Dowager Cao, was forcibly removed from the throne by Han Qi. After all, that was in private, while this was in front of all the officials in the court!

This is rebellion!

(End of this chapter)