The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 33 Zhu Becomes the Emperor

In the bright and spacious Linde Hall, the emperor and more than ten ministers lived a miserable life.

The three prime ministers of the Southern Court and the envoys of the Northern Court sat on the futons, looking dull and sluggish. Ximen Zhongsui clutched the memorial, his big belly almost bursting through his clothes, but he also had no expression on his face.

"Dong, dang..." Behind the screen, the female official in green held a small hammer and tapped the chimes lightly, adding a bit of coldness and charm.

"Ha." Xuanhui Envoy Jing Wuxiu was tired of sitting for too long, so he let out a breath and started to tease the parrot presented by the people of Bian.

He was the head of the Xuanhuiyuan, responsible for the transfer of the emperor's attendants and female officials, and was also in charge of the payment and audit of banquets and sacrificial expenses. He also reviewed the famous items presented to the emperor by Chinese and foreign officials. This parrot was Zhu Quanzhong's gift to the emperor, and it was immediately in his hands.

But after playing for a while, the parrot remained silent, and Jing Wuxiu couldn't help cursing: "This dead bird doesn't talk."

The saint laughed dryly twice.

Who are you talking about?

Jing Wuxiu lifted the cage again and said coldly, "I asked you to speak! Are you deaf?"

The parrot was frightened and finally started to cry out incoherently: "Li will perish, Zhu will rise! The Li family will perish, and the Zhu family will be the emperor..."

The chimes stopped abruptly, and the female official who played them fell to the ground in silence. Du Rangneng's face flushed red, and he slammed the table: "The Linde Palace is not a place for caged birds!"

"I know." Jing Wuxiu calmly put down the bird cage, pointed at the parrot and sighed, "This dead bird is silent. I am angry at it for not being a parrot. It's fine if it doesn't speak, but when it does, it's not human language."

boom!
Ximen Chongsui suddenly grabbed the cushion and smashed it on Jing Wuxiu's head.

Jing Wuxiu dodged with his head turned sideways, then suddenly stood up and shouted: "Zhu Quanzhong came to us to ask for salt and iron, Zibo and Qinghai, and to move the capital to Shi Pu. You all gathered here, but you hesitated and couldn't come up with an idea. Why don't you give up the throne? Learn from the Ten Eunuchs of the Later Han Dynasty and let the foreign ministers lead the troops to slaughter the eunuchs!"

Like a stone thrown into a deep pool, the silent crowd began to discuss one after another.

"Quanzhong's territory is large and his army is strong. If we don't give him the gift, there will be disaster." Song Daobi, the Fengde Temple envoy, frowned and tried to test him: "He has offered 270,000 pieces of silk, 30,000 shi of grain, 20,000 heads of livestock, and 100,000 bushels of salt... At least agree to one of his gifts."

Zhu Quanzhong sent so many supplies at once, and there were three things to be "purchased".

One was the Salt and Iron Commissioner, who was also in charge of the finances of the thirteen academies in Jiangnan.

The second is to grant him the three towns of Yan, Yun and Qi, which are the original territories of the twelve states of Zibo and Qing, the Shandong Peninsula in later generations. After Li Shidao was executed, Emperor Xianzong considered that Zibo and Qing were too large and divided them into three. Now the Bian army is unstoppable and it will not take long to occupy them completely.

The third is to recall Xuzhou Jiedushi Shi Pu back to Chang'an, or to transfer him to another place. Yes, Xuzhou was about to be taken.

Li Ye just watched the eunuchs quarreling coldly.

Since their own interests are involved, everyone is anxious again.

Give? According to the nature of these bird people, they only take in and never give out. The ancestors of the "debtors" were unwilling to give a penny. Nowadays, the salt profit, water transport, and tribute income in Jiangnan are still several million strings of money a year. Without this money, it will be very annoying to raise troops, take in sons, and bribe vassal states in the future. But Quanzhong gave enough, and they were reluctant to give up this money.

In short, he wanted to accept Zhu Quanzhong's filial piety, but was unwilling to give up the position of Salt and Iron Commissioner.

But does Zhu Quanzhong seem to be a wronged species?
Therefore, they were also worried that making enemies with the people of Bian would lead to the disaster of purging the emperor's side. This was the root cause of the eunuchs pretending to be dead. So Song Daobing, the envoy of Fengde Temple, proposed to at least meet one of Zhu Quanzhong's requests.

But now it seems that the Southern Court and the Northern Court have reached a consensus on the matter of the Salt and Iron Commissioner.

Give me a hammer!

Xuanhui envoy Jing Wuxiu opened the cage and took the parrot out, then strangled it to death before it could even flutter a few times.

Looking at that ferocious old face, Li Ye's heart suddenly shuddered.

Ximen Chongsui drank some honey water, and his mood eased a little. He jumped to the next topic in tacit understanding: "Zhu Quanzhong requested to move Shi Pu to Xuzhou as prime minister."

When he said this, his eyes fell on Liu Chongwang, staring at him. This old man had too high a prestige in the court, and he had been looking for an opportunity to send him out in a relatively gentle and convincing way.

"I'm afraid this won't work." Li Ye looked at Ximen Chongsui's face and said carefully, "Xuzhou can only be governed by Shi Pu."

Xuzhou, also known as Wuning Army, is a major town in the Central Plains. Since Li Su served as the governor during the Yuanhe period, its strength has grown day by day. It has repeatedly made meritorious contributions in attacking Hebei and has a natural psychological advantage over powerful vassals. It has always been the backbone of the defense against Hebei bandits.

Now there are 100,000 soldiers in armor, and they have fought against the Bian people in the field, killing many people, which makes Zhu Quanzhong gnashing his teeth and trying to disintegrate Xuzhou. As for the so-called relocation of the town, Zhu Quanzhong certainly has no good intentions to let the court send the prime minister to replace the current Jiedushi Shi Pu to guard the town. The Xuzhou soldiers are as rude as Wei Bo, and the Silver Knife Teeth Army rebelled in the early years, which gave Xuanzong a headache. Shi Pu was able to control this bunch of birds because he had fought for many years and established a prestige of reward and punishment in the army. The people sent by the court are just commanders without any achievements. What's the point of relying on power? Can they control it?

In a word, Xu Zu was able to wrestle with the people of Bian and beat Zhu Quanzhong to a pulp. Such an arrogant general, let alone a civil official, would be a problem for Li Keyong to take up the post alone. It should be noted that this is not a hundred years ago. Well, a hundred years ago, ministers were often killed by warriors within a few days of arriving in the town... many, many.

Zhu Quanzhong's actions clearly indicated his intention to disintegrate Xuzhou.

Without Shi Pu to lead the overall situation, what good would it do for the scattered Xu soldiers, no matter how fierce they were?
Du Rangneng said at the right time: "What the saint said is right. At present, the Sikong and Zhu Quanzhong are fighting fiercely. The two towns of Yan and Yun share the same hatred with the Sikong and fight against the powerful enemy together. They have sent troops to attack Quanzhong's flank several times to save Xuzhou. Li Keyong also used troops in Wei, and Liu Rengong of Youzhou also led an army of 100,000 to attack Chengde in the south and attack the people of Bian. The Sikong was not at the end of his rope, so how could he move his town according to the imperial edict?"

The old man's meaning was very clear.

Now all the towns in Henan and Hebei are reinforcing Shi Pu to fight against the powerful enemy Zhu Quanzhong. How stupid would one have to be to abandon his military skills and leave unless he was desperate?
"What the Grand Commandant said is reasonable." Lieutenant Liu Jingxuan of the Left Army took over the conversation and said thoughtfully, "But judging from Quanzhong's intention, he just wants the court to issue an edict to deprive the then Minister of Works of the time of his official position in order to weaken his authority. It is said that when weighing two evils, choose the lesser one. Compared with granting the Salt and Iron Commissioner and the three towns of Zibo and Qinghai, this is the right thing to do. Now Quanzhong is the butcher and we are the fish on the chopping board. What can we do? I hope you will make a wise decision."

He couldn't give this, nor that, how could Zhu Quanzhong give up? He had to throw a piece of meat to get rid of this hungry wolf.

But after analysis, Li Ye found that if he really did so - issuing an edict to deprive Shi Pu of his official position, he would fall into Zhu Wen's trap.

Very simple.

Huang Chao died in Langhu Valley, when Pu Shi had the merit of offering his head, and he had been paying tribute for many years, and was very respectful to the emperor. If the court only cares about the strong and the weak, regardless of right and wrong, and harms innocent people, wouldn't it make the loyal people feel cold? How would people in the world view the emperor? If the emperor can't do justice for me when I have something wrong, then why should I pay tribute to the emperor? What's the point of being a loyal minister? Why don't I just pay tribute to Zhu Wen?
In short, this was an attempt to strike a blow to the court's remaining authority and make those relatively obedient princes lose their remaining trust in the common leader of the world.

Everyone remained silent, and the eunuchs were not stupid either.

There are three fire pits for you to choose and jump into.

Don't want to play with fire and get burned? Then Zhu Quanzhong will prepare a snake pit for you next time.

This Zhu Quanzhong is really fucking troublesome!

After a long while, Shangshu Li Xi sighed and said, "Let's send an envoy to Xuzhou to negotiate with Shi Sikong first. If Shi Sikong is willing to come to the court, the emperor should appoint him as the Grand Tutor and buy a horse bone for a thousand gold coins to appease the vassal. In this way, Zhu Quanzhong can also have an explanation. If the situation is really forced and Shi Sikong cannot leave the town, the court can only shed tears and cut off his arm to seek self-protection."

"It should be so." Ximen Chongsui didn't know what he was thinking, and replied absentmindedly. "The Northern Department must strengthen its military training." At this point, with powerful enemies all around, the court urgently needs a loyal and capable army to protect itself. It is useless to blame others, and having soldiers at hand is the kingly way. Du Rangneng collected his thoughts and looked at the eunuchs: "A few years ago, the Northern Department sent envoys to Guandong, Shuofang, and Longyou to buy horses and recruit soldiers. How is the progress? I can also prepare food, military uniforms, camps, armor, and housing."

He was the Grand Marshal, so it was understandable that he was involved in military affairs. The eunuchs also relied on him for financial management, so the two sides always maintained superficial harmony.

Seeing his colleagues' gloomy faces and extremely low spirits, the Internal Manor House Envoy Han Quanhui stepped forward to reply: "Seven envoys have returned. They bought 12,000 horses from Xia, Ling, Suizhou and the grasslands of the Hengshan Uighurs and Dangxiang tribes, and raised them in Feilong Garden, Taipu Temple and the military cities and pastures of the Shen Ce Army camp. They recruited 14,000 brave warriors in Pu, Chen, Cai, Xu and Shangzhou, stationed them in Huazhou, and will soon arrange for training. The other recruiting envoys have not returned yet. The number of recruits is expected to reach more than 30,000, which exceeds the original number set by the Privy Envoy."

"If they are all warriors, it doesn't matter if there are more than a few. We will definitely help them." Du Rangneng nodded and said, which was like a shot of adrenaline for the Northern Division. If they raise warriors who can fight, he will have money and food. If they are still the good-for-nothings like the Shen Ce Army, please forgive him for being unable to do anything.

The former "troublemaker" Xuanhui Envoy Jing Wuxiu was in a better mood now. He bowed to Ximen Chongsui, Du Rangneng and others and said, "The lieutenants of the Junrong and Taiwei armies and the Shen Ce army still need to be eliminated, and only the best ones can be retained. The Xuanhui Court can still give out some money and goods as rewards."

"In order to avoid a mutiny, we must take it slow." Lieutenant Liu Jingxuan of the Left Army expressed his opinion.

After this meeting, facing the threat of the powerful vassal, not only did the eunuchs suppress their internal contradictions and unite unprecedentedly, but the Southern Court and the Northern Court also rarely scolded each other. Li Ye was stunned. War is indeed the best way to divert political crises.

But thinking about it, I still find myself quite funny.

Like an air person.

He has not got any of the halo of the protagonist in the novels of his previous life.

"Gentlemen, there is one more thing to discuss." Song Daobi, the former Fengdeku envoy, looked at the sage and said, "The country is in turmoil, and the ministers are vying for the throne. I think it will be difficult for the ancestral temple to maintain its status for long if we rely on ourselves alone. Quanzhong can no longer be replicated, and the court must lend its support and form an alliance with three or five vassal states to resist it together."

Ximen Chongsui snorted.

It’s good to form an alliance, but the question is with whom to form an alliance.

The interior of the pass is full of thieves, and the governors of the three rivers are also disloyal. It is fortunate that they did not come to Chang'an to cause trouble. As for Hebei and Jiangnan, they are far away and cannot be relied upon. The towns in the Central Plains are about to become the victims of the Bian people. Li Keyong of Hedong is known for his chivalrous spirit. A few years ago, in order to help Wang Chongrong, he led his troops into the pass to Chang'an to kill Tian Lingzi. After the deed was done, he did not ask for anything, which can be called a righteous man.

If an alliance could be formed, Ximen Chongsui would also be willing to do so. But this man kept himself clean and did not interfere in the internal affairs of the court, nor did he make friends with eunuchs. He was troubled by the lack of opportunities.

The sage could have come forward, for example, to marry a daughter of Li Keyong, or to select a princess for Li Keyong's eldest son. This was also a common method used by the Li emperors to form alliances with vassal states. There were precedents in the early years, such as Princess Jiacheng, the daughter of Emperor Daizong, marrying the Tian family of Wei Bo, and Princess Shou'an, the granddaughter of Emperor Xianzong, marrying the Wang family of Chengde. If possible, Ximen Chongsui would have been quite tempted. But the sage brothers had a very bad impression of Li Keyong. The sage had just asked for Hedong under the instigation of Zhu Quanzhong and others the year before last, so how could he be willing to marry Li Keyong's daughter?

Even if he helped to marry her, given the saint's ruthless nature of not sleeping with his wife for two months, it was inevitable that the girl would suffer.

Yes, Ximen Chongsui also knew about this.

The Saint seemed to have withered after Yang Fugong's coup, and until now he had not slept with his concubines, including He, his first wife. However, he had recently fallen in love with Concubine Chen. They were as loving as newlyweds, going out side by side and sitting at the same table together, which made He burst into tears.

Thinking of this, Ximen Chongsui looked at Li Ye and said leisurely, "Saint?"

"Hmm?" Li Ye was leisurely discussing political affairs with the heads of the Southern Court and the Northern Court.

Ximen Zhongsui propped up his legs and sat up. He ignored the crowd and said with a dark face, "I heard that the sage favors Concubine Chen, but ignores his first wife. The other concubines, imperial concubines, imperial concubines, and talented women also stay alone in the palace, waiting for rain and dew to nourish them. The sage is so ruthless that he favors only one woman, which is not in accordance with etiquette. For the sake of the country, we must cultivate more and harvest more. You are not allowed to look for Concubine Chen tonight. Go talk to Concubine Shu."

There was a sudden burst of laughter in the Linde Hall.

Being stared at by so many people, Li Ye blushed with shame and veins popped out on his forehead.

"Did you hear that?" Ximen Chongsui asked again.

"Ah."

Seeing that the Saint was quite capable and did not talk back, Ximen Chongsui patted the Saint on the shoulder and said seriously: "The current national situation is not the time to act on impulse. We must rely on the support of others to protect ourselves. You should keep the grudges with Li Keyong in your heart and do not mention them again. In a few days, I will send an envoy to Taiyuan to obtain the pearl of the Prince of Longxi for you to form an alliance between Qin and Jin. This matter is settled."

"Also, Jing Changshi..." Ximen Zhongsui paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. After a moment of hesitation, he instructed Xuanhui Envoy Jing Wuxiu, "Jing Changshi is in charge of the order and transfer of the three classes of eunuchs. He knows the people in the palace very well. Go back and make arrangements so that the concubines who don't have children will be pregnant by the emperor. These women are eager to have children, and most of them are from aristocratic families. You can take this opportunity to ask for some bribes to pay for the military expenses."

Li Ye is so depressed, can't he even sleep freely?

"Gentlemen, there is one more thing." Song Daobi said, "There is a rumor in the capital that Wang Gong of Shanzhen, Zhang Quanyi of Heyang, and Li Hanzhi of Henei hate our monopoly of power and want to join forces with the Tongzhou army to march into Chang'an, kill us, depose the saint, and establish the emperor instead."

"Ignore it." Ximen Chongsui was calm.

There were too many people who wanted to kill them, including Liu Zhen of Zhaoyi during the reign of Emperor Wenzong, Qin Zongquan, Sun Ru, Wang Chongrong, Li Keyong, Zhu Mei, and Li Changfu in the past two years, and recently Li Maozhen of Qizhou, Wang Jian of Xichuan, and Yang Shouliang of Hanzhong. In his opinion, this was nothing new.

His destruction of the Zhenguo Army and the killing of Han Jian should be able to deter the villains for a while.

Furthermore, Wang Gong was a scoundrel. If his whole family was not killed by his subordinates one day, he would be very lucky. How dare he come to Chang'an to cause trouble? As for Zhang Quanyi of Heyang, judging from his performance, he was just a guard dog raised by Zhu Wen. He was just threatening the emperor.

The only one left is Li Hanzhi, who was killed by the Bian people last year and probably hasn't recovered yet.

If they really wanted to come to Chang'an, Ximen Chongsui would have the confidence to lead his troops in battle.

……

After the meeting, the prime minister and envoys returned to their offices one after another to handle their affairs.

When the Saint saw Ximen Zhongsui leaving the eunuchs, he felt the need to meet with Concubine Chen and talk to her, so he walked around the pillars and suddenly accelerated, running towards the Xianju Palace. Zhao was afraid that the Saint would accidentally fall, so she hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, don't run too fast, the army is angry!"

In front of the Xianju Palace, Concubine Chen had long been accustomed to gazing into the distance.

Seeing the saint hurriedly coming up, she threw herself into his arms and snuggled up to him: "You want to kill me after not seeing me for a day!"

"Who wouldn't miss her?" Looking at Chen Chen in front of him, Li Ye exhausted his memory, but couldn't compare her to the women of later generations. It's not the appearance that's different, but the temperament. The experience of being born in a family of warriors, the cultural quality of being well-read and able to write well, the body trained by long-term fencing and dancing, the calmness and composure of being used to war, and the psychological awareness of getting along with men in the boudoir, are all too different.

"Junrong asked me not to look for you every night from now on."

"For now, that's enough."

Li Ye's breathing became heavier as he stroked the delicate face of Lady Chen. For the last time, I must abstain from sex tomorrow! I will see the concubines every three to five days. Suddenly, he picked up Lady Chen, rushed into the room and pressed her on the table. The two of them took off their clothes and slept together.

History says: The skin blends with the face, playing with thousands of charming things, the chirping of the oriole is always in the ears. The tiger roars, and the starry eyes become more hazy. The fine fragrant sweat rains down, and the trickling dew drops on the peach blossom heart.

(End of this chapter)