The author said: A small climax!
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After the deployment was completed, Qiu Yizhi was afraid that Youyan Wang Zheng Rong would change his mind again, so he didn't want to stay with him for long, so he said goodbye to his adoptive father and master and rushed back to Luoyang along the main road. Before passing Tongguan, he met Yi Ran and his party who were halfway there. He briefly informed them of the deployment of Youyan Wangfu, and then asked the Bohai delegation to turn their horses around and head back to Luoyang.
The group raised the banner of the Bohai Special Group to Mourn the Late Emperor of the Han Dynasty. No one dared to stop or harass them along the way. They passed Tongguan very smoothly, walked through Jianchun Gate again, and returned to Siyi Pavilion. It took them only four days to complete the journey.
On the seventh day, Zhao Chengxiao, who was sent by Qiu Yizi to reorganize the troops, also brought 27 people who disguised themselves cleverly and sneaked into the capital Luoyang. They asked and inquired along the way and found the location of Siyi Pavilion, and then met up with Qiu Yizi and others.
In the capital, Qiu Yizhi could no longer see Prime Minister Yang, and the eldest son Zheng Chang was in danger of death, so he still had Zhao Chengxiao and more than 20 other people to command. So Qiu Yizhi divided these people into several groups and patrolled around the old residence of Prince Youyan and the posthouse where his adoptive father might stay day and night.
Qiu Yizi originally wanted to go to Nuanxiang Pavilion to meet Wen Lingjiao again, and perhaps use the spies of Tianzun Sect in Luoyang to do something for him. However, he was afraid that if he got in touch with the cult again, it would be known to King Youyan through Zhao Chengxiao, and he would be scolded again, so he had to give up.
The security of the capital city of Luoyang was becoming stricter day by day, which was obviously prepared for Zheng Rong, the prince who held military power, to come to the capital. Qiu Yizhi no longer dared to leave the city at will, so as not to reveal his tracks. He estimated that when his adoptive father entered Luoyang, the court would definitely open the Dongyang Gate, so he found a restaurant near the Dongyang Gate and spent a lot of money to book a private room at the highest point of the restaurant that overlooked the Dongyang Gate. In addition to resting in the Siyi Pavilion every day, he would always wait in this private room for his adoptive father to come to the capital.
Although Youyan King Zheng Rong had made up his mind to go to the capital to pay his respects to his brother, he felt that the trip was dangerous after repeated persuasion from Zhongli Kuang and Qiu Yizhi. Therefore, he specially transferred 300 elite non-commissioned officers from Youyan Road, pretending to be the vassal king's guards, all dressed in mourning, beating gongs and drums, and marched to Luoyang in a mighty manner.
It happened that the autumn wind was gradually rising, and the sky was drizzling from time to time. Although the official road was wide and flat, it was also soaked by the autumn rain and became bumpy everywhere. Although the road was difficult to walk on, it also gave Zheng Rong enough reason to walk slowly.
So Zheng Rong and his party walked for seven days before they finally arrived at the Dongyang Gate.
Dongyang Gate is the main gate of the south wall of Luoyang. It is in accordance with the directions of the four spirits of heaven and earth, and two golden dragons are carved on the nine-zhang-high lintel. The Dongyang Gate is usually closed and will only be opened when the princes or the imperial envoys with important responsibilities come to Beijing.
Zheng Rong is the younger brother of the late emperor and the current emperor's uncle. He is granted the highest title of prince and is also the marshal of the army commanding hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Youyan Road. If the Dongyang Gate is not opened now, when will it be opened
Zheng Rong was riding on a tall horse. He saw that the original red color of Dongyang Gate had been painted black, and the two golden dragons were tightly wrapped in white curtains. Countless imperial officers and soldiers were lined up on both sides of the gate, all wearing plain clothes.
All of a sudden, the sorrow of his brother's death, the disappointment of his second son's succession, and the worry about his uncertain future all came to his mind, making his strong heart, which had been through many hardships, shrink into a ball as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.
Zheng Rong sat on the horse's back, took a deep breath to calm his surging emotions, gently squeezed the horse's belly, and then led the ceremonial entourage into the capital city of Luoyang through the tall and imposing Dongyang Gate.
The person who greeted Zheng Rong at Dongyang Gate was not a stranger, but the Minister of Rites Shi Liangzhi. Several years ago, when Zheng Rong came to Beijing to meet the emperor in accordance with the imperial edict of his brother Zheng Yong, it was this person who greeted him at Dongyang Gate.
Zheng Rong had a good memory. When he saw Shi Liangzhi, he remembered that he was a member of the eldest prince's party. Although he reprimanded him a few words in person, they were now his companions. So Zheng Rong jumped off the saddle slowly, bowed and said, "It turned out to be Lord Shi. The Minister of the Chancellery came to pick me up personally. I am really terrified."
Shi Liangzhi did not return the greeting, but unfolded an imperial edict and said expressionlessly, "The emperor has issued an order, please kneel down and receive it, Prince of Youyan, Zheng Rong!"
Zheng Rong hit a wall as soon as he entered the room. Hearing Shi Liangzhi's unusually stiff tone, he also said with a stern face, "The late emperor once ordered me not to bow when I see the emperor. Lord Shi knows this. Now the late emperor's coffin is still in the imperial city. If I violate the late emperor's will here, I will be accused of being unfilial to the emperor, which I am afraid you and I cannot bear."
Zheng Rong said so much, but Shi Liangzhi seemed not to hear it and said, "This is the special order of the current emperor. Please obey the order and don't make it difficult for me."
"What? Would the Emperor issue such an order? It is said that if one does not change his father's ways for three years, he can be considered filial. Doesn't the Emperor know the words of the sage?" Zheng Rong asked back.
Shi Liangzhi still mechanically repeated: "This is the special order of the current emperor. Please obey the order and don't make it difficult for me."
The so-called "three years without changing the laws of the previous king" is just a ritual, not a law. Even Zheng Rong's father, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, abolished more than 200 new laws of Emperor Xianzong within a month. Therefore, Shi Liangzhi insisted so much that Zheng Rong had no choice but to lift the corner of his robe, kneel on the ground, kowtow three times and bow nine times, and listen quietly to what Zheng Yao, who had been emperor for less than a month, had to say.
The guards behind him also bowed down in unison.
Shi Liangzhi coughed a few times and read aloud: "I have heard that the greatest human relationship is that of father and son; the difference between the superior and the inferior is that of the monarch and the minister. Recently, Zheng Rong, the King of Youyan, is from the royal family. Although he has made some achievements, he is guilty of deception. He formed a clique, undermined the government, and bullied the officials. I worry about it day and night, fearing that the world will be in danger. Therefore, I have issued an imperial decree to wipe out the treacherous party, restore peace to the country, and eliminate violence before it starts. This will be a blessing for our ancestors! It will be a blessing for the country!"
After hearing this, Zheng Rong was dumbfounded and knelt on the ground like a stone sculpture.
Seeing the arrogant and powerful Prince Youyan kneeling before him, Shi Liangzhi was at a loss. His deepest vanity was finally satisfied, and he said in a brisk tone, "Your Majesty, are you still not going to accept the order?"
"Your Majesty, don't you accept my order?"
"Your Majesty, don't you accept my order?"
Shi Liangzhi said it three times, but Zheng Rong still knelt there as if frozen.
However, Zhang Long, who was kneeling behind the prince, could no longer endure it. He jumped up from the ground and shouted, "What kind of imperial edict is this? If my prince hadn't been fighting at the border, how could it be your turn to issue orders here? Upon hearing that the late emperor had passed away, the prince was extremely sad and rushed to Luoyang to attend the funeral without saying a word. I didn't expect that you guys would set a trap here." He shouted very loudly and was hoarse by the end, "This is framing loyal officials! This is destroying the Great Wall! For such an emperor, just... just..."
Zhang Long thought of the word "rebel" but never dared to say it. However, the more than 300 carefully selected warriors who followed Zheng Rong to Beijing and knelt at the Dongyang Gate knew what he meant. In the blink of an eye, they stood up and walked slowly towards Shi Liangzhi with clenched fists.
Shi Liangzhi was a scholar and had never seen such a scene before. He panicked immediately and pointed at the crowd that was slowly approaching in front of him. He said in fear: "I am an official appointed by the court. Do you want to rebel?" As he said that, he took several steps back and even dropped the imperial edict in his hand to the ground.
The word "rebellion" poured into Zheng Rong's ears, instantly waking him up. He stood up, turned around and said to his subordinates, "Don't be rude. Go back and kneel down!" After hearing the order from King Youyan, the anger in their hearts was instantly dissipated, and they could only go back and kneel down.
Zheng Rong felt relieved when he saw this, so he slowly bent down to pick up the imperial edict that had fallen on the ground, gently dusted it off and handed it to Shi Liangzhi, saying, "Master Shi, none of the serious crimes listed in this imperial edict are something that I can bear. I dare not accept this edict, so please return it to the emperor as it is."
Shi Liangzhi took the imperial edict and looked up at Zheng Rong. She saw that there was no longer any panic in his eyes. Instead, he exuded an awe-inspiring and inviolable majesty. She was startled and quickly lowered her head to stare at the ground, not daring to look him in the eye again.
Zheng Rong saw this and smiled contemptuously, saying, "The imperial court is so determined to capture me that they would not send only a weak scholar like you, Lord Shi, to come here alone. Lord Shi, did you use the cup-throwing signal or the high-five signal? That would signal the ambush troops to come out."
After being reminded by Zheng Rong, Shi Liangzhi remembered that he had indeed ambushed a large number of troops in the houses near Dongyang Gate overnight, and hurriedly shouted: "Come here! Everyone, come out!"
After all, Shi Liangzhi had no experience in leading troops in battle, and his orders were completely disorganized. The ambushers followed his orders and came out from their hiding places one after another, but without any further orders, they had to stand there in twos and threes with swords, spears, and halberds in their hands, whispering to each other.
Zheng Rong looked around and saw this awkward yet funny scene. He smiled again and said, "Will the Ministry of Justice interrogate me next or will His Majesty personally try me? Will I go to the Ministry of Justice or will there be other arrangements? Please let me know, Lord Shi."
After hearing this, Shi Liangzhi said "Oh" subconsciously. Seeing Zheng Rong's calm demeanor despite the catastrophe, she began to admire the Prince of Youyan from the bottom of her heart. She put away her frivolous look and said very respectfully, "The emperor ordered the Ministry of Justice to first investigate the case, and then the emperor will make the final decision. If the prince has any grievances, he can speak to the Minister of Justice." After that, Shi Liangzhi called out loudly, "Come on! Someone! Why don't you invite the prince to the Ministry of Justice?"
Zheng Rong snorted and said, "No need for that. When I was in the capital, I followed the order of Emperor Shenzong and tried many notorious bandits. I know the Ministry of Justice." Then he pointed at Zhongli Kuang, Zhang Long and others who came with him and said, "These are my subordinates, and they are not guilty of the same crime. Please don't make things difficult for them, the court and Lord Shi."
"Okay, okay. I know what to do." Shi Liangzhi replied quickly.
Zheng Rong nodded, but asked, "When I came to Beijing a few years ago, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Lord Shi. I wonder if Lord Shi still remembers it?" Seeing Shi Liangzhi nodded silently, he continued, "I remember that Lord Shi kept lobbying me to fully support His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. At that time, I also advised you to abide by your duties as a minister and not to collude with the prince, so as not to lose your future. But I never expected that in just a few years, Lord Shi has become a loyal minister of the current emperor."
"This is the duty of a subject. Ruler-ruler and subject-subject are the three cardinal guides, and I, as an official..."
"Lord Shi, there is no need to quote from the classics in front of me. You naturally understand what I want to say." Zheng Rong impatiently interrupted Shi Liangzhi's sophistry, "It is the duty of a minister to give honest advice and criticism. Now that the second son of the late emperor has ascended the throne, Lord Shi, please do more of your duty and don't let the emperor do things like fratricide, forgetting his ancestors, and betraying the classics!" After saying that, he strode forward.
Shi Liangzhi's face flushed with anger after hearing what Zheng Rong said, and he hurriedly walked towards the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Those who didn't know the whole story still thought that he was just an attendant of Prince Youyan. (To be continued)