Dingzhou City, inside the Imperial Palace.
Since the emperor was invited to stay here, Wu Zhi naturally prepared a palace.
Of course, it is basically impossible for her to make large-scale construction projects to cater to the emperor, not to mention, no matter how magnificent the palace is, the emperor will not appreciate it, so it is just some superficial work, in terms of size, The level of comfort might not be as good as Wu Zhi's own palace.
However, now that the country is in crisis, the emperor has set an example by keeping everything simple, and there are a lot fewer concubines and court ladies, which are worthy of use.
Emperor Ji Lin, who was only in his twenties at this time, looked haggard, his eyes were dull, and there was a faint white hair between his temples, which was similar to that of a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.
Naturally, this was not Wu Zhi's deliberate abuse. In fact, even though he already had the intention to replace him, he had to raise the banner of the imperial court before, and Wu Zhi's support for the entire imperial court was still very good.
It's a pity that after losing power, the little emperor became obsessed with drinking and sex, gradually becoming what he is today.
He must now regret not staying in the accompanying capital. Although the court at that time was also in a crumbling state, at least it would not become the puppet it is today—although even if he resisted, the original Wu Zhi would not give him more. Just choose.
"Your Majesty, are you going to drink in Yichun Garden today? Or listen to Tao Pavilion and play chess?"
Ji Lin had just woken up and had had breakfast when a eunuch in a bright red robe with a benign smile came forward and asked obsequiously.
Originally, the king of a country has a lot of things to do every day, so how can he have leisure time for fun? But here in Wuzhi, all military, political and state affairs are naturally settled by Wuzhi's Dingwang shogunate. The emperor and the court officials are nothing more than clay and wood sculptures, which are just for appearance in major festivals.
"No, I want to watch a play today, so I'll drive to the Golden Valley Garden!"
Ji Lin waved his hand, and immediately there were eunuchs shouting at the male duck's throat, talking about Chengyu and relying on him.
Ji Lin looked at this scene, but a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Do you really think that he is fond of wine, sensuality, and dogs? Just don't do it, so what else
Do you have to act wise and martial, arouse suspicion, and then be killed by a cup of poisoned wine
"Your Majesty, let's drive!"
Accompanied by a few clean whips, the guard of honor set off slowly, and not long after, they came to a theater.
"This is the repertoire of today's troupe, please turn over the cards, Your Majesty!"
Eunuch Qiao gently presented a tray with vermilion bamboo chips inside and the title of the play written with a black brush on the surface.
""Eastern Tour"? "Three Lives"? They are all very old songs..."
Ji Lin looked at the two brands, and said somewhat disinterestedly: "Is there anything new?"
"Yes, of course! There is a big theater troupe in Kaichun City. The singing skills of Huadan, the head of the family, are outstanding. This old slave has already paid attention to His Majesty..."
Eunuch Qiao smiled charmingly.
"oh?"
Ji Lin turned to the back and saw a new track: ""The Legend of Everlasting Sorrow"? That's it!"
"okay!"
Eunuch Qiao smiled and went down to make arrangements. Not long after, with the sound of gongs and drums, a Huadan appeared on the stage. His singing skills were really good, which shocked Ji Lin.
This "Legend of Everlasting Sorrow" seems to be about the tragic love story of a concubine in the palace. Because of the resonance, Ji Lin fell into it at the first sight and couldn't extricate himself.
It's just that as the plot gradually progressed, his expression became more and more difficult to look at.
'This Legend of Everlasting Regret is obviously about the sad and beautiful story of the emperor and his concubine, but in fact, it is about the sorrow of the last emperor. , became a prisoner of the new emperor, and was even summoned into the palace every day... And the emperor was given to death by a cup of poisoned wine in the future, Mrs. Ruyu died in love...'
Ji Lin's complexion was ashen, and in a trance, he only felt that the emperor on the stage was himself.
After the song ended, before he knew it, his eyes had turned blood red.
But fortunately, he knew how to restrain himself, so he forcibly endured it: "Grandpa Qiao, today's performance was good, I will reward you with fifty taels of silver... Also, where is the owner of this theater troupe, I want to meet him, I will reward you with something... "
"Slave, let's make arrangements!"
This Eunuch Qiao was naturally not a simple person, so he immediately bowed down.
Not long after, a charming Huadan entered the wing room, making the eunuchs and maids watching secretly laugh inwardly, only saying that the little emperor's youthful heart, this is also human nature.
"Veteran Qian Zhong, pay homage to Your Majesty!"
But in fact, Hua Dan was just a cover, and there was another person hiding in the room. Seeing Ji Lin, she immediately got excited and paid homage.
"teacher!"
Ji Lin was also very surprised: "Are you here too?"
This Qian Zhong was his former grand tutor, he retired ten years ago and returned to his hometown, he never expected to see him again today.
"I heard that King Ding is domineering and imprisoning Emperor Jia, so I have no choice but to come!"
Qian Zhong knelt straight and spoke meticulously.
"Good! Good! Good!!!"
Ji Lin was a little excited: "It's great that the teacher can come..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Eunuch Qiao, who was guarding the door, and said a little embarrassedly: "The King Ding has many followers. Even if I want to meet my teacher, I have to hide my eyes and ears like this. If the state does not exist, it is really abominable!"
"Your Majesty should bear the burden of humiliation..."
Qian Zhongsu said solemnly: "Under the whole world, is it the land of the king? Even though King Ding stole His Majesty's power, some of the princes in the court are willing to serve His Majesty loyally."
"Now is a great opportunity, the opportunity for the sleepy dragon to ascend to heaven is right in front of you, don't miss it!"
"What does the teacher mean?"
Ji Lin's eyes brightened.
"Prince Ding has no way, but the soldiers will be cruel. Recently, the battle report has been obtained. The south is pacified, and half of the world is in hand. This is really terrifying... When she is unified, His Majesty will definitely abdicate and give way to the virtuous."
The old man Qian Zhong said solemnly.
"Even if I die, I won't take advantage of those rebellious officials and thieves!"
Ji Lin gritted his teeth violently.
"This is not the end of the matter. The old minister thought about it for a long time, and felt that the only good opportunity I was waiting for was the Northern Expedition!"
Qian Zhong fully revealed his plan.
"Northern Expedition?"
"That's right!" Qian Zhong continued: "The foundation of King Ding lies in the army of millions. If my court wants to stand on its own, it must abolish this first... After King Ding returns triumphantly, His Majesty might as well make a compromise to strengthen his heart for the Northern Expedition. As long as King Ding goes north and confronts the princes, we can do it secretly and uproot his henchmen in one fell swoop!"
Qian Zhong had a ferocious look on his face: "At that time, as long as your Majesty issues an edict, righteous men from all over the world will flock to them, and they will join forces inside and outside to destroy this giant owl!"
"good!"
Not to mention whether Qian Zhong was a fool in his studies, but he proposed such a strategy full of scholarly opinions, but after all, the little emperor was born in a deep palace and grew up in the hands of a woman, but at this time his eyes lit up.
"The old minister can't stay for a long time, and please give me an imperial edict, so I can do things cheaply!"
Before leaving, Qian Zhong asked again.
"Forget it..."
Ji Lin tore off a corner of his clothes, bit his finger, wrote the imperial edict in blood, and then stamped his private seal: "Teacher, I leave this important task to you!"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will go through fire and water, and I will not hesitate!"
Qian Zhong bowed again, then turned and left the small room.
However, after Ji Lin did this, his heart was full of excitement and he couldn't help himself. He looked at everyone around him with a look of scrutiny.
This is because Wu Zhi's spies are afraid that the palace people will get mixed up with them, and they will inform the plan in advance, and the success will fall short.
As everyone knows, even if he doesn't do anything, in the eyes of some people, the position of emperor seems a bit of an eyesore.
…
Dading six years, July.
Wu Pheasant defeated the anti-king Chen Jie, killed 50,000 enemies, captured tens of thousands of prisoners, captured countless, and returned to pacify the south.
For such a grand event, the entire imperial court would naturally celebrate grandly, and give her a bunch of free titles and rewards.
For example, several sons and daughters are now bearing titles such as Duke of the State, and their personalities are super high.
And with the achievements of unifying Kyushu, Wu Zhi's reputation is also in the sky, so dazzling that almost all men can't lift their heads.
Of course, with the help of some caring people, the topic of the Northern Expedition is constantly being brought up, and the reason is quite good.
In the world of the Great Zhou, there is also the idea of a great unification.
For any hero, it is an unspeakable temptation to unify the nineteen states of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Northern Expedition, is it really ridiculous?"
In Dingwang Palace, Wu Ming sneered at the noise from below.
"A quick attack at this time will not only make our foundation unstable, but also the northern princes will unite closely under the pressure of our army. It is not beautiful, but we must take it slowly and wait for it to chaos itself!"
"My husband's words are very polite, but why does this concubine feel that there is more to say?"
Wu Zhi asked with a half-smile.
"If you don't sweep a house, why sweep the world? If you want to fight for hegemony, you must first take care of the rear, such as... the royal family!"
Wu Ming pointed to the imperial palace not far away: "That little emperor has been making constant moves recently!"
In his opinion, the purpose of welcoming the emperor back then was to obtain a righteous name and consolidate the rule, and the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
But now, at the time of the unification of the south, Wu Zhi's reputation has become unbreakable, and the existence of the imperial court has become a constraint.
If you don't kick it away, how can you work together and join forces in the Northern Expedition
The situation at this time is similar to that of Cao Cao’s Southern Expedition during the Three Kingdoms period. If the opponent returns to Xudu after taking over Jingzhou, eliminates dissidents, consolidates the foundation and cultivates the source, no matter whether the emperor will be abolished in the future, at least there will be no Sima in the Three Kingdoms What happened to the family and the Hu people...
With this thought, Wu Ming suddenly felt a shock in his body. Knowing something was wrong, he immediately opened his eyes.
Ho ho!
In his eyes, from the direction of the palace, there was a dragon chant, and the fog dispersed, revealing the aura of a black dragon.
"It must be Juetian's handwriting to be able to hide it from me without noticing it for a while!"
Seeing this scene, a sneer appeared on the corner of Wu Ming's mouth.
Only a master of the same level can conceal this kind of abnormal luck, but the other party doesn't know that he has already had prejudices in his chest, and he is ready to clean up the court regardless of whether there are traps or not. At this time, it is natural to easily clear the fog.