In the early morning before daybreak, Guo Shao bent down and walked into the large carriage that the Fu family brought as a dowry. This carriage was the strongest carriage that could be found in the mansion. Then Zuo You also got in the carriage.
The driver, Qiu, shouted and cracked his whip. At this time, more horse hoof sounds were heard outside. The cavalry went first, and the carriages followed out of the mansion. The wheels of the carriages jingled and the copper decorations on them swayed.
July 15th, this is the Ghost Festival. Zuo You said.
Guo Shaodao: It is also the day when the emperor meets in the palace.
According to the etiquette, on the first and fifteenth day of every month, civil and military officials in Beijing would go to the court to see the emperor. After Chai Rong ascended the throne, he was very diligent and never canceled this court meeting as long as he was in Tokyo.
The light from the lamp outside shines through the bamboo curtains, highlighting the natural texture of the unpainted wooden boards on the inner wall of the carriage. The weather is sunny and windless, and it looks like it will be hot today. The last dog days have passed for a few days, and we have entered autumn, but the tail of summer is still lingering, making it almost impossible to feel the coolness of autumn. A heavy rain is needed. According to life experience, the temperature will drop very quickly after a few rains in autumn.
I don't know if I can see the emperor today. Maybe I can't. It was cancelled on July 1st. But the army had just returned to Tokyo and everything was busy, so it was barely acceptable that there was no court meeting. If I can't see the emperor today, I'm afraid people will be even more uneasy.
How does Emperor Chai Rong feel now
Guo Shao rubbed his forehead, turned to Zuo You and said: I suddenly remembered a not-so-funny joke.
Zuo You then said: I would like to hear the details.
Guo Shao said: It is said that an army had just fought a great battle and sent back some seriously injured soldiers. When the doctor examined the wounded, he walked up to a wounded soldier and asked: What is your wish before you die? Tell me now, otherwise you will have no chance. What do you think the wish of the wounded soldier is
Zuo You stroked his light beard, was silent for a while, and said: My wish is that I can be healed.
Guo Shao was stunned, gave a thumbs up and said: It is indeed Mr. Zuo
The two looked at each other, then turned their heads away and remained silent for a long time.
Guo Shaoxian waited outside the main gate of the palace, and many civil and military officials arrived one after another. At this time, a team of guards and several eunuchs came out and shouted: The emperor sent me here to convey the order. There is no need to attend the court today. Everyone should go back to their respective duties.
After hearing this, Guo Shao saw Han Tong and Gao Huaide again, and followed them to the office of the Imperial Guard.
Then came the familiar daily affairs, calling the generals of each army to report for duty and issuing military orders, just as usual.
Everyone seemed to have something on their mind, and spoke less than usual; or as if nothing happened. However, after the roll call was completed, Han Tong mentioned twice: The Guards Department has rules, and everything should be handled according to the usual military law rules. Later, he said sternly: Anyone who takes the initiative and disobeys military orders will be punished more severely.
All the generals clasped their fists in response.
Guo Shao shifted his gaze away from Han Tong and wanted to observe Gao Huaide in a casual manner, when he suddenly saw Gao Huaide also looking at him, and their eyes met; Guo Shao was stunned without noticing and looked away as if nothing had happened.
At this time, there were many generals in the hall, more than 40 in total, including most of the main generals and deputy generals of the 18 armies in the three wings.
Han Tong spoke for a while, then looked back at the other two generals of the Imperial Guards and said: The Privy Council has not had any new garrison maps recently. You have not seen the Privy Council's military orders.
Guo Shaogao and Huaide shook their heads and agreed: No, I haven't seen it.
The Imperial Guards Department was originally headed by five generals, but Li Chongjin, the commander of the cavalry and infantry, was in Huainan, and Han Lingkun, the commander of the cavalry department, was in Hebei, so there were only three generals left. In addition, there were three commanders of the wings: Qi Tuohu, the left wing of the Jie Army, Chai Guihu, the right wing of the Jie Army, Zhang Lingduo, and the right wing of the Long Jie Army.
Han Tong got the approval of his subordinates, and nodded, saying: "Then the garrisons of all troops shall still follow the last military order, and there shall be no changes."
The middle-level generals bid farewell one after another, and the remaining six generals from the Mabu Division and the wings sat in the lobby for a while as usual. They wanted to meet and talk. If there was anything to discuss, this would be the right time.
But Han Tong stared at everyone with wide eyes, and everyone was silent. When Han Tong looked at Gao Huaide, Gao Huaide picked up the teacup and drank tea as if nothing had happened.
Guo Shao never said much in such occasions. He just thought: Han Tong only had the most power in the Imperial Guard Division, but his actual strength was very limited; the direct power of the four wings below was basically divided. Han Tong might have some generals in the navy that he personally promoted, but who knows? With his personality, the people below might not be too close to him.
Just when there was silence, Chai Gui suddenly said out of the blue: It's going to rain today.
Everyone immediately had a topic to talk about, and Qi Tuo immediately agreed honestly: What time is it now? The sun hasn't come out yet.
Several people then paid attention and looked out the hall door. They could see a sky with gray clouds pressing down very low. Han Tong probably felt that this topic was boring, so he said, "If you have nothing else to do, just go do your own thing."
Apart from Han Tong, Guo Shao, the highest-ranking officer in the Imperial Guard, stood up and bowed with the other generals. When they left the hall, they felt a gust of wind blowing, and Guo Shao felt a chill on his body. As expected, the autumn wind blew, and the weather was about to get cooler.
Everyone went back to their own offices. They had a suite of several rooms in the office where they could meet guests, sign official documents, look at various files and lists, and also had bedrooms for rest.
Guo Shao stayed in his room and took out the old documents he had read two days ago from the cabinet. The personal guard deputy general Lu Chengyong and two followers dressed in cloth robes were sitting in the room to kill time. There were two personal guards wandering under the eaves outside, coming in from time to time to take turns standing guard.
He can leave the office and go home by noon. This is Guo Shao's recent routine. He basically doesn't do any practical work.
At this moment, there was a sudden flash outside, and the light in the whole room suddenly became brighter. Guo Shao's brush stopped in mid-air, and sure enough, a loud click sounded a moment later, which made people feel nervous.
The raindrops soon fell on the roof, and the sound on the tiles was very crisp. The sound of rain became more and more frequent, and soon it became a sound of rushing. Guo Shao looked up at the railing outside, and saw that the rain had formed a straight line, falling on the railing very quickly, splashing water everywhere.
After the rainstorm, the sky never cleared up. It rained heavily and lightly for two days in a row. The whole Tokyo was shrouded in rain, and it became hazy and hard to tell what was real and what was fake. But people were doing everything as usual. If Guo Shao hadn't been playing tricks on him, he wouldn't have noticed any difference from the past.
After the grand court on July 15 was canceled, everyone seemed to be able to remain calm. But Guo Shao guessed that everyone was waiting for August 1. If they still couldn't see the emperor on August 1, they might not be able to live peacefully because, after all, the civil and military officials of the outer court had not seen the emperor since July 1.
At noon, Guo Shao received a visiting card at home. He hurried out of the corner door of the mansion and saw a carriage parked at the door diagonally opposite. Luo Mengzi opened the umbrella, Guo Shao reached out to take the umbrella, and walked diagonally opposite with a few people.
At this time, a man in a robe came out of the carriage, his face invisible because of the umbrella he held down, and followed Guo Shao into the opposite courtyard. Guo Shao dismissed his attendants and took the man to the living room, and asked Luo Mengzi to close the door and guard outside.
The man holding the umbrella folded it and gently placed it by the door. He was thin and gray-haired, and it was Cao Tai, the eunuch who served the queen.
Eunuch Cao. Guo Shao clasped his fists and bowed.
Cao Tai hurriedly returned the greeting and said: General Guo, thank you for your courtesy.
Guo Shao was more direct and asked immediately: How is the official's health
Cao Tai whispered: I have been unable to stand up since yesterday. I can sit, but not for too long. I usually lie down.
Guo Shao thought that the grand court on the first day of August was still nearly half a month away, and he was afraid that people would not be able to wait long enough.
Cao Tai said: I am still conscious and came here today because it was the Queen Mother's intention.
Guo Shaodao: I know.
Cao Tai whispered: "I'll tell you straight, someone from the palace will come to summon you this afternoon, and General Guo has to go. Today the emperor is indeed summoning a large number of ministers, and the queen is afraid that summoning you suddenly will make you worried."
Guo Shao nodded.
The Queen got the news that the Emperor summoned the ministers this time because he wanted to send people to Mount Hua to look for the elixir. Cao Tai said.
When Guo Shao heard this, his heart sank. It turned out that he couldn't avoid it.
Cao Tai lowered his voice and said: After the emperor returned to Tokyo, the imperial doctors were helpless. They prescribed a lot of medicines, but the emperor's health did not improve and became worse and worse. A while ago, a secret decree was sent to Jingzhao Prefecture, wanting to summon Fuyaozi Chen Tuan to Tokyo to try; but Fuyaozi is not in Huashan, and no one knows where he is now. Last time, General Guo asked for elixir in Huashan to cure the queen, and Zhao Kuangyin wrote a letter to recommend General Guo. I guess the emperor wants to send you to Huashan to ask for elixir again.
Guo Shao frowned and said: To be honest, the old immortal is the Taoist in hemp clothes. If I go there now, I don’t know if I can find him.
Cao Tai said: The emperor has been in a bad temper recently, you must be careful when dealing with him, and at least show your loyalty.
Guo Shao nodded and said: Of course.
Cao Tai's voice became lower and lower: "It was General Guo who was recommended by Zhao Kuangyin. Your Majesty, you think this man has ulterior motives. You must be careful."
Guo Shao frowned and said: In fact, I had expected this to happen, but there is no way to leave Tokyo now. It’s not a problem. Does the Queen have any plans
Cao Tai said helplessly: Your Majesty has no solution.
Cao Tai turned his back and untied his belt. After a while of searching, he took out half a jade pendant. Regardless of his dishevel, he handed the jade pendant to Guo Shao: "General Guo, once you leave the capital, you can walk slowly. If there is any change, the Queen will send someone to deliver a letter with half a jade pendant as proof. You will listen to it if you can get along with her. The Queen also said that you did not disappoint her when you returned from Hebei, but the situation was urgent and she could not fulfill her reward. When the time is right, she will definitely keep her promise."
After hearing this, Guo Shao remained silent.
The eunuch obviously didn't know what the reward was, and said: The Queen will definitely promote General Guo. As long as you live up to the Queen's trust, you will be promoted.
Guo Shao thought: My life is at stake, if it is just for promotion and wealth, will it be useful to me