Guo Shao walked to the throne, turned around and paused for a moment, then calmed down and sat on it. The civil and military officials below immediately knelt on the ground and shouted: "Your Majesty, may you live forever."
He said in a serious manner: Stand up. Everyone thanked him and lined up in the hall according to their status.
Guo Shao was speechless for a moment. It was his first time sitting on the throne. He ignored all the furnishings around the throne and everything in the palace. The first thing he felt was not any specific thing, but a sense of momentum.
There was something inexplicable that was rapidly expanding. The location here was very central. It was said that the imperial city was under the Purple Star, the center of heaven and earth. Guo Shao, who was familiar with the geography of the universe and the earth, actually believed it at this time. At least it felt like the center of heaven and earth.
The seat he sat in faced south and was very majestic and upright. He felt that everything he did here was fair and just, and the truth was beyond doubt. He looked down at the broad and majestic palace between the large pillars below; the main gate was on the platform, and his sight extended from there to the blue sky, the broad square, and the countless troops; he could imagine that in the distance, there was the straight and broad Imperial Street, the road to heaven; then there was the vast plain, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and the mountains and rivers were all at his feet.
This feeling is very grand, very vast, and very powerful. It seems that everything in the world is under control, as if I am no longer a tiny mortal, but a child of God.
Guo Shao remained silent for a long time, and the ministers below stood respectfully without saying anything. According to etiquette, no one could look up at the emperor, but Guo Shao could look down on everyone's words and actions while sitting here.
The initial shock gradually subsided, and Guo Shao came back to his senses. He thought for a moment and then said: Prime Minister Wang and Prime Minister Fan, the Council of State Affairs can issue a report to convey the news of Prince Zheng's return to power to government offices everywhere.
Wang Pu and Fan Zhi bowed together and said: “We obey your orders.”
Guo Shao glanced sideways, there was nothing beside him. He remembered that when he went to court in the past, there were officials from the Hanlin Academy who were responsible for recording imperial edicts and issuing imperial edicts. But today was not a formal court session, so he was unprepared.
At this time, the Privy Councilor Wang Pu stepped out and said: "I, your Majesty, would like to ask you to do something. Today is March 25th, and five days later it will be the first day of the lunar year. You can ask the officials to prepare immediately, and your Majesty's formal enthronement ceremony can be held on the first day of the lunar year."
Guo Shao agreed and said: Let’s do as Wang Shumishi requested.
He looked at the troops outside the palace, and added: "All generals and troops shall obey the orders of the Privy Council and return to their camps without disorder." After he said the last word, he found it a little strange. He could not change his usual habits in the army, and they would show up from time to time.
Naturally, everyone didn't care and immediately bowed to express their gratitude. Guo Shao stood up and left the throne after having a good time.
He then changed his location and went to the study room on the side of the main hall. Because Guo Shao had been summoned there several times, he knew where to talk to the ministers. Wang Pu, Wei Renpu, Li Chuyun, Shi Yanchao and others were summoned. Although Guo Shao was emotional, his mind was not dizzy, and he immediately deployed the garrison. Let Tan Shitou lead his personal soldiers to control the Donghua Gate, and deploy a Hu Ben army on the east side of the imperial city. The guards in other places in the imperial city remained unchanged, mainly guarded by the Zhubanzhikonghe army.
The troops mobilized for garrison were all from the right wing under Yang Biao, because the left wing of the Huben Army had just returned from the front line and needed to be disbanded for rest and could not take on the task of garrison.
Guo Shao quickly sorted out his thoughts: Zhu Banzhi and Konghe Army had always been treated well and won over by the royal family. They had never mutiny and had no motive or people who could organize men and horses. Moreover, most of the generals here were people who had been gradually favored and won over by Fu Jinzhan. Unless Fu Jinzhan wanted to mutiny, no one could do that. But Guo Shao completely trusted Fu Jinzhan, so she would never do that.
However, Guo Shao had just become emperor and was not yet at ease, so he used his personal soldiers to control a key city gate. Soldiers outside the imperial city could enter the emperor's living area from Donghua Gate; and they could open Xuanyou Gate from the inside and enter the office area near Jinxiang Hall. In the event of an extreme situation, the elite soldiers of the Huben Army stationed on the east side of the imperial city could be summoned to enter the imperial city from Donghua Gate to protect the emperor and ensure that nothing could go wrong.
After finishing these things, he felt relieved and left Jinxiang Palace with the eunuch Cao Tai.
At this time, people in the palace were in a panic. Cao Tai also returned to the capital with Guo Shao. When they couldn't find the carriage, Guo Shao asked the guards to bring his black horse over. He jumped on the horse nimbly, turned around and said to the guards: "Everyone, disperse. You all follow Qin Shitou's arrangements and take turns to guard the Donghua Gate."
People agreed one after another.
Guo Shao, along with the eunuch Cao Tai on horseback, hurried to Xuanyou Gate. At this time, he only had one follower, and he did not have much of the emperor's pomp and circumstance, and he could not care less. He was anxious to see Fu Jinzhan, and then the pregnant Fu Ermei.
Cao Tai was the chief eunuch in the imperial city. He shouted at Xuanyou Gate that the emperor had arrived, and opened the gate. A group of people came forward to pay homage to the emperor, but Guo Shao ignored them and rode his horse north.
Entering Xuanyou Gate is the harem area, so no guards were brought. The usurpers in history probably wouldn't dare to come here like Guo Shao did. Even if he became emperor, the old people in the palace could not be trusted by the new master. But Guo Shao was different. As long as he trusted Fu Jinzhan, there would be no problem. The palace was completely controlled by Fu Jinzhan.
Guo Shao used to be a military general and had no chance of entering the harem. This was his first time here.
A new and strange place, even though it was only separated from the familiar Tokyo City by a wall, it was almost a completely closed place. When Guo Shaogang came in, he was quite surprised because it was completely different from what he imagined. He thought the harem was where countless beauties lived, and it must be magnificent and beautiful, but when he opened his eyes, he saw a palace building similar to the Jinxiang Palace.
The surroundings were empty, with few trees, but the Wansui Hall was still as majestic and dignified as the Jinxiang Hall, full of momentum. Guo Shao still felt shocked by the majestic architecture of the imperial power.
But this feeling disappeared very quickly and suddenly. At first, in the main hall of the imperial court, he only felt the domineering and majestic, and all kinds of positive impressions; but when he got here, he suddenly had an indescribable feeling that the emperor and the ladies of the court lived and worked in such a place: on the uncovered pedestal that tens of thousands of palace people were watching.
When I thought about living in such a place, I felt like I was under the watchful eyes of the public. There was almost no privacy at all. I had to pretend to be an emperor when I got home.
Then, Guo Shao noticed something. Although the imperial city was large and flat, in fact, the Central Plains was a plain, and the whole place was open and flat, but the various areas of the palace were separated by internal palace walls. In one place, only such a small area could be seen, and the view was actually not very wide. It was surrounded by tall palace buildings and red walls.
On both sides of the Wansui Hall, the main hall on the central axis, there are some buildings separated by walls, which should be the places where concubines, eunuchs, and palace maids live and move around. They can only stay here for their whole lives, and they have to fight for status. Guo Shao suddenly felt that this palace that everyone yearns for is not a good place to enjoy life.
He was an expert archer and was used to observing and feeling the environment. As soon as he came in, he quickly understood a lot about the local environment.
He had always thought that Jinzhan was living a good life in the palace, but today Guo Shao finally understood that her life was just like that, and she probably didn't have many happy things.
The new emperor was going to see the queen mother. Cao Tai walked to the entrance of the Wansui Palace and met a eunuch who was looking around. He said something, and the eunuch knelt down on the ground.
Get up and lead the way. Guo Shao said casually.
The eunuch got up tremblingly, unable to speak, and hurriedly walked behind with his back bent, pointing the direction with his finger to lead the way.
After walking through the hall in front, they soon came to a door. Guo Shao walked to the door and saw some palace maids inside. Fu Jinzhan and her second sister were sitting on a couch, and they both stood up immediately.
Guo Shao looked at Jinzhan and was speechless for a moment, because he suddenly didn't react to what to call her. He realized that the identity of the queen mother was the mother or elder of the current emperor. Chai Zongxun had become the King of Zheng, and he was the current emperor, so it was not okay to call her the queen mother.
Fu Jinzhan also looked at him, and their eyes met. Guo Shao had been away for several months, and when they met for the first time after a long absence, he did not expect him to be so silent.
My husband, Fu Ermei, immediately shouted in surprise and walked quickly towards me.
Guo Shao hurriedly said: Slow down, slow down. He saw Fu Ermei's bulging belly, which contained his child.
At this time, the palace ladies around came to their senses, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying: Your servants pay their respects to Your Majesty.
Fu Ermei was stunned at this time. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she bit her red lips lightly, knelt down and bowed, saying: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
No thanks, no thanks, everyone get up. Guo Shao stepped forward and asked in a friendly manner, "How is my second sister these days?"
Fu Ermei smiled and said: It’s great, elder sister takes care of me, afraid that I will be hungry or cold.
Guo Shao then turned around and said calmly: Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law.
Fu Jinzhan's face was solemn and serious, and there was no sign of anything strange in her expression. She was my biological sister, and this was all as she should be. Your Majesty, please take a seat.
Guo Shao glanced at the chair above and sat down on it, musing: After conquering Southern Tang, the army returned to the capital, and when we reached Songzhou, the soldiers suddenly supported me as emperor, which led to this.
Fu Jinzhan said: I have heard about it. This dynasty was originally established by Taizu, and the emperor is Taizu's nephew. He has made such great contributions, and the people of the world are looking forward to it. It is also a righteous thing to return power to the emperor.
Guo Shao said seriously: The emperor's sister-in-law is very understanding.
As he was talking, he noticed that there was a bed curtain in the palace, which should be a bedroom. But he and his family were talking in the bedroom, and it turned out to be such a scene. An indescribable complex emotion arose in his heart.
This is a good place for men, as it gives them the greatest self-confidence, respect, dignity and self-satisfaction; but it also makes people lose something, something subtle that cannot be calculated or expressed in words.