Li Xin previously traveled between Xingwang Mansion and Jiangning Mansion on business. After returning to Beijing, he was promoted to the Guest Envoy. He didn't even have a mansion yet, so he rented a small courtyard in Tokyo to live in.
After returning home, he wrote the memorial and wrote down what he was going to say on an ivory tablet, so as to avoid being nervous and unable to speak clearly during the court session. Normally, he could speak fluently, but when it came to the court session, he would probably be confused, so it was necessary to write down the words in a place where they could be easily seen.
Although he was prepared early, Li Xin was still very hesitant.
Whether it was forcing confessions from crew members and craftsmen or recruiting people to do errands, Li Xin could handle it properly, but he was completely unsure about the current situation. It was all dark in front of him, and he was not familiar with the Tokyo court. How could he know the depth of the water inside
However, Wang Pu was the privy councilor, and he was told such an important matter. If he refused, what would happen in the future
Li Xin had not forgotten that he had been in jail for several months and it was Wang Pu who got him out. Since this man could easily get himself out of Tokyo Jail, it should be easy to send him back in.
He recalled the meals he had in prison. One time, there were maggots in his bowl.
Li Xin sat there restlessly for a while, and saw the servants sweeping the floor outside the door. His family was still in Hedong, and there were only a few followers around him who were doing things like buying firewood, cooking, washing clothes, etc. Li Xin said: I want to eat mutton offal and corn porridge, which must be cooked with Hedong corn. Can you give me some
I will do it right away, the servant replied.
After Li Xin had eaten what he wanted, he thought that he had not had sex with a woman for a long time and he did not know if he would have the chance in the future. He asked his servant to take money to hire a young girl from the nearest brothel.
But the servant was a bit old and couldn't do his job properly. The prostitute he hired looked very dirty and had a bad smell mixed with the complex smell of powder. Li Xin tried for a long time but failed.
Li Xin lived in a small house. The woman didn't know he was an official, so she said rudely: "You are looking for a prostitute if you don't have enough money. Are you bored?"
Li Xin was furious after hearing this and looked at the woman coldly. It was too easy to deal with a woman from a brothel. The woman had never seen how Li Xin used to force a confession from someone.
But he finally gave her some money and asked her to leave. There was really no need to bother with a woman from a brothel.
He sat in the chair, looked up and sighed.
A few days later, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the Jinxiang Palace held a grand court ceremony. Officials of the fifth rank and above in Beijing were going to pay tribute. When Li Xin was ready to leave, it was still dark. It was winter, the days were short and the nights were long. Li Xin rode a horse. The air was dry and cold on the dark road, and the wind was particularly uncomfortable on his body. At this time, he felt like he was going to the execution ground. It was not so easy to seek wealth and honor. He was basically going there with his head on his shoulders.
When he arrived at the Jinxiang Hall, the scene was completely different. The lights were as bright as day, and the interior was warm and luxurious. The sound of chimes and drums created a bright and grand atmosphere, and Li Xin was also inspired.
The emperor walked up to the throne in his dragon robe, and when he sat down, a gong sounded, as if it was music to accompany the emperor's behavior. The civil and military officials immediately bowed and saluted.
It was not Li Xin's turn to speak yet. First, the King of Wuyue came forward to congratulate the emperor on the recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun and presented a generous tribute. The emperor happily rewarded him with ribbons, robes and other items, and ordered a banquet in the palace to personally feast with the King of Wuyue.
The ministers were excited and made another high-sounding speech.
Li Xin had something on his mind, so he just followed and dealt with it. Even though he was not involved in state affairs, when he saw the King of Wuyue, he immediately understood: This guy is here to surrender.
At this time, he had more confidence in his heart. The Zhou emperor had successively destroyed Shu, Tang, Han, Nanping and other countries, and now he had recovered the land of Youzhou. The Wuyue Kingdom came to offer land and surrender. It seemed reasonable to persuade him to change the country's name and become the founding emperor.
Moreover, the King of Wuyue surrendered today, and the emperor saved the money, food and lives of the war. He was very happy, and Li Xin's risk was reduced a little.
Of course, the King of Wuyue only said that he would come to the capital to pay tribute today, and did not say that he would surrender. But the King of Wuyue had already come to the capital, and he could still go back. He dared to come here to surrender, and the court would definitely make him surrender Wuyue whether he was willing or not; as long as the King made a tribute, his country would not dare to resist by force, otherwise the Great Zhou Dynasty would occupy the righteousness and help the King to fight against the rebellion. It would be more difficult for Wuyue to hold together without the King.
However, Li Xin could not witness these things, and the operation process would not be disclosed in the court.
The grand court held on the first and fifteenth day of each month was mostly just a formality to demonstrate the royal majesty and let the ministers check the emperor's health. Almost no one talked about serious business on such occasions, and if they did, they would only say some irrelevant eulogies.
But Li Xin felt that he was an exception today.
At this time, an eunuch said in a long voice: "If you have anything to say, please report it. If not, please leave the court."
Li Xin gritted his teeth and stood up. Suddenly, everyone's eyes were focused on him. Li Xin bowed and said, "I am Li Xin, the envoy of the Ministry of Guests. I have something to report to Your Majesty."
The eunuch glanced at him and retreated to the side of the throne.
Li Xin bent down, looked at the ivory plaque in his hand and said loudly: After the Tang Dynasty ended, the country was divided into five dynasties, and the Khitan invaded. When Zhou Taizu founded the country, there were still many countries in the world. Although Taizu was called an emperor, he was actually one of the princes. Now Your Majesty has destroyed Shu, Tang, Eastern Han, Southern Han and other countries, unified the world, and established a foundation; expelled the Khitan, restored China, and gained the country in a righteous way. I ask Your Majesty to restore the country's name.
In the huge temple, all the ministers were in an uproar.
It seemed that the majority of officials had not thought about this matter, and people were very surprised. After a while, the hall gradually became quiet again, even quieter than before, and people dared not make any sound.
As no one said anything from above, Li Xin just stood there with his back bent, waiting. He felt his scalp tingling and his mind went blank. He just stood there, waiting for the consequences.
At this time, Guo Shao spoke up himself: "Since I have inherited the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty, this matter cannot be done. You are not allowed to talk about this matter again."
After a moment, the eunuch stepped forward again and said loudly: Li Xin, you have made great contributions to the country by building sea vessels. The government values people who do practical things for the country the most. Considering your great contribution, I will not punish you. It is your business to go to Jiangning Prefecture to present the map of sea vessels. Take care of yourself.
When Li Xin heard this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly:
He proposed to change the country's name in public and abandon the Great Zhou Temple. Although the emperor immediately rejected it, the person who said such a thing was not punished. Now all the civil and military officials in the court suddenly realized what was going on.
This attitude is too obvious. Even if the emperor has the intention, the first person who said it should be dismissed from office and imprisoned, or even beheaded. In this situation, Guo Shao's eating is not good, and there is a small reason, because he values Li Xin, a talent who is committed to developing technology, and heard that he still lives in a broken yard, so he doesn't want to attack him.
Guo Shao's achievements so far are so great that no one dares to question his authority, and now he is taking things easy and is not even serious about covering up.
Moreover, Li Xin is definitely Wang Pu's man, and many people have even insisted that it was Wang Pu who instructed him to do so.
The first person who said it was fine, and the emperor would not use a second person as a sacrifice, so all the generals joined in the fun. Many of the people who wrote letters were proven to have been loyal to the emperor, and no one wanted to be stupid enough to go against the royal family in this situation.
With more people around, there were endless reasons for Guo Shao to establish a new country name. As long as one was determined to find reasons and explanations for anything, he would always find them.
Everyone also understood Guo Shao: after all, if the country's name was changed, he would become the founding emperor, and later Taizu, and his status would be different; Guo Shao's father and grandfather could also be posthumously conferred the title of emperor to bring honor to the family. Who wouldn't want to be a descendant of Zhou Taizu? Guo Shao's ancestors couldn't stand the status.
His civil and military officials had no pressure at all, since they were all following Guo Shao, and after the country's name was changed, they could become founding heroes. Only the old officials of the previous dynasty needed to wait and see.
But another person had a different idea, that was Fu Jinzhan. Fu Jinzhan's heart was in turmoil at this moment. She had known Guo Shao too well over the years. Guo Shao was unfilial and never felt grateful to his parents. Jinzhan saw that he was not very interested in bringing glory to his family, and it was even more impossible for him to turn the country upside down for such a thing. He was not interested in whether he was the founding emperor or not. Anyway, Guo Shao only wanted the stability of power and authority.
He has only one motive.
The women around Jinzhan were worried about her. One of the palace ladies said cautiously: If Your Majesty changes the name of the country, the title of Your Majesty will be changed.
In their opinion, the biggest reason for Jinzhan's status in the palace is that she is the empress of the previous emperor. If the Great Zhou Dynasty is destroyed, wouldn't it be troublesome for the royal family to let the empress of the previous dynasty dominate the harem
Concubine Du said: "Of course the title is still there. The Queen is the official's first wife, and the Queen is the Queen's elder sister. What are you worried about?"
Some of the former concubines and palace ladies said: We also want the Queen to live in peace and have a place to stand in the palace.
Fu Jinzhan listened and felt that these people had become bolder now. They didn't dare to speak like this before. But she didn't care. If her fame and prestige couldn't suppress them, then they would just do it.
Fu Jinzhan remained calm, looked around with a faint smile on her face: You don't have to worry, if anything happens in the palace, I will let my sister look after you, it will be worth it that you have served me for so long.
Everyone immediately said that we dare not think about ourselves, but think about you, the queen. The queen respects you the most and will definitely think about you.
Fu Jinzhan looked calm and indifferent: "I no longer care about power in the palace. I just want to spend the rest of my life in peace. If there is a change in the court, it will be inappropriate for a former queen like me to stay in the palace. I will ask the emperor to let me go back to my parents' home and live in silence."
After hearing this, everyone sighed and lamented, and their faces showed a hint of disappointment in Jinzhan. A master who had lost her ambition and could not protect and safeguard her people really made those who followed her have no hope.