The long street of Xuzhou at night was shrouded in the dim light of lanterns. Outside the dilapidated government office, several men in dark clothes were walking back and forth slowly. A dog barked from somewhere.
Inside the yamen, Huang Binglian flipped a page of the file, picked up a piece of iron and gently moved the wick.
After a while, he looked up and said: Zhou Duan has a big problem.
A person in a green robe said: "The former Queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Mrs. Zhou, is now in the palace of Daxu. She is extremely beautiful. Mrs. Zhou and Zhou Duan are relatives."
So what? Huang Binglian said coldly.
The man in green robe opened his mouth as if to speak, but seemed to swallow his words and fell silent.
The remaining insects from the summer are still chirping.
Huang Binglian asked again: Did the eunuchs search Zhou Duan's mansion
The man in green robe said: Yes.
Huang Binglian picked up the cinnabar pen and wrote quickly: Take the ticket, call the imperial guards, arrest Zhou Duan immediately, and seal Zhou's house.
As ordered, the man in green robe stepped forward to take the things. Just as he was about to turn around, he finally couldn't help but speak again, "Huang Fuzheng, how should we torture him? If Zhou Changshi talks nonsense and involves others, should we continue to ask him?"
Huang Binglian said coldly: Who are we afraid of being implicated
The man in green robe said in a deep voice: For example, Zuo Fuzheng.
Huang Binglian showed a slight expression at the corner of his mouth, and was about to speak. Suddenly, the barking of the dogs outside became more intense, and someone said outside the door: Huang Fuzheng, Zuo Fuzheng entered the city overnight with an imperial edict, and the city guard opened the door directly.
On the first day of August, a grand court was held in the Imperial City of Tokyo.
Guo Shao had not attended court for a long time, and he himself could not remember clearly. Today was the first time in several months. He still had some difficulty walking, but at least he could walk slowly without being supported.
Civil and military officials came from the south gate of Jinxiang Hall, while Guo Shao and others came from the north gate of the harem. From the front, the Jinxiang Hall complex looks simple and magnificent, just like the legitimate imperial power, but the harem has winding and beautiful corridors like a maze.
This grand court was not a special day, it was just a reopening of the abandoned venue.
Guo Shao stood alone in a corridor with the eunuch Yang Shiliang. Yang Shiliang bowed and said: Your Majesty, all the civil and military officials have arrived, and the court ceremony and music are ready.
After hearing Yang Shiliang's report, he nodded, but did not set out immediately. He stood there in deep thought for a long time before saying: No matter when, only defense without offense is a huge failure.
Yang Shiliang seemed to be thinking about something, and quickly agreed: Your Majesty is at the peak of your career, wise and brave, ambitious and pioneering, you are not the kind of king who would retreat.
Guo Shao was very indifferent to the compliment, and his tone seemed very calm. No matter what, we still defended well, and Xiao Siwen's conspiracy did not succeed. But is this worth celebrating? We died so many people and had to shed so much blood.
Guo Shao's suppressed calmness showed some signs of losing control. Do you think I want this
In the countless wars in the past, the number of deaths must have been more than the thousand or eight hundred in this bloody purge; but Guo Shao was very moved now, as he must have been thinking of something that he cared about extra.
The biggest black hand did not pay the price, Xiao Siwen and his followers escaped unscathed. They must be laughing at me now, watching my embarrassment and my crazy venting of anger. Such a ridiculous conspiracy could actually cause such a big storm. I am like a monkey being played with.
Yang Shiliang said hurriedly: Your Majesty, it is all because of the incompetence of the ministers. The court is full of disloyal people.
That's all. Guo Shao sighed and turned to walk south. Yang Shiliang came up, bending over, and carefully supported Guo Shao.
After Guo Shao entered the palace, he did not try to resist being helped. He was helped to the throne by the eunuchs, and he did not look as glorious as before. He seemed very weak in every move, but he could not pretend to be strong after being tossed around like this.
The grand drum sounds and chime music could not make Guo Shao's demeanor appear more imposing.
In the spacious hall, shouts of "Long Live His Majesty" were heard.
Stand up. Guo Shaodao.
Soon, Wang Pu, who was standing in the front row, came out holding an ivory sign, bowed and said: Your Majesty, I have something to report.
Guo Shao said nothing. He only said two words after he came to court. The eunuch Wang Zhong said sharply: "The emperor allows Envoy Wang to speak freely."
Wang Pu said loudly: I impeach the Protector of the State, Luo Yanhuan, for colluding with the inner and outer circles during the period when Your Majesty was seriously ill and failing Your Majesty.
There was a sudden whisper in the hall.
Wang Zhong asked: "Envoy Wang, do you have any evidence?"
Wang Pu picked up a piece of paper and said: The handwritten letter of the Protector of the Country was found in the residence of Zhou Duan, the chief officer of Xuzhou. It secretly informed the emperor that the emperor was ill and the people in the court were in a panic. Zhou Duan was suspected of dereliction of duty and bribery, and this letter from Luo Guogong showed that he had a close personal relationship with Zhou Duan. The Protector of the Country was favored by the royal family of Daxu, held a prominent position, and led the national treasury to the tax revenue of a state. Such an act is chilling.
Guo Shao personally spoke up: Luo Yanhuan
Luo Yanhuan, wearing an official uniform and black gauze, stepped out, clasped his fists with a sullen face and said:
Guo Shao raised his hand and said, "Look, the letter was written by you. Let the ministers next to you have a look too."
Luo Yanhuan took the letter, read it, and handed it to Wang Pu. Luo Yanhuan knelt on one knee and said: Your Majesty, this is written by me.
Guo Shao asked again: The letter you wrote to Zhou Duan
Luo Yanhuan was silent for a long time, and the discussions in the hall gradually quieted down. Then the eunuch Wang Zhong's voice was particularly clear: Lord Protector of the Country, the emperor has a question for you.
Luo Yanhuan lowered his head and gritted his teeth and said, "It was I who informed Zhou Duan about what happened in Tokyo."
There was an uproar in the hall. Someone asked why the Duke of the Guard had secretly colluded with Zhou Duan. The Duke of the Guard really deserved the emperor's grace.
Luo Yanhuan said nothing, kneeling on one knee in the middle of the hall, without any movement, like a statue, allowing a group of civil and military officials to talk about him.
Guo Shao sat on the dragon throne, his face pale and painful, his hands clenched in his robe sleeves. I sent someone to take off Luo Yanhuan's official hat, send him to the Dali Temple, and let the various yamen try him thoroughly before releasing him.
After hearing this, Luo Yanhuan bowed to the throne, took off his black gauze hat, and waited for the guards to come in. He then bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I will take my leave."
Guo Shao sat on the dragon throne, listening to his voice and watching Luo Yanhuan's back as he walked out of the main entrance of the grand hall.
Suddenly there was a loud shout: "Official, please come and save me!"
There was a commotion in the hall. The ministers, who had not dared to look up at the emperor on the throne, also looked up, only to see Guo Shao had fallen unconscious on the throne.
The eunuchs and palace maids gathered around and helped Guo Shao up, but he was obviously unconscious.
Wang Pu shouted: "Go to the Imperial Medical Office and call all the doctors on duty." Eunuch Wang Zhong said: "Carry him to the back hall first and call the genius doctor Madam Lu."
The order on both sides of the hall was completely disrupted, and the ministers were in a panic.
Surrounded by a large crowd, the emperor was carried away from the throne. Wang Pu said loudly: "The emperor has just recovered from a serious illness and needs to be nursed back to health. He fainted in a moment of panic, but it is not a big deal. You must not panic."
People looked at each other, at a loss. Wang Pu said again: "The Dukes and generals of the Privy Council can enter, and the rest can return to their offices and wait for news from the central government."
Someone stepped forward to take charge of the situation, and Wang Pu was a high-ranking official, so everyone finally calmed down a little. The court was thus suspended halfway, and the rituals and music were no longer necessary.
The next day, the government offices received a report that the imperial physician had diagnosed the emperor as having recovered from his illness, but that he was too weak to work hard and needed to rest and recuperate for more than a month. The emperor issued an order to let the empress govern the country temporarily.
Luo Yanhuan was not a prisoner in the Dali Temple. He could move around the office, and there were four clerks who took care of his daily life, and several imperial guards as his protection. He had good food and drink every day, a comfortable bedroom in the living room, and even a dining room and study.
No one interrogated him, and all the officials in the Dali Temple were very polite to him.
Even his family members were allowed in to visit him, and his concubine packed some clothes for him in tears. However, officials from the Dali Temple accompanied his family members to meet him.
Seeing his concubine crying and hesitating in front of outsiders, Luo Yanhuan felt a little ashamed and said with a stern face: Women can't stand being frightened. You haven't seen it yet. Go back and wait. I'll be out in a while.
The concubine choked up and said: Is Alang really okay
Luo Yanhuan deliberately raised his voice and said: The emperor and I have come through mountains of swords and seas of fire, what's the matter
The concubine said: I heard that the emperor fainted in the hall.
Luo Yanhuan said: The emperor will be fine if he takes care of her. The regent must be the Queen. The Queen is kind and benevolent, so there will be no problem.
It was not easy to let the concubine leave with peace of mind, and Luo Yanhuan was still very upset.
He had to recognize that the letter in the hall was written to Zhou Duan. Otherwise, if Li Chuyun was implicated, it would be bad for the descendants of the Li family, and it would not be good for him. The emperor had warned him a few days ago, and Luo Yanhuan was not so ignorant.
He looked at the place where he was imprisoned and felt that it was not serious. He could not wash off the stench. In the end, being stripped of his title seemed to be the most serious consequence.
Luo Yanhuan was extremely anxious, as he had few opportunities left to regain the title of Duke through great military achievements.
He ate and drank well here all day, but he was bored and often had random thoughts. He occasionally remembered Wang Pu's accusation in the hall that the Duke of Guo received as much tax revenue as a state, and wondered: Is this a conspiracy of the civil servants? In order to save money for the treasury, they are eyeing our salaries.
Luo Yanhuan was saddened by Li Chuyun's death. As early as the founding of the country, Li Gong had prepared for the future and thought of the dangers of civil servants, which now seemed to be true.
Luo Yanhuan walked around several rooms, thinking over and over again, and felt that whatever he thought was useless.