Chapter 1 Wedges
Forty-one years of Zhongmei, the dark of July, the end of a long era. After suffering from illness for many years, the emperor of Great Chu died that night. He lived fifty-eight years and reigned for forty-one years. The number is Emperor Wu. The thirty-three-year-old crown prince succeeded to the throne in front of the bed, kneeling in front of the five ministers who were appointed by the late emperor to take care of his life, and a dozen servants on both sides.
A month later, Emperor Wu was buried in the mausoleum, and the new emperor officially ascended the throne. Like the ancestors, he chose a word from the "Tao Te Ching" and named it "Xianhe".
According to convention, the new year's name will not be officially launched until the first month of the following year. The remaining months of the year still belong to the old emperor who has been buried in peace, but the new emperor can't wait to set things right, cancel a large number of laws and release groups of prisoners , denounced the well-known traitor, and extorted the stubborn minister who treated Xue with injustice...
Of course, the Great Chu established the country with filial piety, and in every public will of the new emperor, he must use a series of beautiful and symmetrical words to praise the merits of Emperor Wu, and then point out some small flaws and regrets, and make corrections with sincerity and fear.
During the reign of Emperor Wu, Da Chu entered a prosperous world. No one can deny this, but this prosperous world lasted for too long. It was like an extremely luxurious banquet. When the spirit of wine is waning and exhausted, no matter how many fine wines and beauties there are, there is no way to get excited, and I just want to fall asleep on my own bed.
The new emperor has no time to sleep soundly, he has endured for too long, and wants to clean up this place as soon as possible.
It is a pity that the heavens did not fulfill their wishes. After giving Da Chu an emperor who had reigned for 41 years and an unprecedented prosperity, it also slack off and neglected to take care of the emperor who succeeded him.
At the end of September in the third year of Xianghe, the new emperor, who was only thirty-six years old, passed away and was given the posthumous title of Emperor Huan.
Fortunately, among the unfortunate things, Emperor Huan had a crown prince, who was destined to return, and no one could fight for it.
The little emperor was fifteen years old. He was loved by his grandfather Wudi and his father Huandi since he was a child. He was taught by Hongru, the most well-known scholar in the world, to teach and dispel doubts. A great emperor who will establish a prosperous world.
But God has not woken up from slack, only five months later, at the end of February of the first year of success, the spring breeze rose, the snow did not melt, the little emperor suddenly contracted a serious illness, and at night three days later, he followed the late emperor. No heirs left.
In less than four years, the three emperors died one after another.
It was almost midnight, and less than half an hour before the death of the little emperor, Yang Feng, the servant of the middle school, staggered out of the emperor's bedroom, ran alone in the deep alley, his heart was pounding, and a thin layer of sweat was oozing from his whole body. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just escaped death. As an old man in his fifties, he was really desperate.
Yang Feng's destination was the Queen Mother's palace, and the news of his death had already spread, so he did not go to deliver the letter, but had other plans. He already regretted that he had set off too late, but he had to be in front of the emperor who brought him up. Be faithful at the last minute.
Yang Feng is one of the very few people who can run around in the palace at will. He soon arrived at the Queen Mother's palace. Several eunuchs guarding the gate watched him run into the palace. No one came forward to stop him, but there were more than ten in the courtyard. Eunuchs, they are not so easy to talk, seeing Yang Feng immediately swarmed up, raised his arms, and pushed outwards.
Yang Feng shouted loudly: "The Empress Dowager! Great trouble is coming! Great trouble is coming..."
A eunuch tore off the purse from his waist and stuffed it into Yang Feng's mouth.
Yang Feng was outnumbered, and he was about to be taken out of the Queen Mother's palace. One person came out of the east wing, "Stop." He said, his voice was not very loud, but it was very effective. The eunuchs who were doing it stopped and slowly put Yang Feng down.
Yang Feng spat out what was in his mouth, pushed the people around him away, and strode towards the east wing regardless of his sore muscles, full of contempt and fighting spirit in his heart.
The speaker under the corridor was a young eunuch, just over 20 years old, wearing a small blue-clothed hat commonly seen in the palace, very slim fit, obviously carefully tailored, with a trace of sadness on his face, even more calm and elegant. .
This person's name is Zuo Ji, a little waiter in the Queen Mother's palace. Yang Feng is reluctant to guess at random, but he really hopes to pull out a few strands of beard from Zuo Ji.
Yang Feng stared at Zuo Ji's chin and said bluntly, "I have something important and I must meet the Queen Mother immediately."
Zuo Ji smiled and said, "Please, we have been waiting for Mr. Yang for a long time."
Yang Feng took a deep breath and smiled, "Oh? It was me who was late."
In Yang Feng's eyes, Zuo Ji is a bastard who is knowledgeable and polite, embarrassing all the eunuchs, and is also an embroidered pillow. Apart from being despised, there is no great threat for the time being. His real enemy is in the east wing.
Zuo Ji suddenly took two steps forward, grabbed Yang Feng's arm, and whispered, "You have been by His Majesty's side, what did he say to you?"
Yang Feng looked at him a few times, "Your Majesty has long been in a coma... What do you think Your Majesty will say?"
Zuo Ji let go of his hand, smiled, immediately felt something was wrong, and showed a sad expression, "I thought... Your Majesty would mention the Queen Mother."
Yang Feng shook off Zuo Ji, he had priorities, and he didn't want to raise any doubts now.
Jing Yao, the supervisor of the Central Division, stood in the room, waiting for Yang Feng.
Jing Yao is the highest-ranking eunuch in the palace. He is a few years older than Yang Feng. He has served three emperors successively, and will soon welcome the fourth. In the past ten years, Yang Fengze has served the grandson wholeheartedly, watching his master become the crown prince and emperor step by step, and holding the master's hand at the last moment, feeling the temperature and power disappearing together.
"Changshi Yang, you shouldn't be here." Jing Yao was short and chubby, with a kind expression on his face. If he wasn't wearing the clothes of a eunuch, he looked like a kind old woman.
"It happened very badly. I can't control so many rules. I am here to save everyone's life." Yang Feng refused to salute his superior.
Jing Yao's smile was like yawning from a lion that had just swallowed a sheep, fierce but sincere, "Wuzhao trespassed in the Queen Mother's palace, Duke Yang, this is a capital crime."
Zuo Ji stood at the door and sighed silently. His position was very stable, and he could not fight for power like a vicious dog.
Yang Feng looked around, "Where is the Queen Mother?"
Jing Yao showed a sad face, "Your Majesty is unfortunately having a banquet, and the Queen Mother is overwhelmed with grief... Mr. Yang, shouldn't you stay by your Majesty's side at this time?"
Yang Feng ignored Jingyao and turned to face Zuo Ji, knowing that this person was the only bridge between him and the empress dowager, "Which prince did the empress dowager decide to elect to succeed?"
As soon as Yang Feng finished speaking, the kindness on Jing Yao's face was swept away, and he stepped forward in front of Yang Feng and said sternly, "Bold servant, can you say such a thing?"
Yang Feng turned sideways, still facing Zuo Ji, "The queen mother is at stake, and the imperial court is in chaos. Zuo Gong, as the servant of the queen mother, shoulders the heavy responsibility of the world, would you like to hear a good word?"
Zuo Ji looked a little surprised, as if he did not expect that he would be given such attention, and said unsurely: "At this time... the queen mother should really listen to a few words of advice."
Jing Yao stepped aside, his resentful eyes shot to the floor and bounced at Yang Feng.
Yang Feng took a slow breath. If trespassing in the empress dowager's palace is a capital offense, every word he will say next will be enough to bring about the annihilation of the family, "The emperor still has two younger brothers, who were sent out of the palace three years ago. Go to welcome them into the palace?"
Jing Yao interjected: "I thought it was some great 'disgusting advice', but it turned out to be nothing more than that. I have already made arrangements to pick up the two princes early tomorrow morning."
"It won't be too late until tomorrow!" Yang Feng raised his voice, "The ministers in the court will take the lead and choose a new emperor from the two princes, leaving only a false name for the empress dowager. As for the three of us, they will all be hated by everyone. A traitor, not killing is not enough to thank the world."
Jing Yao snorted, "His Majesty's banquet is less than half an hour away, so it is impossible for the minister of the DPRK to act so quickly."
Indeed, the emperor was only ill for three days, and even the most skilled imperial physician could not have expected the disease to develop so rapidly.
Yang Feng lowered his voice and said to Zuo Ji, "Does the queen mother trust everyone around her?"
Zuo Ji's face changed slightly, "What does Duke Yang mean?"
"The eunuch can't be trusted." Yang Feng himself is an eunuch, but he still has to say, "We are vines, and we are born to be attached to big trees. When a big tree falls, we have to find another one. I believe, Someone has already passed the news to the ministers outside the palace."
Jing Yao shook his head, "Impossible, no one has the guts, and the palace guards are strict..."
Zuo Ji was not so calm, he had never experienced such a big thing before, "I, I went to see the queen mother."
Zuo Ji left in a hurry, Jing Yao's friendly face was full of anger, and he roared in a low voice: "Your big tree fell down, and it's too late to change a big tree at this time."
Yang Feng greeted Jing Yao coldly, "You should thank me."
"Thank you? Just because you said a useless nonsense? The ministers in the court are in a mess, and they will never dare to establish a new monarch. You are deliberately alarmist, just to gain the trust of the queen mother."
"The ministers in the DPRK are not always scattered, especially when dealing with people like us. Duke Jing, you should read some history books."
Jing Yao's doughy white face instantly turned red, and after a while he said, "Yang Gong must have read a lot of books, can you predict how you died?"
The two eunuchs glared at each other, like swordsmen preparing for a duel.
Zuo Ji returned quickly, and with him came the imperial concubine Shangguan, whose appearance immediately melted the tension in the living room.
Concubine Shangguan is the sister of the empress dowager, and she can fully represent the empress dowager herself. She sat on the couch without saying a word, and there was no maid beside her. After accepting the three eunuchs' kneeling, she thought for a while. , took out the paper note from his sleeve, and said, "The Queen Mother has already drawn up a decree, and you immediately go to welcome the two princes into the palace."
Jing Yao wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words again.
The concubine Shangguan thought for a while, and continued to assign tasks, "Jing Gong, if you have time to meet the King of the East Sea, Yang Gong——"
Yang Feng stood up immediately, "I am willing to stay in the palace and run for the queen mother, and I still have some words to tell the queen mother."
The concubine Shangguan shook her head, "Don't worry about other things, I will have to ask Yang Gong to meet another prince."
Yang Feng was stunned. He had just won a battle, and in a blink of an eye, he turned from victory to defeat. The situation is delicate at the moment. Staying with the Queen Mother is the best choice, but this position belongs only to Zuo Ji. The second choice is to meet the King of the East Sea, but another prince is assigned to him - so far, there is no king name. the prince.
Yang Feng had no choice but to obey the order respectfully.
The two eunuchs started a competition, Yang Feng ran to the gate of the palace, and Jing Yao greeted his men in the courtyard. Two quarters of an hour later, Yang Feng gathered his entourage and met Jing Yao and his group at the Dongqing Gate of the palace. The gatekeeper was obviously aware of what was happening in the palace, and was nervously checking the Queen Mother's handwriting.
Jing Yao walked up to Yang Feng and whispered, "Congratulations to Duke Yang, you have made a lot of credit for welcoming the son of an emperor."
When talking about the word "ruzi", Jing Yao increased his tone, because this is the nickname of another prince.
"You really should read more history books." Yang Feng said coldly, as long as he didn't die, he would not admit that the defeat was set. No matter what was assigned to him, he would make good use of it.
(The new book has begun, and a chapter is published every day between 8-9 am this month, and I will strive to have a small outbreak in early April.)