Chapter 496
The King of Donghai returned to Beijing on an decree and invited the empress dowager and queen to Luoyang together. The decree did not mention the word "move the capital", but only said "congratulate the empress dowager to Luoyang to enjoy the snow and welcome the new year", but everyone smelled ominous from it. It means that the emperor, the empress dowager and the empress are not there, is the capital still called the capital?
This morning, the King of the East Sea led a group of people, but they were stopped as soon as they reached the gate of the city. A group of officials blocked the street and were aggressive. The leader was Liu Zeqin, the Minister of Rites.
Liu Zeqin was originally a servant in the Ministry of Households. He once accompanied the emperor on the first hunting tour. He made some merits and was promoted to the Minister of Justice. Later, he was transferred to the Ministry of Rites. He was the last important official to come to Luoyang to see the driver. He has only been here for three days. , just in time for this major event, he wanted to prove to the world, especially the court officials, that he did not yield in front of the emperor.
"Donghai King, where are you going?" Liu Zeqin grabbed the reins rudely and asked loudly.
There was snow in the air, and more than 40 officials were blocking the street. This kind of scene was rare. The people watched from a distance and dared not approach, and the gate guards even turned a blind eye.
The King of the East Sea smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not returning to Beijing on an order, why didn't Liu Shangshu attend the court meeting?"
"Don't be in a hurry. Let me ask you, do you want to go back to the capital to welcome the queen mother and queen to Luoyang?"
The imperial edicts are public, and the East Sea King has nothing to hide, "Yes."
"This is absolutely impossible. In the first month, there are sacrifices to the sky and ancestors. The minister is urging the saint to return to Beijing. How can the queen mother and queen be brought to Luoyang? You can't go."
"Liu Shangshu, you want to persuade His Majesty to go back to Beijing, I have no opinion at all, but I have a holy purpose, and I don't dare to stop, otherwise..." Donghai King bent down and whispered: "I will walk slowly on the road. , After Liu Shangshu persuaded His Majesty, he issued another imperial decree to chase me back."
Liu Zeqin was not fooled, and shook his head, "You turn back now, let's go to see the emperor together, and persuade the emperor to withdraw the imperial edict."
"Isn't it difficult for Liu Shangshu to be a strong man? It's me, not you, who leads the decree. When I turn around, I'm just resisting the decree and not obeying it."
"You dare to suggest that the emperor move the capital, what else is there to fear?"
Donghai King's expression changed, "Liu Shangshu, what are you talking about? Who said the capital was moved?"
Liu Zeqin held on to the reins, "Don't pretend to be stupid, we've all heard that welcoming the Queen Mother and Empress is the first step, then Zongzheng's Mansion, General's Mansion, Dali Temple and the Sixth Division, then the Prime Minister's Mansion, and finally the The imperial temple will also be moved to Luoyang, this is your idea, right?"
The King of the East Sea hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no, it has nothing to do with me at all."
An official behind Liu Zeqin rushed up and shouted: "It's you, you met Your Majesty the day before yesterday, and we talked for a long time. Yesterday, His Majesty issued a decree to welcome the two palaces, and today you set out with an decree, what else can you explain?"
Everyone denounced them in unison. King Donghai didn't even have a chance to defend himself, and he didn't dare to defend himself. He could only force Liu Zeqin's finger and shouted loudly, "Don't guess, no one said that the capital would be moved. Act on purpose!"
The officials surrounded the East Sea King, and some even reached out to drag him off the horse.
The King of the East Sea was devastated, and there were dozens of followers behind him.
The emperor's move was so ruthless that the King of the East Sea couldn't express his suffering, so he could only keep shouting "According to the order".
This farce lasted for nearly two quarters of an hour, and was finally ended by a loud shout, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
An extremely tall general strode forward, rushed into the crowd, grabbed the officials like a chicken, and threw them to both sides one by one, clearing the way for the East Sea King.
"I'm the Minister of Rites..." Liu Zeqin didn't finish a sentence, and was thrown aside. The man was measured and didn't use too much force. At most, the officials fell on the snow and no one was injured.
The East Sea King cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, General Fan."
Climbing the mountain did not return the salute, slapped the horse on the hip, and said loudly: "Let's go!"
The King of the East Sea was the first to leave the city, followed by his followers, rushing all the way, thinking in his heart that when he arrived in the capital, I don't know what the scene would be like.
Fan Zangshan turned around and stopped many officials. He always seemed to be roaring, "Stop chasing, two legs can't catch up with four legs."
Liu Zeqin patted off the snow on his body and said angrily, "Fan hit the mountain, make it clear, if your Majesty wants to move the capital, do you support or oppose it?"
Fan Chongshan shrugged, "Where do I go, where is your Majesty, I will fight wherever Your Majesty refers, not to mention moving the capital, even if I move the country, I have no problem."
Liu Zeqin's face was red, and the most important reason why the imperial court was at a disadvantage in this struggle that lasted for several months was that they did not control the military. Soon he returned to the army "lively". As for "foolish loyalists" like Fan Chongshan, there are not a few in the army.
"Let's go see Your Majesty, we must make things clear today!" Liu Zeqin appealed loudly, and received a response from the civil servants, and went to the palace in a mighty way.
Han Ruzi was waiting in the hall.
The number of officials who came to the meeting early in the morning was less than usual. Han Ruzi knew that something had happened, so he sent Fan Zangshan to see the King of the East Sea off.
The officials stood inside and outside the hall, all bowing their heads and saying nothing. When Liu Zeqin and others arrived, they cast a contemptuous look at those who attended the meeting on time.
The hall was narrow, and Liu Zeqin could only bring a few people in. They were all officials of the Ministry of Rites. No matter how the etiquette could not be broken, he still had to kowtow to the emperor and wait for the eunuch to declare that he was flat before standing up.
"Your Majesty, the minister is waiting for you to come late, just for one thing: the New Year is approaching, your Majesty refuses to return to the capital to worship heaven and ancestors, but wants to invite the queen mother and queen to Luoyang, and there are rumors that your majesty will move the capital here, ministers wait If you don’t understand, please explain it to Your Majesty.”
"Moving the capital? Who said that the capital would be moved? The capital was chosen by the emperor of this dynasty. It has been in business for more than 20 years and has spent countless financial resources. How could it be possible to say accommodating and relocating? Whoever said this must be severely punished!" Han Ruzi said coldly say.
Liu Zeqin was stunned for a moment, and found that he had made a huge mistake. He even questioned the emperor with a matter that had not been made public. His momentum disappeared all of a sudden, and he replied softly: "It's not moving the capital, that's good."
"This is not a good question. I am asking you, who is spreading such ulterior motives?" Han Ruzi was even more stern.
Liu Zeqin plopped down and knelt down, "It's the minister who misunderstood the rumor and deserves the death penalty."
The official knelt down for a long time, but Han Ruzi's expression still did not soften, "Liu Zeqin, you are the Minister of Rites, you are in charge of court etiquette, and you are my minister, so it's fine if you don't solve problems for me, why take the lead in making trouble? Tan, you actually take it seriously, if one day someone rumored that I died, would you believe it?"
Liu Zeqin was sweating profusely, and kept kowtowing to plead guilty. The only consolation was that he was not the first minister to be defeated by the emperor. Almost every giant came to Luoyang with high fighting spirit and returned to the capital in dismay.
The emperor's face finally softened, and he announced that the court meeting would continue, and no one dared to object to the matter of welcoming the queen mother and the queen.
After the court meeting was a small meeting of advisors. Most of these people were sent to various places as officials, and only a few remained with the emperor, and their status was even more important.
Kang Zijiao is already the leader of these people. He has always been a supporter of the emperor, arguing with everyone in the form of a fierce general, but today he is relatively silent. Talk a few words.
"Your Majesty really has no intention of moving the capital?" Kang Zijiao had to ask clearly.
Han Ruzi's attitude softened a lot. "Kang Qing will talk about his opinion first. Is relocation good or bad?"
"Moving the capital is indeed a trick to draw wages from the bottom of the pot, but it will hurt the Great Chu even more. For more than a hundred years, the foundation of the Great Chu has been in Guanzhong. Once it is moved to Luoyang, it will be greatly shaken."
"There was also a move to move the capital in the previous dynasty, right?"
"There has been, but the situation is completely different. If you want to move the capital, you must have the right time, the right place, and people. The so-called weather, the new territory is more fertile than the old place. The so-called geography, the old capital is damaged, and repairing is more expensive than rebuilding. People, people, and new ministers come from new places, and they all have the heart to move. Great Chu does not possess these three. If Your Majesty is only trying to compete with ministers, it is useless to move the capital."
Han Ruzi nodded, "What Kang Qing said is very true, so the ministers suspect that I am going to move the capital, isn't it funny?"
Kang Zijiao was also a little confused, "So, does Your Majesty really have no intention of moving the capital?"
"I have no intention of moving the capital, I want to build a second capital."
Kang Zijiao was stunned.
"The capital is located in Guanzhong, and it is quite far away from half of the counties and counties in the world. People say that 'the sky is high and the emperor is far away', and my will is often not carried out. Luoyang is located in the middle of the world, and it is relatively easy to go to all sides, so I want to be there. A permanent palace is set up in Luoyang. If you have something, you will come, and if you have nothing, you will go. It doesn’t take too much manpower.
Han Ruzi paused, "Imperial power is only ten steps away and within a thousand miles. I can't make the world come close to me. I can only get close to the world. It takes time and effort to patrol the four directions. It is better to patrol Luoyang for a long time."
Kang Zijiao bowed, "Weichen understands, does Your Majesty need Weichen to explain to outsiders?"
"No, just let the rumors spread for a while."
Kang Zijiao understood what the emperor meant. This was to divert the attention of the minister. If he proposed to build a "capital tour" now, the minister would still firmly oppose it. First, he would use "moving the capital" to attract people, and then he proposed to build only a palace in a compromising manner. , it will be much easier.
Kang Zijiao saluted, "All along, Wei Chen has firmly supported His Majesty and acted as a vanguard. Although he did not persuade many people, at least he did not keep His Majesty's side silent."
"I have benefited Kangqing a lot, and I will not forget it."
Han Ruzi thought that the other party was looking for an official, but Kang Zijiao then said: "Those who govern the country with integrity will last a long time, and those who win with oddity can never do it again and again. In the second half of the year, your majesty will make extraordinary tricks. Wei Chen dared to ask: Your majesty intends to do so. When will you be a real emperor?"
This was an extremely bold question. Kang Zi was hypocritical and arrogant, and he knew that the emperor was willing to listen to the truth and the truth, so he could ask it.
Han Ruzi raised his eyebrows slightly, and after thinking for a long time, he decided to give Kang Zijiao an answer, "If there is no accident, in midsummer next year, I will be able to return to normal."
Han Ruzi stared at Kang Zijiao. Although this was just a simple promise, if it fell into the ears of the minister, it would be a major leak.