Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 705 Who Cares
Inside the Purple Palace Hall of the Bianliang Palace, the atmosphere was solemn yet slightly lazy. Some of the ministers were in dishevel, some had their eyes closed to rest, and some looked as if they were in a trance, their minds wandering off to who knows where.

The new emperor Li Wei sat on the dragon throne and felt as if there were steel needles under his buttocks, making him uncomfortable all over, but he did not dare to move.

"Minister Yan, I would like to ask, when will Marshal Fang come to the palace?" Li Wei looked at Yan Zhuang and asked, his tone somewhat humble.

The coronation ceremony was so important that everyone else came except Fang Qing. So the ceremony was stuck here and had to wait for Fang Qing to come before the last step could be carried out: putting the great fur crown on the emperor.

The word "coronation" comes from this.

The Daqiu Mian is a special ceremonial crown that is only worn when the emperor ascends the throne or during major events such as sacrifices. It has a very important and solemn symbolic meaning.

In other words, in the past, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty had the final say, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites could just follow his orders. But now, Li Wei, the puppet emperor, has no say, and only Fang Qing has to say it.

So now that Fang Qing is not here, the etiquette is stuck at "awarding the ceremonial crown".

Did Marshal Fang forget about this?
In fact, all the ministers present knew that the man who was able to write family letters to the soldiers in Hexi at the age of nine had gained more experience in government affairs than anyone else present.

Even if everyone has forgotten the etiquette procedure of bestowing a ceremonial crown on the emperor, Fang Qing will never forget it.

Therefore, the carelessness of the ministers in the Purple Palace is understandable.

They were Fang Qing's subjects, not Li Wei's subjects. Since they were not subjects, they naturally did not need to show the kind of awe that was like "flirting to a blind man".

Without Fang Qing here, this place can't be solemn and dignified! It shouldn't be solemn and dignified!

"Your Majesty, the emperor has not yet arrived at the palace. We will have to wait a little longer before bestowing the ceremonial crown."

Yan Zhuang saluted to Li Wei with a forced smile.

Li Wei cursed Yan Zhuang for being shameless in his heart, but he could only face it with a smile on his face.

At the beginning, it was Fang Qing who strongly supported him to be the crown prince. Now, outsiders may realize that there may be something fishy about Li Lin's death. As the biggest beneficiary, he, the new emperor, naturally cannot escape suspicion.

So from the perspective of others, even if Fang Qing had let many people down, he had definitely not let Li Wei down. At this moment, although Fang Qing had not yet arrived at the Purple Palace, his influence had already made Li Wei breathless.

If you don't participate in government affairs, you won't have real power.

This truth is like a heavenly law at this moment, so indisputable and yet so ironic.

Li Wei, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was very anxious, but he had no idea what to do.

"The official has arrived!"

Outside the palace, eunuchs were calling out names loudly.

All the ministers in the Purple Palace straightened their backs immediately, and the laziness and slackness just now disappeared!

Li Wei's eyes widened when he saw the arrogant and respectful attitude. He thought these people were born lazy, but it turned out that others just didn't take him seriously at all.

"Your Majesty, I am late for some reason, and I am guilty of death."

Fang Chongyong bowed to Li Wei with a very humble attitude, without the arrogance of a powerful official. Che Guangqian followed behind him.

Li Wei was left out for an hour and felt angry. He couldn't help but ask, "The coronation ceremony is so solemn. Why are you late?"

“Your Majesty, it’s not a big deal.

There was a mutiny among the soldiers in Guoqiao's Silver Spear Filial Piety Camp, clamoring to support the emperor as the king, and the emperor had no choice but to suppress it.

"I am a little late, please don't blame me, Your Majesty. After all, you don't want mutinous soldiers to rush into this Purple Palace, right?"

Che Guangqian, who was standing behind Fang Chongyong, acted as a substitute and answered Li Wei's questions for Marshal Fang.

"Is there such a thing?"

Li Wei was so scared that he stood up and then slowly sat down again.

"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case, but I have already dealt with it.

The warriors in the army are gullible and have only brute strength. They must be properly restrained. Your Majesty, please do not blame them for being ignorant. "

Fang Zhongyong said calmly, as if he was talking about a trivial matter. As for how to punish these mutinous soldiers, he did not even mention it.

"The government is very busy, it's okay, it's okay."

Li Wei said with an embarrassed look on his face. He sat down slowly, looking doubtful and uncertain. Li Wei naturally knew that the mutiny of the soldiers was fake, and Fang Qing was really trying to intimidate him. Maybe it was a self-directed and self-acted event.

But what else could he say?

Fang Qing didn't break up with the other party simply because the other party didn't want to.

"Minister of Rites, why did the process of awarding the ceremonial crown come to a halt?

Go on! The Emperor is still waiting!"

Fang Chongyong scolded Zheng Shuqing.

"It was my mistake. I will make amends for it."

Zheng Shuqing stepped out and asked an official from the Ministry of Rites to bring the Daqiu crown, and then handed it to Li Wei's personal eunuch. The latter stepped forward and put the Daqiu crown on Li Wei, and the ceremony was completed.

It's that simple!
The whole process was completed in less than an incense stick of time!
But if Fang Qing doesn’t come, it can’t be completed!
Li Wei's anger was rising, but when he thought of Fang Qing's prestige in the army and influence in the court.

Suddenly, it was like a flood that had submerged the small flame, leaving only a chilly cold.

Didn't Che Guangqian just say that Yinqiang Xiaojie had mutinied and wanted to support Fang Qing as the emperor? Whether it was true or not, the threat and warning were clearly revealed.

Li Wei swallowed and looked at Fang Zhongyong with an embarrassed expression, not knowing what to say.

"Your Majesty, the coronation ceremony is over. The palace is your home, you are the master, and I and others are guests. Guests should follow the master's wishes."

Fang Zhongyong saluted and said to Li Wei.

Is this... finished?

Li Wei was shocked but couldn't show it.

Isn’t such a simple coronation ceremony a bit too hasty?
"Then, then let's adjourn the court. Adjourn the court. Hahahaha."

Li Wei gave an awkward yet polite smile and announced the adjournment of the court.

The ministers in the Purple Palace began to file out of the palace in an orderly manner. As for the complicated etiquette that should be followed when the emperor ascends the throne, it was not performed at all this time, and it was impossible to perform it.

The formal enthronement ceremony of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty required at least a month of preparation.

Li Lin's death was very unexpected and sudden, and Fang Zhongyong's handling of the matter was a quick and decisive move. This gave the new emperor, Li Wei, an unspeakable smell of a makeshift team.

In fact, although the Bianzhou court is now functioning, its authority is growing.

But it seems to be isolated from the imperial power. It is appropriate to say that the emperor is just a group of incompetent officials.

……

The old emperor was assassinated and the new emperor hastily succeeded to the throne.

Logically speaking, this matter is very serious and of no small importance.

Logically speaking, it should have caused a stir in the government and the country, public criticism, and intrigue from foreign enemies.

Even if it's not a landslide or a tsunami that sweeps away everything, at least there should be undercurrents and every tree and grass is an enemy.

However, when Fang Chongyong, dressed in casual clothes, strolled through the various ferry crossings on the Bianzhou Canal and lingered in the restaurants and teahouses that had sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, he was surprised to find.

It seems that no one pays attention to Li Lin's death and the succession of the emperor.

Of course, this does not mean that people are afraid to speak because the channels for speech are blocked.

On the contrary, Fang Chongyong and the Bianzhou court had a very lax control over speech. As long as it was not propaganda for rebellion and as long as it was not openly against Fang Chongyong, anyone could say whatever they wanted, and they could even make it into a joke and tell it in a teahouse!
It’s not that everyone can’t speak, but who cares about the change of emperor now?
The emperor doesn't exempt taxes, nor does he send rice and noodles to his family! Can the emperor touch or sleep with the beautiful concubines around him? What does it have to do with a commoner like me?

Nowadays, the hottest topic of discussion in the streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns of Bianzhou is: where can one find a skilled archery master to learn archery?
The shops selling bows and arrows in Bianzhou have sold out their stock and are only accepting pre-orders, and it is still hard to get a bow. Since the court issued the "Archer Recruitment Decree", anyone who is not blind knows what the court is going to do and where the new way is!

The government is trying to sweep the world!

Many people could see clearly that the imperial court's selection of so-called "archers" and its long-term implementation of it as a system obviously had some agenda.

If it is not for the purpose of unifying the world, is it necessary to go through so much trouble? Fighting a war means having military merit, which means that the channel for upward mobility is still open.

As an "archer", you will be given priority in promotion of officers and rewards in the army, which is in line with the saying "a general is chosen from his brave soldiers".

Those who understand what the court means will understand. The lower classes may not have much education, but they definitely do not lack survival wisdom.

As for the bizarre rumors about Li Lin being assassinated, they were just passed around once and then forgotten, and the final comment was "None of my business"! It didn't matter whether the emperor was dead or alive, because the daily life of the family still depended on firewood, rice, oil and salt, and the hardship of making a living.

We still have to work hard to climb up.

The emperor is too far away, but the drudgery of life is right in front of us!
But what is the future of archers, how can they squeeze in, what skills and identity background are needed, and how can they stand out? These are all closely related to their own interests.

In other words, it is very likely that a piece of news can change your destiny!
Of course everyone is keen on discussing and getting the information they want from it!
What Fang Chongyong saw was the surging agitation of the crowd.

In a teahouse near the Bianzhou Canal ferry, a troupe of actors from Guanzhong are singing the beggar version of "Nichang Yuyi Qu".

Offstage, Fang Zhongyong said to Zhang Guangsheng, "If Li Longji were still alive, what would he think if he knew that the piece he helped to arrange, "Nichang Yuyi," had become a song that ordinary people would discuss."

“When a person dies, he should just lie down in the ground. What else can you think about?
Only living people are worthy of having ideas.”

Zhang Guangsheng commented disdainfully. He knew Ji Ge very well and hated him.

"Yes, when a person dies, he is dead, and nothing is left.

Even if he was a great hero during his lifetime, so what? "

Fang Chongyong suddenly lost interest and waved his hand, indicating that it was time to go home.

On the way back to the Bianzhou government office, Zhang Guangsheng couldn't help but lower his voice and asked, "This is such a good opportunity, why doesn't the emperor abdicate?"

Zhang Guangsheng seemed to have been holding it in for a long time, and finally couldn't help but speak.

In fact, he was not the first person to ask this question. Che Guangqian had already expressed her opinion, but it was more tactful.

As for He Lao Hu, he had already said that Fang Chongyong should go directly to the palace to ascend the throne.

Ever since the capture of Luoyang, the civil and military officials in Fang Chongyong's core circle have been ready to make a move.

For example, Yuan Zai contacted a group of literati and began to build momentum secretly, advocating "the rise of the Fang family and changing the world" and so on.

Although Fang Zhongyong has not taken that step yet, his subordinates can clearly see what the road ahead is.

When faced with such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, only someone whose brain has been caught by a door would act like a turtle and remain silent and unloyal, right?

"We've heard all kinds of discussions along the way. What did you hear the most? Do you still remember it?"

Fang Chongyong did not answer Zhang Guangsheng's question, but asked directly in return.

"Go back to the government, it's about the recruitment of archers and the exemption of commercial taxes for small vendors."

Zhang Guangsheng answered honestly.

"Is anyone talking about the news of Li Lin's death and the new emperor's succession to the throne?"

Fang Chongyong asked again.

"No one has ever mentioned it. After all, it is the crown prince who succeeded to the throne. What else is there to say?"

Zhang Guangsheng replied helplessly.

The reason why emperors have been extremely wary of crown princes since ancient times is that as long as the crown prince succeeds to the throne, people in the world will not delve into the cause of the emperor's death.

In other words, the prince is the person closest to the regicide! He is also the natural biggest beneficiary of the regicide!
Now that Li Wei has succeeded to the throne, the superiority of the crown prince's succession has been demonstrated. No one cares about how Li Lin died, even though Li Lin was still in his prime!
But if Li Wei succeeded to the throne and abdicated to Fang Chongyong now, public opinion would not be so calm.

"What the people want is to have enough food and clothing and live a good life. The imperial court unified the country in order to create a better environment for them to achieve this goal.

If you look at it this way, you will understand that even if Fang became the emperor, nothing would change immediately.

It is only true that you should do what you are supposed to do first. "

"That's what the government said."

Zhang Guangsheng said embarrassedly, flattering the horse again.

The two of them arrived at the Bianzhou government office. As soon as they entered the lobby, they saw Dacongming walking up to them in a hurry with a letter in his hand.

"Your Majesty, Tian Qianzhen from Mingzhou sent someone to deliver a secret letter."

After saying that, Da Congming handed the letter in his hand to Fang Chongyong with both hands.

Tian Qianzhen?
Fang Zhongyong was stunned for a moment, then nodded silently and walked directly into the government office study. After sitting down, he opened the letter and looked at it, his face suddenly became solemn.

"Go and call Yan Zhuang, Li Quan, Che Guangqian and the others to the government office to discuss the matter."

Fang Zhongyong gave Da Congming an order. After he left, Zhang Guangsheng asked, "Sir, what's the problem?"

"Shi Siming is suspicious of Tian Qianzhen, who wants to mutiny and hopes we can help him."

Fang Chongyong looked strange and handed the letter to Zhang Guangsheng.

The latter looked at it again and again, and was also confused.

Their relationship with Tian Qianzhen is not that good, right? And now this guy sent a letter that looks like "surrender".

What does it mean?

"If it was someone else, this would most likely be false, a false surrender. But if it was Shi Siming, it would definitely be true."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand and said, signaling Zhang Guangsheng not to say more. Tian Qian's intention should be good, but the difficulty of operating this matter may not be low.

Soon, Yan Zhuang and others came to the study of the government office in a hurry. Fang Chongyong did not say a word and directly handed Tian Qianzhen's handwritten letter to everyone for circulation.

After a long time, the letter went around and returned to Fang Zhongyong's hands. Everyone present had read it. The expressions on everyone's faces were extremely wonderful.

Some were gloating over other people's misfortune, some looked disdainful, and some were silent and thoughtful, as if they had thought of something.

"It's a miracle that Shi Siming is still alive today."

Yan Zhuang couldn't help but sigh.

Tian Qianzhen said in the letter that Shi Siming had a plan to cross the Yellow River and attack Bianzhou after the autumn harvest.

Why choose after the autumn harvest? Perhaps it is because this "boss" feels that it is really troublesome to plant, harvest and take care of the crops in the fields. It would be better to wait until after the autumn harvest and then send someone to move the crops away directly, which would be pleasant and convenient.

This also indirectly shows that Hebei's economy was getting worse and worse, and Shi Siming was actually under great pressure. He knew that the court in Bianzhou had dozens of states under its jurisdiction and was not easy to mess with, but he still wanted to touch it.

Seeing this situation, Tian Qianzhen was ready to turn against them.

After all, even if he didn't rebel, his soldiers wouldn't spare him when he ran out of food and money. It would be better to exchange Shi Siming's head for a better future!
"Everyone, what do you think about this?"

Fang Chongyong looked around the crowd and asked.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, Shi Siming has a very bad reputation in Youyan, and many of his subordinates are rebellious. What Tian Qianzhen said is probably true. It is not easy to fool people with Shi Siming's character.

But whether Tian Qian is really courting his own destruction and how we should respond is a question. "

This time, it was Lu Mai, who had been in charge of intelligence management, who spoke first.

(End of this chapter)