The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 271 Conflict intensifies

Kaifeng Imperial Palace, Funing Hall.

The splendid hall, which had just been renovated a few years ago, was now decorated with white gauze and linen. A huge coffin was parked in the middle of the hall. A huge black sacrificial plaque with the word "Lai" hung above the coffin, and it was surrounded by pavements. Flowers were tied with white silk, and a brazier was placed in front of the coffin. Several women wearing linen and mourning sat on their knees and cried bitterly. From time to time, they threw a handful of millet stalks into the brazier, which made a crackling sound.

Liu Chengyou quickly entered the hall. He was wearing a plain robe and a white linen belt around his waist, which represented the mourning of relatives in his family.

"My beloved concubine! My beloved concubine! How could you be willing to leave me and go alone. Wuwuwu~"

When Liu Chengyou saw the spiritual tablets placed on the table, he was filled with sadness. His red and swollen eyes shed tears again. He threw himself on the coffin with tears and beat the coffin hard. His hoarse wails echoed through the hall. He was really sad to the extreme. .

"My condolences to the official family!" The group of women wearing sackcloth and wearing filial piety fell to the ground one after another, exhorting sadly, their sobbing and choking sounds suddenly getting louder.

This mourning hall is specially set up for Liu Chengyou's favorite concubine Mrs. Geng. Mrs. Geng is not yet [-], and the pearls she gave birth to are round, jade, delicate and lovely, and she is deeply loved by Liu Chengyou.

Liu Chengyou had many concubines, and ever since he had Mrs. Geng, he favored only one person.

Originally, in a few months, when the late emperor's mourning period was over, he planned to make Mrs. Geng his queen.

Half a month ago, Mrs. Geng was diagnosed with a happy pulse by the imperial doctor. Liu Chengyou was overjoyed and looked forward to the birth of the empress and the prince.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Mrs. Geng slipped while walking in the Imperial Garden and hit the back of her head. She developed a high fever that night and became confused. All the doctors from the Imperial Medical Office gathered around her to treat her for three days, but there was no effect at all. , Liu Chengyou was so angry that he killed two imperial doctors in a row, and sent four more imperial doctors who judged Mrs. Geng to be helpless, to the Ministry of Punishment Prison.

On the fourth day, Mrs. Geng still died. Unfortunately, she was so young and pregnant with a dragon seed, and she died unexpectedly.

Liu Chengyou couldn't understand how he could lose two lives just because of a fall.

Since the death of Mrs. Geng, Liu Chengyou had no interest in government affairs and had been depressed for several days. His close ministers Li Ye, Nie Wenjin, Guo Yunming and others took turns to comfort him. Empress Dowager Li also hurried back from Daxiangguo Temple and comforted him for several days before letting him go. Gradually come out of the sadness.

In two days, Mrs. Geng's coffin will be buried. Liu Chengyou will come every day to pay homage and stay with her for an hour or two, leaning on the coffin in a daze, muttering to himself about his past love.

Liu Chengyou has been on the throne for three years. He has made no achievements in the government and has not had much reputation among the people. However, the death of Mrs. Geng this time has made the deep relationship between him and Mrs. Geng known to the world, and the city of Kaifeng has grown a lot overnight. The melody is sad, telling the love ballads between men and women.

Today, Liu Chengyou came to the Funing Hall to pay homage to his beloved concubine as usual, and the group of women who were wearing sackcloth and mourning for Mrs. Geng gathered around and begged her.

They are all relatives of Mrs. Geng. Many of them have been married for a long time, and some should be regarded as Mrs. Geng's elders based on their seniority. However, they are all willing to regard themselves as juniors and pay filial piety to Mrs. Geng.

Mrs. Geng's parents died when she was young, and she didn't have many direct blood relatives. Just because she was favored by herself, many of her relatives followed her and became prosperous.

These women of different ages may not necessarily have a deep relationship with Mrs. Geng, but once Mrs. Geng dies, their family's prosperity and wealth will naturally be greatly reduced.

Taking advantage of this last opportunity to observe mourning, I went to the palace to get close to the emperor. If I could get a compliment from the emperor, I would be able to live comfortably in the future.

If there is smoke coming out of the ancestral tomb, and one of the women among them is favored by the emperor and successfully takes over Mrs. Geng's position, it will be a great blessing.

It's a pity that all the smoke in their ancestral tombs seemed to have been burned away by Mrs. Geng alone. She went into the palace and guarded the coffin, crying and howling for several days. The emperor also did not see her, but no one could get a second look from the emperor.

Liu Chengyou was irritated by their noise. He waved his sleeves and robes with a long face and said, "All of you, please step aside and leave the palace. From tomorrow on, there is no need to enter the palace to keep vigil for my beloved concubine."

The women in linen and filial piety looked at each other. Seeing that the emperor's face was not good-looking, they did not dare to say anything more, so they knelt down, kowtowed and left.

When the hall became quiet, Liu Chengyou sniffed and looked around. He could only hear the sound of the monks outside the hall chanting sutras and the sound of burning millet stalks in the brazier in front of the coffin.

Thinking of the sweet past moments with his beloved concubine, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but cry sadly again, stroking the cold coffin and murmuring.

After more than an hour, several eunuchs from the inner palace helped him leave Funing Palace and returned to Qingshou Palace to rest.

Liu Chengyou ate some lotus seed porridge, and was just about to take a nap on the couch when Li Ye, the third envoy, and Nie Wenjin, the officer in charge of soldiers and horses, entered the hall to have an audience.

"Why is uncle here?" Liu Chengyou wrapped himself tightly in a brocade quilt embroidered with yellow dragon and gold thread, half lying on the couch, and cheered up when he saw Li Ye coming angrily.

After seeing the ceremony, Li Ye took a rejected edict and shouted angrily: "The official decree for the Ministry of Rites to bury Mrs. Geng in accordance with the Queen's etiquette was rejected by Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin, and Wang Zhang together!"

Liu Chengyou was furious when he heard this. He opened the brocade quilt and didn't even bother to put on his shoes and socks. He jumped off the embroidered couch, took the edict, opened it and read it.

I saw a reason for rejection at the end of the document, written with a red cinnabar pen: "Ms. Geng charmed the king during the national mourning period, and his moral conduct was lacking. It is not suitable to be buried with the etiquette of a queen. He can be buried lightly according to the etiquette of a general concubine."

Later there were autographs from Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin.

The two of them were respected ministers who were in charge of matters. According to the system, before Liu Chengyou took charge, an edict without the signatures of two or more ministers who were in charge of matters was equivalent to being invalid.

Nie Wenjin said sullenly from the side: "Guan family, this is the second time that Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin have rejected the Holy Will! These two people rely on their status as ministers of Gu Ming, and they don't take you seriously at all!"

Li Ye stared and added jealously: "What about Minister Gu Ming? The official is in his twenties and should have been in charge of the government alone for a long time. How can he be restricted by those old guys?"

Nie Wenjin sighed and said: "Having said that, Ke Shi and Yang are in high positions. If they don't take the initiative to hand over power, the officials will have nothing to do!"

Li Ye still wanted to make a fuss, but Liu Chengyou threw the edict to the ground angrily, scolding him with a livid face: "Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin, and Wang Zhang, three old men, how dare you bully me like this!"

Li Ye swallowed his saliva and glanced at Nie Wenjin. Nie Wenjin took the opportunity to say: "If these three people are not eliminated, it will be difficult for the officials to secure the throne! A dignified emperor, who speaks of the Constitution of Heaven and follows the law, how can he be controlled by the three A traitor and a traitor? If the officials want to take power, they must kick off these obstacles!"

"What Siguan Nie said is true!" Li Ye then raised his hand, "Previously, the officials wanted to make Mrs. Geng the queen, and even the Queen Mother agreed. However, these three people contacted a group of courtiers to use Mrs. Geng's personal ethics. There is a reason for loss to prevent the official from establishing a queen!
Now that Mrs. Geng has unfortunately passed away, the officials want to pursue the title of queen, but these three people caught Mrs. Geng entering the palace during the national mourning. They did not agree with the etiquette and tried their best to stop her. It is really hateful!
Even for such a trivial matter, they are unwilling to make concessions or delegate power. It is conceivable that in the future, the officials will have to look at their faces in everything! "

"That's right! In this case, we don't know who is the emperor of this great Han Dynasty!" Nie Wenjin shouted in a sharp drake voice.

Liu Chengyou walked around with his bare feet and hands behind his back, his face turning green and red.

What the two of them said spoke to his heart.

In the past three years, as he grew older, Liu Chengyou became more and more eager for the emperor's power. When the period of national mourning expires, he will gradually take charge of the government and fully control the power of the country.

But the presence of Minister Gu Ming made him feel controlled everywhere.Thinking of Mrs. Geng's death, Liu Chengyou hated the three of them even more.

With a "clang", Liu Chengyou pulled out the sword placed on the orchid, swung the sword to cut off a corner of the case, gritted his teeth and said sternly: "I will kill these three thieves!"

Li Ye and Nie Wenjin looked at each other with great joy, and finally persuaded the officials to murder the three of them.

Get rid of these three people, they will no longer have any rivals in the court, and the power of the court will be in their hands.

"The four major auxiliary ministers, the prime minister Su Fengji has defected to the government early on, and the privy envoy Guo Wei is in charge of military affairs, and has never interfered too much with the government.

Only Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin were domineering and arrogant, while Privy Councilor Wang Zhang colluded with the two thieves. The three of them teamed up and repeatedly offended the officials. Kaifeng's subjects had long been filled with complaints and the officials were eliminated. These three are fighting traitors for the country, and they will surely please people's hearts! "Nie Wenjin smiled obsequiously.

Li Ye thought for a while, shook his head and said: "I think Guo Wei seems to be impartial, but in fact he is the biggest threat to the government! Guo Wei holds military power and enjoys high prestige both in the Forbidden Army and in various vassal towns. Forgot, Guo Wei is on good terms with Shi Hongzhao, once Shi Hongzhao is eliminated and Guo Wei is alarmed, will Guo Wei jump over the wall and raise troops to rebel in order to protect himself?"

Nie Wenjin was startled: "Uncle Li Guo is exaggerating! No matter how famous Guo Wei is, he is still a minister. Besides, he has always been respectful and polite to the officials. As long as we don't take the initiative to provoke us, I think he will turn a blind eye."

Afterwards, he would be greatly rewarded, and he would find an opportunity to be transferred out of the capital to lead troops in a feudal town. After a few years, when the officials and the court were stabilized, what threat could he still have? "

Li Ye's eyes were sinister and he said in a deep voice: "I still insist that Guo Wei cannot be retained and must be eliminated together!"

Liu Chengyou said solemnly: "You don't need to argue anymore. The Khitans are currently stationed in Jizhou and eyeing Dingzhou and Zhaozhou. Although Guo Wei has just won the victory from Hebei, I predict that the Khitans will still find opportunities to invade south.

I have decided to mobilize Guo Weitianxiong's army to stay behind in Yedu and lead the army to defend Yedu to defend against the Khitans.

At the moment when I am employing people, I still need Guo Wei as a barrier in Hebei to defend me against the Khitans. "

After a pause, Liu Chengyou narrowed his eyes, like a poisonous snake spitting out a message, with a heart-stopping sneer hanging on the corner of his mouth: "When I get rid of the three rebellious ministers Wang Shiyang and completely control the court situation, and the Khitans in the north also calm down, I It’s not too late to deal with Guo Wei!”

Li Ye and Nie Wenjin looked at each other, bowed and saluted: "The officials are wise!"

Liu Chengyou said coldly: "Although Wang Shi Yang Sanni is hateful and deserves to be punished, they have been running the court for many years and are the late emperor's servants. With my prestige, even if the three thieves are eliminated, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince all the officials." , you still have to find a way to avoid causing too much trouble."

Li Ye smiled and said: "The officials might as well ask the Queen Mother for instructions. If the Queen Mother can be persuaded to take charge of this matter, no one in the court will be dissatisfied!"

Nie Wenjin also echoed.

Liu Chengyou thought about it and thought it was feasible, so he shouted outside the dormitory: "Come here! Change my clothes!"

~~~
Since Liu Chengyou ascended the throne, he has not established a queen, so Queen Mother Li Sanniang has been living in Kunning Palace, the queen's residence.

Empress Dowager Li believed in Buddhism and often went to Daxiangguo Temple to worship Buddha. She stayed there for most of the month and spent most of the past three years in the Buddhist temple.

Due to the recent death of Mrs. Geng, Queen Mother Li was worried that Liu Chengyou would be too sad, so she rushed back to the palace to accompany her.

There is a small Buddhist hall next to Kunning Hall. When Empress Dowager Li lived in the harem, she almost spent all her time chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall.

In front of a half-person-high exquisite Jade Buddha, Empress Dowager Li wore a plain skirt, without any gold or silver decorations on her body, and her gray hair was inserted obliquely into a wooden hairpin.

She was sitting cross-legged on the futon, holding rosary beads in her hand, with a peaceful expression, and her lips moved softly as she muttered something.

Empress Dowager Li was originally from a peasant family, with a simple nature and a gentle and kind temperament. Liu Zhiyuan's ability to grow from an unknown soldier to the founder of the country step by step was inseparable from the silent support of his wife behind him.

Empress Dowager Li was the first contributor to Liu Zhiyuan's founding of the country and proclaiming himself emperor.

It is a pity that the year is not a holiday, and her husband died early before he could secure the throne, and his most beloved eldest son Liu Chengxun also died young.

The pain of her beloved son's early death has not gone away, and her husband also died suddenly of illness. The successive heavy blows left her heartbroken. Now she is only in her early forties, but most of her hair is gray, and her face is as aging as that of a woman in her fifties or sixties. old woman.

"My son-in-law pays respects to his mother!"

Liu Chengyou and the others walked into the Buddhist hall quietly. Liu Chengyou lifted up his robe and knelt down on the ground.

Li Ye and Nie Wenjin also hurriedly bowed down.

Empress Dowager Li opened her eyes, held the Buddhist beads and smiled and said: "Your Majesty, no courtesy."

"Thank you, Queen Mother!" Liu Chengyou stood up and sat cross-legged on the futon nearby.

Queen Mother Li looked at Li Ye and Nie Wenjin, frowned slightly, and said calmly: "You two should also get up."

"Have arrangements been made for Geng's funeral?" Queen Mother Li asked with concern.

Liu Chengyou replied: "You can bury it when the master chooses an auspicious day, but"

Liu Chengyou looked indignant: "Ms. Geng was my son's favorite concubine. My son wanted to make her the queen and give her a grand burial according to the queen's etiquette. However, the two edicts were rejected by Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin. It's really hateful!"

Empress Dowager Li said: "Why reject it?"

Li Ye bowed hurriedly and said: "To report to the Queen Mother, Ergong Shi Yang said that Geng entered the palace during the national mourning period. She is suspected of seducing the king with her beauty and confusing the king's heart. Her moral conduct is lacking and she is not worthy of being the queen of the world!"

Queen Mother Li was silent for a moment, nodded and said: "Although the words of the Second Duke are not pleasant to listen to, they are indeed reasonable. The queen's position is related to the face of the Tian family and should not be trivial. Geng entered the palace during the national mourning period and did not go through the formal canonization ceremony. Now it is indeed inappropriate to directly give him a posthumous gift as a queen!"

"Mother! Why are you talking to outsiders!" Liu Chengyou said anxiously and angrily.

I originally hoped that Empress Dowager Li would connect with his mother and son and sympathize with Geng's incident. Unexpectedly, after working for a long time, Empress Dowager Li's attitude turned out to be supportive of Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin's suggestions.

Liu Chengyou was secretly annoyed.

(End of this chapter)