The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 330 Guo Wei Enters the Dynasty
On December 26, Guo Wei led the Ye army generals into the palace.

It was around six o'clock in the morning, and it was still dark. Xuande Gate, the main south gate of the palace, opened early. Soldiers of the Long Jie Army in bright armor lined up on both sides to greet them.

The majestic Shi Yanchao, wearing black armor and red robes, stood aside with a sword, waiting for Guo Wei's arrival.

Hundreds of civil and military officials had already arrived at Xuande Gate to wait.

Originally, according to the usual practice, on the day of the court meeting, all the officials entered the palace before the fourth quarter of Mao hour and waited temporarily in the west side hall of Long Live Hall.

There are eunuchs in the inner chamber who will provide hot tea and cakes, and when the time comes, they will then line up to enter the palace.

During the twelfth lunar month of winter, officials could still stay warm and take a nap in the side hall.

But today, no one dared to enter the palace in advance.

All the court officials waited in front of Xuande Gate in tacit understanding to welcome Guo Wei.

No one dared to enter the palace before Guo Wei.

For today, this group of court officials in purple robes got up in the middle of the night and arrived in front of Xuande Gate early with lanterns or by car or horseback.

The clever officials also asked their families to prepare some dry food in advance, carry it in their pockets, and take it out to take a bite when they were hungry.

This winter is not too cold, but the winter wind blows at night, which makes people shiver.

In the early morning, when the temperature is at its lowest, many court officials stood with their legs and feet stiff. They rubbed their palms vigorously, breathed in and out, jumped on the spot a few times, and moved their bodies to keep warm.

Shi Yanchao made a rounds and made no secret of his disdain for these normally pampered court officials. When a court official wanted to come forward to chat, he gave him a sidelong look and was so frightened that no one dared to come near.

Prime Minister Su Yugui was wearing a thick cloak and the popular big-eared hat in Kaifeng. He stood motionless with his hands folded and his sleeves folded, his eyelids lowered and he was sleeping.

Another elder of the imperial court, Prince Taishi Dou Zhengu, quietly approached and took out a warm paper bag from his arms, with two fried cakes wrapped in it.

"Su Xiang, here it is!" Dou Zhengu handed it over.

Su Yugui opened his eyelids, cupped his hands and shook his head with a wry smile: "Thank you very much, Brother Ti, but my appetite has been poor recently, so please enjoy it yourself, Brother Ti."

Dou Zhengu took a bite of the cake and said in a low voice: "Guan Su's face looks sick and his voice is tired, as if he has a deficiency of Qi and blood. I'd better ask the imperial doctor to take a look in two days."

Su Yugui sighed: "Since Qing's brother passed away, all the important matters of the court have been on Su's shoulders, and he has been under heavy pressure. And at this critical moment of turmoil, Su feels that he is not capable enough to bear the important responsibilities of the court~ ~~"

Dou Zhengu shook his head and sighed: "It is a pity that Su Fengji committed suicide. In fact, it was unnecessary. With his reputation, how could Guo Wei dare to do anything against him?"

Just when Su Yugui was about to say something, Shi Yanchao suddenly turned his head, looked at them fiercely, and strode forward in front of him.

"How dare you call the commander by his first name, you are seeking death!"

Shi Yanchao roared at Dou Zhengu, his fierce eyes like a devouring beast, frightening the other pancake in Dou Zhengu's arms to the ground.

All the court officials were as silent as cicadas, and they could only hear the whistling sound of the winter wind.

Shi Yanchao raised his foot and trampled the oil cakes on the ground to pieces. He gave Dou Zhengu a fierce warning and shouted at everyone: "All of you, stand in line for me. If anyone dares to whisper to each other again, I will pull out his tongue!"

The court officials were trembling with fear. Under the supervision of Long Jie's soldiers, they lined up in order according to their official positions. They all stood upright for fear of being picked out and beaten by the ruthless and unreasonable Shi Yanchao.

Beating up court officials in front of Xuande Gate was completely within the realm of possibility for a soldier like Shi Yanchao, who had a notorious reputation.

"If the warriors rule the country, the world will perish~" Dou Zhengu's legs trembled and he cried out sadly.

Su Yugui smiled wryly and sighed, since the troubled times at the end of the Tang Dynasty, every dynasty and emperor did not rely on force to start their fortunes, but now Guo Wei just followed the old path of his predecessors.

As for how long the new dynasty can last in the future, only God knows.

A green Yejun flag appeared in the thin mist.

The court officials were startled to realize that the sky was already getting slightly brighter.

Guo Wei, wearing a golden helmet and golden armor, rode a tall black horse and led dozens of Ye army generals to Xuande Gate.

Zhu Xiu was riding a red boy among them. Among the armored generals, he was inconspicuous in his fifth-grade official robe with green and scarlet edges.

Even the proud red boy is much more eye-catching than him.

Zhu Xiu followed the generals and got off his horse, stood on tiptoes and looked forward.

In front of Xuande Gate, there were hundreds of court officials lined up on both sides, smiling like welcome ladies, bowing their heads respectfully to greet them.

"General, I'll pay my respects to the commander-in-chief!" Shi Yanchao stepped forward and knelt down on one knee, making a sound like iron leaves all over his body.

"Get up! How about the defense of the palace?" Guo Wei said in a deep voice.

Shi Yanchao stood up and clasped his fists and said: "Commander Qi, the six gates, two towers and two floors of the palace city have been replaced. We can guarantee that everything will be safe!"

Guo Wei nodded: "Very good! You must order the troops to guard their respective defense areas, ensure the safety of the Empress Dowager and all the courtiers, and don't let any young people disturb the peace of Miyagi!"

"General, I will obey the commander-in-chief's military orders!" Shi Yanchao shouted back. After saluting, he turned around and waved towards Xuandemen Tower and shouted: "Open the city gate!"

"Boom~"

Inside the deep doorway, the heavy city gates slowly opened to both sides, and the soldiers of Long Jiejun knelt down on both sides, shouting in unison: "Welcome to the palace, Commander!"

Seeing this battle, the court officials could not hold their nerve, so they quickly followed and knelt down. Regardless of whether they were sincere or not, they started to roar again.

If the etiquette is not in place today, and Ye Jun's people see it in their eyes and remember it in their hearts, it will be bad to settle accounts in the future.

Su Yugui and Dou Zhengu also prostrated themselves. Guo Wei smiled and said, "The second prince is an old man in the imperial court. There is no need to perform this grand ceremony. Just get up and enter the palace with me."

Dou Zhengu was so frightened that he could not speak. Su Yugui forced himself to smile and said: "How dare you go with Mr. Guo? Please go ahead, Mr. Su, and a group of colleagues will follow."

Guo Wei smiled, threw the riding whip to the soldiers, and looked through the Xuande Gate into the depths of the palace.

The palace is still majestic and looks like a royal palace.

He has gone in and out of this door countless times, but today, he will enter the palace city with a different identity.

Guo Wei was silent for a moment, then strode toward the palace gate.

Behind him, the old master Feng Dao followed step by step with a cane. Wei Renpu, Chai Rong, Wang Yin, Wang Jun, He Fujin, Yao Yuanfu and others followed in turn.

Zhu Xiu walked among the crowd and looked around. Maybe this would be the place where he would work as an errand in the future. He would need to go in and out frequently and remember the route clearly in advance.

This imperial palace was built after Zhu Wen made Kaifeng the capital before the Later Liang Dynasty, mobilizing craftsmen and civilians to imitate Luoyang Ziwei City.Ziwei City was built in the Daye period of Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty, and was repaired successively during the reigns of Taizong, Gaozong, and Empress Wu. When Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor, it officially became the capital palace of the Wu Zhou Dynasty and was renamed Taichu Palace.

Daming Palace in Chang'an and Taichu Palace in Luoyang are the masters of architectural techniques of the Tang Dynasty. They represent the atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty and have become places of pilgrimage for people all over the world since the Kaiyuan Dynasty.

Unfortunately, after the wars in the late Tang Dynasty, the two royal palaces had long been burned down.

Zhu Xiu had been to the old Daming Palace site above Longshou Plain in Chang'an. It was indeed a place with dragon veins and occupied the royal feng shui. Unfortunately, it had been abandoned for many years. Only a ruin of the former majestic palace remained, and even the intact beams were destroyed. Removed.

Broken glazed tiles were everywhere, and grass grew taller than a person in the dilapidated palace.

The most terrible thing is that the water resources in Longshouyuan are severely salty and cannot be used at all.

Even the royal baths in the Lishan Hot Spring Palace have long been abandoned, clogged with mud and smelly.

The era when Guanzhong and Chang'an were the centers of the world is gradually going away.

Zhu Xiu looked around and felt that the buildings in Kaifeng Palace were slightly smaller in terms of regulations than those in Daming Palace and Taichu Palace, and their layout was more compact.

It seems that when Lao Zhu was building the Kaifeng Palace City, he had a tight time schedule, heavy tasks, and a shortage of funds. In addition, the geographical location of Kaifeng City was limited, and it was impossible to spread it on a large scale like Chang'an Longshouyuan, so the Royal Palace City was built as large as possible. A little cramped.

The grandeur of the palace city is far inferior to that of Daming Palace and Taichu Palace, and it has lost the majesty of a great country in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

With their thoughts in turmoil, the huge court procession walked quietly to the Long Live Hall.

Guo Wei gave Feng Dao a few instructions and led a group of soldiers to the harem.

Before the Great Court Meeting, Guo Wei had to go to Kunning Palace to meet Empress Dowager Li.

Feng Dao then led hundreds of officials to the west wing of Long Live Hall to wait.

~~~
Kunning Palace was as peaceful as ever. When Guo Wei led the Ye army into the court and the whole palace was in panic, it seemed that this was the only place of peace.

In the main hall of Kunning Palace, Zhao Kuangyin, who was dressed in black mountain armor, was leading the imperial guards to inspect everywhere. After a while, Guo Wei would meet with the Queen Mother here.

Zhao Kuangyin is responsible for the security of Kunning Palace to ensure that no one disturbs this important meeting.

Although the entire palace was under the control of Ye Jun, Zhao Kuangyin still did not dare to let down his vigilance and led people to inspect every palace room, even the Gong room where he used the toilet, and he had to open the lid of the Gong bucket to take a look.

The maids and eunuchs serving in Kunning Palace had to search their bodies one by one to ensure that no sharp weapons were hidden on their bodies.

Zhao Kuangyin entered the palace last night and stayed up all night, checking all the places in the harem that Guo Wei might pass by.

I was busy until around [-]:[-] p.m., when the security arrangements were finally completed.

Zhao Kuangyin supervised the eunuchs to clean the huge Kunning Palace for the last time. Just as he was about to exit the palace, an old eunuch stepped into the palace door holding a tray.

"What is this? What are you doing here?" Zhao Kuangyin stopped him.

The old eunuch quickly bowed his waist and respectfully said: "General Qi, this is the emperor's life treasure, and the queen mother ordered this old slave to bring it and put it away."

Zhao Kuangyin nodded and said: "Go ahead, put it away and come out quickly. No one is allowed to enter the Kunning Palace before Marshal Guo and the Queen Mother arrive."

"Old slave obeys." The old eunuch hurried into the hall, put the nanmu brocade box containing the seal on the imperial case, and ran away quickly.

When the old eunuch left, Zhao Kuangyin looked around and saw that there was no one in the hall. He was about to close the door and leave. When he turned around, he saw the brocade box placed at the deepest part of the hall, on top of the imperial case.

It was a square brocade box wrapped in yellow satin. It was quite large and very conspicuous from a distance.

What is inside is the imperial seal, which represents the legitimacy of the imperial power.

For some reason, Zhao Kuangyin looked at it, and his eyes seemed to be attracted, and he could no longer look away.

He had a strong sense of curiosity in his heart and wanted to know what the Emperor's Mandate Treasure looked like.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Kuangyin looked back at the outside of the hall, stepped into the threshold, gently closed the door, and walked quickly towards the depths of the hall with light steps.

Stepping on the bright sapphire floor tiles, Zhao Kuangyin watched the brocade box wrapped in yellow silk getting closer, and his breathing became a little short of breath.

The hanging curtains fluttered gently in the breeze, and the wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the hall made a pleasant tinkling sound.

Zhao Kuangyin stood in front of the imperial case, his outstretched hand froze in mid-air. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't suppress the curiosity in his heart. He untied the gold cord little by little, revealing the fragrant nanmu brocade box.

The square, dark brown brocade box is carved from a single piece of fine nanmu wood, and is engraved with complex dragon patterns, making it look gorgeous, noble, and solemn.

Zhao Kuangyin's hands were trembling a little, he took a deep breath, held the box and opened it gently.

One side was carved from Lantian jade, the whole body was apricot yellow, and the simple and elegant seal appeared quietly in front of Zhao Kuangyin.

On top of the seal, there is a pair of dragons and cloud buttons carved with gold and jade. The carvings are extremely complicated and gorgeous.

Zhao Kuangyin held the seal in both hands and felt very heavy.

His breathing became more rapid. This was the symbol of imperial power, the ordained seal that represented the artifact of destiny.

Turning the seal upside down and looking at it, we can see that the seal part is engraved with eight large characters: "Accepted by the destiny of heaven, only virtue will make it prosperous".

Zhao Kuangyin's hand holding the seal was shaking violently.

He knew that this seal was not the imperial seal passed down from generation to generation, but the imperial seal made by Jin Emperor Shi Jingtang in the third year of Tianfu.

The real national seal disappeared as early as the third year of Qingtai in the Later Tang Dynasty, when the last emperor Li Congke and the empress dowager Cao family burned themselves in Xuanwu Tower.

Over the years, those in power in the past dynasties have sent people to search everywhere, but they have not found any information about the national seal.

And this emperor's mandate treasure became a symbol of the supreme imperial power.

The emperor Shi Chonggui of the Jin Dynasty did not have time to take it with him when he moved to Liaodong. When Liu Zhiyuan came to Kaifeng, he took the emperor's mandate treasure and legitimately inherited the Jin Dynasty and established a new dynasty.

Now Empress Dowager Li ordered someone to deliver the seal to Kunning Palace early, presumably to hand it over to Guo Wei when she met him. The intention is self-evident.

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes sparkled with light as he stared at the Emperor's Mandate Treasure, looking over it over and over again, with random thoughts in his mind.

Suddenly, he heard a sound coming from the side door, accompanied by footsteps and voices.

"Queen Mother, Duke Guo has arrived at Funing Palace and will be arriving soon."

Zhao Kuangyin was shocked. His back vest was instantly soaked with cold sweat. He hurriedly put the seal back into the brocade box. The sound in his ears was getting closer and closer. He didn't bother to fasten the gold thread belt. He held his breath and ran to the palace door in a few steps. , opened the palace door and fled in panic.

(End of this chapter)