The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 443
Zhaoyi Pavilion is inconspicuous among the palaces in the harem, and it is also ranked low. It is just a side pavilion sandwiched between Qingshou Hall and Chongzheng Hall.

In the past few decades, the greatest use of Zhaoyi Pavilion has been to store scriptures and books.

The only thing worthy of praise is that Zhaoyi Pavilion is the only pavilion in the Qingshou Palace that has not been burned down.

Since the early days of the Later Liang Dynasty when Kaifeng was established as the capital and Zhu Wen built the palace city, Zhaoyi Pavilion has existed to this day.

The name has changed several times throughout the ages, but the bricks and tiles of this side pavilion have never been touched.

The surrounding Qingshou Hall and several larger side halls have been burned down several times, either by lightning strikes or arson during wars. They have been rebuilt and renovated several times, but the Zhaoyi Pavilion among them has been well preserved.

Guo Wei liked this place very much and ordered the palace officials to dismantle the bookshelves and move a large number of books to the East Lecture Hall for storage.

In his spare time, Guo Wei likes to sit alone in Zhaoyi Pavilion and watch quietly, holding a yellow scroll in his hand.

This was Chai Rong's first time entering here. The side pavilion was not big and the layout was messy. Books, pictures, albums and papers were scattered all over the floor. Several desks and desks were spliced ​​together. Several open books were turned upside down. There were more than a dozen books. The pen that has not been washed out of ink is stuck staggeringly in the sea of ​​pens.

Chai Rong was in a trance, feeling as if he had returned to Situ's mansion and walked into the study at home.

That study room was also my father's favorite place to stay at home. Except for himself, Brother Qing and Brother Yi were not allowed to enter at will.

Yang and Zhang occasionally went there and saw that the study was messy and they kindly cleaned it up. However, their father was not happy and complained that they kept the books they often read where they could not find them.

Chai Rong leaned over and picked up a dusty book from the ground. He patted the dust and flipped through the cover. It was Volume No. 19 of "Book of Tang", which records the chronicles of Emperors Yizong and Xizong.

Suddenly, a calm, low and majestic voice came from inside:
"Yi Zong Li Wei, in the 13th year of Dazhong, was enthroned under the support of the eunuch Wang Zhongshi led by Shence Army. This man is proficient in music, but he is not good at governing the country. During his reign, he was absurd and frolicking. inability.

Li Xuan, the fifth son of Li Zong, ascended the throne in the 14th year of Xiantong's reign at the age of 12.

The huge Tang Dynasty finally lost its last bit of vitality after the torment of the two emperors. Wang Xianzhi, Huang Chao and other great thieves and bandits rose up one after another, completely bringing down the Tang Dynasty."

Chai Rong hurriedly turned around and saw the Emperor of Zhou, dressed in regular clothes, walking out from behind the screen.

"My son kowtowed to the emperor!"

Chai Rong put down his book and paid homage meticulously.

"Get up, this is not a court. You and I, father and son, don't need these complicated etiquette. We can just talk at home."

Guo Wei walked past him, sat down casually on Zhang's table, and threw a soft cushion to him.

Chai Rong hesitated for a moment, then picked up the cushion and sat down opposite Guo Wei.

Guo Wei glanced around and said with a smile: "I forgot to order someone to bring some tea. Dalang has been traveling hard and must be thirsty. Please wait a moment."

Chai Rong said hurriedly: "My son, I took a rest while changing clothes at Xuanyoumen. I drank hot tea and had some snacks. I'm not feeling sleepy."

"That's good." Guo Wei nodded with a smile, pointed at the book just now, and asked, "Have you read this set of "Book of Tang"?"

Chai Rong answered honestly: "I have read it through and haven't savored it carefully yet."

Guo Wei said: "Shi Jingtang is a good-for-nothing bastard. Only this set of "Book of Tang" was compiled well under his urging, and it can be considered as leaving some credit to future generations."

Chai Rong said: "It is a pity that Dr. Zhao Ying, who compiled the history of the Tang Dynasty, died of illness in Huayin last year. Otherwise, I would have wanted to invite him to be a history lecturer."

"Well, Zhao Ying is also considered a great talent in the world. She served as prime minister, and was a sinology teacher for Yelu Deguang and Yelu Ruan. In the end, she died of illness in her hometown, which can be regarded as a good death." Guo Wei sounded regretful, but he admired Zhao Ying's talents very much. , after Zhao Ying died of illness, he also decreed that he should be given posthumously as Taifu.

"I've been thinking a lot lately, how did the world's troubled times develop to the current situation? How can a new dynasty be able to last for a long time?
When I look through the Tang Dynasty records, I often feel sorry for the unworthy descendants of the Li family, such as Yizong and Xizong. If they could be more ambitious and continue the ZTE rule during the Xuanzong period, they might be able to turn the tide and revitalize the Tang Dynasty. "

Guo Wei's thick eyebrows tightened and his tone was stern: "If such a mediocre and absurd waste appears in my descendants, I'm afraid I will still hold hatred under Jiuquan."

Chai Rong was silent for a while and said: "I heard Zhu Xiu say that history cannot be assumed. History is history and is a fact that has already happened. What future generations can do is learn lessons from history and avoid repeating it again. Follow the same path as our predecessors.”

Guo Wei's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said calmly: "Tell me, if you look at the present from the past, what lessons can you learn?"

Chai Rong felt a deep pressure from his father's gaze. For some reason, he felt a surge of energy in his heart. A hot energy mixed with resentment and unwillingness filled his heart, which suddenly gave him great courage to fight with this man. Competing with the majesty of the emperor!

Chai Rong's face was a little red, and he was a little excited. He looked at Guo Wei with bright eyes.

"Since my father is testing his teachings, my sons and ministers are bold enough to talk about it.

According to Erchen, the resurgence of Xuanzong did have signs of revitalizing the Tang Dynasty. However, in his later years, he was superstitious about the words of alchemists, coveted immortality, and took elixirs all the year round, to the point of being poisoned and died. This was one of the consequences of his harm to the country.

Xuanzong loved his fourth son, Li Zi, and often personally supervised Li Zi's studies and explained government and national policies to him.

However, in order to spur Li Zi, Xuanzong deliberately had an ambiguous attitude towards his fifth son, Li Min, and secretly encouraged his two sons to compete for the heirloom. This was the second harm to the country.

Xuanzong was so optimistic about his health that he suddenly died, giving the eunuch Wang Zhongzhong the opportunity to usurp the throne. This was the third mistake for the country!

With these three things in mind, in the eyes of Erchen, Xuanzong cannot be called a wise king!Some people in the government and the public called him the 'Second Emperor Taizong', but I thought it was a joke! "

Guo Wei laughed loudly: "You are arrogant, if you are Xuanzong, you may not be as good as him!"

Chai Rong said: "My son does not believe in alchemists, hates Buddhism, never believes in the words of ghosts and gods, let alone the rhetoric of immortality.

I ask myself if I know how to judge people. If there are people like Wang Zhongshi around me, I should get rid of them as soon as possible!

I am also confident that I can cultivate a successor worthy of great responsibilities, and will never let an incompetent person inherit the ancestral temple!
If Erchen were Xuanzong, he would never let Shanhe fall into chaos! "

Guo Wei clapped his hands and laughed: "Da Lang is so brave, so determined, and so ambitious!"

After a pause, Guo Wei stroked his beard and smiled: "The ambition is not small!"

Chai Rong knelt down and leaned over, suppressing his trembling voice: "My son is willing to wear a strong sword for my father, sweep away the heroes, and unify the world!" Guo Wei's eyes became brighter, and he said in a low voice: "You said Xuanzong is not as good as he is? Taizong, let me ask you, in your heart, among these emperors of troubled times, who is better than Taizong?"

Chai Rong did not answer directly, but said firmly: "If I, the Zhou Dynasty, can work hard to govern for two generations, the prosperity of the country will not be inferior to that of the Zhenguan period!"

Guo Wei frowned, threw his head back and laughed: "After staying with Zhu Xiu for a long time, even you have become slippery!"

Chai Rong's words are quite general and can be interpreted in many ways. No wonder Guo Wei laughed and scolded him for being slippery.

Isn't this kind of ambiguous rhetoric Zhu Xiu's usual trick?

Guo Wei seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "Da Lang wants to learn from Taizong?"

Chai Rong knelt on the ground, saluted and said: "Putting aside Taizong's personal ethics, his way of being a king should be a model for future emperors! If you are lucky enough to inherit your father's great cause, you should follow Taizong's example and create a prosperous age for our great Zhou!" "

Guo Wei's eyes shone brightly, and after a while, he smiled and said, "You finally spoke your mind. You have been suffering in Chanzhou for a year and a half. Do you have a lot of resentment in your heart?"

Chai Rong summoned up the courage to express his feelings, but became much calmer: "I don't dare to deceive my father. I did have complaints before.

My father established the foundation of the country in Kaifeng, but as the eldest son of the emperor, my son could only stay in Chanzhou, unable to accompany his father, share his worries, and be loyal to me, the Emperor of Zhou Dynasty?
The son even thought that if he did something wrong and made his father angry and jealous, he should resign as soon as possible. He would rather stay at the border forever from now on, or demote himself to a commoner, so as not to suffer the consequences one day. It ended up in a tragic situation where father and son turned against each other! "

Guo Wei raised his eyebrows, never expecting that Chai Rong would speak so straightforwardly.

"Now, what do you think?" Guo Wei suddenly discovered that in this conversation about temptations and tests, he was gradually falling behind!

The rhetoric that he had prepared was completely useless. The initiative fell completely into Chai Rong's hands, and it was he who was controlling the process of the conversation.

Guo Wei's eyes flashed a little with anger, but mostly with relief.

This year and a half of neglect and even suppression did not dishearten the adopted son, nor did it force him to make dangerous moves or make any irreversible actions.

On the contrary, it made him stronger in character and will, and more calm in his dealings.

Guo Wei smoothed his white beard and stared at Chai Rong, like an old tiger, looking at the growing number of similar people around him with complex eyes full of appreciation and vigilance.

The old tiger king is getting old, and the new king has begun to show his domineering power.

Chai Rong said with a smile: "Before, I had too many distracting thoughts, but after listening to Zhu Xiu's words, I made him want to understand a lot of things.

My father is the Son of Heaven, the founding king of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Whoever my father likes and who he wants to inherit the Great Zhou Dynasty represents the will of God. No one has the right to interfere or force it! "

Guo Wei smiled and twirled his beard without making any comments.

"However, my father is a heroic figure who has benefited the world, is virtuous and is as wise as the wise kings of ancient times. He will definitely be able to choose the most suitable successor for me, the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

Chai Rong paused, and saluted solemnly.

Guo Wei raised his head and laughed three times. He understood what Chai Rong said.

He would not take the initiative to compete for the position of heir to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Because he believes that whether it is out of father-son friendship or out of consideration for the country, Guo Wei can make the most correct decision!
Chai Rong understood the indisputable truth deep into his bones!

"Hmph~ These words were all prompted by Zhu Xiu, right?" Guo Wei said calmly, showing no emotion or anger.

Chai Rong said: "It is indeed because of Zhu Xiu's enlightenment that my son figured out these truths. Zhu Xiu has no disrespect for my father. Everything is for the sake of my great Zhou Dynasty. Please don't blame me. If you have any guilt, my son I am willing to bear the responsibility alone!"

"Haha, the two of you sing and harmonize, you are in perfect harmony with each other." Guo Wei shook his head, said nothing more, waved his hands and said:

"That's it for today. You go back to your home first, and tomorrow you will go with me to Songling to pay homage. I will reward you with Li Ye's mansion on Gaohuang Street. Go back and have a good rest."

"Thank you father for the reward, I will retire!" Chai Rong kowtowed and exited Zhaoyi Pavilion.

Guo Wei held the desk with both hands and wanted to stand up, but there was a sharp pain in his lower back. The pain made him fall down and sit down, gritting his teeth and breaking out in cold sweat.

This is the sequelae of falling off a horse and injuring my back on my way back to Beijing last time.

Yuan Jingrun applied silver needles several times and his condition improved, but it still recurred from time to time.

After a while, the bursts of tearing pain gradually dissipated. Guo Wei gasped for air and his face turned pale.

The Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, who had always shown himself to be majestic and powerful, now showed rare weakness and helplessness.

"Oh~ I can't accept it~"

Guo Wei slowly stood up, thumped his lower back, and walked heavily toward the inner room.

Because of Chai Rong's frankness, the direction of this conversation between father and son was completely beyond Guo Wei's control.

Chai Rong's meaning is very clear. As long as Guo Wei is in power, he will abide by the principles of monarch, minister, father and son, and will never do anything rebellious.

If Guo Wei gave him the position of heir, he would take it. If Guo Wei didn't give it to him, he wouldn't fight for it.

Will he never fight, or will Guo Wei not fight when he is alive?

Guo Wei will not ask this question, and Chai Rong will not say it clearly. Some words are better left alone.

Whether it is for the love between father and son, or for the country and the country, this invisible game must eventually reach a result that everyone can accept.

　Thanks for the tip from the guy who is too lazy to think of new names! !Tears of gratitude! ~~Bow! ~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)