The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 503 Changes in the Taiping Palace
At the right time, the bronze bell on the Xuandemen tower rang, and the rich sound of the bell spread throughout the palace.

Soon, bells were heard from Chengtianmen on the left and right sides of the imperial city, and three bells intertwined, each ringing nine times.

The dusk has not yet faded, and the huge palace city is still shrouded in darkness. After the bell rings, scattered lights light up in different palaces and palaces.

During the Tang Dynasty, when the court situation was stable, most of the regular court meetings were held at Chen hour (7-9 o'clock). On the first day of the year, the winter solstice or the lunar month, the court meeting would be held an hour earlier. The time of the court meetings in winter and summer was not fixed, and could be flexible according to the weather. Adjustment.

During the wars of the Five Dynasties, rituals and music were in ruins. Even the court meetings could not be held as scheduled, and there was no fixed schedule.

After the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, Guo Wei tried his best to restore the Tang system and strictly regulated the time of court meetings.

According to the imperial system, the spring and summer dynasties were set at Chen hour, and the bells were rung at Maozheng hour. Servants and officials in various government offices in the palace city, as well as palace servants and eunuchs in various palaces in the imperial city, began to prepare for various matters for the new day.

After the Maozheng bell rang, the entire palace began to operate in an orderly manner.

The lights in the Taiping Palace were also lit early.

Empress Dowager Li's schedule was the same as that of most palace residents. No matter how late she slept, she would get up as soon as the Maozheng bell rang.

Zhang Gui had served her for many years and developed the same habit of waking up at the right time every day.

After a simple wash with a basin of hot water and some corn porridge, Empress Dowager Li put on her coat, tied her neck, and walked slowly around the Taiping Palace accompanied by Zhang Gui. After returning, she was almost at Chen At the beginning, after going to the Buddhist temple to offer incense, the day's practice began.

This is also Empress Dowager Li's daily activity track. Unless the weather is extremely bad and it is really not suitable to go out, she will walk slowly in the palace.

The sky was slightly brighter, and when he stepped out of the palace gate, he was surrounded by thin mist and silence.

Zhang Gui helped Empress Dowager Li walk slowly along the palace wall. The weather was cold, and the two of them exhaled a thick white breath.

"In this harem, among the masters, the Queen Mother is the earliest to get up." Zhang Gui said with a smile.

Empress Dowager Li turned her head to look at the eaves of a dormitory in the distance, and sighed: "The Concubine Dong also got up at this time. It's a pity that she was not lucky, and she passed away not long after her good days."

Zhang Gui also regretted: "The concubine de concubine is also a poor person. She gave birth early in the morning and hurt her body. She has been unable to conceive an heir. The officials dote on her and leave this huge harem to her to take care of. Concubine de is a kind person. , when she was alive, she would come to the Taiping Palace every two days to see her. With her taking care of her, those people did not dare to act recklessly.

It's a pity that after she left, there was no one in charge of the harem, and all kinds of monsters and monsters came out to cause mischief."

Zhang Gui couldn't help complaining. Life in the Taiping Palace had become increasingly difficult recently. The rice, flour, oil and food sent by the palace bureau were getting less and less. The Queen Mother wanted to eat green vegetables, but those dog slaves dared to get some rotten leaves and branches. To fool.

Empress Dowager Li's eyebrows were calm and she said calmly: "There are all living beings in the world, and there are countless people who work hard but still have nothing to eat. You and I do not have to give birth and enjoy the offerings in vain. This is a great blessing. We should be content."

"The Queen Mother taught you a lesson." Zhang Gui lowered his head, naturally not daring to argue with the Queen Mother.

But he was still unhappy.

Since moving to the Taiping Palace, the Queen Mother has completely given up worldly thoughts and devoted herself to serving the Buddha.

In the past, with Concubine De taking care of her, life in the palace was pretty good.

After Concubine De left, Princess Shouan was ordered to take care of the harem. Entrusted by Zhu Xiu, she also took care of the Taiping Palace.

For more than half a year, Princess Shou'an returned home to give birth, and no one was in charge of the harem. Moreover, the emperor personally conscripted her, so there was no one in charge of such a large palace.

The Taiping Palace was originally inconspicuous, and as a result, it was even more forgotten. Now it cannot even afford three daily meals.

Zhang Gui felt sorry for Empress Dowager Li and wanted to ask Zhu Xiu for help, but suddenly Zhu Xiu was assassinated and was seriously injured and fell into coma.

He had no choice but to live frugally, begging for mercy from everywhere, just to get more firewood, charcoal, rice, flour, cloth and silk for the Taiping Palace.

The palace is the place where the warmth and warmth of human nature are best reflected. Once you gain power, all the servants and palace servants will come together to fawn over you.

Once he loses power, no one cares about him. Those slaves don't even bother to look at him, they will make some sarcastic remarks and even step on him if they have the chance.

After many years in the palace, Zhang Gui had already seen through these false favors, but he still couldn't be as calm as Empress Dowager Li.

Zhang Gui smiled bitterly in his heart, maybe he has no wisdom and has no chance to connect with Buddha~
As they walked along, Queen Mother Li said, "Is Zhu Xiu's injury getting better?"

Zhang Gui said with a smile: "I asked Zhang Dejun to visit me at home. Zhu Xiu has recovered from her trauma. She just needs to rest in peace for a while."

Empress Dowager Li asked: "Don't be careless about internal injuries. You go out of the palace in the afternoon and go to visit on my behalf. She tells Zhu Xiu to heal with peace of mind. He is young and cannot bear his temper. There are some injuries that he relied on his body and bones when he was young. Being strong does not cause attacks, but when you get older, you will have many problems."

"My servant knows." Zhang Gui chuckled, "The Queen Mother treats Zhu Xiu like her own nephew. That kid has accumulated eight lifetimes of virtue to get this blessing!"

Queen Mother Li smiled and said quietly: "That child is the same age as Chengyou. When I saw him, I remembered that Chengyou was so handsome and smart when he was a child. It's a pity that I didn't discipline him well."

Zhang Gui said softly: "The late Emperor's disaster was caused by Li Ye and others. It has nothing to do with the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother must not blame herself."

Empress Dowager Li sighed, she could never let go of this matter in her heart.

The two walked around the palace wall for a while and came to the north of the Taiping Palace. There was an artificial lake. They dug a canal to divert water around the north of the Taiping Palace and flowed towards other palaces.

In the cold winter, the lake surface may even freeze, and the sides of the canals are also covered with ice.

In winter, the lakeside was slippery, so Empress Dowager Li would rarely go near it. She would only walk along the water channel and around the palace wall.

The weather has been abnormal these days, it has been extremely cold, and ice often forms beside the water channels. Every other day, Zhang Gui calls on the only two young eunuchs in the Taiping Palace to inspect the water channels under the north palace wall. The icy areas must be shoveled clean to prevent the Queen Mother from slipping when walking.

As she was about to walk onto a wooden bridge across the ditch, Empress Dowager Li smiled and said, "The last time your adopted son Zhang Dejun came with him, he slipped here and almost fell into the ditch."

Zhang Gui said hurriedly: "My slave just took people to remove the ice yesterday afternoon. There should be nothing wrong."

Empress Dowager Li nodded. She always felt reassured that Zhang Gui was doing things safely.

The wooden bridge was narrow and could only accommodate one person. Zhang Gui went in front, followed by Queen Mother Li, who stepped on the wooden bridge one after another.

There was a distance of more than ten feet, and the two of them walked extremely carefully.

Only halfway through, Zhang Gui noticed something was wrong, and there were faint signs of slipping under his feet.

He only took people to remove the ice yesterday afternoon, and it only took one night. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be icy!

Under the wooden bridge is a canal, more than three feet deep, with ice on both sides.

The more he walked, the slipperier his feet became. Zhang Gui was secretly frightened. He saw that he could cross over in a few steps, but he did not dare to let the Queen Mother take the risk.

"Your Majesty, the bridge is icy and slippery, making it difficult to pass. It's better to go back."

Before he finished speaking, there was a scream from behind. Zhang Gui turned his head hurriedly and saw Empress Dowager Li falling into the water with a thud. She seemed to have sprained her foot. She fell backward and was submerged in the water, with her hands and feet hurriedly fluttering.

Zhang Gui was so frightened that he didn't even want to jump into the ditch. In an instant, the biting cold hit him all over his body, and he couldn't help but shiver.

"Someone! The Queen Mother fell into the water! Someone come quickly!~"

Zhang Gui shouted loudly while rescuing her, and helped Empress Dowager Li up from the cold canal water. She saw that her face was blue, her lips were black, and her whole body was shaking violently.

Zhang Gui climbed out of the ditch and tried his best to pull Queen Mother Li up. The two fell down on the side of the muddy road, soaked to the skin and stiff with cold.

"Queen Mother! Queen Mother!" Zhang Gui cried and pinched Renzhong hurriedly. Empress Dowager Li choked a few times, coughed a few times, and rolled her eyes slightly. She wanted to say something but couldn't.She was nearly fifty years old. Over the past year, she had been suffering from constant illnesses, and her health had been good and bad. She suddenly fell into the water in this cold spring season, and her body and bones could not bear the burden.

Zhang Gui did not dare to delay, so he struggled to carry Empress Dowager Li on his back and ran to the Taiping Palace.

Fortunately, this place is close to the North Palace Gate. That palace gate is not usually open, but if you ring the bell, the two little eunuchs in the palace can hear it and they can rush to open the door.
~~~
Zhang Dejun got up early today and rushed from Yongxiang to the Taiping Palace. He was still thinking about the secret meeting between the old eunuch Li and the Zhao brothers when he left the palace yesterday.

There were some minor problems when he returned to the palace yesterday, which took a little more time. The harem was closed and he could not pass. He could only wait to rush to the Taiping Palace early this morning.

He knew that the Queen Mother got up early and had to walk a long circle around the palace wall, so he didn't get up until Chenzheng, tidied up, and rushed to the Taiping Palace.

Taiping Palace is located in the northernmost part of the harem, close to the harem garden. It is usually so quiet that not even a ghost can be seen.

A cold and cold palace like this is the most unpopular among the palace maids and eunuchs. They think it is unlucky and are usually reluctant to approach it.

But today, Zhang Dejun watched from a distance as three people hurriedly entered the gate of Taiping Palace. Zhang Dejun felt a little strange and quickened his pace to follow them.
~~~
Zhang Gui carried the unconscious Empress Dowager Li on his back and called at the North Palace Gate for a long time. Then the palace door slowly opened. The two yawning little eunuchs didn't know what had happened. They saw Zhang Gui carrying Empress Dowager Li on his back. The two of them were wet and startled.

"Two blind idiots! What are you doing in a daze? The Empress Dowager fell into the water, you quickly go to the imperial medical office to ask for the imperial doctor! You go prepare hot soup, change clothes, and charcoal basin!"

Zhang Gui was so angry that he cursed. Only then did the two young eunuchs realize and ran away in a hurry.

Zhang Gui hurried back to the palace with the Queen Mother on his back and carefully put him down. Just as he was about to take off the soaked clothes for the Queen Mother, a sound of footsteps sounded in the palace room.

Zhang Gui thought it was two young eunuchs who had left and returned. He turned his head and was about to curse, but was stunned.

The person who came turned out to be Old Eunuch Li from Yongxiang, and he also brought two sturdy slaves with him.

The two young eunuchs in the Taiping Palace stood far away and did not dare to approach.

"Minister Li? What are you doing here?"

Zhang Gui frowned and shouted angrily at the two young eunuchs: "You two geniuses, why don't you go quickly?"

The two young eunuchs flinched and looked at Old Eunuch Li, who lowered his head.

"Eunuch Zhang, don't bother, they won't listen to you." Old Eunuch Li said slowly.

Zhang Gui was furious and said angrily: "What do you mean? The Queen Mother fell into the water and contracted cold. I sent someone to ask for the imperial doctor. How dare you obstruct her?"

Old Eunuch Li sneered, and the makeup fell off his plump face.

"If the Queen Mother hadn't fallen into the water, the Zajia family wouldn't be happy to be in this lifeless Taiping Palace!"

Old Eunuch Li walked to the bed with his hands behind his back, leaned over to check the Queen Mother's breath, and snorted coldly: "You haven't died yet! What's the rush? Wait a minute!"

Zhang Gui was startled, pointed at him in shock and anger, and said in a trembling voice: "The wooden bridge is frozen, is it your fault?"

Old eunuch Li shook his robe and said coldly: "That's right! The Za family has lived in seclusion in Yongxiang for many years, just to see this bitch die a good death!"

There was a "bang" in Zhang Gui's head, and he felt a rush of hot blood rushing to the top of his forehead. He rushed forward and grabbed Old Eunuch Li's neck.

Old Eunuch Li was so frightened that he stepped back, "Why don't you hurry up? Let the Za family kill him!"

Two stout eunuchs held Zhang Gui on the left and right. One of them took out a white cloth and wrapped it around Zhang Gui's neck and tightened it tightly. They each grabbed one end of the white cloth and strangled him with all their strength.

Zhang Gui knelt on the ground and desperately grabbed the white cloth around his neck. He opened his mouth wide and tried to breathe in. His eyes were bulging, his face gradually turned black and blue, and he made a hoarse moan.

"Strangle him!" Old Eunuch Li gritted his teeth.

Soon, Zhang Gui's struggling and twisting body twitched a few times, and gradually stopped moving. Half of his tongue was sticking out of his mouth, and his eyes were wide open.

"Find a place to hang it and arrange it properly."

Two stout eunuchs hung Zhang Gui's body on a beam with white cloth, pretending to hang himself.

Old Eunuch Li walked to the bed again, took a breath, and muttered: "This bitch is really tough, she can't die like this! Well, let me help you."

He lifted up the mattress and placed it directly on Mrs. Li's head, pressing it tightly. Empress Dowager Li only struggled slightly for a moment before she completely lost her breath.

Old Eunuch Li grinned grimly: "Empress Dowager, I'm afraid you would never have imagined that it would be your servant who will see you off for the last time!"

After wiping his hands, Old Eunuch Li checked to make sure there were no traces left, and then waved to the two young eunuchs serving in the Taiping Palace to come over.

The two young eunuchs approached with trembling legs, knelt down and kowtowed: "Housekeeper Li, spare your life!"

Old eunuch Li said coldly: "Zhang Gui failed to serve the Queen Mother well, and due to his negligence, the Queen Mother fell into the water and died of illness. Zhang Gui knew that he would not escape the death penalty, so he hanged himself!"

The two young eunuchs looked at each other and said in unison: "I can testify that it was Zhang Gui who killed the Queen Mother!"

Old Eunuch Li smiled and said, "Where were you two at that time?"

A young eunuch hurriedly said: "This slave has been ordered by Zhang Gui to ask for the imperial doctor!"

Another one also said quickly: "Slave, please prepare clean clothes and heat the soup!"

"Was there anyone else in the palace at that time?"

"Only the two slaves are present, no one else!"

"Hahaha~ We are two smart people. When this matter is over, the Za family will arrange a good job for you!"

Old eunuch Li walked out of the palace with a smile and left the Taiping Palace with the two Yongxiang eunuchs.

He knew all the details of these two young eunuchs. They were helpless in the palace, otherwise they would not have been sent to the Taiping Palace.

They were kept to establish evidence.

The lives of the two of them were not in his hands.

The two young eunuchs bravely confirmed that Zhang Gui and Empress Dowager Li were dead. They discussed and followed the plan. One ran to find the imperial doctor, and the other burned firewood to prepare hot soup. They tried to recreate the scene where Zhang Gui killed the Empress Dowager and then hanged himself in fear of the crime. .

The Taiping Palace gradually became quiet. Deep in the dormitory, behind the niche where the Buddha statue was placed, a figure tiptoed over. It was Zhang Dejun.

He witnessed everything that just happened.

Looking up at Zhang Gui's body hanging from the beam, Zhang Dejun's eyes were red and he covered his mouth tightly.

Zhang Gui had been kind to him in his upbringing, but at this moment he died violently. The death was horrific, and his heart was filled with grief as if it had been crushed.

When Old Eunuch Li led someone to strangle Zhang Gui just now, he almost couldn't help but rush out, but he didn't dare and couldn't, otherwise his life would be in vain.

Zhang Dejun knelt down, kowtowed to the two corpses, and suppressed his grief: "Queen Dowager, father-in-law, I will definitely not let the murderer who killed you go!"

He kowtowed heavily, wiped his tears, climbed out of the window and escaped from the bedroom, and escaped through the North Palace Gate.
(End of this chapter)