The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 505 The situation is unpredictable
In early April, the emperor's decree came back to Xiangzhou.

The incident at the Taiping Palace was classified as an accident, and the blame was placed on the internal eunuchs' regulation and inability to serve the Queen Mother, which led to the Queen Mother's unfortunate death. Knowing that she could not escape the death penalty, she hanged herself.

The officials ordered the Ministry of Rites to mourn according to the regulations, and after a ten-day absence from court, the obituary was officially announced and spread throughout the world.

There was no honorific title, no posthumous title, and no bachelor was designated to write the posthumous or condolence messages for Empress Dowager Li. Everything was simply "paying homage according to the regulations."

Feng Dao and a group of ministers who stayed in Kaifeng understood the situation and arranged the funeral as soon as possible. Empress Dowager Li was hastily buried twenty miles east of the Rui Mausoleum of the former great ancestor Liu Zhiyuan, which was known as the Gaohou Mausoleum in history.

Less than ten miles to the west is the Yingling Mausoleum of the Hidden Emperor Liu Chengyou.

This group of mausoleums located in Yangzhai County, Xuzhou is also known as the mausoleums of the later Han emperors. Three years after the founding of the Later Han Dynasty, two generations of emperors, one queen, and several concubines were all buried here.

On the day of Empress Dowager Li's funeral, most of the courtiers only showed up once outside the Xihua Gate, and then they all dispersed. Some went back to the palace, and some returned to the government office to continue their work.

The imperial court did not have specific requirements for the funeral regulations. As Feng Dao was left behind in Kaifeng, he naturally could not leave the capital easily. After many discussions, few people were willing to serve as etiquette envoys and go to Yangdi to preside over the burial matters.

Fan Zhi took the initiative to apply for the job, and he was quite qualified based on his official rank. However, he was too young, and Feng Dao was worried that the court would make irreverent gossip and spread to the emperor's ears, causing trouble.

Finally, Wang Renhao, a veteran who had just returned from Dizhou, served as the ceremonial envoy, Fan Zhi as deputy, and Zhu Xiu as the ceremonial envoy, and they went to Yangzhai to preside over the funeral.

Wang Renhao was sixty years old and a veteran of the Five Dynasties. He once served as the deputy envoy of the Tianxiong Army and the deputy retainer of Yedu under Guo Wei, and he was deeply trusted by Guo Wei.

Because he was excluded by Wang Jun before, he was released for minor offenses and served as the governor of Tangzhou and the training envoy of Dizhou regiment.

Wang Jun's rebel party was wiped out, and Guo Wei's first order was to let Wang Renhao return to Beijing and be promoted to General Youwei, concurrently serving as envoy to the North Academy of Xuanhui and deputy privy envoy.

Regardless of his qualifications and rank, Wang Renhao is the perfect candidate to serve as the ceremonial envoy.

Xuzhou Zhongwu Army was Shi Kuangwei's territory. Zhu Xiu specially brought Shi Xiangwen and Shi Lingyan with him, and asked Zhang Dejun to pretend to be his personal followers and set off together.

When they arrived in Xuzhou, Shi Kuangwei came to greet her in mourning and sent her coffin to Yangdi as a gift.

After the ceremony, Zhu Xiu excused himself to stay in Xuzhou for a few more days, while Wang Renhao and Fan Zhi returned to Kaifeng first.

Lao Shi was concerned about his injury and called several famous doctors from Xuzhou to diagnose Zhu Xiu personally. He didn't give up until the doctors all said that the injury was healed and he only needed to continue to nurse him back to health.

Xuzhou is the later Xuchang, not far from Kaifeng. The Zhongwu Army is just a local garrison and does not perform specific defense tasks. The civil affairs are also stable, the things are prosperous and the people are prosperous. Lao Shi's life is extremely leisurely.

This guy was so busy that he brought in the training methods of the Changyi Army and personally supervised the rigorous training of the Zhongwu Army soldiers, causing a lot of screams from below.

Lao Shi was so proud that he had to drag Zhu Xiu to watch the military exercise.

A local militia armed force with thousands of troops was drilled by him into a powerful aura like that of the northern frontier army.

Zhu Xiu didn't stop him. He praised a few words and gave specific suggestions on the strengths and weaknesses of the Zhongwu Army.

After staying for a few days, Zhu Xiu took Shi Xiangwen and Shi Lingyan back to Kaifeng.

At this time, the imperial court had completely cleared away the mourning, and everything was going according to plan. There was no sign that the national mourning ceremony had been held just a few days ago, and no one mentioned the death of Empress Dowager Li again.

Zhu Xiu spent a lot of money to smoothen the relationship before taking Zhang Gui's body from the prison of the Ministry of Punishment and burying him on a hill with lush spring grass in the northwest suburbs of Kaifeng, facing Jinzhou.

Zhang Gui was from Jinzhou and could not return to his hometown for burial. Letting his grave face his hometown would count as his soul returning to his hometown.

Only Zhu Xiu and Zhang Dejun were offered sacrifices to Zhang Gui.

Zhang Dejun knelt down in front of the tomb and cried loudly.

From then on, his external name was Wang Jien. Only Zhu Xiu knew that Zhang Dejun still existed in the world.

At the end of April, Xiangzhou reported a series of personnel changes.

Hezhong Jiedushi Wang Jing moved to Fengxiang, Songzhou Jiedushi Chang Si moved to Qingzhou, Fengxiang Jiedushi Zhao Hui moved to Songzhou, and Heyang Jiedushi Wang Yanchao moved to Hezhong
The most uproar among them was the appointment of Li Chongjin as the defense envoy of Sizhou.

This means that the officials no longer hold Li Chongjin accountable for his false orders to flee south, but instead officially issue an order to automatically complete this lie.

The officials did not even remove Li Chongjin from his position as the envoy in front of the palace. The courtiers discussed this a lot, thinking that the officials were too lenient and allowed Li Chongjin to do whatever he wanted.

Zhu Xiu breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw the Di newspaper in the official room of Zhongshu Sherenyuan.

This shows that Guo Wei and Chai Rong will not take further measures against Li Chongjin for the time being.

Based on his understanding of Uncle Guo, he must have been quite angry when he learned that Li Chongjin had faked the imperial edict and fled south.

One month has passed since the incident happened, and this appointment decree came late, which is enough to show that Guo Wei finally made the decision after all kinds of entanglements and considerations.

There must be Chai Rong's intention. Although Li Chongjin went too far, Zhu Xiu believed that Chai Rong was not a ruthless person and would really kill Li Chongjin.

At least the current relationship between the two of them has not reached the point of breaking up.

This decree temporarily appeased Li Chongjin. A few days later, news came from Suzhou, and Li Chongjin expressed his gratitude.

In early May, heavy news came back from Yedu one after another.

First, the rebellious minister Wang Yin was killed by his subordinates, and his head was presented in front of his majesty. The capital of Ye was destroyed without attack, and Tianxiong's army surrendered.

The man who killed Wang Yin was named Fan Aineng.

This originally inconspicuous person suddenly became the greatest hero in Yedu's anti-rebellion battle. Guo Wei rewarded him face to face, and promoted him to be the guard of the pro-army Du Yuhou, and he became a general of the imperial army.

Fan Aineng was also an old member of Guo Wei's army. He was a personal soldier and had been following Guo Wei and Chai Rong.

It was not famous before, but now it is in the limelight.

It was rumored by both the government and the public that Fan Aineng was actually arranged by the officials to be in Yedu for a long time to guard against Wang Yin's rebellion.

Guo Wei was noncommittal about this, which made the government and the public believe that the rumors were true.

The rebellion in Yedu was put down without bloodshed, and a series of dazzling edicts were issued.

Apart from Fan Aineng, there were several other people whose names became widely known at once.

He Hui, the former commander of the army in Zhenning, Chanzhou, was promoted to the deputy commander of the infantry of the Guards.

Xiang Xun, the deputy envoy of the Wude Department, was promoted to the envoy of Neihai Province and the envoy of Xuanhui Nanyuan.

When Xiang Xun conquered Murong Yan Chao, he also led troops and horses to achieve victory. This time Wang Yin was pacified. There are rumors that Xiang Xun led the Wude Inspector to lurk in Yedu for several months, and cooperated with Fan Aineng to eliminate Wang Yin.

In terms of official rank, the rank of internal guest envoy is only the fourth rank. However, this position is usually used as a preparation for military ministers to move up the ranks. It is excessive in nature and cannot be obtained by those who are not trusted by the emperor and have made military exploits.

The Northern and Southern Houses of Xuanhui are mostly civil servants in terms of their functions and powers, but in fact they serve as military ministers.

With these two titles, Xiang Xun has entered the reserve ranks of the generals of the country. Once there are vacancies for important military positions, he can fill them up immediately.

Either lead the feudal town, or serve as a general of the forbidden army, it can be said that the future is boundless.Xiang Xun and Fan Aineng were the greatest contributors to putting down Wang Yin's rebellion.

Huaiyang King and Yunzhou Jiedu Envoy Fu Yanqing were transferred to Tianxiong Army Jiedu Envoy.

The second big news was that Prince Rong was appointed as Kaifeng Prefectural Governor, concurrently as the Envoy of Merit and Virtue, and was promoted to the title of King of Jin. He was ordered to choose an auspicious day to prepare the ceremony.

Since the Five Dynasties, few princes have been officially crowned princes. Promotion to the title of prince and governor of the capital has become a key step in determining the title of prince.

The government and the public were shocked. Everyone knew that the official family had chosen the crown prince and the successor to the Great Zhou Dynasty had been selected.

The third blockbuster news came a few days later. It was not reported in the Di newspaper, but was passed back to Kaifeng through the mouth of officials on the order of Jin Wang Chai Rong. It was only known in a small area.

While hunting in the outskirts of Yedu, the official accidentally fell from his horse and was in bed recovering from his injuries. He ordered the King of Jin to lead his army to escort the Emperor's chariot and immediately return south to Kaifeng!
In the Zhongshu Provincial Government Office, less than ten important ministers including Feng Dao, Wei Renpu, Fan Zhi, Wang Renhao, Zhang Yongde and Zhu Xiu were seated to discuss matters.

Logically speaking, Zhu Xiu was not qualified to participate in Zhongshu's deliberations, but the King of Jin specifically ordered him to come to Huazhou to pick him up. Feng Dao decided to call him after considering it.

Seeing the ugly faces of Feng Dao and others, and Wei Renpu who was even more worried, Zhu Xiu approached Zhang Yongde and whispered: "But something happened to the official's horse falling off his horse?"

Zhang Yongde sighed bitterly: "You guessed it right, the King of Jin sent someone to send a secret message, saying that the official was seriously injured after falling from his horse, and the old traction injury has relapsed, and he can no longer go to the ground!"

Zhu Xiu was taken aback. No wonder Chai Rong led his troops and hurried back south shortly after the horse fall incident.

It seemed that Guan Jia was seriously injured when he fell from his horse this time.

Zhang Yongde sighed in a low voice: "The safety of the emperor is related to the country, the country, and the country. This matter cannot be brought to the court. Secret orders can only be passed down privately and let the close courtiers know. Not even the army personally knows about it."

Everyone thought that Guan Jia only injured his muscles and bones and needed to stay in bed to recuperate.

In fact, the official was seriously injured, an old illness had recurred, and his life was even in danger! "

Zhu Xiu was trembling. If something happened to the official family on the way, it would definitely cause a disturbance.

The most terrible thing is that neither the emperor nor the king of Jin is in Kaifeng, and there is no one in charge of the capital, so it is inevitable that extraneous problems will arise.

"The official's injury is not good. King Jin does not dare to rush. The road is bumpy. What if there is another accident? I have called you to Huazhou to meet him. I think there is an important task for you, so be prepared." Zhang Yongde said in a tone of voice. Shen Shen.

Zhu Xiu frowned and said softly: "Is it related to Li Chongjin?"

Zhang Yongde nodded slightly and said with a wry smile: "At this moment, the black guy has become the most unstable factor."

Zhu Xiu also felt a little troubled. He never expected that things would turn into today's situation.

Li Chongjin actually ran to Suzhou while Guo Wei and Chai Rong were not paying attention.

Now that this guy holds the Huai Army in his hands, God knows if he will jump out and cause chaos.

If Guo Wei has something wrong, and the news spreads that this gangster rebels in Suzhou, falsely claiming that Chai Rong conspired to kill the official family, the states in Huaibei will be shocked.

We don’t know how much trouble there will be at that time.

Zhu Xiu believed that Li Chongjin would not rebel, but the people around him were not sure. Under the encouragement, the Hei Si Niu had a bad temper, and the world was in chaos.

Zhu Xiu rubbed her palms vigorously, and her palms were covered in cold sweat.

Feng Dao stroked his white beard and looked at Zhu Xiu: "Do you understand what King Jin means?"

Zhu Xiu bowed his hands and said yes.

Feng Dao sighed and said, "Get ready and rush to Huazhou today! Meet the officials and the King of Jin earlier and follow the King's orders!"

Wei Renpu looked solemn and warned: "You have a heavy responsibility on this trip, so you must not neglect it! You must clearly distinguish personal relationships from righteousness!"

Zhu Xiu smiled bitterly. It seemed that all the old men and women in the court had guessed why Chai Rong summoned him to Huazhou.

All the important officials in the court cast hopeful glances at Zhu Xiu. Zhu Xiu stood up and bowed his head and said: "Don't worry, gentlemen, as a minister of Zhou, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

After leaving the Yimo Gate, Zhang Yongde saw no one around, and said in a low voice: "When you see the King of Jin and talk about Li Chongjin, you need to comfort him more. Don't let the King of Jin feel bad for him. If you are really asked to go to Suzhou, When I saw Li Chongjin, I persuaded him with kind words, don't make the same mistake again and again!
In short, we cannot let brothers turn against each other! "

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "I thought that after the pro-army turmoil in front of the palace and the big quarrel between Brother Zhang and Li Chongjin, we had broken off our friendship with that guy. It seems that Brother Zhang still cares about that guy's life and death."

Zhang Yongde smiled bitterly and said: "Prince Jin and Li Chongjin and I have known each other since childhood. Although our temperaments are not compatible, we always have brotherly loyalty.

No matter how big a mistake that guy made, as long as he didn't take a step that was irreversible, I would always care about this brotherhood and hope that he would live well.

I believe King Jin has the same idea. "

Zhu Xiu nodded and bowed solemnly: "I have been cared for by several brothers over the years, and I never want any of you to suffer any loss!
Brother Zhang, don't worry, if I go to Suzhou, I will definitely bring Li Chongjin back safe and sound! "

"Take care!" Zhang Yongde cupped his fists.

In the evening of that day, Zhu Xiu said goodbye to his mother and Fu Jinhuan and his daughters one by one. He sent someone to inform Zhu Wu, settled down at home, and rushed to Huazhou with Shi Xiangwen.

Two days after arriving in Huazhou, Bai Chongzan, who had recently been transferred to Huazhou as the governor, held a banquet in his mansion. Knowing that Zhu Xiu was here to pick him up on the order of the King of Jin, he strongly invited Zhu Xiu to stay in his mansion.

Zhu Xiu knew that he wanted to get some information from him, but he didn't even meet Chai Rong, so he still didn't know anything about it.

As for the news that Guo Wei is seriously ill, Guan Bai Chongzan's words and deeds may have caught some wind.

Zhu Xiu stayed at Jiedu Mansion in Huazhou. Faced with Bai Chongzan's various questionings, he could only practice Tai Chi.

It's not that he's worried about being disloyal to Chai Rong, it's just that the emperor's health is an extremely sensitive topic, so how dare he talk nonsense.

Three days later, the troops protecting the emperor entered Huazhou City. The two generals at the head were Fan Aineng and He Hui.

The emperor's chariot drove into the city gate under the cover of a silk umbrella canopy and mighty military flags. Bai Chongzan and Zhu Xiu led Huazhou civil and military officials out of the city to greet him.

The King of Jin's chariot was empty. After asking Wang Pu, who had followed Chai Rong back to the capital, he found out that Chai Rong had been staying in the emperor's chariot to serve.

The emperor came to Huazhou and returned triumphantly from a personal expedition. Naturally, he had to hold a banquet to celebrate.

Chai Rong did not refuse. He only said that the official dragon was unwell and ordered himself to take full charge of the matter.

In the evening of that day, Chai Rong met with Bai Chongzan and the officials and generals of Yiyingjie Town at Jiedu Mansion. They talked and laughed happily, and everyone thought that the official was just slightly itchy and nothing serious.

The banquet atmosphere was joyful and relaxed.

Although they did not have the opportunity to meet with the officials, the officials of the Jin Dynasty came out to express condolences to the soldiers and civilians in Huazhou, which also stabilized the morale of the military and the people.

Late at night, after the banquet had dispersed, Zhu Xiu was suddenly summoned by Chai Rong and ordered to meet him.

(End of this chapter)