Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 307 The Emperor and the People Rule the World Together

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Zhou has passed away!"

"Great Zhou."

"."

Angels continued to announce the news of Emperor Zhao Zhen's death to the public.

In the imperial city, the families of officials knelt on the ground and could not get up, while officials above the third rank went to the Xuan Zheng Hall in groups, looking terrified and fearful.

At this time, Wei Yuan had already come behind Wang Anshi.

When he confirmed Zhao Zhen's death, he felt mixed emotions.

Since Daizhou came to Bianliang, although he and Zhao Zhen had some suspicions of each other, overall, this pair of monarch and minister still trusted each other.

If it weren't for Zhao Zhen, Wei Yuan would not have been able to become the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guard at the age of thirty, and even be granted a title of marquis.

Now, the ruler who had been so kind to him has passed away.

Wei Yuan was overwhelmed with emotions.

He took a deep breath and, like Wang Anshi, knelt in the hall for a long time without getting up.

When officials of the third rank and above, including military honors above the rank of marquis, arrived in front of the Xuanzheng Hall, Zhao Xi, with red eyes and a distraught look, slowly appeared in front of everyone with the support of Chief Steward Zhu.

Afterwards, Chief Eunuch Zhu, who came from the city gate, read out Zhao Zhen's order.

Originally, they believed that after Zhao Zhen's death and Zhao Xi's ascension to the throne, the early ministers must be a group of old ministers.

For example, Han Zhang, Fu Yanguo and Ouyang Yongshu who was demoted to the local area.

But unexpectedly, two young ministers, Wang Anshi and Fan Chunren, became assistant ministers.

Wei Yuan, who is only thirty years old, has already surpassed the old Duke Qin Lie in status and has become the top leader of the military.

This also indicates that a new emperor appoints new ministers.

Old ministers like Han Zhang and Zhang Fu are about to withdraw from the political stage.

They will become history.

Wei Yuan and others will become people who create history.

As for the old Duke Qin Lie, he was just a tool that Zhao Zhen used to check and balance Wei Yuan.

Even so, Qin Lie was ranked below Wei Yuan and was only the commander-in-chief of the Palace Front Department.

After Duke Wu Xiang and Zhang Fu, Wei Yuan became the third Privy Councilor, or Privy Prime Minister.

Everyone knows that the future political landscape of the Great Zhou will be one of three prime ministers, namely Wei Yuan, Wang Anshi, and Fan Chunren.

On March 28th of the eighth year of Jiayou, Zhao Xi succeeded to the throne in front of Zhao Zhen's coffin.

The whole city of Bianjing was in mourning.

Perhaps because of the war or because of Zhao Zhen's death, the people spontaneously stopped trading and burned paper money in his memory, which seemed to fill the streets of Bianjing.

The whole city was filled with blue smoke, which lingered for a long time and the sky was dark.

Even the refugees and beggars who fled to Bianliang because of the war in the north burst into tears when they heard the news of Zhao Zhen's death.

Everyone spontaneously put on mourning hats and clothes to mourn Zhao Zhen.

Even after the Liao army learned about it, Yelu Renxian personally ordered all soldiers to tie white cloth on their foreheads to commemorate this benevolent monarch.

The era belonging to Zhao Zhen will eventually pass.

April 1, the eighth year of Jiayou.

After Zhao Zhen's funeral was arranged, the new emperor Zhao Xi held a small court meeting in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Since leading his army to rescue Bian Jing, Wei Yuan has been staying in the palace and has not returned home.

He had a lot of things to deal with and needed to plan a full-scale counterattack.

The more this happens, the less he should care about love.

He knew that Zhang Guifen would understand him.

At this time, in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Wang Anshi, Wei Yuan and Fan Chunren stood in the first row, closest to Zhao Xi.

The rest of the ministers, both new and old, stood far behind.

From this position, it can be seen that Wei Yuan has successfully stood at the center of the political stage of the Great Zhou.

"Last night, when I was keeping vigil for my father, Marquis Wei came to me and said that he wanted to launch a northern expedition to recover the lost territory, and that the sooner the better."

"Otherwise, once the Liao army gains a foothold, the land they occupy today will become another Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in the future."

Zhao Xi said this, looked at the ministers, and asked: "What do you think?"

At this time, several old imperial censors with gray beards and officials from the Ministry of Rites standing behind Wei Yuan and the other two spoke one after another:

"Your Majesty, the late emperor is about to die, so it is not appropriate to start a war. The Liao army is now unable to capture our Bianjing. Why not send an envoy to negotiate peace?"

"When the late emperor was alive, he was unwilling to start a war. Your Majesty, please think twice before acting."

"Your Majesty, the Liao army only knows how to capture cities and plunder land, but not how to govern the country. After a while, they will surely retreat."

"."

Hear these sounds.

Fan Chunren slowly closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to pay attention to those fools.

Wang Anshi remained calm, as if he had anticipated those people's voices.

Wei Yuan even cursed in a low voice: "idiot."

What a joke! Why not take the initiative to recover the lost territory and wait for the Liao army to retreat?
Bianjing had just experienced a dangerous situation where it was almost lost, and now those people said they wanted to make peace with the Liao army?
Did those soldiers who died in battle die in vain?

Did the people in the north who were brutally slaughtered by the Liao army die in vain?

Did the heroes from various places who stood up for the safety of their country die in vain?

Thinking of this, Wei Yuan couldn't help it. Just when he was about to say something, he saw Zhao Xi glanced at those people indifferently, and then waved his hand to the guards standing in the hall:

"Let them be buried with the late emperor."

As soon as these words were spoken, Fan Chunren immediately opened his eyes.

Even Wang Anshi was surprised.

They are the imperial censors, can they just kill people?

After hearing Zhao Xi's order, the imperial censors immediately knelt down and said:
"Your Majesty, our Great Zhou Taizu once said that scholars and officials should not be killed."

"The stone tablet that inscribed the emperor and the scholars and officials jointly ruled the country is still standing in front of the imperial palace. Your Majesty, you cannot kill this old minister!"

"There is no precedent of killing scholars and officials in our Great Zhou!"

"."

Ok?
Zhao Xi stood with his hands behind his back, "Either I will exterminate your three clans, or you will die. It's up to you."

what?
What do you mean by extermination of three tribes?
Wang Anshi frowned deeply and advised: "Your Majesty, the late emperor has just passed away, it is not appropriate to start a war."

Zhao Xi, who was less than ten years old, did not understand the importance of human life, especially the lives of scholars.

If he were to be killed, people would call him a tyrant.

However, Zhao Xi had made up his mind.

"These imperial censors were deeply favored by the late emperor, so they decided to be buried alive with him. What's wrong with that?"

After saying this, Zhao Xi ignored whatever those people said.

Soon, the guards took those people outside the palace and beheaded them.

As soon as he ascended the throne, he killed the censor. This young emperor was trying to establish his authority among all officials!
After the guards pulled those people away.

At this moment, all the officials standing in the hall, except for a few people like Wei Yuan, were terrified.

Only at this point did they deeply realize that the emperor before them was different from all the previous emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Oh, right, the late emperor told me before he died that the day I ascend the throne would be the day I personally rule the country."

"My mother is in poor health. From now on, she will not rule the country from behind the curtain. I will handle state affairs personally."

Zhao Xi said calmly.

No one knows what means he used to force Empress Cao to stop ruling the country from behind the scenes.

Last night, only the maid who served Empress Cao personally heard Zhao Xi vaguely say that:

"Mother, you are ruling the country from behind the curtain, and I have no objection to the Cao family's children interfering in government affairs."

"But as long as I take power, I have no idea what I will do to the Cao family after my mother's death."

If these words were to get out, it would be extremely disrespectful.

After hearing these words, the maid was sentenced to death by Empress Cao before dawn.

One is her son, and some are her family members.

She didn't dare to gamble, so she didn't choose to rule the country from behind the scenes.

Even though some old ministers, such as Fu Yanguo and others, submitted petitions requesting Empress Cao to rule the country from behind the scenes, they were all suppressed by Zhao Xi.

Why would these old ministers do this?

The answer is obvious. They hope to gain a position in the court by supporting Queen Cao.

So as not to be completely squeezed out by up-and-coming talents such as Wang Anshi and Wei Yuan.

The reason why Zhao Xi dared to speak like that was because he had something to rely on, and that reliance came from Wei Yuan.

Now, the troops responsible for guarding the imperial city are the Danglu Army, and the troops responsible for guarding Bianliang are the troops brought by Wei Yuan from Jiangnan.

The entire city of Bianjing is in Zhao Xi's hands.

He has soldiers and has become the emperor. What is there that he dare not say?
Perhaps even Zhao Zhen did not expect that Zhao Xi, who usually pretended to be harmless, would be so tough after ascending the throne.

"My meaning just now has been very clear. We must recover the lost territory as quickly as possible."

"My lords, the state is in a difficult situation right now. I hope that you can loyally assist me."

After a pause, he stopped looking at the ministers and instead fixed his gaze on Wei Yuan, asking excitedly:
"Master Wei, with you in command of this battle, can you successfully recover the lost territory and drive out the Liao army?"

Last night, Wei Yuan and Zhao Xi talked a lot.

The former also expressed his thoughts.

That is, to annihilate the main force of the Liao army within the territory of the Great Zhou, and then take advantage of the situation to launch a Northern Expedition. If the time, place and people are favorable, perhaps the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun can be recovered once and for all.

This idea made Zhao Xi extremely excited.

He strongly agreed with Wei Yuan's suggestion of a northern expedition.

Ever since the Liao army moved south, Zhao Xi has often thought about a question.

Why couldn’t the army of the Great Zhou take the initiative to attack the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?
Why can we only be in a passive situation and take the beating?
Is it just because of the war horse?

He is not satisfied.

"Your Majesty, I have every confidence that we can recover the lost territory in one fell swoop!"

Wei Yuan spoke firmly. Zhao Xi said, "Good! You are worthy of being Master Wei!"

"From now on, Wei Shi, you are the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition. All the troops in various places are under your command."

"I don't care about the process, I only care about the result."

"The title of Marquis of the Guardian Division will be hereditary from today onwards."

"Fight this battle for me well!"

There are roughly two types of titles, one of which is the title of nobility.

If he died, his descendants would not be able to inherit the title.

There is another kind, the hereditary nobility, which means the title is passed down from generation to generation. If they do not make mistakes, the hereditary nobility can generally be as rich and powerful as the imperial court.

just
The war hasn't even started yet, and even if it has been fought but we haven't won it yet, it's a bit inappropriate to give rewards first, isn't it?
Fan Chunren slowly said, "Your Majesty, how about waiting until the Marquis of Wei wins the battle before giving him the reward?"

Zhao Xi blinked her eyes, and her chubby cheeks gradually revealed an unhappy expression.
"The Marquis of Wei successfully lifted the siege of Bianjing. How can you say that he did not do anything? If he did, how can I not reward him?"

Fan Chunren frowned and blurted out, "The late emperor has already conferred the reward."

Zhao Xi stood with his hands behind his back, "You also said, that was a reward from the late emperor, what does it have to do with me?"

Fan Chunren was stunned.

Wang Anshi pretended not to hear the argument between the two.

Fan Chunren wanted to say something else, but he saw that Zhao Xi's face was already a little impatient.
"When the 100,000 soldiers from Jiangnan arrive, Taifu Wei will launch the Northern Expedition."

After a pause, he looked at Wei Yuan and said with a half-smile: "Master Wei, during this period, please spend more time with your wife."

Wei Yuan was stunned, then clasped his fists.

Zhao Xi waved his hand, signaling the ministers to leave.

At this moment, Wang Anshi blinked at him.

Zhao Xi understood and left Wang Anshi alone.

After everyone left the hall.

Many people whispered:

"Before the war even started, he was already rewarded. This Marquis Wei really has the emperor's heart."

"Yes, the previous emperor had made an exception for the Marquis of Wei before, and now the new emperor has made an exception again."

"Everyone, Wei Yuan is extremely powerful now, so let's speak in a low voice."

"The emperor's grace is so great, it's really enviable!"

"."

They only know that Wei Yuan is now extremely powerful, and they only know to envy Wei Yuan.

But they don’t realize it, or even if they do, they are unwilling to admit it.

Now, there is no one else in the country who can turn the tide, save the country from collapse, except Wei Yuan.

After leaving Xuan Zheng Hall, Wei Yuan walked out of the palace and headed for the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion.

Earlier, he had received news that Zhang Guifen and others were waiting for Wei Yuan in the Duke of England's mansion.

As for Madam Zhang, she was keeping vigil in front of the late emperor's mausoleum along with members of the royal family and the late emperor's concubines.

According to the rules, when an emperor passed away, officials of the third rank and above, including military honors above the rank of marquis, had to send people to keep vigil for the late emperor.

Zhang Guifen devoted herself entirely to Wei Yuan. When she saw Wei Yuan coming to the imperial city covered in blood that day, she burst into tears and almost fainted.

In addition, Wei Yuan had been keeping vigil in the palace these days, so the court did not allow Zhang Guifen to kneel as well.

At this time, in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Wang Anshi bowed to Zhao Xi and said, "Your Majesty, you have shown too much care and favor to the Marquis of Wei."

Zhao Xi asked in return: "Master Wang, do you also think that I shouldn't have easily awarded the title of Marquis of Weishi the hereditary title?"

Wang Anshi nodded and said earnestly: "With the ability of the Marquis of Wei, he will definitely be able to recover the lost territory. Moreover, many of the generals who followed the Marquis of Wei from Daizhou to Bianjing have made great military achievements."

"After we recover the lost territory and the war is over, how many more meritorious officials will there be? As a military commander, the Marquis of Wei has too much power, which is not right after all."

Zhao Xi knew what he was worried about, and said in a deep voice: "I am only ten years old this year, but the Marquis of Wei is almost thirty years old, he is nearly twenty years older than me."

"While I am here, the Marquis of Wei dare not do anything beyond the limit, and I am afraid that the Marquis of Wei will not live longer than I do."

At this point, he looked at Wang Anshi meaningfully, "This is also true for Master Wang."

"While I am here, there will be no powerful ministers, and no officials who will harm the imperial power."

"It's the same with Wei Yuan, and it's the same with you!"

"To tell you the truth, even if I let the Guards lead the entire nation's army, they wouldn't dare to, and certainly wouldn't rebel against me!"

What Zhao Xi said was by no means nonsense.

At the very least, as of now, Zhang Guifen and others are in the capital, and Zhao Xi has the potential to be a powerful leader.

At first glance, if one secretly cultivates some of his own troops while in charge of the national army, there is a high probability that the rebellion will be successful.

But after careful analysis, Wei Yuan didn't think he could win.

First, Wei Yuan’s relatives are all under Zhao Xi’s control.

Second, most of the elite troops of the Great Zhou were loyal to Zhao Xi.

Third, Zhao Xi is not Zhao Zhen. Although he is young, he has an iron-blooded hand. With time, he will be able to dominate the world and win back the hearts of the people.

Fighting against such a powerful leader, Wei Yuan didn't know his chances of winning.

The best outcome would probably be to establish one's own territory.

But if we do that, wouldn’t we become sinners of this land?
Wei Yuan didn't want to do anything that would leave him infamy for eternity.

After hearing what Zhao Xi said, Wang Anshi fell silent.

How could he not know in his heart that as long as Zhao Xi was around, Wei Yuan would not rebel, and would have no reason to rebel?
But how old is Zhao Xi?

His wisdom is like that of a demon, and his character is rarely matched by others.

This kind of person is not born to live a long life!

Even Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang were not as perverted as Zhao Xi when they were young!

Too smart can lead to early death, and God is jealous of talented people. Isn’t it common for such people to die young?
At such a young age, his character, wisdom, and means are all excellent. Such a person is envied by God, how can he live long?

Wait for Wang Anshi to leave Xuanzheng Hall.

Zhao Xi ordered someone to find a small hammer, and then he sat alone in the Xuanzheng Hall, holding the small hammer and thinking.

I don't know how long it took, but his eyes suddenly became extremely firm, and he stood up and went to the court.

After a while, he stood in front of the stone tablet erected by Zhou Taizu.

It was written on the stele: The emperor and the scholar-officials ruled the world together. During the Zhou Dynasty, no scholar-officials were killed.

Zhao Xi stared at the stone tablet in a daze.

Then he made a shocking move.

He personally swung the small hammer and smashed it against the stone tablet over and over again.

I don't know how many times it has been smashed, and the stone tablet is now in tatters.

At this time, a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred in the sky above the Great Zhou Palace.

There were dark clouds covering the sky, with lightning and thunder in the clouds, as if God was dissatisfied with what Zhao Xi had done.

Zhao Xi's action of smashing the stone tablet frightened the surrounding eunuchs, guards, etc. so much that they knelt down and could not get up.

At this time, the civil officials who received the news came to the court and knelt down to accuse Zhao Xi of wrongdoing.

"Your Majesty, this was decided by our great ancestors. If you do this, where will our ancestors stand? You will incur the wrath of heaven!"

"I beg Your Majesty to admit my mistakes to my ancestors and seek forgiveness from God!"

"Your Majesty, this is a sign of the country's demise!"

"."

After Zhao Zhen passed away, during the mourning period, all the ministers worked in the palace wearing mourning clothes.

When they heard that Zhao Xi was destroying the stone tablet that Taizu had erected, they were all shocked and angry. On the way here, they had mentioned "God's wrath and people's resentment" and "a sign of the country's destruction" countless times.

After all, Zhao Xi was still too young. After swinging the hammer and smashing the stone tablet, he was already exhausted to the point of being out of breath.

When he saw the civil officials kneeling in front of him, including Wang Anshi and Fan Chunren, a look of disappointment was faintly revealed between his brows.

boom!
At this moment, a bolt of lightning fell above the palace.

Hit a tile, burn it, tear it apart.

Wrath of heaven!
Curse!

For a moment, these two words suddenly popped up in the minds of those scholars and officials.

Some old ministers were so angry at Zhao Xi's actions that they vomited blood and fainted.

Before falling asleep, he stood up, pointed at Zhao Xi, and cursed: "The Great Zhou will perish in your hands!"

However, Zhao Xi remained unmoved.

Naturally, he also saw the ray of thunder that was descending.

To be honest, he was a little scared at that moment.

But the feeling of fear only passed by briefly.

If there really is a divine punishment, why doesn't it fall directly on me?

In those days, Emperor Zhuanxu could communicate between the earth and heaven. It is evident that the emperor on earth is no less powerful than the emperor in heaven.

Zhao Xi held the hammer in his hand, looked up at the sky, and said loudly:
"I have the final say on the affairs of the Great Zhou!"

"All dispersed for me!"

He didn't know why he suddenly said that.

Maybe he wanted to dispel the dark clouds above his head.

The black cloud pressed so hard on his chest and abdomen that he felt extremely suffocated and it seemed like he couldn't breathe.

However, a shocking scene appeared.

The endless black clouds that gathered above the imperial palace actually dispersed after hearing Zhao Xi's words, just like the people receiving an imperial edict, in fear and trepidation.

A ray of sunshine shone on Zhao Xi's chubby, slightly cute cheek.

This was the first time Zhao Xi laughed heartily since Zhao Zhen's death.

Then, he looked at the ministers and said loudly:
"Last night, Emperor Taizu appeared in my dream and told me to smash the stone tablet and change a few words. I think these words should be changed."

"From now on, a stone tablet will be erected here, and it will read: Great Zhou and the people will coexist in the world!"

"If the rich and powerful break the law, they will be punished just like the common people!"

(End of this chapter)