History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 625 A Dog's Journey Home 2
But the problem Xiao Han faced was that he was the last batch of troops to be transferred. He had been covering the retreat for the main Khitan force, and even for small fry like Cui Yanxun and Geng Chongmei. Now it was his turn to escape. Who could cover him?

Xiao Han still had a solution. His solution was to seize the time to support a leader of the Central Plains and let him help suppress the situation on the ground and ensure his safe transfer.

The ruler of the Central Plains decided by Xiao Han was very old-fashioned. He was Li Siyuan’s biological son, Li Congyi.

During the reign of Li Siyuan, his favorite concubine Wang Defei (Wang Shufei, Hua Jianxiu) was also very powerful, frequently interfering in military and national affairs, killing An Zhonghui and Li Congrong, and being arrogant. She never had children, and in order to maintain her position, she deliberately adopted Li Siyuan's youngest son Li Congyi as her own son, hoping to help Li Congyi ascend the throne and become the empress dowager.

So after Li Conghou ascended the throne, he was very disgusted with this concubine, and even more annoyed with his younger brother Li Congyi, so he deliberately suppressed Concubine Wang De and moved her to the cold palace to accompany the late emperor. Of course, she was accompanying the emperor in the world of the living, unlike Empress Dowager Shulü who sent her to the underworld. "She was treated very badly."

Li Conghou was in power for less than half a year and did not have much time to deal with Concubine Wang De and Li Congyi. Soon after, Li Congke launched an uprising in Fengxiang and successfully seized power.

Concubine Wang De took the initiative to find Li Congke and cried, asking for permission to become a nun.

Li Congke asked in surprise the reason, and Concubine Wang De said that the mother and daughter were lucky to be alive until now. If you cannot tolerate us, it doesn't matter if I die. But Li Congyi is the only surviving flesh and blood of the late emperor. If anything happens to him, how can I face the late emperor in the afterlife?

She cried as she spoke, her emotions were sincere and touching.

Li Congke was deeply moved and said on the spot, "I am the adopted son of the late emperor. The late emperor treated me more dearly than his own son. How could I harm his flesh and blood? You two can rest assured."

Therefore, during the period of Li Congke, although Concubine Wang De could not call the shots like she did during the period of Li Siyuan, she lived a good life and was "treated very well."

Man proposes, God disposes. The good times lasted less than three years, Shi Jingtang started an uprising in Taiyuan, and Li Congke burned himself to death for his country.

When Li Congke committed suicide by burning himself, Li Siyuan's empress and other wives all died with a clear conscience, but Concubine Wang De said that she wanted to preserve the power for the late emperor and raise Li Congyi. Concubine Wang De took Li Congyi and hid away, living a miserable life.

After Shi Jingtang proclaimed himself emperor, Concubine Wang De repeated her old tricks and continued to deceive Shi Jingtang, "Please let me become a monk, wow wow wow..."

Shi Jingtang certainly had to treat her well, just like Li Congke, although she could no longer get involved in politics, she lived a good life. Or in other words, although she lived a good life, she could no longer get involved in military and political power.

Since the death of Emperor Mingzong Li Siyuan, her era was gone forever.

In 939, Shi Jingtang conferred the title of Duke of Xun on Li Congyi, "to serve the Tang dynasty" and put him in charge of the sacrifices to the Later Tang dynasty. He established temples for Emperor Gaozu of Tang Li Yuan, Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin, Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang Li Cunxu, Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang Li Siyuan, and Emperor Min of Later Tang Li Conghou, and Li Congyi became the legal tomb sweeper of the five ancestors.

After Shi Chonggui ascended the throne, Concubine Wang De and Li Congyi returned to Luoyang to live.

When Yelu Deguang entered Bianzhou, Zhao Yanshou's wife (Li Siyuan's daughter) died of illness. Yelu Deguang acted as a matchmaker and introduced Zhao Yanshou to a new girlfriend, Li Congyi's sister (still Li Siyuan's daughter), Princess Yong'an. Princess Yong'an did not know who her biological mother was. She was raised by Concubine Wang De together with Li Congyi since she was a child. Therefore, Concubine Wang De attended the wedding as the mother of the bride.

It is said that there was a small episode at this wedding:

Although Wang Defei was middle-aged, she still had the charm and mature temperament, and it was said that she fascinated Yelu Deguang. As the representative of the groom's parents, Yelu Deguang and Wang Defei paid homage to the portrait of the bride's father (Li Siyuan), and solemnly burned incense and bowed again, then turned back and said to Wang Defei: "Mingzong and I have a brotherly agreement, and you are my brother's wife, and my sister-in-law!"

Later, he joked, "Now, you are my wife!"

In order to show goodwill to Concubine Wang Defei, Yelu Deguang named Li Congyi "King of Xu" (Li Congyi was originally King of Xu, and later demoted to Duke of Xun), and concurrently held the post of Jiedushi (an empty title), and also promoted Liu Suining to be the Jiedushi of Anzhou Anyuan Army.

Liu Suining was the son of Liu Xun, a general of the Later Liang Dynasty. Liu Xun was the former master of Concubine Wang De. Concubine Wang De was born in poverty and was the child of a cake-selling family in Bingzhou. She was sold to Liu Xun's house as a slave when she was young. After Liu Xun's death, the homeless but beautiful Concubine Wang De was discovered by the "concubine detective" An Zhonghui and presented to Li Siyuan, and she entered the peak of her life from then on.

Concubine Wang De resolutely declined the offer, saying that Li Congyi was too young to be an official. After the wedding, Concubine Wang De took Li Congyi back to Luoyang to live.

Now, Xiao Han suddenly remembered Li Congyi, a political rookie who had experienced the rise and fall of dynasties and regime changes, although he was too young. So he sent General Gao Mohan to Luoyang to welcome him and falsely conveyed the imperial decree: "Comrade Li Congyi will be in charge of the affairs of the Southern Dynasty, and Comrade Xiao Han will be transferred to Zhenzhou to report."

This edict is a fake at first glance. Because Khitan is now in a state of no master, the "crossing agreement" has not yet taken place, Yelu Ruan's status has not yet been recognized by Empress Dowager Shulü, and this content is even less likely to be Yelu Deguang's "last will".

Wang Defei knew that she was in great danger, so she took Li Congyi and hid everywhere. Xiao Han sent cavalry to search the whole city and dig three feet deep to dig him out.

Finally, the Khitans found the mother and son in the basement of Huiling (Li Siyuan's tomb) where the coffin was placed. Afterwards, Concubine Wang De and Li Congyi were taken to Bianzhou.

Xiao Han appointed Li Congyi as the Emperor of Central Plains.

The coronation ceremony and other formalities were kept simple, and there was no time to change the country's name or set the reign title. No one, including the "Emperor" Li Congyi, knew which dynasty Li Congyi was from. Was it Jin, Liao, or Xu? It didn't matter.

Xiao Han pressed Li Congyi on the dragon throne, and then led all the civil and military officials to kowtow and pay their respects. He then appointed Minister of Rites Wang Song and Chief Censor Zhao Yuan as prime ministers.

The most legendary one is Wang Song, whose father is the famous "half-day prime minister" Wang Hui of the Tang Dynasty. In those days, Huang Chao conquered Tongguan and approached Chang'an. Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty fled in a hurry. When he fled, he ordered Wang Hui to serve as a co-prime minister. That night, Wang Hui was captured by Huang Chao and was nicknamed "half-day prime minister".

Huang Chao's gang forced Wang Hui to serve as the prime minister of the Huang Qi regime. Wang Hui pretended to be sick and dumb, so Huang Chao sent a doctor for him. As a result, he took advantage of the lax guarding and escaped to the river. He then submitted a memorial to Emperor Xizong of Tang in Shu, reporting what had happened.

(End of this chapter)