The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 31: Prophecy of Dethronement
On the morning of the fourth day of the second month in the first year of Jingfu.

North of Chang'an City, outside Guanghua Tower.

Ximen Chongsui, the chief military officer and privy councilor, returned to the capital. He kept a low profile and went through Gwanghwamun, which was close to the imperial palace.

Returning with a great victory, and with a legitimate reason to fight against the rebellion, the ministers should have congratulated him. However, Grand Commandant Du Rangneng and his subordinate Liu Chongwang were displeased with the eunuchs and did not mention this. The Northern Department looked down on the Southern Court and did not care much. The envoys discussed it and decided that although they had many internal conflicts, Ximen Chongsui had made the eunuchs proud this time, and everyone would be more confident in their words in the future. So they took the generals of the Shen Ce Army to Gwanghwamun to welcome the triumphant return.

After repeated consideration, Li Ye also sent Zhao as a representative to the scene to announce the reward to the Privy Councilor.

Today the weather has improved, the clouds have cleared and the sun has risen, the winter sun is warm. Han Quanhui, the inner manor envoy, Liu Jingxuan, the lieutenant of the two armies, and others are dressed in their best clothes, leading the eunuchs and soldiers behind them to stand in line. The court officials are not here, there is no etiquette, and they stand for a while and then start chatting. Some people want to report the progress of the recruitment of soldiers and horses that was set a year ago. Some people want to report the words and deeds of the court officials. Others want to feedback the letters sent back by the military supervision offices of various towns, and scold some Jiedushi for not paying tribute, insulting eunuchs, and being ambitious.

As we were chatting, we suddenly heard someone shout, "You're back!"

Sure enough, a medium-sized cavalry of about 2,000 soldiers and horses, accompanied by a dozen luxurious covered carriages, came slowly from the outside. The guides, escorts, and guards each performed their duties, and the bands in front and behind played music to celebrate. Flags were everywhere, with eight large banners. The nearby warriors looked around, sent out warnings to the carriages, and shouted at the onlookers to prevent assassins.

"Huh!" The eunuchs danced with joy as if they had won a battle.

Lieutenant Liu Jingxuan of the Left Shence Army waved his hand to tell everyone to stop arguing.

"Whoa!" The drivers tightened the reins at the same time, causing the black iron covered carriage pulled by three horses to slowly stop.

This is the Privy Councilor’s car.

Originally it was an elephant-shaped carriage, the kind that the emperor rode... However, because Li Maozhen and others invaded the palace in the name of killing Yang Fugong, Ximen Chongsui was worried that this would become an excuse for the vassal states to cause trouble, so he changed it to the current iron-clad covered carriage.

Zhao followed the other envoys from the Northern Department and bowed to the carriage: "Privy Councilor!"

Ximen Chong then did not get off the car.

A group of knights rode up on horseback.

The three men in the lead wore iron helmets with eyes covered and full infantry armor, with sabers on their waists and lances in their hands. They rode on war horses with tendons all over their bodies, and looked terrifying. They were the three generals under Ximen Chongsui's command, the fake son Ximen Yuanyuan, the coach of the Left Shence Army, Li Sizhou, the prince of Tan, the commander of the Yaowu Army, and Xu Zhao, the commander of the Bongri Army.

Li Sizhou rode on his horse, glanced at the eunuchs with an arrogant look, held his spear and clasped his fists, and said, "The Privy Councilor has ordered that the Chamberlain Ximen Qi be summoned to the carriage and accompany us back to the palace. The ministers, envoys, officials, and soldiers can return together as they wish."

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed together.

Seeing this, Zhao held up the edict written in advance by the Hanlin Academy and said, "The Saint has an order."

Ximen Zhongsui's voice rang out from inside the car: "Read it."

"...When a man hears that his superior is in trouble, his subordinates should follow his orders. On this day when the stars were not bright and the people were angry, the Privy Councilor Ximen Chongsui wiped out the invaders and repelled the evil, put an end to the chaos and brought order, and made the traitor Jian surrender...I am very pleased with him. He was promoted to the Observer of the Six Armies and Twelve Guards, appointed as the Grand Master of Purple Gold and Guanglu, and granted the title of Meritorious Official for Protecting the Country and Rescuing the Disaster, promoted to the Marquis of Chencang, and given an additional fief of 300 households..."

After hearing this, Ximen Chongsui smiled.

The position of Military Honor Envoy has always been the embodiment of the true head of the Northern Department, and he has been coveting it for a long time. Zijin Guanglu Dafu is a third-rank civil official with a gold seal and purple ribbon, and he can legitimately teach those southern officials a lesson at the court.

As for this marquis, he was quite surprised. The saint was so generous? He even gave him a fief. If he won another battle, he would probably be promoted to Duke like Yang Fugong.

The saint still knows what is good and what is bad.

Not bad.

"Tell the envoy to get on the car together." He was fat and found it troublesome to get off the car to receive the order, but it was not convenient for him to just sit there in front of everyone.

So Zhao followed the eunuch Ximen Qi who was named and walked beside the carriage.

The rear door of the car opened, and a military officer gave up his seat, jumped out, and took a horse and rode beside him.

Zhao and Ximen Qi boarded the armored vehicle and sat down awkwardly in the corner after the greetings.

Ximen Zhongsui was muscular and strong, wearing armor, like a bull buffalo, and he alone took up nearly half of the carriage. He hadn't said a word since the two of them entered the carriage. He seemed a little tired, leaning back and snoring softly.

Zhao was just an envoy of the emperor who came to deliver the imperial edict and reward, and she had no intention of bringing up the topic, so she just took it as a ride. But she subconsciously cast her eyes to observe Ximen Qi who was sitting opposite her.

Ximen Qi was the adopted son of Ximen Chongsui and a eunuch.

The other party noticed that she was looking at her, and seeing that she was a female official of the Purple Palace, she smiled kindly in return. Zhao also nodded, but her smile was a little stiff. On the night of Yang Fugong's coup last year, she killed a Zhong Changshi and five lackeys. Although she was Yang Fugong's man, she still aroused the hostility of many eunuchs. It was okay for them to kill each other, but it was not okay to die in the hands of others.

Zhao was aware of her situation.

Fortunately, she was very careful and cautious, and never gave anyone any excuse to accuse her. The Saint also trusted her, so she was able to spend most of her time with the Saint and rarely returned to the palace.

In addition, Ximen Zhongsui and his group knew that she had made enemies with the Yang family, and they were also trying to win her over. The usefulness of a female official was not small, especially a female official who was agile and could kill people.

But she had never met Ximen Qi before, so she didn't know whether he was hostile to her.

Just looking at the smile, she wasn't sure.

The car slowly passed the Changle Gate in front of the Taiji Palace, and it would soon reach the Danfeng Gate of the Daming Palace. At this time, Ximen Zhongsui hummed and said hoarsely: "My son Qi, how is the saint doing recently?"

"Yes, father." Ximen Qi bowed and began to tell everyone everything.

"On the tenth day of the first lunar month, the first day my father left the capital, the saint was having fun at the Wangxian Terrace, and played a game called "playing cards" with the ladies. It was to shave wood into thin slices, carve strange characters on them, and then get 55 "cards", and then play according to certain rules. One against three, or one against four. The penalty for losing was to take off clothes. The saint was an expert in this game, and the ladies who played cards with her took off all their clothes in one day..."

Zhao was choked when she heard this.

ah? ! !
She still has some impression of that day.

The sage told Ximen Chongsui to go and relax for a while because he was leaving Beijing to fight the enemy. She was busy with official duties at the time, so she did not follow him.

Who would have thought…

What a shameless and lascivious game! What a card game!
Ximen Chongsui was also amused, slapping his thigh and laughing, "I heard that you are so wild and evil, you already have the qualities of Emperor Ling! Keep going."

"Eleven. The sage was studying in Tongyue Hall, accompanied by Han Yu, a Hanlin scholar. The scholar lectured the sage on one chapter each of the "Book of Filial Piety", "Tao Te Ching" and "Nanhua Jing". The sage asked what it meant that those who threaten the monarch are supreme. The scholar replied that those who threaten the monarch have no monarch in their eyes. Later, the sage asked again, "Xu Wugui said, 'Love for the people is the beginning of harming the people.' What does that mean?" The scholar replied, "Too much affection leads to suspicion, too much love leads to jealousy, fear of betraying me, betraying me, and losing me. His partiality makes people unwise and unable to accept it. If he betrays it, the emperor will be angry and a great disaster will arise. Therefore, it is said that the king is selfless and the sage is ruthless... Uh, father, please forgive me, I really didn't remember the son at the end."

"No problem." Ximen Chongsui seemed to be thinking about something. He muttered to himself for a while and asked, "Do you have anything else to say after hearing the explanation of the saying that the emperor is supreme?"

"none."

The king is supreme!
The scholar is obviously referring to people like Ximen Chongsui!

Zhao was terrified when she heard this, and cold sweat broke out on her back.

She clearly remembered the whispers that the sage had said to her after he came back from studying that day: The king is selfless, the sage is ruthless. The king's partiality must be for ulterior motives.

Fortunately, the scholar did not explain in depth, and the sage also grasped the point and did not ask any more questions, otherwise the matter would have been difficult to resolve today.

While he was distracted, Ximen Qi started talking again.

"Twelve, the Sage ordered Han Wei to give lectures in the Linde Hall. The scholar explained to the Sage the duties of Chinese and foreign officials. The Sage asked, who are the current Palace Attendants and the Palace Attendants. The scholar gave the names and said, the matter will be handled by the Ministry of Personnel, and the Sage should not worry about it. The Sage was stunned when he heard this, and stopped."

"Thirteen, the Saint will go to the Dragon Head Palace to play polo with the warriors in the Flying Dragon Garden and watch the wrestling show. The Saint will reward the winner."

"Fourteen, the sage was walking alone by the Taiye Lake in deep thought, and met Lady Chen. He was not able to see her closely, but he saw her expressing her love, unable to stop crying. The sage was moved and embraced her. Afterwards, the sage and Lady Chen fought with swords in the Qingsi Hall."

"On the fifteenth, the Saint was in the Purple Palace to attend to affairs. Wang Jian sent an envoy to the court to offer some money and goods. He asked for the governor and spoke rudely. He said that the Privy Councilor and others should be put to death... The Saint said no, and would make plans after the Privy Councilor returned to the court. That night, the Saint strolled in the Xianju Palace and had sex with Concubine Chen."

"Sixteen, playing cards at Wangxiantai, and having sex with Lady Chen at night."

"On the 17th, same as before."

"..."

He actually reported Li Ye's whereabouts over the past month.

After hearing this, Zhao was shocked that Ximen Qi had such a good memory, and at the same time, she was afraid that the sage had done something else besides "playing cards". For example, he summoned the prime minister as before, made some inappropriate decisions privately, or secretly discussed with his confidants how to deal with Yang Fugong... What frightened her even more was that the eunuchs were like ghosts, omnipresent, infiltrating every hole, and impossible to guard against. Although this has been the trend since Emperor Xianzong...

"Very good." Hearing that the saint was trapped by women recently, Ximen Chongsui's mouth curled up. He first glanced at Ximen Qi, then at Zhao, and said, "That Hanlin scholar Han Yu is not simple. He teaches some imperial magic. What is his origin?"

Hearing this, Zhao's heart beat faster than ever before.

She knew that this seemingly casual question and answer, if a bad answer was given, would most likely harm Han Wei. If she said she didn't understand, Ximen Chongsui would definitely suspect her abnormality. Now there are some discussions outside that Han Wei is close to the saint, and as the saint's most trusted female official, how could she not understand Han Wei? Fortunately, Zhao was usually cautious and never talked to Han Wei, so the eunuchs didn't catch her.

But now that Ximen Chongsui asked this, even though Zhao was usually calm, she panicked for a moment.

But she didn't have much time to think about such an immediate question. After a brief thought, she answered: "Han Wei, courtesy name Zhiguang, nickname Donglang, was from Wannian, Jingzhao. He was born in the fourth year of Huichang during the reign of Emperor Wuzong. In the first year of Longji (889), he passed the imperial examination and became a vassal of the Hezhong Shogunate. The next year, he was summoned to be the Left Censor-in-Chief, then a Counselor, and later a Deputy Envoy of the Ministry of Revenue to assist in financial management and to seek the appointment of a scholar. Li Yishan is his uncle."

She was also slippery, and all she said was publicly available information, as if that was all she knew.

"He is Li Shangyin's wife's nephew." Ximen Chongsui nodded slightly.

He had some doubts about Han Yu, the Imperial Academy scholar, who was sent to the emperor by Du Rangneng after his investigation. But considering Han Yu's relationship, he was reluctant to move. This person had worked in Wang Zhongrong's court, and the salt profits collected by the court in Hezhong in the past two years were basically due to his mediation.

"The one who wants the king is supreme... The one who wants the king is supreme..."

Ximen Chongsui narrowed his eyes and continued, "I have also heard some rumors that the Saint is imprisoned in the palace, and that I have the intention to depose him. This time, we have defeated the traitors, and according to the rules, the Saint must attend the court to receive congratulations. Let's choose an auspicious day to arrange it, otherwise the rumors will come true."

When these words were spoken, Ximen Qi and Zhao were both shocked.

Zhao had been in the palace for a long time, and Ximen Qi often went out of the palace to do business, and neither of them had heard of such rumors. Zhao pursed her red lips and quickly understood the intention of these words: this was to warn the sage through her personal female official, and to tell him not to listen to such words as "the emperor is supreme". Otherwise, at the very least, the sage would be imprisoned for ten days or half a month, and at the worst... the prophecy of dethroning and enthroning might spread at any time.

In a word.

For the sake of his family's descendants, he didn't want to go too far, but if his authority or life was threatened...

In short.

Don't push him.

Considering this, Zhao smiled and said, "The officials in the court have always been partisans and like to fight for power and profit. Emperor Wenzong once said that it is easy to get rid of the bandits in Hebei, but it is difficult to get rid of the disputes in the court. These rumors must be just their resentment due to their incompetence. With the wisdom and grace of Junrong, how could he care about the villains? Only the fools in the market take these evil theories seriously. If the saint knew, he would definitely order the Jingzhao Yin and the leader of the bad people to punish them severely."

"Good." This female official was very sensible about the current situation, and Ximen Chongsui was quite satisfied.

Talking to a smart person would not be awkward or ugly. He believed that Zhao would convey his meaning to the saint in an obscure way.

When the car entered Xuanwu Gate, Ximen Chongsui jumped down and headed for Jiacheng with the eunuchs. All the major institutions of the Northern Department were here. During the days when Ximen Chongsui was away, the Northern Department had accumulated a lot of official business. For example, how to accommodate Zhang Chengye, the former military supervisor of Hedong, who was about to arrive in Beijing. For example, how to mediate the chaos of demons in Fengxiang and the continuous war... So many things, it was a headache.

……

Linde Hall.

Du Rangneng, exhausted from a journey, had just returned to the Council of State Affairs from Dayingku. Without even having time to drink a sip of water, he rushed into the palace to find the saint.

"Thank you for your hard work, Taiwei!" The old man looked very old, and his clothes were covered with mud. He must have just come back from outside the city. Li Ye immediately ordered Zhao to prepare tea, snacks, and light meals, and ordered his attendant Liu Zi to bring a burning charcoal fire for the Taiwei to keep warm.

"Stop drinking now, the envoy from Bian is coming to the court!"

　Can the big guys who are reading leave a message? Take your precious minute to make an evaluation of this book. I have read every message and comment in the background. I am very happy to be recognized by everyone, but this is the first book written by a newcomer, and there are still many shortcomings. I need your advice, so I must leave a message and evaluate it. In addition, during the current new book recommendation period, the promotion will be determined based on the follow-up reading data, so don't keep the book. In addition, the author talks about his own creative ideas. I think it is more reasonable to fantasize. So the front will be written very carefully, and it is difficult to feel good. After all, in the situation of the late Tang Dynasty, the emperor was restricted everywhere, and it was very difficult to act. It needs to be carefully sorted out and step by step. But there will definitely be cool points, and I am also seriously learning how to create. Uh, if possible, I will shamelessly ask for a wave of recommendations, rewards, and votes. Finally, thank Wenbo Jiahe and book friend 20220712192649249 for the reward (in fact, you can change your nickname, the number is too difficult to type hahahaha) Thank you again for your support, and I hope to keep going.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)