The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 7 When will this day end? I will die with you

The west wind blows in the yard, and the yellow chrysanthemums are in full bloom.

The sky was getting colder day by day, and the gray haze still enveloped the palace. Li Ye woke up from his dream, gently lifted the quilt and stood up, so as not to disturb his wife He, who was sleeping soundly and with tears on her face. In the past few days, there was a lot of news, and He rarely had a good sleep.

"Oh." Li Ye shook his head silently.

The female official stepped forward and found a set of gray-white uniform for the official to wear with ease.

"There is no regular attendant today. Do you want to summon ministers from the north and south?" Zhao had already arrived at the Purple Palace to take up duty and was sorting out documents. When she saw the emperor coming out, she asked.

Li Ye thought about it and refused, "I don't want to see you. If there is a prime minister who comes to make a report, please send him off with courtesy."

He didn't know the background of these servants around him, so what could he see? If something wrong happened during the conversation and Ximen Chongsui was angry, he would be caught and severely scolded.

"only."

Zhao nodded and pulled out another pile of silk: "Today I have chosen to submit a petition to the Imperial Court, which involves Xichuan and the two rivers."

"My power has been stolen by others. I have no control over military affairs..." Li Ye paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

Zhao walked up to the emperor calmly, held his hand tightly, and whispered in his ear: "My lord, be careful with your words, or you will be imprisoned!"

"I know." Li Ye patted Zhao's white and tender hand with satisfaction and sat down on the cushion: "Pick up the important ones."

"Yes." Zhao also sat down and said, "The Xuanwu Army has just reported. Sun Ru relied on his strong army and sent letters to the vassal states, counting the crimes of Xing Mi and Quan Zhong, saying: 'After Xuan and Bian are pacified, we will lead the army to the court to eliminate the evil around the emperor.' So he burned all the houses in Yangzhou, forced all the men and women across the river, killed the old and weak to feed them, and defeated Xing Mi several times. Quan Zhong asked to be granted the banner and the title of Huainan Recruiting Envoy, leading the princes of Guandong to fight against Ru together."

Li Ye frowned immediately: "Do the court officials have a decision?"

Zhao's words were concise and to the point: "I heard that the palace supervisor of Ximen and the Grand Commandant Du had a meeting and that they wanted to give Quanzhong the title because he had been providing continuous tribute and his financial resources must not be lost."

What the hell is that!
"Next." Li Ye waved his hands weakly.

"The Prince of Longxi attacked Yunzhou urgently. Helian Duo fled to Tuyuhun and then returned to Youzhou. He and other tribes submitted a petition to accuse Li Keyong of his crimes. The Hedong Jinzouyuan also submitted a petition, saying that Helian Duo was plotting treason and commending his generals for their merits, requesting that he be stationed in Datong Army and be appointed as a defense envoy."

"Hasn't he already appointed himself? Why is he asking me what I am doing?

"Inform the court..." Zhao was embarrassed and jumped to the next article automatically: "Jianzhi, the commander of the Sanchuan Camp of Jianxia, entered Chengdu and called himself the governor. He appointed all officials. Those who disobeyed were beaten on the chest and killed. The bodies were piled in the market. The people were terrified and no one dared to offend. Jian submitted a petition with rude words, accusing the court of unfair rewards and punishments. He then requested to be appointed as the governor of Jiannan and the envoy. Otherwise, he would seal Jianmen..."

Otherwise, Jianmen Pass would be closed and there would be no more contact with the court. What a big tone.

"This thief bastard!"

He slapped the table with his palm, making it buzz. Do you want me to give up the throne to you?
"This is absolutely not feasible." Li Ye calmed down and said, "Guanzhong is the foundation of the kingdom. Bashu is the backyard of the country. How can we let others destroy us? Jian took it by force and showed no favor to the people of Shu. Now he is occupying the throne. Who will obey him? I am afraid that a mutiny will happen."

Li Maozhen was right next to him and he didn't dare to offend him.

The thief Wangba is far away in Sichuan, can't we afford to offend him?

If you are a traitor, come to Chang'an and kill me.

Zhao sighed and said, "It's done. I'm afraid I have no choice but to go along. I heard that Ximen Palace Supervisor is ready to issue an edict..."

"Issue an edict..." Is there still a surname of Li in this world? Li Ye was completely stunned: "That's it."

In the corner, the attendant silently recorded the emperor's words and actions and seemed to have entered a state of meditation.

"Is this a history book?" Li Ye couldn't help but wonder how he would be described.

The attendant was very stubborn and dismissed the emperor with just one sentence: "It is not for the king, the generals and the ministers to ask. If the historian is dead, the imperial book will be published."

"It can be regarded as a reliable history." The emperor floated away.

When he came out of the hall, he saw two eunuchs, Xiao Feng and Liu Zipi, waiting under the eaves. Li Ye said nothing more, but waved his hand. The two understood what he meant, and walked to the left and right behind the emperor and followed him.

Liu Zipi asked anxiously, "What do you want?"

"Let's go to the Dragon Head Hall and play some polo." Ximen Chongsui's gang was watching closely, so Li Ye didn't dare to act rashly. He simply sought out some fun, bided his time, and temporarily let down his guard.

Soon, dozens of strong eunuchs came on horseback from Feilongyuan, escorting the emperor northward, shouting and yelling.

The previous emperor was a polo expert, and he kept many strong eunuchs around him to specialize in polo. After returning to Chang'an, he saw that the country was in a state of decline, and he became depressed and lost interest in entertainment. The previous emperor was not good at flying eagles and running dogs, so these flying dragon officials were neglected and became horse breeders.

Seeing the emperor in a good mood today, everyone was smiling and seemed to have regained the feeling of being valued and loved. If I can lead everyone to win a few games, maybe I will be promoted like those predecessors in the Qianfu years.

"I have played polo for ten years. Whenever the late emperor went out, I would hold the reins and drive the chariot!" A fat man who was nearly two meters tall and as fat as a pig shouted loudly: "Everyone can rest assured, victory is a sure thing!"

"I'm also a good fighter, and I want to be on your side too!"

"..."

"Okay, okay!" Li Ye accepted all offers and threatened, "Whoever can win three games for me, I will go to Ximen Palace Supervisor to ask for an official position!"

……

As Yang Fugong lost power, Ximen was removed from his position as Privy Councilor, which caused another wave of turmoil in the court.

The eunuch Liang Yuan was brought before the emperor, and his sons were all executed. Yang Fugong saw that Ximen's people did not make any further trouble, so he tacitly pretended not to know. The situation cooled down, and the eunuchs returned to the situation of fighting but not breaking up.

Wei Zhaodu, who led the failed military campaign against Shu, was severely punished. Although he lived in seclusion and rarely showed up, he was still deprived of his position as prime minister by Ximen. Xu Yanruo, the Minister of the Central Secretariat and Minister of War, was also demoted to the position of Imperial Censor by Ximen because he was on good terms with Yang Fugong.

Two of the four prime ministers left at once.

As a supplement.

Cui Zhaowei, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was appointed as prime minister because of his old relationship with the Ximen family. Li Xi, the minister of rites, was also appointed as prime minister after being strongly recommended by the Grand Commandant Du Rangneng.

to be honest.

Ximen Chongsui was a tyrant, but he did not dare to eliminate all dissidents and dominate the government. He was able to overthrow Yang Fugong because of his powerful influence, but more importantly, it was because Yang Fugong was arbitrary and tyrannical, which made everyone hate him.

After this, the situation in the court was that the Grand Commandant Du Rangneng actually commanded the Southern Court.

The other three prime ministers were all in charge of the Three Departments and the Ministry of Revenue.

Make money!

The Ximen family, who had a firm control over the emperor and the army, were busy filling the power vacuum created by Yang Fugong's fall from power, while also dealing with mediating wars in various places and the military governors' struggles for territory and status. They were too overwhelmed to have time to compete.

In addition to the above, Du Rangneng promoted a large number of officials such as Hanlin, Sheren, Yushi, and Ling, and issued an order to summon a group of old officials who were idle at home and gave them errands. In addition, a group of sons and daughters of aristocratic families were selected and sent to the palace. Some served as attendants, and some were female concubines. In addition to having more people around the emperor, the purpose was to prevent the emperor from hanging out with eunuchs as much as possible. The eunuchs wished that the emperor would play with women all day long, and they had no fluctuations at all about the arrival of these rich people.

……

However, this cannot relieve your worries.

Although he is a caged man now, the rise and fall of the country is related to the lives of his entire family.

The first is finance.

The thief in Chengdu has already sent a message to the imperial court: if he is not allowed to be the governor, the country will be closed to the outside world and no communication with the Qin border will be allowed.

The blow brought about by the change of hands of Bashu was almost catastrophic, otherwise the four prime ministers would not have collectively sentenced the three courts to make money.

But these bad people in Guanzhong, such as Tuoba Sigong and Li Maozhen, pay taxes based on their mood.

The wealthy Hebei province had been semi-independent for more than a century, and apart from giving red envelopes to the emperor during festivals, it did not have a single copper coin.

The real source of financial resources still has to be the Yangtze River Basin. Specifically, it depends on whether the dispatched finance ministers such as the Yangzhou Inspection Court, the Huainan and Liangzhe Water and Land Envoys are capable, whether the military governors of these places can stand the test, and whether they can bring the financial resources of the southeast back to Chang'an.

Okay, even those are fine.

But now Sun Ru’s cannibal army has just devoured Yangzhou and is about to cut off the river and march south... in a word, money.

Otherwise, why would Ximen Chongsui treat Du Rangneng and other wealthy officials like treasures?
Now, this makeshift team is supported by Jingzhao, and the people of Guanzhong can still afford it for a few more years.

The rest is the army.

More than 70,000 troops are all in the hands of the eunuchs. Without this tiger skin, Wang Xingyu and his gang of villains dared to shout "I want to be the Shangshu Ling".

The "saint" Li Ye was held in the palm of the hand and locked in a cage by the Ximen family, and he had no way to express his own ideas at all.

Ugh!
……

"What a troubled time, what a troubled time!"

Ximen Zhongsui's brows were frowning, and the corners of his mouth were twitching, obviously he was burning with anger.

Zhu Quanzhong was rejected by the prime minister when he asked for the Salt and Iron Envoy before, but now he comes to ask for the Huainan Recruiting Envoy. How can he be so shameless!

He swallowed Caizhou, took Luoyang, and seized Qi, and now he has set his sights on Jiangnan.

How can I give you such a rich and central land?

"But if we don't give it to them, what if this thief gets angry and stops paying tribute..." Lieutenant Liu Jingxuan of the Left Army sighed: "Bianzhou has been paying huge tributes for years. I don't know how we will survive if we lose this wealth."

“Don’t mention the words ‘advance’ and ‘obey’!” Ximen Chongsui waved his hand, furious: “There are more than dozens of vassal states in the world, but only one or two out of ten pay the two taxes? They demanded the banners and said ‘to be driven by war’. Once the plan is completed, who will be the saint? General, general, a dog-foot general!”

"Quanzhong has repeatedly submitted petitions and requested this position, so let's give him the upper hand." Liu Jingxuan advised: "It's better to have fewer enemies than more."

After a long while, Ximen Chongsui finally made up his mind and said, "Just hold him back for a while! I will grant his every request. Do you think the imperial court will give him the seal to draft the edict?"

……

Outside the hall, Li Ye came over surrounded by the Feilong officers who played polo with him.

"I want to find a flying dragon envoy. Please, Saint, help me to get him." The eunuch who spoke was the fat pig from before.

"This way, we will have the opportunity to command troops and supervise the army in the future!"

"Everyone, I also want to be a regular attendant."

Thinking that the fat man was about to be appointed as the Flying Dragon Envoy, all the eunuchs were a little envious for a moment and surrounded Li Ye and chattered.

Until Ximen Chongsui's figure came into view.

He was sitting cross-legged on a cushion with a grim look on his face, but when he saw the saint with red cheeks and sweat on his forehead, he couldn't help but smile.

"Saint is in a good mood! Are you going to play polo?"

That's right. The emperor must be allowed to eat, drink and have fun. Otherwise, when he has free time, he will have to think about meeting ministers and taking care of state affairs.

"However, the Saint has just been frightened, so we should be careful in this entertainment. Don't let him die suddenly, otherwise people in the world will think that I have done something and blame it on me, then I will be wronged!" Ximen Chongsui reminded with "good intentions".

Hearing this, a group of Feilong officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Ye stood there steadily, with his head lowered, not saying a word, but his teeth were almost bleeding.

"I said a few words to you, and you think I'm wrong?" Ximen Zhongsui snorted, "What's the matter?"

"Let the Privy Council know!" The fat man stood up and said loudly, "The Saint promised us that if we can help him win three games, he will come to ask for an official position on our behalf."

"What position do you want?" Considering that he was a military official from Feilongyuan who was skilled in riding and shooting, Ximen Chongsui glanced at the saint and asked casually.

Li Ye pointed at the fat man and others timidly.

"Appoint him as the Dragon Master."

"Appoint him as the eunuch."

"Appoint him as military supervisor."

"Give him the title of usher."

"..."

Unexpectedly, Ximen Zhongsui became furious and yelled at the bed: "You have eaten too much lard and lost your mind!"

"Appointments have their own system, why make promises lightly!"

"If they take up these posts, where will others be placed? If they start a riot out of resentment, you will be able to handle it!"

The more he talked, the angrier he got. He simply walked down and patted the emperor's lowered head: "Tell me, what did Yang Fugong like about you? Why did he make you the emperor? You are not a child anymore, you should know better! You do crazy things all day long, do you want to piss me off to death?"

"From today on, I will lock you up for half a month and you are not allowed to see outsiders." Seeing that the emperor did not respond, Ximen Zhongsui pushed him: "Did you hear that?"

Li Ye gritted his teeth and replied, "I'll keep it in mind."

"Then take the saint back." Ximen Chong waved his hand and instructed Liu Zipi and Xiao Feng.

"Also, you have accompanied the saint to play polo. Thank you for your hard work. You will be rewarded with ten thousand coins each." Ximen Chongsui comforted Feilong official who was unable to get a job.

The eunuchs said nothing, but walked away with the emperor, their eyes filled with resentment as they left.

After leaving the palace, the fat pig threw his official hat on the ground and stomped his feet twice: "Who cares about your filthy money!"

"Yes."

"I just helped him to overthrow Yang Fugong, but you can't even spare half a visitor?"

"It's better to follow old dog Tian Lingzi than to follow him."

"I won't listen to him anymore."

"..."

The Flying Dragon officials walked and pointed, paying no attention to the saint in front of them.

"Everyone is crying?..."

I don't know who noticed this detail, the crowd suddenly fell silent, and the Flying Dragon officers were at a loss for the first time.

Return to the Purple Palace.

While Liu Zipi and Xiao Feng were closing the gate, they shouted to the attendants in the palace, "The palace supervisor ordered that no one is allowed to see outsiders for half a month! If any ministers come, they will be turned away."

Zhao was tidying up the study room. Upon hearing this, she hurried out, grabbed Liu Zipi's hand, and asked, "Aren't you playing polo? Why did you annoy the Privy Councilor again?"

Neither of them answered, but just looked at Li Ye.

"What's wrong..." Zhao walked to the emperor and sat down, saying softly, "If you are unhappy about anything, you can tell me."

However, the emperor saw blood flowing from his palms, and he crushed the jade ring into pieces. He used the blood as ink to slowly write a few words on the table.

"When will this day come? I will die with you!"

"What a disaster." Zhao was horrified. She looked around and saw that no one saw it. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly wiped it with her sleeve.

(End of this chapter)