The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 607: Saint Monarch (Spending the holidays with my family, will post it another day)

Sun Xiu lay on the bed, and the coughing sound never stopped in the inner hall.

When Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing walked into the inner hall with their heads lowered, there were even tears in the corners of the emperor's eyes.

He wanted to say something, but he was coughing violently.

Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing didn't dare to speak, they just stood there silently, listening to the violent coughing.

It is not known how long the coughing lasted, but Sun Xiu was tortured almost to death. When he looked at the two ministers in front of him, his eyes were a little dazed.

His voice also lost its strength, as if it had lost its usual authority in an instant.

Sun Xiu didn't even dare to breathe deeply. His throat was red and covered with scratches, almost bleeding.

He looked at the two confidants in front of him and said, "I'm afraid I can't stay here for long."

Zhang Bu was horrified and bowed profusely, "Your Majesty! You cannot speak like that!"

Sun Xiu shook his head and said, "It's okay. The pain has reached this point, so death is not that scary anymore."

They didn't know how badly Sun Xiu was suffering. The constant pain almost destroyed Sun Xiu's will, making the emperor go crazy and even want to use a knife to cut his throat. He collapsed to this point.

At this moment, he was no longer afraid of death.

Compared to this kind of illness, death is easier to accept.

He looked at the two people in front of him and said, "At this point, I have nothing to worry about. I only want to entrust my prince to you."

Puyang Xing originally wanted to talk about his son, but seeing the emperor's expression, he had to suppress the matter. With tears in his eyes, he looked at the emperor affectionately.

Sun Xiu sent someone to call the prince over.

Sun Xiu's crown prince, Sun Chen, is not even eight years old this year and is still just a baby.

He didn't even have a formal name at the moment, just a nickname called "莔".

Sun Chen was brought here by the eunuch. He stood aside timidly, not daring to get close.

He looked very much like Sun Xiu, but he was too young. He didn't dare to say much in front of outsiders, and he didn't even dare to get close to Sun Xiu. He just hid behind the eunuch.

Sun Xiu frowned and said seriously, "Sun Chen! Why don't you bow to your elders?!"

Zhang Bu was stunned for a moment, then realized that these words were spoken to him. He hurriedly pulled Puyang up and stood up, bowing to the prince.

Sun Chen also greeted Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing very cautiously.

Sun Xiu pointed at his sons and said seriously, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Puyang, I have always regarded you as my arms. Now that I have little time left, I want to entrust this child to you. I hope you can assist him wholeheartedly, so that he can resist Cao Cao outside and comfort the subjects at home."

Zhang Bu had sworn an oath, so naturally he didn't say much. Puyang Xing also swore hastily, "I will obey your majesty's orders and assist the crown prince with all my strength. I will never break my oath!"

Seeing the two men so determined, Sun Xiu finally breathed a sigh of relief, ordered someone to take the prince away, and then signaled them to come forward.

Sun Xiu said, "In the past few days, I've heard that the ministers have been interacting with the royal family. I think they are dissatisfied with the crown prince. If you want to support the crown prince in the future, they will certainly not submit easily. Puyang Lord, I intend to appoint you as Prime Minister, in charge of the court affairs. You will assist and control the ministers. If anyone disobeys, you will punish him and dismiss him."

Sun Xiu looked at Zhang Bu standing beside him again.

"General Zhang, you will continue to serve as the Commander of the Central Army. I will also give you the position of Secretary. The two of you will complement each other and assist the Crown Prince. In addition, I will also inform the Empress, and she will issue orders for you."

Sun Xiu slowly talked about the many arrangements for the future.

The two of them listened very attentively.

It was not until Sun Xiu started coughing violently again that he waved his hand helplessly, signaling the two to leave.

When the two walked out of the palace, they both felt a little heavy.

Their own abilities are not particularly outstanding, and they are able to have their current status entirely because of Sun Xiu's favor. But now that Sun Xiu is gone, what should they do?

The two looked at each other, both of them had a lot to say to each other, and they got into the car tacitly and walked towards Zhang Bu's mansion.

Sitting in the carriage, both of them were thinking and did not speak.

After returning to the mansion, walking into the study and closing the door, Puyang Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"If we can help the Crown Prince succeed, then we will truly have the final say in the Wu Kingdom!"

It can be seen that Puyang Xing still has some ideas.

But Zhang Bu shook his head. "Don't even think about it. It's impossible. The ministers won't allow us to take control of the situation so easily. In their eyes, we are of humble origins and have no merit. Although I nominally have military power, if a real fight breaks out, the private armies of the big families will be no less powerful."

"By then, not to mention becoming a powerful official, you might even lose your life!"

After all, Puyang Xing is prone to getting hot, but Zhang Bu is still very calm.

The big families in Wu State are not like those in Wei State who can only make things difficult for you. The big families here have their own private armies. Zhang Bu is sure that if he ever wants to become a powerful official, the big families will unite, wipe out his entire clan, and then choose an outstanding person to succeed him.

Following Zhang Bu's explanation, Puyang Xing's thoughts calmed down. What Zhang Bu said made some sense.

Sun Xiu's reign in Wu was short, and Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing's foundations were weak. They had not had time to cultivate their own confidants and trusted followers, so their power was still relatively weak.

If they wanted to follow Sun Xiu's instructions and use the help of the Crown Prince, the Queen and the ministers to confront each other, they would be the ones who would be in trouble in the end.

The prince may be fine, and no one will punish the queen, but in the end, the two of them will be dragged out and punished.

Thinking of this, both of them forgot the oath they made to Sun Xiu.

Puyang Xing licked his lips and then said, "What should we do then? Should we go to Fan Shen?"

Fan Shen was the leader of the famous scholars in Jiangdong at that time. He was a minister. Because he had contradicted the emperor many times, he was not favored by the emperor. However, his reputation inside and outside the court was very huge, and all the ministers supported him very much.

Zhang Bu pondered for a moment before saying, "We can't rush to join them. After all, they are not our kind. If we go to them without any precautions, we might get killed."

The two of them discussed countermeasures and tried various methods, but none of them seemed appropriate.

Puyang Xing felt like he had become a eunuch at this moment!
All power comes from the emperor, but once the emperor falls, he finds that he has no power in the temple.

What should we do?
The current situation is quite unfavorable to them. There are still Shi Ji, Fan Shen, Meng Zong, Ding Gu, Lou Xuan, He Shao and others in the court, and there are also Lu Kang, Ding Feng, Wei Miao, Wu Yan and others outside.

But none of these people were close to them.

After becoming favored ministers, Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing offended almost all the ministers they could, which was extremely disadvantageous to them.

Just as the two were thinking hard, a servant suddenly spoke softly outside the door.

The two men immediately stopped talking, and Zhang Bu cautiously walked to the door. "What happened?"

"My lord, there is a guest who wants to see you."

Zhang Bu narrowed his eyes, "Who is it?"

"It's General Wan Yu, the Left Commander."

Puyang Xing was furious. He cursed, "Who dares to disturb us? Get out of here!"

However, Zhang Bu stretched out his hand to stop him. Puyang Xing and Zhang Bu were actually from prominent families, but the gap between their family and other prominent families was a bit large. Zhang Bu's clan had hardly ever produced an official of two thousand stones, and had always been wandering around in the counties, almost falling into the status of a powerful family. Puyang Xing was an outsider. He came from a prominent family in Chenliu, and his status in Jiangdong was very embarrassing.

But unlike Zhang Bu, his father was a 2,000-stone official, and his great-grandfather was called Puyang Kai!
This man was a great Confucian scholar in the late Han Dynasty. He had many disciples and had extremely high attainments in classics. Therefore, Puyang Xing's background was much better than Zhang Bu's.

Zhang Bu stopped the servant. He turned to look at Puyang Xing and said, "Since this man dares to come and ask for an audience, perhaps he really has something important to tell me. Let's meet him first."

Soon, the servant brought an ordinary scribe to them.

This person's appearance is very ordinary, and his figure is even more ordinary. Although he is not to the extent that Zhong Hui would drag him out and beat him with a military stick just by looking at him, he still faces great resistance if he wants to climb up.

Wan Yu hurriedly bowed to the two important figures in front of him.

But Puyang Xing looked at him with some disdain.

"What's your business?"

Puyang Xing asked directly.

Wan Yu hurriedly said, "I recently obtained a treasure from a merchant. I heard it was a piece of jade from Yongliang. I came here specially to present it to General Zhang."

Zhang Bu smiled, took the gift, glanced at it casually, and then accepted it.

Puyang Xing was still somewhat unhappy, but for Zhang Bu's sake, he did not continue to embarrass him.

Zhang Bu said calmly, "Mr. Puyang is not an outsider. If you have any questions, just let me know."

Wan Yu then spoke up, "Lord Zhang, Lord Puyang, I heard that His Majesty has appointed a crown prince and wants you to assist him."

He took a deep breath and said quickly, "But I think that the prince is still young. The Wu Kingdom is facing external enemies and internal troubles. It is not appropriate for a young emperor to inherit the throne!"

"I know a man who is talented and decisive, very much like the former King Huan of Changsha. He is very studious and abides by the law, never daring to do anything that breaks the rules. He is dutiful, loyal, and kind, making him the perfect candidate to inherit the throne!"

"Bold!!"

Before he could finish, Puyang Xing interrupted him angrily.

"Is it your place as a petty official to speak out against the great affairs of the world?"

Zhang Bu glanced at Puyang Xing, signaling him not to get angry. Then he asked, "Who is this person you are talking about?"

Wan Yu raised his head and said confidently:

"Sun Hao, Marquis of Wucheng!"

(End of this chapter)