Chapter 417: Your Majesty, we have lived up to your trust. Duke Anguo Cao Mao has submitted a letter
Chapter 417: Your Majesty, we have lived up to your trust. Duke Anguo Cao Mao has submitted a letter of resignation and is willing to hand over military power.
In the imperial study room.
"Squeak." After finishing lunch, Xu Zhenguan walked back to the place where he handled government affairs, stood by the window, and pushed open a window with his slender white hands.
woo-
The cold wind blew on the empress's face, ruffling her hair slightly. Xu Zhenguan's eyelashes trembled and his eyes narrowed. His clear pupils like a baby's reflected the snow outside the window, which was fluttering like catkins.
Somewhat distracted.
She still remembered that the day of the Xuanmen coup was also a snowy day in the middle of winter.
At that time, shouts of killing filled every corner of the imperial city. Swords and sabers flashed by, and pools of scarlet blood splattered on the spacious square of the Meridian Gate.
As a layer of blood was spilled, a layer of white snow covered the sky. This cycle repeated several times until the blood and snow merged together, almost turning the sky red.
Now it is almost the third year. The visible sword light has disappeared, but the invisible sword light has never stopped.
"call……"
The cold wind picked up a snowflake, which swirled into the window and was caught in the palm of the empress's raised right hand. It melted into a drop of water in the blink of an eye.
Xu Zhenguan pursed her lips, and a little of her sleepiness disappeared. She did not close the window, but turned around, walked to the desk, and sat down upright.
Holding a pen in one hand, she used the other hand to pick a copy from the top of a pile of memorials on the table that were sent from the Xiuwenguan and needed her personal review.
Unfolding, the empress raised her eyebrows.
This was a memorial sent by the Governor-General of the Southern Grain Transport Administration, requesting the court to appoint new local officials as soon as possible to fill the vacancies.
Along with the implementation of the "New Deal", the campaign to purge the originally redundant officialdom has also been carried out vigorously in the past few months.
The method of assessing official administration proposed by Zhao Du'an had been initially drafted and implemented in Jiancheng Dao. As expected, a number of officials were dismissed.
When a group of people fall, new manpower is urgently needed to fill the gap. This was originally the responsibility of Li Yanfu of the Ministry of Personnel, but now it has been returned to the hands of the empress through the "new cabinet".
"A new generation replaces the old."
The empress was in a daze, but her mind had already drifted outside the palace. She was worried about Duke Cao's final decision.
She went to great lengths to create such a situation, all in the end, just to regain the military power of Jubei City at the lowest cost.
If Cao Mao refused to cooperate and fought with her, even if he could get the military power back in the end, he would have to pay a heavy price.
I don't know how long I was distracted.
"Your Majesty," the female official's voice came from outside the door, "Lord Zhao requests to see you."
As if awakened from a dream, Xu Zhenguan stood up suddenly and said anxiously:
"please come in!"
"Yes." The female official responded and left.
However, Xu Zhenguan could no longer sit still, and walked out quickly, his long black hair fluttering behind him. When she leaned against the door, he looked into the distance through the flying snow.
A moment later, a tall figure holding an oil-paper umbrella and wearing a red cloak walked over.
The accumulated snow covered the umbrella, with bits of snow falling on the cloak and a little bit sticking to the black hair crown on Zhao Duan's head.
He walked through the courtyard, leaving a trail of footprints behind him, and the female officials and eunuchs nearby tactfully stepped back.
"Zhao Qing...how is it?"
Xu Zhenguan stared at him solemnly, with a hint of uncertainty in his dark eyes.
Zhao Duan stepped into the corridor, closed the oil-paper umbrella with both hands, with the tip of the umbrella pointing downward, and when he rotated the umbrella handle, the accumulated snow fell down.
Then he looked at the empress, the corners of his expressionless face slowly rose, and he presented the letter in his sleeve with both hands:
"Your Majesty, we have lived up to your trust. Duke Anguo Cao Mao has submitted a letter of resignation and is willing to hand over the military power. The northern border troops have become your Majesty's possession."
The dust settles!
Become!
As Zhao Duan uttered these words, the heavy stone hanging in Xu Zhenguan's heart finally fell to the ground.
She was in a trance for a moment, and then the corners of her mouth turned up, as if she wanted to laugh, but because Zhao Duan was present, she held it back. All the subtle expressions were extremely interesting.
Zhao Duan blinked and said seriously, "It's harmful to your health to hold it in. How about I smile to Your Majesty first?"
"Pfft!"
He was suddenly attacked with a funny remark without any warning, and Xu Zhenguan finally broke down. He could no longer maintain the dignified posture of the emperor and revealed an undisguised, happy smile.
No one knows how much pressure she has accumulated in her heart in the past few days. It involves a border army and is different from the struggle in the court.
At this moment, knowing that the great thing had been accomplished, the empress felt her shoulders relax and she felt an indescribable sense of relief.
Zhao Duan found it interesting, blinked his eyes, and said teasingly:
"Your Majesty, are you going to stand at the door and talk to me like this?"
The empress then woke up from her joy, glared at him coquettishly, snatched the resignation letter, turned around and walked into the study.
She flipped through the books happily - just like a girl who had received a New Year's present.
……
After Zhao Duan entered the room and took off his cloak, the emperor and his minister sat down, and the empress naturally asked for details.
Zhao Duan then recounted the entire incident, not forgetting to take credit for it:
"This victory was achieved thanks to your Majesty's wise leadership, Lord Yuan's control of the overall situation, and Lord Tang's contribution."
Xu Zhenguan couldn't hide his curiosity and asked:
"Earlier, Lord Yuan told me that he wanted you to participate in this matter, but he didn't tell me the details. Now, can you tell me how you got Lord Tang to help you?"
The empress was very surprised because the appearance of Duke Tang was not in her plan.
Originally, in the plan she had envisioned, the noble group in the capital would most likely help Cao Mao, and they would repeatedly wrestle with the "Lang Eighteen" case, which would inevitably involve many rounds of bargaining.
But after Zhao Duan joined, this problem that had originally given her a headache was easily solved.
"To be precise, it was not me who asked Duke Tang for help, but Duke Tang hinted from the beginning that I could look for him." Zhao Duan said seriously.
Talking about the process of seizing military power, looking back on it, he also felt that it was unexpectedly smooth.
That day, he was stopped by Yuan Li on his way home and read a "top secret document" given to him by the latter in the carriage.
Its core content is the information about the group of spies planted by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in Jubei City back then.
It was only after reading it that Zhao Duan suddenly realized that Zhenbao had already been sharpening his knife. When the empress took advantage of the situation and allowed Cao Mao to throw Lang Shiba into prison, she had already begun planning to use this case to seize power.
After learning about the existence of the big spy "Luo Ke Di", Zhao Duan immediately had many associations.
For example, Duke Tang’s actions in the Ministry of Justice’s prison.
At that time, he thought that the other party was returning a favor for Tang Zhao's matter, but when he thought about it carefully, he felt that something was wrong.
There are many ways to repay a favor, but helping him to slap Cao Mao in the face is undoubtedly a bit too much.
Even if there is a contradiction between the two, it is somewhat abrupt.
After realizing this, Zhao Duan thought carefully and remembered that many generals returned to Beijing at the end of this year.
Duke Tang was the only one who was completely unreserved. Not only did he keep his only son in the Shenji Camp and did not transfer him away, but when he returned to the capital, he also specially brought his daughter back with him.
Even if he was not given face at the beginning, it was only targeted at him, not the court.
"It was then that I suddenly realized that from Duke Tang's perspective, his going to the Ministry of Justice to support me seemed like he was returning a favor to me, but in fact, he was making his position clear."
Zhao Duan sighed:
"Zhao Shixiong's failure to return must have made Duke Tang feel that it was necessary to further demonstrate his loyalty to the court. Especially since I learned that the two dukes already had an old grudge, I simply went with the flow and went to Duke Tang to express my intention to impeach Cao Mao.
Duke Tang agreed very readily, almost taking the initiative to take on the task of persuading the nobles...
And if a powerful duke from the previous emperor's time comes forward in person, it will certainly be more appropriate for you, or even your Majesty, to speak... Duke Chen agreed to come forward because he was aware of the current situation in Yu State and did not want to see any more disputes. "
After Zhao Duan said this, he also felt emotional.
It can be said that seizing power from Cao Mao was the most successful attempt he had ever made to overthrow powerful officials, but if you think about it carefully, it is not surprising.
Because in this power struggle, Cao Mao was almost completely at a disadvantage.
If he hadn't returned to Beijing, perhaps things would have been extremely difficult, but from the moment he returned to Beijing, he was like a fly stepping into a spider's web.
The Empress, Duke Tang, Duke Chen, Yuan Li, Luo Ke Di... blocked and strangled them from every direction.
The biggest role Zhao Duan played in this, apart from inciting public opinion, was to act as a go-between and unite all forces to launch a thundering attack.
With such a large scale and such a huge disparity in strength, it would be surprising if Cao Mao didn't lose quickly.
From another perspective, Zhao Duan a year ago was still a small figure who could only rely on the power of others to barely mobilize manpower and defeat powerful enemies.
But today, he already holds great power and has made alliances. The reason why this time was so smooth is not because his status is different from before, right?
"Duke Tang is thoughtful," Xu Zhenguan was also touched after hearing this, and said self-deprecatingly:
"If those generals were all like Duke Tang, why would I worry about the stability of my country?"
Zhao Duan hesitated and asked tentatively:
"Then what is Your Majesty going to do with Zhao Shixiong?"
When this name was mentioned, Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes were filled with anger, but she still took a deep breath and said slowly:
"And appeasement is the best."
Zhao Duan nodded, not surprised.
This is the best way. If Zhao Shixiong doesn't come back, it will be difficult to check and balance the power. Especially after the news of Cao Mao's resignation spread, Zhao Shixiong dared not to come back.
"Prince Mu has tried to win over Zhao Shixiong many times, and now I'm afraid it will be effective."
Xu Zhenguan sighed and said, "The State of Yu has been seriously ill for a long time, so we should not rush into it. At least now that the risk of Jubei City has been resolved, the King of Yanshan in the north will no longer be a threat."
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said:
"Duke Tang told me that the reason he heard the rumors about me and the young master was because of the King of Hejian in Xiping Dao. Cao Mao learned about Lang Shiba's identity, and although he has not yet interrogated him, it must be related to King Jing or King Yanshan. These people are really masters at sowing discord."
Xu Zhenguan said contemptuously: "Sowing discord is ultimately a shady trick that cannot be seen in public."
Zhao Duan nodded and said with a smile:
“However, thanks to their instigation, Duke Tang was further inclined towards the imperial court, and Cao Mao defected prematurely.
After this incident, the Hejian King of Xiping Road was suppressed by Tang Guogong, and the Yanshan King of Tieguan Road was checked by Luo Kedi. Thus, two of the eight kings were eliminated.
Including the already shaken Prince of Huai'an, and the weakest Prince of Qiong who is in Lingnan and unlikely to become a force to be reckoned with... there are only four left."
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him with amusement:
"You are good at comforting people. None of the eunuchs around me are as good at speaking as you."
Zhao Duan was shocked and waved his hand to refuse sternly:
"I still need to stay useful and work hard for Your Majesty, but I dare not compete with the eunuchs."
Xu Zhenguan spat, "Shameless."
Zhao Duan was surprised:
Zhenbao actually understood? Your Majesty is so awesome...
The king and his ministers chatted and laughed for a while, and Zhao Duan stood up to say goodbye:
"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now." This time it was Xu Zhenguan's turn to be stunned. She stared at him in disbelief, thinking, shouldn't you be so shameless as to stay in the palace overnight on the pretext of heavy snow and wind?
At least you have to get a free meal. How come you left so easily this time?
Transitioned?
Zhao Duan seemed to see through her thoughts and said seriously:
"Your Majesty, do you think that I am really a frivolous person?"
After saying this, seeing that the empress was stunned and speechless, Zhao Duan bowed, put on his cloak elegantly, picked up the oil-paper umbrella on the door panel, stepped into the wind and snow again, and left.
After walking out of the palace in one breath, Zhao Duan's mouth slightly raised:
"Zhenbao, ah Zhenbao, let me show you some tricks..."
If a dog keeps licking, people will take it for granted. However, if he changes his nature appropriately, it will have a miraculous effect.
……
In the bedroom.
Xu Zhenguan stood quietly at the door, looking in the direction Zhao Duan left, and fell into deep thought.
The female officials nearby stole a glance cautiously, exchanging glances one by one:
What's wrong with you, Your Majesty? You seemed quite happy just now...
Also, Lord Zhao left so quickly this time. Wasn’t he going to stay overnight?
Suddenly, the female officials who couldn't restrain their gossiping hearts were stared at by a pair of eyes. They shrank their necks and bowed their heads to salute Mo Zhaorong who was walking from a distance.
Don't dare to think too much.
The "First Female Official" Mo Chou walked up to the Empress and asked softly, "Your Majesty?"
Xu Zhenguan finally came to her senses. She glanced at her trusted maid and suddenly asked, "What's the matter with you?"
"Mr. Zhao has made many contributions in the past few months. Have I forgotten to reward him?"
"Ah?" Mo Chou was stunned.
Xu Zhenguan muttered a few vague sentences to himself, and suddenly seemed to have made a decision, and said:
"In a few days, it will be New Year's Day. According to the rules, the emperor will hold a 'grand banquet'. I must invite all officials to the palace to celebrate New Year's Eve together... You must call the officials of the East Palace... Everything must be kept secret and not disclosed."
The empress whispered a few words. Mo Chou was confused at first, but gradually turned to astonishment:
"Your Majesty, this... is inappropriate, right? Lord Zhao is only a fourth-rank commander, how can he..."
Xu Zhenguan hesitated for two seconds and said, "Then let's give him a promotion first?"
Then he said with a sad face: "It's a bit too late."
"…I will go to the East Palace right now!"
Mo Chou hurriedly interrupted the empress's wild thoughts and strange ideas, took the order and left, walking hurriedly, almost running away.
Looking towards the palace gate, with a resentful look in his eyes:
"What kind of magic potion did you give His Majesty? You want His Majesty to prepare a special 'surprise' for you?"
……
……
On the other hand, Zhao, who had no idea that the empress had prepared a generous gift for him, left the palace in a happy mood.
He took the horse back from the guards, looked at the falling snow, and rode towards the Ministry of Justice prison.
Russian qing.
Zhao Duan arrived outside the prison again. This time, Minister Huang was not there. The "warden" in charge of the prison came out eagerly with a big smile on his face:
"Sir, you are here to see that..."
"Well, lead the way." Zhao Duan said lightly.
The jailer didn't dare to ask any more questions and just led the way. After a while, Zhao Duan saw Lang Shiba in the prison again.
At this moment, Lang Shiba, who was completely unaware of the changes in the external situation, was standing at the vent, looking up and feeling the wind.
Snow and wind poured in from the "品"-shaped vents, and the cold snow flakes sprinkled on the face of the Northern Blood Blade.
"What a pleasure! I thought you would give up on yourself and lie down waiting to die." Came the voice of Zhao Duan.
Lang Shiba opened his eyes, dragged the shackles, and slowly turned around. Under his messy long hair, his weathered face full of blue stubble looked at Zhao Duan unexpectedly and explained:
"I grew up in Tieguandao, and in my memory, there was snow every year at the end of the year.
When I was seven years old, a Taoist priest came to my house to ask for water to drink. He told me that it would snow on the day I was born and it would snow on the day I died. Now it seems that the Taoist priest had magical powers.
Lang Shiba smiled and looked at Zhao Duan's empty hands, as if he had understood something, and said:
"Has my case been decided? When will I be taken to the execution ground? Today or tomorrow?"
Zhao Duan shook his head and said in the latter's confused eyes:
"Your case will be retried in a few days, but because Cao Mao resigned, this case will not involve too many people. It will only stop at his son who was hacked to death by you. It's not perfect, but at least you won't die.
Well, I came here to tell you, don't be so stupid as to commit suicide in advance, stay here for a few more days, and after the case procedures are completed, His Majesty will give you a pardon... Then, you can get your original identity back."
Lang Shiba's expression froze for a moment, as if his brain was filled with rusty gears that could not turn for a moment:
"What's the meaning?"
Zhao Duan patiently explained what happened and then said:
"That's about it. I'm leaving now. I'll give you a welcome drink when you come out."
After a pause, he added: "It seems that the Taoist priest is a liar."
Zhao Duan turned and left.
Only Lang Shiba was left standing in the cell in a daze, his messy hair illuminated by the beam of light coming through the hole.
He suddenly rushed to the cell door, holding the railing with both hands, looking at Zhao Duan who was about to walk out at the end of the corridor, and shouted loudly:
"Sir! Can I still serve you in the future?"
Zhao Duan's back paused:
"random."
Immediately, he walked out of the prison gate, raised his face, and let the cold snowflakes fall on his face.
He knew in his heart: It was not until this moment that he could completely accept Lang Shiba as his great general.
……
……
Zhenguogongfu.
"Father! Father!"
Two figures quickly pushed the door open and entered the courtyard, walking along the courtyards of the mansions while shouting excitedly.
A moment later, brother and sister Tang Zhao and Tang Ping excitedly pushed open the door of the study and looked at Duke Tang, who was dressed like a wealthy man and holding a thick wolf-hair brush, writing with ink.
The latter raised his eyebrows and smiled: "It seems to be good news."
Yanzhi Ma Tang Zhao said with great joy:
"Cao Mao has taken the initiative to submit his resignation! That Cao Ke Di has actually surrendered to Your Majesty a long time ago, and will return to Beicheng to take over Cao Mao's position!"
Young Master Tang Ping was not as quick-witted as his second sister, so he could only say:
"I heard that you invited Duke Chen to come out of retirement? How did you do that?"
Although the two of them only participated in the small task of military public opinion in this operation, they got the opportunity to go to the Golden Palace and present a petition.
It would be so exciting, not only Tang Ping, but even Tang Zhao felt it was thrilling... It was more interesting than winning a battle.
Duke Tang was stunned for a moment, and seemed to suddenly realize:
"Cao Ke Di...is it really him?"
The brother and sister gathered around, chattering about the details:
"Father, please tell us what happened. Also...what did Lord Zhao discuss with you that night? Was it to convey His Majesty's order?"
Duke Tang smiled and shook his head.
"It's not that complicated. He spoke, and I, as a father, waited for him to speak. That's all."
The brother and sister looked at each other and exchanged glances.
Tang Ping: Second sister, do you understand?
Tang Zhao: What do you think?
Tang Ping: ...
The brother and sister looked up to the sky and sighed, the court was so complicated.
……
……
Imperial Office, Pear Blossom Hall.
The men in brocade robes returned to the hall in a mighty procession, and they were still excitedly discussing what had just happened.
Qian Kerou pushed open the duty room door, sat down, and looked around:
"Hey, the one with red clothes and no eyes..."
Hou Ren suddenly took off his sword and placed it horizontally on the table: "Ji Yue."
"Yes, what about that Ji Yue girl? Didn't your Excellency ask her to live in the hall first?" Qian Kerou asked.
The men in brocade clothes stopped moving abruptly and looked at each other in confusion.
Then he became nervous. If he lost the person, wouldn't it be difficult for him to wait for the adults to come back...
"Ah! There's a ghost in the well!"
Suddenly, there was a scream from outside the door.
Everyone was stunned and ran out to the well in the next yard.
A white servant in charge of the kitchen in the yamen sat on the ground, using his hands and feet in fear to retreat away from the wellhead, with a bucket of water lying on the ground next to him.
Seeing someone coming, he shouted, "I...I came to fetch water and saw a head at the bottom of the well!"
Everyone felt like they were facing a powerful enemy.
The next second, the sorceress Ji Yue, who was soaking wet, with disheveled hair and pupilless eyes, slowly climbed out of the well.
Everyone: "..."
Ji Yue weakly faced the countless gazes and explained in a low voice: "I..."
Shen Juan took a deep breath and said, "You don't need to explain. We all understand! Well, my parents will be back soon. Let me tell you something."
"Ah?" Ji Yue was at a loss.
Qian Kerou continued, "My master said that Lang Eighteen will not die."
"Ah?" Ji Yue was stunned.
……
Correct typos first and then correct them
(End of this chapter)