Chapter 942 Heart-to-heart talk
Chapter 942 Heart-to-heart talk
Pan Tao didn't stay in Pingyang for long. Half a month later, he took a car to Luoyang.
Outside the Jingu Garden, scholars gathered.
Everyone at that time knew that Yu Min, the Minister of the Chancellery of the Great Jin Dynasty, had summoned many scholars, monks and Taoists in the past few days and borrowed Wang Yan's Jingu Garden to hold a grand event.
When Pan Tao passed by Jingu Garden, Yu Min invited him warmly, but he smiled and declined, saying only that he had to rush to Luoyang to take care of official business.
He entered the palace on September 25th at the behest of the emperor. When he arrived at the Zhaoyang Palace, he frowned slightly, feeling that the place was filled with chaos and confusion: a large group of monks from the Prince Minhuai Temple, the Fashili Temple, and the White Horse Temple were performing rituals to pray for the emperor Sima Chi, who had recently fallen ill.
The monk in the middle was quite old, with white beard and eyebrows. Judging from his face, he was not of Chinese descent, but a foreign monk from the Western Regions.
When Pan Tao entered, someone whispered something in the old monk's ear.
The old monk remained unmoved and insisted on finishing reciting the scriptures before he stood up and bowed to Pan Tao.
Pan Tao was somewhat surprised and asked, "Master, you are a layman, why do you need to kneel down and worship?"
The old monk clasped his hands together and said, "I am bowing to the dragon spirit, not to you, sir."
When Pan Tao heard this, he knew that this person was playing tricks, and he was immediately unhappy. He wanted to ignore him, but then he couldn't help but teach him a lesson: "Alchemists, monks and Taoists are used to deliberately making up stories to confuse the world. You don't do fortune-telling, you don't do witchcraft, and you don't look up at the stars. How can you be so sure?"
The old monk was not in a hurry and just said, "Buddhists have supernatural powers. They don't need to read the hands and feet, the face, or use yarrow and bowls to predict the future, or watch the stars to know many mysteries."
"Oh? Do you know how the war in Qinzhou is going?" Pan Tao asked with a cold snort.
The battle situation in Qinzhou will only be reported to King Liang who is still in Chang'an, and then sent to various places.
If it is urgent, it can be delivered to Luoyang within ten days by rushing five hundred miles. However, the progress of most wars will not be so urgent. Instead, it will be delivered step by step. It will take at least a month, or even longer, for it to reach Luoyang.
He didn't believe that this old man, sitting in Luoyang, could know what was happening in Qinzhou.
However, after hearing Pan Tao's words, the old monk was not in a hurry, but ordered the novice monk to fetch rouge and hold it in his palm. He then retracted his palm into his sleeve and moved it back and forth like a seizure.
Everyone's attention was drawn to it; even the newly arrived Queen Liang Lanbi stood there quietly watching.
After a moment, the old monk showed his palm.
Pan Tao took a closer look and saw several human figures drawn on the paper like ghost paintings, and the one in the middle had a horizontal line on his neck.
"What does this mean?" Pan Tao asked.
"Shi Wu, the Xiongnu King of Jiuquan, has surrendered, and Shi Le has been captured," said the old monk.
When these words were spoken, everyone was surprised.
Pan Tao pondered for a moment, called an attendant, and said, "You stay at the post station for the next few days, and report back as soon as there is any news."
"Yes, sir." The follower turned and left.
Pan Tao looked at the old monk again and asked, "What is your name?"
"Indian Buddha Tucheng."
"It's you." Pan Tao had obviously heard of this name and knew that this person was somewhat capable, but he had never been able to figure out his various tricks.
At this time, all I could hear were palace maids, guards, and officials bowing down one after another: "Greetings to the Queen."
Pan Tao was startled, straightened his robe, and also prostrated himself on the ground.
"Everyone, please stand up." Queen Liang Lanbi opened her red lips and spoke softly.
Everyone stood up one after another.
"Mr. Pan, please follow me." Liang Lanbi looked at Pan Tao and said.
"Yes, sir." Pan Tao bowed again and followed quickly.
The Zhaoyang Palace was empty, lonely, and remote, with a desolate and cold look.
Before she walked, the only sound was the rustling of the queen's jewelry.
As they walked, Liang Lanbi suddenly asked, "Has the King of Liang taken over all of Guanxi?"
"When I left Chang'an, Qinzhou was not yet fully possessed," Pan Tao replied.
"So we're going to continue fighting?" Liang Lanbi stopped and asked.
"Of course we have to fight." Pan Tao replied.
"Warfare is tough, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Liang Lanbi said nothing more and just walked forward in silence.
Pan Tao quietly pondered the conversation that had just taken place, feeling a little confused, and making some disrespectful guesses in his mind.
The emperor's bedroom was soon reached.
Sima Chi was lying on the couch, his face pale and sad.
He wasn't pretending to be sick, he was really sick -
Shao Xun suffered a "minor illness" when he subdued the Tuoba Xianbei;
When the news of the capture of Chang'an reached Luoyang, his "illness worsened";
When his ministers congratulated him on his "restoration", he fell seriously ill and fell ill.
Everyone knew what was going on. The emperor had a heart disease that could not be cured.
Today, Pan Tao came to the court. He was reluctant to agree, but now he could not make the decision and could only summon him while he was sick.
Liang Lanbi stopped more than ten steps outside the bedroom, and was not in a hurry to go in. Instead, he turned around and whispered, "Someone in the court mentioned the matter of abdication recently. His Majesty was furious and ordered to remove the person from office. Is it because of this that Mr. Pan came here today?" Pan Tao did not expect the queen to speak so directly, but he was also a person who had been in the officialdom for a long time and was quite thick-skinned. He just bowed and said, "Prince Liang has fought hundreds of battles and pacified the world. If he can abdicate, the current emperor will not lose his position as a duke. If not, then-"
Pan Tao didn't continue.
What would happen if the emperor refused to do so? Actually, it was not difficult, but it was a bit ugly.
Everyone knows that the emperor was mentally ill and could not get up. So, it is normal for him to die of illness, right?
At worst, the crown prince could be allowed to ascend the throne as a transition and perform abdication.
Liang Lanbi naturally thought of it, and after a moment of silence, he looked toward the western sky, sighed slightly, and said: "It has come to this... The imperial seal and official seal in the palace are all in my hands."
Pan Tao subconsciously looked around.
Liang Lanbi retracted her gaze and said, "Since three years ago, the palace has been full of trustworthy people."
Pan Tao was speechless.
He vaguely knew about this matter. The Minister of Personnel Liang Fen might have been secretly involved in it, and King Liang should also know about it.
Women, once they become heartless, they can be really scary.
Pan Tao even doubted whether the emperor could ever leave the bedroom.
Liang Lanbi continued to move forward.
The palace maid pushed the door open and entered, with Pan Tao following closely behind. As soon as he entered the hall, he smelled a scent of medicine.
He looked up and soon found where Sima Chi was. He immediately stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, your servant Pan Tao greets you."
Sima Chi was much thinner than before, and his eyes were lifeless. When he heard the voice, he just glanced at Pan Tao and turned his head away, not letting him get up.
"Pan Qing, please get up." Liang Lanbi said from the side.
After saying this, he asked the palace servants to bring a couch for him to sit on.
"Thank you, Queen, for the seat." Pan Tao sat down.
Sima Chi turned his head again and looked at Liang Lanbi with resentment.
Liang Lanbi didn't look at him, but was thinking about something else.
"Why did Shao Xun ask you to come here?" Sima Chi looked up at the sky and asked.
"I was not sent by King Liang. I came here on my own." Pan Tao said while sitting upright.
Sima Chi sneered, but his face looked so sick that his smile was uglier than his crying.
Pan Tao ignored him and said, "I have read all the ancient books. During the time of Yao and Shun, there were cases of abdication and cession of power. During the time of Yin and Zhou, there were wars and revolutions."
"Since the Yongjia period, bandits have risen up in large numbers, and the nine provinces have been torn apart. The rich and powerful have been stranded on the roads, and the common people have been plunged into disaster. Therefore, the country is in turmoil, and wolves are rampant."
"Fortunately, God has descended upon us, and King Liang has accepted the order. He has put down the chaos and brought order to the country, thus truly rebuilding the country."
"Today, our country extends to the sea in the east, Qinliang in the west, the jungle in the south, and the quicksand in the north. Wherever the great banner points, everyone obeys. Wherever the horse chariot goes, the people are friendly. The scholars and common people are sincerely convinced, and the people are excited. Only then do we know that the Jin Dynasty will end, and the Liang Dynasty will rise..."
"Shut up!" Sima Chi couldn't help cursing after hearing this, "Pan Tao, you have enjoyed the salary of the Jin Dynasty, but you have become a traitor. If your ancestors knew about this, would you feel ashamed?"
Pan Tao smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that after Muye, there was Song that inherited the Yin. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, there was also the beauty of Shanyang and Chenliu. The King of Liang rose from the ranks of the harsh army and fought in the midst of fierce battles. He has been powerful for twenty years. Your Majesty knows how the Jin Dynasty gained the world, so there is no need for me to elaborate."
"The King of Liang once said, 'The path of the Former Qin was lost, and it was difficult to chase a lost deer; the government of the Later Han was scattered, and there was no stopping even if you looked at the crows.' Do you know the true meaning of this, Your Majesty?"
When Sima Chi heard this, he felt a chill in his heart. The anger that had just surged in his blood immediately dissipated, and he became a little panicked.
Did he really not even recognize Cao Wei and Sima Jin? Did he not recognize that this was the legitimate dynasty?
In this case, wouldn't the Sima family be reduced to a state even worse than King Zhou of Shang? After all, they still have the Song State to worship them.
And if he doesn't even recognize the Great Jin, then wouldn't the Sima royal family be able to be killed at will?
No, it was Pan Tao trying to scare him.
If Pan Tao said this to the outside world, he would not dare to say it. He would only threaten him deliberately in front of his bed to force him to agree to abdicate. If he gave in at this time, he would be fooled by him.
However, his decree cannot even be issued by the harem now, so what can be done even if they do not agree?
Sima Chi was clearly ill and his face was extremely pale, but now a few traces of blush appeared on his face.
Pan Tao was a little dumbfounded. Could it be that the emperor would be frightened by him and suddenly get better?
But it doesn’t matter anymore. Whether the emperor is seriously ill or recovering, it will not affect the overall situation.
If it really doesn't work, it might be more convenient to go directly to the East Palace and ask the prince to be the "regent".
Of course, he couldn't make the decision on such a big matter on his own; he had to get permission from King Liang.
Pan Tao thought about it and decided that the King of Liang definitely didn't want anything to happen to the emperor, because it was hard to explain. The best scenario was that the emperor was willing to abdicate and Liang Jin succeeded him smoothly, just like Cao Wei and Sima Jin.
He doesn't need to worry.
The momentum has just begun, things still need to brew for some time, and all the ceremonies and rituals have to be carried out slowly.
He still has time to deal with it slowly.
Thinking of this, he was too lazy to say more. After saying "Your Majesty, please think about it carefully", he bowed and took his leave.
When he came out of the bedroom, Pan Tao took a deep breath, and his mood, which had been tempered by the ups and downs of officialdom for decades, actually showed some ripples.
Threatening the emperor, hey! This feeling is simply indescribable.
(End of this chapter)