A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1234 Urgent Report Shocks the Heavenly Khan
East of the old imperial city of Luoyang,
Outside the Xuanren Gate of East City, a knight galloped on the street, "Get out of the way, everyone,"

The knight galloped on his horse in the street without paying any attention to the pedestrians on the road. The pedestrians were frightened and dodged to the side of the road. Some even fell down, causing a panic. However, the knight had no intention of stopping or slowing down and continued to gallop into Qinghuafang.

Many people cursed and were outraged, shouting that they wanted to catch up with the man and hand him over to the authorities.

A rogue from the Luoyang government office quickly stopped everyone.

"Didn't you see that the knight was wearing a tiger-print shirt, riding a leopard-print saddle, and the horse he rode was branded with the Northern Ya Hundred Riders?"

After being reminded by this bad guy, everyone realized that the knights charging recklessly were actually the Hundred Knights of the Imperial Guard.

One person was still unconvinced and said, "A hundred imperial guards can just ride on their horses in the street like this? Is there still any law?"

"Shut up now. Didn't you see that there's blood on the tiger-patterned shirt of the Hundred Rider? Something serious must have happened."

The bad guys working in the government office are the ones with the sharpest eyes.

Hundreds of riders galloped down the street, a bloody tiger-patterned shirt, and he rushed into Qinghuafang.

The bad guy immediately thought of a situation. The hundred riders were going to Luoyang Duting Posthouse. Luoyang Duting Posthouse was a large-scale posthouse in Luoyang, of a higher level than Lindu Posthouse outside the city.

Its location is also special.
Luoyang East City is a small city next to the Imperial City. Qinghuafang is just outside Xuanren Gate, the east gate of East City. Luoyang Duting Posthouse is located in Qinghuafang. Although it is still in the outer city of Luoyang, it is close to East City, which in turn supports the Imperial City and the Palace City.

When Luoyang was still the Eastern Capital, Duting Posthouse in Qinghuafang was very busy.

Even now, it is still very busy, with 105 post horses.

In the previous dynasty, Luoyang was the Eastern Capital, and the Duting Posthouse in Qinghuafang was too busy to handle it, so another Duting Posthouse was built in Jingxingfang, where the northern city was located, a little further east.

However, at present, Luoyang only has the Duting Posthouse in Qinghuafang and the Lindu Posthouse a few miles outside the city.

Hundreds of riders with bloodstained tiger shirts are galloping towards Qinghuafang. They must be heading to Duting Posthouse. Something big must have happened.

This bad guy greeted his brothers,

"Hurry up and disperse them. Don't block the Qinghuafang Gate. I think the post riders will come out soon."

"Sanlang, what big thing happened? Why are the hundreds of imperial guards so anxious?" asked a hanger-on.

The bad guy called Sanlang stroked his beard and said to his subordinates in a low voice, "Why are we out on the street today? Didn't we get an order from above, saying that Chang'an should be sent an urgent decree 500 miles away, asking Luoyang officials to pick up Wu Situ who was passing by and bring him into the city to rest for three days?
These hundred riders must have come from Chang'an to escort Wu Situ. They should have come to Luoyang City, but now they are rushing to Duting Posthouse. Something serious has happened."

The idlers were stunned, "Could it be that Wu Situ was assassinated?"

Sanlang slapped the guy and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Shut up and disperse them immediately. Talk less, listen more, watch more, and do your job well."

really,

After a while,
Several postmen rushed out from Qinghuafang, and the hundred riders who had just entered were also there.

"Eight hundred miles, eight hundred miles, anyone who stands in the way will die!"

It was still the hundred riders in the front, shouting loudly and clearing the way, followed by several postmen on horseback.

Behind each person were two small red flags, one of which read "Express delivery over 800 miles away" and the other "Immediate delivery by air."

The bad guy Wei Sanlang couldn't help but gasp when he saw this situation.

It turned out to be an express delivery of 800 miles.

For general official documents, the post horses would deliver them at six post stations, 180 miles a day. For important military matters, such as pardons, the horses would deliver them at ten post stations, 300 miles a day.
Chang'an and Luoyang are 850 miles apart, and can be reached in two days in case of emergency.

The emperor ordered that the troops should travel 500 miles a day and reach more than 16 post stations.

Wei San was a local tyrant in Luoyang. To be honest, he had never seen an express delivery service of 800 miles from Duting Post Station.

Those postmen with red flags on their backs, if they killed people, it was all in vain.

Not only will it be in vain, but you will also be punished for delaying the delivery.

Wei San hurried to Nancheng on the south bank of Luo River, wanting to know what shocking event had happened.

The post riders left Duting Posthouse,

Running all the way to Chang'an,

From one post station to another, the post riders flow like stars.

Horses and people were constantly changed along the way, and the relay was passed on without a moment's delay.

Normally, it takes at least two days to finish the race.
They ran the 850 miles in one day and one night, without stopping at night.

A total of thirty-three post stations.

Finally, in the evening of the next day, the postman arrived at the first post station fifteen miles east of Chang'an City, Changle Post Station at the foot of Changle Slope.

Changle Slope, which is close to the Chan River, not only has the Changle Palace built on the slope, but also the Chan River, which flows out of the Qinling Mountains and passes through Lantian, at the bottom of the slope.

There are many villas and manors built by the nobles of Chang'an.

Surrounded by clear water and shaded by green willows, this place has beautiful scenery.
It even became a popular place for people in Chang'an to welcome and see off guests.

Changle Posthouse is thirteen miles east of Zishui Posthouse and thirteen miles west of Duting Posthouse.

At dusk, Changlepo is a peaceful scene.
The smoke from the cooking stoves at Changle Posthouse also rose.

The postmen were also washing the horses,
On the official road, there was suddenly a rapid sound of horse hooves, raising clouds of dust.

"Eight hundred miles express,"

Two riders rushed into Changle Posthouse, breaking the tranquility of the twilight.

The sound alarmed the postmaster and servants in the post station, as well as the officials and messengers who were resting there, and even the people who were digging and transporting sand on the Chan River who were passing by, all of them could not help but look over.

Eight hundred miles express. Although Changle Posthouse was a new posthouse built between Chang'an Duting Posthouse and Zishui Posthouse in the early Zhenguan period, it has been more than ten years since its establishment and there has never been an eight hundred miles express.

The postmaster looked at the two post riders and the same red flags on their backs and knew that they were extraordinary.

Generally, it took one postman to deliver official documents; even an imperial edict was delivered by one postman.

But now there are two postmen. This is to prevent accidents on the road. So two postmen deliver messages at the same time. In case one of them has something wrong, the other can ensure that the urgent message continues to be delivered.

This is very rare.

After all, with this kind of expedited driving, there will be no horsepower left on the road. If you run at full speed, you have to keep changing horses, which is too much for people, so they have to be replaced.

"Where are you from?" The postmaster hurried forward to greet him.

"Luoyang Dudufu sent him to Chang'an in an emergency of 800 miles."

"What happened?"

Is there anyone rebelling?

Even if a major disaster occurs, it is impossible to use the 800-mile express service.

"Hurry up and arrange for the postman to deliver the letter to Chang'an City."

The postman took down the sealed letter box and the two small red flags.

The postmaster dared not delay. If he delayed the express delivery of 800 miles, he would be beheaded.

He quickly called the two youngest and strongest postmen with the best riding skills in Changle Post Station, and arranged two of the best post horses.

"Hurry and send it to Chang'an,"

"Which government office should I send it to?"

"Send it to Chang'an Duting Posthouse or somewhere else?"

"No need to send it to Duting Posthouse, send it directly to Menxia Provincial Government Hall."

The postmaster was shocked, but he quickly made arrangements.

Fortunately, it is only ten miles away from Chang'an.

The evening drum should have sounded by now, but the city gate should not have been completely closed. If we run faster, we can get into the city before the Chang'an city gate is completely closed.

Political Hall.

Wei Zheng has been seriously ill recently and has been recuperating at home.
The affairs of the Menxia Province were temporarily presided over by the Yellow Gate Minister Chu Suiliang.

Chu Suiliang was talking to Liu Li in the public house.
Liu Ji was originally the Minister of the Imperial Court and was appointed Prime Minister with the title of Canyu Zhengshi. Chu Suiliang had just been promoted to the Minister of the Imperial Court, and yesterday he was also the Prince's guest. Today he was appointed Prime Minister with the title of Canyu Zhengshi.
After Chu Suiliang was appointed prime minister, Liu Li was appointed as Palace Attendant by the emperor, and was given the title of Silver and Green Guanglu Doctor, and was also given the title of Guardian, so he still participated in state affairs.

Both of them were prime ministers, but Chu Suiliang replaced Liu Li as the Yellow Gate Minister, so the two of them were making a handover.

Although Liu Li was still the prime minister and still had a place in the Menxia Province, it was in the Zhengshi Hall, not in the Menxia Province.

Liu Li was quite envious of Chu Suiliang, as his official career was much smoother than many others.

In fact, Chu Suiliang and Liu Li are half fellow villagers.

Chu Suiliang's father, Chu Liang, was an official of the Southern Chen Dynasty. He was appreciated by the last emperor of Chen and was appointed as the Minister of the Palace. After the Sui Dynasty destroyed the Chen Dynasty, he entered the palace and became a scholar of the Eastern Palace. During the Daye period, he was a doctor of the Ministry of Rites. Later, he was implicated by Yang Xuangan and demoted to the Minister of Revenue of Xihai.
Xue Ju raised an army to rebel against the Sui Dynasty and recruited him as the Yellow Gate Minister. Later, Li Shimin defeated Xue Ju and his son and summoned Chu Suiliang to be a scholar in the Literature Institute of the Qin Palace. He was promoted to Tongzhi Sanqi Changshi and was granted the title of Marquis.

Chu Suiliang followed his father to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and had been in the Literary Institute of the Qin Palace. Later, he was in charge of the daily life of the Hongwen Institute and was called the director.

After that, he was appointed as the Recorder of the Emperor, recording the words and deeds of the emperor. Later, he was recommended by Wei Zheng to be the Emperor's Secretary.

Liu Li, whose hometown was Jiangling, was summoned by Xiao Xin at the end of Daye period and was also appointed as Huangmen Shilang. Later, he defected to the Tang Dynasty and served as the Chief Clerk of the Nankang Military Governor's Office, then as Jieshi Zhong, and then as Zhishu Shiyushi, Shangshu Youcheng, Huangmen Shilang, and finally as prime minister.

There were two major turning points in Liu Li's official career. First, he once supported Wei Wang Li Tai with Cen Wenben, Du Chuke, Hou Junji and others, and then was targeted and suppressed by Wu Huaiyu. Later, Wei Wang had no hope of competing for the throne, and the original Wei Wang Party was disbanded. Liu Li was demoted, and later he was won over by Wu Huaiyu and joined the Eastern Palace. With Wu Huaiyu's support, he was promoted to Huangmen Shilang and was also appointed prime minister.

But now, he was demoted from Imperial Court Assistant Minister to Palace Attendant, and although he was still the Prime Minister, it was already a very bad signal. First, he was transferred out of the Menxia Province, and the next step might be dismissal from his position as Prime Minister.

Chu Suiliang is feeling proud now. Liu Li knows that Chu Suiliang is not only appreciated by Wei Zheng, but he has also been Zhangsun Wuji's man for a long time.

Chu Suiliang, whose hometown is Hangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, joined the Guanlong faction headed by Changsun Wuji and Gao Shilian, and is now very proud.

When Prime Minister Wu returned to the court this time, he was demoted, followed by a major reshuffle of officials in the Eastern Palace and even the Council of State.

The three new prime ministers, Li Ji, Yang Shidao and Chu Suiliang,
With the addition of Changsun Wuji, who had just been recalled to the court, their relationship became even closer.

Nowadays, the prime ministers in the Council of State have undergone great changes.

The post of Zuo Pushe was held by Fang Xuanling, and the post of You Pushe was vacant. The post of Zhongshu Ling was held by Ma Zhou, and the post of Shizhong Wei Zheng was held by Wei Zheng, but he was too ill to take up the post.

Then, the Imperial Censor Zhang Liang, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Cen Wenben, the Prince's Grand Tutor Xiao Yu, the Imperial Household Minister Chu Suiliang, and the Imperial Attendant Liu Ji were all given the title of Participant in Government Affairs and appointed as Prime Ministers.
The Minister of War Li Ji, the Minister of Personnel Yang Shidao, and the Grand Master of the Imperial Secretariat Gao Shilian were all appointed as prime ministers with the third rank of the Secretariat.

Among the eleven prime ministers in the Council of State, eight were admitted to the Council of State by virtue of their official titles.

Among them, he and Ma Zhou are the only ones from Wu Huaiyu's faction, and he is expected to be dismissed from his position as prime minister soon.

The situation is a bit bad.

Liu Li now couldn't help but doubt himself. The emperor doted on King Wei so much in the past, and even openly expressed his intention to change the crown prince. He supported King Wei, but ended up being demoted in the end.

Later, he followed Wu Huaiyu onto the ship of the Eastern Palace. Now his position as crown prince is still secure, but he was about to be dismissed from his position as prime minister because of his involvement with Wu Huaiyu.

Why do I always stand on the wrong side?

Chu Suiliang poured him another cup of tea, and his words and actions actually revealed a meaning.

Change the gate,

Everyone supported the prince, but advised him not to follow Wu Huaiyu anymore.
If they didn't follow Wu Huaiyu, they would naturally form an alliance with Zhangsun Guojiu. Their faction also included Prime Minister Gao Shilian, Yang Shidao, and Chu Suiliang.

He even hinted that Zhang Liang and Li Ji were also their people.

But Liu Li didn't believe it. Li Ji was a cautious and meticulous person, just like Li Jing. He might be friendly with the prince's uncle, but he would never join them directly.

Zhang Liang would only be the emperor's man. If we really want to say which prime minister he was closer to, it would only be Fang Xuanling.

Liu Li did not express his opinion.
He felt that Wu Huaiyu could not possibly lose power like this.

When he supported King Wei, he had a head-on confrontation with Wu Huaiyu. That man had endless tricks and was even better at winning people over.

He wanted to take another look.

An old official from the Ministry of Personnel came in somewhat panic.
"Prime Minister Chu, Prime Minister Liu, hurry eight hundred miles, something big has happened,"

"What do you mean by 800 miles in a hurry? But the Xueyantuo are going south to invade the border?"

"No, it's Wu Situ,"

"What happened to Situ Wu?" Liu Li stood up suddenly. Could something have happened to Wu Huaiyu?

"Situ Wu was assassinated in Luoyang City yesterday. He was hit by two arrows and was seriously injured and unconscious. It is unknown whether he is alive or dead!"

hiss!
Chu Suiliang and Liu Li both couldn't help but gasp, how could this be possible.

Shocked.

"Report to His Majesty immediately." Chu Suiliang said anxiously.

Liu Li nodded, but his heart was filled with shock. Prime Minister Wu was suddenly demoted four days ago, and the emperor was suspected of purging the Wu Party in the past two days.

Now Wu Huaiyu was assassinated in Luoyang, and his life or death is unknown.
Is there no connection between these series of events? It can't be such a coincidence.

The birds are gone and the bows are hidden.

This thought arose in Liu Li's mind and could not be shaken off.

He knew that Wu Huaiyu went to Yingzhou without his own personal entourage, but the emperor had sent a team of 100 imperial guards to escort him.
How could he be assassinated in Luoyang City?
Furthermore,

Wu Huaiyu was not going to enter Luoyang City originally, but the emperor specially sent an imperial edict at an express speed of 500 miles to allow Wu Huaiyu to enter Luoyang to rest for three days.

Is this also a coincidence?
These are linked together,

No matter how you look at it, it seems like the emperor wants to eliminate Wu Huaiyu and the Wu Party.

Liu Li was a little panicked because he was also thought to be Wu Huaiyu's man.

Chu Suiliang called Liu Ji to go to see the emperor.
It was getting late and the palace gates were about to close.

"Your Majesty is not in Taiji Palace,"

"We have a hundred thousand urgent matters to report."

"Your Majesty is in the Daming Palace."

The eunuch hurriedly invited Zhang Ananda to come.
"The palace gate will be closed soon. Even if you leave Taiji Palace, you can't enter Daming Palace now."

"Zhang Jian, Situ Wu was assassinated in Luoyang yesterday. His life or death is unknown. This is the news that has just been sent from Luoyang in an expedited manner over 800 miles."

Zhang Ananda was also extremely shocked when he heard this.

"Let's go on horseback."

The three men rode horses, led by Zhang Ananda, passed through many palace checkpoints and arrived at the Daming Palace.

Finally, they arrived before the palace gates closed.

Zhang Ananda led them into the Daming Palace.
In the Purple Palace, the emperor had recently suffered from a relapse of his illness and had a headache. He had to put down his government affairs and lie down with his eyes closed to rest.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Jian brought Prime Minister Chu and Prime Minister Liu to the palace, saying that Luoyang is 800 miles away and they are rushing to deliver the message. Situ Wu was assassinated in Luoyang City yesterday and his life or death is unknown."

The emperor suddenly opened his eyes.

He sat up suddenly.

Then he stood up and walked out, but he stood up too fast and the emperor was already having a headache due to the attack of the wind. After just two steps, he felt a black screen in front of his eyes and fell to the ground with a thud.

"saint,"

"Come quickly, call the imperial physician!"

There was chaos in the Zichen Palace.

(End of this chapter)