The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 580 Chaos
As soon as Zhu Xiu stepped into the Imperial Palace, a small figure ran towards him.

"Daddy!"

"Jian'er!"

Zhu Xiu squatted down, Zhu Yuanjian opened his arms and rushed forward, Zhu Xiu hugged his son tightly.

"Dad." Zhu Yuanjian pursed his lips and had tears in his eyes.

Zhu Yuanjian, who has always looked like a little adult, now reveals a bit of a child's nature.

"Jian'er has been wronged." Zhu Xiu soothed softly, looking up at Fu Jinhuan who was walking towards him.

Zhu Xiu picked up his son and strode to his wife.

After not seeing him for a long time, Fu Jinhuanqing has lost a lot of weight and his figure is getting slimmer, but his expression is hard to hide and haggard, which is heartbreaking.

"Huan'er, I have wronged you." Zhu Xiu put his palm on his beloved wife's cheek and rubbed it gently.

Fu Jinhuan held his hand, and glanced at Zhang Qiong, Wang Zhengzhong and others standing at the gate of the eye hall.

"We are a family, you can't let you bear the grievances alone. Remember, Jian'er and I are by your side at any time." Fu Jinhuan's eyes were red, and his soft voice was full of firmness.

Zhu Xiu grinned and kissed his beloved wife. Zhu Yuanjian, who was caught in the middle, quickly covered his eyes.

Fu Jinhuan lightly beat his chest and whispered: "Jian'er and I want to go home. We don't like this deserted palace."

Zhu Xiu said softly: "Don't worry, I will take you home soon."

Zhang Qiong's impatient voice came from the door of the palace: "Please hurry up, Duke Zhao. If you are late, it will delay the locking of the palace door!"

Zhu Xiu ignored it and whispered in Fu Jinhuan's ear: "Believe no one except Wang Jien!"

Fu Jinhuan looked at him deeply and nodded lightly.

Zhu Xiu touched his son's face again: "Jian'er, are you ready to read the book your father gave you?"

Zhu Yuanjian nodded his head vigorously and said confidently: "My child has read through it several times and is working hard to recite it. When dad comes back next time, just take the test!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "Not only do you need to memorize it, but you also need to pay attention to understanding. If you don't understand anything, please ask your mother for help!"

"My child obeys your orders!" Zhu Yuanjian bowed obediently.

Taking a last look at his wife and children, Zhu Xiu turned his head and walked out of the hall.

The palace door slowly closed, and Zhang Qiong said with a strange smile: "The Duke of Zhao and his wife and children reunited after a long absence. The true feelings are revealed, which is deeply touching!"

Zhu Xiu's face was expressionless, she shook her robe and said calmly: "Please send a car to take me back home!"

Zhang Qiong snorted and waved his hand. Wang Zhengzhong led a team of guards to escort Zhu Xiu out of the palace.

"Let's see how proud you are." Zhang Qiong muttered, looked at the women and children inside through the gap in the palace door, and scolded the guards guarding outside:
"Watch closely, if anything goes wrong, I'll see you later!"

"I respectfully obey General Zhang's order!"

On the Xuandemen Gate Tower, Zhao Kuangyi, Zhang Mei, and Wu Yanzuo looked down at the city and watched Zhu Xiu's car slowly drive out of the palace city.

"Why not get rid of this person as soon as possible?" Zhao Kuangyi said in a deep voice.

Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo looked at each other and said with a smile: "Er Lang, please be patient. Zhu Xiu is highly regarded. This time he voluntarily gave up his auxiliary position in exchange for Fan Zhi, Wang Pu and others to continue to serve. This move caused a stir among the officials in the court. It caused a huge sensation and won him great fame.

At this time, we should regard him as a living Bodhisattva and worship him high. As long as he stays away from the court and does not interfere in the government affairs, who will remember him in three to five years? "

Wu Yanzuo mocked: "No matter how high your reputation is, it can't be used as food! The top priority is to replace all the important officials in the yamen with our own people, and then use the accession of King Liang to reward the courtiers, win people's hearts, and stabilize the overall situation. ."

Zhao Kuangyi said anxiously: "Zhu Xiu has connections in the Dianqian Division and the Taiyuan Temple in the three provinces and six ministries. Only by completely disappearing them will this huge power network be torn apart, and we can thoroughly cleanse the court."

Zhang Mei said vaguely: "The Duke of Song is not in the capital. We alone have limited influence in the palace. Even if you want to kill Zhu Xiu now, Han Tong will not be able to pass."

Zhao Kuangyi said harshly: "Then get rid of Han Tong as well!"

Wu Yanzuo shook his head and said: "Everyone knows that Han Tong is loyal to His Majesty, it is difficult to convince the public to get rid of him rashly, and besides, without Han Tong, who will lead the Dianqian Division?"

Zhao Kuangyi looked at the two of them: "You can ask the Queen Mother to issue an order to recall Song Guogong."

"This." Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo's eyes flickered.

"Erlang, don't be in a hurry. It's only a matter of time before Song Guogong is invited back to court. Don't be in a hurry. We have more important things to do right now," Zhang Mei said with a smile.

Anger flashed across Zhao Kuangyi's eyes, and he finally understood. Now that the situation in the court was gradually stabilizing, Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo were busy gathering power in the government, and naturally they did not want to recall Zhao Kuangyin to compete with them for power.

Zhao Kuangyi was filled with anger and felt like he had been deceived and betrayed.

The coup was originally led by the Zhao family, but now it seems that Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo want to turn against the guest.

"What you two said makes sense. I will send Zhang Qiong to keep an eye on Zhao Guogong's mansion to prevent him from being bitten by a snake instead of dying." Zhao Kuangyi's expression quickly returned to calm.

"Haha, thank you for your trouble, Mr. Erlang." Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo smiled and held their hands.

Looking at Zhao Kuangyi's farewell figure, Zhang Mei's smiling face turned cold and she hummed: "If the two of us hadn't made a decisive decision, forged an edict to appoint a queen, and controlled all the officials in the court, how could we have such a good situation today?"

Wu Yanzuo also laughed and said: "The Zhao family still claims to be a hero, thinking that by hooking up with the Queen Mother, he can give orders to us? It's ridiculous~"

"Although Zhu Xiu is kept alive, the soldiers in the Dianqian Division are always restless, but without Zhu Xiu, the Dian Qian Division will be leaderless, and they will inevitably think of Zhao Kuangyin who is far away in Yunzhou.

At that time, it became a consensus between the government and the opposition to recall Zhao Kuangyin.

But once Zhao Kuangyin returns to the court and takes control of the military, won't we be reduced to vassals? "

Zhang Mei shook his head and sneered. Instead of doing this, he would rather let Zhu Xiu live.

For the Dianqian Division, Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin were the two most popular commanders.

In the current situation, Zhu Xiu's wife and children were imprisoned in the inner palace, the Duke's Mansion was closely guarded, his trusted generals were gradually transferred from their original positions, and the military power in their hands was gradually eroded away.

The most important thing is that Zhao Kuangyi hooked up with the Queen Mother. Once Zhao Kuangyin returns to the court, the Queen Mother will only trust the Zhao family more, which is not conducive to the two of them controlling the power of the government.

So no matter how you look at it, having Zhu Xiu in your hands will do more good than harm to both of them, and it can play a role in using the Palace Secretary to contain the Zhao family.

Zhu Xiu returned to the Duke's Mansion safely, and the women and children in the mansion were naturally crying with joy.

Zhang Qiong used the turmoil in Kaifeng as an excuse to protect Zhao Guogong's mansion in accordance with the Queen Mother's decree. He led more than a thousand forbidden troops to blockade Tianshui Lane where the Duke's mansion was located, strictly prohibiting anyone from entering or exiting.

On the second day of the seventh lunar month, all officials followed the late emperor's edict and ascended the throne according to the instructions of King Liang, and continued to use the Xiande reign title.

The new emperor was young and was appointed regent by the Queen Mother Fu Jinwan.

Zhang Mei, Wu Yanzuo, and Zan Jurun were all granted the title of Duke of the State and were given the title of Tongping Zhangshi. Zhang Mei continued to serve as the third envoy, Wu Yanzuo took over as the privy envoy, and Zan Jurun became the minister of Zhongshu.

Since then, the power of the government has completely fallen into the control of three people.

Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, and Tao Gu were each given the title of Grand Master, dismissed as prime ministers, and transferred away from the central government.

Wei Renpu added a letter to the emperor, and several important ministers of the former dynasty received favors from the new emperor, but lost their actual power and became mascots enjoying empty fame.

Han Tong was promoted to be the commander of the palace, and was actually in charge of the defense inside and outside the capital, commanding more than [-] soldiers and horses of the forbidden army in the middle of the capital.

Zhao Kuangyi was promoted to deputy commander of the capital in front of the palace, and Zhang Qiong was appointed as Yuhou of the capital in front of the palace.

Han Lingkun, Gao Huaide, An Shouzhong, Wang Shenqi, Mi Xin, Tian Chongjin, Bi Zhenhai, and Pan Mei were each transferred to the Guards Department. Shi Shouxin was not in the capital, so Zhu Xiu wrote a memorial for him to resign due to illness.

Zhu Wu was transferred to Xuzhou as governor and left Beijing soon.

Zhu Xiu was granted the title of King of Zhao County, and his wife and children were all given favors and rewards.

There are rumors in Kaifeng city that before his death, His Majesty originally appointed Zhu Xiu as the Assistant Minister, but Zhang Mei, Wu Yanzuo and others tampered with His Majesty's decree and usurped the power of Assistant Minister.

Even the original intention to appoint a queen was forged by Zhang Mei and others, who wanted to take advantage of the young, orphaned and widowed new king to take control of the court.

There are even rumors that the current empress dowager has an indiscreet style of work, and during the Northern Expedition of the first emperor, she had an affair with a general of the imperial army.

The Tokyo Times publicly published an anonymous article, claiming that the young emperor had been held under house arrest by the Queen Mother, Zhang Mei, Wu Yanzuo and others, and Zhu Xiu, the king of Zhao Jun who was truly loyal to the country, was brutally imprisoned.

For the sake of the safety of the young emperor and his wife and children, Prince Zhao was willing to give up power.

As soon as this article came out, there was an uproar all over the city, and the streets and alleys were full of discussions.

Zhang Mei sent people to seal down the Information Agency and forcefully forced the Tokyo Times to cease publication, but various gossips were still rampant.

Various handwritten editions of the Tokyo Times continue to circulate secretly.The divisions in the front department are serious, and many newly promoted generals have difficulty in convincing the public. There have been many camp roaring incidents, killing and injuring hundreds of people, and the impact is extremely bad.

Zhang Mei and others were busy reorganizing the imperial army, re-elevating the power of the Guard Division, dividing the military power of the Palace Front Division, and reproducing the tactics used on the Guard Division during the military reform in the Palace Front Division. At the same time, they also issued edicts to appease the Palace Division. Jiedu envoys sent people from various places to inquire.

Li Chongjin, the Huainan Jiedushi envoy, the commander of the guards and the army, and the king of Chujun, had made many requests to enter the court to mourn the late emperor and to meet the new emperor, but they were all declined by the Queen Mother's decree.

The court was extremely busy, but the rumors in the capital became more and more intense.

At the end of July, an urgent report from the border defense in Guannan, Hebei Province completely plunged Kaifeng into panic and chaos.

Shi Yanchao, the military governor of Qianning and the military governor of Jing'an, urgently asked for help from the imperial court. The military governor of Youzhou, Liao State, commanded hundreds of thousands of troops and wanted to go south to seize the dangerous areas of the three passes.

If you are not careful, it will turn into a full-scale invasion of the south.

In the Qingshou Hall, Fu Jinwan urgently summoned important ministers to discuss sending troops north to fight against the Liao army.

Facing such a major foreign invasion situation for the first time, Fu Jinwan, Zhang Mei, Wu Yanzuo and other people in charge were obviously not prepared, they were very flustered, and there was a commotion in the hall.

Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, Wei Renpu and other important ministers who had long been shelved in high cabinets stood in their positions and remained silent.

Only Tao Gu, who was good at dancing, got Fu Jinyuan to agree that he should continue to serve as prime minister because he took the initiative to express his willingness to surrender.

Fu Jinwan sat high on the imperial seat, her brows were tightly frowned, and she felt disturbed as she watched the officials quarreling below.

Suddenly the Khitan troops invaded the territory, and Hebei was in emergency across the board. This precarious situation left her at a loss.

Zhao Kuangyi, Zhang Mei, and Wu Yanzuo were arguing over the issue of sending troops, which made her not sure what to do.

"We must not rush to send troops just based on the words of Shi Yanchao and his family! We should send people to investigate clearly first! Besides, Fu Yanqing is based in Weizhou and should know the situation in Hebei better than we do. Why did Fu Yanqing only mention the Liao Army in Youzhou in his report? There are frequent abnormalities in transfers, but there is no direct statement that the Khitan people want to go south?"

Zhao Kuangyi argued hard, his face flushed.

Wu Yanzuo retorted: "Shi Yanchao guards the important area south of Guannan. If there is no definite information, how dare he spread rumors?"

Zhang Mei also said in a deep voice: "Since the new emperor ascended the throne, Fu Yanqing only expressed his congratulations, but the Queen Mother summoned him to the capital, but he couldn't shirk it.

According to the facts, whether Fu Yanqing is loyal to His Majesty and Queen Mother remains to be seen.So you can't believe everything he says. "

Zhao Kuangyi said: "If we want to send troops, I propose to ask Song Guogong to take command!"

Wu Yanzuo immediately sneered and said: "The Duke of Song is far away in Yunzhou, how can he lead the imperial army to go out in time?"

Zhang Mei also stroked her beard, shook her head and said: "Since the first year of Xiande, the generals of the imperial army have always been in command of the army, and rarely handed over to the commander of the feudal town. Although Song Guogong has made great military achievements, it is not legal for him to be in command."

Zhao Kuangyi gritted his teeth, while the other courtiers were silent.

Everyone can see that on the surface they are arguing about whether to send troops and who should take command, but in fact, they are fighting for the power of the imperial army.

After all, whoever leads an expedition can control tens of thousands of troops.

Zhao Kuangyi, Wu Yanzuo, and Zhang Mei naturally did not want each other to take advantage of them.

Tao Gu broke the deadlock with a smile: "Why don't you ask the Queen Mother to make a decision?"

Everyone looked towards Fu Jinwan who was on the imperial throne.

Fu Jinwan hesitated, looking at Zhao Kuangyi, then Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo, with a troubled face.

Although she is young, she is not stupid. The command of tens of thousands of forbidden troops cannot be handed over easily. Reliable and loyal people must be chosen.

Moreover, Tao Gu once told her in private that the delicate relationship between the Zhao family and Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo reminded her not to recall Zhao Kuangyin easily, and to maintain a balance between the Zhao family and Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo, so as to control these powerful officials.

"As I see it, I will order Wu Qing's family to deploy for the border capital of Hebei and command [-] forbidden troops to go out. I will also order the Tianping Army Jiedushi and Song Guogong Zhao Kuangyin to deploy for the deputy capital. The two Qing families will go out together to resist the Liao army's invasion!" Jin Wan said.

Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo looked at each other and said in unison: "The Queen Mother is wise!"

Wu Yanzuo said confidently: "I will live up to the trust of Your Majesty and the Queen Mother and will not let the Khitans cross the Juma River even half a step!"

Perhaps Wu Yanzuo's confidence gave Fu Jinwan great comfort, and he smiled and said a few words of encouragement.

Zhao Kuangyi was secretly annoyed and disappointed. Fu Jinwan became the empress dowager, and she no longer obeyed him as before.

This woman's ambition is gradually revealed.

However, this arrangement was barely acceptable. At least it gave him hope that Zhao Kuangyin would return to the court.

Zhang Mei suddenly frowned and said, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate for Prince Zhao to continue to stay in the capital. He will mobilize the Imperial Army to move north and the capital will be empty. If someone with bad intentions takes the opportunity to cause trouble,"

Zhang Mei's words reminded Fu Jinwan that Wu Yanzuo left and took away most of the imperial army, leaving Zhu Xiu, the nominal commander-in-chief of the Imperial Palace, in the capital. She was really worried.

Tao Gu stood up and said: "The old minister suggested that it would be better to let Prince Zhao go out with Mr. Wu in the name of the governor."

Wu Yanzuo smiled maliciously and said: "That's great! No one in my army can make waves."

Zhang Mei nodded slightly, feeling that this method was feasible, she cast admiring glances at Tao Gu.

Fu Jinwan said: "I will order Prince Zhao to be the Superintendent of Soldiers and Horses and accompany the army on the expedition!"

After the dispersion of the dynasty, Tao Gu was surrounded by Fan Zhi, Wang Pu and others as soon as he stepped out of the palace gate.

Fan Zhi angrily said: "Thanks to the recommendation of King Zhao, you were able to become the prime minister. It was King Zhao who used his own future and wealth in exchange for our lives. You are ungrateful, but you turned around and harmed King Zhao." , How ungrateful, worse than a pig or a dog!"

Tao Gu's face turned blue and red, he gritted his teeth and did not speak.

Wang Pu said in a deep voice: "Mr. Tao, are Zhang Mei and others threatening you? Don't be afraid, we are all veterans of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No matter how disobedient and arrogant Zhang Mei and others are, they will not dare to harm us easily!"

Tao Gu was about to speak when he saw Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo walking out of the hall hand in hand. He said loudly and solemnly: "He who knows the current affairs is a hero. Duke Zhang and Duke Wu assisted His Majesty in ascending the throne and made great contributions to the country. Tao assisted the two Dukes in government and was loyal to Your Majesty." What's wrong with being loyal to the country?"

Tao Gu's voice attracted attention, and Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo walked towards them.

Fan Zhi and Wang Pu looked at each other, looked at Tao Gu angrily, and walked away.

"Mr. Tao, what happened just now?" Zhang Mei asked with a smile.

Tao Gu said hurriedly: "It's not a commonplace. If you two are criticizing it, ask me to refute it."

Wu Yanzuo smiled and said: "Of course we know Mr. Tao's loyalty to His Majesty. Let those rotten people be left alone."

Zhang Mei said with a smile: "We are hosting a banquet at my house tonight to honor Mr. Wu. Can Mr. Tao come and honor us?"

"Must be there! Definitely be there!" Tao Gu bowed and saluted with a look of flattery.

The two laughed, said a few words to win over, and walked away.

Tao Gu stood at the door of the hall, watching them go away, slowly straightening his back, and the flattery on his face gradually disappeared.

"It's impossible for such stupid people to succeed!" Tao Gu spat in a low voice, looked around cautiously, and hurriedly walked down the steps and left the palace.

In the Kunning Hall of the harem, Fu Jinwan scolded the people who had withdrawn from the palace. She shouted "Erlang" and was about to fall into Zhao Kuangyi's arms.

Zhao Kuangyi stepped aside and looked at her coldly: "Why don't you agree to summon my brother to return to court?"

Fu Jinwan said angrily: "Didn't Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo say that the Duke of Song is far away in Yunzhou and is not suitable to lead the imperial army on an expedition?"

Fu Jinwan leaned forward, Zhao Kuangyi still said with a cold face: "You lied! Why, now you would rather believe Zhang Wu than me?"

Fu Jinwan was also annoyed by his attitude. She pushed him away gently, adjusted her clothes, and said coldly: "Don't think that I don't know your plan. Let Zhao Kuangyin return to the court, and the power of the imperial army will fall into the control of your Zhao family. Then take advantage of the situation to get rid of Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo, and then hold me and His Majesty hostage, will your Zhao family be in control? Even if there is a change of dynasty, it will not be difficult!"

Zhao Kuangyi's eyes flashed slightly, "Who told you this?"

Fu Jinwan laughed and said: "You think I am a female and don't understand anything? I'm just at your mercy?"

Zhao Kuangyi suppressed his anger and forced out a flattering smile: "Queen Queen Mother, calm down, I don't dare to have such thoughts! It's just Zhang Mei and Wu Yanzuo who have monopolized power and squeezed out my Zhao family, so I am so angry. Hehe~ Queen Mother, don't be angry~"

Zhao Kuangyi leaned closer and put his arms around his slender waist. Fu Jinwan pretended to refuse, pulled twice and fell into the man's arms.

Fu Jinwan said proudly: "Don't forget, I am the Queen Mother Regent. Until Your Majesty comes of age, I have the final say in government affairs! If your Zhao family wants to be rich and powerful, you must obey me."

Anger flashed in Zhao Kuangyi's eyes, but his face looked flattering: "I will serve the Queen Mother well."

Soon, bursts of unbearable sounds came from deep in the hall.

Wang Jien, who was standing outside the palace door, curled his lips and muttered: "Bitch man and woman"

(End of this chapter)