Three Kingdoms: I will act as a substitute for the Hunjun

Chapter 89 Disputes in the Court (Please subscribe)

On the second day, Liu Ming got up early and dressed under the service of Concubine Shu. He was going to attend the court meeting at Mao hour.

This is his second court meeting since he traveled through time, and it is related to the current stability of the court, so he must attach great importance to it.

Not only did he take it seriously, but Jian Shuo also took it seriously. The two of them stayed up late last night studying countermeasures.

After finishing washing, Concubine Shu put on Liu Ming's royal robe and imperial crown.

"Ugh!" Suddenly, Concubine Shu retched.

Liu Ming was overjoyed, "Is my beloved concubine pregnant with my dragon seed?"

Concubine Shu's face turned red with embarrassment, she lightly hammered Liu Ming's chest, and whispered: "Where."

Liu Ming was suddenly enlightened, patted Concubine Shu's curvy curve, and said with a smile: "I am not compassionate enough. I must be gentler tonight."

"Then I'll be waiting for you." Concubine Shu said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, please don't go to the Queen's house again."

"Queen?" Liu Ming smiled, stood up and left Changle Palace, heading to Quefei Hall where the court meeting was held.

Compared with the anxiety he felt when he went to court for the first time, he is now more calm and confident. Firstly, he is already familiar with the entire court process and the situation of these civil servants and generals.

Secondly, he and Jian Shuo also conducted detailed research on the response in advance and read relevant memorials. This mutiny bound the two of them even more closely.

With the lessons learned from the last Chang Dynasty, Jian Shuo directly stated this time that if there is an unplanned emergency, Liu Ming can make a decision on the spot. If there are different opinions, Jian Shuo will raise them. If there are no different opinions, then he will Mainly Liu Ming's decision.

Jian Shuo felt that if he asked himself in everything, although it would be a good way to show off his status, as he gained more and more control over power and realized how much he weighed, he might make a fool of himself in court. The courtiers laughed at him.

Instead of doing this, it's better to let the substitute stand in front of me. Since he is the substitute, he has to do more things for me.

But not inside the palace, the ministers saw two strange objects placed on the high platform in the palace. In front of it was a taller and longer table with some complicated patterns carved on it. They didn't know what their names were.

There is another object behind the high desk, which looks a bit like a bed, but not completely similar. It has a dragon pattern carved on it, and no one knows why.

The Hu bed was introduced by Emperor Ling from the Hu people. It is similar to a folding chair. Many ministers in the court have seen it, but the one on display now is obviously different.

In fact, this is the dragon table and dragon chair that Liu Ming made some time ago when he had nothing to do in Changle Palace.

He needs to gradually establish his authority, and these symbolic objects are one of the important measures.

Besides, it is too uncomfortable to sit down on one's knees. Today's court meeting is bound to be short, so rather than suffer the consequences, it would be better to just bring the dragon chair.

Jian Shuo doesn't care about this. At this point, as long as he doesn't endanger his interests and does whatever he wants, he has already committed rebellion. Who cares about the details of these rules?
  "Promotion to the court -" Pan Yin, who temporarily served as the eunuch in charge of ceremony, sang loudly.

Liu Ming, wearing imperial robes and a crown, entered the Qufei Hall, and all the courtiers kowtowed.

Liu Ming sat on the dragon chair and stroked the dragon head on the armrest. He couldn't help but feel excited. Looking down from here, he had the illusion of mastering the world.

Sitting on the Dragon Throne, the feeling of dominating the world is even stronger than when I sat on my knees during the last imperial court.

Power is a good thing, especially the power of the emperor. As I sit here today, this position belongs to me alone. If anyone dares to shake this throne, I will fight them to the end even if I am torn to pieces.

"Everyone is safe!" Liu Ming said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers thanked him and stood up, taking positions on both sides of the aisle.

Jian Shuo stood among the Nine Qings as Guang Luxun, but he was obviously not very popular, and the surrounding courtiers kept a distance from him.

I don’t know whether it’s because I feel ashamed to be in the same company or because I’m afraid.

"If there is anything to do, please report early, and if there is nothing to do, leave the court!" Pan Yin said loudly and elegantly, but a slight tremor could be heard in his voice. He never thought that he would be promoted so quickly, and he was extremely excited in his heart.

"Your Majesty, I have written a memorial for you!" Yuan Wei was the first to come out and said loudly.

Yuan Wei's beard and hair were gray, and he was trembling slightly when he walked, as if a candle was blown by the wind. It was obvious that what happened in the past few days had a great impact on him.

A large and prestigious family like the Yuan family is rarely the first to stand up and speak out in the court. Often, close relatives and old officials charge forward first, and then they come forward to set the tone.

But now, Yuan Wei comes out directly to start the performance. Everyone knows that today's court meeting may not be simple.

It is said that people are old and treacherous, horses are old and slippery, and an old rabbit is hard to catch an eagle. Yuan Wei is the type of old treacherous and slippery person. All the courtiers had a premonition of the coming storm.

"This time, your Majesty led his ministers on a hunting tour. He Jin and Jian Shuo failed to protect them, causing the ministers to be in trouble. Your Majesty was frightened. He Jin launched an army to rebel. Jian Shuo failed to suppress the rebellion, causing the rebels to enter the city and cause trouble in Kyoto. I would like to ask your Majesty to send the He family to the police." , The entire Jian family was slaughtered in order to set the course for the dynasty."

hiss~~
  Everyone gasped. After all, it was the courage of the big family members. Either they didn't take action, but when they did, they made big moves. They actually wanted to wipe out the two powerful officials in one fell swoop.

When Jian Shuo heard this, he jumped up, pointed at Yuan Wei and said loudly: "Yuan, please don't slander anyone! The Xiyuan Army is only responsible for His Majesty's safety. He Jin is responsible for the safety of the entire hunting expedition. Let's talk about the early stage of the hunting. It was all arranged by Yuan Feng. Now that he was stabbed to death in Hunting Garden, he himself could not escape the blame.

"If Jian hadn't led his troops back to quell the rebellion, would you still be able to stand here and talk loudly? Yuan Wei has ulterior motives, slanders meritorious ministers, and disrupts the country. I ask your majesty to kill the entire Yuan family!"

Jian Shuo didn't expect that Yuan Wei would take him with him as soon as he came up, so he got angry and responded unceremoniously.

"As far as I know, before Jian Shuo returned to Beijing, His Majesty had already led his troops to quell the rebellion. How could he advance by beheading the culprits? I wonder how General Jian came to quell the rebellion?" Yuan Wei sneered, "On the contrary, it was Chun Yuqiong, the right commander of the Xiyuan Army. By colluding with He Miao and Wu Kuang and letting the rebels enter the city, does that mean he really has nothing to do with General Jian?"

Yuan Wei stared at Jian Shuo, as if he wanted to read the answer on his face. This put great psychological pressure on his debate opponents.

"You..." If you want to talk, even ten Jian Shuo is no match for Yuan Wei. Jian Shuo was so angry that he was shaking all over, pointed at Yuan Wei, and said in a trembling voice, "Chun Yuqiong is incompetent. He got into trouble after drinking, and was captured by the rebels." By the way, Jian has been hunting with His Majesty, how can he have anything to do with them? Are you crazy, surnamed Yuan?"

"But Chunyu Qiong is the person you assigned to guard the city when you left Beijing. How can you say that it has nothing to do with you?" Yuan Wei did not show weakness.

Jian Shuo: "..." At this moment, he felt really speechless. At this moment, another veteran minister stood up, it was Wei Wei Yang Biao, "Your Majesty, I heard that Shi Changshi colluded with He Miao and intended to bring the rebels into the palace. I beg your Majesty to severely punish Shi Changshi. Jian Shuo, as Shi Changshi, Your Majesty, please investigate whether the chief servant is also involved."

Jian Shuo was so angry that he almost cursed his mother.

These old immortals didn't play by the rules at all. The memorial they sent to the palace in advance only asked the court to severely punish the traitors. Jian Shuo only thought that their target should be He Jin, or the entire He family.

And he was a meritorious minister, and he was still waiting to be crowned and receive awards, and he was also waiting to move into Zhao Zhong's mansion. Unexpectedly, when he came up, everyone would cut and beat him, and all of them would attack him.

"Sooner or later, these old immortals will take them down one by one." Jian Shuo secretly resented in his heart.

Liu Ming did not express his position, but calmly watched the criticism performance in the court.

He Jin was already dead, and he was guilty of serious crimes. He had no chance of making a comeback, so he was not a key target of attack. However, Jian Shuo, who was above the court, became the target of public criticism.

"Before you attack Jian, can you think carefully?" Jian Shuo said loudly, "Jian's house was burned, looted, and burned to the ground. No matter how you think about it, you can't join the rebels, right? You want to be with me? When generals fight, let’s just say it straight, I will accompany you to the end, why do you have to beat around the bush?”

Jian Shuo is also relatively single, he speaks directly and doesn't beat around the bush. Everyone suddenly didn't know what to do.

These courtiers are accustomed to killing people with borrowed knives. Who would jump out and say, I will fight you to the death?

When Liu Ming saw that the heat was almost over, he could no longer let Jian Shuo fight against the ministers alone, otherwise Jian Shuo would easily be unable to hold on and collapse.

"My lords, there is no need to argue, the matter has been decided." Liu Ming spoke in a deep tone, trying to show some imperial majesty, and said in a deep voice, "He Jin rebelled, attacked the imperial city, assassinated the ministers, and was executed. It is said that He Miao assisted Zhou in his abuse. At three o'clock in the afternoon, all three generations of the He family will be beheaded! Their property will be confiscated!"

Liu Ming announced the punishments for the He family one by one, and the courtiers listened quietly. They knew that the once powerful general group had collapsed.

Liu Ming continued: "I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. If someone harms the safety of the country, no matter how close the people are, they will be severely punished - Queen He secretly collaborated with the traitors, took away all the nobles, and put her in the cold palace!"

"Prince Liu Bian was demoted to a commoner and expelled from the palace!"

"Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang, Sun Zhang, Hou Lan, Cheng Kuang, Han Kui, Song Dian and other regular servants who collaborated with thieves and rebelled will be beheaded and their property confiscated!"

"Chun Yuqiong, the right commander of the Xiyuan Army, got drunk and caused trouble, causing the rebels to enter the city and beheaded them in public to show their respect for the superiors!"

Everyone was shocked. This time His Majesty was serious and actually attacked the Queen, the Prince, his relatives, and the ten permanent attendants at the same time.

For many years they have tried to move the ten permanent servants but have been unable to make any progress. But now, the ten permanent servants have all fallen together. Together with the general He family, these two forces can be said to be the two major enemies of the powerful ministers of the family. They also serve as checks and balances to hinder them from moving forward. Two further obstacles came to an end today.

At this point, Jian Shuo is the only one left among the so-called Ten Constant Attendants.

Many courtiers are ready to make a move, with eager eyes. If the thieves can be brought down, then the castration problem will be completely eliminated.

But taking another look at Jian Shuo's calm and composed appearance, he knew that he must be confident. At least this time, it would be difficult to defeat him.

Since the Han Dynasty, relatives, eunuchs, and aristocratic families have been the three pillars that influence state administration. Nowadays, the two pillars of relatives and eunuchs have collapsed, leaving a huge space for power and room for maneuver.

Only the aristocratic family is the only one left. Will the world be dominated by the aristocratic family?
  The court fell into silence, and many heads of aristocratic families began to think about the next arrangements.

"Your Majesty, my brother Zhou Yang was assassinated. There are many doubts. We need to investigate clearly." Yuan Wei suddenly said. "I propose to hand it over to Tingwei for review."

Liu Ming waved his hand. The blame was finally placed on He Jin. How could he be tried again?
  "I have found out that He Miao personally stated that He Jin repeatedly promised to suppress the Yuan family or even replace the Yuan family. This assassination of Duke Yang of Zhou was also carried out by He Jin. Benchu ​​was nearby at the time and heard it clearly."

Liu Ming said, "I also asked He Jin's subordinates, and they all said that the assassination of Duke Zhou Yang was carried out by people sent by He Jin. The matter has been made clear, and there is no need to implicate others. Duke Zhou Yang worked diligently, and he was granted the title of Marquis Xuanfu and was buried well!"

This completely blocked Yuan Wei's intention to continue the investigation. If he was still dissatisfied, he would have to be beaten.

Jian Shuo in the audience smiled and quietly gave a thumbs up to the stage.

"Thank you for your gift!" Although Yuan Wei still had doubts in his heart, he could not pursue him at this moment, so he had to thank him for the time being. "Yuan Jiujiu, the son of my brother Zhou Yang, is now visiting relatives in Runan, which is not far from Nanyang. I sincerely ask your majesty for your permission." Leading troops to Nanyang to raid He Jin's hometown on the road can be regarded as fulfilling his filial piety as a son."

Liu Ming thought for a while, and it seemed that there was no problem. This would save the need to send others to Nanyang, and said: "That's right!"

"Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty!" Yuan Wei saluted again and returned to the train.

When Liu Ming saw that the ministers in the court were no longer talking, he began to reward the officials who had made great contributions in putting down the rebellion: "Liu Jingsheng, the Lieutenant Commander of the Northern Army, who understands the righteousness well, led the Shesheng Battalion of the Northern Army to follow me into the city and made great achievements in putting down the rebellion. Promoted to General Zhonglang of the Northern Army and commanded all the camps of the Northern Army!"

"He helped the right captain Feng Fang guard the palace and fought the rebels in a bloody battle. He made great contributions and was awarded the title of General Fenwu!"

"Captain Zhang Wenyuan, for his meritorious service in guarding the palace, he was awarded the title of Lieutenant of the Right Command and commanded Chunyu Qiong's old tribe!"

"Central Military Academy Lieutenant Yuan Shao, for his meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion..."

As Liu Ming was talking, suddenly a servant hurried to the door of the palace. It was obviously urgent. Pan Yin hurriedly stepped forward to take a memorial from his hand, turned around and handed it to Liu Ming in the palace, "Your Majesty, urgent report from Nanyang."

Liu Ming opened it and almost laughed angrily. The urgent report was from Zhang Zi, the prefect of Nanyang. He said that Yuan Shu's troops were approaching Wancheng of Nanyang and asked his troops to enter the city and destroy the He family. If he refused, he would attack the city by force. .

Yuan Shu led more than 3,000 soldiers and horses, which was a powerful force. Zhang Zi didn't know what to do, so he could only close the city gate tightly and urgently report to the court for help.

Liu Mingxin said that only Yuan Shu could do such a mindless thing, but no one else would do it.

Liu Ming's face darkened and he said in a deep voice: "Yuan Situ, I suddenly remembered something. Ai Qing just said that Yuan Gongluo would lead troops to Nanyang to raid his home. Where did his troops come from? Whose troops did he lead?"

When Yuan Wei heard this, he was shocked. Although he didn't know what the Nanyang emergency report was about, he guessed that it must be related to Yuan Shu.

Didn't they already send someone to ask him to lead troops to Beijing? Why did he go to Nanyang?

(End of this chapter)