Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 17 Li Tao and Wang Zhu

The next day, Empress Dowager Fu held a grand banquet in the inner court to bid farewell to Fu Zhaoyuan and Fu Zhenzhen.

The gifts given to the Fu family by Empress Dowager Fu and Chai Zongxun filled six carriages.

Before leaving, Fu Zhenzhen pulled Chai Zongxun aside, put a sachet into his hand, looked into Chai Zongxun's eyes, and said softly:

"Cousin of the emperor, Nunu will go home with his uncle now, you must do well in the capital!
You don’t know that grandpa was always worried about the safety of you and your aunt in the capital at home.

Cousin of the Emperor, this sachet was made by Nunu himself in the capital these days. It is not very pretty. I hope that Cousin of the Emperor will not dislike it.

Next time Nunu comes to the capital to visit the emperor’s cousin. "

Chai Zongxun felt that the softest part of his heart was touched. He held Fu Zhenzhen's little hand and said:
“Don’t worry, cousin, I will never let you down, my grandpa and other relatives’ expectations!

My cousin should be well after returning home. I hope that next time you see your cousin, you can still beat me in a martial arts competition. "

Fu Zhenzhen felt that the emperor's cousin was funny and couldn't help but burst out laughing. She waved her little hand to Chai Zongxun. With the maids waiting on her, she got into the carriage and the group left the Xuande Gate of the imperial palace and headed for Daming Mansion. And go.

After Chai Zongxun watched his cousin and the others drift away, he lowered his head and looked at the sachet in his hand:

I saw that the sachet was about the size of my fist, and it was embroidered with a pattern of "dragon and phoenix in auspiciousness" with several kinds of colored threads. The stitching method was a little rough, but the whole embroidery was filled with joy.

Chai Zongxun sighed, tied the sachet tightly to the lining, and thought to himself:
"My cousin is a good match for me. I hope this hazy relationship can end well and not become like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Gillian."

As New Year's Eve approaches and the atmosphere of the New Year is getting stronger, after nearly a month of public recommendation by ministers in the court, two candidates for the new second prime minister, who is also the Minister of Rites, have the highest reputation.

One is Li Tao, the current Minister of Household Affairs, and the other is Wang Zhu, a Hanlin scholar.

Both of these two men were important ministers during the reign of King Sejong, and they could be said to have missed the chancellorship.

Li Tao, born in 898, was named Xinchen. A native of Jingzhao who lived for ten thousand years, he was the descendant of Li Zhan, Emperor Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty.

He is eloquent, his words are witty and funny, and he loves to joke.

He is generous and ambitious, and takes the country as his own responsibility. He also worked in poetry and prose, and his "writing and letters are charming". He and his younger brother Li Han are both famous for their literature.

When Shizong first fell ill, he asked Zhang Zhao, the Minister of War, who was suitable to be prime minister?

Zhang Zhao recommended Li Taoke as prime minister.

Shizong was shocked when he heard this and said: "Li Tao is a frivolous person and has no manners as a minister. I am asking you about the candidate for prime minister. Why do you recommend Li Tao?"

Shizong's words were obviously critical, as if Zhang Zhao was a little ignorant of the importance of things.

Zhang Zhao explained, Your Majesty, you are right when you say that Li Tao is frivolous and likes to joke. As the prime minister of a big country, he should indeed have the demeanor of a prime minister. But those are minor matters. The reason why I recommend Li Tao as prime minister is precisely because Li Tao has the important function of serving as prime minister and knowing the safety of the country.

Zhang Zhao continued:
During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of the Jin Dynasty, the general Zhang Yanze was cruel and easy to kill, and countless officials and civilians were massacred by Zhang Yanze.

Li Tao wrote many times, believing that not killing Zhang Yanze would inevitably cause the later Jin Dynasty to lose its support and even lead to the country's defeat, and asked Emperor Gaozu to kill Zhang Yanze.

However, Emperor Gaozu of the Jin Dynasty could not bear to take action because Zhang Yanze was his in-law and had repeatedly made military exploits. As a result, at the end of the Later Jin Dynasty, the Khitan invaded, and the people had no intention of defending the city and fled one after another, and the Later Jin Dynasty perished immediately.

After that, Li Tao became an official in the Later Han Dynasty, and Guo Wei rose up as the governor of Jiedu. Li Tao once suggested that Emperor Yin of the Han Dynasty remove Guo Wei's military power, but Emperor Yin of the Han Dynasty refused to comply.

Facts have proved that Guo Wei really rebelled and took over the world of the Later Han Dynasty.

Being graceful, dignified, respectful and dignified is not the demeanor of a prime minister. Being able to foresee the potential dangers of the country is the true demeanor of a prime minister.

It later proved that if Shizong appointed Li Tao as prime minister, Li Tao would definitely be able to remind Zhou Shizong that Zhao Kuangyin was the biggest enemy of the later Zhou Dynasty.

Even after Shizong's death, Li Tao would definitely be able to control Zhao Kuangyin in time and restrict his actions.

It's a pity that Zhou Shizong cared too much about the details of a person's character and rejected Li Tao because he was frivolous. As for Wang Zhu, he was born in the third year of Tiancheng in the Later Tang Dynasty (928). His courtesy name was Chengxiang, and he was a native of Shanxian County, Shandong Province.

He was Sejong's confidant and veteran when he was king, and he was also the crown prince and tutor of the emperor Chai Zongxun appointed by Sejong.

When Shizong was seriously ill, he considered making him prime minister to assist his emperor Chai Zongxun. However, because the king was a good drinker, he was slandered by Wang Pu and Fan Zhi.

Now that tens of thousands of people in Zhao Kuangyin's party have been uprooted, Empress Dowager Fu and Emperor Chai Zongxun came to rule.

Among the military forces of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Han Tong, Zhang Yongde, and Li Chongjin became the three most powerful forces.

Among the civil servants, the Second Prime Minister Wang Pu was imprisoned, and many officials who had been suppressed by him before were able to speak out.

In the morning court on December 28, the ministers were divided into two factions supporting Li Tao and Wang Zhu as the second prime minister and minister of the Ministry of Rites, and they quarreled endlessly.

Empress Dowager Fu had no opinion about the two of them. She sat behind the curtain and waited for the emperor Chai Zongxun to make a decision.

Chai Zongxun listened to the discussion of the ministers in the palace for a while and thought:
“Both of these two men have great talents in governing the world, and their loyalty is unquestionable.

Li Tao has a humorous personality and likes to joke, which is not a bad thing. He has far-sightedness and foresight in national affairs, which is a rare talent.

Wang Zhu is an old minister of my father's residence, and he is also the tutor assigned to me by his father, so I cannot be left out in the cold.

It's just that he's too good at drinking, and he still easily gets into trouble. "

Chai Zongxun waved his hand lightly, and all the civil and military officials in the palace quickly became quiet.

Chai Zongxun said:

"Li Tao and Wang Zhu are both ministers of the country who have the ability to govern the world.

Since the hope of scholars in both the government and the public lies in these two people, I will appoint them both.

I hereby promote Li Tao to the position of Second Prime Minister and Minister of Rites; Wang Zhuo is promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to assist Prime Minister Fan Zhi and select officials for me. "

When the ministers saw that Li Tao, a veteran of the four dynasties, was promoted to the position of second prime minister, and that Wang Zhu was also appointed, they immediately expressed their approval.

Li Tao and Wang Zhu went out to express their gratitude and said:
"Thank you, Queen Mother, for Your Majesty's great kindness! I will live up to the Holy Hope!"

Seeing that the emperor had made a decision, Empress Dowager Fu immediately said:

"I agree.

The two dear ministers were both important ministers during the late emperor's time and were highly regarded by the public. Now that they are promoted by Your Majesty, they should do their best to protect our great Zhou Dynasty. "

Before leaving the court, Chai Zongxun looked at Li Tao, who was in the second row of the civil service queue, and said:

"Li Aiqing came to Qingshou Hall to see me in the afternoon."

Li Tao saluted and agreed.

Chai Zongxun followed Empress Dowager Fu back to Baoci Hall in the inner court. After chatting for a while, lunch was presented to the imperial dining room.

Because there were several dishes on the table that Fu Zhaoyuan and Fu Zhenzhen brought with them from Damingfu when they came to Beijing, Empress Dowager Fu ate them with gusto.

During the dinner, Queen Mother Fu talked to Chai Zongxun about many things about her grandfather's family, and especially praised her two uncles.

Chai Zongxun couldn't help but smile and nod in agreement, thinking: "My grandfather was already named King of Wei when he was Taizu, and my father just changed the title of King of Wei to him.

It is impossible for me to grant him another title. As long as his family continues to be loyal, I will let the throne of my grandfather's family continue to be passed down. "

(End of this chapter)