Song Yi

Chapter 387 Listening to Thunder in a Silent Place

Du Wenhao said: "Eunuch Jiao, please tell me."

Eunuch Jiao glanced at Du Wenhao: "I heard that when your lord came back, he had some misunderstandings with Prince Yong and Prince Cao. He took the two princes as hostages one after another, and even cut Prince Cao. I wonder if this happened?"

"Yes, there were Prime Minister Cai Que and others at that time. They accused me of leaving my post without authorization, which caused the emperor to die of illness. They wanted to send me to prison for punishment. King Cao, come with me to see the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager went to retreat to chant scriptures, and he accompanied me to the gate of the palace, and told everyone not to trouble me, and not to pursue this matter any further. That’s it. This is King Yong I really keep my word, and I am very loyal. These days, no one really comes to trouble me. Hehe"

Eunuch Jiao was very puzzled, glanced at Du Wenhao, and asked, "Prince Yong talks about loyalty, did you tell your master Shen Shengping what you said?"

Du Wenhao shook his head: "He went out early in the morning and never came back."

"That's right, Mr. Du, you and I are considered good brothers. Our family just reminded you, don't use our family's words to tell outsiders."

Du Wenhao hurriedly said: "Where will it happen, please tell me, father-in-law. My mouth is very tight."

"Well, that's good." Eunuch Jiao leaned his head closer and said in a low voice: "Brother, you must pay attention to Prince Yong, this person is not as you imagined!"

Du Wenhao was startled: "Why? King Yong doesn't talk about credibility?"

"Our family dare not say this, but now it's a critical moment of life and death. Lord Du and our family have always been good, and our family can't bear to see you in danger without knowing it. What kind of person is King Yong, you Go ask your master Shen Shengping, he has been working in the court for decades and knows it very well."

Du Wenhao really took a look at Mr. Jiao, and saw that he didn't mean to be half a joke, so he couldn't help but feel a sudden shock. He took them hostage in public, and he could bear such things. He always thought that King Yong was open-minded, but he didn't He thought that this might be an expedient measure for him. When fighting for the throne, it is natural to establish a broad united front. The fewer enemies the better, so let him off for the time being, and settle accounts later in the autumn. Later, he found that he was still useful, and sent Cai Jing came to buy him, but he has humiliated him in public. This kind of thing is not a small matter for a prince. If he is not broad-minded, once he succeeds in enthroning, it would be perfectly normal to find a reason to get rid of him. that's it.

Thinking of this, Du Wenhao couldn't help breaking out in cold sweat, he hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Mr. Jiao, for reminding me, I must be careful."

Eunuch Jiao shook his head and smiled wryly: "Be careful? Hehe, can you avoid this kind of thing by being careful?"

"Then..., father-in-law, please guide me!" Du Wenhao took out another handful of bank notes from his pocket, and handed them all over.

This time, Eunuch Jiao pushed the money back: "Master Du, our family can't take your money."

"why?"

"Our family also has something to ask you, and the key to solving your problem is exactly what our family wants to entrust to you."

Du Wenhao couldn't understand, and looked at him suspiciously: "Elder-in-law has any orders, but it's okay to say."

Jiao Gonggong said: "Our family hopes that you will see the Empress Dowager after a while and persuade her to make a decision as soon as possible. Whether it is to establish the sixth prince or let the Yong Wang brothers die, you must make a decision as soon as possible, otherwise..."

"How about otherwise?"

"According to our family's understanding, King Yong's activities have been very frequent in the past few days, and our family is worried..., alas, the empress dowager's character is too weak. If..., alas! The changes in Xuanwumen must not be repeated!"

Du Wenhao's heart trembled, the change of Xuanwumen?Isn't that a bloody battle for Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty to fight for the throne?Li Shimin killed his own older brothers and younger brothers before he won the throne.Could it be that King Yong...?Du Wenhao didn't dare to think any further.Asked: "Does King Yong have any specific actions?"

"This..., our family doesn't know. We only know that the guard infantry and horse guards have been mobilized frequently in the past few days, and the generals in the division have also undergone major changes." Having said this, Eunuch Jiao lowered his voice and told Du Wen Hao said: "The infantry guards and the horse guards are all commanders, and now they are all Prince Yong's people!"

Du Wenhao couldn't help feeling a chill down his spine. If the news about Eunuch Jiao is true, then King Yong has already made two-handed preparations. If he fails to inherit the throne peacefully, he will have to use force to kill his own nephew.He lowered his head and thought for a while, then said: "Yong Wangye..., isn't that kind of person?"

"Isn't it? It's enough for Mrs. Du to open his eyes wide and look carefully. Our family doesn't want to talk about this kind of thing."

Du Wenhao asked: "Then who is the commander in front of the palace?"

"It's Mrs. Wei Anwei, the daughter of his family who was once sick and was treated by you and saved her life."

How could Du Wenhao not know that this Miss Wei is good at singing and dancing, won the favor of the Empress Dowager, and plans to give her to the sixth prince as his concubine in the future.It was the recommendation of Miss Wei, who would rather die than have a laparotomy, that he was able to treat the Empress Dowager and enter the officialdom.Speaking of which, I still owe her a favor.

Du Wenhao asked: "Isn't Master Wei Anwei the Sidu Yuhou in front of the palace? When did you mention it as a commander?"

The highest leader of the Dianqian Division is the Commander, and there are Deputy Commanders below, and then Du Yuhou.Two grades down.

Jiao Gonggong said: "The empress dowager asked the emperor to mention it, just half a year ago."

Du Wenhao asked: "What is the attitude of Mr. Wei Anwei towards the succession of the throne?"

"Then there's no need to ask? His daughter is the default imperial concubine. Once the sixth prince ascends the throne, she will be the empress! Naturally, he will desperately try to keep the sixth prince on the throne. When the emperor and the empress dowager died, Lord Wei's palace The guards then heavily guarded the palace. This is probably the reason why King Yong didn't do anything for a long time."

Du Wenhao thought to himself, the empress dowager's move to promote Wei An was really far-sighted, it was like giving the sixth prince a talisman.It came in handy at a critical moment.

Suddenly, Du Wenhao remembered something, and asked: "These three offices only have the right to lead the army, and the right to send troops lies with the Privy Council. Without the arrows and talismans, he can't mobilize the army. Could it be..."

Mr. Jiao said: "That's right, but they are indeed mobilizing the army. I'm afraid the Privy Councilor Han Zhen is already one of them!"

Du Wenhao shook his head and said: "No! If the privy envoy is already a member of King Yong and he can mobilize the army, why didn't he order Wei An's front army to be transferred outside the city or to other places? The sixth prince will be finished soon ?”

Eunuch Jiao nodded and said, "Yes, our family doesn't know what happened."

"Then what does the empress dowager mean now, does your father-in-law know?"

Eunuch Jiao shook his head slowly: "Ever since the emperor and the empress dowager passed away, the empress dowager has been crying and hardly said anything, let alone any matter of succession to the throne."

"Then the father-in-law didn't say a few words of advice?"

"Our family is an internal minister, and internal ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs. This is the ancestor's precept. Our family never interferes in such matters. Our family only hopes to be safe and sound. However, when it comes down to your own affairs, Mr. Du, you can You have to think carefully about it. ——Come on, don’t make the Empress Dowager wait too long!”

Du Wenhao nodded, and the two got out of the car, walked to the entrance of the heavily guarded palace, entered the palace after flashing their waist badges to verify their identities, and quickly walked straight to the empress dowager's bedroom, where the empress dowager stood guard.

After the notification went in, the empress dowager sent Du Wenhao to see him.

Du Wenhao entered the bedroom, passed through many corridors, and finally came to the main hall. The gate was closed tightly, and the official led Du Wenhao to enter through the corner door. It was a small courtyard, and walked up the steps through the courtyard. Then raise the curtain.Du Wenhao bowed to enter, and the door curtain was lowered immediately.

All the windows in this room are closed tightly, and the lights are not turned on. The light is a bit dim and empty.On the soft couch in the middle, there is a lady leaning sideways, wearing a long black dress, with a white plain belt tied on her belt, her face is hidden in the dark, so she can't see clearly, but judging from her figure, she is the Empress Dowager .

It is reasonable for the empress dowager to use a curtain to see her foreign ministers, but this time the curtain was pulled aside, and a top chair was placed beside the empress dowager's soft couch.

Du Wenhao rushed forward, bowed deeply and said, "Du Wenhao is a lowly post, see the Empress Dowager."

The empress dowager's voice was a little hoarse, and she waved her hands: "Get up, go to the mourning hall to pay homage to the empress dowager, and then come and talk."

"Yes!"

Du Wenhao got up and was about to ask where the mourning hall was, when he heard the sound of the Buddha's chant and the faint cry.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a door next to him open, and the sound came from there.Then he bent over to look, and sure enough, in the huge hall, several bolts of white gauze were hanging from the top, and behind the white gauze, there was a huge black lacquered coffin as tall as a person.Two rows of monks in yellow cassocks are knocking on wooden fish and holding year beads, reciting Buddhist scriptures.

There were several women sitting on the ground in front of the mourning hall. They were all in plain clothes. Although the light in the room was dim, Du Wenhao could still tell that they were the queen, concubine Zhu De, Lin Jieyu and other concubines.

In the middle of the mourning hall, there is a spirit card erected on the table, and various tributes are placed in front of it, with incense sticks as thick as thumbs inserted, and the hall is filled with smoke.

Du Wenhao walked up to the incense table, looked at the empress dowager's coffin, remembered how kind the old lady had been to him, couldn't help feeling sad from it, lifted his robe and fell to his knees with a thump, and began to cry.

When he cried, the empress and other concubines also started to sob, and for a while there were bursts of mourning in the mourning hall, crying together.

When the women were crying, Du Wenhao was embarrassed to cry. Although he cried just now, despite the time period, the depression in his heart was obviously relieved, and he kowtowed nine more times.

Peeking around, he saw those concubines also looking at him, and Li Hua's pretty face with rain showed a sense of relief, as if seeing a savior.

Du Wenhao forced a smile, and was about to stand up, but his eyes fell on a woman and he couldn't take it off.

This woman is dressed in plain onyx, with willow eyebrows like smoke, plain teeth and vermilion lips, apricot face and peach cheeks, icy skin, and endless sorrow and endless resentment.The pitiful appearance made her even more charming, but she was the queen Xiang who was beautiful and beautiful.

It can be said that she wants to be pretty and filial. The sadness under the beauty of the queen at this moment makes Du Wenhao's heart break even more. He really wants to go and hold her in his arms, kiss her away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and caress her as tender as milk The face, soft words soothe her not to be sad.

Just when Du Wenhao was in a state of desperation, the monk next to him rang the chime bell, which cleared his mind. He hurriedly opened his eyes, not daring to look any more. He got up, lit three sticks of high incense and inserted it, and kowtowed to the ground again. After that, he got up and exited the mourning hall.

Back in the living room next door, Du Wenhao was still a little out of his wits.He bowed to the empress dowager and even forgot what to say.

The empress dowager really wanted to forget the existence of Du Wenhao, she still lay on the soft couch crookedly, after a while, she waved her hand and pointed to the top chair next to her, motioning for Du Wenhao to sit down on the top chair.He continued to remain silent again.

The empress dowager didn't say anything, so Du Wenhao himself didn't dare to talk nonsense, so he sat quietly and waited.

After a while, the empress dowager said quietly: "The Ai family has a very difficult matter, and I have been looking for someone to give advice. After thinking about it these days, only you are the most suitable."

Du Wenhao's heart skipped a beat, King Yong and Sima Guang both guessed this point, these sophisticated politicians' keen observation of politics is simply astonishing.If you want to play politics, you are not their opponent.

The Empress Dowager said: "The emperor passed away suddenly, without leaving any edicts, and it was too late to register the crown prince. The ministers in the court are now divided into two factions, one is headed by Cai Que, who supports King Yong to succeed the throne, and the other is Sima Guang, who died. Advise the Sixth Prince to succeed to the throne, let the Ai family listen to the government behind the curtain. The Ai family has no idea. You..., you are an outsider, help the Ai family to come up with ideas."

Du Wenhao already knew that the empress dowager would ask this question, and he was thinking about this question all the way, but he still didn't know how to answer this question when it came to an end, and he didn't expect that the empress dowager would ask it directly.He didn't know that during the seven days and seven nights, the empress dowager hardly closed her eyes, and she kept thinking about this matter in her mind, so she asked the first sentence without beating around the bush.

Before Du Wenhao came, he wanted to help King Yong persuade the Empress Dowager to let King Yong inherit the throne, but after hearing what Eunuch Jiao said just now, Du Wenhao hesitated. If what Eunuch Jiao said is true, this King Yong is a dishonest A person who is not loyal, after assisting him to become the throne, he turns around to settle accounts with himself, so wouldn't he be shooting himself in the foot?
This matter is related to your wealth and life, so don't be in a hurry, you must make a decision before making a move!
Therefore, Du Wenhao leaned forward and said: "My minister is grateful for the trust of the empress dowager. Prince Yong and the sixth prince have their own merits, so it is indeed difficult to make a choice. I wonder what the empress dowager thinks?"

The Empress Dowager said quietly: "If the Ai family has an idea, there is no need to ask you to ask."

"The empress dowager must have an idea, right?" Du Wenhao wanted to see what the empress dowager was like before he could respond.

The empress dowager already regarded Du Wenhao as one of her own in her heart, she did not hide it, sighed, and said: "The eldest son should inherit the great power. Inheriting the throne, the Ai family must listen to the government behind the curtain, but the Ai family doesn't understand state affairs at all, how can they listen to the government? Think again, the two children of the Ai family are also the pillars of the country. If the emperor's grandson gave up the throne Give it to them, the Ai family is relieved, and afraid that the ministers of Sima Guang in the court will not follow. Alas...! Besides, the two children, Hao'er and Cheng'er, are born with strong natures. They have been like this since they were young. You have to get it by every move, and now you say you want to inherit the throne, if you can't, I'm afraid that the two of them will embarrass the emperor and grandson in the future..."

Du Wenhao bowed and said, "The Empress Dowager is wise!"

The empress dowager was taken aback: "How do you say that?"

"The empress dowager has already gained insight into King Yong's heart, which is exactly what I am worried about. Who should be the king is not the most urgent thing right now!"

The Empress Dowager was slightly taken aback: "Then what is more urgent than this?"

"Yes!" Du Wenhao said: "The change of Xuanwu Gate is imminent!"

"Ah?" The empress dowager has been shutting herself out for the past seven days, hiding in the deep palace, knowing nothing about the outside world, and she is naturally weak, but she was pushed to the crucial position of deciding the candidates for the country's leaders. In an important position, she can only recite poems and compose Fu, sing and dance lightly, but when it comes to state affairs, she has no idea at all.Suddenly, I heard Du Wenhao talk about the Xuanwumen Incident, the bloody palace coup in Tang Dynasty. As the empress dowager, how could she not know that the palace coup was what she was most afraid of deep down in her heart.So I couldn't help but get excited.He asked anxiously, "What's going on?"

Du Wenhao knew that she didn't ask about state affairs, and didn't know the dangers inside, so he leaned forward and said, "The imperial forest army in the capital is divided into three parts, the guards in front of the palace, the infantry guards, and the horse guards. Originally, these three teams were not unified. Commanding, each of them obeys the orders of the Holy One, and the three yamen only have the right to lead troops, not the right to send troops. King Yong is in control, and the army behind is controlled by the Sixth Prince's Master Wei Anwei."

"Ah? How could this be?" The Empress Dowager's voice trembled.

"Yeah, although King Yong has two armies, Wei An has only one army, but Wei An's first army is the guards in front of the palace, the elite of the elite, and now they control the palace. The faction is evenly matched now. But no matter who you decide to inherit the throne, the empress dowager, it may cause the other party to use force to seize power. At that time, the tragedy of brother-in-law fighting like Xuanwumen will probably repeat itself in our Great Song Dynasty!"

The Empress Dowager suddenly sat up straight, grabbed the white silk around her waist, and asked nervously: "No way...! How did you know?"

"Eunuch Jiao told me about it on the way here, but I haven't verified it yet. If the Empress Dowager thinks it's necessary, I can send someone to verify the situation, but the Empress Dowager must come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible, otherwise, announce the heir's decision." At this time, I am afraid that it will be the day of disaster for me in the Song Dynasty! Even if the news is false, it is good to be prepared for a rainy day."

The empress dowager's pale face became even more bloodless, and her hoarse voice trembled with fear, "Then... what do you think about this matter?"

"Take back all the military power of both sides!"

"How to take it back? What if they don't want to do it?"

Du Wenhao was stunned for a moment, he really didn't have any ideas about this, it's better to go back and discuss it with Master Shen.He cupped his fists and said, "The situation is unclear now, so it's not easy to take targeted measures."

"This..., what can we do?" The Empress Dowager looked desperate.

(End of this chapter)