Several more people came down to the Xiang Hall under the guidance of palace attendants one after another. Zheng Tu recognized these people. They were all Tongzou officials sent from various places to build Ye and obeyed the control of Tongzou Academy.
Although his relationship with these people is usually cold, he has to deal with them on a daily basis.
Of course, not all the Tongzou officials in Jianye City were ordered to enter the palace at this time.
Zheng Tu analyzed carefully and found that, in addition to the Chushan, Huaidong, Huaixi, Xiqin, and Dongchuan five-way camps (day camps), there were only Jinghu South Road, Jinghu North Road, Xichuan Road, and Liangjiang Road with official envoys.
Zhejiang Road, as well as the accompanying capital Xiangyang, Yangzhou, Luzhou and other places directly under the central government came to the palace at this time.
Thinking about it carefully, Zheng Tu was not surprised.
In addition to the center, the wealth, soldiers and horses involved in these places can be said to be the lifeblood of Dai Viet - the officials in charge are all on their own, and they are qualified to be called real frontier officials. Their status may be
Not as good as Zhou He, Hu Kai and others, but definitely not inferior to the ministers of various ministries.
Luzhou and Yangzhou, which were under the direct jurisdiction of the central government, had a slightly lower status. However, Liu Yan and Deng Gui, who were in charge of Yangzhou and Luzhou, were direct generals deeply trusted by Emperor Jianji. Their subordinates were closely related to Zhang Xin and others who guarded Jianye.
The Ministry is the elite of the Forbidden Army under the direct control of the Imperial Envoy Division. It is very different from the Chushan, Huaidong, Huaixi, West Qin and Dongchuan camps.
At this time, when such a change occurs in Beijing, the first people who need to be informed of it are obviously the commanders in charge of these places, and they must be fully prepared for this to prevent major changes.
Zheng Tu had only one chance to enter the palace before, when Xu Huai rushed to Jianye to meet Emperor Jianji. At that time, a banquet was held in the palace, and Zheng Tu and many Chushan generals were invited to the palace to have a banquet. However, Zheng Tu
They were all unfamiliar with the palace's arrangements, and Xu Huai also strictly prohibited Zheng Tu from inquiring about the palace's news, let alone buying spies in the palace.
At this time, among the many imperial officials who entered the palace under the imperial edict, several of them were senior officials. It was said that there were several times more guards and horses in the palace today than in the past.
And some low-level palace attendants have disappeared, and they must have been put under temporary control. At this time, the chamberlains were all well-known, and the eunuch who usually served Emperor Jianji in the Chui Gong Hall personally went around to summon the ministers and other people to report to the officials.
palace.
It can be seen that the palace knows better than anyone else that this matter is not a trivial matter. If you are not careful, it will be an irreparable disaster for Vietnam and the court.
Zheng Tu had never experienced such a battle, and he was in a panic. He saw that there were guards and palace officials outside the chamber, and they were prohibited from walking around freely after entering the palace. At this time, it was impossible for him to discuss with Zhu Hang or Wang Fan.
At this point, he is still lacking; he is not yet able to face such a shocking change and still remain calm.
His thoughts were also a little stagnant, and his mind was in a mess.
Chu Shan had always been isolated in the court. Although there were many people in the chamber, Zheng Tu could only stand in the corner and listen to others whispering.
After waiting anxiously in the wing hall for a long time, Zheng Tu heard the sound of hurried footsteps and suddenly saw Zhou He, Hu Kai, and Qian Shangduan, the minister in charge of the Tongzou Academy in the lower province of Zhongshu Men, and the provincial supervisor.
Qiao Jien and the other two, led by several palace attendants, walked into the chamber.
"Everyone must be aware of what happened in the palace." Zhou He's swollen, red and cloudy eyes showed that he might have stayed awake in the palace for the past two days. He could only hear him whispering like a knife blade against the rock.
A soft grinding voice said, "His Majesty became unwell after being drunk at the banquet the day before yesterday. The imperial doctor did not detect any serious problems at first, but yesterday, His Majesty fainted and vomited. Even if he was barely revived, he could no longer speak or move, and his pulse was very weak. We had to do the last resort.
Bad plan——"
Hu Kai said in a tired voice: "Although the King of Lu died in Hexi, causing him to give up his intention to attack Qinzhou from Hexi and Longxi, there are still more than five Chihu people in Jingxi, Heluo, Guanshan and Xusu.
One hundred thousand soldiers and horses are stationed. Before all the defense lines are fully prepared, or before the soldiers and horses stationed in the Central Plains of Chihu are fighting for position in the north, your majesty's current situation must not be leaked. Therefore, you must choose people who are absolutely trustworthy.
I went back to the various ministries to report this matter, do you know?"
Zhou He, Hu Kai, Qian Shangduan, and Qiao Jien came forward at the same time, but this matter will not be written down. Only the four of them appearing at the same time can prove the authenticity of this matter beyond doubt.
"Is it really possible that Your Majesty won't be able to survive..." someone asked.
"Although we have to prepare for the worst, His Majesty's condition may not improve!" Hu Kai knew what this man wanted to say, so he stopped him and said sternly, "You don't need to ask too much, just do your part.
, if even the slightest bit of information leaks from your mouth, be careful to punish the clan and the country’s laws!”
"Everyone else should go back and make preparations first. After selecting the manpower, the Imperial Envoy will directly dispatch a small team of cavalry to escort them to ensure that there will be no accidents on the road!" Zhou He waved his hand and signaled the various officials to leave alone.
He said to Zheng Tu, "Zheng Langjun, come with us to Funing Palace!"
Daqing Hall, Zichen Hall and Chui Gong Hall were the places where grand ceremonies were held, where Emperor Jianji visited the court and listened to daily affairs. Funing Palace was where Emperor Jianji lived in the palace - Zheng Tu guessed that Emperor Jianji should be there at this time.
Funing Palace received treatment from the imperial physician.
However, Zheng Tu was confused. He didn't know what else needed him to rush to the dormitory after what Zhou He had explained.
The others also looked at each other.
However, Zhou He and Hu Kai looked serious and had no intention of explaining more, so they walked out of the chamber first.
Qian Shangduan glanced at Zheng Tu with a complicated expression and said nothing. However, it was Qiao Jien who pulled the stunned Zheng Tu's sleeve and said, "Mr. Zheng, please!"
The Xiang Hall is on the south side of the Chui Gong Hall. You need to pass through multiple gates to reach the place where Emperor Jianji and his concubines lived, and the guards here are even tighter.
As the commander of Xuanwei Military Capital, Zhang Xin usually lives in a simple house and does not interact closely with courtiers. The guards in the palace usually don't get his turn to appear, but at this time, he was wearing armor and looking solemn in person.
Stand guard in front of the main hall of Funing Palace.
Entering the main hall, Zheng Tu saw that the outside was densely packed with people, all ministers of various ministries and above. Jin Zhuangcheng and Wang Fan were among them. At this time, there was a strong fragrance of medicine coming from the inner hall.
Going out - Zheng Tu didn't see Zhu Hang, thinking that Zhu Hang might not have a higher political status than the counselors, but he could barely be regarded as a member of the clan. At this time, he should be together with Zhao Guan, the king of Huai, Zhao Yi, the king of Wuwei, and Rong.
Princess Le, Princess Yingyun and other concubines serve in the inner hall.
"Mr. Zheng, please!" Zhou He walked into the outer hall, stopped briefly, and motioned for Zheng Tu to follow them into the inner hall.
Zheng Tu was even more surprised and confused, he really didn't know what was going on with him in the inner hall at this time.
Feeling the real eyes of the ministers in the outer hall looking towards him, Zheng Tu felt like he was sweating on the back of his back - even though there were ice cubes in the main hall, it was much cooler than outside the hall.
Zheng Tu bravely followed Zhou He, Hu Kai, Qian Shangduan, and Qiao Jien to the inner hall. He saw several gauze curtains hanging down in the center of the inner hall, covering the bed. Through the gauze curtains, he could vaguely see several people sitting on the couch.
In front of the nurse, Emperor Jianji's thin body seemed to be covered with a thin quilt.
Outside the gauze curtain, Huai Wang Zhao Guan, Wuwei County Prince Zhao Yi, Zhu Hang and others stood with their hands lowered, watching Zheng Tu walk in with different expressions.
"Your Highness, the Chushan camp commander Zheng Tuzhao has come to Funing Palace! Is your Majesty awake?" Zhou He asked in a hoarse voice through the gauze curtain.
The gauze curtain was opened, and the haggard Princess Yingyun came out, and at the same time ordered the palace attendant to lift the gauze curtain.
At this time, Zheng Tu could see Emperor Jianji lying in the arms of Concubine Zheng. His face was pale. Except for his eyeballs, which were still moving a little, his face had fallen.
Zheng Tu hurriedly knelt down and saluted: "Your Majesty, Chushan, is marching to the camp to report to the official Zheng Tu, and to kowtow to Your Majesty!"
"Zheng Tu, please get up and talk," Yingyun said, holding back her sorrow, "Father was drunk the day before yesterday, and woke up early yesterday morning with a splitting headache and vomiting blood. The imperial doctor's treatment did not find relief, and he was afraid that he would not be able to survive the disease.
He struggled to draft a secret edict and delivered it to the ministers. However, after drafting the secret edict for Marquis Jingsheng, his limbs became weak and could no longer hold the pen or speak. Zheng Tu, please return to Chushan with the secret edict and hand it over to Jingsheng in person.
Marquis, make Marquis Jingsheng act according to the secret edict..."
Zheng Tu stood there in a daze, watching Princess Yingyun hand over the sealed edict, as if he saw a brazier coming towards him.
"Your Majesty, is this secret edict given to Jingsheng Hou Xu Huai to watch alone?" Seeing Zheng Tu's hesitation, Zhu Hang walked to the bed and asked in a loud voice to the speechless Emperor Jianji.
Emperor Jianji could not speak, his face was pale, and his breath was very weak, but at this time, his eyes were filled with anger and the final brilliance.
Zhu Hang then asked Huai Wang Zhao Guan, Zhou He, Qiao Jien and others: "Do you have any doubts about the secret edict given to Marquis Jingsheng by your Majesty?"
King Zhao Guan of Huai had a gloomy expression on his face, and in the end he said nothing.
Seeing that Huai Wang Zhao Guan didn't say anything, Zhou He let out a breath and said to Hu Kai: "Please also ask the prime minister to mobilize an elite cavalry to escort Zheng Tu back to Chushan with the secret edict..."
As the privy envoy, Hu Kai did not have the power to mobilize troops. In comparison, Zhou He, as a minister and the envoy of the imperial camp, was more qualified to mobilize the garrison.
However, if Zheng Tu was returning to Chushan with a secret edict, if an accident occurred, no matter which party was responsible for it or who assigned escorts, he would definitely be pushed out to take the blame in the future.
To be honest, Zhou He was not sure that Huai Wang Zhao Guan would not take action to intercept this secret edict.
Even though he wholeheartedly supports King Huai's succession, he doesn't want to get involved in this unexplainable matter at this time...
