The Prime Minister Yanli also knelt on the ground, bowed his head and obeyed the order.
But after obeying the order, he couldn't help but frowned and looked up at the emperor.
Although the emperor, who has been in power for thirty-four years, seems to look normal now, his demeanor is already a bit dazed.
The whole person's expression is no longer as lively as before.
Yan Li sighed in his heart.
The Emperor of Qi, who was in his prime and rebuked Fang Qiu, was finally old.
Although he is not as old as these prime ministers, his life has come to an end.
A lot of energy and spirit have been lost.
Otherwise, he would not have made such a ridiculous decision at this juncture.
You know, the third son of the emperor, Zhao Li, has been supervising the country for some time.
During this period, many ministers in the court, especially the two prime ministers Zhu Lizhen in the Assembly Hall, frequently visited Prince Menqi's Mansion.
To put it bluntly, this group of people might have even distributed the cakes for the new dynasty in private.
On the other side, no one cares about Prince Wei's Mansion.
At this time, the emperor, who was already so ill, wanted to make it easier for him to be crown prince...
It seems too childish.
Yan Li looked up at the emperor again, he wanted to say something...
But when the words came to his lips, he sighed in his heart, but still did not say them out.
There are four words that stand between him and the emperor.
The difference between Hu and Han.
Emperor Yongping made him prime minister because of his abilities. Even now, although he, the Han Prime Minister, is doing most of the things in the Council, he is not the person in charge of the Council.
Even, the emperor would deliberately avoid him on some important decisions.
Of course, his identity as a Han Chinese was not completely without benefits, because he was not close to the real Zhu Li, so during this period he did not go to Prince Qi's mansion to pay homage, nor did he have any intention of flattering the new king.
Because Old Man Yan was not prepared to continue working, as soon as Emperor Yongping left and the new dynasty came, he was ready to resign and return to his homeland.
After receiving the emperor's order, the group was about to go down to draft the edict. Before leaving the Xiude Hall, Prime Minister Yan took a deep look at the emperor who was already closing his eyes to rest, and was filled with emotion in his heart.
He knew in his heart that the emperor, who had not dealt with political affairs for several months...
It is already difficult to control Yandu.
After the three prime ministers left the Xiude Hall, they returned to the meeting hall. Tong Jian and Ma Cheng gathered around, minding their own business, discussing their own affairs. When they had almost finished their discussion, they walked to Yan Li together.
, raised his hands and asked: "What does Prime Minister Yan think of the matter of the crown prince?"
Yan Li lowered his head slightly, with a calm expression: "The court's intention is Yan's intention."
The Han prime minister was very smart. At this time, he did not say emperor, but used the word court, which means...
Whoever wins the fight will listen to him.
In this way, you can avoid disaster and avoid the disaster of death.
The two Prime Ministers Zhu Lizhen had worked with him for many years and knew his character. After hearing this answer, they nodded.
When Prime Minister Tong Jian was about to speak, the voice of the eunuch Liu Yi suddenly came from outside the door. Liu Yi cleared his throat and said: "Three prime ministers, the emperor has ordered that the three of you draft the edict and seal it as soon as possible. Let us
The family will then take it to the Xiude Hall to use the seal to inform the government and the public."
Prime Minister Ma Cheng, after being silent for a while, silently walked out of the meeting hall and came to Liu Yi. With a smile on his face, he bowed his hands and said: "Eunuch Liu, this imperial edict is a major matter for the country. It requires careful consideration of every word and sentence. Finish the draft.
After that, we have to review it carefully, and we don’t have more than two or three days to write it out.”
"My father-in-law is pressing for it now, but the three of us and I can't get it out."
The great eunuch Liu Yi looked at Ma Cheng, cupped his hands and said: "Ma Xiang should hurry up, even if it is a draft, the emperor just said that if the edict cannot be sent to Xiude Palace before this evening, let the Hanlin Academy draft it.
Ordered."
The drafting of imperial edicts is generally the responsibility of Hanlin scholars.
In Dachen, the Imperial Academy was held concurrently by the prime minister. For example, Xie Min, the prime minister of Dachen, also served as an Imperial Academy. However, it was different in the Northern Qi Dynasty. There were only three prime ministers left, and none of them had the position of Imperial Academy.
Although the Hanlin Academy is indeed responsible for drafting imperial edicts on weekdays, things like imperial edicts are too important, so several prime ministers usually draft them themselves.
Ma Cheng nodded repeatedly and agreed.
Liu Yi glanced at the prime minister, saluted, and turned to leave.
After Ma Cheng returned to the council hall, he pulled Tong Jian aside and said in a hoarse voice: "Prime Minister Tong, at this time in the past, His Highness Prince Qi had already been to the council hall to observe the government. Why haven't you come today?"
Tong Xiang lowered his eyebrows and said, "If you haven't come yet, then you probably have been stopped by someone."
After hearing these words, Ma Cheng's eyes changed slightly, but the expression on his face did not change much.
"Tong Xiang, then..."
Tong Jian sat back in his seat and said, "We have to find a way to meet with His Highness King Qi."
Ma Cheng found a chair, sat opposite Tong Jian, and whispered: "I'm afraid, the emperor will not let us see King Qi again."
Tong Jian, the oldest of the three, looked around, then lowered his voice: "Your Majesty, you may not be able to control it..."
Hearing his words, Ma Cheng, who had always had a calm face, suddenly felt moved.
However, his expression only changed slightly, and then he whispered: "Yes, Tong Xiang is right."
"Your Majesty... you may not be able to control it..."
Emperor Yongping has been seriously ill for too long.
If for more than two months before, he had just hid in the harem and observed King Qi's performance, but in the half month since the last time he fainted, the emperor's daily waking time was too short.
Moreover, the time he is awake may not always be during the day. Sometimes he wakes up at night and falls asleep throughout the day.
The emperor in this state...
Even if he has been in office for more than thirty years, it is impossible to control the situation.
In fact, in just over half a month, some important positions in the court and palace have been quietly changed.
After all, although His Highness King Qi appears to be benevolent and has excellent acting skills, he is not stupid, let alone filial.
As long as he is not stupid, he will definitely take advantage of the time when he is presiding over the meeting to cultivate his cronies.
Yan Li on the side watched silently as the two Prime Ministers Zhu Lizhen conspired.
The sixty-year-old Han prime minister stood up from his chair, suddenly fell to the ground and fainted.
A minor official who was waiting in the meeting hall rushed in and helped the old man up.
The two prime ministers Zhu Lizhen also approached Yan Li thoughtfully. Tong Jian stroked his beard on his chin and asked, "What's wrong with Prime Minister Yan?"
Yan Li woke up faintly and spoke very weakly: "Seeing that the emperor was seriously ill, I felt extremely sad. Just now I felt a huge pain in my heart, my vision went dark, and I fell to the ground..."
At this point, Old Man Yan sighed: "I'm getting older, I'm no longer useful..."
Speaking of the emotional part, the old man shed tears and said: "I wish I could bear the pain of illness for the emperor..."
Seeing the old man burst into tears, the two Prime Ministers Zhu Lizhen felt a little contemptuous.
Lao Yanli cried for a while and then said again: "Prime Minister Tong, I have a splitting headache now. I'm afraid I won't be able to work in the council hall anymore, so I can only ask Prime Minister Tong for a leave of absence..."
Tong Jian was the leader of the Daqi Council. After hearing Yan Li's words, he reached out and pulled his sleeves and sighed: "This is a critical time. There are many things that need to be decided by Prime Minister Yan, but Yan
Since Xiang is ill..."
Ma Cheng on the side took over and said: "Prime Minister Yan, please go home and don't rest for too long. You will be back in a day or two, otherwise the two of us will be too busy."
Yan Li shook his head and sighed: "I just feel that my life is not long. Whether I can return to the court again is unknown..."
"Prime Minister Yan, take good care of your health and don't think too much about it."
Tong Jian and Ma Cheng looked at each other, then waved and said, "Here, send Prime Minister Yan back to his house."
"Go and ask Doctor Ji from the east of the city to treat Mr. Yan."
The officials in the assembly hall immediately nodded, and several people supported Yan Li, helped him onto the sedan chair, carried him out of the assembly hall, and sent him all the way back to Yan's mansion.
After Yan Li left, the two prime ministers Zhu Lizhen in the meeting hall looked at each other. Ma Cheng thought thoughtfully and said, "This guy is really slippery and slippery."
Tong Jian didn't take it seriously and waved his hand: "Most Han people are like this. They shrink their heads when something happens."
Talking about something, Tong Jian said: "Should we go to Prince Qi's Mansion, or should we invite Prince Qi to the meeting hall?"
Ma Cheng looked at the sky outside and whispered: "It's better to wait until night. I heard..."
"The emperor sleeps for seven or eight hours a day..."
Tong Jian nodded silently.
…
At night, Tong Jian and Ma Cheng came to the gate of Xiude Hall with the drafted edict and...His Royal Highness King Qi.
At the door, they met the eunuch Liu Yi.
The three of them raised their hands to Liu Yi and said, "Eunuch Liu."
Liu Yi raised his head and looked at these three people, and the corners of his eyes couldn't stop beating violently.
He knew in his heart that if there was one bad move in the imperial city tonight, something big would happen!
He bowed his head slightly and returned the courtesy.
"His Royal Highness King Qi, the two prime ministers, and the emperor...have fallen asleep..."
Tong Jian smiled and said: "The emperor is asleep, so of course we don't dare to disturb him, but we are not here to see the emperor at all."
Ma Cheng then looked at Liu Yi: "We are here to see you, Eunuch Liu."
His Highness King Qi didn't say anything, he just took out a plaque of Qing Jing Si Sizheng and held it in his hand.
The scene fell into silence.
Tong Jian looked calm and said: "Eunuch Liu, Chief Wei will be arriving soon..."
Liu Yi's expression changed again.
He looked at the three people in front of him, and after being silent for a long time, he said: "His Royal Highness King Qi, the two prime ministers, what if the emperor never fell asleep..."
Ma Cheng lowered his head and said, "Then we are about to meet with the Holy One and show him the edict we have drafted."
Liu Yi was silent again. After a long time, he turned sideways and made a gesture of invitation.