Adou, who stayed behind in Hanzhong, did not expect that Li Fu had just sent back the secret report to his father-in-law, and the urgent report from Guanzhong would catch up with him.
When he saw the emergency report "The Prime Minister died of illness, and the three armies mourned together", his eyes suddenly went dark!
Adou subconsciously covered his chest.
Inside his chest, it was as if a hand with sharp claws suddenly pierced his heart.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
A sad feeling suddenly emerged in my heart, and my nose was sour.
After a long time, the Emperor of Han Dynasty said with trembling lips:
"Father?"
Is the father really gone?
Is the father-in-law who has always shielded me from the wind and rain really gone?
Feeling like the sky was falling, Adou raised his head, tears flowed down his round face into his mouth, and a bitter and salty taste penetrated into his heart.
The emperor's gaffe made everyone around him panic.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine..."
Adou held on to the armrests of the chair and tried to stand up, but he stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
"His Majesty!"
"no, I'm fine!"
Adou broke away from the help of the chamberlain: "Go, go to the emperor..."
Halfway through, he sat down again and murmured: "No, let me slow down, let me think about it..."
But after he thought about it for a long time, his mind was completely empty and white, and he felt as if he had lost his soul and was confused.
Until the Queen's voice rang in my ears: "Your Majesty?"
Only then did A Dou come back to his senses from his trance.
Seeing the bold queen looking at him with worry, Adou asked in confusion:
"Queen, why are you here?"
Seeing Adou's appearance, Zhang Xingcai's face became even more worried:
"Your Majesty, are you okay?"
Adou shook his head, and when he was waiting for an answer, he realized that the scene in front of him was very different from what he remembered.
It turned out that without realizing it, he had arrived at the Queen's residence.
You were clearly in the front hall just now, why did you suddenly arrive in the harem?
"Why am I here?"
"When Your Majesty just came in, he was so uneasy that he didn't even look at the road. I called out several times but didn't respond."
Zhang Xingcai explained briefly, and then asked with concern again: "Is your Majesty okay?"
Adou knew that the queen was pregnant and should not work hard, so he sat in the front hall for so long, thinking about how to deal with the situation in front of him.
Unexpectedly, I ended up here subconsciously.
Thinking of this, he remembered the urgent report in his hand.
Unexpectedly, when I looked down, my hands were empty.
At some point, the urgent report was actually in the Queen's hand.
Knowing that the death of his father-in-law could not be hidden from the Queen, Adou was nervous for a while, but then he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Queen's calm expression.
The emperor and empress sat down opposite each other. The empress put the emergency report on the table and said softly:
"Your Majesty, since the beginning of spring, there have been many news exchanges between Guanzhong and Hanzhong about my father's physical condition. Your Majesty should be prepared for this. Why are you so rude?"
If it were Zhang Xingcai who was pregnant for the first time, no matter how smart she was, she would still be in a state of confusion when she heard the news that her father-in-law had passed away.
But at this time, the queen already knew the importance of controlling her emotions during pregnancy.
In addition, as she said, we should have expected such a day since the beginning of spring, or even earlier.
So at this time, she was much calmer than Adou.
"I know, I know," A Dou's face finally slowly showed a look of sadness, "But, but, how could I, my father-in-law, do this? How could I just leave just as I said?"
"Your Majesty, my condolences," the Queen consoled her warmly, "My father-in-law has been running around all these years, and rarely has time to rest, in order to revive the Han Dynasty and return it to the old capital."
"After Xiangfu led the army into Chang'an, didn't he also write to His Majesty and just say how kind God is? His ecstasy overflowed from the paper."
"Now that the past is settled, all your Majesty has to do is to consolidate Guanzhong to prevent the thieves from coming back. Only in this way can we be worthy of my father's hard work over the years."
Hearing this, A Dou nodded, wiped away his tears, and asked:
"Then according to the Queen's opinion, what should I do?"
The so-called pregnancy makes you stupid for three years.
Empress Zhang, who used to be full of resourcefulness, frowned at this time, how could she think of a perfect strategy at once.
But after all, she was the emperor’s virtuous wife. After thinking for a moment, she said decisively:
"The death of my prime minister is a major national event. Your Majesty must first come up with an idea before announcing it in the court."
"Otherwise, your Majesty should just hang up your hands and ask the ministers. If the ministers have different opinions, it will only take a long time and cause people's hearts to wander."
"It can be said that if we continue to break up, we will suffer chaos. Not to mention the troops in Guanzhong, I am afraid that they are always looking forward to the court's decision."
"If the imperial court's decision is delayed for a long time and the morale of the frontline troops is unstable, Guanzhong will be in danger!"
When Adou heard what the queen said, he quickly said:
"Yes, yes, the queen is right!"
Seeing the emperor's appearance, the queen knew that his majesty had no idea at this time, and immediately suggested:
"My Prime Minister once said: Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, Guo Youzhi and others are all good and honest, with pure intentions and loyal intentions."
"Every matter in the palace, no matter how big or small, if you give it a thorough consultation and then implement it, you will definitely be able to make up for the deficiencies and bring about widespread benefits."
"Except for Jiang Wan who is far away in Jincheng, the remaining three are all in Hanzhong. Why doesn't Your Majesty summon them quickly and ask them?"
After hearing this, A Dou finally calmed down:
"What the Queen said is absolutely true."
Such an important matter cannot be delayed for a moment.
After receiving the Queen's advice, Adou immediately stood up and said:
"I will send someone to call them to the front hall."
After that, he hurried away again.
Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and Guo You were either ministers or ministers, and they all had the responsibility of accompanying the emperor, going in and out of the palace, and hearing about the government affairs.
After receiving the emperor's summons, he did not dare to neglect and rushed over.
Unexpectedly, they saw the emperor losing his composure, and then they realized that the prime minister had died in Chang'an.
When the three of them suddenly received the news, it was like a bolt from the blue.
I don’t know who cried first. All the monarchs and ministers in the palace burst into tears.
After crying for a while, Adou finally said:
"My father-in-law has just led the army to pacify Guanzhong, and then he suddenly abandons me. I dare to ask you gentlemen, what should I do?"
Fei Yi stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister led the army to pacify Guanzhong. Now that the Prime Minister has gone, the army is still outside. In my opinion, the most important thing is how to stabilize the morale of the army in Guanzhong."
"Guanzhong has just been set up, but there are rebels peeping outside. If you are not careful, not to mention that Guanzhong is not defended, even hundreds of thousands of troops will be in danger."
"I believe that we should immediately send angels to Guanzhong to authorize the generals to unify the army in Guanzhong, so that the generals will not know where to go."
Adou said:
"Before the Prime Minister's death, he asked General Feng Yong of the Western Expedition to temporarily take charge of all affairs in Guanzhong. Do you think Feng Mingwen is qualified for this task?"
Fei Yi immediately replied:
"The general who conquered the West made great military achievements and was both civil and military. He also once controlled Liangzhou alone and led the army to pacify the people. All of them are impressive."
"Since the Prime Minister has entrusted this person to take charge of all matters in Guanzhong, he also believes in General Feng. As the saying goes, it is better to remain silent than to move. There is no more suitable candidate than General Feng at the moment."
Adou sighed:
"I'm afraid that Feng Zhengxi's qualifications are too young to serve the elderly in the army."
Feng Mingwen is indeed the right candidate, and he is also the candidate that Adou has always been optimistic about.
But in the secret note that his prime minister asked Li Fu to send over, Feng Mingwen's only weakness was mentioned: lack of qualifications.
Fei Yi and Dong Yun said in unison: "That's why your majesty needs to send an angel as soon as possible to authorize the general to conquer the west to unify the army!"
With the emperor's authorization, there is great justice.
Even if he lacks qualifications, whether General Zhengxi can convince the veteran generals in the army or not, he can at least prevent them from openly objecting.
When Adou saw Fei and Dong acting like this, he would naturally not object.
"Then who can go to Guanzhong to declare an edict?"
This is not an ordinary imperial edict, but is related to the overall situation of Guanzhong, and is also related to the issue of the handover of old and new power.
You definitely can't just send a servant there from the palace.
This person not only wanted to declare the decree, but also made the generals in Guanzhong realize that letting General Zhengxi control the army in Guanzhong was the emperor's clearest intention and the bottom line that could not be compromised.
This time, it was Fei Yi who took the initiative to ask for permission: "I would like to go."
Adou nodded: "If Shizhong Fei is willing to go, I'll be relieved."
His eyes fell on the remaining two people:
"Foreign affairs have been agreed upon, but what about matters within the DPRK?"
The news of my father-in-law's death must not be concealed, and he must go to court tomorrow.
When all the officials in the court learn that the Prime Minister has passed away, many people will definitely lose their minds.
How to stabilize the hearts of the people in the DPRK as soon as possible is also a major matter.
"I believe that once the Prime Minister leaves, many affairs in the court will be temporarily handled by the Chancellor. Your Majesty can summon the Chancellor to Hanzhong to perform the duties of the Chancellor."
The benefits of early decentralization of power to the chancellery a few years ago have now become apparent.
With the Prime Minister gone, there is no need for the Prime Minister's Mansion to exist.
Shangshutai, who has always assisted the Prime Minister's Office in handling government affairs, can now smoothly take over all the powers of the Prime Minister's Office in handling government affairs.
Jiang Wan and others, who both hold positions in the Prime Minister's Office and the Chancellor's Office, can also switch identities naturally.
The only thing to worry about is that Jiang Wan, as the chief minister of the Prime Minister's Mansion, has been staying in Jincheng.
Now that even he has been transferred to Hanzhong, Shangshutai will naturally follow him.
In the past when the emperor visited Hanzhong, it could be said that he asked the minister to stay in Jincheng to handle government affairs.
If even the chancellery was gone, Jincheng, as the nominal capital of the Han Dynasty, would really be nothing but an empty shell.
After hearing Dong Yun's words, Guo Youzhi couldn't help but said with some worry: "I'm afraid someone will criticize me."
He put it more tactfully.
To put it bluntly, once the Prime Minister leaves, I'm afraid many people will jump out.
Let's just say that there is no emperor in the capital of Han Dynasty. There is not even a chancellery.
In fact, he wanted the emperor to return to Jincheng, and even took the opportunity to prevent the capital from being moved.
Dong Yun retorted:
"That is better than His Majesty returning to Jincheng. The Prime Minister finally regained Chang'an, but His Majesty returned to Chang'an from Hanzhong. How does this make the world think?"
Fei Ye pondered:
"Just say that His Majesty is making preparations to return to the old capital."
Reviving the Han Dynasty and returning it to the old capital was the greatest political correctness of Ji Han.
The emperor was making preparations to return the old capital to Hanzhong. Who dared to say no?
When Fei Ye said this, everyone said: "Good!"
Fei Ye continued:
"At a time when the country is in turmoil, Li Piaoqi (Li Ping, who changed his name from Li Yan) has the position of assistant to the government, so he must be transferred to Hanzhong and cannot stay in Jincheng."
Adou frowned: "Let the hussar general come to assist the government?"
Fei Yi said quietly:
"Your Majesty, the Hussar General is the person entrusted by the late Emperor to assist the government. How can we treat him lightly? Why not give him the title of Tai Tu to show your Majesty's respect?"
Dong Yun and Guo Youzhi listened and looked at it with their eyes.
This Fei Shizhong is not a kind character either.
Adou was still a little confused. Just when he was hesitating whether to agree to Fei Yi's suggestion, a palace maid suddenly brought hot tea instead of cold tea.
At the same time, he secretly handed him a small note and wrote "Yes".
Only then did A Dou feel confident, and he nodded in agreement: "What Shi Zhong said is true."
Seeing the emperor like this, the three people thought that the emperor had understood his intention, and couldn't help but sigh:
"Your Majesty has grown a lot over the years by handling government affairs alone. The Prime Minister can rest in peace!"
Unexpectedly, after they left, the little fat man quickly got up and walked to the inner room, where he saw Zhang Xingcai sitting behind the screen with a big belly.
The little fat man was moved and guilty at the same time:
"When did the queen come?"
What was touching was that the queen knew that she was deeply aware of herself. What made her feel guilty was that the queen had such a big belly and that she had to work hard on her all the time.
Zhang Xingcai sat on a chair and answered with a smile:
"When Your Majesty was talking to them about the affairs of the inner dynasty, the concubine came. Your Majesty did not understand why he transferred Li Zhengfang to Hanzhong?"
"Exactly." Adou nodded, "Xiangfu asked Li Zhengfang to stay in Jincheng and not allow him to come to Hanzhong, because he wanted to use his power. Why did he transfer him to Hanzhong as soon as Xiangfu left?"
"It's precisely because my father-in-law has passed away that I have to transfer him to Hanzhong."
The queen sighed, "No matter what, Li Zhengfang is also the person appointed by the late emperor to assist His Majesty. His status is so important that he can be said to be the first person in the court now."
"If he is allowed to stay in Jincheng, who knows if someone will use him to do something?"
"After all, no matter what, Jincheng is still the capital of the Han Dynasty, and," at this point, the Queen glanced at His Majesty and lowered her voice, "The Empress Dowager is still in Jincheng."
Adou's expression changed: "Li Ping, how dare he?!"
"Whether you dare or not is one thing, but we cannot leave the slightest chance to others."
Zhang Xingcai's eyes turned cold, "Li Ping is a man with scales on his belly. I can't trust him the most. In the past, when my father-in-law was around, he couldn't make any waves."
"But now that the prime minister is gone, he is the most respected person in the court. Who knows what he will do? I can only feel relieved if he is transferred to Hanzhong and watched closely."
"Just as Fei Wenwei (Fei Yong) said, granting him the position of Sangong shows his glory and does not allow him to record the affairs of the minister."
"In this way, Your Majesty will neither fall into the harsh old minister's excuse nor give him the chance to have any objections."
After listening to the queen's words, Adou suddenly realized: "That's it."
He thought for a while and asked again:
"When it comes to recording ministerial affairs, the queen thinks, after the prime minister, who can record ministerial affairs? Feng Mingwen?"